Chapter 4

"Cloud and Dragon"

With Naruto and Honoka

"Hey, where are we going Naruto-sa- I mean, Naruto-sensei?" Honoka asked innocently. At the moment, the two newly formed master and student were walking down a train station. He had asked her to accompany him to go somewhere in the city. He had mentioned Chinatown. Honoka had never went there before so she thought it was a good idea to see new sights.

It was only yesterday when she was officially accepted as his disciple of martial art. Of course, she did have to run it by her family. Her mother was completely supportive as was her father, albeit he was not as enthusiastic. He did see the value of learning the art to protect herself though and it would make her a better person, as did all protagonists in kung fu movies were.

Honoka didn't want to mention that the villains in said movies were also martial artists.

Kenichi was slightly skeptical but shrugged, he figured that it wasn't any of his business. However, he did mention that her doing martial arts did kind of inspire him to maybe join the Karate Club in his middle school.

He didn't sound too ambitous about that though.

But there was one thing Honoka failed to mention to her family. It was the fact that she would be learning under a true Master and didn't divulge anything beyond the fact that she was learning how to defend herself. She let them assume that she would be joining some sort of exercise club that eventually lead to martial arts.

Honoka wasn't lying to them. She just understated the truth. It wasn't because she was ashamed of being a disciple of Naruto, but rather; she wasn't sure how her family would feel about how high her level of dedication to learning martial arts would be. Naruto had told her that she would have to sacrifice many of her needs to truly be his disciple.

She didn't even hesitate to comply.

Also, she wasn't sure how her parent's would take to her newest dream.

To become the world's greatest martial artist.

It wasn't her original dream of course. At first, she hadn't ever thought such a thing would be possible but the look of determination on her sensei's face was all she needed for her to have a change of mind set. It also fit into her original goal of being strong enough to protect all weak people from bullies.

After all, who better than the best was more qualified to protect those who couldn't do so for themselves?

"We're going to see an old friend of mine to get a second opinion on the nutrition plan I planned for you. I also thought that it would be a good idea to introduce you to him. He's a good man and he will help those he believes deserves it." Naruto replied.

"Nutrition plan?" Honoka asked, curious.

"Yes. You are still young and your body is still growing. However, to fit the needs of my martial arts, you need to build your body in a certain type of way so it won't hinder any future progress."

"Oh! That makes sense. I always just thought that people went to the gym and lifted weights or something like that."

The blond master shook his head. "No, lifting weights and building your body in such a singular way would eventually make your body too...bulky, so to speak. The style I will teach you requires a delicate balance of speed, flexibility and strength. Since you are still young, we will be focusing more on the first two."

"I see..."

"Not only will I be teaching you how to fight, Honoka-" He said in a sagely tone. "It is my duty as your teacher to make sure your mind is just as strong as your body. One can only stand on top once they reach enlightenment on both Heaven and Earth."

"Huh?" The girl didn't quite understand the last part. "What do that mean?"

"That's something I will let you find out on your own time, disciple." He gave her an infuriating enigmatic grin. "Now come on, our train has arrived."

They were headed to a place called Yokohama, which was where a Chinatown was situated. "There's a lot of gang activity that goes on there so I don't ever want you to come here without me. At least for now." He paused thoughtfully, "Perhaps in one or two years, you will be coming here on your own accord. Many martial artists dwell here and a lot of them range from disciple level to expert level, with a few Masters here and there. You don't seem to be the type to not go somewhere because it is a little dangerous."

"Cool!" Honoka sighed dreamily, not at all denying his last observation. She was a very adventurous person, there was no denying it. "Wow, I didn't know Japan was so big!" Honoka said as she gazed out of the train window.

"There will come a time when you will be traveling all over the world, Honoka. Japan is only a small percentage of this planet." The blonde pulled out a top hat and tinted glasses seemingly out of nowhere, causing Honoka to quick a brow.

"What's with the disguise?"

"I'm a bit well known there and I don't want anyone stopping us on our visit." She nodded at his explanation.

It wasn't a long train ride at all, having only been twenty minutes. Yokohama was a very lively town and people seemed to be very active. The shops were full, the restaurants were loud and the people spoke quietly, but the sound of it all was booming all together.

This was Honoka's first time in a city so big.

