That night, Leo lay on his futon staring at the ceiling, the faint hum of Taima energy still buzzing beneath his skin. Sleep wasn't coming easily — not with his body feeling like a nuclear reactor and his mind running circles.
'Dual affinity, huh? Great. I'm basically a cheat code wrapped in a moral dilemma,' he thought.
Then, suddenly — static. A sharp, cold ping in the back of his mind, like a radio tuning itself.
"—You."
Leo froze. His breath hitched.
'Oh no. Oh hell no.'
The voice was smooth, controlled — but underneath it, something metallic, detached.
"Interesting… another strain."
Leo sat up fast. "Nope. Nope. I'm not doing this horror movie crap."
Then another voice — deeper, rawer, full of rage and sarcasm:
"Don't act like you're special, kid. You're just a walking meatball with bad instincts."
Leo blinked. "…James?"
"Yeah, genius. Who else sounds this pissed all the time?"
There was a pause, then Alex's voice cut in again, calm and surgical.
"Fascinating. He's not infected by me or Heller. He's… parallel."
"Parallel?" Heller barked. "You mean he's from a knockoff universe?"
"Essentially."
Leo groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Oh, fantastic. I'm having a cross-dimensional conference call with my DNA donors."
"Watch your tone, kid," Heller growled. "You might've got our powers, but you sure as hell ain't earned our scars."
"Hm. His biomass output is inefficient," Mercer mused. "He still hesitates to consume. Emotionally weak."
"Excuse me?" Leo snapped. "Sorry for not being a psychopath!"
There was a silence. Then — Heller laughed.
"Heh. Got some backbone. I like this one."
"Irrelevant," Mercer said flatly. "If he survives long enough, he'll adapt. If not… the ecosystem corrects itself."
"Yeah, love the vote of confidence, Alex," Leo muttered.
The voices began to fade, dissolving into static. Before they vanished completely, Heller's voice lingered one last time:
"Kid… don't let the hunger run you. You start likin' the taste — you're done."
Leo sat there in silence, heart hammering.
"…Okay," he said finally. "Step one: stop talking to the imaginary virus council in my head. Step two: maybe find holy water."
He flopped back down, pulling the blanket over his head.
'Yup. Totally normal childhood. Just me, my ninja mom, my demon fiancée, and two murder viruses giving me life advice.'
Meanwhile, across the universe — New York City, though not quite the same one Leo remembered.
The skyline was cracked and healing, a ghost of the chaos it once bore.
In a forgotten corner of the city, two figures — legends in their own right — stood on opposite rooftops.
One, tall and lean, his black hoodie fluttering faintly in the breeze.
His skin carried that pallid hue of someone who wasn't entirely human anymore, and his eyes gleamed with a cold, almost mechanical curiosity.
[Insert images of Alex Mercer]
And in another sector, standing by the ruins of a military checkpoint, was a man built like a tank — heavy frame, dark skin, eyes burning with a mix of discipline and fury.
His hands were buried in his jacket pockets, but the faint red glow under his veins betrayed the beast that lived inside him.
[insert Image of James Heller.]
For a moment, silence — the hum of the city, the wind through broken steel. Then, Heller's voice rumbled low in his mind.
'How the hell did we even reach that damn kid?'
Alex's response was immediate, cold and analytical.
'Your hive mind connection. The virus recognizes itself across realities. A... resonance, perhaps.'
Heller snorted. 'You mean a freakin' cross-dimensional conference call?'
Alex tilted his head, watching the skyline with his usual detachment.
'In crude terms… yes. His strain carries fragments of our genome. The virus treats him as one of us — a sibling node.'
'A kid node,' Heller muttered, kicking at a chunk of concrete. 'You hear him talk? Sounds like he's playin' a video game with his own DNA.'
'He's inexperienced,' Alex replied. 'But adaptable. The infection is evolving differently in his environment. No military pressure. No plague. Just demons and Taima particles.'
'Taima what now?'
Alex's tone was flat. 'Energy that disrupts demonic biology. Interesting, considering the virus is technically... demonic, in composition.'
