"According to evidence provided by CIA informants, Vought International is suspected of illegal human experimentation, child abuse, medical fraud, unlawful detention, manslaughter, crimes against humanity, and other offenses."
"At the same time, the Manhattan Incident has been classified as an act of transhuman terrorism. The so-called former CEO of Vought, Stan Edgar, is suspected of illegally transporting dangerous substances across borders and is currently wanted by authorities."
In the safe house, Mother's Milk, Frenchie, and Hughie—the three with the least severe injuries—sat idly watching the news in the living room.
Although two full days had passed, the true impact of the Manhattan Incident was only beginning to unfold.
The economic losses, totaling a staggering three billion dollars, were secondary. The bankruptcy of the Vought Group was nothing. What truly mattered was the world's changing attitude toward superhumans.
At the height of the battle between Homelander and Locke, over thirty thousand people had been caught in the crossfire, with five thousand confirmed dead.
Now, the entire world had become wary of metahumans. What was even more alarming was that more and more people had begun to recognize the power of metahumans, even pushing through Stan's previous Temporary Compound V proposal to the Department of Defense.
And most importantly—with Homelander dead and Soldier Boy missing before him—the strongest superhuman in the world, Locke Kent, was currently resting in his bedroom.
Sleeping.
——————————————————————————————————————————————————
Hogwarts Locke: "Holy crap, traits can be shared? Isn't that way too OP?"
One Piece Locke: "That's not the point. The point is, the things we learn can be turned into skill cards, and we can upgrade them with popularity points. That's what really matters."
Hokage Locke: "No, no, for me, the most important thing is that upgrading removes negative debuffs. Originally, we were all planning to use emergency character cards to fight strong enemies, but now it looks like we can rely on upgrades. Isn't that way better?"
The Boys Locke: "Speaking of which, I'm still in debt by over two thousand. Do you think I should pay it off?"
One Piece Locke: "The system was broken back then, but things are better now. After paying off the debt, each of us can save up a little. It should be enough."
Hokage Locke: "Actually, I have an idea. Why don't we pay off the debt first? What do you think?"
At this, they all exchanged glances. Hogwarts Locke, who had been shouldering the debt, spoke up first:
"I don't mind."
By the time Nara Locke opened his eyes again, he was the only one left on the training ground.
The afterglow of the setting sun fell on what had once been a bustling training ground, but now he was alone.
In other words, after that bunch of annoying monkeys still playing "Ninja House" disappeared, this training ground was finally his world!
In that case, why not test out his new abilities?
Thinking this, Nara Locke opened his character panel and looked at the status bar, unable to hide the smile spreading across his face.
[Name: Nara Locke]
[Bound Character Card: Megumi Fushiguro (Youth)]
[Character Trait Slots]
[Protagonist Halo (Pseudo) Gold]
[Martial Arts Genius]
[Empty]
[Empty]
[Empty]
[Skill Cards]
[Armament Haki]
[Murderous Intent Wave]
[Flowing Water, Rock Smashing Fist]
[The Flame Gives Me Strength]
[Current Popularity Points: 562]
"I... I didn't miss anything!"
"Miss what? Locke kid."
Hearing a familiar yet unfamiliar voice, Locke turned toward the sound and saw a middle-aged man with a thick, muscular build standing behind the training ground.
"Master Choza, why are you back?"
Choza grinned widely. He patted Locke's back twice with his intact right hand—full of strength, yet deliberately restrained.
"Come on! Let's go get a good meal! Those dry, bitter field rations on the front lines are almost tasteless to me. Barbecue is the kind of thing that tastes best when shared with someone!"
The barbecue restaurant on the commercial street of Konohagakure's Minami district was running low on supplies due to the war, leaving it nearly empty. The only customers were mostly ninja who had returned from the front lines to recuperate.
Choza's already large frame, combined with the faint smell of gunpowder clinging to him, stood in stark contrast to Locke, who was still lean and slender.
When the ninja inside saw him enter, they all hurriedly saluted respectfully, greeting him with humble bows: "Master Choza."
Choza, never one for such formalities, simply asked the restaurant to switch them to a private room, finally finding some peace.
Since he wasn't very hungry and no longer needed to eat as much as before to fuel his growth, Locke barely touched his food. He set down his chopsticks and quietly watched Choza eat.
Choza, noticing his demeanor, immediately put down the skewer in his hand and pretended to look displeased:
"You, kid, you're definitely a member of the Nara clan! When I was your age, I was eating barbecue every day, and I was still skinnier than everyone else. Now, after just two bites, you put your chopsticks down—treating such excellent food like it's a chore? How disappointing!"
Facing such blunt criticism, Locke couldn't help but scratch his head and try to change the subject with a laugh:
"Haha, Master Choza, you're joking. Actually, I was just wondering... why did you come back alone? What about Choji and the others?"
"Don't worry. That boy Choji is being well protected by his father. Besides, with Namikaze Minato on the Eastern Front, there's not much for them to do."
At the mention of "Namikaze Minato," Choza turned to look at Locke, then thought to himself. This kid seems to have a good relationship with Minato.
It seems he can make friends wherever he goes. That doesn't really fit the Nara mold—the Nara clan is a bunch of lazy slackers. How did he turn out to be such a social butterfly?
Not to mention anything else, with popularity like this, this kid will definitely be well-fed in Konoha. No one would dare mess with him.
"Yeah, that's good."
Choza caught the change in Locke's expression as he sighed. His smiling face gradually fell, a seriousness settling between his brows.
He set down his cup, paused for a moment, and finally spoke:
"By the way, Locke."
Locke looked up, his eyes still carrying a hint of loneliness, his tone gentle: "What is it, Master Choza?"
Choza looked at his still-youthful, innocent face—clean and pure, like a mirror.
His Adam's apple bobbed. He wrestled with the words for a long time, but in the end, he suppressed the unease in his heart and spoke them very solemnly, delivering the news with a heavy breath—uncertain whether he should feel happy or sad.
"It may be because of your sharp intuition, but you might have already guessed. Konoha is now fighting on four fronts. The war is intense, and casualties on the front lines are increasing every day. After high-level discussions, the Third Hokage has issued an order allowing a group of ninja academy students to graduate early and reinforce the front lines."
Locke suddenly stiffened, his pupils contracting slightly, as if he couldn't believe what he was hearing. After a long moment of stunned silence, he finally asked quietly, a hint of anticipation in his voice:
"That means... our generation is finally going to the battlefield?"
Choza didn't avert his gaze. His brows furrowed, and he nodded seriously.
He had thought that with this kid's personality, he might get really anxious, maybe even panicked.
But he never expected that in the next second, the loneliness on Locke's face would completely disappear, replaced by a rising emotion.
Those dull eyes suddenly ignited, like two blazing flames. The corners of his mouth, initially frozen in surprise, uncontrollably lifted, gradually transforming into undisguised ecstasy. Even the air around him seemed to grow sharp.
The young man clenched his fists, his voice trembling with uncontrollable excitement:
"That's really... really great."