Alright last chapter for this year! HOpe you guys enjoyed it. Anyways, onto the story!
Reminder, I have a pat reon, look up azndrgn making fanfic. Donators get perks!
This story has been beta by ZShaq and TheReader2011. Enjoy, leave a review for me to improve!
Heads up, the Zanshin-ryu is not OC, but just characters that originated from the anime only and not the manga. I merely decided to include them in.
Also, heads up in this chapter as there will be people talking in different languages. So by default, they speak Japanese. Anything like this: [Dialogue] Means that the people are talking in a different language, such as English or French.
"So far so good," said Kenichi quietly to Miu as they stood at attention while Sakaki's client, Gauche, was finishing up his business. They were at a rather luxurious dining hall at a tower, with Gauche eating his dinner while Sakaki sat across, chugging on some beer as usual. Much to their surprise, it was the same tower from the last timeline. They had suggested to Gauche to dine at another more secure location, but Gauche wouldn't have it. He wanted to dine right there.
"So, three days here and nothing happens," scoffed Gauche, "If I knew that, then I wouldn't have bothered hiring you."
"And you'd be dead by that assistant of yours that you didn't even know was a spy," replied Sakaki, causing Gauche to sputter.
A few more minutes passed before Sakaki stood up.
"Gotta take a leak," grumbled Sakaki as he left the room.
"So...," started off Gauche, looking at Miu with a rather lusty look, "You're a pretty one. Would you like to come with me? I can promise you that all your needs will be taken care of."
"No," replied Miu before Kenichi could even say anything.
"Surely there is something," pressed on Gauche.
Kenichi's fist started to tighten a bit until Miu put her hand over his.
"Everything I want is right here," replied Miu without hesitation, "Do not ask again or Sakaki-san will be most upset with you."
Gauche pouted but returned to his dinner. It was only seconds before Kenichi and Miu noticed someone coming towards the window from the outside.
"Duck!" shouted Kenichi as he quickly dove to cover Gauche while Miu kicked up the table to protect themselves.
The windows shattered as Christopher Eclair kicked it into pieces.
"Hoho, what perfect timing," smiled Christopher as he landed, "Shio-chan isn't here."
Four more of his ladies dropped into the building along with him, all dressed in a similar fashion to each other, a turquoise blouse, pants, and heeled shoes that had blades in them. Of course, Christopher had been monitoring Gauche for the past few days, trying to find the perfect opportunity to strike. When Sakaki had left, he had another person whom he bribed to lock the doors and place as many obstacles between Sakaki and this room.
"How did you find me?" shouted Gauche from behind the table in shock, "My location is supposed to be a secret!"
"Fufufu, you never bothered checking if you had a tracer on you. And why would the great Gauche-sama do so?" teased Christopher, "Well then, before I kill you, I suppose I'll have to get rid of Shio-chan's cute little company. Ladies... take them out."
With that, the four women with Christopher all stamped the ground with their heel once, forcing a blade to protrude out of their shoe platform.
"Save me!" begged Gauche to Kenichi and Miu, "I'll give you tons of money if you can beat them all up!"
Kenichi merely pushed him off and prepared to fight, along with Miu.
"You should know that's pointless," said Miu to Gauche, "We both fight for our own belief. We fight and follow it with all our might."
'Belief?' thought Gauche in puzzlement.
The four ladies split into two teams, each taking one person.
Miu easily dodged the bladed kicks before catching one of her opponent's legs. Before her opponent could react, Miu had already jumped and slammed a left knee to her opponent's head. Just a second later, Miu twisted her opponent's leg, forcing her to fall down before using the same leg to land an arc kick to the face, knocking her unconscious.
[Bitch!] her other opponent shouted while trying to stab her.
Miu jumped into air flipping before blocking the kick with her leg while simultaneously landing a blow to her other opponent's stomach. Her opponent coughed out spit upon impact and tried attack once more, but Miu jumped over her head and behind her back. The woman turned around just in time for Miu to flip in the air and slam a kick into her chin, rattling her brain.
Fuurinji Kyokaiyoku (Big Wave)
"Hoo, those are some good moves," noted Christopher with interest before turning over to the boy. So far, all he had done... was dodge. Granted, it was good dodging, considering the male didn't even have a scratch on himself or his clothes. His face was steep with concentration. Christopher pondered about this male until he opened his mouth.
Right then and there, a small face on his uvula was screaming, "Blades are scary! Blades are scary!"
[Stand still Japanese boy!] shouted one of his opponent in frustration.
Christopher could only facepalm at the sight of this while Miu giggled. Despite being much older now, he still had the same temperament, but that's why she loved him.
"Why isn't he doing anything!?" shouted Gauche from his hiding place.
"Because he holds true to his principles," replied Miu, "One thing Kenichi won't do is hit a girl."
"But they're clearly trying to kill him!" shouted Gauche in disbelief.
"It is a rather foolish principle in the underworld," admitted Miu, "But no matter what, he'll always follow it. That's my Kenichi for you."
'Principle?' pondered Gauche once more.
Suddenly, Kenichi finally reacted when one of his opponents overextended her fist. Kenichi used the rope from his meteor hammer to make a loop around her arm. He spun, taking her with him, and rolled on the ground before managing to pin her safely.
The other female tried to stab Kenichi in the head with a kick, but Kenichi dodged it while also managing to make another loop around the leg.
"Alright here I go!" shouted Kenichi before he went to work.
"Hey!"
"Stop that!"
"Where do you think you're... kyaaa!"
Seconds later, Kenichi stood back, wiping the sweat on his forehead off with his hand. The result? Both women were hilariously tied up together in awkward positions. Legs and arms were crossed over in positions that they couldn't summon any power to break out of it.
"Kenichi... how do you know how to tie girls up?" asked Miu with a frightening smile, wondering about his... preferences.
"Hmm? Oh from my How To series," smiled Kenichi, not noticing the horrifying smile or aura as he pulled out a book hidden in his vest.
It was titled: How To Tie a Person Up So Well That They Can't Escape, Even If They Are Masters!
'That's... oddly specific,' thought the majority of people who saw that book. Christopher was even tempted to see if it really lived up to its hype before shaking that thought off.
"Impressive you two," stated Christopher as he clapped his hands, "May I know your names and affiliation to Shio? Are you both his disciples?"
"Furinji Miu. I live at Ryozanpaku with my grandfather, Sakaki, and the others."
"Shirahama Kenichi. Ryozanpaku's disciple, and Sakaki-shisho's first disciple!"
Christopher raised his eyebrows much higher at this. He certainly wasn't expecting the granddaughter of the Invincible Superman Fuurinji Hayato, and the boy was certainly a pleasant surprise.
"Well, since you two have entertained me, I'll give you two a choice. Keep in mind I usually don't do this. Leave right now, and I won't kill you. I only need to kill Gauche Wynn, after all."
As if to emphasize this, he let out a huge KI blast at them, hoping to scare them off. If he was impressed before, he was astonished to see Kenichi and Miu fight it off, and even give off their own KI aura. Not to mention Christopher could tell Kenichi's KI control was already at Master level, while Miu wasn't too far behind.
