Chapter 15
"Marionette and the Manipulator"
"Kneel."
Kakashi bowed his head in the darkness. His eyes were closed and faced away from the taller man who had called him in to report. It was a warehouse on the port that had been chosen as the meeting place - and it was currently around lunch time. The sun was shining brightly outside.
"Report."
The boy's tone was monotone as always. "I have managed to infiltrate 'Ragnarok' - as was planned." The man - who wore a simple black suit and shades - nodded and typed something into a laptop.
"How is their skill level?"
"Only three are worth noting." He admitted, thinking of the top three fists of Ragnarok. "The others are not even on mid-disciple level, except for the one called Hermit, who is slowly reaching a level close to mine."
"The leader?"
"I do not know his full capacity - however, I truly believe that he may stand on my own level - if not higher. I am not in a position to fight him at the moment."
"That is acceptable. Do not engage anyone in Ragnarok until you are given further orders. Their leader is supposedly someone called, 'Kensei', who according to our reports, is a member of One Shadow Nine Fist." His superior finished the report and put away the clip-board.
"I have additional orders that were approved by Lord Hokage."
When Kakashi made no move to speak, the man continued. "According to our sources, there has been reports of a masked Vigilante going around disrupting our dealings with the Chinese Mafia. Her last attempt was about a month ago - and supposedly, it is said that this Vigilante possesses immense skill."
"Name of the target?"
"I believe this person goes by the name, 'Xinku'." Kakashi widened his eyes by a fraction, but luckily, it was not seen since the light was hitting away from his eyes. "You are to capture this person and bring him or her back as a prisoner of Konoha. From then, our brain-washing specialists will get their work done."
His hand tightened and he nodded.
"Understood."
Tanimoto's Mansion - Backyard
"You're here again?" Natsu pinched his nose when he saw the brunette from the other day relaxing on his yard chair with a cup in hand. "I locked the door on you."
"It was a bad lock. Heh, you can't even take care of your own place properly. What if a robber sneaks in and steals your stuff? You won't be able to do anything then." She replied cheekily and took a sip of the tea she had prepared on the center of a table. It was positioned right next to a grey book with kanji on the cover. "Well, don't let me interrupt your little training, go on. I already finished mine earlier, so a boy like yourself shouldn't fall behind!" The taunt was not very subtle, if his gritting teeth showed anything.
Her words were the truth though. Honoka had just completed her training the morning before and was extremely exhausted. When her Master had told her that he wouldn't be holding anything back, the man had not been kidding - at all.
The girl had shivers just thinking about it.
Flashback
"Don't fall down!" Naruto yelled from where he was sitting. "If you fall, I won't catch you! Establish your balance, disciple!"
"I can't do that when you're flicking rocks at me!" She allowed herself to whine. Not only had her Master manage to sneak into her house, kidnap her and somehow find a way to force her body to practice moves in her sleep, he also had the gall to tell her that she was 'above average, for now'. That insult could not go unanswered.
"In battle, there will be worse things flying at you than rocks." He answered back with ease. "In battle, there will be arrows, bullets and missiles!"
"Missiles?!" She sputtered, "What kind of fights have you been in?!"
"The Die-Hard type of fights." The blonde shrugged and flicked another rock at her, almost hitting her off the mountain ledge where he had forced her to stand still on while balancing a staff that held two pots on each end. It was also very windy - how the man managed to flick rocks at her with such perfect accuracy was astounding. "I told you to dodge!"
"If I move even a little, I'll fall to my death!" She breathed out, and tilted her head to barely dodge the pebble. "This is insane!"
"What, this?! This is nothing!" He laughed from the other edge of the ledge. "You never complained so much before about your training."
"At least at those times, I could actually see the ground!" And it was true. The ledge she had been standing on was completely dwarfed by morning mist - and the bottom looked endless. Not to mention there was some insane kind of feeling in the air that had was suffocating her a bit. She had no idea what that was.
"What does this training do?" Honoka had a small idea but wanted confirmation.
Naruto took a few moments to gather a response. "Isn't it obvious? I'm teaching you something called, 'dodging efficiency'! Youngsters now-a-days think that flips and saults are what makes great fighters but in reality, they are a complete waste of stamina. This is also lower-body training! Your SDS (Sky Dragon Steps) still need a lot of work - it is too linear, and easy to telegraph."
A sea of sweat was pouring down his disciple's face. She was clearly approaching her limit.
"Alright, that's enough!" Honoka let out a sigh of relief. "Come over here."
The girl bent her knees at a slight angle and clumsily jumped - with an unreal-like hang time - over the ledges to the other side where her Master sat. They were almost two buildings apart in length.
"Your Qing Gong (Light Body Skills) also needs a lot of work - this is also one of the reasons why your SDS is still below average. At this rate, you won't even be a match for the higher level disciples in the world." The blonde sighed and pinched his nose. "You have been focusing too much on your external skills, disciple. You must do more meditation and mental training."
"Yes, Master." She bowed.
"Good. Now then, sit, I must tell you something during this short reprieve."
She stretched a bit and fell to the ground, waiting for him to begin.
"Now that we are completely alone, I must tell you of our enemies. Yes, it is our enemies now - not just mine. There have been reports that agents of Konoha will be stationed in Koryou, I do not know who or what but caution must be exercised. They do not know of you - yet - and I am sure that they are here to scout for talents to add to their disciple groups. That's no surprise since their last true attempt was about as pathetic as it came. They thought that my skills would have deterred in times of peace and due to my conversion to Katsujinken." Naruto smirked a little at that, "Martial Artists always improve."
"I wish I was as powerful as you, Master."
"Hmph! Well if you continue to ignore your mental training, you will never reach that summit!" He scolded her, "While your external skills are incredible for your age, it is not enough to reach the level of Master anytime soon. Tell me, do you remember the 'Master' you fought back at the port all those years ago?"
"Yeah." She giggled, "He called himself the flying batter or something stupid like that."
"Yes, he is as weak of a Master you will ever fight. His movements were too strict and limited - despite his massive build. While his limited movements were also attributed by his bulky build, another reason behind it is because of his weakness in mental, internal training. Let me tell you this right now: had he trained his internal skills properly, none of Haku's attacks back then would have hurt him - high powered or not. The person you fought had no skill in hardening his body so he was only about as good as an average Sumo Wrestler in terms of taking hits."
"It's kind of complicated." Honoka admitted with slight shame. "The theory behind the idea of 'strengthening' the inner body is hard to practice." She didn't want to point out that it was because he wasn't around to teach her - the girl refused to use that as an excuse. Why? Because fighters back then before modern times never even had the conveniences that she had.
"Disciples do not usually begin this sort of training until they are twenty or so." Her Master admitted, "But you are MY apprentice, and I hold you above those silly standards. No apprentice of mine should ever be limited by the expectations of society!"
"Of course!" She pumped her fists.
