A few hours before
Tokyo
Zoro
"Oi Zoro, do you feel comfortable?" Toji asked while we were riding.
"No, but deal with it."
It took us five hours to reach Tokyo, and honestly, we weren't happy to be back.
As soon as we left Osaka, that familiar discomfort hit both me and Toji. As usual, we were used to it.
We had to leave Osaka several times a week to find and complete our mercenary contracts, so over time we started ignoring it.
But this time, it was incomparable.
Not only had we never gone this far from Osaka, but on top of that, we were returning to a city that had only ever brought us suffering.
The streets had changed in the meantime—it had been ten years since our escape—but the spirit and atmosphere were still the same.
I'd even say worse.
Now that my Observation Haki had improved, I could even feel the negative emotions leaking from people.
A few years ago, I used to say that even if cursed spirits were stronger here than in Osaka, their quantity and quality wouldn't be that different.
I was wrong.
The negative emotions and cursed energy I could feel just from riding through the streets were so intense that comparing this city to Osaka felt ridiculous.
Just by reaching downtown, I could already sense at least five cursed spirits.
All weak, sure—nothing a burst of Conqueror's Haki couldn't handle—but definitely there.
'I wonder what else I misjudged.'
The thought that I might have miscalculated crossed my mind, but I quickly pulled myself together.
'We're already here anyway. If things go south, I'm sure I can buy enough time for Toji to escape.'
I was still lost in thought when Toji called me.
"Is this the place?" he said, pointing at a house.
"Huh? Ah! Yeah, this is it."
I was surprised. I didn't think my little reflection had lasted long enough for us to already arrive, but I let it go.
When we got in front of the house, we saw a man in a suit waiting near a car.
We passed him, parked our motorcycles a bit farther, then came back. I spoke first.
"Hello. Excuse me, you are Mr. Tanaka, the real estate agent, right?"
Tanaka, who hadn't noticed us yet, turned toward us and then showed a look of realization.
"Ah! Yes, yes, that's me. And you two must be Inagaki Ryuma and Inagaki Riichiro."
"Yes, that's us."
He seemed a bit rushed, as he quickly pulled something out of his pocket and handed it to me.
"I'm sorry I can't show you the house, but I have a very important meeting today. Here are the keys."
I didn't take it badly and simply grabbed the keys.
"Don't worry, it's not a problem for us. Thank you, and have a good day."
I extended my hand toward him.
"Have a good day as well."
After shaking my hand, he got into his car and drove off for good.
"Toji, go get the luggage."
He looked annoyed at first and made it clear.
"Tch. Why don't you do it yourself?"
I didn't even bother looking at him.
"Go, unless you want me to triple your training."
His face went pale, panic flashing across it.
"Okay, okay, no need to go that far. I was just joking."
"Yeah, I prefer that."
After he left, I took a moment to observe the house.
It was big for Tokyo standards.
Of course, it was ridiculous compared to the Inagaki residence, but it was the first place we could truly call home.
And for one reason:
We paid for it.
Even if, legally, Kentaro was the one who did it, the house was under both Toji's and my name—and it was thanks to our hard-earned money from our work.
In reality, either of us could've bought it alone without even making a dent in our wealth.
After all, we'd been investing in various sectors for years—especially stocks.
We started with the Inagaki clan's money.
And even if that money didn't belong to us… that wouldn't always be the case.
'Another 5 or 10 years, and everything will end up in our pockets.'
Then, when we started earning our own money, we invested as well.
For example, in companies like Amazon or Apple.
We're not the richest people right now, but I'm sure that won't be the case in the future.
All that to say, this house cost us nothing.
At first, I planned to pay for it alone, but Toji insisted on covering half.
Am I drifting off? Yeah, probably.
"Toji, hurry up and bring everything inside. We have people to greet."
I had never been this impatient.
---
Night
"This house disgusts me," I said in front of the filthy Zen'in estate.
"It really reeks of despair and broken dreams," Toji added.
Ten years had passed, but nothing had changed.
You know the saying: a thousand years can change a lot—except the mindset of idiots.
That perfectly sums up the Zen'in mentality, don't you think?
What? That saying doesn't exist? I made it up?
So what? It's still true.
"Alright, let's go in."
Dressed in our usual mission outfits, we entered the estate.
