And so! I! The magnificent NeoShadows have returned!

It's been...yeah. Being a Manager for a small dog-themed deli currently dealing with lack of staff has been trying. The overtime is even worse than before. I mean, I can't say anything too bad about it since the pay's been great with paying off all those debts that piled up during quarantine but I've really worn out from all the extra work. And it's even more stressful since my General Manager has left, leaving a shit load more of responsibilities for me to learn and handle

But! We've recently hired more staff and things have been easier. Enough so that I can return to typing away on this old battered laptop.

I haven't abandoned anything, just been too tired and sore to muster the energy to write until recently. Which is why I've decided to update after finally cleaning up, editing, cutting, and patching up the latest chapters to come.

So, don't worry, you'll be seeing some updates again in the coming weeks.

...Maybe. I mean, Neo: The World Ends With You is coming out later this month: as is Monster Hunter Stories 2. Plus Genshin Impacts coming update to Inazuma that's chuck full of pretty waifus.

Sweet christ...I'm never updating, am I?

Eh, I'll try.

To the Reviews!

TheNotSoFantisque: What's more terrifying and deadly? One Who Purifies God and Slays Demons or The Kami-yan Disease? I suppose it depends on the gender? Honestly, that boy, for all his generic looks, is one hell of threat outside of the natural world. Ohhh, if ya find a good story involving such a crossover, let me know! I need some good quality spicy ecchi fun, damn it!

Ozilla: If Zabuza were to know of Touma's experience with battling a Magic God and the infinite battlefields he had been slaughter through, than he would see a different picture and gauge him on said time. But at his current specs against a supernatural enemy who also possesses incredible fighting skills and experience, he can only speculate Touma's reflexes as chuunin, possible jonin at the moment. We'll have to wait and see if that changes as they once again cross in their second fight. Besides, it isn't like Touma could access said experience from his time in those Infinite Hells without suffering some mental trauma as a trigger.

Phantomkage: For plot purposes, of course. I mean, she was weak, beaten, and exhausted. Freeing her of her chains wouldn't automatically spell any kind of victory since they are imprisoned in the middle of the enemy's territory full of dangerous criminals.

MrSelfDeprecation: At this point, eventual General Manger in the coming year. Man, is it hectic and draining. As for Touma's dark aspects, that's what I think Academy City does best: suppressing those sinister and truly violent dregs in a well designed environment where he's expected to win. Outside of though? Or the introduction of outside elements of that well crafted playground born to nurture his right hand? Kamisato Kakeru, The Magic Gods, The Golden Cabal, and Great Demon Coronzon: these outside enemies and events were the reason he lost confidence in himself and desired the likes of KnT(Kamijou no Touma) to appear due to his failures. Makes ya wonder just what kind of possible changes could effect Touma in a world never meant for the likes of him to appear and jam the designed and malicious gears of the ninja world.

MrQuestionMark: Considering he began The Great Demon Coronzon arc after fighting Aleister and Holy Spirit Aiwass with two holes in his body, collecting more injuries as he invaded Britain, was tortured, fought Orsola while she was possessed by one of the Divine Mixtures, proceeded to battle the Golden Cabal, and finally face off with Great Demon Coronzon before being utterly slaughtered yet still show hints of being alive as some pile of gore? I'm pretty sure we've come to the idea that whatever the hell that boy is made of isn't something we're likely to understand.

Seeing as this a completely different world when compared to his home, he was bound to come across situations he wasn't accustomed to. Academy City was always a playground built up to nurture his unique play style of Imagine Breaker while allowing that Invisble Thing to mature in the shadows. The tragedy allowed to bloom there was meant to be confronted by Touma to further build him up. But outside of said playground, things are different. The darkness there is chaotic and wild, born from simple reasons a boy so kind could never understand or accept. His arguments, his speeches, his open hand, may not be able to make a connection. Not all humans are good people deep down inside. And when confronted with such evil, darkness is known to wriggle in even the most empathetic of people.

In such an environment, where the two gentle anchors known as Index and Othinus are absent, it begs the question: What kind of changes would arise in the kind boy's nature if he's all alone with no normal life to return to. I'm glad you noted just how important those two truly are. And we've only just dipped our toes in the Elemental Nation!

Cratherlay: Under a new setting, there's far less to hold back IT. And far less to reign in Touma if he were to come across something deep enough to corrupt his forgiving and gentle nature. Leave it to a high school boy to spit a bloody loogie in the face of a wealthy crime lord with a vicious grin. They don't call him TouMAN for nothing!

Bees Be Beein: I'm happy you can say this story is a fun to read. As for what my favorite arc is out of both series: The Sound Invasion Arc and The Vs. The World Arc. To answer your second review on Touma's reaction time; that was during the Infinite Hells. Unfortunately, he can't simply tap into those experiences he garnered after fighting Othinus through countless phases. He has them, without a doubt, he has them ingrained in both body and mind. But he's locked those memories away along with his trauma. If he ever accessed them ever again it would no doubt be triggered by those hellish nightmares rising to the surface.

TheBiggestLoser: Yes, yes; I am a lazy bastard. I wear that title with pride. Sucks for you that your supplier to your addiction is both lazy and exhausted. Good luck with withdrawal! . . .Oh, wait; I'm feeding your addiction now, ain't I? Shit.

Masterx01: Yeah, its debatable. Magic God Othinus, any other Magic God in general, are terrifying. In the sense that they can simply slaughter you in the blink of an eye if you fail to entertain them. They're all combat freaks who enjoy letting loose and bashing the other into oblivion. But they were all, at one point, humans who found something unfair and tragic in their lives to lead them down the path of magicians to the point the reached final step to becoming Magic Gods in their sect. If you peel enough of those layers from those great and terrible onions, even an ordinary boy can find that long lost core that wanted someone to save them.

Waraji though has no such core. Maybe when he was younger, he had some innocence. Maybe there could have been a path in front of him that would have been kinder and sweeter. But there he found his sense of joy and excitement came from hurting others, and that was a truth void of any illusions born of circumstances. Evil can be simple and generic without any factors involving trauma, loss, or abuse having any being involved. It's not about winning against such evil to someone like Touma; it's about trying to understand how anyone can be so malicious and cruel to the point of being able to smile so freely.

Regarding Kage Bunshin no Jutsu and Imagine Breaker: yeah, I kinda went over that, didn't I? I suppose I do have a reason for that in mind. Huh, it's actually a pretty good one if do it right. You'll have to wait to see when it comes up again.

Touma's bad luck works in mysterious ways~! Oh, oh, oh! You can't believe how hype I am about Jiraiya's introduction to the story down the line! I mean, shit! There are reasons why it's going to be hype!

Murphy's Law? Pfft, whenever Touma's involved, it's known as Touma's Law and even Murphy's Law fears that illogical nonsense of pure chaos. And I'm happy you took a chance with the fic. Just wait and see how our favorite high school delinquent handles such a dangerous world of ninja!

Yuuji Akira: If that made your blood rush than I'm kinda worried for your health in the next few chapters to come. Warning: NeoShadows is not responsible for any health problems due to reading said's fics of pure awesomeness capable of causing one's heart to rupture from excitement and awe; due not sue, ya bastard. Oh, don't you worry about IT. I have plenty of things set up in mind to that thing's involvement in the story. Remember to stock up on snacks again! I've plenty of more to come.

Kaze: Healing jutsu? Now you know, unless your a really adept practitioner of medical ninjutsu and have knowledge of Imagine Breaker's effects, that such things won't work on him. That would just be too fortunate for our unlucky boy, right? No Heaven Canceler either. Makes you wonder how he'll come out of each fight from here on out.

Tazal Terminals: That'll probably Touma's biggest challenge in this new world; holding onto his original self. Without the two most precious people responsible for keeping him sane and normal, it'll be a struggle to not fall into such episodes when confronting certain villains. We're only just beginning, so get ready for a lot more to scratch your head over!

Frannimations6: Writing Touma's fight with Waraji was both fun and tricky due to their specs. It really came down to whose will and determination was stronger. IT's cracks were a testament to just how close to the edge he was to those final faint threads to his original self being being severed. All because he couldn't empathize with a one note character whose backstory or reasons for grinning happily in the bloodshed of innocents lacked anything he could purify. Your thoughts on the prison camp were fun but there's something more meaningful awaiting before Touma even faces Gato again. Let the prison break begin!

Psycongroo: Como hombre ocupado, a veces puede llevar meses simplemente publicar un capítulo. Pero la calidad es igual al tiempo. Lo único que buscaba al escribir el arco de Wave era un aspecto más fresco de uno de los arcos favoritos de la serie. Y la perspectiva de Touma ciertamente ayuda a mantener las cosas interesantes y nuevas. Tampoco puedes olvidar que Touma solo es experto en luchar contra personas con poderes sobrenaturales. Si tuviera que luchar contra matones como Waraji, a quien incluso Naruto en su punto más débil podría vencer fácilmente, lucharía a pesar de sus propias hazañas.

En cuanto a la referencia al dojutsu; eso fue un error. Quería decir kekkai genkai ya que Imagine Breaker parece un ninjutsu de linaje.

Paeluclucas: Créame, me toma mucho trabajo terminar estos capítulos. ¡No es fácil, hombre! Es divertido, pero maldita sea si no es difícil a veces.

Oniilink500: ¡Mi hermano! ¡¿También eres un miembro orgulloso ?! Y buen ojo para captar el pequeño detalle para superar los efectos de negación de Imagine Breark.

And that's that for reviews. I believe we've all waited long enough. Let's get to reading!


Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to A Certain Magical Index or Naruto. Both rights are reserved to their respective creators, Kazuma Kamachi and Masashi Kishimoto.

Summer's here, and I hate it. Never mind the scantily woman in very revealing bikinis frolicking on the hot beaches with water dripping down their blushing skin; I'm a winter man, damn it! Artic cool guys like me aren't meant for these kinds of things.

I'm an endangered species! An Alaskan Mexican who loves the snow! . . .And snow woman. Shut up, I have my fetishes and so do you.


Chapter 7: Where Demons Play.

That_Which_Can't_Be_Seen.

Gato was a very livid, livid, livid man. Do not let the businessman's calm demeanor fool you.

Even as he was escorted out of Sector-7's main gate to slip away from the village, the short stature man was radiating waves of sheer fury. The four cut-throat bandits accompanying him found themselves wary to say a thing to their employer whose knuckles were tautly clenched and a few of his veins were popping up on his temple. While Gato could do little if he lashed out to them with his small and well-groomed fist, it was his authority that terrified them.

Though Gato was weak, a man who lived in luxury without ever having the need to lift a finger for whatever he desired, he controlled a vast fortune, resources, connections, and manpower at his disposal. He was a golden goose to a life where one could do whatever their heart's desired. Money was no longer a worry, woman were offered as rewards, they could sate their blood lust in the name of spreading fear, sake and drugs were as easy to get as sweets at a market!

To those who followed the orders of the wealthiest man on the Elemental Nations, law and order didn't mean a thing when standing on his nation. It was paradise. So long as they followed his orders, held up his law, and never turned their blade against their pompous golden goose squawks, even the seediest and lowliest of man could attain whatever twisted desires he sought.

Ryo gave life meaning, It gave it law. It gave it rule and purpose. So great was its splendor and allure that not even one of the deadliest demonic swordsmen to have stepped out of the bloody mist could turn his own decapitating edge on the rich tyrant. To refuse an offer of such an easy and cozy life would be nothing short of idiotic.

At the sector gate heavily guarded by mercenaries, bandits, criminals, ex-shinobi, and traitors to the very nation Gato had bought out, the businessman stopped. An odd noise could be heard from the short man if one leaned close to him.

It was the sound of teeth gnashing furiously in anger.

"Is there a problem, Gato-sama?"

Out of the four hired bandits there remained one outside of the group who stood closely by Gato's side. A hired blade unlike the cheap weapons bought in bulk to build a terrible shadow to loom over the weak and frail. Bought for his quality rather than for intimidation.

He was a disgraced shinobi from a nameless village. A shinobi who was cast out for his misdeeds involving selling village secrets and assassinating an important council member who had caught on to his dirty secrets. Among those in Gato's personal army, he would be considered the third highest ranked after Zori(Gato's main bodyguard and public executing blade) and Zabuza(the strongest and most fearsome of Gato's weapons) simply for expertise skills and knowledge in fuinjutsu.

His choice of wear consisted of a dark blue long-sleeved jacket adorned with light armor around his forearms, knees, and chains looped around his waist. His face well hidden by a dark chain face mask and a metal platted straw hat. Not even the color of his eyes could be discerned with the shadows of his wide-brimmed hat hiding his expression from the sharpest of eyes.

Gato nearly snarled like a dog.

"It's nothing to concern yourself with, Ku! Know your place."

The disgraced shinobi, Ku, rolled his eyes at the obviously infuriated man. He nodded simply, not personally caring what his employer's sour mood was for. He was paid to seal away important assets, imprison powerful prisoners, and act as the occasional torturer to reap important information out of individual's Gato had need of.

Out of habit during times of stress, Gato fixed his tie with a growl in his voice.

"I will be leaving to prepare for the public execution. I've already sent several of my men to the village to spread the word of the affair that everyone must attend. Less they offer themselves up to be next. While I am away, you will remain here to ensure those meatheads don't damage my goods."

"You mean the prisoners?" Ku quirked his brow.

"Don't put words in my mouth. I still have use for those dirty and beaten goods, and I don't need those animals bringing down their value any more than necessary. Keep them in line at whatever means necessary. At this moment, Zori is guarding a very important prisoner, one that must be made an example of for his impudence! Consider yourself lord of this little domain and do as you wish so long as you control those dull blades and protect my territory. I shouldn't be gone for more than a few hours."

