The air inside the council chamber was heavy, thick with judgment and incense.
One of the elders leaned forward, fingers steepled.
"So," he said coldly, "you let Tendo Kazuma escape."
Kurenai immediately bowed, her voice steady but tense.
"Please forgive us, Elder. None of us anticipated the involvement of a Hell Knight or a missing Taimanin."
Another elder slammed his staff against the floor.
"Silence. Excuses do not erase failure. You three were tasked with eliminating Tendo."
Leo narrowed his eyes.
'Bitch.'
Ayame straightened, meeting the elder's glare without flinching.
"We destroyed the Hallelujah stockpiles, dismantled their dock operation, and rescued Izumi Suiren. The mission was not a complete failure."
Genzo exhaled slowly, his gaze sweeping the room.
"Even so," he said, "the primary objective was not achieved."
The chamber fell silent.
Then Genzo continued.
"No one could have predicted the presence of a Hell Knight, nor the manipulation of a Taimanin agent. Despite that, they neutralized the drugs, eliminated the artificial demons, and recovered one of our own."
He turned slightly toward Leo, Kurenai, and Ayame.
"By operational standards, this mission was successful."
Murmurs rippled through the elders.
One of them scowled.
"Successful?" he scoffed. "Tendo lives. He is now in hiding, his location unknown even to us."
Leo clenched his fist.
'So what, you wanted us to die just to satisfy your pride?'
Before he could speak, another elder—older, quieter—raised a hand.
"Tendo escaping is unfortunate," she said calmly. "But the damage done to his organization will force him to resurface. Criminals like him cannot remain hidden forever."
Genzo nodded.
"And next time, we will be ready."
The angry elder's eyes shifted to Leo.
"And what of him?"
His gaze burned. "A fifteen-year-old deploying unknown powers, demon traits, and techniques never documented in Fuuma records."
Leo felt the room's attention snap onto him.
'Here it comes.'
Aoi stepped forward before Leo could speak, her voice firm.
"My son acted under supervision and saved two senior Taimanin. His power is not uncontrolled."
The elder sneered.
"Or perhaps it is too powerful."
Leo finally spoke, his tone calm but sharp.
"If I hadn't been there," he said, "Kurenai would've been overwhelmed, Ayame would've been surrounded, and Suiren would still be a slave."
Silence.
Leo met their eyes one by one.
"You can call it a failure if you want. But everyone here walked out alive."
Genzo smiled faintly.
"That," he said, "is the result that matters."
After a long pause, the lead elder sighed.
"The mission will be recorded as conditionally successful."
He looked directly at Leo.
"But Fuuma Leo… from this moment forward, you will be watched."
Leo bowed his head slightly.
'Yeah… figured.'
Elsewhere — Unknown Location
A dimly lit room.
Tendo Kazuma poured himself a drink, his hand trembling just slightly.
Ingrid stood nearby, arms crossed, amused.
"That boy," she said lazily. "He wasn't supposed to exist."
Tendo swallowed.
"What… is he?"
Ingrid's smile widened.
"A problem," she replied.
"And a very interesting one."
Meanwhile, back in the village.
Leo stood near the training grounds, the evening wind rustling the trees. He looked at Asagi as he spoke.
"So… you got the news?"
Asagi nodded softly, a small smile on her lips.
"I did."
She stepped closer, her usual confidence softened, her eyes scanning him like she was making sure he was really there.
"I'm just happy you came back alive," she said quietly. "That's all."
Leo blinked, then scratched the back of his head.
"…You're not mad?"
Asagi shook her head.
"I was worried," she corrected. "Terrified, actually."
She placed a hand on his chest, feeling his heartbeat.
"You ran straight into something even senior Taimanin struggle with. And you didn't hesitate."
Leo looked away for a moment.
'Yeah… because if I did, people would've died.'
Asagi sighed, resting her forehead lightly against his.
"You don't have to carry everything by yourself, Leo. Not yet. Not ever."
He hesitated, then wrapped his arms around her.
"I know," he said quietly. "I just… don't want to lose anyone."
Asagi smiled gently, tightening her hold.
"Then come back every time," she said. "No matter how strong you get."
For a moment, the world was quiet.
Then Asagi smirked slightly.
"Though I will be taking extra training sessions with you from now on."
Leo groaned.
