"Please leave me alone!" a young woman's voice echoes in the morning air.

"Hehe, awww don't be like that baby. Let's go have some fun~" said a man as he and his friend advanced on the frightened woman. "We'll show you a good time."

"N-No! Let me go!" The man grabbed the woman's arm and pulled her towards them.

"I like em feisty..."

"S-Someone please! Help me!"

"... Oi." said a new voice as the three people turned to look at the newcomer. "You're in my way."

"Hah? What'd you say punk? Do you know who we are?"

"I don't and frankly I don't give a damn – now move!" the newcomer said, kicking the first man down and walking past the other man.

"Hey you little punk you're gonna pay for that!" yelled the second man as he threw a punch at the teen but before the poor sucker could realize what hit him, he was already on the ground unconscious.

"Bastard!" yelled the first man as he stood and ran towards the newcomer.

The teen leveled the man with a cold glare before twisting his body into a roundhouse kick. Placing his foot back on the ground the teen scoffed as the man fell down – also unconscious. "What a bunch of weaklings."

"A-Ah... excuse me!" the young woman called, approaching the teen. "T-Thank you for saving me!"

"Don't be ridiculous." began the teen. "I didn't beat those two to save you – they were just in my way so I got rid of them. … But... next time you come to this part of town try not to walk around by yourself, this place's dangerous and a pretty woman like you is just asking for trouble." The woman blushed at that comment. "Well... see ya."

"SO COOL~!" squealed the woman as the teen walked off.

REBORN!

Mafia.

This one word instills a fear so terrible in people that there are no words to describe it. With the passing of the Vongola Decimo 400 years have ago, the Mafia has become the dominant political force in the world. Nowhere is there a Mafia-free government as entire nations must bow down to the new ruling power.

The Aiello, Greco, Jones, Barone, Rizzo, Macini and the Shen Families each govern one of the major continents - and ruling them all is the De Luca Family.

Mafioso roam the streets of every nation virtually unhindered, doing what they want whenever they want. However in one part of Japan there is a town that is untouched by Mafia hands. That town is small and insignificant Namimori, Japan.

Namimori, Japan. It's not located in a strategic location, does not have any natural resources and is too small to produce much of anything and the residents love it. Their tiny, unimportant and unimpressive town has saved them from witnessing and experiencing the horrors of the Mafia. But soon Mafioso across the globe will wish they had paid more attention to them.

REBORN!

Namimori High School...

"Hey, hey! Did you hear? There was another Mafia fight in Tokyo!"

"Yeah I heard! Apparently half the city was destroyed!"

"I know, scary right? All those poor people..."

"I'm glad those Mafia people don't care about our town... imagine the stuff we'd have go through!"

"Please, Yumiko-san and Natsuo-san would beat them up!"

"Yeah! Those two are super strong! They can't lose to anyone!"

"Look! It's Natsuo-senpai!"

The sound of girls crowding at the class screaming "Natsuo-senpai!" and "Natsuo-san~!" filled the morning air as the object of every girl's affection walked onto school property.

CHARACTER PROFILE

Name: Natsuo Sawada

Age: 16

Gender: Male

Grade Level: Freshman, 10th Grade of High School.

Personality: A delinquent. He spends most of his time skipping school and having people fighting him. He is a cool and distant teen and doesn't let anyone get close to him. Girls love his bad boy attitude and aloof demeanor.

A small, slender teen with dark golden brown hair and brown eyes walked through the courtyard and towards the school entrance. The school uniform was loose around his thin frame and consisted of a jet black Gakuran over a white button up shirt and dark shoes. The jacket and shirt sleeves were rolled up to the teen's elbows and around his neck lay a thick, silver chain. He had an easy-going but confident gait and his hands were stuffed into his pants pockets.

Brown orbs glanced up at the squealing girls above causing them to nearly burst in ecstasy before narrowing in irritation. "Tch... how annoying." Natsuo muttered before he was surrounded by a bunch of male students, most sporting a pompadour hairstyle.

"Good morning Natsuo-san!" they chorused, each one giving a perfect ninety degree bow.

"Natsuo." spoke a calm voice as an Indian looking teen exited the school building. He had tanned skin and black hair with eyes almost the same dark color. He wore the Namimori High Uniform in a similar style to Natsuo with the exception of wearing a blue shirt instead of Natsuo's white collared one and his sleeves were at their full length. "Good morning."

