Chapter 2: School Life

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or HSDK, or any characters or logos associated with either series. This fan story is made for fun, not profit.

It was early in the morning when Konoha's disciples reached the front gates of their new school. Kouryou High was very large complex consisting of small series of structures, with a hallway connecting one building to the next. The institution itself was several stories high and covered with windows and the roof sealed off by a tall metal fence for safety. Like many schools in the surrounding area, the campus was surrounded by a stone gate to stop intruders while class was in session. Overall it appeared quite normal as far as Japanese schools went, although this wasn't necessarily a bad thing.

Several students were already walking the grounds talking excitedly with friends and classmates, creating a very relaxed, peaceful atmosphere. Being new students and traveling in a group of six, the young martial artists received their share of stares from their future classmates, although this was only natural. They already had a reputation due to an unfortunate mishap, since less than a month ago the entire group had been thrown out of their previous educational facility for getting into a fight with gang members on school grounds. Although they had been defending someone from the thugs at the time, the principal deemed their behavior inappropriate and dismissed them.

The disciples were wearing a variety of different outfits, since the uniform was not mandatory at this particular school. Naruto had stuck with his orange t-shirt and black shorts, while Choji wore a white shirt along with a green jacket with his long hair tired back away from his round face. Being too lazy to bother doing otherwise, Shikamaru had stuck with the standard uniform, which consisted of a dark long sleeved shirt with yellow buttons, and matching pants. Although Lee had wanted to wear his green jumpsuit, the others had convinced him to wear the uniform too.

Sakura had picked a modest outfit with a long sleeved, red, button-up shirt, a standard white shirt underneath, and a pink skirt that reached just above her knees. She also wore blue headband to hold her hair in place, knee-high stockings, and a pair of stylish shoes that matched the color of her top. In sticking with her typical style, Ino had chosen a purple sleeveless tank top, arm warmers, and a matching skirt somewhat shorter than her friend's. As usual her long blonde hair was tied in a ponytail that ran down her back.

Naruto stopped before stretching his arms out. "So, what do you guys think of this place so far? Doesn't look like anything special to me."

"Well, what did you expect? Unless you happened to forget, we're here for academics." Sakura replied with a note of impertinence.

Ino giggled to herself. "Yeah, I'm not all that surprised, seeing how he was already pretty bad when it came time to using his brain for anything but winning a fight."

Choji took a bite of a granola bar he had brought with him before casually tossing the wrapper aside. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a paper, which he carefully unfolded and read quickly. "Hey guys, what kind of classes did you sign up for this semester?"

"Let's see…" Naruto read his schedule with intense focus, forcing several people to move aside since he wasn't paying attention to where he was going. "According to this, I got a math course, standard Japanese, English 01, and a gym class today. Doesn't sound like too much fun for me."

Shikamaru sighed. "Looks like I've got a Trigonometry class in the morning. It really sucks to start the day off with math when I honestly couldn't care less. Not to mention two AP language courses and a high level physics class to end the day. Talk about a pain in the ass…"

"Doesn't sound like something you would sign up for." The blonde girl glanced back at him.

The lazy genius gently smacked his head before letting out a groan. "You're telling me. Master Kurenai encouraged me to sign up for some high level courses this semester after Asuma forced that IQ test on me awhile back. Ever since then, they've been riding me to challenge myself."

Sakura shook her head disapprovingly like a disappointed parent. "If you had just a little more motivation, you might have become a master by now."

"We don't know that for sure, and I'm just fine with where I am right now." He shrugged off her advice with an un-amused expression. "I do what I need to meet the demands of my teachers, and take things one step at a time. That's just the way my dad taught me to do things."

"Yeah, because your dad's just as lazy unmotivated as you are. I swear it must run in the family." Ino sniped back at him.

Her teammate smiled modestly. "My old man gets things done when mom gets involved. That troublesome old crone's always yelling, and it makes me glad that I decided to study martial arts abroad instead of learning from my dad… I sometimes wonder why they even get married."

Choji shoved the second half of the bar in his mouth. "Why don't you ask him?" he questioned with his mouth full.

"I have a few times, and he usually gives me really stupid answers or just finds and excuse to do something else. There's some things in this world that even I can't wrap my mind around."

Naruto placed both hands behind his head and leaned back slightly as they continued. "C'mon Shikamaru! If you put your brain to good use, you might have been tougher than Sasuke."

The mention of their missing friend caused the group to fall silent, and the blonde teen felt his spirits drop almost instantly. While the boy had always distanced himself from the others during their days of training together, he had been well admired by the others for his skills and strength. The masters considered him to be the most skilled disciple and the one with the most potential. When he left, Sasuke had not only abandoned his friends, but also the masters' hopes that he would one day become the dojo's leader.

In a way, the missing disciple had also tossed aside the bonds he had established with the others, all of whom saw him as a role model, friend, or rival. Both girls had harbored feelings for him as well, something that had put a damper on their friendship for a while. That fateful day he left Konoha, Sasuke openly renounced everything about the martial arts he had learned while living there claiming them all to be weak and lacking in conviction. Most hurt by this was Naruto, who not only lost his best friend, but also his greatest rival.

Choji realized the sudden change in atmosphere and quickly decided to change the topic. "So, uh… What kind of classes do the rest of you guys have this term?"

Lee read his own paper with a cheerful expression. "Since I am a year ahead of you guys, I don't think we'll be attending any of the same classes together. Looks like I have a physical education class second period, and several basic academics suitable for a second year student."

"Let's see!" Ino quickly seized hold of the renewed subject. "I took some simple studies and an optional home economics course." She turned to the girl walking beside her. "So did you sign up for anything fun this year, or did you decide to take the same route as Shikamaru?"

"I took some basic courses this year to get a feel for the school." She glanced at the papers that the others were holding. "It looks like all of us except for Lee have gym class together, so we'll at least get to see each other once a day aside from lunch period."

The bushy-browed fighter frowned as a few overly dramatized tears began leaking from his eyes. "Even if we're apart, I'll think of you guys every minute!" he beat his chest with his right hand.

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow lazily. "You know what? If that's the case maybe we'd be happier if you didn't." Shikamaru risked a half-smile as they shared a small laugh at Lee's expense. He wasn't the kind of guy to make a joke often, but his relaxed sarcasm sometimes did the job.