He ruffled her hair, "You are slowly but surely making your way into our world. The deeper you walk, the stronger your enemies will become. I have been observing the city, your current enemies are also quite dangerous."
"Ragnarok?!" Honoka scoffed slightly, "They're just a dumb gang! They might have a few decent fighters but we're on a different level."
"Wrong." He immediately retorted. "Ragnarok is a secret branch of another, more dangerous group known as 'Yomi'."
"Yomi?" She rubbed her neck in thought, "I heard from an underling that there was a group named that opposing Ragnarok."
Her Master nodded. "A curious situation indeed. I have been deeply investigating the groups that has caught Konoha's interest. Yomi are filled with martial artists who are in your age-range. And at the moment, most of them can defeat you in a fight."
"Y-you're kidding." She whispered. "That's unexpected."
"Always expect the unexpected. Ragnarok on the surface is a just regular gang, but the higher ups are fighters that have been recruited by real Martial Artists. Also, a member of Yomi is also the puppet leader of Ragnarok according to the reports of Konoha's scouts. They sent someone to infiltrate the group too."
"This is insane." Honoka hadn't expected a weak group like Ragnarok to have such powerful connections. Then again, she had been avoiding the leaders so far - not to mention tracking them down was a huge pain. Her Master had done it in under a week - it goes to show just how far behind him in everything she really was.
It kind of made sense concerning his past. Information gathering must have been essential.
"The Martial Arts realm is unpredictable. No matter how powerful you are, there will always be an obstacle coming to face you - and not all problems can be solved by strength alone." He turned around to gaze at the misty mountain.
"Supposedly, there is another group like Ragnarok that is stationed in Tokyo. They are called, 'Titan'."
"Too far." She murmured, "They won't be a problem for us."
"Yet." He pointed out. "Anyway, breaks over! Now, you are to walk along the edge of that mountain on your arms! Legs are three times stronger than arms because people are constantly walking."
Honoka grimaced when she saw the fall down from the mountain.
End Flashback
"Oi!"
Honoka looked up and met Tanimoto's cold eyes. "My backyard isn't a day-care, go home or something." He scolded her.
"Sorry, I was just so bored by your crappy training that I fell into a flashback. It's no wonder you suck so bad - that you got injured fighting thugs."
"I didn't get injured from fighting thugs! It was a training mishap!"
"Ooooh." She made squiggly finger motions at him and stuck her tongue out. "Did the big baby idol get a paper cut?" Her cooing taunts elicited a twitch of annoyance from the older boy. "Seriously though, you need more stamina training boy. Who the hell gets tired after chopping sand bags for a few hours?"
"How would you even know?" He scoffed back, "You're just a dumb kid."
"So are you."
"I'm older than you."
"In body but not mind."
"I hate you."
"I love your hate." Was her sarcastic, yet unoriginal come-back. "Is this how you talk to all girls? It's no wonder you're single."
"I don't even know you and I just know that your parents must hate you."
"Actually, they love me!" Honoka beamed back at him like a kid who had just gotten their first candy bar. "I'm going to your High School next year so you'd better be ready!"
"-To transfer, you mean." He mumbled and wiped some sweat that dripped down his pores. "Since you are so keen on staying here for absolutely no reason, you could at least give me your name."
"Shirahama Honoka." His eyes glinted seriously for a moment, "Yeah, I know. My name is super awesome."
"No." Natsu deadpanned and closed his eyes - making her sulk a bit. "Anyway, if you think you're so good at Martial Arts, why don't you fight me?"
Honoka blinked and just stared at him. She then proceeded to bawl down in laughter while holding her stomach tightly. Natsu watched this reaction for about ten seconds before resuming his training with an angry furor for being looked down upon.
"Don't be insulted!" She yelled through her uncontrolled chortles. "I just reacted, I didn't mean it, kinda!"
The boy just ignored her and continued chopping down on the sandbags.
"You're rude." The brunette girl continued on, ignoring that he was ignoring her. "You asked for my name and didn't bother introducing yourself. Weren't you taught any manners?"
"Nii-san, you shouldn't be so rude." An angelic voice uttered from his distant memories. He sucked on his teeth. "Tch. Natsu."
"Natsu?" Her lips curled back indicating her distaste. "Doesn't suit you. I think I'll call you Nacchi instead! So much cuter."
"Do whatever you want." Natsu murmured.
The two stayed silent for a while after that. She merely relaxed for an hour so with a book in her hand. "He's not bad. At least he doesn't bully people like the rest of the punks in his gang. Maybe there is hope after all." Her fingers slowly caressed the edge of a page and flipped it to the next. It was sometime during this silence when the backdoor was slid open loudly.
"What are you doing here?" Natsu regarded the new visitor with an ice-like exterior, "And how did you get in?"
"Your lock is horrible." Loki reeled back a bit when the boy's violet eyes turned absolutely fiery. Little did the trickster know; Natsu had been told something similar earlier that day from an equally annoying person. Said person who said it was holding back her snicker behind a book.
"I didn't come here to make trouble! I promise!" The goggle-wearing boy stopped smiling. "I only came to deliver a message. Don't lay a hand of Shirahama Kenichi - he's mine!"
Honoka narrowed her eyes from behind the book. "Did he just say, 'Honoka-san, please kick my ass?'"
"I heard from Odin." The blonde suddenly smirked. "You recently lost your spot to a new guy. Someone named Kakashi, right?"
The trickster nodded and bit out, "I need to get some recognition back. If I can take out Shirahama, then I'll get my spot back for sure."
Neither of them noticed the girl's tight grip on her book. Loki had ignored her so far. "Not all problems should be solved with strength." She suddenly remembered the words of her Master. "Ragnarok is a sub-group that is secretly a part of Yomi. I wonder..."
The girl thrummed her fingers on the cover of her book before a little smirk briefly tugged on her lips.
"Shouldn't you guys be more worried about Yomi?" A plan formed in her head as she caught the attention of the Ragnarok Fists. "Aren't they a bigger threat to you?"
"Hm." Loki grunted and acknowledged those words. "Maybe. Who are you?"
"Honoka." A facade of innocence slid on her being, "Shirahama Honoka."
Natsu widened his eyes and looked in between the two. Loki had a small smirk forming on his mouth but what worried him was the obvious fake innocence on the girl's face - something the goggles wearing boy couldn't identify. "What is she up to?"
"Oh? Do you know someone named Shirahama Kenichi?"
"I'll answer that question if you answer mine about Ragnarok!" The girl shrugged and grinned when he nodded. "What's Yomi?"
Loki frowned. "I don't know how a kid like you knows about them. They are Ragnarok's - our gang, if you didn't know - greatest enemy. Only our Chief knows about them."
"It's my win." Honoka's fabricated face was the epitome of ditzy-ness. "Oooooh! OK. Some dummy in a restaurant was going all hurrah about how Ragnarok would totally own Yomi. When I saw your gloves, I just haaad to ask."
