Super Shinobi X(Cross):

The Story #1

Disclaimer: Characters from Shinobi series and Sekirei series are the rightful property of their respective owners.

Note(Edited:04/30/13): So I've finally gotten a Beta Reader for this story, and my first time working with one in general. Regardless, the experience is quite fun. His name is Cassius Brutus, writer for the fanfic "Will You Listen To My Song?" in the Sekirei Section. It is well written and very popular, so definitely check it out. Chapters 1-4 of this story have gotten some minor edits.

Chapter 1

1256 A.D. Kyoto Japan

'This is the place...a strong energy permeates from further up...I must reach the Forgotten Temple.' The man thought to himself. Despite the rage of fury dancing within his mind and heart, his composure was calm, for anger was not the right emotion to have for it clouded judgment. The Oboro Clan of Ninja, based deep in the mountainous territories of Kyoto, Japan had been ambushed by a powerful force of Ninja. They bore an odd Z shaped crest upon their garments. Zeed was the name the man heard in passing of some of them. Why they had attacked? This man was here to find that reason. The words of his friend and teacher crossed his mind.

'Jirou, my friend, follow that source of light that shown from the sky over the tallest mountain. The Forgotten Temple is there if I remember correctly. I shall remain here and help defend and evacuate our citizens.' Had been spoken by the Shadow Master, whose name was no longer disclosed to any normal civilian or Ninja. Jirou Musashi, his sparring partner and friend, had fought to remove the threat from the buildings of their once peaceful village. As one of the closest people to the Shadow Master, Jirou was truly one of the most powerful Shinobi amongst the others.

'I pray my wife is safe...please, may the forces that be...let Naoko be safe.' He had fought to reach the stables, his wife having been there and equipping his stallion with battle armor. As he was garbed in his Shinobi Gear, he spared her a small embrace and both shared a nod in understanding. He had a duty to fulfill. She saw him off as he rode towards the great mountains, sparing a loving smile just prior to his departure. He fended himself from the enemy Ninja with his ninjatou before being able to safely make passage to be on his way. He bid his ride farewell before making his way up to the Forgotten Temple.

The enemy Ninja were easily able to identify the lone Shinobi, for he wore light yet strong padded clothing of white that covered most of his body. Upon his hood was a guilt gold protector on his forehead and a scarlet died face mask with vents on the surface for easy breathing. Light and wide banded metal guards were equipped to his right shoulder and both of his thighs, a tantou sheathed upon the left leg. Black and tight fitting cloth adorned his arms and legs from elbows and knees down to the tips of his fingers and toes, covered over by scarlet colored metal arm and leg bracers.

'Never protract the fight. The first blow is the last.' Shadow Master's words were ringing in his mind as sure as if they had been picked up by his ears, some about three hours prior to this point. He had been sparring with his old friend and both had indulged not only in physical combat but of words of wisdom. Jirou had been near twenty years his junior, but through great effort and work, he was able to become such close friends with the man who would be like his father figure and mentor. He readjusted the long red scarf about his neck, then unsheathed his ninjatou from it's saya which was attached to his back via a tough yet flexible leather armor that served also as a kind of baldric and possessed a golden crest in the form of a lion upon it where the shoulder strap met front to back to hold the saya in place. A leather belt that was the same color as the chest armor he wore had hidden compartments for his kunai and other small tools to have easy access, it's center contained the crest of the Oboro clan.

Jirou spun the ninjatou so that it was in the inverted grip he favored and began to make a steady run towards his destination, for he had a long ways to go and knew stealth was not his ally in this place for he was one against many yet knew well that he surpassed all these enemies thus far. Besides that, there was not much brush or any buildings to hide with so far out in this place.

"Die!" Jirou had heard the Ninja try and strike him down from the air, jumping from tall kite shaped gliders, but Jirou already knew well that the Ninja was on his way down to attempt ending the Shinobi's life. Jirou brought his blade behind him and defended the small tantou the Ninja tried to dig into his ribs from the side. Successfully parried, Jirou spun around and hacked the Ninja's head cleanly off, then the Shinobi was already on his way before the corpse could fully fall. Two more Ninja attacked him at once, and Jirou's blade flashed in a blur as he guarded their strikes before sending his ninjatou in a wide arc to sever both their heads off at nearly the same time. Another enemy, using a kusari chain swung the blade at Jirou suddenly in hopes of catching the Shinobi off guard.