"Hohoho, count me surprised!" laughed Christopher, "Now I'm really interested in you two! Perhaps I'll just steal you two away as my disciples instead! Want to learn Savate? Come on, I know you're interested. No? Then die."
Christopher charged forward, launching a barrage of kicks. Kenichi quickly started deflecting and dodging the attacks as best he could, using Ryusui Seikuken. Miu was flanking Christopher, using Rittoku no Kan, exciting her spirit and pushing her 5 senses to their utmost limit.
"Not bad, you can take me on 45%," said Christopher, "What happens if I start increasing it though?"
Miu began to launch of barrage of attacks, forcing Christopher to dodge.
Christopher saw an opening in Miu's attack and was about to punch her stomach when his senses screamed at him to dodge. He quickly did so just in time to see a kick go right by his head from Kenichi.
"Haaaaaa!" Miu and Kenichi both yelled out as they began their offensive against Christopher.
'Hmm, these two work really well together,' thought Christopher as he dodged, 'Usually, two people of similar strength tend to clash with each other, but these two are working perfectly in sync. Then again, considering both of them are residents of Ryozanpaku, it's not too far-fetched that they fight against and with each other. Each one cover's the other's openings, making it harder to fight back.'
Then he began to see just what type of fighting style the two had.
'Karate... Muay Thai... Chinese Kenpo... Jiujitsu... ooh this attack seems to be one he made up,' thought Christopher as he analyzed Kenichi, 'Looks like he's taken a variety of martial arts.'
Then his mind turned towards the girl, 'Hmm, mixed martial artist here. She certainly must have learned that from her grandfather, taking in various styles and making her own. Ooh was that Pencak Silat? No.. a little different... Supreme Silat? Quite an intriguing style mixed in that.'
"I should stop playing around," declared Christopher before suddenly speeding up. He went right through the narrow gap in their attack and kicked Kenichi up into the air. Kenichi managed to guard with his left forearm, but the hit still went through.
He then spun and punched Miu in the stomach, sending her away before dashing to where Kenichi would be landing. Before he could jump up to kick him, Miu was already on him, sending a flurry of blows.
Furinji Chigiritsubame
Christopher blocked all the fast-paced attacks before kicking her away, this time even harder into the wall. Miu screamed as she coughed up blood.
"That was foolish," said Christopher as he quickly turned his attention back to Kenichi before freezing for a second.
Kenichi was no longer using Sei Ki, but Dou Ki, and it was surrounding his body. His arms were raised up as he managed to reorient himself in the air. He was using the same technique he attempted on Tsutomu, only to fail that time. This time, Christopher hadn't seen this coming until it was too late.
Shuto Muzandachi
It was a combination of the original Shuto Muzan that he used against Satomi Kajima and a twist, incorporating Kajima's own move Shinogidachi into it. It was a step below the original move as it carried less risk but was still effective in increasing his strike's power.
Christopher tried to hit him, but the counter landed first. Combining all his power as well as gravity, Kenichi slammed his attack into Christopher's chest, from collarbone to waist. Of course, Christopher tightened his muscles and released his Ki to fight against the attack.
The first thing Christopher noticed was that his collarbone was fractured and his ribs were bruised, maybe fractured. The second thing that followed after was that his chest was feeling rather numb. Like he couldn't move at all. His eyes widened as he quickly managed to spin on his left leg, swinging his right leg still up in the air and pushed Kenichi away from him, buying him some breathing room.
'What a scary technique,' Christopher thought as he tried to regain control of his body once more, 'Against any disciple class, that attack could seriously injure or even kill them. Expect class would have trouble with it. He only got me because I got distracted. Didn't expect Shio's disciple to have such a deadly technique. But knowing Shio's temperament, this boy probably never uses that technique on disciple level class.'
As Christopher stared at Kenichi, who was slowly rising up, the more interested he grew in him. The boy was certainly a prodigy, a one in perhaps trillion. He wanted to steal him and take him as his own disciple! Grinning at the thought, he decided to go at 100%.
Before anyone could do anything, the wall next to Christopher suddenly blew up, sending Christopher flying a bit.
"Chestooo!" yelled out Sakaki as he punched through the wall, "Now, I know you're not headhunting my disciple, right?"
"Shio you cheater!" shouted Christopher, "Using a surprise attack like that!"
"Says the man trying to poach disciples!" shouted Sakaki back, "Especially mine!"
This argument actually went on for several seconds before Sakaki decided to end things.
"You… how'd you get past all my obstacles!?" demanded Christopher.
"What, your measly guards and spike traps? I just took another path in. I would've come here earlier, but I was curious to see how my disciple would fare against you. After all, a mother lion breaks the legs of the prey to let her young practice hunting," smirked Sakaki, "I poked a hole in the wall to watch the whole fight.
'There it is, the logic of a beast,' thought Miu and Kenichi before they looked at the wall Sakaki had punched through just to see 4 other walls with giant holes in them.
"You brats okay?" asked Sakaki as he turned his head towards them.
"You're distracted!" shouted Christopher as he tried attack Sakaki, only for Sakaki to grab the offending leg.
"Looks like you're overconfident," growled Sakaki as his eyes began to glow, Ki pulsing through his body, "You just took a major hit from my disciple. I wouldn't be surprised if some of your bones were fractured. But you've done quite a number on my disciple, haven't you? Now I'm really mad!"
Christopher gulped as he knew what was coming. A second later, Sakaki punched him several times all over his body. A second later, he punched him through the wall. As if that wasn't enough punishment, Sakaki continued his fierce attack, leaving Christopher with no way to defend. Another wall collapsed as Sakaki kicked Christopher into it. Explosions could be seen in the distance even though no explosives were actually involved.
By that time, both Miu and Kenichi quickly ran and hugged Sakaki, hoping to stop him. It didn't matter that they knew Sakaki knew how to … questionably hold back, seeing him beat someone up so badly just made them react.
"Relax you two," said Sakaki as he slowly breathed out, "I may look angry, but I'm actually very calm right now."
'Liar!' thought both of them.
"This is... true martial arts!?" gaped Gauche, kneeling in disbelief. He had pulled out his gun but found it quite useless in the face of such power. And the boy and girl... despite being outclassed, they clearly stuck around to fight. Thoughts began to go through his head about principles and belief.
Meanwhile, at Shinpaku Headquarters
The invaders, codenamed Spark and Shadows, were attacking. Three people, two female and one male, were wreaking havoc in the courtyards as Matsui and the others tried to attack them.
"We're looking Shirahama Kenichi!" shouted the female named Spark. She had a tight red suit on, along with a helmet and mask to hide her face and hair. Shin and elbow guards were on her, which she used to scrape the ground, creating sparks. The only reason most could tell this was a female was that she had a rather lithe but sturdy body, and the obvious chest and lack of a male organ in the tight suit. That, and her voice sounded female.
