Mai Shiranui

Genma watched Kamizuki's little eyes dart toward the sleeping Mai now and then, and couldn't make heads or tails of it.

Genma wasn't one to overthink things. If he couldn't figure it out himself, he might as well just ask!

So he opened his mouth and said, "Hey! You little brat from the Hyuga Clan, what're you looking at?"

Kamizuki was caught staring at the little girl. Even with a face as thick as a brick wall, he couldn't quite handle it. A faint blush crept across his face.

A little awkwardly, Kamizuki answered, "Nothing... I... I..." Then, as if he'd suddenly thought of a way to get himself out of the awkward situation, he changed the subject.

"Is she your daughter?" Kamizuki asked Genma, pointing to the little girl sleeping on the tatami.

Genma smiled faintly at Kamizuki's question, then shook his head. "You mean Mai? She's not my daughter."

He paused briefly, looking at Kamizuki's curious little face. After a moment's thought, he decided there was no harm in telling them.

Then Genma continued:

Mai's full name was Mai Shiranui. She was eight years old, one year older than Kamizuki. Her mother had died not long after giving birth to her, and her father had also sacrificed himself to save me during the Nine-Tails Incident. So Chiyuki and I took her in and raised her as our own daughter.

When Kamizuki heard the little girl's full name and realized it really was the one he had in mind, a lot of thoughts raced through his head.

What did the name Mai Shiranui stand for? I'm sure no one needs an introduction. Still, let me tell you a little more about her!

Mai Shiranui first appeared in a fighting game released by SNK Playmore on January 1, 1974. She later appeared in numerous games, including Fatal Fury 2, King of Fighters '95, Fatal Fury Real Bout, Real Bout Fatal Fury Special, King of Fighters XIII, Queen's Blade, Dead or Alive 5, The Last Blade, and Honor of Kings.

Place of birth: A small island nation. Blood type: B. Fighting style: Shiranui Style ninjutsu.

In the games, she was portrayed as a bewitching, alluring kunoichi who seduced her enemies with her charms before assassinating them. She was skilled with a paper umbrella and a folding fan.

Kamizuki thought of the "Big Sis Mai" from his previous life, with her fiery, sexy figure, who had captivated countless young men. Then he looked at this adorable little girl, who was only eight or nine.

He couldn't help breaking out in a cold sweat. Could Big Sis Mai have transmigrated from King of Fighters or some other game, too?

While Kamizuki wondered whether this Mai Shiranui was the same person as the one in his memories, the little girl suddenly woke up.

She pushed herself up from the tatami, stretched, then raised both hands and rubbed her big eyes. She looked especially adorable.

Once awake, the little girl noticed that a few unfamiliar people had appeared in the house. She didn't seem shy at all. Instead, she turned her head and stared at Genma with her big eyes, as though asking him, "Who are these strangers?"

Genma seemed to understand what her big eyes were asking.

He introduced the little girl to the other kids again. After they chatted for another ten minutes or so, Kamizuki and the others were ready to leave.

The three had just stepped out of Genma's bedroom when they ran into Chiyuki.

When Chiyuki heard they were leaving, she warmly urged them to stay for lunch. Kamizuki and the others exchanged a few polite words with her before finally leaving the Shiranui Clan compound.

After leaving the Shiranui Clan compound, the three went their separate ways, each heading home.

As he walked home alone, Kamizuki kept thinking about Mai Shiranui.

He didn't know how long he'd been walking before he realized he'd made it home.

Once there, Kamizuki decided to sound out Hiashi and see if he knew anything about this world's Mai Shiranui.

So he went to find Hiashi. To his surprise, Hiashi really did know the little girl.

According to Hiashi, this world's Mai Shiranui was the granddaughter of the former head of the Shiranui Clan, Shiranui Hanzo. She'd lost both her parents when she was young and had been raised by her grandfather. As he grew older, her grandfather had passed away a few years ago.

Before he died, her grandfather had passed the leadership of the Shiranui Clan on to her. But Mai Shiranui had been too young at the time, so he'd entrusted her to Genma's care until she grew up and could take her place as head of the Shiranui Clan.

After her grandfather's death, Genma had taught her Shiranui Style ninjutsu and Bone Style Fist.

As she trained in Shiranui Style ninjutsu and Bone Style Fist, she showed extraordinary talent. The people of the Shiranui Clan even called her a "genius girl."

Since she was now considered the head of the Shiranui Clan, all the major clans in Konoha paid close attention to her.

After hearing all this, Kamizuki realized that this Mai Shiranui really did seem like the Mai Shiranui from the world of anime and games in his previous life. Even her background was strikingly similar.

After agonizing over it for a long time, Kamizuki still couldn't reach any conclusions. In the end, he decided to be someone who didn't worry about anything. That was the only way to live without wearing himself out, so he stopped dwelling on it.

Time flew by, and a few more years passed in the blink of an eye. Before long, Kamizuki, Hinata, Naruto, and the others were all twelve years old.

Kamizuki had already been promoted to Chunin. Since he'd been born in a relatively peaceful era without war, his promotion had been nowhere near as freakish as Hatake Kakashi's.

As for Hinata, Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, and the other kids their age, they were about to face their final exam at the Ninja Academy.