Leo looked between Kurenai and Ayame, arms crossed, expression flat.
"So… they're sending us again?"
Kurenai nodded, her face calm on the surface—though yesterday's events still lingered behind her eyes.
"Seems like it. The Elders want us to finish what we started."
Leo clicked his tongue. "Damn Elders."
Ayame adjusted the strap of her sniper case, her tone more measured.
"This time it's different. They're not treating it as a cleanup operation."
Leo raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"
Kurenai glanced at him. "It's a capture mission."
That made him pause.
Ayame continued, "Tendo was spotted again. Same network. Same supply routes. But this time—no Hell Knight, no artificial demon escort."
Leo exhaled slowly. "Or that's what they want us to think."
Kurenai met his eyes. "Exactly."
A brief silence fell between the three.
Leo broke it. "Let me guess. Same team?"
Ayame nodded. "Us three. No reinforcements unless things go south."
Leo snorted. "Because that worked out so well last time."
Kurenai allowed herself a faint smirk. "You still came back alive."
"Barely," Leo muttered. Then, more serious, "What about Suiren?"
Ayame shook her head. "Still under observation. She's not cleared for fieldwork."
Kurenai clenched her fist slightly, then relaxed it. "Then we don't rely on anyone else."
Leo straightened. "Good. Means we plan for betrayal, interference, and bullshit."
Ayame smirked. "As usual."
Kurenai took a steady breath.
"We move at dusk. Same dock district, different sector. If Tendo escapes again…"
Leo's eyes darkened.
"He won't."
For a moment, neither woman doubted him.
After a while, they arrived in Tokyo Kingdom.
This time, it wasn't the dock itself—but a nearby entertainment district. Neon lights flooded the streets, signs glowing in every color imaginable. Music thumped faintly through the air, blending with laughter and drunken chatter.
Leo stopped in front of a building wrapped in pink and gold neon.
KING'S PLEASURE
He stared up at the sign.
"…Cabaret club," Leo muttered. "Yeah. That tracks."
Then he turned around.
His finger shot out toward Kurenai and Ayame as he screamed—quietly, the kind of rage-filled whisper that could only be described as screaming in lowercase.
"WHY is your idea of sneaking into this place dressed as Prostitute!?"
Ayame didn't even blink.
"The correct term is hostess."
Leo slowly turned his head. "That does not make it better."
Kurenai glanced down at herself, adjusting the elegant—but unmistakably revealing—dress she was wearing.
"It's not a bad plan," she said calmly. "Tendo's client frequents this place. Staff turnover is high, background checks are loose, and nobody questions attractive newcomers."
Leo dragged a hand down his face. "Of course. Of course."
He looked down at himself—tailored suit, open collar, subtle gold trim. Way too expensive. Way too… intentional.
"So let me get this straight," Leo said flatly. "You dressed me in this suit… as your—"
He made air quotes.
"—escort."
Kurenai nodded once. "Correct."
Leo exhaled slowly. "Asagi is going to kill me."
Ayame's cheeks flushed slightly as she pulled a sleek black mask from her case.
"That's why we brought this. It'll hide your face. Facial recognition, cameras—none of it will get a clean read."
Leo eyed the mask. "…This feels like the start of a bad joke."
Kurenai smirked faintly. "Relax. Just act natural."
Leo slipped the mask on and muttered,
"I fight demons, Hell Knights, and drug lords… and this is what breaks me."
Ayame adjusted her earpiece.
"Remember—no weapons visible, no chakra flares, and no starting fights unless absolutely necessary."
Leo cracked his knuckles. "Then pray Tendo behaves."
Kurenai placed a hand on the door.
"Showtime."
Leo adjusted the mask one last time, the cool material settling against his face.
"…Never tell Asagi about this," he said firmly.
Ayame and Kurenai exchanged a glance—then, in perfect unison, both wrapped an arm around him.
"Ok," they said together.
Leo didn't relax. "You said that way too easily."
Kurenai's lips curved into a knowing smile as she stepped closer to the club entrance.
"Now," she said smoothly, posture shifting, voice slipping into something softer and practiced, "let's play the part."
The doors to King's Pleasure opened.
Warm light spilled out, mixed with perfume, alcohol, and music that thumped low and heavy in the chest. Inside, the atmosphere was thick—smoke curling through the air, laughter too loud, smiles too rehearsed.
A sharply dressed bouncer looked them over.
