I Was an Eighth-Grade Ninja (Z Graphic Novels Tomo)

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I WAS AN EIGHTH-GRADE

NINJA


I Was an Eighth-Grade Ninja Copyright © 2007 by Funnypages Productions, LLC

Requests for information should be addressed to: Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49530

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication DataSimmons, Andy. I was an eighth-grade ninja / written by Andrew Simmons and Rob Corley ; illustrated by Ariel Padilla ; created by Tom Bancroft and Rob Corley. p. cm. -- (Tomo book ; #1) “Published in association with Funnypages Productions, LLC.” ISBN-13: 978-0-310-71300-5 (pbk.) ISBN-10: 0-310-71300-5 (pbk.) 1. Graphic novels. I. Corley, Rob. II. Padilla, Ariel, 1968- III. Bancroft, Tom. IV. Title. PN6727.S51574I2 2007 741.5’973--dc22 2007005080

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION ®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All Rights Reserved.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any other—except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permission of the publisher.

This book published in conjunction with Funnypages Productions, LLC, 1014 Fulton Greer Lane, Suite 7, Franklin, TN 37069

Series Editor: Bud RogersManaging Editor: Bruce NufferManaging Art Director: Merit Alderink

07 08 09 10 • 5 4 3 2 1


AER Edition March 2009 ISBN: 978-0-310-78902-4

All rights reserved under International and Pan -American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non -exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of Zondervan.

series editor

bud rogers

Story by

Andrew Simmons& rob corley

art by

Ariel padilla

I WAS AN EIGHTH-GRADE

NINJA



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Contents

Chapter 1 5

About the Publisher 161

Share Your Thoughts 162


The land ofArgon Falls.

A mystical countryheavily burdened

under the weight ofits current ruler,

High Lord King Ardath.

And upon thislandscape we find

him leading a groupof soldiers in search

for a lost sword.

The fortress isjust up ahead

on the right.

Areyou

sure?

Yes,Lord Ardath.

I scouted it outmyself five days

ago.Very

good,Surgar.

The lostFortress ofthe Ancients.

itdisappeared

from the face ofArgon Falls over

three hundredyears ago.

The exact sametime my brotherescaped from thefortress with

my sword.

I wonderwhere he has

been.

Let’sfind out. Fan

out and startsearching.


The land ofArgon Falls.

A mystical countryheavily burdened

under the weight ofits current ruler,

High Lord King Ardath.

And upon thislandscape we find

him leading a groupof soldiers in search

for a lost sword.

The fortress isjust up ahead

on the right.

Areyou

sure?

Yes,Lord Ardath.

I scouted it outmyself five days

ago.Very

good,Surgar.

The lostFortress ofthe Ancients.

itdisappeared

from the face ofArgon Falls over

three hundredyears ago.

The exact sametime my brotherescaped from thefortress with

my sword.

I wonderwhere he has

been.

Let’sfind out. Fan

out and startsearching.


The groupsearched

all throughthe morning…

…afternoon,and…

…earlyevening.

What arewe looking for

again?

Anysign of mybrother.

Later. Myapologies,

my lord, at ourlack of success

today.

it isnot your fault,

Surgar.

Nowleaveme.

Yes, mylord.

Palon,my dear

brother…

…howdid youescape

me?

You mayhave been

gone all theseyears…

…but youhave never been

forgotten.


The groupsearched

all throughthe morning…

…afternoon,and…

…earlyevening.

What arewe looking for

again?

Anysign of mybrother.

Later. Myapologies,

my lord, at ourlack of success

today.

it isnot your fault,

Surgar.

Nowleaveme.

Yes, mylord.

Palon,my dear

brother…

…howdid youescape

me?

You mayhave been

gone all theseyears…

…but youhave never been

forgotten.


I knowthe secret to

your disappearanceis here some-

where.

Eh?Well,

well, well, whatdo we have

here?

interesting.An energy

portalof some

kind.


I knowthe secret to

your disappearanceis here some-

where.

Eh?Well,

well, well, whatdo we have

here?

interesting.An energy

portalof some

kind.


Whatthe…

Lookout!!

Aaaiiie-eeee!!

Nnooooo!!

Attack!

Stopthem!

Hhhaaaa!Run!!

There’s nostopping

them!

Pathetic.


Whatthe…

Lookout!!

Aaaiiie-eeee!!

Nnooooo!!

Attack!

Stopthem!

Hhhaaaa!Run!!

There’s nostopping

them!

Pathetic.




LordArdath!

Areyou allright?

Getmy advisor,

Urn’ado, hereimmediately.

Wehave foundwhat we are

lookingfor.


