Junior couldn't believe what he was seeing.
Not only was his beloved Club being destroyed, but the twins were being beaten by a mere teenager!
While it was obvious from the weapons Blondie was using that she was a Huntress in training, the twins were no mere women with their Auras unlocked like his other henchmen.
Miltia and Melanie had been formally trained for years to be more than just spies; they had trained to be assassins!
They were strong!
At least, they used to be.
Now, considering the beating they were taking from a younger girl, it was obvious that stopping training almost completely in recent years and just playing around had rusted their skills considerably.
Either that or this Blondie was one of those geniuses, like Pyrrha Nikos, who only appeared once or twice per generation.
In that case, Junior and his Club were completely fucked!
What was he supposed to do? It wasn't like he could call the fucking police!
Fuck! Junior needed to put this girl down on his own or die trying! I can't let this disrespect go!
More than just his Club, his reputation was at stake too!
As Junior did his best to ignore the pain in his family jewels and got up to retrieve his weapon, he noticed another anomaly present in his Club that had gone unnoticed until now and felt a chill run through him.
A hooded figure whose face could not be seen, dressed in a black cloak adorned with red clouds.
Instinctively, Junior knew that this guy was trouble.
His mere presence screamed danger in a way that only some people did, like Neo, for example, the little assassin who followed Roman around like a shadow.
Or so Junior thought, but only until he noticed his hands trembling and sweating...
Am I scared? He felt his heart sink, not even remembering the last time something like this had happened, especially after becoming a crime boss. Who is this monster?!
Whoever he was, he could make even Neo, someone who had studied at the same academy as the twins and grown insanely stronger over the years, look like an innocent little girl.
Just what Junior needed to deal with this situation.
Monster or not, everyone has a price
"I don't know who you are and don't want to know." Junior decided to risk everything, including the chance of making yet another enemy by bothering this guy. "I just want to get rid of that crazy bitch, and I'm willing to pay whatever you want to get the job done!"
Reluctantly, Sasuke redirected his attention and focused on the bear in human form. Right away, he could tell that this man was scared and almost desperate, to the point of offering him a blank check in exchange for help.
Considering that the crazy bitch in question had just defeated her second opponent and had no one else to face her, Junior's reaction was not unfounded.
Normally, Sasuke wouldn't even consider such a request, but since he needed this man's help to get into Beacon, he would have to make an exception.
Besides, it seemed he didn't have much of a choice, especially with the way that girl was looking at him with her red eyes.
She wanted a piece of him, and only through conflict could this disagreement be resolved.
"I don't need your money." Sasuke stood up, using words that made Junior flinch. "A simple favour, however, would be enough."
For now.
Sasuke didn't know when he would need the services that only someone in the underworld could provide.
"A favour?" Junior hesitated for a second, considering the implications of such a request, but only until he saw the blonde menace approaching as she cracked her knuckles. "A-all right! If it's within my power, I'll do it!"
At least he wouldn't have to fork out millions in cash...hopefully.
That was all Sasuke needed to hear to meet his opponent.
"Well, well, well! I thought you'd try to run away after all of this." Yang raised her hands as she smiled, gesturing around to emphasise the damage she had caused. "It doesn't matter if you think I've offended you; you've gone too far with your words!" Her smile disappeared, and her fist collided with her hand hard enough to create flames from her Semblance. "Then clench your teeth, princess, you'll need it!"
Sasuke had a small smile adorning his lips at how similar this girl was to Naruto as a child.
A loud idiot who talks too much.
As if that wasn't enough, she prided herself on having caused a bit of damage to the interior of a small place like this.
This was literally child's play, and any Gennin could do the same, if not more.
"You know, there's a fine line between arrogance and confidence." Sasuke stopped two meters away, raising a single hand to challenge this girl. "Allow me to teach you the difference between them."
Silence was the first response he received, then there was a fire along with a new wave of hostility, but not murderous intent.
This girl probably didn't even know how to emit or feel that kind of intent, proving how pure and innocent she really was.
"As if you are one to talk!" Yang moved fast, using some of the stored power of her Semblance and the impulse provided by Ember Celica to increase her speed to a completely different level. At this distance, not even Dad could dodge!
Although she didn't want to admit it, this guy was making her uneasy. Not only did his clothes and indifferent, not to say confident, attitude indicate that he was someone trained, but his physical condition was probably 100%.
