Nobu returned to the old house—the place where he and Beru had once lived like brothers.
Fifteen years had passed, yet the dust, broken floor tiles, and faint scent of old memories made it feel as if time had never moved.
His eyes softened.
"Beru… those days… we were happy."
From behind a cupboard, he pulled out the katana he once wielded with pride—Kagemaru.
The blade still carried the cold sharpness of his past life. With a slow breath, he sheathed it and stepped outside.
He wasn't Nobu anymore.
At least, not yet.
Registration for the Tournament
He walked toward the main plaza where all candidates were registering for the Continental Youth Tournament. Thousands of spectators, nobles, and clan heads filled the city.
Nobu lowered his hood.
"My name… Kai," he said firmly.
His face was covered with a cloth mask, and when the guard asked, Nobu replied:
"My face was burned. I don't show it to anyone."
The guard nodded and let him through.
Inside the arena, all the clans and VIPs gathered—including Beru, Nobu's wife, and his two sons.
When Nobu saw them after 15 long years, his breath trembled.
His eyes burned.
His chest tightened painfully.
He wanted to run to them—
—but he couldn't.
The curse still lived within him.
He could only watch.
Round One Begins — Kai vs. The High-Rank Heir
The announcer shouted:
"First match! Kai vs. Renkai, heir of the Skyfang Clan!"
A massive guy—muscles like a beast, height towering over everyone—stepped forward and laughed.
"Look at you. Skinny rat. You sure you registered for the right event?"
His clan members joined in, mocking Nobu.
Nobu remained silent.
He didn't need words.
Years of underground torture, forbidden magic, and endless training had sculpted him into a weapon sharper than Kagemaru itself.
The Fight
The gong rang.
Renkai charged like a bull, each step shaking the arena floor.
But Nobu… disappeared.
Whoosh.
Only dust remained where he stood.
Beru's eyes widened.
"That speed… no, it can't be…"
Nobu reappeared behind Renkai, delivering a precise strike—lightning fast.
Renkai roared in frustration and swung wildly, but Nobu slid between blows with terrifying calmness. To the audience, he was just a blur, a streak of shadow.
Beru leaned forward, gripping the railing.
"That presence… I've felt it before…"
The Final Blow
Renkai roared and rushed in for a desperate punch.
Nobu whispered:
"Too slow."
In a single, devastating motion, he spun and delivered a perfect roundhouse kick directly to Renkai's stomach.
CRACK.
The heir flew across the arena and crashed into the wall, coughing blood.
Silence.
Then—
"WINNER—KAI!"
The arena erupted in cheers.
But Nobu didn't hear any of it.
Because at the moment he turned away…
his mask slipped off.
Recognition
His face—older yet strangely youthful—was visible for just one heartbeat.
That was all Beru needed.
Beru stood up instantly, eyes shaking.
"Wait—that face… No… NO—"
The world blurred around him.
"NOBU?!"
Nobu froze.
Their eyes met from across the arena—
And for the first time in fifteen years…
Both brothers felt their hearts break open.