Legend Of The Strongest Delinquent 23

Hey everyone, and welcome to this chapter. This chapter will cover the start of a very short Arc. I originally planned on finishing this in one chapter, but it started to drag, so I decided to split it into two. Also, I'll be introducing a character I know a lot of you have been waiting for.

Disclaimer: The following is a non-profit fan-based parody. History's Strongest Disciple Kenichi is owned by Funimation and Syun Matsuena. Please support the official release.

-

"Shirou" Regular speech.

"Shirou" Thoughts.

SEIKUKEN Attack names.

(Shirou) Words said previously.

[Shirou] Words said in unison.

-

The Shadows Of Chinatown

—…

The day after the residents of Ryozanpaku returned from their training in the mountains, everyone had returned to their usual behavior, all except for one man in particular. Kenichi was in the middle of his Kung Fu training with Kensei, but the Master in question seemed distracted.

It was currently dark outside, and Kenichi looked outside as he noticed a pillar of steam in the distance within the forest area near the dojo—Kenichi knew that, given the time of day, Miu and Shigure must have been enjoying the hot springs right now and thus became surprised at the dismissive nature of Kensei.

"Huh…?" Kenichi gasped as Kensei just sat there reading a girly magazine. "Huh?!"

Kensei looked up at him. "Why the outcry?"

"W-Why are you here, Master Kensei?" Kenichi asked in confusion. "Usually when Miu and Shigure go for their bath… You're sure to go peep and keep getting into a big fight with Shigure."

"You talk like it's only him." Shirou approached and joined the conversation. "I seem to recall you tried your hand at peeping along with him."

Kenichi shrunk at that accusation and stepped back. "T-That's not the point." He looked back at Kensei. "What's wrong, Master? Is everything okay?"

"Nothing is wrong." Kensei assured him. "Everything is normal."

"Really?" Shirou was unconvinced. "Do you normally read magazines that are upside down?"

"Ah!" Kensei noticed the magazine and was caught on the spot. "Um… When I read it like this, even a porn book that has become boring…Has something new to find in it!"

"….…" Kenichi just stared at him suspiciously.

"Tell me, is every Master in this dojo a terrible liar?" Shirou asked sarcastically.

-O-

Later on, the two of them were in the living room of the residential house that the Masters lived in and were talking to Sakaki and Apachai. Once they arrived, while Apachai was distracted by snacks, Sakaki paid attention when Kenichi brought up Kensei.

"What? Kensei's been acting strange?" Sakaki asked as he put down his beer.

"It seems that way. Ever since we talked about what happened the other day, he's been acting strange?" Kenichi explained.

"The other day?" Sakaki repeated with interest. "What do you mean?"

"You remember: Back when Shirou fought Hermit on top of the moving bus." Kenichi reminded him of that fight.

"Mind you, what I told him happened before that fight—Shortly after I met him, Hermit asked if my Master was named Sogetsu Ma." Shirou informed him. "He wanted to know because that was his Master's name, and our styles were similar."

"Sogetsu Ma?!" Sakaki looked shocked after hearing that name.

Kenichi took notice of his reaction and became worried. "You looked scared for a moment… What happened?"

"It's nothing." Sakaki avoided eye contact and took another sip of beer. "Well, anyway… A man carries around a lot of baggage from his past. Anyway, that's his problem."

"Huh?!" Kenichi was surprised by Sakaki's sudden dismissal.

-O-

After that conversation ended, Kenichi went back to his room and changed into his sleepwear before he sat on his futon and called Shirou in to talk.

"Another day in hell." Kenichi yawned before returning to the conversation from earlier. I really thought Sakaki might have given me something."

"What were you expecting?" Shirou asked as he stood by the window. "Did you want a sharing circle or something?"

"I don't know, but anything would have been better than nothing." Kenichi complained. "Well, all the Masters here probably have surprising pasts." He noted before pondering on that notion. "Come to think of it, do we really know anything about the Masters? Should a Disciple be left in the dark this much?"

"I don't think it's a question of Master and Disciple; some things are just so personal that you don't feel comfortable sharing them, no matter how close someone might be." Shirou reasoned with experience. "Think about it; these people are closer than most families, and yet, I'd wager they all have at least one or two things they don't want to rest to know about."

