In the dense forest bordering the Negative Point, Toruri perched atop a sturdy tree, his keen eyes scanning the surroundings for any signs of movement. "Nothing but animals and insects out here, this is kinda boring," he mused to himself, the monotony of the task evident in his voice.
Suddenly, Ryoshi leaped onto the same tree, startling Toruri from his observations.
"Wassup, Ryoshi?" Toruri greeted, turning to face his companion.
"I just finished up my training for the day, whatcha doing?" Ryoshi replied, his curiosity piqued.
"I'm just scouting," Toruri explained, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "On days like this, I need to sharpen my hunting skills if you know what I mean."
Ryoshi looked puzzled. "How are you hunting, though?"
With a sly grin, Toruri prepared to demonstrate. But before he could speak, a sudden noise interrupted their conversation.
"MY LEEEEG!" a voice cried out from below.
Without missing a beat, Toruri swung his invisible chain upwards, revealing a man who had stumbled upon their tree.
"Now get out of my sight!" Toruri commanded, yanking the chain and sending the man flying.
As Ryoshi watched in awe, Toruri's right hand began to glow with a blue aura. With a swift punch, he dispatched the intruder with ease.
"Wow!" Ryoshi exclaimed, impressed by Toruri's display of power.
"Heheheh, I can turn my magical weapon invisible! Cool, right?" Toruri boasted, his pride evident in his voice.
Ryoshi nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah, really cool."
Eager to show off his weapon further, Toruri explained, "The weapon's name is Beakurou. It might look like two huge bear traps connected by chains, but it's much more than that."
Ryoshi listened intently, intrigued by Toruri's explanation.
Suddenly, Toruri spotted a man walking through the forest carrying large wooden planks.
"Ooooh, watch this," Toruri said with a mischievous grin, turning his weapon invisible before tossing it in the man's path.
But to Toruri's surprise, the man easily circumvented the trap and continued on his way.
"Scuse me?" Toruri called out, frustration evident in his voice.
As the man walked away, Toruri's anger boiled over. "YEAH, WALK AWAY, YOU FREAKING ASSHOLE!" he shouted after him.
Ryoshi watched the exchange with a mixture of confusion and amusement.
"Strange..." Ryoshi remarked, unable to shake off the feeling of unease.
"Yeah, for real," Toruri agreed, his frustration still lingering.
Then, turning to Ryoshi, Toruri proposed, "You wanna spy on him?"
Ryoshi nodded eagerly. "Sure, we have nothing else to do."
With determination in their eyes, Ryoshi and Toruri set off to track the mysterious man, unaware of the danger that awaited them.
Toruri's eyes narrowed as he focused his enhanced vision, scanning the area with precision. "Great, let's get this party started," he declared, a determined gleam in his reptilian-like eyes.
Closing his eyes briefly, Toruri tapped into his unique abilities. When he reopened them, his once brown eyes had transformed into yellow, reptile-like orbs.
"He's exiting the forest, but what he doesn't know is that a wolf is about to attack him," Toruri whispered to Ryoshi, his voice tinged with urgency.
"How can you—" Ryoshi began, but Toruri cut him off.
"I can see anything within 75 miles," Toruri explained calmly. "I would be able to do this passively, but I'm not completely a Hachto."
"Cool, let's head to the area!" Ryoshi responded, his excitement palpable.
Six minutes later, Ryoshi and Toruri crouched behind a tree, their eyes fixed on the unsuspecting man below.
"Damn, this dude is slow," Ryoshi whispered, his impatience evident.
"Maybe he's being observant. He did just spot two guys blatantly staring at him," Toruri replied, his voice laced with caution.
Before they could react, a sudden noise shattered the silence. "Hm? What's that?" the man below called out, alerting Ryoshi and Toruri to their potential exposure.
Toruri's heart raced as a wolf lunged out of the trees, aiming for the man. "Shoot, did he spot us?" Toruri muttered under his breath, his fear mounting.
But to their astonishment, the wolf's attack was abruptly halted. Its head flew off, blood spraying in all directions, leaving Ryoshi and Toruri dumbfounded.
"He's gonna get mauled by that wolf," Ryoshi whispered, his voice filled with concern.
Before they could process what had happened, the man below demanded, "Who's there?!"
Toruri cursed under his breath. "Crap—" he began, but was cut off as the man effortlessly uprooted the tree they were hiding behind, revealing their presence.
Caught off guard and facing an unknown adversary, Ryoshi and Toruri braced themselves for whatever came next.
"Oh, it's you guys," the mysterious man spoke with an air of nonchalance.
Toruri narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "Yeah, it's us. But who the hell are you?"
"I'm nobody," the man replied cryptically.
Toruri couldn't help but scoff. "Typical."
"You both saw too much," the man continued, his tone growing ominous.
Ryoshi's instincts kicked in. "Toruri, I hate to break it to you, but I feel as if he's gonna attack us."
"You are correct," the man confirmed, his demeanor shifting.
"How about... no," Toruri challenged, his stance defiant.
"Heh?" Ryoshi's confusion mirrored in his voice.
"Hunters magic—"
"70 in 1," the man interrupted.
Before Toruri could complete his incantation, the man delivered a powerful blow, sending Toruri crashing to the ground.
"Toruri!" Ryoshi rushed to his fallen comrade's side.
As Ryoshi inspected Toruri's injuries, he noticed something peculiar. "What the hell? There's more than one bruise on his face. Didn't he say 70 in 1 or something similar to that?"
"Toruri, are you okay?" Ryoshi asked, concern evident in his voice.
"I'm alright. Where did that bastard go?" Toruri's voice was laced with determination.
Ryoshi scanned their surroundings, but the man had vanished without a trace. "Shit."
