Disclaimer: I don't own either Naruto or Kenichi: The Mightiest Disciple!

[Revised: May 24, 2014] Minor Edit - Spelling check / A few changed sentences / A few un-needed sentences deleted near the end of the chapter

Ninjutsu Practitioner

Chapter 1: Ninja

o

The moon shined down on the urban city that was located underneath it. Skyscrapers and other office buildings stood erected from the ground, adjacent to one another, as their lights filled the area.

On top of a medium sized building, about 5 stories high, a figure clad in a black Shinobi Shozoku stood on the ledge. The ninja's eyes searched for his target in the building across from him.

His outfit consisted of split-toed tabi boots and socks, special trousers, a jacket with overlapping lapels which was tucked into trousers, and protective arm-and-hand sleeves.

His hand-wear of choice were fingerless weighted-knuckle gloves and his head was covered by a hood and mask that covered the lower half of his face. A forehead-protector was tied around his head with the kanji for 9(九) engraved in the middle. He also used contact lenses to hide his true eye color. Strapped to his lower back, a pair of sheathed short swords were positioned parallel to each other with their hilts opposite to one another.

This black clothed figure was what was known as a ninja - a mercenary that were active in feudal Japan, which was from 1185 AD to 1573 AD. After the unification of Japan under the Tokugawa shogunate in the 17th century, the ninja faded into obscurity and by the time the 19th century rolled in, ninjas became just a popular folklore and legend.

Standing on top of the ledge, the ninja kept his sight focused on his target, who was in a room two floors below his. Someone important within the Chinese Mafia was in a meeting. The ninja cared little for who it was, he just needed the man dead as per request by his client. Bills and ramen don't pay for themselves, you know.

Tilting his head up, the ninja looked at the moon's position, noting that it was nearing it's peak. The black clad figure looked back towards the the building he was facing. Through the window, he saw his target sitting at the far end of the table while the others gave him their undivided attention.

'Target Chin Huang, confirmed. Mission, start,' the figure thought calmly to himself. Taking out a scroll from his jacket, the ninja laid it out to side of him and placed his hand on the seal that was in the middle. Instantly, a grappling hook poofed into existence as a small smoke cloud dissipated.

The ninja shoved the scroll back into his jacket, making it seemingly disappear and dangled the hook about 3 feet below from his hand. With the grappling hook hanging on his right side, the ninja swayed the hook forward and back before he gained the momentum to circle it around, over his head.

The building in front of him was two stories higher than the one he stood on and it was about 10 meters away from his position, a pretty wide gap to clear. Deciding he needed more torque in his throw, the ninja's grip on the rope loosened momentarily before he re-clutched it and started spinning it with greater force as he began to countdown.

'3… 2… 1.' The ninja released the rope, letting it soar high in the air as it crossed over to the other roof. A clink was heard when the black clad figure pulled on the rope, letting the hook grab on to a random object. Tugging it with a bit more force to make sure it was safely secured, the ninja jumped off the roof as he swung, undetected, to the other building.

His equipment then poofed out of existence leaving a cloud behind as Naruto stuck to the wall like glue, descending by wall-crawling downwards. He soon arrived at the window where his target's room was located at, seeing him talk about God-knows-what. Reaching into his jacket once again, this time, the ninja pulled out a short bamboo blowgun - about 10 inches in length.

Taking aim and steadying his breathing, the Shozoku clad figure built up some air in his lungs and with all his might, he blew on the blowgun, sending the poison tip needle through the window and into Chin Huang's jugular. With in a mere few seconds, the poison acted fast, killing the Chinese Mafia member quickly.

Seeing their leader of the meeting down, the people sitting around the table shot up from their seats and started panicking. Their panicking caused some of their bodyguards to come inside. Then someone was brave enough to check the man's pulse.

The random member was able to see a needle lodged into him, so he took it out and checked his pulse. The man's head suddenly hung there and the rest of the members knew what that meant as they too mimicked his action.

By that time, the ninja was already gone as he started traveling towards his client. Another easy job, well done. The young man jumped from roof to roof with much grace for someone his age - 18 to be exact. Even though the ninja would impact the ground from the high jumps, his feet barely made any noise and his legs didn't buckle from underneath him.

The ninja stopped mid-journey on a roof that was completely devoid of any objects, finally acknowledging the presence of his pursuers. The ninja didn't bother turning around, already familiar with them from his past missions. It was a group of three, one girl who was flanked by two men.

"Ninja-boy! You better pray because I'm taking your ass down tonight!" the girl exclaimed with the utmost confidence.

To the ninja, those two men were nothing special, not because their Martial Arts sucked because they didn't, but because they weren't hot woman. The ninja's skills far surpassed them, making them just a boring spectacle who were named Shokatsu Koan and Genson Ryuu respectively. Being the disciple of Ma Ryou was honestly the only thing worth praise.

Naruto's attention was more focused on the very attractive girl in a red Chinese dress - giving him a most pleasing view of her legs. Her eyes were bright blue and her hair was braided in an unusual manner. She also had a bell hanged from behind each ear. She had a curvy body with a rather large bust. This girl was named Ma Renka, currently 16 years of age, and she also was the disciple of Ma Ryou, who was her "Uncle Hakubi".

It must have been fate to bring Renka into the ninja's life because ever since their paths crossed a month ago, she had been giving chase to him.

(Flashback)

"KYAAAAA!"

Shrieks of multiple woman rang out throughout the bathhouse as the ninja in his black Shinobi Shozoku had face planted into Renka's breasts. Jumping away from the girl, with his nose leaving a trail of blood, the ninja looked around to get a sense of his surroundings.

