Kitsune no Ken GAIDEN Chronicles

by Neon Majestic

During the periods of time skipped over by official records, people did not sit in a vacuum. They lived their lives, being who they were, doing what they were able to do. These chronicles tell tales of people who lived at the same time as the Kyuushingai. SUPPLEMENT to "Kitsune no Ken: Fist of the Fox." GAIDEN 76, "Reckoning, Part 10," uploaded!

8. Creator's Inspiration

Kitsune no Ken GAIDEN Chronicles

Written by Neon Majestic

(DISCLAIMER: The Naruto franchise and the characters therein belong to and were originally created by Masashi Kishimoto.)

OoOoO

GAIDEN 08 – Creator's Inspiration

(N.B. This Gaiden chapter takes place in Year 8 of the main story's 15-year time-skip before the finale.)

"So, Shadow Fox, we meet again," the blond-haired man in the white wolf-styled mask sneered at the dark-haired woman standing meters away from him in the room where she'd just entered and where he was casually sitting on a large velvet couch. "I'm glad to see you actually managed to beat back the punks of my gang. At least now I'll get to experience your death up close and personal."

The woman, wearing a black fox-styled mask that complimented the rest of her black outfit, glared at him. "It doesn't matter how many people you throw at me, Ghost Wolf," she declared, clenching her fists. "I'll still make sure you go back behind bars where you belong."

"Oh, I'm SO scared," the masked man said sarcastically. "Well, my dear little Fox, you might've managed to take down those useless street hoods of mine...but I'm not so sure you'll do so well against THIS bunch..." and here he put his fingers to his mouth and let out a sharp whistle.

WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH! Several sliding noises broke out around them, and the woman started...and then she gritted her teeth as, from four doorways that had just opened up, four figures stepped into the room.

"I'm sure you've met my associates on past occasions, Fox," her adversary addressed her, "but just to make a few reintroductions: we have Minister Sorrow..." and here he pointed to one of the four, a lean-figured older man in a black trench-coat with a black pallbearer's suit underneath, and he bore a vicious-looking two-edged sword in his hand.

"Brutality..." indicating the second arrival, a man clad in a red leather jacket, black jeans and boots, red leather shin-guards and arm-guards, bearing a Desert Eagle pistol in each hand and a murderous gleam in his eye.

"Wildfire..." pointing to the lone female of the group, who was wearing a black-and-purple outfit and sporting a nozzle on arm that was attached to a tank on her back.

"And let's not forget our friend Mischief," pointing to the last individual, the infamous blue-and-white jester-clad criminal with a sinister smile borne on his mask.

"And we are the Hand of Crime," the speaker continued, getting up from his seat. "And this hand is going to squash you like the pest you are. So...say your prayers, Fox."

"Aaaaaaaand CUT!"

The six figures all relaxed, even as off to one side, the camera and lighting crew stepped away from or carefully put down or shut off their equipment. "Okay, guys, take a break! We've been doing really well so far today!" the director declared. "We're back on set in one hour!"

As the other four villain-actors headed off-set, Ghost Wolf's actor walked up to Shadow Fox's actress. "Not too tough, was it?" he inquired.

The actress removed her fox-mask, revealing her natural beauty underneath. "It still feels like the first time I shot a scene," she remarked. "Who'd have thought, huh, Atsui...working on a Shadow Fox TV series..."

"Well, you can say that, Emi; you're relatively new to the biz," said Atsui, removing his Ghost Wolf mask to reveal his boyish face underneath. "Say, how's about we grab lunch?"

"Sure, I could eat," Emi nodded assent. "I think the caterers should have some stuff ready."

The two walked across the studio lot to the adjoining cafeteria, and moments later they were joining the rapidly-growing line, lunch-trays in hand. "You know," Emi remarked to her co-star, "I can't believe it's already been a year since we started this."

"I know, right?" Atsui chuckled. "We started working on the first season right out the gate, and now we're well into the episodes for Season Three. I am just psyched for it!" and he grinned.

"I hope they don't kill off your character like they did in the first movie, though," Emi replied.

"Ah, well, you can't really fault the movie director for doing that...I think he said he wanted to do a darker-and-edgier take on Shadow Fox," said Atsui. "Luckily, the fans loved it...I think some of them were hoping for Ghost Wolf to get killed, only to later turn out to still be alive after all."

"Which is exactly what ended up happening in the next two movies—Ghost Wolf wound up being the man behind the two sequels' villains," Emi nodded. "That was a twist that not many people saw coming."

"It helps that the director had some input from the comics' creator on that decision," Atsui commented. "Like it or not, as far as the Shadow Fox comic mythos goes, Ghost Wolf will always be a major driving force in the Fox's life."

