AN: Sorry for the slight delay. Not much to say just... a lot happened yesterday and I... forgot. Sorry.


Chapter 6: Of Curses and Seals

They have been in Oto for some days now, and could still find no evidence of foul-play. This morning found Shino, as did most days, sitting at a bench with a small kitten purring in is lap as his kikaichuu scanned the area. Unlike Hinata, however, they were not looking for hidden crannies or disturbing laboratories. Sure, if ever they chanced upon a conversation of particular note they had standing orders to report at once, but for the most part, they were fulfilling an assignment only they could.

They were scanning the population, looking for specific chem-signals.

It was a little known capability of the Aburame clan's bugs, and as such often under-utilized. The fifth hokage, however, was a medic, and as such knew there were better ways to divine secrets people were trying to keep hidden. Questions and body language alone were limited, especially among those trained in the art of hiding them. But no one could truly control their biology, all the more so when unaware it could be examined so easily. If there was any fear, hopelessness, rage or malice among them, Shino will know.

So far, there was nothing of the like beyond what is natural in any community.

So today, Shino just sat on his bench, under an apple tree, taking in the peace of the hour and bustle of life around him. It is not so unlike Konoha, really, when taken in like this, he mused. The scent of grass was stronger, the animals less domesticated, the people less prone to gossip and the roads less sturdy... but that was about it. Shino had come to enjoy people-watching. Born of the tendency of most to fail to notice his presence, he had not always felt so. But time had passed, and he made friends, and the sting eased away to leave behind a feeling of contentment. Also, it was a valuable skill for a shinobi, one he had taken full advantage of since their arrival. But, so far, there wasno more ill intent in the villagers' conversations here, than back home.

It came as a great surprise, then, when a small beetle made a beeline right to him, moving fast and buzzing a frantic pitch. Shino stretched out a finger, listening to the tiny creature as only one who raised it could. There was a sudden shift, apparently, an unexplained anger that started to emanate from one of the villagers. Unfortunately, the insect could not communicate much about the particulars of the infraction beyond a sense of confusion as to the cause and a seeming lack of particular target. Deciding to take a closer look, Shino followed it to an area just off the main road, not far from the village' library.

He froze a few paces away from the scene, unable to understand at first just what he was seeing.

A man was standing on the road, bent forward at the waist, and holding his head as if in great pain, all but pulling his hair out. On his neck, Orochimaru's curse mark – he had no idea if that of heaven or earth – was burning orange. Around it, the circular seal Kakashi had guessed was intended to suppress it pulsed black and red, fighting the other. As Shino watched, it turned black for the last time and orange stains began covering the man. The stains soon enveloped his entire body before turning gray, and suddenly there was a half-boar standing there, looking all around him with a combined rage and glee that made a shiver ripple through Shino's skin and sent his poor kikaichuu back into the folds of his coat.

Nearby, a hawk took flight from the treetop it had been perched on, hurrying in the opposite direction.

The cursed villager let out a hysterical laugh, looking behind himself. His gaze was aimed at a young girl, around twelve years old, that happened to be in the area. Other than Shino himself, no one else seemed to be present, and he was still too far away. "Kill!"

Her eyes were wide, and she was backing away, trying to calm the man down, back to his senses. "Jiro! Calm down!" He only laughed at her, advancing slowly, eyes stalking her movements like a predator. Shino realized, in that moment, that is all he was. But despite her fear, even as she was doing her best to keep a distance, she never stopped trying to reach the man under the beast, "Get control of yourself!"

All her effort appeared to be useless, and he was lounging at her now, trying to attack. The girl, likely trained as a shinobi, was managing to evade him well enough for now, but for how much longer? Shino may only have had stories of the curse mark until now, but they were enough for him to realize the strength and stamina boost granted by them was not to be dismissed. He has had enough. He no longer cared that this was a foreign village he was in for diplomatic reasons, or that this girl probably knew more about what was going on than he did. He started making his way forward, no longer able to just watch from afar.

It was then that her eyes hardened in determination. Shino stopped in his tracks for the second time when she started singing.

It was the last thing one would expect in this situation. The notes were soothing, beautiful, and seemed to belie the set of her mouth and crease of her brow. They carried on the wind and wound their way strait into his heart. Remarkably, the crazed man paused as well. He appeared confused, unsure, then dropped to his knees with a cry. Slowly, the effects of the curse mark retreated, the girl's face easing into something gentler as she kept singing. A black streak flew right by Shino just as the man, Jiro, was himself again, shaking and mumbling apologies, and the song stopped.

The streak knelt by Jiro, hand on his shoulder, and was revealed to be Taka. Someone must have alerted him, because as far as Shino was aware, he was supposed to be in conference with the hokage. "Stop apologizing. No harm was done. Right, Asuka?" He was speaking gently to the quivering man at his side, but turned to the girl with his last sentence. Her nod was resolute, leaving no room for argument, "Yes! I'm fine, and it wasn't your fault anyway, so you don't need to apologize!" With a start, Shino realized she wasn't lying. She truly believed everything she said.

"But I could have hurt you. I could have killed you!" Jiro sounded incredibly broken, but Shino found he agreed with him; no harm was done – but it could have. If it weren't for whatever it was that the girl herself did... And how was Taka so calm? After his warning to them, after the bloody tale Anko had recounted to them of just how far the people of this village were willing to go when threatened... was he truly going to just let the incident lie?

