Chapter 7
"I Will Return, My Disciple"
Orphanage
"Are you ready?"
Shikamaru looked at the turned back of one of his oldest friends. He had been silently gazing at the mountain range from his office for the longest time now. The blonde was not tense despite the incoming storm that they had foreseen arriving. Despite being intellectually superior, the Nara had always envied the man's calm demeanor. While he himself broadcasted an apathetic and laid back attitude outwardly, he would be the exact opposite inwardly once a battle of this magnitude approached.
Naruto never wavered. Was he fearless? Absolutely not. Only fools held such notions. No, he was a man who knew and acknowledged the terror that would come in both present and future, but would willingly take it on.
It was true courage. Shikamaru remembered the night when Naruto cut ties with his traitorous clan very vividly. He was there after all. The Nara had close dealings with Konoha; they had even been apart of the group many years ago but soon became independent a century ago; as did many others. Shikamaru had been on a business trip to discuss a bodyguard contract when the smell of blood began to reek the hallways of Konoha's hidden base.
Naive children read manga and often praised of how 'awesome' and 'cool' certain villainous characters were because of their actions. Even his own read books and always criticized how bad guys should be doing this and that to increase their bad guy stature. "It would be cool to see the villain be involved in a blood-bath." His youngest son, Shien, would always say.
They were too young to truly 'get it'.
The boy wouldn't think blood-baths were so cool if had he seen what Shikamaru had seen. A true blood-bath happened on the night of October 10th when Uzumaki Naruto massacred the alliance of clans known as Konoha. He remembered all the guts, blood, and the dismembered body parts of teenagers as young as fifteen all shredded apart as if they had walked into a machine meant to slaughter cows. His friend spared nobody.
Back in the day, Uzumaki Naruto knew no mercy. He was the epitome of Satsujinken. Some even called him the Hero of the Killing Fist. Some called him the 'Massacre Man'. He didn't really need a nickname but there had come a point when Katsujinken fighters feared to even speak his name. They just called him "Aukuang". Shikamaru was definitely not Chinese but he did have an idea of what that name meant.
When Naruto heard of his nickname, he snorted and waved it off with an offhand comment of, 'Hope I never meet the Monkey King.'
Seriously, the guy just didn't give a damn about his reputation.
"I suppose. This was a good idea. How come we never thought of this before?" Naruto asked, scratching the back of his head as if pondering the idea.
"Konoha is arrogant. They wouldn't believe you would die by any other hands but theirs." Shikamaru shrugged. "Even if it was Yami, they wouldn't believe it. That's just the type of people they are."
"Then why are we doing this Feign-Death strategy if they are so insightful?"
"Obviously..." Shikamaru drawled, making the blonde Master twitch. "...they won't believe you will have actually died. But some will believe it and they will abandon the idea of tracking you down. Konoha will lose more resources this way. I think it's a good idea."
"Smart." Naruto acknowledged. "I admit, it's a pretty good idea. Almost as good as mine."
"And that was?"
The blonde seemed almost sheepish despite his straight face. "To defeat them all."
"..."
Shikamaru had no words. "And to think you have your disciple fooled into thinking you're some all-knowing, wise teacher who thinks before he acts."
"Tactical thinking in battle is different from strategic thinking in life..." Was the blonde's excuse.
"Whatever. Troublesome blonde."
They spent a moment in silence.
"...Have you told her?"
Naruto shook his head. "Apparently, the daughter of Ma Kensei showed up and told Honoka of my past." Shikamaru grimaced. "It left quite an impression, I suppose."
"That sucks. Are you planning on...clearing it up for her?"
"No. If she asks me, then I will tell her. Otherwise, it is currently irrelevant to her growth as a martial artist."
The Nara nodded in agreement; that idea appealed to him. The past of the Master should not so easily be given to the disciple.
"Honoka will become great one day." Naruto declared as if it were fact. "She will learn one day of how dark the world can truly be. It could be today...or the next...or years from now. What happens after is up to her."
"I still can't believe you actually took her on as a disciple. You were so adamant about not having another one. The dangers were too great to even think of passing on your knowledge. I honestly thought you would have preferred to have the techniques die with you at old age."
"You know me better than that, Shika'." He said without missing a beat. "Believe me, I didn't think I would have taken on another student either. So soon I mean. I had other plans, but I never intended to die with this style I worked so hard to develop. Had I done that, Konoha would have succeeded in their quest to destroy my legacy. No...there was something about Honoka that demanded my attention."
"How did you know?"
Naruto just smiled. "A great man just knows." A lone bird flew by his window. His crisp blue eyes followed it's movements to the end of the mountain range.
With Honoka
All that could be heard in the local Koryou playground were grunts and moans of utter pain. One of the various local gangs called the Red Wings had been staking claims at a nearby neighborhood and had caused a huge ruckus in the process. Many adults and policemen ignored it, but not her.
Shirahama Honoka sat on top the roof on a nearby building looking down to see her handiwork. It was just another day for the young girl. It scared even her; the ease of which it was to destroy the human body. Her Master had asked her to study pressure points, something she did but never truly became efficient at locating in real combat. What she did excel at was physical punishment and how...good it felt to punish the morons that were acting so stupid because they were older. They thought they could get away with picking on little kids and escape without punishment. As much as it scared her, Honoka was developing a mean streak against bullies. It was a characteristic that had been developing only recently, since last year.
She didn't know how to feel about it.
Most gang members were weak in her eyes, they weren't martial artists who spent blood, sweat and tears attaining any true strength. They were just bullies who used fear in numbers to attain what they wanted. Her teacher despised gangs but acknowledged their tactics as something that was often done in the real world.
Not all gangs were filled with weaklings though. Some had real fighters who fancied themselves as "Generals" of their group. It was sickening to see. Instead of spending time bettering themselves, they preferred to use their abilities to wreak havoc in cities and shops. What a waste.
