The following day, Asuka and the Hanzo Girls had brought the Cul-De-Sac Boys to a shrine temple on the outskirts of town. The lads were curious as to what this was about but soon got their answer when they came across what looked like three shrine maidens, a little girl, and a woman in a hood with light green hair.
"Ah, Asuka! You made it!" The little girl happily said as she ran over to the group. "Did you bring the newcomers?"
"They're right here, Kagura!"
The boys were all confused as the shrine maidens and the hooded girl came over as well.
"Huh, so these are the boys from America you were telling us about?" One of the shrine maidens asked. "Gotta say, they're pretty cute!"
"Hmph, we'll see just how capable they are." The youngest of the three shrine maidens said with a huff.
"A pleasure to make your acquaintances." Double-D smiled. "My name is Double-D and these are my friends Ed, Eddy, Kevin, Rolf, Johnny, and Jimmy."
"Don't forget Plank!" Johnny added.
"Pa-Ku!" Kagura cheered as Plank took on his specter form.
"Kagura, I see you've recently reawakened."
"Whoa! What's going on?! How does Kagura-Chan know this spooky ghost?" The middle child of the shrine maidens asked. She had light orange hair and an excitable air about her.
"I actually awakened a while ago but I've decided to stay here for the time being," Kagura said to Plank, who nodded his head. "It's been eons since I last saw you."
"Likewise, old friend."
"Wait, eons...?" Eddy began before his eyes widened in surprise. "Just how old is this girl?!"
"Kagura is an ancient spirit warrior tasked with eliminating all Yoma, the demons of this world," Ikaruga explained. "We had a run-in with her and Naraku over there a while ago. We had a rocky start but we ended up working together to stop a common threat."
The hooded girl, Naraku, casually blew a bubble before popping it, giving the Cul-De-Sac Boys an acknowledging nod as the three shrine maidens stepped up.
"As for us, we're the Mikaruga Sisters. We're shrine maidens and shinobi. Kagura is an old friend of ours from when we were little." The leader of the three said. "I'm Renka."
"I'm Hanabi!"
"And I'm Kafuru."
"Asuka told us about you a week or so ago and how you're getting trained to become shinobi like us!" Renka said. "So we're gonna help you learn how to summon your spirit animals!"
"First, show us your secret ninja scrolls," Kagura instructed as the boys did so and opened them up, showing the ink drawings of the animals on them.
"I see..." Kagura hummed. "Ed has the Ox, Double-D has the Owl, Eddy has the Rat, Kevin has the Gorilla, Rolf has the Rooster, Johnny has the Hummingbird, and Jimmy has the Goat."
"Hey! How come I'm a rat while Shovelchin is a gorilla?!" Eddy complained.
"Rolf can see why No-Brain Ed-Boy has the Ox, for he is as strong as one...and just as thick-headed!"
"You'll just have to figure it out as we take you along. Come on, you guys!" Renka said as the Mikaruga Sisters led the Cul-De-Sac Boys into the temple, the Hanzo Girls, Kagura, and Naraku following close behind.
The Cul-De-Sac Boys were now wearing shrine robes and sitting in front of their ninja scrolls while in meditative poses. Ed, Double-D, Rolf, Johnny, and even Jimmy took to the meditation quickly while Eddy and Kevin had to get used to how they were sitting on their legs first.
"Alright, you boys need to focus. Harness your Chi and find the inner beast that makes up your spirit." Kagura instructed while sitting on Naraku's shoulders.
The boys concentrated as hard as they could, and soon flaming auras began emitting from them, each in a different color. Ed was dark green, Double-D was bright red, Eddy was golden yellow, Kevin was onyx black, Rolf was deep purple, Johnny was stark white, and Jimmy was sky blue.
Soon, the auras took the shape of each of the boys' guardian animals. In their heads, they heard a mysterious voice calling to them.
"Ed, you are strong in body and fearless when charging ahead. The Ox is your animal, harness its might well."
"Eddward, you are wise and patient like the Owl. Let it guide you as you improve your training."
"Eddy, you are clever and sly like the cunning Rat. Always strike when your enemy least expects it and you shall emerge victorious."
"Kevin, you are fierce like the Gorilla but docile when unprovoked. The strength inside you will test the balance of your emotions."
"Rolf, you are proud and noble, like a Rooster helping awaken the sleeping souls when the sun rises. Be the one to help raise your allies from the dark."
"Johnny, like the Hummingbird, you are swift, gentle, and at one with nature. Do not slow down and always soar ahead."
"Jimmy, the Goat represents the tenacity to climb the tallest peaks in spite of adversity. If you are truly willing to reach that peak yourself, act on it."
The boys all opened their eyes as the aura dissipated, looking at themselves. They didn't know how, but they felt like a surge of energy had just infused itself into their very beings.
"That looked like a real rush!" Katsuragi noted. "Kinda like when I learned the Dragon was my spirit animal!"
"Really? The pervert has the dragon as her animal?" Eddy dryly commented as the blonde just snickered in amusement.
"Did you see anything interesting?" Hibari asked.
"We heard a voice telling us why each of us have the animal we do." Double-D explained. "And then we just felt stronger, faster, like we could take on anything. It was quite the adrenaline rush."
"Well, I'm raring to do some training now!" Kevin said as he stood back up. "Come on, I feel like I can take on everybody!"
"Hmph...let's see about that." Kafuru said before drawing a pair of dolphin-shaped water pistols. Renka took out a pair of giant Bachi sticks and Hanabi took out a giant black hammer.
"Hey, save some fight for me, Shovelchin!" Eddy laughed as he did a handstand spring to his feet and drew his fish clubs.
"Battle good for Ed!" Ed cheered as he summoned his Kanabo.
"Should we stop this?" Yagyuu asked but Kagura shook her head while watching the Cul-De-Sac Boys and the Mikaruga Sisters fight each other.
"Nah, let them get it out of their system."
The Cul-De-Sac Boys have gotten in touch with their spirit animals and seem to have been imbued with the energy to learn how to become true shinobi. What other insane tricks will they learn in the future? Find out next chapter!