Toruri's laughter echoed through the forest, sending chills down Ryoshi's spine. "Why are you laughing like that?"
"That man is not out of the blue yet," Toruri declared with an evil grin.
Meanwhile, in the village, the mysterious man made his way to a bar, his mind still reeling from the encounter.
"That was a close one. If it wasn't for my killer instinct, I could have been caught," he mused to himself.
Entering the bar, he greeted the bartender with a polite smile. "Hello again. I'm sorry for my drunk outburst last night, sir."
The bartender waved it off with a grin. "It's fine. Stuff like that happens all the time."
The man nodded. "Thanks for understanding. By the way, I'm new around these parts. Just finished building my house up the road."
"Well, it's nice to meet you, neighbor!" the bartender exclaimed. "I live in this bar. This building means everything to me."
The man raised an eyebrow. "Really? I'm actually a pretty wealthy guy myself."
The bartender's curiosity piqued. "Are you a part of a rich family or something? Or do you save your money?"
"Neither," the man replied mysteriously.
"Ooh, okay, mysterious. I see," the bartender chuckled. "One last question: when did you drop off the money?"
"Earlier today," the man answered casually.
"But I didn't see you. The money just suddenly appeared there," the bartender remarked.
The man couldn't help but smirk internally. "Does this guy seriously stare at his door all day?"
"Well... I clearly was there," the man asserted, his voice tinged with a hint of amusement.
The bartender scratched his head in confusion. "I must have been seeing things then. Anyways, what can I get you?"
"Nothing, I'm just stopping by," the man replied casually.
"Ok. Your name is Sairu Heika, right?" the bartender asked, trying to confirm.
"I thought you already asked your last question about me," Sairu remarked with a hint of annoyance.
"Sorry, sir," the bartender apologized sheepishly.
"But you're not wrong, though," Sairu admitted cryptically.
With that, Sairu got up from the stool and walked out of the bar, only to find his plank of woods missing.
Sairu clenched his teeth in frustration. "Grrr, who the hell took my planks of wood?"
His eyes narrowed as he spotted three men running off with his planks of wood.
"This is going to be their unlucky day and their final day," Sairu muttered darkly.
In an instant, Sairu vanished into thin air, reappearing in front of the group of men. With lightning speed, he dispatched them, leaving no trace behind.
"While I'm stuck like this, I should dispose of these bodies. I wouldn't want to attract attention to myself," Sairu thought quickly, disposing of the bodies and continuing on his way.
Navigating through an alleyway, Sairu remained cautious, knowing the dangers that lurked in such places.
"A bunch of barrels started to shake," Sairu noted with suspicion. "Ah, they think that they're sooo slick. This has to be those kids from earlier, or at least one of those kids. No matter, I'll just end them here and now!"
With a swift punch of wind, Sairu shattered the barrels, but found nothing inside.
"Hm, must have been the wind," Sairu muttered to himself, though he remained on high alert.
Upon reaching his home, Sairu decided to scan the area with his speed to ensure he wasn't being watched.
But as he entered his house, he was greeted by Toruri and Ryoshi sitting on the ground beside a few boxes.
"AHA!" Toruri exclaimed triumphantly.
Sairu's eyes widened in disbelief. "HUHAAAAAAAAAAH!!!"
"We got you!" Ryoshi grinned.
"How did you find me?" Sairu demanded, stunned by their unexpected appearance.
Toruri chuckled mischievously. "Heheheh, well, you see..."
Flashback
Toruri's senses were on high alert as he attempted to use his Hunter's Magic to track their target. But before he could even complete the incantation, a sudden blow sent him crashing to the ground.
As he picked himself up, nursing his bruised face, Toruri managed to regain his footing. "I managed to get a tracker on your shoulder," he declared, his voice tinged with determination. "It makes a certain sound that only I can hear."
Beside him, Ryoshi nodded in agreement. "And I used a new technique called 'Slippery like Ice' to get around quicker and stealthier. Confronting you at your own house was our only option."
Their target, Sairu, regarded them with a mix of surprise and defiance. "You got me," he admitted, though his tone was far from defeated. "But that won't change the fact that both of you are going to die."
Ryoshi wasted no time in casting his Ice Magic, attempting to freeze Sairu solid. "Instant freeze!" he declared, tapping Sairu with a swift gesture.
But their victory was short-lived as the ice shattered, and Sairu emerged unscathed. Toruri's laughter echoed in the air, quickly turning to shock as Sairu countered their attack.
"Instant freeze?" Sairu mused, his voice dripping with amusement. "Are you guys students of the Negative Point by any chance?"
Toruri stepped forward, introducing himself and Ryoshi with a hint of pride. "I am Toruri Doragane, the Trapper of our team," he declared.
"And I'm Ryoshi Taisaku, the inheritor," Ryoshi added, his gaze steady.
Sairu's expression softened slightly as he recognized the name of their master. "Fuyu Hinansho?" he repeated, a flicker of nostalgia crossing his features. "I haven't heard that name in over a thousand years. He was one of my teammates."
As the conversation unfolded, Sairu revealed his own past, explaining his departure from the Negative Point and his desire for a peaceful life. "Please leave me alone," he pleaded, a hint of vulnerability creeping into his voice.
Toruri hesitated, sensing a shift in their dynamic. "So you aren't going to kill us?" he asked cautiously.
Sairu shook his head, a faint smile playing at his lips. "No, but I'll send you back to the Negative Point," he replied, his tone final.
Before Toruri and Ryoshi could react, Sairu unleashed a powerful combination of magic, propelling them into the air with a mighty gust of wind. As they soared into the sky, their minds raced with uncertainty, unsure of what lay ahead.
But one thing was certain: their encounter with Sairu was far from over, and the journey ahead promised to be more perilous than they could have ever imagined.