Most people were probably asleep since the majority of the lights were off.
We barely had to make any effort to infiltrate.
"Hey, pst Zoro… don't they have security systems like alarms or cameras?" Toji whispered.
"Don't bother. They're idiots. In their minds, nothing that isn't a sorcerer can harm them, so all their security revolves around that," I whispered back.
"Okay… but I know it's a bit late to ask this—where are we going?"
"Don't worry, just follow me. By the way, do you remember the faces of the Akasha members who tortured you?"
Toji shook his head.
"Not really."
"Not a problem. We'll just kill them all," I said, then had a flash of inspiration. A sadistic smile spread across my face. "You know what? I've got a better idea. You brought enough anesthetic, right?"
He nodded hesitantly.
"Yeah… why?"
"You'll see."
---
"I have to say… you're diabolical."
"What are you talking about? I'm an angel."
"Are you sure an angel would drug people before ripping out their tendons?"
"I remind you—you did everything from the anesthesia to the 'operation.' If you can even call tearing body parts off with your bare hands an operation."
The first step of our revenge was simple—but terribly effective.
First, Toji summoned his storage cursed spirit from his stomach, where I had placed a ton of anesthetic.
Then, we injected a solid dose into all the Akasha members while they were asleep in their rooms.
And finally, Toji tore out the tendons in their hands and feet.
Not cut—torn out.
That way, there was no chance they could recover using reverse cursed technique.
Simple. Fast. Effective.
"I'll say it again… you're really diabolical. What's reserved for them in a clan like the Zen'in must be truly dark."
"I told you to just follow me. We don't even need to torture them ourselves—the other members will do it for us."
"Anyway… it felt really good," Toji said, his previously tense face now showing a relaxed smile.
"Good how? Like relief good, or Hannibal Lecter kind of good?" I asked suspiciously.
His smile disappeared, replaced by irritation.
"Do you think I'm going to turn into a psychopath or something, idiot?"
"I don't know. People have gotten addicted for less," I shrugged.
He sighed in exasperation, but his face returned to that calm expression.
"I feel like I can finally move on after all these years. I've never felt this at peace."
I smiled.
Not a mocking smile, not a feral grin, not an awkward one.
A real smile.
A smile of happiness for my little brother.
"That's good…"
I extended my fist, and he quickly returned the fist bump.
"…but keep a bit of resentment. Our revenge isn't over yet. There are still two people left."
I leaned toward his ear and whispered something.
His eyes widened as a different kind of smile appeared on his face.
I stepped back and looked him in the eyes.
As if we had silently agreed, we both nodded and turned away.
"See you there. Later."
---
Back to the present
"As you can see, we're back home."
Naobito's face tensed slightly before relaxing.
It was a façade.
He was nervous—I could feel it through my Haki.
"It's been a while, kid. How have you been?"
I walked forward and sat down in front of him in a relaxed posture.
"Yeah, I'm good. I'm popular, I'm rich, and I'm respected. I could say I've succeeded in life—even at just 15. Same goes for Toji."
He let out a fake laugh.
He was quite good at acting, I had to admit.
"Hahaha. I'm glad to hear that. Speaking of Toji, where is he?"
"I sent him on an errand."
"I see."
Silence settled between us.
An awkward silence.
Well—awkward for Naobito.
I didn't care at all.
I stood up and brushed off my pants.
"I should get going. This was just a simple visit. Oh, and I'd like to remind you—we owe you a debt. Even if you didn't do much afterward, you still helped us for part of our lives."
He grabbed a can of beer and opened it.
"Is that so?" he said calmly.
I could clearly see the spark of interest in his eyes.
"If that's the case, I do have a favor to ask."
'I knew it.'
"You see, the Gojo clan has a newborn, and I would like—"
I cut him off abruptly.
My tone had changed.
Gone was the casual familiarity—only the coldness of a mercenary remained.
"Let me stop you right there. Our debt is already repaid. I've already granted you a favor."
Shock ran through Naobito, and he couldn't help but ask:
"What? What do you mean?"
"Not all the clan members died today—that's my favor. Next time, I won't be so merciful."
Tchik!
I vanished with a soru before he even had time to speak.
Even from afar, I could still feel his surprise—but it was no longer about my words.
I could easily imagine what he was thinking right now.
'What kind of speed was that…? He's faster than me.'