"That's right," Tony said, tapping away at the holographic console. "If you keep handling everything yourself, what's even the point of the X-Men? Let them get some real combat experience. Otherwise, I'll have to start charging babysitting fees for your little trainees."
Ryuuto chuckled. "Yeah, if I keep protecting them every time, they'll get soft. Before long, they'll expect me to feed them lunch too."
J.A.R.V.I.S's voice cut in.
"Energy core output rising—fifty-five percent! The sunlight's excellent today, sir!"
Tony grinned. "Good. Time to stretch some legs."
Without another word, Iron Man launched himself into the air, twin thrusters blazing.
Ryuuto just smiled quietly and watched as the armors dove into battle.
Ten minutes later, the sky was littered with smoking debris.
Every last drone was downed.
When the dust settled, the Hulk roared triumphantly, his voice shaking the courtyard. Katie Dee—who'd been hovering at a safe distance—flinched hard.
Cracking his neck, Hulk snorted and lumbered away toward the forest behind the school. He wasn't rampaging—just finding somewhere isolated to turn back into Banner.
Ryuuto and the others regrouped, analyzing their teamwork and mistakes during the fight.
It was calm for the first time in hours.
Meanwhile, on a cloaked carrier high above the coast, a shadowy figure watched through a drone feed—his body trembling with rage. The Abomination had hijacked control of the Secretary of Defense's systems, sending waves of autonomous units after Tony, only to see them all wiped out.
He gripped the cosmic scepter in his hand, knuckles cracking. "Still alive…? Hulk, you damned pest!"
He didn't realize that, in terms of raw power, he was nowhere near Ryuuto's level.
Halfway back to the mansion, a familiar voice chimed in Ryuuto's head.
[Ding! Mission Complete!]
[Reward: Data Package Acquired!]
[Please select one of the following three!]
A: Kankurō
B: Mitarashi Anko
C: Hidan
Ryuuto blinked. Then grinned. "Oh, that's easy."
He picked C.
Kankurō's puppet mastery? Useless to him. He didn't have the patience to carve dolls out of wood.
Anko? Orochimaru's student. And since he already had Orochimaru's data package, another apprentice would just be redundant.
But Hidan—that was something else.
Hidan had two terrifying gifts.
First, his Regenerative Healing Factor. You could chop him up, burn him, crush him—and he'd just laugh it off.
Second, his Cursed Ritual—a Jashin technique allowing him to inflict his own injuries on a target, as long as he had their blood and performed the rite.
Stab your own heart, and your enemy's heart shatters too.
As long as you have Hidan's immortality, it's pure nightmare fuel.
No wonder Ryuuto had been waiting for this one.
[Congratulations, Host! Hidan Data Package installed!]
[Bonus: Bloody March Scythe + Dark Spear obtained!]
[Both weapons stored in Summoning Space. You may summon them anytime.]
Ryuuto scrolled through the new techniques.
Cursed Rite: Death Division by Blood
Use the enemy's blood as a catalyst.
Damage inflicted upon yourself will mirror onto the target.
Leaving the ritual circle nullifies the effect.
Ryuuto tilted his head. "So… just one skill? Seriously?"
For a moment he wondered if Shion was trolling him again.
"Heh~ what, expecting more freebies?" Shion's lazy voice teased. "You should be grateful, Host. This one's busted enough."
He sighed, smirking. "Yeah… strong enough."
Later that evening, Ryuuto found Wolverine in the backyard.
"Logan," he called out, "I need you to attack me."
Wolverine squinted, arms crossed. "Learning again? Ryuuto, you know this isn't fun. You've gotten tougher than me."
"This time, I won't fight back or dodge."
"What's the point of that?"
"Just… hurt me."
"…You're not making sense."
"Then kill me."
Wolverine froze. "What the hell did you just say?"
Ryuuto grinned, eyes flashing. "Relax. I've got the same healing factor as you now. Just do it."
The old mutant hesitated, then shrugged and popped his adamantium claws. "Fine. Don't say I didn't warn you."
Shnk!
The claws pierced straight through Ryuuto's chest—right into his heart.
Blood splashed as Ryuuto staggered, slashing Wolverine's arm by reflex before collapsing.
"Ryuuto!" Wolverine panicked, staring at the motionless body. "Oh, hell no. Scott's gonna kill me for this—"
Then Ryuuto's lips curled into a smile.
"...You're messing with me, aren't you?" Logan growled.
But Ryuuto wasn't joking. His heart was mending—cells stitching together like someone hit undo on death itself.
It was intoxicating, almost divine.
For the first time, he felt what immortality truly meant.
He muttered to himself, "If I were sliced into a hundred pieces… would I still come back?"
Not something he'd actually try. Probably.
Ryuuto stood, brushed off the blood, and said calmly, "Alright, next test."
Wolverine blinked. "You still want to fight?"
Ryuuto shook his head. "No. I want to test something new."
Wolverine groaned. "Kid, I swear—you're more of a lunatic than I ever was."