Chapter 19

After a good morning of effort, there is nothing more relaxing than a good stroll. Especially if you are well accompanied. Ino Yamanaka and Sakura Haruno could attest that during the beautiful sunny afternoon in which Konoha was. The kunoichi apprentices had very well trained. It must be said that the instructors of the academy had become more demanding with the students since the beginning of the conflict with the Sokora, three years ago. The fresh breeze and the ambient calm along the river was perfect for forgetting all this stress and having a good conversation with a friend.

"So Sasuke knocked him down again." Sakura finished saying.

"Of course he did. Said Ino. Is this the second time this week or the third?"

"The fourth. I saw them training together yesterday and I can tell you that Naruto didn't last long. In ten minutes, it was over. "

"Really? Ino looked slightly surprised. I remember it was finished in five before. Maybe he's actually progressing. "

"Are you kidding? He spends his time trying to do techniques that don't exist. He should... "

The young pink haired kunoichi paused when her ears heard a duet of voices that she recognized. After a few more steps, Ino and her discovered their sources. Three people they knew well were there. In the shade of a tree, Shikamaru and Steven Ryan were debating while basking in the grass. If the first one seemed to be sleeping, Rai-san was, conversely, very involved in the conversation, as indicated by his lively gestures highlighted the swaying of his long black jacket and his pentacle necklace with red stones.

"And I tell you that Starcraft is much better to train your tactical mind and its adaptability." He declared.

"It sure is faster." Shikamaru replied, without opening his eyes. "But since Total War is more realistic, it brings you more useful habits to apprehend a battle."

The two kunoichi didn't understand their gibberish, and they didn't want to get into it. They were, since a long time, obeying to their parents' recommendations to stay away from the stranger who was watching over Uzumaki Naruto. Some said he was dangerous, partly because he was really weird, but mostly because he had really had bad company. It was said that he was associated with the most suspicious families in Konoha. The two kunoichis didn't really know what to think about it, but they preferred to obey. In addition, they had sometimes seen this stranger say or do bizarre things that had convinced them not to get too close to him.

Their attention was rather drawn to a sound they knew well: the whistling of the air caused by rapid blows. A little further away, they saw the famous disciple of Tsunade: Rhiannon Ashford, or Ria for short.

She, unlike the other two, was working hard on her gestures and fighting posture. She even was wearing a headband to avoid being blinded by her bowl-cut red hairs and her strand with wooden pearls. Despite her tank top, she was sweating heavily, a sign that she had been training for a while. She threw her fists with speed and precision. Her movements were performed without hesitation like a perfectly oiled mechanism. Her gaze was showing her unruffled concentration. She stretched her muscles and threw a fist which seemed to move a powerful air stream. The two girls were really impressed. They did not often see the second stranger because she usually stayed with the famous Rai-san or her sensei, away from the rest of the village. Seeing her training was a novelty that automatically captivated them.

Their fascination was interrupted when two people ran at high speed near them, yelling, "RAI-SAAAAAAN !". Shocked by this arrival, the girls discovered new people facing the lazy duo whom they were not surprised to meet in the end: Naruto and Kiba. The small dog Akamaru was standing on Kiba's head as usual. It was said that these three spent a lot of time with the foreigner, and that it was therefore better to avoid staying with them outside of the academy. In addition, since the Inuzuka affair, people did not really like spending time with this family. The stranger, on the other hand, did not seem to have any problems passing time with them. He looked at them with a relative astonishment, as if it was not the first time that he had seen someone come to meet him so suddenly.

"You absolutely have to explain to this asshole how what he says is bullshit!" Shouted the young Inuzuka, followed by Akamaru's barking of approval.

"You're the one who says bullshit!" Replied the little blond. "Anyone with two functioning neurons would say that I am right!"

"Wow!" Interrupted Steven. "Both of you calm down. What's the matter?"

The kunoichi had to admit that they were curious to know it too. From a distance, it seemed to them that Naruto and Kiba got along well usually. The two boys finished glaring at each other before the blond tornado exposed the problem.

"I've been trying for an hour to make him and his pooch understand that Flash is the best superhero in the universe!"

