Loki spots his prey. Calmly, he walks forward blocking the path. He must admit that compared to other potential martial artists, this one looks unusually plain. "Uzumaki Naruto."

Naruto comes to a stop. He stares at the young man blocking his path. "Yes?" There is something about this goggle wearing person that gets him annoyed. It is a similar feeling he gets when around Nijiima, but to a much higher degree. Strange, he doesn't even know this person and he wants to punch them in the face.

"We haven't been formally introduced. The name is Loki, the Fourth Fist of Ragnarok."

The former ninja understands his feelings now. Kisara told him about Loki. The self-proclaimed Battle Strategist of Ragnarok. Loki is arrogant, manipulative, and a coward that never fights his own battles. Basically, a cockroach. No matter how many times these type of people are squished, they always seem to get back up. Ragnarok lost five of its eight leaders and Loki walks around like his name carries weight. Naruto remembers meeting plenty of people like this in the Elemental Nations. He wonders where people like that gain such an air of self-importance when they do absolutely nothing to gain it. It must be one of those mysteries of life that will never be explained.

A hint of annoyance appears on Loki's face as his name invokes no reaction. People should fear and respect him. He is the Fourth Fist of Ragnarok! Loki calms down knowing that he came here for a reason. "I have come with a proposition. I want you to join me. I can use someone strong like you."

"I…have no desire to join…Ragnarok."

"I didn't say Ragnarok, I said join me." Loki smirks widely. "Ragnarok is about to be dead. When one empire crumbles, another must rise up to take its place. I plan on creating a new group that will be even more powerful than Ragnarok."

"No…thanks."

Loki grits his teeth in annoyance. "Don't be a fool. I am offering you a chance to achieve greatness."

Naruto gains a hint of amusement. Loki is acting like Danzo. The major difference between the two is that Danzo actually possessed power. Loki is a weakling that never even bloodied his own hands. At least Nijiima knows that he is weak and uses manipulation to gain followers. The Fourth Fist actually believes himself to be strong. "Ok…" A smile appears on Loki's face. "I will join you…if you can beat me in a fight."

Surprise and fear fill Loki. He hesitates taking a step back in fear. Naruto stands calmly. Anger burns in Loki's eyes. This little punk is challenging him. He is the Fourth Fist, Loki! Loki's inner ranting do nothing to bolster his courage. His body refuses to get into a fighting stance to take up the challenge. Uzumaki Naruto is the one that defeated the Eighth, Seventh, and Third Fist of Ragnarok. In all of those fights, Uzumaki never suffered any real injury. Berserker reported that Uzumaki was exhausted after his fight with Freya, but Loki knows that is mainly because Uzumaki fought with the Valkyries beforehand and raced across the city for several miles at full speed to make it in time to save Kisara. At full strength who knows if Freya would have caused Uzumaki to break a sweat.

"Well?"

Naruto waits patiently. Loki gains a sudden idea. "I accept your terms." He turns around. "But we will fight when I am ready." The Fourth Fist of Ragnarok walks away with a scheming smile.

'I guess I won't ever be seeing him again,' thinks Naruto. Shrugging, he continues to head to school

School

"So…Kenichi is gone?"

Miu sweat drops. "When you say it like that, it makes him sound dead." Naruto shrugs. "He isn't dead, but he did get beat pretty bad by the First Fist, Odin."

A scoff comes from Kisara. "He was an idiot to challenge Odin." Kisara leans back folding her arms across her flat chest. "Shirahama is an idiot to think that because he took down Hermit and Siegfried he would be able to challenge Odin. Odin is on a whole other level."

The blonde girl nods in agreement. "Yeah, I never thought someone that strong would be in a delinquent gang like Ragnarok." Kisara gains a tick. The Dairy Cow just called her weak with that comment. "Odin is someone who has been trained by a Master."

"What happened…to Kenichi?"

"Oh right," blushes Miu. "My grandfather took him on a training trip deep into the center of Japan. It is a great honor. As far as I know, my grandfather has never trained another disciple other than me."

"Chu." Miu's eyes widen. Tochumaru pokes his head out from Naruto's pocket. Naruto feeds the mouse a cracker. "That's Tochumaru!"

Kisara raises an eyebrow. "Did you just name a mouse?"

Naruto looks at Miu curiously. "You know this mouse?" Tochumaru happily eats its cracker.

