Chapter Three

Morning came over the sleepy resort town of Konoha City.

As always, Kyo Sanada rose before everyone else. Stifling a yawn, he rose from his futon and tiptoed over to his dresser. Pulling out a fresh hakama, his sword, and a towel, he quietly exited the room, not waking up Kurama Tomiya, who continued to sleep.

After a quick bath in the hot springs (in which he took notice of the rocks becoming slimy, promising himself to thrash Sakura once she returned), he got dressed and headed for the roof. It was early in the morning, which he could train without distraction, and it had been a while since he had gone into his thousand-strike routine.

However, as he climbed the steps to the rooftop, he saw that someone was already there.

That person was Cloud.

Dressed in a black jumpsuit and a pair of black boots, with his hair still wet, the American martial artist was standing in the middle of the rooftop, going through a kata. Kyo stood transfixed, mesmerized by the gracefulness of the American man. His moves were fluid and smooth, not rushing as Cloud went through his Wushu routine, looking like a Chinese acrobatic.

Finally, after completing his kata, with his back to Kyo, Cloud spoke.

"You're drooling, Kyo," he said before turning around.

Kyo stepped onto the roof. "That was amazing. How long have you been training in martial arts?"

"Since I was nine. I received my first black belt in kickboxing when I was 15 and when I was 18, got my black belt in Karate." He shrugged his shoulders. "My wife was the one who got me to get up early every morning to train with her," he said, smiling sheepishly. "And as you can see, I am not a morning person. But I guess it kind of rubbed off on me."

"Can I ask you something?" Kyo asked.

"Sure."

"Why did you get married?" the Matsushiro heir asked, still pronouncing the m-word with some difficulty.

"Do you have something against married men?" Cloud asked, arms folded.

"No, no!" Kyo replied, shaking his head. "You just, you just reminded me of my older brother. He relinquished his position as the Shihan of the Matsushiro Samurai School to get married." He turned his head to the side. "Women are nothing but perverted beings."

Cloud sighed. "Kyo, listen to me. I told you - all of you - last night that not all women are perverts," he said, placing one hand on his shoulder. "You're still young. When you grow older, you'll see what I mean. In the meantime, today is a busy day for all of us. Your landlord will be arriving with my wife, and I need to run to the market once it opens."

"When will Haruno and the other female arrive?" Kyo asked.

"In the afternoon." Cloud looked at Kyo intently. "Don't be so quick to judge, Kyo. Try and get to know them first before you pass judgment on them. You show the other people that you can't trust them if you pass judgment on them too quickly."

Cloud left the rooftop. As the American martial artist took his bath, the other Pekara Inn Residents awoke to another day. Jiro was lounging around on the couch, Sasuke went off to prep school, and Riku, Kurama, and Alex hung around the house.

The day so far was uneventful. But that was about to change within the next few hours, with the arrival of Tifa Lockhart.

It was past noon when Sakura and the two martial artists arrived in Konoha City. Sakura led Tifa and Denzel to Naomi's teahouse. The business had slowed down somewhat, giving Naomi and Ino a break, but there were still scattered patrons inside the cafe. Kazuya was out running an errand for Naomi.

Sakura was dressed in her usual clothes, while Denzel was dressed in a gray tank top and black jeans. Tifa, however, was dressed in something more practical: a blue zip-up vest with a matching pair of pants, high-heeled boots, and a pair of gloves, having been in a match earlier with a local fighter. Tifa was carrying her usual white duffel bag in one hand, slung over her shoulder, and a slender bundle on the other hand, wrapped in cloth. Denzel had an overnight bag and his knapsack with his books and notebooks inside.

Sakura saw her brother behind the counter, wiping it down with a bored expression on his face.

"Hey!!" Sakura called out. "Big Brother!!"

In an instant, Naomi tossed the nearest object he could get his hands on, which was an empty rice wine bottle, at Sakura without looking. Tifa, acting just as fast, caught the object before it connected to Sakura's face.

"It's Naomi, Sakura," Naomi scolded. "We've been through this before." He looked up and saw Tifa holding the bottle in her hand. He sized Tifa up. "I thought you were in Canada training."

Tifa placed the bottle on the empty table. "I was, but that was a couple of years ago. You're looking well, Naomi. I see you're still up to your bad habits," she added, regarding the cigarette that he was currently smoking. She gestured to Denzel. "This is my young ward and student in the Kyokugenryu Karate, Denzel. Denzel, Sakura's brother and owner of this cafe, Naomi Haruno."