"Are you stupid?!" replied Kiba. "Only morons cannot admit that Superman is the best!"

"Are you kidding me?! He only wins because he is too perfect. You remove the kryptonite he has no interest! "

"Well, regarding Flash, you hurt his leg, he can't do anything, so shut up!"

The young girls watched this exchange with an expression that was both lost and dismayed. Sakura glanced at her friend in disbelief, hoping to have an early explanation. Except that Ino also didn't see what they were talking about. It was probably one of those famous incomprehensible conversations they had with each other. They avoided having them with the other students but, sometimes, someone could perceive a fragment of their discussion. No one knew what they were referring to. Usually, it was about impossible characters doing weird things like throwing rays of light screaming like beasts. The two kunoichi thought this was completely ridiculous.

Before they could make a comment, they heard a growl of frustration that they would recognize out of a thousand. The girls looked up at the branches of the tree under which Steven and Shikamaru were standing and discovered, lying in the shade, the best student of their class: Sasuke Uchiha. They did not know what he was doing there but they did not hesitate to contemplate him with bright eyes full with a thousand girly dreams.

"You are ridiculous," said the dark-haired boy, which caused a shake of approval from the two Kunoichis. "Everyone knows that the best hero is Batman."

It took two seconds for the brains of the two admirers to understand these words. Then their eyes replaced the stars with the white of dismay. Was the boy they were dreaming about every day part of the weirdo's gang? They knew he trained sometimes with Naruto, but they always saw him far from everyone at the academy. Sakura remembered that her mother had told her that one of the bad influences Steven had was the Uchiha family, but she thought that she was only referring to Itachi or the others of the clan. Not to the coolest boy in her class, the only one with whom her family had no problem seeing her talk to. Ino understood that it was because, in fact, the parents liked to see their children following the example of the best student, even if he was part of a family of traitors. Nothing more.

Under the bewildered eyes of the two girls, the three boys spent a moment arguing, without understanding anything. Terms like Batarang or Speedforce passed completely over their heads. They were even more confused when Steven asked Kiba, out of curiosity, what his sister thought about it. The Inuzuka replied that she preferred a woman named Vixen. Steven said it made sense. The kunoichis were more confused. Had everyone gone insane in the village? What was that group by the way? Some kind of sect?

"That's funny," Steven said to Shikamaru, smiling. "I feel like being back to a convention."

"Mendokuse ..." sighed the young Nara.

"So, Rai-san?!" Kiba bellowed. "Who's the best?"

The three interested boys seemed to hang on the stranger's lips, ready to hear his answer. After a few seconds, he gave it to them.

"Team Marvel."

The three ninja apprentices fell head first to the ground.

"YOU MUST BE KIDDING?!" they yelled together.

The trio didn't got time to say something else because a young female voice called the stranger with the black coat. Everyone, including the two kunoichis, turned towards the source, who happened to be another ninja apprentice with a green coat: Hasaki Tenten. The girl with the two buns passed without saying hello at full speed in front of Sakura and Ino, before stopping in front of Steven. She seemed in full panic, as if the sky was going to fall on the village.

"Rai-san! I need your help!"

"What's going on with you?" Asked the stranger with the pentacle.

"I can't finish Doom in Nightmare mode! I tried everything, I am always massacred."

The dismay reappeared on the faces of the young kunoichi with pink hairs, but a little less than before. Was she starting to get used to it? It didn't surprise them so much to find out that Tenten was in this weirdo's gang. They had already seen her spending time with Kiba and Naruto.

"Don't panic," calmed Steven. "In which level are you now?"

Tenten twisted her fingers without daring looking at him. She replied with a small tear at the corner of her eye.

"... the first one."

"Seriously?" Steven wondered. "That's unusual. Well, it doesn't matter. I suspected for a long time id software of making its levels of difficulty based on the reflexes of the super saiyan. It's probably because you're going head down. After a certain level, you have to apprehend the game with calm and mastery. Killing without thinking is only in the low levels of difficulty. "

"What should I do then?"

Steven seemed to think while observing the kunoichi with the two buns. He ended up giving her a slight smile and announcing.