"Tochumaru is Shigure's pet." Kisara and Naruto stare at Miu blankly. Miu flushes in embarrassment realizing that neither of them knows who she is talking about. "Shigure is a master that lives at Ryozanpaku with me. She is a master of all weapons. I told you about her."

Tochumaru climbs up onto Naruto's head. It lies down enjoying the soft feel of Naruto's golden blonde hair. "Yes…I remember you mentioning her." He shrugs. "Does she…want her mouse back?"

"Well, Shigure is usually with Tochumaru. I have never seen the two apart."

The former ninja becomes a bit tense. Tochumaru belongs to someone else that specializes in weapons. That means the mouse could be spying on him. It may sound ridiculous, but he grew up in the Elemental Nations where animals of all species can be summoned and even speak. Ocean blue eyes dart around trying to find any signs that someone is spying on him. Wait…Miu said this person is a master at weapons. "Miu-san…when you say master…what do you mean? How would you rate…her strength compared to yours or mine?"

Miu smiles, "I mean she is a Master class fighter." The girl laughs a small amount. "Her strength is so great she could beat all three of us without lifting a finger. We are only disciple class, we can't compete with a master class fighter."

Naruto doesn't like that one bit. He thought when she said master it was a title. Like Hanzo-sempai being the master of the Kendo Club. Miu is referring to Master as a ranking system not a title. If he is considered a disciple class despite his victories that must mean a master class fighter is on the same level as a jounin and maybe even Kage level. It doesn't surprise him that there are such powerful fighters even with people in this world lacking chakra, but to think that this whole time Kenichi is being trained by such powerful individuals. No wonder Kenichi has grown so fast over the school year. One on one training with six powerful beings would make anyone grow strong. To make matters worse, if someone that powerful is spying on him, he is pretty much screwed. He is nowhere near the level of strength and skill to challenge a person on par with a jounin or Kage. Maybe if he still had the demon inside of him. The demon's chakra boosted his power two to three times more depending on how much chakra the seal forced out. It definitely gave him the power to take on jounin level opponents, but with no demon he has to rely on his own strength. As confident as he is in his own abilities, he knows that he is not ready to face such a high level opponent. At least not yet.

'I am at…this Shigure-san's mercy,' thinks Naruto.

A kick to the leg makes Naruto snap from his thoughts. "Wake up, we need to get going. I am not serving another stupid detention," glares Kisara.

He stands up. "Ok."

Higurashi Weapon Shop

Hibiki comes out from the back of the store. A grunt comes from the man upon spotting a tall individual wearing heavy samurai armor. "This is why I don't get many customers. I got you guys coming in here looking like damn idiots with your armor and weapons waving about." The old man walks behind the counter.

A chuckle comes from the samurai. "Is that anyway to greet a customer?"

"Customer? You never buy a damn thing. It's that stupid organization that buys everything. Just an errand boy that picks it up," scowls Hibiki.

The samurai smiles in amusement. "Well, should be more grateful. We keep you in business."

"I get plenty of customers." The old shop owners waves dismissively. "I got this annoying brat that comes in here every week. Figured he is with you all, but judging from that stupid look on your face I know he's not."

"Why would think he is with us in the first place?"

A very interested look is on the samurai's face. It is rare that a kid would catch the attention of Hibiki. The old man may have extreme anger and customer service issues, but Hibiki is known to have good eyes. "It is in his movements. The brat is a trained killer. He knows how to use kunai and shuriken not to mention when he walks he unconsciously distributes his weight so that he doesn't make a single sound. No one gets that type of skill on their own. In a couple years the damn brat might even be able to sneak up on me." Hibiki folds his arms across his chest. "Not many kids these days receive that type of training, not without a proper master."

The samurai rubs his chin. "This is unexpected news." Reaching down at his feet, he brings up a suitcase and places it on the table. "Next time he comes in, get a name. I might be willing to buy it from you. Then you won't be able to complain about me never buying anything."

Hibiki scowls, "the weapons are in the back." The samurai follows the blacksmith.

Break

"I expected so much more."

Odin adjusts his glasses. He wasn't planning to fight Kenichi so soon, he wanted his old friend to get a bit more training in. All he wanted to do is talk and reminisce about old times. Unfortunately, Kenichi is as idiotic as he remembers. The fool dared to call Ragnarok's fights pointless. Fights are essential to a martial artist. How does one expect to grow strong without fighting?

"I want to grow strong in order to protect my friends! I don't use my power to harm others!"

