Chapter 11 - One Year Later
A group of ten shinobi belonging to konoha were dashing through the forest, terrified of what followed them. They were so close to home territory now, they could almost taste it. That was before the shinobi leading his team back to safety suddenly made a new home for a kunai in the back of his skull.
His subordinates gasped and the younger ones even cried; however those who remained knew their time was at an end. One young shinobi, on the verge of a breakdown, began to bring a kunai to their own wrist at the intense weight of the horrible presence around them.
"Ryota stop!" another terrified shinobi called to her team member. This one was accompanied by a ninja dog and had face markings like fangs down her cheeks. She felt it too, her hound did as well, but they would be damned before they went out without a fight!
She looked to the other team members, only to find them gone. She was shocked and took a few steps back, looking around at a frantic pace for any sign of her friends. That was until she saw them.
The duo from Iwa, the ones slowly gaining their own reputation as the true Demon Brothers. One shorter than the other but was faster and far more vicious. The tall one, he was the true monster out of the duo however. Both masked with those of demons, the 'younger' brother having a twisted mask that never resembled a single beast.
"That's enough." were the final words ever heard by that konoha shinobi as she was relieved of her head.
Cleaning their weapons of the blood that oxidized even now and sheathing their weapons, the tall one commended his comrade. "Check their bodies for anything useful, then we return." The man said in a cold demeanor.
Stretching first the short one replied, "Got it, anything to look for in particular?" Oni informed his student of a certain scroll they were looking for, along with anything else they found.
After pilfering the bodies and making camp, the two Iwa ANBU sat down and removed their masks.
"You did well today." Oni stated as he peeled open a standard issue nutrition bar. Shinji had surprised Oni in more ways than one. Ever since the boy was four years old he could remember him being different, but just how different he never knew.
But his question was answered when Shinji Sato became the youngest ANBU in the history of Iwagakure at nine years old.
Shinji adorned a thinking face, "You think I could learn that clone jutsu Konoha uses?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.
Oni thought about it, 'He has the reserves to support it, his control is on par with the best of us, don't really see a reason why he can't. But…'
"I think you can figure it out on your own." Oni said with a shit eating smile.
Shinji was straight faced, but red with anger as he flipped the bird at his commanding officer and looked away. "You know what? I will figure it out on my own. I just have to–"Shinji began spouting research methods on current clone jutsu he knew, their properties and everything in between.
Oni stopped paying attention almost immediately. His student tended to space out when interested in a topic like this. Oni began thinking of their route back to the village and estimated that if they began traveling now, they could make it by nightfall if they traveled fast and far enough.
He informed Shinji of his intentions and they soon left, arriving at the village gate in time to watch the night begin.
Once their mission report was filed, Oni and Shinji went their separate ways for the night. Shinji, deciding he needed a warm meal like he did most nights, went to his favorite bao shop.
"Welcome to Bao-dacious! Hey Shinji! What can I get for you?" the stand owner, mr. Sasaki, welcomed his second favorite customer.
"Hey Mr. Sasaki, the usual please." Shinji said with a smile as he sat down. He was no longer wearing the outfit of the ANBU, and was instead in his normal clothing. Mr. Sasaki placed down two plates of large pork buns as well as two glasses of water.
"How was your day shinji?" Mr Sasaki asked with a smile as he folded more buns.
Swallowing his current mouthful, Shinji replied, "Honestly it wasn't too bad, can't tell you details, but we got the job done quickly. Wins all around." the boy said with a smirk as he sipped on his water.
Mr. Sasakis smile faded. "You look tired, shinji." He said, now looking at the youngest ANBU in Iwa instead of his dough.
Shinji placed down the glass of water and let the mask fade a little. "I am, but don't worry, I have everything under control." Shinji tried to say in a reassuring manner, yet it was not fooling the bao shop owner. He still returned to his meal and Mr Sasaki went back to his buns.
"I hope so kid." he uttered under his breath, which Shinji heard.
'Me too.' Shinji thought.
He paid for his meal and soon left the stand. It wasn't long before Shinji returned to his home. He walked into the quiet and cold home and approached the dining room table. On it was a letter, one from Akuma Sato.