"If you do not bring him out, we will take a more... direct approach," declared the tall well-built man with scraggly black hair and a dark headband, who was wearing black ninja-like gear. A rather busty female next to him wore a similar outfit, except in red, showing that the two were in the same dojo. Both of them had chosen not to don a mask.
"Kekeke, if you're looking for him, he's not here," cackled Niijima as he entered the courtyard, "He's off on a mission right now."
"Then call him here," declared the male, "Otherwise you will all suffer the consequences."
"Now, now, there's no need for that," replied Niijima, "Frankly, I doubt you could even scratch him, much less fight him."
That rankled all three of their nerves. A weird alien-looking boy who seemed to have no real martial arts training was judging them too weak to fight Kenichi. Ogata had told them not to fight Kenichi if possible and to leave it to their masters, but each one of their masters privately told them to fight him if possible to show just who was the strongest. Their own pride demanded it.
"Why don't we make a deal?" asked Niijima, knowing he had them hooked, "You beat three of Shinpaku's commanders, and I'll get Kenichi here."
"Deal!" shouted the male as he got into a fighting stance, "Who's going to fight?"
Niijima glanced at commanders before making an easy decision, "Kisara, you take Spark. Takeda, you're taking male Shadow, Siegfried, with female Shadow."
The groups were quickly made, each one facing their opponent.
"I think it's obvious to say this, but don't hold back," whispered Niijima to his commanders, "Kisara, don't underestimate your opponent."
Feeling a bit angry at this advice being aimed at her, she growled as she faced Sparks.
"Yo, can I get a name? I'm Takeda Ikki," said Takeda as he put up his fists.
"Those who are prepared to die tomorrow need no names," replied the opponent as he charged in, "Just know you will die to the Zashin Taisha-ryuu!"
"Lalalala! Come, and let us battle!" sang Siegfried, "Let the glorious song of my master fill you! I can sense darkness in that heart of yours!"
"Hmph, what a weird person," said the female as she raised her fist, "This'll be fast."
"Hmph, so I get to fight the other female," said Kisara, "You got a name? Or will I be calling you Spark the whole time."
"... Raichi Li," replied the female, "It'll be the last name you'll know before you die."
"Ooh, ominous," Kisara shot back, "Nanjo Kisara. It'll be the last name you remember before I knock you the fuck out."
Same deal, takes place all at once
Takeda began weaving towards his opponent, dodging fists that were sent his way while returning with right jabs. So far, there had been no clean hits between them.
"Not bad," complimented Takeda as he dodged a kick.
"Hmph. For a low target, you're not too horrible," replied the male as he parried a jab before kneeing Takeda in the chest. Takeda managed to close his forearms together to block but noticed when his guard went up that his opponent's leg wasn't retreating. Rather it was turning his knee attack into an upward kick.
'Shit!' thought Takeda as he tried to pull his forearms back down, but it was too late. His opponent's kick landed in his stomach.
'What the hell is with this person!?' thought the female as Siegfried continued to… sing while attacking. The objective of the Zashin Taisha-ryuu that she specialized in was to break her opponent's guard and slam them with another attack before they could get their guard up. Siegfried, however, counteracted this with his counter style by rotating along his opponent's attack rather than blocking.
"Lalala! Having trouble with my style?" asked Siegfried as he rotated away from a kick and countered with a roundhouse punch.
"Don't think I'm limited to just one style of attack!" shouted the female as she blocked it before going to grapple him, "If I grapple you, then you'll have no way to defend yourself!"
Kisara launched a kick first, just for Raichi to duck under and try to stab Kisara with a thrust. Kisara barely dodged it, but her shirt was caught in the thrust before Raichi pulled away, ripping her shirt off to reveal a sports bra.
"Don't look you guys!" shouted Ukita as his hands started crushing Kamiko's head to block the view.
Kisara covered her chest in embarrassment before noticing Raichi touching her own chest, as if comparing something before laughing at her. A choju giga cat waltzed by Kisara as she processed this before she roared in anger.
"You bitch!" roared Kisara as she uncrossed her arms, uncaring about her current state of dress, "I'll kill you!"
"Kisara-sama! Please remain calm!" called out Shiratori, "She's just trying to get a psychological edge!"
Kisara responded by launching a barrage of kicks with just her right leg, forcing Raichi to jump.
"Gotcha!" shouted Kisara as she flipped into the air, sending out her left leg to kick. Raichi quickly blocked this, just to find out that it was a trap.
Double Tornado Kick
Kisara's right leg slammed into her face, sending her into the pavement.
"Ha, you weren't that hard were you?" taunted Kisara as she landed, "I don't care if you're a group of selected martial artists. In the end, the one who's still standing is the stronger one."
Kisara flipped her off as she finished her statement. Raichi slowly got up before approaching Kisara once more, stumbling at each step.
Kisara sighed before commenting, "Hey, now, I'll recognize your stubbornness, but it's over."
"Kisara, dodge!" snapped Niijima.
Kisara quickly jumped backward, a bit shocked at Niijima's prompt command and followed his order without arguing. A second later, Raichi's hand struck right where Kisara's head would have been. Judging by the wind Kisara felt from the strike, she knew that would've have hurt and possibly disabled her a bit.
Up on the building looking down at them all stood Tenmon Li. He was responsible for the three Yomi disciples that were currently fighting as well as the one who would personally take Kenichi. When he heard Kenichi was currently busy on other business, he was tempted to just have them retreat. Instead, he decided to watch the situation unfold. Currently, the Zanshin Taisha-ryuu male user, Kurando Yakabe, was dominating against the boxer. The female user, Tsukasa Yakabe, seemed to be having trouble against the one called Siegfried. Even with grapples, the man would somehow slip out of them or spin too fast that she couldn't get a grip.
Lastly, his own daughter was breaking out Zui Quan, or drunken fist. He was surprised when Kisara dodged the attack, but even more so that the one that seemed to have no real martial arts training was able to see through the deception.
"Seems like the leader is more familiar with identifying and strategizing," murmured Tenmonn, "He has some good eyes."
The rest of the Zanshin Taisha-ryuu decided it was a brilliant idea to attack Ryozanpaku and try to claim the strongest for themselves. Tenmon scoffed at the idea, calling them fools in his mind. If it was so easy, then Yami would have done it long ago. Not only did he know the master of all Chinese martial arts, Ma Kensei, resided there, but there were other grandmasters in there. And the one to avoid most of all was the Invincible Superman himself, Furinji Hayato. Tenmon had no doubt they would be completely wiped out and had opted to supervise instead.
"Wait, time out!" shouted Takeda after taking numerous hits.
Kurando actually paused in surprise at this before replying, "What, are you giving up?"
"No, I need to take these damn restraints off!" said Takeda with a serious tone as he took off his shirt to reveal a full-body restraint, "I can't fight in them that well!"
'So that's why some of my hits felt weird,' thought Kurando before speaking, "Hmph, no matter. The results will still be the same!"
"We'll see," grinned Takeda as he snapped off his restraints, letting them fall to the ground, "Round 2!"
Kurando threw a right straight, just for it to clash right into Takeda's left straight. Seconds later, Kurando's straight was completely overpowered, blowing his arm back and leaving him open.