CHARACTER PROFILE

Name: Daichi Miyazawa

Age: 16

Gender: Male

Grade Level: Freshman, 10th Grade of High School.

Personality: A delinquent. He is the second-in-command to Natsuo and is one of the smartest students in school. Unfortunately, due to his choice of friends, most brush off his achievements and label him a full on delinquent. He is a quiet teen who prefers to use words over fists.

"Morning Daichi." Natsuo said greeting his second-in-command and the closest person he considered a friend.

"You are a bit later today than usual; did anything happen?"

"Something always happens to me Daichi." retorted Natsuo. "Today it was a pair of guys who were forcing themselves on this woman. Tch... I hate guys like that, they have no respect."

Daichi hummed in response as the two began walking down the hall. "Here is this morning's report; we received two new members for our gang from Kokuyo High School – apparently the town is being taken over by Mafioso and people are fleeing to the surrounding towns. Next a group of ten of our members got into a fight over some alcohol in Yumiko's side of Namimori and were sent to hospital. Since the agreement between our group and the Disciplinary Committee clearly states that neither group can enter the others' half of the town they will be punished upon their release. Finally, we have received a tip that a small Mafia family is here in Namimori, why they are here I have yet to figure out but I have notified our members and the Disciplinary Committee to be on their guard."

"So in order words nothing exciting happened yet."

Daichi smiled dryly and said, "Well it's only eight in the morning Natsuo, wait a while longer something interesting is bound to happen."

"Yeah, I suppose you're right."

The two teens soon reached the 1-A classroom and entered said room.

1-A Classroom

"Ah... Natsuo-san how good of you to join us..." sneered the teacher, saying the honorific with some contempt. "What, not going to terrorize some poor, unsuspecting victims today?"

Natsuo gave the teacher a cold glare as he slammed the classroom door shut and stalked over to his desk in the last row, Daichi taking the seat next to him. "Not today Sensei as I felt the need to grace you with my presence toady... but please, do continue this exhilarating class Sensei."" Natsuo replied using the same amount of contempt.

The teacher narrowed his eyes at the – in his eyes – no good, delinquent teen who had the audacity to place his feet on the desk in front of him. Pushing up his glasses the teacher replied, "Ah yes... well it seems you decided to grace the school with your presence on the day I was handing back a very important test... oh and look! It appears that you received the lowest grade of the entire class! A great, big, fat zero." Natsuo scowled, eyes darkening to a deep brown as the teacher continued. "Keep this up and I'm sure you'll graduate top of your class! Why, you may even go to college with grades like these!"

Growling softly, hands clenching into tight fists, Natsuo replied, "Oh I'm sure you would know all about that wouldn't you? Oh wait, I'm sorry you never went to college cause – if memory serves me right – you were a high school drop out." He let that information sink into the minds of the occupants in the room before continuing. "Now shut the hell up and get on with teaching before you say something that pisses me off completely."

Luckily for both parties, the teacher had enough common sense to bite back his response to the student and instead focused on starting the lesson.

Natsuo exhaled deeply through his nose and slid down in his seat. "Damn... I haven't even been here five minutes and already the teacher is picking fights with me."

Daichi turned his head slightly and gave his leader a sympathetic smile. "It is fine Natsuo, the teachers just cannot accept the fact that you control part of the town and school."

"... Yeah, cause having that man-hating Yumiko as your leader is so much better than having me... at least I don't beat the men up for stupid reasons like 'you were breathing too loudly' or 'you were taking too long'.

"True, but do not forget that the teachers see Yumiko as the Head of the Disciplinary Committee in a good light whereas we, being labeled as delinquents, are seen in a negative light."

"That's cause we are delinquents Daichi, I'd be surprised if it were the other way around... but geez! At we don't go around 'terrorizing poor, unsuspecting victims' like Sensei said we did. The teachers seem to fail to realize that we protect our part of Namimori and treat our people much better than Yumiko does. We don't favor women over men and don't treat men like scum."

"Well what can you do about it? That is just how Yumiko is." Natsuo grunted in response before placing his hand behind his head and falling into a light sleep almost instantly much to the amusement of the dark haired teen. Shaking his head slightly, Daichi turned his attention back to the teacher and the lecture he was giving.

REBORN!

On the roof of a building a few blocks adjacent to Namimori High School, a pair of green binoculars were trained on the sleeping brunette in the first year classroom.

"Natsuo Sawada."

REBORN!

Lunchtime...