"I guess you have a point, but aren't you still curious about what Hermit said?" Kenichi asked.

"Don't worry, I'll handle that my own way." Shirou told him before exiting the room.

-O-

After Shirou left Kenihi's room and walked out of the building, he was on his way to the main gate, but as he walked by the wall, he noticed someone else was on their way out in the middle of the night; it was Kensei, seemingly trying to make sure he wouldn't be noticed.

"Hmm, I should probably leave well enough alone, but this opportunity may not come up again." Shirou thought to himself before he followed Kensei.

The Chinese Master sulked out of Ryozanpaku and made his way into town, Shirou quite close behind him. He used the best stealth he was capable of and tried to make sure he was far enough not to be noticed while making sure he didn't lose sight of him.

After taking a few turns, they eventually arrived at a train station. Shirou knew it would be hard to follow Kensei without going unnoticed on a train, so he used a different approach. Shirou waited to see what train Kensei planned to board and so he took a different train that would happen to stop at the same station, but at a later time. After parting ways and riding the train, Shirou plundered on where he could be going while at the same time, he took out his phone and sent a message.

The train soon arrived in the Yokohama area. After he got off the train and was now completely separated from Kensei, Shirou moved on to the next phase of his plan. He went to the train station's main desk and asked them if they saw a middle-aged Chinese man matching Kensei's description and if they knew which direction he took after leaving the station. The train workers told him they did see a person like that, and he headed in the west. After they pointed him in his direction, Shirou left the station and followed after Kensei.

Now, he was in an unfamiliar part of town, and the streets weren't exactly known to him, but Shirou kept going. But while he had no way of knowing where Kensei could have gone aside from west of the train station, it wasn't long until he found a very large clue.

After traveling a short distance, Shirou saw a large sign that stood at the entrance of the Chinatown of Yokohama, and in front of him beyond the sign was an entire town filled with bright neon lights and so many shops, restaurants, and attractions that could be found in China—A small piece of China in Japan.

"This'll make things hard. A guy like Kensei will blend in perfectly in a place like this." Shirou muttered as he pushed some buttons on his phone and looked around.

Shirou entered the town and wandered around for a bit. The town seemed very lively, and it was apparent that most tourists came here for the nightlife, but no matter where he looked, there wasn't a trace of Kensei.

After enough time had passed and he had faced the fact that he had lost him, Shirou let out a sigh and spoke out loud. "How long are you gonna keep hiding, Kensei?"

"That depends; how long are you going to keep searching?" Kensei replied as he appeared behind him, revealing that he had reversed the tailing and now he was the one following Shirou. "Tell me, out of curiosity, when did he realize that I noticed you were following me?"

"To be honest, I assumed you knew I was tailing you the moment we left the dojo." Shirou confessed.

"Not exactly. I knew I was being followed, but I couldn't tell who it was; you're ability to stay under my radar as quite impressive." Kensei complimented him genuinely. "And that last part on using a different train was very creative."

"Yeah, well, it didn't do much good in the end." Shirou conceded. "The second I lost sight of you and entered an unfamiliar territory, finding you became futile."

"As fun as this was, this is as far as you should accompany me, Shirou." Kensei advised him as he took out some money. "Have some takeout and go home. It's on me this time; don't worry about it."

"You honestly think I'd turn back at this point?" Shirou frowned at him.

Kensei let out a sigh. "I'm afraid it would be impossible to guarantee your safety if you follow me any longer tonight; now run along home before things get sticky."

"Would you stop talking to me like I'm Kenichi?" Shirou glared at him. "Do you think I didn't already consider the risks when I was following you? I'm here because I'm prepared to face them, and if you think you can convince me to turn away now, know that I'm fully prepared to follow you again if I have to."

"So you're prepared then to face whatever may happen?" Kensei asked as though he was challenging him.

Shirou smirked at him. "Don't forget I already fought a shark; I'm always prepared to face anything."

"True, I forgot who I was talking to." Kensei marched forth with Shirou right behind him. "All right, you can come along, but this means that if I jump off a cliff, then you have to do it too, you know, that's the rule of following."

"Some rules were meant to be broken." Shirou replied sarcastically.

