"Huh, what's this?" Haku, who had been unexpectedly invited by Uchiha Shinji for a late-night meal, returned to his apartment and found a note on his desk.
He walked over, picked it up, and after reading it, his expression became serious.
At the same time.
Karin, who had returned home late, also found a note on her bedside table.
She hesitated for a moment, then picked up the note and read it, her face changing instantly as she instinctively glanced at the clock on the wall.
Inside Uchiha Shinji's apartment.
Just like when he had prepared for the previous invasion, he neatly laid out all his shinobi tools on the bed, carefully sorting and packing them into his tool pouch.
Then, he secured the silken thread he had obtained as spoils of war from last time around his wrist, hiding it up his sleeve.
After finishing all this, he glanced at the clock, then lay down on the bed, closing his eyes to rest.
The apartment became silent, with only his soft breathing and the monotonous, precise ticking of the clock's gears.
9 o'clock. 10 o'clock. 11 o'clock... Time slowly passed, and finally, the clock's hands pointed to 12 o'clock.
Almost at the moment the clock made a soft click, Uchiha Shinji, who had been resting on the bed with his eyes closed, opened his eyes and sat up.
At this moment.
There was no hesitation or uncertainty in his eyes. He quickly formed a hand seal, completing the Transformation Jutsu, raising his height to that of an average adult, then draping himself in the black cloak with red clouds and donning his mask.
[Invasion area locked.]
[Junior Lampbearer, prepare to repel the invasion.]
As he finished putting on his mask, the voice of the Lamp echoed in his ears.
He closed his eyes briefly, and when he opened them again, his eyes were glowing with the eerie light of the Mangekyo Sharingan: "Let's go."
Swish!
Without a sound, he vanished from his apartment.
The wind howled. The cold wind whirled up fallen leaves, spinning them in the air.
In the midst of this, a figure appeared out of thin air.
The spinning leaves, seemingly startled by this sudden presence, fell to the ground, merging with the dirt.
Taking a step forward, Uchiha Shinji looked around: "Where is this?"
Swish swish!
Soon after, two more figures appeared out of nowhere.
Without a doubt, these were the two he had recruited as his attendants, Haku and Karin.
Unlike Uchiha Shinji, who was already experienced, Haku and Karin both collapsed to the ground in shock, their eyes filled with fear and astonishment.
"Is this... a Space-Time Ninjutsu?"
They were shaken to their core.
In the blink of an eye, they had been transported from their rooms in the Hidden Leaf Village to this desolate countryside. The only explanation they could think of was that they had been affected by Space-Time Ninjutsu.
In the shinobi world, Space-Time Ninjutsu was incredibly rare, something you could count on one hand and still have fingers left over.
They had only heard their teachers mention it in class.
Never did they expect that on their first mission, they would experience it firsthand. What confused them even more was that they hadn't even realized when they were placed under the technique.
"Karin!?"
"Haku!?"
They quickly snapped out of their shock and recognized each other.
"How did you...?" Haku hesitated, then tentatively asked, "Could it be that you also joined the organization?"
Karin timidly nodded.
At that moment, Uchiha Shinji tossed two red cloud cloaks and two masks to Haku and Karin, saying coldly: "You can catch up later. There's plenty of time for that."
Feeling the pressure from their leader, Haku and Karin didn't dare to speak. They quickly took the masks and cloaks.
But when they put them on, they realized the clothes were too big and didn't fit.
"Use Transformation Jutsu!"
Uchiha Shinji ordered, while gazing off into the distance at the small town hidden in the night.
The town was pitch black—clearly, the demons had already invaded!
Although they didn't understand why their leader was being so meticulous, Haku and Karin followed his instructions. They used Transformation Jutsu to adjust their height and body size before putting on the red cloud cloaks and masks, standing obediently behind their leader.
The terrifying strength displayed by the organization left them trembling, not daring to harbor any disobedient thoughts.
Seeing that Haku and Karin had calmed down from their initial panic, Uchiha Shinji, while observing the distant town, briefly explained the demon invasion of the shinobi world.
Haku grew tense. "You mean to say, there are demons in that town?"
Uchiha Shinji glanced at Karin.
Karin quickly caught on, closed her eyes, and activated Mind's Eye of the Kagura, then hesitated, saying: "There are indeed many chakra reactions in the town, but they're all strange. This is the first time I've sensed chakra like this."
Uchiha Shinji calmly explained, "Demons don't have chakra. The only way they obtain chakra is by devouring living beings from the shinobi world, forcefully seizing their chakra!"
Hearing this, Haku and Karin imagined the horrific scene, immediately feeling a chill down their spines.
Uchiha Shinji emphasized, "Our mission is to exterminate these invading demons and completely purge them from the shinobi world!"
Haku, surprised, asked, "Is exterminating these demons the mission of our Akatsuki organization?"
Uchiha Shinji replied solemnly, "Yes, we are the dawn that dispels the darkness!"
Hakuand Karin exchanged glances.
Perhaps because the mission of the organization was to protect the shinobi world, the resistance and fear they initially felt about being forced into the organization lessened, replaced by an indescribable feeling.
As they walked towards the town, Uchiha Shinji continued giving instructions: "I've already told you before, at night, you almost can't kill demons. So, I'll handle the fighting. Your job is to provide support and cover. Do you understand?"
"Understood!"
Haku and Karin nodded repeatedly.
As if recalling something, just before stepping into the town, Uchiha Shinji briefly explained the Twelve Kizuki, the demon moons, to them.
Finally, he emphasized: "The simplest way to gauge a demon's strength is to look at its eyes. Lower-rank demons, if they haven't absorbed chakra, are roughly on the level of Chunin, or slightly stronger. But if they've obtained chakra, you must treat them as Jonin-level enemies. Never let your guard down."
Haku, after listening attentively, asked, "Sir, what about the Upper Moons?"
Uchiha Shinji shook his head: "I haven't encountered any Upper Moons yet."
As they spoke, the three of them entered the town.
The town was eerily silent, with no lights in any of the houses. Only the silver moonlight overhead illuminated the path for Uchiha Shinji and his companions.
Uchiha Shinji glanced at Karin.
Despite feeling nervous, Karin quickly understood his signal and activated Mind's Eye of the Kagura again, then pointed to a corner not far ahead, whispering: "The strongest chakra is just up ahead."
While looking towards the corner, Uchiha Shinji said, "Haku, your job is to protect Karin."
"Yes, sir!"
Haku pulled out a kunai and positioned himself to guard Karin.
Just as the three were about to move forward, a figure suddenly emerged from the corner ahead.
The figure, upon seeing Uchiha Shinji and his group, slowly spread its arms wide: "Even from so far away, I can smell the delicious scent on you. You're such tasty little lambs. Now, sleep..."