"Counterattack System Loading"
"As you watched Itachi Uchiha grow up, your heart was filled with unease and anxiety."
"Your name is Uchiha Jujin, an ordinary genin who has not yet awakened the Sharingan."
"Initial reward: three-tomoe Sharingan"
"Your comeback begins now; let the ninja world witness it."
"First of all, my surname is not Uchiha."
Kiyokawa Izumi gripped the Nichirin Blade at his waist tightly. Before him stood a hideous demon, pale and weak, perhaps because it hadn't eaten a human in a long time.
Its grey-blue pupils were filled with a craving for meat, and foul-smelling saliva dripped continuously from its fangs.
"Meat, it's meat..."
The muttering demon lunged at Kiyokawa Izumi.
Its speed was incredibly fast, beyond imagination; this was a demon that had been imprisoned in the Vine-Swept Mountain for a long time and had not eaten a human.
"System, this isn't the ninja world..."
Kiyokawa Izumi quickly retreated, panting slightly, and couldn't help but roar in his heart
.
"Did you hear that? This isn't the ninja world!"
'How the hell am I supposed to extract chakra?'
'There is no such setting!'
'Do you understand breathing techniques? Do you know Sun Breathing? Hurry up and change that damn reward!'
Kiyokawa Izumi's original name was not actually this.
Having just transmigrated, I am already in the vine-covered mountains.
The original owner was a good-for-nothing who overestimated his abilities but wanted to prove himself.
Lacking both the breathing technique and the talent to become a swordsman, he stole his master's Nichirin Blade and came to participate in the selection year after year.
He wanted to prove to the old man who had adopted him that he, Kiyokawa Izumi, could become a demon-slaying swordsman.
Reality is often cruel.
Despite his determination, he was terrified the first time he faced a demon.
Weak in the limbs and lacking courage, he had no will to fight and turned to flee, running away in a sorry state through the mountains.
The selection criteria for the Demon Slayer Corps are to survive in the mountains for seven days.
But it only took one day to leave the original owner exhausted.
The sun rose as usual, and the original owner, who had fallen asleep immediately, did not wake up when the sun set.
And so, a new soul appeared in this body.
'All I did was slack off at work and take a nap. Is this the punishment I deserve?'
Kiyoshi narrowly escaped the attacking claws.
Having read novels for many years, he was no stranger to the concepts of systems and time travel.
Being able to accept it so calmly doesn't necessarily mean he has a strong heart; it simply means he hasn't reached the breaking point yet.
Simply put, it means they haven't reached the point of giving up on themselves.
He still wanted to live.
I want to go home.
I miss the 200,000 yuan I've painstakingly earned over many years of work, and I miss the dozen or so games I've downloaded from my game library.
The big bed at home, the Coke in the refrigerator, the novel chapters he had just subscribed to but hadn't had time to read yet... all of these things were things he couldn't forget.
A bizarre time-travel experience, a bizarre system.
To be fair, he really didn't want to become a demon-slaying swordsman.
Perhaps due to distraction, or perhaps because his body had reached its limit, he lost his footing and stumbled backwards.
This is bad, this is bad, this is bad...
He was fully aware of how critical the situation was.
Before they could even stand up, the ugly and ferocious demon pounced.
'Heh...heh...'
Heavy breathing pressed down from above, and an arm covered in black scales but exceptionally strong pressed down on Kiyokawa Izumi's shoulder, its sharp claws piercing his skin.
"Weren't you so good at dodging just now, human!"
The mocking words drifted over, and the faint smell of blood in the air made the impatient demon almost lose control.
'This is bad, this is bad, this is bad...'
Kiyokawa Izumi almost forgot to breathe, fear spreading through her heart.
Ultimately, he was just an ordinary person who had never seen blood.
It's quite remarkable that he was able to remain calm when he encountered a creature like a demon right from the start.
But this was already his limit.
With an exhausted body, no mastery of breathing techniques, and the swordsmanship that the original owner had painstakingly practised for many years yet to be absorbed, what could he possibly use to fight a weak demon?
There is nothing to look forward to.
Having already grasped the original owner's memories, he knew very well that this selection was after Sabito and Makomo and before Tanjiro.
Without a powerful figure to rely on, everyone in the same cohort is just a supporting character.
The system is also unreliable—maybe there really is a genin named Uchiha Juto waiting in the ninja world for his comeback system.
"Izumi, give up. You don't have the talent to be a swordsman."
The old man's voice rang in my ears. The original owner's master was just an ordinary trainer, not a retired pillar.
'Side quest...'
A completely emotionless electronic voice came through.
Kiyokawa Izumi's current condition is far worse than imagined.
Memories surged up again, and the system's voice echoed once more.
It's so troublesome when it's not your own body.
The stench of decay grew stronger, a foul smell assaulted the senses, and the man's mouth, split to the roots of his ears, revealed fangs like two rows of saw teeth; his fate seemed sealed.
Why are you barking like a dog?
Either erupt in silence or die in silence.
Kiyokawa Izumi suddenly looked up and, with all his might, rammed into her.
The intense pain made his expression increasingly ferocious, and blood slid down his forehead.
Unnoticed by anyone, a splash of crimson appeared in his pupils.
"Damn it! Damn it!"
The demon is particularly annoyed when its weak prey resists, thus affecting its ability to eat.
He decided to give this weak human in front of him a quick and painless end.
Let's end this hunting game here.
It suddenly raised its arm, abandoning its suppression of Kiyokawa Izumi, intending to use its sharp claws to pierce his heart directly.
For some reason, I unexpectedly met Kiyokawa Izumi's eyes.
Those eyes, like those of a demon, seemed to be adorned with something in their pupils.
These are definitely not human eyes.
The evil spirit thought to itself.
It must be admitted that at this moment, even as a demon, it was frightened by the human in front of it.
Kiyokawa Izumi, who did not want to die, naturally struggled desperately.
"Get out of my way!"
A sudden punch struck its face, and the demon, caught off guard and heavily hit, fell backwards.
"Damn it, damn it, damn it!"
"It hurts so much! It hurts so much!"
After all, it was a demon that hadn't eaten many people, so its strength wasn't so great that it was impossible to resist. It jumped up, its face full of anger and embarrassment.
At that moment, Kiyokawa Izumi, who had struggled to his feet, had already drawn his Nichirin Blade.
Perhaps due to the surge in adrenaline, the perception of pain is temporarily ignored.
The world was clearly presented before Kiyokawa Izumi's eyes.
He could see the demon's movements clearly, as if they were in slow motion.
Draw your sword!
There was no way to retreat, and no other choice.
Reason told him that at this moment, in this place, the only option was to draw his sword.
The bluish blade tip gleamed coldly in the moonlight, and the muscle memory formed by the original owner's years of hard training prompted Kiyokawa Izumi to swing the blade.