Path to Strength

In the classroom, Yuji was sitting in his chair, a faraway look on his face as he stared outside through the classroom window. It was already recess, but the boy didn't bother to eat anything. His attention was in a place totally different from his surroundings.

As a teenager, Yuji should be happy to live his dream of traveling to another world, but he didn't feel that way. Without a system, control over some kind of energy or the like, Yuji was not an ordinary person only because of his healing factor. But even with that healing factor, he could still be stabbed to death or killed by gunfire, plus he could probably easily be defeated by the heavyweights of this world , like Mikey, Draken and Hanma.

'If I stay away from these guys, I'll be able to avoid Kisaki's aim. I don't want a genius trying to manipulate me into being his puppet.'

Agreeing to this plan, Yuji stood up and moved toward the door of the room, a conversation catching his attention and causing him to stop.

"Looks like Tachibana from class 2 likes Hanagaki!"

It was one of the girls in his class who spoke, Yuji's eyes widening at the phrase. He realized that this was the dialogue from the beginning of the work, at the moment when Takemichi returns to the past. For a moment, he thought about what he should do, since Takemichi and his friends would be beaten and made slaves by the bully that Yuji had trouble remembering the name of.

He could interfere and try to save them, but that would cause Takemichi to not know Mikey, completely ending Yuji's future knowledge.

The boy put his hand to his chin, he considering his options

'Well, I better not interfere, if I get involved with Takemichi in any way, I'll probably get pulled into the hole that is his life trying to save everyone.'

He left the room and decided to go to the cafeteria, the teenagers in the hallway staring at him as they whispered. The rumors about the beating he gave the bullies spread quickly, which earned him a bit of fame and respect among his classmates.

A boy quickly moved out of Yuji's way as he walked by.

Of course, a bit of fear too.

. . .

2 weeks later.

A punching bag flew backwards as a fist hit it hard, a finger mark on the leather of the bag for a few seconds before returning to normal.

The person responsible for this punch was Yuji, who had his fingers red after several punches to the object. He had been training for two weeks and noticed clear changes in his body. His muscles were beginning to appear and his physical strength increased in an inhuman way. He felt as if he could beat the brute from days ago with extreme ease.

"What a great feeling."

Yuji smiled and flexed his arms, his biceps throbbing over his movements due to his intense training.

"I feel like I could knock down a tree."

An excited smile appeared on his lips, his watch beeping on the instant and catching his attention. "Oh, time to go for a little run."

He grabbed a bottle of water from his desk and did some stretches before leaving his house. On his way, he ran into some of his neighbors, waving to them with a kind smile.

In his former body, the boy had always maintained a good relationship with his neighbors, even though he talked very little to them, as the former owner of this body preferred to isolate himself completely, which caused him to get a bad reputation in his neighborhood. Yuji tried to fix this as soon as possible.

A few minutes passed with Yuji walking at a steady pace. The boy's mind wandered on several subjects, from his coming into this world to his body. He remembered some of his classmates and some bullies trying to attack him in these three days. He even saved some weak boys from other classes.

. . .

"You only have 500 Yen?!" Outside the school, a bully shouted as he grabbed what looked like a skinny teenager by the shirt, "Tell me, that's unacceptable, isn't it?"

Two other bullies stood behind the first, a mischievous grin on their faces as they watched the helpless boy.

"I think we should beat the crap out of him."

One of them spoke up, causing the boy to widen his eyes in a fearful expression.

"Yes! We should teach him a lesson so that next time he brings more money."

Listening to the conversation of the three, the boy's desperation increased even more, his eyes watering as he looked away from the bully holding him.

"Oh! He's crying-"

Just as the bully was about to taunt the boy, a fist hit him in the face with such force that it pushed his body to the ground, his back scraping through the dirt to a stop a few feet away from the group.

"Hey, hey." The two bullies turned slowly, their eyes meeting Yuji with an intense look on their faces. "You bastards, are you putting fear into a boy in front of the school?"

The two took steps backward, Yuji's gaze startling them. "Let me tell you something."