"What...?" The rice hat wearing bandit could barely get out before Jirou cut him deftly through the shoulder to the hip to cut the man in half. Jirou crouched under a thrown shuriken by a Ninja further out, throwing one of his own that came out so quick the green clothed Ninja didn't even realize he had been pierced through the heart and toppled over. Jirou continued making his way through the once abandoned mountain path, killing his enemies without predjudice, letting them all meet the same fate.

A naginata wielding Samurai under Zeed command projected a fiery blast of ki energy to take out the bridge Jirou had been traversing. The Shinobi leaped high into the air to avoid the attack, sheathing his ninjatou in a fluid motion and grabbed onto the remaining rope that used to hold the wooden planks upon them. Jirou swung towards the other side, tailing the Samurai as he made his way up the hill and stand guard of inner path, which had once been a mining facility for precious ore by the Oboro clan. The Samurai laughed heartily as he did cruelly while he used his ki fire to try and bar Jirou's access. Jirou surprised the Samurai by absorbing the blast with his blade before zipping forwards and thrusting his Ninjatou through the enemy's throat, right in between the protective plates. Jirou kicked the Samurai off his sword and made his way towards the river path, which once had a bridge to cross.

'Strange...it has gotten very cold here, yet I'm still so far from the mountain top. I sense foul energy building there...I must put a halt to it!' Jirou wanted to growl in frustration, feeling the dark energy amongst the benevolent nature he cherished so deeply. A shoddy raft was still tied to the banks of the strong flowing river, and Jirou cut the rope with his blade. He cut down some Ninja that boarded from the banks along the river. A waterfall met the river, providing a natural defense for the mines. Old logs would fall from these parts, and Jirou used his acrobatic skills to leap from one log to another to make his way towards what remained of what had once been a safe entrance to the mines. Quite a bit of the Zeed menace had also made way to this area.

'Damn these bastards...have they also reached the Forgotten Temple? Could they have been the reason for that source of light shining at the Mountain Base?' Tougher enemies may have met him, but they were not enough to harm the Shinobi and he shed their blood freely with both blade and kunai of his own. He had crossed a large portion of the waterfalls on his way up further into the mountains. Felling another Samurai barring his path, Jirou was rather surprised to see ice formed upon the dirt ground within the large cavern he entered. Even icicles formed upon the ceilings.

"How...?" Jirou was not usually one to lose his composure as a quiet figure, but this ice and cold he felt was encroaching somehow, for there was no way it could have built this much so soon. Something was definitely wrong, and it would be up to him to right them. All the other Shinobi, as far as he knew, were with the Shadow Master protecting their humble village. The mighty Shinobi made his way up the winding cavern trail, his mind keeping the cold at bay of seeping into his bones.

When he emerged out to the small clearing that led to the path towards the Forgotten Temple, he could only stare at awe as the snow wildly whipped about. He met further opposition, but not much as he ascended upon patches of snow covered rocks that crumbled under his weight, forcing him to leap to sturdier surfaces. Ninja tried to get the jump on him as he ascended by striking out at him as he rose up on the ledges, but to no avail. Jirou's mind was too well attuned to these Ninja's dark auras. He killed them without mercy, letting their carcasses fall into the snow. Finally he made his way towards a sheer cliff face, the remains of a once impressive wooden stair case reduced to rubble thanks to the ware of time. Jirou's eyes, a cool steel bluish grey in color, narrowed as he caught sight of standing corpses of some of his Zeed enemies, frozen completely solid. Upon their visages was mainly a look of euphoria, as if they had gazed at something rather pleasant before death took hold of them.

'Nothing I can see stirred the ground except for the enemies themselves. What could have done this...!' It was as if they had allowed themselves willingly to die here by freezing. Jirou felt the pulse of foul energy strongest atop the cliff where the Forgotten Temple stood, a part of its wide roof peaking out from Jirou's vantage point. His senses were on high alert as he scaled the cliff face and made his way up to the top. More standing and frozen corpses greeted the Shinobi.

