Author's Notes –

Just something I've been tinkering with over the past few months.

"The world as we have created it is a process of our thinking. It cannot be changed without changing our thinking." – Albert Einstein

"The two enemies of human happiness are pain and boredom." – Arthur Schopenhauer

For as long as he could remember, challenge and change had been consistent factors in his life. First was the challenge of learning the art, then the challenge of enduring his father's training, the traveling to challenge or learn from various schools and masters, and then finally of having those whom he thought of as rivals before finally settling into Nerima and dealing with the complications of having multiple fiancées along with dealing with the multiple suitors that pined after said fiancées.

Since his battle with Saffron and the failed wedding things had become routine, and that was just boring. The daily spars with his father had become one-sided since he'd filled out his frame with lean muscle so that his father no longer had an advantage in strength. Even the challenge of having his so-called-rivals teaming up against him no longer provided him with a challenge.

He had hoped that things would change once the new term began and Kuno graduated, but the now former captain of the kendo team still came to school every morning to challenge for the right to date Akane. The only thing that had changed was that Nabiki was no longer at the school to run her betting pools, instead Ukyo had taken up the betting pools as a means of supplementing her income.

The only thing that had changed was his relationship with Akane. She was still prone to being kidnapped occasionally but her feelings towards him had cooled. Where there had once been the potential for friendship and even love, there now was nothing. She was still prone to striking him whenever he found himself in a situation that she might deem inappropriate, but those had become fewer and fewer.

He knew that she was afraid, just as his former rivals were. They knew he was a killer, and they had felt enough of his smothering rage in the few punches and kicks that he'd doled out on them to know that if they pushed any further then he wouldn't hold back. Only Happosai seemed to avoid it as the pair would clash at least once a week, trading quick barbs and banter as well as punches and kicks.

With a sad smile, the old grandmaster sighed as he relaxed his guard. "I see it has finally come to this." Ranma's brow raised quizzically, unsure if this was a mere ploy designed to drop his own guard. "Ranma, my boy, are you happy?"

He blinked, unsure how to reply. "Happy? Like right now?"

Sitting down, the ancient martial artist shook his head even as he pulled out some tobacco for his pipe. Ranma eyed the pipe curiously. He'd been on the receiving end of it far too often. "I know that you're enjoying our fight, but aside from the fight, can you honestly say that you're happy with things as they are in Nerima?"

"No," he found himself saying. "Happy wouldn't be the best word to describe things."

A sagely nod was his only reply as Happosai took a deep breath. "Do you want to stay in Nerima?"

Again he found himself answering without any thought, "I don't think so, at least, I think I shouldn't be here right now."

"You feel as though you need to go on a training trip or is it something else?" inquired the old master.

The young martial artist paused, trying to put words to his emotions and thoughts. "I can't go."

"What's holding you back?" Happosai asked. "Is it your honor? How can you believe that your honor is at stake when it was your father who ensnared you into so many engagements? Who is he to judge your honor? Your mother has already judged you as manly despite your curse – she understands that you did what you needed to in order to save the woman you care for."

Happosai gazed at him with wise old eyes, "I created this school because I did not want anyone to tell me what I could and could not do. Your father and Soun became masters when they managed to seal me away, even if I did managed to free myself, they were able enjoy their freedom for a little while."

"You're saying that for me to become a master, I have to leave?" he asked skeptically.

"You have to be your own boss," Happosai reiterated. "Don't let others decide the course of your life for you."

For a moment he considered the old man's words. The moment was all that the old trickster needed to complete the ritual as he dumped the ashes of his pipe onto the ground. The still burning ash ignited something, burning a circle around Ranma even as he realized the extent of the trap. "Ranma, my boy, I hope you enjoy where ever it is you end up! Consider this your gift for achieving the title of Master."

"I'm gonna return!" Ranma promised as he eyed the pattern of flames that encased him.

"I know," the other martial artist replied. "But remember, I couldn't send you away unless you actually wanted to leave!"

Ranma couldn't deny that truth – the flames that had burned around him were nothing compared to the flames that Saffron had created. "I'll see you when I get back."

Suddenly the flames rose around him, blinding him with their light. The flames gave off an odd energy as the spell was triggered. Instinctively he closed his eyes only to feel as though the floor beneath him had given way and he was falling. Opening his eyes he felt a wave of nausea as his body reoriented itself.

