Max then stood up and stretched. He wasn't actually suffering from chakra exhaustion — it was just normal fatigue from opening the gates to reach the stronghold and teleporting when he ca into range. Things were now in order, and since Damian hadn't seen him he wasn't a problem; that left Slade as the loose end he would find in ti and terminate.
anwhile
Slade trudged down the ridge in the biting wind, his body numb from pain and cold. He stopped and spat out a glob of blood, coughing violently. His vision blurred as he reached into his belt, pulled out an adrenaline injector, and plunged it directly into his burned chest. He continued walking toward the mountainside that concealed a tal door, wiped the frost from it, removed the glove from his right hand, and pressed it to the biotric scanner. The door groaned open, revealing a dimly lit hangar. At the far end sat a black helicopter with the League's insignia — an evac asset known only to him, Ra's, and Talia.
He knew he had to move fast; he didn't know if the masked man was still behind him. Tonight he'd washed his hands of the League even if it sohow still stands after the attack from that man. After what Ra's had said, to fight alongside him to the death to buy his precious daughter and grandson a chance to escape. Slade felt used. He'd never been considered for leadership, only cannon fodder for Ra's' bidding. That masked man… would get what was coming. He would rue the day he attacked Slade Wilson. From now on, Slade was done .From now on he will go by....'Death Stroke'.
------
Morning sunlight streaked through the blinds, but Max didn't stir. Thena knocked lightly on the door before stepping inside, finding him sprawled across the bed, still asleep.
"Dad," she said softly, nudging his shoulder. "It's late… you overslept by an hour."
Max groaned, rolling onto his back. "What ti is it?"
"It's seven o'clock already. You said we were going to start at six. Let's go now!" Thena replied, a mix of exasperation and excitent in her voice.
"Fine. Go get an apple while I change," Max said lazily.
"Okay!" Thena cheered, darting toward the kitchen.
Max changed quickly into black sports pants and a snug black turtleneck. From his system space, he summoned a thick red scroll and slung it over his shoulder. He stepped into the hallway just as Thena returned, an apple in hand.
"Thanks. Now… don't puke on ," Max said with a teasing smirk, taking the apple from her.
He placed a hand on her shoulder, and in an instant, the world around them blurred. With a soft whoosh, they vanished.
When the world snapped back into focus, Max and Thena stood in a forested clearing surrounded by towering trees. Sunlight filtered through the canopy, glimring off the small river that ran quietly nearby.
"Wow… where is this place? Was that teleportation?" Thena asked, her eyes wide with excitent.
"This," Max said, gesturing around, "is my happy place. A spot I co to when I get tired of the city's noise and polluted air. And starting today, it'll be your training ground."
He gave her a grin. "And yes — that was teleportation. Your dad's just that aweso. There's very little I can't do."
Thena blinked, staring at him blankly. The silence dragged for a few seconds before she finally said, "Riiight…"
Max raised a brow, fighting a smirk.
"But wouldn't training here… ruin the place?" she asked.
"Yes, it would," Max admitted, crossing his arms. "But only you will be training here for now — until you're strong enough. As things stand, the most damage you could cause is maybe breaking a few trees."
"So, in other words, I'm weak," Thena said flatly.
"Those are your words, not mine," Max replied, half-smiling. "But being weak at your age isn't surprising. When I was your age, I was fragile — ridiculously weak, actually. Besides, how can you know you're weak if you haven't fought anyone your age yet?"
Thena puffed her cheeks a little, . "i know you were actually saying that Im weak but I can't prove it so let's leave it at that."
Max clapped his hands together. "Now then, ti to begin."
"RIGHT!" Thena said eagerly, her eyes lightning up
"Alright, we'll start simple today," Max said, stretching his arms before pointing toward a tall oak tree about a hundred ters away. "See that tree over there? You're going to run from here to it and back—ten laps, full speed. Consider it your warm-up. Now go!"
Thena nodded, determination flaring in her eyes. The mont she took off, leaves scattered behind her in a small gust of wind. Max watched silently, arms crossed, analyzing every stride with calculating eyes.
'She's fast for her age,' he thought. 'Faster than most trained athletes, and that's without any chakra training"
By the ti Thena finished her tenth lap, her breathing was slightly uneven, a light sheen of sweat on her forehead. But she stood tall, still energetic—more excited than tired.
"Not bad at all," Max said, tossing away an apple core he'd been lazily chewing. "You're built well, kid. Now, before we start the real training, there's sothing you need to understand."
He crouched down and began drawing circles and lines into the dirt with a stick, forming symbols as he spoke.
"In the Shinobi world, warriors could take different paths—what we called specializations. There are six main ones."
He pointed to each symbol as he nad them:
"Taijutsu — hand-to-hand combat and body conditioning.
Ninjutsu — the use of chakra for elental attacks or special techniques.
Genjutsu — illusions and mind manipulation.
Fūinjutsu — the art of sealing and binding, which I told you about yesterday.
Shurikenjutsu — mastery of throwing weapons like kunai and shuriken.
Bukijutsu — the art of wielding blades and other lee weapons."
Thena's eyes widened. "Wow… there are so many!"
