King of Ninjas

"Pant... pant... pant..."

In the dense forest, a lean man in a black bodysuit patterned with purple stood behind a tree, gasping violently. "Damn it, where did that monster come from?"

He was Speed-o'-Sound Sonic, a descendant of the Ninja Village. He had always believed himself to be the fastest person in the world, yet today he had encountered an opponent he could not catch at all.

"Sonic, give up. You're no match for him."

Flashy Flash appeared beside Sonic. He seemed considerably faster than Sonic was now. Looking at his former friend, his expression was complicated as he recalled the naive dreams they had once shared.

"Shut up! I surpassed you long ago!"

Sonic roared, then vanished from the spot once more. He accelerated himself to the limit, creating countless afterimages throughout the forest.

Then he launched a flying kick at the white-clad man standing there. Yet within that sliver of time, he clearly saw his opponent react and raise a fist.

This is bad!

Sonic realized the danger, but it was already too late to change his posture. The opening beneath his waist slammed straight into the other man's fist, and in an instant, he became a lone ninja.

As he retreated, he clamped his legs together. "Y-You... who the hell are you!?"

"I told you, you can't beat him. This is the Martial Saint, ranked second among the S-Class Heroes. Even I can't match his speed."

Flashy Flash stepped forward and helplessly shook his head at the injured Sonic. "I came to find you this time, while he wanted to learn about the Ninja Village. Sonic, you should know more than I do, right?"

Back then, he had killed the Ninja Village's upper ranks and fled, but Sonic had been left behind in the village. Therefore, Sonic