The Fool

by Fabuzer

One Eye. The mark of a hybrid, half-Ghoul and half-human. An impossible existence, yet these mistakes were witnessed in the 24th Ward. Gender and age are unknown: some claimed to have seen a small girl or an old man. The most prominent one was a blonde boy. Strong, powerful, yet a hopeless Fool, whose choices couldn't alleviate the tragedies of others.

I'm actually rewriting my first story 'The Shinobi at Magic High School', but I suddenly had this idea of writing a fanfic of Tokyo Ghoul. There is a decent amount of stories on this site, but most aren't that good, probably because Tokyo Ghoul is complicated and there are a lot of characters, each of them with personalities difficult to catch on.

I'm not so arrogant as to think that I can, but giving it a try isn't a problem. Even so, I plan to enter in canon quite later, so the first part will be original.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Tokyo Ghoul. They are properties of Kishimoto Masashi and Ishida Sui.

Chapter 1: Spark

---

Humans are considered the living beings on the top of the food chain…

But there are those who hunt them as a food source.

Even if humans can trust each other and watch another's back, they possess a singular 'fear'.

They look like a normal human being, but these beasts have few things in common with the dominant species.

They are monsters who hunt down the flesh of humans, dead or alive.

Their name is Ghouls.

---

Tokyo was divided in 23 Wards. Each one of them had a division of Commission Counter Ghoul, or CCG in short, and depending on the amount of 'Ghoul Investigators' centered in them, it was determined whether or not a place was safe for Ghouls to inhabit.

For example, the 1st Ward in Chiyoda was a living hell for every Ghoul, able to drive you insane until an Investigator drove a Quinque through your head. Due to being the location of CCG Headquarters, the amount of 'Doves' gathering there confirmed that for prolonged survival, it was the best option to go anywhere but in that area.

On the other hand, while not exactly peaceful, the 4th Ward had a high amount of security because of the numerous Ghouls dwelling there. Especially, gangs of sort were forming, multiplying their power. You were safe… from CCG, at least. It wasn't unusual for 'cannibalism' acts to manifest, Ghoul eating Ghoul. Even so, if you knew what side to stay on and had enough strength to shield yourself, you were clear from any excessive danger.

Then, there was the 24th Ward.

Specifically, it couldn't be called a Ward in itself. Its location wasn't exposed to sunlight and in the city humans lived in, but most of the territory was underground, in an odd sort of labyrinth that had been built by past Ghouls to escape humans.

Ghouls who had their face exposed to Doves, those possessing low fighting potential tried to find a peaceful life below the CCG's radar, causing an unbalanced ratio of Ghouls and humans. Again' 'cannibalism' was even more practiced due to this discomforting number.

Even more startling was that even if lot of weak Ghouls hid in here, around 60% to 70% of the population was composed of powerful Ghouls.

Unfortunately, Doves occasionally led an 'expedition' to gain experience for highly talented Investigators. They came in large groups of rigorously trained members, practicing their teamwork and sharpening their fangs against the A-rated, few S-rated and rare SS-rated Ghouls in there. Unsurprisingly, many Doves perished in these 'crusades', but so did the Ghouls.

In short, the 24th Ward was a 'training ground' for Investigators. It was a wonder how anyone still wanted to live there. You couldn't trust anyone, fearing of being considered as a food source even if of the same kind.

While there was solidarity during CCG's raids, it promptly disappeared in one month, after the corpses of the dead Investigators ran out. The natural law 'strong dominate weak' was enforced even more in here.

In that occasion, the only food sources were two: Ghouls and humans.

Currently, a young Ghoul was searching for the latter.

It was a hallway that almost resembled the ones on the surface, but this one was merely an attempt to imitate the upper levels. The buildings shadowing the already dark place were ominous, broken glass and garbage were scattered everywhere. Above was an absurdly high ceiling even if this place was supposed to be underground.

This was the 4th Level of the 24th Ward. The deeper levels proliferated with dangerous Ghouls, while this one was one of the closest to the surface and still unknown to Investigators due to their attention being drawn to other areas.

Now, running at speed that would seem a mere blur from a human's perspective was a blonde boy that couldn't be more than 9 years old. He wore black ragged clothes to blend in the darkness like a predator. His senses, several times greater than a normal person due to his kind's characteristics, were scanning the area.

Of course, what he was searching for was 'food'.

"Mmh?"

Suddenly he came to a full stop, his ruined shoes skidding to a halt.

Sniff, sniff.

He closed his eyes and sniffed for the fragrant smell he had briefly noticed before. His mom always complimented him regarding his good nose, so it couldn't have been a mistake…

Then-

The scent of fragrant, succulent, irresistible flesh flared up his nostrils.

The boy's head whipped to a direction he had previously neglected. His gaze was wandering and his attention aimed elsewhere, farther away.

"Let's see…" The blonde Ghoul rubbed his nose, trying to pinpoint the location of the odor "300 meters at east, pretty near to the place where a few humans were located yesterday. It's still within this building area. There is a pungent trait, a little salty, so a recently dead body, uh? Also, the other two presences are… Ghouls."

The boy frowned. He hoped that they wouldn't be a hassle. He had to thread carefully here.

Even if he was patiently waiting for it, he didn't have a Kagune yet and judging by the heavy smell, the two feasting on the human corpse were adults with fully developed bodies. A Kagune determined the majority of a Ghoul's strength, so fighting someone of the same kind without one was paramount to an early grave… or being cannibalized, for that matter.

He found out that he desired neither. Being killed by a Dove was infinitely better than suffering such a humiliating demise. And he didn't want that either.

Even so, despite the risks, he couldn't back down. All the food he and his mom had preserved was now lost and they needed extra strength to get out of this Ward. Their current amount was enough to fill only one of them.

He would give it to her, but then he would become a burden to her by not having enough strength himself. Therefore, extra food was necessary.

Well, he would just need to pay attention. Grabbing at least an arm and running off would be the strategy. The two had probably eaten a substantial amount of the corpse, so their Rc-Cells count was probably higher, strengthening their Kagune. A direct fight was a big no. Besides, he was used to being underestimated for his short stature, so he had the advantage.

He recognized the danger, but he wasn't the type to back down in any case.

Confirming his plan, he nodded to himself. His legs tensed and bulged, then the ground below him cracked as his body shot up towards the top of the building in front of him. As he lifted himself up for five meters, before he could fall down, he planted his feet and hands on the surface of the wall and started to quickly climb in order to reach the rooftop and having a better view.

---

Before he was aware of it, the blonde was already standing on the roof of a decayed house, hidden behind the colossal pillars that you could catch a glimpse of anywhere in the 24th Ward or the underground passages for Ghouls.

He noted that it had taken less than thirty seconds to traverse 300 meters. During the race he had barely panted, a proof of his newfound stamina.

The thought made him grin. Finally his mother's grueling training was showing its fruits. He would have been regretful if it didn't do so, after what almost equaled a crime bordering on the neglecting of human rights.

… But he wasn't human. The reminder made the boy frown a little.

The boy shook his head to dispel any possible negative thought. He required a serene state of mind for the next challenge. Slapping his own cheeks as a wake-up call, he cleared his mind of any interference.

'Okay, let's do this!'

Crunch!

Then, he heard it. The familiar sound he always caused whenever feeding. But this one was wild and violent, unrestrained. He didn't even need to concentrate to notice the violent noises.

Smash! Crunch! Gnam! Squelch!

The blonde stared at the tight space below him. The dark clothing he currently was clad in proved to be perfect for the current occasion. If he had brought his favorite jumpsuit, the sheer orange color might have attracted the two Ghouls crouched in a small hallway below him.

This was the scent he had heard before, along with the human corpse.

The two Ghouls were obviously eating.

Bones were shattered and regarded as useless, flesh devoured, fat and organs ripped apart and kept apart as the best for last, eyeballs rolled in their tongues as a delicacy, the brain sucked off from cavities in the corpse's skull.

It was a sight he had been used to since birth, equivalent to humans slurping their pasta and munching on their hamburgers. He didn't like it, but this was a flesh-eater's nature.

Both Ghouls had dark hair and simple rags, average height and build. At first sight they were unremarkable, not even that muscular and their guard was down, but underestimating your opponent could prove fatal.

Well, they couldn't be that strong either. If they were sharing their meal, it meant they had teamed up against a single human. Probably one who had been lost in the tunnels of the Ward and starved for days.

That was pitiful to say the least.

But he couldn't fault them. Recently, there had been a shortage of food due to the Doves' recent attack, the 'Underground Expedition'. He was currently in an area situated near an exit from the Ward. The one before, the 6th Level, was too, so he hadn't personally witnessed it, but apparently the last 'crusade' had been particularly fierce. He was lucky that the Doves prioritized the deeper levels over the higher ones.