That is the sentiment of an idiot. Martial arts were created to kill one's opponent. The strong survive and the weak die. It is really quite simple. Odin pities those that believe the martial arts are to save people. 'Still, there is that girl.' His eyes narrow. Furinji Miu, if she is with the Shinpaku Alliance it will make things much more difficult. He never expected that Kenichi would be friends with that girl from so long ago. The same girl one who fought three grown men and was like a feather dancing in the wind. She is the one that inspired him to pursue the path of a martial artist. It is a pity, but if she interferes he will take her down.

"Berserker."

Berserker looks up. "Be prepared, we will be launching our attack on the Shinpaku Alliance at the end of the week." Odin gives a smile that promise pain and destruction. In four short days, the Shinpaku Alliance will be destroyed.

Ryozanpaku

Miu walks around Ryozanpaku looking for a certain weapon's master. A frown forms on Miu's face as she looks around the dojo. Where is Shigure? She turns around the corner to find Akisame sipping on tea and Kensei reading a porno magazine. Akisame glances at Miu. "Looking for Shigure?"

"Hey! I told you to not read my mind!" pouts Miu.

"Did…you want to see…me?"

A squeak of fright comes from Miu. She turns around to see Shigure hanging upside down. Shigure is using her toes to grip the ceiling. Miu really hates when Shigure sneaks up on her like that. "I saw Tochumaru at school today. He is staying with my friend Naruto. I just wanted to know why Tochumaru is no longer with you."

Shigure turns her head to stare out into the distance. "Tochumaru…was curious about…your friend. He wanted to meet…this Naruto."

"It could be possible that Tochumaru is checking out Naruto's abilities," offers Akisame. Miu sweat drops. The whole idea of a mouse examining a person is ridiculous even for Tochumaru. Granted, she has seen Tochumaru use various weapons to take down much larger animals. Maybe it isn't so weird after all. "Don't forget, Tochumaru is not only Shigure's best friend, but a disciple of Shigure."

'A mouse as a disciple,' thinks Miu. 'It is official, these people are the weirdest.'

Akisame watches as Shigure stares out into the distance. Ever since Kenichi joined Ryozanpaku, she is becoming more open with the others. All the others, him including, are enjoying having a disciple to pass down their techniques too. Unfortunately, Shigure is unable to pass down her techniques because Kenichi is afraid of weapons. She can teach him the basics of future weapons he may come across and how to defend against them, but he is the type that will never be comfortable wielding such a dangerous tool. 'It is ironic, but it seems Shigure is the most eager of us to teach,' smiles Akisame. It is only a matter of time before she seeks out this Naruto to test his potential.

Kendo Club

Matoko gasps as her shinai is parried to the side and a soft blow to the chest knocks her backwards onto her butt. Falling to her butt hurt more than the actual hit. A blush heats her cheeks when she sees a hand being offered to her. It is so worth getting hit to the ground. She reaches up taking his hand. "Thanks Naruto-kun," smiles Matoko.

Naruto nods. "You are…getting better."

Her face lights up at the compliment. "It is all thanks to your training." Reluctantly, she releases his hand. "Hey Naruto-kun, do you um want to go out after school?"

"Go out where?"

Matoko's face burns red. "I mean, do you want to go out on a date?" A silence greets her question. She refuses to look up. It was stupid of her to ask him. He is going to say no. Naruto is one of cutest boys in school and the Ace of the Kendo Club. There are much prettier girls than her that probably ask him out all the time.

"I…have never been on a date…but ok."

"Really?!" Matoko exclaims. Everyone in the club turns around. She blushes and whispers under her breath. "Really?"

He shrugs. "Yes."

Inside her head, a chibi Matoko jumps into the air with a victory sign. Matoko is unable to stop smiling. This is the best day ever! He agreed to go on a date with her. "Meet at my house around 6?"

"Ok."

"Hey! You two get back to practice!" shouts Hanzo. "Yosh! Or I shall make you do 100 laps around the school!"

"Sorry sensei," bows Matoko. Naruto bows too.

'I got a date with Naruto-kun!'

The former ninja watches as the girl seems to go into her own world. She is starting to act like Kenichi when he was excited about his date with Miu. He wonders what they will do on this date.

Break

Nijiima comes into the room sneaking up behind Tanimoto. "Hey buddy, you ready to join us." The alien barely avoids a knife chop to the neck.

