The two exchanged a glance and asked simultaneously, "What is ninjutsu?"
Initially, Sonic didn't want to entertain them, but he couldn't resist Saitama's persistent enthusiasm. Seeing how curious they were, Sonic felt a little proud and became significantly more approachable.
After clearing his throat, Sonic began to explain ninjutsu.
"You perform hand seals to unleash ninjutsu?"
"Rat—Ox—Dog—Horse—Monkey—Boar—Tiger. These hand seals are so complicated!"
"You also need chakra? What exactly is chakra?"
"Physical energy? Mental energy? Meridian systems?"
A torrent of unfamiliar terms spilled from Sonic's mouth like a storm, leaving Saitama utterly confused.
Genos didn't understand much either, but he listened intently, resolving to consult Dr. Kuseno later for clarification.
BOOM!
The ground suddenly trembled, interrupting Sonic's passionate lecture. His expression stiffened with anger.
Saitama was also annoyed.
"There's a massive energy source moving underground towards us."
Genos's life-sensing system flared with strong signals.
Upon hearing this, Sonic and Saitama both focused their attention on the ground.
"Despicable humans, return the surface to us!"
"Kneel before the Underground King!"
A towering, muscular figure burst out of the ground with a maniacal laugh.
"Hey! Don't interrupt when people are having a good conversation, you jerk!"
Saitama immediately threw a punch, blasting a hole straight through the Underground King's chest.
The laughter ceased abruptly.
The Underground King looked down at his fatal wound in disbelief before slowly collapsing, his eyes filled with unwillingness.
Sonic stared at the Underground King's corpse, his gaze flickering.
The good news was that the Underground King was defeated, and his relatively intact corpse held considerable research value—his master would be pleased.
The bad news was that Saitama had taken the kill…
"Damn it, this bald guy always steals the spotlight…"
What should he do? Should he fight for it?
Sonic was torn. Before his departure, Chu Yang had specifically warned him not to clash with Saitama again.
It didn't seem like he could win anyway…
Recalling the punch Saitama had just used to obliterate the Underground King, Sonic realized he might not even be able to withstand it himself.
"Do you really want it?" Saitama asked curiously, pointing to the Underground King's corpse.
"You've been staring at that monster's body for a while. Do you really want it?"
"Just so you know, you can't eat monsters like this."
Sonic's eyes widened in horror. "Wait, don't tell me you've eaten other kinds of monsters?"
Saitama reminisced with a contented look. "Kelp, celery, mushrooms—they all tasted pretty good. Back when money was tight, these monster-types always showed up right on time."
As Saitama described the flavors of plant-based monsters, Sonic inexplicably found himself getting hungry and fell into a contemplative silence.
Genos clenched his fist and solemnly declared, "Master, don't worry. I'll make sure you never go hungry again!"
Saitama was touched and nodded in appreciation.
"I don't have time to deal with you guys. Since you don't want it, I'll just take the monster's body."
Just as Sonic was about to carry away the Underground King's corpse, Genos blocked him.
"If there's no body, how can we prove that Master defeated the Underground King? Without it, the Hero Association won't be able to improve Master's hero ranking."
Genos stood firmly in Sonic's way, his expression serious.
Sonic turned to Saitama. "For someone as strong as you, why do you care about this stuff? Whether S-class or C-class, these are meaningless labels."
"Do you really enjoy the feeling of being admired by others that much?"
Saitama pouted. "And when people call you the 'Flashy Ninja,' don't you feel secretly pleased?"
Sonic's face turned red. He hadn't thought much of it before, but after becoming a hero himself, he had to admit he did secretly enjoy being called by his title.
Seeing no point in arguing further, Sonic gave up on tangling with Saitama. He figured his time would be better spent hunting other monsters.
"This is just a monster below Dragon-level. If you want it that much, take it. But let me warn you—next time, it won't be so easy to get away with stealing my prey."
Snorting coldly, Sonic turned to leave.
"Hey, wait!"