-O-

The two of them walked through Chinatown for a while, but soon enough, they stopped in front of a bright building—It was a fancy-looking Chinese restaurant with a sign that said 'Imperial Wrath Chinese Restaurant' on top of the entrance.

"A restaurant?" Shirou blinked in confusion. "Why are we stopping here?"

"There's someone here who I planned to meet." Kensei answered as they both went inside.

The interior of the restaurant was just what you would expect of a Chinese restaurant. The colors and design were traditional Chinese, and the furniture and tables were Chinese as well, with the main color being red. The lights were on, but there were no costumes inside. However, there was a lone man in the middle of the main dining area who stood there as though he was expecting company.

Like Kensei, this man is a balding old man with a mustache who wears traditional Chinese clothes. Unlike Kensei, this man also wears glasses and has a black beard.

"Ah, I figured you'd show your face sooner or later, Kensei." He greeted him as light reflected off his head.

"Master Hakubi, it's been a long time." Kensei greeted him by removing his hat and lowering his head gracefully as light also reflected off his head.

"Mind telling me who this guy is?" Shirou asked as he kept his guard up. "Well, I can already tell he's no ordinary fighter."

"You're right. This man is the strongest fighter in the district. Actually, his entire name is Hakubi Ma Ryo, and he is my uncle." Kensei introduced him.

"You're uncle?" Shirou asked, taking a closer look at Hakubi. I guess I see a resemblance."

"Tell me, Kensei, is he one of yours?" Hakubi inspected Shirou in the same manner Shirou inspected him. "If so, I'm impressed; it's been some time since I've seen skill in someone so young."

"He can get a good read on my skill level with just a glance?" Shirou became surprised. "This old man is pretty sharp."

"Now, now, there's no need to have your guard up. This is a safe place." Hakubi assured him as he led them both to a table. The large table had a whole spread of freshly made Chinese dishes fit for a feast and presented it to them. "Eat as much as you want."

"Really? Eh, why not?" Shirou accepted his gracious offer and sat down before helping himself to the food.

With that done, Hakubi sat down as well and turned his attention back to his nephew. "Tell me, Kensei, I know two reasons you might come here today, so which is it? Are you looking for Sogetsu?"

Kensei sat, too, and nodded. "That's right. It's true that he's in the country then?"

"Yes." Hakubi answered forebodingly.

"All right, then I suppose I'll have to have a little chat with him." Kensei groaned. "A chat, huh? Do you really think that's going to help?

"I'm going to ask what I'm assuming we all know." Shirou cut in. "This Sogetsu guy, he's your brother, isn't he? The one you mentioned a little while ago."

"I'm glad you remembered that; yes, Sogetsu Ma is otherwise known as my Big Brother." Kensei confirmed his suspicions.

"A troublesome one at that," Hakubi added. Chaos seems to follow him around like a puppy. Right now, there are rumors that he's working with the mafia or something." He informed him regretfully. "That's just who Sogetsu is. He was born to fight. He's never been able to control those brutal tendencies of this district. It can't afford the surge of violent crime and bring along with him."

"I know; I will find him." Kensei promised him.

"An agent of chaos who was born to fight, he sounds just like Hermit." Shirou remembered the nature of his rival. "I guess some Masters and Disciples share personality traits along with fighting styles."

"You really just come here for your brother?" A voice called out.

Hearing the sound of a new arrival caused Shirou and Kensei to look up at the upper deck of the restaurant, where a person gazed down at them while Hakubi looked down in dismay. "Oh, that's the other reason I thought you might have for stopping by."

That person jumped over the edge and hurdled down toward their table before striking at the center of the table with a powerful kick that shattered the table apart and sent all the food spilling onto the floor and creating a mess. All three of the men sitting around the table leaped back before the kick landed and were safe from harm.

Shirou sneered when he saw all the food in a mess on the floor. "I was eating that."

The attack glared in frustration at her failure to hit her mark. "Man… He's fast."

Meanwhile, Kensei smirked after successfully evading the attack he could tell was aimed at him. "Not a bad attempt for such a lovely but I'm afraid I have years of experience dodging similar attempts on my life." He waved his finger at her; however, the moment he saw her face, he became horrified. "Aaahhhh!"

"What?" Shirou asked, raising a brow at why Kensei would suddenly be so concerned. "Do you know her?"

