Morning light filtered weakly through the mist.
A thin veil of fog blanketed the small mountain village.
It was…
Too quiet.
No roosters crowing.
No dogs barking.
No neighbors greeting one another.
Only the wind—
Whistling through broken window frames.
And occasionally—
A faint, suppressed cough from somewhere deep within the village.
This silence—
Was wrong.
Uchiha Mo and Uchiha Hideki lay concealed behind a dry grass slope outside the village, observing everything in silence.
As ninja—
Their instincts screamed.
Something here—
Was off.
A faint aura of death lingered in the air.
Even the surrounding plants seemed drained of vitality.
"Mo… what do we do?"
Hideki spoke in a low voice.
"What do you think?" Uchiha Mo 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 while relieving himself.
"Him."
"Let's test whether genjutsu works."
"Understood."
Hideki immediately assessed the target.
An ordinary human.
Weak.
Not even comparable to a civilian from the ninja world.
No threat.
The moment he moved—
His hands formed seals.
His figure blurred—
Body Flicker Technique.
Uchiha Mo remained where he was.
Watching.
According to academy theory—
Genjutsu worked by disrupting the opponent's five senses through chakra.
Disturbing their internal flow.
Trapping them in illusion.
But—
What if the target had no chakra?
Would it still work?
That—
Was what he wanted to confirm.
—
At the village entrance—
The gaunt man had just finished blowing his nose.
Before he could even stand straight—
A shadow appeared before him.
He looked up instinctively—
And met a pair of crimson eyes.
The world—
Turned red.
In an instant—
His expression froze.
His pupils dulled.
His body stood rigid.
Unmoving.
It worked.
From afar—
Uchiha Mo's eyes sharpened.
He had expected this outcome—
But seeing it happen so easily…
Still surprised him.
His hypothesis—
Was correct.
Genjutsu wasn't dependent on chakra within the target.
It directly affected the mind.
Which meant—
Things just became much easier.
—
By the time Uchiha Mo finished thinking—
Hideki had already returned.
Dragging the man like a limp sack.
Silent.
Efficient.
No disturbance.
No trace.
"Go ahead," Hideki said.
Yielding control completely.
Uchiha Mo stepped forward without hesitation.
He looked down at the man trapped in genjutsu.
"What era is this?"
The man's lips moved stiffly.
"I… don't know… People say… Republic…"
"And this place?"
"Stone Village…"
Uchiha Mo paused briefly.
Then—
"Who governs here? What's the outside world like?"
The answers came in broken fragments:
"Remote… under Renjia Town… militia in town… guns… chaos… unsafe…"
Renjia Town.
That name—
Triggered something.
Uchiha Mo's eyes flickered.
"What's the surname of the wealthy family in town?"
"Ren… rich… powerful…"
"..."
Silence.
Then—
Clarity.
This—
Was the world of Mr. Vampire.
Uncle Jiu.
A legendary figure.
A "starter mentor" across countless worlds.
And now—
He was here.
A faint smile appeared on Uchiha Mo's lips.
The future—
Suddenly looked a lot brighter.
—
He asked a few more questions.
The man knew little—
Only that life was harsh.
And the world was chaotic.
But one thing stood out—
Over the past half month—
Strange events had begun.
At night—
Sounds came from the graveyard behind the mountain.
Something moving.
Slow.
Stiff.
Some villagers claimed—
They saw shadows wandering among the trees.
Even worse—
Several graves had been dug up.
The corpses—
Gone.
Vanished.
Rumors spread quickly.
Something "unclean" had been disturbed.
After sunset—
No one dared leave their homes.
That was why—
The village felt dead.
Two days ago—
The villagers pooled their money.
Sent someone to town.
To hire a geomancer.
If the timing was right—
That person should be returning soon.
—
That was enough.
Uchiha Mo glanced at Hideki.
A silent signal.
Hideki understood immediately.
A precise strike—
The man collapsed.
Unconscious.
He was dragged into the grass and hidden.
Clean.
Efficient.
Then—
Hideki adjusted his glasses.
"Mo… you seem particularly interested in Renjia Town… and the Ren family?"
"Not interested."
Uchiha Mo stood.
Calm.
"Just experience."
"The Main God doesn't waste effort."
"If we're here—"
"It's relevant to the mission."
"…I see."
Hideki nodded slightly.
Uchiha Mo continued—
"Let's head to the back mountain."
A pause.
"…But first—change clothes."
Hideki glanced down.
He was still in sleepwear.
No gear.
Only a few hidden weapons.
Compared to Mo—
Fully equipped.
The gap was obvious.
"Agreed."
For a ninja—
Adaptation was basic.
"There should be clothes in the village. Something plain. Rough fabric. Move fast."
"Understood."
The moment the words fell—
Both disappeared.
Like ghosts.
Slipping silently into the village.
Avoiding early risers.
Avoiding attention.
In minutes—
They had what they needed.
Two sets of worn, patched, coarse clothing.
—
Under an old locust tree—
They stood again.
Now dressed as villagers.
Rough.
Ordinary.
Unremarkable.
Uchiha Mo concealed his ninja pouch.
Hideki secured his tools—
And borrowed two explosive tags.
"Let's move."
Mo looked toward the forest behind the village.
The mist there—
Felt heavier.
Darker.
Something was wrong.
Very wrong.
"Let's see…"
"What exactly is hiding in that graveyard."
"…Right."
Without hesitation—
The two figures vanished into the mist.
Moving toward—
The unknown.