"Heh, what a weird kid you found, Hermit." The goggle-eyed boy looked at his right hand. "Oi, Number 20, tie the girl up."
"W-what are you d-d-doing!?" Honoka pouted when the older girl gleefully bounded her by rope. "What the hell? This is horrible. Even a boy-scout can break from this!" She mentally rolled her eyes.
Natsu just leered at her with suspicion. "Hm."
"Save ~ me, Nacchi." He had to admit, she was a decent actor. Not on his level though. She was overacting too much - it was like watching professional wrestling, "But an imbecile like Loki wouldn't be able to tell the difference." While well versed in tricking people, the ex-Fourth Fist now 'Ninth' Fist had no idea how to read people in depth. Also, the fact that Honoka was a young grade-school girl helped fortify her act.
"You do know that you can't order me directly, don't you? Loki."
The trickster shrugged. "It was an order from Kensei-sama himself! Not even you can refute that, Hermit!"
"Damn him." Natsu glared heatedly at his 'comrade'. His eyes then went down to see a small grin on the tied-up girl's face. "Just what are you up to?"
"Hey, Number 20, send a picture of her to Shimpaku's website. That idiot Shirahama will be here in a flash!"
Koryou High School
Haruo Niijima took a large pointing stick and slammed it on the board. His troops were all stationed at their base in a classroom. "Listen up! I have urgent information that has to do with a sudden change of formation in Ragnarok's 'Eight Fists'. According to my spy, a new member has just been inducted in order to fill in the vacant spot that Siegfried-" A sinister smile crept on his face at the name of said person, "- left open. They must be desperate to keep their image up and thus, we must take advantage of this by striking at them!"
"..."
"..."
"...I call bullshit, Takeda!" Ukita smirked and pointed at his best friend Takeda, who merely grinned cheekily and revealed that he had indeed dropped a seven of diamonds. "Damn it!"
Haruo face-planted when he realized that his best three fighters weren't even listening. "Hey! This is important stuff I'm talking about here!"
"Shut up, Niijima." Kenichi muttered and dropped two cards into the pile. "Who cares?"
"You should!" The alien-looking boy retorted back, "They're aiming for you! You are the one that caught their fully interest! It's too late to turn back now, Kenichi!"
The boy considered that for a moment and sighed. "I guess you're partially right."
"Of course I am. Also, shouldn't you be a bit more worried? You didn't even beat Hermit, you just knocked him off a bus. I'll give you Siegfried but it was your friend, Miu, that beat Valkyrie."
"Barely beat Siegfried too if what Honey told me was right." Takeda chuckled in the background.
The brown-haired boy looked away and just continued to play cards.
"Where is Honey anyway? Weren't you going home with her today, Kenichi?" The blue-haired boxer sifted through the cards in his hand.
"I-I don't know."
The truth was, Kenichi had decided to take a personal break away from Ryouzanpaku - a decision he had made after taking part in Akisame's new technique memorization training. It had been nearly torture having to perform the 'Soutenshu' one thousand times with weight additions. However, it was the type of break in which he decided not to inform his Masters; meaning he ran away.
This also meant he was a bit too ashamed to face Miu.
"Didn't you say you didn't want anything to do with Shimpaku, Kenichi? Why are you here?" Ukita added in and placed down another card - ony for Takeda to call 'bullshit' to reveal his deception. ("Damn it!")
"I-I'm just making sure Niijima isn't doing anything heinous!" He replied indignantly. "Wait a minute, why are you two here?! I thought you didn't like Niijima!"
"Well...about that." The boxer scratched the back of his head, "I didn't really plan on coming." ("Me neither!" Ukita realized from behind him.)
The alien boy let out a sneaky smile. "They may be stronger than me, but I am unsurpassed in the art of persuasion!"
"We should use this time together to strengthen our bonds!" Was his cheesy pitch, "You guys do that while I check out some stuff!"
Ukita looked at where the boy was sitting, "A computer? What are you looking at?"
"Anything! I'm just surfing for now." The self-styled leader replied, "We live in an age of information. Computers and all of that are going to dominate the next generation! Speaking of information, have you heard, Kenichi?"
"Hm?"
"He's back! Natsu Tanimoto!" Haruo declared. "I heard he's been seen going around (as Hermit) and beating up any delinquent as a warm up to greet you!"
The brown-haired boy gritted his teeth. "I guess I have to beat him this time for certain."
"He's strong, Kenichi. If you're going to have to get in the ring with him, you will need to be mentally prepared!" Takeda lectured lightly. "Just because he's the 'Sixth' Fist - doesn't make him the Sixth strongest. His strength is not far from the top cards of Ragnarok - and he's definitely stronger than Loki...from my personal observations anyway."
"He's right." Haruo agreed and waved off Ukita's lame online dating questions. "So, what do you think?"
He pointed at the Shimpaku Alliance's website which had three (well positioned) photos of Kenichi, Takeda and Ukita. They were listed as the Assault 'Commander', 'Deputy' and 'Captain' respectively.
"What the hell is that?!" The three fighters began beating up a laughing Haruo, who only cackled at their reactions hysterically. "W-wait, guys! There's a reply!"
"What th- Someone actually goes to this dumb site?!" Ukita asked indignantly. "Who is it?"
"Hello, Viceroy-dono! I've just seen your homepage and I'm so inspired!" Haruo quoted with glee, making the others look on in disbelief.
"I-is it a g-girl?!" The average judo user sputtered. "Just curious."
"I'm an Officer of Ragnarok and I am called Loki."
"Ah ~ So her name is Loki-chan." Ukita grinned, along with the rest.
Before reality set in.
"WHAT?! LOKI?!"
"Loki from Fists?! What's he doing here?" Takeda asked in shock, "I think he's in the chat."
"He's asking for Kenichi." Haruo frowned and looked over, getting a cautious nod from the normally cowardly boy.
"Let's settle this here at the abandoned Church, he says." Ukita murmured, "It's obviously a trap!"
"There's an attached file." Haruo opened the photo and widened his eyes along with the other four. When Kenichi saw the picture, he immediately turned around and shot out the door as fast as he could. Takeda followed him along with Ukita and a trailing Niijima.
It was a picture of Honoka, tied up and had a her tongue sticking out as if she were mocking someone behind the camera.
Somewhere along the way, Miu saw him run and went to greet him before persuading him to go back to Ryouzanpaku - only for the boy to not even acknowledge her. "What happened?" She thought after seeing the fire in his eyes.
Takeda saw her and grimaced at her worried look. "Honoka-chan has been kidnapped by Ragnarok!"
"What?!" She exclaimed out loud. The memory of the brunette girl's fighting prowess flashed in her mind. "Impossible! How?!"
Abandoned Church - Inside
"Oi, Nacchi! My throat's killing me. I haven't drank since goggles over there took away my tea!" She whined loudly.