"Didn't I tell you that if you talked to me again I would kill you?" Tanimoto's eyes narrow. "I have no interest in joining your stupid group. Now get the hell away from me."

An evil cackles comes from the alien. "We are having a meeting this Saturday. It is a group meeting among all the captains." Tanimoto raises a hand catching an envelope. "The location is that letter. There will be Karaoke and drinks, a whole party."

Tanimoto rips the letter to pieces. "Get lost." Nijiima moves aside. He watches as Tanimoto walks away. No matter, Tanimoto will join him soon enough. It is now time to gather information on Naruto.

Date

Makoto smooths out her white dress flower dress. It hugs her body nicely showing her developing curves. Her long black hair falls down a couple inches past her shoulders and she wears a black jacket to keep warm. She keeps shifting around nervously. This is going to be the first date she ever went on. Is he going to like her dress? What are they going to do? Will he hold her hand? Will he give her a kiss at the end of the date? Matoko starts to hyperventilate.

"Yo."

"Ah!" Matoko jumps in fright. Spinning around, she sees Naruto standing behind her. A blush heats her cheeks because he looks so cool. Naruto's outfit consists of a leather jacket over a white shirt, black pants with orange strips running down each leg, and white sneakers. As always, a black face mask covers the lower portion of his face from the nose down. "Hi!" blushes Matoko.

Naruto stares at her blankly. Matoko groans inwardly at how lame she must have sounded. "Um ready to get going?"

"Where are…we going?"

"I was thinking we go to the movies."

"Ok."

Nijiima pokes his head around the corner. The alien begins to type away at his PDA. Uzumaki Naruto going on a date. An evil smirk appears on Nijiima's face. It seems that Naruto does have a weakness after all.

Date

Makoto and Naruto walk side by side. Much to her disappointment, his hands are in the pockets of his pants. She was hoping to get to hold his hand. "Hey Naruto-kun, when two people go on a date they are supposed to share personal information with each other." Naruto looks at her curiously. A blush heats her cheeks. "It helps the two people become closer."

"I see."

"I can start!" Makoto fights down her blush. "Um, this is my first date too. I joined the Kendo Club because I am not good at gymnastics or gardening like my friend Izumi. And I like to watch romantic movies." He nods. "Ok, your turn."

Naruto gains a pensive expression. "Hmm…I like to train and fight strong people...I like learning Kendo too."

'Yes! I am learning more about him!' Her plan is working. "What do you do for fun?"

"Train."

"No I mean like, when not training."

"Eat…and sleep…" She sweats drops. All he does is train, eat, and sleep. "I…like to spar with Kisara-san," says Naruto as an afterthought.

Makoto frowns, 'Kisara? Who is that?'

The theater comes into sight. "Oh come on, I know the perfect movie." Matoko grabs his arm dragging him towards the theater.

Break

Naruto waits outside the restrooms. The movie was boring and wasn't scary in the least bit. It was supposed to be a horror movie, but he found it to be unrealistic and dumb. He would have killed Jason without breaking a sweat. Jason didn't even know how to fight. Those adults and teenagers were idiots to get killed by such an amateur. "I'm done." Makoto comes walks towards him.

"Where to next?"

Makoto puts on a false smile. The truth is she expected the date to be so much better. Naruto is barely talking to her and he doesn't look like he is having any fun. Honestly, she wants to go home. "It is pretty late. I better get home or my parents will get worried," she lies.

"Are you…upset?"

"Why would you ask that?"

He stares at her curiously. "Because you…are lying."

Her eyes widen in surprise. She looks away with a guilty expression. "Sorry, it just seems like you don't want to be here. I don't want to force you to stay with me."

"I want to spend time…with you." Makoto looks at him in surprise. Naruto scratches the back of his head. "Sorry…it is my first date…I am not sure how to act. I tend to be…cautious when doing new things."

A blush heats her cheeks. "So, you are not bored of me?" He shakes his head. "Not even of the movie?" Makoto implores with a knowing smile.

"The movie…was boring," admits Naruto.

Makoto giggles, "we will just have to find something else to do!"

"Ok." Naruto smiles behind his mask. As boring as the movie was, it is fun to spend time with Makoto. He always enjoys spending time with his friends except for that alien that is failing to stay hidden in the shadows. "Are you…hungry?"

"Yes! I know this great pizza place!" Makoto smirks inwardly. She is going to see his face for the first time tonight. Naruto allows Makoto to drag him. He has never tried pizza. It sounds good.