-Episode 3: Forging A New Path-
The following morning, Hanzo is seen in Principal's office discussing a matter with Kiriya; not only the catastrophic events that almost got both Asuka and Hibari seriously injured or even killed, but also Koichi's awakening to his power as a Shinobi.
"This is simply unprecedented.. A Ninja scroll appeared in his hand and he transformed.. that shouldn't be possible given where he is now as a Shinobi.." Kiriya said, his tone quiet and serious given the gravity of the discussion.
"Indeed.. but it could be a sign.." Hanzo simply said, his eyes closed as he clasped his hands, sitting at the Principal's desk. Kiriya looked at the legendary Shinobi somewhat puzzled and questioned his words.
"A sign, Master Hanzo?"
"I'll tell you another time, but long ago.. there was a Shinobi who had a very similar talent to that boy.."
Hanzo's words were foreign to Kiriya. He had never heard of this legend up until now. Was it a secret that only the Legendary Shinobi were privy to? What Kiriya was not prepared for however.. was what Hanzo said next.
"On another note.. it seems my grandaughter is getting cozy with that young man."
Kiriya dropped his arms to his side and hung his head down in embarassment over this comment.
Meanwhile, Koichi was seen slowly opening his eyes as the next morning greeted him. However.. what he woke up to was not simply the sight of the ceiling above him.. but a sight of an entirely different nature. He saw what looked like a girl with long, blonde hair and an entirely unbuttoned school shirt and no underwear on... she looked at the boy with a smile, which caused the boy to gradually turn red. The sound of a kettle boiling could be heard.
"Morning cutie..~" the blonde said.
"...WUUUUAAAAAGGGGHHHH!"
Koichi let out a scream that sounded both terrified and somewhat exaggerated as the camera panned out of the door while the shot was shaking.
Sometime later, Koichi was seen sitting near a table as a raven-haired student scolded the blonde for the stunt she pulled this morning.
"Katsuragi! What you pulled this morning was beyond the pale! You snuck into the male student's room and slept in his bed! I honestly have no idea what you were thinking!" Ikaruga scolded, in the same manner a mother would scold her child after they were caught taking a cookie from a jar. However.. the circumstances here were far more different.
"C'mon, Ikaruga! Aren't you the least bit interested in knowing the new boy in our class?" Katsuragi said nonchalantly, as if she believed that Ikaruga was mad at her for something trivial. As if she spilled orange juice on the floor. On the other side of the room, Koichi saw a discussion between both Asuka and Hibari.
"Oh nooooo.. what should I do?" Hibari muttered to herself sadly.
"Hibari? What's wrong?" Asuka asked, a little worried about her classmate. She heard a whimper from Hibari, as if she was worrying about something.
"...Um..."
"I can't help you out if you don't tell me. What's wrong, Hibari?"
"You won't get mad?"
"Why would I be mad at one of my friends?"
"But..."
"Come on, out with it!"
"Weeelll...I...I...lost my Ninja Art Scroll.." Hibari confessed.
"What?!" Asuka blurted. Her yell was so loud, everyone else stopped what they were doing just to see what was going on.
"Master Kiriya's gonna kill me, isn't he...?" Hibari whimpered once more.
"...I-I'd be expecting a whole lot worse than that if I were you, Hibari.."
"Y-yeah, you're right.. I'm totally dead.."
"We've still got time before class. I'll help you look for it!" Asuka proclaimed, wanting to help out her friend and classmate.
"R-really?! You will?!" Hibari chirped.
"So, can you think of where you might've dropped it?" Asuka inquired.
"Maybe when I tripped over in the shopping district, I must've dropped it.." Hibari said, retracing her steps as she put her hands behind her back.
"Alright! Let's go check it out!" Asuka chirped, determined to help her friend find what she lost.
Some time passes before Asuka arrives at the east station shops. The brunette girl walks around for sometime while searching for Hibari's lost scroll.
"Where could it be...? I don't think she dropped it anywhere on the street... Maybe it's somewhere else..Huh?.. that person..! She's got Hibari's Ninja Art Scroll!"" Asuka thought to herself, walking around the shopping mall and looking for the scroll. She then sees a suspicious-looking person in the distance. She then calls out to the person in possession of the scroll.
"Hey! Give that back! That isn't yours!"
Her commotion caused a series of delinquent Shinobi to appear in front of her. In response, Asuka draws her blades and proceeds to fight them, spawning a camouflage barrier. The brunette burrows her way into the ground before resurfacing and taking out a chunk of the group of delinquents. After dispatching the ruffians, she then runs to the center of the shopping mall before finding herself surrounded by more of the same delinquents and a larger one in front of her. Realizing that this would be somewhat of a challenge, Asuka yanked her Ninja Arts Scroll out of her...chest.
"Shinobi Transformation!"
Light enveloped the young brunette as her shinobi attire formed around her. After her transformation was complete, she swung her blades out ready for battle. With ease and in an instant, she took out each and every one of the delinquents surrounding her, seemingly without breaking a sweat. Her movements were swift, agile and refined. She was someone who spent her entire life training to become a Shinobi. All of a sudden, she was knocked down by a larger Shinobi.