The girl was a fair-skinned young girl of average size. She has bright blue eyes with upper-back-length purple hair constantly done up in an intricate braiding; it has two separate strands on each side of her head and one in the back (similar to cat ears and a tail), and chin-length bangs hanging over her eyes with sidelocks looping up her jaw. Similar to Miu, she sports a noticeably curvaceous frame and an incredibly large bust. She is wearing a revealing pink Chinese dress with a yellow lining that stops just above her legs; it is rather skimpy and draws attention to her breasts and legs, suggesting she doesn't have much modesty. She also wears a golden bell behind each ear.

The girl glared at him with her hands on her hips. "Really, Daddy, I don't even get a hello. That's nice."

"Da—She's your daughter?" Shirou questioned him before realizing another shocking revelation. "You have a daughter?"

"Why do you sound so surprised? Kensei asked, somewhat offended, before he sighed. "Yes, she's my daughter, Renka, she's 16."

"The same age as me…" Shirou pondered before he got a good look at her and noticed the overdeveloped size of her chest. "First Miu, now her. What do they feed these Martial Arts girls?"

Don't worry; your wife and the other two kids are still far away in China." Hakubi placated Kensei's concerns.

"What, you're married?" Shirou expressed his further disbelief. "More than that, someone willingly sired your children? More than once?"

"Okay, now you're really starting to hurt my feelings." Kensei admitted.

Ignoring their banter, Renka continued her assault on Kensei: "That's right, Daddy. I'm the only one you should be worrying about right now. I've had this place staked out for weeks! I went so far as to become an exchange student in Japan just to look for you. Since I heard you like to come and go to Hakubi's place, I knew I would find you here eventually!" She brought out a rope with a heavy ball attached to the end and threw it at him. "I'm taking you back home with me tonight."

The rope wrapped itself around Kensei's wrist and Renka pulled on it to restrict his movements.

"Well, Kensei, I'd say you're in a pickle." Hakubi noted with amusement.

"I wouldn't say that." Shirou was unamused.

"Now, come on. Just give it up, old man!" Renka pulled harder in an attempted to draw him closer.

"Forgive me, dear." Kensei whispered before he swung his free hand down at the rope and cut it like a blade.

With Kensei freed, Renka was pulled back by her own momentum and fell off balance as she was about to fall backward. Before she fell, she swung the other end of the rope at Kensei, but Kensei grabbed Shirou by the collar and placed him in front of him like a human shield. As the rope and heavy ball approached, Shirou reacted fast enough and swatted it away as it flew back toward and wrapped itself around her this time.

Renka was now captured by her own rope as it wrapped itself around her body like a snake and left her tied up on the floor and unable to move. Meanwhile, Shirou removed himself from Kensei's grasp and narrowed his eyes at him.

"You wanna explain why you tried to use me as a shield?" Shirou asked, not happy.

"Uh, sorry, but I have to run." Kensei decked away.

And with that, Kensei leaped toward the door and out of the restaurant before he finished into the town without a trace.

"Wait! Don't go, Daddy!" Renka called out in vain.

"There he goes." Shirou muttered. "He's better at running away than Niijima."

"Hey, you!" Renka yelled at Shirou. "Quit standing there and help me out of this!"

"Why would I do that?" Shirou asked her dismissively.

"Because you're the reason I'm in this mess!" Renka reminded him. "If you hadn't gotten in the way, I could've had him."

"…Kensei's daughter?" Shirou stoically focused on that. "You apparently went to a lot of trouble to be here and catch him, but why would a 16-year-old girl want to drag her dad home so badly? Considering he's just a dirty old man, I'd think you'd prefer to be away from him."

"Geez, you really don't know anything, do you? Renka snapped at him. "He may be a dirty old man, but my dad is the leader of the Phoenix Martial Arts sect. He has over 10,000 disciples waiting for him back in China."

"An organization of Martial Arts with over 10,000 members? And a Master Class fighter at its head?" Shirou couldn't help but feel taken aback at the thought of it. "That goes beyond anything I've seen. Neither Ragnarok nor the Shinzaki could even begin to compare to that—With that much power, you could even take on the Mafia… Or…"

He trailed off on his thoughts before he addressed Renka out loud.