"…That wasn't the comforting part I was expecting."
She laughed, resting her chin on his shoulder.
"Too bad. You're my fiancé."
Leo smiled.
'Yeah… worth it.'
Leo and Asagi looked at each other for a long moment.
The world felt quiet again, just the two of them.
Slowly, they leaned in.
Just as their lips were about to meet—
"Ah."
Sakura stood at the edge of the training ground.
Five seconds passed.
No one moved.
Another five seconds.
Sakura's brain visibly shut down.
Her eyes widened, her face turned bright red, and without a word she spun on her heel.
"I DIDN'T SEE ANYTHING—!"
She vanished behind the trees at full speed.
Another five seconds of silence followed.
Asagi's face went completely red.
"SAAAKURAAAAAA!!" she shouted, fury echoing through the training grounds. "YOU JUST HAD TO WALK IN NOW?!"
Leo, meanwhile, covered his mouth, shoulders shaking.
"…Pfft—"
He burst out laughing.
Asagi turned on him immediately.
"This is NOT funny!"
Leo wiped a tear from his eye.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry— it's just— the timing was perfect."
Asagi groaned, burying her face in her hands.
"I waited all day…"
Leo gently reached out, tapping her shoulder.
"Hey," he said softly. "We can always try again later."
She peeked at him through her fingers, still flustered.
"…You'd better."
Leo smiled.
'Worth it. Absolutely worth it.'
The bushes rustled again.
Leo, Asagi, and Sakura all froze.
"…Please don't," Asagi muttered.
Too late.
Tokiko and Kotaro stepped out of the bushes like they had been there the entire time.
Asagi's soul visibly left her body.
Leo stared at them.
"…How long?"
Kotaro scratched the back of his head casually.
"Oh, not long," he said. "Just long enough to see Sakura panic and run."
Tokiko nodded seriously.
"And long enough to confirm this is blackmail material."
Leo slowly turned his head toward them.
"…You were hiding. In the bushes."
Tokiko held up a small camera.
"Just letting you know, cousin—Kotaro and I were also waiting."
Kotaro grinned.
"Yeah. Just to take pictures."
There was a long pause.
Asagi's face went nuclear red.
"YOU—YOU TWO—!"
She reached for her sword.
Tokiko immediately raised her hands.
"Hey, hey, no violence. We haven't taken anything yet."
Kotaro tilted his head.
"…Yet."
Leo sighed, rubbing his temples.
'This village is impossible.'
Sakura, who had somehow reappeared behind a tree, whispered:
"…I feel less embarrassed now."
Asagi snapped her head around.
"YOU TOO?!"
Leo couldn't hold it anymore.
He laughed again.
"Okay," he said, still chuckling, "new rule. No bushes. Ever."
Tokiko smiled sweetly.
"…Then where's the fun in that?"
Meanwhile in a different place.
Ryuji looked at Genzo as he raised an eyebrow. "Father-in-Law, you're telling me there is a Traitor in the Fuuma Clan?".
Genzo nodded as he spoke. "Yes, they knew specific 3 Taimanin was gonna be sent was way too convenient, especially seeing Leo was added at the last minute".
Ryuji thought for a bit. "Yes, seems like it, if they knew about Kurenai and Ayame that's would have been suspicious, but not by much, the mission was pending in our network for 2 weeks, but Leo, was picked on the day of the Mission by Kurenai".
Ryuji crossed his arms, his expression hardening.
"So whoever it is," he said slowly, "they didn't just know the mission. They knew the team composition."
Genzo nodded gravely.
"And timing. Information like that doesn't leak by accident."
Ryuji exhaled through his nose.
"Leo wasn't even supposed to be there. Kurenai added him on impulse. That means the information had to be relayed after the decision was made… or someone was already watching."
The room fell silent.
One of the paper doors slid slightly as a breeze passed through, making the lantern light flicker.
Genzo's eyes narrowed.
"The Fuuma clan has many branches. Blood members, adopted members, political marriages, outsiders brought in to strengthen numbers after the genocide."
He paused.
"Any one of them could be the weak link."
Ryuji clenched his jaw.
"And if Ingrid knew Leo was Fuuma… and that he'd awakened his Demon Mark early…"
Genzo finished the thought.
"…Then this traitor isn't just selling information. They're feeding it to demons."