"You can take this monster's corpse."
Saitama suddenly spoke up, surprising Sonic.
Scratching his head, Saitama explained, "With your skills, you could have easily defeated the Underground King if I hadn't interfered. So in a way, I did take the credit that should've been yours."
Genos also quietly stepped aside. Since his master had spoken, he saw no reason to push the issue further.
"You're not a bad guy," Sonic admitted with a slight smile. He quickly walked to the corpse of the Underground King and hoisted it over his shoulder.
Watching Sonic's departing figure, Saitama sighed wistfully. "Too bad the conditions for learning ninjutsu are so strict. I really wanted to learn how to breathe fire."
Genos reminded him, "Master, if you became a cyborg, you could also breathe fire. I'm sure Dr. Kuseno would help you."
"Genos, that's not what I meant," Saitama quickly waved his hands, worried that Genos would get stuck on the topic. Without another word, he walked out of the park.
Neither Sonic, Saitama, nor Genos noticed the car parked in the corner of the park.
From the backseat came a lazy voice.
"When did the Hero Association get heroes this strong? They're quite impressive…"
The car window slowly rolled down, revealing part of a strikingly beautiful face.
The stunning woman glanced in the direction Saitama and the others had gone. After a moment of hesitation, she instructed the driver to follow Sonic.
As night fell, Sonic walked through the forest under the moonlight, unaware that someone was tailing him. He was too preoccupied imagining how his master might praise him.
The thought filled him with excitement. Maybe his master would even teach him some more powerful ninjutsu!
When Sonic returned to the House of Evolution, the woman stopped outside the building, feeling inexplicably uneasy. The dark structure seemed like a predatory beast waiting to devour her.
Logic told her to turn back.
But images of Sonic using ninjutsu kept surfacing in her mind.
The power captivated her curiosity.
Gritting her teeth, she stepped into the House of Evolution.
"Master! I've brought back the corpse of a Demon-level monster!" Sonic shouted loudly.
Chu Yang opened the door and emerged from the laboratory, followed by Dr. Genus.
Glancing at the corpse, Chu Yang remarked, "Oh, the Underground King. Not bad, not bad. His body will be perfect for making battle armor."
Just as Sonic was about to boast, he froze in confusion. "Master, how did you know he's the Underground King?"
"His appearance," Chu Yang replied nonchalantly. "The Underground King always looks like this."
Sonic: "…"
Realizing his master was teasing him, Sonic pouted and asked dejectedly, "Master, what do you mean by this?"
"I mean you did bring back an excellent research specimen. The problem is, you didn't just bring back one thing."
Chu Yang sighed.
"Huh?"
Sonic was puzzled.
Adjusting his glasses, Dr. Genus explained, "Ahem, Sonic, someone followed you back here and found our base."
Only then did Sonic realize what had happened. His expression darkened. "I'm sorry, Master. I'll go deal with them right away."
Chu Yang waved dismissively. "No need. They're already coming down."
Click-clack.
The sound of high heels echoed as they descended the stairs, growing louder.
The first thing they saw was a pair of impossibly long legs, clad in black over-the-knee boots.
Above them was a striking deep green dress, adorned with a luxurious pearl necklace.
Even more captivating than the necklace was the woman's proud figure.
With green hair, a green outfit, and an alluring appearance, Chu Yang instantly guessed her identity.
"B-Class Rank 1 Hero, Blizzard of Hell."
Hearing her title, Blizzard paused, temporarily suppressing her unease. She adopted her usual haughty demeanor.
"You know me?" she asked, raising her chin like a swan. "In that case, I won't waste time introducing myself."
Chu Yang approached her with a soft smile. "Miss Blizzard, your esteemed visit honors the House of Evolution. May I ask the purpose of your arrival?"
Blizzard declared loudly, "I admire your talents and wish to invite you all to join my Blizzard Group."
Chu Yang exchanged glances with Dr. Genus and Sonic before casually saying:
"Capture her for experiments!"