Chapter 18

"H n H"

Hua Shan - Mountain Pass

Hua Shan was truly a beautiful sight. He had come here many years ago, in fact, it had been his home in his younger days. The various mountain passes, the waterfalls clashing against the stone still rocks, the birds chirping with one another and the peaceful atmosphere - he loved it.

This pass was the home of one of the mightiest Warriors to have ever lived. Kurama. Just that, no last name. No titles but the ones others bestowed upon him without permission. The Sword Devil, the Executor, Lord of Demon Sect - there were many. He held no attachments, no weaknesses, nothing to tie him down in any sort of way. Whenever they were training, he was always without anything but the clothes he wore and whatever weapon he chose to hold on that given day. He didn't own any signature weapons - they too were attachments, he always said.

They called him the Sword Devil because he killed his enemies with such ferociousness that the wounds looked as if they were made by a blade. The truth was, Kurama's mastery of the blade was so advanced that he no longer even required one. He simply...was.

Something Naruto respected. Even to this day.

He stopped in his tracks.

"What are you doing here?"

Naruto turned around. It was not who he was expecting. It was a woman with shoulder length black hair and a black yukata. She was definitely not a native.

"Aukuang." Unlike many others who addressed him with that title, she showed not a hint of fright. Not a fear of death, but he sensed a fear of something else.

"Lady Shizune." Naruto recognized her. A Master healer from Slug Sect, and the left hand of Lady Tsunade herself. Former agent of Konoha. A deserter from a time even before his.

"..." She merely looked at him and stepped forward, moving closer. "You were a mere teenager when we last met."

"Yes." Naruto inclined his head. "Except back in those days, you referred to me as Naruto-kun."

"Back then, you were a boy." She ran her soft, delicate hands across his chest. "Now you are a man. A man who's taken lives." Shizune glared right into his blue eyes, piercing and unafraid.

Naruto looked back without a single doubt. He had nothing to hide. He lived with his mistakes everyday.

"I have."

"..."

And then all of a sudden, the tension died out in an instant. She sighed and gave his neck a kiss.

"You seem well." Shizune's eyes softened and went to grasp his hand. An intimate gesture from an old friend. A woman he looked up to like a sister.

"I am." Naruto smiled for a brief moment. "I've come in search of a certain individual."

"I hope you're not up to something dangerous. I caught sight of you in the village nearby. I merely...I had to see if you had become what they said."

"I did." Naruto admitted. "And now, I am the man who you see before you now."

"So many stories, so many rumors, most could not be trusted. I had to see for myself. What you did to Konoha...to that evil clan." Shizune frowned. "Your worst moment. Your finest moment."

He did not interrupt her.

"Why..." She bit down on her lip. "Why didn't you come to us...? Aren't we...aren't we family, as well?"

Naruto sighed and slowly grabbed her shoulders in an embrace. "You are." And for a while, they stood still. "I'm a fool. I've made many mistakes. I...when I was alone, I didn't want anyone I loved being hurt anymore."

"Naruto..."

"They were murdered." To this day, it pained him. It burned his very being. His soul - the one memory that tore him apart within. To this day and most likely, to his last. "Hinata...Himawari."

She let him continue without disrupting.

"I'm sorry." His lips straightened out. "Please return to the village. I've important business here."

"I understand." She nodded. "I must make a few stops before returning home. But please, come see us soon. Lady Tsunade has desired to see you for a very, very long time."

"I will." He agreed and proceeded to the path he was on before. "Give her my regards."

"Be safe." She said.

And once he was out of sight. She couldn't help but feel as if something terrible would happen. Somewhere. And soon.

Yokohama - Chinatown

Honoka chewed on her lips. Ragnarok was truly becoming a pain in her backside. Not that the quality of their fighters were high in particular - but rather, they had countless minions who were wreaking havoc all over. Koryou And the constant 'gang' wars did not help the image of her home town. Yokohama of all places was becoming more peaceful than where she lived - that was sad.

Renka was eating some kind of fish salad she had picked up along the way. Not to be fooled by their friendly interactions - Honoka still very much wanted to cave in the girl's stomach for having even raised a fist against her Master. This bitch's gall.

"He seems to be targeting me. It's possible that they've gotten tired of me hunting down their people." Honoka said at first. "Kakashi is the only target I care for right now. Kenichi and his friends can take care of the rest of those punks. All of them except perhaps 'Odin' is a real fighter. Only he seems to be the other major threat. But I cannot be bothered with that one."

"Do you think your brother will be able to take them down?"

Honoka scoffed. "Of course. They're just a bunch of kids playing. Kenichi is being trained by the Strongest Warriors in all of History. I'm not concerned about Ragnarok."

