Author's Note
Hello Universe! It's your favorite Palkia here with another chapter! Apologies for the delay, but I have a few things going on behind the scenes at the moment. But here you go! Thank you to everyone who favorited, followed, and reviewed! It means a lot!
Here's the music list!
(1) Ninmu (Mission) - Naruto Shippuden OST 1
(2) Nervous - Naruto OST 1
(3) Kokon Musou (Unparalleled Throughout History) - Naruto Shippuden OST 1
(4) Kaii (Strangeness) - Naruto Shippuden OST 1
(5) Nakama (Friends) - Naruto Shippuden OST 1
Let's get going!
I do not own Naruto and I do not own TMNT.
Chapter 15
Poisoned Souls
(1) "Hmm...Okay, you should turn right...three blocks ago…" Mikey instructed.
"Ughhh…" his three brothers sighed.
'Why couldn't he have told me this back there?' Leo groaned inwardly.
"Because your brother has decided to find a cure for his boredom," Kurama told him.
'That's true…'
Leo then pulled into a sidestreet and turned around. It had been a few days since the incident in the noodle shop. While he had been spending his time there, his brothers and the shadow clone he created infiltrated an underwater Kraang base. Donne managed to discover files that revealed several locations of Kraang labs throughout the city, valuable information that would come in handy.
That was what the four brothers were doing now; scouting out the Kraang labs and finding intel within said labs.
Before they could even search, one particular event occurred. Two nights ago while staking out at TCRI, the brothers had once again run into Timothy, aka the Pulverizer. Unfortunately and fortunately in some circumstances, he had taken up a job as a Foot Soldier, as cannon fodder, which Donnie pointed out. Eventually, they decided that Timothy would be a spy for them, much to their complaints. Their night also became somewhat worse, as Splinter had told the four turtles to switch weapons.
Unlike his brothers, Leo was perfectly capable of fighting with other weapons. During those five years of training in the sewers, he had sometimes snuck out with his brothers' weapons. Practicing was key, in the case that Leo lost his katanas and had no other option. And while they did have another option, this being in the form of jutsu, this could not be shown to anyone.
There was no trouble when it came to fighting without his katanas. His brothers, however, were a different story. So he told them to switch weapons, which led to Splinter taking their weapons completely. They ended up heading to a warehouse where Timothy was going to be mutated, along with other Foot Soldiers. And he did end up getting mutated...into a weird mutagenic monster.
In the end, Donnie managed to contain the new mutant within a giant container, with the warehouse exploding soon afterward. It had not been a good day at all. So much so that the purple-masked turtle had been spending more time in his lab to figure out a retromutagen to cure Timothy.
Now, scouting out these Kraang labs was their new priority. There was now a confirmed alliance between the aliens and Shredder, which Leo had feared ever since Karai vaguely mentioned it. The brothers hope that they could at least get some intel about what the Kraang were planning.
Pulling into a back alley-way, Leo parked the Shellraiser, hiding it away from anyone else walking by. He and his brothers got out and went into stealth mode. The blue-masked turtle put his shell against the concrete wall of a building and looked out at the building next to it. More specifically, a window on the third floor.
"This must be the hidden Kraang Lab," Donnie mentioned.
"Let's trash the place," Raph stated with excitement.
"Hold on Raph, this is a recon mission," Leo reminded his brother. "We go in there, find out what the Kraang are up to, and then trash the place."
"How much would you bet on if he managed to wake up the entire city because he destroyed the place himself?"
'That's not even a bet at that point, it's predicting the future.'
"Fine," the red-masked turtle complained. "Wake me when we get to the trashing part."
Getting inside was incredibly easy. It appeared that the upper floors were abandoned, with the first floor being used by some businesses. A perfect coverup for the Kraang. The four climbed up one of the fire escapes, careful not to make any noise. Entering through one of the open windows, which Leo found to be highly suspicious, they got into the lab they were looking for. And the blue-masked turtle's earlier suspicions were confirmed quickly.
There were no Kraang in there, at least any functioning ones. The robotic bodies were destroyed, with robotic parts all over the floor and the tables. No Kraang were in the vicinity either.
"Ah man, someone beat us to it," Raph groaned, obviously looking forward to beating up some aliens.
Spreading out to investigate, Leo scanned the area around him. The most noticeable thing was the fact that there were destroyed Kraang on the floor. And not to mention the eerie presence that seemed to be emanating from somewhere in the room.
'I don't think someone broke in here,' he began to think. 'None of the windows are broken, and everything else is still in place. Minus the Kraang of course.'
His eyes fell to the walls, which were covered in various posters of arthropods, more specifically bees, wasps, and hornets. This was highly strange. Since when did the Kraang decide to use posters instead of databases?
"It looks like one of their experiments got away from them," Leo theorized, which would explain why the window may have been open.
"Seems they were doing experiments on arthropods…" Donnie murmured. "Weird."
By now, the four brothers had been fighting the Kraang for a long time. They were used to seeing experiments that involved the DNA of larger animals, this being in the case of Justin. Mammals and reptiles were good sources to use. But for them to experiment on arthropods was rather out of character for the aliens.
"Yee-yoo-hoo-hoo-ha!" Mikey exclaimed as he spun around in an office chair that he found.
"Hey, this equipment is still good," the purple masked turtle said, opening a cabinet full of lab equipment. "Woo-hoo-hoo, nice centrifuge." He continued to rummage through it.
"If I ever get that excited about a centrifuge, just put me out of my misery," Raph commented sarcastically.
This got a light chuckle out of Leo until he suddenly went rigid. That same eerie presence was back once again. 'You felt that, right Kurama?'
"Something is above us."
Mikey picked up a Kraangdroid head and looked up, also noticing the thing that Leo had sensed. "Hmm? Hey Donnie, how big do you think one of those arthropods might be?" he asked.
'Oh please don't tell me it's…' Leo's thought process was cut off by Donnie.
