In this anime crossover, who stole my module?

They can seamlessly blend into various environments, steal secrets, and even manipulate people's minds.

If it were truly possible to establish a secret intelligence organization spanning the globe, composed of absolutely obedient parasites...

This force is indeed terrifying upon closer examination.

"So, what are your initial ideas regarding the specific operation of this intelligence network?"

Natsume Ryo spoke again, his tone still calm.

"Report to your lord."

“Our plan is to select the most intelligent and capable Class A individuals in each major city as regional leaders.”

"Responsible for coordinating all similar intelligence gathering and transmission work within the region."

"The regional leaders then communicate horizontally through our internal special sensing methods or by using encrypted human communication channels to ensure the rapid flow and sharing of intelligence."

"Ultimately, all the important, vetted intelligence will be gathered in various places."

"Then each department will report to you in unison, sir."

Tanaka Yamaichiro gave a clear and logical answer, clearly indicating that he had prepared for this in advance.

That sounds plausible.

It was organized, had a division of labor, and even resembled... the prototype of modern enterprise management?

Upon hearing this, Natsume Ryo remained noncommittal, but inwardly he held these parasites' "subjective initiative" in even higher regard.

I thought these guys were in "standby" after he forced them to.

At most, they would just lie low and do some small-scale intelligence sharing.

Surprisingly, they even know how to organize themselves, and have even created a hierarchical management structure with "regional leaders" and "core members".

It seems they really learn the "fine traditions" of human society very quickly.

However, after listening to Tanaka Yamaichiro's detailed report and the seemingly meticulous "intelligence network construction plan," Natsume Ryo's expression remained largely unchanged.

after all.

Ryo Natsume had little interest in how these parasites developed and expanded in human society, or how vast underground kingdoms they built.

His current focus remains on those modules that are in a "lost state," and how to find more owners to activate them.

As for the parasites...

—As long as they can behave themselves as “tools” and not cause trouble for themselves.

Natsume Ryo was quite happy to spare their lives and be a hands-off manager.

"Your plan sounds quite good."

"However, I have no interest in specifically managing you A-level individuals or approving any regional managers."

"You can operate on your own; I only need the results."

"When I need it, it's enough for me to have accurate and useful intelligence and to handle things that I can't be in the public eye."

"Yes! I will obey your orders, sir!"

Upon hearing this, Tanaka Yamaichiro immediately bowed his head again, his voice filled with determination.

Natsume Ryo's words undoubtedly granted them a great deal of autonomy.

At the same time, it made them realize more clearly that this mysterious "Lord Natsume" did not seem to be concerned with controlling their new species, but rather had a far more profound and grander scheme.

This attitude, on the contrary, gave these parasites, who were already accustomed to the power struggles in human society, a strange sense of security, at least they didn't have to worry about being arbitrarily eliminated for various reasons.

……

"Since you, my lord, are not interested in these mundane matters, then I will take the liberty of reporting to you some information we have recently gathered about the deeper aspects of this world."

Tanaka Yamaichiro carefully considered his words, keeping his forehead pressed against the floor, and spoke cautiously, his voice sounding somewhat muffled due to his deliberate lowering.

Natsume Ryo didn't say anything, but simply tapped his fingertip lightly on the sofa armrest, which was considered tacit approval.

"..."

Having received this silent permission, Tanaka Yamaichiro felt somewhat relieved and continued:

"Since following your instructions to conceal our activities and shift our main focus to intelligence gathering and network building, we have discovered some phenomena that are difficult to explain by common sense or by parasitic behavior when we were sorting out the process of abnormal events in various regions."

"For example, in some remote mountainous areas or near ancient shrines where few people go missing, there are occasional reports of people claiming to have seen strange-looking creatures."

Tanaka Yamaichiro began to speak slowly, at a measured pace, to ensure that Natsume Ryo could hear every word clearly.

"Most of these reports are vague, lack substantial evidence, and occur in extremely remote locations, making in-depth investigations difficult."

“We have also tried to send our own kind to explore, but most of them have come up empty-handed. Some of our kind have even lost contact with us completely after entering certain areas, as if they had sunk into the sea.”

"Therefore, regarding these possible...other non-human beings, we can only confirm that they do exist at present. But we know very little about their specific types, abilities, habits, etc."

"Based on the collection of scattered intelligence from various sources, as well as the unusual phenomena encountered by some of our kind while operating in special areas, it seems that this world harbors another existence far beyond the comprehension of ordinary humans..."

"We call it weird or strange tales."

"At present, we do not have a complete understanding of the specific types, abilities, and activity patterns of these beings. We can only infer their existence through some documented records and the encounters of certain individuals in special locations, and that they seem to possess a power system that is quite different from that of humans."

"Currently, we do not know much about these kinds of beings, and we are still exploring their power systems and activity patterns."

"However, apart from that, we do have some understanding of the yokai forces in Japan. This is because the yokai world and human society have had intricate connections for thousands of years and are not completely isolated from each other."

"We have a lot of intelligence at the moment."

"Generally speaking, the yokai forces in Japan today are mainly divided into four major factions, and their leaders are all famous and powerful yokai in the Japanese yokai world."

"They are Shuten-dōji, Ōtengu, Nurarihyon, and the white-faced, golden-haired, nine-tailed fox."

"Oh?"

When Natsume Ryo heard the topic of "yokai," he slightly raised his eyelids, finally showing a subtle reaction.

After all, last night, in his private base deep underground, there was that nine-tailed fox demon—dressed in a magnificent yellow kimono, with a graceful figure and swaying nine tails—

Yasaka, with his languid yet alluring figure, and the fluffy fox tail that he had forcibly tied into a bow, once again clearly surfaced in his mind.

