Disclaimer - I own nothing, Ranma belongs to Rumiko Takahashi, Naruto and co. belong to Masashi Kishimoto, other references/side characters include characters owned by Warner Brothers, George Lucas, various anime producers and others I will reveal when they become more relevant. :)

Thanks again for the reviews, I do appreciate it.

I know now what I wanna do with this story. It's going to start getting more and more AU as I go along. I want Ranma and the gang to have to use their hard earned skills, and push them to the next level. To do this I plan on borrowing characters from other series that I enjoy, such as Keniichi or Naruto. I also have a few real life historical characters referenced. The human sacrifice spell that I described in the last chapter is one of many the group in question has been doing, and the changes they reap with their magics will become clear very soon.

I hope you guys are enjoying the story so far, and with no further ado..

"Years ago," Cologne said as they ran through the forest "I came to do my own training in Japan, knowing there was a lot of knowledge I could garner here. I met a few clans of ninja." She hopped to the top of a tree and stopped, Ranma and Akane followed and were now at the highest point of the vast forest they were in. They could see for miles all around them, mountains rising to the east and vast expanses of trees as far as the eye could see. In the midst of the trees stood a single building tall and wide. To the north there appeared to be a village, but they couldn't see it well even from their high spot.

"Our monastery is that building right there, we will pass most of the month training there. Although I would like to stop at the village and visit some old friends at some point." With that said she jumped from the tree, bouncing off another going towards the tall, wide building. Akane and Ranma followed both saying nothing, enjoying the view they had, the peace and the company.

The building was even bigger than it had appeared from their vantage point, it took them another two hours to arrive at the building, after making their way down the mountain, and by the time they had arrived it was raining a light drizzle. An old woman and two young women strolled up to the building in the middle of the deep woods.

Cologne grabbed the over-sized door knocker and knocked three times. "Chukaku! It's me, Cologne!"

A few minutes later the door opened up and a very old looking man with a bald head was looking at them. "Cologne, from the Amazons?" He glanced at her, "Ah it is you my friend" He said as they embraced each other warmly.

Over the next few hours they met the rest of the monks at the monastery, explained Ranma's curse, and transformed him back. There were monks from all sorts of places including two philosophers from Cologne's (their) tribe.

After meeting the rest of the monastery they were taken to the training grounds, Ranma and Akane's eyes widened in delight as they took it all in. There was a gazebo on the right side of the field with ten mook jong placed within for training. There was another gazebo filled with punching bags, there was what appeared to be sheets and random cloths hung out to dry with sticks laying around in a circle around the area. There was a large clearing for practicing katas and a small weight room. What appeared to be an obstacle course led into the jungle, and there were weapons of all sorts everywhere.

The old man smiled at them, pleased by how happy the training grounds he'd worked so hard on made them. "My grandson Chiriku will be down here soon to test your skills."

Ranma bowed to the old man remembering the respect Cologne had drilled into them on the train ride "Hai sensei," he turned to Akane "hey tomboy, we should probably get warmed up. Bet I can run the obstacle course faster than you can."

"You wish!" Akane shouted back at him, as she'd started running from the moment he'd said tomboy.

"Hey that's cheating!" he called after her starting to run.

"Our style is called Anything Goes!" She laughed as she hopped swiftly from pole to pole.

Cologne and Chukaku watched them go, chuckling at their energy. "They will be a pleasure to train," the old man said "most can only wish for students so willing to train."

Fifteen minutes later they returned to the clearing. Chukaku stood with several other monks and Cologne on one side of the clearing. A young man stood in the center.

"Akane should go first." Cologne shouted out to the two of them.

After sharing a brief kiss, Akane strode to the center of the circle and stood facing the young man.

He bowed to her, "I apologize in advance for any pain I inflict on you."

From the side someone shouted "Begin!"

Akane focused on her Ki for a moment as the bald boy charged towards her, at the last moment she jumped out of the way, countering with a punch perfectly aimed.

Except he wasn't there, his eyes widening slightly in surprise, he had to spin out of the way of the fist and jumped back a few paces.

"I underestimated you." He said sincerely.

"I'm a martial artist too!" Akane said as she charged at him, now going onto the offensive. After blocking a few of her attacks the Chiriku grinned. If the girl was this tough he couldn't wait to fight her fiance whom elder Cologne had explained was even stronger.