Naomi looked at Denzel, nodding in greeting. "Since when did you and your husband decide to take on orphans and make them your students?"

"Ever since Denzel's parents were murdered in a home invasion. We've been training him for years now," Tifa replied. "He is already a Shodan in both the Kyokugenryu Karate and the Shinden Tsushima-ryu Battojutsu. Aside from being our pupil, he is also a freshman foreign exchange student at Okayama University."

Naomi looked at Denzel. "So you're in Okayama University huh? Maybe you can give my sister some pointers on how to pass the entrance exams." He looked at Tifa. "So. Are you ready for this?"

Tifa nodded. "As ready as I'll ever be. I'll be fine." She grinned evilly at Naomi. "I can always evict them if they get too difficult."

"I forgot about these stairs," Tifa said as she, Sakura, and Denzel walked up the stairway that led to the Pekara Inn.

"Are we there yet?" Denzel whined.

"Almost, so quit whining," Tifa replied.

The trio reached the summit. Denzel looked around the property, then at the massive structure that was the Pekara Inn. "Wow. Nice place," he said.

"It used to be an inn," Sakura explained. "My parents used to run it until they decided to travel and left it to me."

"This place. It hasn't changed," Tifa said, looking at it.

As they approached the front door, they heard voices from the inside.

"I agree with you, Jiro. Haruno has been completely careless this time. Even though I like the new landlord, Haruno should still show some responsibility for her actions."

The door opened and out stepped Isami and Kyo. They saw their wayward landlord, along with two strangers. Kyo, however, immediately recognized Tifa.

It was several months back when Kyo had been on a training trip with his Kendo club in the mountains. Inside the training hall was a woman wearing a white karate dogi with a black belt, white hachimaki, and an undershirt. She was kneeling, with her sheathed sword in her lap.

Kyo, being the Kendo club captain, attempted to eject the woman from the hall. However, she had merely blocked his attack and knocked him out.

Since then, Kyo has been obsessing over the fact that a woman not only had beaten him but had knocked him out without even trying.

Now she was here once again.

And the look that she was giving Tifa was nothing short of bloody murder. Kyo went for his sword. "YOU!!!" He drew it and charged.

Denzel grabbed Sakura and pulled her out of the way as Tifa calmly dropped her belongings and advanced on the charging swordsman. As Kyo attacked, Tifa grabbed his wrist and flipped him to the ground, with Kyo landing on his rear.

Inside, Cloud had heard Kyo scream and had rushed outside, just in time to see Tifa counterattack Kyo. Jiro, Riku, Kurama, and Alex approached from various sides, watching the battle take place.

In pain from landing on the stone walkway, Kyo jumped to his feet. Tifa was standing there, arms folded. "You again, Kendo boy?" she asked dryly, remembering their last encounter.

Kyo clambered to his feet. "It's bad enough that we have to deal with a perverted weakling like Haruno…but YOU…do you have any idea what you did to me?!" he half-screamed.

Tifa shrugged her shoulders. "You attacked me, and I knocked you out. So?"

"'So?' 'SO?!' I have become the laughing stock of the Kendo club!!" Kyo ranted. "You sullied my honor! And now, you dare to show your face at our home?! I will banish you from here if necessary!" Kyo charged again, with his sword held high.

"Kyo, stop!!!" Cloud shouted.

Tifa stood her ground.

Kyo leaped into the air, preparing to unleash a Matsushiro ki attack on the female.

"Ko-Ou Ken!"

Tifa swings her arm out, summoning her own ki, then fires. The blue bolt energy sailed at Kyo with devastating speed at the teenage kendoist. The ki blast caught Kyo in the chest, sending him flying back and his sword spinning into the air. Kyo landed on his back while Tifa casually caught his sword from the air and strolled over to him. Sakura, in the meantime, had picked up her duffel bag and sword.

"Silly little Kendo boy who likes to think he is a samurai," Tifa said before turning the blade downward and impaling the stone pathway, inches from Kyo's left ear. "Honor is not in one's weapon. The honor comes from the person themselves."