"... I'm leaving." announced Natsuo as he stood from his sitting position on the school rooftop.

"Is school boring you Natsuo?" Daichi asked he the dark haired teen took a bite from his bento.

"Of course it is. All freaking day the teachers have been nagging and intentionally picking fights with me! And I'm the one that protects them! They live on my side of Namimori so they should be treating me a lot better! But noooo all they care about is getting their two fucking cents in! And I can't take it anymore!" he yelled, startling a few students in the courtyard. "I'm going to leave before they piss me off even more than I am now. You're in charge while I'm gone Daichi."

"Very well Natsuo... I suggest you head home to cool down... maybe take a nap or something."

"... Yeah see ya Daichi." said Natsuo as he walked away.

Scowling slightly, most students had enough common sense to say out of their Banchou's way but a handful of students – most of them girls – were brave enough (or stupid enough) to approach the irritated teen and attempt to talk (meaning flirt) with him. Of course, being the type of guy he is, Natsuo sent them away with a glare and yell and managed to leave the school without much fuss.

Shoving his hands into his pockets Natsuo could feel his anger diminishing with each step. '… I shouldn't have gone to school today...' thought the teen as he dug his house keys out from his pocket and entered the house.

He didn't bother to announce his return as there was no one to greet him anyway. Natsuo's parents weren't home – maybe he should rephrase that, Natsuo lived alone ever since his "parents" left when he was six. Kicking off his shoes, Natsuo plopped down onto the old, leather sofa situated in the living room, putting his feet on one of the armrests the teen decided that he would take a nap and forget the crappy day he had.

However it seems like God wouldn't allow the teen to rest just yet as he was rudely awaken by a high pitched voice saying, "Ciaossu."

Immediately, Natsuo was off the couch and in a defensive crouch as he glared at the person who had spoken. "Who are you and how did you get into my house?" he asked.

Standing on the back of the couch stood a baby dressed in a crisp, jet black suit over a red collared shirt and black but shiny dress shoes. The baby's equally dark hair was covered by a fedora of the same color with a thick, orange band with a green lizard sitting on the brim. A large pacifier – the same color as the band on the fedora – lay around the baby's neck as obsidian eyes scanned the teen up and down; in one hand he carried a suitcase.

The baby hopped down onto the couch where Natsuo was previously laying and said, "Are you scared of a cute little baby like me?" An innocent stare accompanied the question.

"Scared? No. Suspicious? Yes." answered Natsuo as he slowly stood. "A normal baby wouldn't be able to get in here so easily nor would they be able to balance on the back of a couch like that. So I'll ask again, who are you and how did you get in?"

The baby smirked. "Sharp aren't you Natsuo Sawada?"

Brown eyes narrowed, "How do you know my name?"

"I know everything about you. Natsuo Sawada, born on February 17 at exactly ten in the morning to a Mrs. Rin and Mr. Takashi Sawada at Namimori Hospital. As a child you were bullied due to your naïve and caring nature. When you entered school you came home to find that your parents were-"

"ENOUGH!" screamed Natsuo, stopping the baby from finishing his sentence. "How. Do. You. Know. All. That?" asked the teen through gritted teeth.

"Finding information is an essential skill for a hit man of my caliber."

"Hit man? Don't make me laugh, no hit man would come to boring little Namimori. It's our boring nature that keeps us safe from hit men and other Mafioso so don't try and lie to me."

The baby scowled before quickly shooting a bullet at the teen with a green gun – missing by only a few centimeters and effectively silencing Natsuo who was now staring at the hit man with wide eyes. "Do not call me a liar Natsuo. Ever." the baby said in a dangerous tone. Natsuo just nodded in response as the gun transformed back in the green lizard. "My name is Reborn and the chameleon on my fedora is Leon. I am the number one hit man in world and am a tutor from the strongest Mafia Family, the Vongola."

"If that's the strongest Family then why aren't they a part of the Seven Families?"

"That's because we were betrayed by a member and haven fallen into chaos since then. We never recovered from the betrayal and there are only a handful of members left. That brings me to why I am here. The last boss, the Vongola Diciannovesimo, was killed last week and gave me the important task of finding and training the next Vongola Boss. I spent the last week searching for a suitable candidate and found your lineage." Here Reborn brought out an old looking piece of paper with the words "VONGOLA BLOODLINE" written at the top in fancy looking cursive. "You are a direct descendant from the founder of the Vongola, the Vongola Primo, and as a direct descendant you are the best choice - and as of right now – the only candidate to become the Vongola Ventesimo."

