The king placed his hand on Rei's head. She too was transported into the dimension.
"Whoa... where am I?" she whispered. "I need to reach the door."
When she touched it, the same rush of power flooded her senses.
"Spiritual Force... everywhere..."
Back in reality, the team watched eagerly.
"What's your power?" the king asked.
"I... don't know yet."
Suddenly, two spiritual hands emerged from her back.
Kenshiro blinked. "That's it?"
Rei looked disappointed. "This... kind of sucks."
Ryju tilted his head. "It's still kinda crazy."
"Put your hand on the ground," the king said. "Let's see."
Rei obeyed—and the earth beneath her turned to dust.
"What?!" she cried.
"Now the other hand."
She touched the dust, and the ground reformed.
"My ability... it's creation and destruction?"
"Exactly," the king said proudly. "You can reduce matter to dust and bring it back. And those hands? They're extensions of that power."
"That's actually... sick."
"Ryju, you're up."
Ryju was already sprinting toward the inner gate when the king touched his head.
Power exploded around him.
"Looks like everyone's gonna be able to stand strong," Shun said with a smile.
"What's your ability?" the king asked.
Ryju looked at his hand. "I don't know... there's just this red dot."
The king turned to Kenshiro. "Throw an attack at him."
"Me?!"
"Do it."
"Back up, everyone," Kenshiro warned. "This slash distorts space—Singularity Claw!"
He charged.
"Don't die!" he shouted.
"Don't plan on it!" Ryju replied.
BOOM!
A dust cloud filled the air.
"My attack..." Kenshiro whispered. "It's gone?"
Ryju held up his glowing hand. "Sorry... I kinda absorbed it."
"I knew it," the king said. "You can absorb attacks. Now we just need to train you to reflect them."
The king clapped once.
"That's it. You all have your abilities now. Go home and rest."
Ryju looked down at his torn shoes. "Hey... my shoes are wrecked. Can I get a new pair?"
"I've got something better. Come with me."
They vanished.
Spiritual King's Office
Ryju stood in front of the king's desk.
"What's the gift?"
The king brought out a worn, brown box. "Your grandfather gave this to me before he died. Told me to give it to you... when you became a ninja."
Ryju's breath caught. "Grandpa...?"
The king opened the box—inside was a pair of old, well-kept shoes.
Ryju slowly put them on. "They fit perfectly."
"I'm glad. Now go home."
Later That Night...
At Ryju's House
"Mom, I'm a ninja!" Ryju beamed.
"I heard," Rika said, hugging him. "I'm so proud of you."
"Wait—are those... your grandfather's shoes?"
"Yep. The king gave them to me."
Rika smiled. "I made fried chicken and powdered doughnuts."
"YES!"
At Rei's House
"I'm home!" Rei shouted.
"We're so proud of you!" said Ari, her mom.
"Me too," added Ray, her dad.
"Let's celebrate!"
"Of course!"
At Goro's House
"Dad! Guess what?"
"You became a ninja," Joro said with pride.
"Yep!"
"I'm proud of you."
At Shun's House
"I'm home..." Shun mumbled.
He headed to the kitchen.
"Time for some noodles... I'm starving."
At Kenshiro's House
"I need... a shower," he muttered.
That Night...
Lying in their beds, each of them reflected on the day.
Goro: I can't...
Shun: ...believe it.
Rei: We're...
Kenshiro: ...really...
Ryju: ...ninjas.
END OF VOLUME 1