Heller rubbed his temples. 'Man, I ain't got time for your science crap. What I wanna know is — can the kid handle it?'
There was a pause. Then Mercer said quietly:
'He's holding back.'
'Yeah, I noticed,' Heller said, cracking his neck. 'Didn't even finish that Oni. You'd have wiped the whole mountain.'
'He's... human,' Alex mused. 'Still believes restraint is a virtue.'
'He keeps that up,' Heller grunted, 'he's gonna get eaten alive.'
Alex's gaze drifted east, as if staring through reality itself.
'Then perhaps we guide him. Observe. See whether he becomes evolution's next step — or its cautionary tale.'
Heller rolled his eyes. 'You just don't wanna admit you're curious.'
Alex gave a faint, humorless smirk.
'Curiosity built us, James. It also destroyed us.'
The wind blew harder — a faint ripple of static flickered between them, like the virus itself was listening.
'If the kid's gonna carry both our legacies,' Heller muttered, tightening his fists, 'he better learn quick. Or this "world of demons" is gonna chew him up faster than we ever could.'
Alex simply nodded once, his voice almost a whisper.
'Then let's see if the boy named Fuuma Leo can survive becoming something neither man nor monster.'
Back in the Fuuma Estate, the mood couldn't have been more different.
Leo sat cross-legged at the low table, happily demolishing his breakfast — rice, miso soup, and grilled fish. His mom was chatting with Tokiko's parents nearby, and the smell of soy sauce hung in the air.
Everything was peaceful. Until—
ACHOO!
Leo sneezed so violently that his chopsticks flew out of his hand and stabbed into the rice bowl like a ninja kunai.
His mother, Aoi Fuuma, blinked from across the table. "Bless you, sweetie. Are you catching a cold?"
Leo sniffed, rubbing his nose. "No… just got that weird feeling like someone's talking about me."
His dad chuckled. "Must be one of the girls."
Aoi gave her husband a look. "Really, dear? He's six."
"...Right," he said quickly, clearing his throat. "Then maybe… demons?"
Leo groaned internally. 'If you only knew that two walking bio-weapons from another universe were probably debating whether to kill or mentor me.'
He went back to eating, still muttering under his breath. "Whoever it is, they better not be planning anything crazy."
From somewhere beyond space and time, two men — one in a hoodie, the other in a leather jacket — paused mid-discussion.
Heller: "You feel that?"
Mercer: "He's aware of something."
Heller: "Aw, hell no. Don't tell me the kid's psychic now too."
Mercer: "...Troubling."
Back on Earth, Leo sneezed again.
ACHOO!
Tokiko, who was sitting beside him, tilted her head. "You sure you're not sick, Cousin?"
Leo sighed dramatically. "No, just cursed with cosmic bad timing."
Tokiko blinked. "Is that a ninja art?"
He smiled faintly. "Let's just say… it's a family thing."
Aoi leaned over with a bright smile. "Alright! Finish your rice, then we'll go practice water techniques."
Leo perked up instantly. "Finally! My shot at Water Breathing!"
His dad blinked. "What's that?"
"Uh—" Leo froze mid-chew. 'Crap, too soon!'
"—Just a cool name for water training!" he blurted.
Aoi laughed softly. "You're such a funny boy."
Leo forced a smile. 'Yeah… funny. Until I invent demon-slaying sword styles before puberty.'
Leo Dad, Ryuji spoke looking at his son. "Well, since you're starting your Ninja Art things, are you sure your affinity is gonna be water, your Mother is Lightning, mine is wind, both of Tokiko's parents have Wind".
Leo looked up from his bowl, a grain of rice stuck to his cheek as he blinked at his dad.
"Yup," he said simply, before taking another bite.
Ryuji raised an eyebrow. "Just 'yup'? No explanation, no reasoning—?"
Leo swallowed, wiped his mouth, and said matter-of-factly, "Water fits me."
His dad crossed his arms. "Because it's calm and flowing?"
Leo shook his head. "Because it looks harmless until it drowns you."
