Hello, welcome to the fourth chapter of Senran Kagura: Shinobi Chronicles.
I finally got the drive to write another chapter for this story.
Now, onto the story.
Enjoy
"Speaking"
'Thinking'
*Sounds*
[Shinobi Driver]
Special Attacks
At the Hebijo Academy…
Inside of a traditional Japanese tatami-room
The armored woman gave new orders to the academy's elite students. Said 5 girls were currently kneeling before her.
"I understand," Hikage says, sporting a chilling smile.
"So it's finally our turn," Mirai says smugly next to her, looking forward to their next task.
After Yomi, these two would be the ones tasked with 'testing' the Hanzo Academy's shinobis in training. Who would these two evil shinobis target?
"Homura. Haruka. Yomi. I also have a new assignment for the three of you as well." The teacher speaks, gathering the other three girls' interests.
"What is it, Suzune-sensei?" Homura inquiries.
"The principal gave us new orders to seek Kamen Rider Shinobi. Given that his allegiance is still uncertain, I want you three to find a way for him to join us through any means necessary." Suzune says sharply, surprising the five Hebijo's elite students.
"To have Shinobi… Join us?" Homura asks aloud the question now present in all of the five girls' minds.
"And what if he refuses, sensei?" Haruka asks, now feeling interested in finding out more about their new target. Maybe he wouldn't disappoint her group like the girls from the Hanzo Shinobi Academy.
"You have permission to eliminate him if that ends up being the case, Haruka. But before doing that, secure the Ninja Scroll that he carries around with himself. It is of vital importance that the Ninja Scroll he possesses is obtained." The armored sensei commands.
"Ninja Scroll? Now that I think about it… Sensei, I noticed that Shinobi always seems to carry a platinum-colored one around whenever he appears to fight against the Serpent Society." Yomi points out.
"Yes. We have been ordered to acquire this scroll, known as the Twilight Scroll, no matter the cost from Kamen Rider Shinobi. It is impertinent that we succeed no matter what. I expect the best of you all. Failure is not an option." Suzune then turns to Homura, Yomi and Haruka. "I will give further details of the Twilight Ninja Art Scroll later to the three of you as well. For now, dismissed." She speaks, eventually giving her students permission to leave the room and perform their assigned tasks.
Now alone, the armored woman begins to think back about the recent talk that she had with Hebijo Academy's principal, Dogen.
(Flashback)
Suzune was on her way to Hebijo's principal's office and knocks on the door and the person inside responds:
"Come in."
She enters the room, only to see the Director, Dogen, behind a purple curtain as she gives him the report of the previous day when her students discovered Kamen Rider Shinobi's actions.
"What's the situation, Suzune?" Dogen asks.
"According to Homura's report, I suspected that the armored shinobi now possess the Legendary Twilight Ninja Art Scroll that was used to save the world long ago," Suzune reports.
Dogen ponders about the information Suzune told him, eventually smirking behind the curtain that was hiding his form.
"So the legends were true," He said in delight.
"I thought that the Yin and Yang Ninja Scrolls were the most powerful ones but combined with the Twilight Ninja Art Scroll's power...hehe hahaha. This is great, with those three scrolls and the shinobi's power... It'll all make Hebijo the most powerful Shinobi School, capable of even crushing Hanzo so easily eventually." The man begins to imagine what would happen if the three mystical items ended in his possession.
"But there's a problem. We still don't know who Kamen Rider Shinobi is." Suzune interject.
"It matters not. We'll find him soon enough." Dogen chuckled. "How many of our elite ninjas are available?"
"Most of them are all on their respective missions already," Suzune said. "The only ones left are Homura, Yomi, Haruka, Hikage, and Mirai."
"Excellent, give them the mission. Find any leads on this mysterious ninja and report back to me." Dogen instructed her.
"Yes, sir." Suzune answered and then leaves his office to give the mission details to said students.
Leaving Dogen alone in his office, who was now smiling maliciously.
"Soon... My ambitions will become true and Hanzo will fall."
(Flashback Ends)
Narrator: Shinobi were once servants of the feudal lords that ruled Japan in the past, specializing in espionage, subversion, and assassination.
With the influx of western culture after the Meiji Restoration, the feudal system began to collapse, causing them to fade from public consciousness.
However, even in modern times the need for shinobi still exists. Their employers are primarily politicians and corporations. Most employ them merely as tools to satisfy their own greed.
As a result, shinobi are responsible for crimes throughout Japan, and the government moved to confront them. This spawned the creation of Good Shinobi schools to combat Evil Shinobi who break the law.
[In some sort of battlefield, we can see the Hanzo Ninja Academy students and the Hebijo Academy elite group preparing to fight each other, with Asuka and Homura leading their respective teams.]
Narrator: However, they are nothing compared to the forces of a greater danger on the loose in the form of the Serpent Society: an organization of dark ninjas that aim to take over the world with their ninjutsu.
[A battalion of Dustards appears from out of nowhere as it begins to attack both ninja teams, with Karasu leading them while Orochi is observing the fight from the distance, resting on a throne.
The dark forces quickly corner the shinobi girls, who now look injured and full of bruises.]
*Several shurikens being thrown*
*Boom!* *Boom!* *Boom!*
[When things were about to get worse, a new figure appears and uses many shurikens to destroy all the Dustards, leaving only Karasu, who avoids the attack at the last second.
Now everybody looks at the newcomer, who is standing on the top of a Japanese castle, with the light of the full moon illuminating him. It is revealed to be Kamen Rider Shinobi as he has his arms crossed and stares back at them.]
Insert Opening Theme: IZANAGI by Sakuramen and Hideya Tawada - Opening theme of Rider Time: Kamen Rider Shinobi
(Instrumental)
Narrator: The only one who can fight the Serpent Society on equal grounds is the legendary ninja… Kamen Rider Shinobi!
Higashi no sora wo
Akaku so mete
Kodo o hajimeta
Yumeutsutsu
(My heart began throbbing as the eastern sky grew red)
We see Yukio looking at the sky, clenching a fist as he adopts a serious expression.
Hikari ga shimesu
Shinjitsu e to
Haruka ayumitashite
(Walking on the path stretching out to the truth,
Revealed by the light shining between dream and reality)
The Rider walks through the busy streets of the city, passing through the Hanzo Ninja Academy students and the Hebijo Academy elite group. Asuka and Homura both stop to look back worriedly at him as he disappears.
ikuseiso wo o hete kawaranu
tayutau negai ni mi o kogashi
ima o motome tsudzukete
(Suffering as my wandering ideals persisted endlessly,
I desperately sought after the present.)
An injured six years old Yukio walks through an endless darkness, crying while also refusing to give up. He has the Twilight Ninja Scroll firmly in his hands.
The scene changes to show Junpei thinking sadly about his little brother, Touma, who seems to be in a hospital room while looking to be in a critical condition with several medical machines attached to him.
tokini kizutsuki tsukare hatete
utsumuita to shite mo hitomi ni wa
moyuru chishio ga tagiru
(Though at times I may fall with wounds or falter in my goals,
The boiling blood in my eyes will always rise up again.)
An army of Dustards is awaiting Yukio, all looking ready to kill him. Orochi and Karasu can be seen in the background, commanding them to attack the Rider.
At this, the two female ninja groups suddenly arrive to help him, with Asuka smiling at him while Homura sports a grin towards Yukio.
Hazeru!
(Blossom out!)
hitohira no omoi kakete
mugen ni saita chigiri wa kagayaku
(Even just the petals of your dreams
Can bring your dreams to fruition)
The wind blows strong for a moment as the petals of a cherry blossom fall around Yukio.
