"Mother?"
Damian dashed forward, dropping to his knees beside Talia, who was cradled in Batman's arms. Her hands clawed at her throat for a moment before she finally managed to draw a sharp gasp of air.
"Talia, what's happening to you? Why can't you speak?" Batman asked, his tone edged with concern.
Talia's breathing steadied slightly. "I have said too much, beloved. You can let me go now. I'm fine," she said weakly.
Batman released her, watching closely as she rose to her feet. "Something was done to you—to prevent you from leaking information about his name?" he asked, his mind already piecing the situation together.
"I cannot answer that question," Talia replied quietly.
"I see," Batman muttered, eyes narrowing behind the cowl.
"What are you talking about, Mother? Who did this to you?" Damian demanded, his voice rising.
"Enough, my son," Talia said firmly. "Even I don't know exactly. And even if I did… I wouldn't be able to tell you."
She turned to Batman. "Bruce, I need you to keep him safe and away from all this until I find a way to fix it."
"You think I'll let you walk into danger alone?" Batman said, his tone flat but resolute.
"Please," Talia pleaded, "let me handle this alone, beloved. If you interfere, you might make things worse."
"I can't do that, Talia. This concerns my son's safety," Batman replied. "And for that, I'm sorry."
Talia sighed, a faint smile tugging at her lips despite the tension. "I knew you wouldn't agree," she said softly. "But I suppose it was worth the try. At least promise me one thing—keep Damian out of this."
"That I can do," Batman said.
Talia crouched to meet Damian's eyes. "Damian, promise me you'll listen to your father and let us handle this." She reached out, brushing a hand through his hair, but Damian pushed it away.
"I don't understand," he said bitterly. "Why did you teach me to fight if all I'm meant to do is run and hide like a coward when things get hard?"
"Damian!" Talia snapped, her tone sharp. "We've talked about this. Knowing when and who to fight is just as important as knowing how to fight. You will stay with your father until this is over. That is final."
"Fine," Damian muttered, crossing his arms. "I'll stay with Father… for now."
Talia turned toward Batman, her expression softening. "I hope you'll have patience with him."
"That will be… difficult," Batman admitted.
Damian huffed and looked away, earning a faint, sad smile from Talia.
"I've already spent more time here than I should have," she said, stepping back. "There are other matters I must attend to before returning." She turned toward the exit, her voice quiet but steady. "Goodbye, beloved."
Batman watched her go, his cape stirring in the faint breeze. "Goodbye, Talia," he said softly.
"I take it you didn't know about me," Damian said as he turned to Batman.
"Now I do," Batman replied flatly.
"I'd do fine on my own, you know," Damian said, crossing his arms.
"So would I," Batman answered without looking back. "But Talia made you my responsibility. She thinks you'd be better off with me."
He turned, cape flowing behind him as he started walking toward the exit. "Now keep up. We'll take the sewers."
Damian sighed, trailing after him. "You've been wearing that costume for so long, you've started to think you're a real bat."
Batman didn't slow down. "And you talk a lot and think less" batman replied
Nanda Parbat
Ra's stood on the raised platform in ceremonial robes, the torchlight washing his features in flickering gold. Below him, hundreds of assassins formed perfect ranks, their faces hidden behind identical masks. He raised a hand and the chanting stopped at once.
"My brothers and sisters," Ra's began, his voice echoing through the stone hall. "For decades I have seen empires rise and fall, and through it all the League has endured. But time is the enemy of us all. I have learned that death cannot be cheated forever. Therefore I have made a decision to pass on the torch. Today begins a new chapter for the League. It will be reborn greater and stronger than ever under the guidance of the one I have chosen."
He turned and gestured toward the shadowed archway behind him. "Behold the one who shall lead this world to salvation — a man you shall know as Pain."
Pain stepped forward and stood beside Ra's. The Demon's Head bowed and stepped aside. Pain cleared his throat and spoke, slow and cold.
"I am Pain," he said. "Through me, the world will be forced to change. This world is a hell. Corruption is everywhere. Monsters run rampant. World leaders are corrupt or too afraid to do what must be done. Heroes value their conscience more than results and this is so common that people have grown so used to it that they call this chaos 'normal.'
"I have seen enough. Change will not come on its own , it must be forced. If I must become the common threat that nations fear, so be it. Weakness revolts me, and I will not tolerate it in any form. You will obey without question. Anyone who stands against my vision will fall. Now choose: join me and be part of the change, or be trampled upon by it."
The hall was silent for a heartbeat. The weight of Pain's words settled over them, and then, one by one, they dropped to their knees in unison.
"Pain… Pain… Pain…" The chant began low and swelled, growing louder until it filled every corner of Nanda Parbat.
Pain's Rinnegan swept the kneeling masses. A satisfied smirk moved beneath his mask. He raised a hand. "Silence." The chant died instantly. He let the silence sit for a long second, then spoke again,
"What I intend to achieve is a monumental task so your loyalty alone will not suffice. I will assess your capabilities firsthand."
With that he leapt from the platform and landed before them; the stone cracked slightly beneath his feet. The assassins instinctively gave him space.
"Retrieve your weapons," Pain ordered. "We shall proceed."
-------------
Thena was panting heavily as she threw another punch at Max. He caught it with ease and effortlessly threw her back. Her strike collided with a tree, leaving a sharp sting across her back as she slid down, rubbing the sore spot.
Quickly, she stood up, ready to charge again, but froze when she noticed Max's glazed expression.
"Hello?" she called softly, abandoning her attack and walking toward him.
Max snapped out of it. "What's going on?" Thena asked.
"Oh, it's nothing. I was just deep in thought," Max replied.
"Something's definitely wrong with you, Dad. This is the second time today this has happened," Thena said, crossing her arms.
Max shook his head. "Don't worry about me. Now, from our exchange, what have you learned?"
"Well," Thena began, "I learned that I cannot land a hit on you anytime soon, and that you have no blind spot to exploit."
"Ah," Max said, a small smile tugging at his lips. "You are right that you can't hit me anytime soon as things are. But you are wrong about me not having a blind spot. I do , I just cover it very well. The reason you couldn't hit me was that your strikes had no form; you were just brawling. Every time I dodged, you overshot your strikes. And when you realized you were failing, you became angry, which made your chances of hitting me even lower."
"I see," Thena said, determination flashing in her eyes. "I'll improve next time. But you said you'd tell me the essence of ninja Taijutsu when we're done. So… what is it?"
Max nodded, crouching slightly to gather his words. "Taijutsu is a dance of precise movements and calculated attacks. Its intention is to end the fight as quickly as possible while dealing the maximum damage to your opponent, depending on your fighting style. Controlling and concealing your emotions, no matter the situation, is key because an opponent can exploit them, just like I did to you."
He paused, eyes scanning her form. "From our exchange, I've decided that the Strong Fist style is best for you. You have impressive physical strength and durability for your age. This is the harshest style to train in because it demands enormous strength, endurance, and durability — which you have. It's also perfect for use with the Eight Inner Gates, which I'll train you on in time.Now watch closely."
End of Chapter