(A scarred young man's dream)
"Blame me. Hate me," his wretched voice said, "but always remember. I did not do this. Your brother died here because of you. How dare you defy me."
The world seems ablur with smoke. There's children's laughter everywhere, his laughter with…with…
Then they're in a dark room, and he watches himself do it.
"Fū, please stop!" he screams in a voice that isn't his own.
Then it happens. Torune catches the tonfa blade. His brother and the one controlling his body stare intently at each other. Sadness permeates their faces. His face.
"We're friends. I-I'm sorry, Lord Danzo! I don't know! Please! I don't know,"…and then, and then…
(Aburame Residence - Present)
"I Don't Know!" Shino screamed as he woke up. His breath, ragged and heavy.
His body is covered in sweat, and he can tell he desperately needs a shower, but he won't take one here, not when he needs to meet his grandmother for training.
He hopes no one has heard him, and briefly, he fears he might have said something compromising in his sleep before realizing he has nothing to worry about. The seal on his tongue, the Zekka Konzetsu no In would ensure he remained silent about his dreadful past, anything important anyway.
His mouth is dry. After washing his face in the bathroom, he wraps a dark cloth around his eyes, pocketing his tinted tea shades. He'll put them on before school. Before he leaves for the temple, he stops by the kitchen to pour himself a cold glass of water and is only slightly surprised to find his father sitting at the table.
"Bad dream?" the older Aburame asks.
"Nothing I won't get over."
"I'll be working late tonight," Shibi says, putting his hand on his son's shoulder comfortingly.
Shino knows his father blames himself for more than just his son's nightmares, though he's never held his father accountable. It was he who chose to follow Danzo that day. After all, he couldn't let Torune go alone.
If I had though, would you still be alive? He thinks to himself. What a terrible day to remember.
His father stands up and puts down his hot tea and newspaper before reaching into his coat and pulling out his wallet. He pulls out 10,000 ryo in various bills before attempting to pass them to his son.
"It's not time for my allowance. Besides I-"
"Take it," Shibi says cutting his son off. "I probably won't make it to see you graduate. Use it to take Naruto out to eat. You boys celebrate with each other."
Before he can protest, Shibi picks up his gourd, and walks out of the kitchen, waving silently to his son. Ever a man of few words.
Shino also knows better than to argue with his father, this isn't the first time he's given his heir extra money specifically to feed his ramen-obsessed friend.
Shino still remembered with some clarity the day his father intervened with the Uchiha officer who had harassed him and Naruto after an outing at Ichiraku's. Come to think of it, it may have been that very incident and what he had done to the man which…
He thinks of Danzo, then scowls. He didn't have time for this. It was time to eat.
In his room, he began the most important part of his day and reached for several sealed glass jars on his desk. Red-ox centipedes, Poison-dart crickets, and Blue-spotted geckos would do for today. To the untrained eye; a creepy hobby, to the insect aficionados; a hazard waiting to happen, and to him; breakfast.
Mechanically he takes out several specially prepared dark purple food pills, each with the Kanji for silk (絹) written in red, then begins his work. Unscrewing the nearest jar, he grabs an especially large Red-Ox and considers biting down on its head to make the rest of his morning easier.
"That is not of the old way!" Granny Shaka would yell. It's like he can hear her voice in his ears.
Holding the centipede in one hand along with the food pill, he activates the Silk-Cocoon Sheathing Seal that is on the tablet with his free hand. Then, he places the egg-sized pill in his mouth and swallows almost without thinking, this repetitive practice having long become redundant. Three more times he does this with the centipedes, then with five crickets, then ends with two geckos. It wouldn't be wise to overeat after all. Knowing Naruto, they'd likely be going to Ichiraku's after the exam…or would they?
It was known that Naruto had somehow shoehorned the Sandaime into allowing him the opportunity to take the previous graduation exam as well as the one before that. Shino had suspected Lord Sarutobi indulged this if only to teach Naruto the value of hard work and humility seeing as his friend had failed both exams spectacularly…or so he heard.
Yet, Naruto never seemed to improve in the fundamental jutsu that mattered. Taijustu, a solid B+, great gusto and foundation, also not a graduation test. Shuriken aim, C average, take time to aim. Written…exams, well. Shino would pray…for both their sakes. Surely this year would be different, though, right?
"Baaah!" he says, scolding himself. He'll do fine.
Yet there was a nagging feeling in the back of his mind like one of the many De Ja Vu-like episodes he's had since childhood that tells him things might not go so smoothly. Shino could almost envision it. Naruto in his trademark orange jumpsuit, sitting lonely on a swing as their peers celebrate their graduation. Parents snidely remarking yet elated at Naruto's misfortune.
"Tsk!" Damn it. Now he was late and mad.
(at the Jincan Pavilion)
Shiho watched as the young master danced within the fires. She desired to be closer, to watch him from a better angle but knew it was her place to keep a respectful distance until he was finished.
