Natsume Takashi watched the white fox youkai disappear into the distance. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but in the end could only let out a helpless sigh, a wry smile appearing on his face.
Then he noticed the Okuri-inu jumping down from the shrine roof.
The Okuri-inu slowly walked over to him and looked at him with a complicated expression.
"What relation are you to Reiko?"
Natsume Takashi took a deep breath and answered firmly,
"She was my grandmother."
"Hm?!"
A look of surprise appeared in the Okuri-inu's eyes.
"That Reiko actually got married?"
It sounded somewhat emotional before asking in confusion,
"Then why are you carrying that thing?"
Natsume Takashi froze for a moment, then scratched his head.
"This... it's my grandmother's keepsake."
The Okuri-inu's pupils suddenly contracted.
Then it let out a quiet sigh.
"Reiko has already passed away..."
Looking at the somewhat nostalgic expression on the Okuri-inu's face, Natsume Takashi suddenly remembered what Nyanko-sensei had said earlier and quickly asked,
"Senpai, that human boy Nyanko-sensei mentioned just now..."
The Okuri-inu slowly shook its head.
"I don't know either. But that human boy seems very powerful. If you want details, you can ask her."
Its gaze shifted toward the girl standing with her back to them as she stared into the forest.
A faint light appeared in Natsume Takashi's eyes.
His voice carried a trace of excitement.
"They can see you too?"
...
Deep in the mountains.
"Hey, kid! Who exactly are you?!"
The white fox youkai stared at the figure standing atop a treetop and asked in a deep voice.
It could not sense the slightest trace of spiritual power from this human.
And yet, there was an inexplicable pressure coming from him that made even it feel uneasy.
Sato smiled.
"Shouldn't you introduce yourself first?"
The white fox glared at him.
"Kid, you're making me very unhappy right now."
Boom!
A tremendous surge of demonic power erupted.
Dead leaves scattered into the air as the surrounding trees swayed violently, creaking and groaning.
"Unhappy? Then keep it to yourself."
Sato smiled as he looked at the white fox.
An invisible pressure suddenly spread from him, covering the vast area around them.
He stood there quietly like a stabilizing pillar holding back the sea itself.
The fierce winds created by the white fox vanished instantly.
The forest returned to silence.
The white fox was inwardly shocked.
What terrifying power!
Was this another existence born with monstrous spiritual power like Reiko?
But if so, why couldn't it sense any spiritual power from him at all?
"Madara! That's my name!"
The white fox suddenly declared in a deep voice, its eyes releasing wisps of elegant demonic energy.
Sato silently took out his phone and accessed the Hero Association database.
To his surprise, information on this youkai actually existed.
Madara.
Fox youkai...
At his peak, his strength had approached A-Class...
Sealed...
Sato looked at the white fox with surprise.
"You got out?"
"You know me?"
Madara looked at Sato in surprise before proudly puffing himself up.
"Looks like my reputation has spread far and wide."
"Heh."
Sato twitched at the corner of his mouth.
Then he looked at the white fox.
"Still want to continue?"
Madara's gaze sharpened instantly.
"Then here I come, kid!"
Boom!
A thunderous explosion erupted from the ground.
The resulting sonic boom shattered the air itself.
Several nearby trees were sliced clean through at the waist and collapsed with cracking sounds.
In the blink of an eye, Madara had already arrived before Sato.
The green vertical pupils embedded within the giant fox's eyes remained calm and focused.
Razor-sharp claws shot out from his paws like blades.
Sato's eyes remained calm.
He slowly raised a hand.
Madara frowned.
His charge abruptly stopped.
The powerful gale generated by his enormous body caused Sato's hair and clothes to flutter wildly.
"Huff!"
"Kid, are you trying to get yourself killed?!"
Madara's voice carried obvious irritation.
Sato looked at him strangely.
"You think you can break my defense?"
At that moment, the hand he had raised was completely black.
Pirate Template: [Armament Haki]
While Madara was still frowning in confusion, Sato suddenly vanished.
Madara's pupils shrank.
Before he could react, a devastating pain exploded from his abdomen.
Boom!
Crack! Crack!
Madara's enormous body flew backward.
He smashed through a large number of trees.
Birds scattered from the forest with frightened cries.
Hiss!
It hurts!
I got careless. This brat doesn't play fair!
Madara's face twisted in pain.
His stomach felt as though it were being torn apart.
What troubled him even more was Sato's speed.
Even he had been completely unable to track it.
"Your strength feels a bit weak. Is it because you've been sealed for too long?"
Sato muttered as he looked at the white fox he had kicked away.
He had intentionally limited his power to roughly B+ just now.
If Madara were still B+, he shouldn't have ended up in such a miserable state.
At the moment, his strength felt closer to B-.
"Ah! Damn it! Don't look down on me!"
Madara had clearly heard the muttering.
Instantly, humiliation and fury surged within him.
This brat actually dares to underestimate me!
This time, I won't hold back!
Whoosh!
The white fox launched another attack.
Although his body looked massive, he possessed a fox's natural agility and speed.
He darted through the forest with ease, attacking Sato from every conceivable angle.
Clang!
Clang!
Clang!
Sato stood calmly atop a treetop, smiling as he dealt with Madara's attacks.
With Observation Haki and Intuition working together, Madara's attacks felt like a child trying to assault a giant.
After all, Sato's strength was currently S-Class.
Madara was merely B-.
Sato leisurely extended his jet-black hand.
Every time Madara attacked, he casually blocked the strike.
Each collision produced sounds like metal striking metal.
Sparks even flew from the impacts.
Madara's expression gradually shifted from serious to annoyed, from annoyed to furious, then from furious to embarrassed, and finally from embarrassed to helpless...
"Kid, is dodging all you know how to do?!"
At last, he could not hold back and shouted at Sato.
"Oh?"
Sato raised an eyebrow and looked at him with an amused smile.
"Are you sure you want me to attack?"
Madara froze.
Then he remembered what had happened moments ago.
Cold sweat immediately began pouring down his body.
Plop!
Suddenly, amidst a puff of white smoke, the giant white fox transformed into a plump and comical maneki-neko.
The deep, imposing voice full of authority from before instantly became flattering.
"Well... that was just a joke."