"But given the fact that he's been in Japan for a few years, I'm guessing he hasn't been "leading" for a while." Shirou deduced.

"Yeah, that's right. Dad said it was too much responsibility. He gave all the leadership duties over to Mama, packed a bag, and disappeared." Renka informed him as she finally freed herself, and the two of them stepped outside.

"Ah, I'm not really getting the plan here. He left, and you want to bring him back? Even if he does go back to China, what's going to keep him from just sneaking away again?" Shirou pointed out.

"Yeah, right, I won't let him!" Renka proclaimed loudly. "Once I get him home, I'll make sure he doesn't get away again no matter what!"

"That'd be more convincing if you hadn't already let him get away from you five seconds ago." Shirou reminded her, unimpressed.

Renka became angrier and pointed at him. "What's worse, now I find him in Japan hanging around with some loser kid, so exactly who are you again."

"My name is Shirou Tsukiharu; your father is training me in Chinese Martial Arts." Shirou informed her before he narrowed his eyes. "Call me a loser again, and you'll regret it."

"Huh? What kind of Martial Artist threatens a helpless girl?" Renka accused, upset by his tone.

"What kind of "helpless" girl goes around smashing tables with a kick?" Shirou retorted sarcastically before he turned away. "Besides, I may use Martial Arts, but I don't identify as a Martial Artist. I'm a Delinquent, just a punk-ass Delinquent."

"Are you serious right now?" Renka cried out before she looked up at the sky with fake tears in her eyes. "Poor Daddy, he sunk so low in life that he can only find one scruffy Disciple! Oh, it must be humiliating to have a student who's just some brawler off the streets!"

"Better that than some gushy teenage girl who can't take a hint and get lost." Shirou added, ignoring her dramatic behavior.

"What was that?" Renka immediately became insulted by his remark. "How dare you!"

Renka aimed a blow at his stomach, but to her surprise, Shirou effortlessly caught her by the wrist and fended off her attempt.

"You have the hot temper of an alley cat." Shirou admonished her before letting go.

"Wow, you caught that…" Renka pulled back, not hiding the fact that she was impressed. "Well, I guess you're fast at least."

"Trust me, I'm more than just fast." Shirou assured her. "More important, we should get back to finding Kensei."

"How are we supposed to do that?" Renka complained. "If I had some idea of where he would go, I wouldn't have become an exchange student in Japan and staked out Chinatown!"

"Well, fortunately, I have someone who can help." Shirou proclaimed before he turned to his side.

Renka looked as well as someone approached them, that someone being Haruto.

"I'll be honest, when I found you, I didn't expect you'd be with a loud teenage girl." Haruto noted nonchalantly. "But it did make you hard to miss."

"Hold on, who's this kid?" Renka pointed at him, upset.

"Haruto, my kid brother." Shirou answered right away.

"Sup." Haruto greeted offendedly.

"This isn't a joke?!" Renka lost her temper again. "We're gonna be facing some dangerous people; what are you thinking bringing a kid here?!"

"Believe me, he can handle himself. More importantly, of the three of us, he's definitely the brains." Shirou informed her with his arms crossed. "Things'll go smoother if he's with us, you see."

Renka clicked her tongue, still unhappy. "How did you even find this place?"

"I contacted him before I started following Kensei." Shirou answered the question. "I had a feeling I'd be needing his help, so I turned on the tracker on my phone so he'd have my location."

"Well, now that you know how I am, how about returning the favor?" Haruto reasoned before facing Shirou. "Brother, why are you with this girl? Who is she anyway?"

"Kensei's daughter." Shirou answered as Haruto's eyes widened in surprise, which Shirou understood. "It's best not to question it."

"Well… Whatever." Haruto put the matter aside for now. "Let's find Kensei."

-O-

Meanwhile, in a different part of Chinatown, Kensei was making his way through a crowded public area brightly lit up by the many neon lights. As he kept walking forward, a young man walking in the opposite direction accidentally bumped into him.

"Oh, excuse me." The young man apologized.

He tried to keep walking, but before he could move, Kensei reached out and grabbed his arm. Kensei kept a tight grip on the young man's arm as it was revealed he had a piece of paper in his hand.

"What do we have here?" Kensei asked with a smile. "Trying to sneak something out of my pocket or something into it?"