Kurenai moved first, looping her arm through Leo's, leaning in just enough to sell it.
"Reservation under Shinganji," she said sweetly.
The bouncer's eyes flicked to Leo—lingering on the mask, the suit, the calm confidence in his stance—then to Ayame, who smiled with practiced ease.
After a tense second, the man stepped aside.
"Enjoy your night."
As they walked in, Leo muttered under his breath,
"If I die here, make sure my gravestone says 'Died with dignity'."
Ayame leaned close, whispering,
"You're doing fine. Just breathe."
Inside, Leo's eyes scanned the room—not as a Taimanin, not as a fighter, but as prey pretending to belong.
'This is worse than fighting Hell Knights,' he thought.
Somewhere in this building, Tendo's client was waiting.
And the game had officially begun.
Leo kept his posture relaxed, fingers loosely resting at his side, but his eyes never left the table.
"There," he murmured. "Tendo."
Ayame followed his gaze, the smile on her face never wavering even as her eyes sharpened.
"…He's talking to someone from Dragon Gate."
Leo frowned beneath the mask. "Dragon Gate making deals with someone tied to Nomand? I thought those two hated each other."
Kurenai's expression stayed composed, but her thoughts raced.
'They do. Or at least, they're supposed to.'
She shifted closer, close enough that it looked intimate to anyone watching, her voice barely above a breath.
"This isn't a partnership," she whispered. "This is convenience."
At the table, Tendo laughed—too easily. The man across from him wore Dragon Gate colors subtly: a pin, an embroidered cuff. No open hostility. No tension.
That was the problem.
Ayame's eyes flicked around the room. "No guards from Nomand. No Dragon Gate enforcers either."
Leo's jaw tightened. "Meaning neither side thinks this deal can fail."
Kurenai's fingers twitched near her sleeve, where talismans were hidden.
"Or," she said quietly, "someone powerful enough is guaranteeing both sides safety."
At that moment, Tendo glanced up.
His eyes landed—briefly—on Leo.
Just a fraction of a second.
Too deliberate to be coincidence.
Tendo smiled wider.
Leo felt it then—that crawling sensation at the back of his neck.
'He knows we're here.'
Ayame leaned in, her tone still playful for anyone watching.
"Orders?"
Leo exhaled slowly, forcing his shoulders to loosen.
"We don't move yet," he whispered. "We listen."
Kurenai nodded.
"Agreed. Whatever this is… it's bigger than Tendo."
Across the room, the Dragon Gate agent raised a glass.
"To mutual profit," he said.
Tendo chuckled.
"And to new management."
Leo's blood ran cold.
'…New management?'
Something had shifted in the board—and they were standing right in the middle of it.
Leo let out a slow breath and closed his eyes behind the mask.
The Blacklight Viruses responded instantly.
They flooded inward—not outward like claws or blades, but inward, threading delicately through nerves and bone. His inner ear restructured, cochlea spirals tightening, sensory hairs multiplying, vibrating with unnatural precision.
Sound bloomed.
The cabaret dissolved into layers.
Music became background noise. Glass clinks separated into individual impacts. Heartbeats—slow, fast, nervous—mapped themselves in space.
And then—
Voices.
"…you're certain Nomand won't interfere?"
—Dragon Gate agent.
Tendo chuckled, the sound oily. "Nomand doesn't even know this deal exists. And even if they did, they wouldn't move."
"Because of him?"
A pause.
"Yes," Tendo said carefully. "Because of Black-sama."
Leo's spine stiffened.
'That name again.'
The Dragon Gate agent leaned closer, voice dropping. "You're telling me the rumors are true? That Nomand isn't being run by its old leadership anymore?"
Tendo swirled his drink. "Leadership implies visibility. This one prefers shadows."
"And the Fuuma?" the agent asked. "They're becoming… inconvenient."
Tendo smiled. "Already handled."
Leo's jaw clenched.
'Bullshit.'
The agent continued, "We heard reports. A Fuuma boy. Shapeshifting. Demon mark traits without a contract."
Tendo laughed softly. "Yes… that one."
The sound made Leo's blood boil.
"He's an anomaly," Tendo went on. "But anomalies are useful. They draw attention. Fear. Panic."
"So you're letting him live?"
"For now," Tendo said. "Black-sama is… curious."
The Dragon Gate agent hesitated. "Curious doesn't sound reassuring."