She claims to be the matriarch of the Kyoto demon realm, a general under the command of the white-faced, golden-haired nine-tailed fox.

At the time, Natsume Ryo thought it was just a common subordinate relationship between yokai and didn't investigate it further.

Hearing this name from Tanaka Yamaichiro's mouth now confirms that what Yasaka said was true.

Natsume Ryo remained calm and composed.

Tanaka Yamaichiro, unaware of Natsume Ryo's subtle reaction, continued his respectful report:

"These four great demons each lead a region. They have been entrenched in the Japanese demon world for many years. Although there are occasional frictions between them, they generally maintain a delicate balance."

"Human society and the demon realm have long maintained a peaceful coexistence, with only occasional transgressions occurring, but all within a controllable range."

"Currently, the Tokyo and Chiba areas, according to the previous division of power in the Japanese demon world, should fall under the jurisdiction of the White-Faced Golden-Haired Nine-Tailed Fox."

"only……"

"For some reason, in recent years, the white-faced, golden-haired nine-tailed fox has not appeared in public for a long time, and the fox demon clan's activities in the outside world have gradually become more restrained, no longer as powerful as before."

"That's why various speculations about the white-faced, golden-haired nine-tailed fox have begun to circulate within the demon realm and among some human organizations that have some understanding of the inner world."

"There are rumors that the white-faced, golden-haired nine-tailed fox went wrong while practicing some kind of powerful secret technique, which damaged its demonic power, forcing it to choose to go into seclusion to recuperate in order to recover."

"There are also rumors that she grew tired of the endless strife and killing in the demon realm, saw through the illusions of the world, and chose to live in seclusion, no longer concerning herself with worldly affairs."

"Even worse, some say she was ambushed by a far more powerful enemy than herself, and has already..."

"When the tree falls, the monkeys scatter..."

Chapter 85 The Learning Ability of Parasites, Natsume Ryo's New Identity

As Natsume Ryo uttered those words, his thoughts raced, and the image of the nine-tailed fox demon from last night, dressed in a magnificent yellow kimono and with her nine tails swaying, instantly flashed into his mind—

Yasaka, that mature and alluring figure, finally showed a hint of "interest" in his eyes.

—A white-faced, golden-haired nine-tailed fox who was powerful enough to command the winds and rains in the Japanese demon world, and who was on par with Shuten-dōji and Ōtengu, maintaining the balance of power in the Japanese demon world, has actually disappeared for so long.

There must be something fishy about this.

"Speaking of which, that little fox is a general under the command of the white-faced, golden-haired, nine-tailed fox, and the matriarch of the demon realm in the capital."

"If what Tanaka Yamaichiro said is true."

"Then the status of her current white-faced golden-haired nine-tailed fox faction in the demon realm has probably become delicate due to her master's 'disappearance'."

……

This is my thoughts.

Natsume Ryo was simply curious.

Suddenly, I became somewhat interested in the "fighting power" of these local monsters.

"So, how strong is that white-faced, golden-haired nine-tailed fox?"

Upon hearing this, Tanaka Yamaichiro paused almost imperceptibly, his body lying on the ground, as if he were quickly searching for suitable words in his mind.

"Reporting to my lord, regarding the strength of the white-faced, golden-haired nine-tailed fox, the most specific description we have gathered is that a hundred years ago, when it fought another great demon, it easily destroyed a mountain with its own power."

"Since then."

"He is the pinnacle of the fox demon clan, ruling the demon realm of Kyoto for hundreds of years, with countless generals under his command. His strength is unfathomable, and he is revered by other demons as the 'Mobile Calamity'."

A mountain collapsing? A moving natural disaster?

That's it?

—A powerful demon of his generation, one of the leaders of the four major factions in the Japanese demon world. The mere collapse of a mountain is enough to earn him the title of a moving natural disaster.

That's all?

Natsume Ryo raised an eyebrow slightly, his initial interest instantly vanishing.

If this level of disaster is considered a mobile natural calamity, then what about the tailed beasts in the [Naruto module]?

—You should know that in the Naruto module, which of those tailed beasts doesn't use map-wide attacks at the drop of a hat? They can flatten a mountain range with a single tailed beast ball, and changing the terrain is commonplace for them.

The combat power ceiling of these native monsters was clearly not what Natsume Ryo had initially expected.

but.

It's also possible that the Parasite Beasts lack sufficient information to accurately assess the strength of the Great Demon.

just.

These are all just speculations by Natsume Ryo at this stage.

The truth remains to be verified.

one way or another.

——Nine-tailed fox, Yasaka.

Natsume Ryo remembered this name.

……

Immediately after Natsume Ryo settled his thoughts, he gestured to Tanaka Yamaichiro, who was prostrate on the ground, to remember to mention the matter concerning the demon realm.

In particular, detailed information about the four great demons, as well as their respective spheres of influence, abilities, and recent movements, was compiled into written notes.

—Delivered to Tsukuyomi-sou tonight.

This would allow him to have more comprehensive information to assess the threat level of these local monster forces.

Faced with Natsume Ryo's request, Tanaka Yamaichiro naturally accepted the order respectfully and dared not be negligent in the slightest.

Followed by.

Natsume Ryo picked up the half-cooled tea from the low table, took a small sip, glanced at the three people still kneeling on the ground, and then thought of another more practical problem.

—That is, Tanaka Yamaichiro, as the highest-ranking official of the Chiba Prefecture Criminal Investigation Department, went to such lengths, accompanied by two "subordinates," to "visit" a student at a public high school.

this matter.

Regardless of what rumors might circulate about him at school because of this.

The recent series of large-scale heinous incidents in the outside world are enough to put all parties on high alert at this critical juncture.