The group continued walking the school grounds for a few more minutes, quietly admiring the trees and scenery. Kouryou High's campus was remarkably well kept due to the large number of students attending on a daily basis. Most of the disciples immediately noticed the school's large gymnasium, although the two girls found themselves staring towards the plant nursery off the side. They had always been a taught an appreciation for the botanical arts while at the dojo, and Ino had actually grown up around flowers her entire life.

"That's a pretty nice looking greenhouse." Sakura commented with a calm smile.

Ino spared another glance as they passed by, her eyes lighting up excitedly. "Since my family owns a flower shop, I can tell from here that whoever tends to those plants really knows what they're doing. Almost makes me want to take a closer look."

"I don't see why you can't just join the gardening club?" The brown-haired genius proposed unexcitedly. "Looking at the size of this place, I'm willing to be there's a crap-load of extracurricular activities available."

"I'm in no hurry to get involved in any of these clubs. And besides, we just got here today. I'm willing to bet that all of the good activities are already taken by now!" She replied.

"Actually, that shouldn't be a problem!" Choji read a note at the bottom of his schedule before pointing it out to the others. "According to this, all transfer applicants are free to join any club available to the student body. This is provided we get permission from the proper authorities."

Naruto squinted his eyes and frowned sheepishly. "What on Earth is that supposed to mean?"

Shikamaru shook his head and sighed again. "It means we need someone whoever's in charge of the club to approve our membership. Otherwise we're not allowed to join."

Their overweight friend flipped through his packet. "Apparently we need the approval of either a staff advisor or team captain in order to join the club. Students in this school are actually allowed to operate extracurricular activities without the constant supervision of teachers, so in this case we would probably need to speak to the president of a club in order to gain admission."

"Ooh, let me see!" Lee seized hold of forms, his eyes growing wide. "Looks like they've got a Karate club that meets after school in the weight room. I already know where I'm going once class is out!"

While the others crowded around Choji to get a closer look at the list of activities, Shikamaru and Naruto remained uninterested. The two of them continued as far as the front door of the school, leaving their friends behind until several minutes when they finished browsing through the list. The remaining four disciples settled back down and headed towards their friends, although before the group could discuss the topic further, a series of bell-like tones issued from the school's PA system.

Shikamaru glanced back and forth at people started entering the building. "Well, looks like it's time to get to class… Advanced mathematics, here I come." he mumbled grumpily before being swallowed up by the crowd entering the school.

"My classes are different than yours, so I guess I'll be heading off." Lee flashed them a thumbs up before stepping through the doors and disappearing. The other's watched him go without comment before turning towards each other.

"Since lazy boy landed himself in AP classes, and Lee's a year ahead of us, I guess we won't be seeing them too often." Ino held out her schedule to the others. "So, what homeroom do you guys have this semester? Maybe we'll get lucky!"

The four glanced at each other's schedules quickly, causing Naruto to smirk. "Hey Sakura! It looks like we got the same homeroom class number this year! We both made it into Class A."

"Looks like it…" she ran a hand through her light pink hair, looking slightly disappointed as she turned to her best friend. "What about you, Ino?"

"The two of us are in Class B." Ino replied with a frown at not getting to be with her best friend. She gently nudged her rotund teammate with a friendly smile before turning back to the others. "I guess that means food-boy and I should get going!" She spun around on her heel and winked before jogging off at a brisk pace. "See you guys later!"

"Hold on! Wait for me, Ino!" Choji called after her, his noticeably large frame pushing aside several students as he barreled along after her.

This left the remaining two disciples alone. "Well, looks like we should also get to class. Since we have the same teacher first period, what do you say we go together?"

The pink-haired girl smiled politely. "Why not? Let's just get going so we don't end up late. I really don't intend to leave a bad impression with the teacher on the first day."

Naruto glanced at his cell phone, his eyes widening as he saw what time it was. "Our first class is on the third floor, so we should really hurry up!" No sooner had he said this that his friend ran past, causing him to stumble after her in a clumsy manner. "Sheesh, you don't waste any time!"

Upon reaching the top of the second flight of stairs, the pair continued at a quick pace through several hallways of the school, both of them glancing back and forth at the numbers and names above each door indicating he room. Along the way they passed a chemistry lab, the biology lab, and a handful of classrooms. After cutting through another crowd of students, they found the desired number and quickly entered the classroom through the door positioned at the back. Their new classroom was large with two doors, a blackboard and teacher's desk positioned towards the front, and several rows of desks neatly filling the classroom.

Naruto walked into the room with a carefree expression, Sakura looked less at ease since neither of them was sure where to sit, and she always hated the idea of making a scene in front of large crowds. Having received negative focus at a young age for her naturally pink hair and prominent forehead, she didn't typically crave large amounts of attention from other people, especially those she didn't particularly know. Her partner, on the other hand, was always keen to stand out of the crowd and introduce himself.

Several students were already present, some sitting at their desks while other stood in small group talking with friends. Since the teacher had yet to show up, and session hadn't started, the class atmosphere was relaxed and welcoming. They began forward looking for a place to sit only to be greeted a friendly face. The boy had shaggy brown hair and matching eyes, his bangs parting near the center of his forehead and hanging down the sides with some loose strands in the front. He wasn't particular tall, had a lean physique, and was dressed in the school uniform.

He extended a hand to them with a welcoming expression. "I haven't seen you guys around here before. You must be the new transfer students we heard about yesterday."

Naruto brushed off the comment, but remained pleasant nonetheless. "A few of my friends and I were transferred to this school after an incident at our last place."

"Sorry, but exactly what kind of incident was this?" The other boy sweat-dropped. Having grown wary of people due to some of the recent events in his life, he subconsciously took a step away.

The gesture did not go unnoticed by Sakura, who quickly slapped her friend in the back of his head. "Ouch, what was that for?" the blonde-haired teenager snapped irritably.

"You idiot, that's not how you go around greeting people!" she burst out, causing both boys to cringe slightly. Upon realizing that several students were staring, she turned back to their greeter with an embarrassed, yet apologetic expression. "I'm really sorry about that… Don't worry, we got thrown out because of a misunderstanding."

Naruto grinned widely in an attempt to reassure him. "Yeah, it's not like we… Ouch!"

