Chapter 228 ( Facing the Past - II )

"But I think it's time to put the greetings aside and concentrate on what we came here to do" - Saizō said as he shot a glance at Ayane - "It's been a while, Ayane.... 6 years to be exact..."

"Onii-san..." - Ayane muttered as her expression changed to a serious one because she knew that if Saizō had appeared in front of her, it was because her clan knew of her location.

"Don't give me that look, Ayane" - Saizō said as he shook his head while keeping his smile on his face - "You knew very well that this day would come..."

". . ." - Ayane didn't answer, she just looked at Iori for a few seconds before focusing completely on the boy - "You're right, I knew that one day the past would come to bite me in the ass..."

"A bit of a vulgar expression, but quite accurate" - nodded Saizō while opening his eyes - "Now the question is.... Are you going to accept your fate, or are you going to keep running away?"

". . ." - Ayane again fell silent before shaking her head - "I'm not going to."

Iori just clenched her fist with all her might as she glared fiercely at the red-haired girl.

"Bad answer, Ayane..." - Saizō said as his gaze turned dark - "The Asahinata clan has no need for members who don't accept the rules..."

Saizō was about to attack, but he stayed in place when he felt something cold touching his throat - "That's not very nice of you, Cloud-san..."

"Poor choice of words my friend" - Cloud said as he narrowed his eyes - "I may not have taught Ayane much, but that doesn't change that she decided to be my student..."

"Hmm... this complicates my mission a bit..." - Saizō muttered as he sighed regretfully - "Not only are you getting in my way, but you also continue to annoy me.... Do you want us to fight to the death?"

Saizō quickly released all his Ki, causing the girls to tremble at how evil he felt.

"As I thought, you enjoy tormenting your victims..." - Cloud replied neutrally - "As would be expected from someone trained in murder..."

"That's why I don't like to associate much with your clan... especially with their Kokumu Aten (Black Mist of the Dark Skies)" - said Kentarō while frowning - "Every time I sense their auras, I feel repulsed by how sadistic and heartless they are."

"Hmm... it's strange to hear that from a man who practically cripples his opponents, Kentarō-san" - Saizō replied while looking at the Head of the Tachibana clan.

"That may be true, but unlike you assassins, I fight head-on" - Kentarō replied with clear annoyance - "I have never used ambushes or tricks in my fights, and I have always shown my opponents the respect they deserve."

"That's why I don't like to converse with Martial Artists..." - Saizō said as his gaze became vacant - "They always feel superior to us, even when they are about to die..."

". . ." - the girls only kept silent when they saw such a sudden change in the assassin's personality.

"Oh, I'm sorry you had to see that..." - Saizō said while shaking his head and retracting his aura - "Anyway, I'd like you to keep your gun away from my neck and not get in the way of my mission, Cloud Strife-san..."

"Why should I?" - Cloud asked as he narrowed his eyes.

"Because this is a personal matter of the Asahinata clan" - replied Saizō while looking at the blond - "That's why person who have no relation, shouldn't get in the way."

"You're right... but I think you forgot a small detail..." - Cloud said coldly - "Ayane is MY student, and as such, I have the right to stick my nose in without you being able to say something... now I'm asking you to speak up and tell us what you came here for before my hand starts shaking and an accident happens..."

"You're not making my job any easier, Strife" - Saizō said coldly.

"And I'm enjoying every second of it... now I'm asking you to talk, I don't want to repeat myself again" - Cloud replied while releasing some of his mana.

". . ." - Saizō tried to calm down again, only this time it wasn't because of his desire to fight, but because he was feeling an anger that couldn't be contained seeing that he had been blocked over and over again.

Iori for her part just kept silent as she watched everything unfold, though she had to admit she was surprised that Saizō was blocked so easily. She could feel how Cloud would attack the moment her Onii-san did something stupid or showed his bloodlust.

