-Dawn at Shinshinkai-
The Shinshinkai dojo stood in quiet dignity in Tokyo's Nerima district, a traditional wooden structure that seemed out of place among the modern buildings surrounding it. Dawn had barely broken when Reina arrived, the sky still painted in shades of purple and orange.
She stood before the entrance, feeling the weight of history emanating from the building. This was where Doppo Orochi—the God of War, the Tiger Slayer, the Man Eater—had built his empire of karate. Hundreds of students trained here, and thousands more across Japan practiced Shinshinkai style.
The dojo's entrance was already open. Someone was expecting her.
Reina removed her shoes and stepped inside, her bare feet silent on the polished wooden floor. The main training hall was massive, with high ceilings supported by dark wooden beams. Morning light filtered through traditional paper screens, casting long shadows across the empty space.
Except it wasn't empty.
In the center of the dojo, Doppo Orochi knelt in seiza position, eyes closed in meditation. The God of War was a imposing figure even at rest—barrel-chested, powerfully built, with grey hair tied back in a small ponytail. His most distinctive feature was immediately visible: the empty socket where his right eye had once been, courtesy of Yujiro Hanma ten years ago. A reminder of what happened when you challenged the Ogre.
He wore a simple white gi with a black belt, and despite his stillness, Reina could sense the coiled power within him. This was a man who had practiced each of his karate techniques at least one thousand times daily for fifty years. A 10th dan grandmaster who had killed a tiger with his bare hands, uprooted trees with his fists, and stood toe-to-toe with the strongest creature on Earth.
"Reina Hanma," Doppo's voice rumbled through the empty dojo, though he hadn't opened his eye or moved. "You're early. Good. Punctuality shows respect."
"Master Orochi," Reina replied, bowing formally despite him not looking at her. "Thank you for inviting me."
"I didn't invite you. I summoned you." Doppo finally opened his single eye, fixing it on her with laser intensity. "There's a difference. An invitation implies choice. A summons is a command."
Reina felt her Hanma pride bristle slightly but kept her expression neutral. "Then I'm honored you commanded my presence."
"Flattery." Doppo rose to his feet in one fluid motion, and Reina was struck again by his presence. He stood at maybe 5'10", but seemed much larger—a lifetime of training had compressed tremendous power into his frame. "I don't need it, and you shouldn't give it. We're both warriors. Let's speak plainly."
"Agreed." Reina matched his directness. "Why did you summon me?"
"Because you confuse me." Doppo began walking in a slow circle around her, his single eye never leaving her form. "I've spent fifty years studying martial arts. I've fought hundreds of opponents. I've killed men with my bare hands. I understand fighters—their techniques, their motivations, their limits."
He stopped directly in front of her.
"But you? You're an anomaly. A female Hanma—something that shouldn't exist. You demonstrate Hokuto Shinken—a fictional style that shouldn't be real. You use techniques from Renewal Taekwondo—another impossibility. And beneath it all, I sense power that hasn't fully awakened yet." His expression grew intense. "So I'll ask you directly: What are you, Reina Hanma?"
Reina held his gaze, considering her answer. She couldn't tell him the full truth—that she was a reincarnator given powers by a ROB. But she could give him part of it.
"I'm a warrior trying to find her place in a world that wasn't prepared for her existence," she said finally. "I'm the daughter of the Ogre, but I'm also my own person. I have techniques and abilities that seem impossible because I've had teachers and experiences that this world doesn't understand."
"Deliberately vague," Doppo observed. "But honest in its vagueness. Very well. I won't press for secrets you're not ready to share." He moved to the center of the dojo. "But I can assess what you've shown so far. Your Hokuto Shinken is impressive—the precision strike you used on Katou was flawless. But it's also incomplete."
"Incomplete?"
"You have the knowledge, but not the experience. It's like someone handed you a blueprint for a technique without showing you the thousand small adjustments needed to perfect it." Doppo's eye narrowed. "You're executing from memory rather than instinct. That works on weaker opponents, but against someone like me—or Baki, or Yujiro—it will get you killed."
Reina felt a flash of frustration. He was right. Despite having the complete knowledge of Hokuto Shinken sealed in her mind, she'd never truly mastered it. She could perform the techniques, but she lacked the experiential wisdom that came from years of actual practice.