LordArdath!

Areyou allright?

Getmy advisor,

Urn’ado, hereimmediately.

Wehave foundwhat we are

lookingfor.


Somewhere overthe Pacific Oceannear the coast of

California.<My name is

Hana and I am along way from

home.*>

* Translatedfrom Japanese.

<Three monthsago, my lifewas turned

upside down.>

<My mother waskilled in an

accident, leavingme all alone>




Somewhere overthe Pacific Oceannear the coast of

California.<My name is

Hana and I am along way from

home.*>

* Translatedfrom Japanese.

<Three monthsago, my lifewas turned

upside down.>

<My mother waskilled in an

accident, leavingme all alone>








<…and he livesin San Francisco,

California.>

<His name is JouOtousan, and that

must be him.>

<Goodmorning,

sir.>






<…and he livesin San Francisco,

California.>

<His name is JouOtousan, and that

must be him.>

<Goodmorning,

sir.>




<Hello,Hana Akisame.

I am Jou Otousan,your grand-

father.>



<Thehonor is allmine, LittleFlower.*>

* Hana meansflower inJapanese.

<Verywell, let’sgo get your

bags.>




<Hello,Hana Akisame.

I am Jou Otousan,your grand-

father.>



<Thehonor is allmine, LittleFlower.*>

* Hana meansflower inJapanese.

<Verywell, let’sgo get your

bags.>


<Hana, do you speakEnglish? I have been

in the States so longthat it is awkwardfor me to speak inJapanese for too

long.>

<Hai-->Uh…

…yes. Ispeak some

English. Thatis fine.

Herewe are.

That’smy dojo, whereI teach martial

arts…

…and nextdoor is myhouse…

…yournew

home.


<Hana, do you speakEnglish? I have been

in the States so longthat it is awkwardfor me to speak inJapanese for too

long.>

<Hai-->Uh…

…yes. Ispeak some

English. Thatis fine.

Herewe are.

That’smy dojo, whereI teach martial

arts…

…and nextdoor is myhouse…

…yournew

home.


Comeon

inside.it is

not big, butit is home for

me andTomo.

Tomo?

He ismy friend.

I’m sure he islying aroundhere some-

where.

Why don’tyou spend a fewminutes looking

around, and I willmake us some

lunch.

Yourroom isupstairs.

When Ifound outyou werecoming…

…Iconvertedthe entire

upstairs foryou.

Wow!


Comeon

inside.it is

not big, butit is home for

me andTomo.

Tomo?

He ismy friend.

I’m sure he islying aroundhere some-

where.

Why don’tyou spend a fewminutes looking

around, and I willmake us some

lunch.

Yourroom isupstairs.

When Ifound outyou werecoming…

…Iconvertedthe entire

upstairs foryou.

Wow!


This is ten timesbigger than myroom in Japan.

And myown privatebathroom!

Perfect.

Hana,lunch isready.

I willbe rightthere.

Thiswill be

perfect.

Comedown when

you areready.

Coming.


This is ten timesbigger than myroom in Japan.

And myown privatebathroom!

Perfect.

Hana,lunch isready.

I willbe rightthere.

Thiswill be

perfect.

Comedown when

you areready.

Coming.


I’mhere.

Excellent.Have a seat

at the end ofthe table.

A littlesteamed rice

and beef; justenough for a

lunch meal.Thank

you, sir.

Wait.

Noteveryone ishere yet.

Tomo!

He isnever late for

food.

Tomo!

TOMO!!!


I’mhere.

Excellent.Have a seat

at the end ofthe table.

A littlesteamed rice

and beef; justenough for a

lunch meal.Thank

you, sir.

Wait.

Noteveryone ishere yet.

Tomo!

He isnever late for

food.

Tomo!

TOMO!!!


Well,it is about

time.

The firstday we have

company, and youdon’t even show

up to lunchon time.

Youshouldnot stayout solate.

Tomo,this isHana.

Hana,this isTomo.

Sir?

Yes.

is thatraccoonyour pet?

Hana,Tomo is noone’s pet.He is myfriend.

I guessthat wouldexplain whyhis name is

Tomo*.

Correct,and a loyalfriend he has

been.

*Tomo meansfriend inJapanese.


Well,it is about

time.

The firstday we have

company, and youdon’t even show

up to lunchon time.

Youshouldnot stayout solate.

Tomo,this isHana.

Hana,this isTomo.

Sir?

Yes.

is thatraccoonyour pet?

Hana,Tomo is noone’s pet.He is myfriend.

I guessthat wouldexplain whyhis name is

Tomo*.

Correct,and a loyalfriend he has

been.