"I refuse." was Natsuo's immediate answer. "I have no desire whatsoever to be the boss of a Mafia Family; so you can just take your mission or task or... whatever and leave."

"I can't do that Natsuo. You are the only person left with Vongola blood running through your veins and I must train you to take over the Vongola."

"Didn't you hear me the first time? I said I refuse!" Natsuo yelled.

"You don't have a choice in the matter Natsuo."

"... Is that a threat?"

"It could be..."

Natsuo and Reborn stared at each other for a few minutes before Natsuo exhaled sharply through his nose. "I don't have time to be arguing with a baby. I gave you my answer and will stand by it." the teen turned and stalked towards the door. "When I get back you'd better be gone!" he called over his shoulder, slamming the door shut behind him.

The teen then began walking around town trying to cool off when he heard a familiar voice calling his name.

"Natsuo!"

Natsuo turned around and saw his second-in-command walking briskly towards him. "What?"

"I found out more about that Mafia Family I told you this morning." Daichi said slightly out of breath the half Indian, half Japanese teen took a deep breath and straightened up. "I have found out that they are the called the Mendola Family. They are a small Family with only about fifty men; I have received reports from our men that were seen hanging around the Namimori Park."

"Then why do we care about what they do? The park is on Yumiko's side of town."

"Well... since they are Mafioso they are highly dangerous so I was thinking that we should work with the Disciplinary Committee to get rid of them."

Natsuo scoffed. "Yeah right, if either one of us steps foot on Yumiko's half of Namimori we'll be attacked and sent to the hospital."

"Well... what should we do?"

"... You deal with it Daichi." spoke Natsuo to the surprise of the other teen. "I don't feel like doing much today so you take deal with the problem as you see fit this time."

"O... Okay then. I will make sure that the Mafioso leave. Bye Natsuo."

Natsuo raised a hand in a casual wave as he turned and continued down the street. 'I think I'll head down to the arcade and play some video games.' decided the Banchou of Namimori as the teen began heading to shopping complex of Namimori.

REBORN!

Two Hours Later...

A much happier Natsuo exited the Namimori Arcade, a large bag in hand. "Shooting people really makes a person feel better!" he said aloud as he walked back to his house.

"Ciaossu Natsuo."

Natsuo stopped walking before leveling the tiny hit man with a cold glare his happy mood immediately gone. "What do you want Reborn? I already told you that I refuse to be the Vongola Ventesimo so you can just go back it Italy and find someone else." The golden brown haired teen began walking again.

Reborn stared at the retreating back of the future Vongola Ventesimo – there was no way he wouldn't succeed in getting Natsuo to become the next Vongola Boss – and said, "I'm not here to get you to agree, I'm just here to inform you that the Mendola Family is in town."

"I know, as long as they don't come onto my territory I could care less about what they're doing."

"But they are in your territory, Daichi's information was wrong."

"Daichi's information is never wrong." Natsuo replied in a strong tone. "And my men can take care of themselves, they don't need me to baby them."

"Not even when they might lose?" At that Natsuo stopped and turned back to look at Reborn.

"They won't lose."

Reborn smirked. "Really? I will agree with you that your men are stronger than the average person but the Mendola Family isn't your average group of thugs. They are professional hit men and won't hesitate to kill a bunch of teenagers."

"... They won't lose..." repeated Natsuo.

"Are you trying to convince yourself Natsuo?" Reborn's smirk grew wider at the doubt and conflict showing in Natsuo's eyes. 'Just one more push ought to do it.' though the dark haired hit man as he pulled his fedora down over his eyes. "The Mendola Family are notorious in Italy for their torture. The louder the screams the more pleasure they get and they love experimenting on the young ones. I heard they were trying to see how many organs a person could live without. The older ones they'll put into an arena and have them fight to death; they will not care about how the prisoners are treated and all your men will be alone – always thinking, 'Why didn't my Banchou come and save me?' Then-" Reborn couldn't finish the next sentence as a fist came flying towards his face. Smirking, the Sun Arcobaleno nimbly leapt out of the way as Natsuo's fist cracked the wall where Reborn stood.

"Where. Are. They?" Natsuo asked through clenched teeth, shaking in suppressed anger and rage – eyes a dark brown.