As a result, many Ghouls had died and migrated towards the 6th Level he had been in… only to eat other Ghouls.

Needless to say, chaos had spread everywhere. He had to abandon his previous hideout and escape with his mom even before they could settle in. The supplies of the prior refuge were now probably in the stomach of some lucky scavenger.

The Ghouls below him were likely those who had to escape from the cannibals. He felt a little guilty to steal their food after all the hell they had been through, but he had to place himself and his mother first. This was the sort of cruel world they all lived in.

A second later, the boy's musings were proved wrong by the two Ghouls gleefully shouting at each other.

"This fat guy is fantastic for a homeless! I can't believe that after eating that trashy skinny kid, now I can enjoy this fatso!"

"Agreed, but let's say! The expressions of the peace-addicted Ghouls in that safe location compensated for their disgusting taste! The thrill of hunting other Ghouls is funny too!"

"Kahahah, what a psycho! Whatever, pass me that thigh!"

"Hold on, this one's mine! You have already eaten yours!"

"I didn't, don't spout bullshit! Mine was saved for last, if I can't find it then… you stole it from me!?"

"Stop accusing me! I get it, you are always the one getting the most so you want to eat two thighs instead of one! I already allowed you to slurp most of the brain, so hands off!"

"What?! I pierced this mass of fat twenty times, instead of your single hit!"

"You have an Ukaku, dumbass! Besides, your projectiles are puny as your dick, so I'm not surprised he still had enough strength to run even after you scored with all of them! I was the one who tore a hole in his chest!"

"You bastard, want to go at it?!"

"You were useless anyway, so getting rid of you won't force me to share my meal with you anymore!"

The Two Ghouls' carefree discussion degenerated to a childish argument, as if kids complaining about their meal and demanding more. They didn't notice the blonde Ghoul who was left deadpanning at their selfishness.

"…"

The blonde kid staring at them from above snorted. So the bastards were part of the escapades that had devoured the Ghouls of the 6th Level and then, not being satisfied, hunted the few unlucky humans in the 24th Ward.

He was glad. Now he wouldn't mind if they got crushed from a piece of concrete. They were distracted too, so forget a leg or an arm, he was going to take whatever remained of the body.

Red mist began to gather, on the shoulders for one and in the lower back for the other. Those guys were seriously going to release their Kagune.

That was fine. This way, they would be too busy to notice the noise he was about to create.

Leaving them to their heavy bickering, the blonde boy inspected the corner of the roof he was standing on. All buildings in the 24th Wards were ridiculously fragile: apparently an A-Rated Ghoul had been crushed under debris because he had been unleashing his Kagune in narrow hallways while fighting Doves.

It had been an accident, but when the boy had witnessed it, it gave him a nice idea to add in his strategies.

He stepped heavily on his position, and felt it tilt dangerously, as if it was going to break apart at any moment. Nodding to himself, the blonde grinned as he repeatedly stomped on precise spots of the concrete with short legs belittling his superior strength.

Stomp! Stomp! Crack! Stomp!

Cracks began to spread, encircling a huge corner of the roof.

After about eight times, the boy carefully stepped away as the huge piece of cement very slowly lost its balance and began orienting below, towards the position of the two Ghouls still arguing.

Deciding that it was being too slow in its mission, the young Ghoul stuck his leg in a fracture separating the rest of the roof and the giant corner. Pinning his other leg down, he pushed with all his strength and saw it beginning to get down faster.

The blonde boy wasted no time himself. The corpse was between the two bastards, so he was planning for the concrete block to smash in tiny bits of flesh only a single one. The other would receive special care by him personally.

He immediately jumped down from the border he was balancing himself on and closed the distance to the ground. With a form as if diving in a pool, he directed himself toward the Ghoul with the Ukaku about to emerge from the guy's shoulders.

"Hop!"

He landed on the shoulders with cat-like agility derived from his small frame, not exactly blocking the Kagune from being unleashed but startling its possessor. The other one also stilled, obviously not expecting this development.

"What the he-!"

With an expression as if he was steeling himself for what he was about to do, the boy said: "Die."

Without waiting a response for his selfish declaration he, the blonde kid who had appeared from nowhere according to their perspective, locked his legs and arms around the neck of his target like a serpent strangling its prey.

Crack-ck-ck!

With a wet, loud and crunching sound accompanying his act, he twisted his limbs fast and broke the neck with little effort, as if a mere twig.

The Ghoul's black and red eyes rolled back to his head. Slowly, gurgles like a defective water pipe finally breaking emanated from his throat and the Ghoul's corpse fell as his head hung like a ball attached with a thread.

The blonde boy didn't bat an eye as he swiftly leaped off and returned to a standing position, in front of the other Ghoul who still remained immobile despite the murder which had been committed so casually.

"Hey." The blonde kid did a mock-salute.

"…"

In front of the events which had rushed at insane speed, the man seemingly didn't register in his mind anything at all.

After a few silent instants, the other adult Ghoul apparently regained his wits and snarled like an animal. He shot off a blood-red tail from his coccyx, a moderately sized Bikaku with the end akin to a hook.

"Who the hell are you!?" His face twisted in anger, he pointed it threateningly toward the boy, who ignored him and instead kept his eyes up "You brat, I was the one who had to kill him! Fucking kid, I will behead you! You won't get lucky with me!"

"Yeah, look up."

"Shut up! I will cut in you in fi-!"

Crash!

The man didn't go that far with his shout as a particularly big piece of concrete fell on him without a shadow of warning. It smashed his body and Kagune like tofu, raising dust everywhere. The man completely disappeared from view, his corpse now likely unrecognizable. Perhaps it was a blessing that one couldn't see it, given how it probably ended up.

The blonde boy's sidestepped as a chunk of flesh flew off from the impact. He didn't bother to check what part of the body it was, but his face showed a slight revulsion. He scratched his head, a little frustrated.

"Damn, I warned him too…"

He had hoped he would have moved a little and ended up with only his lower body smashed. At the very least, it would have saved the corpse some dignity. Now, having his pitiful death on his consciousness, he felt a little guilty.

At the very least, his plan worked perfectly. The blonde boy had purposefully distracted him and acted like an idiot to have the guy stay on his spot. If it hadn't worked, his chances of victory would have dropped. He sighed in relief.

"Hmm…"

He inspected the narrow hallway, the corpse behind him with a head hanging like a decoration for the event humans celebrated at December, and in front of him the giant boulder with traces of splattered blood, dust still concealing everything.

He grinned arrogantly and smirked in a self-praising manner. The kid came to a conclusion.

"I'm too awesome."

He didn't want to get all cocky, otherwise it would bite him in the ass one day, but beating two guys with their Kagune out while he was just a kid with nothing but his physical abilities was praiseworthy. That, or his ego was gloating a bit too much. He wholly ignored the fact that he had ambushed them and would have likely been eaten by them if he had made a single mistake.

Waving his hand to prevent dust from entering his eyes, he crouched down and took what remained of the human corpse devoured beyond recognition. With his index finger, he touched a pool of blood gathering on the ground and licked it. The taste was good.

He mentally left a prayer as thanks, and two small sorry for the bastards he had ended. He didn't feel any particular regret in killing them, but his mom insisted that homicide was evil no matter the reason, thus it had to be done carefully and with the proper respect to the taken lives.

He had gotten what he had come here for. Even if this area was underpopulated, staying too long in one place would eventually bring misfortune in the long run. The noise probably attracted someone, so he had to leave as soon as possible; 1st rule of the 24th Ward.

As he quietly left the hallway, he inspected the pieces of flesh he had taken. They were quite large and fat, and looking at them closely…

"… Thighs, uh? I guess they were bastards and selfish liars too."

Seriously, the 24th Ward was the worst place to live in.

---

Most of the territory in the underground Ward was an intricate sewer of tunnels and bifurcations with numerous dead ends. It didn't help that corners and hallways were creepily identical. Doves, when hunting here, often did mainly so that they could register the maps concerning the right paths so that they wouldn't get lost in the next expedition.

Even for Ghouls, it was hard to feel the correct direction. Staying in small groups was for the best, lessening the possibility of betrayal and raising the chances of returning to one's base without problems. Generally, one could wander alone when he had been in the 24th for a long time.

"Let's see… the left leads back to the start… So I should take the right, after all."

However, apparently a blond boy was walking with fearless steps emanating little hesitation.

His nose twitched every five seconds, the tool he was using to get back without trouble. He had done his best to memorize the pattern of the roads and once in a while he scratched the wall beside him with a stick, acting as an unnoticeable marker. More relevant was the fact he had memorized his mother's scent, and he had been with her since birth, therefore it went unsaid he could track her from a kilometer too.

"…!"

After a few minutes of walking through dark hallways and carefully avoiding the wrong directions, the blonde boy halted in his tracks and narrowed his eyes.