"There is no use hiding, foul creature. Reveal yourself, for I will not fall prey to your tricks!" Jirou snarled under his mask, wanting to meet and slay this dark being. The biting winds gathered densely together, from the snow emerging a feminine figure whose skin seemed of fragile porcelain and ebony hair accented with fine golden pins and combs. Her kimono was as white as snow, designed to show the woman's generous bust, of which she flaunted with a teasing sneer at Jirou's direction. The Shinobi was not moved by her seductive assets or the demure pout of her lips, painted in a greyish blue hue. The irises and pupils of her eyes were barely visible. Her hands stayed within the wide sleeves of her kimono.

"So you did this...Yuki Onna." There was a tone of finality in his voice, his battle stance rising to a calm poise as he held the ninjatou behind him, the blade aimed skyward as it remained parallel with his equipped arm. He knew of the legendary creatures only through myth, and while quite a few held truth in them, many more were just folklore at best.

"That symbol upon your belt...that is the crest of the Oboro clan is it not? Well met, sweet Human, you seem to possess an amazing strength. Therefore you must be one of the better trained Shinobi of your ilk. The smell of you...you know of a woman's warmth, but tell me, can your female mate match me in beauty?" The Yuki Onna gave a light chuckle, her sleeve rising to cover her mouth in a demure gesture. Jirou scoffed.

"There is more than skin deep beauty that exists in the love between man and woman. Seeing what you've done to these other men, I will have no part in your seductive and destruction filled nature nor have I for a second indulged the thought even for but a moment. I will put an end to your life, but first tell me, the light that shined here that was visible from the village, was it your doing?" Jirou's grip upon the hilt of his ninjatou tightened ever so slightly. The Yuki Onna smirked.

"All I know of that light was that it set me free of those accursed bindings. Who caused it I could care little to know for I have my freedom. It is a shame that you remain loyal to your woman, but that is all well and good, for it will make it all the more pleasurable when you are caressed in my cold embrace, sweet Human. Meet the fate of all these foolish mortals who came here believing they could harness my power." The Yuki Onna's once light features became neutral as she began to make her way closer to him. Jirou eased into his battle stance once more.

'I suppose I will get to report to my village if a Yuki Onna bleeds crimson like any mortal being.' Jirou thought for a moment, his eyes narrowing. He hadn't let his guard down for even a second despite what any outward appearances shown. He would kill this monster. Of this he had no doubt, only complete conviction. The two combatants strafed about one another, Jirou leaving signs of disturbing the snow while the Yuki Onna did not, appearing to glide over it. It proved the myth that a Yuki Onna could move through snow without disturbing it. Sensing the frigid aura around her, he decided to test what effects it might have and swung out with his free arm, sending two kunai at her person one after the other. The aura was so powerful that the projectiles froze and shattered against her skin like glass, leaving no injury. Jirou could understand why the Ninja of Zeed could not gain much control of the Yuki Onna. She laughed at his display.

"You might as well come in close and try your blade." She taunted. Jirou indulged her with caution, for he was very sure that she did something similar to get the enemy Ninja frozen. She blew a kiss towards him, a blast of cold air blowing in a decently wide radius. Jirou jumped out of the way, sensing her aura dissipate as she discharged her cold based protective powers to offense. Landing behind her, he cut into her back with his ninjatou twice, causing her to jerk and growl in pain and surprise as she was sent spinning to face him, while he fired off a kunai to embed into her left shoulder and throw her balance further off. Before she could gain her balance on her own, he whipped out his grappling chain from within the confines of belt, as it was kept near the back so as to not interfere with his container of kunai. The chain wound about her waist as he tugged her bodily towards him, his blade passing by as he left a wide gash upon her back.

She twisted and freed herself from his chain as he flicked his wrist to coil the chain back and place it back in his belt where it was holstered under. She seethed at him as he turned to face her. She disappeared in shards of diamond like dust. Even though she transported herself behind him in nearly the blink of an eye, his aura sensing capabilities allowed him to telegraph her location feeling her shoot ice kunai at him in rapid succession. Jirou smacked two of them to the ground before using impressive speed to close the distance in a flash, bypassing the rest of the ice kunai and cutting into her arms viciously with his sword.

'She's more durable than a typical Human, that much holds true.' He thought, knowing that while the attack hurt her quite severely, her arms were sparred of being cut completely off. The blood running from her wounds were moist and red, but began to freeze solid. She bared her teeth at him in a vicious snarl.

