"Eugene, are you alright?"
One of Eugene clone was walking around his villa into the refreshing night air, Gwen's anxious voice coming through his phone bringing unexpected warmth to his chest.
"I'm fine, Gwen. Really, don't worry about me."
"Are you sure?"
"It's nothing serious. I will handle it." Eugene's voice was steadier than he felt.
"Eugene..." Gwen's tone shifted, like she wanted to say more but was holding back. "If you need help—any kind of help—you know you can tell me, right? I mean it."
"I know. Thanks, Gwen."
Eugene smiled to himself. If he wasn't mistaken, Gwen was probably already nearby—likely perched on some rooftop in her Ghost-Spider suit, watching his clone walk around the villa's perimeter. He'd sent that clone out specifically to keep her attention, knowing she couldn't resist checking on him after hearing about the trouble.
They'd been friends since childhood, the two of them, later joined by Peter to form their little trio. Eugene knew Gwen well enough to predict her protective instincts would kick in.
She's been the Ghost spider for two years and hasn't told me yet, Eugene thought with some amusement. Well, two can play that game. I'll keep my new abilities secret for now, then make a dramatic reveal later. Always wanted to do that—might as well live out some of those fantasies from my previous life.
"Okay, well... be careful, alright? And don't stay out too late—we've got class tomorrow."
"Yes, mom," Eugene teased. "You too. Sleep soon."
As he suspected, Gwen was indeed crouched on a nearby rooftop, her Ghost-Spider suit's white and black blending with the shadows. She'd heard the commotion from Eugene's villa but couldn't investigate while the "Eugene" below was still walking around outside.
Something's not right, Gwen thought, watching the figure below. But if he says he's okay...
After the call ended, she swung off into the night. Her dad would be home late as usual, but she still needed to get back before he did.
Meanwhile, the real Eugene was already halfway to the Johnson Pharmaceutical building.
----------------------------------------------------------
"Hey everyone, welcome back to my channel!"
Sally Avril held up her phone, her bright smile filling the screen. Her black hair was perfectly styled, makeup flawless, dressed in designer clothes that probably cost more than most people's monthly rent.
The chat exploded with comments:
XxGamerBoi420xX: Sally! Looking good!
TechNerd87: Damn, that outfit is fire
RandomViewer: Where are you tonight?
NightOwl92: Wait, is that the Oasis Villas?
Sally giggled at the reactions. "So, a bunch of you have been asking me to show you how the other half lives, right? Well, tonight's your lucky night! Guess where I am?"
She spun around slowly, panning her phone camera across the manicured gardens and massive estates surrounding her.
PropertyGuru: Holy shit, that's definitely Oasis.
WealthWatcher: No way, only twelve houses in that whole development
RandomViewer: Each villa is like 10 million minimum
TechNerd87: Rich people problems lmao
XxGamerBoi420xX: Sally, marry me?
"Okay, okay," Sally laughed, sitting down on an ornate stone bench and massaging her calves dramatically. "Full disclosure—I don't actually live here. A friend invited me to visit, and I thought, hey, why not give you guys a virtual tour?"
She panned across the landscape again, showing off elaborate gardens with imported plants and trees, private driveways that could fit ten cars, artificial lakes glittering under decorative lights.
PropertyGuru: These places start at like $1000 per square foot
WealthWatcher: Try $1500. My cousin's a realtor, these are insane
NightOwl92: Capitalism at its finest, folks
"This place is ridiculous," Sally continued, playing up her exhaustion. "I've been walking for twenty minutes and I've barely covered one property. They offered me a golf cart service—yeah, that's a thing here—but I turned it down so you guys could see everything. You're welcome."
RandomViewer: The hero we need
TechNerd87: Sally carrying the team
XxGamerBoi420xX: This is wild
Sally was about to continue when the comments suddenly shifted:
NightOwl92: SALLY BEHIND YOU
WealthWatcher: WHAT THE HELL
PropertyGuru: OMG TURN AROUND
TechNerd87: HOLY SHIT
RandomViewer: IS THAT AN EXPLOSION?!
Sally spun around, her phone camera catching what had startled her viewers.
One of the massive villas behind her—easily visible even from this distance—had a corner of its structure blown completely apart. Debris scattered into the air. Smoke billowed from the damage. The sounds of chaos and destruction echoed across the normally peaceful development.
"What the—" Sally's practiced streaming persona cracked, replaced by genuine shock. "Did that just—is that—"
NightOwl92: CALL 911!!!
XxGamerBoi420xX: This is insane!
WealthWatcher: This is going viral
TechNerd87: WORLDSTAR!
PropertyGuru: Sally get out of there!
Sally's phone shook as her hands trembled, but she kept it pointed at the villa. This was horrifying, but also... this would get millions of views.
--------------------------------------
"Cough... cough..."
Richard Johnson lay sprawled on the floor of his office, surrounded by shattered glass and overturned furniture. His expensive suit was torn and dirty, blood trickling from a cut above his eye. He struggled to prop himself up, every movement sending pain through his ribs.
Standing before him was a tall figure, face hidden behind a cheap convenience store mask.
"Please... whoever you are... we can work this out."
Thirty minutes ago, this masked individual had fought through the building's security like they were made of paper. Wind-based attacks—powerful ones—had torn through guards, walls, and furniture without the attacker even breaking a sweat. Richard's security, his expensive defense systems, all of it had been worthless.
I've been careful, Richard thought frantically. I don't make enemies I can't handle. So who the hell is this?
"Money?" Richard continued, trying to read the figure's body language through the mask. "I have plenty of it. Name your price. Or maybe you want something else? Access? Connections? I know people—powerful people. Whatever you need, I can arrange it."