Where it had been a warm, sunny afternoon when he'd closed his eyes, but now that his eyes were open the world was cool and misty. He could still feel the odd energy from the spell, though it felt twisted.

He was in the midst of a forest. Some of the trees were similar to those he'd find in any forest in Japan, but they seemed to grow larger and perhaps older than the ones he usually encountered. After less than an hour of exploring this new world it became clear that he was on an island in the midst of a chain of islands.

As the sun set in what he hoped was the western horizon, Ranma had finally reached an inhabited island. He was not so much on an island as he was on a marsh where many thick and tall trees towered over him.

Leaping from tree to tree was the preferred method of travel as the young martial artist chose to forgo dealing with the muck and mud. He was in mid-air when he heard several blades cutting through the air. Unable to shift his course, he opted to flick some nuts at the array of throwing stars, throwing knives, and needles, knocking a few into others so that he could pass by unhindered. He landed on the next branch and came to a stop, allowing the masked figure to land on the branch that he would have leapt to next.

"Who are you?" While it was Japanese it was closer to the Sendai accent then the Tokyo accent that Ranma had become used to hearing. The speaker's soft voice suggested either a girl or a young boy who had yet to hit puberty, reminding him Konatsu.

"Isn't it impolite to demand a name when not giving one yourself?" he asked. He could sense two others in the trees behind him.

"You can call me Wave," the masked figure stated. "Who are you and what are you doing here?"

"I am Ranma Saotome," he replied, "and I am just passing through."

"He's lying," a muffled voice stated from behind him. "His accent suggests that he's not from around here."

"He's probably a hunter-nin," the other hidden figure concluded.

"I'm not a ninja," he corrected, "just one of the best martial artists in the world."

The next volley of throwing stars and kunai were meant to get him into the air, which Ranma obliged. Most would have fallen victim to the pair of masked ninja and their barbed chain but most were not Ranma Saotome. With minimal effort he twisted around their chain, narrowly avoiding being snagged on the barbs, before delivering a kick to one and a punch to the other then landing on a branch above the first of the trio.

"Not a ninja but you manage to disable two chunin in the span of a few seconds," Wave stated.

"I'm one of the Best Martial Artists in the World," he reiterated. "And if you come at me with the intent to kill again, I'm going to do more than just knock you around."

He wondered if Wave's wore the mask to, well, mask any sign of emotions or if Wave was ugly as the ninja seemed to be rather cold while considering Ranma's warning.

"Taki, Suijin – go to the Master and tell him of our guest, I would have him make the final decision," Wave finally said. The pair of masked ninja scrambled to their feet before setting off in opposite directions.

"So, where am I exactly?" he finally asked once he no longer sensed the pair.

"You are in Wave Country."

"Huh, so you're named after a country?"

"It is a title, not my name."

"So there are titles like 'Stream', 'River', 'Raindrop'?" Wave's mask prevented him from seeing if the ninja was actually glaring at him. "So where is Wave Country exactly?"

"This is the disputed territory between the Water Country and Fire Country," Wave explained.

"No lord holds dominion in this land," a new voice stated.

Ranma turned to face the speaker. A well muscled man wielding a large sword stood menacingly on a nearby branch, the two ninja that had been sent to fetch him flanking him on lower branches. "Let me guess – since no lord rules here you guys have set up shop in Wave Country?"

"Yeah," shirtless replied.

"But what do you guys do for money?" Ranma asked. "Sure, you could always make a living off of killing the local wildlife and selling it, but that's not what ninja do."

"You're here looking to hire us?"

Not the conclusion that he'd have jumped too, but he ran with it, "Actually I'm looking for work myself. I'm a martial artist – a damn good one – and I think you could use my help."

That the pair of ninja that he'd tossed aside were keeping their mouth shut hinted at how much higher the shirtless ninja was in their pecking order.

"We're ninja," shirtless reiterated. "We don't just do the common crappy jobs that other ninja do. We take the hard jobs."

"Yeah, I kinda figured that," Ranma interjected. "But can your boys actually hold their own if and when they encounter someone smart enough to hire some muscle? They don't hold a candle to me."

In a flash shirtless was on him, his giant sword cutting through the air. As quickly as it had begun it was over as Ranma held the sword in check, his left hand in the head-sized hole in the blade, "Too slow."

For a second the branch quivered as the pair struggled to control the blade.