"Well, a bee is about four millimeters, and a wasp would be...six," the purple-masked turtle replied with an estimate. (1!)
"Then what the heck is that?!" Mikey yelled, pointing up.
(2) All three older brothers looked up to where he was pointing and immediately went on edge. Above one of the lights was a giant, parasitic wasp, only it wasn't the exact measurements that Donnie had described earlier. No, this wasp was huge. It hoped down from the light and onto the air conditioner jetting out from the wall. And then, it spread its wings and charged at them.
"Too late, it's here," Kurama not, but was slightly disgusted from the sight of the giant wasp.
'Oh you've got to be kidding me!' his jinchuriki thought in horror.
It flew at the four, who had now grouped together. They ducked as the wasp flew by, moving around in a sporadic pattern. It then turned around and came towards them again. This time, the turtles split up. Raph was a little too slow to react and ended up getting caught within the wasp's grasp. He tried fighting against it, but the red-masked turtle was pinned down.
"Get it off!" Raph shouted as the wasp attempted to bite him multiple times. "Get it off! Get it off!"
Donnie ran up to him and batted the arthropod mutant off of his brother. The wasp was stunned for a moment but soon flew at the purple-masked turtle. Swinging his Bo staff around, Donnie began to defend himself against it. Leo threw some throwing stars at it for added distraction.
Luring the mutant into the middle of the room, Raph charged forward, sais at the ready. He struck forward, only for the wasp to swing its stinger at the turtle. Once in the air, the wasp slammed Raph into the ceiling using the backside of its body. The red-masked turtle had the wind knocked out of him.
Seconds later, it tried to sting Donnie, who just narrowly avoided the stinger. The wasp attempted to strike once more, but in just the nick of time, Leo struck with his katanas, sending it into the wall. This stunned the wasp for a second until it got up once more and began to search for the four brothers.
'Dang, that thing's tough,' the jinchuriki thought, as he and his brothers were currently hiding away from the arthropod.
"We need a plan," he stated. "And fast!"
"I know! I'll catch it with my kusarigama chain!" Mikey suggested.
"Baka, that disgusting thing will be able to get out of it easily."
"That wasp is too strong," he told his youngest brother. "How about this? Mikey, you get it to chase you and we'll ambush it."
He could tell clearly that the orange-masked turtle wasn't thrilled with the idea. True, the plan wasn't the greatest, but they didn't have much choice at the moment. And while Leo knew that Mikey had often been told to carry out these types of "bait plans," they usually ended in success.
"Why don't we ever do my plans?!" Mikey complained.
Leo was becoming more annoyed by the second. 'Because your plans never work, and I hate to admit it, but they end up endangering someone on the team!'
"Because they're your plans!" the jinchuriki ended up saying. "Now go!"
"Ugh," the orange masked turtle groaned and rolled his eyes as he went out there. "Hey, wasp! Come and get it!"
This immediately got its attention as it charged towards Mikey, who was currently taunting it.
"Whoa!" he yelled as the wasp started to chase him. "Ahhhhh!"
The wasp tailed him around the room, crashing into one of the filing cabinets. It was startled, then climbed onto the cabinet and up onto the light. Mikey continued to run around the room until the wasp was right in front of him once again. He stared at it for a moment, then screamed and proceeded to run away. The orange-masked turtle was chased around the room with the wasp on his tail.
"You know," Raph began. "He's really turned running away screaming into an art form."
"Well, at least he's good at something, right?" Donnie admitted, at least until Mikey fell. "Good-ish."
Noticing that the wasp was coming into the view, Leo motioned for his two brothers to get on top of one of the lights with his finger. Donnie and Raph nodded, proceeding to climb up while Mikey continued to be chased. The blue-masked turtle waited for the perfect opportunity.
"On my mark," Leo stated quietly.
The wasp flew by a couple of times, and Kurama began to count. "Three...two...one…"
"Now!" the jinchuriki shouted.
However, as soon as Mikey heard his oldest brother's voice, he threw his kusarigama chain right at the wasp. It wrapped around it, pulling the wasp out of reach of the three brothers who just jumped.
'Dang it, Mikey!' Leo scowled internally while in midair.
All three brothers fell to the ground on top of one another. Donnie landed off to the side, while Leo was on top of Raph. They groaned from the few seconds of impact, then started to get up. Leo noticed the wasp in the corner, chained up, however very loosely.
"Ha! How do you like me now!" Mikey shouted in triumph since one of his plans finally worked.
Only, the wasp was still able to move and its wings were still free. Flying into the air with the chain around its abdomen, it managed to pull Mikey along, the orange-masked turtle screaming in surprise and fear. He was flung towards the three brothers, who just noticed their youngest brother being thrown at them.
'Here he comes!'
Thankfully, Leo foresaw this in time, managing to duck as Mikey in flying. Raph and Donnie were not as lucky, being hit and thrown back by the orange-masked turtle into the wall.
"A lot less than a few seconds ago," Raph deadpanned, his arm slung over Donnie's head.
Rolling forward out of the way, the jinchuriki grabbed one of his katanas, coating it with invisible fiery chakra. He needed to kill this thing. It was clearly dangerous. Watching carefully, Leo noticed how Mikey was thrown towards his other brothers, the kusarigama chain finally loosening its lackluster hold on the arthropod mutant.
'That thing is fast,' Leo thought. 'But I can go even faster.'
"It's behind you," Kurama responded quickly.
Feeling the wasp's presence behind him, the jinchuriki smirked, readying his blade. It jabbed at him with its stinger, but he was faster, rolling to the side. Leo knew that this new mutant was a bit smarter than others they had previously encountered. Backed with speed, the wasp was dangerous.
Leo used one of the nearby cabinets as a jumping-off point, heading straight for the wasp. He was moving a lot faster than the wasp had anticipated. The jinchuriki slashed forward, attempting to slice the wasp in half. However before that could be done, it lifted its stinger up, managing to get it into the underside of his left arm. Fighting the urge to yell out, Leo continued his strike, slicing the wasp in half. What remained of the mutant fell to the ground, in pieces.