"I want you to memorize the route." The girl nodded. After fifteen minutes, the two was standing in front of a place called Imperial Wrath Chinese Restaurant. When they walked in, Naruto smoothly asked the receptionist. "Is Hakubi around?"

"Yes sir. He's around back." The girl nodded and pointed to the back door. "He's expecting you, Naruto-san."

Honoka was surprised by the interior design of the place. The restaurant, at first glance, had only two floors but she could see more stairs on the back part of the second, implying that the building had more space for people to eat at. The entire first floor was packed with people who were eating and generally going on with their lives.

The two found there way to the back and Honoka caught sight of an old Chinese man with a dark mustache, beard, round shaded glasses and wore traditional Chinese robes.

Her sensei bowed respectfully to him. "Hakubi. It has been a while."

"Naruto! You don't know how surprised I was to hear from you the other day. How long has it been?"

Naruto paused before answering, "About...five, six years? Give or take. I haven't really counted."

"Indeed. So, what's this I hear about a nutrition plan? You didn't divulge any information over the phone. It was certainly an odd request." The old man looked to the blonde's side and saw Honoka, who stood straighter at his attention.

"U-um, Hello! My name is Shirahama Honoka. Naruto-sensei has just recently accepted be as his disciple. It is very nice to meet you!" She bowed, copying what she saw from her master mere moments ago.

"A very polite young girl! My name is Ryou Ma but you may refer to me as Uncle Hakubi." He smiled down to her giving Honoka an impression of a kind, caring old man, "I see now. You wish for a second opinion?"

"To be honest, it was more of an excuse to introduce her to you. This is my first lesson to her." Honoka looked up at her teacher with a questioning gaze. He merely grinned.

"Friends and allies. You can not have enough of them. Hakubi is a good man and he is the most knowledgable man in Yokohama. However..." He gave the older man a look, "I would like it if you would keep my newest disciple a secret from the world for now."

"You didn't even need to ask."

"Huh? Why?" The girl asked. Hakubi raised an eyebrow at Naruto, who merely shrugged.

"Like I said, I'm sort of famous around these parts. If people knew you were my disciple, master's left and right would be getting in line to have their own disciples fight you. Obviously, I cannot allow that quite yet." Honoka wasn't sure to make of that. But it was cool to know that her new master was a famous fighter.

"Well...enough of that. Come, I'll have someone bring us dinner."

And so they talked. And talked. Honoka did truly enjoy the dinner however but most of the conversation was difficult for her to follow. It involved a lot of science and proper nutrients in the body. The topic was not something they taught at her level of schooling, so she couldn't even get an idea of what was going on. Not to mention the two would often switch between Japanese and Chinese language.

"I should probably take that offer to move up grades then." Her master had said that it was important to keep a sharp mind. If Naruto said it, then she would believe it.

"Hm...I suppose that will be all." Naruto finished as he wrote down Hakubi's advice. "Thanks, Hakubi."

"Heh, you would have probably ended up putting her in this plan with or without my advice." The chinese man shrugged. "It was a delightful visit though. You should come by every now and then...and be sure to bring your disciple!" Honoka smiled and flushed.

"I will."

The two bowed to Hakubi and turned to leave Yokohama.

Meanwhile back at the Orphanage

"...*sigh*..."

"...*snoring*..."

"...*sigh*..."

"...*snoring*..."

"...*sigh*..."

"OH WILL YOU SHUT UP!?" Haku yelled out all of a sudden, frightening both Asuma and Shikamaru, who had been asleep a second before.

Asuma had been in a very solemn mood ever since he returned the next morning to hear about the attack on the orphanage. Had he stayed, the mob would have never amassed so quickly and they would have all avoided the situation entirely. But as punishment, Naruto had Asuma clean up the mess the gang members had caused to the building. It started with the bad paint job that was done, followed by a lot of scrubbing and refurnishing of the plants that was also damaged.

The truth was, Asuma had only left because his wife, Sarutobi Kurenai, had asked him to pick up groceries for her and he had ended up staying the night with his family. Nobody really blamed him but being the self-righteous person he was, Asuma volunteered to take a punishment. Naruto merely pointed at the direction.

Shikamaru cursed. "Jeez, will you be quiet? I'm trying to get some Z's here..." He mumbled tiredly and wiped his eye of a stray tear.

"S-sorry about that, Shikamaru-san. I've just been a bit on edge." Haku quietly responded.