He stood there for a minute or two, before resuming his steps, still not letting his guard down.

'Was it just my imagination?'

Idly wondering whether or not his own instinct had played a prank on him, the young Ghoul finally arrived at his destination.

Imagine an apartment out of a cheap horror movie, with spider nets and all. Force it down a hallway, down some stairs that nobody dares to descend because of the fetid smell, and add at the entrance a steel door that would be more at home in a nuclear shelter. More than anything else though, one had to wonder who had the brilliant idea of building an apartment underground.

This was the boy's hideout; temporary obviously, because from a pure survivalist's view, this apartment caught too much attention to conceal someone. He and his mom just had to gather their strength before exiting the 24th Ward, and she had done a… wonderful job in scaring away any other Ghouls in the area.

Until that day, he had never known how much a knee could be bent around like a toy.

Pushing away the not so nice graphic images in his memory, the blonde boy descended the stairs, making sure to not slip on some foreign substance.

He softly knocked on the door thrice, pausing, thrice, pausing, and then thrice again with a louder sound.

He waited for a few seconds, before he heard an inhuman growl from the other side of the door, followed by stomps on the ground. Somehow, he had a bad feeling and felt that he should be aware of something he had done…

The idiot neglected his own istinct.

"Who is it?"

The voice of a woman pierced the air, somehow possessing a perfectly neutral tone despite a clear animosity in it.

He tilted his head. The question caught him off guard. Wasn't the pattern of his knocks right? Or maybe it was some sort of play, so he figured he had to go along with it to not spoil it.

"It's me."

"Forgive me, but you will have to be more specific."

The tone was almost chilling to the point of lowering the temperature itself, but either the boy was too dense to notice or his brain automatically repressed the conclusions it had come to, because he fearlessly smirked.

"Hiya! It's your favorite awesome son, Uzumaki Naruto!"

Silence followed. Then, a quiet whisper arose.

"… I don't have a son. No, let me correct myself-"

Maybe it was his tone which bordered on presumptuous, or the woman on the other side of the door was in an especially bad mood, perhaps both. Whatever the reason, the now named Naruto was utterly unprepared when the steel door was suddenly swept open. As he was right in front of it, the hard material slammed on his nose and sent him rolling away on the ground.

The speaker stepped out of the apartment.

"-I AM PRETTY SURE THAT MY SON ISN'T THE BAD BOY WHO WOULD DISOBEY HIS MOM AND SNEAK OFF! IT MUST HAVE BEEN A MISTAKE, SURELY! THEREFORE, YOU HAVE NINE SECONDS TO EXPLAIN YOUR PRESENCE OUTSIDE YOUR BEDROOM. NOW!"

She was of average height, but nobody would actually care about that in a confrontation with this terrifying woman. A cobra was far smaller, but that didn't stop them from biting you and turning your blood into some sort of red cornmeal-like substance.

She wore dark clothes similar to the blonde's. Her violet eyes shone in the darkness. Adding her absurdly scarlet hair hovering behind her as if ready to strike at Naruto, it wasn't a surprise that Ghouls in the area stayed clear of her.

By the way, she was Naruto's mother: Uzumaki Kushina in all her dark glory.

With her arms akimbo and a stern expression on her face, it was the common scene of a mother scolding her child for the usual reasons. However, the scene of the blonde-haired kid twitching while doing his best to stand up didn't exactly fit in the 'happy family' picture.

Naruto covered his nose with his unoccupied hand, fresh blood seeping from the gap between his fingers. His blue eyes narrowed in indignation as he did his best to preserve his cracked pride.

"Guh, damn you…! What the hell! This is child abuse, you know! Control your strength! My nose is probably broken; it would be the second time this month!"

Kushina sniffed, unbending on her position: "Perhaps, but it's your fault for not listening to me when I told you to stay put in your room! Since your ears are faulty, I have to teach your body the proper manners! And it wasn't me who wounded you, it was the door!"

"It's a dumb technicality at best! Also, that kind of Spartan treatment belongs to more than two thousand years ago!"

This was a common pattern that had repeated itself enough times to be called a routine. Naruto would sneak out to get some food, be discovered by his mom and then punished like this. Hence, these arguments were unavoidable.

They kept bickering over and over, bringing up arguments to counter the justifications of the other party. Eventually, Naruto would stop, either for his limited vocabulary when compared to an adult's or simply because moms held a mysterious power to win in any discussion with their off-springs.

"Listen, Naruto! In the first place, you-" She abruptly stopped, her fierce eyes softening as they travelled to her son's left leg "... What is that?"

"Uh?" Naruto tilted his head before following her stare. There, he saw a rip in his pants in the area that covered his left leg. Instead of seeing skin, there was some blood flowing down from a large cut in his flesh "Ah."

Did he get it from that Ukaku guy when he had landed on his shoulders? Since it had been about to release itself, it was possible that the formation of Rc-Cells had scratched his leg.

His musings were interrupted from the sound of his mother tapping her feet impatiently and adopting a steel mask to replace her expression.

"Naruto, what did you do out there?"

He shifted uncomfortably, alarms ringing in his head: "Uh, I sneaked out since I wanted fresh air-"

"The 24th Ward is a sewer, where is the fresh air supposed to be?"

"Hey, don't underestimate the smell of waste! It can be quite nice when you adapt to it!"

"Na-ru-to…"

Her chilling tone made the blonde shudder. The boy backed away. As he nervously chuckled, he tried to formulate a quick excuse in his head. He subconsciously realized that his chances at deceiving her were abysmal, but giving up wasn't a trait of his.

"I-It's the usual, you know. You were tired lately, so I thought of getting something for you." He raised his hand to show her the remains of the corpse he has salvaged earlier with a grin "See?"

He evaded the question about his wound, but he wasn't lying. All the times he had gone out, it was to obtain fresh body parts so that his mom could sustain herself and not succumb to hunger.

Her features softened at the latter part of his justification, but she quickly regained her rigidity as she raised a thin eyebrow: "And that wound? How did you get it?"

Naruto briefly panicked. Then, with the most serious expression he could muster, he answered at once.

"I tripped."

"… You tripped?"

"Yeah, I did."

"… I see. Then, how did you… trip?"

"You know how there are strange liquids all over the sewers, right? That disgusting alien stuff; I wasn't careful enough when walking, so I slipped on some of them and... I tripped?"

It wasn't too farfetched. Maybe they were the remains of Ghoul corpses or some mutated mouse had gone and defecated there, but Naruto had discovered jelly-like substances similar to those on the stairs behind him. He had lost all interest in them when he had seen a rat touching them and promptly dying two seconds later, but he could still use them as an excuse. Beside, everyone tripped, so it was believable.

"Oh, really?" His mom questioned.

"Y-yes."

Alas, it was not meant to be. His mom's face expressed how her skepticism grew like the magic beanstalks of a fairy tale he had heard a while ago.

It wasn't as if he was bad at lying, it was a skill required for all Ghouls. But his mother was his mother after all, and she quickly saw through his falsehood.

"…"

"Hehe..."

Uzumaki Kushina didn't say anything as she continued to stare with an odd absence of emotions that made her son feel guilty for some reason. Meanwhile, Naruto chuckled as he averted her gaze desperately.

Some mothers, to achieve what they wanted from their sons, could beat them up, reprimand them, punish them by forbidding their favorite dish, and other various methods. It all depended on their personality and honestly, Naruto would have preferred any of the above mentioned than what his mom did each time.

She just stared.

There's something known as the predatory gaze. Apex predators such as the crocodile or tiger are capable of using it. Coincidentally, Ghouls are included in the list. Naruto had once read the topic in a book, describing it as 'dull, lifeless eyes that project an annihilator stare'.

Naruto was just a short kid with above average intelligence for his age. He hadn't understood half the words written in that book, but 'annihilation' summarized quite well what he forebode he would receive if he didn't answer.

They stayed there for a few minutes at least. Time seemed to stretch like a rubber band. The boy started to sweat cold as his mother's gaze bore through him. She stopped when her son eventually had a breakdown and couldn't endure it anymore.

"Argh! Okay, okay, okay! Please, don't look at me like that! It makes me feel as if I have committed an evil act! I will tell you everything! I'm giving up!"

A thin smirk vaguely similar to the blonde boy's graced Kushina's features.

Naruto was supposed to never give up or retreat regardless of any obstacle, but he most likely forgot that.

---

This went unsaid, but the interiors of the Uzumaki's current hideout weren't any better than the outside appearance.

The rooms were larger than what you would expect out of an apartment that you might expect falling down at any moment. That was the only positive quality, as the walls and floor were cracked and covered in strange materials. The ceiling had been leaking, but they had somehow repaired it. Overall, its current state was better than the initial mess they had discovered a few days ago.