"Mmm-hmm." Emi looked up ahead to the front of the line; the number of people ahead of them was gradually dwindling. "You know...it's funny..I honestly never expected that I'd be playing such a popular role like this. It's a little different from what I'm used to."

"Yeah...you were in a couple of low-budget family dramas before this, weren't you?" asked Atsui.

"And you were a film student doing independent short films in which you expounded on the whys and wherefores of your favorite comic book character's history...and now, many moons later, you're actually playing your favorite comic book character," said Emi.

"Can I help it if Ghost Wolf is one of the coolest villains out there?" Atsui answered. "As it is, I'm glad Tenka Studios considered the both of us for these roles when they were looking for fresh young talent to star in this show—these will be our break-out roles, I'm sure of it."

"And to star in the pilot with THE Fujikaze Yukie...the same Fujikaze Yukie who starred in the movie trilogy...no wonder this show got the award for the premiere with the most viewers of this decade!" Emi said in a voice full of awe.

"And now, a year later, we've aired two seasons with 44 episodes total, we've just released the first four episodes of the third season, and now we're currently working on the fifth episode...and I hear the creator of Shadow Fox himself is to make a cameo in the next episode we do," Atsui revealed in a low tone.

"Eh? Really? The creator himself is going to be here?" Emi's eyes went wide. "How come nobody told me about that?"

"Well, now, it's just something I heard through the grapevine; nothing's been officially confirmed yet," said Atsui. "But my sister Samui is a HUGE fan of his; she's been at me for weeks now as to whether I can get the man's autograph."

Emi chuckled. "Good luck with that. I hear the man's notorious about not giving autographs to anybody. But still...I wonder if he'd at least be willing to answer a few questions for me."

"Such as?" Atsui wondered aloud.

"Well, he sanctioned the studio's decision to combine several of Shadow Fox's characters together into individual people," said Emi. "Like, for instance, the characters of Eagle Eye and Ricochet; they made those two into one character, so Eagle Eye as he is on our show is basically Eagle Eye with characteristics of both guys. And they did the same thing with Brutality and Bonebreaker; now it's just a guy with Brutality's name and back-story, but he's a gang leader and motorcycle rider like Bonebreaker is. Doesn't that hurt the characters a bit?"

"Not if you do it skillfully enough and if you know enough about the characters. Like how they don't have Decker Card in the series at all, but they gave his razor-edged playing cards to Johnny Gamble. Now Gamble's more popular with the fans," said Atsui. "And of course, our director's been a die-hard Shadow Fox fan ever since Stampede Comics released the first issue ten years ago."

"Pardon me, you two, but why are you in the lunch-line? You're both stars, aren't you?"

Atsui and Emi looked in the direction of the questioner, a middle-aged and dark-skinned man with glasses. "Hey..." Atsui blinked. "You...you're Shadow Fox's creator, aren't you...Kinjo Naizen...!"

Those near enough to hear the exchange immediately began speaking to one another in hushed whispers as they beheld the Shadow Fox creator; he, in turn, smiled and shrugged. "That's me, all right," he acknowledged. "And you two are Morishita Atsui and Sakata Emi. The director said you'd gone this way, so I came looking for you."

"Looking for us?" Emi blinked. "Wow, Kinjo-san, that's...that's really kind of you."

"Well, you two, what say you ditch those lunch-trays and come have lunch with me? We have quite a bit to discuss...and since this will be our first real meeting, I suspect you both have a lot of questions you'll want to ask me," said Kinjo. "What do you say, hmm?"

Emi and Atsui looked at each other and then at the older man. "Yes, sir!"

OoOoO

A short while later, the two were sitting in the dining room of Kinjo's suite, a few blocks away from the studio lot, and they were sharing sandwiches together. "I hope you'll forgive my choice of fare; I tend to be a pretty simple man, even if I am chief editor of Stampede Comics," Kinjo remarked.

"No, no, no, it's fine, really," and Atsui waved a hand. "I mean, just to be able to have lunch with Shadow Fox's creator—that's an honor in and of itself."

"You flatter me, young man." Kinjo chuckled. "I can tell you're a real fan of Shadow Fox."

"Ever since I first got my hands on an issue of the book," Atsui acknowledged.

"Mmm." Kinjo looked at Emi. "And you, young lady? I assume you were a fan prior to this, too?"

"Actually..." Emi bit her lip for a moment. "I'm not really much of a comic book fan, myself, but I did quite a bit of research when I was asked if I'd like to play the role of Shadow Fox for TV. I thought about it, I considered how popular the films had gotten, and I decided to try focusing a bit more on the character of Koga Michiko, as opposed to Shadow Fox."

