THE 2ND STRONGEST

The dimly lit room was thick with tension. At the head of the long table sat Kairo, his posture relaxed yet commanding. His long hair draped over his eyes, masking his expression, but the cold aura radiating from him was unmistakable. Across from him, the rest of Squad 5 glared, their frustration evident.

A moment of silence passed before Zera finally spoke, her voice sharp and steady.

"I'm sure we all know why this meeting is happening."

Kamuro smirked, arms crossed. "Of course, heh… No need to spell it out."

Rein gave a lazy shrug. "I guess."

Zera's gaze hardened as she turned to Kairo, her tone becoming sharper. "You had Hollow Fang right in front of you. Defeated. Helpless. Yet you let him walk away. We need an explanation."

Kairo remained still, staring down at the table. His voice, when it finally came, was devoid of emotion.

"I have none."

The room tensed.

Zera's voice rose, her anger barely contained. "What the hell do you mean you have no explanation?!"

Kairo's lips parted slightly. "I'm sor—"

Before he could finish, a voice cut through the tension like a blade.

A figure leaned forward from the shadows of the room, long flowing black hair cascading over a blood-red cloak. Crimson eyes burned through the dim light.

"Cut the crap, shithead. You know exactly what this means."

His voice was smooth but laced with venom.

Ryuketsu.

"First, we just pissed away a hundred million. Second, that bastard is alive and knows we're coming. You should understand better than anyone what kind of threat he is now."

Kairo finally lifted his head, a small, almost amused smile creeping onto his face. "Is that so?"

Kamuro narrowed his eyes. "Huh?"

Kairo leaned back in his chair, the smirk never leaving his face. "If any of you think you're capable, then go stop him."

Silence.

A single drop of sweat slid down Zera's chin as she swallowed hard. Rein looked away, avoiding eye contact. Kamuro clenched his fists, his smirk long gone.

Then, a low chuckle.

Ryuketsu grinned. "Fine. I'll go."

He pushed back his chair and stood, his crimson eyes flashing. "But if I take him down, I want fifty percent of that bounty."

Kairo's smile didn't waver. "Fine."

Zera snapped. "What? No way—"

Before she could finish, Ryuketsu vanished.

The room remained still, the weight of his departure settling over them.

The training ground was still. Kuragiri leaned against a nearby tree, arms crossed, watching the two siblings prepare to spar.

"Go!!"

Before he could even react, Kazuki was already on the ground, his wooden sword gone from his grip. Tsukimi stood over him, holding it effortlessly.

Kuragiri raised an eyebrow, mildly amused. "Wow. That was fast. What's your name, anyway?"

Tsukimi let out a sigh, brushing back a loose strand of hair before shooting Kuragiri a sharp stare. He instinctively jolted upright.

"Tsukimi."

Kuragiri exhaled. "Well, I'm—"

"Kuragiri. I know. You're one of the top ten most wanted men in Japan."

She gave him a sideways glance. "It's an honor to meet you."

Kuragiri froze. His brain lagged for a second, her words sinking in.

"Eeehhh?! Me? Wai—Wha—How?!"

Kazuki, still lying on the ground, smirked with a look of pride. "It's true. And honestly, it's an honor to be acquainted with you, sir." But then his expression turned serious. "That said... you have to leave. Assassins will be coming for you any moment now. We don't want to get caught up in all that."

Tsukimi gave a silent nod of agreement.

Kuragiri frowned. "Wai—"

Before he could finish, a sudden gust of wind howled through the area. The ground trembled as dust and sand exploded into the air. Kazuki ducked while Tsukimi instinctively shielded him, her eyes narrowing.

As the dust settled, a tall figure emerged—a man standing at six feet, long sleek black hair flowing behind him. His crimson eyes gleamed beneath the shadow of his blood-red cloak.

A smirk curled on his lips.

"Yo."

Ryuketsu stood tall, his blood-red cloak swaying slightly in the breeze. A sharp grin spread across his face as his crimson eyes locked onto Kuragiri.

"Yo. Name's Ryuketsu. It's an honor to finally meet you—" his grin widened, "—that is, before I take your head."

Kuragiri's expression darkened. More assassins? Shit… I haven't even fully recovered yet.

He clenched his fists, eyes narrowing as he shot Ryuketsu a cold glare. "What the hell do you want from me?"

Ryuketsu let out a lazy sigh, cracking his neck. "Nothing much. Just your head. That'd be enough for me."