"But you didn't." apparently, he was. "Everyone has bad days, and the seal still acts up from time to time, regardless of the suppression seal. I will see if I can modify it more, but you know it will never be perfect. This is no slight against you, nor the power of your will." Jiro still looked unconvinced. "Are you feeling okay? Did something happen lately?" A shake of the head. Either 'no' or 'I don't want to talk about it'. Taka nodded once before standing up, remarking, as if in an after thought, "I think Juugo is meditating by the lake." Jiro gave a brief nod of his own before rising to his feet and walking away, still looking rather dejected.

Taka sighed, and turned to the girl. "You did well, Asuka. Are you truly alright?"

"Yeah. I was a little scared, but... I'm just glad I could help. Is Jiro-san going to be fine?"

Taka smiled at her, "I'm sure he is. Just leave it to Juugo." Her smile widened in response, then she turned to Shino, gave a nod of farewell, and left. Taka was still staring after her when he spoke. "Asuka was originally of the Hibari clan. Their kekei-genkai lies in their voice. They could affect anyone's emotions, which means they hold the ability to manipulate their actions. You can see why he was interested." Shino most definitely could, and it pissed him off. "Her little sister died about four years ago in one of his labs. It's good to see her smiling again."

"Does this happen often?" Shino asked.

"Not so much anymore. Usually the seals, combined with the wills of those baring them, keep it well under control. But they are not infallible, and everyone has weak moments. Normally when this does happen, myself or Juugo can get the situation handled. It's good to know we have Asuka to rely on now, as well. She always wanted to help, and being able to must have made her happy."

"Even so, I would imagine that kind of seal is rather complex. Even from a distance, they look similar but not identical." For once, it was Shino who failed to notice the presence of others. Tsunade-sama must have followed Taka at a more sedate pace – giving credence to his theory he had been alerted in the middle of a conference – and was now standing beside him, a frustrated Naruto by her side and Shikamaru still making his lazy way some distance from them.

"They are each personally tailored to the individual they were put on, but I don't want them to turn into control seals so there is only so much they can do."

Tsunade's right eyebrow rose. "That sounds even more complicated. And like it may combine some medical knowledge, as well." the last sounded like it carried a question, and Taka chose to answer, "Rudimentary at best. Mostly from books and observation.

"But, if the seals interest you, I'm sure something can be worked out."

Shino blocked out what started to sound like the beginning of another part of negotiations. He stared into the distance, where Jiro had gone. He had seen Juugo on occasion, mostly when they had their meals in the glade with the Oto villagers, and was intrigued by the silent man. Perhaps it was a sense of kinship born of the perceived similarities in their personalities, perhaps something else. But now he was even more curious. He excused himself from his leader and the leader under whose wing he currently resided, and made his way to the lake. Just what significance did the kind-mannered man have in regards to the curse mark and those inflicted with it?


Juugo was sitting cross-legged in the grass by the water. Above, flying closer to the figure than would be considered normal, a few birds flitted around and away and back again, chirping merrily. A bunny or squirrel would come over on occasion, twitching its little nose at the man's leg or arm before darting off, while a small puppy lay on his lap getting petted like no one's business.

Next to him, Jiro sat in much the same position – sans animals – head bowed and eyes down. The earlier incident clearly weighed on his mind still, despite of Taka's and Asuka's words. He truly was a good man, and having a mark that could so easily cause him to do harm to others made him angry. Anger, however, was dangerous in the presence of the curse mark, so all he was really left to feel was the depression.

"Don't over-think it," Juugo spoke at last, "you were not at fault, and no damage was done."

"Because I was lucky enough that the person I attacked was someone who could stop me. What if this happens again? What if next time, I won't have the same luck? What if... what if I hurt one of the children?"

Juugo looked deep in thought, but when he spoke he did not seem to address any of those questions. "Have you been to visit him this week?"

"I was on my way to do just that, but... how can I, now?"

"I think it will do you good."

"I could hurt him. This is why I can't trust myself to raise him, after all."

Juugo shook his head. "It was suppressed. If anything, there is less of a chance of it happening now."

Jiro still looked unconvinced, and Juugo, seeing this, continued: "Don't let this control your life. Don't shut yourself away for what-ifs. I've been there, remember? It is a lonely place."

"But you haven't been for months." there was no accusation in his tone, only despair.

"Well, I have had help." his hand touched the back of his neck, where a symbol marred the skin, "And an episode could still happen, like the rest of you. But I have learned that the less you think on it, the more time you spend with people or little-ones," he gave the puppy an affectionate look, "the easier it is to avoid."

The conversation continued for some minutes longer, then came a prolonged silence where both just stared at the water, until Jiro finally left. Juugo remained in his contemplation for a while longer, before saying "You can come down from there, you know."

Shino jumped down from his perch in a nearby tree, from which he had watched unseen. He wondered just how long Juugo had been aware of his presence, and why he hadn't said anything until now. He sat by the peaceful giant, and dared ask. He didn't know if the answer, "A little bird told me", was serious or not, but the amused eyes gave him confidence to ask about other things that have been on his mind.

It was night by the time he got back to the house.