The girl slammed her heel into the toe of his foot, instantly silencing him. She forced a smile to ward off suspicious looks. "Don't pay any attention to this guy. He likes talking tough, but at the end of the day he's just the world's biggest idiot!"

"Looks like you guys have some things to sort out. Until then, maybe we should start over?" the brown-haired boy added with an awkward expression before extending his hand again. "I'm Kenichi Shirahama, a first year student and member of Kouryou High's gardening club."

"Pleased to meet you! I'm Naruto Uzumaki, and one day I'm gonna be the world's strongest martial artist!" he boasted loudly while accepting the handshake.

His companion resisted the urge to roll her eyes at her friend's typical bravado before bowing her head respectfully. "My name is Sakura Haruno, and it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

Before the conversation could continue, a fourth person came running over to where they were standing. The girl coming along towards them had long blonde hair tied back into an elegant braid, bright blue eyes, extremely developed curves and a small beauty mark under her left eye. Her short bangs were separated into small strands in the front with a particularly large curl-like strand hanging off to the side of her face. She wore glasses and a pair of hairclips along with a simple outfit, consisting of a short pink skirt and long-sleeved blue top.

"Hey Kenichi, who are your new friends?" She stopped next to him with a cheerful smile.

"Oh, hey Miu…" he returned her expression before gesturing towards the others in turn. "This is Naruto Uzumaki and Sakura Haruno. They're two of the new transfer students our teacher mentioned earlier this week!"

The blonde girl bounced happily, causing rather large breasts to jiggle up and down. "My name's Miu Furinji, and I am a member of the school gymnastics club. Please to meet you!"

"I'll say…" Naruto began with a small blush, his wide-eyed gaze falling on her assets.

Sakura found herself instinctively glancing at her own breasts in comparison, feeling slightly depressed that someone her age was so far ahead of her in that department. It made her think of her master's well-endowed chest, but her attention faltered as she noticed her friend's eyes were moving down. She nudged the blonde-haired knucklehead as discreetly as possible in an attempt to stop his rude behavior, causing him to snap back to reality.

"Sorry if I'm being rude, but I overheard you guys talking about martial arts?" Miu said.

"Yeah, I'm a big time contender back at our dojo." He pointed to himself enthusiastically and grinned. "Believe it or not, I made a promise to myself years ago that one day I would become the best of the best. You're looking at the man who's gonna be the world's greatest fighter!"

"Sounds like you've got some pretty big plans." Kenichi rubbed the back of his head with a slightly bashful expression. "I practice some martial arts myself. Even though my masters say I don't have any talent, that doesn't stop me from working hard everyday to become stronger."

Miu nodded happily. "Give yourself some credit… While you may not have the aptitude, you've got more than enough work ethic. You make up in guts what you lack in strength."

Sakura gave the duo a warm smile. "Well it sounds like your friend knows exactly what it means to be a fighter, even if this idiot lets it all go to his head." She gave her partner a playful shove before turning back to the others. "It was really nice meeting you guys."

"Likewise." He brown-haired boy replied cheerfully, his expression wavering slightly as he remembered something else. "Didn't Naruto say "our" dojo? Does that mean you're also a martial artist."

"I don't let it completely rule my life like him, but you're absolutely right!" She explained calmly. "We both live and train at the Konoha Dojo across town. It's really more of a full-time martial arts school, considering that all of the disciples live together in a separate building away from the main complex."

"What a coincidence, Kenichi lives at my grandfather's dojo full-time too!" Miu chimed in.

Sakura eyed them both with interest. "Does that mean you know some martial arts too? What's the name of your family's place, anyway?"

The large breasted teen smirked, the light subtly reflecting off the surface of her glasses. "I dabble… It's only natural since my grandfather is the elder of Ryozanpaku."

"Hmmm… The name of that place does sound kinda familiar…" Naruto scratched his head.

"You knucklehead! Master Hiruzen once mentioned it during his lecture on Japan's most powerful martial artists." His companion chastised him with an irritated look, her gaze softening as she glanced back at the others. "Sounds like you must have some real martial arts training."

"Miu's been training her entire life, but I've been hanging around the dojo for less than a year. You might say that I'm Ryozanpaku's Number 1 disciple, although at the moment I'm also their only disciple." Kenichi looked slightly embarrassed at this last part.

"I was just recently declared the best at my dojo, although I had some pretty good competition."

"Yeah, and some of us still don't think you deserved it." Sakura added in pessimistically.

Naruto ignored her comment and appeared to take more interest in their new acquaintance. "You don't look like much of a fighter. Although it seems like you've got some kind of muscle despite being built like a stick." He eyed the other man pensively before shrugging it off. "Even so, I wouldn't mind getting a chance to take you on sometime. What do you say the two of us head outside and throw down after school?"

Kenichi held up a hand and shook his head firmly. "Sorry, I don't have any interest in fighting you or anyone else unless there's a good reason to. That's just the way I am…"

"Whoa, calm down a second! I was just suggesting we spar, sometime. No one said anything about drawing blood or fighting a duel to the death." Naruto explained quickly.

"I think I'll pass…" the other man replied politely, groaning as his left hand began rubbing a spot on his back. "It's not that I don't want to honor your request; it's just that I still have some major bruises and muscle cramps from this week's training session. Maybe some other time when I'm not falling apart at the seems."

The blonde boy gave him a reassuring smile as he nursed a similar pain in his right leg. "Guess I know where you're coming from… No problem! Just holler if you ever wanna test you meddle against a real fighter!"

"I'll have to keep that in mind." Kenichi answered awkwardly, still unsure what to think of the irascible new transfer students.

Ryozanpaku's disciple was surprised by Naruto's incredibly bold and outspoken personality, which was a stark comparison to his rather ordinary appearance. He was used to meeting fighters who were confident in their own abilities, but this boy's attitude seemed confident rather than arrogant in comparison to most of the people he had seen. Sakura seemed nice enough to begin with, although he also sensed a powerful temper hidden behind her innocent exterior and bright pink hair. If one thing was clear to Kenichi, it was that the new students were both strong-hearted and genuine.

A few moments later, a man wearing a suit entered the room through the front door, causing the students to quiet down and return to their seats. He was clearly middle-aged, with wrinkles above his brow and around his mouth, and thick, dark eyebrows. He was completely bald, with a square jaw line and a thin build. A pair of square-rimmed glasses hung over his eyes, and he carried himself with a sense of professionalism. Stepping up to the head of the class, the teacher signaled out the two students standing towards the rear of the room.