"Kyaah!"
Asuka screamed as she rolled harshly along the ground. She then looked up slowly on the ground to see that this hulking brute was holding Hibari's ninja scroll. Asuka gasped upon seeing this.
"Hibari's ninja scroll! Give that back!" she exclaimed before standing up.
"Wehehe! Then come and get it, jugs!" the brute said.
Asuka then charged at the brute, then landed a series of attacks on the brute. Seeing that the attacks have very little effect, she jumped back in an attempt to change her strategy. The hulking brute looked on at Asuka with a mocking grin.
"Wehehehe! You're too weak, jugs! You'll never get this scroll back! That little pink haired twerp ran off crying when she couldn't find this dumb little scroll! Rehehehehehe!" the brute cackled, revelling in Hibari's suffering. Hearing this, Asuka began to shake with anger at what she was hearing.
"Don't you dare talk about my friend like that..." Asuka growled, her voice sounding darker than usual. The brunette started glowing with a green energy, something that made even the brute gasp with surprise. The giant stepped back with fear at what she was witnessing.
"GIVE HER SCROLL BAAAAAACK!" the brunette screamed out as the power burst from her.
Asuka takes a stance as her two swords become coated in a greenish glow. She then dashes forward and unleashes a barrage of slashes on to the brute. She then finishes by slamming both of her swords down on the ground, causing sharp rocks to rise up from the ground.
"Hanzo Style: FULL BLOOM!" Asuka screams out as she finishes by slamming both of her swords down on the ground, causing sharp rocks to rise up from the ground. The brute then flies back, screaming as she drops the scroll. Asuka then ran before jumping up and grabbing the scroll before holding it up in triumph.
"Yes! I got Hibari's Ninja Art scroll back! I gotta hurry back to school!"
She then sprints back to Hanzo Academy, making it back to class before delivering the scroll back to Hibari.
"Hibari, look!" she exclaimed.
"Oh, my Ninja Art Scroll!" Hibari gasped before Asuka gave it to her.
"Thank you, Asuka!" Hibari chirped with gratitude.
"Make sure you keep it tight in your cleavege, so you don't drop it again." Asuka said, to which Koichi in the background responded by spitting out the water he was drinking as his face flushed red once again.
"I will! You're a lifesaver!" Hibari chirped once more, her smiling face radiating throughout the room.
The day went by quick and before anyone knew it, class was over. Stopping off by the Shopping District after school, Koichi thought about everything that had been happening over the last couple of days alone. His life had changed drastically in such a short period of time; going from a struggling soccer player to a shinobi.
"Good Shinobi.. Evil Shinobi.. what does it all mean?.." he pondered to himself as he sat on a park bench, sipping some canned green tea. He then stood up and reached into his pocked... only to discover that his wallet was missing.
"Huh?... HUH?! My wallet's gone! Did I drop it...?!" he wondered to himself, patting himself down before then looking around for his missing wallet. It was then that he heard laughing behind him, to which he turned to face.
"Did you steal my wallet?!" Koichi demanded, causing the girl to snicker a little more.
"Whatcha gonna do about it, chump?" she barked, smirking all the while.
"You're a thief.. and stealing is a crime!" Koichi exclaimed before looking around him; a camouflage barrier spawned around him, which is something he could never notice before now. He then summond his Ninja Art Scroll and closed his eyes.
"Shinobi Transformation!"
Light enveloped him as his Shinobi attire formed onto him. He then took out a sword and struck it out, ready for combat. Before long, a swarm of thieves descended upon Koichi. He managed to take out every thief, every delinquent that came his way. In spite of this, his movements and attacks made is clear how inexperienced he was in combat. After taking down what looked like the last one, another thief went to attack him from behind.
"Crap!"
All of a sudden, it was over in a flash of light; the thief was struck down by a girl who held six katana swords, three in each hand.. as if they were the claws of a wolverine. Crouching down after striking down the final thief, the girl stood up and looked behind her to see Koichi.
"...'Sup?" the girl asked.
Koichi just simply looked at her, at a loss for words at how fast she took down that thief. As quick as lightning and as harsh as the sea. She also looked.. quite beautiful in her own way.
This girl had tanned skin and her dark brown hair is tied in a long ponytail with a white ribbon, the ends of the ribbon standing straight up. She wears an all black sailor school uniform with a red trim. She then looked at Koichi with a smirk.
"You gonna keep staring at me? What, d'you see somethin' you like?"
Koichi then shook his head, snapping out of his trance before standing up.
"S-sorry!" he stammered, to which the girl looked at him with a smile. Sometime after, the pair sat on a bench and had some small talk.
"I heard a buncha rumors about a male shinobi, the first in what seemed like forever. To be honest, I kinda thought of someone who was strong, muscular and manly.. but instead, we got a pipsqueak." the girl said, delivering the last part as a joke.
"Heh, I was surprised too." Koichi said, quipping back.
"H-hey I was joking, bub.." the girl said, a little taken aback by his knack for humor. After a small silence, the girl introduced herself.
"I'm Homura, by the way. And like you, I'm a Shinobi."
