Ryuuto's heart skipped a beat.
The moment the sword aura slashed forward, he thought Katie Dee's face was about to be split in half. His breath caught—then confusion took over.
The strike connected… yet Katie stood there, unharmed.
Ryuuto blinked. The blade's energy had passed right through her.
Turns out, she'd instinctively triggered her mutant ability the instant the attack came. The sword aura had sliced through her body like smoke.
If that had been anyone else, the scene would've been a bloodbath.
Lowering his weapon, Ryuuto pressed the massive blade against the ground and asked, "You good, Dee?"
Katie brushed the dust from her sleeve and smirked. "I'm fine. But seriously—where the hell did you get that oversized cleaver?"
Ryuuto grinned, hoisting the weapon toward the ceiling. "This beauty? One of my toys. Cool, right?"
"Not cool," she said bluntly, narrowing her eyes. "But it is haki. Gotta admit, it suits you, Red Mirage."
He chuckled. "Note to self—next time, knock before barging in. Wouldn't wanna accidentally split you in half."
Katie laughed, folding her arms. "Then I'll just start phasing through walls instead of doors. Problem solved. Oh—and guess what? I think I've got a new trick."
Ryuuto raised an eyebrow. "New ability?"
Katie's lips curved mischievously. Instead of answering, she stepped forward and grabbed his hand.
The ground vanished.
Ryuuto's stomach dropped as if he'd stepped into a swamp. "What the—!?"
Looking down, he saw his boots sinking through the floor as though it were liquid. A slow grin spread across his face.
"Impressive. You've mastered it already?"
Katie's eyes sparkled. "Told you. I'm a fast learner."
Ryuuto whistled. "Heh, with that, you'll be terrifying when war breaks out."
"Wanna peek at what the others are up to?" she asked.
"Sure. Let's go."
He recalled his blade into the system inventory with a flash of chakra light and followed her toward the wall. On the other side was Susan's room.
Walking through solid matter was… weird. The second his face entered the wall, it felt like drifting through space—soundless, weightless—but his eyes still worked, letting him glimpse Susan sitting by her bed, lost in thought.
Once they emerged fully, Ryuuto gestured for silence. Katie nodded.
She assumed he planned to prank Susan—but instead, he motioned for them to keep going.
"Curious about the others," he whispered. "Let's move."
They phased through another wall and entered Natasha Romanoff's room—empty, except for the faint sound of running water from the bathroom.
Ryuuto smirked. "...She's showering."
"I'm not that kind of guy," he muttered quickly, turning away. "Let's keep moving."
Room by room, they drifted unseen through the mansion. Storm was napping. Jean Grey—ever elegant—was playing a soft tune on the piano.
The men? Doing whatever men do. Ryuuto didn't care to find out.
Satisfied, he patted Katie's shoulder. "Keep refining your control. I've got some training to do."
She gave him a playful salute and phased through the wall, disappearing like a ghost.
Ryuuto stepped outside to the open training field. The evening air was crisp; the stars overhead shimmered faintly.
"Summoning: Beheading Broadsword!"
The massive blade materialized with a metallic hum, slamming into the ground beside him. Ryuuto grabbed it and began to swing.
His muscles coiled and released like springs—each strike carrying the force of a crashing wave. The decapitator blade whistled through the air, carving arcs of pressure that tore the grass beneath his feet.
Gotta sync with the weapon.
No more bare-handed brawls.
The more he trained, the smoother their rhythm became—man and blade breathing as one.
By the time Natasha stepped outside, the tension in her chest had eased. She watched Ryuuto's every movement, fascinated.
One slash later, a tree nearby split cleanly down the middle. The cut was so smooth it looked polished.
Ryuuto stared at it, whistling softly. "Huh. Guess this thing really can slice a person in half."
Not that I'd test that on anyone living.
He turned as Natasha approached.
"Hey, Widow!" he called out with a grin. "Come down here—I wanna run an experiment."
"What kind of experiment?" she asked from the third floor.
"You'll see!"
Instead of taking the stairs, Natasha vaulted from the window, landing with feline grace.
"Alright," she said, brushing off her hands. "Now what?"
Ryuuto's lips curled into a smirk. "Find me. Use your senses—hearing, smell, intuition. Go wild."
Before she could reply, he clapped his hands in a familiar seal.
"Mist Shinobi Technique!"
A dense white fog rolled out instantly, blanketing the training field. Within seconds, Natasha's world turned ghostly white.
Ryuuto's figure faded, then vanished entirely.
"Silent Killing…" his voice whispered from nowhere.
She spun around, heart racing. The fog dulled every sound, swallowed every movement. Even her sharp instincts couldn't pierce it.
This was no ordinary mist—it devoured her senses, her composure, her world.
For the first time, Natasha Romanoff—the Black Widow—felt truly blind.
She moved cautiously, calculating distances in her mind, replaying the layout of the field. Still, every footstep echoed like a warning.
Suddenly—tap.
A hand brushed her back. She whipped around—nothing.
"Damn it…" she muttered, tension rising.
Unseen in the mist, Ryuuto smirked. To him, the fog wasn't fog at all. His enhanced chakra vision pierced through easily; Natasha stood there in perfect clarity, vulnerable and tense.
He raised the Beheading Blade slowly, savoring the moment.
The true terror of the Mist Shinobi Technique… was never the fog itself.
It was the fear of not knowing where death was hiding.