He put his arm around the skinny boy, a frightening smile on his lips. "My name is Yuji Shinakawa and this boy and anyone with him is under my protection, so I think you'd better get your boss before I smash your faces into the ground."

The two nodded quickly and ran over to the bully on the ground, grabbing him and quickly walking away.

Yuji sighed and turned to the boy who was being oppressed by the bullies, a gentle smile on his face.

"Sorry about that, they won't bother you for quite some time." Yuji spoke as he turned to leave.

"W-Wait!" Yuji stopped when he heard the boy's voice and turned to face him, a curious look on his face. "M-Many thanks! My name is Shiki Makunouchi!"

Yuji was surprised by the boy's action, but it wasn't long before an excited smile appeared on his lips.

"Makunouchi, huh?" For some reason, Yuji felt as if he knew that name from somewhere, but he didn't think much of it.

"It's a pleasure! My name is Yuji Shinakawa, but you already know that!"

. . .

"Makunouchi... You really do look familiar."

Passing through a park, several shouts resembling an audience caught Yuji's attention, who, curious, decided to follow in the direction of the howls.

"What the hell? Is there a show going on around here?" The moment he asked himself, the shouting ceased, which only served to make the boy even more curious.

It wasn't long before Yuji arrived on the scene, his eyes landing on several people gathered watching what looked like a fight. "Oh, shit."

Yuji could clearly see Takemichi's blond hair, his face was bruised and blood was dripping from his nose. Even Yuji had to admit that the boy's stamina incredible, he even after being punished by so many blows, he wasn't sure he could stand.

"Kiyomasa of the Manji gang of Tokyo... If you want to win, you're going to have to kill me. There's no way I'm going to lose" Takemichi struggled to crack a smile as he spat out those words, Yuji not failing to be impressed by the determination in the teenager's gaze.

'Really, that's the look of a person determined to save someone." Yuji thought, a smile on his lips as he slowly began to approach.

Yuji clenched his fists, he clearly remembers the beating Takemichi took until he got to this moment, in addition to the physical abuse he suffered from Kiyomasa.

Since he felt the giant improvement in his body, he decided he wouldn't mind interfering with Takemichi's journey to save Hina, he would even help him if he asked. So he would not deny Kiyomasa a beating, even though he knew that Mikey and Draken were probably already on the scene.

"I haven't tested my strength since my encounter with Makunouchi."

The boy snapped his fingers and ran toward Kiyomasa and Takemichi, sounds of footsteps in the sand drawing everyone's attention in the face of silence. Takemichi turned his head with difficulty, his eyes meeting Yuji a few feet away from Kiyomasa, who turned around with the boy's fist inches from his face.

Boom!

Kiyomasa's eyes rolled to the back of his head, the third-grader falling backwards to the ground with his crooked nose gushing blood.

"You know, one of the things I hate most is injustice." Yuji's voice sounded throughout the place, all the teenagers freaking out at the boy's presence. "Bullies and delinquents too, so imagine how I feel when I see someone like you."

Yuji grinned through all his teeth and stood above Kiyomasa, who regained consciousness in time to see his frightened expression staring back at him.

"Well, I don't think that punch is enough for you to understand."

He pulled his arm back, the aura around his body frightening everyone as he prepared to punch Kiyomasa consecutively. The boy's fist came down, but stopped when a hand grabbed his arm.

"Hey, that's one of ours you got there."

A voice sounded from beside Yuji, the boy's eyes narrowing as he turned to find Draken staring down at him with a quiet expression. "It's up to us to take care of him."

The two's gazes met, tension in the air as the audience seemed frightened at the thought of a battle between their vice president and the stranger who had knocked Kiyomasa down.

"W-Wait, isn't that Shinakawa from Class 2?"

"Wait, is that really him? Wasn't he a wimp?"

"From what I hear, he took down some Moebius delinquents."

The whispers began, and seeing that getting on the bad side of Tokyo Manji would not bring anything positive, Yuji shook off Draken's grip and stepped back. Mikey's eyes landed on him, but the boy was not intimidated as he maintained his posture. He didn't really fear the blond man, but he knew he must be strong, so he just kept his respect to a minimum and didn't stare at him with a defiant look. Mikey seemed to understand and turned his gaze to Takemichi, moving closer to him as Draken stomped on Kiyomasa's stomach.