Nothing more was needed to say. Ku remained at the gate, watching as Gato shot furious glares at the guards standing by the main entryway to Sector-D before departing.

'A public execution? I don't believe we've such a thing in a long time. If the boss is going through all this effort to put on a show of gutting some random villager than they must have really pissed him off. I don't think I've ever seen him this furious to nearly lose his composure.'

Ku shrugged his shoulders. It had nothing to do with him in the slightest. He was a hired arm in charge of sealing away Gato's assets and fortunes in various complicated seals to protect them from any thieving hands. He was a fighter second and guard third. And he honestly didn't give a damn whether the short billionaire was having a bad day and wanted to vent via chopping someone's head off in the village square.

If it wasn't for Gato's incredible fortune, connections, and control of entire nation, everyone in Sector-D who worked under him would have taken their time in sticking a nasty tool into his pudgy body just to hear him squeal.

Gato understood that. He wasn't an idiot. But being a billionaire who had a vast fortune that rivaled even the noblest and proudest of daimyos made him understand his strengths and weaknesses better than even his most hated prisoner.

Ryo made the world go round. It gave life meaning and purpose. It could turn the best of friends into enemies. Lovers into cheaters. Neighbors into monsters. The pure into sinners. It was an all-powerful force that allowed even the weakest of men to overpower the most well-built, talented, and fierciest of men with a simple flush of paper.

Why else would he ever pay his men more than they were possibly worth? Why else would he never short them a single note? Why else would he sate whatever desire they were drooling over? Money? Food? Women? Drugs? Violence? Territory? Whatever the twisted desire was asked for, he would provide it so long as they followed his rule and never bit back the hand that fed them.

He understood far more than anyone else just how quickly his position could be taken from him. Which was why he was quick to slit the throat of whoever showed the slightest hint of so much as snarling at him.

To be offered a position among his ranks was a blessing from god. He could hardly recall a person who ever turned him down so easily without some buttering up or threats.

'In short; Fuck off. The cheap samurai you've bought with money may have been easy to fall for your spell but not me. My pride, my soul, my fist, aren't so cheap or worthless as to be bought out by a pathetic loser compensating for more than just his height! The normal life of a boring teenager is far too rich for you to ever afford!'

Gato felt one of his front teeth crack.

No one could see it clearly but there were a few drops of blood staining his dark suit. The blood did not belong to him. But to a dead man who had the utter gall to spit in his direction.

A random boy, a fucking child, not even a man, glared directly into his eyes, snarled like some wild beast and grinned viciously as he refused to join as a hired arm.

Never before had Gato felt so insulted and disrespected before in his entire life. Not even that fool Kaiza had infuriated him to the point of worrying that he would suffer a heart attack. He could still feel his blood boiling beneath his skin.

What was it? What was it about the bland boy with spiky hair, bloodied and bruised, filthy and unable to do more than making a face, that had pissed him off?

'Those eyes. Those disgusting, putrid, ignorant, naive eyes!'

Those weren't the eyes of some boring villager who would cower when a cruel smirk was brandished. No, those eyes were far more reminiscent of the Demon of The Mist. A fool who believed they were above a sophisticated, wealthy, intelligent, god among men!

He wouldn't stand for it. Momochi Zabuza and his pet were one thing: he still had need of those temporarily necessary tools. But for some nobody to go as far as to spit a bloody wad at his face, insult him with curses, and reject his generous offer?

Clearly the people of Nami no Kuni had forgotten fear. They had forgotten what would happen if so much as one of them thought it was wise to stand up to their lord and slap his open hand aside with an arrogant sneer. An example was in order. Even though they had witnessed the death of their champion who thought he could fight back against his control, witnessed by his own family and friends, they still clung to the notion of rebellion.

Gato would stomp the retarded notion into a bloody pulp visible for all to see. Maybe the death of a child would finally cement the cold hard fact into even that foolish bridge builder who still struggled pathetically to build some symbol that he could easily destroy at a single command.

"Kamijou...was that the boy's name? What luck, boy. Your name will be forever imprinted and memorized within the cowardly hearts of the nation just like Kaiza. Such infamy normally costs one a fortune; how lucky for you that you get to be remembered for all time for not even a single note!"

Gato chuckled darkly as continued on his way to prepare for the public execution. It would be a show the nation he ruled over would never forget. A reminder to no never oppose him and to simply fall in line as the pretty little piggy banks they were.

How would he do it?

Mainline various drugs to keep the boy alive as he tortured him by flaying his skin, cutting his limbs to stubs, and ripping off his tongue? A thousand cuts? Death by animals eating him alive? Rip out his heart and having a random villager crush it front of the brat's eyes? Or would he have to be a little more creative in prolonging the suffering, the bloody screams, to better imprint the disturbing scenes in the minds of those who would dare idle around with thoughts of rebellion?

It had been quite some time since Gato had felt this excited at the prospect of killing some random villager.

[-]

"Don't."

A firm hand fell upon the trembling shoulder of a snarling spiky blond boy. A tight grip forced the clearly upset and furious young shinobi who was only a moment away from leaping in for the kill.

Above the shadows of a roof of a nearby complex close to Sector-D, Kakashi stealthily hid in the dark shade with a jutsu aiding in masking their presence. The rest of Team 7 hid beside him, eyes trained on the short-statured man who resembled a mole walking away from the once treasured sector with four guards close by. They remained in their positions for several minutes even after Gato had disappeared from sight, their bodies tense and ready to act if so much as a twig was snapped close to their perimeter.

Kakashi sighed through his nose, relaxing his muscles for but a few moments.

The coast was clear.

"Did you get everything, Sakura? Was there anything else that was said that we may have missed?"

On his right, Sakura shook her head. She was clearly upset with what was said but remained calm, unlike a certain ramen-obsessed blond still wriggling in his grip.

"No, I don't believe so. If anything else was said then it was said out of sight. Even at this distance, reading lips is difficult and I had to ad lip what I believed was said." she explained apologetically.

Shinobi and Kunoichi were masters of the hidden arts. Stealth and gathering intelligence came before combat. From a young age, many of those who studied in Konoha's Ninja Academy were taught the difficult art of reading body motions. From muscles, facial expressions, postures, and even lips. Though it wasn't required for a ninja to fully master said art for graduation, they were at least required to have some inkling on how to read their target's body.

Though Sakura wasn't the strongest or most gifted in ninjutsu like Sasuke and Naruto, she did have her talents and strengths that went beyond combat ability. And even though Kakashi himself could have better read the lips of those talking, it would require his Sharingan to get a perfect word-for-word retelling of what was said. Not to mention he believed it would better help his student's confidence to learn there were certain things not even her two gifted students could do.

From the moment the short man known as Gato, the very man who controlled Nami no Kuni with money and violence, had been seen at the main gate, Kakashi had Sakura use her lip-reading skill from even a distance to repeat back every word that was said. It wasn't completely accurate but the young pink-haired kunoichi had done her best to fill in the holes. For that alone, he gave her points.

With a growling Naruto still clasped in his hand, Kakashi rubbed his chin with his free hand.

"So, Gato's planning a public execution at the center of the main village's square. What a coincidence. Seems Kamijou-san has been very busy as of late. Even though I specifically warned him to keep his head low and let us do our job."

In a way, Kakashi was frustrated with the events unraveling before his eyes. What professional veteran shinobi wouldn't?

Despite the boy Kamijou Touma's impressive fighting ability and tactical combat style, he had forgotten, for all intents and purposes, that the young teen was nothing more than a common civilian. Kakashi had his own theories to the spiky boy who had been able to match far longer than he should have against a B-rank ex-shinobi regarded a literal demon by many veterans outside of Mizu no Kuni. Skills such as his, capable of enduring palpable killing intent, withstand blow after blow without collapsing, analyze an enemy's techniques and intents through even a thick gray wall of fog, and negate ninjutsu with nothing more than an ordinary hand had to have trained to gain such abilities.

For now, he played along with Kamijou Touma's own admissions; honest as his words may be.

If said spiky-haired high school boy from another world were to hear Kakashi's own thoughts, he would be weeping.

Whether Kamijou Touma was an ordinary boy or a well-trained fighter, there remained the fact that he wasn't a shinobi. Stealth was not one of his talents. Nor were subtlety and patience. Unlike Kakashi's adorable genin, he was not one of his students who followed his stern orders. He was simply a random party member who had agreed to battle the final boss when they spawned again for its second phase.

What reason did such an enigma have to simply stand aside and obediently fall in line with Kakashi's instructions? And here he thought he already had a wild card in the form of the still struggling Naruto trying to leap into action to play the hero.

"Come on, Kakashi-sensei! The fat midget named after some fancy chocolate is literally a few feet away! All we have to do is stick a kunai in the back of his head and everything's taken care of!" Naruto snapped impatiently.

Even if this wasn't his nation, his home, or his friends and family at risk, Naruto was pissed. He had heard and seen plenty of what the mole-like billionaire had done to Tazuna's nation first hand. The run-down village, the forlorn and dispirited people, the lack of food to even feed one family who struggled to get by with a few extra mouths, and even the blood.

How could he forget the blood splatters dirtying the ground from the village? Or the corpses left behind by some lunatic with a katana. Burned into his memory were those defenseless civilians who were randomly butchered by a madman allowed to roam free and spread terror to his twisted heart's content.

And the one responsible for it all was just a kunai's throw away.

Not to mention someone Naruto had begun to believe was a friend had been captured. Now his friend was going to be killed in front of the entire village's eyes just because he stood up to some blood-lusting freak?

How the fuck was he supposed to remain calm?!

A chop to the top of Naruto's head settled him down as Kakashi spoke nonchalantly.

"Remember what the main purpose of our mission is: protect Tazuna-san from assassination. Dry and cut. We weren't employed to lay siege to one of the Elemental Nation's most prominent and wealthiest businessmen who has connections with a majority of the nations. Including Hi no Kuni. We're bodyguards, not freedom fighters."

"Our mission is to protect one individual, not an entire nation." Sasuke added in coolly though his eyes were narrowed and locked on the retreating back of Gato and his men, "Four people can't topple an entire criminal organization; not at our level. Killing Gato will only focus the entire ire of his army on us and our village. Our focus should be on preparing to face off against Momochi Zabuza and his accomplice, not planning on assassinating a worm who believes wealth and manpower makes him off as strong."

For all his brooding and arrogance, even the cool-tempered avenger didn't sound pleased at passing the opportunity to slit Gato's throat.

Were it not for their position in the shadows, Naruto would have given away their location as he toned down his frustrated shout.

"Than what are we supposed to do then?! Are we just going to let that bastard walk away with a scummy smirk on his face? Wouldn't taking him out solve all of Tazuna's problems?!"

"What about Kamijou-san?"

It was Sakura's soft and conflicted words that had frozen Naruto.

"At the moment, Kamijou-san is only alive as a prisoner because Gato has use of him. He may be kept prisoner to be killed for a show, but it's only on Gato's authority; he's no different than some livestock animal. What do you think would happen if we did kill him? Kamijou-san would lose his value and the criminals who no longer have an employer giving them whatever they want. All those frustrated and angry criminals would lose any reason to keep prisoners and would likely hurt them...or worse."

Yes, everything sounded easier if they simply took out Gato here and now. Eliminate the source of the nation's suffering and malice, and there would be no need for Tazuna to be working himself into the grave to build a symbol to rally the nation's people under. But the lasting consequence's this early in toppling the head of a criminal organization would be dire. Gato was the only authoritative figure who kept those wild beasts in line. If the chains were broken, what was stopping those depraved beasts from ravaging the entire nation until there was only a burning violated corpse left behind.

Nami no Kuni's people weren't prepared to endure such violent and frenzied crashing waves of violence. At least with Gato in control, the waves were still deadly but smaller in comparison to the frenzied riots of an army without a leader. It wasn't any better, it wasn't any kinder, it wasn't any more acceptable, but for the moment it was far better than all-out chaos bloodying the streets.

"Eliminating Gato, the leader of a criminal organization now known to have roots spreading to other nations, would rank this mission beyond B-rank. It would become high A-rank, possibly S-rank depending on the size of the force we'd be clashing with excluding any more pawns he could control at Momochi Zabuza's level. We know far too little, are far too ill-prepared, far under-leveled, and far too green to tackle on such an assignment." Kakashi eased his grip on Naruto's shoulder, a stern glare cooling the hot-headed blond down, "We must remember the purpose of the mission: protect Tazuna. The people of the village are fighting against Gato in their own way and we shouldn't trample over their efforts. All their hopes rest on building a symbol to fill them with the courage to fight for the soul of their nation. As outsiders, we mustn't involve ourselves too heavily in a fight not our own."

Shinobi and Kunoichi were not freedom fighters. They were hired weapons, shields, protectors, and in the new age of peace, general problem solvers. Overthrowing an entire organization required the authorization of their village's kage and the council. If it was decided they would directly confront Gato's forces than Kakashi would have no choice but to pull his students back, have Tazuna fill out the proper paperwork and offer an even greater compensation, and be approved by the higher-ups before jonin level ninjas were sent off for war.

By the time the request was accepted, Tazuna and his family would be joining many others in the watery graves of the island.

Naruto balled his fists, seething as the billionaire disappeared from sight, out of their reach. Rare opportunities to strike like this only ever came once in a blue moon. Even an idiot like him could see how rare a chance this was.

"What are we supposed to do then? We can't take Gato out and we can't fight his men without starting a war? How are we going to save Touma than?!"

