Episode 2: Shinobi School: Transform!

In the Principal's office at Hanzo National Academy, The Principal and Hanzo had been deliberating for about ten minutes over Kiriya's request to transfer Koichi to the school's Shinobi classes. Finally, a decision was reached between him and the Principal, who was seen nodding at Hanzo.

"Well, it's been settled! This boy will joining your ninja classes!" old man Hanzo said, with Kiriya being surprised that he was so quick to make a decision.

"Good. The boy has potential. He survived almost being killed by Hebijo for a reason. But what reason would they have to target him? He just seems like an ordinary kid...that's what I wish to find out; whether or not he is truly capable." Kiriya said, thinking about the events from a couple of days ago.

"Given that he has shown impressive reflexes and initiative, and that his actual wounds healed up in the space of just five hours, I'd my assessment was correct. Pluuuusss...He's all my grandaughter ever talks about right now!" Hanzo said.

"I...see..." Kiriya simply uttered, not knowing how to respond.

"Well should he play his cards right and win my grandaughter's heart, I could end up having me some great-grandkids!" Hanzo said, smiling to himself about the thought, which Kiriya responded to by letting out a cough.

"Anyway, this boy has some promise. Make sure you train him up, Kiriya. If he fails, then it's on you. A failure of the student is first and foremost, the failure of the teacher. Do you understand?" Hanzo asked, hoping he made himself clear to the grey-haired instructor.

"...Yes sir." Kiriya said with a slight hint of pain in his tone.

It's been about two days since Koichi was discharged from the hospital, and arrangements for him to attend Hanzo National Academy's Ninja classes had been finalized by both Kiriya and Old Man Hanzo. The Shinobi teacher strongly believes that this boy has the potential to become the strongest Shinobi the world has ever known. The boy was seen walking to school in the morning, following the directions that Kiriya sent him via a letter attached to a kunai.

"So he said to go to the back of the school...do they have their classes in the back?.." Koichi thought to himself as he read the paper containing the directions. While deep in though, a girl with dark brown hair, which she tied into a ponytail with a white ribbin, a large...area and a pep in her step started walking beside the boy and surprising him. She looked...familiar to him.

"Good morning!" the girl said, walking beside him with a piece of toast in her mouth. Getting a closer look at her, it clicked; this was the girl who saved his life a few days ago.

"You're...!" As he answered, Asuka finished eating her breakfast.

"Oh, silly me! I forgot to introduce myself last time we met! I'm Asuka, and I'm training to become the strongest Shinobi who ever lived!...W-what's your name? I think I know, but I kinda forgot.." She asked, starting off her speech excited and energetic, before becoming bashful when she asks for his name.

"Oh! Don't worry.. I'm Koichi. It's nice to meet you, Asuka-san." Koichi said, introducing himself. He was a little nervous around Asuka, due to him just not being very experienced when it comes to girls, something the Shinobi catches onto and giggles about. Blushing ever so slightly, he works up a little bit of courage to talks to her.

"I never used to see you in school...is this something to do with this class?" Koichi asked, a question that made Asuka's expression turn a little more serious.

"Yeah..." she said, sounding a little more somber than before, something that caused Koichi to panic and flail his hands apologetically.

"Sorry, sorry! I-I shouldn't have asked that!" Koichi apologized, thinking that he upset her by asking that question, but she responds by looking at him with a smile and a small laugh, something that causes him to blush a tiny bit.

"So, how many of you are there?" he asked rubbing the back of his head shyly.

"Oh! There's five of us and we're all girls." Asuke answered, causing Koichi to freeze in place in a comedic fashion.

"...Eh?"

...

"EEEEHHH?! I-I-I don't think I'm r-ready for this!" Koichi blurted, waving his hands madly and blushing intensely. Seeing that he's not used to being around girls and finding that to be adorable, Asuka let out a giggle.

"Come on, they're not that bad!" she said before pulling Koichi along by his arm in a comedic fashion.

Upon entering the secret, sealed off section at the back of the school, Koichi and Asuka walked down a hall, with the girl leading the way and the boy following her as he's never been to this part of the school before. The scene then cuts to the classroom, where while a bunch of girls are seen talking amongst themselves, the two are seen walking in...and then are greeted by a stern-looking Kiriya.

"Asuka. You're late, again." Kiriya said, his arms crossed, which then caused the girl to bow her head in shame following the cue of the sound of a gong.

"Sorry, sensei..."

"Well...since we have a new student, I suppose I'll let you off just for today. But please be on time." the instructor said, to which Asuka bowed and thanked her teacher before taking her seat beside one of her classmates.