The only thing his eyes would look were the bare bodies of the beautiful women around him - not registering their desperate actions of covering themselves up. The ninja couldn't tear his eyes away from the scene as he burned the image of them into his memory.

As they scurried away from him, he took the time to watch their breasts bounce around, along with their bare asses. He then noticed that Renka was in the middle of an axe kick. With her right leg extended over his head, he was obviously not paying attention to it - the leg that is. With her legs spread out, he was able to savoir in the moment he saw her forbidden flower-!

(Flashback End)

No-Nonononononon!

Not that incident! Damn his perverted Masters from instilling a sense of perverseness! Besides, Naruto was working, perverted thoughts shouldn't be present!

It'll catch him off guard one day and that day will certainly be his last. Sure, he liked to read smut, an unavoidable habit he developed thanks to his Masters, but that was way different compared to actual woman.

The ninja took a moment to thank whatever being was watching over him for having his back towards his opponents, hiding his animated tears of woe.

Renka, with her two fellow disciple, stood a few meters away from the ninja right in front of her. Her eyes not willing to leave her target, she looked over him carefully and noticed that he was lightly shaking. 'Must be getting cold in that outfit,' she thought. Renka refused to blink, knowing that if she lost focused for even a millisecond, he would disappear without a trace.

(Flashback)

Walking down the streets of Yokohama Chinatown during the dead of night, Renka was looking for a gang that belonged to the Chinese Mafia, who had been causing trouble so much that it was disturbing the restaurant that Uncle Hakubi managed. Things have been like this since she flew in from China two weeks ago.

Her reason for travel? To track down that damn no-good, perverted father of her's that left an elite martial arts organization named the Phoenix Alliance, which was made up of a hundred thousand followers, to his wife. Oh, she was so furious with her dad's action that she was most definitely pleased to be sent to Japan by her mother so she could beat the shit out of him and drag him back to China.

A sigh escaped her, almost an hour had past and she had seen no signs of the gang she was looking for. "Really, when no one wants them around, they're the easiest assholes to spot, but when someone actually wants to find them, it's like trying to find a needle in a hay stack. Damn, how annoying!" To emphasize her point, she threw her hands in the air in frustration.

"Now, now, Renka. You should not be so impatient," a voice said from behind her.

"Ahh!" she screamed, turning and jumping away from the voice behind her. She sighed in relief when she saw who it was. "Uncle Hakubi, it's not funny when you sneak up behind me like that," she scolded.

The old man had long black hair that reached mid-back with a shiny bald spot on his head. Hakubi's mustache was also long as it drooped over the corners of his mouth and his beard was long enough to reach his chest. He also had circle glasses with very thick lens, preventing anyone from viewing his eyes.

"Hahaha, then that means I must 'up' your training," he replied with a caring smile.

Renka groaned at the thought of more intense training, but then a light bulb appeared over her head. "I know a good way to train better."

"Oh? And what might that be, Renka?"

"I can get Papa to overlook my training. So, if you don't mind telling me where he is…?" she asked, trying her best to get her dad's whereabouts from him.

"Hmmm, I'm sorry Renka, but like I said the last time you asked, I do not know the location of your father," Hakubi said, feigning ignorance.

"Che," she clicked her tongue. She knew he was lying, but stopped her constant prying because the man's lips were sealed shut.

Right on the verge of giving up on her search for the rowdy gang, she heard shrieks coming from an alleyway just a few steps up ahead. Immediately, Renka dashed from her position and into the alleyway with Hakubi following close behind.

The ally lead them to a clearing-like area, were four buildings boxed the space. Unconscious bodies trailed them towards the building, a seven floor apartment, opposite of them and through the building's backdoor.

Going inside the building seemed like the only action for her, so she did as so. Hakubi didn't bother stopping his niece's impulsive and reckless decision since he had the power to protect her and he, too, was curious to who the idiot was to storm a building that most likely belonged to the Chinese Mafia.

Through the door, the room they seemed to be in was the lobby. Across the room from them, the front door had six men in black business suits running through them and up the stairs of the two Ma's left and they all had a Type 54 pistol on hand. The last two of the six suited men noticed the presence of Ranka and Hakubi as they stopped mid-step and aimed their gun at them.

"Who are you? What organization sent you?" one of the two lackeys asked, slightly panicking.

"I'll handle those two Uncle Hakubi," Renka whispered without straying her eyes from the two men. Noticing that she didn't get any reply, she turned her head to her right. "Huh?" she questioned when she found the spot empty.

Two thumps resounded throughout the room and the purple haired girl looked towards the sound. The two lackeys who threatened her where motionless on the floor and Hakubi was in between them, his soft smile present on his face. "A bit too slow, aren't we Renka?" he taunted.

"Wha- I could've taken them out if I wanted to, but that's not important right now." Dismissing her uncle's taunt she ran upstairs to find the reason things were so frenzied in the building.

As they followed the down, but still breathing, bodies through the narrow, wooden hallway, the lights were cut off as soon as they reached the fourth floor. Moonlight became the only source of light that only shined through the occasionally window.

By the time they got to the seventh floor, they could hear grunts of pain, pistol shots, and the sound of fists meeting flesh which seemed to be behind a penthouse door. Quickly opening the door, Renka and Hakubi slipped through and hid behind a large couch to their left.

Using the darkness and furniture as cover, they peaked over the couch and observed the scene. Thanks to the massive skylight that was in the middle of the roof, they could see a black figure weaving through men as he dodged the barrage of gunfire that was aimed at him.