"Whoever said we couldn't fight his men?"

Naive and hopeful eyes fell onto Kakashi as he smirked beneath his mask.

How cute. Did his little genin believe they were simply going to bid their times in the shadows like cowards? Ninja may have been masters of stealth but they weren't above direct combat when the situation called for it.

Time for the latest lesson.

"True, our objective is to guard Tazuna's life. He is our employer after all. But the daughter of our employer came to us in tears, sobbing, begging for us to rescue a boy both she and our employer have taken a shine to. The mental health of our employer is another aspect to take into consideration, so it would be in our best interest to ease his mind. This is only one base."

"With who knows how many enemies crawling behind the walls of the enemies territory," Sasuke added. Though he tried his best not to show, he was intrigued and eager to where this would lead to.

"As you advance in the ranks of ninja and grow your skills, your missions will include attacking an enemy's base. There are a number of ways to do so. We can remain in the shadows and take out their troops, one by one, without ever making a sound. We infiltrate their ranks with camouflage, ninjutsu, genjutsu, and walk out in plain daylight, and our weapons never drawn. As ninja, we must learn the most suitable plan to accomplish our objective."

Konohagakure's Ninja Academy could only teach the young soldiers so much within the confines of their cozy village. Outside of the safety of their home, the real world was far crueler and mean-spirited than even the sternest instructors. A real mission in the ranks of B-rank taught ninja far more than two years of diligent training ever could. Real-world experience would level up even the weakest and untalented ninja faster. So long as they survived.

Though it was to save an ally, this was simply another chance for his students to polish their skills and grow stronger.

"For this rescue mission, we're going to have to abandon subtlety since we lack any idea of the number of foes, building structures, security, or time of day. Infiltration will take too long. Which leaves us with having to draw out the enemy, force them to abandon their posts, and expose their numbers. We strike the bees nest."

"How do we do that?"

Kakashi's infamous single-eye smile greeted Sakura as he answered simply.

"We attack, obviously. We strike them suddenly, ferociously, with a loud bang harsh enough to shake even the earth below their feet. This is the only option available if we wish to rescue Kamijou-san before Gato can react properly. Create chaos, and within that chaos, we burrow into their stronghold and search for our troublesome ally. Luckily for us, we have our own one-man army who can both cause a ruckus and search."

Only one person in their ranks could be described as a one-man army.

Naruto blinked before his frustration melted away with a fierce grin.

"If it's manpower ya need, don't say anymore! Give me a few explosive tags and you'll get your bang!"

"And us?" Sasuke asked impatiently.

"Naruto will act as the trigger but it will be up to us to draw the attention of the scurrying roaches running out into the open. Don't hold back. We can't afford to hesitate. We have to force all the guards into paying attention to the fires we'll be creating, leaving only a few behind protecting the compounds."

"Won't the attack be the same as attacking Gato himself?" Sakura added as the most analytical of her team.

"True, and he will have to react to the unknown attackers burning down one of the many territories on the board he controls. So, why not make an example of it? Show the arrogant billionaire what a small team of wet behind the ears ninja can do to a simple piece in a matter of hours?"

The world of ninja was a vicious one. Those trained in the ancient arts of ninpo were adept in supernatural tricks once regarded as magic and were once believed to be demons of the night who swam in the shadows like sharks. The hands of a shinobi were chuck full of cards, each one interchangeable, each one compatible with another, each one capable of delivering a string of punishing combos.

What they were about to unleash would have to be nothing short of dealing a powerful blow capable of disorienting their opponent, rattle them to their core, and make them weary of their next move.

In a way, this impromptu raid had its benefits to their mission. Gato's men could march to Tazuna's residence at any time. Momochi Zabuza was the billionaire's strongest and most fearsome card, but what he could make up for in raw strength and skill could be substituted by sheer numbers. A variety of nasty methods could be played to force the bridge builder to even give up on his mission to build a bridge.

Why not send a warning then? A reminder of what would happen if Gato got so much as impatient and went all-in on solving his problems with an all-out attack. Other than defeating one ultra-rare and powerful card, it was time to show what they could do to his entire deck in a single match.

The pacific route had been disturbed. Strategies were never known for going perfectly or remaining intact. Due to the suddenness of the events unfolding before them, they would have to rework their original game plan to better match the changing setting and objectives. Ninja had to learn how to properly handle the many curves and sudden elements being thrown into their path and altering their original strategies. This would help to teach them how to be flexible, how to force the altering elements to bend to their rules, and how to remain calm when they felt an unexpected pressure bearing down onto them.

It was time for a lesson. Failure to complete it would result in death; theirs or an innocent stranger. Make-ups were not allowed. A mistake would result in a nasty mark of failure scarring their bodies. Cheating was openly allowed so long as it resulted in a perfect score. What mattered was passing, so everything to arrive at the golden hundred score was acceptable.

Though it was hidden by his trusty mask, Kakashi was sure the three genin he was in charge of educating about the ninja arts could see the cruel smile on his face. Why else would they mirror such an unforgiving expression?

"It's time to use every trick, every dirty move, every underhanded card, and every unfair attack you've been taught in the academy. The enemies we are about to face are not like those you've fought thus far in spars. These are men who find pleasure in abusing the innocent, spilling the blood of the powerless, defiling the pure with ugly smiles and despicable laughter. Mercy must not be practiced. When you attack, you attack with the intent to kill or maim. Show kindness and you will undoubtedly suffer the consequences. If you fail to properly carry out this attack, I will take this as resignation of being a ninja of Konohagakure no Sato. Remember...it's never too late to back out and rethink why you're standing where you are right now."

Softly, Kakashi spoke the last sentence with a gentle tinge to his eye.

He would not hate those who decided they weren't fine with spilling the blood of people they never met.

He would be disgusted with those who turned their back on such excessive violence.

He would not ridicule those who did not have the courage to accept the heavyweight of slitting the throat of a fellow human being.

Once, only this once, would he allow his beloved genin the chance to throw in the towel and safeguard their innocence. Shinobi and Kunoichi were not heroes. They were not kind. They were not gentle.

What they were was nothing short of deadly tools trained to be handled by a large body of people who understood how to properly manipulate said tools to their utmost efficiency. Blood, gore, sorrow, despair, suffering, and malice would await those who further traveled this bleak path where many would never achieve a happy ending. One had to learn to numb their heart to save their sanity in this line of business. Faint hearts would crumble and wither away.

Within the violent and despicable wave of violence about to be unleashed, one had to come to a conclusion to a vital question every ninja must ask themselves.

'Why are you standing here?'

Now was the time to see if his student were fully dedicated to what would await them and get a glimpse to what they would discover to the burning question.

A sense of pride struck the veteran shinobi's heart when those ruthless smiles didn't so much as twitch.

Ah, one's first raid was always a memorable experience.

[-]

Standing guard over one glaring blood-stained villager and a naked beaten kunoichi wasn't Zori's idea of a good time. Sure, he was undoubtedly scum, a murderer, without any real iota of shame or decency but he had his principles. Unlike the dime a dozen goons Gato hired, he wasn't a fan of molesting girls to his heart's content. He didn't find any sense of joy in repeatedly beating up some bloodied brat with a sneer.

Even a cut-throat killer like himself just couldn't find the appeal in forcing a hysterically sobbing woman or child to service him nor for them to beg for their lives.

He had some decency. Tormenting either of the prisoners wouldn't do him any good either. Waraji was the sadistic asshole who got his rocks off on suffering, not Zori. Not to mention Gato would be sourly pleased if the spiky one was further harmed before his live execution to Nami no Kuni.

Live Execution.

Same as a certain champion.

Zori clenched his teeth.

'Ignore it.'

After ten minutes of pretending to care about guarding his soon-to-be-dead prisoner, Zori had enough. If he was going to be standing around for a few hours with hostile prisoners wishing he would keel over dead than he might as well do it with a bottle of saki to keep him company. With a warning glare to his two prisoners, Zori left the cell block of what had originally been a storage warehouse for a drink. Said warehouse had been remolded, the many stacks of wood and materials stacked to act as walls to create makeshift halls and the rooms turned into prisons.

He didn't have any worry about said prisoners breaking out.

Unlike the other cell blocks, the one he currently managed was well tame. If only because he was the lesser of the many evils enjoying themselves with sick grins.

'Someone in the camp ought to have a few bottles to spare. If not than it would have to go two ways.'

A loss limb or a game of dice; victim's choice. Nothing wrong with gambling with your life. At least it kept things honest.

Rounding a corner of the many stained, cracked, and weathered tan stoned walls of the compound, Zori sneered in disgust as he heard the sobbings of a poor soul and the crack of a whip followed by the raucous laughter of demons. The sobbing was so distorted with despair that he couldn't even make out the gender of who was being tormented by a crowd of vile idiots. Every sound was scrambled and couldn't be discerned to him any longer.

'This is why I hate having to visit the prisoner compounds. They reek, they're poorly managed by meatheads, all the noise grates my ears, and I usually have to sever an arm or two because someone was going too far with the merchandise. Seriously, if they were looking for pleasure than they could just buy a whore or two off of Gato's service girls instead of the prisoners.'

As the main base of sorts settled in the middle of Nami no Kuni's most prominent village, Zori was accustomed to this base in particular. Like the many others he walked through alongside Gato, he was never fond of the sort of activities being carried out to those misfortunate enough to be dragged to.

Zori was a villain. A once honorable blade, now stained with filthy blood and no longer carried as a decoration piece of warning but of swift execution. His first kill had cemented that.

Villain, he may be but he considered himself far above those lowly horned onis giggling sadistically behind the walls of the prison compound. Because of his high value, he only had to keep his eyes on two prisoners and ignore the others being subjected to inhuman acts.

Which was why he could afford to slack off a bit.

The Kumogakure kunoichi was stripped of everything: weapons, tools, chakra, scrolls, clothing, basically every article of wear that left her naked as the day she was born. A ninja was a clever figure very much capable of hiding plenty of nasty tools on their person. Being a former samurai, he knew a great detail of his rivals who had grown to overshadow the noble and stalwart blades to the point of being forgotten. Leave them their decency and you'd find your throat slit later. It was also an excuse to shamelessly leer at the body of a toned and exotic woman, he was sure. Sealing her body's movements and chakra also helped to restrict her options of escape but she proved to still be a deadly foe. Four bandits were sleeping in some random ditch outside because she had found a small window to snap back and twists some necks with only her feet. All she could do now was stand with her hands locked to the back of her waist.

He liked to believe not even a ninja could pull out an escape with just their toes.

As for the village boy…

Well, what was the worry?

A villager wasn't capable of summoning their chakra to perform supernatural feats the way shinobi or samurai were able to. Their specs were far too low to pose a serious threat. All they could do was kick and scream with a flail of their arms when attacked. At least a normal villager was.

Bloodied and broken Waraji came to mind. And the twisted grin on the sadistic bastard's face as he babbled about the fight of his life before he was put out of his misery by Gato's order.

Zori had to give the spiky-haired teen credit where credit was due. What his name? Kamihou-something?

Raging dark mirrors, bared with fangs behind rusted bars and a snarl similar to some fierce beast flashed by in his thoughts.

Kamijou.

The spiky boy had fought Waraji, a powerful disgraced samurai whose brute force swings cleaved bone cleanly apart with just his fists and lived to tell the tale. He was far from ordinary but still nothing special. A bundle of rope was all that was required to keep him still. Hard to believe the guy who kicked Waraji's ass could be subdued so easily. Not like Zori wept any tears for the wild beast with a chipped and serrated horn.

What a joke. Obviously, the brute had been toying around with the kid or had been lost to his own blinding blood-lust. It was the only reasonable explanation leading to his defeat. Zori wouldn't have had any trouble. A single click of blade parting from sheath would have been it. Unlike Waraji who relied on pure muscle power to deliver monstrous slashes, Zori honed his Iaijutsu to finish his opponents in the time it took them to blink.

Once he scored at least three bottles of high-quality sake that a knocked-out and bleeding goon had generously gifted Zori with, the gambling-obsessed samurai made his way back to his duties. The last thing he needed now was to be lectured by the rich shortie he called master.

'Eh, knowing Gato, it'll be another hour or two until he completes preparations for his little public execution show. He's probably spreading the news of the execution to every corner of the island to make everyone gather around. It'll be Kaiza-san all over again. Shit...does that mean I'll have to carry out the execution again?'

He hadn't noticed his feet had glued themselves to the floor and hadn't budged an inch.

It was just for a passing moment but he tasted something bitter and ugly on his tongue. It was only the uncorking of a sake bottle, a greedy gulp of powerful grain alcohol, that he was able to continue moving forward.

Gato truly was a cruel, ruthless, cut-throat, evil, greedy little man. Money was money though, so what right did Zori have to complain about how his master did his business? The lives crushed beneath the billionaire's foot meant little to a tool like him. Unlike the disloyal ninja, a samurai remained by their master's side to be their katana. A weapon that only ever attacked their owner's enemy never needed a reason other than their owner's will and never turned on them based on their beliefs.

Even Zori, a samurai who had left the cold snowfields of his homeland and been branded a ronin, held onto the spirit of his blade no matter how tainted with blood his hands became. His master was a very wealthy man who paid Zori plenty, enough to sate his love of sake and gambling until the day he outlived his purpose. As long as he played his cards right, he would continue to enjoy such luxuries even after his master drained Nami no Kuni of its resources and set his eyes onto another nation.

His life would be a cozy one full of all the liquor he could chug, all the Ryo he could gamble away, and all the woman he could ever desire. There was no downside to such a rewarding service.

