"Hey!"
The female Hero hadn't expected Etsuha to leave so suddenly. She had been assigned to watch him, after all.
But Etsuha's speed was far beyond what she could handle—by the time she reacted, he was already gone. All she could do was stare in frustration.
After shaking her off, Etsuha let out a breath of relief.
Then, he pulled out his pocket-sized copy of Naruto.
After flipping through it for a moment, he found what he was looking for—
The detonating clay giant bird.
This construct was a large bird formed from explosive clay. It possessed excellent flight capability and could move freely according to the user's will. Most importantly, it could carry a person—and bombs—making it an essential tool for Deidara.
The bird itself wasn't especially destructive, but its cost was low. After extracting Garuda, Etsuha still had a small reserve of energy—just enough to create this as well.
"All For One has an air-walking Quirk. He dominates the skies completely. If I release Garuda from the ground, he could just escape upward…"
Etsuha narrowed his eyes.
"…So I'll strike from above instead."
The plan formed instantly in his mind.
The giant bird was extracted.
Like Garuda, it would obey Etsuha's control completely. After placing Garuda onto the bird's back, Etsuha climbed on as well.
With a single thought—
The bird soared into the sky.
As he rose higher, Etsuha looked around, trying to orient himself.
But the sky had already begun to darken.
And when he fled earlier, he hadn't bothered to memorize the exact location.
"…Where was the Nomu factory again?"
For a moment, he felt awkward.
Still, he wasn't worried.
He had a general direction. More importantly, if All For One clashed head-on with the Hero team led by Edgeshot, the resulting destruction would be impossible to miss.
Finding them would only be a matter of time.
Meanwhile…
Edgeshot led a Hero from the investigation division deeper into the outskirts, following the trail described by Etsuha.
This investigative Hero possessed a highly practical Quirk—one that allowed him to determine a target's approximate strength and movements based on traces left behind.
Up until now, they had been tracking the movements of the "Hero Killer."
"How is it?" Edgeshot asked.
"I haven't found any trace of Shina Etsuha at all. Are we certain about his identity?"
The investigative Hero frowned.
Edgeshot considered for a moment, then nodded firmly.
"I've seen him before—standing beside Mt. Lady during a school event. His facial features match. His voice is more mature now, but it's definitely him."
He paused briefly.
"If it were a disguise, someone impersonating Etsuha wouldn't be able to use his Quirk so naturally. And I saw him use it. That rules out transformation-based deception."
"In that case, he must have taken a different route."
The investigative Hero nodded.
The person they were currently tracking was the "Hero Killer" seen in the surveillance footage.
Along the way, they had indeed discovered traces of several criminals. However, to avoid alerting their targets, Edgeshot chose not to engage, instead following the trail carefully.
"This Hero Killer's physical ability is extraordinary," the investigative Hero said.
"His footprints are almost completely erased. And judging by his movement speed… his physical strength exceeds normal human limits."
A faint green glow appeared in his eyes.
Within his field of vision, scattered traces began to shine with the same green light.
"These are the tracks he left behind."
Hearing this, Edgeshot's eyes sharpened.
"So it really is him…"
"Continue tracking. I want to see what he's planning. Whatever he's after—it's in this direction."
The investigative Hero nodded, and the two pressed forward.
Before long—
A strange town appeared ahead.
"This place…"
Edgeshot narrowed his eyes.
"It used to be an industrial area. A chemical plant, if I remember correctly. It was abandoned years ago because of its remote location. No one ever came back to develop it."
His gaze grew sharper.
"And now… the Hero Killer shows up here?"
At that moment, the investigative Hero's expression suddenly changed.
"There are a lot of people nearby… and none of them are ordinary."
"A gathering point for criminals?"
Edgeshot's eyes flickered.
"And the Nomu factory Etsuha mentioned… could it be here?"
For some reason, an intense unease rose in his chest.
A suffocating sense of danger crept in, making his breathing slightly heavier.
"I'm not certain…" the investigative Hero replied.
Edgeshot made his decision instantly.
"Mark this location as a high-priority investigation zone. We're pulling back."
This place—
Was wrong.
It felt as though something powerful was lurking in the shadows, waiting.
But the moment he turned—
A man in a suit stood silently in front of them.
His face was completely blank.
Featureless.
"Oh?"
A low, mocking voice echoed.
"Where did these little mice come from?"
..
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