Renka watched in awe, witnessing the man clad in black move at speed that definitely far surpassed her own. The black figure would be at one side of the room one second and at the other end by the next while he flung Senbon needles, something that she had never seen before. She noticed that the man would hit specific points in his opponents bodies rendering them unconscious. 'Well, it looks like he isn't part of the Satsujin-ken group,' Renka thought to herself.

Hakubi also had some thought of his own, but his differed from his niece's. It was no problem for him to follow the man's every move. He noticed that the noise of the man's footsteps were almost non-existent and hid behind objects to seem like he vanished for a moment. The figure definitely took advantage of his surroundings and did the best to make unnecessary moves.

'There have been rumors circulating in the mafia that important people within them have assassinated by some ninja,' Hakubi thought with a rare face of seriousness. 'I thought that it was just some assassin that dressed like a ninja, just for the hell of popularity… But, if this is the real deal, then things might get hectic in the near future.'

Soon, the last of the Chinese Mafia flunkies had fallen, leaving an old, fat bald man left, shaking in his pants while he sat in a puddle that reeked of urine. The head-flunky started waving one hand in front of the man who finally stopped his assault and started advancing towards the fat man.

"Wa-Wa-Wait! S-S-Stop! D-Don't you know w-who I-I am?!" the head-flunky asked in desperation, hoping that it would make his assassiner re-think his decision.

But it was all for not when he noticed that the black figure's steps did not falter. Not in the least.

"A-A-Alright! I got it! Y-Y-You want money, right?!" the chubby figure started tossing out tons 10,000 yen bills in a last-ditch of effort. But once again, his attempts were of no avail.

The assassin's right hand reached to one of the two swords that was strapped horizontally to his lower back as he stopped a foot away from the frightened fat man.

SHHHHHHHHHHHHING!

The sound of the Japanese sword being unsheathed finished resounding throughout the dark and quiet room. The head-flunky and the assassin where located right under the skylight. Thanks to this, they had the best lighting in the room which let Ranka and Hakubi get a good look at the black figure and his weapon.

Like any stereotypical ninja, he was dressed in midnight black shinobi garments. But what caught their attention was the assassin's sword that glint in the moon light. It was a short, single bladed sword that reached the length of 48 centimeters and had a slanted tip for the purpose of piercing it's target.

The man wielded it up high, a tight grip on it's black hilt as Renka stared in confusion and Hakubi stared in awe, soaking in a weapon that was only said to be in myths, existing only in from the Sengoku period to the Edo period. A weapon that no modern day blacksmith could ever hope to create. A sword that damn-well was a ninja's best friend - the fable and infamous Ninjato.

Renka thought that the man's choice in weapon was odd. To her it was just a short Chokuto. Not having any experience in weaponry what-so-ever, she did not understand the eminence of it's very presence.

Hakubi on the other hand had was definitely dumbfounded. Although there were no tangent proof of the Ninjato, folklore was the only source of information anyone could get.

Not many things were known about the Ninjato other than being a sword that could be drawn easily and quickly for offensive or defensive actions; it had a rather high efficiency for thrusting; and thanks to it's short length, it was good for quick draws and it was suitable for techniques when wielded in a reverse grip

There were also some stories that said thing about ninja's being able to utilize their nature manipulation techniques with it, because of the materiel it was made out of.

Was it true? Hakubi wouldn't know, but that possibility couldn't be ruled out, just like that.

This sword undoubtedly confirmed the assassin's ninja status.

Seeing the assassin's sudden action of lethal intent, Renka stood up with a frown on her face and demanded, "Stop! You've already beaten them, just wait for the police to show up and arrest them."

Renka's frown deepened when the black figure did not comply to her wish.

"Hey, didn't you hear me?!" she asked in a louder tone. "I said-!" Her voice died in her throat as she watched the assassin slash the head-flunky, cutting him from the right shoulder, down to his left hip. Within a minute, the man became pale and soon died of blood loss.

This was the first time that Renka had personally seen a man's death.

Hakubi sighed as he stood up from the couch as he observed his niece. As sad as it was for Renka to see a life being taken away, he was also glad that she had witnessed this sooner rather than later. He wondered what her reaction would be, probably one that would be bad judging by her impulsive tendencies.

As the ninja swung his Ninjato in a random direction, cleaning it of any blood, Renka just stared at his back, her face saying that she didn't believe what she just saw - eyes wide and dilated as her mouth hung open.

"Wh-What? H-How could he just do that?" Renka mumbled to no one in particular.

She did not understand the man's option of killing, which was natural. Renka grew up as someone who walked the Katsujin-ken path, she learned martial arts not only because it ran in the family, but because she could save people and put bad guys in jail. By following the way of Katsujin-ken, she didn't expect to ever see someone's death - a naive thought she knew, but nothing bad would happen for hoping, right?

…Although the current scene might answer that.

Her mind seemed to stop processing the scene right in front of her as a result of her being unable to comprehend the ninja. Then came her reaction.

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR! HE MAY HAVE BEEN A CRIMINAL BUT EVEN HE HAS A RIGHT TO LIVE!" Renka screamed as her anger began to boil inside of her.

What right did this assailant have that gave him God's right of ending a persons life? What made him above all people? All the ninja did was glanced at her, over his shoulder, and turned back to the dead body on the floor as he sheathed the Ninjato. This infuriated her even more, she clenched her fists tightly and her facial expression became one rage.

In an instant, she dashed towards the ninja with her right fist held back, ready to deliver a bone breaking punch to him.

"HEY, ASSHOLE! DIDN'T YOU HEAR ME?!"

In one motion, she unleashed what would be a powerful blow.

POOF!

The instant she made contact with him he turned to smoke and what looked like a wooden chair took his place.