There was a pause.
Aoi and Ryuji both blinked at him. Tokiko just stared, chopsticks midair.
Ryuji finally sighed. "...You know, sometimes you worry me, kid."
Aoi smiled nervously, patting Leo's head. "He's just being poetic! Right, sweetie?"
Leo grinned. "Sure, let's call it that."
'Or maybe because if I can pull off Water Breathing, I'll be the first Taimanin Hashira,' he thought, smirking inwardly.
Tokiko tilted her head. "But, Cousin, if you get Water, can you make ice too?"
Leo blinked. "...You mean like Elsa?"
She nodded excitedly. "Yeah! Then you could sing and everything!"
Aoi covered her mouth, holding back laughter, while Ryuji just facepalmed.
Leo groaned. "Great. First I'm compared to ninjas, now a Disney princess."
Tokiko's eyes sparkled. "You'd look cute with snowflakes!"
"Don't push it," Leo muttered.
Ryuji chuckled, leaning back. "Well, whatever the reason, if you can pull off a new art, the clan'll talk about it for years. Just… try not to flood the yard."
Leo smirked. "No promises."
'Especially since I might accidentally boil it with virus energy,' he thought, already imagining the chaos.
The next day, deep in the forest…
Leo crouched low, scanning the trees around him. Sunlight cut through the leaves in sharp beams, making the air shimmer with mist.
He flexed his leg, focusing. Black and red veins crawled across his skin like living tattoos, pulsing faintly.
"Alright… if Alex and James can do this—then so can I."
He bent his knees, grinning. "Time to test some anime logic."
With a sharp boom, Leo launched upward, a red streak cutting through the air as the virus boosted his legs. The force of his jump sent loose dirt scattering like a mini explosion beneath him.
For a moment, he was airborne—wind roaring past his ears, treetops blurring below. His heart raced.
'Holy crap—this actually works!'
He twisted midair, trying to steady himself, but gravity didn't care how cool he felt.
"Ah, crap—landing, landing, landing!"
Thinking fast, Leo extended his right arm. Red and black lines flared across his skin, bulging outward until tendrils shot from his forearm like living spears.
They impaled a nearby tree trunk with a thunk, slowing his fall before he swung down and landed on both feet, dirt flying.
He straightened, panting lightly, and looked at the small crater where he'd touched down.
No broken ground. No broken bones.
"Okay," he said, smirking. "That was awesome."
He glanced at his arm—the tendrils were still twitching slightly, dripping faint red residue before retracting back into smooth skin.
Leo exhaled, still buzzing with excitement.
'So, the virus enhances the body, not just the blades. Good… I can build on this.'
Then, with a mischievous grin:
'Next test—running up trees. If ninjas can do it, I can too.'
Leo crouched again, a sharp grin spreading across his face.
"Alright… round two."
He kicked off the ground, black and red lines flaring across his legs as he rocketed upward. This time, he aimed for the tallest tree nearby.
As he hit the trunk, his tendrils shot out like living blades, slicing into the bark and sending splinters flying. The massive tree creaked and split in half as he pushed off again, using the momentum to vault higher.
"Too fast—too fast—!"
He shot past the canopy, air whistling in his ears, until the world tilted—
A distant road flashed below him.
"Oh, hell no!"
Leo instinctively fired a tendril toward a nearby streetlight. The red-black cord latched onto it with a wet crack, jerking him to a stop midair. His body swung hard before he let go and dropped to the ground with a solid thud.
He dusted himself off, heart pounding, and let out a short laugh.
"Still need to fix that landing… but damn," he said with a smirk, watching the severed tree crash in the distance. "Not even flying demons or helicopters are gonna be safe once I master this."
The virus pulsed faintly under his skin as his smirk widened.
"That's gonna be one hell of a surprise."
Leo stood there in the quiet forest, red lines still fading from his arm. The smell of bark and ozone hung in the air.
He blinked. Then frowned.
'…Wait a sec.'
His thoughts caught up to him as he looked around the empty woods.
'Why do I always come out here alone?'