"Kiyomasa, since when are you so important?"

When Mikey got close to Takemichi, the boy tripped over his own foot and fell sitting on the ground.

"Hey, what's your name?" Mikey was the one who asked.

"T-Takemichi Hanagaki."

"Got it... Takemitchy."

"Huh? Takemitchy?"

Draken reached behind Mikey, continuing. "That's what Mikey said, Takemitchy."

Mikey crouched down and held Takemitchy by the back of his head, staring at him with his calm eyes.

"Hey, are you really in the gym?"

Takemichi was surprised by this question, Mikey soon continuing.

"Takemitchy, as of today you have become my 'little friend'. See?"

The boy looked confused, but did not deny it. Mikey stood up and turned around, walking toward Kiyomasa, who was getting up with difficulty.

"You the one who organizes these fights?" Mikey asked.

"Y-Yes." Kiyomasa spoke up.

Boom!

A kick to his face pushed his body upward, the third-year unconscious as he began to fall toward the ground. Yuji, who had been watching intently, couldn't help but widen his eyes. He was able to see the kick, but understood in the same instant that even with his best efforts, he couldn't dodge the attack.

'I'm still far from this level.'

To Yuji, the aura that Mikey emanated was as if he was facing a bear.

'The last time I felt like this was when I fought my teacher.'

Just as Kiyomasa was about to fall to the ground, Mikey grabbed him by the hair and stared at him, a frightening look on his features.

"Who do you think you are?"

Mikey started punching him, the bully's already bruised face becoming even worse with each blow.

After a few punches, Mikey let him go, blood on his face.

"Okay then." Mikey turned around with a smile. "Let's go, Little Ken!"

The two proceeded to walk away, Mikey stopping and turning around with a smile.

"Takemitchy, see you later!" Mikey waved goodbye to the blond, his eyes landing on Yuji with a little interest, before he finally walked away.

. . .

The sky was dark and Yuji was drinking a soda sitting on the steps used to watch the fights. He could see Takemichi talking with his friends, but he just watched the scenery as he sipped his soda.

"Hey! Shinakawa, right?" It was Atsushi Sendo, or more popularly known, Akinho, who approached Yuji.

Yuji looked at the boy without moving his head, curious as to why the boy had approached him. "I just wanted to say thank you, that was a nice punch on Kiyomasa."

Yuji was silent and took a sip of his drink, a slight smile appearing on his lips as he opened his mouth. "Well, that guy got on my nerves, I needed to get it all out somehow. Bullies are a type I deeply hate."

Sendo shook his head in agreement, and Yuji couldn't help but notice the bulge in his pocket. He clearly remembered that the boy would try to stab Kiyomasa if Mikey and Draken didn't show up. It was a positive attitude to build up courage to try to save his friends, but killing someone could be an insurmountable trauma and could end his life.

But anyway, that wasn't his problem, there was no point in meddling in that matter.

"Hey! Thanks a lot for that help!"

Yuji looked down and saw Takemichi coming up the steps toward him.

"No need to thank me, you did well to last this long, I've never seen someone with such stamina." Yuji complimented, the blond man becoming embarrassed as he scratched the back of his neck.

"Even if you say that, it was still a pretty good beating I took."

When the rest of the joking group saw Takemichi and Sendo talking to Yuji, they quickly approached.

"Hey! Didn't you say you hated delinquents? You're not going to beat us up, are you?"

Yuji laughed and finished his soda, crumpling the can and getting up from the step he was sitting on. This made the three jokers cringe, but it wasn't long before stars appeared in their eyes when Yuji, in a sharp lunge, threw the can into a trash can several feet away.

"The delinquents I know are 90% made up of bullies and thugs. Don't rob or oppress the weak, and I won't have to rub your faces in the asphalt."

The three were startled and nodded in agreement quickly.

"Good." Yuji smiled kindly.

Takemichi stared at the boy for a few seconds, his mind trying to remember if in his past he was able to find Yuji somewhere, but even with his efforts, nothing came to mind.