"What the hell!" Surprise was imminent in her voice as her voice level dropped a bit to her being surprised. "Where are you?! Come out and fight like a man, you coward!"

The sound of something cutting through the air reached Renka's ear which caused her to jump to the side. As soon as she straightened herself she looked towards the wall and saw three Senbon needles stuck to the wall.

"Ha! If you think some over sized needles could take me out the you got another thing coming!" Renka proclaimed.

She then jumped and tucked forwards, dodge another set of Senbon needles that came from the side. She growled in frustration.

"Hey didn't you hear you hear me?!"

She was answered by yet another set of Senbon needles as cartwheeled out of the way,

"Alright you bastard! When I get a hold of you, I'm going to shove my foot in your ass!"

She stopped moving and she began to listen to her surroundings. A few seconds of silence and she heard the sound of tacks dropping.

"Aha! You're here!" she yelled as she jumped and kicked a sack of boxes. His hiding spot foiled, the ninja jumped over her and landed back under the skylight. She turned around and looked at the figure dead in the eyes - or wear the eyes should be.

Due to the man's position, the moonlight shadowed the front of this figure, becoming just a complete silhouette of the man. As she dashed at him, he reached into his jacket and rummaged through it. He pulled back out, though with nothing in hand. Without Senbon needles, he had to apprehend her with his hands.

Renka's speed picked up immensely, raised both of her hands that were stacked together, and pushed the ninja with deadly force.

"Tenpa!" she yelled.

Renka grinned when she felt contact with the man's body, sending him propelling across the room. Her smile didn't last long as she saw the ninja pick himself up without any trouble.

"Che! If you can take that, then I don't need to hold back!" She dashed towards him again, then she jumped with her right leg extended and her left leg tucked in, a kick with the intention of knocking his head off.

The ninja just side-stepped to the left, grabbed her ankle as it passed him, and twirled a bit before launching her to a wall. Hitting the wooden surface with a smack, Renka's eyes shut closed and she squeezed her fists to bear the pain. Her spine felt a sting for a brief moment, before she regained her bearing and opened her eyes, only to see an incoming fist.

"AHH!" She yelped, dodging the attack that made a fist-sized dent. Doing a series of back-handsprings she stood back under the the skylight, extended her hands in the direction the assailant was and made a 'come here' gesture.

Renka found satisfaction when she saw the ninja sprint after her, an action proved that he had fallen for her taunt. Getting close enough to her, the man tried to retaliate with a palm strike to her face. Renka evaded by crouching low and spinning clockwise again with her heal leading. The ninja hopped over it, making her grin. Using the built up momentum, she planted both hands on the ground, elevation her legs in a tucked in position and launched them both upward.

"Ma Style Senkyuu!" Renka shouted, catching the ninja in the chin, who didn't have any time to move. "Hah! Take that, Ninja-boy!" A huge smirk now occupied her face. Something about kicking that ninja made her happy inside. But yet again, her satisfaction was erased as she saw the ninja use his flight to his advantage.

The man tucked his legs in and started to leaned forward to spin. He started descending forward at a fast pace. Not wanting to be at the receiving end of that move, she flipped back, just in time to avoid two heels that smashed through the wooden floor… literally.

From the far side to the room, near a wall, she looked at the spot that she was previously in. The ninja's feet sunk about one feet deep. That kick would have been one hell of an attack to receive, that was for sure. Ninja-boy then jumped from his spot and backed up towards the wall opposite of Renka.

Things were still for a moment and, at some unknown bell, they darted towards one another.

She ran towards him at her top speed, hoping to catch him off guard, but to her surprise, the man dashed towards her at matching speed. Meeting under the skylight, Renka, standing on her left leg, rotated clockwise and tried to catch him with the side of her right foot, but the man blocked it with his right forearm.

Holding their position, they locked eyes with each other, gauging each other out. The moonlight was shining from the side, so this time, Renka had a good look at the man's eyes. She was rather speechless, both of the ninja's eyes' were purple with a black ripple that began from the pupil.

Though she noticed something. Although the man's eyes were definitely on her, his focus was not her. She followed the man's sight and gawked. He was obviously staring at what laid under her Chinese dress.

"Blue? Nice," she heard the man mumble.

"KYAAA!" She lashed out with her left foot, connecting with the head of the dazed ninja. As soon as she landed on both of her feet, she kneeled down and tried to desperately stretch the bottom of her dress. "Disgusting hentai!" she insulted with a flushed face.

From the forgotten Hakubi's spot behind the couch, he chuckled lightly.

"Hey, Uncle Hakubi, why aren't you helping?!" she yelled.

"Tsk, tsk, Renka. You should know better than to take your eyes off your opponent," the old man scolded.

"What?!" she looked at the direction that she kicked the ninja at and noticed that there was a back door open and a lack of a certain black clad figure. "Damn! He got away!"

As Renka fumed about the outcome of the short battle, Hakubi noticed a sticky-note stuck to his niece's back. "Hmm... I see," he said after reading the note. Getting closer to Renka's back, he kicked her right in between her butt-cheeks.

"Ow!" she yelped, rubbing her bottom. Renka then turned around towards her uncle, scowling all the while. "What was that for?"

"Check the note on your back," he simply responded.

Peering over her shoulder, she scanned her back quickly and found a yellow sticky-note near her left shoulder blade. Renka grabbed it and saw what was written on it. "...'Kick... me'..."

An expression of disbelief occupied Renka's face. The ninja was definitely fast, but nothing she couldn't follow in close combat, or at least that's what she thought. During her short close-ups with her opponent, she followed every movement that he had pulled against her and not one time did she see the ninja reach for her back.

Not only was he able to blind side her, but the note was just... STUPID!

