KAGE

Another two hours passed. We were resting in the inn's inner courtyard while watching the children play. It had been a week since I arrived in this world, which also meant it had been a week since my father in this world died.

Thanks to the Spiritual Water, my injuries had completely healed. Courtesy of the space. I couldn't help but remember the day I carried out my first mission. Back then, my entire body had been aching. Only a week had passed, yet it already felt like years ago.

Little by little, all of us were recovering from our grief. The children had started smiling again, and life was slowly moving forward as it should.

Daichi joined us. Judging by the look on his face, he still hadn't found the old man, and he looked worried.

"So? Nothing?" my mother asked.

"No. I've searched everywhere, but I couldn't find him. I have a terrible feeling... like something bad is about to happen."

"Don't worry. He probably just went out somewhere. Let's wait a little longer. I'm sure everything will be fine in the end," my mother reassured him.

Night fell...

We were having dinner in the inn's dining hall when five men entered. Four of them wore police uniforms, accompanied by Kirisawa Yuna, who immediately pointed toward our table—more specifically, at me.

The leader, wearing the insignia of a Guard Captain, swept his gaze across the room until it landed on us.

"Good evening. My name is Kurogane Tetsu, Captain of the Guard. I apologize for disturbing your meal, but we've received a report of aggravated assault and attempted murder. I must ask this young man to accompany us to the detention center."

Captain Kurogane Tetsu spoke cautiously, lacking the arrogance I had expected from what was probably a corrupt officer.

I calmly put down my chopsticks, masking my face with confusion.

"Aggravated assault and attempted murder? Who did such a thing?" I asked while looking at the officers.

"Are you still pretending to be ignorant?" Kirisawa Yuna shouted angrily. "After everything you've done, you evil monster! You nearly killed my brother! We still don't know whether he'll survive, and yet you're sitting here as if nothing happened!"

Despite his feigned anger, the delight and triumph on his face were impossible to hide.

Over the past few days, I had expected retaliation from Mukade. I had considered several possibilities, and one of the most likely was that they'd use the police to pressure me.

But for the police to act, they needed evidence and witnesses.

Yes, I had beaten Tanaka Daichi in the middle of a public marketplace, but I was confident I could persuade any ordinary civilian to speak—or remain silent—depending on what I wanted.

After all, these people had been oppressed by the Mukade gang for years. They had all witnessed what I did to one of its members.

Using the Eye of Insight, I examined their information.

Name: Kurogane Tetsu

Rank: Chunin (Advanced)

Bloodline: None

Talent: Medium

Name: Amamiya Rei

Rank: Chunin (Beginner)

Bloodline: None

Talent: Low

Name: Watanabe Jun

Rank: Genin (Advanced)

Bloodline: None

Talent: Low

Name: Tachibana Mio

Rank: Genin (Advanced)

Bloodline: None

Talent: Medium

"Sir, please don't make false accusations. When did I ever assault anyone? I've been here at the inn all day without leaving. If you'd like, you can ask the staff."

"Of course it didn't happen today. It happened four days ago! You nearly killed my friend just because he spoke! What kind of monster are you? So young, yet so vicious!"

The moment he finished speaking, an overwhelming pressure crashed down upon the five of them.

It came from my mother.

She had finally stepped in after seeing the younger children becoming frightened by both the police officers and Kirisawa Yuna's shouting.

The pressure was so overwhelming that every single one of them fell to their knees in terror.

This wasn't merely the aura of an ordinary Jonin.

Mixed within it was the oppressive presence of a Tailed Beast.

A few moments later, the pressure vanished as though it had never existed, but the five men remained kneeling on the floor.

"Gentlemen," my mother said calmly, "I believe there's been a misunderstanding."

"Judging by this young man's age, I assume your injured friend is around the same age. Now look at my son."

"He's only twelve years old."

"And my son has never been a violent child. Just look at how skinny he is. Do you truly believe he has the strength to defeat someone your age? Among all the children here, he's the weakest."

In a way, my mother wasn't wrong.

Among everyone in our family, I had the lowest natural talent. Both Hikari and Daichi were vastly stronger than me—strong enough to suppress me completely.

"As you can see," my mother continued, "we are a family of orphans led by a widow. My husband has passed away, and we are weak. We are only passing through this town and will continue our journey soon."

"So why make life even harder for a family of orphans and a widow?"

Kurogane Tetsu immediately understood the hidden meaning behind her words.

Faced with such overwhelming pressure, he realized this was a problem he couldn't afford to get involved in.

According to her, the boy who had brutally defeated a Genin was supposedly the weakest member of the family.

Whether that was true or not didn't matter.

If she was lying, then the boy possessed terrifying potential.

If she was telling the truth... then the rest of the family was even more dangerous.

Either way, he wanted no part in this muddy water.

The bribes he received weren't worth risking his life.

Especially after understanding the veiled threat in her words.

They were travelers.

If they killed him tonight and disappeared tomorrow, no one would ever find the culprits.

A week ago, something very similar had already happened.

He needed to get out of here.

Fast.

"After considering everything you've said, Madam, I believe you're right. There are far too many inconsistencies in this accusation."

"And judging by the young man before me, he appears to be someone of integrity and good character."

"As a police officer, I promise we will continue investigating thoroughly and use every available resource to prevent mistakes of this magnitude."

"My lady, we'll take our leave now. We sincerely apologize for interrupting your dinner. I wish you and your family a pleasant evening."

After bowing respectfully, he turned around.

His subordinates immediately followed, practically running away as though they were fleeing the God of Plague.

Watching everything unfold so differently from what he had expected, Kirisawa Yuna was left dumbfounded.

From the beginning, the plan had been simple.

Pressure Ren through the police.

If Ren denied everything, there was a second plan.

Yuna had bribed several people to testify against him.

Very few had agreed.

After witnessing Ren's brutality toward Tanaka Daichi, most civilians wanted nothing to do with him.

If he could do that to a Mukade member...

What would he do to ordinary people?

Even worse, they'd be helping Mukade instead of Ren.

In the end, Yuna had only managed to bribe outsiders.

Still, there had been so many people at the marketplace that nobody could prove whether those witnesses had actually been present.

Once Ren was taken into custody, his older brother would handle the rest.

The brat might be a genius...

But his older brother was a Jonin.

There was no way Ren could defeat him.

Who could have imagined everything would end so quickly?

He never even got the chance to present his witnesses.

Everything had been settled by sheer strength.

The power displayed by Ren's mother far surpassed anything his own older brother had ever shown.

He knew his brother couldn't afford to provoke this family.

Then he remembered what they had done earlier that day...

Cold sweat trickled down his back.

The arrow had already been released.

There was no turning back now.

His older brother demanded results tonight.

He had to act.

11:00 PM...

A stone crashed through Ren's bedroom window.

Ren immediately woke up.

He normally waited until midnight before entering the space.

The sound of shattering glass also woke Daichi and Katsuro.

Looking at the stone, Ren noticed a piece of paper tied around it.

IF YOU WANT THE OLD MAN TO SURVIVE, FOLLOW THIS MAP.

COME ALONE.

IF YOUR MOTHER IS SEEN WITH YOU... THE OLD MAN DIES.

At last, the mystery behind Akiyama Kensuke's disappearance had been solved.