'Deer god, this hurts like hell,' he winced internally. 'I didn't expect that to happen. Oh deer god…'
It was evident that once he reached the ground, Leo was in an immense amount of pain. The stinger had been larger than he thought and was curved by the way it felt in his skin. He gritted his teeth, resisting the urge to yell.
'Just get this thing out please,' the jinchuriki silently pleaded.
"Thanks a lot, Mikey," Leo said aloud through the pain.
"Heh, sorry dude," Mikey answered with a half-hearted apology. Raph visibly tried not to gag.
"Let me see that," Donnie told Leo, making his way towards his older brother. "If I'm correct, then that stinger is more curve-like than straight. So it wouldn't be a good idea for you to pull it out."
Reluctantly, the blue-masked turtle held out his arm. He closed his eyes, preparing for the pain to come. Donnie pulled out the stinger carefully yet quickly. Leo had been correct; the stinger was indeed curvy with a barb at the end of it. He did his best not to cry out in pain, but a slight "Ow!" escaped him. The jinchuriki gripped his arm.
"Are you okay Leo?" his purple-masked brother asked.
'That's a good question,' he thought to himself. 'Nothing's really hurting as much anymore. But I'm worried. Depending on the type of wasp, it may have had some venom in that stinger.'
In response, he moved his arm slightly and wiggled his fingers. "Pretty sore, but I think I'll be-"
An immense headache seemed to overcome him, almost as if Kurama was taking control. But the giant fox hadn't done anything of the sort. His eyes begin to twitch, head tilting slightly. He is unable to show any sort of emotion until a second later.
"-fine," he finishes, and Leo begins to panic.
'What the heck just happened?!'
"Venom. That wasp did have it just as you thought it would. You are going straight to Shishigami right after this."
A tingling feeling spread down his spine. It was beginning to feel as if he was no longer in control. But Leo was trying to fight it, and for the moment he was able to suppress it somewhat. He was worried, extremely worried.
"Mutations are generally anthropomorphic," Donnie mentioned. "I've never seen mutagen create giants like this before."
"Yeah, real fascinating Donnie," Raph spoke up, still disgusted.
Something caught Leo's eyes, and he found himself walking over to a bundle of newspaper. He could feel a little bit of life energy emanating from it. Lifting up the newspaper, Leo discovered a yellow-green colored egg. And from the very little increasing nature of it, the possibility of it hatching soon was close.
"Whoa, look," he mentioned.
"It's some kind of egg," Donnie observed, as the three other turtles came over to see what Leo found.
For some reason, there was a feeling in the back of the jinchuriki's mind. It was telling him to protect the egg as if something would happen if he did. But those feelings died down as he felt a slight spread of warm chakra over his mind.
"Destroy that thing now!" Kurama warned. "That venom is seconds away from poisoning your mind. If it weren't for my current situation, I would've been able to suppress it easier. Getting rid of it will lessen the effects on your mind."
"We're getting rid of this thing immediately," the jinchuriki stated with hardly any emotion.
"Hold on Leo, I could take it back to my lab and study it," Donnie reasoned. "We could find out how exactly the Kraang are creating these mutants and-"
"DO IT NOW!"
"And have mutant wasps potentially flying around the lair?!" Leo reasoned, pushing the headache that was waging war on his mind between Kurama and the venom. He tried his best to hide his pain. "Mikey, take care of it."
"Stand back, I'll handle this!" Mikey boasted, putting his arm out in front of Raph.
"I'm betting on the egg," Raph groaned.
Whipping out his nunchucks and swinging them around, the orange-masked turtle made his way towards the wasp egg. It took every fiber in Leo's being to not jump in front of it. For some reason, it felt as if there was a voice other than Kurama in his head, telling him to protect the egg. It got louder and louder as his youngest brother got closer and closer.
He began to sweat profusely, heart rate increasing. 'Don't move,' Leo scolded himself. 'Whatever you do, don't move dang it!'
He felt his feet shift slightly, and the blue-masked turtle was prepared to take out his own weapon and use it against himself. Leo gritted his teeth, trying his best to not show any sort of emotion while his brothers were around. He managed to find the willpower to move away from the egg, muscles, and bones aching. Turning his head away, Leo closed his eyes.
'Come on Mikey,' Leo silently begged. 'Just do it already!'
His vision was beginning to blur, and the whites of his eyes were beginning to turn black. Leo's head felt as if he was in the middle of a windstorm, a howl of anger and hatred echoing within his ears. He could hear the defining roar of the nine-tailed fox, chakra threatening to break loose.
This was it. They were going to find out. Leo was going to lose control over Kurama's chakra and his own. It was going to flood out and destroy everything. He was going to harm and potentially kill his own brothers. He was going to...he was...Leo was…
SPLAT!
(2!) The storm had been silenced. Leo found his vision to be clear, the blackness disappearing from his eyes. He could breathe easier as if he was no longer being constricted by some unknown force. Heart rate slowing, the blue-masked turtle took control once again.
'Thank...deer...god…'
Looking over, he immediately saw the squashed wasp egg. Mikey stood over it, nunchucks covered in the disgusting remnants. The sight was clear that he had been the one who destroyed it. Leo, unfortunately, wanted to vomit, and he wasn't alone in that mindset.
"I think I'm going to be sick," Raph stated from behind him, holding his hands over his mouth.
"Yeah...no kidding…" Leo breathed out heavily. "All in favor of calling it a day?"
All four turtles raised their hands.
Fifteen minutes later...in the center of Talbot Peak...
"Shishigami-sensei, forgive me but...I fail to see how this would be a good idea…"
"You may elaborate, Leonardo."
"Correct me if I'm wrong, but you want me to leave the venom alone and not get it treated."
"That is correct, yes."
"And the reason you want to leave it alone is so I can get rid of it myself."
"This is also true."
"Don't you know how wrong that is?!"
"What?"