The dark-haired boy took a lot of what had happened on his own shoulders, specifically for allowing Honoka to be spat on my the accursed delinquent. Had he been more alert, she would have been steered clear of the danger.

"Don't worry about it. Man...I have to admit though sensei, this short vacation has been very relaxing."

The older man snorted. "All you've done around here is sleep and play Othello with the children."

The middle aged man smiled, "Yep. Relaxing indeed."

Nara Shikamaru was the vice-president of a very influential company that produced games for children all over the world. He had been born into a huge empire, and he was next in line to take over he company after his father retired. However, what the public didn't know was that the company was only a front for the true business that occured. Shikamaru's family had been tied to some of the other clans of a mercenary social circle, meaning that he had to be trained at a young age to defend himself and take missions to uphold his family image.

Being a scion to a very rich company was definitely not as easy as many people thought it would be. But no one would ever know, not that Shikamaru ever cared about that.

"Say, Shikamaru-san, why did you decide to leave America and come here all of a sudden? I mean, that is quite a long flight after all."

"Hm. As you know, Asuma here is my sensei of sorts. He called me in to do some outrageous things-"

"-Outrageous things that actually happened." The elder man's interruption was short and smug.

"-Nonetheless, I just thought that it was a good idea to take a small vacation. My work is very difficult and stressful. My wife also made me tie up any loose ends before coming here. It was all very troublesome."

"Where is Temari anyway?" Asuma asked. He let out a small sigh of content as soon as he finished painting away the damage on the orphanage wall.

"She's with her girlfriends at our private beach in France." Shikamaru shrugged. He then took out a cigar from his inner coat and placed it in his mouth before lighting it.

"Oooooh, fancy." Asuma widened his eyes at the spectable. "Cuban?"

"Have your eyes checked old man. It's Dominican. Ashton..." Shikamaru let out a small puff and smirked when he saw the flash of jealousy in Asuma's eyes. "And no, you have to play me in Shogi to earn one of these babies."

"But I suck..." He whined childishly but nodded in compliance. "Oh very well."

It only took a few minutes to set the board up. Feeling pretty bored himself, Haku turned to watch the game. Keeping a constant watch over the children in the backyard was getting tiresome.

"Hm...I see you still prefer to play defensively." Shikamaru observed as he moved a pawn. "Always the fancy defenses with you huh? I see that Yagura Castle coming from miles away."

"Show off." The Sarutobi grumbled under his breath and mentally switched strategies.

"...This place is suddenly very boring without Honoka-chan." Haku sniffed, "You two are very boring."

"It's a matter of taste. We're not very energetic people." Shikamaru admitted without shame. "I am curious about the girl though. I admit, she does have a certain air about her, but it doesn't seem that much different from when Hanabi began. Although, I do admit that Honoka-san is less uptight."

"Hanabi's motives were completely different at the time. She was under the weight of a lot of pressure from the Hyuuga elders." Asuma said. "It's no surprise. Honoka, despite lacking in any sort of pressure, has as much determination as Hanabi."

"I suppose. But we shouldn't jump the gun about that. It could be very possible that the girl will quit mid-way. I mean, Naruto hasn't even begun her training."

Haku disagreed. "You haven't seen her eyes Shikamaru-san. She seems to have a very strong drive!"

"Whatever." The man grunted in reply. "I've seen many bright eyes dim. Martial artists tend to jade over the years. The man that runs this place is a prime example of that..." The Nara muttered solemnly.

"Hm? What do you mean?"

"...You haven't known Naruto for very long, I'm guessing."

"I've known him since I was a child."

"But by then, he was already an adult. A powerful one at that. He had already seen things that would make many grown men lose themselves in despair." He replied and dramatically placed down his Silver General. "Checkmate."

"W-what?!" Asuma exclaimed and checked the board. "Oh you son of a-" He barely caught the cigar that hit his face.

Shikamaru laid down on the smooth wooden floor of the orphanage and gazed at the clouds peacefully.

"What do you mean, Shikamaru-san?" Haku knew of Naruto's underworld reputation but details were always scarce.

"Forget about it. Children like you wouldn't understand that line of work."

Haku bristled at his tone and word choice but didn't reply at all. He just settled with watching the kids play at a distance once again. But he couldn't help but let his own thoughts dwell on the words of Shikamaru. Just what kind of man was his sensei back then?