For the last few days, there was a certain group that was annoying her. They called themselves the "Valkyries" and they claimed to be a sub-section of another group known as "Ragnarok". Apparently, there were "skilled" martial artists who were in command of that group and dictated their actions. Honoka found that hard to believe since the level she had seen from them so far was nothing too special. The group of weapon using girls were little better than fodder. They had no skill and were without any finesse. Honoka judged them unworthy of her time.
But that didn't mean they felt the same about her. She had gone by the title, "Xinku" or Black Nova. Apparently, the leaders of this gang wanted to recruit her to their group, a huge waste of time in her opinion. It would be a cold day in Hell when Honoka decided to join up with a gang of delinquents. She despised all gangs.
Gangs were unworthy of having her fists as allies.
Nonetheless, it was annoying having to avoid members searching for her. Luckily, and she had no idea how; the group had no idea what she truly looked like. It was a blessing that the delinquents that had were so incompetent; otherwise, her attempts would be more difficult. For the moment, she was an unknown. An enigma to Ragnarok.
It was easy to hide her face with a mask when she fought, something she now did. In fact, she was wearing it now. It was a simple black mask with two diagonal white lines going between the eye-holes. She had won it off a festival years ago and finally found a use for it. The design was simple...but intimidating nonetheless.
Honoka's alias was becoming something of a Legend around Koryou. It was funny because nobody had made the connection between her past bouts and the ones now. Maybe some knew, but wished to keep quiet. Now that was loyalty. They fancied her as a superhero, something that flattered Honoka immensely. Though, it was cool when children would acknowledge her as Xinku and not ignore her as Honoka. That was fine with her.
People loved Heroes.
And most importantly, Heroes never did any wrong. Right?
Honoka could still feel the blood on her hands. Blood was hard to wash off and it was becoming very difficult to hide the scent from her clothes. It was even harder to wash off.
She was beginning to detest blood. Maybe it was prudent to learn how to defeat enemies more efficiently.
"Your handiwork?"
Honoka tensed. She didn't even sense anyone approaching from behind her.
"Relax..." It was the tone of a seasoned man. His teeth were sharp, like fangs, and his lips were curled in a smirk. "I was just walking by and I smelled blood."
"Hm." Honoka nodded, unsure of what to say to this unknown stranger.
"My son is also a martial artist but he is something of a pacifist at heart. I've tried to get him into mercenary work but he wants to spend the rest of his life working at some orphanage." He scoffed. "What a waste of talent. I love the kid but he's very soft in the heart. I adopted him because I thought he had a lot of potential. I taught him my style..."
So he was a Master.
Wait, Honoka remembered something in the past. This story sounded very familiar.
"It would have been nice if he had been like you, girl. You did a fine job down there...I especially loved the way you twisted that kid's legs into the monkey bars. Painful and embarrassing, an ideal judgement." The guy chuckled evilly. He then began to walk back, Honoka never turned to see him.
"It's always good to see the next generation filled with people like me. People who fight..." And with that, Honoka felt his fluid like presence leave the area.
For some reason, Honoka had a sneaking suspicion that she had just met Haku's adopted father.
What a weirdo.
Next Day
Her Master was very quiet today.
"Alright, that's enough Honoka. Come to my office once you have completed your stretches." She nodded and went through her cool downs. Behind her was Shikamaru who was playing a game of Shogi with Asuma.
Honoka had tried to play Shogi with Shikamaru once.
She probably had a better shot at winning the lottery.
However, she did push him to the limits at Othello. He was forced to do some weird thinking stance for ten minutes before coming up with a winning strategy that shocked her. Some people were just in higher leagues when it came to the power of the mind. No matter how good you thought you were (and Honoka was considered nearly invincible at Othello, not even her Master could beat her) there would always be someone better.
"You have improved." He said without sparing her a look. "How do you feel about the Sky Dragon Steps?"
"It's tough." Honoka replied curtly. "It's...difficult to perfect. I can do it maybe...three or four times in a real fight."
"It's not really a move you should think about doing..." The older man drawled. "It should just happen...like a movement you've been doing your entire life. Don't worry about it though, you're just starting out. You will improve."
"Thanks!" Was her beaming reply. "You know a lot about Master's techniques."
"I've known him for a long time." That statement seemed to answer everything for the moment.
Honoka was about to leave when Shikamaru called her once more. "Honoka."
"Hm?" She turned around.
"There will come a time when you will meet great adversity. Will you face it?"
The brunette's face scrunched up in confusion before breaking out a smile. "Sure." She shrugged. "We all have to, right?"
Shikamaru just looked at her before letting out a deep chuckle that surprised even his Sensei, who had been tearing his hair out trying to think of a new strategy. The Nara covered his forehead with his left hand and used his right to shoo the girl away. "She really is just like him."
"Huh?" Asuma inquired. "What?"
"Nothing, sensei. Nothing at all."
Office - Orphanage
When Honoka entered the door, her Master had already prepared the small table and tea kettle. He was sitting down patiently. "Sit." He commanded. She did so.
"You wanted to talk to me, Master?"
Naruto just poured another cup of tea before saying anything. Honoka was used to this and was patient.
"I will not beat around the bush." He said once they finished a few more drinks. "Have you heard of the Council of the Sun? Chances are no, but I want you to answer."
"Er...no, Master. I don't know what the Council of the Sun is."
"Hm. They are a Council of martial artists that are considered to be Masters. For the past fifty years, they have been ruling a coast of South Korea and are users of Satsujinken. You know what I mean when I say Satsujinken correct?" Honoka nodded. That was something that was always on her mind too. "They are a fairly influential group. Not the best, not the worst. They were established sometime in the Fifties. However, this is not what is important."
"You see Honoka, for the past decade or so, give or take a few years, I have lent my name over to them. You know what this means right?" The brunette wasn't sure what to say.
Naruto sighed. "Hakubi called me, Honoka. I know that you know. I'm surprised you haven't asked yet."
"...It's true, then?"
Her Master nodded without hesitation. "Yes."