He crossed his arms, scowling slightly.
'I'm six. Six. My parents should be freaking out, my aunt should've sent a search squad, maybe even a drone—'
Then he sighed, realization dawning.
'Right… this is a ninja village.'
He facepalmed lightly.
'They probably know where I am down to the chakra signature. For all I know, someone's watching me from a tree right now eating rice crackers.'
Somewhere, a faint rustle came from above. Leo froze, then slowly looked up into the trees.
Nothing.
"…Creepy," he muttered, shaking his head. "Guess that's normal here."
He shrugged, stretching his arms. "Whatever. If they're watching, they might as well take notes."
The virus tendrils twitched faintly on his arm again, like they agreed.
What Leo didn't know was that he was being watched.
Up in the trees, crouched behind a thick branch, a pair of wide brown eyes followed his every move.
Tokiko — one year younger, full of curiosity and zero fear — had been quietly tailing him for days now.
To her little mind, Leo wasn't doing anything dangerous or weird. Oh no.
He was doing something awesome.
When the black and red tendrils burst from his arm and he launched himself through the air, Tokiko's jaw dropped.
She didn't see a kid nearly slicing a tree in half.
She saw a superhero.
Her hands balled into fists as she whispered with all the determination a five-year-old could muster,
"I wanna learn that!"
In her mind, it was simple: her cousin had mastered some secret Taima technique. He was a genius, obviously. Probably learning advanced Ninja Arts while everyone else was still figuring out how to throw kunai straight.
Meanwhile, Leo was on the ground, completely unaware that his "training montage" now had an audience — one currently vowing to copy everything she saw.
Lucky for him, Tokiko's childlike brain had skipped right past danger and landed squarely on cool.
Leo stretched his arms, ready to test his tendrils again, when he suddenly heard a small voice yell from above—
"HYAAAH!"
He barely had time to look up before a small blur launched out of a tree.
"Wait—what the fu—TOKIKO?!"
There was a whump! followed by a very un-ninja-like "oof!" as she landed face-first into a bush. Leaves exploded everywhere.
Leo blinked twice, processing what just happened. Then panic hit.
"Oh crap—oh crap—oh crap—Mom's gonna kill me!"
He rushed over, pulling branches aside. "Tokiko?! Are you okay?! Speak to me!"
From inside the leaves came a muffled groan. "…I… almost… did it…"
Leo froze. "Did what?!"
She sat up, twigs sticking out of her hair like tiny antennae, eyes wide with pure excitement. "The zoom thing! You know—the whoosh—" She threw her arms back dramatically, "—then the stab-the-tree move!"
Leo just stared at her. "…The what."
Tokiko nodded earnestly, mimicking him as best she could. "You jump! Then you go fast! Then you stick your arm out and—shhrrk!—like a big claw! I saw you do it! I wanna do it too!"
There was a long pause.
Leo opened his mouth, then closed it again. He ran a hand through his hair, trying not to laugh—or scream.
'Right… she's five. Not a stalker. Not a spy. Just… a very enthusiastic five-year-old.'
He sighed, crouching down so they were eye level. "Tokiko… that's not something you can just copy."
She tilted her head. "Why not? You make it look easy."
"Because," he said carefully, "if you mess it up, you'll break every bone in your body. And your mom will actually kill me."
Tokiko blinked, then pouted. "…But it looks fun."
Leo couldn't help but chuckle at that. "Yeah, well, so does jumping off a cliff. Doesn't mean you should try it."
She crossed her arms, puffing her cheeks. "You're mean."
He smiled softly, patting her head. "No. I'm your cousin. Big difference."
Tokiko huffed but didn't pull away. Instead, she peeked up at him with a grin. "Then you can teach me the safe parts?"
Leo sighed as Tokiko beamed up at him, eyes full of childish determination.
'Great,' he thought, rubbing his forehead. 'First I eat an Oni, now I'm accidentally starting a ninja daycare.'
To be continued
Hope people like this Ch and give me Power stones.
Sense you got me to 70+ power stones, I though to give a Extra Ch this week