The ruins of the former Business District.

“……..”

Taiga Kitora stood in one spot and silently looked down on what was before his feet.

He was looking at Aoi’s Corpse.

“Even when I told you to be careful….”

Taiga didn’t say anymore and silently picked up her corpse.

“With Aoi gone, I currently hold the reins for this conquest.”

He said as he started to walk away with her.

“More importantly, I’m the only one the Boss has left. I need to hurry to his side and inform him of everything I’ve learnt so far.”

He stopped in front of a car and gently placed Aoi in it.

“Transport her to the Long family cemetery.”

He ordered his men.

He then changed into his tiger mode.

“In this form I’ll be able to meet up with the master much faster than traveling by vehicle.”

He ran and disappeared in the dark night.

When Jin opened his eyes he was laying down on the ground under the night sky.

“Where am I?”

He said with a slouchy voice.

“Yo! You’re awake.”

That’s when he saw Miko standing next to him.

“….You’re injuries are gone. You really are a freak.”

Said Jin.

“I agree.”

He heard another voice and saw Kaido leaning on a boulder.

He was still covered in injuries, but none as severe as the ones he had earlier.

“I just used a special technique of mine to heal up. My magic and Qi is still exhausted so I’m very vulnerable at the moment.”

Miko said with a smile.

“Is that so?”

Jin looked around some more saw Bloom, Sapphire and the rest of Silver Crow as well as Tia and the girls.

“Looks like we been captured.”

He said with a sigh of resignation.

“But can I ask you a question?”

“Sure.”

Jin took a breath and said-

“Why the hell am I chained up?”

Jin was chained and bounded to the ground like a tent which left him with zero mobility below the neck.

“That’s because you’re a threat.”

Miko answered.

“Then what about Kaido?! I don’t see him chained!”

“That’s because Kaido is already subdued even if he doesn’t know it.”

Miko stooped down beside Jin.

“Kaido’s problem is very easy to deal and I had long thought of a countermeasure for him a long time ago. But you’re different Jin.”

Miko poked his head.

“Your problem is very difficult to handle and must be dealt with with extreme care. In fact even I’m not confident that I can subdue you. I’m not really good at Talk no Jutsu. My last name isn’t Uzumaki after all.”

Miko smiled.

“But it’s worth a try, right Little Jinny?”

“Subdue me? Hahaha! You’re right it will be impossible to subdue me, you’re better off killing me to save you the future trouble.”

Said jin with a cocky smile.

“You’re right.”

Miko waved his hand and Regis appeared in her sword form.

“Killing you would be easier.”

He said as he pointed the sword at Jin’s neck.

“Wait, Miko!”

Sapphire moved to stop him but she was stopped by Bloom.

“Bloom?”

Sapphire looked at her confusingly.

“Don’t worry. If Miko had wanted to kill Jin he wouldn’t have bother with this farce and killed him already.”

Bloom said as she looked at Miko and Jin.

“Let’s just trust Miko on this one.”

“Go ahead. Why aren’t cutting my head off?”

Said Jin.

“Come on! Do it!”

He shouted while urging Miko.

Miko silently looked at him for awhile before speaking.

“How pathetic.”

“What?”

Miko sighed and returned Regis to her human form.

“I said you’re pathetic.”

Miko shook his head.

“No. We’re both pathetic, you and I.”

“What are you talking about?”

Asked Jin.

“Say, do you remember when we first met. You said that you didn’t lie because every lie would eventually come to light.”

Miko stared down at him.

“If that’s the case, why have you been lying so much as of late?”

“What? Me, lying?”

“You said that you want to die, but that’s not how I see it.”

Miko replied.

“No, you do want to die but at the sametime you want to live. In the end you’re confused.”

“I’m not confused. I want to die but I want to bring everyone to hell with me.”

“Everyone? If that’s the case why are those 6 still alive? If you really wanted to drag everyone to hell wouldn’t you just kill them? That’s your first lie. The fact that you’ve couldn’t, is because you still care for them”

Miko lifted up two fingers.

