Hachi Academy, Hamato's office
Hamato, who were monitoring the fights' result, helplessly saw the defeat of the senior elite students, including Yû's betrayal.
"So, this is how your journey ends, girls…"
Hamato says in a low voice, a kind of frustration can be felt in his voice.
"Too bad, you worked well. At least, enough for me being able to finish the job myself!"
He claims, a threatening aura surrounds him.
But he quickly calms down, and in a soft voice, he orders something to an invisible presence he recognizes.
"Yuuma, comes here…"
His words kind of seduces the hidden young woman, who shows herself, with an emotionless face.
"My dear Yuuma, why were you spying on me?"
He asks in a fake sorrowful voice.
"Yû told me to, master Hamato…"
Hamato is astonished, he knew Yû betrayed him, but he felt Yuuma's presence before even her fight started, which means she was already against him at this moment.
"Yû, my friend… I am really disappointed…"
Hamato says in a true sorrowful voice this time.
Then, he looks at Yuuma with serious eyes, and in an as serious voice, he gives her another order:
"The ones commanding the traitors are about to come here. I sent ten of our students to stop them, but I doubt they can do more than slowing them down… Go find Natsuko and attack them, I will…"
Hamato starts, but a fast creature just joined them and violently pinned Yuuma down, who passes out without even screaming."
"What?"
Hamato knows very well the one who just knocked Yuuma out…
"Chuuku?"
Hamato reacts by seeing one of Yû's dogs, a dog that immediately attacks him.
"..."
Hamato dodges without problem before striking Chuuku's head side, which throws him on the wall before falling.
"Yuuma wasn't on her guard, unlike me…"
Hamato says before coming close to the dog.
But the man is hesitating to finish this pet, a pet he spent good moments with no so long ago...
This hesitation moment allows another Yû's dog, that Hamato didn't see, to attack.
Grrrr…
"Eh?!"
Hamato barely dodges the dog's attack, that could knock him out too.
But the worst is it's not alone…
"What the hell is that?!"
Natsuko asks, confused.
Ineed, the other dog, Chuuke, leaded Natsuko there to fight Hamato, who doesn't have the time to ask Natsuko for the reason of her presence because Chuuke is attacking again.
"Jeez… You're really starting to piss me off!"
Hamato yells before violently hitting Chuuke with his knee, then taking it by the legs to throw it on Chuuku, who was about to stand up.
By seeing that, Natsuko understand something is wrong with his master, and by reflex, attacks him too.
"Secret Ninja Art, Furious Dance!"
Natsuko yells while launching her axe on Hamato, but the strike barely scratches him.
However, she managed to break a special ninja art…
"Y-You're not Hamato!"
Indeed, Hamato, or rather the one impersonating him, was using an art consisting on taking the appearance of someone else by using a special fake skin.
Added to a perfect voice imitation, a great acting, and a foolproof caution, this art make you able to impersonate anyone.
The Life Thief Art is the name of this shinobi technique.
But what shocks Natsuko the most is the impostor who isn't unknown for her… She actually even knows him pretty well.
"N-No way…"
A thin man, brown long hairs and eyes…
"H-Heitan?"
The fifth elite student, supposed to be dead for months, is the impostor.
"Heitan, is that you? But… You're dead…
Heitan is walking in Natsuko's direction with a threatening face, which scares the young woman.
"As you can see, I am alive… And unfortunately, I can say the same thing for master Hamato, and for my former comrades…"
Heitan says before closing his eyes, and reopening them with an even more threatening face.
"...And for you in a few moments…"
He says in a cruel voice.
By reflex, and knowing how dangerous Heitan is with his mind-control powers, Natsuko activate a shinobi barrier to hide for the former elite student. She takes with her Yuuma, Chuuku,a nd Chuuke.
Heitan looks annoyed, but quickly smiles again.
"Too bad, it's like she could do anything, she's just a woman after all…"
Heitan says in a high voice, then, he remembers a detail.
"It's been two hours Hitomi should have given me news from her assassinate mission at Hebijo, I guess she didn't make it too…"
Heitan says before biting his lips in frustration.
"I really need to do everything by myself… But it's fine!"
He yells before laughing horribly. He stops a few moments later when he thought about a special person…
"Our vengeance will be us soon… Nothing can stop me now."
He says, but a sudden presence comes to bother him again.
"Heitan!"
Natsuko yells, ready to fight.
Heitan turns back, and by smiling, tries to control the girl who used to be his comrade.
"Be kind and go kill those vilain girls…"
He says in a soft voice… But only get a proud smile from Natsuko in return, which surprises him.
"H-How?"
He says, confused, but immediately understands what happened when he notices blood flowing from Natsuki's ears.
"She pierced her own eardrums? That really what Natsuko would do…"
Natsuko is preparing to cgarge?
"You must fight fairly this time! I'm coming!"
Natsuku screams, rushing.
But Heitan doesn't look worried at all, and in a low voice, says just one thing…
"Fine…"