He now stood in a stance with his feet shoulder width apart, his right hand palm down was extended towards the ground in front of his body, the other in front of his face had two fingers raised. As Akane attacked he deflected her attacks with the minimum movement possible, his eyes closed and seemingly mumbling a prayer under his breath. As Akane tried to kick him with her strongest kick he unleashed his attack and an Ki manifested fist punched her in the stomach, taking the wind completely from her. She was just able to retain her consciousness.

He knelt next to her head, "Your dedication and strength in your art is strong young one. There is no shame in your defeat."

He stood up now ready to face Ranma as Chukaku helped Akane limp away from the field.

Ranma and Chiriku stood facing each other, both men eager to fight.

Ranma had been mad for a moment when Akane had been hurt, but quickly let that pass with the realization that this was after all part of martial arts training.

Ranma settled into his normal relaxed stance, for a few moments both opponents just stared at each other gauging one another's capabilities. After a few minutes of assessment both charged at the same time, both seeming to disappear as they met in the middle. All the masters of course could see every detail of what was happening and were using it to assess Ranma's skills. Chiriku had been asked to hold back before the fight and was still doing so, if only just a little.

Chiriku was just slightly jealous. Here was a man who would surpass him and most he knew in martial arts skills. The young man was already very far, and with the people the elder would be introducing him to and getting him trained by, he would probably be one of the best martial artists in the world one day.

Ranma tried, without success, to anger the young monk by saying all sorts of blasphemous things. To which the young monk had only smiled in response.

Ranma had tried the Katchu Tenshin Amaguriken technique on him, but he'd seemingly vanished at the last moment. The truth making itself known to Ranma too late as he felt a sharp impact on the back of his head. Ranma shot across the field colliding hard into a tree. After pulling himself off the tree he attacked again, the monk calmly deflecting his attacks. Ranma didn't see it, but he could feel the young monk pushing pressure points when he deflected the attacks. Slowing Ranma's body down more and more by blocking off Ki access points.

Falling back on the Umi-Sen-Ken Ranma vanished from sight. The monk stood still in the center of the clearing waiting..

A moment later Ranma appeared in front of the monk about to attack as the monks Ki again manifested, this time into many fists knocking Ranma into the air and punching him around and around till he finally slipped out of consciousness.

After Ranma had come to they were treated to a large meal. Chiriku had been apologetic to both teens who laughed off his apologies and asked him questions about his techniques, both very intrigued at what they had seen. Ranma actually happy to find himself completely outclassed, knowing there was so much more to learn.

Both were elated with the idea they'd be learning so much. They spent the last hour before going to bed teaching each other about their respective styles in Anything Goes, which Cologne informed them they were to do every night from here on out.

A blue haired man with closed eyes and a smile woke them both very early and informed them they were to come out to the training yard. The man introduced himself as Chichiri and they soon noticed that the closed eyes and smile were on a mask which he was wearing over his face. He explained today he would be running a few tests and teaching them about magic.

An hour later, after a very confusing conversation the man left, explaining the physical training would begin soon. The first monks to train them in the morning were the Amazons who put both Ranma and Akane back into training from the basics. Both were now running through the forest dragging a tire behind them with and old Amazon monk on top of the tire holding whips and pushing the teens to faster speeds. Not visible were the two hundred pounds worth of weights strapped around each teens legs under their clothing. A cocky man with a bowl cut had handed them to the teens earlier that morning telling them that from now on they were not to take the weights off under any circumstances unless he, or one of the other trainers said so. Or if they were faced with overwhelming numbers of enemies.

Both had found the experience to be very weird, but under the watchful gaze of Cologne and the rest of the elders said nothing.

After the excruciating run through the forest they were informed by Noodle and Broth that they hadn't gone fast enough and would be expected to go even faster in tomorrow when it was their turn for training again. Noodle and Broth took the teens through many more exercises, mostly routine, with added horrifying elements for the next two hours before the teens were finally allowed to go find breakfast.

"Honestly," Ranma huffed as he ate some miso soup, "sit-ups over a moat full of piranhas. Pops must have put them up to this."

He glared at a piece of sausage for a moment as if daring it to say anything before he picked it up with his chopsticks and tossed it into the air catching it and eating it quickly.