Even if he was paying with his very soul and abandoning his old beliefs in such a dirty bet.

Lost in his own thoughts, he nearly knocked on the prison cell door before chuckling. Courtesy, what a joke. Eh, if he was going to be stuck here for another hour he might as well pass the time playing cards. Maybe the Kamijou boy and Kyofu wouldn't mind one last drink and bet before paying up their lives for making such shitty bets.

He wasn't so cruel as to deny a game of Blackjack with his prisoners.

[-]

"Hey, you okay there, Kamijou-san? Your face is turning a deathly pale there. You even awake?"

He felt someone pat his cheek, rousing him from the brief edges of a cold and dark void. One he never wished to ever glimpse at again.

Touma blinked sluggishly as he forced his eyes to remain open. An uncomfortable sweat coated his entire body, stinging his wounds just enough to help him bat away the cold tendrils threatening to drag him away from the waking world and into the deep sea of unconsciousness.

He wasn't sure he would be able to swim out of that deathly sea without drowning.

How long had it been? Just how long had he slipped into a numb daze as he was speaking with the naked dark-skinned kunoichi in a filthy cell of dirt, stained stone walls, and rusted bars where he could see several more cells stuffed with prisoners like him? Four minutes? Ten minutes?

Just how long did he have left to plan out their escape because of his drifting in and out of consciousness?

'I need...I need something to stimulate a rush of adrenaline to keep myself awake. If can't even do the bare minimum right now, no one is going to be saved!'

Dry lips cracked and his voice was growing softer. Still, he forced himself to speak to the wary kunoichi kneeling in front of him as he sat back against their cramped cell.

"Kyofu-san, please..."

What he was about to ask would be gruesome. Inwardly, he smiled and thanked whatever god watched over this world that Index wasn't around nor the war god turned fairy Othinus. He wouldn't ask this sort of thing from any of his friends back home.

"Grip my punctured shoulder. Even if I beg you to stop with tears in my eyes, irritate the wound with enough pressure to force this shitty body to stay awake for one more go!"

Only now did this worn-out and bloodied Kamijou-san notice the caramel tint of the woman's eyes as they grew wide in disbelief.

Pain was an excellent stimulate. When the body was subjected to a great deal of damage, it was pain that became the potent spark in flooding the nervous system with signals to the brain to release the endorphins responsible for adrenaline. In school, if you were nodding off, you would jab either the eraser end or the pointy end of your pencil in your thigh to stay awake. In this situation though, what he needed was an even greater deal of discomfort to help kick him back up on his feet.

Such a method was one only a masochist would ever suggest. Or at least someone who had been regularly subjected to a great deal of damage and bone-breaking blows.

Those caramel eyes grew bold and focused.

When a steady hand hovered just above the open tear of flesh inflicted by Waraji's broken katana, Touma nodded firmly to the one-word stare of the dark-skinned woman.

Ready?

Callous flesh pressed down on the wet hole about three inches long and possibly five inches deep where bone had paused the ronin's fang from sinking any deeper.

Touma's vision flashed with lights as forcefully clenched his teeth from the explosion of pain.

His heart began to beat in an unhealthy rapid beat that knocked against his chest. His eyes were flung open to the point of resembling dinner plates and his pupils dilated, shrinking into beads. In response to the intense pain, the many other injuries he had suffered before his fight with Waraji and after, all cried out to provide their own inputs. His gasps and cries could only slip through his clenched teeth as he began to writhe in agony.

A sea of darkness, chilling to the bone and marrow, greeted him in those explosive flashes of torture.

'Focus! Don't sink into unconsciousness now! If you do, you'll drown with pathetic gasps for air! Just focus on why you need to stake awake! Remember why you're here!'

Other than pain, there was another excellent stimulate to help one keep awake.

Anger.

Gato's greedy face came to mind. The faces of those dirty and bruised villagers who were also kept locked up like animals waiting to be sold to the highest bidder. The faint sounds of agony, despair, torture, hysterical sobbing, begging, and worse of all...the cruel and sadistic laughter of demons. An entire village being subjected to giving up and accepting the rule of a portly-faced mole who reaped their smiles for profit.

What was he doing? What was he doing in the face of such unfair and cruel misfortune ravaging people who didn't even have the energy or hope to cry for help? Was he seriously just going to sit back and cry about his own circumstances when there were others in far worse circumstances?

Teeth smeared with blood were bared with a wave of intense anger alongside pain.

Cold and dank waters on the edge of his conscious were swept away by a raging inferno vaporizing every last drop.

"T-That's enough, Kyofu-san." Touma hissed sternly through a snarl.

The kunoichi didn't need another word as she pulled her blood-stained hand back from the throbbing wound.

After several minutes of gasping and calming his wildly beating heart, Touma smiled gratefully.

For some reason, he garnered odd looks from Kyofu and the few prisoners peering over at them through their cells. When did he become some kind of spectacle to ogle?

"Is there something strange on my face? I didn't pop some blood vessel that caused my face to freeze in some creepy expression, did I?" he asked nervously through short breaths.

Kyofu continued to stare at him for another moment before shaking her head with a disbelieving snort. The shameless woman kneeling across from him, uncaring of her breasts lightly jiggling in the face of a teenager with a healthy libido, seemed to come to some conclusion.

'A random villager? Really, I knew Gato was an idiot, a piece of fat shit, a disgusting pervert with a small dick, but I didn't think he would be stupid enough to mistake such a weirdo as some bland and weak boy. What kind of a boy would use intense pain and anger to push himself out of unconsciousness?'

Rubbing her sore wrists, another piece to the picture making up the spiky boy fell in place.

No longer were the skin of her wrists, arms, shoulders, and back marred with strange characters painted with ink and chakra. She no longer felt her chakra being suppressed to the point her body felt sluggish and weak. Those ink kanji responsible for cutting off her chakra and debilitating her strength had been removed.

No, removed was the wrong word.

Shattered and erased fit better.

Imagine Breaker, a power that negated a C-rank fuinjutsu with just mere skin contact of the right hand. Because of a simple touch of the spiky boy's right middle finger, the paper seals and ink characters were shattered as if they were made of glass.

She nearly laughed out loud when the seals had been so easily destroyed. It was done with no real effort. It wasn't even just one seal that had been destroyed. The original seal had been for suppressing her chakra before the fuinjutsu specialist added in a network of other functions such as weakening her body. To remove them improperly would cause a nasty backlash. If so much as one ink character had been damaged, the seal would kill her as the disarrayed kanji would erupt like explosive tags. Each one had to be carefully, with the utmost precision, removed without setting off the chain command that would result in her fiery and gory end.

None of that technical jargon meant a thing to the boy as he ignored her adamant claim's that he would be responsible for her death if he screwed up. It had been awkward to position themselves to face back to back, or waist to waist so that his hand could touch the seals. She had to stop herself from headbutting the boy as his finger struggled to find the seals and touched her ass. As thanks for negating them, she decided to not give him a kidney punch for poking her fine ass a few times.

Now that she was free of her chains, Kyofu could escape.

Except she couldn't.

Even though the seals were gone, her body was still weakened by their physical dampening effects. Plus the beatings she had been put through were also making it difficult for her to focus her chakra into a proper form. What she needed was time to recover her stamina and formulate her next plan of action before their guard returned. Which was why she was currently thinking of such a plan with her cellmate.

"No, you're...fine." she struggled to say as her cellmate was in a far worse state than anyone imprisoned in the compound; physically speaking, "You were slipping into a mute daze there for a while but it seems you've regained some energy now. Using pain and anger to stimulate adrenaline? That's some masochistic methods only the most hardcore ninja would ever use in dire straights, kid."

Aches and deep sores struck Touma's body but the threat of passing out was gone for the moment. Agony and anger helped him focus his mind on continuing the fight.

Still, he sighed dejectedly.

"Don't tell me I've been through so much misfortune that I've begun developing some nasty countermeasure without even being phased when someone far scarier points them out? This isn't something I want people to recognize with praise in their voices! An ordinary guy like me, who can't even score more than anything above 55points in his exams or get a pretty onee-san to glance his way, doesn't want that kind of skill in his abilities!"

If it weren't for the rather dire situation at hand, Kyofu, the very much naked and alluring dark skin Kumogakure kunoichi, would have rolled her eyes at her...partner's protests. Honestly, he sounded like a fussy child. Here she thought he was rather tough if he could defeat a samurai from the Tetsu no Kuni with his bare fists and grit his teeth through intense agony to stay awake.

"Hey, Freaky-Right-Hand-kun, how about we get back to what I was originally suggesting before you started napping. We don't have long to strategize so openly before our guard comes back to prep you up nice and pretty like some pig on a date to the slaughterhouse."

Touma glared at the nonchalant (naked)kunoichi with a pout who gave him a strange name. Now fully awake and able to focus on their conversation, he began to playback what they had originally been talking about.

Once the bored-faced thug ronin left them, muttering about needing a drink, Kyofu had immediately asked Touma about an important little piece of information he had dropped earlier. After explaining Imagine Breaker and how it could destroy the supernatural (i.e. chakra and seals), her face had broken out in a rather alluring smirk he really didn't want to admit had helped to keep him awake a bit longer.

'Interesting. Hey, you wanna help me break out of here?'

Powerless Kamijou readily leaped at the chance to break out of his cage and strike at the heart of the greedy mole's den.

First, the crucial matter of the dark-skinned beauties restraining seals had to be taken care of. Leaving aside the embarrassing matter of having poked a firm but soft chocolate peach a few times, the two plotting prisoners began formulating a plan of escape within the small and dirty cell.

Touma's brow twitched, clearly unhappy as the details of the plan came back to him. Unlike herself, he was still tied up with his wrists pressed against the back of his waist. If they were to fool their guard than Touma would have to stay bound as to not arouse suspicion. Kyofu was different since all that was used to restrain her had been the seals located on her wrists and back. As long as she kept her back out of sight, their guard would be none the wiser to whatever they were up to. The most she could do for him was loosen his woven binds just enough to appear intact and allow him to slip out of when the time was right.

"You're literally asking me to play decoy the moment you break us out of our cell just so you can escape! How is that a plan that benefits us both!? Why don't you fight him?! You're a ninja for Kami's sake! Fire a fireball at him or something instead of tossing me into the flames!"

Invigorated by pain and anger, the annoyed teen shared his thoughts on the plan as he squirmed on his knees.

"But I'm naked," she said with a maiden-like mutter.

"Don't give me such a half-ass excuse! And stop trying to act coy by shielding your breasts like you're a pure-hearted middle school ojou! I've already seen plenty, enough to be ingrained in my memory that I'd see them every time I closed my eyes! At this point, we've already crossed a rather intimate line in our relationship that we don't even need to worry about skinship!"

True; Kyofu shrugged, having no problem with beating the shit out of her captors while her breasts jiggled freely in the wind. If anything the lack of clothes made it easier for her to move about without restraint.

That wasn't the point though.

"Look, Kamijou-san." Kyofu sighed patiently, "When those bastards captured me, they took everything on my person. My Hitai-ate, my weapons, scrolls, personal belongings, hell the very clothes off my back were taken from; why else do you have a free view of my fine tits and crotch?" Touma blushed as she gave a slight shake of said glorious, dark-toned breasts that were a firm C-cup, "A lot of classified information can be found in my flat jacket alone. As a kunoichi of Kumogakure no Sato, it's my duty to retrieve said property before they've picked at them like crows stripping bits of flesh from a carcass. Last I know of from the haze of my capture, they took my belonging to a storage room close by to the cells. That takes priority to everything else, so I need your help to get out of here."

Here was the plan in the words of the elite kunoichi.

In order to escape their cell, they needed to take out the guard. Normally, as a ninja who was capable of performing various feats of supernatural nature with a flash of specific hand signs, she could obliterate the cell with a powerful jutsu. The problem was she had been beaten black and blue, had her chakra suppressed for several days, been deprived of food with only the occasional bowl of water to keep her alive, and been forced to sleep on her bruised knees in a filthy cell not even big enough for her to lay down flat. She was in no state to be the one attacking in any way, shape, or form.

At least, not for the moment.

Chakra was a wondrous thing. It was a spiritual energy every ninja could utilize to do more than just conjure the elements for attacks. It helped to silence their steps, hide their presence, stick to bodies of water and walk on walls, boost their five senses to match animals, and even increase their body's natural immune system. Including their ability to repair cells.

Now that her chakra was no longer constrained, it was flowing through every tenketsu point like water from a dam unleashed. A soothing rush of fire gently swam to every corner of her body, working its magic to accelerate her body's healing factor. Sore muscles began to heal, bruises began to slowly but surely fade, and the various open wounds would knit back together by the end of the day. She hadn't suffered any serious injuries other than being weakened to a near frail state but that wouldn't be a problem anymore.

Unfortunately, it would take time before she could properly fight. Her chakra may have been returned but it wasn't back to its full reserves. Using a jutsu now would take a lot out of her and cause her to collapse at this very moment.

So, they needed to buy time. She needed a distraction. To use one ninjutsu without being drained and powerless, she needed to charge up and focus on recovery, not attacking.

Which was where a certain spiky head came in.

"Can I just say that the plan is most likely to involve some form of bodily harm to Kamijou-san's person? I'm all in favor of the plan, believe me, but can we just hash out a few bits that, I don't know, say that I'm forced to play decoy against another samurai who can flay my skin and muscles like deli meat!?"

"Didn't you knock out the guy's partner by yourself? What's the problem with doing it again? I'm sure it'll be no different than before. Just do whatever it is you did to not die against a trained Iaijutsu user and you'll be...fine."