"Can you help me?" she asked directly.
Doppo smiled—a rare, genuine expression. "That's why I summoned you. You have raw talent that rivals even Baki's. You have power that could one day match the Ogre's. But you lack refinement. Polish. The kind of understanding that only comes from facing a true master."
He gestured for her to approach the center of the dojo.
"I'm going to teach you the fundamental principle of Shinshinkai Karate. Not the techniques—you already know plenty of those. But the philosophy. The mindset that transforms technique into true martial art."
Reina moved to stand before him, her heart rate increasing with anticipation.
"Shinshinkai is based on one core principle," Doppo said, his voice taking on the quality of a teacher who has explained this concept a thousand times but still treats it with reverence. "Full contact. Full commitment. Full consequence."
He demonstrated by moving into a basic karate stance—nothing fancy, just perfect fundamental positioning.
"Every strike I throw, I throw to kill. Every block I perform, I perform as if my life depends on it. Every movement has weight, has consequence, has meaning." His single eye blazed with intensity. "There is no such thing as 'practice' or 'holding back' in true combat. You are either committed to destroying your opponent, or you have already lost."
"But what about sparring?" Reina asked. "Training partners?"
"Even then, the intent must be real. The killing spirit must be present, even if the execution is controlled." Doppo lowered his stance. "That's what I sensed was missing in your techniques. You perform them correctly, but there's hesitation. A gap between knowledge and application. You're not yet willing to fully commit to the consequences of your power."
He was right. In both her lives, Reina had never truly killed intentionally. The thugs who attacked her grandmother had been accidents—she hadn't meant to kill them, it just happened. Even her fights in the arena, she'd held back, conscious of not wanting to accidentally murder someone.
"I've killed," Reina admitted quietly. "But never intentionally. Never with full commitment."
"And that's your weakness." Doppo's voice was firm but not unkind. "Yujiro has no such hesitation. When he strikes, he fully intends to kill. That's part of what makes him the Ogre. Baki is learning this lesson slowly. But you? You're still holding onto mercy you can't afford."
"So what do you propose?"
Doppo's smile turned predatory. "We spar. Right now. And I won't hold back. I'll come at you with full killing intent. And you'll have to respond in kind—or you'll die."
Reina felt her blood run cold, then hot. Her Hanma instincts roared to life, the Demon Back beginning to stir beneath her skin.
"You're serious."
"Deadly serious." Doppo moved into a fighting stance, and the atmosphere in the dojo changed. The air grew heavy, oppressive. She could feel his killing intent rolling off him in waves—fifty years of accumulated battle experience, condensed into pure murderous focus.
This was Doppo Orochi. The God of War. The man who had killed a tiger with his bare hands, who had stood against Yujiro Hanma and survived.
And he was about to try to kill her.
"One rule," Doppo said, his voice now completely devoid of warmth. "You cannot use Hokuto Shinken's lethal pressure points. Everything else is permitted. If you hold back, I will hurt you. Badly. Understood?"
Reina felt her Absolute Reflexes kicking into overdrive, her perception sharpening. "Understood."
"Good." Doppo's single eye glowed with battle lust. "Begin!"
-Lesson in Violence-
Doppo moved.
For a man in his fifties, his speed was incredible. He closed the distance between them in a heartbeat, his right fist launched in a perfect Shinshinkai straight punch—the same basic technique that Katou had used, but refined by decades of practice into something terrifyingly efficient.
Reina's Absolute Reflexes saved her. She saw the punch coming, analyzed its trajectory, and moved her head just enough to let it whistle past her cheek.
The wind pressure from the punch alone was enough to make her hair whip back.
He wasn't kidding about killing intent!
She countered with a Renewal Taekwondo roundhouse kick aimed at Doppo's ribs, putting her full strength behind it.
Doppo caught her leg.
Not blocked—caught. His left hand snapped out and grabbed her ankle mid-kick, his grip like iron.
"Predictable," he said calmly. Then he twisted.
Pain exploded through Reina's ankle as Doppo wrenched it at an angle that should have dislocated it. Only her Hanma body's supernatural durability prevented serious injury. She used the momentum of his twist to spin, bringing her other leg around in a desperate back kick.
Doppo released her and stepped back, letting the kick miss by inches.