However, it wasn't as if they were planning to stay longer than necessary. Usually they would implant a few traps to surprise the unfortunate intruders who had the bad luck of messing with them, but the absence of mantraps testified their unwillingness in staying in such a disadvantageous location. As soon as the two Uzumaki were done gathering their strength, they were going to climb to the upper levels.

However, that was not now.

"Owowowow!"

"Come on, don't be a baby."

"I-is there even any meaning in doing this? If I leave it, it will heal in two hours at most. Besides, I think you can see the clear emotions of anguish in your son's face!"

"I'm not risking an infection. You walked with such a large cut through these sewers. I don't want some sort of strange parasite able to morph in different forms growing on your leg."

Currently, Naruto was sitting on a worn-out couch with his left leg placed on a chair. Meanwhile, his mother emptied a bottle of disinfectant that was about to run out on the wound he had gotten. The expertise of her movements suggested that she had gotten used to this sort of treatment. The combination of water and antimicrobial agents washed down the blood off of his limb and the liquids flowed down in a plastic basin under the chair.

"You are such a fool, Naruto. Putting aside how you weren't aware of such a large cut, walking around with it just worsened it. You should have checked whether or not you were hit."

"Err, sorry." He rubbed his head sheepishly, not appearing that regretful "But it's not that much of a biggie. More importantly, you should hear the awesome tale of how I got rid of those two! I mean – agh! Wait a second, it burns like crazy! Wait, wait!"

Kushina disinterestedly ignored his pleas and continued to apply disinfectant on the wound. As expected, Naruto let out a howl of agony like a child being forced to eat vegetables.

"I'm not interested in a story of death. And bear it. You are a man, aren't you?"

With tears in his eyes, the boy managed to reply: "Ghh… e-easy for you to say. You aren't the one experiencing the f-flames of hell licking your skin…"

She snorted: "You are exaggerating. When I was young, I never complained when a lucky Investigator managed to cut off a finger or two. That hurts far more, I can guarantee it. You should be thankful in getting away with this much after suppressing a Kagune's release with pure, brutish strength."

There was perhaps a hint of praise in that statement, but Naruto's mind was probably to clouded with agony to pick it up.

"Uh… Wasn't that when you had a cool Kagune and went around rampaging like crazy? Eheh, I bet you were high off of the pain too, so it must have been exciting for your sys-"

It was clear that the red-haired woman wasn't fond of the sarcasm in the little boy's voice, because her hand violently squeezed the bottle of disinfectant and splashed a ridiculous amount of it on the open wound of his calf.

"….!"

Naruto showed an expression similar to someone who had swallowed a whole lemon, torn between laughing hysterically and crying from the sourness of his situation. Not that he had ever experienced the taste of a lemon, but acid tastes were common between humans and Ghouls.

Just as Naruto had 'promised', he had ended up telling everything to his mom. Playing down the matter had been out of question, less out of unwillingness and more out of his fear of pissing her off further. When he had finished, words weren't enough to describe the way her violet eyes had glared at him.

Maybe it had something to do with how she so blatantly didn't care about his current woe caused by 'disinfectant + flesh'.

Unconcerned about the blonde's hisses of pain, Kushina casually threw the bottle on the cracked floor of the apartment and proceeded in wrapping clean bandages around his left calf. Not out of malice but concern, she tightened them to assure a secure grasp on the limb.

"There, all done!" Kushina cheered, almost slapping his leg before she remembered that would be cruel to do "How does it feel?"

"Geh. You mean apart from the obvious pain I previously felt?" His bitter complaint didn't reach his mother's heart. He likely didn't have justice on his side since he had brought this injury on himself. Muttering something immature under his breath, he got up and stretched his leg to test it.

"Well?"

"Uhh… I don't feel anything off. I mean, these gauzes are a little too tight, but thinking about it, I don't want some weird thing growing out of my leg, so I won't make a fuss about it."

"Good." Accepting his answer, she then leaned down with a look that said it all. The mood somehow returned to the same at the entrance earlier "Now, on the next issue. How about giving me a proper explanation for your escapade?"

"Ggh…"

"Not only I have told you to not wander alone and in dangerous areas, you even fought two Ghouls without properly planning ahead! A plan made up in two minutes isn't enough! You saw the building you were standing on and just though 'oh, what a great idea'! You didn't even ponder about the risk of being discovered and killed or the whole building crumbling and crushing you down, did you?"

"Mom…"

"What do you have to say for yourself?"

Grumbling, Naruto folded his legs on the couch he was sitting on. He took the body parts he had obtained before and started to split them apart in smaller pieces, uncaring of blood squirting on his clothes. The bone broke with an audible crack, along with the muscle tissues, and the human meat seemed somewhat easier to eat now.

It wasn't as if it had been Naruto's first noncompliance. Excluding that part of his personality that craved in troubling other people, the blonde believed he had a good reason for sneaking out multiple times in a month.

"It's just that..." Naruto started depressingly "I wanted to help, that's all. You are always the one going out and providing for us, and every time you come back, you seem more tired than the last time. You don't even eat that much and put on a strong façade while saying that it's 'fine', so I figured that doing my share of work should be the right thing to do."

"Naruto…"

Seeing his downcast look, Kushina's stern features slowly softened. Her son wasn't overly perceptive, but even a child could have seen through her, so she wasn't surprised that he had deducted her way of prioritizing his health over hers.

The woman gently took a seat beside her son and ruffled his blonde hair affectionately.

"Listen, I am happy that you would do this much for me. But I can't accept you neglecting yourself over me. If you end up hurt through the process, is there even any meaning in taking my role?"

"Of course there is!" The boy shouted convinced "I can take a lot of damage anyway, so it's better if I am the one being injured than you. It's the same for me, is there even any meaning if you hurt yourself for me?!"

Her eyebrows twitched at his logic.

"I'm your mother, Naruto. It's my role to protect you and not let anyone harm you."

"And I am your son, thus I can't just stand as an onlooker and do nothing all the time! All the training you have given me would be meaningless! I'm not doing all of that just to run away when some lucky douche is about to end your life!"

She sighed in exasperation: "Naruto…"

Perhaps it was a result of their similar personalities, but each time they attempted to resolve the issue, they eventually butted heads with each other and accomplished nothing in the end.

On one hand, an idiot who believed himself as less important than his mother and consequentially felt no hesitation in injuring himself over her. On the other was an equally foolish mother who followed the same logic.

When such identical ideals met, it went unsaid that they repelled each other like magnets of the same polarity.

Naruto was just a kid. Even if he tried to act as a grown-up, he was still a child. Knowing that he couldn't convince his mother, he didn't say another word and locked his gaze the other way.

However, Kushina was an adult and understood everything above. As such, she could just let the issue alone and forgive her son's disobedience. But she was still a mother, and risking her offspring's ruin would be unacceptable.

She sighed. Her son was thicker than a diamond.

At this point, a compromise was the best she could do, and the best to make both of them happy.

"I have a proposal. Say, how about this?"

"What?"

"I'm going to take you with me on the next 'hunt'."

The reaction was one she had expected. In less than a second, her son was kneeling on the couch, in the spot before her. His blue eyes were sparkling, lit up like a candle in the night, as if he had been just given unlimited allowance to use in a toy shop.

"Seriously?! Do you mean it?! You aren't being a sadist who enjoys giving me hope before snatching it away and drowning me in despair, right?"

Kushina smiled, amused by her son's behavior. If only he could show the same enthusiasm when she half-convinced him to study and be as knowledgeable as possible. But this was her son after all, therefore expecting for him to meekly agree with her demands was foolish.

"Yes, yes. However, be aware that I won't just let you wander around without rules. First of all, don't be reckless. Prioritize your safety above anything else. You have to stay near me. In the case we have to split up, be close enough so that my voice can reach you. Move quickly and don't stand in the same place for more than a minute. And train your body harder than before."

Naruto jumped on the floor and his posture became rigid, his arm moving up in a military salute: "Will do! Let's start right now!"

Maybe he hoped that she would be swept by his passion and agreed. Unfortunately for him, this red-haired Ghoul wasn't easily deceivable.

"Wait a few hours. I don't want your leg to worsen. If you want to do something useful, go and study."

"Bwahh!? But that's-"

"If you don't, I might rethink this whole business of taking you along."

"Understood! Studying it is!"

She watched him pick up a thick book with the title 'Basic Math' written on the cover and running to his room. There might have been a few tears tragically spilling from her son's eyes, but she ignored it as the boy slammed the door close.

Kushina smirked, only a little given that she was still worried.

She was well aware that he would probably ignore the instructions she had given him and venture alone as soon as he glimpsed the chance of obtaining some human flesh. It wasn't really his fault, but even Kushina had to admit that her son was a fool who couldn't stay put. It couldn't be that much of a problem since they were going to be together, but…

Well, there was a reason no Ghoul liked the 24th Ward. Even if they were currently stationed in the 4th level, Kushina was far from relaxed. Truthfully, taking him along in her 'hunts' seemed like the epitome of all the horrible ideas she had ever had in these years.