"I think you're ready for the SoulsBorne games. These games will help you understand the importance of self-control and training. "

Unlike Ino and Sakura, Tenten looked pumped and her eyes filled with stars. She nodded with enthusiasm, confirming her determination to live this new adventure that Steven proposed to her. It was then that Kiba interrupted this exchange.

"That's cool but what about our problem?"

"Solve it like all civilized people," suggested the stranger with a funny strand. "Use a fighting game."

Naruto and Kiba exchanged glances to find out without saying a word if it was okay. Naruto confirmed.

"Very well. I'm gonna defeat you at Street Fighter so we won't talk about this anymore. "

"Why Street Fighter?" said an angry Kiba. "It would be better on Mortal Kombat."

"Are you crazy?!" replied Naruto. "It is so rigid that it is unplayable."

"Are you serious?" Asked Sasuke, contemptuously. "We don't care which game you settle your accounts on. Just leave us alone. "

"Shut up, Fake-Robin!" Kiba yelled. "We know you say that because you are afraid of playing with us."

Sasuke tensed in anger.

"That's right!" Added Naruto. "You can't admit that Video Games is the only thing in which we are far better than you."

"What?!" replied the Uchiha angrily. "We'll see about that! I exterminate you easily at Fighter Z! "

Sasuke immediately ran after this reply, followed by Naruto and Kiba who asked him why he would be the one choosing the game, and finally by Tenten who shouted to them that it was still her turn to play. Steven sighed with relief. He hesitated between expressing his exhaustion or his pride in front of this small group of geeks he had obviously helped to form. It was then that Ria called out with her breathless voice.

"Shouldn't you go after them, Steven?"

"Why would I?" He asked.

"Let me summarize the situation for you: four excited kids will fight over the use of fairly fragile high-tech items that you care about very much."

Steven calculated what his friend just said. Most of the scenarios that came to his mind involved broken stuffs. His face changed to pure terror.

"OH MY GOOOOOD !" he yelled before getting up to run after the kids.

The redhead with the wooden beads removed her headband and wiped herself very calmly, while asking Shikamaru.

"How long before he collapses from exhaustion? Three minutes? "

"It is very precious stuffs, almost vital to him," analyzed the young Nara. "Five, I would say."

Sakura and Ino sighed in relief as the absurd spectacle ended. They weren't even sure why they were staying. The amazement had probably paralyzed them. They could not believe that such a group could have formed within their school without them realizing it. The sportswoman finally noticed the two kunoichis. First surprised, she ended up greeting them with her hand. The girls replied politely and went to meet her. Although she was a stranger, Ria seemed to them to be much more level-headed than the five others they had just seen. In addition, they were curious to chat with the famous disciple of Tsunade.

"How are you, girls?" She asked in her tired but cheerful voice.

"Very well," replied Ino. "We're coming back from training."

"Was it Tsunade-sama who taught you how to fight the way you do?" Sakura asked.

The redhead with the wooden beads finished catching her breath before responding to them. She was delighted to chat with new people. She spent some time with Steven and the little ninjas, sometimes even with Anko, but she was taking her sensei's training very seriously. It was taking her time.

"Indeed. It is exhausting but I'm sure you will be good kunoichi too if you make as much effort as I do. "

The two girls smiled upon hearing this. Full of enthusiasm, Sakura asked her.

"Could you teach us something?"

Ria chuckled as she thought how cute this was, especially from a character with pink hair. However, she had to answer in the negative.

"Sorry, I'm a little tired now. And your friend doesn't seem to feel very well. "

Ino and Sakura looked curious. What friend was she talking about? They turned around and discovered, to their own astonishment, another breathless young girl half hidden by a tree.

"What? Isn't she with you? "Asked Ria.

The kunoichi apprentices replied in turn in the negative. Then the three of them approached this mysterious person. Once past the tree that hid her, Ria, Sakura and Ino made a surprising discovery: Hinata Hyuga, breathless as if she had just run a marathon. Ino and Sakura did not know her well, she was so shy and away from the rest of the students, but they did not expect to find her in the middle of the park in such a state. They imagined her rather locked up in the domain of her clan, like all the Hyuga.