"Better. Using my own force against me. But you're still reacting instead of acting." He moved forward again, this time with a rapid combination—jab, cross, uppercut, all flowing together with machine-like precision.
Reina's reflexes went into overdrive. She weaved through the first two punches, her body moving with preternatural grace. But the uppercut caught her—not directly, but a glancing blow that still felt like being hit with a sledgehammer.
She stumbled back, tasting blood.
"Your reflexes are extraordinary," Doppo observed, not even breathing hard. "You can see my attacks coming. But that's also your weakness. You're relying too heavily on your gift. You're not reading my intent, my body language, my rhythm. You're just reacting to visual stimulus."
He demonstrated by feinting a high kick. Reina's reflexes tracked it, prepared to dodge—but at the last moment, Doppo dropped low and swept her legs out from under her.
She hit the wooden floor hard, the impact driving the air from her lungs.
Before she could recover, Doppo was on top of her, his knee on her chest, his fist raised for a killing blow.
"Dead," he said simply, then pulled back and helped her up.
Reina gasped for air, her chest aching where his knee had compressed it. "How? I saw everything you did!"
"You saw the physical movements, but you didn't see the intent." Doppo moved back to his starting position. "A true master doesn't just move their body—they move their will. I made you believe I was going high because that's where my intent was focused, even though my body was preparing to go low. Your reflexes can't defend against that kind of deception."
Reina wiped blood from her lip, her mind racing. He was right. Her Absolute Reflexes let her see attacks coming, but only the physical manifestation. She couldn't read the deeper layer of intent that experienced fighters used to disguise their true objectives.
"Again," she said, moving back into her stance.
Doppo's smile returned. "Now you're learning. Again."
They clashed once more. This time, Reina tried to focus not just on Doppo's movements but on the subtle shifts in his weight, the micro-expressions on his face, the direction of his gaze. She was trying to see beyond the physical into the realm of intent.
It helped, but not enough.
Doppo caught her with a devastating body hook that lifted her off her feet. She crashed into the wall, cracks spreading through the wood from the impact.
"You're thinking too much," Doppo called out. "Intent isn't something you see—it's something you feel. Stop relying on your eyes. Feel the fight."
Reina pushed herself up, ignoring the pain radiating through her ribs. Her Hanma healing was already working, but Doppo wasn't giving her time to fully recover.
He came at her again, and this time Reina did something different. She closed her eyes.
Without visual input, her other senses sharpened. She could hear Doppo's footsteps, feel the displacement of air as he moved, sense the killing intent rolling off him like heat.
His punch came from the left—she felt it rather than saw it. She swayed right, feeling the wind of his fist passing by her face.
His follow-up came from below—a rising elbow aimed at her chin. She leaned back, the strike missing by a hair.
Then she countered, her fist finding Doppo's solar plexus with a sharp strike.
It connected.
Doppo grunted—the first sound of actual impact she'd managed to land on him. He stepped back, and when Reina opened her eyes, she saw something that might have been approval in his expression.
"Much better. You're starting to understand. Your reflexes are a tool, not a crutch. Combined with true perception—with feeling the battle—you become far more dangerous."
Reina was breathing hard now, sweat soaking through her training clothes. But she felt energized, alive. "Let's keep going."
"Oh, we're just getting started." Doppo cracked his knuckles, and Reina saw his back muscles begin to swell. Not a full Demon Back—he didn't have the Hanma blood—but something similar. Years of training had developed his back to the point where it could flex into something almost demonic.
"Now I'll show you real Shinshinkai."
What followed was the most intense training session of Reina's life. Doppo pushed her beyond her limits, forcing her to defend against attacks that blurred the line between sparring and actual attempted murder. He struck her ribs, her legs, her arms—never her face, but everywhere else was fair game.
And slowly, painfully, Reina began to adapt.
Her Absolute Reflexes combined with her growing sense of intent perception created something new. She wasn't just seeing attacks coming—she was predicting them, feeling them before they manifested. Her counters became sharper, more precise.
She landed more hits on Doppo, forcing him to actually defend rather than just counter-attack.
After what felt like hours but was probably only thirty minutes, Doppo finally called a halt.
Both fighters stood in the center of the dojo, breathing hard. Reina was covered in bruises and sweat, her training clothes torn in several places. Doppo looked barely winded, but she'd managed to land enough solid hits that even he seemed satisfied.