Akane, still embarrassed by a fall she'd taken mumbled, "Who the hell builds a salmon ladder on a windmill?"

Chiriku and Chukaku trained them for the next four hours, although their training was mainly in communicating with Ki.

After that they trained with a Wing Chun master who asked Ranma and Akane to attack him at the same time. Within seconds both had been defeated by deceptively simple moves. The man took them through the basics of wing chun. Teaching them all the moves of the Siu Lim Tao one by one, explaining the importance behind every posture and gesture and movement. He made them vow that they would practice the Siu Lim Tao at least once a day from now on, even when they left this place. They both promised and he went on with the lesson teaching them how to spar with the sticky hands techniques. He explained that in sticky hands sparring no real fighting force needs to be exerted since it's a practice on skill.

Akane was really happy for the Wing Chun lessons and focused in absolutely. Here was one form of martial art Ranma didn't have a big leg up on her with, they were basically both at the same point, and she enjoyed the idea of both of them learning, and mastering this art together.

Next they learned from a Wushu master for an hour before getting to eat lunch, and after a two hour break they studied ninjitsu from the guy with a bowl cut and his student who had a matching bull cut. They would train with Cologne before dinner and finally trained each other in the evening before going to sleep. And so progressed the next three weeks, the only difference in training would be sometimes at midnight or later in the night they'd get a surprise attack from any of their masters which they soon learned to be alert for.

In Nerima Nodoka sat with Soun and Genma at the Tendo table drinking tea.

"There's been a change." she said looking seriously at the men. She took off her bundle from her back, unwrapped the katana and tied the sheath to her belt.

"Something is happening, and I don't know what. But everyone needs to be prepared. I will take care of the house and the girls. I want you two to go training again.

Both men had tried to argue for a while, but Nodoka wasn't standing for it. She'd soon made them agree, she even had a trainer in mind who she was sending them to who she'd already spoken to. They were not to come back for six months.

That ought to give those two enough time away she thought, to train and get strong enough to come back and train others in the dojo as responsible men. Hopefully we will all be ready for whatever changes are coming. She felt uneasy as if something were about to happen soon, but she didn't know what.

She vowed to herself that she would prepare Kasumi and Nabiki, as the two men began their preparations she summoned the girls into the dojo to inform them of their new training schedule with her.

Unknown to Ranma and Akane, Mousse had tried to follow them to the training. Cologne had known, and in a moment, when his glasses had momentarily fallen from his face, she'd dropped a map on the ground and wished him luck as she led Ranma and Akane in a different direction.

Mousse found the map later when he found the spot he'd last seen them, and after studying the map he'd pulled out a compass and started following it.

After a few hours following the map he found a shrine.

"Oi!" A woman's voice called out, he looked up and standing atop the shrine was a busty woman wearing a pink gi, a mouse poked it's head out from between her large breasts.

"Are you Moose?" she asked, the mouse held up a small picture of a Moose in a lake.

"No it's Mousse!" he replied

"That's the one," she said to her mouse, it nodded it's head and hopped out of her shirt, it sat on the shrine to watch.

She jumped down and got into a battle stance across from Mousse. "Well, let's see what you got."

In a few minutes she'd struck him down, explaining the flaws in all his weapon usage.

"You use such a large barrage of weapons, call yourself a master and have barely any mastery over any!" With that said she finished him off using a wooden spoon.

Over the next hour she explained that Cologne had contacted her a few weeks ago requesting training for the blind boy. Mousse spend the next month training with the woman who introduced herself as Shigure.

Both Nabiki and Kasumi had protested initially to the thought of training in martial arts again. But Nodoka had spoken to them on length and explained several things to them that eventually changed their minds.

"Nabiki?"

"Yes aunty?" She asked, as she got another cup of tea.

"I need you to do me a favor, no more pictures of my son and his fiancee. And no more selling them out."

Nabiki wanted to argue about the lost revenue, but had already been thinking about laying off Ranma and Akane lately anyway. Plus she wasn't about to argue with a mother wearing a sword. She sighed, "Yes aunty."

"That's a good girl. Are you still dating that man who speaks in horrible Shakespearian?"

Nabiki was surprised by the question, "You mean Kunu?"