He then summons the Shinobi Driver on his waist and becomes Kamen Rider Shinobi!
He uses several combinations of fire, water, earth and wind techniques together with the shinobi girls as they easily keep destroying all the Dustards around them.
Asenu!
(Blossom out!)
chikai wa oozora o mai
yuukyuu no toki koete
(Those vows will soar across the sky for all eternity)
Karasu charges at them, creating a powerful energy slash against the group. This makes Shinobi, Asuka, and Homura combine their attacks to counter the attack of the dark shinobi.
Shinobi no michi e izanau~
(Calling for the way of the shinobi!)
The final scene shows Shinobi and Kasaru crossing blades with each other with a burning Japanese castle on the back while the rest of the scene is divided into two:
All ninja girls are on the left rooting for the Kamen Rider.
On the right, Orochi is imposing a dark aura while being accompanied by several Dustards.
An explosion of energy happens and the full title of the fanfic appears, with Kamen Rider Shinobi's Shuriken Starter behind the title:
[Senran Kagura: Shinobi Chronicles]
NinPow 4: Asuka and Homura
Afternoon...
Through the streets of Asakusa...
Yukio is currently seen heading towards his dormitory, returning from a training session's routine in a disclosed location. He was now confident enough in his ability to skillfully use his newly acquired Shinobi Saber after spending some hours practicing with it to get used to the new blade.
Taking a shortcut through a local park, the ravenette soon unexpectedly spots Asuka there to his surprise, sitting on one of the park's benches. It was as if she was currently reflecting deeply about something there. Curiously, the girl was also holding some sort of book depicting all sorts of known animals.
Why? That was beyond Yukio's comprehension.
While he was intrigued by this, the Kamen Rider did not feel in the mood to particularly talk with the brunette, deciding to leave Asuka to her own musings.
That is until…
"Yukio, here's your chance! Go talk with the young lady over there!" Gekkouga's voice could be heard as the Mizu Ride Shuriken begins to shake non-stop in the Rider's pocket.
"..." Sporting a look of annoyance, Yukio was about to retort to the blue frog Seirei that he did not promise anything about talking with Asuka at all.
But as if on cue, a memory from the distant past suddenly begins to play in the young man's mind…
(Flashback)
10 years ago…
Unknown location - ?
It was dark and frightening…
Young 6 years-old Kamui Yukio wasn't sure of what happened or how he ended up in such a place.
All he knew is that…
"Good. Bring me the next child." A deep sinister voice could be heard, speaking in a cold tone.
"No! Let me go!" At this, Yukio's small body began to squirm as he tried to fight violently back against the pair of Dustards that were dragging him somewhere.
He soon finds out that it is some altar of sorts, prepared to execute some macabre ritual of sorts.
One of the Dustards that was holding him smacks the ravenette in the head, prompting to silence Yukio. This also causes his vision to become somewhat blurry.
As everything around the young boy's eyes starts to become distorted, Yukio can only make out the sound of what happens to be five other children also screaming desperately for their lives as a dark silhouette approaches him.
"Urgh..." Narrowing his eyes back in defiance, Yukio is only capable of noticing that the unknown individual has a pair of glinting crimson eyes that seemed to be piercing deep inside his soul.
"Let's begin the ritual. Hehehehe…." The unknown figure, the apparent owner of the chilling voice from before, speaks darkly to the Dustards as he is about to grab Yukio's head with his head.
(Flashback Ends)
"Urgh..." Yukio scowls while burying half of his face into his left hand. He then takes a deep breath, managing to slowly recover.
"Not again..." The Rider curses, becoming slightly emotionally pained within himself.
What he experienced ten years ago…
It broke not only his soul…
But also the lives of Junpei, their families, and countless other innocents…
The nightmares and self-esteem issues that soon followed after that tragedy and the horrors that the Serpent Society did with him…
He would have never wanted anyone to pass through what he did...
'*Sigh*... Maybe Gekkouga's right after all… Seeing Asuka down like that suddenly made me remember about the past… I guess I could try helping her a little...' Yukio thought before grabbing the Mizu Ride Shuriken to speak with the Water Seirei.
Now he would first perhaps need an excuse to approach the female brunette without sounding so suspicious around her, right?
"*Sigh*... It's no use… I really can't find another animal to substitute the tree frog as a Summon Creature for me..." Asuka laments aloud, slightly shaking her head in defeat as she sounds depressed. She closes the animal book she was just reading a few moments ago.
"How am I supposed to get over my fear of frogs!?" The brunette kunoichi thinks, now feeling a bit desperate.
"Ribt! Ribt!"
Huh?
That familiar sound of croaking…
Asuka turns to the side to suddenly find herself looking at a blue frog staring back at her.
"..." Her mind freezes at this as her face pales a bit.
"Ribt! Ribt!" The frog croaks, jumping as it tries to approach her.
"Ahhh!" The brunette shinobi yells in panic as she finally processes what is happening, almost falling clumsily from the bench that she was currently sitting on.
"An f-frog!? What's it doing here!?" Asuka thinks, trying desperately to get away from the blue creature.
Right at that moment…
"Ah, hey! Gekkouga!" A familiar voice calls.
Eh!?
"There you are, Gekkouga! I have been looking around for you!" Yukio exclaims as he gently grabs the azure frog with his hands.
"Eh? Y-Yukio-kun!?" Asuka calls the boy, not having expected to cross paths with him again so soon.
"Oh. Hey, Asuka. Fancy meeting you here. How are you doing?" The ravenette asks, greeting her back.
Some minutes later…
"I see… I'm sorry for any inconvenience Gekkouga might have caused you."
"I-It's okay! There was no way you could know about my fear of frogs." Asuka replies in return, a little embarrassed about her outburst from before.
"Right... But I want to assure you that he is completely harmless." Yukio says to Asuka, gently patting the blue frog that was now resting on his right shoulder.
The two teenagers actually decided to chat and catch up with each other.
With Asuka obviously trying to come up with a well-practiced backstory tale in order to avoid any suspicion or of accidentally telling her new friend about her secret identity as a ninja in training.
Not that she was aware that Yukio already knew about her true background, though.
Seeing no harm, the brunette also decided to tell her new acquaintance about her phobia of frogs.
'Looking intrigued' by this, Yukio responds:
"I can see how and why you are so afraid of frogs, Asuka… But you can't keep avoiding them forever like that."
"Huh?" The brunette looks back confused at him.
"You know, you can't keep running away from your fears forever. Shouldn't you instead try to find a way to eventually face them?"
"I… Yukio-kun… It's not that simple..." Asuka says back, biting her lips.
She is unsure of how to reply to his words without talking about her shinobi secret.
"Repressing it isn't going to help, you know. And you might think that the horrible memories of your fear are going to drag you down or make you weak, but you need to allow yourself to overcome them. I may not know much about you, Asuka. But I know enough to say that the longer you hold something in like this, the worse it is when you're forced to face it."
Asuka begins to process Yukio's words, finding some wisdom in them.
"Tell me, is there someone you care about? Does a family member or a precious friend come into your mind?" The Ninja Rider asks the brunette.
At his words, Asuka immediately begins to think about Ikaruga, Katsuragi, Hibari, and Yagyu. She cares deeply for them and would do anything to help them.
Noticing the focus presently on the girl's face, Yukio presses again:
"What if something terrible happened to the ones you cherish… And the only way to help and save them is if you overcome your fear of frogs."
Eh…?
At this, a sequence of unsavory feelings starts to surge within Asuka's heart as she begins to think of some terrible things that happened as of late.