"He called you insane," Kurama mentioned.
"This is insane!" the jinchuriki shouted.
(3) Having arrived home empty-handed from the Kraang Lab, Leo had somewhat recovered from the events that occurred earlier. He still had a slight headache, however. The other remaining issues had long since disappeared, much to his pleasure since he had to drive back to the lair. The jinchuriki was glad that the experience was over.
All four brothers were somewhat disappointed in the end, as they had discovered nothing else of importance from the Kraang Lab. No whereabouts of other Kraang facilities. No other traces or data from other mutagenic projects. And most importantly, no information on where the aliens were keeping Mr. O'Neil.
Donnie was also down, Leo being a contributor to said downness. Unfortunately, it was expected. The idea of bringing back a mutant wasp egg to their home when it was so close to hatching was an incredibly bad idea. And not to mention it would've only increased the hold that the poisonous venom he was given generously from the wasp had on his mind.
At that moment, Leo had gotten so close to exploding. Both literally and figuratively. In his mind, it had not been a pleasant experience, especially to Kurama. The giant fox voiced his view on what happened, and the jinchuriki wasn't thrilled by the words spoken to him.
"It felt as if I were being forced to take you over," Kurama stated.
That had not been the most comforting words when he first heard it. The fox had promised to explain what he had meant in more detail once they got to Shishigami. At the moment, there were other things to think about.
Since nothing else had come from the Kraang base, they all decided to call it a night. Fortunately for Leonardo, Splinter had taken April away on a training trip. While he had been a little upset when he first heard about it, considering that his father never took all four of them or even just him a trip, this gave the jinchuriki a bunch of freedom.
Training in the morning wouldn't be expected. He could get out more easily. And the best part? Sleeping in! Oh, those nights where he hadn't gotten any sleep because of training! This was the best thing!
However, he could not sleep just yet. The venom from the wasp was still fresh in his system. And while the driving force may be gone, there were always the side effects. So, Leo performed the Reverse Summoning Jutsu and headed to Talbot Peak to meet with a certain deer god.
Shishigami of course knew exactly what Leonardo was dealing with. He was the god of life and death after all. Knowing everything about that specific species of wasp was only the beginning. He knew practically everything when it came to venom. And what the potential possibilities that could come out of it.
"By very definition, it is not insane as you would call it," the deer god replied.
"Huh?" the blue-masked turtle wondered aloud.
"Control of one's self is key with shinobi," Shishigami continued. "There are three main types of Jutsu; Ninjutsu, which is often involved with hand seals and chakra. Taijutsu, which in simplest terms is martial arts. And there is one other."
"Ninjutsu as I said earlier, revolves around chakra. It is the one you are most familiar with. The twelve major hand seals. The five main elemental types. This is all a part of ninjutsu."
"Taijutsu is one you are also somewhat familiar with. It is basic martial arts, however much more powerful than that of what your rodent master teaches to you. Knowing a little taijutsu may help in the future, considering your style of fighting."
"Finally, the last main category is one that you are not familiar with. This is known as Genjutsu. It is a very complicated style, one that I believe is not going to fit in well with your fighting abilities. Not only this, but it also requires precise control over your own chakra system as well as the victim's own, and depends on the density of the user's chakra control and density."
"Chakra density?" Leo asked.
"Chakra density is inherited normally," Kurama spoke. "The denser the chakra, the more difficult it can be to perform certain jutsu. Remember when you tried creating normal clones?"
Leonardo winced. He remembered all too well. There was a reason why Shishigami had him stick with Shadow Clones instead of normal clones. Attempting to make normal clones resulted in them being half-dead, a disturbing sight for a certain jinchuriki. He hoped he would never see anything like that ever again.
"Please don't remind me of that…" he groaned in embarrassment.
"Chakra can have different properties and varieties," the fox continued. "Your chakra would be comparable to a normal shinobi, although slightly different. Mine, however, is completely different, because we tailed beasts are made of chakra. And because my chakra has been added to yours, not only do you have larger reserves, but also higher density, leading to harder control."
"This contributes to difficult authority over genjutsu," Shishigami stated. "Most shinobi do not use this jutsu for this very reason."
"What is genjutsu?" Leo asked.
"Illusionary techniques is the basic translation," the deer god answered. "The user manipulates the chakra within their victim's system, taking advantage of the five senses. One could make their target see, hear, feel, taste, or touch anything. There are many possibilities."
In an instant, the inner cave of Talbot Peak disappeared before Leo's eyes. He instead found himself on a beach, feet in the water. The cool water was in between his toes, the wind blowing softly against his skin. He could hear the sound of seagulls calling in the distance. Salt was present in the air, the smell very evident.
"Woah…" the turtle spoke in awe.
Seconds later, the beach disappeared, and he was brought back to Talbot Peak. All traces of the salty air were gone. There was no water going up to his feet. It had vanished.
"That was an example of a genjutsu," he heard Shishigami.
"Wow…" Leo said. "That was unbelievable."
"Of course, in a fight against an opponent, more extreme measures are used. A user makes their opponent feel pain, despite there being no physical pain. It is for this reason that many shinobi do not use genjutsu, preferring to give them real pain instead. For you, learning genjutsu would not be the best option, as you prefer speed. Time is of the essence for performing a task such as this."
"That makes sense," the jinchuriki spoke. "So you want me to train for a situation where I would have to face a genjutsu user? And the venom could also help with that?"
Both god and beast froze. They hadn't expected an answer quite like that one.
"Yes," Shishigami broke the short second of silence, ignoring the horrified look on Kurama's face. "I have the ability to, in a sense, alter the venom within your body in a way where it would stimulate illusions, while also other added effects. We are only training with you alone. You are not allowed to ask Kurama for answers, as he knows how to escape most genjutsu."
"Oh," Leo answered, looking over to his fox friend. "Kurama...have you been under a genjutsu before?"
They saw the tailed beast stiffen. For a moment, the blue-masked turtle began to panic. Had he brought up some bad memories? Did it happen to do with that incident that the orange fox refused to talk about with him in detail?