"You're pretty strong," shirtless remarked even as he began to do something with his left hand.

A spark of that strange energy turned the muddy brown water of the marsh into an angry dragon. The beast rose, it's mouth opening as if to bite the martial artist.

"That's a neat trick," Ranma replied as he released the blade and sprang to a higher branch, "but I'd rather not get wet right now." His confidence still high, he countered with bright blue ball of ki. That it was far larger heavier than anything he'd managed back in Nerima was only a slight surprise to him. That the water dragon that his opponent had conjured fell apart as soon as the two collided was surprising to all of them, and then there was the blinding flash and small crater that created a small whirlpool as water rushed in to fill the area.

"How did you do that?" Wave asked as shirtless landed on another branch.

With minimal effort Ranma created another sphere of shining ki. "This?"

Shirtless nodded.

"How about we make a deal first."

"I'm listening."

"You need more fighters while I need someone to help me get the lay of the land," the cursed martial artist offered.

Despite Zabuza and Wave's skills, it was clear that the group had seen better days. While no one dared to divulge exact figures, it was clear that his group had once been larger than the five ninja that currently remained. The Demon Brothers had once been a trio but were making do as a duo. They were supposedly chuunin level which meant that they were capable and experienced, but only good for mid-tier jobs such as protecting lesser merchants or quick assassinations. Wave, or Haku, and Zabuza were both considered jounin level which meant they were a rank above the Demon Brothers and were capable of assassinating VIPs and even other ninja. Then there was the last of the group, Homura. She was the only kunoichi of the group, and the second youngest. The girl was genin rank, the least experienced, often tasked with the simple jobs of gathering or relaying information. While she was a more capable fighter than the Demon Brothers combined, she had the unfortunate luck of being a fire jutsu user living in a water jutsu village. With no-one able to teach her how to use her elemental jutsu she had been forced to train heavily in combat until leaving said village with Zabuza.

"I guess you must be happy to finally get out," Ranma finally said as he shot the girl a glance.

Her keen green eyes landed on him for just a moment before returning to the forest before them. Though she was perhaps no older than he, she was more developed than his female form and was just as tall as his male form. Her dark brown hair was tied back into a high ponytail and matched the dusky brown cotton top and skirt. She carried seven blades – six katana and a nodachi – on her back.

Aside from giving him an amused look when he'd revealed his curse to the group, she'd said nothing. For the entire boat ride to Negi Island she'd said nothing. Having spent much of the morning on a boat he was now in his female form.

Shaking his head, he took her silence in stride just as she took his curse in stride. The job was simple – clean out a den of bandits that had taken to harassing the local merchants on Negi Island.

Most of requests from Negi Island went to Zabuza's old village – Hidden Mist Village – but he'd made a point of poaching as many jobs from them as possible. While the economic effect was marginal at best, Zabuza made a point of doing anything and anything possible to weaken the current regime aside from openly attacking any Mist ninja that they encountered.

"Are you sure you'll be up to this task?" the balding merchant asked the two kunoichi as prepared they to depart the docks.

Ranma glanced at Homura. "We'll be fine." He understood the man's concern. Not only was a two person team being fielded, but one of them appeared to carry no weapons. Each of the ninja that Ranma had encountered thus far carried weapons of some sort be it a holster of kunai or needles, the Demon Brothers' bladed gauntlets and grieves, or Zubuza's giant sword.

"If you learned to henge you could turn back into a guy at will," Homura stated.

The sound of her voice was so alien to him that Ranma actually paused to look at her. "I can henge," he finally replied as he resumed walking beside her, "it's just that when I revert back I tend to turn into the appropriate form."

Now it was her turn to glance at him inquisitively.

"Say I henge into my male form – if I get splashed I won't turn into me female form because my true form at the moment is my female form. If I turn into a giant sword as a guy, get splashed with cold water, then release the henge I'm a girl. The henge isn't permanent unlike the curse."

She nodded slowly as she processed this bit of information. "What's with your lame water clones?"

He sighed, "Depending on the temperature of the water, they either appear as a girl or guy, usually as a girl unless I can ensure that the water is hot." It'd taken him a day to wrap his head around the water clone technique. While cool, they lacked the durability of everyone else's water clones because he was using ki instead of charka. While powerful, ki wasn't designed for fine-tuned techniques and, well, deception. Ki was very straightforward. Just a little bit allowed him to run faster, jump higher, take more punishment, and regenerate quicker than the handful of ninja in Zabuza's camp. At least his clones had substance and could distract as they were intended to.