Renka shrugged. "Underestimating an enemy is foolish. But in this case, Ragnarok is truly not all that. So I won't be too disapproving." She took a bite out of her salad. "What do you plan to do with the silver haired kid?"

"That's complicated." The girl sighed. "I don't know. But he is targeting me."

"Fight him in a duel with conditions! If you win, he backs off. If you lose, you'll probably die." The chinese girl said without a hint of tact. "I don't think you will lose. He's quite skilled but you have a definite advantage. In speed, mostly."

Honoka did indeed observe that she held the edge in speed and reaction timing. For Renka to observe as such in just a brief moment spoke of her skill level as well. There were times when Honoka did feel she was almost even with the seasoned Chinese girl - and other times, she felt completely outclassed. Her Master was right - it was good to have her around. Renka was a martial artist with years of fighting of experience under her belt. She was not a genius like Haku, but perhaps in the future, Mastery will be within her reach.

"No, I doubt that will work. Konoha agents have no honor." Honoka disagreed. "Perhaps it is time for Xinku to disappear for a while."

Renka twitched. "Hm. Well, I guess that would also be a good idea. Until this Kakashi thing is settled anyway."

"Indeed. Until then, I should continue training. Maybe hit the Underground area." The last part was a mumble. She then frowned. "There is something that's been on my mind."

"And what is that?"

"Expansion. Innovation." Honoka began. "I am a two-way defensive fighter. But Kenichi, I believe, has the right of it - even if he himself doesn't realize. Those Ryouzanpaku Masters are in a totally different dimension. To have gotten Ken so far in such little time...I admit, it's kind of scary."

"I agree. In less than half a year, he's already quite good. He's getting better. The only thing is-"

"His personality. His will to fight. It's weak." Honoka said. But not with any negative connotations. She did not say it to mock her brother. "Kenichi shouldn't be a martial artist. And yet...he is. And now perhaps, it is too late for him to turn back. How did all of this happen? It was as if one day, he began to show up to a dojo."

"Nobody could have predicted all of this happening."

"Maybe." The brunette admitted. "It's unsettling. Nonetheless, I feel like I have uncovered a weakness of mine that I must cover up."

"And that is?" Renka already had a good idea of what she meant. Honoka was quite good at defending striker type fighters but grapplers were a totally different world.

"I couldn't break out of Kakashi's triangle hold." She frowned. "In fact, in all of the time that I have been fighting, I have never fought a true grappler who's ever been fast enough to capture me and submit me."

The last one she could think of was the boy from the mountains, Naoki, and she completely outclassed him.

"If one day I were to fight a skilled Judo user or Wrestler...I may be in trouble. Kakashi only put me in a basic triangle choke and I could even budge. He was too strong. In fact, it's possible that he's already realized this." She scratched her chin. "Master has gone away for a bit. He said that he would return in time - so I must solve this myself."

"Hm." Renka drew up blanks. "Honestly girl, I cannot think of a single skilled wrestling type fighter that can help. Only ones that come to mind are past enemies and that Master from Ryouzanpaku, Koetsuji Akisame."

"..." She sighed. "I wonder how much a class is?"

Renka quirked a brow. Was she really?

?

"You were defeated?"

Shame. Hatake Kakashi, it was not a name. It was merely a title, an identification, an alias. And right now, it was shame that he was feeling. The shame of defeat - and in his world, defeat should I have meant death. Both fights had been interrupted - the one against Xinku and the brown-haired girl named Shirahama Honoka. Coincidently, the two were of the same height and had same fighting movements.

It could be a coincidence. Kakashi didn't believe in those - but hard proof was required. And for the moment, he could only speculate.

"I decided that I could not apprehend her then and there." Kakashi explained. "She had far too many allies."

"You require assistance?"

Preposterous. He was Kakashi. Not some nameless fodder they had picked up from the streets. "No."

"Then what is the problem? This mission was assigned weeks ago. Deliver Xinku to us. You found Xinku and failed to deliver him to us."

Kakashi doubted it was a him.

All he could think of was Shirahama Honoka and her ability to walk the skies.

"I must report something unusual."

His superior's expression did not change. He wore full black robes with a white shirt within. One of his eyes were covered with bandages and he held a single wooden cane. It was a man of advanced age but his expression was fierce, yet, apathetic.

"Go on."

"There was a girl I fought during my stint in Ragnarok." He admitted. "We were near equal for a while."

The man's aura seemed to change. "Equal. What nonsense does he speak?"

"Go on."

"Until we had a mid-air encounter. I locked her in a triangle and intended to drive her face first into the Earth." Kakashi still remembered the moment, every detail, every expression. "She kicked the air and flew."

"..." His superior was quiet for a moment. "You're sure?"

