Songs in the Void

Hub World, Earth, Japan, Tokyo.

The next day, Tatsuo went to school as he normally would. However, during class, he was not paying any particular attention to the teachers. Instead, he was chatting with the members. Of the [Dimensional Chat].

{[Dimensional Chat]

Tatsuo (Admin): So, you telling us that the reason you weren't available to chat yesterday was because you went to watch the Chunin Exam Finals in Konoha?

Alfonzo: That's right

Lici: And because of Fonzie's meddling, it was pretty much the same, but completely different.

James: What does that mean?

Alfonzo: Well, the match lineup was the same as in the canon

Alfonzo: The results were more or less the same, too

Alfonzo: But the process was different

Tatsuo (Admin): How so?

Lici: Well, in the first match, Naruto fought Neji, and Naruto won

Lici: But he didn't get beat up by Neji first and have a comeback

Lici: Instead, he used Kurama's magic power from the beginning making the [Gentle Fist] completely useless

James: Magic Power?

James: Shouldn't it be chakra?

Lici: Ah! In our world, everyone uses magic power

James: I see

James: Interesting

Sumire: Um… What's Naruto?}

With Sumire's question, everyone fell silent for a short time. They had all realized that things were different in ICDS and they did not have all the anime and manga that were popular in the other four's previous lives.

Actually, although that was true, Naruto definitely existed in her world. However, because Sumire was not really into anime and Manga, she did not know about it.

Thinking to this point, Tatsuo started searching on the internet to see if there was a copy of the Naruto manga he could send to Sumire. However, before he could make any progress, someone beat him to it.

{[Dimensional Chat]

James has sent file: "Naruto Manga.pdf" to the chat.

James: This isn't the original manga

James: It's the one I drew in my world

James: But it's more or less the same

James: There were just a few tweaks I made due to artistic expression

Lici: Ooh! You draw manga in your world?

Lici: I'm definitely gonna read it

Alfonzo: Satan drawing manga…

Alfonzo: That's something you don't see every day

Lici: What else did you draw?

Tatsuo (Admin): Talk about that later

Tatsuo (Admin): I still wanna hear about the other stuff that was different at the Chunin Exam Finals

Tatsuo (Admin): You probably caused some changes during the Konoha Crush Plan, too

Tatsuo (Admin): Right?

Alfonzo: That's right

Alfonzo: Shikamaru beat Temari, too

Alfonzo: But he didn't forfeit at the end of the match

Alfonzo: Otherwise, me, Laki, Rika, and Saeko would have kicked his ass

Tatsuo (Admin): Hahahahaha!

James: Hahahahaha!

Tatsuo (Admin): You actually managed to make a Nara work earnestly

Tatsuo (Admin) Damn

Alfonzo: After that, Kankuro forfeited And Sasuke fought with Gaara

Lici: and like in the canon, he was late because of Kakashi

James: Expected that

Tatsuo (Admin): No surprise

Alfonzo: But Sasuke did not fight using Rock Lee's style

Alfonzo: Instead, his super speed came from learning the Flying Heavens Sword-Style from Saeko

James: Seriously?

James: Why does she even know that?

James: I don't even know that

James: Then again, I'm strong and fast enough for it not to matter

Lici: Fonzie and I guided her to create it herself

Lici: We did the same for Sun

Lici: But for her, we helped her learn Water Breathing from Kimetsu no Yaiba

Tatsuo (Admin): That's pretty badass

James: Yeah, it's sick as hell

Alfonzo: Anyway, Sasuke and Gaara's fight was interrupted

Alfonzo: Then, the members of Fairy Tail went around kicking Sound and Sand Village ninja ass

Lici: Fonzie even fought the first and second Hokage and Orochimaru

Lici: And he won easily

Lici: He even killed Orochimaru}

*Ding!* *Dong!* *Dong!* *Ding!*

At that moment, the bell signifying the end of the school day rang and the teacher left the room after bidding the students good night and reminding them to study hard for the upcoming midterms.

{[Dimensional Chat]

Tatsuo (Admin): The last bell just rang

Tatsuo (Admin): I'm gonna go study with my friends

Tatsuo (Admin): I'll see you guys later

Lici: Okay, study hard

James: Ugh! I'm glad high school is over

James: I still don't know why I went to university, though

Alfonzo: I don't miss school, either

Alfonzo: When you're legally blind and taking a double major, you end up tired most of the time}

Reaching that point, Tatsuo closed the [Dimensional Chat]. Though, he made a mental note to ask Alfonzo about his experiences later. For now, however, he was focused on packing his school bag.

'I need to remember to ask Mom about the music company she owns, too.' Tatsuo thought to himself. 'That might be a good way to make some pocket money for myself.'

"Tatsuo-Kun, are you ready to go?" Yakumo turned around and ask.

"Yeah, we can go whenever you and Sasaki-San are ready." Tatsuo replied with a smile.

After that, Tatsuo, Chiho, and Yakumo left school and made their way to Yakumo's house. And the day went the same as the previous day did, with the three studying with Yakumo's older sister, Tenma, and her friends from high school.

