Disclaimer:

I do disclaim that this disclaimer is to inform and to announce that I in no part own Nauro and/or Ranma half.

Reviewer reply:

The violent Tomboy: Indeed I will give the pairings deeper thought.

Soul ice: I know ranma is good at long range but I did not want him to be able to own everybody. Thanks for the suggestion and your opinion is much appreciated

Peter Kim; Wow, so many suggestions, thanks. Especially thank you for the bell test idea. I will clarify the timeline thing below. Thanks.

Kagome13Chan: Ya I got exams until next week so updates will not be as fast for another chappie.

Smith119: I am touched that this is one of your fav stories. Do not worry, I have a use in mind for the sealed techniques.Donot worry, I am well aware of the age of the sannin.

Loyal reader: In this fic sorry, I do not want Ranma to seem like a martial art's god. I want konoha to be a learning process for him.

Chaos ronin: Thanks, I will update as soon as I can

Ok let me clarify the timeline: this fic is indeed after the three year time lapse. This is slightly AU in that I kept Sakura a genin for the purposes of this fic.This chapter is dedicated to angel-puppeteer and Yanslana. Special thanks to peter Kim and smith119.

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Without further ado, chapter 4:

Ranma peered into the foliage around him from his hiding spot. There! A flash of something. Ranma ducked as an exploding tag went off mere meters from head. Shit I should have seen it coming. He quickly jumped away; he knew they were on to him. He held the small golden sphere clenched in his fist as he felt a strong aura close by- Sakura.

"Ranma-kun, you think I can't see you?" Sakura said menacingly as a boulder fell mere centimeters from his face.

He then turned and saw a flash of pink as his instincts kicked in, propelling him to safety. "Don't underestimate me!" He shot back though gritted teeth taking up a determined stance. "Lets see that confidence later", Sakura said coming in close. She smiled to herself; she knew she had the pigtailed foreigner where she wanted him to be, try to mess with me in Taijutsu Huh? She let loose a fist trailing with chakra expecting victory but flinched as she felt splinters in her knuckles.

Kawarami, damn, should have seen it comin'! She berated herself as she knew Ranma had got one up on her.

As Ranma flew off, he seethed at this stupid exercise…

"Well, Naruto, Sakura. You two have done it before, so let's make it more interesting for everyone". Kakashi had a stoic face painted under that mask but Ranma could detect a small sadistic tone in his voice. "I will give each of you one bell; the objective is for you to take a bell from your teammate, once you lose a bell too bad. Winner gets a full course meal on me"

"That asshole, he just wants to test me", Ranma cursed as he flew tree from tree looking for his target…ticket to free food. As Ranma flew into a clearing he was faced with a sight that even a full Jounin wouldn't feel too comfortable with, "Hi Ranma, like this skill, it's a speciallity of mine?" An entire clearing full of NARUTO'S, "I am so dead", Ranma's mind went into overdrive as his fists whirled, he was causing some hurting but more of the orange-jumpsuit clad Nin's was were descending upon him. "Naruto Rendan", he heard being shouted, felt a sharp kick in his midsection as he was kicked into the air. But Ranma was no slouch either, "Bunshin-No-Jutsu" Ranma screamed making the seals in mid-air as three more of him appeared, if this guy can do it, then who says I can't? "Saotome-School Revised Ultimate; Ranma Rendan".

His smile though was quickly wiped of his face as he realized something: His clones weren't real, they were just well…illusions. Ranma could taste the bitterness of raw earth as he was on the ground, Naruto's grinning face above him. "Sorry Ranma but that food is mine". Ramen, Ramen I love Ramen. Naruto got a glazed look in his eye as he though about those soft noodles sliding down his throat. "There is got to be a way to win. YES! I hate it but no choice." With a determined look, Ranma closed his eyes and visualized.

"Ranma, I shall teach you a technique that will truly make you great", Genma Saotome said with tears in his eyes as he wrapped his son in fish sausages and tossed him into the pit of hungry cats. Ranma remembered seeing darkness everywhere before feeling pain all over. He concentrated on that thought. That image of himself being mauled by the starved felines. He could remember his senses being dulled one by one until the cat took over.