Reborn's smirk grew wider. "They are at the Namimori Warehouse-" he didn't finish saying where they were before Natsuo took off towards the Warehouse District. "Heh, he's so easy to manipulate." smirked Reborn as he followed after his soon-to-be student.

REBORN!

Pants escaped Natsuo's mouth as he ran towards the Namimori Warehouse District. 'Faster! Faster! I can't... I can't lose them! Not them... I... I don't want to be alone anymore!'

"Okaa-san? Where are you?"

"... Otou-san never came home... I'm hungry..."

"Obaa-san... Ojii-san... why did Okaa-san and Otou-san leave. Did... Did I do something wrong?"

'NO! Enough! Don't think about the past!' Natsuo thought, admonishing his mind. 'I have to focus on protecting my men! They may be a bunch of idiots at time and always goof off but and I may not show it but... but... they are my comrades... no! They are my friends and I will not let them get hurt! I will not! Please, please! If there's a God out there please let me get there on time!'

Quickly vaulting over the chain link fence blocking his path Natsuo pushed open the metal doors and immediately froze.

"Ah? What's this? For controlling part of this dingy town you guys sure are weak."

"I know right? Maybe we should give those Disciplinary girls a go."

"I'd like to give them something more~."

"Is that a bone showing? Hehe, I'm good."

The metallic smell of blood permeated the air and the the walls and floors were painted a deep, dark red. The bodies of the Natsuo's men littered the floor and many had their arms and legs twisted into gruesome positions.

"Hey! Natsuo-san! Look I'm a girl!"

"Banchou! Banchou! Help! I tried hitting on the Disciplinary girls!"

"We're here for the sleepover~!"

"HAPPY BITRHDAY! We tried baking you a cake for you... but it didn't turn out that good."

"Banchou! Where did you go?! We were really worried about you!"

"Banchou~!"

"Natsuo-san!"

"Natsuo."

The group of men standing over the teens all looked up and smirked. "Oh?," spoke one man, "It looks like there's one more."

"I recognize him! That's the bastard that attacked us this morning!"

"You two lost to this scrawny looking kid? How pathetic." sneered one Mafioso.

"I bet he's as weak as this pathetic losers." said one man as he kicked one of the bodies into its back.

It was Daichi.

Natsuo's eyes widened in shock as he stared at the bruised and beaten face of his friend.

" You deal with it Daichi. I don't feel like doing much today so you take deal with the problem as you see fit this time."

"I remember that kid, put up a better fight than the rest that's for sure." another man said, looking down at Daichi. "But in the end he was weak just like everyone else." The man sneered down at the unconscious teen before kicking him harshly in the ribs. "Hah... I'm still bored! Let's beat up this kid and have some-" A harsh punch to the face stopped the man from finishing his sentence and sent him flying back a few feet.

Natsuo straightened up and gave the Mafioso a sub-zero glare, one that promised pain – a lot of pain. "... You bastards..." Natsuo growled, eyes darkening to a dark brown almost black color. "You're gonna pay for this." he hissed before launching himself at the group.

Natsuo dodged two punches aimed at his head before dropping down and knocking two people off their feet. He glanced up quickly before rolling out of the way just as a lead pipe came smashing down. Getting up, he easily twisted his body to the side to avoid a punch before knocking that person out with a punch of his own. Pushing the comatose body at another Mafioso, Natsuo delivered a roundhouse kick to a man behind him, successfully knocking down the man behind that man as well.

Jumping back as another lead pipe missed him by a few centimeters, he brought his forearm up to block the next swipe – wincing slightly at the pain; using his free hand, Natsuo jerked the pipe free and used it like one would use a baseball bat. Smashing the end into an opponent's face, the teen stumbled forward as someone behind him hit him with a large piece of wood.

Growling, Natsuo steadied himself before quickly turning and throwing the pipe at the person's head. Sensing something from his side, Natsuo dropped into a crouch as the sound of a bladed weapon whistled above his head; placing his hands on the ground, he brought one leg up behind him and was rewarded with the sound of a man moaning in pain as his "jewels" were viciously kicked.

"Guh!" gasped Natsuo as a Mafioso managed to kick his lungs. Gasping for breath Natsuo managed to dodge the next kick and shakily stood. He quickly blocked a punch to his head before punching the guy in the gut – grabbing the guys' arm, Natsuo swung the man around and threw him at a pair of advancing Mafioso.