"I'm not here for money." It was clear that from the voice that the figure was barely controlling his anger. "I'm just here to take your life. Nothing else."
Richard's blood ran cold. This wasn't business. This was personal.
"Who are you?" Richard's mind raced, trying to place the voice, the build, anything. "What did I do to you? I can fix it—whatever it is, I can make it right!"
"Can you?" The figure tilted his head. "Can you bring back the dead, Mr. Johnson?"
The dead? Richard's eyes widened. Who did I—
"Please!" Richard's composure finally shattered completely. "Look, I have connections everywhere. The Governor's office, city hall, even federal contacts. If you kill me, they'll hunt you down. But if you spare me, I can make you rich beyond your wildest dreams! The Johnson company can give you anything—money, protection, a new identity—"
Eugene chuckled behind his mask. Even now, even facing death, Richard was trying to find a way out of it. The man truly was a snake to his core.
Focus, Eugene reminded himself, deliberately looking away from Richard's face. Every time I look at him directly, I just want to end this immediately. But I need information first.
He'd used Transformation Jutsu to alter his build and height, then bought the cheap mask from a shop on the way here. The wind techniques he'd been using—Wind Release: Violent Wind Palm, Wind Release: Wind Cutter, Wind Release: Vacuum Sphere—had all been purchased with Dimensional Points specifically for this.
Partly to hide his identity, yes. But also... well, he'd always wanted to do the mysterious masked vigilante thing. Might as well tick that off the wishlist while getting revenge.
"Let me ask you something," Eugene asked. "Eugene Miller. Ring a bell?"
"Eugene?" Richard's eyes widened in confusion and fear. "The Miller kid from this morning? Did he hire you? Is that what this is about?" His mind raced. "Look, I'll back off completely! I'll leave him and the company alone! Whatever he's paying you, I'll double it—triple it! Just—"
"You sent people to kill him tonight."
Richard's blood ran cold. "That was—look, that was just business! Nothing personal! I'll call it off right now—all of it!" He fumbled for his phone with shaking hands. "See? I'm calling Marcus right now. I'll tell him to stand down—"
"Marcus is dead." Eugene's voice was flat. "All five of them. Dead."
The phone clattered from Richard's hands onto the floor. "What? But that means—that's impossible! Marcus was experienced! He had a full team—"
"The kid's protected now. By me." Eugene's voice was hard as steel. "You made a very big mistake, Johnson."
Richard's mind spun frantically. Someone protecting Eugene Miller? Someone with this kind of power? But the kid had no connections, no family left after the accident—
Wait.
"Are you—" Richard's voice shook. "Are you related to the Millers somehow? Family? Friend? Look, whatever they were to you, I'm sorry about what happened! That wasn't supposed to—it was just business! The serum research they were working on, it's worth billions! I had to secure it!"
"Had to?" Eugene's voice could have frozen water. "You 'had to' kill two innocent people for profit? That's your justification?"
"I can make it right!" Richard was openly begging now, all pretense of dignity abandoned. "I'll give Eugene everything! The company, money, properties—whatever he wants! He can have it all! Just please, please don't kill me! I have kids! A family! They need me!"
Eugene was silent for a long moment, and Richard dared to hope.
"Information." The figure finally spoke. "That's what I want. Who ordered you to go after the Millers?"
Richard's eyes went wide. "What? Nobody ordered me—"
"Don't lie to me." Wind suddenly whipped violently through the destroyed office, papers flying everywhere. "You're small-time, Johnson. Regional. You don't make plays this big without someone bigger giving you the green light. So who was it? Who promised you protection?"
"I acted alone! The serum research was—"
"Bullshit." Eugene cut him off. "You couldn't keep that serum even if you got it. Every major pharmaceutical company would come after you. Government agencies would get involved. You'd be crushed within days unless someone was protecting you. So I'll ask again—who gave you permission?"
Richard's face showed genuine terror. "I can't—if I tell you, they'll kill my family! They're everywhere! They have people in every agency—"
"So there IS someone."
"No! I didn't mean—" Richard realized his mistake.
"Give me a name."
"I CAN'T!" Richard was crying now. "Please! You don't understand! These people—if I talk, we're all dead! My kids—"
He pressed his forehead to the floor, all dignity gone. "Take everything! The company, the money, all of it! Just let me live! I'll disappear! I'll leave Eugene alone forever!"
Eugene looked down at the pathetic figure before him. Part of him—the part that was still just eighteen, still processing grief—felt a twinge of something. Not quite sympathy, but... something.
The larger part, the part that was full of anger after losing his parent, felt nothing but disgust.
"You're not sorry you did it," Eugene said quietly. "You're just sorry you're about to die."
He began to float upward, wind currents responding to his chakra-enhanced control. The technique—purchased for just 80 Dimensional Points—worked perfectly, lifting him smoothly off the ground.
Richard looked up, his tear-stained face showing confusion and terror as Eugene rose twenty meters into the air, hovering above the damaged office.
So I won't get answers tonight, Eugene thought, trying to push down his disappointment. Fine. I'll find another way to track down whoever's really behind this.
But first, he had a different obligation.
His hand began to glow blue as chakra spiraled and compressed. The Rasengan formed, then evolved as four rotating wind blades materialized around it. The distinctive shrieking sound of the technique filled the air—like a thousand birds crying out at once.
Wind Release: Rasenshuriken.
One of the most destructive jutsu in the Naruto world, and Eugene could feel its power thrumming in his palm, barely contained.
Richard stared up at the spiraling sphere of destruction, his face going completely white.
"What... what is that..."
Eugene looked down at the man who'd ordered his parents' death. Despite everything, his voice was almost gentle when he spoke.
"This? This is a parting gift, Mr. Johnson."
He drew back his arm.
"For my parents."