"Hinata?" Asked Ino. "What are you doing here?"

The white-eyed little girl jumped at those who had spotted her. She then began to sputter like a child caught with the hand in the cookie jar. The puzzled looks of Haruno and Yamanaka seemed to weigh heavily on her and augmented her discomfort. Only one person had an idea of the reason for her presence: Rhiannon. She remembered the crush that the shy ninja had for Naruto in the manga, and also that she happened to follow him like a real little stalker. It was quite disturbing, but from such a young girl, it also had a cute side that made her smile a little. Since the target of her admiration had come running a short time ago, she must have followed him with an unexpected sprint from which she was struggling to recover. The more her classmates stared at her, the more Hinata seemed to turn red with shame. By compassion, Ria put her hands on the shoulders of Sakura and Ino and ended the interrogation.

"Come on girls, give her a break. We all have some little secrets. "

Sakura and Ino did not seem to understand, but agreed to give up since this request came from the famous disciple of Tsunade. Hinata, on the other hand, always seemed embarrassed but her small eyes also showed a discreet recognition towards the foreigner. The latter tried to change the subject to bury the case for good.

"Have all three of you finished training for today?"

Sakura was the first to respond.

"Yes, Ino and I have been used to doing it together for a few months."

Hinata's light voice followed.

"I worked a lot this morning, so my father gave me the afternoon to rest."

Ria remembered the leader of Hinata's clan, Hiashi Hyûga. A ninja who was described as very competent but also very severe. She knew by hearsay how severe he was with his children, but it was none of her business. She still felt compassion for the white-eyed girl. The way he was treating her was not fair to her.

"I hope he doesn't push you too hard," asked Ria. "It's important to train but it's not all you have in your life."

The three girls seemed a little embarrassed on hearing this. It looked like they were afraid to tell her something that didn't confirm her words. The intrigued look of the redhead with the wooden pearls finished convincing Ino to tell her everything.

"In fact, we haven't done anything other than that since we've stared training at the academy."

"What do you mean?" Wondered the stranger.

"Since the conflict with the Sokora became official, the Hokage asked the parents of the academy students to make their children focus on training." Said Sakura.

"He talked about this with each of the ninja clans in the village," added Hinata. "So we're working harder than before. I don't even have time to take care of my herbarium anymore."

"The academy itself has received instructions." Ino finished. "We were supposed to have a few hours of classes dedicated to tea ceremony, flower arrangement and things like this. It has been replaced by more practical courses like ninjutsu or mission study. "

Ria wasn't really surprised to hear that. She knew that the village took this conflict very seriously, and she was the first to be delighted about it. She spent her free time, quite reduced in the end, in the same bars as her sensei, drinking a little more than she should, arm wrestling with some guys and even fighting with others. When she heard people talking about Hokage's actions and efforts to fight the Sokora, she felt a form of sadistic jubilation. She was ready, herself, to give her life to annihilate this renegade clan and its leaders whom she had, in her naivety, help in the past. Every action taken against them was like another nail in the coffin of Genkishi, Nozomi's murderer. But, for some reason she didn't know, it never made her smile. And she didn't want to do it now. Ria never thought that this war could have this kind of impact on the lives of these young girls.

"And you are okay with that?" She asked.

The three ninja apprentices seemed surprised by this question. They exchanged puzzled looks before Sakura said with embarrassment.

"I'm not sure what to tell you Ria-sama. Our parents and teachers told us to do it because it is important and for our own good. We're at war after all. "

The redhead with the wooden pearls did not pay attention to the honorary title which the young girl assigned to her. She was more worried about the passive attitude she had towards this situation, as well as the others. She knew it was something normal in this world, but she didn't like it. If this continued like this, these young girls would probably know nothing except war.

"So what were you going to do now?" Asked Ria.

"Personally I was going to revise my lessons," replied Sakura.

"Me too," added Ino. "I mean, after having cleaning my kunais and shuriken."

