"Hey, hey, hey, this isn't funny. You two have already killed more than half the Kukuru Unit!"
As the brothers made their way toward Naoki's courtyard, someone stepped out to block their path again. A tall, broad-shouldered man stood in front of them, scratching his head with a look of irritation. His wild, unkempt hair hung loosely over his shoulders, his entire presence rough and intimidating.
It was Jinichi Zenin, one of the members of Hei, the Zenin clan's strongest fighting unit.
Even after seeing the pile of corpses behind them, his eyes were still filled with disdain. Those dead members of the Kukuru Unit were nothing to him. In his mind, those without cursed techniques were worthless. Dead or alive, it made no difference.
In the Zenin clan, aside from Naobito, no one cared about the lives of those without techniques. Even within the squad itself, the same contempt existed. They were little more than disposable puppets obeying the talented.
But what mattered to this man was that regardless of how worthless they were, those people still belonged to the Zenin clan. And more importantly, they were his subordinates.
Facing this new opponent, Toji and Mukuro didn't attack immediately.
"Jinichi Zenin, don't throw your life away." Toji flicked the blood off his Split Soul Katana and rested it against his shoulder. His eyes burned coldly.
"What? You really think that killing a bunch of trash gives you the right to talk to me like that?" Jinichi sneered, taking a bold step forward. "You're just a monkey who killed his own mother."
"Puff!"
Before he could even blink, Toji moved.
A dull, crushing sound exploded from Jinichi's abdomen. His body convulsed as if his insides had been torn apart. Blood spewed from his mouth as he dropped to his knees.
"Don't you dare mention that woman," Toji said flatly. "You're not worthy."
He lifted his foot and slammed it down on Jinichi's head, grinding his face into the dirt. Flesh and blood smeared across the ground in seconds.
"Toji, what are you doing?! He's your brother!"
A sharp voice came from the side.
Ogi Zenin, who had once been taken down by Toji in a single strike, arrived at the scene. He gripped the hilt of his blade tightly, cursed energy gathering in his hand, but instead of attacking, he tried to appeal to blood ties.
Ogi knew better than anyone how terrifying Toji could be. Even now with ample time to prepare, he doubted he could react faster than the man who had defeated him in an instant years ago.
"Shut up. Get lost if you don't want to die." Toji's cold gaze shifted toward Ogi. Like with the Kukuru Unit earlier, he gave him one chance.
Bang!
But in that moment of distraction, Jinichi's body tensed as he pushed off with both arms and broke free from beneath Toji's foot.
"You bastard!" he bellowed after escaping, tossing off his coat. His muscles bulged like steel cables beneath his skin.
"Missile Fists!"
Cursed energy exploded from his body as he swung his fists in rapid succession toward the two several meters away.
Though the attack looked fierce, neither Toji nor Mukuro felt even the slightest bit of wind from the punches. The next second, over a dozen giant fist shadows appeared out of thin air in the sky and came crashing down toward them.
The ground shook violently. Deep craters formed where the blows landed, and clouds of dust filled the air that shrouded the brothers.
"Just a pair of monkeys... how dare you—"
"This is your last warning, Jinichi Zenin."
Just as Jinichi was about to deliver his victory declaration triumphantly, Toji's voice rang out from within the smoke.
The haze cleared, and both brothers stood unharmed.
A flash of steel followed.
Jinichi barely managed to pull back, but not in time. The blade grazed his forehead, carving an "X"-shaped wound. Blood streamed down his face, blinding him.
"Uncle Ogi! Help me! I can't see!"
As he tried to wipe away the blood, Toji's leg whipped through the air. The kick slammed into his face like a speeding train, sending him crashing to the ground, unconscious.
"So what if I'm a monkey? You should be grateful to your mother. If you weren't her son, I'd have cut you into pieces by now." Toji walked over to Jinichi's limp body and vented by kicking his face to the side.
'Can I even stop this monster?!' Watching Jinichi, who was only slightly weaker than himself, get crushed so easily, Ogi froze in place despite wanting to intervene.
His hand trembled on the hilt of his sword. The memory of his defeat against Toji that day still haunted him. His thoughts spun in chaos as a single question screamed in his mind.
Fight… or survive?
"If you don't have the guts to fight, then get out of the way," Mukuro's calm voice said from in front of him. "What's the point of holding your sword if your hands are shaking?"
When Ogi came back to his senses, Mukuro was already right before him. He hadn't even realized when the boy had moved.
"Falling Blossom Emotion!"
Reacting by instinct, Ogi released his grip, channeling all his cursed energy into a single draw slash, only to feel nothing in his hand.
His sword was gone.
"Are you looking for this?"
The voice came from behind him.
Mukuro stood there, smiling pleasantly, looking like a harmless, well-mannered boy. But the severed arm swinging in his hand told a different story.
The hand still clutched a katana tightly.
"Ah…"
Ogi's eyes widened as he turned to his left. His sleeve was empty, blood spurting from the stump.
Pain hit a second later, sharp and searing, reminding him this wasn't a dream.
"My hand! Give it back!" he screamed, lunging at Mukuro.
He didn't know how to use Reverse Cursed Technique, nor did he know anyone who could. His swordsmanship and cursed technique were one and the same. Without his dominant hand, he was as good as dead.
The Hei… no. The Zenin clan had no use for failures who couldn't even use their own techniques.
"You really panic fast," Mukuro said softly. He tossed the severed arm upward.
"My hand!"
Ogi leapt desperately, ignoring the blood gushing from his shoulder. He just wanted to grab it before Mukuro destroyed it.
"I got it!"
For a brief second, relief crossed his face as his fingers brushed the severed limb.
Then came the sound of metal piercing flesh.
A trident struck clean through his chest, pinning him midair. Blood ran down the weapon's shaft, stopping just short of Mukuro's hand before dripping to the ground.
Ogi stared in disbelief at the weapon buried in his body. He was a member of Hei, one of the Zenin clan's elite. How could this happen to him?
"I already told you, didn't I? Don't stand in the way."
In the sunlight, Mukuro's cold eyes gleamed with a merciless chill.
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