Uchiha Shinji gazed toward the Hidden Grass Village, his expression resolute.
The duo of the demon Mōryō and Shennō, now wielding the power of the 'Zero-Tails,' was no trivial threat. Even for Shinji, defeating them would require considerable effort and strategy.
Yet, this troublesome pair had been dealt with mere moments after entering the Hidden Grass Village, a fact that demanded serious consideration.
"The positions of the demonized Tanjiro and Kokushibo are already confirmed, so it can't be them hiding in the Hidden Grass Village. The other 'Upper Rank demons,' even the demonized swordsmen, shouldn't be capable of taking down Mōryō and Shennō in such a short time. So…"
The answer was obvious.
The demon lurking in the Hidden Grass Village, shocking even Neji with his Byakugan into speechlessness, was almost certainly the mysterious 'Lampbearer' from the Demon Slayer world—the one who had seized the Demon King's power from Muzan Kibutsuji.
"I've finally found him!"
Shinji's eyes narrowed slightly, his heart surging with killing intent as his prey emerged!
At that moment, Neji's trembling voice came through the 'Jikibi' connection again. "Boss, I saw it! The demon Mōryō and the purple monster seem to be trapped by some kind of barrier! Not only that, their chakra is being drained!"
Shinji wasn't surprised.
If the demon hiding in the Hidden Grass Village was indeed the 'Lampbearer' from the Demon Slayer world, this was hardly unexpected.
This figure had not only usurped Muzan's Demon King powers, gaining near-immortal life, but also commanded the Twelve Kizuki and the Demon Slayer Corps' swordsmen to invade the shinobi world. From these feats alone, Shinji could tell they had fully consolidated the Demon Slayer world, wielding its greatest powers.
Moreover, the fact that their 'lamp' could completely suppress Shinji's own 'lamp' indicated that, in the realm of 'Lampbearers,' this opponent's experience far surpassed his own as a novice.
'Lampbearers' could traverse different worlds.
Even Shinji, a rookie who had only been a 'Lampbearer' for a couple of years, had visited other worlds by chance. How much more so for this veteran 'Lampbearer,' who had likely dominated the Demon Slayer world for years untold?
This was precisely why Shinji dared not act recklessly.
No one knew which worlds this opponent had visited or what weapons or tools they might have acquired through trades with other 'Lampbearers.'
If, beyond the powers of the Demon Slayer world, they possessed bizarre weapons or tools, rushing in headlong would be tantamount to suicide!
"Thanks to the Akatsuki," Shinji mused to himself.
Mōryō and Shennō's sudden assault on the Hidden Grass Village had essentially cleared the minefield for him, revealing the enemy's location and methods.
After all, the power ceiling of the Demon Slayer world had its limits.
No matter how seasoned this opponent was, the resources they could trade with other 'Lampbearers' were capped by that ceiling. No matter how much they accumulated, their trump cards were finite.
Every card played was one less in their hand!
Thus, while Shinji remained cautious, he wasn't truly afraid. The power ceiling of the shinobi world far exceeded that of the Demon Slayer world. If his 'lamp' weren't being suppressed, he wouldn't need to be this passive.
In the underground palace of the Hidden Grass Village, the mysterious figure with a lamp at their waist still sat high on the main seat.
The 'Upper Rank demons' and demonized swordsmen that had filled the hall earlier were now nowhere to be seen, leaving only Nakime standing silently.
Farther off, in a ruined section of the palace hall, Mōryō and Shennō were each confined within massive pillars of light.
The earlier battle, though brief, had been ferocious. In just a few breaths, it had reduced most of the underground palace to rubble, with over half the hall in ruins. Cold moonlight streamed through the shattered ceiling, illuminating the palace.
Thud thud thud.
Mōryō and Shennō, trapped in the light pillars, continued to resist, pounding the barriers with their fists in an attempt to break free.
Their strikes, however, only caused the light barriers to ripple slightly.
Mōryō roared, "Damn it, what is this thing? A sealing barrier?"
Compared to Mōryō, Shennō, now the 'Zero-Tails' jinchūriki, was far calmer. Though he too hammered at the light barrier, his eyes scanned the surroundings.
Soon, he noticed that the base of the pillars imprisoning them consisted of highly sophisticated machinery—unlike anything native to the shinobi world.
Shennō's gaze settled on the mysterious figure on the main seat. "Who is this person, really?"
As a wandering spy of the shinobi world, his strength might not be top-tier within the Akatsuki, but his knowledge was unparalleled.
He had already realized that the mysterious figure currently draining his chakra through this strange device was no ordinary being.
This led him to suspect that the upheaval in the Grass Country might be a trap targeting the Akatsuki.
On the main seat, the mysterious figure with the 'lamp' at their waist was absorbing the massive chakra extracted from Mōryō and Shennō.
Even they were surprised by the sheer volume of chakra flowing into them. "These two must be special figures within the Akatsuki! Once they're dealt with, the Akatsuki's leader will likely have no choice but to show themselves!"
To invade the shinobi world, they had done extensive preparation.
They knew that chakra was the foundation of everything in the shinobi world—the source of a shinobi's power. While there were many ways to gauge a shinobi's strength, comparing chakra reserves was often the most efficient and least error-prone method.
The chakra reserves of these two Akatsuki members far surpassed those of the so-called jōnin of the Hidden Grass Village, leading the mysterious figure to deduce that they held significant status within the Akatsuki.
They then glanced at the 'lamp' hanging at their waist.
The 'lamp' was glowing with a brilliant yet non-blinding light. As the light flickered, the golden grains of sand within the lamp's vessel were slowly depleting.
Clearly, suppressing Shinji's 'lamp' came at a cost.
That cost was the consumption of precious 'embers,' and the 'embers' in the lamp at their waist were nearly exhausted.
"My time is running out!"
Once the 'embers' were depleted, they would not only lose the ability to suppress Shinji's 'lamp' but also the capacity to traverse between worlds.
At that moment, they suddenly looked up, gazing toward a distant direction.
It was the location of 'Upper Rank One.' Just now, they had sensed that the demonized Tanjiro, 'Upper Rank One,' had been attacked by a powerful shinobi—likely the Akatsuki's leader.
"They've finally shown themselves."
A smirk curled the mysterious figure's lips as they slowly stood.
Nakime asked, "My lord?"
"Let's go. Our prey has appeared!"
With that, the mysterious figure clenched their hands, fully draining the chakra from Mōryō and Shennō within the light pillars. Then, accompanied by Nakime, they transformed into a streak of light, speeding toward the distance.