Yang, on the other hand, had spent almost half her Aura just dealing with all those goons and the two bitches from before, so she couldn't take any unnecessary risks and go easy on him!
To her shock, however, this guy managed to dodge her initial assault so casually that it was ridiculous!
That reaction time was not normal!
Although surprised, Yang attributed this to mere luck and was already thinking about her next move, how she would use her Ember Celica's recoil to stop her advance and attack this guy in his blind spot!
However, before she could do anything, her body had already stopped moving. Looking down, Yang came across a fist colliding against his exposed belly.
This guy hadn't merely dodged, he had counterattacked too!
In the next second, Yang found herself flying through the air, all the way until she crashed into the wall on the other side of the building!
The impact was strong enough to send cracks through the structure, eat a chunk of her Aura, and knock the air out of her lungs.
Yang fell to the ground coughing as she tried to catch her breath, confused as to what had just happened.
This guy... She looked down at her hands and found herself trembling, sweat soon trickling down her back as her heart beat faster. He's strong!
On the level of a Huntsman!
That alone would explain how he managed to throw Yang so far with just one punch.
Either that, or he had some kind of physical Semblance, one that didn't need to store the friction generated by damage to be activated or strengthened.
"You can still move?" Sasuke was slightly surprised to see her get up, especially since he hadn't lowered his Chakra level after that 'tea' he'd had. "Not bad."
Especially considering that he had used enough force in that blow to put a Chunnin in the hospital for a month with all their ribs broken.
For the others who were conscious and watching from afar, however, Sasuke was the one who deserved praise.
After all, what he did in just a few seconds was something that not even one of the guards at this Club came remotely close to achieving.
Put the bitch in her place.
"You..." Yang was struggling to ignore the damage that was able to bypass her Aura, her concern growing by the second. "Who the hell are you?"
If she wasn't sure they had a similar age, she'd say he was a Huntsman or at least someone close to becoming one.
Perhaps he is one of those prodigies, like Pyrrha Nikos, or a fourth-year student at one of the big academies. Yang considered it, and the possibility only made her situation worse. That would explain why he is hiding his face like that.
Which could be an even bigger problem.
Yang wasn't crazy... maybe a little, but not enough to destroy property in a place that wasn't completely illegal.
She had done everything she did today out of more than just anger; she did it because she knew there would be no repercussions later.
Now, if this hooded guy really was a Huntsman or a Beacon student, Yang was screwed!
In that case, I need to level the playing field between us. She made up her mind after considering her options. Forget defeating him, I just need to see his face!
That way, he couldn't blackmail her without risking his own neck!
Or so Yang thought.
The moment he started to speak, her heart sank even further.
"Your eyes turned red and your Aura oscillated along with your emotions, growing stronger," Sasuke said as he approached the girl, who had calmed down from sheer shock. "Even now, the friction of the blows you exchanged with those twins is still stored in you, waiting to be released..." He stopped, just close enough for her to see the red glow of his Sharingan, reading her like an open book. "I suppose that's your Semblance?"
Hearing him accurately deduce everything about her abilities pushed Yang's nerves to another level.
Does he know me? Her mind was racing, trying to remember if she had ever crossed this guy's path before. Damn it, I can't remember!
The only thing she knew for sure was that he wasn't one of her Signal classmates or someone who lived in Patch. His voice was unique and the kind that couldn't be forgotten so easily. Not only in its attractive tone but also in the way he spoke, as if he were from another kingdom.
What's more, he was frighteningly strong, and no one but her family knew so much about her Semblance.
Well, it doesn't matter! Yang slammed her fists together and released an explosion of flames fueled by more than just her emotions. I can't back down, so let's go with a Yang!
The local temperature changed almost completely with the mere activation of her Semblance!
Strong or not, one blow in this state would be enough to destroy that hood and throw this bastard out of the building!
Without wasting time answering her enemy's question, Yang smashed the ground beneath her feet and lunged forward with everything she had!
Sasuke decided to entertain this girl and her determination to keep fighting even when she was completely out of her league.
At the very least, he would admit that this ability of hers, which he assumed was her Semblance, was an excellent trump card that could change the course of a battle against a stronger opponent.