Panting slightly, the teen caught another punch aimed at his stomach but hissed as the man managed to draw a big gash on Natsuo's cheek with the knife in his other hand. Immediately letting go of the man, Natsuo dodged a few more jabs from the knife before crying out in pain as he was hit across the back of the head with something heavy. Falling to the ground, Natsuo panted as bright lights and stars danced across his vision before a series of vicious kicks and stomps were unleashed upon his defenseless body.

"Ahaha! Take that you bastard!" yelled one man as he brought a baseball bat down on Natsuo's arm.

"Yeah! You're gonna pay for taking out half our men!" screamed another as he delivered a hard kick to the teen's face.

'D-Damn it!' Natsuo mentally yelled as blows rained down on his body. 'What's wrong with me?! I can take out groups twice this size and not even break a sweat!'

"... the Mendola Family isn't your average group of thugs. They are professional hit men and won't hesitate to kill a bunch of teenagers." Reborn's words echoed in his mind.

'… All those gangs and delinquents we fought... were they all nothing in comparison with these guys? Am I really that weak?'

REBORN!

Reborn smirked as he watched his student's realization. "Looks like it's time for me to interfere." said the hit man as he leveled his Leon Sniper Rifle at the teen's forehead. "Show them your Dying Will Natsuo."

REBORN!

A shot BANG resonated throughout the warehouse as Natsuo's head fell limp to the ground. The group of Mafioso quickly stepped back in shock.

"Who the hell shot that bullet?!" screamed one man.

"I didn't do it!"

"Don't look at me!"

"I didn't even bring my gun with me!"

"I bet it was you!"

As the men began arguing amongst themselves, Natsuo was slowly dying. 'I-I'm dying? No! I can't die! Not now! I still need to beat up those Mafioso! I need to make them pay for what they did to my friends! I need... I need... I need to do it with my dying will!'

A bright orange flame grew on Natsuo's forehead as his eyes burst open – now wide and glowing a light orange. "REBORN!" the teen yelled jumping up and ripping off his clothes. "DEFEAT THE MENDOLA FAMILY WITH MY DYING WILL!" he let our a loud roar and charged the stunned group of Mafioso who could only watch in fascination as a kid who was clearly dead suddenly came back to life and was running towards them with fire on his forehead, clad in only a pair of bright pink boxers decorated with kittens.

They didn't stand a chance.

It was like a Hurricane Natsuo hitting the coastal town of Mendola Family. No survivors.

As the flame on Natsuo's head dissipated - the pain of the beating he received just minutes before coupled with his emotional exhaustion and the shock his body was going through due to the aftereffects of the Dying Will Bullet – the teen quickly fell to the ground unconscious.

REBORN!

"...so?"

"Ban..."

"Hey... Nats..."

A soft groan escaped Natsuo's lips as he slowly became aware of the things around him.

"... think he's waking up."

"Hey Natsuo-san! Wake up!"

Brown eyes slowly opened as the world came into focus. Looking down at him were faces of his men but one stood out. "D... Daichi..."

"Thank goodness you are okay!" Daichi breathed a sigh of relief and leaned back.

The brown haired teen looked around and asked, "... What happened?"

Daichi looked down in shame. "...I am really sorry Natsuo. When I... when you told me to take care of the problem I gathered the men and had them keep an eye out for anyone suspicious looking or not from around here. Soon after I received word that the Mafioso were hiding out in this warehouse and... and I foolishly and idiotically believed that we could take them on." Daichi let out a dry and self-loathing laugh. "... What a fool I was... they were so much stronger than anyone of use could have imagined and we lost horribly. Please forgive us Natsuo." said Daichi as he bowed his head.

"No." Natsuo said, surprising his second-in-command. "It's my fault. I shouldn't have brushed off your information like that. Instead of acting like a leader should I just left you guys – not realizing that you could get hurt. This is my half of Namimori... but from the way I've been acting it seems like you've been running it Daichi, not me, and things cannot stay that way. I am the Banchou here and I should be taking better care of my territory and the people on it. I should be out there on the front lines with you all instead of going to the arcade and sleeping."

"Wait... what?" spoke one teen. "You mean that while we were getting our asses handed to us you were at the arcade playing video games?!"

"Ah... well... if it makes you guy feel any better I won prizes for you?" Natsuo's men stared at him for a moment before launching their bodies at their Banchou – well, the ones who could move launched their bodies at their Banchou.

"Really?!"

"Awesome! What kind of prizes?!"

"Is it a Goodbye Kitty plush doll?! Those things are cute!"

