Ria saw Naruto waiting for her at their usual spot. They would walk back to her home together and would have their daily lesson. She was really starting to enjoy this little 'assignment.' She hadn't expected to, but playing at being a sensei was rather amusing. She was also enjoying bending her pupils idealism to something better suited to her. He had far too many morals and scruples and rules. Ninja were supposed to be cold blooded and ruthless killers. Yet deep down she suspected he hated killing or even hurting others. A very strange mindset for a ninja. Since Naruto was the only ninja she had ever met she assumed it was some sort of aberration. Certainly it couldn't be common among other shinobi.

What most interested her of course was the power that lay inside of him. He had destroyed an entire village. Massacring thousands and killing hundred of ninja single handed. The thought of such ferocious killing power under her control sent a shiver of anticipation through her. She wanted that power. The Kyuubi was the prize in this game.

Being a master chess player she understood that with such high stakes she had to be exceedingly patient and ready for all possible counter moves. She'd already had the opportunity to make him her lover. He was so innocent that seducing him would have been no challenge at all. She'd deliberately held off though, trading short term advantage for her long term goals.

The boy's heart was too unstable. He was conflicted between his natural desires and his sense of duty to his people.

In other words between what was monster in him and what was human.

If she moved too quickly there might be a backlash. He might end up resenting her and pulling away. What she needed was for him to come to her. He needed to choose her of his own free will. Once that happened she could start shaping him into a proper monster. For now what was required was patience as she chipped away at his beliefs and began to open his eyes to new possibilities. Patience she had in abundance. It didn't matter how many moves a game required, only that she take him with her last move.

As she neared him she had an open and friendly smile. "I hope you forgive me for being slightly tardy. I had a short meeting with a fellow instructor." Actually the gym teacher had tried to molest her. She had taken a few minutes to rip off his tentacles and feed them to him. "Shall we go?"

She'd expected his usual exuberant greeting. Instead he lifted his head and stared at her with blank empty eyes.

"Ria-sensei… please run."

"Run?" She asked curiously. "Are you wanting a bit of exercise today?"

Without a word he produced a pair of kunai from beneath his school jacket and charged at her.

She blinked in genuine surprise. "Am I that late?"

Naruto did not comment as he attacked her. He raced in close and slashed at her throat.

Ria bent back and ducked away. He came after her with his other hand slashing down, the blade only just missing her cheek and actually sheering off a lock of her hair.

He's serious, she realized with a start. Sealed as she was he would be a dangerous opponent. She leapt back and pulled off her rosario. Demonic energy swirled about her as she transformed back to her true self.

"Why are you attacking me Naruto?"

In answer he reared back and threw both kunai at her.

She avoided them with ease and they sank into a tree behind her. "I can dodge bullets. Please calm down and talk to me. Why are you doing this?"

He didn't seem angry. On the contrary he appeared to be unnaturally calm. That was definitely not normal; one would expect a bit more of a reaction when attacking not only a vampire but one's sensei.

He charged at her once more. This time though she was expecting it and was in her true form. as he swung at her she grabbed him by the wrist and easily tossed him up over her head. She watched as he crashed painfully into the side of a tree before hitting the ground.

He got back to his feet without a sound.

She could have easily torn him apart. Instead she stood her ground watching him as he began to slowly circle around her. She didn't understand what this was about. The last thing she wanted was to pointlessly kill him and lose out on the chance to control all that vast raw power.

"You don't want to do this Naruto." she kept turning so she was facing him as he circled. "You may be a great ninja but I've been training to fight since I could walk and I'm more than two centuries old." She frowned at him. "Why aren't you using your jutsus? Fighting me hand to hand is a losing proposition."

Without warning he charged in hoping to catch her off guard. He sent a bunch of punches at her head and body followed by a quick pair of kicks. These were expert attacks from a trained shinobi of the leaf village.

To a vampire's enhanced vision and reflexes they were obvious and moving in slow motion. The sharingan was as nothing compared to a vampire's eyes. she dodged and avoided his punches and kicks without even bothering to block them.

Along with advanced eyesight she also had her heightened sense of smell. As she stood there avoiding his rain of blows she picked up something foul coming from him. It was a putrid greasy smell that was tainting his natural scent. As she danced just beyond the limit of his fists and feet her eyes momentarily glanced in the direction of some thick nearby bushes.

"Now I think I understand," she said quietly. "Sorry about this Naruto, though I doubt you'll remember anyway."

As he was swinging at her once more she suddenly brought her leg up in a side kick and planted her foot in the side of his skull. He went down with a painful grunt. With the fight over she spared a moment to make sure he wasn't seriously hurt. Satisfied he was only unconscious she turned to the spot she had scanned at earlier.

"You may as well as come out now. I know you're there and that you're the one responsible for this. You have the same rancid scent as was on my student."

A blonde girl in a nurse's uniform popped up behind the bushes and came around them towards her. "Aw," she said. "This didn't work out at all like I planned. I really hoped he would be able to kill you."

"You obviously don't know what a vampire is," Ria said with a frown. "There's seems to be a lot of ignorance here even if it is a school."

The girl chided her shaking a finger. "Ah it's arrogance like that, that will be the end of you pure breeds."

In a flash her finger transformed into a hollow claw and shot out towards Ria's neck.

Ria seemed to vanish right before her eyes as the claw passed harmlessly through open space. In he same instant Mako doubled over as a fist of iron slammed into her stomach. she fell to the grass gasping and coughing up blood.

"It's only arrogance if you fail to back it up," Ria told her sweetly. "Know your place little monster." She reached down and grabbed her by her long hair forcing her to look up into her red eyes. "You are going to tell me everything you know, if you are very helpful I may chose to spare you and allow you to become my slave. If you try and hold anything back I will tear you into pieces, and so we are clear I mean that literally."

Mako did not doubt her for a second.

XXX

Tsukune was going over the plans for the final day of the cultural festival with the Student President when there was an unexpected knock at the meeting room door.

"Come in," Hokuto called out.

The door opened and Ria stepped in with her usual grace.

"Pardon the intrusion," she said kindly. "But might I have a word with you in private President? I have some things to discuss with you."

"Certainly sensei, I am at you service," he answered politely. "Please excuse me Tsukune."

"Uh sure," he said. Tsukune wondered what possible business Ria could have with him.