Even Kyofu wasn't as confident with her own words as properly assessed her cellmate's condition.

Multiple contusions, bruises, welts, cuts and gashes, and two puncture wounds. Compared to her own swollen face and wounds garnered from being beaten over two days, she was far better off. Already she felt both her injuries and fatigue mend. Same could not be said about the exhausted spiky boy who was splattered in red. Her eyes strayed below his chest to his abdomen where she spotted a large darkened red splotch surrounding what looked like a glimmer of something metal. She grimaced at the realization it was a large shard of what she could only guess was once a weapon.

God above, how was the boy even capable of holding a conversation? No wonder he had been just seconds away from passing out before he combined intense pain and anger to hit him with a rush of adrenaline to keep going.

Normal civilian? A weak villager?

No one with such extreme pain tolerance and endurance could ever be related to either title.

Problem was that said enigma of a boy was on his last legs, just barely getting by with some unorthodox methods to keep going. A decoy was needed for their plan to move smoothly. Unfortunately for both Kyofu and Touma, he was their only option in keeping the lone guard's attention away from her.

It was despicable but Kyofu was a kunoichi of Kumogakure no Sato. Even if it was a tactic that brought a foul taste to her tongue, she would use whatever plans she could to escape this shitty ending at the hands of an equally shitty demon.

"Seriously, playing decoy when my HP is already down to its last sliver; ninjas really are cruel."

"But I'm a naked woman imprisoned in a compound full of dirty men with lustful sneers. I can't play decoy."

"Unless you're a busty, klutzy, passionate Dorm Manager Onee-san who cutely fails at being serious: try again." Touma replied to no shame causing Kyofu to gape at his blunt response.

Kyofu pouted at the blushing boy whose face began to twitch. Well, there went trying to earn some points with the whole frail maiden bit needing to be rescued. Plan one on stringing along the boy into helping her escape was out the window. What else could she do to accept her plan at risk to his own health?

She crossed her arms, unknowingly pushing her lovely mounds up(causing whatever blood remained in Touma's body to travel to his face and a certain lower region) as she tried to quickly come up with a better way to coerce him.

Try as hard as he might to peel his eyes away from the free show of a woman's breasts in his face, Touma proved his chivalry was far stronger than his teenage hormones in staring at Kyofu's face. He sighed tiredly and leaned back into the filthy damp walls of his cells.

"To tell you the truth, it's not like I have any plan of escape. I'd like to think that after all the misfortune I've been caught up in, I'd have developed a bit of a knack for breaking out of my captors' clutches. But I'm no one that clever or gifted. When it comes down to it, all I got is a useless right hand incapable of even bending a rusted cell bar. Alone, without any doubt, I'd die." he lamented bitterly before his eyes turned to his left.

Outside his cell, he found several more cages like his. It didn't look like this had been this room's original purpose: a prison. But it had been transformed into something malicious. He made out a few of the prisoners and found his face twisting into an ugly scowl of anger and sorrow.

Men, women, children, all abducted by Gato's men for unfair reasons. Lack of money to pay ridiculously high taxes, standing up to their oppressors, trying to protect their family from unruly criminals that took advantage of the people, ransomed for even more profit, or worse.

He caught the eye of a few women without clothes, remains of what they wore torn to damp rags soaked by putrid liquids, and broken stares marred by red eyes and dried tears. A foul smell hit his nostrils that made him want to retch.

Those cries, screeches, desperate sobbing heard faintly past the walls gained more definition.

When he spoke again, it wasn't with a shudder of pain in his voice.

It was a shudder of seething fury ready to consume his own misfortune until not a scrap could be found.

"A pathetic idiot like me can't do anything to save himself, let alone anyone else. I know that! So, if it means focusing all the damage on this helpless bastard while you break out, I'll do it. Use me as the punching bag, paint a target on my back, throw me into the mob of knives and clubs! I don't care about being used as some ploy in your plan to save yourself and yourself alone. Just so long as you let me use you too!"

Kyofu warily scooted back from the intense gaze on the beaten boy. In just a moment, a rather wild and beast-like aura had taken him over. In her weakened state, she had to be cautious of everything and everyone; spiky boy included.

"Use me? What the hell are you asking, brat?" she glared suspiciously.

Even now, even with their circumstance, even if they had to rely on each other to survive, she didn't trust him.

Kumogakure no Sato had trained and beaten such easily placed trust in strangers right out of her by the time she became a genin than chunin, and finally jonin. To offer such a flimsy notion was no different than what she was now. Naked, weaponless, powerless, and easily killable.

If needed to, she would snap the spiky boy's neck if given a reas-

"Help me."

Whatever Kyofu was planning on if her cellmate so much as twitched funny, crumbled away at those two words. Those two words were spoken with a soft quiver containing multiple emotions she couldn't sort out.

Bowing his head so that his already wilting spiky tips began to tickle his nose, Touma did something he rarely had the courage to do back in his world.

Ask for someone's help.

Did that surprised dark-skinned kunoichi even understand how unbelievably significant this was? The chances of seeing such a thing were the same as scoring an Ultra Super Secret Ghost Rare card to a powerful boss monster in a booster pack of any card game. For the boy who solely relied on fighting with his brute fist, all by himself, no matter the enemy size or power despite having connections with a great number of individuals who would gladly offer their own far superior strength and abilities should he ask; how often did he ever reach his hand out for someone to support him?

"On my own, I can't do anything. All I've ever been good for has been meddling in other people's business for my own selfish desires and punching people in the face after surviving countless misfortunes. I'm weak. And this is a situation I can't punch my way out of. But I can't just accept this."

Kyofu found her gaze softening as she listened to the vulnerable boy painted in red. In some way, she understood the terribly wounded boy's fear.

"You don't want to die.

"I don't care about that."

The seriousness in those words took Kyofu back as if she had been slapped in the face.

Those intense eyes looked away, leading Kyofu to seek out what had taken his attentions as he continued speaking with such determination.

"I don't want to die. Trust me, I have friends and family I want to live for that I wouldn't throw away my life so easily. This is just another stroke of bad luck in my daily life of misfortune. I can accept that. But I can't accept it when it happens to others like this! These people were once living their lives without the shadow of Gato haunting them. They were all laughing, they were all smiling, they were all complaining about mundane things people like you would roll their eyes at! They all had something they could call a boring, normal, but happy life! Now though? It's all been stripped bare from them!"

Whatever strength remained in his battered bloody body pushed him up on his quivering legs, rising above the filthy floor as he felt a fresh new wave of adrenaline burning in his heart.

July 23rd was the day Kamijou Touma had been born. The current iteration of a generic high school boy in a metropolitan city was someone who had encountered countless tragedies. Whether it was because of the nature of his right hand, being a natural-born magnet for trouble, or his ideals forcing him to never turn a blind eye to the pain of others, he had tasted many flavors of the darkness of the world.

But this...this was darkness far more pungent and sickening than anything else he had encountered. It was a unique malice like Othinus's hells. Simply because he was out of arms reach of resolving the suffering with a few punches to someone's face. This wasn't anything he could fix with a simple fight.

Something invisible in his dirty, bruised, and weak hand pulsed powerfully.

"People are being abused. They're being treated like toys by sadistic demons. Cries are being ignored and amplified for laughter. Even their humanity is being tossed aside so that they can be ordered to bark and crawl on all fours for the pleasure of bastards who sneer down at them with twisted smiles! I can't accept that. I refuse to fucking accept this as someone's reality!"

In this small hell, home to demons of varying sizes who wore human skin, his blistering shouting was simply drowned out by the other cries of despair and laughter of demons.

"I made a promise to one of the countless main characters of this pathetic and shitty story to save their family! A brave man named Boshi-san passed his deepest and most sacred wish to some secondary character so that he could once again see his wife and daughters without having to sacrifice anyone else!"

A startled gasp was heard from one of the cells followed by a stifled sob. It was a sad sound Touma hated more than anything else in this world but it was reassuring to hear. Out of all the many sounds of despair, it alone helped to drag his mind back from that maddening sea of red growing to cloud his thoughts with pure violence.

They were here: Boshi's family. Literally, just a few feet away in their own cell, they were there, huddled against each other with tears running down their faces. He was so close!

Just a little longer; they just needed to wait a little longer!

He didn't know it but all eyes were now focused on him. Even those who weren't able to stand, those who couldn't see his visage, those whose eyes were dead but found a minuscule glimmer of light, and those too weak and malnourished to focus on anything else found themselves drawn into that rebellious boy's frustration.

"I'm going to free the mother and daughters that were taken by that sick bastard Gato. And I'll free everyone else here while I'm at it." he said softly as he tried to preserve what energy had for what was to come. He appeared mirthless, finding what he was saying wasn't easy to believe either, "Can't say it'll be easy or that I'll make it out alive for that matter. But I have to try. Powers or not, I have to do what I can to return these people back to their normal lives. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I turned a blind eye on them for my own safety, you know?"

That mirthless smile, bitter and resentful of itself, fell upon the staring Kyofu who found her voice lodged in her tight throat. All thoughts were grounded. She could only listen to the boy ready to collapse and die in a pool of his own blood.

Cut and bloody lips parted open.

"But I can't do that on my own. Even if it's for a bit, even if it's at the cost of giving you an arm, even if I have to be forever indebted to you until the day I die, I don't care what I have to offer; please, help me save these people from Gato's greedy clutches!"

Kamijou Touma had no one in this strange new world.

Yes, he was completely and utterly alone.

Not even the two people he cherished most, the two who had helped anchor him in his naive normal school life, could support him.

So, he had to ask a complete stranger. Someone whose agendas, personality, backstory, behavioral ticks, affiliation, or intentions other than escaping were unknown to him. A person who could very well sink another metal fang deep into his softback once they had freed themselves.

Though his view on ninja was an odd one thanks to the likes of Team 7 and Momochi Zabuza, he wasn't so naive as to believe they were all good or bad.

Trusting others was no easy feat. To place such an incredible thing in anyone took unbelievable strength. It was the sharpest and most powerful double edge sword to ever be forged and offered.

It was such strength that Kyofu was bearing witness to by a boy who should have, by all accounts considering both his situation and injuries, be just as dispirited and broken as those who were trapped in a dingy cell.

The boy, Kamijou from what she learned, was completely serious; wasn't he? Those fierce dark-blue eyes were nothing but earnest in what he had said in saving everyone here. He was supposed to be a villager, right? Other than being strong enough to take out one of Gato's guards, he wasn't anything special. He didn't appear to be trained as she had to become a shinobi. Up against more than two opponents, she was sure he would be beaten into a bloody pulp. What impressive endurance, pain tolerance, and accomplishment in taking out one of Gato's trained personal guards weren't on display.

He couldn't save himself, let alone anyone else. All she was hearing was nothing more than lip service from an overconfident boy who had gotten lucky in a fight. He would be dead if he tried to go against Gato's men alone. Fact was fact and he would be crushed to a disgusting pulp of gore.

Yet he knew that and even said so himself.

So, how was he able to muster up the strength to stand up and try?

Slowly, ever so slowly, as she felt the world around her stop spinning, the Kumogakure kunoichi felt the faint heat of something powerful grown beneath her thumping heart.

And she smiled faintly.

Kyofu should have died.

In this story revolving around an impoverished nation's people, a greedy criminal billionaire, a bridge-builder and his family, and a small team of ninja, she was a flimsy footnote to be forgotten in the changing tides to come. Just another corpse whose life was cut short and not even mourned behind the scenes. But because a spiky boy had been thrown in the same cell as her, her fate had been altered.

Not since she had the privilege to witness her beloved Raikage in action had she ever bore witness to such tenacity or ferocity.

As a Kumogakure kunoichi, she had her pride to think of. Even in dire situations as now were her heartfelt as if it had regressed to her genin days.

"You're more than free to do what you want yourself. But I have a mission that I have to report back to. If I don't send word of my status, I'll either be labeled MIA or a KIA. Even though I would love nothing more than to raze Gato's entire operation into cinders myself." she said darkly before sighing heavily, "But I can at least stick around for a bit before I leave. First thing first though, and I won't fight you on this, it's important; I have to retrieve everything they took from me. I can't just fight naked the entire time we're here, you know?" she said with a wink.

At the mention of the elephant in the room Touma fought desperately to ignore, his fierce aura withered and he reacted as any normal teenager would.

"Please, stop mentioning that you're naked. Every time you point it out, I can't stop my eyes from straying guiltily down."

Listen to Kamijou-san! Most of us keep forgetting about the milky chocolate hilltops and smooth valley down under! Remember the tense situation, damn it! This is not some trashy eroge!

Hands now shielding his virgin eyes(Kyofu smirked at how those fingers left just a bit of space between to still get a naughty peek), Touma spoke hesitantly.

"Than, you'll help me? You won't just abandon this battered Kamijou-san to the snarling wolves?"

"Sure, why not?" Kyofu shrugged, once again bringing attention to her lovely mounds, "Consider it a favor for helping me break out of this shit hole and avoiding a disgusting death by a money-grubbing midget. After that though, we're done. My original mission has been compromised thanks to Gato's pet Demon catching me off guard last week. Which means I have to return to my village with what little intel I've gathered thus far."

She wasn't happy to return home and report to her superiors about her failure. But she would rather deal with it than be used by a group of men as a fucktoy before dying. A crude way of seeing it but true.

Touma was grateful. It was a relief to know he wouldn't be at this alone considering how wounded he was. Maybe he wouldn't walk out of this near-death? With his misfortune though, it would be far more appropriate to believe he would lose his arm again.

"Thank you, Kyofu-san."