She was completely useless in helping Ikaruga fight against Yomi…
And when Asuka learned how she and the other girls missed when Kamen Rider Shinobi easily snuck inside their group's dormitory and almost managed to steal Ikaruga's Hien…
And the attack of the Serpent Society that soon followed after that…
It honestly makes her feel frustrated… With herself and her own inability to properly act.
And here she is now, still complaining about not wanting to deal with her terror over frogs when she already realized long ago that they were the summon beast meant for her. She just really didn't want to admit it aloud.
Isn't she really just trying to run away from her troubles instead of trying to find a way to face them?
'What's wrong with me…? Can I even become a proper shinobi someday?' Asuka asks herself, clenching her fists and looking down.
Carefully noticing how Asuka began to reflect over her past experiences, Yukio subtly eyes the blue frog and motions it to silently approach the brunette kunoichi.
"You know, Asuka, you shouldn't judge things based solely on their appearance. Do you also… Hate frogs?" Yukio inquiries, expecting her to be one more of those kinds of girls that simply judge some things by their looks.
"No… It's not that..." Asuka tries to explain while looking away nervously. It was this that made her finally realize that Gekkouga suddenly got on her left shoulder.
"Ah!" The female shinobi yelps in surprise, looking terrified at this while Yukio carefully observes what she plans to do next.
She's probably going to knock the frog off…
However, she doesn't end up doing that...
'Eh?' The Rider looks momentarily taken aback by that.
"You… You're not even going to try knocking the frog off from your shoulder?" He asks her, sounding genuinely confused.
"It's because I'd feel sorry for the frog if I did that."
"Feel… Sorry?" Yukio raises an eyebrow at her statement.
"Well, wouldn't you feel sorry for simply punching him away?" Asuka asks back, sending a worried glance at the azure frog resting on her shoulder.
'This girl...' Yukio thought, briefly perplexed as he started to look at Asuka from a new perspective.
"Asuka… Did you know that frogs represent healing and good fortune in some legends for those who they decide to be worthy of it? Many might not take them seriously because of their appearances and even find their kind gross, but I believe that shouldn't be the case." The Kamen Rider explains to the kunoichi, grabbing her interest.
"Eh? Really? I… I didn't know about that." Asuka replies sincerely, looking a bit embarrassed at Gekkouga.
"Fear is a gateway to the darkness, Asuka. Left unchecked, it can easily control our actions, making us lose sight of ourselves. But, the greatest cure against fear and its hold… is simply to voice it aloud. Do not be ashamed of your own paranoia, it was perhaps warranted. Now that you have spoken of it and maybe have had it validated, recognize your own feelings, and accept them. Take a deep breath and release them into nothingness. As all things are in nature, including your own worries and even the cause of these worries." The ninja vigilante says wisely.
The brunette girl tries to look again at Gekkouga without panicking. At this, she sports a strained smile and gulps nervously, but doesn't break eye contact with the blue frog. As she looks deeply into its eyes, Asuka starts to subconsciously lose her fear over frogs as she thinks about Yukio's words of wisdom as well. They begin to echo inside her mind.
She admits that she is still slightly afraid of frogs now, but that won't make her cower away over this fact.
Not anymore…
Seeing the gradual change that is starting to form over Asuka, Yukio decides to make one final 'test'...
"Hey, Asuka… Can I ask you a small favor? I need to check on something very quickly. Could you briefly look over Gekkouga for me until I return? It won't take long." He suddenly asks the girl, already rising from the bench and walking away without waiting for her response.
"Eh!? Y-Yukio-kun! W-Wait!" As she immediately snaps back to reality, Asuka tries to call him back.
But it's too late.
Yukio was already gone from her sight.
"Ribit! Ribit!"
Asuka turns back to see Gekkouga looking expectantly at her.
Now alone, the kunoichi begins to reflect on what happened so far and decides to finally face her fears, now adopting a more determined resolve.
'I… I can do it! I will no longer run away from my fears! I will face them!'
Some minutes later…
Yukio returns with a food bag, filled with some delicious-looking dangos from Café Hana. As he finally returns to check upon Asuka and his 'pet', he can't help but be a bit impressed with seeing the Hanzo Academy's shinobi actually patting the blue frog on her shoulder with a warm smile.
"Oh? I'm happy to see you two getting along now." He speaks, getting their attention as he makes his presence known.
"Yukio-kun! Huh, what's that bag for?" Asuka asks curiously.
At the same time, Yukio once again sits next to her on the bench.
"It's some dango. Here, prove it." Yukio offers a dango to the brunette as Gekkouga jumps back into his shoulder.
Accepting the snack, Asuka takes a bite of the delicacy and instantly becomes surprised by how delicious it is.
"This dango… It's so good!" She exclaims as she finishes eating it.
"I'm glad you like it. It's from a local food truck. They sell some good snacks at a very affordable price. It's pretty popular amongst the students from our academy. It's called Café Hana. Pretty strange you haven't heard of it considering we go to the same school." Yukio points out, eyeing Asuka suspiciously.
"Uh..." Asuka begins to shift nervously under his gaze for some reason, trying to come up with a plausible excuse.
That is until the raventte releases a soft chuckle.
"*Chuckle* Relax, I'm just kidding. It's just a bit strange that I haven't seen you ever since I enrolled in one of the Hanzo Academy's classes, Asuka. But it must be some coincidence that we haven't stumbled upon each other, right?" Yukio asks the shinobi in disguise, acting 'carefree'.
"Y-Yeah… Right… Hehehe… A coincidence..." Asuka stutters a little but manages to 'act convincingly' as well.
'If only she knew…' Yukio thought, briefly amused.
"Here, have some more..." Yukio offers some more dangos to the brunette.
"Eh? Are you sure?" The kunoichi asks back, feeling a bit uncertain about this as she accepts the food bag filled with the delicacy.
"Nonsense. Consider this my way of making up for looking after my frog. Besides, it seems you have finally overcome your phobia over frogs, huh?" Yukio muses.
"Yukio-kun… I… Yeah, you're right. I think I will be fine from now on… Thanks." Asuka gives a bright smile to the Rider.
"I did nothing… You're the one who got over your fear on your own in the end..." The raventte replies, shrugging nonchalantly.
Asuka still kept smiling at him in gratitude nonetheless, now feeling a bit more confident about her abilities.
"I have to get going, Yukio-kun. Take care, okay?" She says lastly to him before finally leaving the park, walking away in a better mood.
Now alone, Yukio and his blue frog exchange a brief look with each other as the animal turns back into the Mizu Ride Shuriken.
"You did well, Yukio… I think she will be fine from now on..." The water Seirei says, reassuring the Kamen Rider.
"If you say so..." The young man replies back, unsure.
Putting the mystical item back in his pants' pocket, Yukio also prepares to leave the park.
He better get ready to find another Seirei before the Serpent Society strikes once again.
At the Serpent Society's hideout…
"Kamen Rider Shinobi… Once again he killed another Majin… That makes three of them now..." Karasu points out, crossing his arms.
The black crown-themed ninja turns to his master, who was seen thinking about their new enemy while resting on a golden throne decorated with several statues of cobras.
Kneeling in front of Orochi, Karasu speaks:
"Orochi-sama… I would like to request your permission to seek and personally retrieve the Twilight Ninja Scroll from Kamen Rider Shinobi's hands myself."
"Oh? So do you finally wish to act, Karasu? To think someone managed to actually capture your interest..." Orochi says, thinking on whether or not to really allow his servant to carry on with his request.
"I believe that sending another low-ranked Majin after Shinobi is not going to work. I promise to fulfill my duty and present the Twilight Scroll to you after I destroy that Kamen Rider, my lord." Karasu states, trying to assure his master that he would succeed.
"And what makes you think that you're the one up to this task?" A new voice says, getting the duo's attention.
