A golden fireball blazed in Natsu's hands.
Even from a distance, the heat radiating off it was intense.
"Go!"
Natsu hurled the flame toward the ground.
The fireball struck and exploded instantly, fire spreading in all directions.
The entire area was engulfed in flames.
The twisting vines were incinerated.
Kaizen could almost hear countless wailing voices echoing through the inferno.
Time passed.
The fire finally died down.
A figure struggled to rise from the scorched center.
But...
"Rashomon. Susanoo!"
Sasuke Uchiha's form shifted.
A dark red spectral giant manifested around him.
Boom!
Sasuke appeared before the youth, fist clenched, and drove it down onto his skull.
The sheer force flattened the young man's face from three-dimensional to paper-thin.
Boom!
Another punch. Blood spattered.
Then Sasuke lifted the young man off the ground.
Grabbing one wrist in each hand, he spread the youth's arms wide.
At the same time, he stepped on his legs, pinning them down in a cruciform pose.
Just as the youth began to struggle—
A bolt of lightning flashed.
Electricity surged through his body, making him convulse violently.
"Calm now? Can we talk?" Kaizen asked.
"…Talk about what?" The youth's eyes were dazed.
"Tell me why you tried to kill Ponzu."
The moment Ponzu's name was mentioned, the young man's face twisted in rage.
Lightning crackled again. The rage subdued.
"What happened in your village?"
The youth's eyes flickered with a trace of memory.
But it didn't last. At the mention of the village, his rage reignited just like before.
Kaizen had no choice but to signal Sasuke to use lightning-style again to subdue him.
"Who's behind you?"
"Who sent you here?"
"Who else came besides you?"
Kaizen threw out question after question, but got nothing back.
Some made the youth immediately lose control.
Others seemed to trigger a delayed breakdown, as if mental tripwires had been set in his mind.
"…Can you tell me your name?"
The youth hesitated. A flicker of memory crossed his face again.
Then madness.
Lightning surged once more—
Boom!
As if something inside him reached its limit, thick vines erupted from his body.
They didn't belong to him—not truly. It was like watching parasites flee a dying host.
The vines hit the ground and immediately burrowed into the soil.
As more burst forth, his body rapidly shriveled.
But his eyes—his spirit—seemed clearer than before.
Kaizen saw the opening and pressed again.
"Who are you?"
"What happened in your village?"
"Why did you try to kill Ponzu?"
The youth ignored the first two questions.
But the third—
At the sound of Ponzu's name, he lost it.
"Why?! Why was she the only one who lived?!"
"It's not fair!"
"Unfair!"
He screamed, voice cracking.
"I wanted to live too!"
"Why wasn't it me?!"
"Why?!"
Suddenly, his body seized up violently.
Pft!
A mouthful of blood burst from his lips.
His aura—his life force—drained rapidly.
Kaizen moved toward him, hoping to stabilize him, but it was already too late.
His life energy was collapsing. Not like a beginner who hadn't learned to keep their aura wrapped, but worse. Much worse.
His natural potential wasn't even Nen Category A.
He had long since overdrawn everything he had.
The strength he'd shown came from those parasitic vines, not his own Nen.
"Was that a bug too?" Kaizen murmured, eyes on the ground.
"Most likely,"
"He and Ponzu came from the same village. And in that village, bugs seemed to be the key."
"But what he just said… it gave something away."
Kaizen's gaze sharpened.
"He said only Ponzu survived."
"So… no outside attack."
"It happened inside the village."
He stepped away from the scorched battlefield.
...
A hidden door opened in the mountain wall.
Ponzu and Siper stepped out.
With a thought, Kaizen closed the portal.
"Captain, what happened?" Siper asked.
"We ran into an attacker."
Kaizen thought for a moment, then decided not to tell Ponzu the full story—at least not yet. They would wait for Gogus to finish his analysis before going deeper.
There were too many unknowns.
"It's over. Let's keep moving."
"Captain," Ponzu said, "That place just now—was that your Nen?"
"Yeah."
"That's incredible. A whole different space... Can anyone develop Nen like that?"
Kaizen looked at her seriously.
"I don't know. That's something only you can figure out."
He took a car out of Sumas' pocket space.
The engine roared to life.
Two hours later, they reached the city.
Kaizen parked in the underground garage of the hotel.
"Siper, did you check the airship tickets?"
"There's one leaving tonight."
"Then take that one. Ponzu and I will head out tomorrow. I accepted a commission."
"Understood."
...
After dinner, Kaizen walked Siper to the airship terminal.
"Captain, goodbye," she said with a wave.
"Take care."
He turned and headed back to the hotel with Ponzu.
...
After a shower, Ponzu walked over in cartoon-print pajamas, looking hesitant.
"Ponzu?" Kaizen asked. "What's wrong?"
She looked down, fidgeting with her sleeves.
"…Captain, is my talent… not very good?"
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