Chapter 345: Father and Son
CRASH—!
The reinforced brick wall had been reduced to rubble, a jagged hole carved out
by the sheer mass of the human body known as Baki Hanma.
The architect of this devastation, Baki's father—[THE OGRE] Yujiro Hanma—stood
with one hand still extended in the "pushing" follow-through. His mane of
deep-red hair fluttered in the night breeze like a banner of war.
He slowly lowered his arm, thrusting both hands back into his pockets, and
turned to look at the gathered spectators.
"Think nothing of it," Yujiro rumbled, his voice cutting through the silence. "I
was simply educating my son on the consequences of talking back."
With a heavy, deliberate stride, Yujiro returned to the front of [THE SEA
EMPEROR] Kaku Kaioh's wheelchair. He towered over the withered elder, staring
down with predatory intensity.
Suddenly, Yujiro spoke. "I'm leaving for the night."
The declaration took everyone by surprise. It was hard to fathom the Ogre simply
walking away from a gathering of this many legends.
Yujiro shot a contemptuous glance at the group before his eyes settled back on
Kaku.
"If—" Yujiro began slowly. "If you truly are 'satisfied' in mind and body, then
we shall never meet again in this lifetime."
"But if our paths cross again, Sea Emperor..." Yujiro's grin turned jagged. "I
will return those delusional words of yours—every single one—tenfold!"
A suffocating pressure, heavy as a tsunami and sharp as a blade, washed over the
alley. The very air seemed to warp and groan under the weight of his intent.
Kaku Kaioh offered a serene smile, neither agreeing nor backing down.
Yujiro bared his teeth. "See? No denial. I knew it!"
"Puh—Hahahaha!"
The Ogre burst into a thunderous laugh as he turned his back. "The 'void' within
you... it's already overflowing, old man!"
The sound of his laughter echoed through the midnight streets—a jagged, mocking
sound full of ridicule and arrogance that no one present would ever forget.
It took several seconds after Yujiro's departure for the group to find their
breath again.
Meanwhile, Baki Hanma crawled out from the debris of the wall. He stood up,
shaking the dust and plaster from his clothes. He wasn't seriously injured, but
he looked undeniably disheveled.
"Sorry about that," Baki sighed, watching the direction his father had vanished
into. "Look at him... Yujiro Hanma really is in a league of his own."
The boy thinned his lips.
"All those proverbs about 'there's always a bigger fish'... they sound like a
joke when you're standing in front of him."
"No one can touch him. He is the [STRONGEST CREATURE ON EARTH] in the truest
sense. He's so strong, you almost feel a sense of pride just being related to
him..."
Baki's voice trailed off. But as soon as he was sure Yujiro was gone, his
relaxed facade cracked. He gripped his own trembling arms and hissed through his
teeth.
"Damn it! I'm actually... relieved he's gone!!"
The boy couldn't hide the whirlpool of complex emotions swirling within him. The
observers, particularly the veterans, looked on with varying degrees of
understanding.
Hikoichi Yagyo raised an eyebrow, reflecting on Baki's earlier words. "If the
father is the 'Strongest,' the son only wishes to be the 'second weakest'? My,
what a fascinating philosophy."
"Hmph. That is the bond between father and son," [THE DEVIL LANCE] Kuroki Gensai
said, crossing his arms. "To a son, a father is a being of absolute authority,
terror, mystery, and greatness all rolled into one."
It was a logical take, but Baki—currently riding a wave of post-confrontation
adrenaline and frustration—was in no mood for a lecture.
"Hey, pops—"
Baki stepped forward, standing directly in front of Kuroki Gensai. The 171cm
(5'7") youth looked up at the 185cm (6'1") bearded giant, his aura not wavering
for a second.
"I don't know who you are, and my family issues aren't something I'm looking to
share with strangers," the boy snapped. "So quit acting like you're my mentor!"
Baki was clearly provoking him. Having just worked up the courage to stand
against Yujiro only to realize his legs were shaking, the [CHAMPION] desperately
needed an outlet for his agitation.
Kuroki, however, wasn't the type to be goaded into a pointless scuffle. His path
was the pursuit of worthy rivals, not a teenager venting his daddy issues.
"Hmph. My apologies. You are correct," Kuroki nodded stoically. "I misspoke.
Tonight's events were... enlightening. Even I found my composure slipping. It
seems my own training is still insufficient."
Baki realized he had overreacted and looked a bit embarrassed. "Whatever. It's
just a messy family feud. Nothing to do with anyone else."
With that, Baki picked up his hoodie from the ground. It was damp from the rain,
making him wince as he pulled it on. "Ugh, freezing..."
The "Strongest Father and Son" had departed.
Retsu Kaioh looked at his master, Yujiro's parting words still echoing in his
mind. "Master... do you truly intend to fight Yujiro Hanma one day?"
"Hahahaha!"
Kaku Kaioh let out a sudden, boisterous laugh. "For a martial artist, whether to
fight or not is a decision made by both hearts. Why even ask?"
He waved a hand before Retsu could answer. "It's late. I'll be staying at your
place tonight."
Retsu bowed. "Of course, Master."
Kaku: "Oh, and give me some of those sunflower seeds. I want to see how the
'foreign' variety tastes."