All things considered, it wasn't for nothing that Sasuke had mistaken her for a Jinchuuriki; the effects of this Semblance were extremely similar to what he had seen Naruto demonstrate as a child.
Well, except for the flaming hair. An intriguing change, he would admit. A clear indication of her power.
The stronger the flame, the stronger she became.
Not that it mattered.
Only the true extent of this girl's abilities did.
For that reason, Sasuke decided to engage in hand-to-hand combat, analysing everything with his Sharingan while adjusting to his opponent's level.
Honestly, he didn't know what to think.
Such a discrepancy in skills... Sasuke redirected one of the girl's punches, always avoiding being in the path of Dust's projectiles coming from those gauntlets. She's as strong and skilled in combat as a regular Jounin, her reaction time is slightly better than that of a Chunnin, and her speed of movement is at the level of a mere Gennin...
All this after having used her Semblance, which meant she was significantly weaker normally.
As for Yang, she could hardly believe what was happening!
She was literally burning with power and giving her all, fighting to the limit of her ability!
And yet... Yang clenched her teeth as she threw another punch, followed by a shot from her Ember Celica, only to be redirected in an almost casual way and miss her target. I feel like I'm a kid again, all the way back to when I started training against Dad!
The difference in skills was that big!
It's almost like he knows what I'm going to do before I can move a muscle! Yang was sweating from more than just exhaustion; she was getting more and more anxious from being under the watchful eye of a single red eye with three black commas. Wait, that's it! She felt stupid for only realising this now! His eyes are not normal!
Or eye, in this case, since she hadn't seen the left one, only the right one.
This means that his Semblance wasn't of the physical type as Yang had first imagined, but of the ocular type, probably providing him with some kind of dynamic vision that allowed him to read or anticipate her movements!
Added to his ridiculous strength, this made this guy a frightening opponent!
But that doesn't mean he's invincible! Yang took some distance, rethinking her strategy while she still had energy to spare. With what ammunition I have left, I need to obstruct his vision and movements, create an opening, and hit him with everything I've got!
Only then would she have a chance of victory, or at least of seeing his face, before escaping this place in one piece!
Betting everything on this next attack, Yang targeted the ceiling above, to Junior's dismay, and smashed to pieces all the equipment used to bring a nightclub to life and rain down on her opponent.
Sasuke raised an eyebrow, slightly surprised at this girl's strategy of using her surroundings to try and gain an advantage over him.
However. He continued walking as if everything before his eyes was frozen in time, dodging every piece of debris without being touched. You'll need a lot more than that to catch up with me.
There was no strategy capable of closing the gap in power gap between them.
At least that didn't stop this girl from trying, and Sasuke respected her for it. Many, like that man called Roman, would have tried to run away at this point.
If she had been facing me before I learned the Chidori, she could have won this fight. Sasuke reached out with his left hand and held this girl's right fist aimed at his face without budging an inch, making her red eyes widen to their limit. Against me after learning the Chidori, this would have been an almost even fight. Sliding his left foot back, Sasuke drove his opponent in shock before throwing her over his shoulder onto the ground. Against the current me, this is nothing more than a one-sided massacre.
The impact was so strong that it felt like something had exploded, sending out a shockwave capable of shaking and cracking the entire Club!
Yang's red eyes turned lilac as her Aura shattered like glass, and her hair returned to normal.
Even now, as she struggled to breathe after having the air knocked out of her lungs a second time, Yang couldn't believe what had happened.
Not only had this guy walked through a bloody rain of debris without even trying, but he had also been able to stop her Semblance-fueled attack with a single hand!
That shouldn't be possible!
If he had dodged or redirected her attack as he did before, Yang could understand and accept it, but to stop it completely? Not even her father or Uncle Qrow were capable of something absurd like that!
As if that wasn't bad enough, her Aura had broken, and all her strength was gone.
Yang had lost, and the only thing that helped her stay conscious was the fear of what would happen next.
Considering the smile on Junior's face and the look he shared with some of his henchmen, death would be the least of her problems.
As for Sasuke, he didn't move, just stood there and watched the despair take hold of a girl who tried to bite off more than she could handle.
This was a good thing, a necessary lesson to silence the arrogance in her heart.
Although she had annoyed him a lot, thanks to her, Sasuke had a much better overall idea of the power of people in this world.