'The things I do to make him happy.' She mentally complained.

The red-haired Ghoul was about to get up from the couch-

Sniff, sniff.

-when her eyes – no, her nose – caught the sweet, succulent scent of human meat emanating from a table a few meters distant.

She turned her head and saw the origin of the smell in a plate, cut up in several slices that seemed terribly easy to eat and munch. There was a small pool of blood that acted like sauce, assuring a juicy taste that wouldn't let the meat dry.

She promptly determined that it was what her fool of a son had salvaged from the two Ghouls he had faced. How did he cut the flesh up and placed the slices in a way that resembled high-class restaurant food?

She tried to ignore Naruto's blatant attempt at having her eat what he had worked so hard to obtain. By all rights, Uzumaki Kushina honestly considered that her son should be the one to eat that delicious dish.

However, her stomach protested. Her extensive use of Kagune in the past few weeks without refueling her energy enough was now hindering her. Kushina feared that she might get visions sooner or later from the sheer hunger she was going to feel if she didn't feed.

She wasn't a weak-willed Ghoul. While most of them could go on for barely a month without eating, in the past she had even resisted for three or four months, maintaining her sanity at the same time.

Thus, Kushina had almost no issue in walking right past the fragrant treat.

She almost did, before she remembered. How much troubles her son had gone through, and how she would step on his feelings if she were to overlook his hard work. The way he grinned each time he succeeded and how he smiled at her in order to convince her to think about herself.

She wasn't cruel enough to destroy that smile.

With a grudging motion, Kushina sighed and began to eat the food splendidly arranged on the plate. Tomorrow, she was going to teach her boy how it was unwise to manipulate her feelings, even if he was nowhere crafty enough to have done it intentionally.

---

During his walk toward his own hideout, Naruto had grown alarmed all of sudden. He had just stood there to search for any threat, but when not seeing any, he had proceeded with his walk. He had simply assumed that something like a mouse had switched on his instinct.

However, that might not have been correct.

Hidden in the darkness of the sewers, spying on the boy while he was walking with a substantial amount of human flesh in his hands, were three men – no, Ghouls. Just by merely glancing at them, one could conclude that they were adults, and the glint in their eyes didn't suggest anything charitable for the blonde kid.

They had been following him ever since a ruckus had been caused in the area where fake buildings stood on. When the three had arrived there, they had discovered a high block of concrete with traces of blood under it, plus a Ghoul's corpse with a flaccid neck.

But most importantly, the remains of a human had been there.

In the 24th Ward, where cannibalism was less a trend and more a way of life, humans were absolutely rare. It was the equivalent of a hobo being lucky enough to savor caviar.

Such a sweet partaking had been more than enough motivation to prompt them to follow whoever had been powerful enough to defeat two Ghouls alone. They were in three, so they had been confident in being capable of killing the responsible.

However…

"A kid? Are you fucking kidding me? How did a stupid brat manage to defeat two Ghouls?"

Bluish-white hair and lined markings under the eyes were the main characteristics of this Ghoul. He was light-skinned, rather short and wore a blue jacket with multiple pockets and a purple hat on his head. He was leaning against a wall as he observed the boy turning a corner, then down some suspicious passage.

Another male Ghoul replied to the questions not particularly aimed at anyone.

"Eh, maybe he got lucky? Whatever, do we really have to care? If he is weak, I can just play with him for a little while before impaling him. But if he is strong enough to take on two adult Ghouls alone, then…" He wiped away the saliva drooling from his mouth "Eheheh, I hope we can 'play' together a lot~"

He had dark pants, tanned skin and a naked upper body almost completely covered in tattoos. He had a thick goatee, a tall stature and brown hair parted in three elaborate topknots. A savage, excited look was on his features as he mentioned the word 'play'.

The light-skinned one gagged at his companion's perverse attitude: "Bleh, you are disgusting as always. Not only you are a fight freak, have you taken pedophilia as a hobby? It's a damn kid, Waraji; do you seriously want him to be your 'partner' this time?"

"Shut the fuck up, Zori. Hypocrisy suits you though: don't pretend I didn't see you doing that woman after you cut off her legs. Excessive sadism isn't that much different, is it?"

"At the very least I'm not a damn faggot who is fine with anyone as long as he or she has a hole."

"Ahh? Tell me again why you aren't a smear on the floor yet?"

"Let's see, maybe because you are too weak to do a damn thing about it?"

"Oh~?"

The air steadily grew thicker and heavier, bloodlust filling the tunnel. It was clear from this exchange of insults that the pair wasn't in the best of relationships, and judging by how both of their eyes began to turn black and red, this relationship of theirs might just terminate on the spot.

Before they could go as far as bring out their respective Kagune however, a calm voice broke through their standoff like a sharp knife.

"Stop it, you two. As long as we keep our business as strictly personal, there isn't anything we should fight about."

Zori and Waraji snapped their head in the same direction, their enraged emotions somehow soothed at the familiar voice.

Emerging from the darkness of the tunnel they were in was a slender man with shoulder-length white hair. He wore a dark vest and dark brown pants. A placid, apparently kind expression graced his features.

"Mizuki…" Zori muttered.

In response, the latest addition flashed a charismatic smile.

"How about you two make up with a heartfelt handshake? Since we are cooperating in the same group, we have to get along as best as we can manage. Throw away your differences and act as a team."

Undeniably, this man was the one acting as the leader. It wasn't uncommon for Ghouls to bad together, especially in the underground Ward, but such alliances tended to be short-lived. Judging by the way both his companions had placated their hostilities, his leadership skills were decent enough to supervise two incompatible individuals.

""…..""

Zori and Waraji glanced at each other. At any moment, they seemed about to explode and start a fight right there.

However, such a thing didn't happen, a clear testament to Mizuki's charisma. Both Ghouls clicked their tongues in displeasure and ended up ignoring each other.

"Good enough." Mizuki shrugged with the same smile plastered on his face. He approached them, putting himself between the two flesh-eaters, and spoke "I've been listening since the beginning. So our target is a child, I presume?

"Yeah. I can't understand how a fucking brat probably younger than ten years managed to kill two adult Ghouls." Zori spat out.

Mizuki's features twisted in doubt as he observed the spot where they had last seen the blonde kid: "Mmh, I see. Even so… are you sure of that claim? It's not wise to jump to conclusions. It's entirely possible that the boy is the mere errand boy of a stronger Ghoul and he was tasked by him, or her, to escape with the spoils while he or she is attracting the attention of other hunters."

It was rare, but the group had once encountered an adult Ghoul keeping a child of the same kind as his pet. Along the boundaries of the 24th Ward, it happened that infant children were abandoned. In rare occasions, someone might 'adopt' one of them and train them to become a mindless slave. Or eat them if they were tired with them.

Waraji, now strangely tame, frowned: "Mizuki, we have been following that boy's and the human meat's scents. I'm pretty sure that he is someone who has been personally at that location." His tone dropped, almost hesitant "However, there is something else I have to report. The flesh's smell was particularly strong, but while following that blonde's track, I noticed something… particular."

"Oh? Do tell."

"His scent… was really strange, captivating. I felt strangely exhilarated before getting it. It was almost unperceivable. I almost confused it with that of… a human." He gulped "Mixed with a Ghoul's scent was that of a human."

Mizuki's eyes widened. Before he could voice his thoughts, a yell cut him off.

"Ah?!" Zori shouted in disbelief "Have you gone nuts, you queer?! Has your nose gone defective after sniffing the smell of waste all these years?!"

"I have the best nose among us, midget. I would never make a mistake like that."

"Shut up! Your-!"

"Silence, Zori." Mizuki interjected harshly, hiding the annoyance he felt at the shrill tone. He directed a venomous glare in the short man's direction, quieting him down. He then mused at what he had been told, a contemplative glint in his eyes "A human, you say. I trust your senses enough to believe that claim. However, if it's fused with that of a regular Ghoul, it might simply mean that the meat's scent was so strong that it has rubbed on that boy. Or better yet, there is the chance that he is so used to eating human flesh that the odor stuck on him."

There was another possibility, but perhaps Mizuki's brain automatically rejected such a scenario due to the sheer ridiculousness of it happening. The spawn of a human and Ghoul… no, impossible.

"Then what are we waiting for?!" Zori shouted once again, his hands twitching in anticipation and impatience like a child being teased about his Christmas presents "Let's hurry in, split him in two and get all the stuff he has!"

Mizuki shot him a concealed cold stare: "I have the feeling that you aren't particularly fond of that boy, are you?"