"Get off me you idiots!" Natsuo yelled from the bottom of the dog pile. "I can't breathe and you guys are pushing against my wounds!"

"Sorry!" chorused his men they got off the small teen.

Grumbling about idiots and dog piles, Natsuo stood before leveling his group with a serious stare. "From this day forward we will be implementing serious changes to our group! We will training more and taking care of our territory! If such a small Mafia Family could beat us then what does that say about the bigger and far stronger ones? Let today be a reminder at how weak and unorganized we are but let today also be a motivator! I swear to you all that we will grow stronger and never lose this pathetically ever again! I made tremendous mistakes as your leader and Banchou but no longer! We will get better and show those Mafioso that they cannot mess with our town and our people! Who's with me?!"

A loud cry went up as the delinquents of Namimori cheered for their Banchou.

"... Daichi." Natsuo spoke after a moment."

"Yes Natsuo?"

"Call the hospital and have them send a couple ambulances... and call Yumiko... set up a meeting for us at the Disciplinary Committee Office... if we want to protect our town we'll need her help."

"I will." replied Daichi as he pulled out his cellphone and called them.

REBORN!

Namimori Hospital...

"Okay Natsuo I have set up a meeting for you and Yumiko after school tomorrow at the Disciplinary Committee's Office." Daichi said as he lay on a hospital bed.

"Took long enough huh? Lemme guess, Yumiko did not want to talk to a bunch of "moronic, beasts" like us."

Daichi laughed. "Yeah, I had to call her many times in order to extract a meeting time and place for you two. Though I told her that the meeting was going to be about the punishment for our men that fought in her territory."

"Oh well, as long as you managed to get us into the same room everything will be fine."

Just then a nurse entered the room. "Oh! Sorry Natsuo-san but I must ask you to leave as Daichi-san needs his rest."

Natsuo nodded before giving the Indian teen a grin. "Thanks Daichi... for everything." he said before leaving. "See ya tomorrow!"

Entering his room down the hall, Natsuo was not surprised to see Reborn sitting in one of the chairs by his bed. "Ciaossu Baka-Natsuo." greeted Reborn as he took a sip of the coffee he held.

Natsuo scowled as he sat on the hospital bed. "I'm not an idiot Reborn."

"Of course not." replied Reborn as he took another sip from the cup. "Running headlong into a fight you were clearly outmatched for with no body protection and no weapons is not dumb at all."

The teen's scowl grew bigger as his cheeks grew pink in embarrassment. "If you're here to try and get me to become the next Vongola Boss I refuse."

"... Actually I'm here to offer you a way to become stronger."

"Really?"

"Yes, as I told you before I am the tutor for the Vongola Family and the best hit man in the world and am more than qualified to make you stronger."

"... What's the catch?"

"What makes you think there's a catch?"

"There's always a catch on things that are too convenient."

Reborn smirked at his student's suspicion. "... If you agree to let me tutor you I will guarantee your growth as a fighter and a leader and will help you get rid of most Mafioso that may come here; the catch is that you must agree to become the Vongola Ventesimo in order for me to help."

"I refuse."

"Are you absolutely sure? With the beating you received from the Mendola Family you and your gang would probably have died if it wasn't for the Dying Will Bullet I shot at you."

"Wait, you shot me?"

"Yes."

"Why did you do that?! What if I had died?!"

"Impossible." answered Reborn. "The Dying Will Bullet is a specialized bullet that when shot at a person removes all physical imitators on the their body – giving them enhanced speed and strength. The only catch is that the person must be regretting something when shot or the bullet will not work. I could tell from your eyes that you were regretting not beating the Mendola Mafioso so when I shot you, your Dying Will regret was to beat them... and you did."

Natsuo sat there in though for a few minutes. "So...," he began, "you can give me that power and make me stronger?"

"Of course."

"Then..." here Natsuo hesitated but when he remembered his fallen men his resolve grew. "I accept."

Reborn smirked at his student's answer. "I knew you would. Now get some rest, training will begin as soon as you get out of the hospital."

F I N

Epilogue:

Natsuo lay on the hospital bed as some of his men and Daichi sat around it.

"So...," began one teen, "pink boxers with kittens on them huh Natsuo-san?"

Natsuo flushed a bright red at that. "F-FORGET THAT I WEARING THOSE! I WAS WEARING MANLY BLACK BOXERS INSTEAD OF THOSE!"