"I can't let you continue any further."
A lazy, cold smirk curled at the corner of Uchiha Tobirama's mouth.
Time Stop!
Buzz!
An invisible ripple instantly swept through the entire underground space.
There was no explosion, no roar.
In that instant, the entire world was crudely forced onto the pause button.
Dust motes drifting in midair froze solid.
Akame's eyes—filled with determination and killing intent—were locked in place.
The terrifying black aura erupting from her body became like a frozen ice sculpture, held at the brink of explosion.
Everything stood still.
Except Tobirama.
"Too slow. You want to risk your life with this kind of speed?"
With his hands in his pockets, Tobirama strolled toward Akame as if walking through a garden.
He glanced at her face, covered in black cursed poison patterns from forcibly activating her Teigu, and shook his head in disdain.
Then he casually reached out with his right hand and grasped the demonic blade that struck terror into the hearts of the Empire's nobility—
One-Cut Killer: Murasame.
With a gentle tug, Murasame's cold hilt slipped effortlessly from Akame's tightly clenched hands.
"Toy confiscated."
Tobirama played with the blade in his hand and casually snapped his fingers.
Snap.
Time resumed!
Boom!
The terrifying aura Akame had released instantly swept through the corridor. She violently swung her arms forward, prepared to unleash that final, suicidal strike!
However—
She struck nothing.
There was no resistance, no sound of steel cutting flesh—only empty wind.
Akame abruptly halted and looked down.
Her hands were empty.
Murasame—the Teigu that never left her side, that she clutched even in sleep—was gone?!
"How… is this possible?!"
For the first time, Akame's perpetually emotionless face showed pure horror.
She snapped her head up.
The white-haired man stood less than a meter away, casually tossing her demonic blade as if it were a fire poker.
"When did he—?!"
Akame's pupils trembled as cold sweat instantly soaked through her black sailor uniform.
She hadn't seen him move.
No afterimages. No sound of breaking air. Not even the slightest disturbance.
It was as if he had bypassed space and time entirely and plucked the sword straight from her hands.
This could no longer be explained by speed alone.
This was absolute dimensional suppression.
"Akame! Why is it taking you so long—"
Urgent footsteps echoed from the entrance of the underground corridor.
Najenda finally arrived with reinforcements—Leone, Mine, Bulat, and the others.
"How could dealing with a defenseless young miss take this long?" Najenda frowned as she spoke.
But then—
When the Night Raid members rushed in and saw the scene before them…
Everyone froze as if paralyzed.
The air itself seemed to solidify.
What were they seeing?!
Their strongest close-combat ace, Akame, stood there trembling—empty-handed.
A white-haired man in a black trench coat held her Teigu, Murasame, with a faint smirk.
Even more horrifying—
Their target, Aria, was kneeling at the man's feet like a female dog, clinging desperately to his leg.
"This… you've got to be kidding me!"
"It's him!"
Mine screamed in terror from the back, nearly dropping Pumpkin.
"It's him! Earlier in the courtyard, he erased my strongest attack without even moving! He's a complete monster!"
Her scream sent Night Raid's hearts plunging.
Erasing Pumpkin's strongest shot.
Taking Akame's Murasame.
Just what kind of godlike being was this?!
Najenda took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the shock in her chest. She stepped forward, her single eye fixed on Akame.
"Akame. What exactly happened? Why is your Teigu in his hands?"
Akame swallowed hard, her voice trembling despite herself.
"Boss… I can't beat him. No—he didn't even need to move half a step."
She stared at Tobirama, her teeth clenched.
"I attacked with everything I had, from every blind spot. He stood there and blocked everything with just two fingers."
"Then, when I tried to activate Murasame's secret technique…"
"The sword disappeared. I never even saw him move."
Boom!
Her words exploded like a bomb in everyone's mind.
Blocking Akame's full-power assault with two fingers?!
Disarming a Teigu without sound?!
Was he even human?!
Even General Esdeath could never overwhelm Akame so effortlessly!
Najenda's mechanical arm clenched, cold sweat soaking her palm.
Her mind raced.
If this man served the Empire, every member of Night Raid would die tonight—without even leaving a corpse.
But if—
What if she could recruit him?
With this man, overthrowing the Empire would be trivial. Budo, Esdeath—they would be jokes before him.
A trace of fanatic resolve flashed in Najenda's eye.
She decisively lowered her weapon, signaling her subordinates to stand down.
She lit a cigarette and took a deep drag, forcing herself to appear calm.
"Sir."
Her tone carried respect.
"You don't seem to be a guard of this manor. With your strength, it would be beneath you to work for trash like these nobles."
"I imagine you were deceived by this wicked Count's family as well, correct?"
Tobirama said nothing, only watching her with a half-smile, like an amused spectator.
Seeing no denial, Najenda pressed on.
"Then our goals align."
"This Count's family lures rural people here under false pretenses, only to torture and kill them. Night Raid's mission tonight is to wipe them out completely."
She glanced reluctantly at Aria kneeling at Tobirama's feet.
Though she wanted nothing more than to kill the twisted girl on the spot, she swallowed it.
"Sir, if you've taken a liking to this Count's daughter—"
Najenda waved her hand magnanimously.
"She is your spoil of war. As a gesture of sincerity, we'll forgo her execution."
Aria trembled with joy, tears and snot streaming down her face as she frantically kissed Tobirama's shoes.
"Thank you, Master! Thank you for protecting me, Master!"
Ignoring her entirely, Tobirama raised an eyebrow.
"Oh? Forgo the execution? How generous."
Najenda crushed her cigarette beneath her boot, her expression turning solemn.
She stared straight into Tobirama's eyes.
"You possess god-like power. Are you truly content living in obscurity?"
"The Empire is rotten to the core. The people live in hell."
"This world needs someone like you to tear it down and rebuild it!"
She extended her hand.
"As Night Raid's leader, I formally invite you—join us."
"Together, let us sever the corrupt shackles of this Empire!"
Silence.
Deathly silence.
Every member of Night Raid held their breath.
One second.
Two.
Then—
"Pfft… Hahahaha!"
Uchiha Tobirama burst into laughter, filled with pure mockery.
"Recruit me?"
"Have me join your little assassination squad?"
His laughter stopped abruptly.
His deep Reincarnation Rinnegan darkened as a terrifying pressure erupted like a tidal wave.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Under the overwhelming force, Night Raid's members collapsed to one knee—only Najenda barely remained standing.
"You don't even know who I am, yet you dare to recruit me."
"Should I call you brave—or stupid?"
Tobirama looked down at the sweat-drenched Najenda, his gaze treating them all like ants.
"You want me to work for Night Raid?"
A cruel smirk formed on his lips.
"Then answer me this."
"What could a bunch of small fry like you possibly offer me?"
——————Author——————
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