"Before we begin, I would like to introduce two new students to the class today." They walked to the front of the room to stand beside him, both feeling extremely self-conscious as all eyes settled on them. He began with a serious expression, gently tapping his knuckles against the desk to get their attention before introducing himself. "I am Fukujiro Yasunaga, and I will be both your homeroom teacher, and history instructor. Before we begin, would you care to introduce yourselves to the class?"

The blonde-haired fighter waved casually at the group and smiled widely. "The name's Naruto Uzumaki! I hope we'll all become really good friends!"

"Sakura Haruno… It's a pleasure to meet you all." She replied with a small bow of her head.

"Very good, not that everything's settled, you may both take your seats." The teacher replied, gently gesturing to a pair of empty desks in the middle row.

As they walked by, a pair of students watched them carefully from the back of the room. The first was boy with light chin-length blonde hair and dark purplish blue eyes. Known for his good lucks and exceptional grades, Natsu Tanimoto was also the president of the drama club and a top honor student. One of the little know facts about the prince-like boy was that he was once one of the Eight Deadly Fists of Ragnarok back when the gang terrorized the city, and also one of the best martial artists around. He had listened in on Kenichi's conversation with mild interest.

In the opposite corner of the room sat a boy who had transferred to the school several months back, although he remained noticeably distant from other people. Haku Yuki had long raven black hair tied into a ponytail, and an androgynous visage that most men and woman would consider attractive. This was one of the primary reasons that he wore the boy's school uniform, having been mistaken as a woman on his first day several months back. For some reason he also seemed somewhat intrigued by the new students as well.

Several hours later…

Students poured into the hallway as the bell rang, signaling the end of the school day after seven hours of class. At this time, most of the students would head home while the remainder of them would head to their extracurricular activities and clubs. While Naruto, Shikamaru, and Choji had decided to head back to the dojo, leaving behind Lee and the two girls. While Sakura and Ino wanted to add some credentials to their future college applications, the group's resident karate practitioner had decided to give the school karate club a try.

Rock Lee walked through the hallway with a cheerful expression, having exchanged his school uniform for his green jumpsuit and red sash. Although the others had warned him not to wear it in public, the young man had kept it in his backpack all day in the hopes of changing as soon as class was over. He felt a certain attachment to the garment, since it was the first gift his master had ever given to him when they first began training together.

Rounding a corner, he entered an empty hallway leading into the athletics department, coming to a stop outside an old-fashioned wooden sliding door. "This looks like the right place…" He glanced up at the sign above the door. "Yup, definitely the karate club!"

He pushed the door aside to reveal another room beyond with simple walls and several exercise mats littering the floor. There were a few punching bags dangling on the far side of the room, although the thing that caught his attention immediately was the karate ring where several of the club's members were already sparring. Each of the men present was garbed in a white robe with matching pants and a loose-fitting sash. Once the sparring session ended, the fighters began talking excitedly amongst each other, giving Lee the opportunity to approach them.

"Excuse me, can someone help me?" the bushy-browed fighter tapped a particularly large member on the shoulder.

"Ergh, who's that poking me?" the other man mumbled as he turned around. Being taller than the green-clad fighter, he had to look down to meet his eyes. The thuggish man choked back a laugh when he saw the jumpsuit before acknowledging him. "Hey guys, we got a visitor!" he screamed causing the others to divert their attention to their guest.

A smaller man roughly Lee's height stepped out from behind his fellow teammate. "What the Hell do you want with the karate club?"

"I was hoping to join you guys, if you've got some room for one more!" he replied with a respectful bow. "It would be a great honor!"

To his surprise the entire group broke out into a chorus of obnoxious laughter, although the action did little to deter him. Lee raised an eyebrow in confusion before joining in with them, seeing very little other option considering that he didn't understand what was so funny to begin with. This continued for twenty seconds, before the rude gesture finally ceased, several of the club members crowding around him with vindictive expressions.

"Hey freaky-brows, what are you laughing about?" one of the men asked.

He stopped laughing before resuming his confused stance. "To be honest, I was also wondering what was so funny to begin with?"

"That getup!" another member screamed while pointing at his unusual outfit. "What's with the green jumpsuit, you going to clown school of something?"

Lee's looked suddenly angry. "I'll have you know that my master and I do all of our training in this clothing! It doesn't matter what kind of style one chooses to wear, so long as they know how to fight. Not to mention Guy-sensei is about a hundred times the fighter any of you people could ever be!"

Another man sneered. "Your master must be the biggest, ugliest joke there ever was if wears that crap! You've got a big mouth, greenie! Just scram or we'll be forced to make you!"

The green-clad man felt his blood boil in that instant. "Did you just… make fun of my master?"

"So what if I did? What are you gonna do about it?" the other man squared up to fight him.

Before anyone could lash out, the largest of their number stepped from the group, his height and build dwarfing their visitor in every way. He was a large thuggish man with beady narrowed eyes, short dusty brown hair, a thick square-set jaw, and large neck. He had a honed muscle-bound physique with large pectoral muscles and bulging biceps, and like the others he wore the standard white robes of the karate club. Several of the other men scrambled away as their self-proclaimed leader stomped through, his harsh gaze settling on the bickering students.

"You're wasting your time on this loser! Allow me to help!" he picked up the man who was arguing with Lee and tossed him headfirst at their visitor.

The green-clad fighter sidestepped with minimal effort, but instead of retaliating he ran over to help the injured man. Reaching down, Lee pulled him into a standing position and frog-marched him across the room, laying the boy's body down on a nearby bench. The other's watched in surprise as their unwanted guest felt for a pulse, apparently confused by his actions. After double-checking, he faced the remaining fighters, his gaze hardening with outrage.

"To think that you would harm one of your own teammates just to take a cheap shot at me." Lee scolded with a look of disgust. "I expected more from practitioners of an ancient art like karate!"

"Why are you so upset? He was your enemy just five seconds ago!" his enemy retorted. "The martial arts made for the strong, like us. If I'm stronger than someone, then that means I've earned the right to do whatever I want and they can't stop me!"

Lee struck a fighting stance, causing several people to step away warily. "I was intending on leaving after seeing this display, but after insulting Master Guy and sacrificing one of your teammates like savages, I see no reason to hold back."

