Chapter 71: The Land of the Rising Sun

The fourteen-hour flight from JFK to Narita had been a blur of airplane food and restless sleep. Jay stepped off the plane into Tokyo's controlled chaos, stretching muscles that had been cramped for too long. The enhancement made him immune to jet lag, but it couldn't cure the bone-deep fatigue of being stuck in a metal tube for half a day.

'I really need to get a flight or teleportation power,' Jay thought, rolling his shoulders.

Bright morning sunlight streamed through Narita's massive windows, casting everything in golden hues. Jay smiled despite himself—it felt fitting that his first real vacation would start in the Land of the Rising Sun. A new beginning in the most literal sense.

His mental checklist was embarrassingly simple for someone who'd just orchestrated political upheavals across two continents: visit different cafes, explore Akihabara for anime merchandise, and—most importantly—see the life-sized Gundam statue in Odaiba. After all, every true man's first love was always giant Mechs.

The customs line moved with Japanese efficiency. Within an hour, he was walking toward the taxi stand, duffle bag slung over his shoulder and Maria's jacket keeping off the morning chill.

That's when the Rolls-Royce Phantom appeared.

The sleek black vehicle glided to the curb like it owned the road—which, given its probable cost, it basically did. Jay's danger sense remained completely calm, which immediately raised his curiosity. He wondered which of his drawbacks were currently active.

The rear door opened, and out stepped a young Japanese woman, maybe early twenties, with bright pink hair styled in the cutting-edge fashion that made Tokyo famous.

"Dr. Jay," she said in flawless, accent-free English, bowing respectfully. "We of the Yashida clan would request the honor of your presence. Please, allow us to extend our hospitality during your visit to Japan."

Jay's comic book nerd perk kicked in like a mental alarm bell. Pink hair, perfect English, formal speech patterns, and a Rolls-Royce that screamed old money. This was Yukio, though which version of her abilities she possessed remained unclear. Death-sensing psychic or electricity manipulator? Different adaptations had never agreed on that particular detail.

What really caught his attention was the timing. In the movie version of the story he remembered, the Yashida family's patriarch wouldn't be on his deathbed for another three years. So why the sudden urgency?

Instead of asking questions or making careful plans, Jay surprised himself. "Alright," he said, shouldering his bag. "Let's see what this is about."

Yukio blinked, clearly stunned by his immediate agreement. She'd probably prepared for negotiations, bribes, or at least some hesitation.

"Come on, Yukio," Jay said, walking toward the car. "I want to visit Akihabara later, and we don't have all day."

Now she looked genuinely shocked. "You... know my name?"

Jay slid into the Phantom's leather interior, which was exactly as ridiculously luxurious as expected. "Lucky guess."

The drive through Tokyo offered a masterclass in controlled urban sprawl. Yukio sat across from him in the spacious rear compartment, her initial composure gradually returning as she launched into what sounded like a prepared presentation.

"The Yashida family has been a cornerstone of Japanese industry for over seventy years," she explained, her tone shifting to something more formal and practiced. "We've built our reputation on honor, tradition, and innovation. My master, Shingen Yashida, has guided the company through decades of prosperity, but recently..."

"Why now?" Jay interrupted, cutting through the corporate pitch. "Why this sudden meeting?"

Yukio's prepared speech faltered. "The Doctor is... too famous, too busy. When our sources informed us, you were traveling to Japan, we had to seize the opportunity."

Jay chuckled, shaking his head. Of course, the uber-rich elite would have tracking systems in place. They'd probably known about his flight before he'd even boarded the plane. The desperate always found a way to reach those who could heal them, regardless of cost.

"Your sources," Jay said dryly. "Let me guess—money talks in every language."

Yukio had the grace to look slightly embarrassed. "We prefer to think of it as... being prepared for opportunities."

The Yashida compound was everything Jay expected and more. Traditional Japanese architecture mixed seamlessly with modern security systems. Gardens that probably cost more to maintain than most people's annual salaries. Ancient trees that had witnessed generations of family secrets. The kind of old money that bought history itself.

Inside, the wealth was displayed with subtle precision. No gaudy golden fixtures or obvious displays of excess. Instead, everything whispered expense: aged wood floors that gleamed without a single scratch, art pieces that belonged in museums, silk tapestries that had probably been handwoven by masters.

They were led to a private wing where Shingen Yashida waited.