"You want me to create some clones," he finally said as he made the connection. Two individuals traveling down the road might not be worth the bandits' attention, not when one of them was obviously a ninja, but a group protected by a ninja might be worth the bandits' time, especially when that group was filled with lovely young girls.

He created three clones of himself, each wearing a light hooded cloak/cape. In a matter of minutes the ambient sounds of the forest was replaced with an eerie silence. He knew that they were surrounded.

Fortunately Zabuza had seen fit to instruct him in the group's silent communication. While some opted for hand signs, the rogue felt that such communication was too obvious, especially for the usually keen eyed ninja. Instead the group had developed their own means of communicating via slight twitches of isolated muscles. 'Most wins.'

Homura's green eyes gave him an appraising look before she gave him a slight nod of ascent.

The whistle of arrows broke the silence. With deft skill Homura unsheathed the six katana on her back – three per hand – swatting aside the arrows in a blur of motion.

Ranma had opted to simply leave an after image to take the arrows aimed at him while rushing at the closest group of archers. Over a dozen figures emerged from the brush, most rushing at Homura though six broke off in an attempt to break off and "capture" the girls that the ninja escorted. Before they could even approach the girls Ranma had already found the archers. Quick strikes incapacitated them.

As quickly as things had started they had ended. Even as he finished tying up the archers his clones had managed to incapacitate the other bandits even as Homura finished cutting down the rest with her wicked katanas.

"I counted a score including the archers," he announced once she had cleaned the blood off her blades. "That's twelve to eight."

"Mine are kills," she replied as she began sheathing her blades.

"We're going to need Intel and we can't get that from hacked up bodies," he countered. It was like looking at the aftermath of a gore-porn scene – blood and body parts everywhere. The martial artist repressed a shudder. "I doubt that this is all of the bandits. Besides, we'll need them to pick up their buddies' bits."

"Just leave them to the scavengers," she replied. "We can take the heads back as proof of the kills."

"That's why you left the heads intact."

She nodded before breaking out a scroll. Methodically she sealed each head in the scroll, making sure to not to let their blood drip on the scroll.

Ranma did not relish the fact that he needed to kill them, especially as it would essentially be cold blooded executions. Once he was sure that they were awake, he untied the strongest of the group. Tossing him a blade he nodded at the man, "Kill me and you get to live – I won't even use any jutsu."

Homura sighed. 'You're wasting time,' her muscles twitched though she did not move to intervene.

Slowly and methodically, he killed each bandit until one of them broke. The bald archer did not plead for his life, though he did promise the pair of ninja a slow, grizzle death once they arrived at the bandit's base.

He could feel Homura's eyes on him as he executed the rest of the bandits. Though he could feel his stomach turning, he and the bandits knew that when they took up that life they had doomed themselves.

With the next holdfast a half day's walk away and two days walk from the bandit's base, the pair of opted to head directly for the base. He knew that they could have made it to the base had they run, but Ranma opted for the more cautious approach. From what the bandits had let slip the base was home to another two score of bandits. While even those numbers were not enough to overcome the combined skill of the two rogues, Ranma couldn't help but think that somewhere the math was off.

Making camp a day's walk (or a few hours running) from the base the pair opted to forego making a campfire. Settling into a cave the pair ate their rations in silence.

"Do we settle up now or wait until we complete the job?" she asked.

"After," he replied, "there still two score or more of those losers to deal with – if you're lucky your wide sweeping attacks might actually let you get more kills than me."

"Or you just won't be able to stomach killing more of them," she remarked.

He shrugged, "I'll take the first watch."

She nodded. Sitting beside him, she drew up her cloak around her so as to keep the chill of the night at bay.

Ranma kept his mind busy even, sorting through the information that they had gathered from the bandits and from the employer. Had Zabuza not put him in charge of the job things would have gone differently. The kunoichi wanted to end the mission as quickly as possible and had advised to attack the bandit's camp this very night. The darkness provided the stealthy ninja with many opportunities to sneak into the bandit's camp but Ranma had opted to take a more cautious approach.