Kuragiri scoffed, lips curling into a smirk. "What a load of crap. You really think you can take my head that easily? Even the captain of S-Rank Squad No.5 couldn't—"

Ryuketsu's eyes flashed with irritation. "Tch. Stop bluffing." He crossed his arms. "My captain let you off the hook. That's the only reason you're still breathing."

Kuragiri's smirk faded. Captain? How? I've never seen this guy among Squad 5, so how the hell is he—

Ryuketsu took a step forward, the air around him growing heavier.

"You should be begging for your life, kid," he said, his voice dripping with confidence. "Because in Squad 5, I'm second to none… except the captain himself."

A sudden gust of wind swept between them, carrying the weight of impending bloodshed.

Tsukimi's sharp gaze cut through the tension. Her voice was low but firm.

"Hey, you. Take this fight somewhere else. I won't have you wrecking my family's dojo."

Ryuketsu smirked, tilting his head slightly. "Ehh?"

In an instant, he vanished, moving faster than a lightning strike. His fist glowed with crimson energy, the air violently twisting around him as he rocketed toward the dojo.

BOOM!

A powerful shockwave tore through the ground, sending chunks of stone flying. But as the dust settled…

His fist was stopped.

Tsukimi stood before him, gripping his knuckles with one hand. Her crystal-blue eyes locked onto his, brimming with cold intensity.

"I told you to take your fight elsewhere."

A strange black-and-white aura swirled around her, her hair shifting into sleek black strands. Her eyes turned silver. A blade materialized in her hand, its surface writhing with dark energy.

Ryuketsu's grin widened.

"Heh. So the rumors were true… There really are Tsukikage survivors."

His fingers cracked as blood-like energy coiled around them.

"It'd be an honor… to end your clan for good."

Before he could make another move, Tsukimi swung.

A massive crescent-shaped energy slash tore through the air toward him.

Ryuketsu leaped back, conjuring a crimson energy shield. The slash collided, sending sparks flying. But before he could reset, Tsukimi was already dashing at him, her blade raised for another strike.

"Blood Art: Hemostasis Lock."

Her hands suddenly locked in the air as if time was stopped for a second

Kuragiri's eyes widened. An innate ability user?! This is bad— I have to stop her!

"Idiot, wait—!"

But it was too late.

CRACK!

Ryuketsu's fist crashed into her ribs. A shockwave erupted as her body was sent hurtling through the air, slamming into the ground hard.

"SISTER!!" Kazuki screamed.

"TSUKIMI!!" Kuragiri growled.

Ryuketsu brushed dust off his knuckles.

"Tch. Weakling."

Kuragiri's expression darkened.

"...You're so dead."

A dark, viscous energy oozed from Kuragiri's daggers, coating them in a shadowy, slime-like aura.

Ryuketsu smirked and thrust his hand forward.

A beam of crimson energy shot toward Kuragiri, twisting mid-air as it morphed into thorned spears of hardened blood.

But Kuragiri didn't stop.

With a single slash of his daggers, the air itself split apart.

SHING!!

The blood-thorns suddenly fragmented mid-air, sliced into countless pieces before they could even reach him.

"Void Technique: Dagger Spatial Dissection."

Ryuketsu's eyes widened slightly.

"Mildly amusing," he muttered, cracking his neck. "An attack that rips through space itself? Heh, you might not be all talk after all."

The blood surging around his fists condensed, hardening into dense, crimson energy gauntlets. He clenched them, the air around him rippling with sheer force.

"Now I'm getting hyped for real!"

With a violent burst of power, Ryuketsu launched forward, his blood-empowered fist swinging straight for Kuragiri's skull.

Kuragiri barely managed to weave past the attack, shifting his weight just enough for the punch to graze past him. The sheer pressure of the blow split the ground beneath them, sending cracks spiderwebbing outward.

Without hesitation, Kuragiri retaliated. He hurled his daggers, their blackened edges cutting through the air like streaks of darkness. Space itself warped around them as they homed in on Ryuketsu.

But just before they could land, Ryuketsu leaped onto the dojo roof, his blood aura swirling wildly around him. His stance shifted, readying for another assault—

And then—

CRACK!

A brutal impact crashed into his back, sending him spiraling downward. His body twisted mid-air before slamming into the ground with a thunderous impact.

Both daggers had found their mark, piercing into his stomach.

High above him, standing on the roof's edge, Tsukimi stared down. Her cold silver eyes burned with quiet fury.

"How dare you defile our dojo…" she murmured, her voice like frost. Her grip tightened on the hilt of her blade.

The wind howled around her as she glared at Ryuketsu's fallen form.

"…with those filthy feet of yours?"