Chapter 18: Ninja training and Future
…Has it really been a year? Man…time passes too fast
"Eric"
"Rank: B+"
"Age: 12"
"Strength: B+"
"Agility: B+"
"Magic: B-"
"Endurance: S"
"Charisma: A+"
"Luck: C-"
"Perception: A+"
The progress is obvious…
"Abilities"
"Blank Slate (Ex)"
"Sword mastery (S-)"
"Elemental mastery (A+)"
"Bloodlust (A-)"
"Endure (S-)"
"Healing Magic (A-)"
"Unyielding (SS)"
"Musical Genius (A)"
"Household Husband (S)"
Yeah…the last 2 were unexpected…I got Unyielding when I fought Mundus, it allows me to keep fighting even when against a hopeless opponent, letting me keep my rationality and think properly, not clouded by fear, Musical Genius showed up when I was playing some music for the clan while Household husband appeared when I cleaned up the house I lived at without magic since I wanted to distract my head
Overall, the last 2 are kinda useless in combat, but quite helpful in everyday life, at least Household Husband is…dunno how I feel about the name though
My birthday also passed me twice…I have mostly recovered but Hanzo Shiranui actually asked me if I wanted to train with them, since I was a demon slayer, learning their techniques would help me in my task if becoming stronger, and Mai was all up for it, so I joined them
I have been training ever since, and luckily, the ability did show up
"Koppoken (S)"
"Shiranui-ryuu Ninjutsu (S)"
According to Hanzo, I am some sort of prodigy, since I learned so fast and well, he actually offered me the title of future patriarch, but I refused, I have so much to do and he understood that, however the title is there should I ever want it
Also, I underestimated Mai's growth spurt, she is 14 and yet I already see some signs of her future self, it was awkward at first, but now I can look at her normally
Still…to my surprise, I haven't seen Andy at all, so I can only guess he hasn't come yet, I dunno if he will come at all honestly, which is a bummer, I wanted to befriend one of the Bogards before the KoF, but it seems like that won't happen
Also…umm…well, here is my relationship with both Hanzo and Mai
"Hanzo"
"150 (My future successor!)"
"Mai"
"250 (…)"
Yeah…I have no fucking clue what happened, I have been steadily building up our bond over this last year but…well, we reached 90 and it was all cool, her first birthday arrived and I prepared her an ornamental hairpin with Monica's help, and when I gave it to her, the thing jumped to 180!
A few months later, she caught me singing, I was training while singing "The only thing I know for real" to pump myself up
She got me an electric guitar from who knows where and asked me to sing a good song for her, and since I owe her my life, I decided to comply, she liked Heavy metal, after all, we have talked about it, so I played "Rules of Nature" that is when it jumped to 250, even after getting her another gift on her second birthday, the score remained there…
And lately she has been extremely clingy, like…I feel like Andy from KoF, but that shouldn't be it, we still are too young to even consider love, and Monica told me that indeed she isn't in love with me…though I am pretty sure she had more to say
So I ain't sure what's up there, but I haven't pushed her away at all since she is my friend, a happy go lucky kunoichi, at times I truly think she is adorable
Regardless, thanks to all this training, I have become one of the strongest fighters in the Shiranui clan, despite being an outsider, I am an ally since we share goals
One day, as I finished sparring with Mai, Hanzo dropped in
-…Gotcha!
-Tch, RYU ENBU!
-Nope
I used a water spell to douse the flames, she followed up with a throwing fan, one that exploded in contact, I kicked it aside and rushed her barely dodging the explosion, she quickly cartwheeled back and pulled out her umbrella, I knew what that indicated, she just used the "Kyuubi no Kitsune" so I blasted myself to the side dodging the brutal fire pillar that emerged and got right to her side and placed my hand at her throat
-I win
-Aw, now you pulled ahead!
She quickly hugged me as the fight ended
-Only by one point Mai…
-Still! You are younger than me! Why don't you listen to me and just obediently lose? I will gladly comfort you after the fact!
-But then that means I wouldn't get to comfort you!
-?!
She blushed before hugging me tighter to her chest, preventing me from seeing her face
-Aren't you cheeky…
-Ah, Eric, Mai, getting along I see!
She released me as we greeted him
-Grandpa!
-Master Hanzo!
-At ease you 2, I am not here to train you, instead, I want you to meet someone Eric
-?
"Dragon Ninja: Ryu Hayabusa"
!!!!!!!