"I'm not!" He snarled, his eyes twitching and his body strangely convulsing, as if ready to burst "He is a brat but goes around with that much flesh…! I feel the need of punching him again and again and again, until his face resembles a sponge! Then I will rip him in two, starting from the crotch! Slowly, enjoying his screams of anguish and pain, so he can feel the whole thing…!"

At the needlessly graphic description, both his teammates grimaced in disgust and closed off their hearing.

They were a group formed with the aim of obtaining food easily, but no one ever said that they had to like each other, merely 'getting along' to maintain the best teamwork. Each one of them had his own quirk, but so far Zori was the one who had the least need of hiding his excessive sadism and openly displayed it.

Waraji's eyes narrowed in revulsion: "Tch. And I am the psychopath here?"

As they knew that their short comrade was unreachable when ranting about his preferences in 'dealing' with his opponents, the other two Ghouls continued with the conversation in a professional manner.

"Anyway, it doesn't change anything. It might be an unexpected development, but that boy has an amount of food that we can't disregard. He likely used some underhanded tricks when dealing with the two Ghouls back there, so it's fine as long as we keep our eyes open. Even if he has a Kagune, it won't be fully developed and the movements will be sluggish."

At his leader's explanation, Waraji stroked his goatee unconvinced.

"I sense a 'but' here."

"Indeed." Mizuki nodded seriously. "Apparently, this area has been severely underpopulated for a few days. It wasn't full of inhabitants before, only around sixty or so, but the number suddenly dropped and now in this entire sewer system there is only a single pair of Ghouls. I've been looking into it for quite a while, to be honest."

"What the-! Were they killed?!"

"No. It seems that they were convinced to abandon this area."

A short silence apart from Zori's shouts followed. It went unsaid what 'convinced' meant in this context. Hesitantly, Waraji spoke.

"L-let me guess. This… single pair is the reason?"

He nodded.

"And that blonde boy is-"

"-most likely the servant of a stupidly powerful Ghoul, or affiliated at the very least. To be on the safe side, we should assume that he is powerful enough to take on two Ghouls alone."

"Are you… positive, absolutely sure?" The tattooed Ghoul's tone trembled.

His legs and lips quivered, dipped in a dark emotion. One might conclude that the hesitation in Waraji's voice was out of fear from the possibility of facing such a powerful opponent.

However, that was not the case. Foreboding what was going to happen, Mizuki sighed as he confirmed it once more with a second nod.

A strange sound emanated from the tanned Ghoul's throat.

"Ah... ahah… ahahahahahahahahah!" Waraji laughed, not mockingly or disbelievingly, but with twisted passion. His face twisted in the one a sadistic butcher might show upon finding a prey that they can slice apart as much as they like "T-this is awesome! Shit, I mean it! Someone just went in here a few days back and persuaded sixty Ghouls to go away?! I can't even call bullshit! Gahahahah! I wonder how strong he or she will be! A woman or a man! Maybe even a child! That'd be a blast! If I know the gender, I can plan what sort of 'game' we will play!"

Zori and Waraji didn't realize how much similar they were even when being in the same place, one swearing and shouting like a madman and the other cackling in a perverse manner, saliva dripping from his mouth. It was a sickening scene.

'Tch…'

As their voices echoed within the tunnel, Mizuki allowed his face to bloom with full repugnance as soon as he was sure that they were too busy with their delusions. He wasn't about to say that he didn't have some weird pastime, but he was far from sharing similarities with these two lunatics.

He decided to plan things for himself. In the end, Zori and Waraji were mere Ghouls that he had allied with to get together some dumb muscle. One was a Rinkaku and the other a Koukaku, while Mizuki himself was a Bikaku. This combination allowed for a countermeasure against all sort of situations. His two comrades weren't the brightest tool in the box, but their fighting skills were decent enough. It wasn't his concern what they did with their foes during or after a fight.

'I just hope that the new member I just went to fetch isn't some psycho.'

Before coming here, he had gone to recruit someone else. A short girl, but he was unaware of her personality as the Ghoul didn't entertain any conversation. Mizuki merely needed a fourth member since their last Ukaku had been cannibalized. But she was stronger than both Waraji and Zori, and had agreed to cooperate, so it was fine even if they didn't chat with each other.

What deserved his attention far more though, was the Ghoul who had depopulated the system of sewers they were currently in.

Mizuki believed himself to be at least A-Rated by the CCG's standards. He could fend for himself and even the presence of Zori and Waraji was just his insurance. Thus, in the 4th level of the 24th Ward, almost no one posed a serious threat to him.

He had been looking into this 'powerful Ghoul' for quite some time. One might even say that the boy he had asked his two teammates to track was merely the 'appetizer' for the 'main dish' he had been waiting for.

Despite having investigated the claims of such a powerful Ghoul living around here, he was still slightly skeptical. He had personally interrogated the victims gone mad, but even so, it still didn't prove anything. After all, there were many methods to instill fear in your opponents and create an illusion of overwhelming strength.

But he wasn't going to risk it. If the three of them, plus the new member they had just gotten, were to ambush that Ghoul with unknown power and the rumors proved themselves authentic…

It would be a slaughter, and not in their favor.

But with accurate preparations beforehand and a plan, he could make it: by surprising that Ghoul with a sneak attack and the 'weapons' they had obtained, he could win. Beside, Mizuki himself had a 'special trump card' that had always granted him victory.

More than anything else, he had to defeat this Ghoul and win. Sacrificing Zori and Waraji in the process was acceptable.

It didn't matter if the rumors were false or not; the news of an 'extremely strong Ghoul' were reaching the lower levels of the 24th Ward, especially the bigwigs with such prestige that they could match a Special Class Investigator.

If he was capable of exterminating such a threat, then they would take notice of him and even recruit him as a strong subordinate, allowing him to join their ranks. And from that position, he could climb to the top. With such status, necessities like food were neglectable.

"Keh… keheheh…!"

As Mizuki thought this, he didn't notice that his lips were trembling in excitement and from them was about to escape a revolting laughter, joining his other two fellow Ghouls.

Despite being utterly convinced of not being a sicko like them, the ambition driving his resolve was surely the source of the disgusting expression his features were shaping.

---

The first thing Naruto noted upon waking up was that the small, prickling sensation on his left calf was gone.

Never having bothered to comb his air, he absentmindedly took off his blanket and started unwrapping the bandages stained of a dark red.

The blonde's eyes were still a little sleepy due to going a little over the top with his studies yesterday. He could have given up, but Naruto was too prideful to surrendering victory to a book called 'Basic Math'. As such, he might have gone a little over the top trying to resolve a question about 'how many flowers does this guy have?'

Well, he was still lucid enough to make out the skin of his leg. Rubbing it, he understood that the large cut he had received was gone, even the shadow of a scar was completely absent.

Sometimes, despite it being impossible to integrate with society and life being all around a living hell, having the body of a Ghoul had its advantages. High physical abilities aside, the regeneration rate varied for each Ghoul, to the point where some could grow out fingers in minutes.

Since his mom had always recognized how fast he healed, maybe he was a Rinkaku?

Honestly, he didn't have enough strength left in his body to willingly get up. This mattress was oddly comfy, and the stunt he had pulled yesterday was starting to punish him. He figured that jumping from a building and landing on someone's shoulders wasn't that beneficial to your muscles.

Nevertheless, he decided that today, getting up was worth the trouble. Hopping off with a grin, he started to dress.

His mom had acknowledged his involvement in their 'hunts'. Right now, Naruto felt pretty good about himself. It wasn't every day that his mother stopped to be stubborn about it. Although he felt a little guilty in pressuring her, he was confident that once they got out he could show her how strong he was!

Naruto wondered was sort of 'training' he was going to do. Was it something like lifting weights? Or maybe a spar was better; that way, he could prove himself to her and demonstrate his techniques.

With an excited smirk, the blonde pumped a fist in the air and shouted gleefully.

"Hell yeah, I'm going to kick her ass!"

---

"Gah!"

Thirty minutes later, while skidding on the hard floor after having been thrown away like a pair of useless underwear, Naruto felt like retreating his earlier statement.

Behind their current hideout was a large area disconnected from the tunnels of the sewer, and the only way to access it was through their apartment. It was ideal to avoid any intruder or onlooker.

Standing with an exasperated look in front of him was Kushina, having repeated, countered and slammed him away several times.

While her son was wearing somewhat ruined clothes that were clearly fit for physical activity, the mother was clad in the same ones she had been in yesterday. Adding how her guard was carelessly dropped down, it meant only one thing.

Basically, she wasn't taking this activity seriously.

They had just started this 'spar', but calling it a one-sided beating wouldn't be too far from the truth. Naruto's appearance was ragged, worse than the one he had yesterday after his sneak attack on the two Ghouls. Given that they had started barely five minutes ago, it spoke lengths about the difference in the two Uzumaki's power levels.

