"Looking for someone, huh? Who are you looking for?"
"Dr. Kanou Akihiro—the one who turned Kaneki into a ghoul. I need his research data on ghouls."
Daniel immediately stated exactly whom he was seeking and for what purpose. As the man capable of transforming Kaneki into a ghoul, there's no doubt he possessed profound insights into ghoul biology—and besides, he apparently had some connection with the Kaku Clan. Obtaining his research would undoubtedly save Daniel a great deal of time.
Unfortunately, that guy disappeared right after converting Kaneki; otherwise, Daniel wouldn't be here now, with no results, coming to see Takatsuki Izumi.
"Dr. Kanou, so what's the payment?" Takatsuki Izumi asked as she gently stirred the spoon in her coffee cup with her right hand.
"How about exposing the fact that the Kaku Clan members are ghouls?"
"It seems you already know quite a lot, don't you?"
At the mention of the Kaku Clan, Takatsuki Izumi's stirring immediately halted.
"If you can truly pull this off, then it's a deal." Izumi-sensei looked Daniel over carefully before nodding. Although, deep down, she wasn't convinced Daniel could actually accomplish such a feat—if it were that simple, she wouldn't have had to reveal her own identity to expose the Kaku Clan.
The Kaku Clan had held the CCG in their grip for so many years, and with the formidable V Organization operating internally, taking them on wasn't a simple matter. If it weren't for Kaneki's later appointment as investigator Sasaki Hisei, even her self-revelation might not have made a difference.
"Then, please, Takatsuki Izumi-sensei, make sure to watch tomorrow's news carefully. By the way, here's my address. You only need to locate Dr. Kanou's whereabouts; if any action is required, I'll handle it myself." Daniel said as he stood up. But just as he was about to leave, he caught sight of a copy of The Black Goat's Egg and immediately sat back down.
"One more thing—I nearly forgot. Please sign this and send it to Kaneki Ken." In honor of that famous line, gifting Kaneki Ken a book bearing Takatsuki Izumi's autograph would make a rather fine present.
"No problem." Izumi-sensei smiled and promptly retrieved another pen.
"I really don't understand why, later on, you felt compelled to expose the fact that the Kaku Clan are ghouls. There were much simpler ways—even letting a rumor spread would have sufficed."
Standing beneath the towering CCG headquarters, Daniel gazed up at the more than twenty-story building and shook his head lightly. As long as rumors of ghouls persisted, the CCG investigators—even if they privately doubted them—would certainly investigate for their own peace of mind.
"Finally, they've arrived." Daniel, who had been waiting in front of the CCG building, saw two individuals emerging from its depths. With a casual wave of his hand, the same mask—like the one seen earlier by those rescued by Makoto Arima, Amon Koutarou, and others—suddenly appeared on his face. Gripping a katana in his right hand, he strode directly toward the pair.
The two were as follows: one was a dashing young man dressed in a crisp, black standard-issue suit with a sincere, hearty smile on his face. Judging solely by his appearance, no one would suspect that this very youth was none other than the mastermind behind countless disasters—the deeply twisted Kyudo Nibifuku (formerly known as He Xiu Jiutao), whose inner corruption ran deep. Just half a step ahead of him stood a shorter, grotesque middle-aged man with a hideous, scarred face; this man was Kijima-shiki, a quasi-special-class CCG investigator—one as ruthless as Makoto Arima when it came to dealing with ghouls. One only had to look at his features to imagine the torment he had once endured.
"Finally, I've been waiting for you, Kyudo Nibifuku."
"Kyudo, it seems this is your enemy. Yet you dare to run wild here—truly, you have no sense of self-preservation."
Observing the figure blocking his path, both Kijima-shiki and Kyudo Nibifuku showed not the slightest trace of nervousness. After all, they were in the heavily fortified CCG headquarters; by now, the disturbance had already alerted the nearby guards. Had Daniel not used his "blend in with the crowd" technique to conceal his presence, his unusual behavior would have been exposed long ago—a masked man brandishing a katana is hardly a common sight.
"Kijima-shiki, you're the one who has no sense of self-preservation. You've been chasing ghouls relentlessly, but do you know that the man by your side is a ghoul? It's truly laughable. A CCG devoted to exterminating ghouls—when in reality, their true rulers are ghouls. By the way, the entire Kaku Clan is composed of ghouls."
