Chương 82: CH_3.23 (082):

The sky had taken a darker shade of evening blue as Takuma followed Slash Baron and three others who he assumed to be part of the Troupe. The destination they arrived at was a rooftop of a vacant building of a higher length than its neighbors. An appropriate place for a meeting to take place in private. As Takuma jumped to the rooftop, he glanced down at the street and saw moderate civilian presence nearby. He felt optimistic that if he tried to escape, he would have ample witnesses in case things went south.

"I wasn't told about the extra company," Takuma said. In his view of observation, he could sense and spot more people on the rooftop. He spotted two people through the windows in the storage room on the roof, one hiding among the air conditioning units and another two near the white water tanks with pipes going down into the building. Slash Baron sat down cross-legged on the floor in the center of the roof.

"As the leader, I believe in the inclusion of members while making decisions that affect the team as a whole. The addition of another member is one such decision." Takuma leaned against the raised ledge of the roof, away from the Troupe members. Wearing the Ring masks while above ground felt foreign, but everyone here had their masks on to protect their identity.

"Why should I join your team?" asked Takuma.

"Because we're gracious enough to invite someone like you, brat!" said one of the Troupe members who hadn't hidden Takuma kept his eyes on the Slash Baron.

"Lovely, but that doesn't sound appealing enough," he said.

"Step back, Hotclaw," Slash Baron said to the man with three red claw-like markings on the mask. He turned to Takuma, "All the benefits any team could provide to someone like you, Scars. Information about opponents, greater freedom in scheduling, help in contract negotiation when your rookie contract expires, access to our contacts in the Ring… and much more. We can make your time easier in the Ring." Takuma turned his neck to gaze at the village as it began to light up as the night approached.

Joining a group would tie him to an organization inside the Ring. Maruboshi's words surfaced in his mind about the darkness that dragged people in if they weren't careful. Takuma thought himself responsible enough to take care of himself in the circles he walked in. However, he understood the dangers and limitations. The offerings from the Troupe sounded useful. Iruka was a flexible leader and allowed Takuma a more than reasonable amount of time without asking many questions— time that went all into the Ring.

He had compensated from his side by taking fewer and fewer D-rank missions and only doing C-rank missions under Iruka, which were barely enough to meet his quota. Freedom in scheduling would help a lot in that regard. However, nothing really good came for free.

"And what would it cost me?" asked Takuma. Slash Baron's mask hid his expression, his body was like a monk in meditation, and even his voice was calm and tempered.

"Provide information that might help us… contribute to the funds that we use to pay our contacts… perform differently in certain fights when we ask you to… and work in favor of the team so that the team can work in your favor." Takuma glanced back at Slash Baron. All he got from that he would need to pay up and lose fights. He had very recently spent his mission points for jutsu, and ryo left his hands after almost every fight.

He did think that he would get returns if he made these ' investments,' but currently, he was in no condition to wrestle the gains away in case they tried to pretend that they didn't exist.

"I am grateful for this invitation," Takuma stepped away from the ledge, "but I don't feel the time is right for this arrangement. Perhaps we can collaborate in other meaningful ways." From the moment the Troupe had arrived at his changing room, Takuma could feel that one of them was impatient. The man had been the one to bark when Takuma had asked a simple question. So, Takuma wasn't surprised when Hotclaw lit up like a firecracker.

"A meaningful collaboration?!" Hotclaw scoffed, his voice dripping with mockery.

"What the fuck could we gain from a kid like you?!" Takuma shrugged at Slash Baron.

"Inclusion of members in matters that affect the entire team… Looks like said members aren't really excited about the decision. I don't think a hostile environment will benefit either party."

"You—" Slash Baron silenced Hotclaw with a look before standing up. He said, "I understand your decision, and yes, we would be glad to collaborate with you when the opportunity arises." Takuma nodded. Slash Baron seemed calm, but Takuma didn't know if that was an act. There was a chance that the Troupe might bear a grudge due to him rejecting their offer. There was a risk… but on this side of the Hidden Leaf— if someone pushed, you pushed them right back. A show of weakness was nothing but that.

Takuma raised his hand to point at Hotclaw.

"Hey, dipshit. I'll forgive it this time because of how polite your leader has been this entire time— but talk to me like that again, and I'll break more bones in your body than that mush you call a brain of yours can count. Watch your back and fucking pray that you don't meet me in the arena." Stolen novel; please report. Takuma stood there for a moment until he saw a glimpse of registration in Hotclaw's eye before jumping into the street below and vanishing out of the Troupe's sight. ———.

"I will kill that brat!" Slash Baron turned to Hotclaw; faster than it took to blink an eye, he had Hotclaw's neck in his grasp.

"I don't understand what warranted that behavior," said Slash Baron calmly as he lifted Hotclaw off the ground while Hotclaw desperately tried to claw at the grip that choked his neck.

"If you had a problem with this, you could've told me beforehand. What made you think that it was wise to do when an outside company was present?"

"B-Bo…ss, I-I—" Slash Baron dropped Hotclaw to the ground, and the latter coughed while trying to breathe. No one on the roof said anything about the sight in front of them, and they watched silently.

"Perhaps it's good that you did that," said Slash Baron.