Till now, despite the blonde's attempts at taking her by surprise and even using all the underhanded tricks he had, his mother would just disappear from his sight before throwing him an indifferent kick or pushing him away.

She hadn't even put that much force behind it, but the young Ghoul had always felt as if someone had swung a steel rod on his body.

"I feel that this may be cruel to ask, but are you even taking this seriously?" His mother absent-mindedly checked her nails as she said so.

Naruto glared at her, lifting himself from the ground once again before charging at her recklessly.

"Don't you-" He leapt, disappearing from her view with his agility, before remerging above her with a small fist drawn back. Despite its small size, the physical superiority of a Ghoul could allow a little child like him to crack concrete with a mere punch "-underestimate me!"

Naruto kept his guard up, expecting his foe to vanish. However, contrary to his previsions, when he was about to punch her face, she released a sigh and just sidestepped.

Before he could do anything about it, she merely shoved him aside like an annoying bug, resulting in the boy slamming on the ground painfully.

Once again, their situation returned to square one.

This had happened more than ten or twenty times. In the numerous spars he had had with her before, his mother seemed to tone down her battle prowess and had actually fought him. Today, she lost that attitude and was just ridiculing him.

Naruto was aware that he wasn't powerful. Putting aside the fact that he was a kid, all he got for him were his speed and trickery. Other than that, he was just a small boy; a Ghoul, but nonetheless a boy.

And his mother was someone who had survived countless skirmishes against the strongest Investigators. In her younger days, she had a gang and a high power rating issued by the CCG. She had developed a powerful Kagune and just a few days ago had scared off sixty Ghouls alone, as her son could personally testify.

In other words, it was like attending to a match between a master martial artist and a brat who had just gotten the hang of how to shape a fist. The comparison was pitifully beyond words to describe. There was too much disparity.

"Rgh… damn…"

As Naruto groaned in pain, getting up once again without sign of surrendering, either for refusal of defeat or simply because he had no idea about what to try this time, his mother's straight face seemed to relax as she couldn't bear to watch this spectacle any longer.

"Listen, Naruto, why do you suppose you are losing?"

"Uh?" Naruto stopped whatever strategy he was about to prepare. He froze, not expecting her to ask something like that "Err… this isn't a trick question, is it?" He carefully asked. Seeing her not budging, he nodded hesitantly "Oh. Well, it's because you are freakishly strong and fast while I am, in comparison, a bug that can only annoy you by buzzing around."

He wasn't the type of person to get depressed after multiple failed attempts at even touching his own opponent, even if it was quite disheartening and his self-esteem was beginning to take some blows after seeing his mother's casual attitude at his efforts in hitting her.

However, Kushina denied his words with a simple statement. With the utmost solemn expression, she stabbed a finger at his face.

"No, my dear son, it's because you are an idiot."

"…"

The blonde Ghoul might have cried if it wasn't for his pride. His features twitched as he composed himself, breathing in and out to calm his nerves from exploding due to his mother's flippant insult.

"O-Oookay… This is just a supposition, but are you pissed off today? Because I get the feeling that you are intentionally destroying your son's confidence. There is only so much a nine year old kid can take, both physically and mentally."

Kushina didn't show the least bit of guilt as her violet eyes bore in him.

"There's no use sugarcoating my words. After all, you were the one who wanted to follow me in my 'hunts'. I will personally make sure that you are fit to do so, unless you want to end up in the stomach of some cannibal." She adopted an unsure look "You… don't want that, do you? That would explain your recent sneaking out…"

Naruto gaped at her, astonished: "What? No! Why would I want that? Just tell me why I am an idiot already!"

He would have never even muttered the last part, but discussing a weird passive Vorarephilia fetish was far worse than admitting his own stupidity.

His mother sighed in relief. Naruto didn't know what to think about the fact that she had seriously considered that her own son had such a twisted perversion.

"Very well, then." Kushina's expression hardened, as if preparing to deal an emotional blow "Then I'll be blunt and honest: with that sort of mentality you have now, you won't last in a one-one fight against even an average adult Ghoul. No matter what sort of trick you come up with, you have a low chance of succeeding. And if your enemy brings out the Kagune, it's utterly hopeless."

Naruto stared at her, unflinching. One might come to the conclusion that he hadn't heard the review on his capabilities.

However, when the statement finally caught up with his brain he cringed, slumping in dejection.

"I-is it really that bad? Am I that weak?"

Even if he knew the limits of his strength, it was different than being curtly told the truth like she had just done to him. He wished for her to acknowledge his strength, but being told that he was nowhere near beating an ordinary Ghoul meant that he was far, far from reaching her level…

"Mmh? Not really?"

The depressed boy's ear perked up at the answer.

"Ah? But you just said-"

"-that you won't survive with your mentality, that's what I said." Kushina interrupted him, correcting his assumptions "I didn't particularly mention your strength in itself. Your striking power is decent, you can surely take some hits... or maybe I should call it extreme stubbornness. You move quickly and are pretty skilled in traps and subterfuge, so you should work on your good points."

The blonde's depression dissipated like dust to the wind. He sighed, not getting it: "Then, what's wrong about my fighting style?"

Apparently, he just asked something incredibly stupid given how his mother was now shaking her head as if attempting to explain a simple fact to a retarded child. Naruto restrained himself from lashing out, keeping an immature outburst from exploding in her direction. That in itself was probably the most amazing accomplishment he had obtained today.

Kushina gracefully crouched beside him as she hummed, searching for the best way to clarify the point. Seeing her like this, her crimson hair flowing like water, Naruto was suddenly reminded of just how beautiful his only parent was.

"Let's see… how many times have I thrown you around like a ragdoll?"

"…"

The brief moment of admiration he held for her was promptly broken. The boy rolled his eyes, but it was more like to prevent his tears from flowing down due to the reminder of how he had been completely beaten up in the last five minutes.

"Yeah, can you just say it without reminding me of that?"

Her expression was a cross between amusement and solemnity, before she abandoned the former: "Fine, fine. Basically, Naruto, you are too reckless."

"Hey, that's not-!" He was about to protest that claim when she cut him off by grabbing his cheeks and pulling them apart "Bwah?!" It might have been a joke for humans, but his mother wasn't that great at regulating her strength, so it hurt badly.

"No, you don't get to say something like 'It's not a problem'!" She chastised at her son, irritated "You act like a fool in battle, you don't think at all when charging! You leave everything to your instinct, barely exploiting the weakness of your foe! I bet you just let yourself to be led by your senses and leap at the first opening shown, not even balancing the pros and cons of the situation. When you fought the two Ghouls yesterday, did you actually consider the possibility of utterly failing and ending up with the entire building collapsing on you?"

Naruto glanced away, suddenly interested in a bug crawling near him.

It was enough of a confirmation for Kushina to go on.

"In this spar, when we started, I simply said 'come at me'. I didn't mention the use of weapons was forbidden, but you blindly attacked me without hesitation. You didn't stop once, simply giving me a glance before determining the best spot to attack! You have great insight and could exploit it better, but you don't! It is fine to take some risks, but you should evaluate the possibility of a failure! Your eagerness might take others by surprise and actually give you an advantage, but in most if not all cases, it will just help in accelerating your eventual doom!"

She had a lot more to say, but as her mouth was about to throw another lecture, she halted when Naruto revealed a helpless expression about to lose all hope. It was the very picture of a child who had been yelled at and was on the verge of crying. Except that he would never admit that.

Obviously, being a mother, she wasn't going to put salt in the wound.

However, she maintained her metallic features, like a mother wordlessly demanding 'do you understand?' The expression was worth a thousand words of rebuke.

"O-okay, I got it." He managed in croaking out, stuttering in hesitancy at angering her "So… basically, you are saying that I should think more when fighting and gauge the right moments in which I attack, defend or retreat? To risk but not endanger my own life too much… or something like that?"

When he finished listing what he had understood, Kushina hugged him tightly and, in her own show of affection, grinded her knuckles on his temples.

The young Ghoul felt as if his brain was being forcefully smashed with two steel balls from two different directions. He was considering the real experience to be inferior to what he was currently feeling. His own alarmed eyes might have popped out from the sheer force.

"Gah…! W-wait, this-!"

"That's my boy! See, you can understand if you put some effort into it!" She nodded enthusiastically, applying more strength in her drilling, unknowingly causing migraines in his brain.

"Y-yeah, that's cool but-!"

"Let's try again, shall we? This time I want you to come at me with a good plan instead of going for an all-or-nothing bet! When you get better at it, I will start to react more aggressively at your attack. Let's find out how you fare against different types of opponents!"

It seemed that his mother was overly passionate about teaching him something, anything. Even when it came to studying books and pointing out what kanji meant, she did so happily. The fact that he understood her explanations and ended up in agreeing with her wholeheartedly probably brought her joy.

Naruto might have smiled if he hadn't passed out already.