She looked up. Cloud, as well as the rest of the residents who were drawn to the scene by Kyo's screaming, were watching the one-sided impromptu match. All of the boys were shocked at the sight of Kyo on his back. Kyo glared at Tifa, who looked down on him as if he wasn't worth the effort.

Then Cloud was standing over Kyo. "Well, Kyo, I see you met my wife."

Kyo blinked. "Wife?"

He then turned to Tifa. "You finally showed up." He then rushed to her and embraced her. After a moment, he released her and turned to the shocked residents, who were at the moment, tending to Kyo. "Boys, this is my wife, Tifa Lockhart. We're both acting as co-landlords at Sakura's request." He gestured to the boy who was standing beside Sakura. "This is our student and young ward, Denzel."

Kyo abruptly stood up and forcibly shrugged off the boys' attempts to help him. "I will not accept this!!" he shouted before yanking his sword from the pathway and storming back into the house.

After Kyo slammed the door behind him, Jiro spoke up. "Wait a sec. Sakura hired you as well?"

"I did," Sakura replied with a smug grin on her face. "I'm taking a break. Tifa and Cloud are the landlords for the next two months. Let's see if you don't give them the respect that you, Uchiha, and Sanada didn't show me."

Jiro was taken aback at the sudden change in Sakura's attitude. Normally, she would be forgiving, but now, Jiro realized that maybe he, Sasuke, and Kyo had crossed the line.

Inside the landlord's room, Tifa unpacked her clothes and Cloud watched her. "So what was that all about?" Cloud asked.

"Remember when I went on a training trip in the mountains a while back?" Tifa asked. When Cloud nodded, Tifa continued. "I ran to the Kendo boy when I was up there. He tried to attack me, so I knocked him out." She shrugged her shoulders. "I thought he had forgotten. Looks like I was wrong."

[Flashback]

Somewhere in the mountains, several months earlier. Inside a mountain dojo, Tifa was meditating in the lotus position, dressed in her usual Karate uniform.

From the doorway, the boys of the Boys' Kendo Club looked at the Shinden Tsushima fighter, whispering and giggling amongst themselves.

"Who is she?"

"She's hot."

"She must be a martial artist. Look at that sword she has with her."

"She must be a master kendoist."

"What's going on here?" Kyo demanded as he walked up to his teammates. "Why aren't you inside the training hall?" he demanded. "This is supposed to be a training trip, not a vacation."

"Senpai, there is a woman inside the training hall," one of the kendoist replied.

Kyo's eyes narrowed. "A female. Here?" He marched inside the training hall and stood before Tifa, who was still meditating. "You. Female! You are not welcome here! Leave!!"

Tifa ignored him.

Kyo drew out his bokken. "You dare ignore me? Either you leave willingly or I will force you out of here."

At that moment, Tifa opened her eyes. "You can try," she replied.

Kyo raised his bokken and brought it down, aiming for Tifa's head. Tifa, still on her knees, quickly responded by grabbing her sword, still in its sheath, and parried the blow. She then lashed out, catching Kyo full in the torso with the scabbard, knocking the air out of his lungs, and causing him to double over. She then swung her sword upward, with the sound of hardwood meeting a human jaw was loud in the empty training hall with the Kendo Club watched in disbelief as Kyo's head snapped back as the blow sent him into the air.

He landed flat on his back, out like a light. The Kendo Club was so silent that one could hear a needle drop. Tifa slowly got to her feet and looked at the down Matsushiro kendoist. She bowed slightly, turned, and exited the training hall without further incident as the Kendo Club rushed around the fallen Kyo, trying to get back to consciousness.

[End Flashback]

Tifa shrugged her shoulders. "How was I supposed to know that his Kendo Club used that training hall as a dojo?"

She picked up the slender bundle and undid the string holding the cloth altogether. The cloth fell to the floor, revealing Tifa's weapon, a Zatoichi blade; beautiful, yet deadly. The sword was given to her once she made the Shihan of the Shinden Tsushima-ryu Battojutsu. Tifa pulled the sword out of its scabbard. The blade itself was forged from a special type of metal that was only found in the Kansai region of Japan hundreds of years ago, giving it an aluminum-zinc alloy color.

The sword was a priceless heirloom within the Zangan School, with the blade itself considered indestructible. The sword was perfect in every way. On the scabbard was the Sonshi slogan carved into it in Japanese kanji. The term was translated as "Let your plans be dark and impenetrable as night, and when you move, fall like a thunderbolt." According to Rashard, the slogan was based on Sun Tzu's Art of War, which dictates how one should conduct in battle.

