That night Shino sat down to evaluate the day's events. He had graduated, which he had already anticipated. He got his diploma and his teammates were announced. The new genins were also informed that they were to be instructed under a Jounin until they're ready to make it on their own.
"Another person, huh…"
Growing up, Shino lacked the social interaction that most kids needed. He found that most people thought his technique was strange. The prospect of bugs feeding off the life source of a body made children uneasy around the young boy. As a result, Shino tended be shunned by his peers. Although, it was not a particularly happy childhood, the young bug user grew up to be extraordinary skilled and independent. For what lack in friends, he made up in training.
However, despite his current repertoire of talents, he was still human. Nothing can replace companionship.
The next day, he reported to area where he scheduled to meet his new instructor and his teammates. Finding himself arriving too early, Shino decided to take a walk in the area. The streets were empty, nearly void of sound minus the howl of the wind or the movement of a sign. It was quiet, but peaceful. During times of serenity, people thrived and lived without fear or anxiety. Such a nice atmosphere was unconditionally maintained by the brave warriors at all times. Providing protection, safety, and life to the villagers was the pride of the shinobi.
Shino realized at an early age that he wanted to help the village flourish. Castaway as a child, Shino had become bitter and confused, but as time went on, he still wanted to protect the next generation so that they might have a chance to experience something he didn't. However, Shino was far from selfless. He yearned to gain glory and recognition like many others. His ambitions and goals were to gain respect – for himself and for his clan. There were many things that needed to be proven, and Shino was determined to do whatever it takes to triumph.
Time did not stop, although the illusion of time did as Shino found himself back at the square where he started. Forty minutes had passed and the rest of his team had already arrived.
"Ahoy!" Kiba shouted, heartily grinning.
"Hi, Shino-kun." Hinata greeted with a voice much more pleasant than Kiba's.
Shino nodded.
A quick scan told him that the Jounin instructor has yet to appear. Was he supposed to bond with them now? They already had lunch with the two, though he was significantly less animated than Kiba and Hinata who seemed to have quickly bonded. Shino just needed practice, that's all.
"So…"
"How long have you been here?"
"T-ten minutes"
"Wasn't it scheduled for… 5 minutes ago?"
"They're late."
Idle chat ensued the three as they waited patiently – Shino and Hinata waited patiently, Kiba, however, had trouble even keeping his mouth shut – for their instructor. After ten minutes passed (Kiba insisted that it was much more) a female ninja appeared in front of them. With locks of amber hair and a face of a beautiful woman, she didn't seem like a ninja. A high-class ninja at that. But it was taught never to judge a book by its cover; to do so may result in failure of a mission or even death, which is why the young Aburame watched this woman with a skeptic eye and a suspicious stance. There was no room for failure, especially not this early in the game. No one spoke for a feel minutes. The female Jounin seemed to be eying her new students. Those scarlet eyes seem to be analyzing each and everyone's abilities, their strengths and weaknesses, their fears. Behind a pane of dark glass, Shino let nothing escape, determined to mask his very existence.
Red lips curled into a smile as she took a step toward her students. Giving each student a tap on the head, she grinned once more before forming a hand seal and triggering genjustu.
Shino found himself separated from his peers. He could not identify his surroundings; they looked out of this world. He found himself floating amidst abstract colors and shapes. He willed himself to move, but found it utterly impossible to even twitch. A voice boomed from above.
"Welcome, team eight. This is Yuuhi Kurenai, your potential instructor, speaking. This is a challenge to determine your abilities as well as your compatibility as a team. You must figure out what you must achieve within two hours. If you fail to complete this challenge, you will be sent back to the academy and will not advance as a genin. Good luck."
The information came to a surprise to Shino. He had not previously heard that the number of graduates had to be weaned and picked out from a selective few. However, this unexpected bump was not going to prevent Shino from achieving what he set out to do. Shino looked around, observing carefully his surroundings. There seemed to be no escape in such a labyrinth. Sending out signals down his spinal cord, Shino once again tried to will himself to move. Failing to move an inch, Shino realized that his bugs were still capable of mobility. Kurenai's words rebounded in his mind: you abilities as well as your compatibility as a team. The words echoed in his mind as he tried to formulate a plan. He reached the conclusion that he should seek out his teammate above all else for he realized that he could not advance as a genin on his own. Sending out kikai in all directions, he attempted to find a way to break the barrier that separated the truth and the lies.
Shino waited for the arrival of his teammates, confident in his bugs' abilities, yet skeptical of his team's. He was unable to find a leeway that would switch the illusion off, but rationalized that there must be a weak point in the jutsu otherwise it would be impossible to pass.
Time passed as Shino continued to think. He felt himself being tied down from the burden and stressed out from the lack of success. Was this the limits of his capabilities?
The young shinobi refused to let this get to him. He was going to succeed no matter what. He had already promised his father that he was going to be a strong candidate for the next generation. There was no way an Aburame can lose now.
