Danso Narahara woke up in the afternoon the next day. After searching for Xeno and the Terror Trinity for the entire night, Danso decided to focus on smaller crimes happening in the streets. After busting a robbery, he sneaked back to the headquarters using the roof as his main entry point and went back to his room at four in the morning. Everyone had already woken up and were sitting at the dining table for lunch when Chiro called Danso over near the dining table.
"You wake up late, don't you, Danso!" Chiro stated the obvious fact.
"Yeah, I used to have insomnia, so sleeping can be a bit of a headache for me," explained Danso.
Insomnia is a disease in which a person who has it cannot sleep or has trouble sleeping. For Danso, this is the perfect excuse to avoid suspicion from any of the DMMS members, especially the smart ones such as Emily.
"Or maybe he's lazy," whispered Emily.
"I am not! And the Burning House is proof of it!" Danso protected himself.
"How long are you going to keep on using that as your only defense point, speaking like a true immature kid," mocked Emily.
"Fine! Chiro got any missions for me to do?" asked Danso.
"I was planning on taking all of you to a nearby place overrun by terrorists! It'd be a perfect first mission experience for you, Danso!" said Chiro delightfully.
"Terrorists, huh? They may be the same cultists who were at the Burning House, and Xeno might be there! Whatever he is planning, I feel in my guts it's not good!" thought Danso.
"I'll sit this one out. Tensei, you will also sit this one out, you still have not fully healed from your fight with Danso," said Natsuki as Tensei glared at Danso while Danso mocked him by using his hands to provoke Tensei.
Tensei slammed the dining table and was about to rush at Danso again, but Haruki used his Shadow Companion to summon a living rope of sorts, and Emily used her Playbox ability to stop Tensei from moving.
"Can't both of you just get along?" asked Haruki as he sighed, playing his handheld console while eating.
"I would get along if the newbie acts like a decent human being for once!" said Tensei.
"Look who is speaking," shrugged Danso, aggravating Tensei more.
"That's enough, guys! Stop acting like children now!" said Chiro, and Tensei instantly stopped speaking and continued eating without making a fuss, while Danso headed for the restroom to freshen up.
When Danso came back, Emily and Haruki were already ready to go, while Danso looked around to see where Chiro was. Emily was wearing normal casual wear. She was wearing a jacket and jeans, with a necklace with some magic crystals in it to amplify her sorcery output. Haruki dressed up like he was going to go to sleep, and he was in a normal shirt and shorts.
"Where is Chiro?" asked Danso.
"He has some work right now. He thinks we can take care of these people by ourselves, so he left the mission to us," explained Emily.
"Alright then, let's go!" said Danso as they exited the headquarters.
The place where the terrorists were in a warehouse on the outskirts of the city. The police had identified it a week back, but were too weak to do anything about it; therefore, they informed the government, who hired the DMMS to go and resolve the issue as safely and quickly as possible. Their main mode of transport was Haruki's Shadow Dragon, since it was efficient and Haruki had a large soul capacity for his age, probably the largest for his age, other than Chiro when he was Haruki's age. The wind was picking up, and the cool breeze felt good for Danso as he appreciated everything nature had. Haruki was also having a lot of fun riding a dragon, while Emily was enjoying the sights with that cold, yet iconic stare of hers. Eventually, they reached the warehouse. All three of them descended the dragon, and Haruki patted it on its head, complimenting and thanking it for its hard work. The area surrounding the warehouse was mostly empty with a couple of trees scattered here and there, and in the dead middle, a huge warehouse.
"I guess we reached it," said Danso as he started walking towards the door of the warehouse.
"Big sis, please set up your playbox around this area, it'll help me and Big bro a lot!" said Haruki.
"I am already on it," responded Emily.
"Well, the opponents will not know our plan if we don't have one!" stated Haruki.
"Well said! Now I guess it is time to storm them!" said Danso.
"Do whatever you want, just do not die," muttered Emily as she took a seat outside the warehouse.
"Sword Art of Fire:- Flame Ignition," said Danso. Flame ignition is a stable move that lights Danso's sword on fire and maintains the flames by the constant supply of soul energy. It is like a game where you turn it on or off depending on the situation.
"Shadow Companion:- Enhanced Demon Bull," said Haruki as he started amplifying the horns of the bull with soul energy.
"Are you ready?" asked Danso.
"Never been more!" assured Haruki as he was waiting for the trigger.
"Then let's go!" said Danso as he charged towards the warehouse entrance while Haruki jumped on the bull to get more momentum.
The bull crashed into the door and created a hole through which Danso walked. Many people were inside wearing masks, not the same outfit as the cultists of Xeno. They seemed more like Ninjas, but that could not be, as Ninjas only reside in Ninjaro, so why would they be in Lukia? Boxes filled with oil and gasoline filled the room, the stench filling the air.
"Alright, guys, pack your bags and leave," said Danso with his sword by his side.
"Who are you?" asked one of the masked men in a deep rural accent.
"We are the guys sent to kick you out! You seem like terrorists, so it is time to arrest you guys!" said Haruki
All the other masked men started whispering to each other, filling the room with small, hushed voices, trying to find a solution or decision.