"Yes." The young teen replied. "Without a doubt."

Himura Danzo, he was called. A warrior from an age that had long past - days when men fought with their fists and not with guns and missiles. He had survived many terrors, many horrible things, many traumas in his days. He had seen friends, family, lovers...seen them all die. Whether it was murder, suicide, accidental or even old age, Danzo had seen it all. And now he was an old man who wanted nothing more than to pass on his strength to the next generation of his clan.

His clan was wiped out in mere seconds by a single man. That devil had marched into his families compounds with every intent to murder - and slew his son, his son's sons, and their many relatives in mere seconds. That was how the stories went at least.

He should have died that night as well. What a horrible time for Uzumaki Naruto to murder his family. Danzo himself had been in France, controlling an operation abroad to acquire some artifacts for a client. An SS class mission. He had returned to an empty home. His family had drowned in a sea of blood.

Danzo would rip everything away from him even if it was the last thing he did.

"Tell me more, boy." Danzo ordered. "No, tell me everything. Who is this child who could step on the very air itself?"

Kakashi narrowed his eyes and nodded.

"Her name is Shirahama Honoka."

Ryouzanpaku - Koryou

Kenichi had gotten into another incident with Ragnarok. This time, it was against the Valkyries. Freya's unit. And an enemy that Honoka was quite familiar with. It seemed that her brother continued to get into more and more dangerous situations as the days passed. How she felt about that - Honoka wasn't sure, to be honest. She was worried, proud and interested all at the same time. But Kenichi's battles were his own. For her to interrupt them, she learned, may interfere with his own growth as a martial artist.

For some strange reason, Honoka began to feel like this battle was soon reaching a climax. After all, half of the fists were disposed of already. All that were left, the ones that matter anyway, were the top three and Fenrir.

To defeat Fenrir, or rather, Hatake Kakashi, Honoka needed to go the extra distance. While the SDS should be used with more thought, there were far too many other weaknesses she had that could be exploited.

"You seem deep in thought, Honoka-chan. Apa." Apachai noticed. They were playing Othello again. And once again, she was on cusp of victory. They had battled thousands of times at this point. He was getting better but in Japan, she ranked close to the top, having once defeated the reigning National Champion when he visited her middle school. Although, Honoka was not certain if she had been taken seriously. But nonetheless, it was a victory.

"I'm kind of procrastinating on something important."

"That's unusual for you, Honoka-chan. You are usually more stern with your goals." Kensei mentioned as they watched Kenichi get tortured by Sakaki. Shigure nodded in silence.

"Well...it actually has something to do with you guys. And...my pride, as a Martial Artist, is kind of getting in the way." Honoka admitted, finally finishing off Apachai in the most decisive manor possible during their match. He began to reset the pieces.

She lowered her voice. "I need a word with Koetsuji-sensei." Said man seemed to have appeared from thin air once his name was mentioned. Everyone turned to look at her and she felt her face turn slightly red.

"Hm? How strange. Is there anything I can help you with, Honoka-chan?" He seemed intrigued.

Honoka sighed and looked at Miu and Kenichi.

"When I fought Kakashi, I discovered a horrible weakness. I lack experience against skilled grappler type fighters." It was concise, straight to the point. Honoka turned to face Akisame and bowed in traditional seiza.

"Sensei, I humbly ask for your pointers."

Kenichi seemed shocked, scared and chilled all at the same time. Just imagining Honoka being tortured by Akisame, just as he had, sent his brain into overdrive. "WWWAAI-" Shigure smacked him upside the head.

"Be respectful, Kenichi."

Akisame considered her for a moment. "How very wise of you to realize a weakness on your own. Has Uzumaki Naruto addressed this weakness of yours?"

"My Master is very wise and has taught me much in the ways of Yunlongquan and Qigong. But no, he has yet to address this. Unfortunately, he has been away. And I...it is very difficult." Her words were spoken genuinely and softly. As if it pained her. She felt shame but sucked it up internally.

Kenichi truly did not know how good he had it at the moment. How she longed for her Master to return for good.

"I see. Well, I don't see why not. You're our disciple's little sister after all. I'd be happy to help." He smiled. "Ask away."

"I struggled to escape the triangle hold and...unfortunately, most of my opponents over the years have been typical strikers. Kempou users, Karate students and some Muay Thai wannabes. Many used hatchets and small swords - but none had the skill of a true grappler."

Akisame seemed to caress his chin. "I see. Just a few pointers hm? Triangle chokes are very simple to escape from. Keni- Um actually, Miu, come here." She obeyed and walked over. Akisame noticed that Kenichi was slacking so he sent his shiny glare over to him. "Get back to work!"

He cried and went back to Karate lessons. Although one could tell that even Sakaki was interested in watching.