"As of today, we have a new student joining us. He was originally in the civillian part of the school, but we found that this young man has the potential to become a Shinobi. So he will be joining our classes. Now why don't you introduce yourself, young man? Of course, one of you here has already met him." Kiriya said, obviously referring to Asuka in the last sentence, with a humerous deadpan delivery.

"My name's Koichi. It's nice to meet all of you.." Koichi said, shyly bowing. After two blinks, a big grin adorned the face of a girl with long, soft blonde hair worn with a blue headband that had a ribbon on each side of her head.

"Well, hello there cutie..~ Do you happen to have a girlfriend or is Katsu-nee in luck today?~" the girl said while pursing her lips like that of a cat, causing Koichi to stammer like a piece of broken machinery while his face flushed a deep shade of red. At that moment, the sound of someone standing up from their desk was heard.

"Katsuragi-san! Show some decorum around our new classmate!" a girl with long, straight, black hair flowing down to her lower thighs and flat cut bangs resting on her forehead. Her slanted eyes, a dark shade of blue.

"Oh come on, Ikaruga-chan! It's not everyday you get to meet a cutie like this!" Katsuragi said before pressing her...ahem, area up against Koichi, who continued to judder like broken machinery as the sound of a nearly-boiled kettle could be heard.

"Katsuragi-san, take your seat. We're already behind. Koichi, take your seat over there." Kiriya said sternly, before Katsuragi skulked back to her desk and Koichi walked over to one of the desks near the window. As soon as everyone was seated, Kiriya began to speak.

"Now, we will go over Secret Ninja Arts. Since we have a new student, why don't we have someone who can read up on it at the most basic level...Asuka?" Kiriya said, instructing his class...before turning his gaze to a sleeping Asuka. He walked over to her and then...

"Asuka, wake up right now!" he shouted, causing the girl to jolt awake.

"H..huh?! Did I fall asleep again?!" Asuka asked, revealing that this an ongoing habit of hers, something with Kiriya reacts to by rubbing the bridge of his nose.

"Alright...Asuka, can you recite the Secret Ninja Arts?"

"Y-yes sir!" she jolted before grabbing a book.

"Ahem!..."In order to surpass one's own limits, one must call upon the power of nature itself. That's what it means to be a Shinobi."

"As you, save for one know, Asuka has the toad, Ikaruga the phoenix, Katsuragi the dragon, Yagyu the squid, and Hibari the rabbit. Nature empowers your Secret Ninja Arts." Kiriya explained.

"I see!...Actually, I didn't understand a word of that.." Koichi said.

"It powers our special attacks!" Asuka explained to Koichi, hoping to make it more simple...but this attempt only confused the boy further.

"To use these abilities, your Ninja Art Sctoll must be at hand. Keep it on you at all times." Kiriya tutored.

"I keep mine under my skirt!" Katsuragi blurted out, causing Koichi's face to flush red again.

"Mine's in my cleavege!" Asuka also blurted out...before steam came out of Koichi's ears and he slammed face first onto the floor...something Kiriya responded to by throwing a bucket of water onto the boy, causing him to jolt up immediately.

"Sorry, sorry.." Koichi said, rubbing the back of his head in shame after standing up...until he catches Katsuragi groping Asuka's boobs in the hopes of finding her Ninja Art Scroll...or so she claims.

"Come on, lemme see how well it's hidden Asuka-chan!~" Katsuragi cooed as she grabbed the mounds of flesh as Asuka protested.

"K-Kat, c-cut it out!" Asuka protested.

"Katsuragi, please refrain from inappropriate touching in class. Asuka, continue reading." Kiriya said after scorning Katsuragi. Asuke then proceeded to pick her book back up off the floor.

"Yes, sir. "The Super-Secret Ninja Art. As the name implies, it's a stronger form of Ninja Art." Asuka said, reading from the book before continuing.

"...That's all it says."

"And why would that be all it says? There's a reason for that." Kiriya said, beginning an explaination for Asuka's confusion.

"It's because the Super-Secret Ninja Art Scroll is the pride and joy of this school. Its contents must be kept top secret." he continued.

"Huh... I hope I get to read it someday.." Asuka whispered, curious about the nature of the Super Secret Ninja Scroll. Koichi, meanwhile, simply thinks about what he just heard. To think there was a secret world with their own way of life hidden in plain sight, and even one with it's own conflicts...

"Asuka, Koichi, Hibari. All of you are to meet me on the roof. It's time for some basic martial arts instruction. This will be Koichi's first lesson. Katsuragi, Ikaruga, Yagyuu. You three are dismissed for today." Kiriya said before the scene then cuts to the school's rooftop. Kiriya is then seen continuing to tutor his class of pupils.

"There are those we call "Evil Shinobi"."

"Yes, sir. We know." Asuka simply said.