Natsu, who was now geared in his battle garment, bit his tongue on a snarky reply and nodded. Loki stopped him though. "You shouldn't wander. She'll be fine! It's not like we're torturing her...yet, anyway! Haha!"
The blonde immediately walked over and grabbed Loki by the collar. "Whoa there tiger, I'm just doing what Kensei-sama is asking of me!" He smiled cheekily when Natsu let him go. "I'm telling you, she'll be fine!"
"Will you two stop your Yaoi drama over there and get me some damn water!"
"She's surprisingly very vulgar once annoyed." Loki admitted. "I can't believe how lucky I am! You've certainly given me a good card to play with, Hermit! Also, don't bother disobeying me. My orders are right from Kensei-sama. All of them. Don't you have a life-long obligation to him by the way? Didn't he save your life?!"
Natsu gritted his teeth and turned away.
"You two are annoying." She let out a long-suffering sigh. "I don't know how anyone could deal with you two. And they say girls are more dramatic than boys. My butt!"
The sound of gates opening caught their attention.
"Heh, he's here." Loki nodded to Hermit, who just glared back before walking out to 'greet' Kenichi.
Honoka couldn't help but be a little worried for her brother. "Ken's gotten better...but can he beat Nacchi? That's gonna be tough for him. Nacchi's no pushover."
She kept her eyes on Loki like a predator that was waiting to spring herself. "Soon..."
Abandoned Church - Outside
"Oh?" Sakaki smiled widely when the two teenage boys stood off against the other. "It's finally starting! Quick, hand over the beer!"
"Hm..." Akisame sat cross-legged beside him on the tree top, "This will be a tough battle for our disciple."
The two Masters had caught sight of Kenichi running down to the Church sometime after picking up groceries for an irate Miu, who spent every minute scolding them for working Kenichi too hard to the point where he ran away. They ignored most of her words for the most part.
Back to the fight.
"Wanna bet on the winner?" The Karate Master asked as he chopped off the tip of the beer, "This should be good!"
"That wouldn't be proper." Akisame replied easily.
"Where is Honoka, Hermit?!" Kenichi demanded fiercely. Natsu didn't answer and got into a preemptive stance. "I cannot believe how much hate I feel right now! If you've even plucked a single hair from her head; I'm going to crush you!"
"That's fine! I'm fine with you hating me! Hatred is power, that's what I was taught by my Master! Ma Sougetsu!"
"Sougetsu?! Isn't that...?!"
"Martial Arts exists for the sole purpose of destroying people you dislike! And I don't like you!" Hermit declared and took the first step forward. Kenichi got into his fighting stance - a basic Karate one - and blocked an incoming chop by kicking his feet up to meet the hand stopping it cold. The hooded fighter stepped back and went for a sweep kick but Kenichi brought down the feet he had up in the air and meet once again with Hermit's own.
Pivoting forward, Natsu aimed a side-ways chop that was sustained by Kenichi's forearm - and then Kenichi slid his hand around the boy's his wrist to go for a throw - only for Hermit to aim a spear strike from mid-air at his neck forcing his release. After he lost the grip to dodge the attack, the brown-haired disciple jumped back a bit to gain some footing and stared down his opponent.
Without another word, Kenichi marched forward and launched a straight punch at Natsu who effortlessly caught it in his palms. "Too easy!" Kenichi growled and used another step in while turning in his held arm.
"Dee Sork Toron (Turning Elbow Strike)!" Hermit dodged the converted elbow strike with a twist of his body and swing his body around Kenichi - aiming another chop to the boy's head.
"Kaminari Ogama o Yurasu (Swinging Lightning Scythe)!" Just as his hand made contact, the blonde frowned when he saw his attacked blocked by Kenichi's hand.
"As if I'd fall for that move again!" That had been one of the couple attacks he had been hit with on the bus. His hand wrapped around Hermit's wrists once again and he went for an over the shoulder throw. "Oogoshi (Over Shoulder Throw)!"
Before the boy got slammed down on the ground though, Natsu managed to chop at Kenichi's mid-section opening - eliciting a grunt of pain that was shared by the blonde once he hit the floor. "Keh!" Hermit rolled away before Kenichi could manage to tie his arms with a Jiujitsu technique.
"Hey, our disciple isn't half bad." Sakaki grinned excitedly, "He's definitely gonna win as soon as he starts using Karate! Obviously Jiujitsu isn't enough."
Akisame resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "What a simpleton."
Koryou - Street Way
Takeda frowned when he saw just how many clones of Loki that were surrounding them. "Seventeen?! That's a bit ridiculous. And why does the fat one over there have a black eye?"
Miu gritted her teeth. "We need to get to Kenichi! There's no time for this."
"Yeah!" He looked around and saw that the clones were just flowing out like rats. "Guess we'll have to fight our way through. Oi! Get off of me!" The shades-wearing boy shook off a cowering Niijima - who immediately hid behind a trash can next to a nearby orphanage. The Loki clones took out several retractable pipes and charged at the group of three fighters with the intent to harm.
Miu dodged a strike and landed four punches at the clone's face, easily knocking him down and spun away to dodge another, followed by a flying kick that knocked the opponent over the river way. "Takeda-san, Ukita-san! Watch out, those pipes can stun people!" She had felt the sensation during the first dodge.
The boxer nodded. He weaved in a side-ways motion and got to one of the clone's side. "Phantom Left Liver Blow!" The shadow coughed up saliva and collapsed in pain. The blue-haired boy then turned around just in time to lean his head backwards to dodge an incoming horizontal strike. When the clone, it was the fat and unrealistic one, threw a straight punch - Takeda stepped into it and landed his counter. "Cross Counter Flash!"
"There's too many of them!" Ukita yelled out as he threw one over his shoulder - but the wounds on his chest showed that he had not dodged everything. "We need help!"
"We're gonna crush you here!" The lead clone roared out as a battle cry. "For Loki-sama!"
Just as they were gonna run at them again, they all heard the sound of a door opening and the clearing of a throat.
"Excuse me, will you all please take your fight somewhere else? You are disrupting my lesson."
Both groups turned to see a young feminine man (who was older than them by maybe a few years) cooling himself down with a retractable fan. ("It's too hot out today." He murmered with a little exasperation) The man had long dark hair, a blue kimono with a falling-snow design and sandals.
"We can do what we want!" One of the clones yelled back. "You're in our way!" He continued when he saw the man calmly walk, while still fanning himself, into the middle of the battle.
"I must insist-" His voice turned icey in a moment - a complete contrast from his softer one from before. "- that you take this elsewhere. You are bothering the children." He pointed to the orphanage.
The lead Loki clone gritted his teeth and looked to another from behind him. "Take him out too! We need to follow Loki-sama's orders no matter the cost!"
"Watch out!" Miu yelled out and got ready to intercept, but she stopped when he exuded no worry at all.
Pipe drawn, the Shadow charged with a stabbing blow at the man which was easily - and surprisingly - stopped stiff against the metal fan in his hand. The dark haired man sighed loudly. "I see."