Given the geography bandits did not make sense. Negi Island was one of the smaller islands with only two villages on opposite ends of the island. A volcano stood at the center of the tiny island though it was currently dormant volcano still spewed ash and steam from its side, but the mouth of the volcano had long been filled by the nearly daily rainstorms. The volcano had been an excellent source of rich soils for the hardy fruit plants that grew only on the isle. Only hares, raccoons, feral cats and dogs, and the native birds were left on the small isle aside from the few domesticated animals. The isle only traded in fruits, so why were there so many bandits?

Caution had been the wise choice. There were still too many unknowns about this job.

In the morning the pair set off at a light run, stopping only when they had reached the top of the volcano. Perched on the shore of the lake was the bandit's camp. The area around the camp had been cleared of all trees so that meager buildings could be erected. There were no boats or even docks on the lake and there was but one path down to the camp. Several campfires still smoldered, sending thin wisps of smoke into the rainy sky.

"We didn't even need your captives to find their camp," Homura stated.

"We hit them hard and fast."

The kunoichi nodded.

In a flash the pair closed crossed the rocky slope. She was faster than his male body but no significantly slower than his female form. Giving her a slight headstart he watched as she took off running with her arms spread wide, three katana per hand, her short skirt flapping to reveal her bare behind.

Ranma blinked, realizing that his partner had been going commando the entire time.

A guard tried to sound an alarm but was cut short by a well thrown kunai from Ranma. The next closest bandit let out a cry of alarm just as Homura cut him down.

Ranma let Homura engage the bandits even as he moved further into their camp. As he fought he took note of the fact that most of the bandits wore armor. That odd feeling in the pit of his stomach nagged at him as he fought his way through to the center of the camp. Armored or not, the powerful punches and kicks he delivered sent the bandits flying. Even as he fought he gathered the weapons and valuables from the defeated.

Something was not right. Someone was watching them.

He had seven confirmed kills and twice that number incapacitated with broken legs, but the bandits' numbers were far over the two score that they had been lead to believe were here.

"They're wearing mesh armor over leather armor beneath their clothes," Homura stated as she kicked a decapitated body aside.

"Yeah, I noticed that," he replied. "It's just enough that it hampers your katana but not my punches and kicks." Left unsaid was that they'd walked into a trap. Had it just been Homura she'd have likely been overwhelmed.

Arming himself with two of the more balanced swords he charged the largest group. Unlike his partner who favored wide, sweeping attacks his were targeted and precise – severing limbs and heads where there was either no armor or where the bandits' armor was weakest. Cornered, the remaining bandits fought with a fierce savagery against his lethal combination of speed and skill. Weaving through them like a leaf on the wind he left a shower of crimson in his wake.

Shaking his head, he dismissed the vision of how the fight would go. Yes, he could overwhelm the bandits, but there were too many other things to consider. The usual shock and awe attack was unlikely to work as the bandits had nowhere to run, and then there were the hidden watchers. Whoever they were they had opted to avoid the fighting, letting the bandits stand as a human wall.

With a sigh, Ranma watched as Homura assaulted the largest group of bandits. Unlike her previous attacks, the kunoichi was using her fiery chakra, running it through the blades in her hands. While the bandits' armor prevented her katanas from cutting through them the flames burned anything that the blades cut into. Flaming bodies flew, panicking the remaining bandits, allowing Ranma an opportunity to strike. Even in his female form Ranma was strong enough to dish out punishing and even lethal blows. Blunt-force trauma was much more effective against the soft armor but left the bandits with slow, agonizing deaths.

Instinct saved him as he found himself leaping back instead of striking a killing blow on a bandit. He watched as chakra hardened water pierced the man as well as those around him.

"You are good," a voice stated.

Suddenly the remaining bandits let out startled cries as they were assaulted by needles of piercing water. The ground was red with the bandits' blood as Ranma and Homura found themselves boxed in by four masked ninja.

Teardrop, the one who had spoke, was slightly to his right while Whirlpool stood to his left.

"Shit!" Homura exclaimed.

"Let me guess, hunter nin?" he ventured.

"We have business with Homura Uzumaki," Teardrop stated. "You may leave if you do not interfere with our business."

"I can't do that," Ranma replied.

Whirlpool vanished, not even giving Ranma a second opportunity to reconsider. As quick as Whirlpool was, Ranma had faced faster and knew how to deal with the rare opponent that was faster than either of his forms. Though his swift kick appeared to fall short as Whirlpool expertly pulled back, the veteran ninja had never fought someone like Ranma. The vacuum blade cut through the hunter nin's armor and deep into his chest, crumpling him to the ground.