A pissed off Renka ripped the note in pieces. "That sneaky bastard! How did that asshole put this on me!"

"Hehehehehe, you have still got ways to go," he said in a wise tone.

"This wouldn't have happened if you fought him! So why didn't you get him?!" she rebuked, stomping her foot on the ground.

"Simple. He was a Disciple class and as you know, we Master's have an unspoken rule when it come to our Disciple's fight." 'That is 'if' they go by the same system as a martial artist,' Hakubi thought at the end of his sentence.

"A Disciple? So, does that mean he wasn't a real ninja?" Renka asked in astonishment. She didn't know if ninjas went by the same scale.

"Well, that is something that I do not even know. All I know is that ninjas became extinct centuries ago," he explained to her.

His answer was half true. It was true that ninjas became scarce during the fifteen-hundreds. Feudal Lords need for assassinations plummeted when Japan thought for peace. But, for all Hakubi knew, they could have hidden somewhere and kept their Ninjutsu in active practice. Showing up now of all times was just a mystery to him, though.

"Really?" she asked, her tone a little down at the thought of fighting a fake ninja. "Whatever! I'll keep thinking of him as a ninja. So the next time we meet, I can kick his ass and brag about kicking a ninja's ass!" she proclaimed confidently to herself.

Hakubi was glad at her attitude. Her mind somehow ignored the death she witnessed a few minutes ago, like she had the mind of a cat who was in the process of stalking her prey. At least the ninja was courteous enough to leave with his target. Only a small stain of piss and blood was now left in the spot where the head-flunky was killed.

(End Flashback)

That was the day that Naruto stopped taking bounties back to back… to back. Three assassinations in a row was definitely a tiring thing to do. Especially when he wore some added weights that were strapped to his arms and legs. Conditioning his body while working for some money, killing two birds with one stone as he saw it.

Ever since that day, Renka would always seem to find Naruto, wherever he went.

"Well then, Ninja-boy. Let the chase begin…"

x

Uzumaki Naruto, eighteen years of age, currently a Third year student at Koryou High School. His short, messy hair was a blonde coloration and he had cerulean blue eyes. He had a height of 5 feet and 8 inches, and his body was tan and lean.

"My ass huuuuuuuurts," Naruto groaned with his face stuffed into the pillow as the morning sunshine hit him on the back of the head through his window. He cursed himself for forgetting to close the damn blinds when he entered through the window last night after his mission.

Why didn't he take the door? Because he was a damn ninja, so he damn well used the window - no matter how cliche it made him out to be. It was pretty fun to dress in that ninja outfit, he had to admit.

Anyway, during his cat-and-mouse chase, him being the mouse with Renka and company being the cat, things were going well for him as usual. He'd start by leading them on a roof chase, jumping and weaving through clothesline and fences; then he'd take a door that would take them into a building that was filled with civilians and try to use them to blend in.

Their chase being on-going outside, Naruto made several turns at the end of every neighborhood. Eventually, he would lose them at a Pachinko parlor, where Renka would rant and fume at her failed attempt to catch the ninja. Things for the black garmented Naruto would normally end like that.

Unfortunately, he had gotten the attention of another martial artist, but unlike Renka, this one was of Master Class. She was a hot 20 year old chick in ancient samurai armor, who specialized in Kenjutsu and demanded he be her Disciple. She said it was unfair of her not having a Disciple when everyone else in her Division was getting one.

Apparently, the swordswoman had been keeping an eye on him ever for about a week after getting a tip from her informants. Hearing about being found out so easily by just an informant made Naruto feel uneasy. Who ever gave her that information just felt dangerous, if he was that easy to spot for them, then putting distance away from them would be a better option.

Naruto kindly rejected her, but it seemed that she had a one-track mind because she kept on demanding his co-operation. Eventually, he decided to flee from her… or at least attempt to do so.

Of course, escaping was futile, the gap between Disciple and Master was just too big of a clearing. So he used a very special smoke pellet, one he only used in dire situations. Things almost went according to plan. With the smoke in her way, the swordswoman lashed out and slashed his ass, horizontally.

Groaning as he pushed himself from his bed, he slowly crept from the covers and made his way to his bathroom. The sword had cut about an inch into his ass, no stitchings were required, but he did have to change the bandages before starting his daily morning cycle.

Inside the bathroom, he turned a nozzle to start the water, cupping his hands together, he gathers water inside his hand and splashed it on his face. He repeated this action a few more times, until he became wide awake,

Looking at his own reflection in the mirror, he gazed at his blonde locks while he twirled a few strands between his index finger and thumb. Although Naruto's hair was short, he still wondered if he should cut it all, which would give him a monk appearance, or slick it back to almost look like some yakuza goon. All he was missing was a scar on his cheek, black shades, a black suit, and a cigarette.

Sighing, Naruto dropped his hair and walked out of the bathroom and towards his closet. It's not like anyone thought he was a delinquent. His schoolmates just passed him off as an American exchange student.

From his closet, he his school uniform that was plainly made up of navy blue slacks and a navy blue jacket that covered his white short sleeved collared shirt. Finishing putting his socks and black sneakers on, he went to the kitchen, whipped up some instant ramen and devoured it in just a few minutes before he left his house and made his way towards Koryou High School.

x

(Koryou High School, Class 3-A)

"Kugatachi Kaname… not here, as always," muttered Class 3-A's teacher.

Naruto sat at his desk, leaning on his right hand as he spaced off looking out the window, while the teacher called role. His position was located in the last row and right next to the window.

A little over a month had passed since being dispatched to this city in Japan, given two tasks from his "home" to complete. He would have to stay here until he successfully completes them both, but there was a special incentive if he completed them.