It was a little heart-breaking for the girl to come to that realization. But she was not some silly, judgmental idiot like her brother or father. She was better than that and she always tried to look at things from different directions.
But a massacre of five hundred people was something she couldn't even comprehend.
"...I want to ask why but I don't think I'm ready to hear the answer." Naruto regarded her for a moment before nodding. He was fine with that. "You are my Master. I don't believe there is any reason to doubt you."
For a moment, disappointment crept in him. While it was flattering, Naruto didn't want the girl to just blindly idolize him. I guess that might change in time.
"Very well. Now, back to what I was saying before. When I lent my name to the Council of the Sun, they had intended to use it to gain fame of their own. They were fools for doing this and completely underestimated the enemies I had made in the past."
"Why did you do that in the first place?"
"Stability, Honoka. The Council are not the most powerful but they did a fine job at covering my tracks. For many years, my enemies couldn't track me or rather, they wouldn't dare track me. They were still weak then."
"Were?"
Naruto nodded. "Konoha. My worst enemy. They have been patient in their quest for power and revenge. I single-handedly destroyed a majority of their forces - it must have taken them several years to regain their former stature. It seems they have recovered and are now willing to track me down to kill me."
"So what you're basically telling me is..."
"They are coming." He finished for her. "From today on, I must temporarily discontinue your training."
"M-master!" Honoka sputtered. "You're leaving?!"
He took another sip of tea.
"Yes. The orphanage will be in danger if I stay here any longer. However...Shikamaru believes that just me leaving is not enough. No, we're going to take it a step above. We are going to fake my death."
"..." She didn't know what to say. "What...?"
"They won't believe I will have died but many will. Konoha will lose more sources and they will begin to alienate themselves in their quest to hunt me down. As they weaken themselves, I will...find a way to shut down their operation. This will take many years."
The girl was shaking in her seat as he explained his plan. Naruto didn't blame her. It was probably a huge shock to hear from him, a regular school teacher...who just happened to be a World Class Assassin.
"I made a great mistake in allowing the leaders of Konoha to escape my wrath all those years ago. I will find them, capture them and have them thrown into a prison for the rest of their lives. Well, I'll find a way to do that somehow. It will be tough."
"...You are going to do this yourself?" Her Master was powerful enough to take down an entire organization single-handedly?
Oh wait, he had already done so before. But this time, wouldn't the circumstances be different?
"Maybe. I am not completely friendless. The journey I will be undertaking will definitely be interesting to say the least."
"...What do you want me to do?" She asked.
"Nothing. This has nothing to do with you." He said in a very serious tone. "I forbid you from seeking me out. It is too dangerous. That's why I told you to be careful when telling others of the martial arts you practice. I have many enemies which by now, you'll probably see as an understatement."
"I get that now." Honoka muttered. "That Renka skank..."
"Ah, Ma Kensei's daughter. Yes, Hakubi told me about that. Look, do not blame her for reacting the way she did. It is completely justifiable. I was a great enemy of the Phoenix Alliance a long, long time ago and I did kill many good men under their flag. I respect the Phoenix Alliance; they were one of the few organizations I could never conquer in my youth. Also, their leader is a righteous...if not a bit eccentric, man."
"...Ok. I understand, Master. It's just so difficult to hear others speak so ill of you. I hate it. You're a good man!" She vented her underlying frustration of the meeting, "I dislike her. She is very disrespectful."
Naruto just looked at his student for a moment before smirking. So his disciple's first ever rival is the daughter of the great Ma Kensei? Not a bad thought to keep.
He ignored her bemused look.
"So you want me to just stay here?"
"Train!" Naruto reminded her. "You will become a great martial artist one day. While I am gone, I expect you to perfect your basics to the point where you can do them in your sleep. I will be testing for that by the way." She grimaced mentally. "I also expect you to complete the Sky Dragon Steps."
"I understan-"
They were cut off as an arrow suddenly pierced through Naruto's window and struck right on the wall. On it was a letter that held the Konoha leaf symbol. Honoka had jumped and prepared herself for an attack before being shushed by her Master.
He stood up and went to take the letter.
As he read it, anger coursed through him. "Konoha..." He growled lightly. The door suddenly busted open.
"Sensei!" Haku exclaimed. "K-Konohamaru-kun is missing!"
Honoka felt something she had never felt before. Anger so great that it manifested in an aura of red. Her Master's eyes were literally glowing with ki.
"Haku." He gritted out. "I just received a ransom note. You are to look after Honoka, nobody is to follow me!"
"But Master-"
"No! You are good, I admit, but you are not ready for this yet. ANBU Black Op agents have been trained harder than most of Konoha's regular forces. Some of them are even low level Masters...from what I remember, at least." He pinned another look at Haku. "Shikamaru's flight will be leaving in one hour. Tell Asuma that he will guard this place while I am gone. No one is to leave!"
Haku placed his hand on Honoka's trembling shoulders and pulled her away from the office.
Naruto walked over to the corner of the room and pushed a brick into a wall, revealing a mysterious door. Once he opened it, his previous blue eyes gained a gleam of red.
"Hm."
He grabbed the cloak first.
With Honoka
The brunette was pacing back in forth with Haku watching her every movement. The confusion, anger and frustration that had been built up for months was finally letting loose and even Haku was wary of bothering her. Honoka was pissed. Not at her Master, not at the situation, but at herself. Had she been stronger, trained harder, then she would have been marching to battle with her Master this very instant.
Where the hell was he going anyway?
Every fiber of her being was emitting an aura of battle. Her heart was beating faster than she had ever felt before. Her conscience demanded her to sneak away and seek out her Master's path. She didn't want to do this.
She needed to do this.
But first, Honoka had to get past Haku; a boy she considered to be superior to her in every form as a martial artist except strategy. How in the world was she going to outclass him?
"Haku." Honoka said abruptly, already failing to set him at ease with her lack of honorific. He eyed her cautiously.
"Honoka-chan?" He nodded. "I understand that you're frustrated but this is for the best. We would only be burdens to Naruto-sensei. He has...years worth of experience when dealing with these sorts of situations."