"Put her in a triangle. Don't engage until I say so."

Honoka felt herself being put in the familiar position.

"Okay. The key to fighting a grappler is awareness, Honoka-chan. The triangle choke depends on if, whether or not, your opponent can trap one of your arms. Let go of her arm, Miu." She did so. "One sure fire way to avoid it is to be constantly aware of your vulnerability. An expert...say, Jiujitsu user, will always look to lock your arms into a position where they can apply tremendous pressure on your joints. These are notoriously painful."

He himself is a Master of applying joint pain. His most signature techniques are of such nature.

"To avoid getting trapped is much easier said then done."

"What do I do in the case that I am trapped?" She asked. "If I face a grappler who can truly match my speed?"

"There are a few techniques. Miu?"

She put Honoka back into the hold. The younger girl immediately noticed her right elbows positioning.

"That's right. I see that you've noticed. If you can keep your elbows locked and on their stomachs, it will buy you time to escape. A contest of Jiujitsu is a battle of the mind and wits."

"Mind...wits." She remembered something her Master once told her. "To stand on top the mountain, one must reach enlightenment on Heaven and Earth."

"Precisely. Now then, remember you have a free hand of yours and try to grab her tights." It was very difficult but Honoka did so. "Use both hands now. Yes...just like that. Now push down with your free arm and arch your back high."

Honoka immediately felt the grasp weaken. She widened her eyes ever so slightly.

"Just like that...?"

"Yes. Triangles are fairly basic. All practitioner know the theory but application can be quite different. This is textbook. Remember, you have a free hand and you can move your feet around. You can simply deal striking damage until the hold is broken as well." Akisame began. "There is much I can teach you about escaping. Not just the triangle. But all grappling holds."

"Thank you." Honoka bowed in seiza once again.

"Honoka-chan." Miu smiled and looked down at her own palms, before making a fist. "That's right. Even in times like now, we must continue to get stronger."

Hua Shan - Dugu's Cavern

Nothing had changed.

He walked up to the pond's edge. The water was still as blue as he remembered. The peach trees had already begun to turn red - autumn had arrived. There were exactly nine trees spread equally around the pond. The number nine was a significant value - at least, it was to his old Master.

The sun was beginning to dip. The trip up Hua Shan usually took quite a few days for some - especially those who did not know their way. It was even harder to come to this spot in particular. Dugu's Cavern, it was called. Because behind the waterfall, there was a small entrance that led to a wider cave path within.

That was what he was looking for.

As he made his way through, Naruto truly wondered if he would find Kurama. He had recently received a tip from one of the Beggar's sect that described a Master class figure hanging around the general area. It could be anyone - but it had to be investigated. Very few knew of Dugu's cavern, after all.

Naruto felt the air chill ever so slightly as he made it to the end. A single figure was kneeling before the old Hieroglyphs inscribed upon the cavern wall.

Dugu's cavern was one of the World's best kept secrets because finding it required the knowledge of multiple mountain paths and secret dips and turns. Even before all that, the entrance was nigh invisible, and to have even heard of it was rare. There were no stories of it. The only treasure the Cavern held was a secret to one of the most powerful Martial Arts in History. And only one single man had assembled all the pieces of the puzzle - and reinvented it, recreated it, resurrected it.

"You know," Naruto uttered, knowing the figure could hear him from behind. "Very few know of this Cavern." He began to walk forward - ever wary. It was most certainly not the man he had believed would be here. Naruto did not know if it was fortune or misfortune that it was not Kurama he had found in this cave.

He heard the figure release a delicate sigh before turning around. His breath hitched.

She was a beautiful woman with straight black hair flowing to her shoulders. Her pupils were as white as the purest of snow, indicating what blood flowed through her veins, and she wore a white cloak that covered her entire body. At her waist, worn above the cloak, was a sash and a single jian hanging from it.

"How long has it been...?" He closed his eyes and opened it. Pain, relief, guilt - were a few dominant emotions that was coursing through. "Master."

She gave him a searching, resigned expression.

"Hanabi."

END

It's been a while. Nonetheless, here we go. And yes, the Interlude chapter is still in play. I've just decided on another line of story to go through. I've been re-reading the story and eh, there's some things I liked and other things I don't. I was still very young when I wrote this. I think I can do better. I almost wanted to start over, write a redux edition but decided against it. I've made many mistakes. Naruto should have been a main point of view character. I don't know what I was thinking back then. I will be rectifying that from this point.

I've been posed the question, am I still writing? Plenty of times recently. The answer is...I don't know. I just wrote this chapter on a whim and uploaded it. I didn't really put much thought into it. I don't know what to tell you all.

Anyway, have a good one all.

- EnP