To Become a Shinobi Ch. 5
By Eliad Sholomovich

Ibuki ran through the alleyways. She didn't care where she was as long as it was far away from everybody so she could think. A few minutes later she was in a side alley a good mile away. She leaned against a wall and broke down into tears.

"How could I have lost control like that? I could ruin my life with these..." She thought and looked at her fists. Her eyes were watery and tears rushed down her cheeks. She slumped to the floor in a heap and sighed. "I never thought losing control could be so dangerous. Sensei was right about one thing... being a ninja is a big responsibility" She thought as she sat in the alley for a few minutes recollecting all the occurred until she heard a familiar voice.

"Hey! It’s that ninja girl."

"Oh no, not these bozos again…" she thought to herself as she leapt to her feet. Looking over to one of them, she noticed a huge blue mark that adorned his cheek. He cracked his fists

"I know I'm not fighting her again," he thought and then said "Oh, and before you try and leave…" he suddenly took out a gun "…you’re coming with us." The others procured their own weapons, clearly emphasising their leader’s point.

"D*mn! Nowhere to escape." Ibuki thought as she scanned the area. "How do I get myself into these messes?" She gave a small sigh before raising her hands upward. "Alright I'll come peacefully" Ibuki muttered. A smug smile was now plastered on the leader's face

"Not so tough now are we little ninja?" he said. Ibuki didn’t respond, but narrowed her eyes in anger. The thugs led her through a couple of dark side alleys until they finally reached a door in the wall.

"I wonder what they want from me?" she questioned silently. They sent her through the door, through a crowded bar only to go through another door. Inside the room was a huge metal cage. Someone opened the door and Ibuki was hurled inside. She rolled on the ground and stood straight. "What the-"

"So you’re the one" interrupted a voice as it trailed through the dark atmosphere. A tall figure soon stepped into the cage. He was 6'7 and was very muscular, perhaps indicating he was a fighter. A large hat covered short, wild black hair and he wore wrist guards. He was also wearing a blue shirt, black pants and to complete the ensemble was a red tie.

"I'm Crackerjack, and nobody messes with my boys and lives. However, I'm feeling quite generous today so I’ll make you a deal. A simple fight, with no rules. If I win, you die. If somehow, you win then you’re free to go." Ibuki gave a simple nod and entered her fighting stance.

"I don't really have a choice do I? So lets just get through with it," she said while licking her lower lip. Her body was a little stiff and bruised from the previous fight with Karin but she was in decent fighting shape. "This time I've gotta win this no matter what" Ibuki thought to herself. Crackerjack grinned.

"This should be fun. I haven't beaten the s*** out of someone for quite a while. Time to play, my little punching bag." Crackerjack entered a boxing stance.

"READY.... FIGHT!!" cried a voice from behind the cage.

Crackerjack lunged forward swinging his fist. Ibuki blocked the punch but was pushed backwards from the force behind the blow. He lunged again swinging his fist in a wide arc. Ibuki ducked under the attack and flipped backwards. As she landed on her feet, she felt a blow to her stomach. She groaned and another blow slammed into her face. She reeled backwards and saw his fist again. She parried the punch and kicked Crackerjack's chest and quickly stepped forward and threw a palm strike to his chest with her right hand and quickly nailed him with an uppercut with her left. Crackerjack's head whipped backwards. He looked at Ibuki in a murderous gaze. He shook his fist and he sped forward.

Ibuki jumped, intending to kick his head but Crackerjack had already telegraphed the move and nailed her foot with an uppercut. Ibuki winced in pain as she landed on her feet. Before she could think twice, Crackerjack lunged forward again and placed a vicious punch to her abdomen. Ibuki coughed and bent forward. Crackerjack raised his fist and prepared to strike her head but Ibuki rolled aside and kicked at his feet. Crackerjack fell to the ground and Ibuki took her distance.