"Who's that?" Takeda asked with mild curiosity. ("His kimono is so cute." Miu realized with stars in her eyes.)
"I don't know!" Ukita smiled. "But she's about to move."
"She?" Takeda quirked a brow at his best friend, "That's a he." While the older man could be called feminine, he certainly didn't feel like a woman overall. Takeda didn't really know how to explain how he just knew - it was instinct.
The man suddenly appeared next to his attacker and hit the back of the boy's neck with his fan, which was now retracted, and knocked him out-cold.
"Incredible speed. He's faster than me by far!" Miu watched the random stranger wipe out the legion of clones effortlessly. He had dodged all of their attacks with complete ease and whipped his fan around like a sword - hitting or stabbing the weak points hard enough to just knock out the thugs. "He's definitely a Master level!"
"Holy-"
In a matter of seconds, the Loki clones had been defeated. Standing in the middle of the steaming pile was the man who was now back to fanning away the heat from his face. "T-thank you!" Takeda sputtered after witnessing the complete stomp down.
The man shrugged. "You're welcome. Also could you call down the police to apprehend them? Don't mention me though!" He smiled and winked conspiratorially.
"S-sure!" Ukita nodded and blushed. "She's so pretty."
"Thank you!" Miu bowed and turned to the rest. "Let's go!" They nodded and went to find the trail. From behind the trash-can, Niijima pinned a calculating glare on the stranger but eventually went to follow the others.
"Grandfather was right..." Miu thought as she ran. "You will never know when you will meet a Master."
Haku watched the group go with a curious look on his face. "Hm. That girl wasn't a bad fighter at all. Reminds me of Hona-chan a bit..." He uttered to himself, "Which reminds me, where is she anyway?"
The Caretaker shrugged and walked back in the building resume his duties.
Abandoned Church - Outside
"See, see!" Sakaki chuckled quietly enough to not be heard. "That was a Karate punch! I was right, it's Kenichi's win. Had we bet, I would be winning right now."
"Hm." The Jiujitsu Master tilted his head, "I disagree. How about we make that bet now...? I will bet on the hooded boy."
"What?"
"Kenichi-kun has a handicap." He explained, "I'm sure you've noticed it too."
Their disciple currently had his opponent in a standing arm-lock. Sakaki nodded grudgingly and muttered, "Hollow Truth? Pah, what nonsense." But he did admit that at Kenichi's level, it was critical.
"You're too naive. And so is your fighting style." Hermit twisted his body and show his level of flexibility by striking back at Kenichi while arm-locked. Taking advantage of the boy's surprise, the blonde stepped in and launched two strikes - one to the head, the other to the body - and only one was avoided. Kenichi had grabbed the one aimed for his head but couldn't stop the body-blow. "So this is how Tsukuba felt when I used Yamazaki."
Seeing his opponent stagger backwards in pain, Hermit charged once again. "A palm strike?" Kenichi moved to stop it but was left defenseless when it proved to be a feint - twisting down, the hooded-boy whipped back up and chopped right through Kenichi's clumsy guard, hitting right in the jaw.
"Inside Hollow, Outside Truth." Natsu quoted robotically. "Feints are apart of high level fighting. I get irritated when I see naive, honest fighters like you. Justice? Truth? Those are nothing but burdens. What's important is deception and power; with those, one can obtain enough power to control others!"
"When I was young, I lived in an orphanage until I was six. At that age, I was adopted by a very rich and cold-blooded man. I didn't like him but I needed his money so that doctors could treat my sick sister. I played my part perfectly! I was taught to be cold and calculative - to never show emotion that was below me. My 'father' never laughed. Not even once. But one day..." He paused briefly, "He found love. He fell in love with a Lady-Doctor that was employed under his company. For three years...life was like a dream."
"And then...he died. They said it was of unknown cause - but he had actually been poisoned by my 'mother' - the person who also who never actually treated my sister at all. My sister, the most important person in my life, had only become sicker and sicker as the days passed and soon, she also died. All because of one person's greed. However! I...am grateful. My eyes are now open to the world's true, cruel nature! What truly determines strength are 'lies' and 'power'!"
Hermit went to finish off Kenichi with a downward chop but was blocked by the boy's forearm. "I see. Now I understand. If lies and power are all you live by, then only conflict and suffering await you." It was apparently Kenichi's turn to go on a lecture. "My Karate instructor told me that Fists speak louder than words! The moment you cross fists with someone - shy or not - you will know exactly what type of person they are!"
"You are surprisingly eloquent when you are drunk." Akisame teased the embarrassed Sakaki. ("Do I really say stuff like that?" He muttered.)
"Now...I see that it wasn't you who kidnapped Honoka!" Natsu gritted his teeth. The girl had went to him! It wasn't his fault. "You aren't the type of person that would stoop so low, Hermit. I know that much. It must have been Loki."
Natsu widened his eyes as he watched the boy literally inflict harm upon himself in order to wake his beaten body. "Unbelievable! You can still stand?!"
Hermit was ignored. "It is obvious that you lack 'belief'! You have no one to believe in, and that's why I'll win this fight! You lack a soul that can believe in the in friends and teachers!"
"A soul that lacks belief? What nonsense! I had that...my sister...had-" He pursed his lips and glared down Kenichi.
They both entered their respective stances and squared off once again.
"Honoka is waiting for me, believe that I'll be there!"
"You're too optimistic and naive!"
Kenichi saw his chopping motion come down and stepped in right - his toes pinned together. "Kouho!" He ducked and the chop missed his head, right as his foot pivoted out, "Haiho!" The brown-haired boy swept down Hermit's lead foot while simultaneously dropped a sharp elbow on the chest. However, the following blow missed when Natsu spun his body away at the very last moment.
"Good move. Very basic." Sakaki muttered, "Wait a minute, none of us taught him that!"
"Heh, our disciple sure is interesting." Akisame agreed.
Hermit went back on the offensive and feinted a low strike - one that Kenichi fell for - and began to switch high only for it to be caught by both of the opponent's hands. Natsu watched as Kenichi aimed a double palm at his chest but blocked it just at the right moment, "Soutenshu (Double Palm)!"
"You know Bajiquan too? Keh, like it matters - you didn't even bother feinting. I can block those attacks with my eyes closed!"
"Idiot." Kenichi retorted, "Don't be silly." He re-positioned himself and re-engaged Soutenshu once again. Surprised by his sheer strength, Hermit's guard was broken in an instant as the attack pushed him back treading and to the ground.
"I train my ass off every day to achieve that strength! I don't need something foolish like 'Hollow Truth'!"
"Well done..." Akisame smiled wryly. "Maybe he's not such a waste of time after all. I'm seeing good things."
Back to the fight, Hermit was speaking. "I don't get it. I see Karate, Jiujitsu, Muay Thai and some Kempo! Just who the hell are you?!" Despite his loud tone, there was a blood-thirsty smile on his face.