Kyofu had a small tug on her lips in face of such an honest and pure gratitude. Bit of a charmer, huh. He hadn't even needed to buy her dinner to see her naked either.

"Than we go with the discussed plan. Just bear with the pain a little longer and do your best to distra-"

Suddenly her ears twitched, alerting her of the return of their captor. Time for planning was out. It was nothing but action from here on out. Licking her lips anxiously, she moved herself to the back of their cell, her free hands flexing in preparation for the required hand signs needed for the jutsu she had in mind. The tricky part was kneading the necessary chakra with her low tank.

"Once he gets here, distract him however you can," Kyofu whispered hastily as the door swung open. Her face stared down between her, hiding the look of concentration she had as she summoned all her strength her tired, sore, and weak body could muster, "Compared to all the other guards, Zori's the lesser of all evil. He has a habit of playing card games with the prisoner, betting certain perks for them if they win while not taking anything back from them if they lose. So, if he offers you a game, which he probably will since you're about to be killed, take it. When I give you the signal, move as far to the right as you can and don't let your right hand touch the lightning until I say so."

"I'm sorry but lightning?"

Here came the Biri-Biri flashbacks.

Memories of a human bug zapper would have to wait for later. He had a promise to keep.

[-]

Distracting the samurai known as Zori had been easier than Touma had anticipated.

"Blackjack, I win."

"I call bullshit! Even if this Kamijou-san's bad luck is complete shit there's no way you can get 21 on the first turn for the last three games! There's just no way unless you're a certain shaggy blond-haired delinquent with a big-breasted girlfriend willing to dress up as a bunny girl! It's got to be your sleeves, you're hiding the cards in those long sleeves of yours, aren't you?!"

"Are you calling me a cheater?! That's bull! I shuffled and cut the deck just fine; how is it my fault all you get are cards lower than 7 or 4?! As a professional gambler, those words aren't any different than kicking me in the balls and spitting on my face. If I wasn't slush with booze, I'd open your cage and punch you in that boring face of yours!"

"I'd like to see you try, you samurai delinquent, cheating, drunk bastard!"

"You're just begging for me to cut you into ribbons, aren't ya?!"

Dull-eyed and expressionless-faced Kyofu sat back in her shared cell as two boys were ready to throw punches at the other if it weren't for the rusted metal bars separating the two. What she was seeing was something reminiscent of a normal card game played by boys she had once caught eye of in the academy in how the two players were squabbling like snot-nosed brats. Even the imprisoned villagers of Nami no Kuni being held captive like animals were watching with odd expressions at one of their cruel captors and a boy who spoke words of rebellion.

In case it wasn't clear Zori and Touma were playing Poker. Specifically, Blackjack.

Currently, the two were sitting across another; Touma inside his cell and Zori sitting on the other side as he dealt their cards. Poker; a card game that required one to have two hands to play. Mind you that not only was Touma restrained with his hands tied to his back but in order to play he was reliant on Zori showing him his cards to memorize, laying them flat without peeking, and taking care of any action Touma would make for him. It was confusing. Most of the time he would forget what cards he had laid down in front of his cage in the short games they would have.

It was 8-0.

It had only been five minutes!

It was humiliating to always be losing against a samurai who was half drunk. Touma didn't even want to play since it was a game that relied on luck. Sure, strategy and math were involved, making it a tactical game. Except any game involving luck doomed Touma to always lose unless there was a catch involved.

His trip to Italy was proof that even when he won, he lost.

Why Zori had randomly asked to play a game of Poker not a minute later that he returned did confuse Touma. Seriously, who asked the very person they were guarding to be later killed if they wanted to play a game? Was the thug-themed ronin really that bored? Well, it did give Touma the perfect excuse to distract Zori, so no use complaining. Even if he had a strong suspicion that the samurai delinquent was cheating.

It only gave him more of a reason to punch his face later when they escaped.

Reigning in his frustration, Touma sighed.

Distract. Play along with the games of a bored thug/ronin. Don't let your frustrations get the better of you. In order to strike back, he had to hold back his own fangs while his partner charged her brutal horn for a terrible impact.

"Whatever. Just shuffle the cards and give me my losing hand again." he grumbled to the smug-faced Zori.

"Don't like to lose, eh? That's a rather shitty quality to have, Kami-san." Zori laughed as he began to shuffled the deck, "Every gambler knows when to back down even if they think they might win, more so when all they do is lose. You know gamblers fallacy is total bullshit, right? Just because you keep losing, doesn't mean that you'll win if you keep playing. I shouldn't be surprised though. It's that quality that's got you on death row." he smirked.

Two cards were dealt to both boys. Zori set two cards down for each of them on the ground. Since he was the dealer, one of his cards was faced down and left only four of clubs.

Touma frowned at both the mystery number that's total could either be 21 again or closer. His two cards were an 8 of diamond and 2 of heart; 10.

Hit or Stand.

He may be playing the decoy but he had to make a show of being interested in the game to not arose suspicion to the quiet Kyofu meditating in order to recover her chakra. Some idle chatter wouldn't hurt; better to distract their opponent.

"You talking about Gato's offer? Do you think I made a horrible gamble on choosing to stand by my own hand than either hit for a better deal? Hit by the way."

"Of course. Standing in this situation won't result in any payout for you; it's a losing hand that leaves you bankrupt. In this game of Blackjack, you had a chance to win big if you simply Hit. You've been given an Ace that shot you up to 21. An easy win capable of pushing you to laze back for your entire life in paradise. Instead, you'd rather throw away your life believing that your lousy hand is higher than the dealers. Did you forget that you bet your life?"

7 of club was flicked to land on top of Touma's cards; 17.

Another Hit could go either way. Any number higher than 4 would be a Bust. An Ace or lower would be his win if Zori didn't have anything closer to 21. Better safe than sorry.

"Stand."

Zori's hidden card was flipped to a 6 of diamonds. Hit: Ace of diamonds.

The great and mystical power of Ace morphed it to a golden 11.

Blackjack again.

"Are you dating the Goddess of Fortune or something? That's an unfair advantage!"

"I wish. I'd trade her up in a second to bag Tsunade-sama instead. Have you heard how big her tits are?! They're like DD's! She also loves to gamble and drink just like me. She's the ideal woman!"

Touma tried to imagine such a woman only to shake his head with a scowl. Now wasn't a time to be fantasizing and chatting with Zori as if he was his friend. He needed to focus. Plus he had the distinct sensation that Kyofu was glaring at his back.

Another round began. Touma's cards this time totaled 7. Zori's open face card was 7.

"I couldn't do it."

Zori scoffed in disbelief.

"Why wouldn't you?! Tsunade-sama's a total babe! I mean, yeah, she's as old as a grandmother but she's still got the body and skin of a young thirty-year-old hottie! Her age also comes with experience. If you know what I mean?" he wiggled his brows.

"So, you're into GILFs? And that's not what I meant; Hit."

7 added up to 9.

"If wanting to suckle on Tsunade-sama's tits makes me a GILF, so be it. What did you mean anyway?"

Both boys felt a heated glare threatening to burn them alive from a certain naked kunoichi but ignored her for their game.

"Standing my bet wasn't a mistake. We've yet to see if my Ace and 9 can beat whatever Gato's holding. My soul isn't so cheap to be tempted by some midget's honeyed words. I'd rather lose it all than let myself grow fat from a rigged game paying out a pot he's filled to satisfy me to keep playing his game. I refuse to let him decide how long we play a game that will profit him when all the earnings garnered to keep playing come from the pockets of people he's hurting; Hit."

Zori scowled as he flicked another card.

9 of spades.

18.

"You don't understand, do you? Win or lose, it's Gato who walks away without ever losing anything more than walking around money. Why give up your life when you can make it better? All you'd have to do is play bodyguard so he feels safe. Sure, you'd have to kill a few people but the Ryo's worth it. What's wrong with going along with his game when you're sure to make a profit from a simple gamble?"

Words of a man trying to convince himself? Or was the thug truly so heartless?

"The normal life of this average teenager is already enough. Why make a stupid bet that would only tarnish it and betray my own happiness? Unlike a certain greedy samurai who's only loyal to whoever can keep him drunk. Aren't samurai suppose to be these stern, loyal, and righteous warriors? When did they become lapdogs to the highest bidder? Stand."

The aggravated dealer flipped his card: 3 of spades. He drew a card resulting in the total of his hand equaling 20.

Both glaring boys both drew 20, resulting in a Push. Neither won or lost this round. Since there was no money involved in their profitless game it shouldn't have mattered. The only noise to be heard was the cards in Zori's hand being shuffled with a pleasant flutter of paper. So distracted by their own conversation and game, both failed to notice the entire cell block watching their game intently as the air grew tense.

"Samurai are loyal to an extremist fault to their retainers. I'm no different with the exception I know better than to die pointlessly. My blade only tastes blood when my master commands me to stick up whatever idiot doesn't want to fund his pot. Whether I like what he does, doesn't matter. A katana is a show of intimidation on the belt of a fat, pompous lord; it's cold, unfeeling, and never questions why it's drawn. I'm no different a tool than the naked kunoichi behind you."

Touma's cards were set. 9 of diamonds and 3 of hearts, equaling 12. Anything higher than 9 would be another Bust.

"Hit."

Zori dealt his next card with a sip of his second bottle of saki. The new total of the spiky-haired boy was 15. He asked to Hit, Busting as his card value broke past 21 to 24. Even if he had lost, he kept playing in hopes of buying Kyofu more time. His next hand totaled 10 with a pair of 5s.

"Both Samurai and Ninja are paid to be weapons for whoever pays them better. Only difference is that Samurai aren't so soft as to do menial work as babysitters, pet finders, and trash collectors." Zori sneered, "Even a Ronin like me wouldn't be caught dead performing such pointless tasks for coin."

"Ronin? So, you're not a samurai then but one that was thrown out for failing his original master. You're basically a salaryman working whatever job he can find whether it's shameful or against his moral code to survive."

Zori's face twisted menacingly at the bold words of his prisoner. He switched his hand from holding to his sake to wrapping his fingers around the hilt of his katana.

What the hell did the sore loser know about him? Did the spiky boy honestly believe his swordsmanship was just a means to gain riches? For the benefit of growing as fat and lazy as Gato that he wouldn't have any need to pick up his katana again?

"Don't fucking talk as if you know me! Do you even know why samurai like me are forced to accept shitty, demeaning, work from a guy like Gato who doesn't know the meaning of honor? It's because we samurai are a dying breed that has become obsolete in a world of ninja! It's those cheap, disloyal, flashy toys who've taken all the work in the Elemental Nations. The only place we can find decent work is in Tetsu no Kuni under the rule of a stubborn, old, relic of a forgotten age that refuses to adapt in a world that sees us as relics! Nothing's changed, we're still practicing the same old dry and tired techniques and useless bushido responsible for our failure to get with the times! Just how the hell is loyalty, honor, sincerity, and moral code going to help a street urchin never go hungry?!"

A nerve had been struck, one that Zori had long forgotten in the many years he had left behind his old life.

Perhaps it was the alcohol. Maybe it was the thought that he would have to once again play public executioner. Whatever it was, a certain scene flashed in his dark-colored eyes.

The memory of a nation covered in sheets of snow, icy flakes lazily dancing in the chilling wind, and a cold mountain reminiscent of a three-headed beast where blades were forged in forgotten traditions. A Land of Iron. A Nation of Samurai.

Just the memory of those bitter years was enough for Zori to lose his thirst. Even the little game they were playing to kill time was losing its appeal.

Touma could see so but didn't back down despite the risk he was taking. He Doubled Down on his play.

He needed all of Zori's attention solely on him. If pissing him off did the trick than he would do so. The only one who should exist in Zori's world right now had to be Kamijou Touma and no one else.

"That's your excuse for hurting others? That the path you chose to escape poverty wasn't enough to satisfy you? What kind of bullshit excuse is that for throwing away your human decency for the likes of a demon like Gato?! Why not just accept that you're just another piece of shit like your master instead of making up excuses for why you can take his blood-drenched money without shame! Do you think any excuse you have will do you any good in hiding the horns on your head?"

The cards on the dirt were ignored as Zori stood up with a snarl and a hand tightly wrapped around his katana. His face was red, angered at what he felt was a harsh insult. Dirt now marred whatever card had been flipped from the top of the deck as he sneered at the helpless villager.

"Watch your tone. I may be working for Gato, I may be taking his money, and I may not give a shit about killing because I'm told to, but I'm nothing like-!"

"Like a man who wouldn't think twice about killing a father trying to protect his family and friends or even steal away said man's family to be used as playthings?" Touma spat coldly as he got up to meet the furious gaze of his captor, "Just how are you two any different? You'll both kill whoever gets in your way just so you can keep your money flowing no matter whose lives are ruined! Why even defend yourself? You don't seem to care of what happens to the people of Nami no Kuni that you're screwing over by working with Gato, so why are you even trying to save face?!"

Zori found himself grinding his teeth for reasons he didn't understand himself.

Why…

Why was he pissed?

He didn't have a problem with working for Gato as long as the billionaire continued paying him thousands of Ryo. He was a bodyguard, an enforcer, this was a job no different than the kind shinobi were offered! In exchange for doing whatever his employer asked, be it killing a few people or taking their money for protection, he was rewarded with enough Ryo to sate his thirst and love to gamble. There was nothing wrong with doing whatever it takes to be happy!