"I was just testing you. I heard that you were fast. I've got a note from Hakubi." The young man informed him, showing that he was an ally.

"Well, maybe next time, hand it to me. I could have broken your arm, stupid boy." Kensei advised him as he took the note.

"I'll remember that." The young man replied, staying humble.

Kensei read the note and saw that Sogetsu's location was written on it. "If Hakubi's right, maybe I can stop this from going any further?"

Kensei then thought back to his past with Sogetsu, which was when they were young and in China.

-O-

It was decades ago in China, and Kensei was at a small restaurant, sitting at a table across from his brother, who was drinking alcohol. Kensei was 17 years old and still had his boyish, handsome, good looks that could make others call him a pretty boy. Sogetsu was 20 years old and a tall and very muscular young man with short black hair. Compared to his brother, he had more of a rugged, handsome face. He wore an open vest to reveal his chest, dark pants, and armbands around his wrists.

Right now, Kensei was staring at his brother with a disappointed expression.

"So this is where you've been. We all waited for you there for over an hour, and you were off training again, just like always." Kensei reprimanded him. "I can't believe I went to the trouble to set you up on a blind date, and you no showed." He then had an upset expression. "Come on, man, I'm just trying to get my Big Brother to realize there might be more to life than sparring matches and alcohol, you know?"

"I like sparring matches and alcohol better than girls." Sogetsu argued, unapologetic about his actions. "Girls are always chattering and giggling—It's annoying."

"Trust me, man, benefits seriously outweigh the costs." Kensei waved off his complaints while resting his hand on his chin.

Sogetsu scoffed. "Heh, I think I'd rather bash heads in."

"Fine, just tell me you didn't kill anyone." Kensei asked of him.

Sogetsu took another sip before answering. As it turned out, while they were sitting comfortably at their table, the whole restaurant floor was littered with the bodies of many defeated foes who tried to fight Sogetsu and were now beaten and bloody, which was why Kensei wanted to know if they were still alive. "…I don't think I did."

"You don't think you did?" That answer worried Kensei. "You gotta get ahold of yourself. Lately, it seems like you're trying to kill everyone you fight."

"I am!" Sogetsu insisted without hesitation. "That's what Martial Arts means. It's the art of death used to defeat your enemy."

Kensei became unnerved by both his words and the look in his eyes. "You're serious?"

-O-

Back with the others, they were walking down a different area of Chinatown as Haruto led the way. This part of town was a long stretch of stores and restaurants, like Hakubi's.

"Based on everything you guys told me, our best shot at finding Kensei is probably finding Sogetsu since that's his target." Haruto theorized. "And in order to find him, we'll need to find a lead through the Chinese Mafia."

"But how do we do that?" Renka questioned. "It's not like the Mafia's just going to come to us."

SMASH!

"Gyah!"

She stand-corrected as a moment later, a man came flying out of the window of a nearby restaurant, grabbing their attention. The man wore a chef's uniform and appeared to be the restaurant owner he had just been thrown out of. Following that, two rough-looking men walked out the front door and stood in front of the fallen man. One was an adult male with a lean build who wore street clothes with sun-glasses and was smoking a cigarette, while the other was a larger man with the physic of a bodybuilder and wore street clothes with his hair tied in a long braided ponytail.

"Looks like we found them." Shirou noticed as they watched.

"What's your excuse for not paying up?" The lean Mafia member angrily questioned the restaurant owner.

"Mr Hakubi is calling everyone together! I'm not the only one who won't pay!" The owner answered defiantly. "You Mafia will be cut off!"

"Hakubi?" Shirou looked at Renka for content.

Renka provided it. "It's how they operate. Lately, the worst kind of people from the Chinese Mafia have been coming over from the mainland and dividing up the area."

"It's a small piece of China across the ocean and away from the competition, the perfect hunting ground for low-risk prey." Shirou grasped their intentions. "Or, it would have been if a Master like Hakubi wasn't here."

Because of his defiance, the larger Mafia member lifted the restaurant owner from the ground and held him by his collar while the lean one walked past him.

"Brave talk." He puffed more smoke from his cigarette. "Old man Hakubi is a fool for opposing us, and so are you. Show him."