*Tomo meansfriend inJapanese.


Now thateveryone is here,let me say grace

and then wecan eat.

Dearheavenly

Father, wepraise you

for…Oops!

…Hana’ssafe arrivalto the United

States.

And most of all, weask you to bless thegreat food we are

about to eat.

in Jesus’name we

pray.

Amen.

Thislooks

very good,sir.

Thankyou,Hana.

Tomo! How manytimes do I haveto tell you tochew yourfood?


Now thateveryone is here,let me say grace

and then wecan eat.

Dearheavenly

Father, wepraise you

for…Oops!

…Hana’ssafe arrivalto the United

States.

And most of all, weask you to bless thegreat food we are

about to eat.

in Jesus’name we

pray.

Amen.

Thislooks

very good,sir.

Thankyou,Hana.

Tomo! How manytimes do I haveto tell you tochew yourfood?


Wouldyou like to

see the dojowhen I am

done?

A fewminuteslater.

Hana, youcan leave your

bowl. I will cleanup the dishes

today.

Thankyou, sir.

Yessir, Iwould.

Great!Get changed

and meet me at thefront door inten minutes.

Welcome toOtousan’s, homeof the martial

arts.

Step oninside andsign right

up.

Thankyou, sir.


Wouldyou like to

see the dojowhen I am

done?

A fewminuteslater.

Hana, youcan leave your

bowl. I will cleanup the dishes

today.

Thankyou, sir.

Yessir, Iwould.

Great!Get changed

and meet me at thefront door inten minutes.

Welcome toOtousan’s, homeof the martial

arts.

Step oninside andsign right

up.

Thankyou, sir.


Well,what do you

think?

it isbeautiful.

Didyou study

much inJapan?

Hai*,since I wasold enough

to stand.

*Hai meansyes in

Japanese.


Well,what do you

think?

it isbeautiful.

Didyou study

much inJapan?

Hai*,since I wasold enough

to stand.

*Hai meansyes in

Japanese.


Verygood!

Thankyou, sir.

if I wasn’tstudying for

school, I was in myneighborhood dojo

training.

And itshows. Your

form isexcellent.

Again,thankyou.

Then I’msure you are

familiarwith the Bo

staff.

Very.


Verygood!

Thankyou, sir.

if I wasn’tstudying for

school, I was in myneighborhood dojo

training.

And itshows. Your

form isexcellent.

Again,thankyou.

Then I’msure you are

familiarwith the Bo

staff.

Very.


Again,your form

and style areexcellent. You

are tookind.

Well,it is thetruth.

Now,meet mydummy.

The great thing abouthim is you can hit himall you want, and he

never complains.

Careto try?


Again,your form

and style areexcellent. You

are tookind.

Well,it is thetruth.

Now,meet mydummy.

The great thing abouthim is you can hit himall you want, and he

never complains.

Careto try?



Verygood.

Want totry something

different?

Yes,sir. Ido.

Hana, you can eithercall me Grandfather

or Sensei*, ifyou wish.

Butplease, quitcalling me

“sir.”

*Sensei meansteacher inJapanese.

Yes,Sensei.


Spear

Yah!

Yahh!

Josticks


bokken

shurikens

Yah!

SAi

…urp.


Bbb-buuuu-uur…

…rrr-rrrpp-ppp!!

Oh!

Ohmy!


Tomo!

Whatam I goingto do with

you?

Youshould learnto mind yourmanners, my

friend.

Heh-heh.


Go lie down in thebackyard where you

won’t get anyonehurt.

Hana, you area talented student,

but remember that wemust not allow ourselves

to rely on theseweapons.

Self-defense isnot only aboutyour ability to

use these items,but also aboutyour attitude in

avoiding conflictin the first

place.

I think that isenough for today.I’m sure he wouldmore than agreewith me.

Yes,Sensei.


Laterthat night.

Aaaah-hhhh, that’s

better.

Well,I guess livinghere could be

worse.

He seemslike a nice man,

but I stillmiss you.


Where isthat music

comingfrom?


Pleasedon’t stopbecause I

am here. it’sbeautiful.


Hana,come here

for a moment.I would liketo talk to

you.Yes,

Sensei.

You’vehad a goodfirst day, I

hope?

Excellent.

Yes,Sensei.


Hana,come here

for a moment.I would liketo talk to

you.Yes,

Sensei.

You’vehad a goodfirst day, I

hope?

Excellent.

Yes,Sensei.

I needto confess toyou; I’m a little

scared.

You?

I don’tunderstand.

I leftJapan a

long timeago…

…And I’venever really

had anyone in mylife for verylong, except

Tomo.