It was also how practitioners of the Kyokugenryu Karate and its kendo counterparts carried themselves in battle.

Tifa was trained in the art of swordsmanship by Rashard when she was sixteen years old, now a master herself, with Rashard, who favored the non-lethal version of the Shinden Tsushima-ryu, while Chai used the style to its purest. Tifa, however, went down the middle path, using both variations of her masters' style and creating her own style.

Tifa regarded her sword and she placed it onto the desk. Or at least started to when she hesitated.

Cloud noticed this. "What is it?" he asked.

Tifa ignored him and turned to the closet. Walking past him, she opened the closet and found what she had sensed through her sword. Cloud looked in from behind. "What's this? A sword?" he reached out to it, but Tifa grabbed his wrist in a gentle, yet firm grip.

"That's no ordinary sword," Tifa warned. "It's the Muramasa Sword. That sword is possessed." She released Cloud's grip on his hand. "Come here."

Cloud followed her back to her sword. Upon returning back to her side, Tifa handed him her sword. In an instant, Cloud felt the blade's power as if it was vibrating.

Tifa answered his unspoken question. "My sword and the Muramasa Sword are opposites. From what Chai has told me, my sword was forged inside the Murakumo Shrine using an ancient technique that is now lost. So in a sense, it can sense anything with either cursed ki or something that is possessed."

"Doesn't the Shinden Tsushima-ryu Battojutsu use cursed ki?" Cloud asked.

Tifa shook her head. "No. My style uses positive and negative ki energy. My grandfather was proficient in the light side of the Kyokugenryu Karate, while Chai preferred the dark side. I trained under both masters, as you already know. I've managed to come to a middle ground with their techniques, something that both men had failed to do. You can say that I can take the Kyokugenryu Karate style down a different path."

She picked up a towel and some extra clothes. "I'll be in the bath."

Cloud poked her in the ribs. "I'll cook tonight. Good thing I went shopping earlier."

Meanwhile, a furious Kyo was in his room. Jiro was trying to calm him down.

"I remember seeing her in Tokyo," the resident fox said. "Back when Sakura and Sasuke failed the Okayama University entrance exams."

"Damn you, Haruno!!" Kyo snarled. "Now she is here again! Why?!"

"Because no one else wanted the job," Sakura said from the doorway. The kendoist and the fox turned to face the vacationing landlord, who had a cool and calm look on her face.

"It was either have them back me up as temporary landlords," Sakura said as she wiped her glasses on her shirt before placing them back on her face, "or I place a little phone call to your older brother and have him take over while I'm gone."

Kyo paled. He wasn't scared of anything but mentioned his older brother and he immediately got the shakes.

"I thought that maybe you three would have some landlords who wouldn't hesitate to throw you out on the streets," Sakura continued. "And Tifa's grandmaster and my parents are longtime friends, so she took the job." She looked at Kyo. "Looks like you have met your match, Kyo. Good luck in trying to push her around," she said, remembering seeing Tifa destroy two practice dummies; one with her bare hands and the other with a Shinden Tsushima ki technique.

"She reminds me of Hitomi," Jiro said. "What fighting style does she use?"

"Kyokugenryu Karate," Sakura replied matter-of-factly, "and Shinden Tsushima-ryu Battōjutsu."

Almost immediately, Kyo looked up. "Kyokugenryu Karate? A likely story, Haruno," he said. "That style is just a rumor."

"We'll see, won't we?" Sakura said as she left the room.

Sasuke, in the meantime, has returned to the Pekara Inn. Upon entering the lobby, he spied a wavy light brown-haired boy with blue eyes around his age sitting on a couch with several books placed on the table. "Excuse me."

Denzel looked up. "Oh. Hello. You're a resident here?"

Sasuke nodded. "I am. Who are you?"

"Denzel," Denzel introduced himself. He looked at Sasuke. "Wait a sec. You were at the Okayama entrance exams a while back, weren't you? Your name is Uchiha, right?"

"It's Sasuke. What are you doing here? You came to rent a room?"

Denzel shook his head. "My carer and her husband are acting as interim landlords for two months, and she asked me to tag along so that her husband can continue training me."

"Landlords?" Sasuke repeated. "So where's that no-good bitch at?"