"Ah, I see...leaning a bit more on the personality of the woman behind the mask, eh?" said Kinjo.

"Yes, sir," said Emi. "From what I've seen in the books, Shadow Fox is a bit on the frigid side; and even in the movies, Fujikaze Yukie played her as this cold-hearted vigilante who only cares about getting her mission done. I guess I wanted to humanize her a bit more."

"And you've done very well, I can assure you," Kinjo nodded in approval.

"Thank you," and Emi nodded briefly before taking a bite out of a sandwich.

"Uh, Kinjo-san...out of curiosity..." Atsui gave the editor a focused look. "I know the first Shadow Fox issue came out six months after the 365 days ended, and it's enjoyed a regular bi-weekly publication ever since. But...I don't think anyone's ever said what gave you the motivation to create the character—I don't even think it's been addressed on your social media pages."

Kinjo cocked an eyebrow. "So you want to know what inspired me to create Shadow Fox, then?"

Atsui jumped on that like a drowning man clutching a straw. "Could you please tell us?"

"Yes, Kinjo-san, I think I'd like to know the answer to that one, myself," Emi added, greatly interested.

"Well..." A thoughtful look came into Kinjo's eyes and he glanced toward the ceiling. "I guess it IS about time I spoke about what first inspired Shadow Fox, yes? Well, then...to be honest, most of the characters in Shadow Fox's universe, they were based on people I knew or met during my own childhood, growing up. Ghost Wolf was based on a local thug in my neighborhood, although that guy was nowhere near as dangerous as Ghost Wolf himself is; Mischief was based on a kid in my class who played practical jokes on EVERYBODY; and as for Shadow Fox herself, well..."

Emi and Atsui looked at him expectantly.

"Shadow Fox..." Kinjo's expression was far away; he seemed to be talking more to himself than to them now. "I based her on a certain someone...a person I met during the 365 days."

"Eh?" The two actors looked at him in surprise.

"Yep." Kinjo nodded quietly. "This isn't something I talk about often, since the 365 days was a time of loss and sorrow for a lot of civilians. But...that time, during that period...my daughter and I, we owe that person our lives from that night..."

OoOoO

"Nice house you've got here, pops," one of the intruding thugs sneered at Kinjo, who was tied to a chair. "Hope you don't mind us moving in on a permanent basis."

Not far away, Kinjo's daughter had her hands tied behind her back, but she still gave the thugs a baleful stare. One of them took notice. "Oi, little brat, what're you looking at like that?" he demanded. "Want me to cut your eyes out?"

"Hey, hey, don't do that," the third thug said reasonably. "I've got a better idea..." and he brought his hand to his pants-waist in a meaningful manner.

Kinjo's eyes widened on seeing that gesture. "She's only 15, you sick bastard!" he exploded.

"Your point?" the first thug queried. "The riper the fruit..." and now he and his two cronies began to step toward Kinjo's daughter.

The young girl's expression turned ashen. "Don't come near me! Daddy, help!" she screamed.

"Leave her alone!" Kinjo raged, struggling with renewed desperation against his bonds.

CRASH!

Glass from one of the windows burst into the living room; all five of them turned their heads at the sound. "What...!" the leader began.

"Oh, great; more punks who want to ruin a nice family's place. You guys have nothing better to do, do you?"

The cause of the fresh intrusion, now revealed to be a young blond boy with what appeared to be whisker-mark scars on his face, picked himself up from where he'd landed on the floor and casually brushed bits of broken glass off his person. "And just from what I could see from outside just now, I know you three," he continued speaking, pointing at the three hoodlums, "are up to no good."

"Oi, oi, punk, ain't it past your bedtime?" the second thug asked menacingly. "You'd better run on home before something bad happens to you."

"Oh, really?" The blond boy sounded hurt. "So I can't stick around and party with you guys?"

"Grr...this little dipstick's getting on my last nerve now!" the third thug snarled. "Come here, you!" and with that he rushed at the boy and swung a fist forward...

...and the boy, in turn, shifted his upper body so the fist missed him completely, and he positioned himself behind the thug. "Huh..." the gangster began—then let out a bloodcurdling scream as the boy violently thrust one foot into the back of his knee, resulting in a sickening cracking sound as his knee-joint got knocked out altogether and he fell to the floor.

The other two thugs gaped at the sight. "What in the hell...!" one managed to exclaim, though he couldn't quite react fast enough as the blond boy rushed toward him, jumped forward, and slammed a heavy heel into the guy's throat, abruptly cutting off his air supply and knocking him back.

The lead punk snapped to attention. "Why, you little rat!" he roared, rushing at the boy even as the latter had his back turned to him—but he didn't get very far before he felt a solid fist slam into his jaw, and the last thing he felt before blacking out was his jawbone splintering.