*Clank!* *Clank!*
A new individual enters the scene, making his presence known. He is dressed like a pierrot and has long white cloths coming from his head. His face is that of a white mask with red eyes. The newcomer's appearance was based exactly on the Arlequin puppet from Karakuri Circus, but without any sign of damage. Moving and making noises befitting of a doll, his name was Karakuri.
"Karakuri..." Karasu coldly acknowledges the new arrival. Like him, the newcomer was amongst Orochi's most trusted servants.
"Ah, Karakuri. I suppose you must have heard about the news regarding Kamen Rider Shinobi as well?" The leader of the Serpent Society inquiries.
Kneeling next to Karasu, Karakuri decides to say:
"My lord. I would like to be the one to volunteer myself in the mission of personally acquiring the Twilight Ninja Scroll from Kamen Rider Shinobi. I assure you that I'm capable as Karasu of fulfilling this task." The mechanical Majin states, eyeing his 'colleague' with a daring look to see if Karasu would dare to object to this in front of Orochi.
"Hmm… Yes… I have a certain faith in the capacities of you two… But with that said… Very well, Kakaruki. You may go. Retrieve the Twilight Ninja Scroll from Kamen Rider Shinobi." Orochi com templates for a moment before giving his final answer.
"It will be done, my master," Karakuri replies before leaving the room.
Orochi notices how his decision seemed to have made Karasu displeased, who was now clenching his fist in a sign of frustration.
"Karasu, I can sense that you're… Angry? Oh… Hehehe… Patience, my friend. Your time will eventually come. I have foreseen that it's still not time for you and Shinobi to face each other." Orochi replies cryptically, not elaborating any further.
Despite not being satisfied with this empty answer, the black crown knew better than to question his master and talk back. People that dare defy Orochi always paid the ultimate price in the end…
At Café Hana - Nearby Hanzo Academy's entrance
"So, I have scouted for a place in Asakusa with a Komainu statue just like you asked me, Yukio. Will this suffice?" Junpei asks as he hands his ninja friend a picture of a local Shinto Shrine depicting a large Komainu statue in the entrance.
"Yeah, this place will definitely serve. Thanks, Hanamura-san. I think there must be a lot of spiritual energy there." Yukio affirms as he grabs his stuff before preparing for his next mission.
"Good to know. So… I just wanted to know why you got so many dangos before? Surely it wasn't just for you, right?" The older man asks as he eyes Yukio with curiosity in his eyes.
"Yeah… I just took pity on some girl… Asuka to be exact." Yukio replies casually.
"Oh. Hmm… Let me guess: you offered to hear and help that girl with whatever has been eating her up inside, huh? Is that it, Yukio?" Junpei presses, making the Rider start to get a bit annoyed.
"There was nothing serious between us, Hanamura-san. I just found it a bit ridiculous that she was afraid of frogs, considering her shinobi lineage." The ninja Rider deadpans.
Junpei sighs at this, feeling a bit disappointed with the teenager's answer.
"You know, Yukio… There's nothing wrong with trying to approach and befriend new people. Shinobi or not, you can't live isolated from the others forever. I suppose you still avoid your new classmates at Hanzo Academy as well?" The brunette asks, raising an eyebrow.
"..." The ravenette doesn't reply, only rolling his eyes at this. Once again, Junpei gets disheartened by the young warrior's attitude.
"Yukio..." The food truck owner starts gently, looking worried at him.
"I don't see why this is so important. What matters is that I'm getting decent grades at High-School without neglecting my shinobi duties. I don't have time for something silly like making friends with people close to my age. I'm someone that protects the weak from the shadows, not expecting anything in return. I am the emissary of revenge that will destroy the Serpent Society, making them pay for all the suffering they caused. Anything else is completely irrelevant and will only get in our way..." Yukio expresses bitterly, still believing that this is the most important thing for him.
'You have always been like this, haven't you? Yukio, you are a good person, deep inside. I'm sure of that. Always willing to stand up for those that cannot fight back on their own… A hero that protects the weak from the stronger with power that likes to abuse and oppress. But when people try to approach and connect with you… You just prefer to push almost everyone away when they only wish to help you...' Junpei thought sadly. The trauma that the Serpent Society inflicted on the Kamen Rider must have left a deep wound in his soul.
Junpei also understands that Yukio is mainly afraid of making friends due to his secret paranoia of the Serpent Society eventually wanting to use those close to him in order to hurt the boy in case they ever find out his real identity. That's why for Yukio, this sort of attachment could become a problem…
It's understandable but sad…
The brunette couldn't help but imagine what his brother and the ravenette shinobi went through at the hands of the Serpent Society sometimes.
He only knows enough to comprehend that they need to be destroyed before more innocents are endangered…
"Alright. Well… I won't press any further, Yukio. But just in case, you should know that the Hanzo Academy's shinobis will leave Asakusa to train on some private island. They won't be here for a while." Junpei informs Yukio.
"Good. For once I won't have to deal with them. I'll call later if I end up needing your help, Hanamura-san. Take care." Yukio says to his friend as he finally walks away.
Junpei crosses his arms as he watches the Kamen Rider leave, hoping that the young warrior changes someday.
Later...
At an abandoned Shinto Temple
Arriving at a simple temple on the outskirts of the city, Yukio carefully inspects the area around him before transforming.
Noticing no one around, he pulls out his Silver Gourd bottle and brings forth the Shinobi Driver around his waist. And the Shuriken Starter in his right hand.
"Henshin!" The black-haired boy announced, inserting the ninja star into the middle of his belt as he spins it with his right hand.
[Dare ja?! Ore ja?! Ninja!]
*Poof!*
Kurogane Oogama assembles behind Yukio. It opens its mouth, bringing out pieces of armor that surrounded the teen's entire body, eventually slamming into him. The Seirei disappears after the process is done.
[Shinobi kenzan!]
Now fully transformed, Kamen Rider Shinobi enters the temple, still on guard…
As he inspects the area, the purple ninja eventually stumbles upon a large Komainu statue in the center of the temple.
It was old, but still well-preserved through time.
Carefully approaching it, Shinobi gently touches the statue and focuses on it as he tries to sense the spiritual energy around the Shinto Temple.
Eventually, the Kamen Rider obtains a result…
The Twilight Ninja Art Scroll begins to glow and resonate with the Komainu statue, which suddenly forms a red aura around it.
'You have been taking care of this place until now, haven't you? People forgot about this place and stopped coming here… And yet, you still faithfully carried on with your duties...' The Kamen Rider thought as he looked at the statue that was probably housing the Seirei he was looking for.
Suddenly…
*Whoosh!*
Several Dustards appear around the temple, armed and ready to face the purple ninja.
'Dustards...' Shinobi thinks briefly as he draws his Shinobi Saber and prepares to engage them.
[Shinobi Saber!]
Only to stop as he senses something different in these black-garbed minions. There was something off about their energy signature. It was different from the ones he usually got from them.
Only one way to find out…
Taking a fighting stance, Shinobi challenges the Dustards:
"Come get me."
The dark minions all immediately charge towards the purple-colored Kamen Rider at the same time.
*Swift!* *Chop!* *Slash!* *Slash!*
But Shinobi manages to easily fight back without any problems, quickly disposing of his enemies as he cuts them down non-stop with his weapon.
[Shuriken On!]
Placing the Shuriken Starter in the Shinobi Saber, energy begins to gather in the Kamen Rider's weapon as he unleashes its destructive power upon the Dustards.
[Shinobi Charge!]
Shinobi spins very fast, releasing powerful purple energy cuts in all directions, killing every single remaining Dustard in the process.
*Boom!*
Victorious, Kamen Rider Shinobi checks upon his defeated enemies. To his surprise, the Dustards were actually all puppets, not living beings at all.
