I’d told myself they were soldiers. That they knew what they signed up for. That if they stood in my way, they were no different from any other enemy.

  I’d never learned their names.

  I’d never asked who waited for them at home.

  Back then, it was easier not to think about it. Easier to see uniforms instead of people, blades instead of hands that might have held children or lovers or letters they’d never get to finish writing.

  Sarie’s voice made it harder to pretend.

  These weren’t faceless guards. They were Bob and Jim. Calvin and Jacob. Men who joked with a lonely girl and kept her safe without ever crossing the line. Men who died doing exactly what they believed was right.

  I wondered how many people would speak my name like that someday — and whether I’d deserve it.

  I remembered the Marines I’d killed — and how easy it had been not to remember them at all.

  Faceless enemies, I’d told myself. I’d never stopped to think about who waited for them back home.

  Not now. I shoved the thought aside. Reflection could wait. Action couldn’t.

  Or at least, that’s what I told myself.

  “Sarie,” I said quietly, turning to her. “Stay here. This is dangerous. I don’t want anything happening to you because of me.”

  She hesitated, then nodded.

  I drew Fox Slayer with one hand and tightened my grip on my pipe with the other.

  “What are you going to do?” she asked. “Those were highly trained guards. Do you really think you’re better than whoever did this?”

  “There’s only one way to find out,” I said, forcing a smile I didn’t fully believe in.

  I kicked the doors open.

  They tore from their hinges and crashed inward, revealing a vast vault beyond. Display cases lined the walls, each holding artifacts that glowed faintly behind reinforced glass. Power hummed in the air—old, deliberate, watching.

  Two cases were different.

  They crackled with living energy, electric and restless.

  At the far end of the chamber stood a man in a dark cloak.

  He placed his hand against one barrier.

  Fire flared—and burned straight through it.

  “Hey!” I shouted. “You know this is private property, right?”

  He paused.

  Then laughed.

  It was higher-pitched than I expected. Mocking.

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  “That’s rich,” he said. “Coming from the man who nearly destroyed Goa.”

  My blood went cold.

  “How do you—who are you?”

  He turned. The mask was gone. I didn’t recognize the face—only the strange symbol etched into his forehead, like mirrored clamps.

  He smirked.

  “You’re more famous than you think. The World Government keeps files on everyone under its umbrella. Those whisker marks are hard to miss.”

  “…So who are you?”

  He bowed, exaggerated and theatrical. “Salamander. Wizard of the Fairy Tail Guild.”

  For the first time since coming to this world, my instincts screamed a word I hated.

  I ignored them.

  “I’m guessing you’re not handing that over nicely.”

  “Perceptive—for a child.” His eyes gleamed. “Did you know the son of a Marine Admiral and the most wanted woman in the world is something of a record?”

  My teeth clenched. “Why are you here? What are those things?”

  He opened the first case.

  Inside lay a golden ring, a purple gemstone set at its center around a pink, heart-shaped core. Lightning danced along its surface.

  “These were forged during the Void Century,” Salamander said calmly. “The Ring of Charm… and the Ring of Eternal Sleep. Legends say they were used to put an entire race of dragons to slumber.”

  Fire blossomed again.

  The second barrier was shattered instantly.

  “What in the Ten Gods is going on here?”

  An older voice.

  A man in ornate armor stepped forward—weathered, powerful.

  A king.

  “King Richard,” Salamander said cheerfully. “Nice to see you again, old man.”

  “Dad!” Sarie cried. “He’s stealing the forbidden treasures—Naruto’s trying to stop him!”

  The king’s gaze softened—only for a heartbeat.

  “Step back, my boy,” he said. “I will handle this.”

  His presence pressed down on me like gravity itself.

  Reluctantly, I obeyed.

  Steel rang.

  The king struck first, a massive arc of compressed wind ripping through the vault. Salamander dodged and answered with flame—purple-edged fire tearing across the chamber.

  Knights rushed in.

  Three died screaming.

  More fire followed, homing in and detonating wherever the king moved. Heat scorched my skin.

  I couldn’t wait.

  If I could land the pipe—force him to respect the space—Fox Slayer could finish it.

  I attacked.

  Fox Slayer came down in a brutal arc—

  —and was blocked by Salamander’s bare arm.

  It felt like striking steel.

  I swung the pipe.

  Too slow.

  He punched me.

  All the air vanished from my lungs. My vision folded inward like wet paper.

  I smashed through pillars, stone exploding around me as my body screamed in protest.

  Two hits.

  That was all it took.

  I’d never been this outmatched before.

  The king tried to capitalize.

  Salamander caught him—and slammed him into the ground with terrifying force.

  Sarie ran toward him.

  I realized too late I was already moving, already shouting her name, already too slow.

  She bit his hand, trying to tear the ring free with her teeth.

  Salamander screamed. “You damn brat!”

  He struck her.

  She flew like discarded cloth and hit the floor hard, unmoving.

  The king roared and surged forward—

  Salamander laughed.

  His hand glowed, blinding green.

  A beam of pink and purple light engulfed King Richard.

  When it faded, he lay still—armor scorched, body steaming. Through his life force, I could tell he lived. Barely. The ring’s power had shocked his body into silence.

  One thought cut through the chaos.

  I lunged for the rings.

  Fire answered me.

  Flame swallowed everything. Whatever durability I had—gone. Negated.

  I smashed through the outer wall of the vault, stone exploding outward as open sky swallowed me.

  Applause echoed.

  “Bravo,” Salamander called. “Half-human. Half tail-beast. Impressive.”

  “How do you know what I am?” I snarled.

  “Magic,” he replied simply. “Your kind is weak to it. Natural enemies.”

  He infused his arm.

  Fox Slayer pierced it—

  —and still cut me.

  Pain tore through me, raw and intimate.

  “Sarie—!”

  “Relax,” Salamander said mildly. “I won’t kill her.”

  He slipped the ring onto his finger.

  She collapsed instantly.

  Asleep.

  He seized my sword.

  “Your mother wielded this,” he said. “A monster on the seas.”

  Rage burned through me.

  “I’ll kill you.”

  He smiled.

  His hand pierced my chest.

  My heart stuttered.

  “Missed it — just barely.”

  Fire.

  “Goodbye, Uzumaki.”

  The ocean rushed up to meet me as darkness took hold.