Toiya's husband pointed Mana to an armchair for her to rest on while he hurried into the dark room where the noises of a crying baby came from. He returned not a pair of moments later with a somewhat relieved expression.

"Is everything OK?" Mana wondered before realizing how stupid that question was. If she had an option to, she would have sunken underground in embarrassment for even opening her mouth to ask something like this of a man who had just lost his wife.

"The baby's fine. He does that… Just start crying out of the blue as if checking if someone is there. Right when you pop your face into his room he goes dead silent and just watches you with a mischievous smile." The man rubbed his tired eyes before settling down to a cup of tea. He offered to make Mana one as well but the magician politely refused, stating that she was not going to trouble him for too long.

"He just wants attention. He wants to know he's not alone, probably." Mana smiled before what she wanted to say next got stuck deep in her throat bringing up nothing but tears. Even after losing someone due to her inability to let go and deal with loss, she still remained the same… It was just a cursed circle of people Mana let down. People she lost.

"She died subduing some criminal, right? Toiya, I mean." The man inquired, changing the topic to where he had thought Mana wanted to take it. He was no detective but even someone like him must have been able to see how painful it was for Mana to as much as sit here. The home of someone she had failed to protect.

"Yeah… I… I was supposed to subdue this assassin woman. I saw her before she could accomplish what she came to the Tribunal to do and jumped in to intercept her but… She played me, knew right where to hit me to make it hurt. I hesitated just for a moment and…" Mana recounted. Going back to that place was almost like working out with weights twice heavier than they were supposed to be. It hurt but the pain was supposed to be a good one, one that would lead her to something better, improving herself. Supposed to…

"There was a whole room of officers. Seems like a lot of responsibility for a teenager to protect all of them and fight someone alone…" the man wondered with a softened voice.

"The assassin was trained with mercenaries. I think she said something about that when we first fought. It doesn't matter how many weaker opponents you stack against someone like her, she'll slaughter them all. It takes an opponent of matching skill to fight someone like that. I was the strongest, the fastest out of that entire room. It was my responsibility to protect everyone." Mana lamented.

"It does not look like you've dealt with that pain right…" the voice of Toiya's husband whimpered just for a moment. A single second seemed like an hour when the subject matter was especially touching or when it was a moment when two ninja were clashing. Sometimes it was preferable to be weak, to not be able to perceive that little twitch and hear the weakness of a man that was given birth by something you had the hand in happening.

"I did not have the luxury of coming here when I have dealt with it. My weakness that was exploited was something that happened almost six months ago and yet I still have not dealt with that. If I did not come here now, I don't think I would have ever done it." Mana shook her head firmly, accepting this weight on her chest that kept drowning her under and forcing her to draw in more pain in her lungs. Each breath made her panic and choke on more and more of it.

"Why did you come here?" the man wondered. Mana had expected to hear spite in his voice, she expected to be hated, asked out even. She may have even been relieved by that hatred, by the fact that she somehow suffered for her mistake. That dismissal, that hatred should have been her punishment. The fact that Maizoku, Toiya's husband, was more curious than spiteful made her almost desperate in her quest of finding a suitable punishment.

"I just wanted to face what I've done. I wanted you to see me and know that I failed to protect your wife when I made it my responsibility to do so. If you hated me, if you wanted retribution, I wanted to be here and face it." Mana told the man the truth.

"Maybe it is for the better that you have come." Maizoku sighed. The man finished his tea and set the cup aside. "It is you who must know that no one else is to blame for what happened to Toiya but the woman who did the deed. It appears that your own past was exploited in some way to make it happen which must have been agonizing. You don't deserve to hate yourself like this, if you're looking for some sort of punishment, I don't think I can give you anything worse than you have already resigned yourself to."

The man jumped to his feet to rush to the baby's room to check on another fit of cries. He returned shortly, the cries have clearly been just another case of the baby looking for attention and confirmation that someone was still around it. That it still had a family. One could only wonder if it noticed that it was just one of the two familiar faces calming it down and could even comprehend the loss of the other.

"Truth be told, I did not approve of Toiya sacrificing herself. As a mother, she had so much more to live for. Had I any control, I would not have justified that action. I don't really know how to justify that sort of sacrifice anymore. I don't know if I will ever live up to the expectations that set me up for…" Mana covered her eyes. She hated herself for breaking up like that but it had to be done. This had to be an edge she crossed because one thing she has learned in Shukuba was just how fragile opportunities to do things like this were.

Despite her greatest predictions, best-laid plans and the absolute certainty that she had the only hidden ace in the entire deck in her sleeve against Raitoncide. She may not have had the chance to come here and tell Maizoku this.

"I don't think I entirely understand your pain but the only thing I can tell is that if you're planning to keep punishing yourself to make it all better – you should stop immediately. Don't even think about getting yourself killed recklessly or some nonsense like that, it won't change anything. You can only honor Toiya's memory by becoming the woman worth the sacrifice, someone that my wife saw you be when she made that choice." Maizoku's tone was husky.