"Koichi, you were attacked by a group of them two days ago." Kiriya said, to which the boy just simply paid attention to him.

"They work for the bad guy, right? I'll show them a thing or two for hurting my new friend!" a shinobi with short pink hair said, seemingly fired up...even it the way she presents it is adorable.

"So...you guys are Good Shinobi, right?" Koichi asked, before Kiriya interrupted Asuka who was just about to answer his question.

"You were all Shinobi from the moment you stepped into this school. That includes you, Koichi. Set aside your feelings." Kiriya said plainly before continuing.

"I'm going to train all of you into full-fledged Shinobi. So prepare yourselves for what awaits you. With that out of the way, I'll explain the camouflage barrier to you. The camouflage barrier is a Shinobi's duelling space. When a Shinobi enters combat, it blockades off a space of a fixed size, impenetrable to the average person." he continued.

"Wait, so a section of reality is closed off when a Shinobi fights?.." Koichi asked.

"That is correct. It's useful for covert activities, but since other Shinobi can sense it's activation, you'll give away your position to an enemy. Now, I've used my Secret Ninja Arts to-" Kiriya said, before being cut off by the sounds of many footsteps. The source of these footsteps was a series of Evil Shinobi arriving on the school's rooftop.

"How did-?!" Kiriya said to himself.

"...Asuka, Hibari! I'm giving you permission to fight! Give this everything you've got!"

"Yes!" both of the girls said before taking out their Ninja Art Scrolls.

"Shinobi...Transform!" Asuka says before the scroll in her hand lets out a bright glow and her clothes are burst into pieces. An energy shrouds her as her Shinobi attire forms on her body. After the transformation is finished, she takes out both of her swords and strikes a pose as a symbol appears behind her.

"Shinobi...Transform!" Hibari calls out as she does the same thing as Asuka, but her attire consists of a light pink track jacket with the Hanzō emblem on the left chest area, dark blue biker shorts, black and white socks, and red and white sneakers. With that the two girls charge at and take down a small group of the Evil Shinobi with their stylish, sleek attacks. Koichi could only watch in amazement as this is the first time he had seen Asuka in action. However, another larger group appears behind the two girls.

"Look out!" Koichi called out, but as Asuka and Hibari turned around, they were struck and the two girls rolled on the ground harshly. However, they quickly stand up and strike down a chunk of the group...until two larger Evil Shinobi walk onto the scene and smack the two girls away, damaging their attire and revealing...certain parts of their bodies before they slide along the school's rooftop. Hibari was unconscious by this point, but Asuka struggled to stand up before one of the larger Shinobi picked her up by her hair, causing Asuka to start screaming in agony. Koichi started backing away slowly, knowing that he's powerless to do anything.

"What's wrong?"

A familiar voice asked in Koichi's mind. His eyes widened as he found himself standing in front of her again; the girl he saw in his near-death experience

"Are you just gonna wallow on the ground and do nothing? Are you just gonna watch them die? Death will claim them if you do nothing, you know. Was I wrong to save you back then?" the cloaked figure said.

"Was your choice to join them...a mistake?" she asked him, to clenched his fists and he stood defiantly.

"No! It wasn't! I want to save them! Asuka-san saved me back then..." Koichi said as flashbacks played of Asuka saving his life from the Evil Shinobi who tried to kill him before flashing back to the present day.

"I want to save her life like she saved mine!" he finished, which the cloaked girl responded to by smiling.

"That's all you had to say." she said before clicking her finger, causing a scroll to appear in Koichi's hand, which the boy looked at with surprise.

"A Ninja Art Scroll!" he correctly guessed.

"Now...get back out there. Your girlfriend needs you." the cloaked figure said with a smile before disappearing in a mist, all before Koichi could refute the claim of Asuka being his girlfriend. The scene flashes back to the present day, where Koichi is seen standing next to Kiriya, who was protecting the unconscious Hibari. The older ninja then noticed Koichi holding. a Ninja Art Scroll.

"That's...!" Kiriya noted, shocked to see one in the boy's hand. Koichi then closes his eyes before striking a pose.

"Shinobi...Transform!" he shouted before his clothes shattered to pieces, before energy enveloped his body and formed his Shinobi attire, which consisted of a white coat with a white scarf, long black fingerless gloves, black sports pants, and black combat boots. He then striked a pose with a katana sword. A grey-white background and the symbol of an eagle was seen behind him, indicating that his guardian is an eagle.

As the bigger Evil Shinobi was about to hit Asuka, Koichi let out a yell and struck the hulking woman, causing her to drop Asuka. Koichi responded to this by catching her before setting her on the ground.

"Wha...HUH?! Koichi-kun?!" Asuka exclaimed, noting Koichi's Shinobi attire. The boy looked to her and began to speak.