That guy in the white suit, this girl, Junior, and the twins; they all had a similar level of Spiritual Energy. While this blonde girl had more than the others, it wasn't a huge difference. Certainly, there must be exceptional people in this world, those who exceed their peers. The doubt, however, lay in how much stronger those people were.
Something to keep in mind.
They have potential. Sasuke would admit that, as he looked down at his left hand where the Six Paths Yin seal remained, still able to feel the impact of the last punch he had blocked. Especially if the people of this world obtain Chakra.
This girl, for example, with proper training, could be as strong as the Sakura he left behind, even more so considering her Semblance.
While her Spiritual Energy levels were the equivalent of a Chunin, if an equal amount of Vital Energy was added to the mix, it wouldn't be a mere addition but a transformation of exponential growth.
That was Chakra.
Which means I could find a potential ally... Sasuke would have to consider his options later. Who knows, maybe there is a Semblance capable of affecting even Kaguya out there.
Something extremely unlikely, but not impossible.
"Ha! You wiped the floor with her!" Junior decided to approach after seeing that the blonde menace had been incapacitated. "You don't look so powerful now, do you?" The smile on his face disappeared, and only anger remained. "Good, because when I'm done, you'll wish you'd never crossed my path!"
Yang tried to move, but even breathing felt like a struggle. She didn't want to believe it, that things had ended like this just because she had spoken more than she should to a stranger...
No, this was something that would happen eventually.
She had already been warned by her father and even her teachers that she wasn't invincible and that she should stop relying so much on her Semblance.
Not only that, Uncle Qrow also warned her not to chase after her mother because it wouldn't end well...
Who knew they were all right?
Now, she was on the ground, defeated and at the mercy of someone who wanted to break her and would probably do it very slowly.
For a moment, Yang seriously considered biting her tongue and ending her suffering before it even began, but her little sister came to mind and pushed away any suicidal thoughts.
Making her family experience the pain of loss a second time was the last thing she wanted.
Unfortunately, nothing guaranteed that she wouldn't be killed at the end of it all, and the mere thought of that was what brought tears to her eyes.
Still, Yang didn't want to cry; she couldn't. However, her body didn't want to obey, and the tears flowed down uncontrollably.
She didn't know what to do.
"If you think crying will save you, you couldn't be more wrong." Junior wouldn't be moved; she had caused too much damage for such sympathy. "Payback time, blondie!"
Just as he was about to put his hands on her, red and black got in his way.
"What do you think you're doing?" Sasuke asked with his cold tone as he grabbed this cowardly bear's hand, surprising even the hopeless girl on the ground. "It's already over."
The guy who beat her was helping... why?
"Wha...?" Junior felt goosebumps, all his instincts screaming danger, but unfortunately, his anger was greater than reason. "Isn't it obvious?! Payback for what she did!" He gestured around, focusing on the damage done and how much it would cost to fix it all! "She destroyed my club over nothing!" Junior was pissed and wanted revenge! "Besides, we had a deal!"
If this hooded guy didn't keep his word, he wouldn't keep his!
Or so Junior believed, forgetting the kind of monster he was dealing with.
"Yes, I deal with her, and you do me a favour, but I never said anything about letting you touch her after that." Sasuke increased the strength of his grip on the wrist of this excuse of a man, breaking the rest of his Aura and drawing out a cry of pain in the process. "Don't make me say it twice."
He didn't need to; the pain in Junior's arm and the red glow of an eye with three black commas amidst the shadow of the hood made him recoil in fear.
This guy had destroyed the girl who had caused all this damage, and he'd done so without even trying.
No matter what, Junior couldn't get on the bad side of such a monster!
"A-all right, you win!" Junior moved away quickly while holding his sore arm, visibly startled to see his skin scarred with five fingers. "J-just get that little bitch away from here!"
Without wasting time, he went to gather his men who could still work to start moving, as they had a lot to do and the night would be long, even more so without liquor to help.
"Now that's out of the way." Sasuke turned to the stunned girl on the floor, one who was so shocked by the way things had developed that she had even stopped crying."Can you stand?"
A rhetorical question, he knew, but one that served a purpose.
