"My, my. How bold of you to cross my threshold so far into the forest, and no food to give me either." The Wendigo's raspy voice echoed across the silent forest. This deep in, the leaves were gone from all the trees, the branches grown gnarled and misshapen, the ground cracked and oozing a faint mist of darkness.
"I want to know what you've done to my son." Shikaku said quietly, the shadows pooling around himself like a wraith, the only visible part of him being his eyes.
"I've done nothing. Your son is... unique, even among your kind." The Wendigo said flatly.
"Explain. Please." Shikaku stated reluctantly, looking down at the ground.
"He is Twice-Born. In your tongue, a Reincarnation. The abilities he's awakening are an extension of his past life. Chakra is made of spiritual energy, that of which is born from imagination, experiences, and memories. Physical energy, that of which is born from the process of stripping energy from the world through the prey you devour, and then used to reconstruct the body in the process. Both alone can do little without training, but the metaphysical is where the source of all Bloodlines, of all Innate Natures, come into play. The metaphysical is the Source of the universe, the bedrock of how it's foundations work. Bloodline Limits can manipulate the basics of the Source using Chakra as a Conduit. Those born with a Glorious Purpose, or perhaps have a Great Prophecy attached to their souls, can manipulate the Source in greater ways still than those with Bloodline Limits. However..."
"What happens if someone is not of this universe? What happens if someone who is reborn in this world was recently not of this world? Now they aren't using one Source, but two. Two Sources to draw from, double the amount of metaphysical to play around with. Most of the time, one Source is deemed more relevant than the other, with the 'native' Source taking precedence, but this isn't always the case. Most with a preference for a Source not native to this world often are unable to use chakra properly, the coils not developing or otherwise becoming malformed. This has nothing to do with the Body, for the Physical Imprint of this world is still there, but the Metaphysical Value is too far different to be compatible."
Shikaku filed that information away, particularly as that had some serious value for Rock Lee, whose coils were malformed, according to Might Guy's reports. "What about my son?" He asked again, quiet, careful to not offend the Patron of the Nara Clan.
"Shikamaru Nara is a Twice-Born, but not just any Twice-Born. Twice-Borns happen on a rare occasion, it's just that their memories of their past lives are erased. No, Shikamaru Nara is a Twice-Born of the Honored One."
"Honored One?" Shikaku asked, feeling a sense of dread in his stomach. That kind of title usually didn't mean a nice quiet life for his son.
"Indeed. The Honored One."
The shadows carved apart the earth, reaching through the air and shaped into a figure.
"He looks nothing like Shikamaru." Shikaku commented quietly, looking at the frozen image.
"The spirit is the same, even if the body differs. Regardless, the Honored One was reborn in this life with the same abilities he had in his past life, along with his new life's abilities. It is these abilities that are resurfacing in this world that are what confuses your kind, because these abilities are drawn from a different Source from the native one."
"I don't suppose you could explain what these abilities are and how they work?" Shikaku said dryly.
The image vanished and the Wendigo laughed, it's raspy laughter echoing across the dead forest.
"And spoil the fun? No. I think not, little Nara. However, Shikamaru Nara is far more than even the Shadow of the Honored One. After all, the Honored One was but one of his Aspects' Titles. While he has a much firmer grasp on the Honored One, he's seeking to understand, and master, a third Source. Accelerator. The One Way Road."
The Wendigo paused, a tone of pride and respect in it's voice, something that terrified Shikaku, as if every nerve was just plugged into a weak lightning jutsu, a sense of dread and alarm filling him in equal measure.
A second image arose from the ground, the shadows warping into shape.
"The One Who Wields The Power of God."
"God. Like, as in one of the Kami?" Shikaku asked lowly, his voice strained. The idea of his son, his boy, being that power hungry, unnerved him.
The Wendigo snorted.
"Remember, this is a third Source. A different universe entirely. The 'God' referred to here is capable of taking on every spiritual and physical being that has ever existed, will exist, or could exist in this universe, all at the same time and win. Effortlessly. 'God' would be able to annihilate the nine bijuu, end all wars, and force the shinobi world to kneel in a week's time, without truly needing to show himself to do it. Your universe would be forcefully contorted beyond all imagining simply by His Arrival."
"My son is going to be smitten by a Kami for his arrogance. I should've started drinking way earlier today." Shikaku groaned.
The Wendigo's voice took on a decisively darker tone, the trees shaking as the shadows writhed, the silent dead forest coming to life as, for a brief moment, the Wendigo lost it's temper.
"They would die trying."
Shikaku nodded shakily, leaving the forest as quickly as possible as the Wendigo's voice echoed through the forest.
"I do hope you remember to keep our conversations to just us, unless you wish to leave this mortal coil sooner, little Nara. Oh, and do be a 'deer' and remind my Mortal Champion to bring me some more food to hunt. I'm afraid I've already eaten all the prey your wife gave me earlier."
Shikaku felt his cold sweat on his face as he continued to leave.
He was almost to the house when he saw his wife's face, her eyes narrowed. "Were you really that stupid to go into the Wendigo's territory without any prey?!" Yoshino yelled at him.
Troublesome. Trying to figure out how keep his family safe without pissing off the wife was such a drag sometimes.
The things you do for family, he sighed.