The large man let out a loud howling laugh. "As if we'd let someone who looks as ridiculous as you join our club. Beat it before we beat you to a bloody pulp!"

"You misunderstand…" the green-clad fighter replied with an excitable smirk. "I don't intend to join you! Instead I hereby place down a challenge to the fighters of this club… that is; if any of you cowards are brave enough to except it!"

The group howled with laughter, but it was their muscle-bound leader who spoke up first. "As the captain of Kouryou High Karate Club, I'll take you own all by myself!" he glanced over his shoulder at his henchmen. "Get the arena ready so we can get this over with quickly!"

In a matter of seconds, the club members retrieved a bucket of water and picked a referee for the match, the chosen official taking his place on the sidelines while the remaining men took their seats on the surrounding benches and floor. They moved aside as the two combatants stepped into the boundaries of the square, neither backing down as they stared into each other's eyes.

"Guy-sensei always told to give my name to an opponent out of respect. My name is Rock Lee, Konoha Dojo's handsome devil!"

"Daimonji… Not like it matters to a dead man, anyway." The larger man replied with a smirk.

"If both fighters are read… Begin!" the referee shouted, waving his hand in a downward chop.

The towering man pulled back his fist and aimed a punch at his opponent, only to lose site of him immediately. Turning to his left, he aimed a high kick only for his enemy to disappear from view again. He swung again, but this time Lee seized him by the wrist and pulling the larger fighter into a joint lock before sending him face-first towards the floor. The room shook slightly as his full weight smashed into the ground, causing the other karate club members to panic. Since their former captain, Saijou Tsukuba had left town, Daimonji was their strongest fighter, making the humiliation much worse.

"Get up Daimonji! Don't let this bushy-browed freak get the best of you!" one of them shouted.

The thuggish fighter rose again, ripping open his shirt to reveal his gigantic pectoral muscles. "Raargh… You puny little piece of shit!" I'll break you in half!" He brought his first down with a bestial roar, his rage causing him to look much larger than before.

"You still don't get it, do you?" Lee shook his head with a look of disappointment. Springing into the air, he landed a swift kick to his opponent's chest, causing him to crash backwards onto the ground. "I could have defeated you in one blow had I truly wanted to, but I was merciful…"

Lying on his back on the floor, the karate club boss knew he couldn't win this time. His thoughts returned to a previous bout he had against a small boy named Kenichi Shirahama, during which his enemy had repeatedly dodged his punches without even dealing a single blow, and then humiliated him further with a throwing move. It annoyed him to no end that he had been defeated by such a small fry opponent, but this time it felt much more hopeless since his adversary had placed absolutely no effort into taking him down while taking no hits in return.

"I'm not done with you yet, kid." Daimonji struggled to his feet, pausing with an evil smirk before signaling to the others. "Beat him down!"

The mob of fighters stood up from their places and surrounded him from all sides. Rather than look concerned, Lee exhaled disappointedly. "You are all a disgrace to the noble art of karate!"

They closed in around him and began their charge, only to be repelled by a spinning kick that Guy had taught him. It was a move out of his master's personal repertoire used for taking down large numbers of weaker enemies, although he disliked using it on such poor excuses for martial artists. Daimonji charged in personally, but this time his opponent saw no reason to hold back and responded with quick punch to the face, knocking him out cold. Seeing an entire row of their best fighters defeated alongside their leader, the remaining club members scattered away like mice, running through doors and jumping out windows to escape the green-clad man.

Once he was alone, Lee sat on the nearest bench and signed at having seen such a brutish display from fellow karate users. "It saddens me to see this…" he muttered, with exaggerated tears streaming from his eyes. "Oh Guy-sensei, what would you have said to these people?"

As soon as he stood up to leave, the sound of clapping filled his ears. The green-clad fighter looked up in surprise as the door to the room opened again, revealing an unfamiliar face. The newcomer was a teenager roughly Lee's height with tall spiky hair and dark features. He was wearing what appeared to be a face guard used for high impact sports, along with a tan t-shirt wrist guards, snake patterned shorts, and a patching scarf.

"Impressive how you beat that trash without even trying. I was actually impressed." The visitor commented with an unsavory smirk.

Lee immediately noted the boy's aura and felt uneasy. "I do not care much to know who you are, nor am I particularly interested in whatever reason you came here. Just tell me who you are, and explain why your friends saw it fit to hide from my sight?"

"Very good… You've got some pretty good instincts." The newcomer replied looking genuinely interested now.

He signaled for the others to come out, prompting two more people to appear behind him. The first was a hunched man garbed in a gray robe with overly long sleeves. The most distinctive thing about his appearance was the series of bandages covering his entire face except for a small spot where his left eye was visible. The third member of the group was a girl with pale skin, black hair, and pitiless cold eyes. She was dressed in a sleeveless top, wearing a pair of tight gray shorts, and a pair of thick black boots.

The spiky haired boy standing in front smirked. "I'm Zaku Abumi, these are my friends: Dosu Kinuta and Kin Tsuchi."

Dosu frowned, although his expression was hidden by the bandages. "There's no need to look so concerned… The three of us are students at the school just like you."

"Pardon me for trusting my instincts, but something tells me you didn't just come here to make conversation." Lee retorted with a clever smile, his body automatically moving into a karate pose. "Perhaps you would be nice enough to tell me why you are here, or why my quarrel with those thugs has anything to do with you?"

Kin stepped forward in an attempt to control the situation. "My buddies and I just heard the commotion and came by to see what was going on. Despite how weak they were, it's pretty cool how you took out the entire karate club so quickly. You've earned our respect…"

The green-clad fighter took a step towards them. "I do not find your words to be particularly flattering… It is obvious that you came here looking for something… State your business!"

"Why don't you just relax and hear us out, then?" Zaku waved his hands as if to sweep aside the hostile atmosphere, composing his face into what was probably meant to be a kinder expression. "It wasn't a joke when we told you how impressed we were with your martial arts expertise. We just came to extend to you an offer."

"An offer, you say?" Lee raised an eyebrow, his guard dropping a little bit. "Exactly what kind of offer are you talking about?"

The female of the opposing group took a step towards him. "We represent a group of elite fighters that plans on cementing its reputation as the strongest in the world. To this end, our leader has ordered his followers to recruit the most powerful fighters so that we may join together and crush the weak underfoot."