“Which bring us to your second lie. You said you no longer cared about nothing but you still cared about them.”

Jin said nothing in response since him sparing Silver Crow speaks louder than any argument he could muster up.

“This is why I’m saying that you’re confused about what you want. You said it yourself when we first met. ‘I'll be lying if I said I was 100% empty. There's still some life in me. Even though it's a tiny speck.’ That speck is them right.”

Miko said as he gestured to Silver Crow.

“Why not live for that tiny speck. There’s a chance that it will grow into something that can fill you up.”

“This is a waste of time.”

Jin suddenly said.

“No matter what you say I won’t back down. I’ll drag this whole damn city to hell with me!”

Miko stared at him for a while before sitting beside him.

“Alright, tell me your backstory.”

“What?”

Jin looked at Miko continued confusingly.

“Your backstory. We all have one, let me hear yours.”

Jin didn’t know what to say and stared at Miko with a weird look.

“What? I don’t have all day.”

Miko said with a bit of irritation.

Jin stared at him and saw that he was serious and sighed.

“Fine, it’s not something I’m ashamed of anyway.”

Jin then proceed to tell Miko everything.

He talked about his real name, his family, his childhood, his wives and of course his suffering caused by his own actions.

The response he got was utter silence.

Whether it was Miko, Kaido, Silver Crow or even Tia and the girls everyone was silent.

That was how impactful Jin’s story was.

After a while everyone started to react in their own way.

Some felt sadness, while others felt grief.

Bloom and Sapphire specifically started crying.

Kaido remained silent and seemed to be in deep thought.

Miko on the other seemed unaffected.

“I see. After experiencing something like that, most people wouldn’t want to live neither.”

He rested his head on his palm.

“Oh okay. I’m about to show you something.”

He looked at Tiamat.

“Tia, show him.”

“Is that okay?”

Tia asked.

Miko nodded.

“Fine.”

She pointed her finger and a beam shot out and hit Jin in the forehead.”

“Wha?!”

The moment beam hit Jin, he started to see several scenes flashing before his eyes.

He saw scenes of neglect.

Scenes of abandonment.

Scenes of chaos.

Scenes of madness.

Scenes of betrayal.

He saw a life filled deceit and hardship. He saw a life with death at every corner and being unable to trust anyone.

He saw a life of pure isolation and sadness.

“What did you just show me? It can’t be….Was that your life?”

Miko didn’t say anything and silently stood up.

“You once told me that you sought Kaido’s company because he could understand you. You all said that I was a fellow Death God just like you. By those words alone it’s obvious that you sought companionship more than anyone but couldn’t find it in those around you. But that was a mistake.”

Jin looked up at Miko and paid attention to his every word.

“It wasn’t that you couldn’t find companionship in them, it was just that you were too stubborn.”

Miko stretched his hand out and lifted Jin by his head.

“It’s because of that stubbornness that no matter what I say you will still be stuck on your path to destruction.”

Miko smiled and said-

“That’s why I’m going do things my way and force you to bend to my will.”

“?!”

Miko suddenly gave off an oppressive aura which shocked Jin and those around him.

“I’m not Naruto after all. I’m far more cruel.”

*Boom!*

A violent purple and crimson aura started leaking out of Miko’s body as he held Jin.

“Miko?!”

Seeing this, not even Bloom could keep calm.

“Say, Jinny. Have you ever heard about my clan’s ability called Rule?”

Jin couldn’t respond because he was being suppressed by Miko’s aura.

“It’s an ability that allows you to command someone as long as your superior to them mentally, physically, or magically. Pretty neat don’t you think?”

Miko’s eyes turned a draconic purple.

“I’m going to use it to rid you of your suicidal thoughts.”

“Wha?! You can’t do that!”

Jin shouted.

“Huh? You lost to me, right?”

A wicked smile appeared on Miko’s face.

“Didn’t you know? The Victor is king.”