'Strong!' thought Kurando before a right upper slammed into his stomach.
"Finally got you!" shouted Tsukasa as she maneuvered herself around Siegfried before trying to throw him into the ground. She planned to punch Siegfried in the throat right after, ending this fight. Siegfried, however, had other plans. Right before Tsukasa could let go after throwing him, Siegfried grabbed her wrists during the momentum, dragging her with him.
Nirvana No Canon, Throw Plus!
Siegfried spun and counter threw Tsukasa into the ground, causing spit to come out of her mouth from the throw. She quickly rolled away when Siegfried tried to elbow drop her while calling out "Accent Drop!"
Kisara and Raichi were fighting in rather even terms. Kisara, after the match against Ragnarok, pitted herself against Freya and the Valkyries a few more times to train herself. Even though Freya said she had lost, Kisara didn't feel like she had won either. She didn't win with her moves, but rather copying Miu. To her, it felt like Miu had beaten Freya instead. So she would challenge Freya time and time again. Freya didn't seem to mind, as this gave her the chance to improve herself. The Valkyries were eager as well, mainly because they didn't get the chance to beat Kisara up last time. They still felt Kisara had betrayed the Valkyries and Freya when she left to form her own group, despite Freya saving her.
Back into the fight, Kisara launched a kick to which Raichi ducked under before grabbing the leg and pushing up, causing Kisara to lose her balance before taking an elbow to the ribs. Coughing in pain, she tried to thrust kick Raichi away, but Raichi knocked the kick away with a sweeping kick, followed by another sweeping kick.
Kisara jumped away, just for Raichi to suddenly flip and try to land an ax kick to Kisara's stomach. Kisara, who's reaction was much faster thanks to all that training, spun lashed her right leg out, meeting the kick head-on with her own.
The result?
Kisara and Raichi's kick ended in a draw, forcing Raichi to land on her back while Kisara landed on her side.
"How did they get so strong?" sputtered Ukita as he witnessed all three fights, "I know Takeda has a master, but Siegfried and Kisara seemed to have improved!"
"Kisara has been training with Freya and the Valkyries," replied Niijima, "She's basically my envoy to bring them over to the Shinpaku Alliance."
"Then what about Siegfried!" said Ukita.
"Oh that's easy. I found him a master," replied Niijima.
"What? When?"
"Lalala I shall explain!" sang Siegfried as he spun and knocked Tsukasa unconscious with a well placed blow to the temple, "My lord once asked me if I wanted to improveeeee! I told him that I feltttt that my master was in Tibetttt! He then surprised me and showedd me my masterrr! I have never been in such awe of such a wise lorddd!"
"Who is?" asked Ukita.
"A row of Tibetan prayer wheels," replied Niijima, "and some Tibetan prayer chants on recording and a big rock for him."
"How does that even work!?" shouted Ukita, "That's not even alive!"
"It was when my lord spun the wheellll! That I understoodddd! That these wheels were the master I was looking for! For they possessed the knowledge of the martial arts I wanted to master!"
"That's bullshit!" called out Kisara from her fight.
"So that explains those weird chants and spinning I heard," chimed in Takeda as he launched a cross counter against Kurando. He took in the new information in stride, giving a sparklilng smile as he did so.
"Indeed! I began spinning on that rock, and continued as long as I could! I would've gone straight for fifteen days and kept continuing if this battle hadn't happened!" sang Siegfried as he began to write in some musical compositions in his notebook.
"Well since Siegfried ended his fight, let's end ours!" smirked Takeda as he ran forward.
Kurando gritted his teeth as he looked at a now prone Tsukasa, worried for his sister. He charged forward, agreeing this fight needed to be over. He feinted a punch before closing in, grabbing Takeda in a hold.
"You can't punch anymore this close can you, boxer!" shouted Kurando as he tried to crush Takeda with a bear hug, before trying to lift him for a throw, "Boxing is a sport that has no place in the world of martial arts with its limitations of using their fist only!"
"Hmph, and yet my master was exalted for using a gentleman's sport," replied Takeda as he shifted his left hand close to Kurando's chest, exactly 10 centimeters apart.
'What can he do with such little space?' thought Kurando before getting a painful answer.
10 centimeters was more than enough space for Takeda to shift his whole body and punch Kurando in the ribs, fracturing them. Kurando was forced to let go due to the pain, which he immediately tried to rectify. However, it was too late. Takeda used this opening and fired a left straight, right into Kurando's head knocking him down. The only reason he wasn't unconscious was his desire to make sure his sister was safe.
'This isn't good,' thought Raichi as she noticed she was the last one still standing. If the other two decided to join in the fight, she would lose. She was already having some trouble with Kisara, though she knew if the fight kept continuing she would win. However, time was no longer her friend. The one named Siegfried was curiously more focused on writing musical compositions, though.
"Don't get distracted," snapped Kisara as she used a hammer kick.
Raichi decided to end it, dodging the attack before hitting Kisara's standing leg. A second later, Raichi elbowed Kisara in the nose as she was falling, sending her backward. Before Kisara could land, though, Raichi snaked her body around Kisara, holding her hostage and putting her thumb and index finger on her throat.
"I've had enough of this," snorted Raichi as she tightened her grip on Kisara's throat, "Bring me Shirahama Kenichi, or the girl dies!"
"Hey, that's unfair," shouted Matsui.
"I don't care," spat out Raichi, "I have a job to finish!"
Seconds seemed to pass as the other Shinpaku members glanced at each other, not knowing what to do. Raichi had managed to maneuver herself so that all current members were in front of her and the exit behind her. Tsukasa and Kurando were slowly picking themselves up. Things seemed to be going Yomi's way...
"Hahaha, guess I'll have to be the man and save her!"
Before Raichi could blink or move, a palm was softly placed on her face.
Koppou no Tooshi
Raichi felt intense pain as the hit disrupted her brain, forcing her to let go as she fell to the floor while releasing Kisara.
"Urg," groaned Kisara as she massaged her throat, disliking this feeling she was currently having. The feeling of losing once again. She looked at her savior just to see Shinnosuke Tsuji standing before her.
"Yo," Tsuji gave a two-handed salute, "I'm back from my training! So these punks want to mess with Ragnarok?"
"Idiot," coughed Kisara, "Ragnarok disbanded two weeks ago."
"WHATTT!?" shouted Tsuji in surprise, "But... my training! My friends! I.. I.. GOD DAMMIT! Then why did I get summons to come back!?"
"What summons?" asked Shiratori.
"I was told to come back via text message," replied Tsuji as he held up his phone.
"You idiot, we don't do summons by phone, remember?" said Kisara.
"Then who...," trialed off Tsuji, just remembering this fact.
Niijima looked to the side, whistling an innocent tune.
"It does not matter!" sang Siegfried, "You came to us in a time of need! And together we shall play this song! This song... of friendship and loyalty!"
"... sure," sweatdropped Tsuji before turning towards Yomi, "Looks like I didn't smack her hard enough. That's what I get for not going all out."