'A puppet master must be nearby… Then it must be...' Shinobi thinks, now focusing as he tries to detect his opponent's presence.
But as if on cue…
*Clash!*
The purple Kamen Rider suddenly brings his blade to the back in time, blocking an incoming attack from the back without not even turning. This is something that slightly surprises his new apparent opponent, Homura, who was already downed in her shinobi outfit.
"Oh? Not bad. You're really good as they say, huh?" The tanned girl states, smirking at him as she pulls her katana back.
The Rider turns swiftly and tries to kick the evil shinobi away, but Homura jumps backward in time, avoiding the blow.
"What do you want, Hebijo? I know you didn't come here alone to seek me. Spare me the trouble of finding your friends and making them reveal themselves. The puppeteer and the blond one. Now." The purple Rider warns, making Homura's eyes widen in shock.
At this, Yomi and Haruka quickly appear at Homura's side, already in their Shinobi forms as well. They reveal themselves as they realize that the element of surprise was no longer available to them.
"We have heard quite a lot from you, Kamen Rider Shinobi. Especially your latest adventure with the Hanzo Academy's girls." Haruka says, smiling amused at the male ninja. Shinobi only glared at her under his helmet, guessing that she must have made the fake Dustards puppets to probably test him.
"I wonder, have you also come here to look for some Seirei?" Homura questions, eyeing the Komainu statue that the purple Rider was inspecting before with some curiosity.
"That's none of your business. Leave, now." Shinobi warns rudely, with his voice icy.
Yomi frowns at him.
"You're quite rude, aren't you? I wonder if you are like that spoiled rich girl." The blonde comments, thinking momentarily about her fight against Ikaruga.
"I could care less for what you're thinking, bean sprout." The Rider says coldly, making Yomi gasp at him in indignation.
This makes the blonde evil shinobi bring forth her large blade, ready to fight against him before Homura stops her.
"We don't need to be adversaries, Shinobi. You're aiming to destroy the Serpent Society, right? We can help you." The tanned girl offers.
"Hebijo Academy has plenty of resources that will definitely aid you in case you're interested," Haruka adds, smiling sweetly as she places a hand upon her cheek.
"All at the cost of me becoming a puppet for you people as I lose my freedom. Your attempts to fool me are useless, puppeteer. Besides, I have no interest in your petty fights against Hanzo Academy." The ninja Rider states, completely uninterested as he surprises the girls for casually dismissing them.
"Which side are you on?" Homura interrogates, frowning.
"I'm on my side. I serve no one but my own interests. I'm a master to myself, doing what I must to seek and achieve my goals. I'm not like you people that prefer to label yourselves as good or evil factions. If you plan to get on my way, this won't end well for you, Hebijo Academy." Shinobi says, daring them to challenge him.
"Oh? Is that so? I really hoped that you would have given us the Twilight Ninja Scroll willingly. It's a shame we will have to beat you then. You could have made yourself a valuable asset to us. Now then, let's see if you can actually back up your words or if you're only all talk." Homura says back, now grinning as she accepts the Kamen Rider's challenge to fight.
"I will make a fine puppet of you," Haruka says dangerously, still smiling, as she summons what appears to be some sort of flying round robot(doll) with a pair of long mechanical arms.
"You will pay for thinking so little of bean sprouts. I bet you must be like one of those rich people that can eat and live comfortably, aren't you?" Yomi asks, glaring at the purple warrior.
"You know nothing about me, but I know you three well enough. Yomi. Haruka. Homura." The Kamen Rider speaks back, surprising, even more, the girls as he shows that he is aware of their names and identities.
"Damn… So he even knows about us!?" Homura asks aloud, gritting her teeth in frustration.
"Let me show you what I'm capable of!" The ninja Rider exclaims, poting his weapon at the trio.
"Let's get him!" Yomi exclaims as she charges straight at him, swinging her large blade down.
Shinobi moves surprisingly fast, easily avoiding the bean sprout lover's attacks.
*Crack!*
Yomi makes a vertical down slash, cracking the floor with her weapon. Using this moment as an opening, Shinobi stomps on the large sword to make it sink even deeper on the ground before delivering a powerful kick into Yomi's face, making the girl release her large blade as she is sent away to crash against a nearby tree.
*Crash!*
"Argh!" The long blonde-haired girl cries in pain as she falls face fault on the ground.
"Yomi!" Haruka cries as she attacks next, prompting her robot to follow her moves as it attempts to hit the purple-colored Kamen Rider.
The masked ninja makes a series of breakdance-like moves to confuse the robot before using Fabrikinesis, through his long scarf, to wrap and restrain the floating puppet. He then slams the mechanical servant against Haruka, throwing the two of them away from him.
"Oof!" Haruka gets on the painful receiving end as her robot slams itself against her face before they crash against a nearby wall of the temple.
*Crash!*
"Ha! Not yet!" Homura yells as she is the last one to try attacking the Kamen Rider, attempting to strike him from behind.
*Clank!*
As she tries to stab Shinobi again from behind with a katana, the ninja Rider simply blocks the strike without even sparing a glance at her, just like the first time.
'Tsk! Does he have eyes on the back of the head!?' The tanned girl thought, annoyed.
Summoning multiple katanas in her hands, Homura tries to cut Shinobi through several attempts.
*Clank!* *Slash!* *Slash!*
They lock blades, but that's not enough to make the evil kunoichi find an opening against her mysterious opponent. She tries attacking the purple Rider from all directions, but Shinobi remains unfazed by this as he simply keeps switching his Shinobi Saber between his hands to block Homura's attacks. No matter what she did, he would not budge at all from his current position.
"Do not dare to think that you're the only ones that suffered from hardships in order to get strong, Homura. If you think you have what it takes to defeat me, then you're wrong." Shinobi remarks coldly to the Hebijo student, making her angrier.
"Shut up! I won't lose to some unknown nobody like you!" The kunoichi talks back as she eventually manages to somehow push the purple Kamen Rider backward.
"Ha!" Homura releases a loud war cry as she finally manages to actually pierce Shinobi's body with her katanas.
*Stab!*
'Gotcha!' A victorious smirk now forms over her face at this.
That is until…
*Poof!*
The injured Rider's body is covered in a smoke bomb, quickly being replaced with a wooden dummy in his place as this takes the tanned shinobi by surprise.
"*Gasp!*" Homura releases a gasp of disbelief at this.
Sensing a hostile presence behind her, the kunoichi immediately turns around as she is met with a powerful gray energy slash from Kamen Rider Shinobi's saber.
[Yaiba Charge!] The Shinobi Saber chants as the purple warrior inserts the Yaiba Ride Shuriken into the weapon's slot.
*Slash!*
Shinobi fires a powerful gray energy slash from his weapon that hits Homura. It also ends up destroying all of her katanas and sends the tanned girl flying away for a few meters.
*Boom!*
"Argh!" Homura rolls on the ground for a few meters before finally stopping. As she tries to stand up, she is soon met with the blade of the Shinobi Saber pointed at her face.
"You lost… Tell me, an evil shinobi is supposed to be defeated that easily?" Shinobi taunts Homura, making the injured girl growl at him in response.
Yomi and Haruka have recovered from his previous blows, now ready to fight Shinobi one more time. They only stopped their moves due to the fact that Homura was now at his mercy.
"Homura-san..." Yomi says, looking concerned at her teammate.
She and Haruka were now glaring nervously at the purple Kamen Rider, unsure of what he will do next.
One wrong move and he could stab Homura-
"You can have your friend back. Take her. And leave this place." Shinobi suddenly says, walking away as he lets the other Hebijo girls approach their fallen comrade.