"It isn't," Tendo replied calmly. "But when Black-sama finishes observing… the Fuuma problem will solve itself."
Leo's hands curled slowly into fists.
The Blacklight reacted—hungry, aggressive—before he forced it down.
'They're watching me. Studying me. Using me as bait.'
Behind him, Ayame noticed the shift in his posture immediately.
She leaned in, lips brushing near his ear, voice still playful to any onlooker.
"Leo… what did you hear?"
He didn't open his eyes yet.
"…They know about me," he whispered. "And they're planning something bigger than Gosha. Bigger than Tendo."
Kurenai felt a chill crawl up her spine.
"…How big?"
Leo finally opened his eyes.
Behind the mask, they were cold.
"Big enough that Nomand, Dragon Gate, and whoever this Black-sama is… are all moving in sync."
At the table, Tendo raised his glass again.
"To the future," he said.
Leo watched him through the crowd.
'Yeah,' he thought grimly.
'And I don't think you're going to like the version of the future where I survive.'
Ayame then looked at Leo. "So what now?"
Leo looked at them as he spoke. "Not now".
They saw Tendo and the Dragon Gate member get up, shake hands, and then leave.
The light went out, and then turned back on, as Dragon Gate members surrounded them.
Leo just glared at Kurenai. "I told you, using your family name for the reservation was a bad idea!".
Ayame's hand drifted toward her hidden weapon. "So much for subtle."
Kurenai clicked her tongue, already scanning exits. "I didn't think they'd react this fast."
Leo exhaled slowly. 'Figures. Dragon Gate doesn't do coincidence.'
The cabaret lights dimmed again—this time intentionally. Music cut mid-note. Conversations died.
Footsteps.
From the shadows, men in tailored suits stepped forward, coats hiding weapons, eyes sharp and trained. No panic. No shouting. Professionals.
One of them smiled politely. "Apologies for the inconvenience. We'll need you three to come with us."
Ayame scoffed. "You're blocking the fire exits. That's a safety violation."
The man didn't even blink. "You won't need them."
Leo tilted his head. "See, that's where you're wrong."
The Blacklight rippled under his skin—not bursting out, just waiting.
Another Dragon Gate member stepped closer, eyes lingering on Leo's mask. "Escort-san, you seem… tense."
Leo leaned forward slightly. "I'm always tense in clubs with human trafficking ties."
That got a reaction. Subtle, but real.
Kurenai shifted her stance. "Leo—"
"Not yet," he murmured.
The lead agent raised a hand. "Last chance. Come quietly."
Leo smiled behind the mask.
Then the lights shattered.
Glass rained down as Ayame fired a suppressed shot straight into the ceiling lights. Darkness swallowed the room.
Instantly—
—Wind pressure surged as Kurenai moved.
—A gunshot echoed as Ayame repositioned.
—And Leo stepped forward, Blacklight finally unleashed.
His arm morphed—not into claws, not yet—but into dense tendrils, spreading low along the floor like living shadows.
'Non-lethal,' he reminded himself. 'Mostly.'
The tendrils snapped upward.
Three Dragon Gate agents were yanked off their feet, slammed into tables, restrained before they could scream.
One tried to draw a blade—
Leo was there in a blur.
He disarmed the man with a sharp twist, elbow to the gut, then shoved him unconscious into a booth.
Kurenai appeared beside him, blade pressed to another agent's throat. "Stand down."
The man froze.
Ayame's voice echoed calmly from somewhere above. "Snipers disabled. You're surrounded."
A pause.
Then slow clapping.
From the far end of the club, a new figure stepped forward—older, composed, wearing Dragon Gate colors with authority.
"Well done," he said. "So the rumors were true."
Leo turned to face him. "About?"
"The Fuuma boy," the man replied. "Adaptive combat. Tactical restraint."
Leo's tendrils tightened unconsciously. "You're still breathing. Choose your next words carefully."
The man raised his hands slightly. "Relax. If we wanted you dead, this place would already be burning."
Kurenai frowned. "Then why trap us?"
"Because," the man said, eyes fixed on Leo, "Black-sama wanted confirmation."
Silence.
Ayame stiffened. "So you work for him too."
"Not for," the man corrected. "We cooperate."
Leo felt James stir uneasily in his mind.
'Kid… I don't like this.'
Leo stepped forward, voice low. "Then deliver a message."
The man raised an eyebrow.