"I know. But I need this, Haku. I need to go! I...I can't just stay here. I can't." Her fists were trembling as she looked at him. Haku was startled but he did not falter. He would stand his ground.
"I won't let you pass."
In an instant, Honoka did something he did not expect.
She jumped at him.
But not in an attacking form.
It actually looked like something worse. It was one of his worst nightmares growing up. He had been a handsome boy when he went to school and girls would often regard him as something much to admire in the corridor. People would always call him an idol or something along those lines. His father always laughed when he ranted about it back at home after hours of being whistled at. They didn't like him for him, but rather his good looks. And they would often launch themselves in a similar type of motion at him that Honoka was doing right now.
The difference was, those girls were regular humans. Honoka is a martial artist.
She wrapped her arms around him and glomped the living daylights out of Haku. What surprised him was the brief pass on the lips that she had planted somewhere along the way.
That split second was all Honoka needed to knee him in the worse place to knee a man.
In. The. Balls.
It didn't matter how great a man was. Even if a Superhuman was hit there, he would have been in horrible pain. Maybe.
"Urgh!" Honoka followed up with a quick strike to the mid-section, forcing the older teen back into a wall.
"I'm so sorry, Haku! I promise the next time we go out to lunch, I'll pay!"
And with that, the girl made her escape through the window to avoid the other caretaker.
Haku could almost hear the bellowing laughter of his father as he tried to gather what remained of his dignity. "He'd never let me hear the end of it." He groaned in pain and curled up.
With Naruto
His footsteps didn't make single sound. The blonde Master walked with strut like strides and approached the port without an expression on his face. There were several warehouses where Konohamaru could have been locked up in. As he suspected, the whole thing was a trap. Well, that was no skin off his teeth.
It didn't take him long to find company.
"Hm." Naruto sighed and took a quick scan around without moving from his spot. "I didn't know ANBU recruited at such a young age...Back in my day..."
The ANBU platoons that surrounded him were severely high in number but weak in skill. He sensed no less than one hundred fighters in this spot alone; all of them poised immediately to attack. They were all dressed in similar uniforms; a complete black armor suit, black arm guards and matching pants. On their faces were a diversity of animal masks with the spiral leaf design carved on it's forehead.
"Uzumaki Naruto." A single ANBU member wearing a cloak with distinct shoulder pads spoke. "Under the orders of our Lord Hokage, we have come to execute you."
"Such a young ANBU Captain; I can tell by your voice. Shouldn't you all still be in school?" The Master scratched his head and shrugged. "It is important to complete your education, you know."
"We have the boy." The Assassin ignored his musings. "If you want him to survive..."
"Spare me your ultimatum. I know you won't kill him." Naruto waved off. "If you kill him, then one of two things will happen." His aura began to leak, causing a few of the close by ANBU to tense.
"One, I will kill you all."
"Coming from a Katsujinken user?" Another assassin from the roof scoffed. "You won't do anythin-"
"Or two...I will beat, maim and severely injure all of you to the point where you will all want to kill yourselves." His former laid back attitude disappeared. The blonde crossed his arms and unleashed a fraction of his ki pressure, knocking out a few of the weaker ANBU by the mere presence of it. The younger ANBU members were breathing heavier by the minute.
The Captain glared at him through his mask.
"Your choice."
Next Scene
Honoka was running and running but no matter how hard she tried, the young disciple just couldn't locate her Master's presence. It had been twenty minutes since she had gotten past Haku and began her search for Naruto and Konohamaru. Her ki skills had yet to truly be developed to the point where she could sense any further than a block.
"Where..." She panted. "Where..."
Honoka turned a corner and ran into someone causing her to fall on her back. "What the- I actually fell down at that speed..." The brunette looked up to see a giant of a man with a grandfatherly smile and long, blond hair. Had the situation been less serious, the girl might have took the time time marvel and stare at his size but that was not to be. He wore green robes that couldn't even hide his immense muscles that just begged to be admired. Honoka had felt like she had ran into a solid, unmovable mountain when she fell down. "Sorry!" She exclaimed quickly.
"Oh ho ho, I accept your apology youngster. My, my...what has such a young girl like you so worried?" He inquired. Honoka bit her lips and mentally decided. It was better than nothing.
"Have you seen a blond man with blue eyes. He's about six foot tall and has a green stoned necklace."
The old man patted his beard in thought. The movement was so smooth that Honoka had immediately assumed that he had probably done so a million times. "Now that you mention it...Yes, I believe I saw someone like that down close to the port. He seemed very serious..."
The girl widened her eyes. "Yes! That's the one. Thank you old man!" And with that, Honoka ran off in said direction with as much speed as she could muster.
Hayato Furinji smiled grandly to himself as he watched the girl disappear in the distance.
"My, my...what a youthful young lady." He mused for a moment and then turned up to look at the sky. "Oh no, I'm late and Miu is cooking today! I must hurry!"
Next Scene
It was getting darker and darker as the minutes passed by. Honoka had finally made it to the port in what seemed like record time. "Finally..." She took a few moments to catch her breath. "Now..."
It was silent.
Too silent. The young disciple could almost hear her heart beating. There were numerous warehouses where Konohamaru could have been. "I'm actually getting very excited." She wanted to say out-loud but the crippling silence prevented her from doing so. It was too creepy.
And then she turned a corner to face a scene that almost had her yell in complete shock.
Bodies upon bodies were piled up on each other and scattered among the small alleys. Honoka flinched when she heard the deep moans of pains that was emitting around her. The girl silently walked to follow the trail of defeated opponents. Perhaps her Master is here somewhere.
That was until she found herself surrounded by four dark figures.
"Who are you, masked girl?" The one in the middle asked, voice distorted by the mask. "We've rented this place out for the night."
"Uh..." She remembered the words of Hakubi once again. "I'm looking for a friend that disappeared sometime after school..."