Huh? What?
"What…?" Homura asks, blinking as she narrows her eyes while Yomi helps her stand up.
"I said to leave. You can't defeat me. At least not at your current level." The ninja Rider states, holstering the Shinobi Saber on his back as he approaches the Komainu statue that was still covered in a red aura.
"Why? Why are you doing this?" Haruka asks, just as confused as the other girls.
"I only showed you a brief portion of my abilities. Consider me sparing your friend's life as a warning of what happens when you cross paths with me." The purple ninja explains.
"I'm an evil shinobi. Why did you let me live?" Homura asks, feeling offended and humiliated at the same time that the Kamen Rider preferred to allow her to live rather than to kill her like most shinobi would have done in his place.
Sparing a glance at the tanned girl, he replies:
"My only enemies are the Serpent Society. Taking your life will not accomplish anything in my fight against them. The same can be said about your friends' lives. Now leave. If you push your luck and try to attack me again, I will not hold back this time." The lone warrior says, sending a feeling of uneasiness upon the Hebijo girls as he also releases a wave of powerful aura around his body.
Feeling that there really was no point to keep fighting against a more proficient opponent than them, the Hebijo trio decides to reluctantly leave.
"You might regret letting us live, you know," Homura says weakly one last time as she and her comrades prepare to leave...
But suddenly…
"Oh? So this is where you are, Kamen Rider Shinobi~"
A deep sinister voice speaks as a black portal appears in front of them. From inside of it, Karakuri steps out as his tall form looks over the four young shinobis.
'A living doll Majin…?' Shinobi thinks as he observes the newcomer.
Sensing a powerful dark aura coming from the black being, Kamen Rider Shinobi instantly gets in his fighting stance.
'Whoever this guy is… I can tell that he's completely apart from the previous Majins that I have killed so far...' The Rider thought carefully as he thinks about how to fight against this new enemy.
As the portal closes behind him, Karakuri makes some doll/puppet-like noises with his body, sending chills down upon everyone's spines with the sinister sound that he creates while he summons a large scythe.
The monster moves very fast. But instead of going after his primary target…
*Clash!*
"Huh!?" Yomi widens her eyes in shock as she realizes that Karakuri tried to cut down the Hebijo trio.
And he only failed to do so because somebody else stopped the puppet Majin.
"You bastard… What do you think you're doing?" Shinobi asks as he gets between the kunoichis and Karakuri, managing to stop the Majin's scythe with his Shinobi Saber at the last instant.
"Huh? What do you think you're doing?" Karakuri asks back.
"That's my line. Why are you attacking somebody that has nothing to do with this, Majin?" Shinobi asks back coldly.
"Interesting… They tried to take the Twilight Scroll from you before, haven't they? Why are you protecting an enemy now?" The puppet monster questions, slightly tilting his head to the side in a creepy way.
"My enemy… It's you!" The Kamen Rider yells in defiance as he pushes the Majin back, kicking him in the chest before charging towards the Serpent Society's agent.
Left behind, the Hebijo trio was unsure of what to do now.
Sure, they could just use this moment now to flee and leave Shinobi behind to handle the large black puppet Majin.
But…
*Clash!* *Clash!*
Shinobi and Karakuri began to exchange blows while using their respective weapons around the Shinto Temple.
There was a flash of movement, Karakuri's body transforming into a blur of motion, mangling his features into a contorted monstrosity.
Shinobi stood his ground and let it come to him and accepted the first strike with a blow, blocking. Although it forced him back.
The puppet struck, again and again, pushing the young ninja out of the center of the temple and into a hallway. Their dancing blades almost carving some monk statues nearby.
When Karakuri's next strike came, the Kamen Rider rushed to meet it. Their weapons locking with such perfect force as they were both stopped dead in their tracks.
The Majin merely laughed at the display, no doubt pleased that the real fight was nigh.
Breaking the lock with a push, Shinobi swung his weapon overhead then unleashed a blinding circle of purple energy when Karakuri inevitably darted under and tried striking again. However, the black living doll didn't retreat, pushing his body back just enough to buy time for a precise jab, a crack in the lone ninja's attack.
Thanks to his years of honed perception skills, Shinobi spotted it first and halted the motion, sidestepping and trying to carve Karakuri from his lift kidney upward. The dark being's own body twisted in a spin, taking him to safety and releasing a series of acrobatic blows the Kamen Rider weathered then challenged head-on.
The two soon left the hallway and entered the main meditation chamber of the temple, where the purple ninja was greeted by chairs flung in his direction. Knowing he couldn't attack or defend effectively with just one hand, Shinobi let the objects get closer before carving them into tiny, unusable pieces in another sweeping series of spiritually empowered strikes.
*Cabrum!*
Suddenly, a heavy storm began around the temple. The loud sound of rain pouring could be heard.
The heavy atmosphere of a dark power thickened in the room considerably, drowning out the lights themselves until Shinobi and Karakuri weapons' energy release and the flashes of a lightning storm outside were the only light sources left.
That and Karakuri's piercing crimson doll 'eyes'.
In overhead stances, the two stood close to one another, waiting for who would make the first move. This time, they both became blurs of motion, darting around the room in every possible direction, striking with the force of explosions and the speed of light at one another.
Every one of Karakuri's blows seemed to boom with the power of darkness and every one Shinobi sent his way, did the same, causing the very wooshes and clashes of their blades to transform into a macabre song.
"Hmm? Your moves are starting to get sloppy, Shinobi… What's the matter?" The living doll Majin taunts the purple Kamen Rider.
What the young ninja found worrying was how the openings to strike seemed to...
Diminish around the Majin…
Earlier on, he was able to recognize the faults in Karakuri's or his technique, letting him exploit potential chances for victory. Yet, as the duel went on and the Majin seemed to unleash more and more of his power...
The fault lines letting Kamen Rider Shinobi see opportunities to win were disappearing right in front of him. The only fault lines left were the ones connecting this Majin and the rest of the Serpent Society to the fate of the world itself.
His momentary foolish lapse caused a grin to spread out on Karakuri's white face and Shinobi just barely reacted in time to stop the torrent of a wave of red malicious energy from eviscerating him.
Grinding his teeth under his helmet and keeping his blade held high, the Kamen Rider felt the pure surge of dark power unlike any he'd encountered before batter against his Shinobi Saber.
Even the spiritual power he managed to harness so far during his fight was only capable of redirecting the power enough to keep fueling Shinobi's defense.
And not to counterattack...
Soon enough, Shinobi felt his body push back further and further... Until his back nearly touched one of the bronze monk statues of the Shinto Temple.
*Clank!* *Clank!*
Karakuri made bizarre and creepy noises as his body moved and bent in unnatural ways. Watching this mechanical being of darkness move with speed, ferocity and seemingly infinite stamina thought impossible. It was worrying, to say the least.
But Shinobi would not allow himself to be deterred. Instead, he immersed himself deeper into his spiritual power. Every single bloody thought of murder, anger, and hate sent by Karakuri flowed into him as Kurogane Oogama's essence let a soothing force inside his mind and heart.
He let these pure feelings burn away his surprise, his worry, and intensified his own counter-attack. If the Majin seemed to strike twelve times a second, the Kamen Rider struck with fourteen.
Then Karakuri attacked with twenty...
Shinobi with thirty...
Any physical sensations the young man felt disappeared...
Any pain from his joints, fatigue from his legs, and choking feeling from his lungs went entirely ignored. Shinobi was far too busy transforming himself into spiritual energy, an endless stream of purple energy saber slashes transformed their immediate vicinity into a tornado of impossible-to-follow motions.
The two of them moving so quickly at the edge of the temple, it seemed they were flicking in and out of existence.
