At a park.
“So what’s the task?
It better not be troublesome.”
Tsuna asked while stretching under the moonlight.
“There is a rumor about a delinquent causing trouble around town lately.”
Reborn replied calmly while standing on the swing set.
“Apparently, he goes around challenging people and says that if someone defeats him, he’ll proudly serve them.”
His eyes sharpened.
“Your next task as the future Vongola boss is about protecting public peace and increasing your followers.
That delinquent should be your first step.”
“I already told you, I don’t want any part in mafia stuff!”
Tsuna complained immediately.
“And I don’t like pointless violence.”
“Even if you ignore the mafia aspect, leaving him alone means more people will get hurt and feel uneasy.”
Reborn crossed his arms.
“You have the power to stop him.
Don’t you want to guide someone away from going astray?”
Tsuna fell silent.
“To protect the flames of all; to lead those lost back into warmth.”
Reborn’s voice became quieter but heavier.
“That is the core essence of the Vongola motto, and something you need to learn through action.”
Tsuna slowly looked down at his own palm.
“Do I really have the power to do something like that…?”
“You do.”
Reborn answered without hesitation.
“Trust in yourself and all the hard work you’ve done.”
He was about to end his speech, but he suddenly smirked faintly.
“And never forget…”
Tsuna looked up.
“You have me.”
“…”
For a moment, Tsuna felt strangely reassured.
Only if Reborn didn’t casually dropped a bomb.
“I already sent him a challenge letter.
He’s surprisingly old-fashioned, but he should be arriving soon.”
Tsuna’s eyes widened.
“What!?
So whether I agreed or not never mattered in the first place!?”
“That’s right.”
Reborn answered shamelessly.
The bushes nearby rustled.
A familiar figure soon stepped out from the darkness.
“Tsuna?”
Rekka blinked in surprise.
Tsuna froze.
“Rekka!?”
The two stared at each other awkwardly.
Rekka slowly narrowed his eyes.
“…Don’t tell me you’re the one who sent me a letter.”
“Why would I send you a love letter?”
“CHALLENGE!
LETTER!”
Rekka furiously emphasized.
“Not me.
Reborn did!”
Tsuna immediately pointed at the nonchalant hitman.
“Ciaosu.”
“Oh, it’s the weird baby again.”
“I invited you here to fight with my student.”
Reborn explained to which Rekka nodded seriously.
“I see.”
“I don’t want to fight my friend!”
Tsuna waved his hand.
“No, Tsuna.”
Rekka suddenly grinned.
“Let’s fight.”
Tsuna stiffened.
“You see, ever since I watched you knock out that giant thug with one punch, I’ve wanted to know how strong you really are.”
Rekka pointed dramatically at him.
“And if you defeat me… I’ll serve you!”
“Pass dude, I’m not gay.”
“You’re ruining my cool image!”
Rekka pointed accusingly.
“To restore my image, I’ll defeat you!”
Tsuna sighed deeply.
“I forgot… you’re as weird as Reborn.”
“You asked before why I fight, right?”
Tsuna nodded.
“I don’t fight because I like hurting people.”
Rekka continued.
“I normally fight because I hate seeing the weak being bullied by the strong.”
His expression turned serious.
“Though… I can’t deny fighting strong people is fun.”
Tsuna nodded in understanding.
“Hey, want to see Ninjutsu?””
Tsuna blinked.
“…Honestly?
Yeah.”
“Ninjas are masters of stealth, combat, and secret techniques!”
Rekka proudly declared.
“And I’ve trained all of them!”
He conveniently ignored the fact he learned most of them from ninja movies.
Rekka suddenly pointed at a rock near Tsuna’s foot.
“Throw that at me.”
Tsuna shrugged and threw it hard.
The moment the rock flew..
POOF!
A burst of white smoke exploded.
The rock struck a figure inside the smoke.
But when the smoke dispersed…
“…A jacket?”
Tsuna’s eyes widened.
“Behind you!”
“!?”
Tsuna spun around.
Rekka was standing behind him with his arms crossed proudly.
The boy genuinely looked amazed.
“Woah…”
“With my Smokescreen Technique.”
Rekka explained while putting on a mysterious air.
“I can use advanced ninja arts like the Substitution Technique.
I use smoke as cover while replacing myself with another object to misdirect the enemy.”
“Misdirection…”
Tsuna muttered.
“So you pull attention away from your real position.”
“Exactly!
You know your stuff.”
In fact, Rekka learned misdirection from a basketball anime.
“I also trained myself to silence my footsteps and move swiftly like a phantom.”
“No wonder I didn’t notice you…”
Tsuna stared at him with newfound respect.
This guy wasn’t just roleplaying.
He actually trained seriously.
Yelling your techniques out loud?
You could have already sneaked attack me.”