Retsu: "..."
Two more legends departed.
Then it was [THE ASHURA] Ohma Tokita's turn. He had come for Yanagi, but ended
up witnessing a gathering of the world's absolute peaks. He felt a surge of
motivation to return to his own training and took his leave.
Meanwhile, Motobe Izo lit a cigarette, his eyes lingering on Kuroki Gensai for a
moment.
"The master of the Kaiwan Style, I presume?" Motobe said through a puff of
smoke.
"A pleasure. And you are the head of the Motobe-ryu Jujutsu?"
Kuroki looked at the aftermath of the night, his stern face showing a rare touch
of sentiment. "The legends are stirring... not because of a wretch like Yanagi,
but because they are drawn to one another."
Motobe chuckled. "Is that so? Sounds a bit too metaphysical for me."
"Hmph. Perhaps." Kuroki turned and vanished into the night.
Motobe prepared to head out as well, but Ren Shiroki stepped forward to block
his path.
"Wait up, Motobe-sensei. I've got a favor to ask."
"Oh? Shiroki-kun, you have words for me?"
"I do." Ren put his hands on his hips and pointed toward the park bushes. "Help
me take care of that... 'trash' over there."
Motobe sighed. "The Ogre really did a number on him. Even if he didn't mean to
kill him, that last haymaker was... definitive. So, what's the plan?"
Motobe puffed on his cigarette, looking troubled. "Times have changed. If we
leave him here, it'll be a PR nightmare. Should we just dump him in the
mountains?"
Hikoichi Yagyo adjusted his cuffs. "If necessary, the Kakerou Club can handle
the disposal of the remains."
Hearing this, Ren Shiroki snapped his head around, staring at the two veterans
as if he were looking at a pair of high-level lunatics.
He immediately pulled Arisa behind him and said firmly, "Listen up. After you
take down a criminal in an act of 'vigilante justice,' the first thing you do
isn't dumping the body—it's calling the cops."
Ren pulled out his phone and waved it.
Motobe and Yagyo froze. They shared an awkward glance, realizing their
"underground" instincts had completely bypassed basic civic duty.
Arisa, however, was even more out of touch. She whispered, "I was actually going
to call Fusui-nee and ask if some of the Kure Clan boys could come 'wash the
floor'..."
Ren: "..."
Good lord. This city is a madhouse.
And so, in the dead of night—
Inspector Morio Sonoda was sleeping peacefully. The fatigue from the Kure
Village trip hadn't fully faded, and he was dreaming of beautiful festival
fireworks.
Suddenly, his phone shrieked.
"Ugh... hello? Sonoda speaking."
"Sonoda-aniki! Yujiro Hanma just pulverized Yanagi Ryuko. Send some guys to wash
the floor—wait, no, I mean collect the body—actually, just come clean up the
crime scene! Just get down here!"
Sonoda: "..."
Sonoda: "..."
Sonoda: "—HUH?!"
The cleanup was left to Sonoda and Ichika Iori—the Hub's two contacts within the
MPD.
Motobe and Yagyo took their leave. Ren and Arisa, however, weren't ready to go
back to the dojo yet. Their stomachs were growling, so they decided to find some
late-night fuel.
Wandering through the humid streets, they spotted a small ramen shop with its
lights still on.
They slid the door open to see a row of old-fashioned counter stools. To their
surprise, there was already a customer sitting there: Baki Hanma.
"Ah!"
Baki looked surprised, but seeing the Shiroki siblings looking for a midnight
snack made him scratch his head with a sheepish grin.
Before Ren could say anything, Arisa shouted her order toward the kitchen.
"Woo-hoo! Extra veggies, extra garlic, extra fat, and make it spicy! Large bowl,
firm noodles!!"
The shop owner blinked, realizing the girl was a true connoisseur of
"Jiro-style" ramen. He looked impressed.
Baki let out a dry laugh. "A pro, huh?"
"You gotta enjoy life! Baki-aniki, you should try eating like this too!"
Arisa took a seat a few stools down, leaving the two fighters to talk while she
waited for her bowl.
Ren took the seat next to Baki after the boy gestured for him to sit.
Ren didn't have his sister's cast-iron stomach, so he ordered a standard bowl
and sighed. "I thought tonight was just going to be about Yanagi. I didn't
expect it to turn into a world-class summit."
Baki chuckled. "Life is full of surprises. You never know who you're going to
bump into."
"Same goes for you and Yujiro, I guess?"
Ren leaned his chin on his hand, keeping the conversation casual. "One day, for
some reason, at some random time... you're just going to have to settle it,
aren't you?"
Baki didn't look surprised. He had clearly thought about this a thousand times.
"Something like that wouldn't be so bad."
Ren nodded. "True. But who's going to win?"
Baki slurped his noodles. "Doesn't matter. I'm just going to fight."
"If I only fought when I thought I could win, I wouldn't be a fighter. That's
not what I'm after."
"Who's stronger, who's weaker... I've lost interest in that metric."
The owner placed a steaming bowl in front of Ren. Ren thanked him and picked up
his chopsticks.
Baki sipped his broth, glancing at Ren as the older boy began to eat with gusto.
Baki suddenly looked curious.
"Ren-aniki... what kind of fight are you looking for?"
☆☆☆
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