The man was old—probably in his late eighties—but still carried himself with the rigid posture of someone accustomed to absolute authority. He lay in a hospital-style bed surrounded by more medical equipment than some emergency rooms, yet his eyes burned with the intensity of someone who refused to accept defeat.

Beside the bed stood a woman in her thirties, beautiful in that understated way that suggested both breeding and intelligence. Her dark hair was pulled back severely, and her business suit was perfectly tailored. This had to be Mariko Yashida, the daughter who'd inherited her father's steel spine along with his business acumen.

"Jay Sensei," Mariko said, bowing respectfully. "Thank you for agreeing to see my father. We've heard of your... remarkable abilities."

Jay studied the old man, his enhanced senses picking up details that normal perception would miss. Shingen was sick, certainly, but not as deteriorated as he should have been according to the movie timeline. His breathing was labored but not desperate. His color was poor but not deathly.

"Have any doctors named Green approached your family recently?" Jay asked without preamble.

Mariko and Yukio exchanged glances. "We've had many physicians attempt to gain our favor," Mariko replied carefully. "But none by that particular name. Why do you ask?"

Jay filed that information away. 'So Viper, also known as Madame Hydra, hadn't made her move yet. Interesting.'

"I can heal him," Jay said bluntly. "But that would just delay the inevitable. In a few years, maybe a decade, you'd be looking for me again. Age isn't a disease I can cure permanently."

Mariko's composure cracked slightly. "We're prepared to pay any price. Name your terms."

Jay shook his head. "As you may know, I can absorb and utilize others' powers. Material wealth doesn't hold much appeal when you can reshape reality with your bare hands."

Mariko gestured to Yukio, who showed him a tablet displaying a video of a silver samurai suit in action. "This entire suit is made of pseudo-adamantium, nearly the same durability as the real material, and this is all we were able to produce."

Jay studied the footage briefly before responding. "You were a month too late; now I do not need an inferior copy."

Shingen's face darkened, and he struggled to sit up straighter. His mouth opened, anger building in his eyes as he prepared to speak. Whatever he was about to say, Jay sensed it wouldn't be diplomatic.

That's when Yukio moved.

She didn't just step forward—she physically restrained the old man, one hand on his chest, the other gripping his wrist with surprising strength. "Yashida-sama, please," she said urgently. "Think carefully about your next words."

The change in Shingen was immediate and dramatic. The anger drained from his face, replaced by something Jay rarely saw in men of his generation and power: fear. Deep, bone-chilling terror that made his hands shake and his breathing quicken.

Jay understood immediately. This Yukio's power wasn't electricity manipulation—it was death-sight. She could see how people would die, and whatever Shingen had been about to say would have resulted in his death. Probably at Jay's hands.

The old man's reaction confirmed it. He'd been about to make some kind of threat, and Yukio had seen the consequences play out in her mind's eye.

"What were you going to say?" Jay asked, genuinely curious now.

Shingen swallowed hard, his adam's apple bobbing. When he finally spoke, his voice was carefully controlled. "Perhaps... perhaps we can offer something more valuable than money."

He gestured to Yukio, who produced the tablet again with obvious reluctance. The screen now displayed a list of names and abilities that made Jay's comic perk work overtime

The Yoshida family’s list had Japan's top mutants under them. Sunfire (Shiro Yoshida) wields superheated plasma, unleashing devastating heat blasts while immune to radiation and capable of flight. His cousin Sunpyre (Leyu Yoshida) has similar plasma abilities but at reduced power levels.

Surge (Noriko "Nori" Ashida) absorbs electrical energy to fire lightning or achieve superhuman speed bursts. Armor (Hisako Ichiki) creates psionic exoskeletons for massive strength and protection. Kwannon combines telepathy and telekinesis with psionic blade formation, backed by martial arts expertise.

Akihiro had a healing factor and claws, plus enhanced senses and pheromone-based emotional manipulation. Silver Samurai (Kenuichio Harada) generates tachyon fields to charge his weapons for cutting through virtually anything. Gorgon (Tomi Shishido) can petrify opponents with his gaze and possesses enhanced physical with regeneration.

Sumo brings raw power through his enormous size and proportional strength. The MLF operatives Kamikaze and Samurai round out the group with enhanced physical capabilities and combat training.

"Giri," Shingen said quietly, using the old Japanese concept of duty and obligation. "Even Yukio has offered her abilities if it means saving my life. Such is the burden of those who serve the Yashida name."

Jay studied the list with growing interest. A month ago, he would have leaped at Armor's power—who wouldn't want their own personal Susanoo? But Creel's molecular absorption had given him defensive capabilities that were arguably superior.