Naruto's organization needed him on this mission to gouge out his skills. Both missions wouldn't seem to put him in danger since he only needed some kind of Intel, or any kind of information for that matter, and people skills. Piece of cake!

After getting his citizenship worked out, Naruto found some decent jobs at some back alley area - mostly hitman stuff - and quickly found a nice, small, and cozy home to live in.

While it was true that he was away from his Masters, he did not neglect his training - not that he wanted to, anyway. He'd keep up his training in the eighteen disciplines of Ninjutsu:

Seishinteki Kyōyō – spiritual refinement

Taijutsu – unarmed combat

Kenjutsu – sword techniques

Bōjutsu – stick and staff techniques

Sōjutsu – spear techniques

Naginatajutsu – naginata techniques

Kusarigamajutsu – kusarigama techniques

Shurikenjutsu – throwing weapons techniques

Kayakujutsu – pyrotechnics

Hensōjutsu – disguise and impersonation

Shinobi-iri – stealth and entering methods

Bajutsu – horsemanship

Sui-ren – water training

Bōryaku – tactics

Chōhō – espionage

Intonjutsu – escaping and concealment

Tenmon – meteorology

Chi-mon – geography

Yup. All eighteen of those. A pain in the ass training that was.

"Uzumaki Naruto."

"Here," the blonde said weakly.

Every single one of these served a purpose and each of these lessons were taught to him at one point. Some more than others, but as long as he was sufficient in each field, he would be able to go on missions.

"Hmm?" Before Naruto could divulge himself in any more thoughts, his eyes locked onto a scene, but it wasn't just any scene. It was a picture that disgusted him and for over a month he had been a witness to him every day. A small and rather scrawny brunette boy was bowing on both knees with his head planted on the ground.

Almost everyone in school knew who he was; he was "Weak Knees" Shirahama Kenichi and on top of his head was a foot that overlapped the brunettes head. That foot belonged to a no-good hoodlum named Daimonji. Although he was gigantic and muscular, he was shit as a martial artist. He always used size advantage on teens smaller and weaker than him, so he could feel better about himself.

As much of a jerk Daimonji was, he was not the reason for his disgust… well, not the majority of it, anyway. It was mainly because of Kenichi. The brunette might have been weak, but that wasn't the reason - it was because he was weak-minded. Given his timid attitude and push-over demeanor, he was easily the constant joy for bullies to pick on.

x

"HAHAHAHAHAAA!" Daimonji cackled as he rubbed his foot on top of Kenichi's head. "So, you still want to join the Karate club, Weak Knees?"

The behemoth sized man's rough voice could be heard throughout the entire courtyard; even the school building that was just a few meters away from could hear him, but just like always, everyone chose to ignore his actions against the Kenichi. The majority of the students, as well as the staff member, were to afraid to tell the muscular teen off or just plain out didn't care.

"Hai, Senpai! I would really like to join the Karate Club!" Kenichi begged with a forced grin as his face kept digging into the ground.

"Oh? And why would a loser like you want to join the Karate Club, Weak Knees?" Daimonji taunted as he kept his foot on the brunette.

He loved picking on this kid because it made him feel better. Picking on a kid that's about a quarter of his own size mean that his prey wouldn't fight back. He could wale on the kid for as long as he liked and no one would do anything about it.

"B-Because I want to be as strong as you, Senpai?" Kenichi did his best to grovel.

That's what his Senpai wanted of him, right? If Kenichi had to throw away his pride away and let himself get stepped on, so he could join the Karate Club and learn to defend himself, right? Maybe the people who looked down on him and bullied him would see him in a new light, right?

No more "Weak Knees", He wanted to be known as Shirahama Kenichi!

This was probably the fifth time the scrawny brunette had pleaded to Daimonji to let him in the Karate Club, hopping to appeal his Sasquatch-like senpai.

"HAHAHAHA! Fine then. Come to the Karate Club after school. I think there might be something you can do in there," Daimonji said, removing his foot from Kenichi's head and began to walk off.

"T-Thank you, Senpai!" Kenichi yelled excitedly, running in the opposite direction of Daimonji.

x

"Pitiful…" Naruto muttered under his breath as finished watching Kenichi being harassed by Daimonji. "Almost reminds me of myself… when I was younger."

Of course, he was referring to the part about wanting people to recognize him as his own person, not the "taking shit from people" part.

Sure, Kenichi definitely wasn't conditioned for fighting nor did he have the capabilities to defend himself, but that didn't mean that he had to sit there and take their beatings so willingly. Kenichi could have at least showed some balls by standing up for himself - then, Naruto would have thought about helping him.

x

Naruto walked down the sidewalk on the right side of the street, right hand in pocket with left hand holding up an orange book his godfather, Jiraiya, gave him before the blonde came to this city.

The orange book was part of a smut series called Icha Icha. While it was a book that focused around sex, that didn't mean it wasn't a good read. It had it's fair share of comedy, drama, and action. In fact, the Icha Icha series was one of the most popular books sold worldwide.

In the words of Naruto's Kayakujutsu Master, the Icha Icha series was art! …uhn.

It just comes to show you how perverted the world really is.

Stopping at the corner of an intersection, he heard a commotion coming from the sidewalk that turned right.

"Hey! Apologize to the old man!" a feminine voiced demanded.

Turning his head towards the voices direction, he saw three gangsters- one with a brown coat, another with a Hawaiian shirt, and the last one had a green sweater - standing next to a black car.

In front of them stood a blonde hair girl with a single braid that reached her lower back, a pair of glasses, and she wore the Koryou High School female uniform. Although she had the appearance of a normal fifteen year old schoolgirl, her figure screamed "sexy-mature babe".