There he is! Wearing the ancient costume…so then, Kureha is alive! I can save them! Ryu might become less badass since he will face less tragedy, but I will personally make that up by being his friend! If I could awaken Link's Triforce, I can make Ryu the badass I know and admire!
-This young man is Ryu Hayabusa, a promising ninja of the Hayabusa clan, Ryu, these 2 are my granddaughter Mai Shiranui
-A pleasure to meet you
-And the boy I told you about, Eric, the outsider who survived Mundus
His green eyes focused on me, I smiled
-Hello, a pleasure to meet ya
He seemed confused at our aloofness
-Oh don't be surprised young Ryu, our clan is more easy going, but not any less skilled, I was told you wished to spar with Eric?
He looked at me
-As one who survived Mundus and will continue to fight demons, please, let me witness your skill
I smiled kindly
-I would be honored to spar against you, weapons or bare handed?
-Weapons please
-Gotcha, master Hanzo, can you prepare 2 wooden blades for us? I use a straight sword, Ryu?
-A katana
-Understood
As Hanzo left, Mai examined Ryu
-…Can I help you?
-Yeah! Take off the mask! Don't you know it's rude to introduce yourself without showing your face?
-! My apologies
He quickly took off his mask and I could see a very handsome young man, 14 like Mai, green eyes and brown hair with a ponytail
-Hmm…he is handsome but…Eric is actually a bit better…
What is she muttering?
Regardless, I will stop the death of Kureha but, Doku is a scary ass samurai, dunno if I can hold him back…well, worse comes to worst, I enlist my friends and we take down the Vigoor empire ourselves!
Not like the emperor is much of a threat…I should watch out for Murai too…eh…and the Dark Dragon Blade…!!
I just thought of a wonderful idea!
Anyways, imma Analyze Ryu real quick
"Ryu Hayabusa"
"Rank: B+"
"Age: 14"
"Strength: B"
"Agility: A-"
"Magic: B"
"Endurance: B+"
"Charisma: A+"
"Luck: A"
"Perception: A+"
Strong, as expected, however, it should make for a fun fight
-Here you 2 go
We got our wooden swords and we moved to the arena where we bowed to each other
-I can already tell this is gonna be a good fight
Ryu didn't answer, he was completely focused, right, this guy is the overwhelmingly serious type, sheesh, it will be hard to have fun with him
-Begin!
…
…
Ryu Hayabusa, I have heard from grandpa that there was a genius in the Hayabusa village and he was making waves, now that I see him up close, it's obvious why
We are the same age and yet, I don't think I would be able to defeat him in a fight, I wouldn't be helpless, but I don't see myself winning…Eric on the other hand…
It's a strange experience to see how beneath these 2 I am…though Ryu seems like he only focuses on training and nothing else while my Eric has time for me❤️
I should pay attention, don't want to miss a single detail
-Begin!
Immediately, Ryu jumped in the air and dove towards Eric like an eagle, Eric however countered perfectly by slashing aside and forcing the attack to miss, leaving Ryu open for a slash to his back
Much to my surprise however, Ryu rolled aside dodging the hit and very quickly got on Eric's face and sliced upwards, Eric blocked but was still sent flying, Ryu followed and both began clashing mid air, but Ryu grappled Eric and began spinning as both were going to crash against the arena
I was worried for a second but Eric didn't disappoint, he broke free of the grab and spun around kicking Ryu to the ground and landing on his feet
-That's how it's done Eric!!
I couldn't hold back and cheered, he smiled at me and focused back on his opponent…I really do like that smile…
-Can you keep going?
Ryu spun around and got back up, his expression still unyielding
Both began to clash once more and eventually, Eric was able to get the upper hand and slice him away, Ryu recovered by rolling after being launched and then adopted a stance and just waited
I was wondering what he was doing when the air around him began to tremble, Eric had adopted a defensive posture when suddenly, Ryu disappeared and appeared right in front of Eric, delivering a brutal combo attack that Eric could only barely block and finishing with a stab that send Eric flying back
-Tch! Wow! That was an amazing technique!
-It is the Ultimate Technique of my clan, you did well surviving it
-It deserves the name…but don't think I will go down that easy, shall we?
-Certainly
They seem to be enjoying themselves, still Eric looks winded, so does Ryu…I can only wonder how strong that technique is…will it compare to the Kyuubi no Kitsune?
They began clashing again, still, Eric had the advantage in terms of raw skill, but the Hayabusa techniques were fearsome, Eric was able to somehow deal with each though
As Ryu kept losing ground, Eric kicked his blade aside and placed his own against Ryu's neck
-Gotcha!