"I'm Koichi. Nice to meet you, Homura!"
Homura smiled a little at his introduction.
"Y'know, I mighta heard you talking to yourself about good and evil shinobi. Seems like you're still new to this whole thing."
Koichi's eyes widened a little in surprise.
"H-how do you know that?"
Homura smiled.
"A shinobi's original job was to gather intel for their emperor. Didja know that?"
"Y-yeah.. I read about it somewhere.." he muttered.
Homura then looked up at the twilight sky.
"Good Shinobi, Evil Shinobi.. I think it's all just how you look at it.. can someone really be evil if they believe in somethin' different from you?.. What makes a 'Good Shinobi'.. and someone an 'Evil Shinobi'? Shouldn't that be somethin' you judge for yourself?" Homura said, thinking out loud to herself.
Koichi had no response to this. Seeing this, Homura began to stand up.
"Welp, it's gettin' late. I'm gonna head home and you should do the same.. thanks for drink, by the way. See ya round, Koichi." Homura said, before waving to him and walking off.
"Oh!"
She tossed a wallet to him.
"My wallet!" Koichi exclaimed.
"Keep it guarded, will ya?"
Those were the last words Homura said before finally leaving.
That night, Koichi layed in his bed and looked up at the ceiling and wondered about what just happened now.
"...What makes someone a 'Good Shinobi'.. and someone an 'Evil Shinobi'? Shouldn't that be somethin' you judge for yourself?"
These words played again and again in his head. Before he could think any more on it, he heard a knock at the door. Koichi then walked over to it and answered. It was Asuka.
"Hi, Koichi-kun!" she chirped, a smile beaming across her face.
"Asuka-san?"
The brunette looked down a little sadly.
"Sorry we couldn't really speak today.. School was kinda busy, wasn't it? It's not gonna get easier.. 'cus we're all gonna train together as a class on Friday.." she explained.
"I see.. that could give me a chance to see what everyone here can do. I can learn from my seniors." Koichi said, mulling over what Asuka had just told him.
The brunette gave him a cute pout.
"Hey, we're the same age you know." she huffed adorably.
"I know, I just mean you've been at this longer than I have.. whereas I don't know anything about what it means to be a Shinobi." Koichi explained.
"I-I knew that.. hey listen, Koichi-kun.. maybe after class tomorrow, we could-"
Asuka stopped herself. She suddenly felt a rush of nerves come over her.
"What is it, Asuka?" he asked, wondering what the brunette wanted to ask him.
"N-nevermind! I'll see you tomorrow!" Asuka said, running off down the hall in a huff while a blush flushed across her face as she covered her mouth in embarassment.
"What was all that about?.." Koichi wondered to himself before walking back to his room and laying down on his bed.
"Well, it's best not to think about it."
Meanwhile, Asuka was laying in her bed thinking about what she was about to ask Koichi. She mentally chastised herself for almost giving into her own selfish desires of companionship. She then speaks the following words before the screen cuts to black.
"I'm a Shinobi.. I can't fall in love.."
Meanwhile, Koichi opens his eyes to see that he is in his mental realm. He looks in front of him to see the mysterious hooded female figure who helped him to acquire a secret ninja scroll.
"You're-!"
Koichi was cut off.
"How did I know you were gonna say that? Seriously, you're such an open book.." the girl said, giggling at her knowing what Koichi would say, which in turn caused the boy to raise one brow in confusion.
"How are you in front of me?.." Koichi asked simply, to which the girl tilted her head in confusion.
"How? You summoned me here." the girl simply explained, crossing her arms to push up her... assets.
"So am I dreaming, or...?" Koichi wondered.
"Well.. you kinda are and kinda not at the same time.. you're asleep, but you're also here. Think of it as you being inside your mind. It's how I've been speaking to you this whole time." the girl explained, a smile creeping across her face during the second sentence.
"Alright then, that's... not creepy at all. Who are you, anyway?" Koichi asked, much to the girl's continued amusement.
"Haha! I knew you were gonna ask that one too!.. But, I guess you can call me Mie." the girl said, finally dropping some of the mystique around her and introducing herself by name.
"Mie.."
Koichi was sure to remember this name throughout his journey as a shinobi.
"Anyway, I'm here to tell you that in order for your training on Friday to go well, you need to get to know the other girls in your new class. There's a blonde pervert, a pigtailed kuudere, a pinkie who puts on the cute schtick WAY too hard and there's the elegent, rich class representative. Oh, and your girlfriend too. Can't forget about ol' ponytail." Mie explained with a sly sense of humor, something that either confused or annoyed Koichi.
"Asuka-san's not my girlfriend!" Koichi protested, which caused Mie to erupt with laughter. Before long, she finally composes herself and continues to speak.
"I recommend starting with the rich one. She's the class president, after all. I have a feeling you'll need to be close to her. She seems to have a lot you can learn from her, given that she is your senpai after all." Mie said before hearing an alarm clock.
"Oop, looks like it's time to wake up! A new day's here!"
Those were the last words Mie spoke to Koichi before the episode ended.
-To Be Continued-