"He's not here." Another one of the masked warriors spat. Honoka narrowed her eyes at that one. "Go back home, kid and play animal somewhere else. We're here on a job." The irony of that statement was lost in the tense atmosphere.
"...I didn't mention about my friend being a 'he'..." Honoka gritted and tensed when the ANBU got into a fighting stance. They looked very familiar to the very first stance her Master had showed her.
"The Konoha Ryuu..." The brunette hardened her eyes, now glad she had put on her mask before entering the area. "She knows too much anyway. We'll just dispose of her." Just as one of the quiet ANBU was about to jump in and attack her, a foot came from out of nowhere and launched the masked assassin back into a nearby warehouse wall.
"H-Haku!" Honoka sputtered. "Ah crap, I'm in trouble."
"Yes." The teen boy nodded seriously. "But later. We're in a bit of a situation...Nice mask by the way." The two eyed the surrounding ANBU members, and the one that had recovered from Haku's hard kick.
"Vermin." That one sounded like a male for sure. "I'm gonna kill you." The vulgar ANBU charged Haku from an angle. The other three followed his example and moved in a formation.
Honoka and Haku shared a glance and nodded, both entering their respective stances. "Don't overextend yourself." Haku said seriously. Honoka sucked a teeth in frustration and nodded at the message in between the lines. She was not to use recognizable techniques like the Sky Dragon Step. The risks were too great.
The ANBU were slightly surprised by the duo's combined speeds. Honoka stepped in between two of the warriors and drilled a liver blow to one of the soldiers while simultaneously aiming a kick at the other opponent on her left; that latter attack was blocked easily forcing Honoka to spin back and dodged an incoming barrage of quick punches.
"Damn!" The hurt agent spat. "She packs a punch."
"Tch! You were too careless Inu! Get your fucking act together. This little bitch ain't no joke!" And he wasn't lying. The girl was easily dodging his attacks within the range of her Seikuken; the masked teen was also forced to block or take more than a few counter hits. "What the hell is with her attacks...they're so strong!"
Honoka didn't answer and moved to twist his opponents arm before sweeping him down with her left leg. Any other combo she had planned was stunted because the other agent had gotten back and launched a hard kick at her that she easily telegraphed. Ducking under the kick, Honoka stepped into his guard and jumped up like a missile with her knee aimed right at his chin. "Blocked." The ANBU smirked behind his mask when he caught it with both hands. It left when he saw the girl's cunning smile.
"Longzhimao (Dragon Spear)!" From his blind-side, the brunette launched a devastating right elbow strike right at the temple of the ANBU, knocking him out like a light; hid body going down like a loose puppet.
"That's-" The other ANBU sputtered from behind her, having just recovered. "What kind of move was that...?"
"A combo I learned from watching a documentary on Pradal Serey." She lied completely. Her Master had taught her that and referenced said martial art. "It's Cambodia's favorite sport...next to football." Honoka finished and re-entered her stance.
"I see..." The masked warrior uttered. "I don't think I can beat you by myself." Honoka inwardly grimaced as a few more members arrived. She had a fair time against two but four on one was a different story. Not to mention their lack of skill techniques were made up with pure speed and strength.
"This is bad." Haku muttered beside her. He had also finished off one of the two that had fought him. But like Honoka, back up had also arrived. "There's more." He gritted his teeth.
"What's the plan?" The ten-year old asked. "I didn't think this far..."
Haku breathed for a moment and calmed himself. "I'll distract them."
"No! I won't run while you fight. W-what kind of person would I be to do that to you?!"
The boy gave her a grim smile. "I won't let you get hurt."
"That's awesome of you, Haku. But I won't abandon you like this." More ANBU were arriving. "Damn it..."
"Kill them!" One of the ANBU roared, igniting a loud battle cry. "Kill them now!"
Just as the group ran at all sides, a suffocating feeling took over the air. Honoka found herself breathing hard herself along with the majority of the ANBU members. Haku broke a sweat and trembled a bit himself.
And then there was a laugh. A cruel, sadistic sound that sent shivers of fear down Honoka's spine.
"W-who's there?" It was quite clear that the ANBU that were around at the moment were just mere youngsters who had no idea what they were doing, and not the elite fighting force Naruto had warned of. Haku had noticed this since the beginning.
"Hehehehehehahahahahahahahaha -ha!" It came from the rooftops. Standing erect was a tall man wearing a sleeve-less black shirt, dark navy pants and sandals. "We meet again ANBU. Oh, and how 'bout that, my son too..."
"Father!" Haku cried in relief, thanking whatever deities were around blessing him. "Thank goodness..."
"You're in a bit of a pinch here, son. I'm honestly kind of proud that you've finally begun to put my training to use..." The sharp-teethed man replied with the large smirk on his face. He then noticed the masked Honoka. "Oh, it's you. So you are a Superhero..."
"Um...hi?"
"Right. Name's Momochi Zabuza. I came to look for my son since he had yet to arrive home for dinner...and I've found something even better. Seriously boy, you didn't think to invite me to this party?! You should know me better than that Haku."
"U-uh...I'm sorry?" He grinned skeptically. "Well you're here now! And that's all that counts right...?"
"Of course, of course." Zabuza clapped his hands thoughtfully. "There's no better father/son bonding activity than a night of beating down ANBU, right? Well, that's what my old pal Kisame used to say."
Impatient, one of the ANBU sneered. "Who the fuck are you?!" Jumping up in between buildings, the warrior tried to attack the man from a corner of the ledge. Just about everyone face-palmed at the sheer idiocy of the masked fool.
Zabuza quipped a brow and caught the teenage masked boy with his bare hands on his neck. "Huh? You are younger than I thought. Didn't Konoha have a rule about competency in ANBU?" He squeezed his throat, crushing the ANBU's windpipes in an instant. "How boring." Was his last statement before throwing the body away like it was some piece of balled up paper.
Honoka marveled at the speed Haku's father showed at that moment. She hadn't even caught the movement.