Behind him Homura had already leapt to engage the other hunter nin.

Several more vacuum blades forced Teardrop on the defensive. "Looks like you've got the 5 D's of dodgeball down." These ninja were stone cold killers, but Ranma Saotome was a master at taunting. "Dodge – nice. Duck – bit slow on that one. Dip – yep, you got that one. Dive – maybe you're not as good at that. Dodge – ouch, a bit slow on that one." The last set of vacuum blades cut into Teardrop's leg. Were it not for the rain giving away the position of the blades the ninja would have been short a limb.

A ball of water formed in Teardrop's hand before dispersing into the rain. Only a sharp eye could track the beads of water as they sped towards their target lost as they were in the hundreds of rain drops.

Even as he dodged Ranma unleashed a barrage of vacuum blades. Meticulously he made his way towards Whirlpool's still crumpled form. "Let me guess," he sighed, feigning boredom at their fight, "you guys are the ones behind the bandits, correct? I was wondering why the island had so many bandits when the population was so small, especially when they only produce fruits from their orchards. You guys hoped to draw out Homura but you didn't expect her to bring a friend, that's why you offered to let me go."

Ranma shook his head, "Four hunter nin, hoping to wear her out by throwing a horde of well armed and trained 'bandits'. That's why they're wearing the wire-mesh mail over their leather armor – to counter her katanas. And the rain helps dampen the effectiveness of her fire jutsu, but just in case you guys have a lake to use as well."

"You talk too much," Teardrop stated as he strained to match Ranma's vacuum blades with the rain needles.

Pulling out one of the many swords that he had picked up, Ranma threw it at Teardrop. With the ninja's focus on the vacuum blades and the sword, he could do nothing as Ranma relieved Whirlpool of all weapons. Like any good ninja the hunter nin had stored his weapons in a scroll. Scrolls had been the first thing Ranma had learned to use since coming to this world. They were similar to the hidden space technique that Mousse favored, but much more organized. Whirlpool was definitely dead. Pulling out a furoshiki he used it to temporarily shield and hide from Teardrop. In an instant he sealed away Whirlpool's and created a water clone wearing Whirlpool's clothes. With a twirl he redirected the barrage of water needles at Teardrop before dashing off to aid Homura.

Ranma knew that the hunter nin was trying to draw him away from Homura, even as his comrades were trying to draw her towards the lake. He only succeeded in closing half the distance before having to dodge another attack from Teardrop, this one a wolf made of water. Still, he had managed to throw several swords at the remaining hunter nin – Pool and Puddle – to keep them from closing in with Homura. It was enough to draw Teardrop within reach of his water clone. Caught off guard, Teardrop could only gasp in surprise as the water clone stabbing him in the same leg that Ranma had injured. With only one functional leg Teardrop failed to avoid the real Ranma as the martial artist dashed in to claim the ninja's life.

He could tell that Homura was exhausted. She'd spent a significant portion of her chakra defeating the mob of bandits but against two veteran hunting nin she had barely managed to avoid their attacks even with some aid from Ranma. Though the pair were focused on her, they broke off immediately as they noticed that the other hunter nin had been killed. Like Whirlpool and Teardrop, Pool and Puddle worked in tandem – one engaging in close combat and the other aiding from a distance.

Pool ran through a series of hand signs as he molded his chakra and took aim at Ranma. Ranma's danger sense barely flared as the hunter nin's jutsu washed over him then dispelled. "Let me guess – genjutsu?"

Before the ninja could do anything Ranma was on him, unleasing a barrage of swift punches. Unfortunately his punches only connected with water as the skilled hunter nin had somehow switched places with a water clone. Still, he had an idea of where the Pool was. With one hand he channeled ki into his open palm, slammed it into the water and sent a ball of ki enhanced water towards his hidden target. The attack was not meant to harm, only to disrupt the ninja's attempts at another jutsu at Homura. Unable to do so Pool found himself on the wrong end of the kunoichi's blades.

Though exhausted, Homura had managed to not only fend off her assailants until he had evened the odds. She was not unscathed as the remnants of her clothes and the wounds she bore indicated that she had suffered several injuries in the short time. "Seal the heads."

"And that's all that happened?"

Ranma nodded in reply. The mission debriefing was something that happened after every job/mission.