"She must be the First year that transferred in today," Naruto muttered to himself as he watched the blonde girl defiantly stand to the three men, while the old man she was helping tried desperately to stop her. The spiky blonde also noticed Kenichi shaking behind a lamp post - located on the other side of the street - as he watched the scene before him. 'Being Weak Knees as always…'

x

"Why did you three push the old man down?" demanded the blonde girl, her tone showing much anger in their action and with her hands on her hips.

The three thugs surrounded the girl - the brown coat man - Thug A - stood in front of her, the Hawaiian shirt man - Thug B - flanked her left side, and the sweater guy - Thug C - flanked her right side - towering a good foot above her in height.

"Hmm, why should we? He was the one in the middle of the road?" the man clad in a brown coat said, looking down at the blonde girl with a disgusting grin.

"Yeah, all we did is put him to the side?" said the thug in a Hawaiian, mirroring the same facial expression as his friend.

"Your the one who parked your car in the middle of the road, it's your fault!" the blonde girl retorted with an angry, but playful, pout.

"So, what?" this time it was the man in the sweater that asked.

"Weak people like you deserve to walk on the side." Thug A stepped closer to her, his head bent almost in a 90 degree angle.

"Cuz we're strong, we can do anything," Thug B also approached her, sneering down at the blonde girl.

"See over there?" The man in the brown coat motioned his head behind him, people passing the scene as if everything is all right. "They obey us because we're strong. They're all just too weak! All of you are weak!"

People that passed by the scene ignored them and kept their distance away from the thugs. These normal day-to-day office workers preferred to stay away from unneeded trouble. Why would they intervene when they could just stay their distance and not create any problems for themselves?

The blonde girl lost all playfulness at the moment and glared daggers at the man for his remark. "That's enough of your shit. Apologize to the old man, now." Her words held a commanding tone, one that said 'defy me and I'll break my foot up in your ass'.

Apparently, the thugs took offence to her comment.

"You bitch!"

Thug C grabbed her right arm with one hand, and captured her neck with another, making her bow in front of the thug with the brown coat.

Thug A just peered down at the girl, he thought that she was just a weakling who needed to be taught their place. "Guess you don't understand, girly…"

The blonde girl returned his glare with one of her own. "You idiots are wrong if you think weak people will just stay weak."

A vein popped out of man clad in a brown coat and through his gritted teeth, he said, "What was that?"

"WOAHHHHHHH!"

A scream echoed throughout the area as the thugs saw a brunette boy running towards them with a fist cocked back.

"LEAVE MIU-SAN ALONE!"

x

Naruto had been watched the interaction between the girl and the three thugs with much interest. A single high school freshmen stood up to three thugs that towered over her, all because the girl wanted them to apologize for pushing an old man - who had already fled from the scene.

Unlike "Weak Knees", this girl had cojones - balls, if you will.

This girl stood up to what she believed in, which was rare to see in this day and age. If you wanted to see people like her in modern time, you would have to watch a movie or read a manga to witness it. Yet, here this awesome busty blonde was, arguing with three men who - from first glance - could pummel her.

'If only she was strong like my other blonde a ran into, sigh… Guess I should help her.'

Seeing the three thugs become impatient, Naruto figured that now was the time to intervene, but he stopped after two steps when he saw Kenichi's expression as he ran towards the thugs.

"WOAHHHHHHH!"

The brunette was determined to defend her.

"LEAVE MIU-SAN ALONE!"

An eyebrow from the spiky blonde slightly rose in interest. The one and only "Weak Knees" Kenichi was actually raring to throw a punch at people three times his size? Naruto watched as the gap between the thugs and Kenichi grew smaller and smaller. This was positively an engross-

"Ahh!" The brunette screamed as he tripped on a crack and tumbled right in front of the thugs.

'… Wow… Give me back my interest, Weak Knees,' Naruto thought in displeasure, palming his face.

Just when things started to look up, God just had to whack Faith across the face with a used dildo. This was undoubtedly humiliating and painful to watch.

From his lying down position, Kenichi hopped towards Thug A while flailing his fists.

"Hurry and run Miu-san!"

And just by luck, the brunette was able to land a fist against Thug A's nose, breaking it was a result.

Kenichi was then apprehended by Thug B by grabbing the weak boy's wrist.

"Damn brat. You've got guts to mess with us gangsters."

In a robotic fashion, the brunette boy looked at the man behind him.

"I… I didn't really m-mean it… heh heh."

The feeling of horror quickly captured Kenichi's facial features. He had struck the face a someone more dominant to himself, his actions would most likely grant him pain.

"You damn brat!" Thug A yelled as he held his bloodied nose, taking his attention away from Miu. He then reached into his coat and pulled out a dagger. "I'll teach you some manners."

Kenichi tightly clenched his eyes shut, sensing a foreboding feeling.

And then, in an instant, Miu ripped her arm from Thug C's grasp, jumped and stepped off of Thug B's head and kicked Thug A in the face - further breaking the man's nose - making him stagger back

"AHH, MY FINGERS"

"Tch, you dare step on my head?!"

In mid air, she kicked the dagger out of Thug A's hand and stomped on his face, yet again, sending herself and the blade propelling straight into the air.

With in seconds, Miu landed back onto her feet, catching and disposing the dagger.

"Now, I'm pissed."

Kenichi gawked at Miu's action. She moved so fast that everything went in a blink of an eye. 'T-That was a-amazing…'

"You bitch!" yelled Thug B as he lunged at her back with his right fist.