Sight; the encapsulating darkness around him

Smell; the indescribable odor of fish mixed with cat fur

Touch; the scratchiness of cat fur as the surrounded his small form

Taste; the putrid taste of cat as they circled his body for the sausages

Sound; the loud meows of starved cats in search for food

He smiled as he felt the feeling come over him, that familiar rush followed by that blanking out.

"Meowwrrr", issued forth from the now feline Ranma as the human Ranma slowly disappeared. Neko-Ranma launched himself at Naruto, a dervish of claws. Naruto did not know what to make of this as his new teammate changed. With a roar, Neko-Ranma launched himself at Naruto and…….

"Ranma, wake up will you" Akane said shaking her head at the tardiness of her fiancée. "Akane, 5 more minutes", Ranma said groggily before suddenly noticing a shadow lurking behind him- Akane ala bucket of water. "What the hell you that for,Un-Cute Macho-Chick". "Sorry for being Un-Cute but hurry up I don't want to be late". Ranma woke up and got himself back to male and went downstairs.

Ranma was out of sorts 'cause of a freaky dream he had. "What happened Ranma-Kun, dreamt of Akane last night?" Nabiki asked with her usual coolness. "Dream of that tomboy! Who would want to?" Ranma found himself firmly planted in the floor courtesy of his fiancée who started walking out the door. "Stupid tomboy", Ranma whispered under is breath as he ran to catch up. "Huh, Oy Akane, wait", he shouted as he ran but he seemed to be running nowhere. "What the hell…" Ranma cursed through frustration.

"This is a dream isn't it?"

"Maybe Ranma, depends on what you call a dream", Akane said in a voice so unlike hers.

"I am not really here, huh?"

"Maybe you are, and maybe you aren't. Is this dream reality or is that reality a dream?"

"What are you talking about?"

Akane just smiled as Ranma felt suddenly very sleepy, as he collapsed to the ground…

Ranma woke with a start, his body covered in sweat. What a dream. He looked around; he was back in his apartment, but how? "Ouch!" Ranma exclaimed upon discovering his head to be bandaged up. Then it all came back to him; his going Neko and everything else. He groaned as he noticed his arms also in bandages. "Damn", he cursed before deciding to get back to bed.

Kakashi found himself in the apartment of one Saotome Ranma, indenting to get a question answered but in waiting for his young charge to awaken his thoughts led him to a peer-Jounin class special meeting by the Hokage the week before.

"We have information from our spies that he has rejoined the Akatsuki. I do not need to tell you the severity of this situation, you Jounin are the best of the Leaf, you will be mobilized if need be. Dismissed", Tsunade said during a meeting three nights ago as the Jounin's one by one started to disappear in a puff the Hokage called Kakashi back.

"Naruto will be his first target. It has been fourteen years since he last him. You do know what to do. And yeah, keep an extra close eye on Ranma would you". Kakashi's thoughts were then interrupted by a loud yawn

"You awake?" a voice said as Ranma opened his eyes to discover the source to be none other than the silver-haired jounin. "Now Ranma, you mind telling me what that technique was? You mind telling me what technique would require me to go full out on you?" It came out, slowly but it all came out. Ranma did not divulge everything, all he told Kakashi was that this technique was a forbidden one in his village and it had been declared forbidden because of the queer side effects and that his father thought he should learn it to get an edge." Fine your story seems plausible, though you might want to pay Naruto a visit, he was pretty shook up after yesterday", Kakashi said as he planted a cup of coffee on Ranma's bedside table. "Sensei, what did I do yesterday?" Silence. "Sorry Ranma, I got to go. Training's cancelled today", with that the Jounin leapt out the open window into the streets below.

"Naruto, what the…" Kakashi exclaimed as he heard a boom in the area Naruto was. "MEOWW", he heard from Ranma's lips as he seemed to go berserk, ripping at Naruto's clones like they were paper. "What the hell is wrong with him", Kakashi said through gritted teeth before pulling his mouth down, forming hand seals before he activated his trump card: the Sharingan. His Chakra! No, it wasn't JUST chakra; the color was deep pulsating silver instead of the steady blue that everyone had.

