"You dogshit brat..." Ogi gritted his teeth, his eyes bloodshot with quiet, trembling fury as he lay in the dirt. "Attacking me in my back... with your unearned strength..."
Before he could even finish his bitter internal monologue, Megumi's boot swung in a sharp, merciless arc.
THWACK!
A loud, wet impact shattered the air as Megumi's foot connected squarely with Ogi's face, breaking his nose and snapping his head violently back into the dirt.
"C-Clan Leader! It's a misunderstanding! A complete misunderstanding!" Ogi shrieked, spitting blood and two shattered teeth onto the grass. He frantically waved his arms in blind panic, dragging his body backward. "I don't dare compete with you! How could trash like me even dare to think of something so ridiculous?!"
Megumi wiped a tiny speck of dust off his pristine white sleeve. "Motherfucker, that's what I thought."
He looked down at Ogi's blood-soaked, bruised face with pure, unfiltered disgust.
"God, you're unpleasant to look at," Megumi muttered. He raised his voice slightly. "Hey, Naoya!"
ZIP!
In the literal blink of an eye, a high-speed blur of motion swept into the courtyard. Naoya materialized right beside Megumi, executing a crisp, flawless landing with a low bow.
Ogi's swollen eyes twitched aggressively from the dirt. What the fuck?! Did this bastard seriously just use high-speed Projection Sorcery just to hurry over like a lapdog?! What an absolute bootlicker!
"You called for me, Clan Leader?" Naoya asked eagerly, his eyes practically sparkling with reverence.
"Throw this trash out," Megumi commanded, pointing a lazy thumb at Ogi. "I don't want to see this guy inside the clan grounds ever again. Banish him to the outer houses."
"No! Clan Leader, please! Don't do this! I'm sorry!" Ogi cried out, desperately dragging himself across the ground.
Megumi didn't give him a second glance. He turned his back on the groveling man and looked at the two young twin girls kneeling near the garden path.
"Hey. You two," Megumi said in a calm, casual voice. "Come with me. You're going to be my personal maids from now on."
Maki froze, her wide eyes staring at Megumi in utter disbelief.
In the rigid, patriarchal society of the Zenin clan, women were already treated as second-class citizens. For non-combatant girls born with nearly zero cursed energy, they were practically treated worse than scum—despised even by the people who were despised!
Now, the absolute strongest Clan Head in history was appointing them as his personal maids?!
That single sentence instantly elevated their social status within the estate to completely untouchable levels! Nobody in the clan would dare lay a finger on the Clan Leader's personal entourage without risking their heads being turned into jam.
Mai, reacting much faster than her stunned sister, immediately bowed her head until it touched the grass. "Y-Yes, Clan Leader! Thank you!"
Underneath her breath, Mai frantically poked Maki's ribs with her elbow, making wild, aggressive eye gestures. Say something, you idiot! Agree before he changes his mind!
Megumi turned toward Naoya before walking away. "Also, Naoya, starting today, there's a new rule in this clan."
Naoya stood up straight, nodding attentively like a soldier receiving divine orders. "I'm listening, Clan Leader!"
"Nobody is allowed to beat up people weaker than themselves," Megumi declared smoothly, shoving his hands into his kimono sleeves. "If you've got the courage and the guts, go beat up someone stronger than you and become stronger. And if anyone wants to challenge someone stronger... I'm always available. Only a weak, pathetic loser beats up someone weaker just to prove their so-called 'strength'."
Naoya's eyes lit up like Christmas trees. A thrill of absolute, unhinged awe washed over his face.
YES! A real man! That's peak philosophy! Naoya thought, his chest swelling with pride. How can beating up a weakling prove anything?! It's completely meaningless! From today on, I will personally stop all bullying in this clan! If any of those old bastards want to pick a fight, I'll tell them to go challenge the Clan Leader! A real man only fights upward!
Meanwhile, Ogi—who was currently being dragged away by his collar by two Hei guards—was screaming in sheer internal agony.
YOU HYPOCRITICAL BASTARD! Ogi cursed wildly in his head, his face twisting in rage. YOU JUST BEAT ME UP! I AM WEAKER THAN YOU! YOU PULVERIZED MY FACE AND THEN IMMEDIATELY BANNED BEATING WEAKER PEOPLE?! WHERE THE FUCK DO I GO TO FIND JUSTICE?!
Ogi glared at Naoya with pure, venomous hatred.
And this wild dog Naoya... in just one single week, he's become completely domesticated! He bites whatever the new Clan Head tells him to bite, and he even bites when the Clan Head doesn't ask him to! He completely betrayed the clan and became a total licking dog!
Having delivered a thorough beating to Ogi and settled the twin sisters' status, Megumi felt his mood improve considerably.
He returned to his spacious master quarters, sat down at his desk, and checked the calendar hanging on the wall.
It was time.
According to the agreement made between the soul fragments in the white space, they had decided to hold a fixed monthly reunion to share memories, sync new abilities, and update each other on their respective worlds.
Even though Megumi had popped into the space two weeks ago due to a new soul arrival, they maintained a strict, set date for their regular monthly meetings regardless of sudden drop-ins.
Megumi lay back on his comfortable silk futon, closed his eyes, and allowed his consciousness to drift into sleep.
POP!
When Megumi's eyes snapped open again, he was greeted by the familiar, endless blinding white ceiling of the soul hub.
He pushed himself up off the white floor, expecting the vast expanse to be completely empty until Kevin or the others logged in.
Instead, sitting right in the middle of the floor in a slumped, utterly miserable posture, was the familiar dark-haired kid from the Naruto world—Rei.
Megumi walked over, tilting his head with a confused frown. "Hey dude... why the hell are you here so early? Do you really have nothing better to do in your world? Why aren't you out training or something?"
Rei slowly lifted his head. His face was dark, haggard, and overflowing with pure rage.
"YOU MOTHERFUCKER!" Rei roared, jumping to his feet and violently shaking his fist at Megumi. "ARE YOU MAKING FUN OF ME?! I DIDN'T RETURN TO REALITY AT ALL!"
Megumi blinked, taken aback by the sudden outburst. "What?"
"I've been sitting in this godforsaken white void since that exact day!" Rei screamed, his voice cracking with sheer desperation as he grabbed his own hair. "That unknown flying object hit me, Tsunade shouted my name, and my soul got kicked straight in here! I haven't been able to leave at all!"
Rei's eyes welled with dramatic tears. "I think... I think I might actually be dead or in a coma out there!"
Megumi stared at him in dead silence, a cold drop of sweat breaking out on his forehead.
"WTF..."
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