It arrived in the mail only a few hours before he left on his mission with Oni, he managed to block it out of his mind for the sake of the mission, but now he had to confront this new development.
He sat down at the table, grabbed a kunai from his new pouch and unsealed the envelope.
Dear Shinji,
I know you're wondering why I'm even sending you this letter. I will explain everything to you, but I want to see you. I dont have the right to call you my son, not after what I put you through. But I would still like to see you and how you've grown over the years.
-Akuma Sato.
"I didnt see a fucking apology on there." Shinji ground his teeth and said to himself, He crumpled the paper in his fist and threw it in the trash.
Doing what he did best, Shinji thought. Though Akuma wanted to see him, he didn't hear anything of him potentially getting released, or anything of that nature. 'So why does he want to see me?'
Akuma Sato sat in his cell, the same cell he sat in everyday for the last five years. His hair was tied back and his face was shaven, leaving the glass inflicted scars on his face clear as day. He wondered if Shinji received his letter, he knew it wasn't much, but hopefully it was enough to get his son here.
The door to the cell chamber opened with a heavy metal clang. There was an ANBU agent slowly approaching the cell block. He was short for an ANBU but still wore the same mask and carried the same aura about them. The way he was walking, it seemed as though he was hovering as well as the silent footsteps were unnerving.
Akuma realized that this ANBU was approaching his cell. He could see the mask clearly now, a twisted concoction of a lion with goat horns and snake-like fangs met him with silence as he stared down on the man. 'Could he be Shinji?' Akuma slowly stood, only coming about a foot above the ANBU.
The ANBU's presence weighed on Akumas shoulders like a mountain, yet he remained standing. "So, you're an ANBU now. I'm proud of y-"
"Don't finish that statement." Shinji interrupted. "I have achieved everything that you couldn't Akuma. Everything you could have ever hoped to be, I have surpassed it by a wide margin!" The boy behind the mask began to shout.
"I did this all, with MY hard work! Me! I was the one who sought out knowledge, I was the one trained day in and day out for the last five years, damn near killing myself due to exhaustion!" Shinji yelled, he took a step back and took a deep breath.
"So you don't get to talk about pride in me, when you had nothing to do with it." He was calm, yet furious in his tone. "Your pride in me is only a way to make yourself feel better about all of the shit you did to me."
"How does it feel-That the runt you pushed around is now your superior in every way?"
Akuma was floored, speechless even. "Shinji-"
"YOU DON'T CALL ME THAT! Not when I have this mask on or ever for that matter. You don't deserve to sully the name my mother gave me.'' Shinji looked down. "I'm Chimera to you, and you will address me as such." he growled.
Akuma was ashamed and it showed. The tears that welled up in his eyes and fell to the floor as he looked at the ground was proof enough. How could he have ever done all of those things to his son, his own flesh and blood, the one last connection he had to his wife?
Akuma had been a fool, and he knew it.
Silence had followed Shinji's speech, both standing with stifled tears from Shinji, and silent sobs from Akuma. "I-Im so sorry. For everything I've done to you. T-there's no excuse I could ever give to you to make up for my actions."
"You remind me so much of your mother, everytime I looked at you it's like she was right there." Akuma wiped the snot from his nose. "Then all of the pain came flooding back." he chuckled without mirth.
Shinji remained silent.
"Personalities are the same too. She was always a bookworm, but when she was angry, whatever book she was holding became the deadliest weapon in the world." Akuma smiled at the memory of his wife, face still damp with tears.
Shinji remained silent, yet his balled fists started to stop trembling.
Akuma looked back up to his son, "She's still there, even now you know." Shinji's masked eyes were still on Akuma, yet the tremble in his hands were gone. However the feeling of cold fury never left.
"You blamed me for her death on the day I was born." Akumas smile was gone at the near silent words of his son. 'He heard me that day?'
"I remember everything, Akuma." Shinji's presence grew, and it made Akuma now tremble at the feeling. Death had wrapped its cold, spindly fingers around his neck and began to choke.