"You mean Sakura?" Denzel replied. "She's talking with Cloud in the dining room."

Originally, Sasuke considered going in and confronting Sakura, but chose against it. It was then he looked down and noticed the textbooks that were scattered along the table. "Wait a minute. Those are Okayama University books! You're a student?"

Denzel nodded. "Yes, I am. I'm a Physical Education major. What about you? You're a Okayama University student too?"

Sasuke shook his head. "No, I'm a ronin. I missed it by ten points."

"Tough break," Denzel said before sitting back down. "I need to get back to work. Nice meeting you."

"Same here."

Sasuke left Denzel as he headed for his room. After picking up some articles of clothes and a bath towel, he went back downstairs and headed for the changing room.

Upon arriving at the doors, he saw the sign that was posted on the door. The sign was in both English and Japanese that read: Bath occupied - please do not disturb. Unfortunately for him, he chose to ignore it. After undressing and wrapping a towel around his waist, he stepped into the hot springs.

What he saw was a naked woman in the hot springs. Her back was to her and she grabbed a nearby towel and wrapped it around her body.

"AHHH!!! PERVERT!!!"

Tifa spun around, just in time to see Sasuke lunge at her, with the smaller man delivering his infamous Uchiha-Punch. Imagine Sasuke's surprise when Tifa stopped the attack by catching it with her hand.

Sasuke, at that moment, realized several things. One: this girl wasn't Sakura. Two: she had stopped his punch. Three: she didn't look very happy.

"Pervert?" Tifa repeated. "Since when did I do anything perverted?"

"You came in here to peek at me, pervert!!" Sasuke screeched.

Tifa scoffed. "If anything, you came in here after I had put up the sign outside. If anything, you are the pervert here."

By this time, Sakura, Cloud, Jiro, Kyo, Riku, and Kurama had shown up and were watching this exchange.

"So you must be Sasuke Uchiha. Sakura has told me a lot about you. For all we know," Tifa continued, knowing that sooner or later, Sasuke would make a huge mistake that she could take advantage of. "You'd probably like looking in on me."

"FUCK YOU!!!" Sasuke screamed as he swung his other fist at Tifa.

Tifa smirked to herself as she casually sidestepped the blow and stuck her leg out, tripping Sasuke and sending him into the hot spring with a loud SPLASH.

She turned to Cloud and the others. "All too easy," she said as she exited the hot springs through the changing room.

Jiro, however, caught the smile that was on Sakura's face as Cloud walked over to the edge of the hot springs and crouched over, just as Sasuke came back to the surface.

"Why did you try and punch my wife?" Cloud asked in an annoyed tone.

"She was in the hot springs," Sasuke feebly replied, fliching under Cloud's glare.

"And there was a sign placed outside the changing room," Cloud said, berating the drenched raven haired man. "Next time, you better heed the sign's warning should you want to take a bath. If the sign is there, then use the bath on the third floor. Understand?"

Sasuke nodded, backing away slightly.

"And you will apologize to Tifa when it is time for dinner. You need to grow up, Sasuke." The way Cloud said it was more than an order, rather than a request. With that said, Cloud turned and left the hot springs.

"Who the hell was that bitch?" Sasuke asked after he had gotten dressed. Jiro and Kyo were in his room.

"The female is Cloud's wife," Kyo replied, still upset over the fact that Tifa was staying with them for the next two months.

"What does Sakura think she's doing?" Sasuke half-shouted. "This is still a boys' dormitory! What if she tries to take advantage of Riku, Alex or Kurama?"

Jiro shook his head. "She doesn't look like the type. I've seen her before."

Sasuke turned to his friend. "You have?"

Jiro nodded. "It was back in Tokyo after you and Sakura failed the entrance exams. About the time Kyo had found Kurama and Riku, I was watching her compete in a match. She was fighting this huge wrestler with the mask." He turned to Kyo. "How did you know her?"

Kyo's grip tightened on his sword. "I was on a training trip with my kendo club several months ago. She was there inside the dojo. I tried to eject her from the training hall, but she knocked me out cold. And today, when she showed up here with Haruno and her ward, I tried to throw her out and she knocked me down again."

"You DID attack her, Kyo," Jiro pointed out. "All she did was defend herself. And after what I saw back in Tokyo, she is very tough. I'd watch yourself if I were you."