"Ah, if you don't want to talk about it, Kurama, I-" he began, but he was cut off.
Slight rage poured out of the giant fox. "Twice," Kurama snarled. "And it had been by humans in the same clan who used the same genjutsu."
Taking the hint that Leonardo didn't quite know exactly what the fox was speaking about, Shishigami chose to inform him.
"In the world Kurama hails from, there are clans of humans who have special abilities beyond chakra. We call these abilities, "Kekkei Genkai," or "Bloodline Limits." A special ability is passed down from a parent to their child, their bloodline. Or, depending on the kekkei genkai, they can also be stolen. These range significantly, from various nature transformations, manipulation of the body, and Dojutsu, or Eye Techniques."
"There are three main dojutsu per se," Kurama continued. "The Rinnegan and the Sharingan, which the Old Man had, and the Byakugan. The Old Man who created my siblings and I passed the two onto his descendants, one of which is known as the Uchiha Clan."
Leo could clearly see the hatred manifest when the name of the clan was spoken aloud. "Many years before your time, an Uchiha sought me out and decided to use me!" he roared. "He controlled me with his Sharingan to fight and destroy! And years later, the same happened again with another Uchiha, leading to the destruction of the human village and being sealed inside of you."
It was almost impossible to believe. There existed so many abilities in Kurama's world that it was hard to keep track. Not only this, but Leo felt horror at the thought that such abilities existed. To be able to control someone like Kurama was terrifying. Especially when one considered how much destruction the giant fox could cause.
But he also felt immense sympathy for his friend. When they had first met, it was clear how much Kurama hated humans. Leo knew that the kitsune had lived for one thousand years, and that hatred had to have built up from all that time. No one deserved to go through the experience that happened twice over.
As time went on, however, and Leo had met a few humans who did not judge the fact that he was a mutant, he believed that Kurama was beginning to change slightly. Perhaps he had realized that not all humans were evil and horrible like the two that had controlled him. There was good in many people.
Yet just as there was good in people, there is also evil. And the blue-masked turtle had a feeling that one day, the possibility of someone coming along like the two Sharingan users was likely. He needed to be prepared. And more so than ever, after hearing about kekkei genkai.
"That is why we are training you to make sure this doesn't happen," Shishigami mentioned. "A benefit for us includes that no one, save for a select few, has the knowledge of Kurama being held within your soul. Not only this, but the chances of a Sharingan coming into contact with him again are slim."
"Yet, wielders of the Sharingan possess skills to copy any movement, to manipulate their opponent's mind through genjutsu and can enter their opponent's mindscape to control a tailed beast. We can prevent this by exposing you to potential techniques and setting defense barriers around your mind should anything attempt to infiltrate your mind."
"I understand that," Leo stated. "So when do we-"
He was cut off, as the deer god was in front of him in seconds. He placed his hand onto the turtle's head, a soft glow coming from it. Shishigami looked the turtle in the eyes, and they turned red. Then, Leo was becoming tired, eyes threatening to close. He knew this trick.
"Can you...not do...this every...time…?" he asked, falling asleep. (3!)
Looking down at the unconscious jinchuriki, Shishigami picked him up and began to carry him towards the smaller cave where Leonardo's bed was placed. He gestured to the fox, who was watching him with suspecting eyes.
"What did you put him under?" the kitsune asked.
"Genjutsu: Sharingan*," Shishigami answered. "The illusion should not be too extreme, that I am sure of. As time goes on, we can expose him to more complex genjutsu. And Leonardo will only break through it. And I believe in a rather quick manner."
"That brat is scary sometimes," Kurama admitted. "I can not help but think-"
"As I have said before, it is impossible for it to be the case," the deer god reassured him. "You have spent a great amount of time within Kushina Uzumaki that you also know her husband to a large degree. My most likely theory would be that during the sealing, his mind latched onto your memories, or since it was him who did the sealing, some of his personality was thrown into the seal."
"And wouldn't he have known more if that was true?"
"Memories are always an interesting situation. They are one of the few aspects of life that I cannot control. So in truth, my knowledge of them is nonexistent to a degree. They are something only he can view, and you as well. The seal, once worn down enough, will grant you access to his memories, even those hidden away."
"Again, the possibility of something as you proposed would be highly unlikely. His soul is in the Shinigami's stomach after all. It is just possible that some of your memories merged into his mind, giving him some of those quirks, or as I said earlier, his personality could have been mixed into the seal."
"You meet with that old idiot soon don't you?"
"No, not for at least a year. That is if he chooses to come earlier or not. It has been one hundred years since we last spoke, and he has not come to me to speak about any issues within that time frame. So either he has had no pressing issues within that span of time, or just chose to not bother with anything trivial in front of me."
There was silence between the two at the moment. Kurama and Shishigami weren't friends per se, more so acquaintances. It was rare that a tailed beast and the deer god met. Even more so was it rare for the deer god and a tailed beast to meet under the circumstances regarding a jinchuriki.
Shishigami could see how the giant fox's gaze had settled on the mutant turtle he currently carried. It was not one of malice or evil that had usually appeared when Kurama looked at a mortal. No, rather it was one of concern. Worry. Sympathy even. To this, Shishigami spoke.
"You care for him, do you not?"
In response, the kitsune huffed, looking away in embarrassment. "Tch, the brat can't keep himself in line all the time. He is an annoying, stupid, irrational genius who finds ways to push my buttons. Why would I care about an im-"
"I care for his well-being as well," he interrupted the fox.
"What?"
"It is strange, really. To think of a day where I began to care about a singular life than nature as a whole. Yet somehow, he is an exception to life and death itself."
"Heh, he has that effect, I suppose," Kurama stated. "He wanted to be friends with me the day we met. Of course, he is an exception."
"Yes, he is."
(4) "Ugh...what happened?"