"Yes," said Nodoka, thinking back on the potential she could see the boy had. "Bring him to train with you."

Nabiki was confused by this but agreed.

Nodoka could see that Nabiki was smart, and was trying to put the pieces together.

"Something is going to happen, to Nerima, possibly to the entire world." Nodoka confided in Nabiki "We are preparing for war."

Nabiki didn't respond, she grabbed a bottle of boubon she'd gotten in exchange for information a few years back, and two glasses.

"I have the feeling," said Nabiki as she poured them each a glass, "That this is going to be one of those conversations."

The women stayed up late that night, talking and planning for any circumstances.

Some spells are never meant to be cast. Indeed they should never have been thought of in the first place.

The man who created the spell which was used on that hot summer day in Tokyo had tried to destroy it upon realizing what he'd just created.

But, some things are evil. And evil often has a mind of it's own, it betrayed it's own creator, leaving him to burn in the fires he was going to toss the spell into. Written on a scroll it let itself drift in the wind, till an old man found it. The man without even reading the thing had stored it in his library, telling himself he would one day read the scroll, for to him all things written were knowledge, and knowledge is always to be treasured.

An unexpected event happened, and an earthquake struck the library burying the old man and the scroll beneath the earth. And things that should have been destroyed, were forgotten.

The old man, even with his love of books, knowledge and all things written, would have destroyed the scroll had he read what was written in it.

So the scroll remained, hidden, waiting for 400 years for the right person.

The young man who'd picked up the scroll was a weakling. A simple minded weakling with delusions of grandeur. In other words, the perfect host. For in a way the spell was a parasite. The boy had made his first sacrifice following all the instructions written on the book. He'd stolen a beloved pet of a young child who lived down the street. He'd watched carefully for hours before making his move, the scroll had said that a loving attachment was important for the potency of the spell.

So watch he did, making sure the connection of the boy to his dog was one of real love. When the boy had gone to sleep that night, the would be sorcerer sneaked over the privacy fence and kidnapped the dog, using a strong chemical on a rag to knock it out. He'd carefully drawn a full pentagram and marked the kanji in the appropriate spots. He'd carved his desire into the animals flesh, ignoring it's whimpers and it's cries. When he'd finally slit the poor animals throat and put it out of it's misery his eyes were completely dead. To an extent the spell took possession of his mind, it encouraged him to add to the spell. It gave him power and guided him to find a group of followers. Eventually the would be sorcerer could see a manifestation of the spirit of the spell. He spoke with it when he was alone and sometimes in harsh whispers even when his followers were with him.

They off course did not question his sanity. They could not see the manifestation as he did, but there was a shadow cast from the spot the spirit would have been that they could all see clearly. And it only appeared when their leader was near, and it scared them even more than the ruthlessness of their leader did.

They sat in a circle now, holding hands and chanting a chant over and over as their leader stood in the center of the circle speaking his own words over theirs, another victim gasping their last breath under his blade. As the spell took effect a light burst from the room, and the light rippled out from the room through the building. Through the city, the country and eventually the whole world. Everyone saw a brief flash, and the world changed, though nobody could actually note the change. They didn't notice that the cars around the world all changed, advancing in some ways, and regressing in others. What they would have noticed, was that there were no longer any guns in existence. The reason people didn't notice was because guns had never been invented in the first place.

It is important to point out that the spell was not created to eliminate guns or to alter technology. The purpose of the spells cast had been to change the world completely. One of the particular spells cast, due to the spell altering itself, had been one to preserve the age of the samurai, combined with a desire for Japan to be a top world power it destroyed the main thing that had caused the samurai to fall.

Due to all this nobody noticed that in place of their guns were different weapons, mainly swords, bows and new types of weapons not seen before. Although now people knew what they were, how to use them and how to make them.

The leader smiled as he stepped out of his house into the warm Tokyo weather, he saw a few people walking down the streets, more importantly he saw one of his goals accomplished. People proudly wearing katanas at their hips. In a harsh whisper he said "Our plans are coming to fruition my friend." The evil spirit smiled at him.

The evil spirit went back into the house as the young man walked away, allowing himself to slip back into the mask he wore for his daily activities. Seeing a familiar face from school walking towards him he turned around and started hammering a voodoo doll into a tree

I hope you guys enjoy the chapter! Please R&R