Fandom - Ninjago

Summary - Triquel to "Corruption," takes place a few months after the end of "Redemption." Rumors begin flying of a mysterious Shadow Ninja, and the ninja go to uncover his identity. Meanwhile, Morro discovers a dangerous plot. But will his nature mess everything up yet again?

Rating - T for violence, mild torture, and character death. No sex, no swearing.

Characters - Morro, Lloyd Garmadon, Sensei Garmadon, Sensei Wu, the Ninja, Mystery Character

AUTHOR'S NOTE - And here we are at book three already. While book one was an exploration of factors that turned Morro from the arrogant, desperate-to-prove-himself kid we see leaving Wu's monastery into the villain we meet in season five, and book two was an alternate ending, this is where things begin to take off in a completely different direction. In this volume, there's a different threat, and while the characters are the same, the story is in an altered universe. So, from here on out, the plots are coming straight out of my head, which may be good or bad depending on who you are. One more thing: I've made cover art for each of the past installments in the series, but this one is missing it as of now. Within this week I should have a cover uploaded in the same style as the past few!. And now, without further ado, let us open this latest volume.

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PROLOGUE

THE SHADOW NINJA

The streets of New Ninjago City, late at night, were dimly lit and quiet. By this time—about half an hour past two in the morning—most of its inhabitants had gone to bed, though there were the few odd ones, those that stayed out late, partying or hanging out. But as it stood, at this time, most sane people had already returned to their homes, and those few crazy people were still involved in their little habits.

A young nurse, Hanna, had just gotten off of her shift. She was exhausted—it had been a busy day, and a long night, and all she wanted now was to return to her apartment in the city, about a ten minute walk from the hospital. Her brown hair was half pulled up in a messy bun, her glasses slipping down to the end of her nose, just a bit, and her scrub top was dishevelled. Hanna was tired. But soon, she'd be home, and she could simply crash into her bed.

She plugged in her earbuds, turning on some music as she walked down the sidewalk. Her apartment wasn't far, she really wasn't worried at all about walking down the street alone at night. Of course, that was until a hand clasped over her mouth from behind her, tugging her earbuds loose. She hadn't even heard the attacker's approach.

Hanna tried to scream, but the hand cut it off. From the dim alley she was passing, about five large men stepped out to join the one that was holding her and covering her face.

"What's a pretty little thing like you doing out here, hm?" one asked.

Hanna's eyes were wide, her heart pounding. She didn't know what she could possibly do, how she could possibly get away. There were too many of them, and only one of her, and she'd never been very strong. Now, she was truly regretting missing out on those self-defense classes she could have taken.

"Clearly wanting to come for a visit," another man continued, gripping her arm. "I wonder if she has anything she'd like to share with us... doesn't look like much, you know?"

They dragged the young woman into the darkness of the alley, carrying her along like she wasn't much more than a feather before slamming her against the wall and tying a rag around her face to gag her.

"Yeah, but she works at the hospital," the first man snapped, "Those medical folks... they're always rich."

"Search her pockets!"

Without another word, they began to dig their hands into her pockets, only to pause suddenly at a rush of wind from above them. The thieves looked up and around, searching for the source of the sound. "What was that?" one asked, in a hushed whisper, his eyes flickering from one side of the alley to another.

In their momentary distraction, Hanna tried to slip away. Her apartment was only two buildings away, she could tell the doorman about what happened... if only those men hadn't stolen her phone... But unfortunately, it had been the first thing they'd pocketed. Hanna took one quiet step, but evidently the gangsters heard it and she was quickly pinned back.

"Now, now... we don't want to hurt you," he sneered. "We just want your money and valuables... and your silence. If you say a word about this to anyone, girlie..."

Once again, the sound of wind whistling down the alley cut him off, but only for a moment—this time, the man ignored it and continued facing down his victim. "If you say a word about this to anyone, we'll be after more than just your coin next time... it'll be your life that's in danger... understand?"

Hanna's eyes widened in fright and she gave a small nod.

"Good... now, just hold still..."

But the man didn't come any closer, because in that instant, his head snapped to one side and he fell to the ground with a grunt, lying motionless. Hanna gasped into the gag as the other gang members startled. Quickly, one rushed forward to put a knife to the girl's throat. "Don't move... show yourself... or else the girl gets hurt!"

Instead of cutting her throat, though, the man simply gave an unearthly scream of agony. Hanna couldn't tell in the darkness, but it seemed as though he'd been attacked by the shadows around him. The man let her go, and took a swing at the other gangsters, proceeding to attack them. They gave frightened cries, and then attacked their comrade. In a few seconds, the one man slumped to the ground, shaking.

The others gasped, and Hanna did as well—in the light of a passing car, she briefly saw him—or it—she couldn't tell. Her rescuer was no more than a shadow in the shape of a human, but he fought off the attackers with moves so precise and well-executed that Hanna was sure she'd seen them before.

No matter—the strange shadowy savior soon brought the rest of the thugs to unconsciousness. Then, a pale, green-glowing dagger appeared in his hand. Hanna gasped, backing away, and flinching as it neared her face...

Only to cut off the gag. Then, the shadow lifted her phone from one of the prone forms, handing it to her. Hesitantly, she took it and stared at him, but all he said was a quiet, "Call the police. They'll be out for awhile." And then, the shadowy form vanished. Hanna stared after him for a few seconds in shock before quickly dialling the police.

Only two days later, she was back at work. While she loved her job, today, her mind was a million miles away. Who was that odd stranger? How did he take that shadow form? As she brought a drink to one of her young pupils, her gaze fell on the television. On it was broadcasting the new popular television show, Ninja Tales. For a moment, Hanna paused, watching. Suddenly, it dawned upon her why the fighting style of the shadowy rescuer had been so familiar—it was like a ninja's.

That's who he would be. The Shadow Ninja. That is, until she or anyone else found a proper name for him, or discovered who he was.