Being given the signal, the larger Mafia member threw the restaurant owner, intending to injure him by slamming him against the hard ground. But that didn't happen as the others moved in, and Shirou caught him.

"Is he okay?" Haruto asked, not sounding too concerned.

Shirou put the owner down as he stepped away. "Looks fine to me."

"Who the hell are you?" The lean Mafia man glared at them.

Renka stepped forward. "Only relatives can address Hakubi like that. I'll give you five seconds to disappear."

The larger Mafia man sneered at her. "Shove off, little girl."

The lean Mafia man smirked at them. "Hakubi's relatives? Well, well, they seem to be everywhere."

"4…3…" Renka started counting down as she promised.

"A countdown, huh?!" The larger Mafia man became insulted and rushed at her.

"2…" Renka continued her count.

"Yah!" He closed the distance and threw a punch at her.

"1…0!"

BAM!

Once her countdown was over, Renka used her palm to divert the aim of his punch before she struck him with consecutive fast-paced punches on his stomach. He doubled over from the pain and collapsed to his knees.

"Did you see that?" Shirou asked.

"Yeah, she hit him three times in the same spot." Haruto confirmed. "She used her speed to make up for her lower weight."

"No doubt, that's Kensei brand Martial Arts." Shirou understood. "Looks like he taught some before ditching China."

While they were focused on his partner, the lean Mafia man reached for his belt and revealed it was actually a concealed weapon. His belt was actually a sword-like whip with a long-range, and when he saw an opening, he swung his sword belt at Renka.

SWISH!

The blade cut through the air and closed in on Renka like a snake, but just as she noticed it was about to slice past her chest, it was too late, as she wouldn't be able to move out of the way.

Fortunately, the Tsukiharu brothers did notice beforehand and moved into action. Shirou grabbed Renka by the arm and pulled her back so she was out of the sword belt's path. Before the Mafia member could try again, Haruto moved in and swung a low kick at his kneecap.

"Gah!" The damage hit him right away, and he fell to one knee.

Haruto didn't stop there as he chained his attack with an uppercut at his opponent's unguarded chin and knocked him off his feet. He landed on the ground, flat on his back, as his weapon fell out of his grasp.

"A sword belt?" Renka took notice of the unorthodox weapon. "That was a close shave."

"You shouldn't drop your guard like that." Shirou advised her. "We're facing the Mafia; everyone is a potential threat."

"Yeah, I know I shouldn't underestimate them." Renka then addressed Haruto. "Also, I shouldn't have underestimated you; you're pretty good. I guess I was wrong about you; you're not just some kid."

Haruto shrugged. "It doesn't bother me; half the fun is shocking people with how strong I am."

"And Shirou…" Renka addressed him before looking away with a small blush. "For the time being, I'll thank you for the help just now."

"Hmm." Shirou merely acknowledged her gratitude before he walked over to the sword belt and picked it up before examining it.

"Are you taking that?" Haruto asked.

"I've never seen a weapon like this before." Shirou admitted with interest. "I think I'll ask Shigure about it."

"You brats…" The lean Mafia member sneered at them while on the ground. "Don't think this is over, as far as the Mafia is concerned. Just one word to Sogetsu Ma and the boss, and you guys are…"

"Sogetsu Ma!" Renka cut him off and lifted him up by his collar.

"Hey!" He gasped from her grip.

"Listen, you! Tell us where Sogetsu Ma is!" Renka demanded of him.

Renka then turned him around and started twisting his arm. "Ow, ow, ow! Ow!"

"Well, the first part of your plan worked." Shirou told Haruto. "We came here and found some of the Mafia; now we just need him to tell us where Sogetsu is."

"No, we just need to know where their base is." Haruto corrected that statement. "That's likely where we'll find Sogetsu."

"You idiots." The Mafia member thought as he smirked at them. "You really think I'd let you just waltz into our headquarters?" He then cried out as Renka twisted his arm further. "Gaah!"

"You know, I got here late, so I'm still behind on the details." Haruto spoke out. "What's this feud between Kensei and his brother about?"

Renka gazed at them wistfully as though she wasn't even aware that she was twisting a man's arm. "The two of them have been separated for 20 years. Uncle Sogetsu killed several people and couldn't stay in China. Sogetsu uses 'Hard-Fist' techniques as opposed to Daddy's 'Gentle-Fist.' Sogetsu uses 'Killing-Fist' techniques as opposed to 'Saving-Fist.' Even in China, people still debate on which one is better."