When Leonardo awoke again, he was met with a pounding headache. Putting his right hand over his face, he shielded the red sunlight away from his eyes. The realization came over him as soon as it caught up to him.
"Red...sunlight?" the turtle wondered aloud. "Wait, what the-"
There were chains around his wrists, gold-colored. Leo didn't remember being captured and put in chains, nor did he remember red-colored skies. Another thing he noticed was that his ankles also had chains around them. And that, well...he couldn't get up.
'I don't remember being caught or captured,' Leo thought to himself. 'Let's see...what happened to me? I was in Talbot Peak with Kurama and Shishigami. We were in the middle of a conversation about genjutsu. And then…'
He remembered cold, red eyes. Eyes that seemed to be the color of blood. There was also three black tomoe in the center of the eyes. It was nothing like the turtle had ever seen in his life, from any of the people he encountered.
'That must've been the Sharingan that Shishigami told me about…' he figured. 'Then that means he used it on me. I'm caught in a genjutsu.'
Now knowing what exactly happened, Leo began to struggle in the chains. He pulled at them with a great amount of strength, hoping that they would break in some sort of way. But they did not break, nor did they show any sort of weakness in the slightest. Once again, he tried to move around more, making an attempt to flip himself over onto his stomach. Yet he could not get up.
Or Leo would be able to get up if there wasn't a sword pierced through the middle of his shell.
"AHHHHHHH!"
Panic swept into his mind. Blue eyes were wide in fear, not taking their gaze off of the metal penetrating his plastron. There was blood marked around the spot it stood. From the pain that screamed into him, it told the jinchuriki that it was a long, straight blade. One that was similar to one of his own twin katana.
It was agonizingly painful. Only one cry of anguish escaped Leo for the moment. He bit back the rest, not trying to alert anyone. His eyes brimmed with tears, and he could taste the blood in his throat. Everything was real. Everything so, so real.
'Deer god, this hurts!'
At one point, Leo was beginning to believe that what he was experiencing right now was real. Perhaps he had been captured and was experiencing immense pain. Maybe he was drugged, hallucinating the scene in front of him, yet still feeling agony. However, who could actually pull this off? Who could…
'This isn't real,' Leo realized. 'It's a genjutsu that Shishigami put me under for training. Now I see…'
One of the things that couldn't escape this thought process was the fact that this was terrifying. Well, somewhat anyway. There were worse things than being chained to the ground and having a sword piercing your midsection. Yet even this was still bad, and he couldn't just ignore it. Red skies and pain and blood and all.
'If I wasn't told that this wasn't real, I would've lost my mind. It's psychological torture. Heh...I can see why not many want to use this method. Yet at the same time…'
He began to think about possibilities. What could happen if Shredder ever was able to use genjutsu? Or have a person who was a great intel gatherer and expert Genjutsu master? No doubt that if he or his brothers ever got captured, the genjutsu they would be placed under would be even worse than the one he was experiencing now.
But Leo could also understand why not many shinobi didn't use this method. To some, it may not feel as satisfying to inflict the victim with psychological wounds. They would most definitely prefer to inflict the physical damage themselves. Or better yet, kill and take someone's life rather than just an image.
Not only this, but there was also the other side of the situation. Did that person really wish to cause that damage? In some ways, torture was worse than death. It could rob shinobi of their dignity, their honor, their pride, everything they have. Would one person, one shinobi, wish to take away all of this from another shinobi, someone the same as them?
For Leonardo, it was something he never wanted to do. He could potentially kill someone, like Shredder, but never would never perform an action such as psychological torture this severe. The price of it was too heavy, too much of a burden. No one deserved torture like this. Not even a low-life like Shredder.
'Okay then...how do I break out of this genjutsu?' he begins to think. 'I'm chained up, can't move, and have a sword piercing my shell. Or rather made to look this way. I'm not dying since I know this is an illusion… So if I do anything, I won't die, yet I'll feel the pain. And I can't ask Kurama for anything.'
This situation was a tricky one. He supposed he could use jutsu, but how much would that be able to do? Leo could end up shocking himself, or not be able to break the chains at all.
'Maybe if I-'
"You were sssupposssed to protect it."
Leo stopped, eyes looking around for a person, or rather the originator of the voice. Whoever or whatever it was, it had the same tone as Kurama. And at the same time, it did not sound like the nine-tailed fox in the slightest. It sounded… insect-like. Buzzing to some extent.
"Who's there?!" Leo shouted to the unknown voice. "Show yourself!"
Not even a second later, there was a giant, mutant wasp on top of his plastron. It looked like the very same one that attacked him and his brothers earlier. Leo was absolutely terrified when it just randomly appeared out of nowhere. He couldn't even scream, only letting out a slight gasp.
"You inssssolent fool," it buzzed. "Why did you not protect it?"
"Wha…" the turtle whispered.
"The egg you sssimplton!" the wasp said. "It was your duty!"
"No! I'd never protect that thing!" Leo shouted. "We destroyed it anyway! It's gone."
"We can make more…Sssso many more, and you will be the one to protect them, and make more hostsss to protect eggsss…"
Leo's eyes widened in fear. What he remembered from vaguely looking at one of Donnie's biology books out of boredom was that there existed parasitic wasps. These wasps would sting something, making them a host and tricking them into watching over the egg. When the egg hatched, the host would be devoured. It was a good thing they did destroy the wasp and the egg. He couldn't imagine what would happen if a parasitic wasp was allowed to create so many hosts.
Yet at the same time, he was beginning to forget that this was entirely an illusion. The wasp that he had slain earlier, the very real one, was right in front of him again. It could sting him at any moment, injecting more of the venom into his system.
"I won't do it! I won't be your host! And neither will anyone else, including my brothers!"
"Isss that ssso?" It spoke. "Then perhapsss you require sssome persssuasssion."
Taking advantage of Leo's current situation, the giant wasp flew up and stung him in the right arm. The turtle cried out in agony. Only this time, the stinger didn't leave the wasp, like it originally did. It was still very much alive and proceeded to fly back onto Leo's plastron, around the sword pierced into his midsection.