"Tell Black-sama," Leo continued, Blacklight crawling visibly now, "that if he's watching me like an experiment—he better be ready when the experiment starts fighting back."
The man studied him for a long moment.
Then he smiled. "I'll pass it along."
He snapped his fingers.
Dragon Gate agents disengaged, stepping back into the shadows, leaving a clear path to the exit.
"Tonight never happened," the man said. "Next time… will be different."
As they disappeared, the club lights flickered back to life—broken tables, unconscious men, and stunned patrons left behind.
Ayame exhaled. "That was too clean."
Kurenai nodded. "Yeah. This wasn't an ambush. It was a test."
Leo looked toward the door Tendo had exited through earlier.
"…And I think," he said quietly, "we just passed the first one."
He turned to the girls. "We're done here. Elders need to hear this—everything."
Ayame smirked faintly. "Good luck explaining the club."
Leo groaned. "Asagi is definitely going to kill me now."
But even as he joked, his thoughts were elsewhere.
'Black-sama. Nomand. Dragon Gate.'
The board was bigger than he thought.
And someone, somewhere—
—had just confirmed Leo Fuuma as a piece worth moving.
A few hours later in Gosha
Everything was explained to the Elder.
The room fell into a very specific kind of silence—the kind reserved for catastrophic but preventable mistakes.
Genzo rubbed his temples. Slowly. Painfully.
"Let me repeat this to ensure I understand correctly," he said. "You infiltrated a Dragon Gate–connected cabaret… using the Shinganji family name."
Leo and Ayame, in perfect synchronization, raised their hands and pointed.
"Kurenai."
Every elder in the room performed the exact same motion: palm to forehead.
One of them muttered, "By the Ninja Gods…"
Another sighed, "At least she didn't use the main registry seal."
Kurenai crossed her arms defensively. "It was the fastest way to get a private table!"
Genzo stared at her. "…And now Dragon Gate knows exactly which bloodline to watch."
Across the room, Kaede hadn't said a word.
She didn't need to.
She simply looked at her daughter.
That look—the ancient, terrifying, soul-crushing Disappointed Mother Look—hit harder than any jutsu.
Kurenai shrank half an inch. "...I may have miscalculated."
Kaede spoke softly. "Kurenai."
"Yes, mother."
"You used your clan name. In Tokyo. At a cabaret. Linked to trafficking. While undercover."
"…Yes."
Kaede smiled.
That somehow made it worse.
"We will discuss this later."
Kurenai visibly wilted. Leo silently thanked every god that Kaede was not his mother.
Genzo cleared his throat, regaining control of the room. "Joking aside, what you encountered was not an ordinary countermeasure. That was reconnaissance."
One elder nodded. "Dragon Gate doesn't deploy that cleanly unless someone important is watching."
Another added, eyes on Leo, "And the name 'Black-sama' has surfaced again."
The room shifted.
Leo leaned back, arms crossed. "So it's official. I'm on someone's radar."
Genzo met his gaze. "Yes. And not just anyone's."
Ayame frowned. "They let us go. On purpose."
"They wanted to see how you'd react," Genzo replied. "How he would react."
Kaede finally looked at Leo, her expression sharp but not hostile. "You frightened them."
Leo blinked. "I did?"
"You didn't lose control," she continued. "You didn't kill indiscriminately. You adapted. You threatened back."
She paused. "That's not a weapon. That's a variable."
The elders murmured in agreement.
Genzo exhaled. "Which means from now on, missions involving Leo will no longer be classified as standard operations."
Leo raised an eyebrow. "Let me guess. Special category?"
Genzo nodded. "High-value. High-risk. And politically sensitive."
Leo groaned. "Great. I get a new label."
Kurenai glanced at him, guilt flickering across her face. "I didn't mean to drag you into this deeper."
Leo waved it off. "Too late. Besides—" he smirked faintly, "—if someone like Black-sama is watching me, I'd rather know than stay blind."
Genzo studied him for a long moment.
"…You really are Fuuma," he said quietly.
The meeting adjourned soon after, tension lingering like smoke.
As they filed out, Kaede stopped Leo.
"Leo Fuuma."
He turned.
"Next time you accompany my daughter undercover," she said calmly, "use a fake name."
Leo nodded instantly. "Yes ma'am."
She smiled. Briefly.
And somewhere far away, unseen eyes continued to watch—
—not displeased with how the game was unfolding.
To be continued
Hope people like this ch and give me power stones and enjoy