"Enough," Doppo said, his voice carrying approval. "You've learned the lesson. Your gifts are extraordinary, but they work best when combined with fundamental skills and battle experience. Never forget that."
Reina bowed deeply, ignoring the pain the motion caused. "Thank you, Master Orochi. This has been..."
"Brutal? Painful? Enlightening?" Doppo smiled.
"All three." Reina straightened. "I understand now what you meant about commitment. About consequence. I was treating my techniques like tools I could put down at any time. But real martial arts isn't about tools—it's about becoming the weapon yourself."
"Precisely." Doppo walked to the edge of the dojo where bottles of water waited. He tossed one to Reina, who caught it gratefully. "You have the potential to surpass even Baki, perhaps even challenge Yujiro one day. But only if you truly commit. Only if you're willing to face the consequences of your power."
He took a long drink, then continued, "Your Hokuto Shinken is impressive, but it needs refinement. Your Renewal Taekwondo is powerful, but lacks the polish that comes from real combat experience. And your Hanma abilities—the Demon Back, the overwhelming presence—you're still holding them back, afraid of what you might become if you let them fully awaken."
"I promised my grandmother I wouldn't become like him," Reina admitted quietly. "Like Yujiro. A monster who cares for nothing but strength."
Doppo's expression softened slightly. "Strength doesn't require cruelty. Power doesn't demand evil. Yujiro is a monster because he chooses to be, not because his strength forced him to become one." He placed a weathered hand on her shoulder. "You can be strong—stronger than anyone—without losing your humanity. That's the true challenge. Not becoming powerful, but staying yourself while wielding that power."
Reina felt something tight in her chest loosen. She'd been so afraid of the Hanma blood, of what it might turn her into, that she'd been unconsciously limiting herself.
"I think I understand."
"Good." Doppo removed his hand and stepped back. "Now, let's address your other problem."
"Other problem?"
"Your beauty." Doppo's single eye studied her clinically. "It's both an advantage and a weakness. It distracts opponents, but it also makes you memorable. Yujiro will eventually hear about you—probably sooner than you'd like. And when he does, he'll come looking for you."
Reina's heart rate increased. "How long do you think I have?"
"Weeks. Maybe a month if you're lucky." Doppo's expression grew grave. "The underground talks. Word of a female Hanma—a beautiful, powerful fighter who demonstrated impossible techniques—that's not something that stays secret. Yujiro has informants everywhere. He'll hear about you, and when he does..."
"He'll want to test me."
"Or kill you." Doppo's bluntness was jarring. "Yujiro doesn't think like normal people. A daughter—especially one he didn't know existed—might intrigue him. Or it might enrage him. Or he might see you as a threat to be eliminated before you grow strong enough to challenge him. There's no way to predict."
"Then I need to get stronger. Fast."
"Yes. Which is why you should train here, at Shinshinkai, whenever you can. I'll personally work with you, help you refine your techniques. Katsumi can spar with you—he's young, but he's one of the most talented karatekas in Japan. Even our regular students can help you build real combat experience."
Reina was about to respond when the dojo's entrance slid open. Katsumi Orochi entered, followed by a dozen students in white gis. They all stopped, staring at the scene—the damaged wall, the cracked floor, the sweat and blood.
"Father," Katsumi said slowly, "what happened here?"
"Training," Doppo replied simply. "Katsumi, come here. I want you to meet your new training partner."
Katsumi approached, his eyes never leaving Reina. Up close, she could see the curiosity and competitive spirit in his expression. He was twenty years old, incredibly talented, and driven to surpass even his adoptive father.
"Reina Hanma," Katsumi said, extending his hand. "Father told me you'd be training with us. I look forward to testing myself against you."
Reina shook his hand, noting the controlled strength. "Likewise, Katsumi. Though I should warn you—I don't hold back."
"Neither do I." His smile was pure competitive fire. "Let's see which of us is truly the next generation's hope."
-The Ogre Heard-
While Reina was beginning her training at the Shinshinkai dojo, hundreds of miles away in a luxury hotel in Hokkaido, Yujiro Hanma sat in a hot spring, completely relaxed.