Raichi Li was indeed slowly standing up, shaking the concussion off. Unable to bear it, she took off her helmet and mask to reveal her face, green eyes and bright pink hair, a rather unique color for... anyone really.
'… cute,' thought Tsuji with a small blush before getting ready to attack.
"I can't end it like this!" growled Raichi as she got a second breath before putting on her helmet once more, "I'll say this once more! Bring out Shirahama Kenichi! Or I will no longer hold back and kill you all!"
"Why do you want Kenichi so bad?" asked Ukita in disbelief.
"All for my family back in China!" snapped Raichi back, "If I defeat Ryozanpaku's strongest disciple, then my three years of training in one of Yami's empty-handed training engine, Yomi, will have meaning. I'll be noticed by Yami and be sent on high paying missions, including protection, and if necessary, assassinations. Yami is the last living martial artist's sanctuary."
Chills went down their spines of everybody else at her statement.
"Oy, oy, those are some dark things you're talking there," said Ukita nervously.
"I'm afraid she's not joking about that," stated Siegfried as she took a glance at Kisara's throat, "She was serious."
"You're going to go after Kenichi just for money!? What a fraudulent girl!" shouted Takeda.
"You, despite how talented you are, have no right to say anything as a person who merely takes martial arts as a hobby," replied Raichi, "How could you even begin to understand? To me and my family, martial arts is something you earn your food for! And for some of us, it is our life!"
Kurando and Tsukasa, who woke up, nodded in agreement as they readied themselves once more.
As the Shinpaku Alliance readied themselves once more, Niijima decided to make his move.
"You know, Yami isn't the only one martial arts sanctuary."
The three martial artists shifted their attention to Niijima now.
"My company, the Shinpaku Alliance, will become a martial arts organization too! My company will utilize both martial artists and whatever talent they have. Already my company has already lifted off! My loyal Siegfried practices martial arts, which inspire him to create songs that have already become big hits! Takeda will most likely become a world champion, and with his backstory, which I have reserved for Kenichi, will inspire others! Thor has already prepared himself for the future to spread his combat sumo! And if you want, I can recruit you too!"
He pointed at Raichi, "You, girl! I can tell despite all your yammering, you actually don't want to kill."
Raichi shifted uncomfortably at the statement while Niijima continued, "No, you love the Earth too much. I can tell you love flowers too, considering you scouted this place earlier and kept looking at the flowers and playing with them."
"You noticed!?" gasped Raichi, as she was sure that she had done so without anyone looking.
"Nothing escapes my sight when it comes to my base," cackled Niijima, "But you see, those flowers and plants were so tenderly cared for by none other than Shirahama Kenichi! Even while fully committed in martial arts, he has time to not only chase his dream of being a writer but also tend to plants! All the plants here were all cared for by he himself! I can ensure you that if you join my company, you'll never to kill anyone to earn money! We share the same policy of Ryozanpaku, the Katsujinken!"
Raichi was shaken at this statement, not knowing what to do anymore.
"A lot of good that'll do," spat out Tsukasa, "As we speak now, all of our masters and members have invaded them, and most likely killed them all!"
This was met by raucous laughter from Niijima himself, slightly scaring his own members and Yomi.
"Oh I doubt the Zanshin Taisha-ryuu will be able to recover from this," said Niijima, "You really have underestimated Ryozanpaku. Shall I show you why?"
Half an hour earlier
The Zanshin Taisha-ryuu members had already begun sneaking into Ryozanpaku, getting ready to assassinate its members. Four members had found Apachai juggling pins and bowling balls on his knee, readying their arrows and weapons.
Eight more had snuck into Kensei's room, who was currently giggling perversely to himself as he watched a DVD special, featuring top models in bikinis. They had several naginata and blades pointed at his unsuspecting back.
Akisame was walking down the hall, looking quite immersed in his book. The biggest member of the Zanshin Taisha-ryuu, standing at least two heads taller than him, was ready to attack him.
Shigure had undressed and slipped into the hot spring at Ryozanpaku while Tochumaru and Noir were with her. Tochumaru had taken upon himself to help clean Noir, even if the cat didn't really like it. Several figures were closing in on her in the water.
The rest of the members were on top of the outer wall, their arrows drawn and lit. The grand master of the Zanshin Taisha-ryuu raised his hand up.
"Fire!"
Before the arrows could be released, all the archers were blown off their feet from a gust of wind.
"Now, now, we just had the floors remodeled," said the Elder, standing before them all while releasing his Ki, "Miu managed to buy some much-needed wood to replace them after all those challenges. If you want to fight us, you'll have to pay the dojo challenge fee."
The challengers and grand master responded by charging at the Elder with a battle cry.
As one would expect, it was a one-sided slaughter.
Apachai decided he wanted to use some more challenging weights and started juggling all four of the said assassins with his knees and feet.
"Apapapapapa!" cheered Apachai.
"Someone get us out of here!" cried the assassin.
Before the assassins designated to take out Kensei could react, Kensei knocked them all out quite brutally, as they were disturbing his ecchi time.
"Hmph, find another time to fight me," huffed Kensei before perversely giggling at a woman with large breasts and a bikini way too small for her.
Shigure dodged and snatched her assassin's weapons from them and knocked three of them out, shredding their clothes into bits and pieces.
"People... should not wear clothes... in the bath," stated Shigure before sitting back down and tossing the weapons, "Go warm... yourselves... up."
The fourth assassin, seeing failure, tried to run away, only to run right into Noir and Tochumaru. Noir had been taking lessons from Tochumaru, and started slashing away at the assassin's face with his claws "Ah, get it off get it off me!" cried the assassin before Tochumaru stabbed a needle into the man's neck to paralyze him.
"And thus, if the two sides are tied together, then the universe is bound as one," explained Akisame to the assassin currently acting as his seat. The assassin's joints had been wrenched out of place, paralyzing him while he cried in pain.
"So, what are your opinions?"
"Kill me!" cried the assassin.
The fight on the wall didn't even last 20 seconds. All the fighters were down and unconscious while the grand master himself was on his knees, gasping for breath.
"So powerful," gasped the masked man, "I had no idea such a powerful man resided here. But you're too late! Our disciples will have taken care of yours!"
"Actually, he's on a little trip right now and isn't here right now at all," answered the Elder, "But that doesn't matter."
With a huge intake of air, the Elder blew the fighters clean off the roof and into the ground.
"Let's see, Niijima-kun said he wanted a photo of this... how to use this camera?" pondered the Elder out loud as he held a camera. He took out some instructions that Niijima had written, and after carefully reading it, snapped exactly one photo of the Zanshin Taisha-ryuu grandmaster and his cohorts on the ground unconscious. The only reason he took one was due to the fact he pressed the button too hard and crushed it.
Back at the Shinpaku Alliance headquarters
Kurando and Tsukasa had to stare at the photo Niijima was showing them, of their grandmaster unconscious on the ground. They yelled at him, calling him a liar, but the proof was still there. They wanted to run to Ryozanpaku, to confirm it with their own eyes, but their mission wasn't done yet. They still needed the location of Shirahama Kenichi and they weren't going to get it from Ryozanpaku for sure.
