Morning arrived beneath a thin veil of mist that blanketed the mountain village. The light was weak, barely piercing through the gray haze, while the air carried a biting cold that seeped into everything.
And yet—
It was too quiet.
There were no roosters, no barking dogs, no human voices. Only the wind whistled faintly through broken windows, accompanied now and then by a distant, fragile cough that seemed on the verge of disappearing entirely.
This silence… was wrong.
Uchiha Mo and Uchiha Hideki lay hidden behind a slope of dry grass, watching the village below without speaking. As ninja, they didn't need words—because their instincts were already screaming.
Something here was not normal.
The air carried a faint scent of rot, decay, and something even more unsettling. Even the plants looked lifeless, as if the land itself had begun to die.
"Mo… what do we do?" Hideki's voice was low and careful.
Mo didn't look at him. "What do you think?" he replied calmly. "As a ninja, don't you know how to gather information?"
He pointed toward the village entrance.
A gaunt man stood there, yawning lazily—careless and completely exposed.
"Him. Test genjutsu."
Hideki nodded.
In the next instant, he vanished.
Shunshin.
Uchiha Mo remained where he was, watching quietly as thoughts moved beneath his calm exterior.
Genjutsu.
In theory, it disrupted chakra flow, manipulating the senses and trapping the target within an illusion. But what if the target had no chakra?
Would it still work?
That—
Was the real test.
At the village entrance, the man had just finished wiping his nose when a shadow appeared before him.
Crimson eyes locked onto his gaze.
The world turned red.
His body froze, his eyes dulled, and his mind fell silent.
It worked.
From afar, Mo's eyes sharpened. It was expected—but still significant.
Genjutsu did not require chakra within the target.
It directly affected the mind.
Which meant—
This world had just become far easier.
Moments later, Hideki returned, dragging the man behind him with silent efficiency.
"Your turn."
Mo stepped forward, his voice calm and steady.
"What era is this?"
"…Republic…"
"And this place?"
"…Stone Village…"
"What governs here?"
"…Renjia Town… militia… guns… chaos…"
Renjia Town.
That name triggered something.
Mo's eyes flickered.
"The wealthy family?"
"…Ren…"
Silence followed.
Then—
Recognition.
A faint smile formed at the corner of his lips.
"So that's how it is…"
This—
Was the world of Mr. Vampire.
The domain of Uncle Jiu.
A legendary figure.
A so-called "starter guide" in countless worlds.
And now—
He was here.
Suddenly, the future looked much brighter.
More questions followed, and fragments of truth gradually surfaced.
The village was dying.
Over the past half month, strange events had begun to occur. At night, the graveyard behind the mountain was no longer silent. Something moved there—slow, stiff, unnatural.
Some villagers had seen shadows wandering in the dark. Graves had been dug open, and corpses had vanished without a trace.
Rumors spread quickly.
Something unclean had been disturbed.
After sunset, no one dared step outside.
That was why the village felt so lifeless.
Two days ago, the villagers had sent someone to hire a geomancer. If the timing was right, he should already be on his way back.
That was enough.
Mo glanced at Hideki, giving a subtle signal.
Instantly, Hideki understood.
A precise strike.
The man collapsed.
Unconscious.
Hidden.
Clean.
No trace left behind.
Hideki adjusted his glasses slightly. "Mo… you seem interested in Renjia Town."
"Not interested," Mo replied as he stood up calmly. "Just experience. The Main God doesn't waste effort. If we're here… then it's relevant."
Hideki nodded.
Understood.
"Back mountain," Mo said, then paused briefly. "…Change clothes first."
Hideki glanced down at himself.
Sleepwear.
No gear.
Compared to Mo—fully prepared.
The difference was obvious.
"Agreed."
For a ninja, adaptation was survival.
"Village. Simple clothes. Move fast."
"Understood."
Both vanished at the same time.
Shunshin.
Like ghosts.
Silent.
Invisible.
Minutes later, they returned.
Their clothes were worn, patched, and rough—perfectly blending into the environment. Now they looked like ordinary villagers, forgettable at a glance.
Mo concealed his pouch. Hideki secured his tools and even managed to borrow a few explosive tags.
"Let's go."
Mo's gaze shifted toward the forest.
The mist there was thicker. Darker.
Wrong.
Very wrong.
"…Let's see," he said quietly, his eyes sharpening.
"What's hiding in that graveyard."
Without hesitation, the two stepped forward—
And disappeared into the mist.
Toward the unknown.