Yuji's watch beeped, his eyes going wide as he realized the time.

"Shit, I need to get back!" He stood up quickly and hurried down the steps. "See you guys another day, bye!"

He said his goodbyes and without wasting any time, started running at full speed towards his house. The five of them looked at the scene with smiles on their faces, mostly because of the freedom they got again and the new addition to their list of friends. To the jokers, a person who was able to take down Kiyomasa with one punch and who couldn't stand bullies, was like the perfect protection.

In Yuji's mind, he began to understand what his interference would occasion in the future, but even if he thought hard, he was unable to create several outcomes due to his addition to the story. The title of genius was only in martial arts, now in school subjects and subjects that required non-combat related intelligence, Yuji was slightly above average in some of the subjects and above average in others.

His intelligence wasn't at Kisaki level, but it certainly wasn't miles away.

'From the looks of it, it's best to wait and see.'

. . .

12 years in the future.

It was due to a completely unintentional handshake that Takemichi returned to the future, his present. This caused a headache for him and Naoto, but determined to continue, they began to analyze the facts.

While Naoto searched for information on his laptop, Takemichi read several documents.

It was after a few hours that something caught Naoto's attention.

"What? When did this come up?" Naoto's voice caught Takemichi's attention, who quickly moved to see what the man had found.

"A few hours after a war between the gangs known as Toman and Yggdrasil, 26-year-old Yuji Shinakawa, leader of Yggdrasil and CEO of the "OneHand" company, was found dead with dozens of gunshot wounds in different parts of his body. After a few hours, the deputy leader of the gang, Shiki Makunouchi, turned himself in to the authorities, and according to his own words while being taken into the vehicle, the Yggdrasil gang was disbanded."

Takemichi read that information several times, Yuji's face coming to his mind as he tried to understand what was happening.

"Shinakawa created a gang? He told me he hated delinquents, why would he create a gang?"

Naoto put his hand on his chin and thought about the situation. He didn't remember the Yggdrasil gang, so he could only assume that it was created because of Takemichi.

"The deputy leader of the gang may know something, I'll look for the police interview videos." Naoto spoke and quickly proceeded to look up the information on his laptop.

It wasn't long before he found a video showing Shiki sitting in front of a table, his hands cuffed.

"The war, what was the reason for it?" What sounded like a policeman asked.

Shiki looked at his hands for a few seconds and a sigh escaped his lips. He turned his gaze back to the camera, his eyes narrowing as he seemed to stare at whoever was watching the video.

"That war..." Shiki laughed lightly. "She shouldn't have happened, that's why we were sparsely manned. If we were even remotely prepared, it would have been the end of Toman. We didn't count on the presence of an assassin." Shiki explained.

"Assassin?"

"A world-renowned assassin in the underworld. Yuji was strong, but he was not one to carry weapons with him, he always preferred to settle things with his fists. So when you're up against a ruthless assassin who uses all kinds of trickery to win, there's not much you can do." Shiki clenched his hand into a fist tightly. "But still, he would win, if it weren't for that damned.... Kisaki."

The policeman was silent, just waiting for Shiki to calm down so he could continue.

"If the war shouldn't have happened, what were you guys doing there?"

Silence reverberated around the room, Shiki turned with his gaze to the table for several seconds before he raised his head and faced the camera again.

"Yuji Shinakawa was there to save Hinata Tachibana from an assassination attempt, but..." Shiki sighed, "Everything went wrong. Yuji died and so did Tachibana."

"All because of that bastard."

. . .

The video ended, Naoto reading the information on the video while Takemichi was completely confused.

"Three days after that interview, Shiki was found with his throat slit in his cell and an inmate, a former Toman member, was captured with a knife." Naoto repeated the information of the man's death.

Takemichi was silent and sat up in bed.

"Yuji, Mikey... I may not have met Yuji the next week after I met him, but he wouldn't change so much as to create a gang, it doesn't make sense. And Mikey... What changed his dream of creating a new era of delinquents?"

"And why, Yuji, of all people, did you try to save my sister?" Naoto added.