"Well...you aren't the ANBU I remember. I guess Uzumaki really did cripple Konoha all those years ago. I didn't think it would be this bad." Zabuza acknowledged. He cast a look at Honoka and Haku. "I don't know what's going on, but I can smell reinforcements on the way. Better go son...Also, I smelled something weird too. Uh...earth and cherries?"
"That's Konohamaru..." Honoka muttered. She looked up to the man. "Where is the smell of cherries?"
Zabuza pointed to a distant warehouse. It wasn't too far with Haku and Honoka's respective run speeds. "Over there. Hm, I'll cover you two. Haku, take care of the brat. She ain't half bad but not good enough to take on any real ANBU that might be up ahead somewhere. Shit...I'll catch up."
"You think you'll beat us so easily?!"
Zabuza shrugged, "Yeah."
Honoka mentally reminded herself to thank Honoka's weirdo father later. "Thanks Shark-ossan!" And with that, she dashed away with Haku behind her. Just as some of the ANBU were going to pursue, Zabuza jumped in front of their path and cracked his knuckles.
"Oh, this is gonna be good...Man, I wish I brought my blade."
His smile was absolutely devilish.
Haku and Honoka
"Do you see him?!" Honoka whispered. Haku glanced around and closed his eyes. Channeling his ki, he felt the world around him dissolve into black. In that moment, he heard the sounds of struggling coming from upstairs.
The warehouse had two levels, the bottom floor and upper floor were divided by steps and the ground floor was quite massive. Just as they were going to go climbing up, a large figure jumped down to cut off the two.
"My, my..." A deep voice rumbled. "What do we have here...?"
It was a large, fat (and somewhat muscular) man that stood at maybe seven foot-tall. Haku widened his eyes, grabbed Honoka and jumped back a fair distance. "Smart boy..."
"Who are you?!" Honoka demanded. The large man narrowed his eyes.
"I am Master Zhang Quan, the big bad batter of China."
Old guys and their nicknames, the girl couldn't help but feel exasperated. "We're looking for a chil-"
"He's working for Konoha." Haku bit out. "We're gonna have to fight him."
"Oh...so you're here for the boy? Hm, isn't Uzumaki here for that too?"
"M-I mean, who?" Honoka asked in her most curious voice, resisting the glare coming from Haku. "What are you talking about?"
"If you are looking for the child, then you must be in cahoots with Uzumaki. I'm afraid that I will have to kill you both here if that is the case." The large man got into a low stance and rose his arms. "It shouldn't take long."
Haku and Honoka got into their own stances too. The elder of the two looking more focused than the girl had ever seen him before. "Don't hold anything back." He told her. "We're going to do what we do best."
"Understood." Reaching into the back of her jacket, Honoka revealed the hidden Sansetsukon she always had disconnected and attached to her back via holder. "You go low."
"You go high!" Haku finished and rushed at his top speed, surprising even his long time sparring partner once again. "Was he always this fast?" Honoka thought in awe.
"Gyatsuinutsu (Inverse Double Hit)!" Haku slipped between the man's wide legs and split kicked him, making the man falter for a moment. Just as that happened, Haku stood on his hands and aimed a hit right at the man's privates. The man saw that coming and blocked it with one of his own hands with general ease.
"You are one fast son of a-" He barely caught the connected staff that had been aimed right at his temple. "Shit. You're pretty fast too! I hate faster people!" Using the hand that caught Honoka's attack, he threw her and the weapon down to the floor, eliciting a grunt from Honoka. Haku took that moment to regain his lower balance. "Nidokeri (Double Kick)!" He aimed both his legs and struck down one of the man's standing legs - forcing him to his knees. "Honoka!"
The girl who had instantly recovered from the throw was already in mid-air by the time the man's knee went down. "Auh!" She acknowledged, already behind the opponent's head. "Ame no Haryuu (Rain of the Spring Dragon)!" She landed multiple hard hits with her now disconnected staff to the back of the resident master's head. The multiple impact had caused some damage but not enough to warrant defeat.
"Tch!" The man grunted, "That stings!" He threw a wide elbow at Honoka who was pulled down from mid-air by Haku to avoid the hit.
"This is like fighting an annoying RPG boss that has a ton of health." Honoka commented. Haku sighed and agreed. It was annoying.
"Usually, I would ask that you cover me and I'll be the main fighter...but, I have an attack that might turn the favor. Can you force both his hands to the air?"
Honoka grinned. "I got it!" A sick idea formed in her mind. "It'll only be a second!"
"That's enough." Haku began to breath in and out calmly, preparing his body for the attack. "I'll take it!"
Honoka ran around the big self-proclaimed Master and launched a lot of hit and run movements. The frustration was showing on Zhang Quan's face as he failed again and again to catch the girl. "It's like fighting a fly!"
"Can a fly do this?" She was in mid-air with her staff in hand. Zhang scoffed.
"You can't dodge in mid-air!" He went to catch her with one hand, only to get poked back by her weapon. "Tch!"
In that moment, Honoka gathered all the saliva in her mouth and shot a large amount of spit into Zhang's eyes. "Shit!" His remaining hand instinctively went to wiped he insulting move from his face.
"Why you litt-"
"Now Haku!"
Having already gained a large amount of velocity from a quick run, and with perfect telegraphed timing, Haku hopped forward and began to spin his body in a drill-like as he shot at the large man's lower body. "Akesameha (Drill Shark Edge)!" It pierced Zhang's body and drew blood from his mouth; the power of the attack had been heavily enforced from his prior momentum. The drilling kick forced the Master to bend backwards in a falling motion. Not done yet, Haku laid on his back in a kip-up motion. "Hikimadoken (Trap Door Sword)!" The teen launched a vertical double kick that forced Zhang's back to arch backwards.
"Finish him!"
Honoka was miles ahead of his command and had long sprung herself in mid-air spinning to prepare her finishing attack. It was during a long, well timed and heating moment when she came down to land both her heels upon Zhang Quan's surprised face. It was a true coup de grace.