"Man his punches hurt," she muttered as she leapt towards her opponent and stabbed his face with two kicks before flipping backward and landed on her feet. Crackerjack lunged forward in rage. Ibuki deflected his blow and retaliated. Placing a punch to his face, she kicked his chest then completed the small chain with a roundhouse. He backed away, shaking his head and swung again. Ibuki ducked and as she rose she caught his shirt and raised her right fist. With a cry of "Yoroi Doushi" a faint blue glow surrounded her fist as she slammed her fist into his abdomen. Crackerjack groaned and flew backwards from the force of the punch.

Ibuki looked at Crackerjack, who was holding his abdomen and breathing heavily. His nose was broken and in result blood ran from it, creating small rivers all over the lower part of his face. He shook with rage and lunged forward. Ibuki side-stepped and kicked towards his spine, which would have probably ended the match. However, Crackerjack was aware of the kick, and he quickly spun around, slamming his fist into the teenager’s face. Ibuki reeled and he continued. He punched her chest, then her abdomen, added an uppercut and finished it with a jarring kick to Ibuki's chin. Ibuki fell to the ground, almost reaching the state of unconsciousness. Her body hurt all over and her lip was bleeding again. She had a hard time breathing. Crackerjack loomed above her.

"Nice try kid but no cigar" Ibuki went wide-eyed as he took out a large wooden bat from his shirt. He grinned and spoke "Batters up." Ibuki gulped "Come on, think fast Ibuki... I know!" Her eyes lit up as realisation hit her. Clenching her teeth, Ibuki used what energy she had to dodge his swing. She rose to her feet and continued dodging his almost wild swings for a minute, then she leapt backwards. Withdrawing a couple of small daggers, in blinking fast speed, she hurled them at Crackerjack. Each made contact with his bat, shattering the wood as he swung it, rendering it useless.

Crackerjack cried in pain as wooden shards pierced his hand. Ibuki landed a slight smile on her face. Crackerjack growled and lunged blindly at Ibuki once more. Ibuki leapt over him and threw three daggers at his feet. One of them connected and sank deep into Crackerjack's leg, causing him to cry out in pain. Ibuki landed and channelled her chi into her. Keeping her gaze on her opponent, Ibuki unleashed her summoned chi and rushed forward.

"YAMI SHIGURE!!" she screamed as a trail of shadows followed her, keeping her focus in preparation to carve through Crackerjack and end more than this fight. Too focused on her task, was Ibuki that she failed to recognise the grimace that soon decorated Crackerjack’s face.

Side-stepping the deadly attack, he used the teen’s vulnerability to punch her stomach with all his remaining strength and Ibuki, unable to stop the momentum of her technique, had no choice but to accept the blow. The impact forced her lungs to spew out the remaining air it contained as the ninja soared through the air. She fell to the ground, her stomach hurting and her vision hazy. Crackerjack threw out his damaged bat, and it was quickly replaced with another.

"Well I guess this is goodbye little ninja" Crackerjack said with a grin. Ibuki panted and clenched her teeth.

"Got… One last… Chance… Must… succeed…" she thought. Crackerjack ran forward preparing to swing his bat. Ibuki concentrated and rose to her feet. She then gathered all her strength and dashed forward, sliding under Crackerjack's feet. As she leapt onto his back, Ibuki procured another dagger. She wrapped one hand around his neck and placed the dagger near his throat, her opponent knowing all too well that the fight was over. Ibuki was panting and her vision was very hazy. She felt dizzy and sick. "I... I Win Crack... Crackerjack…" She said weakly, leaping off his back. Crackerjack spat out a surge of blood.

"I guess you do. Go ahead kid, leave" he said. Ibuki went to do just that, but then she felt a powerful blow hit the back of her head and everything went black. Before she hit the ground, Crackerjack laughed smugly. "I said you can leave," he began as he let go of his bat, allowing it to fall onto the ground "but I didn't say in what state. Throw her out guys" he said and an amoral grin crossed his lips as he limped out of the cage and left the ninja for the rest of his friends to take care of.