So the ideaof having a younglady move into the

house is more than alittle frightening

for me.

I thinkI understand,

Sensei.I will

try not toscare you too

much.

Good.I don’t know

how much excitementmy heart can

take.


Now, offto bed withyou. We mustrise earlytomorrow.

Are wegoing some-

where?

Yes, I havesomeone I wouldlike you to meet.

Whois it?

You’llsee. Nowget some

rest.


Hai,Sensei.

The landof Argon

Falls.

TheFortress

of theAncients.

Prepareyourself, Palon;

I am comingfor you.

I havefound the lostportal of the

ancients.

I believethis is where

Palon escapedwith thesword.

Haveyou tested

it?

Verygood, my

son.

No, Ihave waitedfor yourarrival.

Whathave you

discovered,Lord

Ardath?

The portalhas been hidden

for many years. Wemust find a way

to test it.


The landof Argon

Falls.

TheFortress

of theAncients.

Prepareyourself, Palon;

I am comingfor you.

I havefound the lostportal of the

ancients.

I believethis is where

Palon escapedwith thesword.

Haveyou tested

it?

Verygood, my

son.

No, Ihave waitedfor yourarrival.

Whathave you

discovered,Lord

Ardath?

The portalhas been hidden

for many years. Wemust find a way

to test it.


Willthis do?

Please,Lord Ardath!

NO!

So wherehave you been?What did you

see?

I-I-I-Iwas gone foronly a moment,

Lord Ardath!

What non-sense! We have

waited hoursfor your

return!

My lord, itis true! Icame to aworld muchlike our ownand returnedimmediately!

Urn’ado!What shouldwe make of

this?

No matter! We mustrecover the sword

if you are to bevictorious, Lord

Ardath.

Yes, I willsend my elite

soldiers to retrievethe sword…and my

brother.

The sword of theSpirit possesses the

true power of the gods.Without it, the armor is

worthless!


Willthis do?

Please,Lord Ardath!

NO!

So wherehave you been?What did you

see?

I-I-I-Iwas gone foronly a moment,

Lord Ardath!

What non-sense! We have

waited hoursfor your

return!

My lord, itis true! Icame to aworld muchlike our ownand returnedimmediately!

Urn’ado!What shouldwe make of

this?

No matter! We mustrecover the sword

if you are to bevictorious, Lord

Ardath.

Yes, I willsend my elite

soldiers to retrievethe sword…and my

brother.

The sword of theSpirit possesses the

true power of the gods.Without it, the armor is

worthless!


Hello?Hello?

Cananyone hear

me?

I can’tsee athing.

Hello?Hello?

Cananyone hear

me?


Hello?Hello?

Cananyone hear

me?



Hello?Hello?

Cananyone hear

me?


Mom?

HANA!

Hello?Hello?

Cananyone hear

me?


Hello?Hello?

Cananyone hear

me?



What?!

Hana.

I heardyou crying

out and I cameto check on

you.

Oh.

Areyou

okay?

Hai,Sensei.I’ll befine.

Verywell…

…Weshould be

leavingshortly.

Hai,Sensei. Iwill beready.

Ashrine?

Not a shrine.Different thanthat. You will

see.


Ashrine?

Not a shrine.Different thanthat. You will

see.


I thoughtwe were meeting

someone.

Shhh…We are.

That’s all for today.Say hello to someone

new before youleave today.

Thankyou, and

Godbless.

Come on,there is

someone Iwant you to

meet.

Um…okay.

PastorJames, may I

have a momentof yourtime?


That’swhat I

thought.

Domoarigatou.*

Ofcourse,

Jou. What canI do for

you?

I wouldlike you to

meet my grand-daughter, Hana

Akisame.She has

come fromJapan to livewith me and

Tomo.

it is a pleasureto meet you, Hana

Akisame.How

old areyou?

Sorry,I mean thankyou, sir, and Iam thirteenyears old.

*Domo arigatoumeans thank you

in Japanese.


Brittany, can youcome up here for a

moment please?

Yes,Dad.

Brittany’s thesame age as

you. Are youenrolled in

schoolyet?

She startstomorrow.

Well then,Brittany, this

is Hana.

Dad, you know Iwouldn’t mind

at all.

Hi, I’mBrittany.

Would yoube so kind asto show her

around schooltomorrow?


Hi, I’mHana.

Great! Brittany willpick Hana up tomorrowmorning on the way

to school.

Hhmm-pphhh!

Whatnow?

Thankyou, Pastor

James.

I knowhaving someone

there will make thetransition a little

easier forHana.

Noproblem,

Jou. I’m alwayshappy to

help.