A headache began to pound in his brain, just like when he was stung the first time. It was painful, attempting to take control of him. The turtle gritted his teeth, determined to not scream out.
"I won't…" he struggled. "Give...in!"
"You are the Hossst," the wasp buzzed. "You are alssso a powerful monster, perfect for creating more hossstsss…"
"Don't… call me… a monster…"
It hurt to be called something like that. Leo wasn't a monster, and neither was Kurama. He knew better than to think that way. But it didn't mean that it wasn't painful whenever he heard it. Still, Leo wasn't going to give in to the things the wasp said. Nor was he going to give in to the newly-injected venom.
"And why not?" it inquired. "It isss what you are, isss it not? Do you not remember how much dessstruction you causssed? Do you not remember when you lossst it with him?"
Unfortunately, Leo did remember it. Never did he want to bring up what happened that night with his first encounter with Shredder. He would've killed the man if his newly-mutated henchmen at the time hadn't interrupted them. It was horrifying to look back upon it. The anger. The hatred. These emotions had nearly consumed him completely.
He was about to retaliate back at the wasp, but he began to think it over. This is what the wasp, and furthermore the genjutsu, was trying to do. It was trying to get him angry and inflict more pain. This was meant to be psychological torture after all.
'Psychological torture huh… then maybe I could use this thing's words against it!'
"If I'm… a monster…" the jinchuriki spoke through the pain, gritting his teeth. "Why use a monster...of destruction...to create hosts?"
The wasp seemed to stop moving for a moment, almost as if it was taken aback by the words. Perhaps it did not expect these words out of the jinchuriki's mouth. Nevertheless, Leo took advantage of the slight silence at the moment.
"Why…" the headache was getting stronger, and he was doing his best to stay awake. "Why use someone...who causes destruction...to protect the one thing that is important to you?"
It seemed to buzz in anger at the slight threat. "Oh? And what exactly made you think thisss?"
"This isn't… real," he told the wasp. "None of it… is. I won't be lured in… by your threats considering, A. None of this exists, and B. You're...dead...since I killed you...myself."
"Not even… this pain is real… No matter how many times you sting me… or try to talk… me into doing something… it won't work. This headache… won't matter…"
At this point, Leo was trying his hardest to remain awake. He wasn't quite sure what would happen if he fell asleep, but he had a feeling that it wouldn't be good. While the pain was not real, to begin with, that didn't mean it didn't hurt. And the moment he passed out from the fake sword in the middle of his shell, Leo just knew he had failed to escape the Genjutsu.
"Hmmm," the wasp spoke. "You say that it doesss not matter if you feel this pain. Then how much can you bear? You don't know how to make usss disssappear."
It was a good question. He wasn't sure how to dispel the genjutsu yet. And Leo had to get out soon, otherwise, he would succumb to the false pain. That was the last thing he wanted at the moment.
'It's got a point,' Leo thought to himself. 'I don't know any way out of this. At least not yet. Come on Leo, think!'
'A genjutsu targets the senses according to Shishigami. In reality, it infiltrates the nervous system, where the chakra pathways are connected to. So it is able to disrupt and change the flow of chakra, creating the images that I'm seeing in my mind.'
'Not only that, but the venom that I obtained earlier is also affecting my mind. I have to get rid of the venom myself, as Shishigami told me so. But how can I remove it and dispel the genjutsu at the same time?'
'I don't have much time either. I'll pass out from the fake blood loss and the headache soon. Deer god, what do I do!?'
"Ssstill thinking?" the wasp questioned. "Do you realizzze that you think too much? Perhaps I ssshould ssspeed thisss up."
One second later, it stung Leo in the left arm instead of the right arm. He couldn't reach to stop the pain. And this time, he did scream.
"AHHHHHHH!"
Right now, the feeling of passing out was coming closer and closer. Tears began to form in the corners of his blue eyes. He gritted his teeth, holding back more screams and yells.
'Damn it, I'm going to pass out at any moment! If only I could move my arms...I would be able to somewhat stop it. Although I could at least send some chakra into my arm and-'
In an instant, an epiphany appeared from his mind. (4!)
'That's it!'
The thought of it was not one of big importance, as it was a simple thing to do. Yet Leo had overlooked it. This was so simple. While it appeared to be simple, it was worth a try. And Leo knew how to take risks.
"You are not allowed to ask Kurama for answers, as he knows how to escape most genjutsu."
'I think it'll work,' Leo thought. 'It seems too simple, but it's worth a shot. We've got to bend the rules this time, now don't we?'
Immediately, the jinchuriki opened his chakra pathways, allowing the chakra to flow freely throughout his body instead of having it go into one given area. Although, it wasn't blue-colored chakra that was spreading. This time, it was red-colored chakra, that of a tailed-beast.
'Sorry, Kurama. I know I couldn't ask you for answers for getting out of this. But, that doesn't mean that I can't ask for your strength! I need to borrow your strength!'
The wasp that had been on top of his plastron also noticed what was going on. And it wasn't happy, not in the slightest. The anger seemed to radiate from its body. Its wings buzzed slightly in irritation.
"No! What do you think you're doing!?"
By this point, Leo was becoming cloaked in red-colored chakra. The scene was very reminiscent of the time when a chakra cloak had formed during his fight with Shredder. Only this time, the jinchuriki did not contain any malice or hatred. Instead, there was a slight set of victory in his eyes.
"I'm… getting out of… here, that's what," he answered. "Sorry, but your venom isn't as effective as you thought it would be!"
The red-chakra roared, consuming him completely. Around him, the world began to shake and quake, almost as if it were falling apart. It was collapsing.
"NOOOOOO!"
And the world changed from a deep crimson to a deep black.
(5) An hour had passed. A full hour.
Shishigami wasn't that concerned. This was the first time that Leonardo had experienced a Genjutsu. He expected to last long. However, how long it would take, and how much it would affect the jinchuriki was something he was unsure of. The deer god did know that getting out of that genjutsu would soon get quicker and quicker.