It was surprising how strong this man was. He was not nearly as fast as Mana, he would never be able to hold the actual weight of the world over his shoulders by drawing from the source of the entire universe around him but he was immeasurably stronger than Mana in the only way that counted.

"I don't think I can ever become a person worth that sacrifice. Life is priceless and so I don't think anything can truly make up for something like this. When Toiya answered my call days ago, she said that she wanted the people responsible for her death answer for their crimes, she wanted this town to be safe for families just like hers. The least I can do is make that dream come true." Mana said.

"Safety is relative. No one is truly guaranteed or owed the rest of their life. It would be nice if Toiya's work was completed, it would be great to see the people responsible pay the price. I think I can see why Toiya liked you." Maizoku smiled with the edges of his lips, making his cheekbones just barely point out at the sides of his face. Those little bony tips made all the difference in the world.

Thanking the man for seeing her this late time of the evening, Mana bowed and left the home just as she found it - with Maizoku rushing to check on his child. Before she could leave, the man stopped her one final time.

"If you think you owe us anything. If you try to take up more responsibility for this family because you feel guilty for what happened – don't. Just do what Toiya would have wanted you to do and keep moving forward. Become the woman worth of her sacrifice and don't just look back trying to make empty gestures that will make you feel better about this." He asked of the magician before the two parted ways.

Now that this was done, Mana had the perspective and closure needed to finalize what was to come next. Even if this talk did not go anywhere near to where the magician wanted it to go, it gave her perspective and was something completely different. It was comforting in an entirely different way than just providing her with a punishment to beat herself over with and a more defined reason to hate herself.

Bright flashes emanated from a distant warehouse that was about as overgrown with vegetation and neglected for someone to refer to it as a bunker if they felt particularly witty. The gathered squads of the Shukuba Security prepared the elongated sheet of Lubber, which was about as tall as a mattress placed on its side while its length appeared sufficient to wrap the entire small building with it.

"I really hope you've rested well last night, ma'am, it does not appear he will be leaving peacefully," Shira stated the obvious. Mana knew he was merely trying to joke where he felt uneasy and confronting something out of his league.

"Actually, I was meditating on a new jutsu last night. I was too nervous to get any sleep." Mana smiled.

"Anything useful? Anything that can help out here?" Thumb wondered.

Mana shook her head. She could have gone on to explain to these officers how she was only working on the theoretical and the spiritual part of what was required to create and learn a new technique but they would likely not understand it at all. She was not actually training the technique, just figuring out the uses of the jutsu and how she would go on to achieve the required effects. It was a technique that combined experiences after all the mistakes and failures Mana suffered in Shukuba, a disarming ninjutsu capable of quickly subduing an opponent by applying a powerful surge of Lightning Release chakra. She needed it to be a powerful Lightning Release jutsu after being shown how refusing to upgrade her Lightning Release jutsu can corner her. In a twisted way of thinking, it combined all that Mana learned from Index and Ring Ring.

"I'm going in alone. I don't want no casualties so just follow the plan." Mana warned Shira to ensure that everything on his end went as planned. After they had located the warehouse without a hitch, the Shukuba Security needed pointless deaths the least of all things.

"It is going to take a moment to wrap the thing around. It may be wise to wait." Thumb hummed with a soothing tone.

"If someone trips over something or makes an unnecessary noise that stands out – he'll be tipped off. We cannot afford more delays. I'm going in." Mana whispered before splitting off of the squad and rushing in.

"The buzzing sound is killing me, how is a trip-up going to stand out?" Sora joked, noting the quite remarkable amount of electrical buzzing in the air. The auditory pollution complemented the lightning flashes coming from inside the warehouse.

The inside of the warehouse looked much like an abandoned school gym with wooden broken boards covering the floor, random junk scattered all over and endless jungle of wires and electrical appliances that must have cost a fortune distributed across the entire warehouse. Expensive and sophisticated fashion statements were hanging on chairs, lamps and sports equipment as well.

"The electromagnetic field of this place should have kept any normal person away. You were wise to come here alone, would have been anyways…" Mana heard the disgusting teasing emanating from the side where Raitoncide was crouched over and absorbing charge from a bunch of paper tags and electrical appliances alike. She could sense his chakra signature rising in size at a constant yet unimpressive rate, if given sufficient time he may have once again posed a threat, however.

"So you've noticed me." Mana decided to play the defeated child who had hoped to catch her opponent unprepared.

"I can sense when my electromagnetic field is broken by living or dead things. It's a powerful defensive mechanism when I am charging up." Raitoncide sighed before tossing his activity aside and standing up, playing with sparks jolting out from one palm before being absorbed through the other. A flashy play of intimidation. "I guess I was less successful in draining your juices last time than I had hoped."

He was referring to the power of the electromagnetic field present inside this warehouse alone. Even those officers outside were not entirely safe but it would take time for someone of their physical training to succumb to it completely. They will have contained the fields with Lubber before any significant damage befell them. As much as Mana disliked threatening them with migraines or brain damage, she had no other choice – she needed that Lubber stretched out and ready.