"If I could, I'd be making that piece of trash swallow his teeth!" Yang wanted to direct that comment at the guy who'd beaten her up, but she knew that wouldn't be the smartest choice. The last thing I need right now is to provoke him into changing his mind about helping me. Then her heart almost sank at the sight of him approaching before skipping a beat when he took her in his arms as if she were a princess! "W-what the hell are you doing!?"
It happened so fast that she couldn't even react!
"Getting you out of here," Sasuke replied simply, not seeing the problem with his actions. "Or would you rather stay?"
From the tone of his voice alone, Yang knew this guy wasn't joking.
"Fine," she eventually accepted her fate, suddenly becoming aware of the arms around her and the strength behind them, as well as the warmth of a chest just as strong that she was leaning on. I can't believe this is happening...
Her face heated up, anger and embarrassment getting the better of her.
No matter how tough she was, at the end of the day, Yang was still a teenager!
Being carried like this should only happen in the hands of her boyfriend or future husband!
Instead, she was in the arms of the guy who defeated her and then saved her.
How am I supposed to feel about this? Honestly, Yang wasn't sure, only that she would never forget any of this. "Where are you taking me, anyway?"
That was the question that made her uneasy, and the answer this bastard had for her didn't help.
"I don't know," Sasuke said without thinking, but then a small smile formed as he got an idea. "Maybe into a big trash can?"
That was certainly the alcohol talking, but it was still amusing.
"What?!" Yang was furious, trying to punch this guy for remotely suggesting throwing her in a trash can. "You're going to ruin my hair!"
For a girl who loves her beautiful golden locks, that was a fate worse than death!
"I see you still have energy left." Sasuke ignored the tantrum she was throwing as she was unable to understand a mere joke. "That's good since you're going to need it."
This managed to silence the girl in his arms, her lilac eyes widening as her imagination ran wild.
"W-what are you going to do to me?!" Yang hugged herself defensively, her face heating up at the mere thought. I escaped from the den only to fall into the wolf's clutches!
Worse still, why was her heart beating so fast instead of sinking with fear?!
"For someone who claims to be pure, you certainly have a corrupted mind." Sometimes, Sasuke forgot what teenagers were like. Not me, though.
The kind of mentality he had was simple and straightforward: if something couldn't make him stronger, then it served no purpose.
Besides, Sasuke couldn't get emotionally attached to anyone, especially now.
"It's not my fault that you keep saying these things full of misunderstandings!" Yang accused, puffing out her cheeks as she crossed her arms and turned her face away. My mind isn't dirty... maybe a little.
But that was normal!
Teenagers were all like that, and this bastard, if he really wasn't gay, was no different!
Yang was sure he was loving every second of having a queen like her in his arms!
Sasuke was intrigued by her, if anything.
In a way, this girl reminded him of Karin with how quickly her behaviour changed. In one moment, she was a sensual woman trying to seduce him. Then, when it was revealed that she had no experience whatsoever, only a naive girl remained in her place. Soon after, she became a fierce and merciless fighter. Now, there she was, showing yet another side, acting like a child throwing a tantrum.
Women really were an enigma.
"I'll drop you off a few blocks from here. After that, you'll need that energy to walk on your own," Sasuke clarified, almost admitting that sometimes, he said things in a vague way that could cause confusion. That and I don't like to talk.
Not that she needed to know about it.
"Oh." Yang relaxed a little, even leaning her head closer to rest on the shoulder of this boy shrouded in mystery. "Why did you help me?" She looked at the shadow that hid his face, her doubts only increasing. "You know, after everything I said to you?"
Not only that, she was also intrusive and a nuisance...or just a bitch, really.
"If I wanted to hurt you, I would have done so the moment you insulted me," Sasuke was direct about it, even ignoring the way she was acting. "Lucky for you, I'm not like that."
At least, not anymore.
Sasuke didn't even like to think about how bad this meeting would have been if it had happened before he had spoken with the former Kages.
In fact, even this world would not have been safe from his endless hatred.
Yang wanted to say something about that, how she wouldn't have fallen so easily if she'd been at full strength from the start, but thinking back to the little fight they'd had and how casual he'd seemed while dealing with her, the result would have been the same.
"I see..." She curled up in his arms before saying something else, almost in the form of a whisper, "I'm sorry and...thank you."
Sasuke looked at this girl for a moment and opened his mouth to say something, but chose to remain silent and continue walking out of the Club.
Women really were strange creatures.