"Killing-Fist?" Shirou focused on that part. "That certainly sounds like what Hermit was doing when we fought, although Saving-Fist sounds more like Kenichi."

"I'm not resisting, so let up a little, you bitch!" The Mafia cried out in pain as Renka kept twisting his arm, though he was ignored.

"So, do you still want to tag along?" Renka asked them with a serious expression. "I'm about to enter a world of corruption and violence you've never seen before. It's completely different from the peaceful world you've been living in. I can handle things on my own from here; take one wrong step, and you could lose your life."

"Peaceful…?" Shirou repeated as though he had heard her wrong. "Is that a joke? You really don't know who you're dealing with."

"Hmm?" Renka was caught off guard by the sudden change in his tone.

Shirou then glared at her with eyes that she hadn't seen before; they were the same eyes he gave his opponents during a fight when he was completely serious and gave in to his violent instincts. The power behind his gaze was so chilling that it made Renka pause for a moment and let go of the Mafia member's arm.

As the Mafia member fell to the ground, Shirou approached with a smirk. "The one who's been living peacefully has been you, compared to the world I've lived in. If you actually left Chinatown and stepped foot in my town, you'd know that violence and corruption are a daily occurrence." He told her before facing the man on the ground. "Now, you, take us to your base."

Renka was still a bit stunned as she kept staring at Shirou. "What is with this guy? I never thought I could be intimidated like that by someone my age, and in Japan, no less."

"It's like a sheltered leopard meeting a lion for the first time." Haruto thought after seeing that interaction. "Renka's good, but I'm guessing all her strength came from training in techniques and sparing matches, but without any of the practical application or real-life experience that my brother has, and despite what she says, she likely never been in a situation where she's been in real danger. Her fangs are sharp but have hardly been used, while my brother's fangs have been battle-hardened by life and also go for the jugular; that creates a difference between two fighters beyond skill levels, a difference she felt under his gaze."

"All right, let's go." Shirou decided as they had the Mafia member lead them to his base.

-O-

In another part of town, plans were being made in a large building owned by the Mafia. This was the boss's headquarters, and right now, in a large room on the top floor, a few of his lackeys were getting ready for their next operation.

One of the lackeys placed four tanks of gasoline on the floor, and another one inspected them to make sure they were secured.

"These are all for burning down Hakubi's store?" One of the lackeys asked.

"It's what he deserves." The other one laughed before he turned and addressed the other person in the room. "Hey, bodyguard, you can help too."

The bodyguard in question was none other than Sogetsu.

Sōgetsu was a tall and very muscular middle-aged man with short black hair and a thick beard. He wore an open vest to reveal his chest, dark pants, a gourd in his hands filled with sake, and armbands around his wrists. Compared to his younger brother, Sōgetsu has aged very gracefully, as he looks largely the same apart, growing a trimmed beard since his younger years.

Sogetsu ignored the lackey as he sat behind a desk with his feet resting on the top and drank more sake. Suddenly, he sat up and let out an ominous aura that frightened everyone in the room. Sogetsu clenched his fist so hard that he shattered the glass cup in his hand.

"He's coming…" Sogetsu thought while unleashing killing intent. "I feel Kensei's aura."

—…

And that's the chapter.

First of all, I had hoped I could have gotten this done sooner, but things kept getting in the way. I'm just glad I finished it before the end of the month. Now, as some of you have noticed, I've decided to follow the Manga version of this Arc rather than the Anime version. For those of you who don't know the difference, don't worry; it's not that important.

As for Kenichi, I decided not to put him in this Arc because even if he came, he wouldn't really add much, and as the one who fought Hermit, only Shirou has a reason to want to find Sogetsu; I also added Haruto because it's in Shirou's character to include him on missions like this.

I'm sure some of you are aware of this, but the nature of the relationship between Shirou and Renka will be different than her one with Kenichi in the canon (Though they didn't really have much of a relationship), but that'll come later.

Anyways, thanks for reading. Hope you enjoyed. If you want more, leave a review. If you liked the story, click the follow/favorite, and as always, have an awesome day.