Kamen Rider Shinobi's only concern was keeping the dark from touching him too closely, a single piece of calm in a maelstrom of pure battle.
It was in the chaos of this battle, this inevitable showdown between ninja and evil Majin that Shinobi came to a realization after a while:
He was going to lose...
And finally…
*Slash!*
"Argh!" Shinobi cries in pain as Karakuri swings down his scythe, managing to slash the lone warrior's chest.
The two somehow end up returning to the center of the temple, near the Komainu statue.
"Heh… I have no idea why our agents failed before to destroy you. But this duel was only a matter of time until you finally got defeated, boy. Now, you die. I will be taking the Twilight Scroll after I reap your life." Karakuri says maliciously as he prepares to deliver a finishing blow, raising the scythe above his head.
Shinobi was pinned on the ground, waiting for the inevitable end.
"Damm..." He curses, not being able to think of a way to avoid the lethal blow.
But when all hope seemed to have been lost…
*Swift!*
A bunch of flying katanas suddenly pierce Karakuri on the back, penetrating his cloth, being firmly stuck on his body.
"What!?" The Majin exclaims, now furious, before turning towards the one responsible for the attack.
It was Homura and the other Hebijo girls.
"I hope you haven't forgotten about us!" The tanned girl says.
"What!? You're still here!?" Shinobi cries aloud to the trio of kunoichis.
"Heh, it seems you might need some help, huh? Where's the fully powerful guy from before?" Homura asks in return with a cocky grin of hers.
"Stop! Run! You can't beat this guy!" The Kamen Rider tries to warn the girls as the puppet Majin now decides to focus on them before killing his primary target.
"Interesting… Let's see how good you are, Hebijo." Karakuri says in his deep and sinister voice as he charges towards the trio of girls.
*Clash!* *Clash!*
As Haruka and Yomi keep their new enemy busy, Homura approaches the Kamen Rider as he slowly stands up and manages to briefly recover a portion of his strength.
"Consider this a truce for now. Defeating the Majin right now is our priority." Homura says, revealing her intentions to the lone warrior.
Sensing no deception coming from her, Shinobi only nods in return before replying:
"Very well. Can you buy me some time while I make a contract with this temple's Seirei?"
"Got it. But hurry up! We don't have all day!" Homura tells back to him as she also joins her friends in the fight against Karakuri.
Wasting no time, the purple Kamen Rider approaches the glowing Komainu statue and pulls out the Twilight Scroll, which now starts to resonate with the statue covered in a red aura.
The Scroll releases a crimson energy beam at the monument and next closes itself on its own, eventually returning to the Kamen Rider's belt.
"Seirei that resides within the heart of the Komainu... I call upon you! Please, heed my call!" The Rider chanted as he made several hand signs.
A figure emerges from the Komainu statue, materializing itself through the gathering of multiple energy particles:
It has fiery red eyebrows along with some on its cheeks, a red mane around the neck, and a red hitodama-shaped tail with some golden bands around the legs. With the body shaped like a hound's body, its eyes are open with a furious look on its face. (A/N: The Seirei's appearance is based on the Shurakoma(Shadowside) Yo-kai from the Yo-kai Watch series)
Looking at it, Shinobi could tell that the new Seirei before him was a manifestation of the fire element.
"Graurr!"
Without even waiting for the Rider to speak with him, the fire Seirei charges directly at the Majin, showing its fangs.
"Argh!" Yomi and Haruka are pushed back by an energy slash from Karakuri's scythe. He then sends the two girls away, making them fall a few meters from the Majin.
Homura is the next to fight against the Majin, wielding six katanas, three in each hand, as she attempts to stab the dark puppet.
*Slash!* *Slash!*
Using the Sakigake(Charge) Hiden Ninpo, Homura charges forward and unleashes a wide, fierce attack with her swords. She takes strides of varying lengths while slicing the area with her blades.
However, her attacks also fail as Karakuri suddenly brings forth several energy strings from his right hand to restrain the tanned girl's moves.
"Urgh! Let me go!" The evil Shinobi growls in protest as she tries using her katanas to cut the strings but to no avail.
Smiling creepily at the girl, Karakuri says:
"You're the first then~ Hahaha!"
His scythe is about to decapitate the tanned kunoichi and-
"Graurr!" A ferocious roar gets their attention.
*Boom!*
"Ahhh!" A big fireball hits Karakuri in the face, prompting him to release Homura as the Majin stumbles back and cries in agony while trying to extinguish the flames that were now threatening to spread over his entire body.
As the evil shinobi turns towards the source of the attack, she is greeted with the sight of the Fire Seirei next to Kamen Rider Shinobi. Both prepared to face the evil Majin.
"Human… You were the one that has awakened me from my slumber, aren't you?" The spiritual being asks the purple ninja, who only nods at it in return.
"You have my thanks for that. And seeing that you are apparently on a quest to eliminate the dark creatures that are the Majins, I shall lend you my strength. I am Hinoarashi, let us fight side by side from now on!" The Seirei said as Shinobi thanked the spirit back before pulling a blank Ride Shuriken.
Hinoarashi's essence was absorbed by the item, transforming the Ride Shuriken into a red one with a picture of Hinoarashi in its center. A kanji for Flame(炎 - Honō) could also be seen on it as well.
'So that's how he gets new abilities!' Homura analyzes, narrowing her eyes at the purple ninja's new item.
"Time to get fired up!" Shinobi declares as he places the newly acquired Ride Shuriken in the open slot of the Shinobi Driver.
[Honou! NinPow: Flame!]
Fire is generated around the Kamen Rider as it takes the shape of Hinoarashi, who is now floating over him.
"This power..." Homura says, soon turning speechless due to the intense power being released before her.
"Come forth, Hinoarashi!" Shinobi chants as he spins the Honou Ride Shuriken.
"Graurr!" Hinoarashi unleashes a loud roar as he becomes fire and envelopes Shinoby's body, transforming the purple Rider's armor into a new form.
The armor's color changes from purple to a strong red tone.
The kunai figures in the legs and the shuriken emblem in the chest were gone. Now replaced by symbols of flames respectively.
[Honou no Ninja! Flame Shinobi!]
"Flame Shinobi?" Homura asks aloud, intrigued to see what the lone warrior was about to do now.
Having recovered from the flames, Karakuri notices the change in Shinobi but remains unfazed by this.
"Whatever you try, it will be useless, Shinobi!" The puppet Majin exclaims as several energy strings come out from his body, all heading towards the Kamen Rider.
In response, the lone ninja's body is suddenly covered in fire, burning away all the strings before they could even reach him.
"N-Nani!?" Karakuri asks panicked, taking a step backward.
"Let's end this, Majin!" Shinobi announces as he spins the Honou Ride Shuriken. His Shuriken Starter also spins on its own at the same time.
[Finish NinPow! Flame!]
The Rider gets his body coated in powerful crimson flames as energy begins to gather in the Shinobi Saber. Holding the weapon on a reverse grip, Shinobi brings the weapon to his back with the right arm as he makes a 'two fingers folded together' hand sign with his left hand. (A/N: Imagine the pose Ultraman Taiga Tri-Strium performs to execute the Fuma Raging Fire Slash/Fūma Rekka-zan Ultra Finisher)
"What power!" Homura exclaims, bringing her arms to protect her face as the Kamen Rider exhales a powerful aura around his body and to those nearby.
"Katon! Rekka-Zan(Raging Fire Slash)!" Shinobi chants as he brings his right arm forward and fires a powerful giant circular blade of fire from the Shinobi Saber.
The attack destroys everything on its way before fully hitting Karakuri, vertically slicing the Majin in two vertical halves.