"Oh come on, guys, we are ninja, aren't we?" said another masked man as he walked towards Danso and Haruki.
All the other ninja immediately kneeled and wished their 'captain' and asked for blessings. Danso did not see such devotion in his life, and the people felt oddly similar to someone he knew back in the old days.
"If these guys are from Ninjaro, they must know what happened to Hiroshi," thought Danso.
"Now do you wish to fight for honor or do you wish to leave and retreat?" asked the main masked man.
"Haruki, sit this one out, if anyone tries to intervene, stop them, alright?" instructed Danso as Haruki nodded.
"I accept!" said Danso.
"Very well then, one of the four Ronin of Ninjaro will fight you!" said the masked man.
The rest of the ninjas erupted into cheer as everyone was chanting the name 'Ahsoka' over and over again. Danso had heard what the Ronins were from Hiroshi a while ago. The Ronins were the highest military grade a ninja could get, except for the one man at the top, none other than Suzami Hokage. His power rivals Chiro Zanami, and the four Ronins are people that he chooses to serve the nation, but Ninjaro was always a peaceful nation. What changed?
Without a second's notice, the fight began. Ahsoka ran at him at high speeds, so fast that Danso could not even see him. Ninjas are not known for mastering their innate ability; instead, they are known for mastering multiple spells that are under four categories: Plasma, Life, Elemental, and Space/Time. Danso could not dodge a single attack; he was just getting attacked. Haruki was frightened but decided to follow Danso's instructions.
"This guy is fast, I should expect no less than one of the Ronin's," thought Danso as he kept on just taking the attacks.
"You aren't all great compared to what you speak," said Ahsoka as he started moving his fingers to create signs.
Ninjas use their bodies and hands to create situations where it would be most optimal to flow soul energy to. For example, on your fingertips, you should stretch your fingers up, and for your legs, you should stretch your legs up. The gap between supplying the soul energy and using the spell is what defines a low-ranked ninja and a Ronin.
Danso started slashing back at Ahsoka, attacking and attacking, trying to fight offense with offense. The fire ignition was still active, so it was helping eventually. He found an opening where Danso took full advantage of and pushed him backwards.
"Elemental Magic:- Earth Wall," said Ahsoka as a wall pushed him upwards, acting like an elevator, he jumped off it and started attacking Danso yet again with high first-stage sorcery, concentrating all the soul energy on his fists to make attacks as strong as possible.
"He is going all offense, yet no defense. If I get in one good attack, he should be finished," thought Danso. "Fine, let's do this then, Sword Art of Fire:- Death Flames," said Danso
Danso's flames became black and blue at the same time, it was swirling across the blade, creating an eerie atmosphere. Danso leaped at Ahsoka and managed to wound him. Then, Danso kicked his legs, making him lose balance and fall to the ground. Finally, he used the Death Flames yet again and attacked Ahsoka, making him crash down to the floor with a thud. Suddenly, out of nowhere, a dagger or a kunai stabbed Danso from behind.
"That was a good combo, but I had used Life Magic:- Clones, so I am still here," said Ahsoka as Danso fell to the floor, unable to move.
"What is happening? Is it some sort of poison?" thought Danso as he could not stop his eyes from trying to shut.
"No!" screamed Haruki as he summoned his dragon yet again and attempted to beat Ahsoka by himself.
"Don't do it!" screamed Danso in despair at Haruki
Emily, noticing soul energy levels dipping from Danso, barged into the room to see Danso on the floor, bleeding, while Haruki was fighting Ahsoka with a dragon.
"Ah gosh dang it, why does she have to see me like this?" thought Danso to himself as he tried to get back up.
"It is pointless to give up! And you are truly magnificent! Such summoning magic I have not witnessed since Hokage-sama," said Ahsoka in admiration.
"Playbox:- Gravity Shift," said Emily as everyone fell due to the sudden change of gravity, except Haruki, since he was on the dragon.
Haruki's dragon destroyed the warehouse roof, making the warehouse more like a bowl. Danso also fell, groaning in pain from the fall while still trying to get back up.
"Some DMMS member you are," said Emily as she healed Danso's wounds.
"Oh, Playbox sorcery?" questioned Ahsoka.
"What is it to you?" asked Emily.
"Oh, nothing," said Ahsoka before putting both of his hands together.
"I shall end you both with no pain, in the grace of the Ninja God's name," said Ahsoka
"Life Magic:- Death Upon Us," said Ahsoka as a beam of black rays started appearing on his fingertips, directed straight at Emily.
Haruki's dragon disappeared after using it as a shield for Danso, Emily, and Haruki. All of them were now severely injured, Emily with the aftermath of the Death Upon Us, Haruki because of the soul energy loss due to the dragon, and Danso with his wounds not fully healed. Then, out of nowhere, a white silhouette appeared. A similar one, where he is tall and good-looking, with his light blue sword by his shoulder.
"I see all of you got beaten up pretty bad, eh?" laughed Chiro as he walked into the warehouse.
"So the calamity shows us his presence," says Ahsoka, getting ready for another fight.
"Guys, watch this closely, alright? I'll show you true sorcery and swordsman skills!" declared Chiro as he unsheathed his sword.