Work was work, no matter how morally questioning it may be. The shinobi that had replaced the once noble samurai were taking missions no different than what he was doing. Many of the hidden villages, the five largest shinobi villages of the Elemental Nations, offered these kinds of jobs detailing the protection of shitty human beings for the right price. Right? Zori was simply taking a leaflet out of those arrogant ninjas handbooks. If he had continued to stay in Tetsu no Kuni, he would have never been given a chance to make a decent Ryo due to his training taking precedence.

He would have been the same poor kid who had no choice but to join the military of Tetsu no Kuni to survive, stuck practicing under the harsh bone-chilling land of snow, undergoing a training regiment that broke him down to build him up stronger than ever like a blacksmith striking a hot blade, and forced to uphold bushido he never understood. There was nothing to be ashamed of!

So, why were the irritating words of a village boy digging into his skin?

"Truth is you don't want to face the twisted reality you've helped to cast on this nation by doing nothing. You'd rather tell yourself you're just doing your job, that anyone in your position would do the same if it meant improving their own lives instead of suffering. You tell yourself going against a tyrant like Gato is suicidal, so why not benefit from a situation that's never going to improve and rake some easy money?! All you're doing is denying any reason to feel bad about the lives you've helped to destroy with booze and games to take your mind off your mistakes!"

An image slipped out.

The picture of a father, a brave man who stood up for his nation and family, tied to a wooden pole for all to see without any arms and blood staining his face.

And the flash of steel that ended that bravely smiling man.

A certain samurai's blade clicked. Without even noticing himself, Zori had already crouched his body into the tempered drawing stance that had been finely drilled into his muscle memory. His cruel dark eyes stabbed into the loudmouth villager who didn't know when to shut up.

"You know, I tried to be nice. I tried to make your last moments in this world a little fun. Anyone who could knock out Waraji is deserving of some respect, especially since you're just a random villager. So, I thought I'd send you off with one last game and maybe a sip of premium sake for sticking to your own ground if you won. But then you had the fucking gall to throw my kind gesture back from that high horse trotting you to your meaningless death! Don't think that your exempt from an ass-kicking just because Gato wants to make you suffer as much as possible later! I'd just need to make up some excuse that you were frantically trying to break out, so I had to give you a few reminders of what happens when you get too rowdy!"

In face of such a threat, Touma grinned fiercely.

How much time had passed?

Ten minutes? Fifteen? Twenty? However long they had taken in their game and arguing had to have been enough.

A familiar tingle tickled the hair on the back of his neck warned him of what was to come. His bound fists cracked to hide the soft sparking in the air.

"Another excuse? Stop lying to yourself already and just say you want to kick my ass because I hit a nerve! You want to fight so badly? THAN BRING IT, YOU SORRY EXCUSE FOR A SAMURAI!"

BZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!

Zori's body tensed as his eyes were flung open in alarm. The air tingled his skin with the sound of static crackles. What the hell was going on?!

"Raiton: Konpeki Saji(Lightning Release: Azure Surge)!"

The grinning spiky-haired boy quickly leaped to the side, revealing the equally grinning face of Kyofu. The naked Kumogakure woman was no longer bound by her seals. Which meant she had free access to not only her hands but her chakra. Her hands broke the dragon hand sign to slam her glowing blue, sparking palms together before his eyes were blinded by a harsh flash.

Instincts took over at that moment as Zori got out of the way of the azure lightning spear that shattered the bars of their cage. Such a powerful attack continued in a direct line of zapping destruction, threatening the prisoners who laid across from Touma and Kyofu. A reckless jutsu like that would only harm others.

If it wasn't for a certain right hand snapping quicker than the surge of lightning to destroy it. The straight line, a spear of great killing potential formed by pale blue lightning, in its entirety, disappeared into thin air altogether.

The world grew slow in Zori's eyes as he watched Touma immediately break out of the broken orange-tinged bars. Sweat ran down Zori's face.

How the hell did those break free?! Kyofu had her hands bound to her back with seals that dampened her chakra and prevented her from using it all. To undo one seal without the proper knowledge would kill her!

Zori fell back into his drawing stance. He could see Touma turn and face him with the rope tying his arms falling off his blood-stained wrists.

"How the hell did you undo your binds?! Don't tell me you're capable of using ninjutsu too?!" Zori shouted anxiously.

Touma shook his head, gesturing to his right fist as the only means of power he had, "I'd explain it all to you if I could but I'm sorta in a rush. Just know this punch I'm about to deliver is entirely personal."

Zori scoffed, "Don't get cocky just because you're free! It only means I have every right to cut you to pieces! Unlike that brute Waraji, I have no intention of dragging this fight longer than it need be. I'll reduce you to finely sliced bits in one move!"

Calming his anger, Zori locked onto the weaponless boy. One breath, one draw, one slash in the blink of an eye. An attack that was the pinnacle of his drawing speed that required his body to focus his chakra to his arms and legs for a brief but intense burst of speed; Doro: Subete No(Draw: All In). Kamijou was not to be taken lightly. Waraji had been defeated by the same boy he was facing, telling him that if he doubted the boy's abilities, he'd pay the price. He had to play his best tricks to finish this before Touma was allowed the chance to counter.

The necessary chakra pumped through Zori's muscles, reminding him of boiling fire threatening to sear his circulatory system. He vanished with one deep breath, the bursting lunge cracking the ground he had stood as he drew his katana once he entered Touma's personal bubble.

"Doro: Su-!"

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMMMM.

Before either boy could complete their respective cross, what felt like earth trembling tremors shook the ground beneath their feet.

[-]

"All right, I just got to wait for the signal and-!"

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMMMM.

An excited-faced Naruto's words were caught off as an explosive tremor shook the complex he was hiding in from the safety of the shadows. Taking what he had gleaned from his Tree Climbing Training, he tried focusing chakra into the bottom of his feet to stick to the ground as the entire compound began to shake from the terrible force beneath the earth. His legs felt as if they were turned into jelly in the shaking, cursing as he lost control of his chakra and fell on back.

"Fuck! What the hell is this?! An earthquake?!"

"Hey, whose that orange brat over there?"

"Is he the bastard responsible for this quake? Did he plant some bomb?"

"Stop asking questions and get him already?"

Welllllll, shit. There went his covert operation of planting explosive tags. At the very least, he still had his clones doing their part.

Naruto wasn't sure why, but he had the distinct feeling they had all accomplished their job and departed once their job was complete. Like some kind of sixth sense in the back of his brain or something.

Since he was out of the open, a group of ugly bandits and thieves were charging after him, and all the tags were set, Kakashi-sensei would have to forgive him for kick-starting the operation. After all, it wasn't his fault the earth was rumbling like the Kyubi had been unleashed to enact revenge upon the world.

On the shaking dirt, Naruto grinned boldly as he formed the necessary hand sign to bring the boom.

A just as great and terrible boom accompanied the random earthquake in the form of roaring flames and shock waves popping up in select locations throughout Sector-D.

Operation: Save Touma and Fuck Gato's Shit Up, was a go.

[-]

Rumbling earth interrupted Zori's swift draw before its fatal silver gleam could breathe.

Balance lost, the grimacing gray-haired ronin wasn't able to react in time to the charging boy who used the earthquake's shaking to his advantage even as he himself had been struck by the great force of the earth's plates scraping against the other.

'Don't freeze up!'

Something invisible was clenched in Touma's barreled fist. Something unexplainable and pure dwelled in his palm, driving his wounded body to rush through the unnatural earthquake.

'Without a doubt, I'm weak. Alone, I can't even save my own skin without the kindness of someone else. Even Imagine Breaker, a bizarre power capable of taking on Academy City's #1 and destroying a divine construct of a god, is useless right now. But it doesn't mean the card I've been desperately holding onto is doomed to lose!'

In the time it took Zori to recover from the quake, it was too late.

'The hand of even this luckless idiot can overturn this lousy game stacked against him. So, let's see whose gamble wins out!'

A right fist slammed into Zori's face once his katana was halfway from leaving its sheath. Blood bubbled from his nose as the high-speed he had been traveling at turned against him. Newton's Law came into effect as the object moving at constant velocity was interrupted by an external force containing greater inertia. In layman's terms the damage dealt was similar to a speeding car crashing into a bollard, rebounding in even greater force.

Zori's mind blacked out before Touma's fist slammed him into the ground with a harsh thud amid a flutter of playing cards cascading over him.

If one were to inspect the cards that fell they would find an 11 of spades landing among Touma's card.

21.

Touma: 1; Zori: 7.

[-]

Touma's knee's buckled as he stumbled back, gasping desperately with his hands landing on his knees for support. Something threatened to swim up his throat if he hadn't forced it down. He was almost afraid to spit in order to see if it were bile, blood, or both he was tasting.

No doubt underneath his borrowed dark blue vest there was an even gruesomer mess as he felt a certain wound grown damp again.

"That...was far too close!" he gasped.

Compared to the speed he had seen from Waraji, Zori was a completely different beast. Where the pirate-themed samurai had speed, his brute strength far more of a concern in their battle. Waraji's attacks were easily telegraphed no matter how fast his swings were, meaning he would be hit if he stayed still. Like a heavy-hitting boss, all Touma had to do was carefully read the path of the deadly attacks, not lose his cool, strategize, and counter however he could.

But where Zori lacked pure strength, he made up for it with insane speed. Touma could tell from how well the gray-haired samurai had evaded a lightning spear and broke into his guard in one second. If Waraji was the heavy-hitting boss than Zori was the speedster with blinking attacks capable of killing him at the beginning of the fight. An enemy like that was even more terrifying in terms of combat.

If it hadn't been for Touma's own reflexes kicking in to guide his fist, he was sure he would have lost more than just an arm.

Precognition.

The ability to properly react to and subconsciously anticipate attacks heading his way. It was speculated that said normal high schoolboy had been caught in so many fights in his time in Academy City that he had gained a natural sense of picking up hazards, allowing him to expertly evade a wide variety of attacks. Said power was unknown to him, acting as a sort of sixth sense he was never aware of. The closest he had to understand it was attributing his precognition as sharp reflexes passed down by the original Kamijou Touma's muscles.

Due to his many misfortunes, his body had grown to adapt to danger. Muscle memory was an odd natural ability every human had that allowed them to etch certain actions their bodies commonly performed to certain tasks like coded programs in a computer. Like how a person who spent a majority of their time typing away on their keyboards, they would find their fingers unconsciously tapping away with fine accuracy when their eyes weren't on the screen. In the case of Kamijou Touma, his body had grown to memorize certain actions in the face of violence to better survive without said boy even realizing it. He knew the proper action needed to tackle a wide range of sudden developments involving his survival better than he could ever realize.

If Touma were to ever admit to such an extraordinary gift, he would immediately break down in tears as he came to realize his gift was only due to the numerous fights he was dragged into on a daily basis.

It was that hidden power that guided his body to counter Zori's Iaijutsu as it had been interrupted by the earthquake. Without even knowing it, Touma's brain had analyzed the samurai's every movement from the twitch in his eyes to the tightening of his fingers and the rise of his chest to time when exactly he should attack as the thug/ronin recovered. Compared to the speeds Kanzaki and Acqua were well known for thanks to their status as Saints, Zori's drawing slash was rather lackluster. Fast but not superhuman level.

'Still, I'd have lost if it wasn't for the sudden quake. Was that an explosion from outside? Could it have been Kyofu-san?'

Wiping the sweat from his face, Touma turned back to the caged cells found on each side of the dingy passageway. Hard to believe he actually made it. He was pretty sure it would take him all day to sneak in. Actually, what time was it anyway? He wouldn't be greeted with a starry night when he left, would he?

"Guess I can worry about a cold dinner later. I still need to free everyone from these cells first." Touma mumbled as he walked over to Zori's unconscious form.

Quick pat-down of the delinquent dressed samurai later and Touma had found a set of keys. Touma sighed in relief, happy he wouldn't have to resort to breaking the cell bars with his bruised fists. It also meant he wouldn't have to wait for Kyofu's help.

The very second he had knocked Zori into dreamland, the dark-skinned kunoichi had sped past them in search of her gear. Hopefully, when he saw her again she'd be fully clothed. He could only ignore the older woman's jiggling firm breasts for so long without being reminded that the setting wasn't appropriate to be ogling his cellmate.

Whether or not she held up on her kind gesture to help him out of wherever they were locked within Sector-D was to be seen. Hopefully, she did, freeing the prisoners was one thing, getting them back to their homes while avoiding the untold number of guards was another.

Speaking of said prisoners, they were awfully quiet. No one had made a peep since the earthquake had calmed down.

Touma looked around the prison to see Gato's captives were all regarding him as if he had grown a second head. Just about everyone who was imprisoned was now on their feet, trembling hands gripping their cell bars, eyes lost in a daze and unable to utter a sound. The tense atmosphere hand changed, giving up an odd sense of anxiety similar to college-bound students waiting to hear the results of their acceptance letter.

He couldn't help but feel self-conscious as he scratched the back of his head. He supposed a speechless silence was better than anything else right now. The last thing he needed was more guards to beat up. This Kamijou-san's HP Bar was in the red, inching him closer to death as one mere hit could spell a Game over in his vulnerable state.

Could it be that they were waiting? For a sign that this wasn't just some dream they would only cruelly wake up from? Just how many times did those beaten and abused souls wake up from such lies?

Worn out as he were, Touma offered those anxious and terrified captives a warm smile.

"It's alright. I promise I'll save you."

What more could he say but that. A grand and inspiring speech wasn't needed here.

To those who had suffered for so long, who had endured suffering and hopelessness at the hands of demons, who had lost loved ones, been abused with tears in their eyes, and lost their sense of innocence and purity, little more than those seven words were needed.

Because in this den of greed, wrath, and lust, such words were never spoken or thought to ever be uttered.