The next few days also passed in a similar manner, with Akira following Tatsuo home to protect him secretly. Though, she was not as secret or stealthy as she thought.

However, after a few days, Akira, realizing that Tatsuo did not seem to be in any danger of being attacked, stopped tailing him. Unfortunately, the people from DOATECH, who had found his whereabouts recently, made their move when she was no longer protecting him from the shadows.

Thursday night, with the moon hidden by the clouds, Tatsuo was walking through a relatively deserted area after walking Chiho to the train station. And he was feeling an uneasy feeling. As a result, he was on high alert for something to happen.

And it did not take too long for that something to happen.

Leaning against a wall about 50' ahead of him, Tatsuo could see the silhouette of a tall woman. And as he got closer, he could make out more about her. Short white hair, sleeveless black body suit, slender, yet curvaceous figure, attractive, mature facial features, and finally, cold, steely, grey eyes.

"*Sigh* I guess they finally found me." Tatsuo muttered to himself as he kept walking forward. "And of course it would be this bitch."

"Oh, now that's not very nice, Subject 47." The woman said after hearing Tatsuo's mutterings. "After all the time we spent together and all the things I've taught you over the years, can't you say something nicer after seeing me again?"

Saying that, the woman pushed herself off the wall and started walking towards Tatsuo, her high heels clicking on the sidewalk with every step.

"Come now, don't you miss me at all?" The woman continued with a sadistic smile on her face as she approached Tatsuo.

"Christie, you may be a sadist." Tatsuo said sternly with murderous intent in his tone. "But I'm no masochist."

"A pity." The woman, Christie, replied in a feigned tone of regret. "Just think of all the fun we could have together. But I guess I'm just not your type. You must be more into girls like that black -haired little girl in your class. Or maybe you're into ones with big tits like that brown-haired one. What were their names again?"

Reaching that point, Christie stopped walking when she was about 10' away from Tatsuo and started tapping one of her long index fingers on her chin.

"I suggest you don't do anything to hurt them, Bitch." Tatsuo said calmly, yet coldly. "Otherwise, you won't be able to bear the consequences."

"Oh my! So domineering." Christie cooed coquettishly. "Mmm… You're giving me the shivers. It looks like someone's grown up quite a bit over the last few months."

As she spoke, Christie ran her hand down her body from her chin, over her breasts, down her abdomen, and ended with it resting on her hip. Then, she licked her lips excitedly. However, only a moment later, her expression turned cold.

"As long as you come with me, nothing will happen to those little girls." Christie said. "But I can't promise anything should you refuse and make me bring you back by force."

Hearing that, Tatsuo grew so angry that he could not help but laugh. And his laughter was dark and menacing, greatly surprising Christie. Even so, she was completely unbothered.

"Wrong move, Christie." Tatsuo said coldly after his laughter died down. "You've made a mistake threatening something that I've taken a liking to. And that's a mistake with consequences you won't be able to bear."

"*Sigh* It looks like you've gotten cocky ever since you escaped." Christie said in a disappointed tone. "It looks like you'll need another, more intense, round of conditioning."

Then, without another word, Christie darted forward. When she was in range, her left hand, with its fingers extended, shot towards a nerve cluster on Tatsuo's chest that would stun him temporarily.

However, just before Christies fingers could make contact, Tatsuo calmly swatted her hand away with his right before throwing a short left hook aimed at her jaw.

Tilting her head to avoid the hook, Christie raised her right hand, jabbing her fingers at Tatsuo's left armpit. However, Tatsuo acted just as quickly, swinging his left elbow back, knocking Christie's right hand off course. He then rode the momentum of his defensive maneuver and threw his right elbow at Christies jaw, as well.

In response, Christie tilted her head back for a second time. At the same time, she raised her right leg, aiming the heel of her boot at the soft spot just behind Tatsuo's chin.

Like Christie, Tatsuo also tilted his head back. Then, he slapped away Christie's leg, hoping to throw off her balance. However, Christie was too experienced to be bothered by that, as she used the momentum from her leg being forced away to spin her body and make some distance.

"You've improved." Christie said in a solemn tone. "This could be quite a bother."

"Oh, you ain't seen nothing yet." Tatsuo replied as he [Blinked] away from where he stood.

Seeing Tatsuo disappear, Christie's eyes opened wide in shock. In the next instant, Tatsuo appeared behind her, throwing a short right hook at her kidney. Luckily, Christie's reflexes were superb, as she was able to shift her body slightly so that Tatsuo's punch landed in a much less vital spot. Though, it did still hurt quite a bit.

Tatsuo then followed up by throwing an overhand left at the spot between Christie's shoulder blades, and with the force Tatsuo used to throw that punch, there was a chance that it would paralyze Christie from that point down. However, just like last time, Christie managed to shift her body again, causing Tatsuo's fist to land on her left shoulder blade.

*Crack!*

As a result, Christie felt a searing pain as she was sent flying forward before slamming into the ground, rolling a short distance, and pushing herself up to her feet.