"Can I... really make enough money without having to kill someone while being able to further my path as a martial artist?" asked Raichi, hope evident in her voice.
"Of course!" smiled Niijima, slyly using his Niijima Brainwash, "Though not now, but I expect my company to be able to expand overseas, and China will be one of the first countries I plan to expand into! I could use you as our representative!"
"That's enough!" shouted Tenmonn Li as he appeared between them all, "Do not listen to such lies, Raichi. Not when you have already clearly failed your mission! You're a disgrace to the family!"
As to punctuate this, he backhanded Raichi into the ground.
"Hey, what was that for!?" shouted Tsuji, "Who the hell are you?"
"I am Tenmon Li, the girl's master and father," stated Tenmon as he glared at them all, "I've had enough playing around. I know you know where Shirahama Kenichi currently is. Either tell me or die."
"Heh, you think we'd give up our friend's position that easily?" asked Takeda as he prepared to fight, as did everyone else. Tsukasa and Kuranda decided back off, tending to Raichi while also glaring at Tenmonn. Though they were on the same side, they did not approve of what Tenmonn did. Family was important to them.
"Everyone back off now!" shouted Niijima in worry, "Back into the base! We can hold out there!"
Seeing Niijima give such a panicked order, Matsui and the other lower ranks quickly ran into the building. Ukita, Siegfried, Takeda, Kisara, and Tsuji took on the rearguard, hoping to buy enough time.
"Hit him before he does anything!" shouted Tsuji as he charged forward. The others quickly agreed, but Niijima shouted them to not do anything rash. It was too late though.
"Hmph, not bad, but not good enough," said Tenmon before he struck like a missile, scattering them all.
"What the hell?" coughed out Shiratori.
"Your attacks will never work!" shouted Tenmon as Tsuji tried to land a palm strike, only to miss before being headbutted in the gut, "Your use of Koppou is intriguing but useless against me! I, who practice Chisouken!"
Kisara tried to land a dropkick, only for Tenmon to spin on his head and kick Kisara away while explaining about his martial arts.
"People have claimed that due to the asphalt becoming more and more prominent on the ground that this martial arts style is not viable, but that is far from the truth! The tougher the ground, the more power the practitioner has! The 'ground' is a shield that will never break, and one that can't be dodged! Ground is power!"
While stating that, he had spun on the ground several times, kicking or punching Takeda and Siegfried before finally jumping in the air and landing on Ukita, who felt his ribs being crushed.
"Asshole!" grunted Ukita as he tried to claw on Tenmon's hand, hoping to hold it hostage or break it, only for Tenmon to flex his wrist and dislocate Ukita's hands instead. Tenmon flipped up and kicked Ukita into Siegfried, who spun while catching him to neutralize the momentum.
"Had enough?" said Tenmon as he stood up once more, "I'll say this once more now you've seen my power. Give me Shirahama Kenichi, or die."
Kisara's underlings looked at each other nervously, fearing for their lives. They didn't want to die just for somebody else. Before anyone could say anything though, Takeda stood up once more, limping towards Tenmon.
"I've said it before," said Takeda weakly as he struggled to put up his fists. His face was swollen from the hits that Tenmon had landed. "I'm not giving his location up. You'll have to kill me first."
"So be it," said Tenmon before rushing towards Takeda, ready to take his head off with a punch.
Everyone shouted, trying to distract Tenmon while telling Takeda to run. Takeda merely stood there, too tired to run away, watching the fist approaching his face. He closed his eyes.
Whack
A clear sound of a punch meeting flesh could be heard from all over.
"Hmph, I'm not about to let you take my disciple away from me, not when he's been earning me quite a bit of money."
Takeda could only slowly open his eyes to see his master, James Shiba, catching the fist with his right hand.
"Shiba-sensei!" cried out Takeda almost collapsing in relief.
"Stand back, I got this," said James with a smile as his mustache stood upright, "So you think you can bully my moneymake-... I mean disciple? Well, you're in for a world of hurt!"
Tenmon managed to pull his fist back and ready himself, sensing this man was strong.
"Yo, you alright?" asked Tsuji as he and Siegfried managed to grab Takeda and pull him back, "Who's that guy, though. He seems... very manly. Especially with that mustache of his."
"So you're the boxer's master," said Tenmon, "Well it's a shame that he'll be without one very soon!"
Tenmon charged forward, aiming for Shiba's legs. He was close when his instincts screamed at him to dodge. He did so, and Shiba's chopping right to the ground missed, cracking the asphalt ground.
"Well looks like your luck's run out," smirked Shiba, "My fists can easily shatter your 'ultimate' shield."
"Then I'll smash you with my secret technique," declared Tenmon as his eyes began to glow before he charged forward.
Chishou Renkan Shouken Kyappou (Earthly Low Continuous Ball Palm Leg... is the translation.)
Tenmon spun and continued spinning as he fired off a barrage of punches and kicks towards Shiba.
"Sensei!" cried out Takeda in worry.
"Hmph, now that I think of it, I haven't shown you why your left straight is 56,700,000 years too early to match my own," said Shiba as he flicked his cigarette away, "Well then, now's a good time as any!"
"You think you can beat me with such a simple technique?" shouted Tenmon as he got closer.
"Watch carefully now, my disciple," stated Shiba as he got into his stance, being a southpaw like Takeda, "This is how you do a real left straight."
Shiba took a step forward with his right leg and punched with his left fist. Tenmon's eyes widened as he put all his power into his fist as it clashed against the left straight.
The clash caused a huge gust of wind to emanate from it, blowing all the disciples away. Tenmon gritted his teeth as he tried to push through, only to find in his horror, that he was surely being pushed back.
"Just your luck to fight me!" boasted Shiba as he pushed forward, "Maybe if you had a manly mustache like me, you wouldn't have lost so badly!"
With that statement, he punched Tenmon straight into a wall. Tenmon coughed out blood before falling into the flower garden, flattening some flowers.
"Ah, Kenichi won't be happy with that," mused Niijima before whipping out his PDA to order some more flowers.
"Well then, shall I end this?" said Shiba as he started walking forward, only to have his path blocked by Raichi.
"Please, no more!" cried Raichi, "My sifu... Don't kill my father!"
"You fool, get out of there!" coughed Tenmon, "You two, get her out of here!"
"Pfft, as if I would hurt a girl like this," scoffed Shiba as he gently pushed Raichi to the side, "It's not my style. Plus, you didn't go all out in the beginning and didn't end up killing those brats now did you? Otherwise, I would've interfered sooner."
"You were watching the whole time!?" screeched Kisara.
"Course I was," grunted Shiba, "Damn alien brat told me to come to make sure my disciple was safe. I thought it was good training for him to experience fighters stronger than him before I meddled."
He crouched down, looking at Tenmon straight in the face, "It's over. Take your little girl and the other two and leave. If you want to fight again, then I'll be glad to show you why it's a bad idea."
