Story 1 Martial Glory Chapter 6 Commissioned by Lostmonk

The Superman, Japan's human youkai, the immortal undefeated warrior...Hayato Fūrinji had many names, basically all of them merely an understatement as he was a man who could sprint across the ocean for miles and could literally survive a nuke with his 'human' body.

To say nothing of him being a ninety-something-year-old man with sunny blond long hair and a matching long blond beard with not a single grey hair in sight... And for a ninety-plus-year-old man, he looked to be barely in his thirties with how muscular he was at over two meters in height. "Elder, we came to introduce a new perspective disciple of Ryōzanpaku," Kensei spoke as he and I entered the tatami mat room that was likely a training and meditation room of how rustic designed it was.

Hayato opened his eyes and he eyed me with a small smile coming to his lips as one of his hands came up to his large beard and he began running his hands through his beard as he spoke in his typical jolly tone of voice. "Oh, a new prospective disciple? And you are leading him around and will be taking him under your wing Kensei?" Hayato questioned cheerfully and Kensei shrugged in response before he continued.

"Yeah... I will likely be helping him with Koetsuji doing some body refinement as he already somehow has an interesting martial art style passed down by a mystery grandmaster that he knows." Kensei said and then went on to explain about my mystery master Bang obviously Hayato didn't know of Bang so eventually Hayato focused on me again.

"So young man... Tell me, why do you want to learn martial arts?" He asked eagerly as he could tell something was off about me and probably wanted a clue to what kind of person I was.

And honestly, his question kinda stumped me. Granted this was a modern world and thus there wasn't much if any magic though Dead or Alive had demons and youkai of some kind if I recalled correctly... But either way, why did I want to be a battle-addicted hobo running around fighting people?

Then it hit me and I smiled as I answered the greatest living martial artist. "I want superhuman strength so that I can walk unimpeded. I want to swim up a waterfall, I want to punch a tunnel through a mountain... I just want to be more than what I am and what humanity thinks its limit is." I said with finality in my voice and Hayato's hand that was brushing through his beard paused.

Then he burst into loud barking laughter that made my chest vibrate at the force of his laughter. Like his laughter had the same bass force as fireworks or standing in front of a large concert speaker that shook my frame with the sound wave before he got control over his laughter. "Hahahaha... Ah, child, that's actually the first I heard that answer." He said with a mirth-filled smile as he continued.

"Everyone always says they want to learn martial arts to defend themselves or even a loved one... Or even to get revenge." He finished with his face darkening but he shook his head and continued. "But you just want to become superhuman just to become superhuman and defeat nature's limits on humanity." Hayato finished before clapping his hands surprisingly softly as he looked back to Kensei and spoke.

"Very well, he has my blessing to take a room in the main house. Just make sure he is made aware of the ladies' wing of the building and the rules." He finished before closing his eyes and waving at us to get out of his hair obviously.

So Kensei and I left the room with Kensei looking up at me past his hat and grinning as he patted me on the shoulder as he spoke. "Alrighty, well let's get you situated as dinner is likely going to be soon hehe!" Kensei said excitedly and then he took me to the large Japanese-style house that apparently the girls and Hayato Furunji lived at with the other male grandmasters having their own cabins in which they lived on the property with their equipment or in Koetsuji's case.

His own medical practice which made up the bulk of Ryōzanpaku's funds when the Grandmasters didn't go out and rob a cartel or underground fighting arena.

"So... Jake, you see that hallway." Kensei pointed out and I saw the long hallway with several doors that had decorations on the doors and handles to distinguish the plain wooden doors. "That is the girl's quarters." Kensei's hand grabbed my arm as he spoke seriously with dire warning in his voice. "Even should you need to get their attention, even should the house be burning down... Never enter the hallway or they will kill you for being a pervert that had infringed upon their territory to steal their panties or something!" Kensei all but shouted and in response, a wooden ceiling tile fell from the roof and hit his hat-covered head with a dull thud.

And looking through the small hole where the wooden panel fell was Shigure eyeing Kensei with disdain as she spoke softly. "Don't be a pervert Jake. And we won't hurt you if you need our attention, but if we see Kensei..." Shigure's slitted eyes sharpened and Kensei shuddered as the ninja woman held up a senbon needle as she hissed. "The ladies of Ryōzanpaku have come to the conclusion that Kensei is a goblin who is on thin ice." She finished before her head pulled back and a new wooden panel was used to replace the hole in the ceiling making me blink.

After that dire little warning, Kensei showed me to my room and then told me to relax for a bit while he went to speak with the others about my arrival and that I was welcome to join for dinner as the disciples in Miu, Maria, Honoka, and Kasumi typically shared dinner as we were all around the same age.