The fumes wafted from the torches that surrounded him came from kindling that had been specially prepared with dried poisons sourced from various dried nightcrawlers, fungi, and grasses. Having prepared the torches and long since gone through her own tolerance training, it was her duty to await the conclusion of his ritual.
Today, he was performing the Ritual of Overflowing Bounty, a dance that symbolized fertility, and asked the Earth Goddess for luck in upcoming endeavors, but for who? Himself? Shiho highly doubted the young master would do anything less than amazing when it came time for him to officially become a ninja. Therefore, it was most likely for a certain blond fellow who would likely need all the help he could get.
In her heart, as she watched Shino flow through the motions of the dance, she could not help but feel a certain sense of superiority when it came to comparing herself to her fellow Miko. She and Lady Shaka alone had the privilege of watching him do this day after day, something her peers would only be allowed to witness on the grandest of rituals.
He spun, then stopped, shaking his wooden Phurba [2] in ancient rites, using ancient breaths to control the chakras that lined his gut, and safely diffused the dead from his stomach bile into his blood. The slow battle that was right now taking place in his stomach, acting as a timekeeper. He would not stop dancing until that battle was over.
He was Yama, lord of the Dead and Decaying. Offering his children and setting his blood on fire, beseeching his mother to bring a better harvest this year, or at least decent exam grades. Then, as all things must, he stopped, the final three large spins and kicks to the dirt signaling the end of the ritual as he waved the Phurba to symbolically dispel the bad luck in the air.
Shiho quickly, but not inelegantly, made her way to the young Lord. He had already begun to strip. Holding out her hand, he gently handed her his shamanic raiment. A beautiful dark overcoat with black silken tassels. An inner shirt with long pointed sleeves, not unlike her own. And most importantly, his Zōmen mask [1]. A flat square piece of silk connected to a golden-wood crown, with an ancient symbol for the Yamagami painted in place of the face, a crude cup with two snakes that looked like antennae. All these things were decorated in the ancient flowing language of their people. The bird-worm script, now lost to all but lady Shaka, the young Lord, and perhaps one day, her.
"Are my clothes by the stream?" Shino asked.
"Aye, honorable one. They are folded and ready for you."
"If you can, please see that she gets some exercise today."
"Aye," Shiho confirmed. She knew the she the young Lord spoke of.
"I'll be going then." He said, flying off into the direction of the stream. She wanted to wish him luck but knew he didn't need it.
After all, she thought, looking toward the Shadow clone he had left to continue practicing his forms. He is a genius.
Hours later, as the sun began to rise, Shiho quickly finished her morning chores and with permission from Lady Shaka, proceeded to that guarded room.
"You two are to accompany us and make sure we are not followed, understood?" she asked the guards, who nodded silently.
Facing the door, Shiho knocked three times out of courtesy before even waiting for an answer and entering the clean but rather spartan room.
In the corner, a beautiful but somewhat disheveled-looking young woman sat upright in bead, a dead look in her eyes.
"Izumi? Are you alright? Are you feeling well?" Shiho asked.
"I…Ita…chi," the woman began, "I dreamed…I had chil-children." she said as a tear fell from her eye.
Oh no, it looks like it's going to be a bad day. "Let's see about getting you something to eat, then taking a long walk. You'd like that, wouldn't you? The air will be good for your head."
But Shiho knew it wouldn't do much. It never did.
Get in losers. We're speed-running the academy.
Author's Notes:
[1] The description for the Zomen Mask takes inspiration from several sources. It is a Japanese ritual mask, the same Tanjiro's father from Demon Slayer wears, but with a Kashmiran crown, and the Oracle script for Gu (蠱) written on the face.
[2] A Phurba is a three-sided Buddhist ritual knife. I like to think at some point Shino'll stab himself with it then, BAMN! Poison blood sword, or whatever.
-I'm overall very happy with the response to this Fanfic. Thanks for the support, people!
(Shameless Plug): Did you know Kodoku has had a large impact in various Japanese Media? One prominent example is the character Naraku from legenday series Inuyasha, who gives his body to a horde of demons, and in a later episode, basically makes a Kodoku jar out of a mountain, then absorbs the winning demon.
More recently, the long-running manga series Hunter x Hunter's most recent arc, the Succession War, features a Kodoku jar being used to give royal princes magical parasitic spirits to kill each other with….
Hunter Hunter's your favorite manga/anime? No Way! Mine Too! What's that? You wish it wasn't such a niche series with a terrible number of quality fanfics and crossovers? You poor sweet child, you've come to the right place. Check out my other story, JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Diamond Hunter, I'm told it's pretty good. And if you like it, maybe leave a like and review. Who knows, I might even respond.
Anyway, that's for reading. I'll try to address any queries privately.
-Mero Out.