He gripped Jin tighter and made him look into his eyes.

“You’re to live your life to fullest and do whatever that makes you happy. You are to abandon any thoughts of suicide and do whatever it takes to live. You are to discard those burdens holding you down and take a new lease on life.”

Jin’s body stiffen for a bit before he went limp.

Miko released him and he fell on the ground.

“And don’t worry. I’ll do something about your dying body. Since you dying would just waste my efforts.”

Miko said as he walked away from.

Sapphire hurriedly released Jin from his chains and started crying in his chest.

Jin had an awkward look on his face for a bit, before he started to caress her head.

This brought a smile to the members of Silver Crow.

With his stubbornness forcibly removed and him having to live by his desires, Jin could only show what he had been bottling up inside.

This meant his feelings towards Sapphire and the rest of his comrades.

“Hey. If you could do that, why didn’t you do it from the start?”

Asked Ishma.

“Because the chapter wouldn’t be as long.”

Said Miko.

He then walked up to Kaido

“Now then, its time to deal with you my friend.”

He stooped down in front of Kaido.

“As promised, I’ll help you get back Hana.”

“That no longer will be necessary.”

Said Kaido.

“Oh?”

Miko suddenly picked up something and immediately understood what he meant.

“Kaido! Miko!”

He heard a familiar voice and turned around.

As he expected, Hana was rushing towards them.

Kaido forced his dent up body to stand up and hugged Hana who jumped in his arms.

“Hana, are you alright?

“Yes. I was scared but these people freed me.”

“Freed you, huh?”

Miko smiled.

“Well, well. Looks like the Syndicate has traitors, and they’re pretty high ranking too.”

Miko said as he looked at Blanche, Kei hanazawa and Nana, who arrived with Hana.

“I didn’t betray anyone. I’m always on the winning side that’s all.”

Said Blanche.

“Blanche, you freeing Hana after endangering her in the first place isn’t enough for me to spare your life.”

Said Kaido.

“Woah, woah. She was never in danger. She was in my quarters all along. I made sure that she was well taken care of.”

Blanche quickly defended himself after sensing Kaido’s bloodlust.

“Don’t tell you’ve forgotten my reason for joining the Syndicate. I wanted to crush it from the inside, and this is the perfect time to do so. I have already gotten word from my people that two Pillars have fallen as well as Aoi Tsuyoshi. That means that the Syndicate and the Pillars have both lost half of their strength, while Exsul is at full strength. It’s time to usher a new era.”

“So you’re saying that you came here to join my side?”

Miko asked with a smile.

“If you would let me.”

“Well, I don’t mind. But what about those two?”

He said as he looked at nana and Kei.

“I was the one who freed her!”

Nana shouted as she pointed at Hana.

“Why would you do that?”

Asked Kaido.

“Because I want to show you that my feelings are authentic.”

She said with a proud look.

“Feelings? Good going Kaido. You already have Hana but you’re even making your enemies fall for you. I’m impressed.”

Miko said with a thumps up.

“I didn’t want to face the boss’ anger for allowing them to do what they wanted so I tagged alone.”

Said Kei.

“I see. Then you’re all welcome. Having people who know the inner workings of the Syndicate will be beneficial.”

“It’s not like any of you are a threat to us.”

Ishma added.

“Now that Hana case is done with. There’s something I want to ask you Kaido.”

Miko turned to Blanche and his group.

“But first….”

Miko then activated Rule and made them pledge allegiance to him and Exsul.

When he was done he faced Kaido again.

“I want to hear it from your mouth. Just what the hell are you, and why do you have two regalia inside your body?”

Kaido stayed silent as if he had no intention of speaking.

That’s when Hana pinched his arm and made him look at her.

“You can tell him. He’s your friend, right? And besides, he might be able to help.”

She said with a firm tone.

Kaido looked at her for a while before sighing.

“The victor is the king.”

He said.

“Fine. I’ll tell you, but I’ll only say it once. So listen well.”