Kwannon's psychic weaponry was tempting, but if she was currently in her body-swap phase with Betsy Braddock, that meant potential entanglement with the UK's royal family and possibly Merlin's Captain Britain Corps, if such a thing existed in this world. He wouldn't touch that situation with a ten-mile pole.

Silver Samurai's tachyon field, however... that was genuinely intriguing. The ability to disrupt molecular bonds, to cut through virtually any material or energy barrier. Combined with his existing defence, it would make him well-rounded in combat.

He considered Yukio's death-sight but immediately dismissed it. Seeing Bobby's death, or Maria's, or any of the people he'd come to care about—that kind of knowledge would be too much for him to bear.

"How interesting," Jay mused, "that a dying man would put his illegitimate son Kenuichio Harada on this list as a sacrificial lamb."

Shingen's composure flickered again, but he managed to maintain eye contact. "Desperate times require difficult choices."

"Even with Kenuichio's power, it wouldn't be enough," Jay said thoughtfully. "What else are you offering?"

The old man gestured to Mariko, who left the room without a word. She returned several minutes later, accompanied by a young man carrying a wrapped sword. Jay's danger sense gave a subtle warning—not an immediate threat, but definitely something to be cautious about.

Kenuichio Harada was in his late twenties, with the kind of lean build that suggested extensive martial arts training. His face was a careful mask of resigned acceptance, but Jay caught the flash of resentment in his eyes. He sat cross-legged on the floor in front of Jay and formally offered the wrapped blade.

"The cursed blade Murasama," Shingen explained, his voice carrying the weight of history. "Forged from a piece of an immortal's soul—someone who owed my ancestor a considerable favor during the Heian Era."

Jay's enhanced memory clicked everything into place. In the comics, this blade was forged by capturing a fragment of Wolverine's soul and forging it into a weapon. Named after its creator, Murasama himself.

The blade would be capable of cutting through mystical defenses and slowing even the most powerful healing factors to a crawl.

It was, quite literally, a weapon designed to kill immortals.

"The price is appropriate," Jay said finally.

He reached out, placing his hand on Kenuichio's bare skin, and began absorbing the young man's tachyon field generation. The power flowed through Jay like water, and he could feel the new ability integrate with his existing powers. The sensation was like gaining a new sense—suddenly becoming aware of molecular structures in a completely different way.

Then he accepted the Murasama blade, feeling its malevolent energy through the wrapping even with his Anti-Arcane drawback. The weapon seemed eager to taste blood.

Finally, he approached Shingen's bedside and placed his hands on the old man's chest. The healing process was more complex than usual—not just repairing damage, but essentially turning back biological clocks. He couldn't stop aging, but he could reset the accumulated damage of years. The procedure was difficult even with his enhanced capabilities, and Jay had to exhaust nearly his entire reserves of energy. Given his enhancement, that was saying something.

When the healing was finished, Shingen looked like a man in his sixties rather than his eighties. Still old, but with the vitality of someone who had years ahead of him rather than months.

The Yashida family members had expressions of shock and awe, but all clearly thought any price was worth this miraculous restoration.

"There's something you should know— after all, I wouldn't want my hard work to go to waste," Jay said as he stepped back, exhausted and panting. "Someone is going to come for your company and your life soon."

Shingen's newly restored energy immediately focused into sharp attention. "Who are these people?"

"Two names to watch for: Dr. Green, also known as Viper, and a man named Murakami from an organization called the Hand. Oh, and regarding Murakami—could you be a dear and burn his body when you kill him? Think of it as a tip for my services."

Jay smiled mentally, picturing two massive criminal organizations about to collide with one of Japan's most powerful corporate dynasties.

"Let's just say they're going to give you something productive to do with all that renewed vigor."

The old man immediately turned to Mariko. "Take Kenuichio for a medical evaluation. Alert security and all the subsidiary clans and our yakuza allies—even hire the Kagemusha if you have to. They must watch for these individuals immediately. I want them identified and eliminated before they can make their move."

Without any further pleasantries, Jay collected his things and headed for the door. After all, the Gundam statue was waiting for him, and he'd promised himself this would be a real vacation.

Behind him, he could hear Shingen already making phone calls, marshaling the resources of one of Japan's most influential families against threats that had no idea what was coming for them.

Jay stepped out into Tokyo's afternoon sunshine, feeling lighter. For once, someone else could handle the planning and politics.

He had giant Mechs to see.