"So, it looks like DOATECH was right." Christie said through gritted teeth. "You and your mother share similar abilities. Unfortunately, they were unable to make anything out of your DNA. Otherwise, they would have an army of superweapons at their disposal."

"Even if they did, it wouldn't be able to save Donavan." Tatsuo said coldly.

"If you can find him, go ahead and kill him." Christie said nonchalantly as she tried to shrug her shoulders. However, she winced when she did so. "But If I'm hired to protect him, it won't be easy."

"You won't be alive for that." Tatsuo said as he flipped his wrists and the [Thunderclap Daggers] appeared in his hands.

"Now, now, now, don't be too hasty." Christie said with a smile. "Right now, I have a few people waiting at those two girls' houses. And if they don't here from me in an hour, they've been ordered to kill everyone inside."

Hearing that, Tatsuo gritted his teeth hard enough to bend a coin between them.

"But I can call of the hit." Christie said. "All you have to do is let me go. Simple, right?"

"You make it sound like I could trust you to keep your word." Tatsuo replied.

"What other choice do you have?" Christie replied. "Sure, you could get to the black-haired girl in time to save her and her family. But what about the brown-haired one? Do you even know where she lives?"

Tatsuo knew that Christie was right in this situation. And that made him even more angry, as his [Energy] began to swell with is increased heart rate.

{[Notifications]

[Status]

[Energy] has ranked up from C to C+}

Feeling the change in Tatsuo's aura, Christie was surprised. However, she was not scared. He was not the only one who could manipulate [Energy], after all. On top of that, hers was even more potent than his. Though, that gap had narrowed quite significantly since the last time she saw him when she could not feel his [Energy] at all.

"Fine, just go." Tatsuo said with his purple eyes glowing due to his anger. "But if I find out anything happened to them or their families, you'll find that you've made the greatest mistake of your life."

"Mmm~, there you go, making me shiver again." Christie said as her expression switched back to her seductive one. "Are you trying to make me fall in love? Well, you might just succeed if you keep talking like that."

With that, Christie turned around and walked away with her hips swaying temptingly.

"I'll see you later, Subject 47." Christie said without looking back. "We'll have to have fun again next time. I promise, you'll love it."

After saying that, Christie started running away, quickly disappearing behind a building. Meanwhile, Tatsuo stayed where he was, continuing to track Christie's movements with is [Perception] until she ran out of his range.

"Damn it!" Tatsuo roared into the night as he turned around and made his way back towards his apartment.

At the same time, Christie, with a pair of binoculars in hand, watched Tatsuo leave their battlefield from the roof of a high rise building.

"How could he have grown so much, so quickly." Christie said calmly. "*Sigh* Donavan is going to be insufferable when he finds out about this. Maybe I should just kill him myself. Are there any well-paying hits on him?"

"That's not such a bad idea, you know."

Hearing that voice coming from behind her, Christie quickly turned around while pulling a silver needle from the surface of her body suit. However, when she saw the petite, purple-haired woman who spoke, her expression loosened.

"*Sigh* I guess my life really is going to end tonight, huh?" Christie said as she dropped her guard.

"No, not if you don't do anything stupid, anyway." The woman, Soramoto Sumire, said with a smile. "I'll let Tatsu-Chan get his revenge. You did kill his father in front of him after all."

Hearing how unconcerned Sumire sounded, Christie could not help raising an eyebrow.

"That was your husband." Christie said. "You left the organization for him. Don't you want revenge for him, too?"

"I think you got something wrong, Christie." Sumire said without losing her smile. "I left the organization for Tatsu-Chan. If I didn't get pregnant, I would have never left. But I refused to let DOATECH subject Tatsu-Chan to the same things I went through."

Reaching that point, Sumire's expression turned frigid.

"But they had the audacity to attack while I was on the other side of the world." Sumire said as her aura put so much pressure on Christie that she was having trouble remaining standing. "And they did the one thing I wanted to protect Tatsu-Chan from."

Slowly, Sumire's pressure increased. And as it did, Christie's knees slowly bent under the weight of Sumire's aura.

"And you were the reason for it all." Sumire continued, her voice growing colder with every word. Then, she retracted all her pressure at once. "But I won't blame you for it. You're just a weapon, after all. Just like I was. You don't decide who you kill, after all."

"*Pant* *Pant* Just what kind of monster are you?" Christie asked

"The type that you don't mess with." Sumire said in an indifferent tone. "Now, get out of here. You're free to try and take Tatsu-Chan back as many times as you want. But I doubt you'll ever succeed. Oh, but if you target the people around him, outside of my family… I don't need to explain, right?"

With that, Sumire turned around and started walking away.

"Oh, and if you care enough to do so, you can collect your men's corpses from the dumpster at Ginza Station." Sumire said.

In the next instant, Sumire disappeared from the rooftop.

A few moments later, after she was sure that Sumire had left, Christie exhaled a sigh while shaking her head.

"Yeah, Donavan really isn't going to like this." Christie muttered as she took out her phone to make a report. "I should really be on the lookout for a worthwhile job to get rid of him. Maybe Bayman has heard of one."