Seeing as it was their loss Tenmon picked himself and started to walk away, as did the others. Before Raichi left, Niijima called her out and tossed her a business card.
"If you're interested, send me a text," said Niijima, "I wasn't lying about what I said earlier. It's my dream to do so."
Raichi looked at the card curiously before pocketing it inside her helmet.
"As for you two, you can fetch your members at the clinic near Ryozanpaku," said Niijima as he turned to Tsukasa and Kuranda.
They nodded in reply and were about to leave when Kuranda looked at Takeda.
"I look forward to challenging you again," said Kuranda.
"Bring it," replied Takeda with a smile and a wink, his smile emphasized with a twinkle.
"Is Ryozanpaku's disciple stronger than you?" asked Tsukasa.
"Far stronger," nodded Takeda without hesitation.
The siblings looked at each other before slowly departing from their view, heading to the clinic to pick up their dojo members.
Days later after both incidents, Inspector Honmaki had returned to Ryozanpaku with his partner to inform Sakaki that Christopher had escaped, despite their security measures. Sakaki scoffed, saying that it was likely he was already out of the country, as he had a lot of people backing him up.
"Oh, and by the way, it seems as soon as Gauche returned to his home that..," started Inspector Honmaki.
"Did he get assassinated?" asked Sakaki with a sharp glare.
"Actually, no. He seems to have given all his assets to charity and went off to live in the mountains in seclusion," replied Honmaki, causing Sakaki to blink as a Choju Giga bunny hopped through the background, "What is a person? What are principle and belief?' Those were questions that he was heard mumbling before going off on his trip with nothing but the clothes on his back, hiking gear, a backpack full of supplies, and possibly some money. Not one bit of money that he donated to charity has gone back to him at all. Sakaki, what in the world did you do to him?"
"That wasn't me," smirked Sakaki as he leaned back to sip on his beer, "That was most likely my disciple."
"Hoo, Ryozanpaku's disciple is going to be fearsome when he grows up," chuckled Honmaki before pulling a letter out, "I have a letter addressed to him though. It was on the hospital bed that we had Christopher on. We've already checked for any dangerous substance, but it seems to be just paper and ink."
Sakaki gave the letter the stink eye before telling them he would do so.
Kenichi and Miu were at the Shinpaku Alliance headquarters, getting the details about the fight. Siegfried would have opted to sing for them while explaining, perhaps even making a play, but he was busy training via spinning on the rock again in his own private room at the headquarters.
"Shirahama! Fight me!" challenged Tsuji once more, leaving a groaning Ukita.
Tsuji, after getting used to the fact that Ragnarok had disbanded, was convinced to join the Shinpaku Alliance via Niijima brainwashing and Siegfried's song and dance. Ukita, after training back in his judo dojo, felt like he could take on Tsuji who had done nothing but train in the mountains. Of course, this was before Tsuji told them all about his meeting with some old man dressed in bear fur who trained him.
The fight lasted about 50 seconds, with Ukita trying to throw Tsuji only to be slapped in the face a few times before ending it with several palm strikes.
"Not now!" shouted Niijima, "I'm discussing plans with my second in command! Go annoy Takeda or Kisara, they should prove to be a match for you!"
"Hmmm, you're right!" said Tsuji as he bopped his right hand over his left, "They've surely improved! I can use them as a good measuring stick before fighting you! Last time I got my ass kicked by you, but this time, I'll be sure to get a punch in! But first, I need more fighting experience! Plus I get to see that manly sensei of Takeda!"
With that statement, he rushed off. Kisara was at Freya's base of operation, throwing herself into training once more, disliking the fact she had lost her fight. Takeda was with his master, learning a few more techniques as well as roadwork.
"Now that we have this place to ourselves," noted Niijima, glancing around, "How was your trip?"
"Eventful," replied Kenichi, "Few differences, but the same end result. Though Christopher left this letter for me."
He pulled out a folded up paper that he had still yet to read. On the paper was cursive handwriting with his name on it. He carefully opened it, where the three of them read what was on there.
To Shirahama Kenichi and Furinji Miu
The two of you have impressed me, and I say this with honesty. Of course, my butterflies are not happy losing to you, but losses do happen. I cannot say I am happy with failing my mission either, but it did let me see the two of you. You'll go far, but can you keep to the path of Katsujinken to the end? Or will you morph into something else, like butterflies? It will be interesting to see your struggles. If you're ever interested in learning some Savate, then come find me in France. You merely need to show there, and I'll know you're there. I have my ways.
Au Revoir
Christopher Eclair
"Yea, not happening," said Kenichi as he ripped the letter into pieces.
"Well it would be a good excuse to expand into France," muttered Niijima, getting his head slapped by Kenichi and Miu, "Alright, alright. So far, timeline wise, we're good. It was surprising that your trip with your master and the first step of Yomi's invasion happened at the same time, but we got through it."
Niijima's PDA suddenly chimed, to which he picked up and quickly scanned through it before grinning.
"I'll give you the memo of what happened later, but right now, I've got some purchases to make."
With that, Niijima left while rapidly tapping his PDA, confusing Miu and Kenichi.
"Guess that's that," yawned Kenichi as he checked the time and date, only to freeze up for a second.
"What's wrong?" asked Miu.
"The date... it's almost that day," pointed Kenichi.
Miu only needed a glance to know what Kenichi was talking about. It was the day when her mother died, where she would go up to the graveyard to pray. Now that she knew that her father was alive and that he truly loved her, she felt lighter.
"Will you come with me?" asked Miu, "I want to show my mother and grandmother the person whom I fell in love with, the person who swore to protect me."
"Of course," stated Kenichi as his forehead touched her, "I'll always protect you."
Niijima was very busy purchasing several of Gauche's items that had gone on sale for charity. Several of which he knew would be useful. Though Gauche was a weapons dealer, he also did sell a few nonlethal weaponry, to which Niijima wanted to purchase to expand his personal items for self-defense.
"Yo, Niijima, I have a favor to ask of you," grunted Ukita as he managed to limp his way towards him.
"Oh, and what would that be?" asked Niijima as he looked up from his PDA while scanning his building, which he purchased from Kisara, and thinking what defensive measures were needed and what needed to be purchased.
"You introduced Takeda to a boxing master," said Ukita, "Get me a Judo master, too! That or a Jiujitsu one!"
"Aren't you in your judo dojo?" asked Niijima.
"It's not enough," grumbled Ukita, "The dojo master is kind and helpful, but recent events have shown me it's not enough. Takeda has already left me in the dust and Tsuji whupped my ass. Siegfried is a genius at somehow training himself, and I know Thor is doing the same thing. Kisara is throwing herself into training and can kick without a master! Everyone is getting stronger too fast for me. The only way for me to catch up is if I have a master like Kenichi or Takeda! I'm not a genius and I'm certainly no prodigy, but I want to still stand with them! I'll push through my limits and keep going if I have to!"
'Well, this certainly reminds me of the Kenichi of the past,' chuckled Niijima before responding, "Give me a few days. I don't have anyone off the top of my head, but I'm sure my network will turn someone up. Now get going, I have to check a few more rooms."
