I stood by the window of this dingy apartment and stared out at the city skyline. The sun was low, casting a gold tint over the streets below that magically made chaos look still. A moment passed when I merely breathed it in-this universe, my new life, the potential for chaos hanging in the air like static before a storm.
"I need to get out of here," I muttered, running a hand through my hair. The itch to test my powers had been gnawing on me since I first unlocked them. There was the mission too-the weight of it. I was supposed to kill three enemies in 48 hours.
The hum of the city outside sounded like an invitation. I grinned at myself. 'Yeah, it was time to stretch my legs.'
Picking up the cheap smartphone from the table, I dropped it into my pocket and headed out. Down creaky stairs in a rundown building, every step deeper into this world, drawing the Villain's Code tightly around me like a noose.
On the street, the city greeted me with its usual madness: horns blaring, people rushing, vendors yelling. I melted into the crowd, eyes sharp, scanning.
'Let's see what this body can do,' I thought, the cool concrete a gentle brush against my moving hand. My muscles felt more limber, my senses sharper, the hum of the Sharingan pulsing under the surface.
I made a right down a narrow side street; the noise of the main road fell behind. The sun was all but gone now, its shadows stretching long across the alley. I looked up, eyes tracing the skyline. Might as well see how high I could jump.
Kneeling, I sprang into the air with a sudden surge of energy, landing easily on the rooftop closest to me. I smirked to myself, standing there for a moment as I took in the city below from my new vantage point.
'Not bad. I can work with this.'
I started to cross the rooftops, testing my agility. The wind whipping through my hair, the sprawl of the city far below me. I felt alive. This body was good. No, it was perfect.
Something down below caught my eye. In the shade of an alley, a bunch of men closed in on a female, backing her up. They were laughing, jeering, while she shrank away, face gone white from fear. Cowards.
I crouched low and watched for a moment. A mugging? I wasn't here to play hero, but something about the scene intrigued me. Maybe it was the boredom. Or maybe it was just the way they ganged up on someone helpless. Anyway, I decided to interfere.
The woman tried to run, but one of them slammed her against the wall. She cried out in desperation.
"Is this really what you call fun?" I called down, my tone conversational and dripping with sarcasm as I dropped off the rooftop and landed silently behind them.
They whirled around, the majority startled. Their leader, a scar-faced brute, was the first to compose himself and actually laugh. "Some pretty boy trying to play hero? Get lost kid. This ain't your business."
I just smiled, enjoying this. "Hero? Far from it. I just think it's pathetic, ganging up on someone who can't fight back.
His face turned dark. "We'll see you're still laughing when we break you."
I stood still, my hands in my pockets as they rushed at me. I could have dodged easily enough, but where's the fun in that? The first blow landed squarely on my jaw, snapping my head to the side. Another thug followed up with a punch to my gut, driving the air from my lungs. The force of the blows sent me crashing to the ground.
The gang burst into a storm of laughter, and the leader came forward to give me a brutal kick in my ribs. "See? You should've stayed out of this."
They continued beating me down-fists and boots coming down just about everywhere in a flurry of violence. The woman screamed, begging them to stop, but the thugs were far too focused on their prey.
I was less than impressed. The blows pounded in, and with each one a sinister grin crawled across my face, blood trickling from the corner of my mouth.
"Wipe that stupid grin out of him!"
One of the thugs cocked a fist and swung hard into my face, another following up with a low kick in an attempt to sweep my legs out from underneath him. The attacks landed, clean-or so they thought.
Time seemed to stand still around them, and their minds were watching me plummet to the ground, my mouth exploding in a crimson eruption. The boy was lying in front of them now, battered and bruised. A triumphant roar belched from the bottom of one of the men's stomachs as he squatted, tugging me up by my collar.
"Pathetic," the thug spat, his fist rising in a final blow.
But something wasn't right.
The leader paused, fist stopping mid-air before a frown creased his forehead as he peered down at me - clearly - something was amiss. I didn't flinch and wasn't fighting back for all I was worth. "What the hell's wrong with you?"
Then they thought the ground beneath them was. off. Thick, heavy air, like the world around them had come on dense. One of the thugs looked down at my body - only to find it flickering like a mirage. A heartbeat later, the 'beaten' me - or so they thought they'd taken down - faded away fully.
"Wh-what the hell?" one of them stammered, spinning around in confusion.
In reality, I hadn't moved an inch. Standing a few feet away, my crimson Sharingan cast a certain spell of fear over their minds.
"Wrong?"
"You never even touched me," I said calmly as his voice was cold and sliced through the wave of dread that overtook them suddenly.
"You're already in my world."
It was as if their line of vision finally blurred and the illusion they had lived through was a piece of shattered glass. In that instant, it clicked that a single blow did not land where it should have. They were mindlessly striking at the empty air, powered by the Sharingan's strong genjutsu.
One by one, they backpedaled with eyes wide in horror. Beads of sweat started trickling down their faces as they tried to make out what had just transpired.
The thugs were stock-still, alarm creeping into their features. And before they could get a word in edgewise, I was on my feet running faster than they could follow. The next thing they knew, I was right behind the leader of the bunch with my shining hand full of crackling electricity.
"Chidori."
Flesh tearing, the sound of my hand piercing through his chest was simultaneous with the crackling of the lightning. His body went limp, eyes wide in shock. I yanked my hand free, letting him fall to the ground.
The rest froze, paralyzed by fear. One tried to run, but I was faster. In an instant, I appeared in front of him, slamming him into the wall by the throat.
Leaving so soon? We were just getting to the good part," I said, my hand clenching tighter around his throat. His trachea began to crush beneath my palm.
"Now," I whispered, my tone low and menacing. "Run."
They fled in terror at the word, the pounding of feet echoed as they ran. I didn't pursue them. Not yet. I wanted them to think they could get away.
A few moments later, I flicked the Sharingan back on, instantly disappearing from that position to reappear behind one of them. Not even a scream escaped his lips as my hand sank into his chest, electric blue lightning crackling. His body slumped to the ground, lifeless.
Another barely made it two blocks before I cut him down with a kunai to the throat. One by one, they fell, swift and silent, until only one remained.
Panting and shaking, the last thug stumbled into an alleyway, looking wildly around, his eyes wide with fear.
"Please." he whimpered. "Please don't kill me. I'll tell you everything!"
I appeared behind him, clutched his shirt collar in my fist, and heaved him into the air one-handed. My Sharingan dug into his eyes, brimming with terror.
"Your base," I demanded. "Where is it?"
He squirmed in my grasp, his face streaming with tears. "East side! Near the docks! Please, I swear—just let me go!"
"And your gang? How many?"
"Thirty… not counting the boss! Please, just spare me!"
I glared at him, at his words. For a moment, I relaxed my hold on him, and he fell to his knees. He coughed in great relieving hacks.
Then I smiled. "Too bad," I whispered, my hand crackling with lightning once more. "You're no longer useful."
And before he could beg again, I reached my hand through his chest. His body bucked briefly before falling lifeless to the ground.
I wiped my hands off on my shirt; blood and ozone hung heavy in the air. As I turned to leave, the Villain's Code flashed into my head:
[Quest Complete: Synchronization +2%