At that moment, CCG guards surged forward from all sides. Upon discovering Daniel, they immediately charged. Yet to their astonishment, they heard such an explosive revelation. For a moment, though their guns were trained on Daniel, they hesitated, their eyes turning to Kijima-shiki for guidance.
"Kyudo, he says you're a ghoul. What do you have to say?" Kijima-shiki said, lightly patting his cap with his right hand while placing his left hand on his Cookin case.
"Captain, it's nothing but the ramblings of a madman. How could I possibly be a ghoul?" Kyudo Nibifuku responded, exaggerating his gesture with an expression of indignation. Yet if one looked closely into his eyes, they would reveal an unexpected, icy coldness—a reaction to this sudden turn of events that he had not anticipated.
For anyone else, Daniel's words might have been shrugged off. But Kijima-shiki was different; his deep-seated hatred for ghouls meant that not even the slightest possibility could be tolerated.
"So what about the Kaku Clan?" Kijima-shiki pressed on, not questioning whether Kyudo believed Daniel's claim but demanding further explanation.
"It's simple—they are members of the Kaku Clan, currently using an alias. In reality, his true identity is that he's the current chairman of your organization and the son of Xiu Changji—yes, an illegitimate child."
"If you want to prove he's a ghoul, it's very simple."
No sooner had Daniel finished speaking than the katana in his hand was hurled forth. Swift as the wind, the blade was far too quick for Kyudo to evade—it pierced straight through his chest. Kyudo Nibifuku clutched the katana's hilt with his right hand, giving Daniel a cold, hard stare before collapsing backward heavily, looking as though he were dead.
Guards nearby immediately rushed to check on Kyudo's condition, but Daniel quickly halted them.
"I suggest you all back off immediately. As far as I know, he's an SSS-class ghoul." Daniel declared, raising both hands to project an image of harmlessness.
Ah—ah—ah.
Just as Kijima-shiki was about to speak, the fallen Kyudo Nibifuku suddenly sprang to his feet. Four black-and-red kagune erupted from his back. With rapid extension, the majority of the surrounding guards fell in an instant; even Kijima-shiki was flung aside.
Thankfully, Kijima-shiki reacted swiftly enough to use his Cookin case to shield himself; otherwise, that blow might well have ended his life.
As for the kagune aimed at Daniel, he easily sidestepped it with a casual shift.
"Seems I've been exposed—this is a serious problem," Kyudo Nibifuku muttered. Yet despite his words, his face betrayed no hint of worry; rather, he appeared oddly exhilarated.
This sudden turn of events prompted shouts from onlookers in the distance, and within moments, CCG members inside the hall began frantically pressing the alarm button.
"Kyudo, I never expected you to actually be a ghoul. Now, let's see how well we get along." Rising to his feet, Kijima-shiki immediately activated his chainsaw Cookin and charged at Kyudo Nibifuku.
But in the next instant, the chainsaw was swatted away by a tail kagune from behind Kyudo, and two such tail kagune pierced right through Kijima-shiki's body.
"I'd planned to have a bit of fun with you, but sorry—I'm in a hurry now."
This was the CCG headquarters, after all. Even though Kyudo Nibifuku was supremely confident in his own strength, he would never arrogantly assume he could single-handedly challenge the headquarters. At least half of the seven top-class investigators were stationed here, not to mention the numerous quasi-special and special-class investigators. If dragged into a prolonged confrontation here, his end would be inevitable.
"Just so you know, that last strike hurt, didn't it?" After flinging Kijima-shiki aside, Kyudo drew the katana from his chest and tossed it aside. Then four enormous tail kagune swirled together in a dense, inescapable assault directed at Daniel. Even if Daniel tried to flee, he would have to eliminate this man who had exposed his identity—losing that identity would upend all his subsequent plans.
"My apologies, Mr. Kyudo Nibifuku."
Facing Kyudo's frenzied barrage, Daniel strolled casually among the four massive tail kagune, weaving back and forth and effortlessly evading every attack without a scratch.
"Mr. Kyudo Nibifuku, are you really going to continue wasting your time? The investigators are nearly here," Daniel chided.
A ghoul had now appeared at the front gates of the CCG headquarters—and to make matters even more astonishing, this ghoul was himself a CCG investigator. This revelation nearly left the top-class investigator Marutei Sai dumbfounded; yet he quickly recovered and immediately dispatched one special-class investigator along with several quasi-special and special-class investigators to deal with Kyudo Nibifuku.
As for Marutei Sai himself, he led two other top investigators, plus several quasi-special and special-class agents, as they advanced toward the very top of the CCG.
