Standing in a room lit by one little candle stood an old man and a man dressed like a ninja. The man in the ninja costume, kneeled as if before his King.

"How is he doing?" said the old man looking down at the man with scrutinizing eyes.

The man gulped and shivered, "Sir...he is still unwilling to eat."

Closing his eyes, the old man smiled like a devil, and with a quick blow, the man on the ground opened his eyes and looked down.

Accepting his fate, the man looked down at his beating heart and bowed his head on the ground, "Thank you, for giving me mercy."

Dropping to the ground lifeless, the old man waved his hands and 2 ninjas flashed out of the shadows and carried the corpse away.

The old man looked around and sighed, "To think, a 9-year-old can injure my right-hand man, is unbelievable."

Flashing away, the light in the room, vanished, leaving nothing, not even a scent.

In a cell, 300 feet underground, was a boy. This boy was chained up like a death row inmate, and behind him were 100 ninjas. Opening his dry eyes, the boy scanned the room and saw the 100 ninjas in the shadows, their heartbeats, the boy could hear them.

Suddenly, a shadow materialized in front of the boy, with pure instinct, the boy tried to swing his fist to attack this shadow but the chains halted his attack as the chains rattled a little. "Your instincts are sharp, no wonder you can injure my soldiers, it seems you are quite talented for a nobody," said the old man chuckling.

Smiling to himself, the old man held out his hand for a handshake, the 100 ninjas all flinching, wondering why the strongest would shake the hand of a nobody.

A ninja flashed behind the old man and whispered in his ear, "Sir, it is not wise to shake his hand..."

Nodding, the old man retracted his hand and said, "Young boy, you have talent, do you know who I am?"

The boy looked into the old man's eyes and shook his head. In a raspy and dry voice, the boy said, "I don't care either way..."

Laughing a little, the old man put on a cold face, "Good, that is good." The old man then waved his hands and the 100 ninjas disappeared. "Now that we are alone, what do you want, boy."

"I...want to be free."

"Hoho, I heard about your story, your family sold you to a slave fighting arena, and you survived the years, fighting grown adults. You are quite famous, Jin."

Jin grew quiet, it seemed, this old man was not simple. "Who are you," said in a raspy voice.

"I am...the clan leader of the Azuka Clan, you may call me, Zao," smiled Zao as he released a bit of his bloodlust.

Widening his eyes, Jin gulped and sweat began to perspire on his face. "Dangerous."

"Do you want to be free?"

Releasing a bit more bloodlust, Jin began to shiver but he still looked into his eyes. "I-I...do."

"I can give you freedom, but you have to follow me, as one of my soldiers, I guarantee it would be better than that slave arena, so? Do you want to be strong?"

Jin closed his eyes, his family sold him for a measly 2 silvers, and his friends and family didn't help him. Accepting his fate, Jin nodded, "I-I agree, but first...can I get some water?"

Smiling happily, Zao made his hand into a knife position and cut off the chains in one swing. Feeling his wrists and legs, Jin saw Zao throwing him a jar.

Holding out his hand, Jin retracted as the pain of being held up for so long came into effect. The Jar fell onto the ground and shattered. Zao stared at Jin blankly, "I forgot, you were hung for 30 hours..."

Jin sighed and slowly walked to Zao, "So, what happens now?"

Gripping his shoulder, Zao and Jin vanished into the shadows.

5 years later...

"Get up, you lazy f*cker!" shouted Zao trying to hit Jin as he dodged each butt slap. Sleeping on the ground, Jin has grown, he is now 14, 5'5, and his body has grown strong. Using his newly invented technique, Jin used his senses and predicted Zao's hits.

Feeling the breathing of Zao, and the way his muscles moved, gave Jin what and how he was attacking.

Dodging another butt slap, Zao grew angry and took off his weights, Jin opened his eyes and stood up. "Master, I was...trying out a new technique, don't punish me, please?" said Jin in a pleading voice.

Zao sighed and put back on his weights, "You are lucky, I am quite nice today."

Standing there, Zao slapped him on the butt with a 10 feet stick. Enduring the pain, Jin scratched his butt after the punishment. Vanishing away, Jin stuck his tongue out and mocked Zao secretly.

In these 5 years, Zao has personally trained Jin, in...being a ninja.

Stealth, Combat, Weapons, Ninpo, Techniques, etc.

At first, Jin was a slow learner, but after Zao figured out he was a physical learner, everything went smooth sailing. Jin can take an unholy amount of damage, he even has more stamina as his muscles are all fast twitch muscles.

His instincts even surprise Zao, but Jin is just a little stupid, as in he lacks common sense and doesn't know anything. He can't even start a fire without his Ninpo techniques.

He has mastered most weapons and unarmed combat, the experience fighting in the slave arena has made him able to adapt to any opponent, no matter how tall or short or fat or skinny.

*Sigh* Jin looked in the mirror, he looked 16, his hair was long and unkempt, and his face was full of scars and dirt.

Looking into his eyes, he remembers the long nights after eating food. The poison in the food was supposed to help train poison tolerance but the first night of training was exhausting as well as having to survive poison, you can wonder how he felt when it was night.

He suffered a lot, but it got less each night due to his body creating antibodies and learning at a fast rate.

His eyes were forest green, and they reflected light very well. His senses are even better than his master, as he was born with them instead of having to train them. Yet, when he trained them, he became a monster.

Ruffling his unkempt hair, Jin stood up and vanished. In a hot spring, Jin took off his clothes and dived right in the hot spring, cleaning every crevice, his body was filled with scars. He doesn't look too strong, as if a lean runner or swimmer but every muscle is trained to the max.

1 day later...

Kneeling in front of Zao, Jin was wearing a ninja costume, "Jin, this is your final test, defeat my right-hand man, and you will be free."

Jin raised his eyebrows, "Huh? Really? You aren't gonna assign not one mission to me?"

Sighing, Zao confirmed, "Yes, you have not gone on any missions, but you have killed and have been in difficult situations before, I don't need you to gain experience as you have enough."

Nodding stupidly, Jin said, "Your right-hand man? Is he strong?"

Appearing out of Zao's shadow, was a man clothed in black like Jin but he had a red mark on his chest. "Leader, I am here."

Without turning around, Zao nodded, "Yi Fang, you are to kill Jin as of this moment, if you lose, you die, if you win, then you will win."

Without a second thought, Yi Fang vanished and appeared in front of Jin who was caught off-guard, jumping back at the last second, a cut appeared on his cheek. "Fast," thought Jin.