The Ogre was an imposing figure even at rest. At 6'3" and 265 pounds of pure muscle, he dominated any space he occupied. His body was a masterpiece of power—every muscle fiber visible beneath his skin, his back carrying the signature Demon Face that marked the Hanma bloodline. His long red hair flowed down his back, and his face, while handsome in a brutal way, carried the absolute confidence of the world's strongest creature.
He was reading a newspaper when his phone rang. Few people had this number. Fewer still would dare to call him.
"Speak," Yujiro's voice was deep, commanding—the voice of someone used to absolute obedience.
"Mr. Hanma." The voice on the other end was nervous, rushed. One of Yujiro's many informants in Tokyo's underground. "There's been a development. Something... unusual."
"I don't pay you to waste my time with vague descriptions."
"A new fighter has appeared at Tokugawa's arena. A woman. She claims to be..." The informant hesitated, clearly afraid of the reaction. "She claims to be your daughter."
Silence.
The temperature around Yujiro seemed to drop. His red eyes, usually carrying amused boredom, sharpened into laser focus.
"My daughter," he repeated slowly, each word carefully enunciated.
"Yes, sir. She calls herself Reina Hanma. She demonstrated the Demon Back. Showed impossible techniques. Defeated multiple opponents with minimal effort. And sir—" The informant's voice shook. "She has your eyes. Your presence. Everyone who's seen her agrees. She's Hanma."
Yujiro stood, water cascading off his muscular frame. His mind was racing through possibilities. He'd fathered many children—Baki and Jack were the only ones he acknowledged because they were the only ones strong enough to be worth his attention. But a daughter? A female Hanma?
That should be impossible.
"Tell me everything," Yujiro commanded. "Every detail. Now."
The informant complied, describing Reina's debut at the arena, her fight with Wakamiya, her encounter with Baki, her training invitation from Doppo. Every piece of information that had filtered through the underground.
When the call ended, Yujiro stood motionless, processing this new information.
A daughter. Hidden from him for sixteen years. Powerful enough to make Doppo Orochi take her seriously. Beautiful enough to be the talk of the underground.
And she had awakened the Demon Back.
Yujiro's lips curved into something that wasn't quite a smile. It was more predatory than that. More dangerous.
"Interesting," he murmured to himself. "Very interesting."
He picked up his phone and made another call.
"Strydum," he said when the American military official answered. "I need information. Everything you can find on a girl named Reina Hanma, age sixteen, living in Tokyo. I want her birth records, her guardians, her history. Everything."
"Reina Hanma? I didn't know you had a—"
"You didn't know because neither did I." Yujiro's voice carried an edge. "Which makes this situation intriguing. Get me that information within twenty-four hours."
"Yes, sir. Mr. Hanma, should I—"
Yujiro ended the call. He didn't need Strydum's speculation or concern. He needed facts.
A daughter. After all these years, a daughter.
The question was: What would he do with this information?
Kill her? Test her? Ignore her? Train her?
Yujiro honestly didn't know. And that uncertainty—that unpredictability—was the first interesting thing that had happened to him in months.
He smiled again, this time with genuine amusement.
"Reina Hanma," he said to the empty room. "Let's see if you're worth the name you carry."
-Grandmother's Warning-
Reina returned home late that evening, her body aching from the intense training session with Doppo. Her Hanma healing had repaired most of the damage, but she could still feel the echo of every strike, every throw, every brutal lesson.
Hanako was waiting for her in the living room, tea already prepared.
"You look like you've been through a war," the old woman observed.
"Felt like one." Reina accepted the tea gratefully, savoring the warmth. "But I learned more in three hours with Doppo Orochi than I have in three years of solo training."
"The God of War is a good teacher. Brutal, but effective." Hanako sipped her own tea, her faded eyes studying Reina carefully. "But that's not why you look troubled. Something else is bothering you."
Reina set down her cup. Her grandmother had always been perceptive.
"Doppo thinks Yujiro will hear about me soon. Maybe within weeks."
Hanako's expression didn't change, but Reina saw her hand tighten slightly on her teacup.
"I knew this day would come," the old woman said quietly. "From the moment I took you in, I knew eventually he would find out. I'd hoped for more time, but..."
"But the underground talks," Reina finished. "A female Hanma is too unusual to stay secret."
"Yes." Hanako set down her tea and stood, walking to a small shrine in the corner of the room. She opened a drawer and pulled out something wrapped in silk cloth. "Your mother asked me to give this to you when the time came. When Yujiro finally learned of your existence."