*Slash!*
Pieces of gears and wood began to fall on the ground, all coming from the dissected Majin.
"Impossible..." Karakuri utters weakly one last time before his two halves drop dead on the floor, eventually exploding.
*Boom!*
[Victory Ninjutsu!]
"Why did you help me?"
Shinobi asks the three Hebijo girls as he gazes at them.
"As I have said before because we have a common enemy," Homura replies firmly.
But the truth was that a part of her, albeit a bit reluctantly, wanted to retribute him for protecting their lives back then from the Majin.
Sometimes, there was honor amongst shinobis. Even from the ones hailing from the evil faction.
But that, of course, was something very rare from happening as well…
"..." The lone ninja only looked slightly astounded by this, unable to give a proper response.
"But enough of that! Let's resume our fight!" Homura says as she, Yomi, and Haruka reveal that they still want to face the purple Kamen Rider again. All sporting some confident expressions on their faces.
"But of course, you still want this, don't you?" Shinobi asks back, gesturing to the Twilight Scroll attached to his Driver.
"Good to see you catch on quick. Prepare yourself, Shinobi." The tanned kunoichi says to him.
She has been watching the fight between the Kamen Rider and the Majin Karakuri from the start.
While Shinobi may have beaten her at the start, that could soon change now due to the fact that the Hebijo girls realized that the lone purple ninja Rider was injured and exhausted from his last fight, just like them. Maybe they could turn the odds in their favor now…
However…
"I know exactly what you're aiming for. Perhaps it may work, but we will never know for sure, Homura." Shinobi replies calmly to her, drawing a smoke bomb from his arsenal.
Noticing his attempt to flee, the Hebijo girls immediately try to stop the Rider.
"Wait, no!" Homura cries.
"Our paths may cross again. Farewell." He tells them lastly as he tosses the bomb on the ground.
*Poof!*
Once the bomb's smoke dissipates, Shinobi's presence is completly gone from the abandoned Shinto Temple;
"Ara, he got away," Haruka says, feeling partly disappointed.
"I will teach him a valuable lesson about bean sprouts next time," Yomi says.
"..." As for Homura, she merely looks upwards with a newfound expression. Unlike the disappointment that Hanzo's granddaughter, Asuka, has been proven to be for her, the tanned girl now has found a new rival in the mysterious Kamen Rider Shinobi.
The final scene of the chapter shows Kamen Rider Shinobi's newly acquired Honou Ride Shuriken and the Shuriken Starter side by side while the Twilight Scroll and the Shinobi Saber glows strongly behind the two items.
Shinobi Chronicles
NinPow 4: Asuka and Homura
- End -
Author notes:
And this concludes chapter four of Senran Kagura: Shinobi Chronicles
Thank you for reading!
Fun(Random) fact: Hinoarashi is the Pokémon Cyndquil's Japanese name. *Shrugs*
So, I finally got the drive to finally write another chapter for this story. Sorry for the wait.
Life and my other personal projects left me very busy. Therefore, I have no idea when I will write the next chapter.
After seeing the Komashura Yo-kai from the Yo-kai Watch series, I suddenly got the need to use his Shadowside version, Shurakoma, as the inspiration for the next Seirei to debut in this story. And this thus leads to the creation of the Honou(Flame) Ride Shuriken.
I have no idea why but watching Karakuri Circus gave me the inspiration to use the Harlequin (Puppet) in this story as a Majin. That thing looks creepy enough to be used as a monster in my opinion.
To change some things, I wanted to make Yukio be the one to help Asuka get over her fear of frogs instead of Ikaruga.
And the MC finally meets some girls from the Hebijo Academy.
Not sure how things will turn out after this...
If you guys have any ideas or suggestions that I could use for this story, you're free/welcome to share!
Now onto the Reviews:
Dracus6: Yup, I'm gonna try working mainly on that ship instead of the harem route. I'm sorry, but I have never watched Izetta: The Last Witch. I cannot make a crossover involving Kamen Rider Wizard and this anime.
Guest DCDGojira: Thanks! I hope you enjoyed this chapter.
HackerEX: Thanks! Yes, Shinobi will gain forms based on these elements, with the exception of Metal and Wood. For now, I'm planning to give these forms to another Kamen Rider later in this story.
seant5054: I'm currently not appealed to the idea of working with the harem route. For now, I'm planning to only make a possible OC x Asuka ship. Perhaps I will try the harem idea later. Or maybe not.
Zenshin Asakura: What I just explained to seant5054.
TheOkWriter: I choose to skip the Henshin Sequence in the last chapter.
yogaratw607: Not sure yet of which order I have for the Ride Shurikens that will end in Kamen Rider Shinobi's possession. I'm opting to have him gain ones that represent Fire and Wind first before the one that represents Thunder appears.
Your ideas for weapons and Seireis are interesting, I will try to take them into consideration for some future ideas.
Sure, you can send me an Original Character Biography's idea later for me, but I don't promise anything about actually using it or not.
Senritran19: What I just explained to seant5054.
Shonen Sentai Jumpranger: I'm currently not sure of how to properly answer that to you. I like to try making complex characters, showing that they can have 'multiple sides' or something of the sort. Currently, I'm trying to depict Kamen Rider Shinobi/Kamui Yukio as the kind of person that might seem mainly apathetic on the outside, but that is actually a caring person deep inside depending on the circumstances.
Examples of this are that Yukio relates to Asuka's personal struggles in wanting to get better with ninja techniques and that Shinobi wouldn't really kill the Hebijo Girls whenever they would probably kill him if given the chance to take the Twilight Scroll from him.
But given what you asked me... Yeah... I think the MC is more prone to be considered a Kuudere type of person for now since I will show that he tends to mask and fake his true feelings most of the time until the Senran Kagura's girls find out his real identity and get to know him better. But with that said, I will make his personality change over the course of this story as he eventually starts spending time with the shinobi girls.
Masato Kusaka: I'm sorry, but your ideas for crossovers are not appealing to me. It's mainly because I have never watched Kimetsu no Yaiba. Sorry...
Ace-Of-Weeb: Yeah, your point is valid. That will happen, but it might take some chapters before the Senran Kagura's girls eventually start to interact more with him after finding out about his true identity. I'm working on a slow possible ship between Asuka and Yukio for now.
About Yukio and his upgrades... That's not really much different from some Kamen Rider series...
Have you noticed that in the first episodes of Kamen Rider Zero-One Hiden Aruto acquired new Progrise Keys very fast? Literally one episode after another?
That's pretty much the case here. Having acquired several Rider Items like this doesn't make the MC overpowered because there will be the eventual appearance of many powerful enemies that will make the 'quality over quantity' rule be applied during the fights. It won't matter having a lot of Ride Shurikens if the protagonist fights against a powerful opponent.
kamen rider geek: I'm not interested in the idea of putting Super Sentai in this story for now. Sorry. :(
Linkmstr: Well, I'm glad to prove you wrong. Here's the chapter.
By the way, you don't need to read this if you don't like the story. Nobody is forcing you. Ok?
The main reason I don't regularly update this story is because I'm busy with my other stories or some personal stuff.
Sure, sometimes I have writer's block or I actually end up losing some interest in these projects as well. But that's normal for everyone that likes to write.
The point is...
Look, I try to write stories as a hobby of sorts, not planning to let this become something stressful. If I decide to give up on this story, I will eventually send a message warning the readers to no longer be expecting new chapters from me. I might even end putting this for adoption if somebody gets inspired enough in continuing the story.
So, what do you guys think? Please give me some reviews if possible.
If you are interested, please go check my other stories.
Also, thanks to everybody that followed and favorited the story and gave reviews.
See You Next Time