"Curse you, Oboro scum! I will freeze you solid yet!" Her eyes were narrowed into slits and gritted her teeth. Jirou could feel her amassing power within her body. He held his blade up in a defensive manner in front of himself, the flat of the blade parallel with the ground. He rushed her at that moment, sure she was going to try and unleash a powerful attack, which she did. A blast of frigid air left her outstretched arm, it's radius very wide, but Jirou was already well aware of such a tactic and took to the air with a massive leap as the ground exploded in a cloud of snow and ice.

"Now then...what?! NO!" She thought she had struck him, but his speed had allowed him to bypass her own senses as he took to the air, covered by the explosion she set off. She caught sight of him descending upon her far too late to be able to defend herself in time. His blade cut cleanly through her delicate neck, so fine that her head did not fall and roll, remaining upon her body even as it descended into the snow. Jirou's blade was still aimed skyward from his killing blow, the cut having not left a stain of blood from how fast it came through her neck.

'Little one...it must have been an exhausting journey.' Jirou thought to himself as he caught a small flicker of light not far from his still extended weapon. The firefly was attuned to the calm peaceful soul that Jirou possessed. He loved nature dearly, and respected it and all the creatures borne to existence. He knew he had to end the wicked but he would pray that they would repent and find peace in the afterlife. He would bury the Yuki Onna and her victims and pray for them, just as he would the victims he himself claimed. He could judge no further the fate of a being walking the afterlife road, only that they learn to repent of their evil deeds in life. Jirou knew that he too would have to tread such a fate when his time came. But until that time came, he would live his life on the most righteous path he knew. The firefly seemed to sense something amiss, just slightly before Jirou, and it looked towards the far off direction where the Oboro village was situated. Jirou also looked, before a great light descended upon his village, causing a massive quake that rocked all the way to up in his location high in the mountains. The explosion that followed was tremendous, a scale of which Jirou could never fathom, just barely able to as he witnessed it with his own two eyes.

"NO! My mentor and friend...my fellow comrades...my beloved wife...Naoko...NAOKO!" Fury and sadness roiled into one conglomerate within him. He had little time to think of the fate of his people however, realizing the explosion was spreading further out to where he was. There was only one thing he could think of to save himself, and that was the use of the ancient Oboro clan Ninjutsu abilities. While not as numerous as that of other Shinobi clans, the Oboro were known for their amazingly powerful yet refined skill in the art of casting Ninjutsu. Tendrils of golden light swirled about Jirou as if like ribbons of light as they twisted about his form. He formed the protective electrical barrier of immense defensive properties, the Ikazuchi spell. Jirou could not be sure if it would really protect him from the blast in it's entirety, but there was little he could do now, the light so blinding that he closed his eyes and covered his face to try and keep the light at bay, for it was as if he was on the sun itself and could not look elsewhere. He gritted his teeth, not willing himself to scream, for there would be no terror to cloud his mind. He would not allow it. When he fell unconscious, however, he could not be sure. Time seemed to lose all meaning to him.

2020 A.D. Shintou Teitou, Japan

'The future is unknown. The past is done. There is only Now.' Shadow Master's words sounded in his head. Jirou groaned, not able to dispel the darkness from his mind just yet. He could feel several presences, so many that it was stifling. He tried to calm his inner nerves of all the presences he felt and was able to silence most of them. Still, he could feel those with ill intent seeming to swarm around him. One tiny gentle aura shined through in his mind's eye. He felt the small flicker upon the side of his hood. The firefly. It buzzed, knowing of the approaching danger. Jirou's eyes snapped open to full wakefulness as he saw black hands reaching towards him. His ninjatou was still clenched in his fist and he was glad for it, swinging the weapon in a wide arc. Screams of pained men filled the air, their arms hacked away in that single stroke. Jirou ended their suffering by taking their lives. Jirou barely heard the command given by the crowd of black dressed men, pointing strange things of black metal towards him.

"Fire!" The order given alerted Jirou that something long range was about to be used against his person. Had his senses not been so well attuned at the moment due to the danger he faced, he might have stared in dumb awe of the rapid fire capabilities of these men's guns. Jirou's reflexes were so fast however, that he was able to deflect the bullets away from his person, sending them back to the very users.

