"The demons have been eliminated?"
Uchiha Shinji's heart skipped a beat as he quickened his pace.
Haku and Karin had left markers along the way while pursuing the demons, so it didn't take him long to find the two lying exhausted by a small pond a few miles away.
He scanned the two, seeing that they were just exhausted and resting, and sighed in relief. "What happened?"
Haku quickly tried to sit up, but as soon as he lifted himself, he stumbled and fell back to the ground.
"No need to get up," Shinji motioned for Haku and Karin to rest while he surveyed the surroundings.
Sitting on the ground, Haku caught his breath and said, "We intercepted a demon here and had to engage in battle."
"What kind of demon?" Shinji asked.
Karin immediately replied, "It was the Lower Moon Three!"
Haku nodded in agreement, "Yes, it was hiding inside a jar and could control water and fish, but when we intercepted it, it seemed to be severely injured."
Looking at the shattered ice fragments scattered around and the half-frozen pond, Shinji could roughly guess what had happened.
Clearly, the demon they had intercepted, the Lower Moon Three, must have been the demon Gyokko, formerly known as Upper Moon Five.
In the rain-drenched and waterlogged terrain of the Land of Rain, with its complex underground waterways, Gyokko had a favorable environment, which allowed him to escape from Hidden Rain. However, his bad luck was running into Haku, who wielded the Ice Release Bloodline Limit.
Haku continued, "I shattered its body several times with Ice Release, and eventually, it stopped regenerating. I'm not sure if I completely destroyed it."
Karin, looking grim, added, "I can't sense its presence anymore."
Seeing the tension on their faces, Shinji reassured them, "Don't worry, it's dead. Even demons have limits to their regenerative abilities."
Both of them finally relaxed, their tense spirits easing.
[Loot detected]
[Analyzing loot]
[Loot: Water nature chakra affinity]
[Loot: Water and Earth nature chakra fusion techniques (derived from Blood Demon Art)]
As the voice of Lamp rang out, two glowing orbs appeared before Shinji.
He gazed at the two orbs, a bit surprised.
The Water Nature Chakra Affinity loot was undoubtedly from the deceased Lower Moon Three, Gyokko.
The technique for fusing Water and Earth chakra nature suggested it was an experience related to the Wood Release Bloodline Limit.
Shinji was quite satisfied with these two spoils.
What puzzled him, however, was that Deidara had confirmed there were four demons, and Shinji had personally killed Lower Moon One, Kibutsuji Muzan. Yet, there were only two pieces of loot.
"Looks like not all demons drop loot..."
Shrugging off the thought, Shinji began contemplating how to distribute the loot.
The Water Nature Chakra Affinity would enhance one's ability to manipulate water chakra and improve Water Release techniques, as well as potentially bloodline limits involving water chakra.
Shinji didn't have much use for it, but Haku, who possessed the Ice Release Bloodline Limit, would benefit greatly from it.
The second piece of loot, the Water and Earth Chakra Fusion Technique, was more valuable. It was likely from the demon Hantengu, whose Blood Demon Art involved manipulating trees.
However, Hantengu's Blood Demon Art didn't come close to the true power of Wood Release. The loot provided an experience boost—like an enhancement to the knowledge required to master the Bloodline Limit, but not the power itself.
Now, the question was: who should absorb the experience?
If Shinji consumed it, he could enhance his ability to fuse Water and Earth chakra, and with years of training, he might eventually master Wood Release in the most traditional way.
On the other hand, if Karin absorbed it...
Wood Release had the ability to potentially unlock the power of the Divine Tree within the cells of the First Hokage. If Karin, with her bloodline, could learn to fuse Water and Earth chakra, it might significantly help her unlock her full potential as a descendant of the Uzumaki clan and enhance her Sage body's vitality.
Investing in himself could yield Wood Release.
Investing in Karin could yield Wood Release and might even boost her Sage body's potential further.
"The Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan is my primary goal. I can't get distracted by Wood Release."
After weighing his options for a moment, Shinji suddenly realized his priority.
The Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan was his top concern at the moment. As powerful as Wood Release was, it couldn't take precedence over this.
The Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan would not only free him from the limits of diminished eye power but would also greatly enhance his Susanoo Tomoshibi.
That was the foundation of his strength!
Until he obtained the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, he couldn't afford to be distracted.
Moreover, the Wood Release experience orb wasn't equivalent to actual Wood Release mastery. He simply didn't have the time to spend years honing the fusion of Water and Earth chakra natures.
And without a strong Senju body to back it up, even mastering Wood Release wouldn't be as powerful as it could be.
With his decision made, Shinji ordered, "Haku, take the one on the left. Karin, take the one on the right."
After going through a similar process before, both Haku and Karin knew what the glowing orbs represented.
Seeing that there were only two, they thought they wouldn't get anything, but to their surprise, their leader didn't take any and instead gave both to them.
Hesitating for a moment, Haku touched the Water Nature Chakra Affinity orb, and Karin grabbed the Wood Release experience orb.
Instantly, surprise registered on both of their faces as they absorbed the knowledge.
While Haku and Karin were processing their new powers, Shinji's Lamp began calculating the final rewards.
[Reward Calculation in Progress]
[Rating: A]
[Reward: Chakra (Minor), Natural Energy Affinity (Trace), A-rank Ninjutsu (Random)]
[Select one.]
[Achieving an A-rank rating allows you to forfeit the shinobi world's rewards for a random bonus.]
This time, Shinji didn't hesitate. "Forfeit the shinobi world's rewards."
He needed to raise his authority level quickly and increase his control over the Lamp. Otherwise, the issue of demons infiltrating the shinobi world undetected could happen again.
[Generating Random Bonus]
[Earned: 25 Merit Points]
[Total Merit Points Calculation]
[Total Merit Points: 76]
"76 points..."
He needed 100 merit points to advance from Junior Lantern Bearer to Lantern Bearer. He was only 24 points short, meaning one more A-rank evaluation, and he'd be able to level up.
Just as Shinji thought everything was finished and prepared to leave, the Lamp's voice rang out again.
[Generating Bonus Reward]
[Detected: A safe spatial rift.]
Shinji was stunned. "A spatial rift? Safe?"