Eight Years Later…
One year before the start of canon.
Tokyo, Japan…
Within a dim, bunker-like training chamber filled with humming energy and reinforced alloy, two figures danced across the room like shadows. Sparks erupted every time their blades clashed, flickers of cursed energy snapping like lightning in the stale air.
One of them, a tall, lean blonde youth, moved with astonishing fluidity. Draped in a long dark cloak imprinted with crimson clouds, he exuded calm confidence. His body glowed faintly with yellowish cursed energy, forming a sheath that rippled like a flame in the wind. A sharp smile tugged at his lips as he sidestepped a blinding flurry of slashes with unnerving ease.
Clutched in his hand was a unique, three-pronged kunai. It spun in and out of his grip like an extension of his thoughts, parrying, redirecting, countering with precision and grace. His movement was parkour, acrobatics, and battle instinct merged into one seamless flow, flipping and vaulting through narrow gaps in his opponent's relentless offense.
Across from him, a younger boy with a mess of dark hair mirrored his intensity. His face was composed, stoic, but his eyes revealed sharp intellect and raw drive. He gripped a familiar guardless tanto in a reverse grip, the blade carving through the air like a phantom. Though slightly shorter, he emanated a quiet danger.
Clad in a matching dark outfit, the youth, Megumi Fushiguro, was a storm of unpredictable swordplay. From feints to sudden bursts of speed, his strikes were designed to overwhelm and deceive. Two dark shadow clones materialized beside him with a ripple of inky energy, attacking from flanks to force the blonde youth into retreat.
Yet each assault fell short.
"Too slow…" Nagito whispered under his breath as he parried the clones' blades. Twirling his kunai, he launched into the air, flipping and corkscrewing through their assault. A kick shattered one clone, its form disintegrating into smoke. A palm-heel strike and sweeping kick followed, dispersing the second.
Megumi narrowed his eyes, searching for an opening. He vanished into a pool of shadowy mist, silently approaching from beneath. From behind, his tanto thrust toward Nagito's back like a spear.
But before contact, the air shimmered.
Flash!
Nagito disappeared. A swirl of dust marked where he once stood.
"Tch…" Megumi's blade met empty air. He turned, wide-eyed, just in time to see Nagito crouched several meters away, spinning his kunai on his finger with a knowing smile.
"How are you so fast with the Body Flicker?" Megumi muttered, sheathing his tanto. "Tell me the truth, Nagito. You might be faster than Sasuke at this point…"
Nagito exhaled, walking over to retrieve one of his kunai embedded in the floor. "If only it were that simple, Megumi."
The younger boy frowned. "At this rate, it feels impossible to land a hit on you, and you haven't even used your technique yet…"
Nagito chuckled. "The boss engraved it into my soul. Everything I know, I owe to him. Besides him, no one's ever tagged me, not even the other pillars."
Megumi lowered his blade, thoughtful. "He taught me too, didn't he? Yet I'm nowhere near your level."
Nagito clapped a hand on his shoulder, giving him an encouraging squeeze. "You're only fourteen. And let's not forget, I trained you more than he did. If anything, blame me."
Megumi looked away, trying to hide his flustered expression. "I… Thanks. You're the best teacher I could ask for."
Nagito's smile deepened, soft but proud. "You've got the potential to take on any of the other pillars and win. I'd bet my life on it."
Megumi smirked faintly, shaking his head. "Don't inflate my ego just yet…"
With a deep breath, he took a stance, blade angled to the side. "One move. I want to see what happens when you actually use your technique."
Without warning, he charged forward, his body flickering, vanishing and reappearing erratically to confuse Nagito.
"Divine Dogs!"
Smoke exploded beside him, and two massive spectral wolves, one white, one dark, emerged, snarling as they flanked him.
Nagito's gaze sharpened. "As you wish."
He hurled a kunai, its trajectory arcing toward Megumi's throat. Megumi vaulted clean over it with acrobatic grace, but in the same instant, Nagito vanished again.
Swirl…
Megumi's breath caught.
Behind him, Nagito reappeared, kunai already drawn back, ready to strike.
The wolves lunged instinctively. Their massive paws lashed out, intercepting the slash. Nagito didn't resist, he teleported again to a different kunai that had embedded itself on the far side of the room.
Flash.
Megumi's heart thumped in his chest. Cold sweat beaded his forehead.
"You're sharp, Megumi," Nagito said, assessing him carefully. "More perceptive to cursed energy than I thought."
Megumi didn't reply, his body poised and tense. The demon dogs circled protectively. Then he saw it, just beneath him, at his feet, buried into the floor, another kunai.
Before he could react...
Whizz!
A glowing kunai shot straight for his forehead. The cursed energy trailing behind it shredded the air like blades.
With a grunt, Megumi channeled cursed energy and melted into the shadows, narrowly escaping the strike. His form emerged across the room, only for a massive white serpent, the Orochi, to erupt from the ground and lunge at Nagito.
Nagito teleported again.
Megumi stepped from behind the serpent, breath ragged.
"You're growing," Nagito nodded approvingly. "You're adapting."
Megumi wiped the sweat from his brow and refocused.
WOOOF!
The dogs howled, and then another kunai zipped toward him from behind. He flinched. The Orochi turned to defend, snapping its jaws, while the demon dogs charged together.
Nagito vanished before contact.
Three kunai flew out from nowhere, one to Megumi's left, one right, and one center. A trap.
Megumi's eyes narrowed. The demon dogs destroyed the side kunai, the Orochi swallowed the center one.
A beat passed. He exhaled.
Too easy.
And that's when he felt it, a cold presence. Just in front of him, Nagito stood calmly, kunai hovering at the space between Megumi's brows.
"You lasted three moves. That's already better than the rest," Nagito chuckled, ruffling his hair.
Megumi blinked, still in shock.
"I was misinformed," he muttered. "Your Flying Raijin Technique does more than just teleportation, doesn't it?"
Nagito nodded solemnly. Megumi exhaled, finally lowering his stance.
From the entrance of the chamber, the soft click of boots echoed.
Both turned. Leaning against the doorway was a beautiful woman with long, flowing blue hair. She wore a sleek black suit adorned with elegant red floral patterns, the same colors as theirs. Her eyes, cool and steady, locked onto the pair.
"Madam…" Nagito bowed his head.
"Big Sis Mei," Megumi greeted, offering a respectful nod.
Her gaze softened as she smiled faintly at the younger boy. "You've grown, Megumi."
Turning her eyes toward Nagito, her voice became firm. "Call the other Pillars. He's coming back."
At her words, the air grew still. Both Nagito and Megumi looked up sharply, stars glinting in their eyes.
A storm was coming. And they would be ready.
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A/N: Late chapter...I know I know... Powerstones? Maybe. What do you think.