-!…I lose
Yes! That's my Eric!
…
…
"Ryu Hayabusa"
"60 (Brilliant warrior)"
Good, I sheathed my blade and offered my hand to Ryu, who shook it
-Well fought! You are really strong!
-As are you, I can see how you survived against Mundus now
-Still, I am a long way off, but sparring against you was super beneficial! Can we do it again?
-I would be delighted, I feel like there is much to learn against you
-Wonderful!
As we discussed the fight and pointed out the other's flaws we noticed, Hanzo came to us and said
-I am glad you both think like that! I was actually considering sending Eric to the Hayabusa village so he can continue his training!
-! Grandpa!
-Sorry Mai, I know you don't want to be separated from him, but you each have your paths, it's best for him to keep training there, what do you say young master Hayabusa?
-…I believe it would be fine
-For reals?! Nice!
I was delighted, I get to become stronger!
-But…but…
I noticed Mai was sad, so in order to properly arrange this, I got close and told her
-Relax, it's not like this is the last time we meet
-…But you will leave…
-As master Hanzo said, it's to continue my training, besides, I also have to go back to my friends back home, it has been a whole year since I have seen them…I miss them a lot…
-…
-Hey, look at me
She did
-As long as you keep wearing that hairpin, our bond will never be severed, we will meet again, I assure you
-…Ok!
That cheered her up, cool, now that I have fixed this, I said
-When am I leaving master Hanzo?
-I would suggest now, young master Hayabusa?
-I will guide you, say your goodbyes and meet me at the exit of the village
He then put on his mask again and left, I got close to Hanzo
-Master Hanzo, it's been a whole year that your clan cared for me and you taught me your fighting styles, I will never forget this favor, if ever you need me, call me, you know my number
-It is no problem boy, when you are ready to inherit the clan, come back and let me know ok?
-Master…
We laughed at that, then I got close to Mai
-If it wasn't for you Mai, I would no longer be alive, I owe you so much…so no matter what it is, if you ever need me, I will be there by your side
-…Eric…we will meet again, won't we?
-Of course, there is an event called King of Fighters that will happen in 2035, I plan to enter that tournament, let's meet there
-In 3 years…
-As long as you wear that hairpin Mai
-…Yeah, our bond will not be severed
-There you go, thank you, for everything
-…Eric
-Yes?
She hugged me, so I returned it with a smile
-Let's meet again…
-Yeah, let's
"Mai"
"300! Danger! (My Eric…)"
Gah! That…that can't be good…
-I suggest we leave soon master
[Right you are Monica!]
I released Mai and with one final smile, I left the training grounds and went to say goodbye to all the people who I met here, after that, I met up with Ryu in the entrance
-Ready to go?
-Ready!
-Hm, follow me!
Now…time for more training I guess
…
…
…
The arrival at the Hayabusa village was quite pleasant, everyone seemed to be aware of my existence from their constant communication with the Shiranui clan, and upon seeing that Ryu vouched for me, everyone was very welcoming, of course, the first people I met were Kureha and Momiji, Kureha was 14 like Ryu while Momiji was one year younger than me, 11, first introductions were fine since they were both gentle girls but…to my surprise
"Future Dragon Shrine Maiden: Momiji"
"60 (He seems like a gentle boy…)"
I didn't get any for Kureha, when I ask Monica she simply said
-It's not important master, she will be your friend, but you don't need to be that concerned with her ok?
I felt a bit eerie in that, but Monica will never hurt me, so I trusted her
Now despite being unable to see my relation with Kureha, we still got along well, and it was constantly the 4 of us when we had free time
Yeah, I met Ryu's father Jô Hayabusa, and he was pleasantly surprised with me since our philosophies aligned in terms of what power is for, and most importantly, to never ever stop improving
"Leader of the Hayabusa clan: Jô Hayabusa"
"70 (This boy will shine bright in the future)"
Like that, since the leader agreed, I was to be trained in the ways of the ninja by the Hayabusa clan, me and Ryu became very close friends thanks to all the time we spent training, which also helped me become closer to Kureha and Momiji, securing at least my stand in the village
Like that, time passed
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
Rider_Blazer
Rider_Blazer And this is the end of the first volume! If you have read this far, I really want to thank you, this has been a project I have wanted to start for a while but never dared to, were it not for a friend of mine, I likely never would have, I still have much more of this story to write but I’ll end my rant here
Thank you so much for giving this a chance, and I hope I can keep making this story better
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
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