Miu back-flipped over his fist with ease and grace of an acrobat. Right when she landed, Thug C came straight at her with his own dagger. Not even batting an eyelash, she used her right leg to deliver a roundhouse kick to his head, sending him into unconsciousness.

"This kid…!" Thug C tried to grab her from behind her, but she grabbed his arm and tossed him over herself and into a near by trash can.

"Hmph, next time apologize," was all she announced.

SHATTER!

Miu and Kenichi both turned their heads towards the direction of the sound of shattered glass. They saw the lower half of Thug A sticking out of the car door window and an older spiky haired blonde next to him with a smile on his face.

"Hey, you two okay?" the young blonde adult asked.

"Yup," Miu chirped.

"Yeah, I'm fine, heh heh," Kenichi replied while he scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "If you don't mind answering, how much did you see?"

"Right when you tripped on a crack," the spiky-blonde answered.

"Haaaa, thought so."

As Kenichi slumped his shoulders in shame and embarrassment, Miu was curious about the new arrival.

"Hello, I'm Miu," the blonde girl greeted with her right hand held out towards him.

"Naruto, your Senpai," he answered back. "Nice to meet ya."

"Ah," Kenichi recovered from his depression and also decided to greet Naruto after Miu. "Hi, My name Kenichi."

"Naruto," he replied with a smile. Sure, he didn't like the brunette all that much, but he kept up the friendly appearance for the sake of getting closer to Miu. From the small performance earlier, she doesn't seem to be one to let weak people get kicked to the curb.

"So, Miu-san you know martial arts?" Naruto asked with much curiosity. It was one thing to learn how to defend your self, but the way the blonde girl moved was not of an amateur.

"Yeah, are you?" Kenichi was also eager to know because of a certain mess he made, the brunette needed a way to defend himself from being completely destroyed on Friday, which was exactly in 5 days.

"U-Um…" Miu stuttered as she twiddled with her fingers and twisted from left to right. Although beautiful, she was still a shy person, growing up learning the way of her grandfather's martial arts, but eventually, she answered. "Yes. My grandpa trains me."

"Ho, must be some strong ass old man," muttered the Naruto. After all, what kind of old man practiced martial arts.

"Really! Do you think he can train me?!" Kenichi pleaded. He was desperate at the moment, so anyone with the smallest amount of knowledge about fighting was sufficient to him.

"Sorry, but he's traveling right now."

"Ahhh," Kenichi deflated. His hopes learning martial arts and getting rid of "Weak Knees" was-

"But, there are a few other residents that do know martial arts."

"Really?! Really really really?!" Kenichi's mood shot back up and he got closer to Miu as he started into her eyes, as if deciphering if she was lying or not.

"Yes, it's true. I can have you meet them right now, if you want."

"Please let me meet them, I need to get stronger fast!" begged the brunette.

"Why's that?" Naruto asked.

"Well, um… I kinda challenged Daimonji-senpai to a match this Friday. And the loser has to leave the Karate club… hahaha" Kenichi chuckled weakly.

The spiky-blonde masked a smirk that would have surfaced onto his face. The only reason that ogre would challenge a scrawny kid is when the kid pissed him off.

"I see," was all Miu said, she then turned to Naruto. As soon as she made eye contact with him, she looked towards the ground. Unlike Kenichi, Naruto wasn't so meek or lacked confidence, so it was hard for her to converse with him. After a few seconds of gathering her will power, she looked back at Naruto and asked, "W-Would you a-also like to come, Naruto-senpai?"

"Really? You sure you want me to come? I don't really know either of you two."

"Well, I don't mind. Do you mind Kenichi-san?"

"No, I don't mind at all."

A satisfied smile marked Naruto's face.

"Alright then. Lead the way Miu-san." And with that, Miu and Kenichi covered with one another while Naruto followed them a few feet away.

About 15 minutes passed by, Miu and Kenichi both stopped at a large wooden gate.

"We're here," she announced. "You may go in first Kenichi-san."

"Alright," He went towards the colossal gate and tried to push it lazily… but it didn't budge.

"Wow," Naruto commented.

"You'll have to try harder than that, Kenichi-san!" Miu yelled from besides the other blonde.

Once again, with much more force, Kenichi tried to use his body mass to at least slightly open the gates, but it was unsuccessful.

'W-What the hell are these gates made of! It's like pushing against a building!'

"Are you giving up, Kenichi-san?"

The brunette didn't know why, but her voice sounded teasing. Dear god, he wanted to impress her.

"Of course not." Kenichi took about 10 steps back, wanting to add speed into the equation. Letting out a quick breath, he charged from his position and into the gates.

BAM!

The sound of a human body slamming against a solid surface echoed throughout the neighborhood as the gate opened about an inch.

"Good job, Kenichi-san, you pass!" Miu cheered as she, herself, fully opened the door with just two fingers and dragged Kenichi inside.

Naruto still stood ways from the opened gates with a stoic expression. 'What an interesting gate.' Naruto took this chance to read the sign that was placed above the gate's archway. "Ryo…zan…paku…"

"Hohohohoho, Miu sure did bring an interesting friend over," a lively, elderly voice said from the other side of the other gates.

Changing his sights from the sign and to the voice, his blood went cold for a moment. Greeting him from the inside the boundaries of the gates was none other than The Invincible Superman himself, Furinji Hayato.

"I welcome you to the Ryozanpaku Dojo, Ninja-kun," Hayato greeted with a smile.

A single drop of sweat ran down from Naruto's forehead and to it's chin where it dropped silently to the ground.

'Che. My mission's in danger of compromise already… fuck…'

o

[AN]: Well, that's the best I can do right now. I hope it was enjoyable in some way...

Till next chapter, later!