"Before we do this, tell me where the Middle Ring is located. I'm heading after him next." Mana boldly declared. She knew she sounded a bit naïve but she preferred to be underestimated and laughed at in battle, it was the status quo she was used to and the lack of which, frankly, after being promoted was troubling her a little.

"Next? There is no next for you. You're gonna fry." Raitoncide looked down as his eyes flashed with sparks. "I'm pretty certain you're empty after yesterday, the best case is you prolong your death again but this time your lackeys won't be able to come in here to help you."

Mana wanted that intel, she needed it before Raitoncide realized he was being played and before pride and defensive denial kicked in. She wanted him to talk out of foolish vanity, he needed to think Mana was not going to survive this encounter and that there was nothing to lose in telling her anything. Time was once again not on her side… Ironically enough, while the Lubber will contain Raitoncide's abilities and his vast electromagnetic fields, it was highly detrimental to Mana to question the man after it was set.

"Even so, even if I am just to die, who will hear about it from me? If my heart feels the closure of knowing where my enemy was this whole time before I die, I'll be less inclined to cling to life so hard." This time it was Mana who teased her opponent. "Come on, being forbidden to kill must have built up your appetite, hasn't it? I think you really want to get back at that man despite working for him."

"Fucking bitch…" Raitoncide grunted in irritation. Mana had pinched a pretty distinct and painful nerve for him and she knew it. "Fine. Not like you'll tell anyone or that it will matter. After your smart ass is dead, I'll fry everyone out there too. I'll probably enjoy it too, none of them are fast enough to outrun lightning but they will try…"

The maniac played with his hands and moaned in pleasure imagining murdering all those officers outside. It was just like Mana had predicted – he hungered for his old craft and Middle Ring's restrictions made him despise the man a little. As long as he knows his own hide is not in danger, he is more than willing to get back at the crime lord.

"He's in a mansion to the north-west from here, one that monks of the Fire Temple use for meditation and one of their spiritual retreats to these parts. Not sure if he killed the monks or just kicked them out, knowing how he is, the guy probably paid them and left them alive…" Raitoncide showed his tongue in disgust at the thought of his superior not murdering a bunch of monks.

"Now…" he lifted his arms up. "Since I've helped you, you could be a dear and use whatever juice you have left to attack me with your Lightning Style. Your jutsu would charge me up more than years of this pathetic bone scraping would. I need jolts billions to trillions of times more powerful than these pathetic storage seals and electrical junk."

The man looked at his pose with curiosity as he clearly intended to show off his flashy lightning tricks. Maybe fire off a jolt he would absorb with his other side or maybe flash his eyes a little. Nothing came out. The man tried pointing his extended palm at Mana, lifting his arms up to release the same wide-range area of effect lightning field attack that was so successful at repelling the magician earlier but only through sheer force did he manage to muster off a jolt, one that quickly turned to the side and disappeared into the building's walls.

"What the…" he mustered up before looking at Mana with intimidation. Given how oddly feminine his normal standing pose was, the magician had trouble reading if he was preparing to turn his back and vault towards the back exit or if he was just furious.

"Lubber. The walls are wrapped with it on the outside. It's a material we ninja use to train Lightning Release techniques. It is not only highly resistant to it but it appears to have a powerful push back against low in chakra content electrical currents such as natural lightning or electricity." Mana started to close in on the criminal with confidence and serenity in her eyes.

"W-Wait… That…" the man started shrieking out before lunging at the magician with a punch, one that Mana took on purpose. Raitoncide shoved his knee forward, trying to drive oxygen from Mana's chest. Someone clearly showed him a few of the Strong Fist style taijutsu moves but none of them would be that effective.

"Yes. That is why I brought those officers here. Also yes, that means we are left to our hand-to-hand skills, well… You are anyways. I can also use illusions and Wind Release techniques I know but I will not need to." Mana pulled out her wand from the back and slammed it right in the center of Raitoncide's face. She enjoyed the thought of learning some wand-based weaponry moves given how often the tool was in her hand but she was no weaponry user and her skills in weaponry styles and techniques were lackluster.

It was a good thing she had this serial killer confined inside this warehouse to try some moves on and work some things out…

A couple of minutes later Mana walked out of the warehouse with the subdued killer on her hands, all wrapped in steel wire and beaten almost to the point of unconsciousness. It took remarkable restraint to hold back this much of her strength so to not significantly injure the man, just leave him with some broken ribs and a concussion. Anything less than death was acceptable within the magician's code.

"Do you think it's a good idea to drag him outside the wraps?" Thumb questioned the magician after some officers lifted the Lubber layer letting Mana leave the building with Raitoncide subdued.

"Sure. I scrubbed off the sealing glyphs from his palms. As long as he's tied up and unable to remake them, his abilities are as good as sealed." Mana shoved the tied in steel wire killer to the Shukuba Security who took him off her hands and prepared to carry out his arrest through proper procedure.

If only the rest of the day went as smoothly and without a hitch as it began, Mana would be going back to Konoha with Yushijin peacefully just as she intended with the Diamond Hand dealt with and behind bars…