All this Kinjo and his daughter watched with wide eyes. "...whoa..." the young girl breathed.

"Whew. That was easy." The boy turned to look at the father and daughter. "Are you two okay?"

Kinjo found his voice, but the words seemed jumbled in his head. "Who...who are you?" he finally managed to ask.

The boy smiled. "Just a kid who's passing through."

OoOoO

"...and after he freed us from our bonds, he quietly slipped off into the night while I was calling the police," Kinjo recounted. "I never got the chance to learn his name...at least, not for another few years. Then the Parliament incident with the LOVE terrorist group happened...and with the media furore that resulted from all that, that boy ended up getting quite the spotlight."

Atsui and Emi looked at each other. "Hmm...the boy you said helped you back then...your description of him...didn't the news carry information about a boy like that during that Parliament incident?" Emi wondered.

"Yes, it's the same young man," Kinjo replied.

"Huh...so you modeled Shadow Fox after a boy?" Atsui seemed amused.

"Yes, I did," Kinjo nodded. "Of course, I obviously changed a few details so as not to overtly identify the young man, including the fictional character's gender. I figure that boy would wish to have his privacy kept private..."

"So much for that now, though, ever since what happened at Parliament," Emi said wryly.

"So it goes." Kinjo smiled. "Anyway, it's his life to live, and as long as I know the person who saved me and my daughter is doing well, that's fine by me. I just wonder, though, out of curiosity...I wonder what he would say if he knew that my creation of Shadow Fox was in fact my roundabout way of paying homage to him for what he did for us..."

OoOoO

"I still don't see why this Shadow Fox gets so much hype, after all these years," Naruto grumbled.

"Oh, come on, Naruto! How can you say that?" Ino pouted at him. "Shadow Fox is cool, she's got a compelling back-story, her villains are awesome...plus, you can't argue with a franchise that boasts a comic series, a movie trilogy, and a TV series!"

"And I suppose next you'll tell me there's going to be a cartoon series too, right?" Naruto asked mockingly.

"Well, there IS a cartoon web-series that's supposed to be released soon," Ino remarked.

Naruto rubbed a palm over his face in annoyance. "Should've kept my big mouth shut. Oy."

"Look, Naruto, don't be hating if you haven't taken time to really check it out," Ino berated him. "How many of the comics have you read? And have you even seen the movies or the TV show?"

"I've seen the movies a few times," Naruto shrugged. "First movie—Koga Michiko becomes Shadow Fox, fights Ghost Wolf, and at the end he dies after discovering her secret identity. Second movie—she counters a crime spree being perpetrated by Mischief, who's being helped by Silly Billy, and both of them are being manipulated by Minister Sorrow. Third movie—she has to stop an arson spree by Wildfire, while at the same time she has to stop a blackmail plot by Datajack and Dr. Glass. And at the end of the third movie, it turns out the various plots of that movie and the second movie were being masterminded by Ghost Wolf, who wasn't really dead but was just faking his death to get Shadow Fox to lower her guard so he can kill her at the first opportunity."

"And you didn't like any of those?" Ino asked incredulously.

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Color me unimpressed."

"Aw, geez...you're hopeless. How can you NOT like Shadow Fox? Everybody else does," Ino scowled.

"Let's just say I'm being a realist," said Naruto. "Somebody has to be, right?"

"Whatever," Ino grunted. "I'll make a believer out of you yet, Naruto. Just wait and see!"

"If my own mother couldn't do it, if my girlfriend can't do it, what makes you think YOU will?" Naruto shot at her.

"With a lot of faith and patience." Ino grinned impishly.

OoOoO

END GAIDEN 08

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NEON MAJESTIC: And here is where I end this Gaiden, where you learn the in-universe history of the Shadow Fox franchise, how the comic began, and who the actors are who play the characters in its TV series.

Now, Emi was an extremely minor character in the original series. Kinjo Naizen is the name given to a character that, in the original series, was the unnamed daimyo of the Land of Lightning. And, of course, Atsui is Samui's brother...and Samui herself will show up in a later Gaiden. Also, the surnames given to Atsui and Emi in this Gaiden were names I gave them for the story; they had no surnames in canon.

As far as the timeline for when this chapter takes place, it should take place approximately eight years after the Parliament incident in the final arc of the main story, with the Shadow Fox comic first being released 10 years prior to this chapter, which would be a short period after the 365 days ended, based on what Atsui says in the narrative…but my math isn't all that good, so if anyone sees it and it needs correcting, I'd be glad if you let me know.

Oh…and a belated Happy New Year, and welcome to 2017, one and all!

More Gaidens to come! Stay tuned!