Dosu nodded to concur her statement. "There are martial artists all over the world who believe that the ancient styles of fighting should be used to protect the weak. We believe that the strong should dominate those who stand below them by removing any who would stand in our way."

"I see… So you three represent a gang of thugs?" the bushy-browed boy deduced with a frown.

"The word thug has such a negative connotation." The bandaged man answered calmly. "We prefer to think of ourselves as a group of skilled individuals bent on exploiting that talent for personal gain. In a way, it's really no different from a wealthy man who uses his money to start a business, or a genius who furthers the development of society with his intelligence."

Zaku ignored his teammate's comment, instead directing his attention towards the subject of their scrutiny. "So, Lee was it?" he began with an amused expression. "The time has come to make your decision… Will you join our cause? Will you join Team Hebi?"

The karate disciple resumed his stance and smiled. "Those who would use their training to dominate the weak do not deserve to call themselves true martial artists. My answer is no!"

"That's too bad, because you're coming with us whether you want to or not." Zaku replied, his body shifting into a fighting pose as well. His teammates followed his example, the other two moving in on their target from the sides. "Once last chance to change you mind…"

"Bring it on!" he screamed, causing his enemies to charge him in a three-sided formation.

Lee replicated his moves from his fight with the karate club in an attempt to take all of them out at once, but this time the attack wasn't as successful. His opponents blocked the impact with their arms, and although the kick repelled their attack, all three remained completely unharmed by his strike. They recovered quickly and shifted their positions, returning to their previous formation in preparation of their next strike. Seeing their disciplined fighting style surprised Lee quite a bit, considering that he hadn't expected such moves from common high school rabble.

The bushy browed fighter glanced around at the opposing fighters, looking much more aware of his surroundings than before. "I have to admit, you seem to be much stronger than those brutes that attacked me earlier."

"Do not confuse us with common thugs." Dosu added, gesturing calmly at the unconscious forms of the karate club members. "Treat us the same as them, and your death will be swift…"

"We'll see about that!" Lee replied challengingly, his eyes blazing with excitement.

Meanwhile…

Kenichi Shirahama turned off the hose as he finished watering the plants in the greenhouse, a small sigh escaping his mouth as he took a moment to relax. There were only two members of the gardening club including him, but he didn't particular mind the quiet atmosphere and often saw it as a break from his brutal training back at Ryozanpaku. Wiping a few beads of sweat from his forehead, the boy took a moment to admire the scenery, gently letting out a breath as all of his stress from the day slowly drained away.

The other member of the club was a girl named Izumi, with long black hair typically tied into two braids, brown eyes, and glasses. She was of average height with a petite frame and pale skin, garbed in a white uniform with dark lining and a matching skirt. On a normal day her expression was usually calm and innocent, but today she seemed a little off. Fingering a pair of movie tickets behind her back, she mustered up all of her courage and decided to make an attempt to ask him out.

"Hey Kenichi!" she began, her cheeks turning a pale red color as she spoke.

The brown-haired boy looked up from his newest plant. "Is there something up, Izumi?"

"Well, you know that movie that came out last week that everyone's been talking about lately?"

Kenichi let out a nervous chuckle, looking slightly embarrassed. "Sorry, I know it sounds weird, but I've been so busy with my martial arts training at the dojo that I haven't had much time to check into those kinds of things."

She swallowed her nerves and continued. "Well, I don't have anyone else to go with this Saturday, and was just wondering if you would be willing to…" Before she could finish the question, Ino Yamanaka stepped cam from behind them, causing the gardening club's president to jump in surprise. "Eek!"

The visitor wore an apologetic look. "I hope I'm not disturbing you guys, but I just transferred here today, and I was interested in joining the gardening club."

Izumi fell to her knees and pocketed the tickets she had just dropped, having lost her nerve due to the sudden intrusion. She dusted off her skirt and popped back onto her feet, trying her best to smile. "R-Really, were all the other clubs full?" she stammered slightly.

"Nope, I just really enjoy the botanical arts." Ino replied with a genuine smile, her expression falling moments later. "Why are you guys so surprised that someone would want to join this club anyway? Are you two the only members or something?"

"Yeah, it's not really a popular club around here." Kenichi answered with the tiniest of nods.

Ino carefully observed the surrounding plants, her eyes moving over a pair of orchids while noting the large variety of common and exotic flowers growing around the greenhouse. "So you're pretty much alone, huh? I have to say I'm pretty impressed that two people could do such a great job tending to the needs of these plants. It looks like you guys really know what you're doing here!"

"Thanks a lot!" Izumi piped up happily, finding the new girl's attitude to be refreshing.

"You must know quite a bit about plants if you can tell just by glancing around." Kenichi added with a nervous note. "Unless of course you're just lying to make us feel better…"

The blonde visitor shook her head and smiled. "Nope, I actually grew up around flowers my entire life, seeing how my family owns a fancy flower shop a few towns away from here. I can tell just be looking around that a lot of love went into cultivating these flower beds."

"It's fun for us, but there's always room for one more." The brown-haired teenager nodded to his friend. "What do you think Izumi?"

"I think it's a wonderful idea! There's always room for one more, especially in this club!"

"All right then, I guess that's settled… If you still want to join the gardening club after that, you're more than welcome!" Kenichi nodded his approval.

The newcomer suddenly looked cheerful. "All right, that was pretty easy. Let's start with introductions then. I'm Ino Yamanaka, plain and simple!"

"I'm Izumi, and likewise…" the dark-haired girl bowed, causing her glasses to slip.

"Kenichi Shirahama, it's a real pleasure to meet you." He shook her hand politely.

In shrugged with a smile. "So now that we're all club members, what do you need me to do?"

Izumi giggled. "There's some seeds in the back along with some pots, an extra set of tools, soil, mulch, and fertilizer. If you want to plant your own flower bed or start an entirely new section, there's a small plot and some shelves in the corner that we haven't been using lately."

"You could also help us with our projects if you want. We could always use an extra pair of hands." The club's male member added.

The blonde-haired martial artist listened intently as she walked between the rows of plants, her eyes moving around the room carefully in search of something to do. She planned on working on her own plants when she became more comfortable with the club, but for now she decided to do a little reorganizing. Seeing some things she could improve upon, Ino picked up a large potted plant and placed it on the floor of the greenhouse, carefully rearranging a row of pots and placing them on the higher shelves closer to the windows.

