Snort!
The attacker sneered coldly.
"So it really is a Nen Beast."
"But this one won't be able to block my attack."
"You've got no more tricks left."
But this time...
"Rashomon, Susanoo."
A dark red giant emerged, encasing Uchiha Sasuke within it like living armor.
The attacker's strike landed.
Clang!
The sound of metal clashing rang out.
The attacker's pupils shrank in disbelief.
"What?!"
Sasuke lunged forward and grabbed the attacker with both hands.
Caught off guard, the attacker couldn't dodge in time.
He had poured everything into that attack, fully confident it would be the finishing blow. But Sasuke's sudden display of power stunned him.
Firmly restrained, the attacker was wide open.
A figure appeared beside him—
A girl with long black hair, blade in hand.
Shlick!
In the blink of an eye, something inside the attacker changed.
Death swept over him in an instant.
Boom!
The attacker's aura vanished. His body collapsed, eyes wide in shock.
"Why…? How?"
He had been sure this was his chance to kill Kaizen—finally, revenge for his brother.
Kaizen's Nen Beast had been tied down. The attacker remembered clearly: during a previous ambush, Kaizen had been pushed to his limits and fled without revealing any new techniques.
So how had he come back with a trump card like this?
How had he gotten so much stronger in such a short time?
"It's not fair...!"
...
Nessley's eyes widened as she watched the feed.
"Is he… dead?"
An A-rank Nen user.
Even when Kaizen's Nen Beast was restrained.
Even in a surprise attack.
Still couldn't scratch him.
Instead, the attacker was instantly killed.
That was an A-rank specialist—gone like nothing.
How strong was Kaizen?
Nessley couldn't even begin to guess.
"If Kaizen really wanted me dead, I wouldn't stand a chance."
"No wonder he's always so calm."
She quietly stopped attacking and returned to her original position. Natsu did the same. The only trace of the battle was a lifeless body on the ground.
Kaizen's strength was A-rank, just like the attacker's.
But there were levels within that rank—sometimes, vast ones.
Still, it wasn't just a difference in power. It was intel.
The attacker thought he had Kaizen figured out.
But he had no idea Kaizen had gained so many new techniques.
Before, Sasuke had been an offensive-type, lacking defense.
Now, with Rashomon Susanoo, that weakness was covered completely.
The attacker's fatal strike was blocked.
He froze—just for a moment.
That moment was all Sasuke needed to capture him.
If nothing else had interfered, the fight might've ended in mutual destruction.
But then he appeared—
Chitong.
The attacker had zero intel on him.
Chitong was a Nen Beast Kaizen had created after leaving the United States of Saherta.
His aura was only B-rank. Nothing special.
The attacker never expected his ability to be this broken.
One-hit kill.
He was flesh and blood, no special defense or survivability.
A clean hit meant instant death.
By the time he realized it, it was already too late.
If he had fought Kaizen cautiously, face-to-face, he might have stood a better chance.
But that's the thing about Nen.
Intel is everything.
Lack of it leads to caution.
Too much of it—incorrect intel—creates fatal confidence.
...
Nessley stared at the screen in silence, all hope draining from her.
She couldn't even blame Kaizen anymore.
His power spoke for itself.
And deep down, she knew—Kaizen hadn't changed at all.
She had.
She hadn't died back then thanks to Kaizen's mercy, and she'd profited under his protection. That was luck.
But when her partners were in danger, and Kaizen restrained her from rushing in, resentment took root.
Still, if Kaizen had killed her from the start, she wouldn't even have had the chance to worry about anyone.
She understood now.
She knew what she was fighting for.
But why should Kaizen believe in her?
He was just an outsider. A professional carrying out a job.
Most of the civilians in Saherta treated her and her people like criminals.
Her expectations for Kaizen had been too much.
"If I want to be angry—if I want to blame someone—it's Tucker. And myself."
"Kaizen was just following a commission from Tucker."
"If only I were stronger…"
"Maybe... this is just my fate."
...
"The task you accepted hasn't changed. But... can I give you another commission?"
Nessley's eyes lit up.
Kaizen nodded. "Sure."
"Then... I want to hire you to kill Tucker."
Kaizen didn't answer right away.
"You can offer the request and the reward. I'll decide whether to accept it. If I do, then it's a contract."
"But Tucker commissioned me first. And he's… sort of a friend. So if you want me to take him out…"
"You'll have to pay extra."
Nessley hesitated.
"I have a space-type Nen tool. It can store living things. About one cubic meter in volume. Will that do?"
Kaizen shook his head.
"Not enough."
If he hadn't already gotten Sumas, he might've been more interested. But Sumas had a much larger storage space.
Nessley's tool wasn't worth that much to him now.
"What about Karoo? Will killing him cover it?"
"If it's enough, I'll give you the tool right now."
Kaizen looked at the monitor.
Karoo's face stared back at him.
He weighed the offer.
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