"Ayane, I'm sure you know what we came for" - Saizō said while looking at the red-haired girl with his cold eyes - "You also know that we won't stop... that's why I came to give you one last chance."

"What if I refuse?" - Ayane asked because she knew how things would be if she accepted.

"I'm sure you know the consequences..." - Saizō replied neutrally.

". . ." - Ayane gave Iori a glance, only to notice how she was looking back at her.

"You have 3 days to decide... if you accept, we'll be waiting for you at the north entrance of the forest" - Saizō said while taking a few steps back - "We'll be waiting for your positive answer.... let's go, Iori"

"Hai" - replied the blue-haired girl as she followed her mission partner.

"Ok, you better talk, Ayane" - said Keiko with a frown. She honestly was a bit annoyed with not knowing what was going on, outside of having a few small details.

"Keiko..." - Makoto muttered as she frowned at her friend's words.

"I know I'm being rude, but as your sub-leaders, I feel like she should have some trust in us" - Keiko said as she looked at her leader - "I'm not asking you this because I'm gossiping, I'm asking you because I want to help you, not only as your subordinate, but as your friend who has fought by your side for so long."

"Keiko-chan..." - sighed Ayane as she looked at her friend - "Okay.... I'm going to tell you what happened"

"I think we'd better go..." - Meru said as the others nodded.

"No, it's better for everyone to know" - said Ayane as she looked around, especially at her sensei - "They have the right to know what's going on."

Ayane without a second thought, began to relate her life during her stay in the Asahinata clan.

* * * * *

". . ." - Saizō just squinted as he recalled the past and how the clan leaders decided to 'set Ayane free' to see what kind of decisions she would make if she had the freedom of choice - "We don't need freedom, we don't need anything... we're just weapons.... Don't you think so too, Iori?"

"Hai..." - Iori replied almost immediately.

"That's good to hear..." - nodded Saizō as he looked in the direction of where Ayane and the others were - "But I guess there's always going to be a faulty part..."

Iori frowned when she heard this, but quickly returned to her neutral expression so that her companion wouldn't notice.

"Hmm... Three days... I suppose I could use them to pass the time..." - Saizō said as a sadistic smile appeared on his face - "Do you want to come with me and have some fun while we tear some assholes apart?"

"No... I think I'll use this time to train" - replied Iori neutrally - "That way I'll be at my peak when I have to face Ayane."

"True... that's a good point..." - nodded Saizō while looking at the blue-haired girl - "I guess it'll be just me.... good luck in your training..."

"Hai, Saizō Onii-san" - said Iori as she watched her mission partner disappear from the place. She quickly started training because she knew that Saizō wouldn't really leave until some time passed.

After a few minutes, Iori relaxed her body and stretched on the ground as she thought about the past and how her best friend had escaped alone, leaving her in hell for 6 long years.

"No identity..." - Iori muttered as she looked up at the sky with a frown. She, as someone who had failed to complete the final test of the Asahinata clan, had no identity within the clan, she was just a shadow that everyone ignored and forced to train endlessly until the day came where she would face her best friend and manage to defeat her - "But... it's worth it..."

Iori honestly didn't hate Ayane, at least not right now, after all, she would have done the same if she could go back in time. During the final trial, they were both innocent children and now that they had grown up, they could look back and understand many things, in Iori's case, that Ayane's decision to escape was not wrong.

"I wonder what Ayane will think of her decision..." - Iori muttered as she started to think- "If she's still the same girl from years ago... then she has to keep blaming herself for leaving me in Asahinata..."

Iori slowly stood up and wiped the dirt off her clothes as she went back to training, after all, she didn't lie when she said that she would train so she could be in her optimal state for her fight against Ayane because she was completely sure that she would agree in coming with them and end the ordeal- "Let's see how much you've improved.... Ayane..."

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Read 16 chapters ahead of Marvel X DC and each chapter is more than 3k words so maybe a total of 47k + words ahead...

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