Kenichi looked up from his flowerbed and watched her for a minute before speaking up. "Hey Ino, what are you doing over there?"

"Just straightening some things out." She replied in a matter-of-fact kind of way.

"Why, we just finished positioning those plants this afternoon?" Izumi added confoundedly.

Ino's expression remained perfectly calm. "I noticed that some of the plants you placed on the ground require more sunlight, so I moved them so they all get what they need. The pots that I placed on lower shelves require less sunlight to flourish, so they don't need to be situated so close to the source of light."

"That makes sense…" the other girl straightened her glasses she recognized the plants in question, realizing that their club's newest member was absolutely right. "It's nice to have someone else around here to help out."

"Glad you were willing to give me a chance." the blonde replied happily.

Kenichi opened his mouth to say something else, but the sound of a loud crash came from behind them. The trio of gardeners spun around just in time to catch sight of a green-clothed body smashing through one of the school's windows and hitting the ground. Ino's mouth slid open as she watched the spectacle, having immediately recognized the jumpsuit and haircut even from a distance. She reacted accordingly and dashed from the greenhouse to aid her friend, leaving behind two panicked students.

Izumi let out a gasp. "What's going on out there? Should we contact a hospital?"

Her fellow club member ran for the door, intent on taking a closer look for himself. "I'm going to take a closer look at what's going on."

Meanwhile…

The trio of fighters leapt from the window and surrounded Lee, each of them taking turns kicking at him as he rolled back and forth to avoid being struck. After being pushed through a window, he could feel some glass splinters sticking in his side, although he had been trained to ignore such trivial pain during real fights. Even so, he hadn't expected his enemies to be quite so strong when they first began the battle. Not only did they use dubious tactics, but one of them was armed.

The boy righted himself and sent the spiky-haired Zaku flying into a wall with a powerful kick to the face, only to be struck in the shoulder by a knife thrown by his female attacker. He buckled slightly due to the new injury, his stamina having gone down considerably due to the fact that he was vastly outnumbered. Lee probably could have taken any one of his attackers down easily had it been one-on-one, but the three were obviously trained to coordinate their attacks, putting him at a severe disadvantage.

"Damn it!" he hissed, pulling the blade from his shoulder and tossing it aside.

"Not so easy, is it?" Dosu flailed his arms around before thrusting his fist forward, sending his opponent tumbling with a well-placed kick.

Lee recovered quickly and spun around to face Kin as she threw another knife at him, this time swatting it out of the air with a movement of his wrist. Over the past minute or so he had come to realize that each of the enemy fighters specialized in different style, karate, kenpo, and weapons respectively, and each used gimmicks to improve the usefulness of their attacks. For Dosu, it was his overly long sleeves that made it difficult to predict his movements, while the other two were not above striking from behind or aiming for vital organs.

The bandaged man swung his arms again and struck twice in fast succession, but Lee saw through the feint and leaped backwards, only to be struck in the neck by an attack from the recovered Zaku. He stumped forward, barely moving in time to avoid a blade between the eyes from the group's weapon user. The green-clad fighter felt the pain of his previous wounds returning and fell to his knees, only to be kicked to the ground by Dosu.

"You should have just come along quietly instead of making this hard on yourself." Kin Tsuchi kicked him again, leaving the boy with a swollen eye.

Zaku shook his head disdainfully as he lifted their victim by the neck. "Such a waste of raw talent… The boss will be disappointed to hear that we were forced to kill a quality recruit."

Before they could strike again, Ino ran onto the scene, her fists clenched white with intensity and her eyes filled with anger. "Hey you jerks! Who gave you permission to use my friend as a doormat?" she screamed loudly.

"You have spirit, but I wouldn't be so keen on opening my mouth if I were you." Dosu jumped in front of her, his visible eyes glaring with interest. "Leave now, or share your friend's pain."

Ino noticed their injuries quickly and returned the glare. "Big talk considering that you three goons don't look so hot, either. It looks like bandage boy can barely stand, and you two in back both look like someone shoved you into a trash compactor. I can tell from a single glance that the only reason that you losers beat Lee is because you fought him three on one."

"Be… careful… … Ino!" he warned through labored breaths. "They're… much stronger… than they… … look." Lee coughed loudly, spitting a mouthful of blood on the ground.

Zaku dropped the boy and instead turned to face his companion. "Freaky brows here is a lot smarter than he looks, but if you insist on fighting us, you'll end up just like him."

The blonde-haired girl crunched her fists together with a confident expression. "Were I in your shoes, I wouldn't be so keen to underestimate an opponent."

Dosu charged forward to land a hit on the girl, but was surprised when he ran headfirst into an enemy attack. Kenichi Shirahama leapt from the bushes and slammed his knee into the man's face, causing a red stain to appear from beneath the layer of bandages on his face. He tried to flip around in mid-air, but the newcomer responded by placed a hand underneath Dosu's head and thrusting upward using the force of his opposite hand. The combination of techniques grounded the enemy instantly, rendering him motionless on the ground.

"What the Hell!" Ino was shocked by the boy's sudden appearance, his fluid fighting movements rendering her speechless for a moment.

"Are you okay?" the boy's expression softened as he glanced over his shoulder.

"Those moves…" she began with a puzzled expression, staring wide-eyed at the gardener she had met only minutes ago. "Your fighting ability is clearly a result of some kind of intense martial arts training."

Kin tossed a fistful of shuriken in the air, forcing both of the newcomers to move out of the way. Ino shifted her stance and took a deep breath, gracefully sliding past the oncoming projectiles by moving directly through them. Kenichi ducked and flipped sideways to avoid being hit, a frightened yelp escaping his lips as one of the bladed weapons grazed the band-aid on his face. He jumped a little when he saw the pieces of the bandage float away, looking slightly relieved that he hadn't been sliced open.

His gaze immediately fell on the girl standing behind him. "You practice the martial arts too?" he asked with a confused expression.

Ino returned his question with a smile. "Looks like its something we both have in common. Who in their right mind would expect two members of the garden club to have awesome moves?"

Kenichi nodded before turning to face the enemy. "To think you three lowlifes would gang up on an innocent girl who was only trying to stand up for a friend. I won't just stand by and watch!"

