In the room where thick gunpowder smoke remained, a young man with wildly dancing silver hair stood within it, surrounded by six pieces assembled from pitch-black bones, each about half a meter to one meter in diameter, resembling scopes.
And beside him crouched a beautiful leopard with yellow spots and metal shoulder pads on both shoulders, radiating explosive power and grace.
The handsome guy, the beast, the avant-garde skeletal weapons... When the three combined, appearing in the thick gunpowder fog after the explosion, it created an incredibly striking visual impact.
Even Barton, who'd been an agent for years, lost his composure momentarily.
"Uri!"
Hayato Gokudera shouted, the leopard roared skyward, and the roaring sound blew away the remaining smoke. Its muscular limbs bent and kicked off the ground like an arrow released from a bow.
Fast, incredibly fast.
Even with his optic nerve and thinking speed beyond human limits, Barton could only see an afterimage passing by.
But the physical instincts he'd developed from years of martial arts and field work saved him—he acted before his brain could fully react.
Drew the bow, nocked an arrow.
Three arrows with explosive warheads were fired with predictive aim.
The corridor space was very narrow with almost no room to dodge, but the leopard was not only fast but also extremely agile.
Facing the incoming arrows, its speed didn't decrease at all. When the arrows came close, it leaped to the left wall, ran several steps horizontally, then jumped to the right wall, and finally repeated the action to reach the ceiling.
In just two breaths, it avoided the arrows and reached Barton, raising its right paw high, about to swing down.
However...
BOOM BOOM BOOM!!!
Three violent explosions rang out in succession. The arrows the leopard had dodged—shot into the ceiling, floor, and walls—exploded, and shockwaves swept through the corridor with flames.
The leopard's attention had been focused on Barton. By the time it realized what was happening, the shockwave had already hit, blowing its entire body backward, then engulfing it in the heat wave.
And Barton, the moment he'd fired the arrows, had rushed toward the room on the right.
Although his speed was insufficient and the leopard had reached him before he could fully jump through, he still managed to hide in the room before the heat wave struck.
Barton hid inside, quickly got up, leaned back against the wall beside the door, gasping for breath.
Although the amount of exercise just now wasn't large, he'd given everything he had. His dodging had been extremely close, his mind highly concentrated—the consumption was enormous.
While recovering his strength, he listened to movement outside, staying alert for the silver-haired youth's follow-up attacks.
Tap tap tap...
Crisp footsteps echoed in the corridor, approaching from far away.
Barton held his breath, ready to wait for the owner of the footsteps to get closer, then spring up to shoot... His previous shot had been blocked by some unknown item or method, indicating that frontal shooting wouldn't work.
Only by shooting at close range or by surprise, preventing the opponent from having time to react and defend.
His bow was made from S.H.I.E.L.D. black-tech synthetic materials, its power greater than an anti-materiel sniper rifle—it could easily shoot through tank armor.
At close range, even an extraordinary person would struggle to react.
However, just as the opponent was about to enter the ideal shooting range, the footsteps disappeared.
The silver-haired youth stopped advancing.
What happened?
Why stop?
Did he sense the danger, or see through my intentions?
At the moment when victory was about to be decided, an accident occurred, making Barton's heart tense.
"You're really amazing!"
The silver-haired youth's voice came from the corridor.
"No Dying Will Flame, yet you have neural responses and thinking speed surpassing human limits. Your sniping technique and strategic tactics are also first-rate, and your physical functions are exercised to their peak. As an ordinary person, you're truly exceptional!"
Barton didn't respond but silently memorized the phrase "Dying Will Flame."
"To show my respect, let me introduce myself first!"
"I'm Hayato Gokudera, right-hand man of the Tenth Boss of the Vongola Family, and also the family's Storm Guardian!"
Hayato Gokudera, Tenth Boss, Storm Guardian...
Barton silently wrote down the keywords, then after hesitating, called out loudly, "Sorry, I can understand 'Tenth Boss,' but 'Storm Guardian'—I've never heard of it."
This was a very risky move.
Because it was very likely the other party was deliberately making noise to lure him into revealing his position.
But to collect information on the Vongola Family, Barton knew it might be a trap yet gave up his chance for a sneak attack and exposed his position.
But he wasn't a novice without any countermeasures. The moment he finished speaking, he rushed out of the room, ready to run to the opposite room.
However, when he'd just rushed from the room into the corridor, out of the corner of his eye he caught sight of the silver-haired youth standing at the other end. He simply stood there quietly, without any intention of attacking.
Barton couldn't help stopping and looked at him across the corridor.
A gratified smile appeared on Hayato Gokudera's face, then he said, "I know you're deliberately spying on me, and I understand what the people behind you are worried about, but..."
Hayato Gokudera's expression suddenly became very displeased, his tone rising a bit. "If you want to know something, just come and ask! Secretly hiding in the dark monitoring our every move—what's the meaning of that?"
"If only it were as easy as you say!" Barton stared at Gokudera. "You suddenly appeared in Harlem, then fought gangsters in the street and ruled them. Your origins, your strength, your actions—everything causes unease. Who would dare contact you without knowing anything?"
"True!"
Hayato Gokudera's face changed from anger to grinning in an instant, as if performing face-changing in Sichuan opera.
Is this guy an idiot?
Barton was momentarily speechless.
"But your situation is what they call 'only the mediocre invite jealousy!'" Hayato Gokudera didn't care about Barton's expression and spoke with a relaxed demeanor.
Then his expression changed again, becoming extremely serious.
Barton thought something had happened and his briefly relaxed vigilance tightened again.
"But I can't tolerate the family's every move being monitored." Hayato Gokudera raised his left index finger, pointing at Barton. "If you want to know anything, just send someone to ask directly. It's not a big deal. To be honest, we're also confused about some things and plan to ask important people in this world to understand the situation. The country is behind you, so find a representative and let's have a proper conversation!"
"This world?"
Barton didn't focus on what Hayato Gokudera had mentioned about asking. Instead, he noticed a key phrase in his words.
After hearing this, Hayato Gokudera looked irritated. "We've already said we're at a loss about a lot of things. Should we spell it out or not? Don't test my patience!"
Character Notes:
Uri - From Reborn! Hayato Gokudera's box weapon. A leopard-type box animal with the Storm Flame attribute, capable of high-speed combat and wearing characteristic armor.