Max chuckled, standing up and brushing off his hands. "Yeah, and there are others too—more advanced ones—but they don't matter right now. The point is…" he gave her a confident smirk, "…I'm a master of most of them and proficient in the rest. So you're in luck, because I'll be teaching you all of them."
"All of them?" Thena repeated incredulously.
"Yes," Max said with a grin. "Normally, a Shinobi would pick two or three at most to specialize in. Dabbling in everything but mastering nothing is worthless. But there were a few geniuses who managed four. And you…" he leaned down, resting a hand on her head, "…you've got the potential to learn every single one."
Thena blinked, then clenched her fists, excitent lighting her face. "Let's do it, then!"
Max smiled faintly. "That's my girl."
"As I said, today we'll start simple," Max began, dusting his hands. "We'll cover taijutsu, shurikenjutsu, and finally chakra control. I'm still introducing you to the basics."
"I won't learn ninjutsu today?" Thena asked, her earlier determination dimming a little.
Max smirked. "Not today—and not tomorrow either. Not until you've got your chakra control to a decent level. And even then, we'll start with the fundantals. I can already tell you're itching to jump straight into elental ninjutsu."
Thena pouted slightly. "Fine."
"Now, for so motivation," Max said with a grin. He puffed out his cheeks slightly before exhaling a surge of fire that roared to life, shaping itself into a massive fire dragon. The creature spiraled into the sky, bellowing with heat and power before exploding into a brilliant bloom of fla that lit up the treetops.
Thena's mouth dropped open, her eyes wide in awe. "So that's… ninjutsu?"
"Yes," Max said, brushing a bit of smoke from his sleeve. "That was Fire Style: Fire Dragon Jutsu. A B-rank fire technique—and it's not even close to my strongest fire jutsu."
"I can't even imagine how aweso the strongest one looks," Thena said, her voice full of wonder.
Max chuckled. "I like the enthusiasm. Now—let's begin with taijutsu." He adjusted his stance, eyes sharpening. "I only know two main fighting styles. The first is Strong Fist, which focuses on powerful, external strikes ant to break bones and shatter organs. The second is the Interceptor Fist, a style from my clan—the Uchiha. It's designed around the Sharingan's predictive ability: countering, anticipating, and even copying an opponent's movents."
He straightened, motioning for her to take her stance. "To figure out which one fits you best, we'll have a little sparring match."
Thena's confidence faltered for a mont as mories of her last "fight "with Max flashed through her mind. She swallowed hard.
Seeing her hesitation, Max gave a small, reassuring smile. "Don't worry, I won't attack. This ti, you co at with everything you've got."
Thena nodded slowly, exhaling to steady her nerves. Her expression hardened, eyes focusing on her father. "Okay then…" she said her hands bawling up into fists"Here I co!"
anwhile, in a warehouse in Gotham…
The air was thick with dust . Shafts of sunlight broke through the cracked windows, cutting lines through the darkness where Batman stood motionless,
Soft footsteps echoed behind him, followed by the gentle brush of hands resting on his shoulders.
"You never call," he said evenly, not turning. "What is it, Talia?"
Talia's lips curled faintly as she moved into his line of sight, her touch lingering for a mont before she let go. "It's comforting in a way," she said softly. "That you never change, Beloved."
"You said it was urgent," Batman replied, his tone flat.
"It is," she said, circling him like a cat. "Otherwise I wouldn't have asked to et you in broad daylight. I know how much you prefer the shadows."
"For that reason," he said, eyes tracking her movents, "it had better be important."
Ignoring his words, she took a step closer, her gaze steady. "Seeing you again like this reminds of the last ti we were together."
Batman's jaw tightened. "When you slipped sothing into my drink."
Talia's smirk didn't fade. "It was just a little flavor to spice things up."
"It made do what you wanted."
"Was it all bad, Beloved?" she asked, voice lowering as she reached up to touch the edge of his mask.
He didn't move. "No. It wasn't."
Her smile deepened. "Then you rember our shared moonlight."
Batman gently took her wrist and moved her hand aside. "Talia. What do you want?"
Her confidence faltered. She sighed, looking away. "Things are not good. Soone powerful has taken over the League. My father… bows before him now. And he would've killed us if I hadn't made a hard bargain."
"Us?" Batman asked, his tone darkening.
"Not you," she said softly. "… and your son."
Batman froze.
From the shadows, a small figure stepped forward a boy in a hooded cloak. He pulled it back, revealing sharp green eyes and black hair that mirrored both parents.
"His na is Damian," Talia said quietly.
Batman stared, emotion flickering behind the cowl. "You expect to believe this? For all I know, this could be one of Ra's' sches."
"I assure you," she said firmly, "he's yours. There's no sche behind it this ti."
Batman's eyes narrowed. "Then tell . Who took over the League?"
Talia hesitated, fear briefly flashing across her face. "Yes… his na is—"
Her body suddenly stiffened. A strangled cry escaped her throat as she collapsed, convulsing violently. Black markings appeared and writhed across her tongue before fading again.
"Talia!" Batman moved instantly, catching her before she hit the floor.
She gasped for air, clutching her throat, eyes wide with panic. "I… can't… say his na…" she choked out between breaths, her voice hoarse with pain.
End of Chapter
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