Then, Kurama's ears perked up. Shishigami felt it too. Something wasn't right, not in the slightest. A chakra cloak had formed around something or someone. And the deer god had a feeling as to who it was and where it came from.
Immediately appearing in Leonardo's room, his eyes were now set upon the blue-masked turtle struggling in bed. There was a pained look on his face, rushed breathing increasing every second that went by. He could almost feel the heartbeat of the jinchuriki increase rapidly.
This was not good, not in the slightest. Shishigami went to the ride side of the bed and began to put his hands over the turtle's body. A soft, greenish glow emanated from them, pouring onto Leo's plastron through the cloak.
"Wake up," Shishigami commanded.
The response he was given was a slight struggle. Clearly, the blue-masked turtle had not heard him.
"Wake up!" he commanded again.
Still, Shishigami received the same response as last time. So, the deer god told him once more.
"WAKE UP!"
A second later, there came a gasp from Leonardo as his body shot up from the bed. His blue eyes were now open in shock. Breathing was quick and panicked, but it seemed to slow down as he realized he wasn't where he was before. The chakra cloak disappeared, redness vanishing in an instant.
Leo looked up, taking in his surroundings. The red world that had been around him was gone. There was no sword in his shell. There was no intimidating wasp hovering over him. All of it was gone. A sigh of relief escaped him.
He noticed the deer god at his side quickly. But Leo chose not to say anything yet. And when he attempted to, the door to his room opened, revealing a very familiar face, albeit small. Kurama had apparently taken it upon himself to size down his body to that of a large dog, just so he could enter the room.
"Since when could you do that?!" was the first thing that came out of the turtle's mouth.
Kurama scoffed. "That's the first thing you notice?!"
"I've never seen you do it before," the jinchuriki answered. "And- wait a second...this is…"
Shishigami answered for him. "Yes, you have managed to escape the genjutsu. And, it appears that the venom has also vanished. One of the various methods of escaping a genjutsu is to disrupt the victim's chakra flow. Once disrupted enough, the genjutsu will be destroyed. This can either be done by the victim themselves, or by a tailed-beast.
"This and a few other techniques are quite effective. However, jinchuriki most of the time prefer to have their tailed beast disrupt the flow, as they may not realize in time that they are under the influence of a genjutsu. So tell me, what did you see?"
Leo swallowed but continued. "Everything, the whole world around me was crimson. I was...chained down, and a sword pierced through my shell. It was painful...and I couldn't move at all."
"Then, a wasp, like the one my brothers and I fought today, appeared. It tried to torture me with its words and stung me. That thing...it was so real… I nearly passed out from the pain."
"But then, I realized that while you didn't want me to ask Kurama for answers, that didn't mean that I could use him. So I borrowed his chakra to disrupt the flow. And now, I'm back here."
He then added sheepishly, "Sorry Kurama, it was the only way to get out of there."
The kitsune was stunned, possibly questioning as to what he was referring to, but still answered. "Hmm, don't mention it."
"Now that you know how to escape a genjutsu, we will focus for the next couple of sessions on escaping and avoiding genjutsu," Shishigami told Leonardo. "This cannot be done with clones. I will personally spar with you and attempt to use genjutsu against you. And you must avoid my tactics at all costs. If you don't, then improve on your escape time. An hour will not cut it."
"I was there for an hour?!" Leo exclaimed. "It only felt like a minute!"
"This is why we must improve your time. For now, get some rest, as you have been through much today. We can continue this tomorrow if you-"
"No."
The deer god was slightly stunned. "Hmm?"
"Let's keep doing this," Leo insisted. "Throw some more genjutsu at me. I want to be able to break out within a second!"
Determination shone through his eyes like diamonds. Leo needed to improve from this. An hour wouldn't cut it in a fight. Nor would a minute or two. Seconds was all he had in a real fight. Each and every second mattered.
"Are you sure you wish to continue today?" asked the deer god. "If you have been too affected by the genjutsu, you are free to rest."
"I'm fine," he reassured him. "I'll do whatever it takes to get stronger. Even if it hurts."
To say that Shishigami was slightly pleased with those words was an understatement. Leonardo was willing to do this. He was willing to go through pain and suffering in order to surpass the limits he had. Anything to grow stronger, so that he could protect those he loved and cared about.
A slight smirk escaped Shishigami, a rarity in fact. "If that is what you wish, then take a ten-minute break. We will resume later."
"Hai, Shishigami-Sensei!"
Deer god and tailed beast left the room, leaving behind their jinchuriki so that he could rest. But there was still one thing that plagued Kurama's mind. It was a gnawing question, and he needed it answered.
"That brat never used my chakra while he was in there," the fox commented. He sent a slightly defeated look to Shishigami. "How long do you think it will until he finds out?"
"My only answer is...I don't know…" (5!)
Jutsu Corner
Genjutsu: Sharingan - By establishing eye contact with a target, the Sharingan user traps them within a genjutsu which can be exploited for one of various purposes, such as: causing instantaneous — but temporary — loss of consciousness or paralysis in the target, forceful extraction of information, relaying memories, removing genjutsu placed on the target by others, and controlling a target's actions. There is no set illusion for this genjutsu.
Author's Note
That's the end of Chapter 15!
Yes yes, it's a little short, but I can guarantee that the next one will be super long. I wanted to do something with "Parasitica" but at first, I wasn't sure how to go about it. Reality speaking, it would've been highly unlikely that Leo would've fallen under the wasp's control considering Kurama is around. So I decided to have this chapter focused on genjutsu training. Apologies if it wasn't what you were expecting.
Also next chapter...the Season 1 Finale! Super excited to write it! I have a good idea of how it will go, and you may be surprised by the end of it!
Anyway, tell me what you think! I love reviews! They keep me going and let me know you guys enjoy the story!
Until next time, See Ya Universe!
Palkia