Ukita nodded and walked away.
Ukita wandered to a park, wondering what to do. He was currently the weakest out of all of them, excluding the lower rankings of course. He even had doubts whether he could take on Niijima of all people, with his weird techniques. Niijima had shown that if it involved running away, he was much faster than all of them.
"You meanies! Don't be so rude!" shouted a voice.
Ukita looked over to see Honoka and Kaede, recognizing them from the church incident. They seemed to be with four other boys the same age as them, surrounded by six people older than them, most likely second years in high school.
"Hehe, what are you going to do about it?" teased one of the boys.
They started to push the girls, showing that they were bullies. Ukita decided to intervene when another's boy voice called out, "Stop bullying them!"
Everyone turned to look to the source of the voice to see it was the new transfer student in their class. He had black shaggy/spiky black hair, dressed in Qiu Pao instead of a shirt while giving off a clear country boy.
"Naoki-san!" exclaimed Honoka.
Yamamoto Naoki was ecstatic to be in the city. He had been finally allowed to not only visit the city but to actually live in it! It happened when a friend of his father, Yamamoto Taiki, came to visit. The two of them had some sort of discussion that left his father in somewhat of a worried state but told him not to worry about it. That same night, he managed to land a solid hit on the dreaded Tengu sealed inside the cave! Though the Tengu seemed distracted, a hit was a hit! Curiously the next day he noticed his father an injury at the same area, who dismissed it, saying it was from his spar with his friend Akisame.
But more importantly, his father had kept his promise! It turned out his father already had an apartment in the city in his name. His father decided that he would improve more if he met other people instead of immersing himself in martial arts in solitude all the time. The era was changing, and in order to live and thrive, Taiki decided it was important for Naoki to get an education. And so he went to middle school, where he became friends with two girls, Honoka and Kaede. Of course, there were male bullies, but he decided to ignore them.
Now, though, he was protecting them, along with Honoka and Kaede.
"What are you going to do shrimp?" sneered one of the older bullies, "Cry to your mommy?"
"Please, stop this, or I'll be forced to act," replied Naoki.
"Like you can do anything," spat out another as he tried to punch him.
Ukita was already running to interfere when what he saw amazed him.
Naoki caught the fist and threw the bully into the ground.
"Get him!" shouted the leader of the bullies.
Naoki swiftly took them down with punches, kicks, but ultimately with jiujitsu throws and locks.
"Raaa!" shouted the leader, last of them all. Before Naoki could do anything, Ukita lifted the bully up.
"That's enough out you," scolded Ukita before tossing him into some bushes.
"Ah, you're one of my brother's friends!" exclaimed Honoka, recognizing Ukita.
"Yes, and you're his little sister," grinned Ukita, "You all alright?"
Responses of yes filled the area.
"Good. Now you all should go home. I'll take care of these punks," said Ukita.
The others nodded and waved goodbye to him, calling him Nii-chan. In the end, only Naoki and Ukita remained.
"I could've taken him," pouted Naoki.
"Probably," shrugged Ukita, "But I was already walking over before you came in. Speaking of which, where'd you learn how to fight like that?"
Naoki looked at Ukita with a strange look before replying, "From my father. I'm Yamamoto Yaoki, the one who's going master the Yamamoto Jiujitsu style! Don't look down on me!"
"Easy there," said Ukita, putting a placating hand up, "I'm into judo myself."
"Hmph," scoffed Naoki, "Though I thank you for your assistance, I doubt your skills could match up to mine."
Ukita felt a tick spring up his forehead, "You wanna bet brat!? I do go to judo school, and my instructor says I'm the best in there!"
"Must be a small one," replied Naoki.
"And your class is a size of one?" growled Ukita, "Must not be a good style if there's only one student, and it's the son."
"Take that back!"
"Make me!"
Naoki growled as he jumped towards Ukita. Ukita tried to grab him to pull a Reverse Shrimp Shoulder Throw, but Naoki easily latched onto his arm before he could grab him. From there, Naoki twisted his whole body, performing the Armlock Twist Takedown, hurling him into the ground.
"You wanna take that back now!?" growled Naoki. When Ukita refused to reply, Naoki began to twist harder until...
"Naoki... What are you doing?"
Taiki had arrived.
"Ah, father!" exclaimed Naoki, "I'm just teaching this idiot just how strong our style is!"
"Naoki, let him go," said Taiki sternly, "You're letting pride get into your head. Just because you managed to land a hit on the tengu doesn't mean you can go boasting now. Apologize to him. You can't let words affect you so easily."
Naoki reluctantly let go and bowed to apologize. Ukita waved it off, saying he shouldn't have said those words either, and that he was distracted by something that he forgot to put a filter on his mouth.
"Come, let's go home," said Taiki, "You will be sparring with the tengu again today."
"He's here!?" gulped Naoki, "I thought you jailed him back into the mountains!"
"I decided it was too dangerous to leave him unattended," replied Taiki, "So I struck a deal with him instead. He's jailed at my friend's place, the one you met before. He'll only be let out to fight you as usual. I can't let your skills deteriorate before we find some schools for you to test your skills against."
As the two was about to leave, Ukita made his decision.
"Wait!" shouted Ukita, forcing the two to turn around, "Take me as a disciple!"
"Hmph, have you no shame?" asked Naoki.
Before he could say anything else, Taiki lightly bopped his son's head to silence him before asking, "Why do you want to learn from me? From what it looks like, you are someone who practices Judo. Jiujitsu and Judo are quite different."
"... Because I don't want to be left behind," said Ukita quietly, "All my friends are getting stronger for their fight against Yomi, but I'm lagging behind. Soon, I'll be nothing be dead weight to them. I want to be able to stand next to them to help fight Yomi!"
"And who is this Yomi?" asked Taiki.
"They're supposed to be the disciple group of Yami," replied Ukita, "We, the Shinpaku Alliance, recently had to fight against Yomi and I couldn't do anything."
Taiki's hand suddenly clenched up at this statement. He had been warned about Yami emerging from Akisame, as well as a few other warnings. It was why he decided to stop with solitude, though his son managing to land a hit on him wasn't planned. He glanced at Ukita before glancing at his son once more. Perhaps having another disciple would push his son further, while also helping Ukita out. Akisame had also mentioned the Shinpaku Alliance, describing them as a group of disciples allied with Ryozanpaku.
"... Meet us here again at 4 pm," stated Taiki, "I'll consider it if you pass through my training period. I warn you, it's going to be hell."
Naoki looked at his father in shock before Taiki told him that he would going through it too.
"I'll do it!" shouted Ukita.
Taiki merely nodded before prodding his son home. There were things he needed to think about.
Ta daa! Hope you've enjoyed this chapter. Next up, more of Yomi coming in hot!
Also, I thought about the suggestion made by Endless, and have decided to act on it. Anyone who wants to put up a name for Kenichi's new Ki type, send me a pm of the name and a small explantion. If you put it into a review, there's a chance that I might miss it, so pm would be better. I'll be open for suggestions for a month before I close it and then put it into a poll.