Goodmorning.

Goodmorning,

Brittany. Thankyou for helping

Hana out.

No bigdeal, Mr.Otousan.

Seeyou later,

Sensei.

Have agood day,

girls.


Hasit been

hard foryou?

When didyou arrive inCalifornia?

Twodaysago.

A little,but mostlystrange. I’ve

studiedAmerica in school,

but it is verydifferent in

person.

And “San Fran” is evenmore different! I’ve lived

here my whole life,and I still find it

strange.


Hereit is.

Ready?Hai.I am

ready.

Good.Let’sgo!


I willpick you up

after each classand take you to

your nextone.

Arigatou.

Well it’sabout time,Brittany.

Yeah,we waitedfor you.

Oh, I’msorry.

My dad asked meto show Hana aroundschool today, soI went by herhouse to pickher up.

Well, when you are doneplaying nice with theforeigner, remember

who your realfriends are.

Yeah,see you

at lunch.


ooookay…

So, whereis my first

class?

I don’tknow. Let’s

go by the mainoffice andfind out.

Leadon.


ooookay…

So, whereis my first

class?

I don’tknow. Let’s

go by the mainoffice andfind out.

Leadon.

8:41

9:32

10:45

11:38


2:07

2:45

1:29

12:41


2:55

Okay,we all

know theplan?

Yep.

Yes.

Brittany, you’ll playnice with Miss Asia

until we strike andembarrass her so bad

she’ll never want toreturn to school

again.

Umh…okay…but

I don’tthink…


Brittany,you don’t dothe thinkingaround here,

I do!

Eitheryou are with

us or you arewith her. Now

which oneis it?

Withyou.

Good!Now let’shave somereal fun.


Well,she did say to

meet here afterschool.

Hey Hana, sorryI’m a few minutes

late. I had toattend a small

meeting.

That’sokay.

Did youget a lot of

homework?

Hai,enoughfor twodays.

Then Iguess we had

better run homeand get it all

done.


Thanksfor your

help today,Brittany.

Hey,it was

nothing.

Sametime

tomorrow?

Thatwould be nice,

arigatou.

Later,girl.

Abayo.*

*Abayo meansfarewell

in Japanese.


Ourworld.


Whichway,sir?

Letus find

out.

SniffSniff

Followme.


SanFrancisco.

A fewhourslater.

Therecould be

many dangersin this great

city.

Thetime for

stealth isupon us.


I am surprised athow quickly this

strange new worldstarts to feel

“right.”

Theschool work

is toughat times…

…but I feel likeI’m starting tofind a balance

between Brittany,school, and mydaily workouts.

So far, life inSan Franciscois working outpretty well.


Sensei,I am

home.

Hello?

Sensei?

Sensei?

I don’tthink sheis ready

yet.

Sensei,who wereyou talking

to?


Oh,Hana. is

school overalready?

Yes,it is.

Wereyou talkingto some-

one?

I wastalking with

Tomo.

He hasbeen with mefor so long;I talk to him

like he isfamily.

Right. WellI have homeworkto do, then I am

going to practicefor a while in

the dojo.

Excellent.Let me know when

you are ready, andI will accompany

you.

Hai,Sensei.




Oh! I think thatis enough for

today… …before yougo through

anotherstaff.

You aredoing an

admirablejob. Thank

you,Sensei.

Here,let me show

you where the extraweapons are stored.

I have a cabinet stockedwith just about everything

you would ever need.

You mayhelp yourself

anytime youneed to.

Wow!!!

it’s magnificent!


I wouldlike to give

you something.

For usto begin our

training later,you will need

this.

Oh,thank you,

Sensei!

Hana,are you in

here?

It sounds likeyour friendBrittany ishere.

Wow, I was so intopractice I completelyforgot about watching

a movie with hertonight.

Then youbetter get

going.

Hai,Sensei.


Heh-heh.I know.

Thatwas a good

movie.

it wasokay.

I liked the part wherethe one lady warriordestroyed the evil

wraith with her sword.

Whataboutyou?

I liked anypart with theelf guy in it.

He’s cute!

Youare toomuch.


Thanksagain for

comingover.

Hey, we’rejust a few blocks

apart, so it only takesa couple of minutes

to get here.

Andyou’re

welcome. Ihad a fun

time.

Pick meup on the

way to schooltomorrow? You

bet!

See ya,girl-

friend.


Hana,you better

get going oryou will be

late.

Yes,Sensei.

I’m on myway. I am

surprisedBrittany didn’tmake it by this

morning.

Thatis odd. I

hope she isokay.

Hana?

Thankyou,

Sensei.