Touma could see those empty and broken eyes gain a shimmering light. Those dried-up tears began to spring as if a reservoir had been tapped. Lips quivered with the sounds of sobbing just barely audible as many felt they were choking on the strange emotion they had once believed was stripped away from them.

Hope.

Touma reacted quickly to the beginning of a great uproar of grateful cries and thank yous, shushing the weeping prisoners with a finger over his lips.

"Listen! I know you're all eager to bust out of here but we're going to have to wait a bit, okay?" he whispered sternly, pleased to see many understand his intentions, "I just need everyone to grit their teeth a bit longer. If the guards hear that all their prisoners were released, they'll all come scrambling with eviscerating knives, bludgeoning clubs, torches, giant swords, and pointy spears that this simple Kamijou-san has no way of defending against. I'm not even sure I'd endure a punch from a child right now! I'm basically one giant mass of sores and bloodstains right now."

His whining helped to ease the tension even bring a few sobbing giggles out of the younger captives. To see children as young as Last Order and Fremea in tattered clothing, malnourished, and even…

An unnatural crack of plastic was heard faintly.

Touma's breath shuddered as he desperately fought to quell the bubbling haze of rage ready to turn him into some kind of berserker.

He wouldn't be swallowed up by such ugly emotions again. Focus, he had to focus.

"Let's take this slowly, alright? I'll free everyone in just a bit once my cellmate comes back. But first, there's something important I have to do."

Just this once, he would turn his back to those tearful gazes.

Something invisible pulsed frantically in his hand to drown out a terrifying pop of cracks.

He had no idea where they were but the intangible thing he held grew stronger the more he followed it. Like a magnet, it pulled him to where it belonged.

Logically, it made no sense. Following some unknown and invisible force that could not be proven to exist was laughable. No known technology, even those invented by a next-generation city like Academy City capable of detecting AIM, could ever prove anything in his hand was there. Let alone that it could lead him to some objective.

But it was said invisible wish a father had placed in Touma's hand. It was the source of strength pushing him forward even after being bloodied. Without a doubt, if it weren't for the formless and unseen presence he clutched onto, he would have been swallowed by the terrible darkness of the demon's den.

His feet were guided by that intangible warmth to lead him to the very end of the cells. On the right, he found a cell that appeared empty. He would have believed there was no one there if he hadn't heard a muffled gasp of fear from within the dank cell.

Aching muscles relaxed as Touma smiled happily.

They were the entire reason he had gone up against a pirate-themed samurai, charged into an enemy camp, gotten thrown into a cell awaiting his public execution, and gone up against a far more skilled samurai with two holes in his body. They were the source of something kind and bright, the wish of a beaten man who didn't have the strength to move. It was them who had led him all the way here where he found countless others who were suffering as they were. Through a dank abyss where chipped, malicious, and sinister horned demons frolicked and played to their twisted heart's content, he had pushed through with a single desire inspired by a gentle warmth someone handed down for him to take.

A well-endowed mother was found huddled in the farthest corner of the cell. In her arms, she hugged two girls who would have been in middle school back in his world. The three were in terrible shape. Their clothes were torn, bruised could be seen on their faces, and the mother appeared to have the front of her shirt nearly ripped off by lustful hands. But they were alive and appeared far better off than most of those who were imprisoned for similar reasons as they.

Something invisible ached in his hands.

Suspicion colored the mother's eyes at the sight of Touma, a battered and bloody stranger who appeared no different to her than those who had viciously torn at her clothing with jeers and hungry grins. It didn't matter whether she heard what he had to say or what promises he'd offer her.

Demons lied. The kindest and gentlest of smiles could hide the devil himself. Trickery was not beneath those horned beasts who had nearly stripped her to rags in front of her own weeping daughters.

She held her daughters closer to her chest, a terrifying glare daring the boy to try anything at the cost of her own life.

Touma smiled gently at the suspicion. He couldn't fault the mother. In fact, he couldn't help but find such courage heartwarming.

A mother's love was a powerful thing not even those degenerates could ever corrupt.

Key in hand, he twisted the simple piece of metal until the rusted copper-colored bars swung open with a creak. Slowly he took a step in, careful not to make any sudden actions that would paint him in any negative light. He had to be careful not to frighten those traumatized girls.

Trust was a powerful thing not easily handed. Only the most courageous of souls could ever hand over such an intangible gift to a complete stranger. Earning it took great deeds, could come at a great cost, and would even cost someone a part of themselves.

All this high school boy from another world had on him was his fist. It was all he ever had.

In his bloody right hand, he held something equally invisible.

"He's fine, Boshi-san's fine. Beaten up, wounded, unable to stand up, and bloody, but he's fine."

Yes, something undeniably invisible to the human eye, to even god's eye, rested in his right hand. It was colorless, formless, weightless, and lacked definition. But it held an immeasurable strength of the main character who fought for both his nation and family without ever being asked to.

Touma unfurled his battered fist, releasing that invisible spark he had shielded from the ugly darkness threatening to swallow them whole. An open hand was offered to the startled mother and daughters whose eyes grew wide and wet at the mention of that special main character who should have taken Touma's place.

Something red seeped from the corners of Touma's bright smile.

Undoubtedly, his entire body was on the verge of shutting down if he pushed himself any further. He didn't even have the strength to properly walk without relying on the invisible spark urging him forward. What would happen if he set that kind presence free?

His words were labored, his face sweaty, and his eyes were shut to lock that agony away from those who were stuck in some nightmare.

"That brave father stood his ground to protect both his family and his nation from Gato's fiends. With a broad toothy grin reminiscent of his younger years, he gave those spineless bastards the middle finger and refused to bend over so much as an inch. He fought hard, feet routed deep into the ground like roots and stonewalling those scumbags until they had to use numbers to crumble him. And yet they couldn't break him, not until they resorted to cheap tricks involving something far more important than his home; his family. But he's okay. After all, I wouldn't be here to take you to that brave hero with a smile on my face if he weren't impatiently waiting to see his girls again!"

The day where they could all wake up without the fear of being abducted from their homes, to be used and ransomed, to lose everything they cherished dearly, wasn't a naive dream to be forgotten. Everyone, those trapped in the cells like mangy dogs, those who had lost hope to wander their broken homes like animals waiting to be processed, had to know this. That this twisted reality where they were forced to accept a compromised normal life of misfortune had been cracked.

Touma swore that such an illusion would be shattered and its frail shambles dragged into the deepest depths of the sea.

The mother and daughters weren't able to process the illusion happening before their eyes. It was as if they were afraid to acknowledge the open, caring, gentle, strong right hand reaching out for them to pull them out of the darkness. As if grabbing that hand would cruelly cause such a warm picture to fall to shambles. Touma understood their hesitation.

Moments ago they had been trapped in a cold, dirty, dark cell without any beds or bathroom. What awaited them was a terrifying unknown that would only taint their innocence. Their tears for their captors to stop, to let them go, to not hurt them, to not touch them would be silenced and drowned by many other cries of the poor souls suffering the same living hell. All while whose bastards jeered at them, speaking ill of their father and husband who had been gutted or had sold them to survive. Ugly lies after lies would be feed to their wounded hearts as they were assaulted until all warmth had left their broken hearts.

"It's okay, take all the time you need. This Kamijou-san isn't going anywhere until you've found the strength to reach out from this nightmare. I can't force you to trust me, persuade you, or do any more than give you my hand. But if you can't trust me, at least believe in that brave father's strength handed down to this lousy boy for you take. He's waiting, so why keep him waiting any longer?"

Fight back the grueling agony and smile to those suffering a terrible misfortune in front of your eyes.

Show them the kindness no one was ever too late to receive.

Give them a reason to hope no matter how cruel the darkness engulfing them was.

And offer them something invisible, a spark, a warmth, to take a hold of so that they too could stand up and go forward.

A wet sniffle.

A trembling hiccup.

A stifled sob.

A patter of feet escaping a loving mother's arms to step forward.

And a small hand breaking out of greedy tendrils of a demon's darkness grabbed Touma's bruised, bloody, cut and dirty right hand.

Invisible courage and strength were received.

"Please, take me back to Tou-san!"

The nightmare of cold cells, leering men with licking lips, dark laughs, dirty hands grabbing for their face, was smashed to pieces by one brave girl who dared to hope for a better dream even at the cost of falling for an illusion born of despair.

Something invisible shattered that long nightmare with a great crack.

The small body of the twin-tail-haired girl went on to embrace Touma, shoving her sobbing face into his waist. Despite how tight the girl's embrace, how his aching body cried out and lights exploded in his vision, he couldn't help but smile wider as he patted the wailing dark-haired girl's head.

"Don't worry, I promise, I'll bring you back to that hero. No matter what."

It was enough. Those words were enough for that invisible kindness to reach the mother and the other daughter who could no longer stand the nightmare any longer. Two more buddies slammed into the crumbling boy's body, embracing him with more tears soaking into the red dying his skin. Even as he felt the mess underneath his clothing grow worse, he didn't push those crying girls away.

Because they, like many others in this prison, had decided to take a hold of something undeniably invisible but undeniably kind.


Rage is infectious once one is exposed to evil. You too can fall into the role of demon. It's but a wish away.

But something sweet and kind, an invisible presence offered by anyone, can save you.

Do not forget to smile in the face of despair and cruelty. It is never too late to break such illusions.

Take the firsts steps out of the belly of this seedy darkness.

And bare that invisible courage tightly in your simple fist.

What a chapter! Second, to the final battle, this was one of my favorites to write up. I'm happy I took the time to carefully edit it and tweak it despite it being finished months ago.

If I was to properly explain this chapter in one word, I'd say it would be this: Anger.

It's by far the most prominent emotion seen in this chapter. A powerful emotion that twists a person to something terrifying and manipulates their actions in the moment. But can also be a source of strength no different than a fire providing the means to counter the cold darkness.

Gato's decision to perform a public execution; anger. Zori's frustration and lashing out; anger. Naruto's impatience and eagerness to kill Gato at the first chance he had; anger. Even the final push Touma needed to keep himself awake; anger.

This situation, this unique hell, a place where other people were suffering or had already been broken by demons, was something Touma had never faced before. Or perhaps this was a reminder of one of the countless hells he had experienced when Magic God Othinus was trying to break his spirit. A special darkness he couldn't simply punch away or resolve with one fight. Because the damage had already been done and he lacked any way to completely heal the trauma on those who lacked any light in there eyes.

Without a doubt, if he lacked a push or had been left completely alone, such a place could have twisted him.

That soft plastic crack was evidence of his sanity and kindness being put under tremendous pressure.

We also have some screentime for our favorite Konoha ninjas too! As if they could simply sit back and let things proceed. While the original plan had been not to disturb Gato's operations due to triggering a large attack, things had to change once they were given a reason to attack. This is where I could stretch my creative legs and churn out some of my reasons as to why they had simply focused on training instead of attacking Gato's compounds or his men to save the nation.

It isn't just Touma venturing into such a seedy den either. Those young ninjas will have to confront that cruel and sickening darkness outside their cozy village too.

And finally, we have Zori.

Out of all the one-note characters I had been working with, he was the one I decided to really focus my creative juices on. You've already caught hints of what's being alluded to, and all the focus I've been putting on him since his appearance.

Interesting fact: did you know Zori was the one to kill Kaiza in the manga? That he was one scene releasing his blade in the panel before Kaiza was executed by Gato's command?

Pretty sure I'm taking some creative liberties here, but that's the fun of fanfiction; right?

This isn't the end for him. We still have one more chapter to go before this little arc before we walk the road to the final battle on this island nation comes to the end!

A doubled-sided jailbreak! Who's ready for one hell of a riot?!

And don't worry, this won't be the only one of my stories to be updated. I've still got to finish the final clean up and reviews/AN's of both A Certain Influx of Time Traveling Misfits and A Certain Unfortunate Trainer. I should have either one or both ready to upload by Sunday night.

Remember to Read and Review! It's common courtesy.

NeoShadows fading in and out.


Between The Lines-X

"The necessary requirements have been met, I take it?"

"Hmm~! It's not as great as I thought it would be, but it will have to do. It's like working with a foreign computer, no? Trying to install an entirely new system that fits our understanding into an already existing one without erasing or corrupting the other. All the original programs can't have been tampered with, the settings can't be changed by a single digit, the users mustn't notice any drastic changes worthy of investigating, and it can't interfere with the main functions. It's like adding in a hidden layer of code beneath the original that only select known users can access. It would have been so much simpler to just erase the other."

"Yes, it would have. But that would have required far more work and brute force. Not to mention stirring that odd processor slumbering deep within the system's CPU. I love a fight as much as you all but I've found myself growing fond of the makeup of this new world. It's exotic and reminds me of that boy's culture."

"The air feels...different. I suppose that is a sign of everything going according to plan. But we mustn't be hasty now. We'll have to allow the changes to settle in before we begin moving. In the meantime, we will have to focus on that."

"What do you think it'll take the form of as this time?"

"It's power doesn't matter, so long as we don't make the same mistake as the other two. It will surely match our desires nonetheless. While everything settles, we must focus on where it has settled and ensure the keeper accepts our offer. We will not fail as we did than."

"Who made you the leader?"

"Do you wish to fight about it?"

"Ooooooohh! Shall we all celebrate with a big old brawl?!"

"Please, control yourselves. I'd rather our new home not be besieged by idiotic titans tearing up the lawn with reckless abandonment. At least not until we've gotten our own rooms set up."

Deep within the background of the world's shadows, something stirred in the veins beneath the world's skin.

And the entirety of the Elemental Nations and beyond felt an invading prick at its core.