---

The 4th Level of the 24th Ward wasn't particularly large, but it had several galleries and tunnels that connected them with the lower levels. As such, it was considered an important strategic point for other Ghouls in the case they had need to escape, and all entrances to it were hidden with the utmost care to prevent Doves from discovering this hidden base.

Aside from these ramifications, the level was structured like a horizontal ant nest. The 'main zone' was occupied by large sewers systems extending all over the surface. The largest one was one which had been inhabited by sixty Ghouls until they had been scared off by a 'dangerous one'.

Then there were the 'secondary zones', situated on the borders of the 4th Level. They weren't that large, and in each one of them usually resided only a single group of Ghouls.

Even if a single secondary zone didn't hold much space, there was still plenty of room for a Ghoul to develop his own 'habitat'. As they were living beings whose diet was restricted to human flesh, they would eventually grow a particular 'taste' about either their preferred method of killing the prey or the favourite body part to devour and savour.

For example, if one felt delight in sampling eyeballs, the room would be full of them. Needless to say, there were also Ghouls who had a cherished 'technique' used to relish in the emotion of slaying someone even before tasting the flavour of human flesh.

In a certain secondary zone, confined in a small-sized room, resounded yells and screams of agony that had since long lost their sanity. These sounds were hurled around not for the feeling of pain anymore, but perhaps only for the sake of screaming after thousands and thousands of repetitions.

And the only 'sane' man in there – the only one who had lost his own sanity without being tortured for weeks – held a pair of bloodied scissors as he licked his lips in a depraved manner, continuing his 'game'.

"Come on… come on, let's have some more fun…! Don't end it here, you know how many days I planned for you to live, survive, endure, uhuhuh!? You stupid woman, that's why I prefer men, you just start to shout when I touch you! You don't like my touch, you fucking bitch!? Then die, die, die, die, die, DIE!"

His last incoherent shrill was accompanied by his arm hovering in the stinky air of the secluded room, before descending with frightening precision on the breast, neck, collarbone, stomach, arms, eyes. The pinpoint accuracy of the stabs left gaping holes on the fair skin of the woman.

"G-gah…."

All spots were pierced and mauled, red blood leaking down from the horrible cuts all over the female body. It was as if some sort of twisted art was being created. And the artist's mind had to be polluted for such a violent act to occur.

"Ah... ahah… ah…" The man panted heavily, a horrible smirk spreading wider "Ahah… kekeke…"

Suddenly, the darkness disappeared as light filled the place from one side of the room. The man with the naked torso snapped his head at the source, snarling in irritation for the unexpected change.

"Ughh, disgusting as always…"

Standing at the entrance was Mizuki, his expression repulsed by the stench of blood and faeces in the room.

The owner of the room was not pleased.

"Mizuki, how many times have I told you…!"

"Yeah, yeah, sorry for interrupting your 'play' session, Waraji," He said, as if he had done so dozens of times already in the past. His tone didn't sound apologetic either "but you should lock the door or hang a note outside to prevent any unwanted presence in your lair. It's not exactly my fault, and I'm not your mother so stop forcing me to repeat the same thing over and over again."

Such a tone would have earned fury if it was anyone else, but Mizuki was excluded from that list. He was stronger than Waraji, and there was a reason he had managed to keep in check the two unstable Ghouls in his group.

"Tch!" Waraji clicked his tongue in annoyance. He used his thumb to clean his body from the blood that had sprayed on him and started to lick it "Whatever, this toy has already broken down. I expected it to last a few more days, but it was impossible after all. Women can endure pain more, but they are far more fragile. It has been a while since I had a boy to play around with." He blinked, remembering something "By the way, when are we going to start hunting those Ghouls we talked about yesterday?"

Mizuki leaned on the door, a professional look on his features: "At most, we will need two or three days. Risking it wouldn't be wise, and I am keeping track of their movements just in case. I just sent Zori to collect the equipment we might require to take on that powerful Ghoul in the sewers." His eyes darkened "No, we definitely have to use that sort of weapon."

Waraji smirked amused: "Keh, you seriously sent that lazy ass and made him your errand boy? I bet he is going to be pissed after coming back."

The leader nodded: "Indeed. In fact, I have come here for two reasons. Since he was already angry after I sent him, I don't want him having another outburst like. He got pretty excited yesterday, therefore…"

Waraji hummed, not really getting why Mizuki had left his statement unfinished. After a few seconds, he was still pondering. Slowly, his eyes widened in understanding; then, he petulantly snorted like a child unwilling to compromise.

"No way."

"Come on, it isn't that big of a deal. He has nothing to spend time with, so giving him one of your humans should be enough."

"It's easy for you to say that! Unlike me and Zori, you don't have preferences and just want to eat normally! But for me, handing over my babies would be terrible! Beside, why the fuck should I give one of my toys to that asshole?! It would be really, really wrong! He never gave me anything, that prick! I'm not even going to give him this bitch I just killed!"

"It's not like you don't have any to spare, you know."

"I don't care anyway! As I said, it's wrong!"

As his comrade kept rambling as if someone had just challenged a deep, religious view, Mizuki pinched his nose.

It was like this every single time. He sometimes wondered if his ambition of becoming one of the leaders of the 24th Ward was worth enduring his insufferable, fellow Ghouls. It would be easier if Zori ignored Waraji and vice versa, but they were the sort of guys who intentionally antagonized each other for the fun of it.

"Even if Zori can't give you anything in return, I can. If you cooperate, you can have that boy of yesterday."

Waraji froze. His eyes scanned Mizuki's features, searching any trace of deception: "… uh? Seriously?"

"Yes. I decided to split our group in two, just in case: one will fight and kill the adult, powerful Ghoul that scared off all the inhabitants of the sewer, our main target so to speak. The other is going to engage the kid whose strength we are yet unaware of. As such-"

"W-wait just a fucking second!" Waraji interrupted rudely, standing up in alarm "I might be fond of fights, but I don't want to die yet! That Ghoul we are going to kill is crazy strong, right?! There are just three of us, so having someone fight him reduces us to two! I'm not even sure if the three of us together would be able to win against a monster that single-handedly defeated more than fifty Ghouls!"

It was slightly surprising, witnessing Waraji freaking out. Such a thing was beyond rare. For all his talk, the violent Ghoul was someone who could only be confident against weaker opponents, or when overwhelming someone with quantity.

Mizuki glared at him irritated, his surprise overridden by his annoyance.

However, his teammate had just said something smart for once. The whole point of having sent Zori to pick up the equipment they would surely need in the next hunt was because the three of them lacked the firepower to assure a kill against a powerful Ghoul. Reducing their members was paramount to suicide.

There was the possibility, even if minuscule, that two of them could win against that Ghoul. Sure, Waraji or Zori would most likely perish in the attempt, but Mizuki wasn't fond of them enough to care. Not that he would say that in their faces.

Beside, Mizuki would never take such a risk anyway.

"Come on, Mizuki! It's just a joke, right?!"

Sighing, the white-haired man answered: "You didn't let me finish. Of course I'm not stupid enough to take such a gamble. I'm not going to reduce our power by decreasing our numbers, so I made sure that someone else could take the role I just mentioned."

Waraji somehow relaxed, but the tension was still there: "A-ah, got it. So, the new member is…"

"Right here." Mizuki interrupted, stepping aside.

At his command, a figure emerged from the space he previously occupied.

Waraji observed. He was unsure, but it seemed a small girl, and unmistakably a Ghoul; a young one who was barely ten years old, and with really short stature. Bandages and a dark cloak were tightly wrapped around the tiny body, preventing anyone from catching any particular feature.

In any other situation, Waraji might have protested. A child, with such weak constitution, was to be their new member. The sheer foolishness of the possibility would have made him laugh in most cases.

But… he understood immediately. For the whole time, that young Ghoul had been listening to their conversation. Waraji had the best sense of smell amongst the members of the group, so it was phenomenal for an individual to conceal his presence at no more than a few meters or so.

The tattooed man's skin paled. The sight of the bandages Ghoul was beginning to unnerve him. For Ghoul and humans alike, the unknown terrorized any person, and Waraji was no exception.

Unaware of it, the seed of dread had already been planted in Waraji's soul.

Witnessing the reaction, Mizuki allowed himself a satisfied smirk, uncaring of whether or not his comrade noticed it.

"As you can see, despite her appearance, she is powerful. She is going to help us in this hunt at the very least, but we will see if she is willing to join use later." Mizuki glanced at her behind "Would you care to introduce yourself?"

"…"

The tiny Ghoul remained silent. Despite her size, her stillness emanated a presence to be cautious of. Perhaps Waraji's fear wasn't to be ridiculed, but praised as a sharp instinct.

The silence stretched for a few seconds, tense enough to appear as days.

Then it was broken by a cold voice piercing the darkness of the room.

"Eto."