I willsee you andTomo after

school.

Havea good

day, younglady.

Youtoo.


Eachof you know

what todo?

Yeah!

Umh…yes…

Well,let’s goover itagain.

When MissJapan gets here,

we attack her withthese balloons filled

with green foodcoloring.

She’ll getso covered in it,she won’t want

to show her face atschool again.

Everyonetake up yourpositions andget ready for

my signal.


Almostthere…

Now!


What?!

I don’tbelieve

it.

I won’tmiss asecondtime.

Ha!

No!

Gether!


What?!

I don’tbelieve

it.

I won’tmiss asecondtime.

Ha!

No!

Gether!

Takethat!

Nnooo!


Get her,Brittany!

Brittany? Throwthem!!

Yeah,gether!

Gether!

Doit!!

Or youwon’t bemy friendanymore!

Or mineeither!


Oh! You aresssooooNOT cool.

You wait’til I get done

with you atschool.

I havecrossed

you off ofmy friends

list.

Yeah,you’regone!

I donot think

shecares.

What?


Youjust wait.I’m gon--

Ow!

Ow!Ow! Ow!

You’rebreakingmy arm!

Traci,get her!

Ulppm!


I’ll seeyou later,Rachael.

I do notwant to hearof you doing

anything againstBrittany.

Under-stand?

Youcan--OW!

Under-stand?

Yes.Yes. Iunder-stand.

Eraidesune!*

Havea niceday.

*Eraidesunemeans goodin Japanese.


I will bewatching

you.

Traci?

Brittany?

This isfar from

over.

Hana,you will

pay.

Oh yes!Mark my words,you will pay

for this.


Sir,what is this

place?

I amnot

sure.

Sir!Maybe we

could askhim!

Rrrowwf?Yelp!

Yelp! Yelp!Yelp!

Worthlesspeasant!


Hello?

isanyonethere?

Umh,hi Dad.

Brittany,honey, why

aren’t you inschool? What’s

going on?

Dad,can wetalk?

Ofcourse,let’s go

over to myoffice.


No,sir.

And youran awayat thatpoint?

Yes,sir.

Have youspoken to anyof the girlssince then?

Brittany,one of the great

things about this lifeis that we’re giventhe opportunity to

make our ownchoices.

We choosewhat we eat, whatwe wear, and most

importantly, we choosewhat we do every

day.

We have the abilityto decide between

right and wrong.

I under-stand.

Now, todayyou picked who

was going to beyour friend and

who was not.

Hardchoices when

you want to bepopular.

I don’tthink Rachaelor Traci willever talk to

me again.

That may beTrue. But I think youhave to try to talk

to them.


Whatdo youmean?

I have letyou make your

own choice aboutbeing friends

with them.

if you want tostay friends, youneed to tell them

how you feel.

even ifit’s hardto do.

yes,sir.

Good.

Look, I’vegot a coupleof errands

to run

Then after that,why don’t we goby the school and

pick up yourschoolwork for

the day?

Really?

Yes, youcan catchup on allof it thisweekend.

Youdon’tmind?

No, I don’tmind. Sometimes

you need to makeexceptions.

Nowlet’s get

going.


But let’snot overlook

the main personin all of this.

Hana? Yes,Hana.

She didnothing to

deserve this sortof treatment from

you or anyoneelse. All

she everwanted was a

friend.

I know.I am

sorry.

I’m notthe one youshould be

apologizingto, honey.

You’reright,Dad.

Ofcourse…I’m theDad.



Oh,helloTomo.

Yes,it wasa longday.

My onlyfriend

abandonedme today.

For a couple ofweeks I thought

things were goingwell, but I guessit was not meant

to last.

Thingshave been

so hard sincemotherdied.

Itry to bestrong,but I am

not.

I’mreallylonely.


Hana?Are youokay?

Hai.

Wellthen…

…Can Imake you

something toeat, or wouldyou like me to

leave youalone?

No!


Grand-father, pleasedon’t leave

me.

Everyoneelse has, andyou are all I

have left.

I amhere for

you, my littleflower.


SniffSniffWhich

way now,sir?

SniffSniff

We aregetting closer.We will have tocross here andmake our way to

the north.


Gasp!


Oof!Ugh!

Ohman! Mom

is gonna killme!

Dumbdog! Didn’t

you seeme?!?

Whatin the

heck isthat?

it’s okay,sir. We’lltake care

of him.


Oof!Ugh!

Ohman! Mom

is gonna killme!

Dumbdog! Didn’t

you seeme?!?

Whatin the

heck isthat?

it’s okay,sir. We’lltake care

of him.