"Huang Long (Yellow Dragon)!"
The impact knocked the consciousness right out of the man's eyes. Haku panted deeply on the ground, having spent much of his energy running around and avoiding the one-hit knock outs the man's attacks would have guaranteed. Honoka was the same, having also spent a lot of her stamina on outrunning the slow Master.
"I can't believe he was this tough...even with our agile advantage." Honoka said in between breaths. "He had a lot of power in his arms."
"Masters should never be underestimated, Honoka! Always remember that. Luckily for us, only his strength was on Master level. Everything else was lacking..." Haku replied before getting back up and urging Honoka to come with him. "We need to find Konohamaru."
It didn't take them long to find the boy wrapped up in a bag. "G-g-g..." He tried to talk through his whimper and sobs. "H-h-HONOKA-CHAN!" He broke down in front of her and grabbed any part of her that he could. It almost broke her heart but at the same time, she was relieved.
"Oh, there, there..." The slightly older girl comforted him, calmly palming the top of the boy's head, near his goggles. "We're here now. You're safe."
"Come, we need to go."
As they were heading down and out the exit, ten others surrounded them. They were also not ANBU.
"Shit." Haku didn't care if the children heard him now. It was easy to identify just what type of men and women were around them. "Master Classes..."
"How insightful." One of them spoke arrogantly. It was a large man with shades, superhuman large arms and a sinister smirk. "I am Kuhn, American Brawler." His Japanese was gruff but somewhat understandable. At least he was making the effort.
"Such barbarians..." A woman spoke beside him, sneering at the American. "Hmph! I see you...children managed to defeat that idiot Zhang Quan. That is impressive for youngsters such as you."
"But against people like us." Another smaller man laughed insanely. "You don't stand a chance."
"Damn it..." Haku was still tired from the last fight. Not that it mattered, he could hardly even graze a decent master, let alone defeat. "Now...we're in deep shit."
"Indeed." The American agreed. "Now it's time for you to die!"
Haku and Honoka waited for the man to approach but it never happened. Right before the first step; another dark figure silently appeared, as if from thin air, in between the ten Masters and next to the young teenagers. He wore a long collared, dark cloak (with a red cloud design) that traveled down to his shin. Strapped to his back was a single jian that was tied with a simple chain weave.
None of the Masters even registered his movements.
"W-what just happened?" The American stuttered in his native language.
The uptight woman also seemed surprised but it soon turned to shock when she caught sight of his face. "Y-you. I had thought those stupid, stupid assassins had taken care of you back at the other side of the port! They said that all we had to do was guard the stupid child!" She tries to hold herself from shaking in terror, "Aukuang. Aukuang...!"
"Hm?" The cloaked blond Master looked at the other fighters, ignored them, and then to his students. "Ah, so you couldn't stop her then, Haku."
The teen boy lowered his head in shame. "I'm sorry. She...surprised me." Naruto just waved it off with a laugh.
"What's done is done. No need to worry yourself any further, I'm just glad you got little Kono' out of there." He ruffled Honoka's hair. "I should be angry with your disobedience but I would feel like a hypocrite if I said I wouldn't have done the same. I am proud of what you have accomplished tonight, random masked girl I've never met before who means absolutely nothing to me!"
"E-er, right, weird cloak wearing stranger!" The words flowed right out. Naruto nodded and turned to the ten fighters. "I thought Konoha had thirty plus Masters..."
"Pft, we don't get along! Besides, ten is enough for one man! Those fools were so paranoid that they thought they needed more than ten to defeat one single person!" The insane looking person to the left said. "I'll take care of you...and grind you to dust."
"Uh huh." Naruto drawled. "Come then..." He did not bother getting into a stance.
"DIE!" Four of the Masters charged at him from all possible angles, launching high speed punches neither disciple could telegraph. However, as in one moment Naruto was standing still, the next he had disappeared in a flash of yellow - standing in between all of them with their openings in sight.
"Uzumaki Jin Zhang: Zai Long Shen (Uzumaki Forbidden Palm: Severing of the Dragon God)." Invisible palm strikes to the eyes of the disciples rained down upon the four Masters from every angle; none of them had been blocked. The only thing that the disciples could use to prove the existence of the attack were the loud sounds it made when it pierced the air; otherwise, the Master's movements were just completely invisible.
And it was at that juncture when ten Masters became six in a flash.
The remaining six did not look so confident anymore.
"The rumors were true..." The woman trembled, backing away slowly. "You are a monster!"
Naruto disappeared and reappeared right next to the large American. "You know that I can't just let you go right?"
The blond spoke English too. And very fluently.
"U-um...Pfft-" Naruto landed a strike to his gut, knocking him out too without any effort at all.
"Well then, will you 'Masters' fight me or flee? I will give you to the count of ten to decide."
It did not even take them one to get the hell out of there. "Fuck the contract!" Many of them spat. "Uzumaki Naruto really is a Demon!"
Honoka looked up to her Master with a look of awe in her face. It always happened every time he showed off his skills. And even now when she was a trained fighter, the older man still found ways to make her admire him even more.
"I see that Kono' fell asleep..." Naruto picked up his surrogate little brother. "Cute kid. He shouldn't have been involved in all of this. Well...I wonder how Shikamaru's feign-death plan gonna work now..."
"It won't." Haku said. "It was an overly complicated idea anyway."
"He'll be angry but it's not like he would ultimately care." He checked his watch. "Hm. It's getting late. You should head home, my disciple."
Honoka resisted the urge to pummel her Master due to his nonchalant tone. "Where are the other ANBU? There was a freaking ARMY of them! Didn't you see?!"
Naruto just shrugged. "Konoha's standards are degrading. Those guys were nothing like the ANBU of the past. In the middle of my fight, your father-" He looked at Haku, "Showed up and demanded to take the rest. I've always thought he was an odd fellow, the Kiri no Kaijin (Demon of the Mist)."
"Believe me...I know." Haku nodded with a tone of exasperation. "I know..."