Shino had already lost track of time in this unnerving prison. He feared his teammates will never reach him. Perhaps their limbs were uncooperative also, if that was the case, they were doomed for failure. Time was the limiting factor. One cannot battle against time. Link sand through fingers, there was only the inevitable notion of the end of time. Seconds ticked by, minutes passed, time unrelentingly diminished until it was no longer time, but a foreboding. Shino began to lose hope. How much can a twelve year old endure in such conditions? His framework was still mentally and emotionally unstable, despite all the conditional training at the academy. The burden bore so hard on him; he almost wished it would end.
A small beacon of hope kept the young boy sane. A bitter chuckle escaped his lips. "So this is what being a ninja is about…" he murmured softly. He wasn't about to give up, not now. Reassuring himself with quiet connotations, Shino wanted to last the two hours. If all else failed, he could use this new information to create a better ninja next time.
A shuffle, a tap, and a swish disturbed the deadening silence. He could detect three bodies heading towards him and the familiar smells of his bugs. Smiling to himself, he welcomed his teammates with the smallest of gestures. Their arrival cut Shino from that which binds him like a shaky key to a lock which secured precious jewels and stones.
"Whoa, weird place you got here." Kiba exclaimed, glancing around the atmosphere.
"What did you see?" Shino inquired, already figured that each teammate would have a different stimulation.
"A large field, perfect for playing. There was also food too! It was great. I didn't even want to leave." Grinning, Kiba pretended to hold up what Shino presumed to be drumsticks and made gestures to eating it. "Akamaru loved it too." Shino noticed the tuft of hair from the puppy's head poking out from Kiba's oversized jacket. He wondered if Kiba had a pouch for the dog before asking Hinata what she saw.
"It – it was an obstacle course. Like the ones we had in school. I – almost didn't think I'd make it…" Hinata played with her fingers nervously and avoided the eyes of her teammates.
Shino finished piecing another part of the puzzle. These images were used to test their abilities and weaknesses. Kiba, who is easily distracted, needed to learn to break off his desires and accomplish his goals, Hinata needed to confidently complete a course that challenged her abilities as a ninja, and Shino who has only honed in his kikai skills needed to undergo mental distress. Each of these three simulations would be evident in the time to come as ninjas.
"Well… now what?" the ever patient Kiba asked, eager to leave this dungeon and start completing missions.
"We have to find a way to break the jutsu."
Easier said that done. Shino had already been here for who knows how long and has not found a way to get out. Perhaps his teammates had some clue.
"Hinata, can you use your byakugan to check for a weak spot?" Shino instructed.
"Hey! Who made you the leader?" Kiba interrupted, indignant because he wanted to be the leader.
"Alright, you be the leader. What shall we do next?"
"Uh… never mind you can be the leader."
Shino sighed; he slight annoyed with Kiba's interjections but cannot stay angry because he was just rescued by the dog boy.
Hinata released her jutsu and performed a thorough scan of her surroundings.
"There seems to be a soft point at point 56 long and 55 wide."
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah – yeah, there might be a slight point difference. But… it's pretty accurate." Hinata completed her task and resumed her bashful nature, surprised at how strong her voice was. Shino took a kunai and threw it at the point described. It made contact, resulting in a small tink before the barrier projected it back to the "ground". He wasn't going to give up so quickly.
"Kiba, do you have an exploding tag?"
"Yeah."
"Give it to me."
"Say please."
"… Give it to me."
"Jeez, don't you have any manners?"
"We're wasting time."
Kiba forfeited the exploding tag reluctantly and pouted slightly over the loss of a verbal war. Though it was hardly a war, couldn't even amount to a small battle in Shino's mind.
Quickly tying and activating the talisman, Shino threw it in the prescribed weak point. This time, the impact of the explosion was able to piece the barrier, revealing a dome like illusion crumbling about them as broken shards of glass do.
At last, they were free.
Kurenai appeared before them.
"You're late. You fail."
Shino felt a pang of disappointment. Kiba, however, did not take this well.
"What do you mean we failed! Was it because I ate the bones too? You didn't say anything about not being able to eat it. They're good for calcium!"
Kurenai grinned down at her pupils.
"I'm kidding. You all made it with half an hour to spare. Congratulations, you pass. You're not officially genin."
Passed. How relieving that word was to Shino's ears. He passed which means he was one step closer to becoming a great ninja like his father.
"YAHOO!" Kiba punched the air exaggeratedly and became to jump stupidly around. "I PASSED. IN YOUR FACE, NEE-CHAN! YOU DIDN'T THINK I COULD DO IT, BUT I PASSED. You owe me 10 bucks."
Shino began to walk away from the shouting idiot and decided that he should go home and tell his father that he had passed. Kiba grabbed Shino's shoulders and held him back. Getting obscenely close to Shino's face, Kiba grinned widely.
"Let's celebrate! Eating BBQ this time!"
"We just ate yesterday."
"That was nothing. Now that I realized the food in the jutsu was all an illusion, I'm hungry again."
"…………"
"I'll pay."
"… Fine."
"Hinata, you coming?"
"Uh… if you want me too." She smiled timidly.
"Of course!"
As the three walked down to the restaurant, Shino felt that his teammates – no, friends – weren't so bad after all.