Aburame Shinobu...

The Aburame Rites

"10) 'Better than a thousand useless verses is one useful verse, hearing which one attains peace.'

This is a Buddhist teaching. Finding a verse to replace a thousand, one could hold: 'listen to the very bottom of your heart.' Where the bottom exists, permit others to dig in further to find a boundless love. They shall find treasure for all."

Shinobu was walking in the Aburame garden that engulfed the property. Her long white skirt brushed along the bright green grass. On her path, she met with her father, the Sage who sat in mediation under a tree.

"Hey, dad," Su spoke. "I had an idea for the family rites."

She did not get a response so in a few days she returned to under the tree. The Sage had a response: "I have attained full concentration to hear your idea."

"Here it is," she started, "When dealing with your daughter, Shinobu, don't take so long to respond."

"I'll get back to you once the family rites are found," the Sage told her. She moved a string of red hair behind her ear.

"The family rites are lost?" she asked.

"Yes."

"Then they must be written many times." Su stated. "Only things that can be destroyed can be created. This should be known as least once."

Execution

"11) A Hokage said: 'I do not take back my word.'

Our response: 'You will take back our action to your wisdom.'

He was pleased and would never take back his word though he was rough, unsophisticated, and boorish. But we will remember he was honest. Honesty is above all else."

The Hidden Stone ninjas had captured their leader, and though he had requested that once they finished their mission to return to their roots of Konoha. Itachi would be the first to object to following this order, so it was decided by the subordinates to stay until the fate of Ibiki, their leader, was resolved.

The encampment that they surrounded had slowly declined in numbers until the most powerful Hidden Stone ninjas remained. Now as the light of the sun fell, a new source of illumination floated around their heads in the form of fire flies.

"The stones are hard and under superior control," Aoba mentioned to his team as second in command. "But, they have not dealt with the solidity of our leader."

"That is not reassuring," Itachi claimed swatting away a group of fire flies from his face, "even in their ranks, they have enlisted sacrifices to appear as Ibiki. From my sharigan, I can tell their movement and gestures are not dead right with that of our leader."

"From what I detect," Su said, "the incoming back up is continuing to keep us from attacking. We can hold our position at most."

So, Shinobu, Kakashi, Itachi, and Aoba attended their site as the Hidden Stone Village would send dangerous blood lines as support as they recognized that a Sharigan user was there stealing secret techniques. This was no more than speculation as only if they could discover that a Hidden Leaf ninja had been there, could they put blame on that village.

"The whole situation is under control," Kakashi spoke. "Have some faith, Itachi."

After the Execution

"12) The three don'ts of a Shinobi are the three things that taint a Shinobi's life style. They are: Sake, Sex and Spending. And what are we?"

After they retrieved, vacated and healed their leader, the four ANBU members stopped in a town as Ibiki healed. A waitress removed two pints from her tray and Itachi left a huge tip.

"You are quite generous today, Itachi, what gives, giving it all away?" Su asked as Itachi drowned a shot. "Looking for a little bit extra from the servers?"

He added a chuckle to his team's outburst. Hardly has he ever acted this way, in an opened way, but his team had achieved a large feat so Itachi bit down on his frustration for this one night. Kakashi, who sported Aoba's sunglasses, raised them up to wink at a group of passing ladies.

"Heads down," Su warned as a Hidden Stone ninja passed through the crowd. "They shouldn't expect us to be retreating to their country, but... ah... I think I slept with that Chuunin."

"What have ninjas become?" Aoba asked. The departure of Itachi overlapped any answering as they requested what he was doing.

"I need some air." Itachi said and proceeded to the back door to puke.

"I think we went too far with leaving him out," Su stated.

The night continued under the remaining three.
Death

"13) Let it be said; life will end. What has a beginning ends. That is all."

Darkness surrounded Shinobu. As her fire flies propelled against the enclosing sand, the brightness blinded her. Breathing naturally, it would be the lack of air that would kill her hundreds of feet underground. At this point, the insects were working for their own benefit and she could not request them to end their struggle. They would not suffer and neither would she. She had a beginning; this was her end.