Rekka rubbed his chin.
“…I don’t know.
It just feels cooler.
And I don’t sneak attack on bros.”
“No, Rekka is actually correct when it comes to saying his techniques.”
Reborn suddenly interrupted.
“There exists a universal principle in this world known as the Law of Techniques.”
Reborn explained calmly.
“Anyone who overcomes their embarrassment and shouts their technique name will receive the blessing of this law.”
Tsuna stared blankly.
“What kind of nonsense is that!?”
Rekka’s eyes sparkled.
“So my instincts were right…”
“As ridiculous as it sounds…”
Reborn continued.
“This law gives life to techniques, making them genuinely stronger when declared aloud.”
“How does that make sense?”
Tsuna was dumbfounded.
“Now then!”
Rekka said while taking a fighting stance.
“Let’s continue!
Ninpo: Firecracker Jutsu!”
He suddenly lit up firecrackers and threw several of them toward Tsuna.
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
Tsuna quickly dodged as tiny explosions burst around him.
“Not bad.
Though, my skills still need improvement…”
He admitted.
“A true ninja should be able to throw dozens perfectly.”
“…How many can you throw?”
“Seven.”
Tsuna stared amazed.
“…That’s still impressive.”
“Now for Taijutsu!”
The moment Rekka spoke, his fist ripped through the air toward Tsuna’s face.
SWOOSH!
Tsuna leaned backward just enough to avoid it
“I knew it.
Your senses are incredible.”
Rekka smirked.
“Let’s dance, Tsuna!”
A kick suddenly whipped toward Tsuna’s side.
Tsuna blocked it with his forearm and grabbed Rekka’s leg, but the ninja twisted midair and kicked again with his free leg.
Tsuna released him and stepped back.
“In ancient times…”
Rekka declared while throwing punches.
“…Men understood each other through fists!”
“What kind of old-fashioned philosophy is tha..!”
A punch grazed Tsuna’s cheek.
Tsuna immediately retaliated with several punches of his own, but Rekka slipped around them surprisingly well.
Rekka spun into a powerful roundhouse kick.
This time Tsuna didn’t dodge but instead caught it.
“What!?”
Using Rekka’s own momentum, Tsuna twisted his body and hurled him straight into a fence.
BANG!
The fence rattled violently.
A wrestling move I learned from Goda…
Tsuna never expected he would use it against Rekka.
Rekka crashed hard before Tsuna immediately rushed forward and grabbed both his shoulders firmly.
I can’t shake him off!?
Rekka widened his eyes.
Tsuna’s grip felt like iron.
“Don’t underestimate the body cultivated by the Body Improvement Club!”
THUD!
Tsuna slammed his forehead directly into Rekka’s face.
“OOWWW!”
Rekka stumbled backward while clutching his face.
His vision spun violently.
Freaking hard!
What the hell is his skull made of!?
“Not bad…”
Rekka groaned.
“I felt your spirit through that headbutt…”
Wobbling slightly, Rekka slowly grinned again.
“Guess I’ll get serious now.”
He lit several firecrackers and threw them rapidly.
Tsuna swatted them aside, but the moment his attention shifted…
POOF!
Smoke exploded across the park.
“I figured out your weakness.”
Rekka’s voice echoed from the smoke.
“You rely too much on your eyes!”
Tsuna immediately became alert as the smoke blocked his vision completely.
A shadow appeared.
Tsuna charged at it, but it was only a jacket.
His sixth sense screamed, danger was coming from his right side.
Without hesitation, Tsuna spun around and kicked.
THUD!
“GAH!?”
Rekka got nailed directly in the stomach and rolled backward.
“How did you still sense me!?”
From within the smoke, Reborn answered calmly.
“Tsuna’s sense for danger or what he calls the Sixth Sense isn’t limited to vision.
It’s the combined perception of all his senses.”
“NANI!?”
What a fraud!
Rekka was astonished.
Even his Flame Of Rekka wasn’t as useful as that.
Tsuna himself looked shocked hearing that.
Why does it seem like Reborn knows more about myself than I do?
Rekka slowly stood up while rubbing his stomach.
“…My attacks won’t work.”
His fists tightened, not wanting to lose this battle.
No, not like this.Not when his heart was still pumping with excitement over a worthy opponent.
His emotions surged violently.
I want to fight more!
Without realizing it, Rekka crushed the firecrackers in his hand.
FWOOOSH!
Sparks ignited the gunpowder as flames suddenly blazed around his left arm.
Tsuna’s eyes widened.
“It grew bigger!?”
Rekka himself looked stunned.
“The hell!?”
The flames rapidly intensified from his panic.
His flame is responding to his emotions…?
Reborn realized the worst problem.
“This is bad.
If he loses control, he could burn himself.”
“!?”