Zabuza shook his head though the usually chipper Haku flattened slightly. "There's a smith nearby that we use – you can trade in or sell the weapons you acquired. You'll be lead, but Homura knows the place."

The cursed martial artist was half-way up to his own hut before Haku caught up to him. While the ninja opted to use chakra to adhere to the side of the trees, Ranma opted to use just his toes.

"Saotome"

"Just call me Ranma," the martial artist corrected.

"Ranma," the boy said "you made a bet with Homura, did you not?"

"Yeah."

"What was the result?"

"Well, we never declared the value of the hunter nin, but even without them I was up 38-22."

"Did you ever collect on your win?"

Ranma paused, "No, why?"

Haku shook his head. "We may not be like most ninja, but we are a prideful lot. While Homura may not have known the full extent of your ability, she agreed to the contest. For you to win and not collect…"

"I don't want her katana or her nodachi," Ranma interjected. "I know how to use them but she needs them more than I do. I ain't gonna wear her clothes and I don't wear armor.

Again Haku shook his head. "In the ninja villages, anyone who carries one of these" he indicated his forehead protector "is considered an adult. While most are still too young to drink, they do enjoy the other rights of an adult."

Ranma shrugged, "Okay…."

"The average ninja does not live to see twenty," Haku explained. "What else do teenagers do for fun in your world?"

He was drawing a blank and from the look in Haku's eyes it was clear that the ninja knew that being subtle was not going to work.

"Sex," Haku whispered. "If you don't take one of her swords, at least have the decency to use your sword on her."

Had he been using the ninja method of sticking to the side of the tree he would have lost his footing.

"You're supposed to be 'A Man amongst Men', are you not?" the young ninja asked.

His message delivered, Haku vanished, leaving Ranma to ponder his course of action.

"Homura," he said as he reached her hut.

"Saotome," he could hear the pain in her voice. She'd gone much of their first mission saying nothing to him and the return had been even worse. He'd taken it as she was contemplating her life after nearly being killed on the job, but Haku had straightened him out.

"The mission's not over until we sell the weapons and armor that we brought back," he stated. "Once we're paid, I'll collect my winnings."

After nearly two months of partnering with Homura it had become abundantly clear that Homura was more proficient at fighting and killing large groups of enemies. Her deadly style took advantage of mobs, turning them into bloody fountains. Ranma could only match her kill totals when their enemies had been spread apart or there were only small groups. He'd lost to her on several missions and while Homura enjoyed his male form, she also knew how to make him enjoy his female body as well.

It was reserved for when they were off mission but was not always tied to one of them winning a bet. He quickly learned that sex was but one of the tools of a ninja, particularly a kunoichi. He'd been her back up when she had gone on to assassinate a ship's captain who was smuggling slaves. The pair had posed as slaves, but she had caught his eye and been brought to his cabin. Homura had said little of the job, only that it had been done. After the mission she'd used him then gone on to hook up with both of the Demon Brothers before they departed for their mission.

"You're still sulking," Haku stated as the martial artist entered the group's main building.

"I told you guys I won't take assassination jobs, even as back up," the cursed youth replied. Assassinations were the highest paid jobs for small teams of ninja and the time needed usually depended on how far away the target in question was. "I don't want other people telling me who to kill just because they have the money to pay to have that person killed."

"Even if that person hired ninja to protect him?" The pair had just returned, though from the looks of Zabuza it was clear that they had not been successful.

"Still not sure that the guy deserves to be killed," Ranma shrugged. "Who'd you run into?"

"Kakashi – the Copy Cat Ninja," Haku replied as he tossed Ranma his bingo book.

Ranma quickly paged through it until he found the ninja in question, "Why the hell do the ninja villages share this kind of stuff?"

"It's one of the reasons why Master Zabuza wanted to overthrow the current Mizukage – Kirigakure and many of the weaker ninja villages was forced to share their information with the other major ninja villages following the end of the 3rd Ninja War."

"At least they're not sharing information on techniques," Ranma sighed as he threw the book back to Haku.

"Ranma," Zabuza managed to say, "I want you to scout out Kakashi and his team."

A/N

Just testing the waters. I've got an idea for this fic, I've actually had it for a while but finally managed to get a bit out.

Don't expect uber-powerful techniques. I think that Naruto got too invested in power levels rather than interesting techniques, which is why Boruto sucks because you've still got a bunch of super powerful ninja around but now they're nerfed.

Dreamingfox