I had already received reports from Makoto Arima regarding the Kaku Clan's ghoul nature, just as Daniel had suspected. Even if he doubted it internally, he naturally wanted to verify it. In the original story, it was he who first discovered the secret of the Kaku Clan within the CCG—even willing to shoulder a murder charge to confirm his suspicions, which eventually proved correct.
Now that Kyudo Nibifuku had exposed his ghoul identity, and in light of the intelligence confirming that he was one of the Kaku Clan, Marutei Sai immediately decided to first subdue the CCG director—the chairman. As for who would bear the responsibility later if his suspicions turned out to be wrong, Marutei Sai had no time to ponder such matters.
"Good luck, Mr. Kyudo Nibifuku."
When Daniel saw numerous investigators storming out from inside the building, he immediately dashed out from within Kyudo's web of kagune. His figure quickly disappeared into the distance—though he didn't go far, instead remaining to observe the battle unfolding.
The offensive capability of kagune was formidable. Although Kyudo's earlier attacks hadn't managed to hit him, they had left the surrounding ground pockmarked with craters.
"Truly powerful… Rize's kagune. Kaneki now can't even compare."
Even if Kyudo Nibifuku, on his own, faced more than a dozen CCG investigators—all of whom were at least special-class—not only did he avoid being overwhelmed, he actually held the upper hand. For a time, the investigators suffered heavy losses; if it weren't for the lead agent, Black Iwa, using a Cookin entirely clad in black armor, the casualties might have been even greater.
Boom.
In the midst of the fierce skirmish, a tremendous crash suddenly echoed from above the CCG building. A section of the wall from roughly the twentieth floor fell down, and then a figure entirely covered in kagune burst forth, racing along the wall with incredible speed.
"Makoto Arima—didn't expect him to be this formidable… a Kaku Master, huh?"
Using a telescope, Daniel observed that the figure was none other than the CCG director, Makoto Arima—someone who had silently perished in the original story—but whose strength had apparently evolved to that of a "Kaku Master."
A "Kaku Master" is a ghoul who can cover his entire body with kagune. Normally, kagune are classified into four types: tail, armor, wing, and scale. These types traditionally counteract one another.
However, once a ghoul evolves into a Kaku Master, such counters become irrelevant—it all comes down to individual strength.
Of course, in Daniel's view, even if these types counter each other, it still depends on personal attributes such as physical fitness and mastery of kagune usage. Yet, in the Kaku Master state, there are virtually no weaknesses; one must shatter the outer armor formed by the kagune to inflict any damage.
Arima's escape caused Kyudo Nibifuku to cease his fight with the investigators altogether; he simply swung his kagune and quickly fled into the distance.
"Go capture that guy. You know, I can't believe I didn't think of doing this sooner. Later, I'll talk to Takatsuki Izumi," Daniel mused.
After both Makoto Arima and Kyudo Nibifuku had fled, Daniel immediately dispatched a shadow clone to pursue Arima while he himself chased after Kyudo. At the same time, he realized that he had made an error earlier by trying to locate Dr. Kanou's whereabouts—he didn't need to seek him through Takatsuki Izumi at all; he should have simply rounded up the members of the Kaku Clan.
"Never mind—it's just a reversal of priorities."
Chasing Kyudo Nibifuku, Daniel arrived at an abandoned building. Inside, Kyudo, seething with anger, was using his kagune to violently demolish the surrounding structures.
After wrecking several derelict rooms, Kyudo finally regained his composure and retracted his kagune. Suddenly, he realized that his field of vision had expanded. Looking downward, he discovered that his head had been severed and was flying off—an outcome that shocked him immensely. Strangely, despite his head being chopped off, he felt no pain at all.
"Mr. Kyudo Nibifuku, we meet again." Even with his severed head lying on the ground, Kyudo heard a familiar voice. Soon, a familiar figure appeared before him—the very mysterious person who had previously exposed his identity.
"You…" Kyudo began, but was immediately rendered speechless—so much so that only his head could still speak, leaving this twisted man utterly dumbfounded. Such a situation was completely beyond his imagination.
"Little Black, Little White—truly, that pair of twins is pitiful. Be grateful to me; this time, you won't suffer as before."
From Kyudo's memories, Daniel quickly located Dr. Kanou's whereabouts—and he also discovered the pair known as Little Black and Little White. Their father had been killed by Kyudo Nibifuku, and their bodies were transformed into ghouls because of him.
(End of Chapter)
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