Rekka panicked harder, causing his flames to explode even more violently.
The only way to stop this now is for me to enter Dying Will Mode!
“Shoot me.”
Reborn stared silently.
“I don’t want my friend to get hurt…!”
Tsuna clenched his fists.
Reborn smirked faintly as Leon quietly morphed into a gun.
He pointed toward Tsuna.
BANG!
The Dying Will Bullet pierced Tsuna’s forehead, his body collapsing backward.
I’ll save him!
If I let my friend get hurt here… I’ll regret it!
A brilliant flame erupted from his forehead.
His clothes burned away as a yellowish-orange glow radiated throughout his skin.
“REBORN!”
Tsuna shot forward instantly.
“EVEN IF I DIE, I’LL SAVE MY FRIEND!”
He grabbed Rekka’s burning left arm with both hands.
Reborn’s eyes then widened slightly.
“He still can’t control his Sky Flame, but….”
He muttered.
“…right now, he’s expressing its special trait instinctively.”
The Sky Flame on Tsuna’s forehead burned brighter.
Warm yellow light glowed brightly from the surface of his skin.
The moment it touched Rekka, the chaotic flames gradually calmed.
And so did Rekka’s panic.
The heat gradually faded until silence filled the park.
Rekka stared blankly at Tsuna who returned to normal.
“…PFFT.”
He started laughing.
“I lose.”
“Are you okay!?”
Rekka nodded while laughing.
“Damn it… you defeated me.”
He pointed at Tsuna.
“I’m a man of my words!
Since you defeated me, I’ll serve you!”
Tsuna immediately looked uncomfortable.
“Dude.
I told you, that sounds really gay.”
“What did you say!?”
Rekka nearly exploded.
“What about you!
You’re practically naked right now!
You exhibitionist!”
“I’m not!
This is different!
I have no control over it.”
Tsuna quickly defended himself before awkwardly rubbing his nose.
“….about that promise.
Forget it.”
Rekka blinked.
“Honestly, I don’t care about having followers.”
Tsuna admitted.
“What matters more is that we’re friends.”
Rekka froze slightly.
All his life, people only wanted to use him because of his strength.
But Tsuna… only wanted friendship.
Slowly, Rekka smiled as he slung an arm around Tsuna’s shoulders.
“Damn right, bro.”
He grinned widely.
“Come on.
I know a good ramen shop.”
Rekka silently made a promise in his heart.
He would protect this friend with his life.
“Congratulations, Tsuna.”
Reborn applauded lightly.
“Our mafioso group grows bigger.”
“Stop with that nonsense.
We are normal friends!”
Tsuna groaned.
Rekka suddenly paused after hearing Reborn’s words.
“Wait… that flame on your forehead earlier…”
Tsuna sighed deeply.
“…It’s related to the mafia thing.”
“So that baby is really a mafia!?”
Rekka’s jaw nearly hit the floor as Tsuna explained everything.
“You’re seriously the heir to some mafia family!?
And that baby is an assassin training you!?”
“Yeah, shockingly.”
Tsuna admitted tiredly.
“My life became weird out of nowhere too.”
Rekka stared blankly for several seconds before asking.
“So what are you gonna do?”
Tsuna looked up at the evening sky.
“I don’t know.
I’ll just prepare myself for whatever future comes.”
Rekka nodded firmly.
“No matter what happens, you can count on me as your friend!”
Tsuna smiled faintly.
“…Thanks.”
Rekka suddenly grinned again.
“So if you’re connected to flame mafias…”
He pointed at himself proudly.
“…does that mean I might also secretly belong to some legendary flame ninja clan?”
Tsuna chuckled.
“Maybe.”
“You better pray that’s true!”
“That actually could be possible.”
Reborn commented thoughtfully.
“Not everyone can naturally produce flames that feed on oxygen and emotion like you.”
Rekka immediately pumped his fist.
“Then I’ve decided!”
Tsuna suddenly felt uneasy.
“Since I lost to Tsuna and we’re friends now…”
Rekka pointed at the sky.
“I’ll join your mafia group!”
“Why would you decide that so fast!?”
“Think about it!”
Rekka shouted passionately.
“A ninja in the mafia!
That sounds cool!
I’m pioneering a new future for ninjas!”
“Glad to have you onboard.”
Reborn said while offering a handshake as Rekka shook it happily.
Tsuna grabbed his head, which was starting to ache painfully.
“No!
Why did this happen….?”
As the two boys walked away arguing loudly, Reborn silently stared at the tekko protecting Rekka’s arm.
His eyes then narrowed slightly.
“…Interesting.”
Even without Tsuna’s intervention… it seems like Rekka’s flames would never have harmed him.
…
Now its time to meet the Guardians.
Last chapter for this week btw.
Extra chapters when we reach 500 pw!