Boom.
With a loud rumble, a yellow spectral figure emerged from within Shinji's body, instantly breaking free from the Hand Demon's grasp.
It then transformed into a giant half-body skeletal apparition composed of intertwining bones.
Amidst the swirling dust, Shinji, standing beneath the towering apparition, appeared godlike.
His crimson eyes, bearing the Mangekyo Sharingan pattern of three interwoven black circles, glimmered with a sharp, killing intent!
The Hand Demon was shocked: "W-what are you...?"
Before the Hand Demon could finish its sentence, Shinji activated Susanoo and delivered a powerful punch downward, smashing into the Hand Demon.
Splat.
The Hand Demon's seemingly sturdy body was utterly obliterated by Susanoo's terrifying force. With a resounding explosion, it was shattered into pieces, flesh and blood flying everywhere.
For a moment, the already bloody courtyard became even more chaotic.
However, within just a few breaths, the pulverized flesh began to wriggle, rapidly expanding, and soon, the Hand Demon was restored to its original form.
"As expected of the 'light'!" The Hand Demon covered its mouth and chuckled: "Oh ho ho, you can't kill me, you can't kill me!"
"Tch!"
Shinji didn't waste any words, activating Susanoo again to deliver another devastating punch.
As expected, the Hand Demon was shattered once more.
This time, Shinji didn't wait for the Hand Demon to fully recover. As soon as the flesh began to wriggle, he unleashed another punch.
Boom, boom, boom.
The relentless pounding from Susanoo caused the pit on the ground to grow larger, with cracks extending out for dozens of meters.
The surrounding buildings were affected one after another, collapsing in quick succession, and even the main hall in the distance lost a corner.
After a while, Shinji stopped his onslaught.
Compared to the beginning, the blood and flesh on the ground took much longer to regenerate, and although the Hand Demon eventually reformed, it was significantly smaller than it had been after devouring hundreds of guards.
"D-damn it!"
The weakness flooding its body replaced the previous madness on the Hand Demon's face with deep fear.
It had never imagined it would face such a monster. Just locking eyes with Shinji's Mangekyo Sharingan filled it with overwhelming dread.
It wanted to escape, to consume more humans and regain its strength, but Susanoo standing before it crushed all such fantasies.
The Hand Demon trembled, subconsciously taking a step back: "No, you don't even have a blade! How can I die at your hands?!"
Shinji slowly walked towards the Hand Demon: "It seems you don't understand what this place is. Soon, you'll long for the sunlight and Nichirin Blade."
He knows, he knows my weaknesses! I'm going to die!
The Hand Demon's pupils shrank rapidly, its entire being consumed by fear, and its will crumbled in an instant.
Seeing this, Shinji didn't hesitate, swiftly striking again, activating Susanoo for another punch aimed at the Hand Demon.
Boom!
The Hand Demon's body was shattered once more.
But this time, the flesh on the ground didn't wriggle or coalesce again; instead, it disintegrated like dust, dispersing into the air.
[Invasion successfully repelled]
[Rift closed.]
Hearing the voice in his ear, Shinji let out a sigh of relief and collapsed to the ground. The massive Susanoo that had enveloped him vanished instantly.
Why is it that protecting the Shinobi World has fallen to me, a Uchiha survivor?
He was beginning to understand.
The so-called invasion was likely the incursion of beings like the Hand Demon from other dimensions into the Shinobi World.
And his role, referred to as the "light" by the Hand Demon, was probably to eliminate these invaders and safeguard the Shinobi World.
Understanding was one thing, but he deeply resented it in his heart.
He had been inexplicably thrown into this situation and forced to fight monsters. Without the Mangekyo Sharingan, he would already be in the Hand Demon's stomach.
Hey, I accept this time, but there better not be a next time! I quit!
Although he didn't know if the mysterious voice could hear him, Shinji still shouted loudly.
[Loot detected.]
[Loot analysis in progress.]
[Loot: Basic Breathing Technique - Water Breathing]
Suddenly, a faint light orb appeared where the Hand Demon had turned to dust.
Huh, there's loot?
Shinji approached the light orb.
Breathing Techniques, from Demon Slayer, enhanced the functionality of the heart and lungs through breathing, significantly boosting a person's speed and strength, allowing ordinary humans to fight against demons.
Since it was purely achieved through breathing, learning Breathing Techniques didn't require any particular bloodline.
Anyone with talent and determination could gain some benefits from these techniques.
As for how much benefit, that varied from person to person.
However, this technique, which didn't involve the complex nature transformation of chakra, was undoubtedly a good thing for Shinji at the moment, so he reached out to grab the light orb.
In an instant.
Fragments of memories related to learning Water Breathing were absorbed into his mind.
At the same time, he understood why the loot from defeating the Hand Demon was Water Breathing.
It was evidently because the Hand Demon had devoured several swordsmen who had learned Water Breathing, and their memory fragments had merged into its flesh.
[Rewards being calculated]
[Rating: E]
[Reward: Chakra (small amount) from the Shinobi World]
Countless light particles suddenly appeared around him and merged into Shinji's body one by one.
Ah~
The sensation was like soaking his exhausted body in a hot spring, so comfortable that Shinji couldn't help but moan.
A gift from the Shinobi World? He paused, then mused: There are even rewards!
The amount of chakra that had just flowed into his body was almost equal to his original chakra reserves, meaning his chakra had doubled in just a few moments.
However, recalling the mysterious voice's content, he realized something: Hey, there's no need to emphasize 'small amount'!
Rewarding a "small amount" of chakra had doubled his reserves.
Didn't that mean his original chakra reserves were roughly equivalent to a "small amount"?
He also noticed that his rating was E, which was clearly not a good rating.
Looking around, he pondered: Was it because the Hand Demon caused too much destruction in the Shinobi World, affecting the rating? Or was it because the invasion lasted too long?
Crack.
Suddenly, a noise came from nearby.
Are there survivors?
Shinji quickly turned his head towards the direction of the sound.
There, a small head poked out from the ruins of the main hall, blinking large eyes as it looked towards him in the courtyard.
Damn!
Realizing that his Mangekyo Sharingan had been exposed, Shinji's heart tightened.
If this secret were leaked, neither Danzo in the village nor Orochimaru outside would let him go.
Even villages and organizations currently unrelated to him might hunt him down out of greed for the Mangekyo Sharingan.
This could be very bad.
So, to confirm, he quickly walked over.
As he got closer, he recognized the small, dust-covered figure in the ruins. After a careful look, he muttered to himself: "Those purple eyes... is this Shion?"
Shion asked curiously: "Big brother with red eyes, do you know me?"
So, this is the palace of the Miko from the Land of Demons.
Shinji murmured to himself, but internally, he was struggling...