Jirou was not familiar in the slightest with firearms for there would be nothing remotely similar to compare the weapons to for he lived in a time when muskets had yet to come into true being, thus the way of the sword reigned supreme in his time, though currently he was unaware of where, or rather, when he was. The men howled in pain and fury. Jirou would put them out of their misery, but more of the strange armored men bared their long range weapons. Jirou wasn't sure how long he could hold off these individuals while he was still shaking off the fatigue of the strange explosion that brought him here. He felt another wave of men rushing up to this strange location that was very tall. Jirou expertly threw his kunai at them as a distraction before running over the ledge of the strange place he was around.

'This is...a mountain?' Jirou could only stare in awe of the strange sights he was bearing witness to. He landed upon a vertical ledge, seeing his reflection in large windows but not knowing the names for them and seeing strangely garbed men and woman gazing at him with some strange wonder. As a Shinobi, he was far from being afraid of the impressive height and lack of actual ground to bypass on this strange mountain he would later come to know was a skyscraper. Using athleticism and acrobatics, Jirou made his way down towards ground level, but could only gawk at the strange natives of this world. Few and far between did he see people dressed in anything he found recognizable. Usually it was an elderly lady who would wear a kimono, and that was about it. While older folks wore more conservative wear, the youth had strange styles of which Jirou could barely fathom. Strange colored and spiky hair on most young male teenagers, and some girls wearing so little, Jirou could only wonder why their parents didn't give a constructive criticism to wear the appropriate amount of clothes and not show so much skin.

Deciding he wasn't ready to even attempt to figure out what was going on with these strange people on their strange ground, Jirou took hold of his grappling chain and used it to cover much space between the tall and strange shaped mountains he was in contact with.

'Are those...wagons? But...they possess no horses! How is it they move?' He spied darker pieces of land where strange sounding beasts owned the territory, or so he had thought until he saw people come and go within their metal bodies. They also possessed strange colored wheels Jirou was unfamiliar with as well. He noticed that some mountains were not as tall as others and possessed bizarre signs flashing on their surfaces. He could make out what they said but could not understand the meanings such things as "Take Out" or "To Go" or "Value Pack" just to name a few.

"This place...what sort of horrid place is this? It's so loud and noisy...so devoid of any kind of nature, and no animals...just so many scores and scores of oddly dressed people. That explosion...my Ninjutsu protected me...but how did I end up here?" Jirou could only mutter softly to himself. He also felt aggravated, his gaze taking to the blue sky where only a few wisps of clouds passed by over the strange mountains. He felt as if something was watching him and he could not escape it's gaze, adding to his frustration. He was Shinobi, those who could disappear at will, yet there was something that seemed to be following him from up there beyond the clouds and he could not fathom why the cruel feeling took hold. A light flickered before him, the firefly seemed to have followed him, now beckoning him to follow it. Giving a sigh out of frustration for he did not understand where it was he ended up, for now, he would follow his only friend. The firefly that survived the strange explosion and met him in this place.

Elsewhere at the tallest structure of Shintou Teitou did a woman observe the footage from the comfort of her office. Her silver hair was cut short and her face was drawn with a scowl most of the time, but right now she frowned. Upon her lithe frame she wore a lab coat with the name tag of Sahashi, Takami.

'Who the hell was that guy? He looked like a Ninja from a terrible anime...but his reflexes...holy shit!' She kept using a remote to rewind and play the Ninja in action. It had been from the visor cam of the captain she sent out to investigate the strange streak of fire that arose from the coming dawn sky. The tiny meteor had appeared out of no where and landed about two skyscrapers shy of MBI Tower, the said tallest structure in what had once been the city of Tokyo.

"I've only ever seen a Sekirei fight off Humans without being scathed. But I don't recognize him at all. The only discernible marking I see on him is that strange symbol on his breastplate and belt. Guess I should try and see what info I can drag out from that..." Takami muttered. Her cellphone started vibrating in the pocket of her lab coat. When she pulled it out to check and see who was calling her, the name on it read Sahashi, Minato.

"Well, if it ain't that darling son of mine. He had the exams today didn't he?" She said after a moment of thought as to why he would call her so early in the day. She flipped the cell phone open so she could talk with her son, Minato.

To Be Continued...