"I was thinking about walking around a bit before coming back to the domain." Hinata explained with her small voice. "My father pays attention to my activities. He doesn't want me to do anything that would interfere with my training. "

'It's still not fair,' she thought. 'These girls should do something else from time to time. They're still kids. "

It was the machinations of Mitchell and the Sokora that had created this situation. And as she had helped them in the past, Ria felt partly responsible. Even more so when she thought how much she had appreciated all these militaristic measures that the Hokage had taken. But she couldn't hold it against him. This village was indeed in a war situation. Preparing the children for combat was kinda good, but letting them do nothing else was not healthy she thought. She wondered if it was the same for the other kids, like Naruto, Tenten and the rest of Steven's group.

She realized that this was not the case at all. She saw them regularly having fun with the geek. How was their situation different? She finally understood when she remembered that the otaku had told her that most of the time, the parents of these young ninja thought they were training. They lied to their family to spend some time with friends watching anime or playing games.

Ria didn't appreciated that at all at the beginning. It had seemed very strange to her to make them discover stories from another universe, with cars, computers, etc ... But Steven had once again being stubborn and told her that it was a good thing for them. She hadn't believed a word of it and just called him a big irresponsible nerd, before going back to training and emptying her head with Tsunade at the bar. She wondered if she had actually been wrong. Didn't she just became a brainless war machine herself? No, something helped her relaxing from time to time. She had a passion alongside her revenge. Which was not the case for these young kunoichis. Or at least she thought so. The more she thought about it, the more she realized that she had done nothing but train, fight and drink for a year.

For a moment, Ria had a new desire. A desire she never imagined she would have: sharing her passion. It was completely implausible to want to do it with ninjas from a manga, but a little voice in her heart told her that it was the right thing to do. The redhead with the wooden beads wondered then if that was what Steven had felt, years ago.

"Girls..." she said with a benevolent strength. "You want me to teach you something, huh?"

Sakura and Ino jumped and confirmed, their eyes filled with stars. Hinata was not of what to do.

"This offer also concerns you Hinata," added Ria.

The young Hyuga seemed completely taken aback. It seemed to come out of the blue, but it was tempting. She too had heard about Ria and her famous Sensei. Learning something from her could be rewarding. A little overwhelmed by the events, the white-eyed girl simply made a nod, almost by reflex.

"Then follow me," ordered the disciple of Tsunade. "I'll help you relax and teach you some things."

The three kunoichis were again completely lost. Shikamaru could finally breathe and sleep in peace.

"Mendokuse ... all of them."

Ria finished climbing a creaky old staircase. Behind her, Hinata, Sakura and Ino did not really know what to think. The redhead had promised to teach them useful things, but she had also talked about relaxing. Neither understood how the two could be done at the same time. Besides, she had made them promise to keep what they were about to do to herself, as a secret between them, and that if they were asked where they were, they had to answer that they were training. The young girls were not comfortable with this idea. Especially Hinata, who feared her father's reaction if he found out the truth.

None of them remembered the last time they lied to their family, except the little Hyuga who knew it never happened. However, the person who asked them that was the disciple of the sannin Tsunade. They wanted to know what a person they admired could teach them. In addition, the secret aspect of this whole affair made them curious. The young Kunoichis were making an act of faith towards Ria and she was well aware of it. She hoped she wouldn't disappoint them or cause them too much trouble.

As they stood in front of the door to Steven and Naruto's apartment, the girls heard a disturbing uproar behind the door, mostly made up of screams. Not a bit surprised, Ria grabbed the doorknob and opened the door wide to reveal a group of kids, one taller than the rest, and a puppy dog in the middle of a war for the possession of a laptop. Her arrival had unleashed a surprise ceasefire that froze the astonished fighters in a ridiculous posture, a real bag of human knots.

"Ria? What are you doing here?" Asked Steven.

Ria entered the apartment taking a deep breath. She gathered all her courage, which she did not think she needed to do, before asking to Steven.

"I need to borrow your stuffs this afternoon."

"Line up like the other!" Bellowed the little blond.

"Shut up Naruto!" Steven said angry, before questioning his friend with curiosity. "Can I know why?"