Ryuji's fist tightened.
"That makes this more than treason. That makes it a death sentence."
Genzo raised a hand.
"Not yet."
Ryuji looked at him sharply.
"…You're thinking of bait."
Genzo's expression didn't change, but his eyes gleamed with something sharp.
'Leo has already disrupted the flow of fate. His presence caused Ingrid, Suiren, and Tendo to converge earlier than they should have.'
He turned slightly.
"If there is a traitor, they will move again. They have to."
Ryuji hesitated.
"You're suggesting we let my son stay in the field."
"Yes," Genzo said calmly.
"Because whether we like it or not… Leo is now a variable the enemy is actively reacting to."
Ryuji was silent for a long moment.
Then he sighed, running a hand through his hair.
"…I really hoped he'd get a normal childhood."
Genzo allowed himself a small, bitter smile.
"So did I."
He turned toward the darkened window, where the forest stretched endlessly beyond the village.
"But monsters don't wait for children to grow up."
The lantern flickered again.
Somewhere in the Fuuma Clan—
Someone was listening.
Meanwhile, in a place far removed from Gosha Village—
Ingrid stood before a large monitor, its cold blue light reflecting off her eyes. The room itself was sterile, almost empty, save for arcane circuits and faint demonic runes pulsing along the walls.
On the screen was no face.
Only a single, crimson letter:
B
"That's everything about the Fuuma," Ingrid said calmly. "Black-sama."
A low chuckle came from the other side of the transmission.
"So our spy wasn't mistaken," the distorted voice replied. "This child is… fundamentally different from the others of that clan."
Ingrid folded her arms.
"He wields water techniques without seals. His Taima control adapts mid-combat. And there's something else—something wrong about his demon mark."
"Wrong?" the voice echoed, amused.
"It isn't just Fuuma," Ingrid continued. "It behaves like a living system. It evolves. When he fought, the battlefield itself adjusted around him."
The screen flickered.
"How nostalgic," Black-sama murmured. "A body that rewrites itself. A power that refuses stagnation."
Ingrid's lips curved slightly.
"He also knew things he shouldn't. The way he reacted to me… it was as if he'd already anticipated this encounter."
"Foresight?" Black-sama asked.
"Or experience," Ingrid answered. "Either way, he is not a normal Taimanin."
There was a pause—long, deliberate.
"At last," the voice said softly. "A variable worthy of attention."
The letter B pulsed once, brighter than before.
"Do not eliminate him."
Ingrid raised an eyebrow.
"Even if we can?"
"Especially because you can," Black-sama replied. "A blade that shatters too early tells us nothing. I want to see how far he grows… how much he can distort destiny."
The runes along the wall flared.
"And the Fuuma Clan?" Ingrid asked.
"Let them squirm," Black-sama said. "Paranoia will rot them from within. Our spy will continue feeding us truths… and lies."
Ingrid smirked.
"And the boy?"
A faint, chilling laugh echoed through the chamber.
"If he survives what comes next," Black-sama said,
"Then we will invite him properly into our world."
The screen went dark.
Ingrid turned away, her cloak fluttering slightly.
"Good luck, little Fuuma," she muttered.
"You're already dancing on a board you don't even know exists."
The next morning, sunlight spilled gently over Gosha Village.
At the Shinganji estate, Kurenai sat at the low table, halfway through her breakfast. She had just lifted another bite of rice when the doorbell rang.
She froze.
"…This early?" she muttered.
Setting her bowl down, Kurenai stood and made her way to the entrance. When she slid the door open, she found Leo standing there, hands in his pockets, eyes carrying a weight that didn't belong to someone his age.
"Oh—Leo?" she said, blinking in surprise. "What are you doing here? And this early, too?"
Leo exhaled slowly, like he'd been debating this the entire walk over.
"Just… checking up on you, Senpai."
Kurenai tilted her head, genuinely confused.
"Checking up on me? Why wouldn't I be fine?"
Leo looked away for a moment, jaw tightening, then shook his head.
"…No. It's nothing. Forget I said anything."
Kurenai studied him for a second longer, her easygoing expression softening just a bit.
"…You don't come all this way for 'nothing,' you know," she said gently.
The morning air felt quieter after that.
To be continued
Hope people like this Ch and give me Power stones