"Wait, so you just expect me to go home and act like this was a regular day."
Haku palmed his face.
Naruto didn't show any outward expression.
"Silly apprentice of mine. Today was a fairly regular day if I do say so myself. I was just slightly angry that Kono' had to be in slight danger...Anyway, I think I'll pick up some ramen aft-"
He dodged a flying shoe Honoka had thrown at his face.
Next Day
It was the very next day when Master and disciple found themselves sitting on a lone bench in the middle of Koryou. Beside the blond was a fairly modest bag and a conical straw hat. He wore fairly traditional Chinese clothing (Black buttoned shirt) and a white hooded cloak - what he deemed as country-side traveling cloths. The jian he had last night was covered in black cloth - that was the usual way to carry a sword without showing it.
The two were sitting serenely sharing a double pieced sour ice cream pop. "Hm...I've always liked these." Naruto said.
Honoka giggled slightly at his off-hand comment. "I like these days. When you're not tor-training me." She corrected smoothly. The Master smiled and ruffled her hair, something that was quickly becoming a favorite past time for him.
The atmosphere was both relaxing and solemn. It was such a surreal moment of peace that she found it hard to believe last night had happened at all. The chaos of yesterday was something she had never experienced before in her life - something that scared her since it was possible that those events might become regular (she hoped not). To be surrounded by dozens of assassins and ten Masters would have crushed most people. But not her.
Her Master had saved her from that.
Now she knew what the wise old men in movies meant when they spoke a bunch of jargon about peace.
It really is fickle.
"You are improving quickly. I can only imagine what you will be like once I return."
That left the girl quiet for a moment. There was a lot of things that she wanted to ask her Master before he left. She had so many questions regarding him...but at the same time, she didn't want to do anything about it yet. For some reason, Honoka felt that it really wasn't her business to speak on her Master's personal past. All that mattered was the present.
Right?
She reflected on the inner turmoil she had been going through many days before the events of last night.
Maybe she would get in one question.
"Master..." Honoka looked up to the eyes of her teacher. His crisp blue eyes never left her brown ones even for a moment. "This style...am I meant to follow the Satsujinken? I've been finding myself beating down others to the point where they can no longer even comprehend thoughts. They are broken and bloody as soon as I am finished. When I walk off, they believe me a monster. Am I destined to follow the path of Satsujinken?"
Naruto did not smile or frown as he kneeled down to reach her level, having just finished his ice cream. Honoka could not help but keep his strong gaze, and waited for his answer.
"You are in charge of your own Destiny." His palm reached the top of her hair and caressed it softly. "When I was a young man, I followed the path of the Satsujinken because it was the easiest path for me to follow. I wanted the acknowledgement of certain people - the very people who raised me into believing I was some kind burden. Growing up, I was often told that a parent-less child like me would always be worthless. They had told me stories about how soft-hearted my father and mother were...and for that very reason was why they died and left me alone. So I decided to grow up and prove them wrong. I became an infamous assassin that was feared throughout the entire world. I become exactly what they wanted me to be; a cold blooded killer."
Honoka felt frozen in her spot.
"I was young and foolish. We all are at that age but I was an exceptional fool. However..." He then smiled sagely. "I changed, Honoka. Just because you hold the power to kill others does not mean you are obligated to do so. Sure, with great power comes great responsibility but beyond that, it is up to you to decide what you want to do. Destiny is only a guide. It is you," He pointed at her heart. "-who shall choose the roads you wish to walk; the battles you wish to fight. Don't let anyone but you decide who you will become! Not even me."
Honoka's lips began to tremble and she began to nod quickly, and subtly wiped away some stray mist in her eyes. "H-hai!"
"Look at me." She did so. Brown eyes met blue once more. "I do not care what path you choose to walk. You are my disciple and no matter what path it is; whether it is Satsujinken or Katsujinken, I will always support you, Honoka."
He then stood up, put on his handy conical straw-hat, and began his departure. "This is it. It is goodbye for now, my disciple."
"M-master." She faced in the direction of where he walked, and bowed waist deep. "Thank you! For everything!"
He didn't miss a beat with his reply.
"How uncharacteristically dramatic of you. However, it is not unappreciated."
"It is YOU who is the dramatic one, Master!"
All he did was wave his hand and disappeared into the distance.
Honoka looked up to the sky and smiled. She felt as if a new page had just been turned, and a new chapter would finally begin.
END
Alright, from now on, I won't be making Honoka refer to Naruto as sensei. She will be calling him Master. I might go back to change the others but that will take a while.
*** Naruto will not just disappear from future chapters. I will be doing..."Cover" stories in each chapter with minor scenes of what he's doing. They will be written in italics. If any of you follow the One Piece manga, it is something like what Oda does with his cover pages. A side story that is eventually canon, or in this case, a part of my fanfiction. I have some good ideas. They will be done in an Omake style at the end of each chapter. I will not have him disappear, that would be kind of unfair to you Naruto readers. These cover stories are only for chapters where Naruto does not have a scene.
I'll call it, the "The Chronicles of Uzumaki Naruto." Side stories where he will be meeting numerous people, disciples and Masters. And a lot of...guest stars, you could say. Some anime fans will recognize some. Some chinese movie fans will recognize some.
*Aukuang, if you guys are wondering, is the Dragon King of the East Sea (I think it's East). He's a character in the Journey to the West.
Canon officially begins next chapter. Kenichi will finally, finally be showing up. Honoka will get a cut in screen time. But the characters of Kenichi you all love will finally be arriving. Not a tough character to write...I just need to get the right shade of wimpiness and chivalrous-ness!
THIS was my longest chapter...ever. In any fiction I've ever planned, this was the longest thing I've ever wrote. I think it's a good sign.
The ending felt a bit rushed to be honest. I hope you all enjoyed the fights and exposition in this chapter. I did a lot of shit in this chapter. A lot. The Master they fought was VERY low level. Like, almost lower than Fortuna. And that's low.
Have a nice day.