With Naruto and Honoka

It was about twelve in the afternoon and Naruto was currently standing in front of the forest behind the orphanage along side Honoka. They had arrived an hour back and he had made sure to greet Shikamaru before leaving him to hang out with Asuma. Honoka just bowed and smiled for the moment. She was too excited about her training to really make conversation.

Naruto had asked her to wear running attire; simple gray sweats and a light shirt was her choice.

"Alright. First things first. We'll be working on physical ability." He pointed to the mountain that was fairly high in the sky and far away in distance. "We will be running all the way up the mountain and then back here."

"For the entire day?" Honoka asked with a frown. She had kind of wanted to learn some sort of technique of secret punching style from him.

Naruto chortled. "Oh no, don't be silly." Honoka let out a sigh of relief.

"We'll be making it all the way there and back in about thirty minutes."

"W-W-WHAT?!" She exclaimed loudly. "That's not possible! That has to be about ten miles! And we have to run back?"

"Good eyes, it's actually about eleven and a half but you were close. Nonethless, as long as I'm around, anything is possible. Now, let's not waste any time. Today is Sunday after all, no time like the present to go for a good run in the wild." He then changed to a more authoritative tone, "And no whinging either. It'll only be a waste of breath for you."

"R-right, sensei." She nodded and began her run, despite all of her doubts about doing this.

Two Hours Later

Honoka was breathing heavily on the floor, looking as if she were going to faint. Her feet, legs and pretty much her entire body, felt as if they were on fire. The run was completely outrageous and ridiculous for a first event but she dared not complain. Naruto hadn't even looked like he even broke a sweat. His breathing was still steady and he looked almost the exact same as before the run. He did not bother hiding his unimpressed look.

"Not bad for a first time. But you definitely need to improve yourself. I really do want you to cut it to thirty minutes. Otherwise, we just won't have anytime for other drills." The blond admitted.

"Y-yes, Master."

"Now then, go stretch near the porch. I'll be right back."

"That was crazy." Honoka thought as she stretched her legs.

"How was it?" A lazy voice beside her asked, startling Honoka. "W-was he there a second ago?"

"U-uh, it was pretty tough." She replied in between taking calming breaths. "I didn't see you there, Shikamaru-san."

The man nodded. "Naruto is a very strict teacher. He will be asking a lot out of you so do your best."

"Yeah!" She exclaimed and gave him a thumbs up. "I'm definitely going to surpass his expectations!"

"We'll see about that." Shikamaru smiled and pointed to where Naruto was walking in, carrying a bunch of seemingly random equipment. Well, at least it was to Honoka. Once Shikamaru saw them, his eyes gained an amused tone.

"Heh. Back to the basics, eh?" He nodded to his old friend.

Naruto merely shrugged. "The basics have never betrayed any martial artist."

"True enough."

"Huh, what's that for?" She looked at the candle, several bowls and a rice pot. "We're eating?"

The business man of the group laughed at that comment. "Oh man...I love watching newbies take on the horse stance drill."

"Indeed. Honoka, come here." She complied and stood parallel to him from the side. "Alright, I'm going to show you a stance and I want you to copy it."

Naruto widened his legs and got into a very low stance. He then stretched both his arms to his side in a wide motion. Honoka copied him immediately, though she felt a bit silly doing so.

"Is this right?"

"Yes. Now hold that and don't move." He took three bowls and put two in her hands in a gripping motion. "Hold them tight. Don't let go." They had a fairely decent grip so it wasn't too hard.

At first.

The blond then placed a bowl on her head. Honoka started a bit, "Don't move!" Naruto ordered and she complied. "This is a balance and strength exercise. I want you to maintain this stance."

"For how long?" She asked. Only fifteen seconds had passed and she was already tiring. "This is tougher than I thought."

"She's not bad...I couldn't even hold it for thirty seconds." Shikamaru remembered his old days back when he was seven and had begun training. The horse stance, while not as big of a pain as many other exercise, was still a huge pain overall.

Honoka began to truly show her pain at two minutes and she let the bowl from her head drop, breaking it. Not used to the noise, she also dropped the other two in fright.

"Not bad for a first time..." The Master observed. "Hm...again!"

And that went on for the next hour where Naruto would continually adjust the bowls, sometimes even placing them on her legs, making the burden even more difficult.