"I am the disciple of the Strongest in History!"
Just as they were going to continue, a voice spoke up. "I like that!" It was a feminine voice. Tied up with rope was Honoka with a small grin on her face. "That was such a cool line, Ken'. See, I told you that your best skill was making cool hero lines!"
"H-honoka!" Standing behind her was Loki who also had a smirk. Though Kenichi was confused as to why his sister was smiling as well. "W-why are you-"
"I believed in you. Well done." Her eyes softened. "Just beat Nacchi over there and don't worry about me! This punk over here won't do a thing to harm me!"
Loki ignored his hostage. "A splendid match indeed. Don't let us interfere with your fun! Go ahead! I promise, I won't harm your sister until one of you is defeated."
"B-but-" She just gave him that look. "Alright. I-I'm glad that you're OK."
"Just focus on Nacchi over there! He's pretty tough!"
On top of the tree, the two Masters looked on.
"She's planning something." Akisame hummed, "There is not a single tense muscle on her body. What's going on?" Sakaki shrugged. As far as he was concerned, as long as the girl was confident that she wasn't in danger, then that was good enough for him. All he wanted to do was watched his student fight.
On the ground, Natsu narrowed his eyes at the girl. "Loki is not the type to let an opportunity go like this." It was more than a little fishy. "What did she say to him back in the Church? Whatever - I need to focus on the fight."
"What is the meaning of this, Loki?"
"Just following orders from Kensei-sama, Hermit."
Honoka contemplated on those words. "Kensei...where have I heard that before? Definitely not Ma Kensei - but another one."
Kenichi looked at his opponent and rose a brow at the boy's distracted gaze. Loki had noticed as well.
"Worried about the girl, Hermit? I'm surprised. With the way you talk to her, I would have thought that you would prefer her being out of the way."
Natsu gritted his teeth when he saw Loki hold a sharp knife to Honoka's neck.
"This is dirty Ragnarok! Let her go!" Kenichi roared from where he stood. "How can I know you won't do anything."
"I'm a man of my word." Was his flimsy response.
Just then, multiple footsteps were heard entering the Church. "Kenichi!" Miu looked up to Honoka who seemed to be getting bored very quickly. "Are you alright?!"
"Yeah. Don't worry about me." She smiled and looked to Kenichi. "Ken'. Just win!"
He nodded and charged Hermit. Both fighters were already at their limits due to the earlier face offs. Hermit charged first and threw a chopping feint that was followed by an elbow - but Kenichi had seen this before and he tilted his head away to dodge. Kenichi then spun behind Hermit and aimed a backwards elbow. "Sok Klab (Reverse Elbow)!"
The attack hit the boy directly but at the same time, Hermit had landed a chop at Kenichi's open head, knocking both boys to the ground. The two attacks landed within close time intervals. Staggering back up, Kenichi stared down Hermit with fiery eyes, but a tired body. "I'm so tired." His vision was buzzed.
As was Hermit. The damage of Kenichi's elbow was incredible - he felt the blood dripping from the back of his head down his spine. "He's still standing..."
"Hahahahaha!" Loki clapped, "Alright, I think that's enough."
"What?!" Miu exclaimed, "What are you talking about?!"
The trickster ignored her and looked at his assistant. "Number 20, hold the knife." He jumped down and drew a retractable pipe. The goggle-eyed boy charged Kenichi and began hitting all over the place.
"What is this, Loki?!" Hermit tensed when ten clones appeared from the forest. "Your Shadows?!"
"You should know me better than that, Hermit! I wasn't going to sit back and let you take all of the glory - not after I lost my seat to that brat! No..." He looked to his minions. "Take them all out! And Hermit too!"
"What is the meaning of this?!"
"The moment you hesitated to fight Shirahama was also the moment I knew that you would eventually turn traitor! You have a wavering resolve, Hermit! I can't let you stay in Ragnarok!" Loki laughed as he continued beating down Kenichi who was taking the hits with a Karate stance. "I'll take your place! Ninth Fist? What a joke! I won't be looked down upon like that!"
Hermit gritted his teeth and prepared himself for the Shadows. "Damn it."
"We can't fight them until Honoka is safe!" Ukita realized and looked up to where the girl was at.
Or rather, was previously at.
In the place where Honoka 'was' being held 'hostage' was another goggles-wearing girl with a bloody nose and twisted arm laying on the ground unconscious. "W-what? Where's your sister, Kenichi?!"
Hermit shakily rose a guard when the Shadows charged him but stopped when Honoka jumped in between with a smile - although, she was still tied up. "Now that wasn't so bad, was it, Nacchi?"
"Y-you? Weren't you?" Natsu muttered tiredly.
Before he could react, Honoka dodged a punch and swept the Shadow's feet from beneath him with a low kick. "Oi, a little help here!"
Nodding, Natsu untied her ropes and narrowed his eyes in realization. "So that's what you were planning."
"Planning?" She feigned openly, "I have no idea what you're talking about."
"Manipulative little witch. What did you say to Loki inside of the Church? He was never one to be so...impatient." From what Hermit remembered, the trickster was never one to go that far in his plans where he dirtied his own hands. She had obviously planned for Loki to betray Hermit so he would quit Ragnarok. She had also planned for Loki to bring out his trump card a little earlier than planned so they would have enough energy to beat them.
"It didn't take much. He's surprisingly very easy to lead around by the nose." Honoka replied and stared down the other Shadows. "Besides, my training this morning was rough. Now my energy is back."
Miu saw her surrogate younger sister get freed by Hermit and let out a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness."
"Such a deceptive person our disciple's sibling is." Akisame acknowledged. "I have a feeling however that her plan is not done yet."
Honoka spun in between two attacks - both coming from different angles - and landed an elbow to both their chests in mid-air. She turned around to see Kenichi squaring off with Loki. "Ken'! Finish him!"
"What?! How did she get free?!" Loki sputtered and didn't notice Kenichi putting two hands parallel on his chest.
"Mubiyoshi (Zero Beats)!" The trickster was punched so hard that he flew back into a bare tree - blood spilled from his mouth from the sheer power of the attack. "I'll never forgive you for pulling all of this, Loki!"
The trickster - completely beaten in one hit - looked up and growled. "Damn you Hermit, Shirahama!" All hope for his scheme was lost. "D-damn it..."
"Oi! Take him hostage, he might know something about Ragnarok!" Haruo commanded immediately. Takeda and Ukita, who were completely flabbergasted by Honoka's performance, barely managed to acknowledge him.
"Was she...always that good?" Takeda thought to himself as he watched Ukita approach the downed opponent. "Wait, her movements are familiar!"
The blonde girl gazed at her surrogate sister. Feeling the older girl's gaze, Honoka looked up and gave her a smiling thumbs up.
Miu smiled back and looked over to Kenichi - who was resting by a tree next to Hermit. "They really are siblings."
