Ash sat in the dimly lit dojo, his body still aching from the training session. The weight of his partial control over the Oni Wraith lingered in his thoughts, but something else gnawed at him—a question he had long buried, one that now demanded an answer.


    "Kenshiko," he said, his voice firm but measured. "Tell me about my father. What was he like?"


    The AI remained silent for a moment, her digital form flickering slightly, as if processing something beyond the usual flow of data. "Your father... was a warrior unlike any other," she finally responded, her tone devoid of its usual analytical detachment.


    Ash frowned. "That doesn''t tell me much. You trained him, didn''t you? You know his abilities better than anyone. What level was he at?"


    Kenshiko hesitated, an unusual response for an AI designed for precise instruction. "Your father was beyond levels, Ash. If I were to compare, he had surpassed the rank of Shadow Master before he left. His synchronization with Kage no Jutsu was unlike anything recorded before—his techniques, his adaptability, his sheer dominance over the shadows... he was a force that even the Shirogiri archives could barely contain."


    Ash felt his breath hitch. "And where am I, compared to him?"


    Kenshiko''s gaze met his, her digital projection unblinking. "You have not even reached half of what he was when he left."


    The words struck harder than any blow he had taken in training. Ash clenched his fists, feeling the sting of his own inadequacy.


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    "So what happened to him? Why did he leave?" Ash pressed. "Where is he now?"


    Kenshiko''s form flickered again, and for the first time, Ash sensed something—hesitation. Or was it something else? "That... I cannot answer."


    His eyes narrowed. "Can''t, or won''t?"


    The silence that followed was louder than any answer she could have given.


    Ash exhaled sharply, his mind racing. If his father had truly been that powerful, then why had he disappeared? And more importantly—what had he left behind that Ash was now meant to inherit?


    For the first time, the path forward wasn''t just about mastering Kage no Jutsu.


    It was about uncovering the truth.


    For the first time, the path forward wasn''t just about mastering Kage no Jutsu.


    Ash straightened, his jaw tightening. He had tolerated Kenshiko''s hesitation long enough. Stepping forward, he let his Ki surge, his presence filling the dojo with undeniable authority.


    "As the last line of the Shirogiri and as Shogun, I command you to tell me why he left!" His voice echoed through the chamber, laced with power, with command—one that could not be ignored.


    Kenshiko''s form flickered violently, data streams fluctuating in unreadable bursts. Then, after a long pause, she spoke.


    "The last person who was with your father was Yukihiro Arata. They had a mission assigned by the Keiretsu." She hesitated for a split second before concluding, "Arata came back alone."


    It was about uncovering the truth.


    The Void – Oni Wraith


    Within the endless abyss of the void, the Oni Wraith stirred. The chains of partial control tightened around it, a tether of willpower binding its existence to the mortal who had dared to summon it. Yet, it was only a whisper of what true submission would be.


    Control had shifted.


    By two percent.


    A mere flicker in the grand scheme of power, but a change nonetheless.


    "So… the Shogun commands," the Wraith murmured, its voice rippling through the darkness. "Interesting. But will he command himself?"


    Its hollow eyes burned in the void, watching, waiting.