She unwrapped the cloth, revealing a simple silver pendant—a small crane in flight.
"Your mother wore this always," Hanako said, pressing it into Reina's hand. "She said it represented hope. The possibility of rising above your circumstances, of flying free despite the weight of your bloodline."
Reina held the pendant, feeling the weight of sixteen years of hidden history.
"She knew he would find out one day?"
"She knew many things. Your mother was gentle, but she wasn't naive." Hanako's voice grew soft with memory. "When she realized she was pregnant with Yujiro's child, she knew what it meant. She could have ended the pregnancy—many would have in her situation. But she chose to have you. To give you a chance at life, even knowing what that life might entail."
"Did she know I would be female? That I'd be the first?"
"No. That was a surprise to all of us." Hanako smiled slightly. "You were born screaming, already so strong that you nearly broke the nurse's finger when she checked your grip reflex. And beautiful—even as a newborn, you were impossibly beautiful. The doctor said he'd never seen a baby with such perfect features."
"The Absolute Beauty manifesting from birth," Reina murmured.
"Perhaps. Your mother held you once before she..." Hanako's voice caught. "Before she passed. She looked at you and said, 'This one will change everything. She'll show the world that strength doesn't require cruelty, that power can coexist with love.' Then she asked me to protect you, to keep you hidden until you were strong enough to face your destiny."
Reina felt tears threatening. In her first life, she'd never known her parents—they'd died in an accident when she was young. In this life, her mother had died giving birth to her. Two lives, and she'd never had a real mother.
"I won't let her sacrifice be meaningless," Reina said firmly, clasping the pendant. "I'll become strong enough to stand against Yujiro. Not to defeat him—not yet—but to face him as an equal. To show him that his daughter is worthy of the Hanma name."
"Just promise me one thing," Hanako said, gripping Reina's shoulders with surprising strength. "Don't lose yourself in the pursuit of strength. Don't become what he is. Your mother wanted you to be better—to prove that the Hanma blood doesn't have to create monsters."
"I promise, Grandmother. I'll be stronger than Yujiro in the ways that truly matter. Not just in physical power, but in purpose. In humanity."
Hanako nodded, satisfied. Then she smiled mischievously—an expression Reina rarely saw on her weathered face.
"Besides, you have advantages Yujiro never had. You're beautiful enough to make strong men stumble over their words. You have techniques he's never seen. And from what you've told me about your... unique situation... you have worlds to explore and conquer beyond this one."
Reina laughed, the tension breaking. "True. Though I need to establish myself here first before I start dimension-hopping."
"Wise. Conquer one world at a time." Hanako patted her cheek affectionately. "Now go rest. Tomorrow you train with Katsumi, yes? He's talented. Handsome too, from what I hear."
"Grandmother!"
"What? I'm old, not blind. And you're sixteen—it's natural to notice such things. Especially with your... circumstances." Hanako's eyes twinkled with amusement. "Building a harem across dimensions, wasn't that part of your arrangement with that ROB of yours?"
Reina felt her face heat up. She'd told Hanako about Existence and the deal she'd made, but hearing her grandmother casually mention building a harem was surreal.
"That's... I mean... it's not like I'm actively..."
"Yet," Hanako finished. "But you will be. I've seen how people look at you. How they're drawn to you. That Absolute Beauty of yours is powerful. Use it wisely."
With that cryptic advice, the old woman shuffled off to bed, leaving Reina alone with her thoughts and her mother's pendant.
Reina fastened the crane pendant around her neck, feeling it settle against her chest. A reminder of where she came from. Of what she was fighting for.
Tomorrow she would train with Katsumi. The day after, she had another fight scheduled at the arena. And soon—very soon—she would face her first true test.
Because Yujiro Hanma was coming.
And when the Ogre finally learned he had a daughter, the entire underground would shake with the consequences.
Reina smiled, a fierce, predatory expression that would have made her father proud.
Let him come. She'd be ready.
-To Be Continued...-
Next Chapter: Training and Tension - Reina's intensive training with Katsumi reveals unexpected chemistry. Meanwhile, Yujiro begins his investigation into his mysterious daughter, and Jack Hanma receives disturbing news about a female Hanma's existence...