"Not so tough, are ya'?!" Ukita smirked and went to pick up Loki. However, the moment he bent down, a swift kick launched him back into the ground. Takeda turned his head up and saw a silver-haired boy with a scarf covering his lower-face stand before the trickster.
"Who are you?!" Ukita coughed out. Kakashi didn't acknowledge him and went to punch at him at a speed that the boy couldn't follow. He closed his eyes and braced for the impact but it never came. So he opened his eyes.
Standing in front of him and holding Kakashi's punch with both her hands was Kenichi's little sister. "Huh?"
"Stand back." She told him. "This one is tough!"
"Hm." Kakashi pulled back and slid back to Loki to take out the pipe from his grip. Kakashi charged her at enhanced high speeds - forcing Honoka to glide backwards and dodged all of his swinging strikes while observing his rhythm. "He has a lot of skill with stick techniques, and great arm speed. I don't even have time to draw my staff." She took a one-step jump and used her other foot to push herself up from a nearby railing to the balcony. Her opponent followed her easily, retracted the pipe and threw a high kick at the brunette - that was tilted away with turn of the girl's hand.
"What th- Is that really Honoka?" He panted deeply. Though tired, the boy kept his eyes on every single movement of the fight. None of them expected Honoka of all people to engage a random fighter at such a high level.
"She's a good fighter!" Haruo observed from where he was crouching, "How did I miss this before?!"
"Yes." Miu said, "She's strong, Kenichi."
"I mean, I knew but-" The blonde girl just smiled and patted him on the shoulder. "She's amazing."
"Indeed." Hermit coughed beside him. "I can't believe you didn't know your own sister was that good. You really are as stupid as you look!" The brother scowled at him.
"Wow! This is like watching a Kung-Fu movie!" Takeda commented, pointing at their explosive attacks.
Honoka dodged his one-two and stepped into his guard. "Longzhimao (Dragon Spear)!" She jumped and moved to strike his chin from below with her knee - which was blocked as expected. However, the following swinging elbow that would usually land was also blocked. Kakashi took advantage of her open-state and grabbed her arm with both his hands. He turned around and moved to throw her off the balcony.
Before that happened though, the girl's open hand reached out to grip the railing and maintained her position. Honoka reversed Kakashi's advantage and used her falling momentum to throw him in turn over the railing.
"To be able to manipulate the center of gravity so skillfully at such a young age..." Akisame observed, "She's been trained well."
"It's no surprise considering who taught her." Sakaki replied and watched the fight with earnest. "This is better than TV."
Honoka jumped in mid-air with him and connected two fingers. "Zhipao (Finger Gun)!" Kakashi turned to face her and skillfully deflected her array of two finger piercing strikes with both arms multiple times. In an instant, his eyes caught a weakness and split apart both her attacking arms wide by knocking them sideways with his legs. In that same instant, Kakashi gripped the girl's neck and arm in between his legs in a triangle-hold.
All in mid-air.
"Hasu Saisho KÅsoku (Lotus First Restraint)!" The silver-haired boy twisted and choked her neck. Honoka's eyes began to droop from his tight vice-grip and her vision began to blur almost instantly. In the end, it looked at if he was looking to drive her body head first into the ground like a falling sword.
"NO! HONOKA!" Kenichi screamed out, "Help her!"
Before Miu could respond, Honoka gritted her teeth to force herself awake to get re-positioned in the air. Her was feet now facing the ground - the two fighters were still far from the ground. "Remember disciple, Qing Gong is key for this to work! Make yourself light, like a flower petal breezing in the wind!" Time began to slow down in her mind as focus overcame her - and then she breathed out calmly.
"Is that..." Sakaki muttered. "Too bad Kensei isn't here. He could explain this one."
"Luckily for you, I did travel China during my younger days. Qing Gong (Light Body Skill) is usually reserved for Experts. So for her to know it is surprising, I admit. Uzumaki Naruto must have something planned for her. But what it is, I wonder."
"Ki is a most magnificent wonder of the human body." The words of her Master filled her thoughts. "At first glance, it is nothing more than energy flowing through you. In fiction, people romanticize it as a special power that only the best can use to destroy buildings with. This is not completely correct. Ki by itself cannot do a thing without power (unless used during certain conditions). Without a strong body, it is no better than air. But with a strong enough mind and belief, it can be channeled to assist you in a time of need."
"What do you mean, Master?" She had asked.
He had smiled enigmatically at that time - almost four years ago. "There is no greater opponent in the Sky than a Dragon, my disciple. If used properly, ki can be tangible for a brief moment! So in that moment, you channel it below your feet...and you can achieve..."
"The Sky Dragon's Step!" Honoka kicked her feet down and like magic (at least to the absolute shock of the other disciple leveled fighters), she hopped up from mid-air and regained the high position - the strength of her opponent's grip weakened enough for her to break out. A moment later, she used her opponent as a foothold to gain a higher altitude. Kakashi widened his eyes at the phenomenon.
"What...?"
Despite his conditioning to expect unexpected things, nothing prepared him for that. Honoka's smile turned absolutely feral and she began to spin in mid-air with a drill-like motion at Kakashi. "Tianfang (Sky Fang)!" The kick landed right on Kakashi's abdomen, or so it seemed, and they fell to the ground hard enough to erupt some nearby dust. When the dust revealed, it showed the boy had managed to tilt away most of the damage by back-handing away one of the legs but he couldn't fully dodge the other one.
He wasn't defeated yet but for the first time in a long time, Kakashi tasted blood in his mouth - and the person was actually someone his age. The young assassin gripped both of the girls legs and looked to put her in a submission - but that was foiled when she jumped back to regain her stance.
"You're a lot better than I expected. No...you surpassed my expectations! I can't believe I almost lost to someone who isn't Renka..." Honoka breathed hard, her stamina was spent from their high speed fighting pace. However, seeing him also tired out made the girl feel a little better - he also spent too much energy on his explosive offensive from earlier. "I admit, you almost had me up there. That was a close call!"
"Did..." Haruo rubbed his eyes and shook his head. "Did I just see that!?"
"She flew!" Takeda pointed with his eyes widened fully now. "She flew!"
"No..." Miu trembled in delight at the show of skill. "She 'stepped' on the air would be a better way to say it."
"...Am I dreaming?" Kenichi shivered, "Isn't that...you know, IMPOSSIBLE?!"
"Grandfather once said that nothing is impossible." She replied sagely. "You just need to 'believe' it can happen. It must take a lot of mental focus to even do that one step!"
"Impressive." The resident Jiujitsu Master looked at the spot where she had moved to.
"I've seen some people do something like that before: take steps in mid-air. But that was more blatant." Sakaki scratched his chin, "What a useful thing to know."