Ria had trouble expressing herself. She couldn't believe it would be this difficult to ask that to her friend. She never was comfortable with her passion, especially at her age, and therefore never was able to share it with someone else. There, she was about to do it in secret, but that required to tell it to him. She knew that Steven was not an idiot. Even if she chose her words carefully, she could not hide her intentions from him. But he was her friend. He had been very nice and understanding with her. Ria rubbed her neck, feeling a bit silly, before telling him the truth.

"I would like to share something with the girls. I think it would benefit them."

She couldn't say more, but she knew it was enough. Steven emerged from the human agglomeration he had formed with Naruto, Sasuke, Kiba and Tenten, letting them all fall to the ground. The geek then approached the disciple of Tsunade with a determined step. He stopped right in front of her and stared at her so piercingly that she had the annoying impression that his eyes were looking at the depths of her soul. After several disturbing seconds, the geek finally puts a firm hand on his friend's shoulder.

"I understand," he said with a voice full of conviction. "My stuffs are yours. Use it wisely to spread the good word. "

"Th... Thank you," said Ria in embarrassment.

Steven approached the door and called the rest of his group.

"Come on everyone. We're going to debate at the restaurant. "

"What?" Kiba exclaimed. "You must be kidding!"

"What? Don't you want to know once and for all who is the best member of the Justice League? "

"That's an excuse!" Continued Sasuke.

"It's just so we leave even if it's our turn to play." said Naruto.

"That's true!" Tenten confirmed. "And anyway, everyone knows that the best is Green Lantern."

"NANI ?!" yelled the rest of the pack.

The group then left the apartment fighting again, under the amused gaze of the geek. His face seemed to say, amused: 'Kids...' Steven asked Ria a question while he was on the doorstep.

"How long do you think it will take?"

"I was thinking about spending the whole afternoon there if you don't mind." Tried the redhead.

"No problem. I will join the debate and defend the Wonder Woman case to buy some time. Someone has to do it after all. "

"Really? I thought your favorite was Batman. "

Steven seemed to think for a moment, uncertain, before answering.

"Let's say they tie for first place."

After that, Steven left the apartment, closing the door behind him. Ria turned to the three girls she had picked up. She was consumed with doubt, but she couldn't really move back. She asked them to sit on the sofa while she gathered the laptop and hard drives. The warrior looked for the computer and put it on the coffee table, explaining to the girls what it was and what they were going to do. It was not easy to explain to them the principle of an animated movie. Even less so what the Disney company was in a nuanced way, given the passion she had for their films. She did it, however, without much problem. She offered them to drink something, to let them digest all the explanations she had just given.

She wanted to curse Steven for having only iced tea in his fridge, but her thought were interrupted when she noticed a bunch of little notebooks on it. She knew what it was and felt curious. She wanted to see what was written in at least one of them. She knew it was private, but it was her who had offered Steven to fill it out. The geek hadn't talked about his strange dreams in a long time. She was starting to worry, and told herself that she could still blame Steven for misplacing his stuffs. She grabbed one of the notebooks, the one above the pile. It was only half full, so it was the most recent. She opened the last page filled and read with a little guilt what was written there.

- A killer with metal claws and his team (X-men Films)

- A soldier on a red planet slaughtering demons (Doom 2016)

- A banknote printer guarded by people in red (La Casa De Papel)

- A city invaded by giant man-eaters (Attack on Titan)

- A giant building in which a woman fights with a polymorphic weapon (Control)

Despite all these years, Ria had no idea what her friend's visions represented. She was mad at herself for giving him false hope. With the tip of the notebook, borrowed from her psychiatrist father, she thought she had helped him, but neither he nor she had found an explanation. She put the notebook down, her heart heavy, before returning to the young Kunoichis with cans of fresh tea. She didn't realize it, but at that very moment, she was smiling.

"So girls, I thought we would start with Cinderella and Brave, just to vary the pleasures. If we have time, maybe we'll end up with Beauty and the Beast. "

References :

Starcraft, Total War, DC Comics, Dragon Ball, Marvel, DOOM, Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat, Dragon ball Fighter Z, Jojo's bizarre adventures, Cinderella, Brave (2012), Beauty and the Beast.