Uhm,shouldn’twe call anambulance? No!

it will befine, human…uhm… sir! Wewill take him.You may leave

now.

Hey… I don’t know,man… This is my

mom’s car, and I needa statement or

something for ourinsurance--

Unngh!

Growwwll!

Hey, chillout man! No

problem! I hopeyour puppy is

all right,dudes.


Ungh…sir--cough--

you mustleave me.

ishe allright?

We must get himback to the portal.

Chuuya, take Kenok andwait for us in the forest.Baku and I will continue to

search for the sword.

Once we havelocated it,we will returnand reportback to LordArdath.

Yessir!

it willbe daylight

soon; wemust movequickly.


Hieya!

Okay,Hana. Giveme a quick

combo.

Hai,Grand-father.


Hello?

Oh,hello PastorJames. Whatcan I do for

you?

it’snot what

you can dofor me,

Jou.

I’d liketo speak with

Hana, Mr.Otousan.

Oh,okay.

isthat okaywith youHana?

Yes,sir. I willtalk with

her.

Hana,why don’t yougirls head tothe backyard

to chat. PastorJames and I

will be alongshortly.

Hai,Grand-father.

Brittany,you mayfollow

me.


Seeingwhat she can do

here in the dojo, Inever worry aboutanyone hurting her

physically.

Okay,Dad.

Did Hanatell you what

happened?

Yes,sir. She

did.

I’m sorry,Jou. I never

meant for anythinglike this happen.

is Hana allright?

However,emotionally,Hana is as

fragile as aflower.

She is veryupset and hurt,but I think she

will be all right,as long as they

stay friends.

What doyou say wegive them afew minutestogether?

That isfine with me.

Would you likesome tea?


Hana,I don’t reallyknow what tosay, but I’m

sorry.

I’m sorryabout not being

honest with you. I’msorry about being apart of Rachael’splan, and I’m sorry

I hurt you.

Brittany, I thoughtyou were my friend,

but you onlypretended.

That’s not true. I likebeing with you better thanRachael and Traci. That’s

why I couldn’t go throughwith throwing the

balloons.

I shouldhave stuck up

for you, but I ranaway like a coward.Can you forgive me?

I want us to befriends.

I can forgiveyou, but can Itrust youagain?

Yes!That’s some-thing we can

work ontogether.

I guess I have to forgiveyou. Who else is going

to walk with me toschool everyday?


Well…now that’s

better.

it is niceto see yougirls happy

again.

I feel so muchbetter now. Dad,do you think Hanacould come oversometimesoon?

GrandpaJou, do you think

it would be all rightto teach Brittany

some karate?

I thinkthat would be

fine as long asher grandfather

doesn’t mind.


I do notmind at all.

Brittany is welcometo come back to thedojo to begin hertraining when she

is ready.

Allright!

Yippee!!!

Thankyou for your

time and the tea,Jou.

You arewelcome.

Bye,Brittany!

Bye,girl-

friend!


Thankyou Sensei…

I… I…mean…

…thankyou, Grand-

father!

I’ll getit! I guess

Brittany forgotsomething.

Britt--Oh! I’m sorry…

I thought--


Good morning, younghuman. We are here

to kill yourbugs.

Oh! Uhm… okay. Please

come in.

Thankyou. This

will not takelong.

I willlet my grand-

father know youare here.


Good morning, younghuman. We are here

to kill yourbugs.

Oh! Uhm… okay. Please

come in.

Thankyou. This

will not takelong.

I willlet my grand-

father know youare here.

That is fine, younghuman. We will spraythe chemical compound

contained in thesecanisters around

the house whileyou do that.

Baku, continue throughthat doorway. I will

move to the backof the house.

Yes,sir.

Whowas at the

door?it’s

the bugexterminator

men.

Whodid you

say?

The menwho sprayfor bugs.

They’re in thehouse.

That isstrange…I do notremembercallingthe --

Unh!Rrrrrr!Unk! Uk!


Huh!Huh! Huh!

Huh!

Tomo?What iswrong?

R-r-run-nngh! Rrrr-ungh! Unh!

Grand-father, what’s

wrong withTomo?

I am not sure, butI just rememberedsomething. I need

you to do mea favor.

Would youplease go to the

store and get a fewthings for ourdinner tonight?


Are yousure, Grand-

father?

Yes, here isa list of things

we will need. I willtend to Tomo while

you are gone.Please be careful,

but you mustleave now.

Okay,I’ll be back

in a fewminutes.

Unh!Unh,

unhhh!

Unh!Hunh! Rr-rrrungh!

Unh!

Yes,I know. Wemust be

cautious.