"In theory, she can really fly - or as Miu said it, 'step' on the air itself. Ki is only tangible for a very short moment as soon as it is expelled from the body and thus - it cannot really do anything more than be flashy. But with perfect timing, focus and strength, it can be used as a stepping stone in the sky." Akisame explained, "So that is the famed Sky Dragon's Step of Uzumaki Naruto. To be able to freely maneuver one's self from any position in the air - trapped or not - is not something to take for granted. I guess his title as Aukuang (The Dragon Lord of the East Sea) is not without good reason."
"The what?" Sakaki was never really one for names, "Never mind. We'll take about it later."
"I've never seen anyone in my life do that." Kakashi tried to rack his brain in an attempt to remember any files or reports about 'flying' techniques. "Nothing. Just...what is going on?"
"It's time to end this." Honoka looked as if she were going to jump so Kakashi cut off his lingering thoughts and prepared himself.
But that was not meant to be.
A clap was heard from the gates of the church and standing there was a purple-haired young man with glasses and a sharp white suit. "That's enough." He declared. "Fenrir, could you get that imbecile Loki over there? He's embarrassed himself enough for today."
His newest fist never kept his eyes off the girl but nodded anyway. "Cease Fire. For now."
"For now." Honoka agreed and dropped her stance. "Another day."
"Fenrir?" Haruo muttered in question. "Wait, that's the new Fourth Fist of Ragnarok?! He's just a kid!"
The boy ignored him and went to pick up the downed trickster. Before leaving though, the boy turned to the brunette. "Hatake...Kakashi."
"Shirahama Honoka."
'Fenrir' nodded and jumped over a nearby fence with the larger boy hung on the shoulder. He still held a slight limp but it was nothing he couldn't fight through.
Odin turned to look at the others - who were all noticeably tense - and faced Hermit first. "With all that has just happened-"
"I have decided to resign." Natsu bit out, "Kensei-sama always told me to walk my own path...so that's what I will do."
Ryuuto merely looked at him with apathetic, cool eyes. "Very well. It is unfortunate but I guess that this is where we part ways. I respect you enough to allow you this short reprieve, Hermit. Next time we meet; it will be as enemies."
The blonde inclined his head slightly to Odin but otherwise, had no reaction.
The Leader of Ragnarok then turned to Kenichi who kept a cautious look upon him. "It's been a while, Kenichi."
"...Huh?" The boy seemed dazed. "Do I know you?"
"Guess Hermit really beat you bad enough to kill your memory. Then again, you were always muddle-headed." He frowned then shrugged. "Nonetheless, let's fulfill that old promise sometime soon, old friend." Odin then walked away and turned his head slightly to acknowledge Honoka, who just kept a curious gaze at him.
"She's gotten big. Not to mention, a good fighter." The girl had been a baby the last time they met in person - Ryuuto doubted that she even remembered him. He shook his head solemnly.
The group of protagonists watched as the boy walked off and disappeared past the gates silently.
"Seriously, do I know him?"
"How would we know, Kenichi?!" Ukita replied. "Maybe he's crazy."
Takeda laughed and held his sides. "What a weird day." Beside him, both Kenichi and Hermit fainted dead into the ground at the same time. The accumulated damage had finally gotten to the both of them.
"Oh boy."
"Haha! I totally won the bet, Akisame!"
"Wait a minute! How long were you two up there?!" Miu yelled out. "Why didn't you help!?"
"A Master never interferes in their disciple's battles." Sakaki replied wisely. "Besides, everything was under control. Kenichi's younger sister was completely OK the entire time."
"Yep." Honoka nodded with a tired grin. "I think I'll head home now. This has been a long, long day..." The group looked at her like she was some specimen. "What?"
"You flew." Takeda walked up to her, along with Haruo, and they both bowed. "Teach me!" They yelled.
Miu just laughed at their simpleness and looked at Akisame - who was carrying Hermit while Sakaki had Kenichi on his shoulder.
"Boys."
Yokohama
"When was the last time we got to drink like this?" Hakubi poured in more tea into his glass. "Times sure do...change, don't they?"
"Indeed." The blonde agreed. "To think that my disciple would become so strong, so fast. I'm kind of happy."
The two drank their glasses before talking again. "So, did you need anything?"
Naruto regarded the old man silently and subtly checked if there was anyone around to listen in. "...I received a message from my Godfather the other day. He told me something that you will be interested in."
"Old Jiraiya? That old coot is still alive? I'm impressed." Hakubi chortled in delight. "So, what did he say?"
Naruto's eyes darkened for a moment. "Yami's weapon division won't be on the move for a while."
"And why is that?" Hakubi asked immediately. "Why do you treat that as bad news?"
"...I have no personal opinion on the matter." Naruto replied. "It was the location that bugged me. They won't be moving for a while because they just lost fifty men in one day. Apparently...they got a little too aggressive."
"What does that mean?"
"'Yesterday, my scouts told me that a village near Mt. Hua discovered that their local river had been soaked in blood. So...to investigate, they sent villagers up to the stream and found fifty men slaughtered beyond belief. Their bodies were nearly unidentifiable...yet, their wounds were easily reported to have been made by a sword."
"I know what you're thinking now..." Hakubi's carefree look turned serious. "It could have been anyone, Naruto."
"No..."
The blonde took down another gulp of tea.
"I just know it. Jiraiya wouldn't send me a message if he didn't have suspicions as well. The man who Yami tried to recruit was him." Hakubi grimaced slightly and rubbed his bald head in thought.
"So it's him..."
"The only man in the world to have inherited the Nine Swords of Dugu." Naruto nodded and reiterated. "The 'Sword Devil' of Mt. Hua and the Lord of Demon Sect, Kurama. My Master."
He turned out the window to see that autumn had been arriving earlier than expected - the leaves had already begun to turn red.
END
Another super long chapter where my fingers are tired by the time I was finished. Yes, I am upping the ante for Yami's weapon division. They are so weak compared to the unarmed division that I just needed to give them a little something...well, I didn't give them something 'little' if you see. I do feel bad about swagger jacking Dugu's nickname like that but I can't help it...it's so cool!
11,000 words. If you see grammar mistakes, let me say, this chapter is humongous.
Honoka vs. Kakashi. Hermit vs. Kenichi. Miu, Takeda and Ukita vs. Shadows.
First one was a skirmish. Second one was a very enjoyable fight to write, I think I captured Hermit better in this one. You all know Miu could have owned the Shadows solo but I wanted to add in Haku to spice up the chapter.
Speaking of the SDS, yes, it is NOT an attacking combo. It is a maneuvering ability - a free form one. She can literally (but not always since she still sucks at it) jump in mid-air, a feat that has yet to be done in Kenichi. Inspiration? Chinese movies...and Geppou from One Piece. I made the logic sound, I think.
You know I'm going to give Takeda moves from Hajime no Ippo, right? Yep.
Honestly, I like how it all went down in the manga better. It made more sense and made Hermit seem cooler but this time around, it went differently. Honoka manipulated Loki into betraying Natsu. Done deal. Loki was a chump anyway.
- EnP