"I didn't bring it up before because you weren't hurting anybody, but you don't think I didn't notice your use of the team's name to do some personal side-betting, did you?" All eyes sharply turned to Hotclaw, who shrunk under their gaze. Using the team's name meant using their reputation. A lousy bet meant lowering their reputation and making ' negotiations' difficult in the future, which was why utilizing the team's name during betting was a team decision.

It didn't help that Hotclaw had been pocketing the money even though he was using the team's name.

"B-Boss, that—!" Slash Baron kicked Hotclaw in the stomach, sending him crashing into the ledge, cracking the concrete from the impact.

"There's going to be a change in the matchups. Hotclaw is going to lose his winning streak and go on a losing streak for the foreseeable future." And just like that Hotclaw's future in the Ring took a drastic turn. Slash Baron sent the Troupe members away and stared at the village from the roof, listening to the sounds of the village that always did the trick to calm him down. He heard someone land on the roof even though they were trying to be silent.

"He refused," said Slash Baron.

"… Do you want to try again?" she asked. Slash Baron shook his head.

"I don't think he would've joined if we didn't bend over for him," he sighed but wasn't bothered by it. He didn't lose anything from a prospect rejecting him. There were an unending number of prospects for him to choose from.

"Are you going to cut him loose?"

"No, I don't believe so. His experimentation with chakra augmentation is noteworthy. We might pick this up again if he's able to make something of it," Slash Baron shook his head.

"For now, we will keep an eye on him."

"Understood… Is it because he is like you?" she asked. Slash Baron laughed, "I was nothing like the kid!" He removed his mask and looked at it with a sigh. A look of reminiscence floated in his eyes as he held it in his gaze.

"It's been so long since I have worn this one that it feels foreign, yet it feels like it was only yesterday when I had it on in the arena."

"You can always go have a little fun. I'm sure they would be more than happy to accommodate the Troupe's leader."

"Don't insult me by comparing me to scum like Bishop," Slash Baron put his mask back on— "My Ring days are long over." These days he wore a different mask. ———. At the Leaf Military Police Station, a group gathered in the leader's office. All of them wore the standard Leaf shinobi uniform, but all of them either had a sash with the Military Police emblem around their arm or had the emblem stitched directly on their sleeve. There was a knock on the office door.

"… Enter." The door opened, and a young man with short, unkempt messy black hair, onyx eyes, a relatively broad nose, and well-defined eyelashes that turned upwards at each end, stepped into the office. He was dressed similarly to the others but without the Police emblem on his uniform. Uchiha Yakumi, who was among the group, greeted the young man.

"Shisui," he nodded. Uchiha Shisui gazed at his clan members, noticing how every one of them was a high-ranking member. If he had doubts about what this meeting would be about when he was summoned, looking at the gathering in front of him cleared every doubt about what the agenda would be. He nodded back before looking at the person sitting behind the table.

"Clan Head," Shisui said respectfully. Uchiha Fugaku nodded in return.

"How is ANBU fairing for you, Shisui?" he asked.

"Not much different from my post here, Clan Head. Protecting the village and its people from harm has always been our clan's responsibility," Shisui said. He could see a few people nodding, but at the same time, he could feel the glares of others.

"Anything of interest that you might wish to share?" asked Fugaku.

"Nothing that hasn't been said in the report," said Shisui. He met eyes with everyone who glared at him without letting anything away. He was ANBU, they were not— and because of that, they couldn't do anything but take his word for it, whether they liked it or not. They got what he gave. Fugaku hummed as he gazed at Shisui for a moment.

"How has my son been doing?" So, they wanted to know about Itachi, thought Shisui as he said, "He has been assigned under Hatake." The name brought another wave of displeasure, but it was in all the people this time. He agreed with them on this matter. Hatake Kakashi having their clan's eye was a blatant insult to their clan— and yet it was true that the man used their clan's gift better than most of his clan did, though he or any of his clan members would never say it out loud.

"Itachi has been acting strange," said Fugaku. The man had no emotion on his face as he talked about his son.

"Ever since he has joined ANBU, he hasn't attended any meetings, nor has he been consistent with the reports… Would you know the reason for such behavior?" Shisui, of course, knew the reason— but he couldn't say it.

"Hatake runs a tight ship. And this is ANBU we're talking about, even Itachi would need time to adjust," he said.

"I suggest giving him some time to familiarize himself with the new situation." It was at this moment one of the members raised his voice.

"Does he not understand his role? He must understand what this position means for the clan!" Shisui stared into the eyes that had turned red in the moment of outburst.' Such hatred,' he thought with pity as he stared into his clan member's eyes. Fugaku hummed, and the angry man closed his eyes and appeared to be attempting to calm down. Such was the position of the Clan Head in the hearts of the clan members.

The man had led the clan with competence and example, symbolizing what an Uchiha was supposed to be for both young and old.

"I see," said Fugaku. He looked at Shisui, "Keep an eye on him and report if he shows any suspicious activity. Both of your positions are very important for the clan."' Just our positions, huh,' Shisui couldn't help but be bitter at that statement.

"As you command," he bowed.

"Is anything required from me?"

"That would be all," said Fugaku.

"Then I will take my leave," Shisui said before exiting the office. Outside the office, he stopped across a window in which he stared at his reflection. His onyx eyes, which were so similar to his clan members, stared back at him. With one thought, he could turn them red— And with another thought, he could change everything…