Whereare you, Palon?Your scent is in

this place…

There youare, my old

friend…

Ugh!Ugly!

Ahh!That isbetter.


Ugh!Ugly!

Ahh!That isbetter.


Afountain!

Tomo…Bo

staff!


Unh!

Heyi!

Huh?

Huh?


Wha!?

Sir!They arehere!!

Sir! Atlast!


This wastoo easy. Lord

Ardath willbe greatlypleased.

I amafraid you

under-estimate

yoursituation.

I thinknot, oldhuman.

it is youwho are under-estimating.


I know what you arehere for, and youwill have to gothrough me to

get it.

I see you’restill up toyour old…

tricks.


I know what you arehere for, and youwill have to gothrough me to

get it.

I see you’restill up toyour old…

tricks.

Baku!Take them!

I will searchfor thesword.

Growwl!Yeeeeca!


Wha?

if youvalue your

life, you willleave.

Ha!Ha, ha, ha,

ha! This is anunexpectedsurprise…

And Ido love

surprises…


Thankyou!

You’rewelcome!

Have a niceday!

I dohope Tomois okay.

Huh!?

GRAND-FATHER!


Ugh!

OOOOF!


Grand-father!

Hana!You must

leave!

I willnot leave

you, Grand-father!


Yiiiii!Yiii!Unh!

This isonly the

beginning,humans!

Cough!Cough!Cough!

Grand-father?Tomo?

We arehere, Hana…Are you all

right?

Yes! Iam fine! What

happened? Who…what… were

they?


Yiiiii!Yiii!Unh!

This isonly the

beginning,humans!

Cough!Cough!Cough!

Grand-father?Tomo?

We arehere, Hana…Are you all

right?

Yes! Iam fine! What

happened? Who…what… were

they?


They werefox soldiers.They were sentby a man called

Ardath, LordArdath.

Who? Whatare you talkingabout, Grand-

father?

I don’tunderstand.

Why were they here?What did they want

with you?

They weren’there for

me.They

were herefor something

else.

What couldthey wantfrom your

DOJo?

Hana, there ismuch I need totell you andsomething Imust showyou.


Bark!Yip! Yip ahoooo!Bark!

We havebeen successful,Baku! Lord Ardath

will be verypleased!

But sir,we did not

capture Palon orthe sword. LordArdath will surely

punish us.

I thinknot, Baku. We

have located twothings that will bring

us honor beforeLord Ardath.

We have foundhis brother; and where

Palon is located, we willfind the one thing that willbring all of Argon Falls

under the rule ofLord Ardath.

Theswordof theSpirit!

Yes,Baku…

…callto Chuuya and

Kenok.



Hana, youmust take great

care to never speakof what you areabout to see.

it is asold as time

itself.


it hasbeen carried

here over a greatdistance…

…atgreatperil.

Where did itcome from,

Grandfather?Who brought

it to you?


Hana, in time I will tell youfrom where the sword came,but for now I can only tell

you who has broughtit here.

Who Grand-father? Whobrought youthe sword?

He iswith usnow.


mmmm-rrff?

Tomo?

Yes… but Tomo wasonly the tool that one

far greater than us allhas used to bring thissword to its rightful

owner.

Wait now… Tomo brought thesword, but it isn’t his. He broughtit to you, but it doesn’t belong to

you either. Then whose swordis it, Grandfather?


it isyours,Hana.

Mine?I don’t have

a sword. I don’tunderstand.

it will be all right.in time you will under-stand. Tomo and I will

explain more whenyou are ready.

I’m notsure if I will

ever be ready,Grandfather.


Have faith,Little Flower,

you will be… in time.


Unsh!Oooff!


LordArdath!

Well done,Surgar. What

did youfind?

We have located your brother, sir.

The sword?Did you findthe sword?

Sir! Wedid not! Butit is there!


LordArdath!

Well done,Surgar. What

did youfind?

We have located your brother, sir.

The sword?Did you findthe sword?

Sir! Wedid not! Butit is there!

Areyou

sure?

They wouldnot have foughtso bravely ifit were not,

my lord.

Yes,sir!

Yes,sir!

Good! Welldone, Surgar. You

may soon prepare yourforces. We will need

your best men toretrieve the sword

and my brother.

Very good! LordArdath, it seemsthat you are only daysfrom your conquest ofthis land. You will be amighty king, your highness.

Yes. it isonly a matter

of time beforewe locate the

remainingpieces of the

armor.This landwill then

bow to me.


And mybrother will seeme for who I was

meant to be!

TO BECONTINUED


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I Was an Eighth-Grade Ninja (Z Graphic Novels Tomo)

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