"You saved my life the other day, Asuka-san. Now it's my turn to help you." Koichi said with confidence and strength, causing Asuka's cheeks to blush lightly. However, she stood up and stood beside the boy, obviously determined to keep fighting.

"Heh, I'm not throwing in the towel yet!" Asuka said, her fighting spirit re-ignited by Koichi's actions, which the boy responded to with a smile on his face.

"I was hoping you'd say that. Let's go, Asuka-san! Let's protect Hibari-san!"

"Umu!" the brunette affirmed.

The two then let out a yell and charged at the Evil Shinobi, taking them down with swift and stylish strikes. Kochi slashes through a series of them before they disappeared into a puff of smoke after being defeated. Asuka raised up both of her swords before charging through another series of Evil Shinobi. The giant Evil Shinobi attempted to land a strike on both of them, which Asuka avoids before cutting her arm, causing the hulking Shinobi to scream out in pain before Koichi is seen jumping up, letting out a yell and striking down the servant of evil. Koichi then stands up and swings his sword downward in a badass fashion.

"If you serve evil, there's only one path for you.." he said to himself quietly...before passing out on the ground, which Asuka responded to by running to him and catching him as he fell to the ground.

"Hey, hey!" Asuka said after catching him, showing concern for the boy.

"How did he get a Secret Ninja Art Scroll? Either way, this is simply incredible.. he managed to transform already? Maybe is he could actually be.." Kiriya thought to himself, shocked at what just unfolded before him. He then walked over to Hibari and picked her up.

"Asuka, Koichi. You two return to class. I'll take Hibari to the school nurse." Kiriya instructed, to which the two nodded.

"Yes, sensei!" Asuka said, bowing. Koichi, not used to how things are done, rubs the back of his head with closed eyes and a sheepish smile. Kiriya simply nodded as he threw down a smoke pellet, causing the two of them to start coughing.

"Does Kiriya-sensei have to use so much smoke in those pellets?!" Asuka wondered. The scene then cuts to Kiriya, who had just finished taking Hibari to the nurse's office, and Hanzo, who discuss what had just happened during today's lesson.

"So he's already transformed.." Hanzo said, his tone sounding more serious usual.

"Yes. I saw him take down many lesser Shinobi in order to protect Hibari. This boy has more potential than first thought.." Kiriya said, to which Hanzo stood up and began to speak again as he strolled over to his office window.

"Potential means nothing if he can't utilize it. You must work to bring it out of him, Kiriya. My grandaughter can't always be around to protect him if things go awry." Hanzo said, sternly but also fairly.

"Yes, Hanzo-san." Kiriya simply said.

"With that out of the way..." Hanzo said seriously.

"Those two are really getting along, aren't they?!" Hanzo said with his hands on his cheeks, gushing over the fact that his grandaughter has finally met a boy she likes. Kiriya is then seen rubbing the bridge between his nose, noting his embarrassment over this side of Hanzo. Even if he is happy for his grandaughter, he saw this as unprofessional.

After classes finish for the day, Koichi is then seen with a piece of paper in his hand as he walks down a corridor. He is walking to the dorm number that he had been assigned to as part of his arranged transfer by old man Hanzo himself.

"So this is the boy's dorms.. and I'm the only one here.." Koichi quietly said to himself before opening the door and seeing that his luggage had already been transferred here the night before. He then closed the door, walking and looking around the place to familiarize himself with where he'll be staying for the next year.

"They sure work fast.." he whispered to himself. While deep in thought, he heard a knock on his door.

"Koichi-kun?"

It was Asuka. Koichi jumped to attention.

"C-come in!" he said nervously, knowing that he'd be alone with a girl in his dorm. The brunette shinobi then opened the door and walked in slowly.

"I...I just wanted to thank you for saving me today.. well, not just me but you saved Hibari-chan too!" Asuka said, blushing, a little flustered as she spoke.

"O-oh! No problem! You did the same for me when I was near death, so.. I wanted to save you in return.." Koichi said, showing his gratitude for Asuka saving him on that day.

"Koichi-kun.." Asuka uttered softly, to which Koichi gave Asuka a smile.

"I don't really know what it means to be a Shinobi, I don't even know the first thing about what it means to be strong.. but I'm willing to learn from the best! Let's do our best this year, Asuka-san!" he said, giving speech to which Asuka responded to by shooting back a beaming smile of her own.

"Yes! Let's do our best, Koichi-kun!" she beamed two then gave each other a high five as the screen faded to white.

The scene then cuts to a forest, where a girl is seen taking down lesser Shinobi. She isn't seen until the last one is taken down swiftly, and even then, the only thing that's seen of her is her hand that holds three Katana swords at once, a shot that becomes the last of this episode.

-To Be Continued-