After running seven or eight kilometers, Ryuuto finally stopped.
When he looked back, the entire stretch of tropical rainforest had been leveled into smoking wasteland.
"…Did I really blow them all to dust?" he muttered, his chest rising and falling. For a fleeting moment, he wondered if Magneto and Mystique had been caught in the blast. The Multiplying Rasengan was too powerful—without lightning speed or absurd durability, nobody should've survived it.
A faint pang of reluctance struck him. Magneto's control of magnetic fields is terrifying… and Mystique—damn, that shapeshifting could've been fun to exploit.
But no. Those two weren't dead.
In truth, Magneto hadn't come alone. With him had been Mystique, Toad, and Sabretooth, yes—but also two of his children: Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch Wanda.
The twins had acted before the Rasengan detonated. With blinding speed, Quicksilver had darted in and pulled Magneto and Mystique clear. Toad and Sabretooth? Not worth saving. Cannon fodder, gone in the blast.
Now Magneto stood amid the smoldering ruins, hair disheveled, cape tattered, but alive. His eyes narrowed, reflecting both awe and fury.
"That boy's power…" Magneto clenched his fist. "Even when he fought the Hulk, he was still holding back."
He realized, bitterly, that if he had pressed Ryuuto immediately, not giving him the time to draw chakra, there would never have been such an earth-shattering explosion.
"Father," Quicksilver said bluntly, "if you had just let Wanda and me go in first, that kid would already be dead. His speed is nothing special—I matched it. If I move with him, step for step, I'll smash him."
"You're wrong," Magneto said flatly. "Even if your speed equals his, you lack his technique, his precision. In pure combat, you're leagues below him. But if Wanda intervened…" He glanced at his daughter. "Then yes. His life would have been forfeit."
Quicksilver huffed. "So why not unleash her from the start?"
"My goal isn't to kill him," Magneto said coldly. "I want to recruit him. And Wanda's control is unstable. If her emotions surge, catastrophe follows. Unless there is no choice, I will not let her act."
"Tch. Boring," Quicksilver muttered, but he followed.
Wanda trailed silently, her eyes downcast. She hadn't spoken since the battle. She didn't want to be a weapon; she wanted to be human. But when her power stirred, destruction followed. That's why she had asked Quicksilver to act, while she stayed far from the Rasengan's blast radius.
If she lost control in that moment, it wouldn't just be a rainforest wiped away—it would be a continent.
She sighed, quickening her pace.
Meanwhile, Ryuuto was making his way toward the rendezvous point with Natasha Romanoff. His body ached, his chakra reserves scraped raw. He popped a vial of life potion, feeling warmth trickle through his veins.
Despite the exhaustion, his mood was sky-high. Who would've thought… Rock Lee's physical might, Konohamaru's Rasengan variation, Chōji's expansion technique—fused together and BOOM!
The result had been devastating.
Integration… that's the key. If I keep fusing jutsu, the results will go beyond imagination.
Too bad chakra wasn't infinite. With a bottomless supply, he could unleash combination techniques without restraint. I need… a Hokage with monstrous chakra reserves. Uzumaki Naruto's data package. Or Hashirama's. His lips curled into a grin.
He walked faster, anticipation burning.
Above, aboard the S.H.I.E.L.D. helicarrier, Director Nick Fury wasn't sharing the excitement. He was in the middle of a heated call with none other than President Obama.
"The explosion occurred in Australia," Obama said grimly. "Australia is an ally, but their Foreign Ministry now believes S.H.I.E.L.D. agents acted on behalf of the U.S. government. Just minutes ago, their Foreign Minister demanded an explanation. They think we staged a nuclear test under cover of hunting the Hulk."
"That crater was made by a Mutant," Fury shot back.
"They don't believe it!" Obama snapped. "They want an explanation that won't sound like a bad cover story. If Russia and others think we tested a new warhead in northern Australia, we're staring down World War III."
Fury pinched the bridge of his nose. The pressure was real. Then suddenly, his eye gleamed.
Wait a damn second… this was Ryuuto's mess. Red Mirage. My problem just became my solution.
"Mr. President," Fury said evenly, "let me talk to the Mutant responsible. Maybe he can help us smooth this over."
Obama's voice dripped disbelief. "You're putting international diplomacy in the hands of an eighteen-year-old student?"
"Do you have a better idea?" Fury countered.
A pause. Then: "Fine. Make contact. I want good news."
The line cut.
Fury exhaled, smirking. "Maria. Get Natasha on comms. Tell her to meet our boy. Time we had a chat with the Red Mirage."