"Get lower!" He produced a straight stick from out of nowhere and corrected her stance. "You are too high in your stance. Get lower."

Honoka could almost feel the candle fire below her touching the pants she was wearing. It was stinging.

"Good...stay like that." He would often have her carry many numerous things such as pots and even swords. "I want you to get used to holding and carrying different things as you keep the balance of the Horse Stance." Naruto explained. "We will be doing this for one hour everyday. Well, on the days I will allow you to physically train."

"I won't be training everyday?"

"Oh no." Naruto walked over to the porch and picked up a book he had gotten. "I will be teaching you how to speak Chinese. It will also include homework and a lot of self-study on chinese culture, myth and a lot of that jargon." He paused to replace the bowl she had dropped and placed it back.

"This is tough. Anyway, why do I have to study Chinese?"

Naruto spared a glance at Shikamaru who seemed to be watching in a relaxed position. "It is always good to keep a sharp mind. A martial arts bout is more than just being physically stronger than the opponent, you must also be smarter than them."

"One can only stand on top once they reach enlightenment on both Heaven and Earth." Honoka remembered from earlier that day. "Right."

"Also..." Her Master turned to face the clouds. "It is generally a good idea to learn where your new skills originated from. You don't want to sound ignorant once somebody asks you about it, do you?" She shook her head quickly there. Unfortunately, she winced, the action made her drop another bowl.

After replacing it and giving her a stern look, Naruto said. "More discipline, Honoka."

"So...what is the name of the martial arts that you practice?"

Her Master just continued to gaze at the sky. "Of course I get the over-dramatic Master!" She glared holes into his back. Shikamaru seemed to notice this and coughed back a laugh.

"These drills I am putting you through are exercises I picked up when I was traveling in China. I had spent many months studying the ways of the Shaolin monks of old. They're motto of maintaining consistency was something that I agreed with and I incorporated many of their basic principles into my own martial arts."

"When I was a young man, I was taught a killing style known as the Konoha Ryuu (Leaf Style). The basic idea of that style was to aim for vitals and kill opponents as quickly as possible. It focused more on speed and strength rather than technique. However, as I grew and grew, I realized that this style was too straight forward and obsolete. Strength and speed was not enough anymore as the world of martial arts continuously became a tougher place to survive in. So I traveled the world on a quest to improve myself."

"I've been all over the world and I have fought many opponents. Through my wins and losses, I gained so many ideas on how to improve my skill. But by the time my quest had ended, my new style didn't even resemble the Konoha Ryuu any more; but an improved version that was heavily influenced by several others styles."

Honoka listened in rapt attention.

Naruto turned to face his student and rose his hands. "When the tower of humanity reaches the sky, Dragons shall descend from the Clouds to bring it down. Once an opponent marches too close to our summit, we shall watch them and study them from the clouds before destroying them with our fangs. In China, they call it the Yúnlóngquán (Cloud Dragon Fist). In Japan, they call it the Unryūken; the fists that wields the enigmatic power of a mighty Dragon. It defeats enemies from both outside and in. This is my style."

Naruto couldn't help but notice the bright stars in his pupil's eyes. Shikamaru was leaking out a ton of mirth from his face.

He merely quirked his brow.

"Oh nothing." Shikamaru chuckled and waved his hands a bit. "I see your speaking skills are still up to par. You sounded like someone really cool for a moment."

The blond Master merely scoffed. "Whatever." He turned his eyes back to the disciple. "Listening to a story is no excuse for slacking off! Get lower!"

END

I was pretty unhappy with this chapter. I wanted to get more in but...it just wouldn't flow right.

I do hope people like the name of his style. I even bothered translating it into two languages. If you don't...whelp, can't please them all.

We all have to start with the Horse Stance. Even Kenichi did. Although, I have to admit that Akisame is a demon of hell when it comes to what he puts Kenichi through. I'm honestly surprised he hasn't died yet. And I'm more surprised he isn't some awesome beast either.

Her core conditioning is Shaolin monk training. There will be a lot of speed and flexibility emphasis. Obviously, I only gave you guys a description, I think it was a decent one. Nutrition plan scene was more of an excuse to introduce Hakubi who will be a huge confidante of Honoka through out the story.

More training and sub-plot progression next chapter. I won't be uploading chapters everyday, I'm not that good. I'm just on a real good roll right now.

Thanks and have a nice day.