"Who the Hell do you think you are?" Zaku stepped forward challengingly.

"I am Kenichi Shirahama, the Number One Disciple of Ryozanpaku!" he said proudly.

The two enemies exchanged glances, having been warned by their superiors of the boy fitting his description. Their superior had told them to transfer to the school partially in hopes to testing a group of kids that called themselves the Shinpaku Alliance, although they weren't expecting to run into the group's strongest fighter so soon. Both of them found the situation strange. The boss old them that this boy had defeated Ragnarok, but he exuded no killing intent whatsoever, and wasn't very intimidating.

"I know that name!" the spiky-haired thug replied with a smirk. "You must be that annoying punk who took down Odin… The boys upstairs said to watch out for you, but I have to say that seeing you in person is really a letdown."

Ryozanpaku's disciple raised his fists again. "You're both injured and I don't really want to fight you! Back down now, this way none of us has to get hurt."

Before an answer could be given, Dosu struggled to his feet again, having recovered from the impact to the best of his ability. "You weak little bastard… Catching me by surprise when I was wasn't even looking. You will suffer the pain of a thousand deaths for pulling off such a cowardly attack."

"Really, and attacking my friend three on one was so much better?" Ino added with a note of sarcasm, her gaze shifting to her fellow gardener. "So Shirahama, you up for this?"

"I never am, but that's never stopped me before…" he nodded with a nervous frown.

He did not have a chance to gather his nerves as the three gang members sprung into action. They dashed to the proper positions before resuming their previous formation, this time flanking two opponents instead of just one. Moving clockwise, they each began attacking the enemy to the best of their ability, causing both of their targets to guard against the strikes. Kenichi wasn't sure what to think of his new acquaintance following the revelation that she was a fighter, but seeing her moves made him wonder who had taught her.

Lee shook his head to clear it, his eyes refocusing on the battle. "Break the formation… That's their weakness!" he screamed, silently choking back the pain in his gut.

At this time, Ino grabbed Kin's wrist and used a high kick to gain some footing. Seeing an opening, she used her opposite leg to strike the other girl's knee while following up with an eye-gouge and a series of powerful strikes to her opponent's shoulders. The strikes came so quickly that Kin was unable to defend herself and quickly succumbed, her eyes widening in surprise as she hit the ground.

Meanwhile, Zaku lashed out at Kenichi with a series of punches, but the Shinpaku leader slapped his fist aside and struck him in the jugular with the side of his hand, knocking the man off balance for a moment. He raised his hand to perform a knockout blow, but was blocked by the bandaged man he had knocked out earlier. Dosu attacked, forcing Kenichi to use the stepped method to avoid being struck down. The brown-haired boy placed his foot down and toppled the bandaged man, pushing with all of his weight and tossing him headfirst onto the asphalt.

His other male teammate tried to strike Kenichi when his guard was down, but a green shape darted past and pounded Zaku into the dust before any of them could react. The remaining fighters turned in surprise as Lee re-entered the fray, moving less gracefully than usual and covered in wounds from his previous beating. His enemy fell with a crash, but he wasn't in the best shape either. He stumped slightly only to be caught by Ino.

"You idiot… We had the situation taken care of." She helped him into a standing position, letting him lean on her shoulder. "Don't push yourself so hard."

Kenichi walked over to the duo and observed them for a moment before intruding. "Is your friend all right now?"

Lee grinned through the pain, his thumb shooting into the air. "I must admit that you fight very well, Mr. Shirahama."

The other boy suddenly realized something important. "I don't mean to sound rude, but apparently you heard my name during the fight. Strangely enough, I still don't know yours?"

"Ah yes, where are my manners… I am Rock Lee, a humble disciple of Konoha Dojo!"

"The Konoha Dojo you say?" the other boy scratched his chin with a puzzled look, a dawning realization hitting him. "Wait a minute, are you two acquainted with Naruto Uzumaki and Sakura Haruno? They claim to be from the same fighting school."

"I see you already met knucklehead and billboard brow." Ino replied with a knowing expression.

"They are both good friends of ours. Lee chimed in, his happy exterior slipping as a jolt of pain struck him.

The blonde woman wrapped an arm around her friend in an attempt to stop him from slipping. "Well it's been fun, but I should probably get Lee back to our dojo to receive some medical treatment. See you at the gardening club tomorrow!"

"All right, see you." Kenichi waved them off, looking slightly bothered by their sudden departure.

"I can't believe you didn't go all out against those three stooges. You could have easily taken them all down without attracting so much attention if you had been more responsible." She scolded her friend.

Rock Lee shook his head resolutely. "Guy-sensei aid that I am not to fight like that unless the lives of very important people are at stake."

Her eyes almost bulged out of her head out of sheer annoyance. "You moron!" she raged loudly. "What about your own sorry ass getting beaten to a bloody pulp, huh? Isn't that emergency enough for ya?"

"I was afraid of inuring my opponents by using so much power." He quipped.

"Ugh, next time be more worried about your own neck instead of the guys that wanna kill you!"

Kenichi watched them bicker as they marched off, before realizing he was alone with three unconscious and heavily beaten students, he quickly ran off to avoid getting in trouble, half regretting that he had gotten involved. As the brown-haired disciple departed from the scene of the fight, the sound of a PDA echoed from the roof. A certain point-eared student had seen the entirety of the fight, and was highly amused by the sudden appearance of so many skilled fighters in one place, especially since he didn't recognize several of them

"It look like things around here are about to get a whole lot more interesting…" Haruo Niijima mused as he lowered his handheld computer. The young man smiled devilishly revealing his sharpened incisors, an insane cackle filling the school grounds as he slipped out of sight.

Note to Readers: First fight of the story, although I feel bad that it wasn't Naruto who was involved this time. And I hope I made it clear that Lee lost because he was outnumbered and severely holding back. Next chapter you'll receive more explanations if anyone is hoping for some revelations about what exactly is going on. Now that Niijima has an idea what's going on, you can expect to see the rest of the Shinpaku Alliance pretty soon too!

Still looking for some reviews, and thanks to anyone who was nice enough to drop a line. I really love to hear suggestions if anyone has any to contribute! Sorry if there's a fair number of typos, or errors in spelling and grammar, but I usually write chapters for stories late at night.