"Crap! Better take no chances", Kakashi said as he flew towards Ranma, held his right palm out and activated his own signature move- Chidori. Neko-Ranma reared up as he felt the Jounin approaching, with a growl of anger he flew at Kakashi 'claws' at the ready. Like lightning Kakashi moved as his right palm embedded itself in Ranma's shoulder. As Ranma fell to the ground in a crumpled heap, blood oozing out of many cuts in his body, Kakashi himself flinched as he discovered multiple cuts on his leg. "How…? He did not even touch me", Kakashi said as he stared at his new charge. Just WHAT was he?

"Ranma-Kun, you can't sleep forever you know, come on lets train" Sakura said as she looked at the sleeping form of her pigtailed teammate. "Later, 'sleep now, un-cute tomboy", Ranma said groggily before he suddenly felt a very strong surge in someone's aura. "UN-cute! Tomboy?" Shit, that's Sakura, and now that I think of it she and Akane are so alike. Ranma zoned out temporarily as an annoyed Sakura watched over. Ahem, she cleared her throat. "Ok Sakura, let me fix up some 'eats then I'll go", Ranma said as the familiar morning hunger came over him. Sakura looked around Ranma's squalid home and decided to do something nice for her teammate. "Its ok Ranma-kun, I'll cook something up for you. You don't look like much of a cook", Sakura had a slight blush before she started pulling out stuff from Ranma's cabinets. "Umm, thank you", Ranma replied to her. "Hope she doesn't cook like someone else I know", Ranma thought to himself pocketing a bottle of digestives just in case. "Here you go Ranma-kun", Sakura said as she dished out a breakfast of eggs.

-" Here you go Ranma-kun"; Kasumi said with a smile as she dished Ranma a steaming bowl from the rice cooker.

"Please Naruto teach me that move. Please, I will treat you to Ramen for a week", Ranma pleaded with the blonde Nin. "Fine but I don't think you will be able to handle it", Naruto said as he performed the technique.

"I do not know Ranma-kun, not everyone has the same amount of chakra as Naruto, I think you should ask Sensei", Sakura said with concern. Damn it, I will learn this technique even if it kills me, I can't forever reply on Taijutsu in this world of Ninjutsu. "Ok, here are the steps; first make the correct hand seal, then focus all the chakra you can muster then perform the move", Naruto said sagely, inwardly enjoying this opportunity to play instructor.

Well off the deep end. Ranma made the hand seal and shouted "Kage-bunshin-no-jutsu". He stared around him as three clones formed. He had done it.

He looked at the clones and was taken aback by one of them: a buxom red-haired female. Wait a minute! The clones were supposed to be well…clones. "What the hell! How did this happen. This is not supposed to happen", Naruto said in shock. The other two clones dissipated but that one still remained. Why? How? What is this?

"Ermm, can u understand me?" Ranma asked the clone, a mirror image of his female curse form. A from he had thought gone for good.

"Yo Ranma, miss me?" She said with a sad smile.

"Who…What are you" Ranma said still in disbelief as he continued to stare at the face he had save from a few instances, seen only in a mirror.

"I am you, well more like a…part of you"

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A/N: Ok, this fic is finally making some headway. "Heck not another akatsuki fic", but trust me it will all be for the best when the full plot is revealed. You must be asking why Ranma resorted to Neko-ken; the logic is that Ranma wants so badly to prove himself, to prove his worth to his new home. You see, in this fic I want to show Ranma as something more than a martial artist with issues and problems. Also if you think that Kakashi using the chidori was over the top then here is the logic for that: he does not know what energy, what technique this is so it is better to not take chances. Also the reason why Ranma can use Neko-Ken at will be explained in maybe a chapter or two.And this story WILL have some romance in it.

Ok in the next chapter the mystery of Ranma's kage bunshin is revealed, more will be disclosed about him and much more. And oh yeah, this chappie is a repost so to answer a reviewer: why is it always orochimaru that people think of? Thanks for reading. Lol listened to my John Denver album three times over while writing this fic. Please R&R.