The prisoner was brought to his knees, gasping for air. "I remember everything." He heard the cold tone of Chimera through the blood he could feel pooling in his ears.
"P-Please, stop." Akuma tried to look up, yet it was in vain.
"Funny. I never once begged for you to stop beating me." The mountain crushing Akuma lifted in an instant, and he was set free from the grasp of death. He inhaled like it was his first breath and looked at Chimera, who had disappeared.
All Akuma could do was cry and repeat how sorry he was, knowing only the prison walls would hear his wails.
As Shinji slammed the door shut to his home, he threw his ANBU mask to the floor out of rage. He began to think terrible, horrible things to behold unto his father, how he would make him scream, beg and cry for life.
He calmed himself down after a short rage fueled outburst wherein the coffee table was kicked in half. Sitting on his couch with his head down he asked himself, "What's the next crazy plan Shinji?"
Ideas in his head began to swirl, and then they began to coalesce into something he's been concocting ever since he started the academy. He found himself moving to his workshop on autopilot and ended up staring into the machine he had built.
Its cylindrical pod-like appearance was telling enough that this machine would do no good, however the benefits that could be gained would be worth it…if he managed to survive again.
By now, Shinji had the formula memorized and the materials gathered. No, not just memorized, he made it better in every way. The missing piece from the original formula, the one shown to him by Imad himself, seemed to be chakra. In his studies, Shinji discovered that chakra had a natural flow, one geared toward life itself.
Different from the magic from his previous life, which had a natural inclination to destroy and was known to be chaotic in nature.
He would have to thank the abysmal Iwa security in the library for he would have never had access to said knowledge otherwise.
His ideas were not geared toward his machine though. Instead, it was what Oni had taught him in regards to summoning.
Oni finished his explanation of the summoning jutsu to Shinji and finished with his own summon. The ANBU commander taught Shinji the signs, placed his hand to the ground and with a poof of smoke, a small three headed puppy appeared there.
The puppy had a dark red coat of fur and its heads all had different expressions and emotions. The left head had a furrowed brow while the middle one was its polar opposite, with happiness in its eyes and its tongue out, ready to lick his summoner. The right head didn't have an expression like its fellows, instead it looked serious, almost calculative.
"There has to be other summons out there right?" Shinji asked his mentor "The books in the library talked about some guy named Hanzo the Salamander, guessing that name didn't come from the fact he liked water."
"You're right, on both accounts actually. I to my knowledge am the sole summoner of the Cerberus clan." For emphasis, Oni rubbed the grumpy one's head which seemed to accept the head rubs with a little embarrassment.
"Heh. He's going through a rebellious phase." Shinji chuckled at the dog's expense, but he was caught off guard when the head looked at him and growled in defiance.
"Did I forget to mention they are fully sentient? Some are even able to speak just like you and me." Oni dispelled the summon, sending the pup back to its realm after handing him three treats.
"Fascinating. The possibilities are almost endless." As Shinji began to take his thinking pose, Oni derailed his train of thought with a serious tone.
He crouched down to Shinji's level and warned the boy, "You must never use the technique while uncontracted Shinji. I mean that. The consequences of such an action are dire and innumerable."
Shinji cocked an eyebrow and questioned his mentor, "Why? What happens?"
"Instead of summoning a creature, it will summon you to an animal you have the most affinity with. I don't think I have to explain why that is a terrible idea." Oni stood back to his full height again but the serious tone remained.
"Trust me on this one Shinji, it's not worth it."
"To hell with your warning." Shinji moved away from his staring contest with the trial pod and stood in the center of the room.
He brought up his hands and moved through the signs and slammed his hand to the floor.
"Summoning Jutsu!" Shinji shouted with rage in his chest.
A large cloud of smoke surrounded him and with an audible poof, he was no longer in his workshop. He opened his eyes to see a red clay ground bathed in an orange light.
"Who dares!?" An animalistic voice yelled at the sudden intruder in his territory. His fellow creatures began to hiss, growl and circle their young intruder.
Shinji stood tall and looked at the animals circling him. They were the size of young bears but as lean as a tiger with a similar build. Beyond the general size of the animal, they were almost indistinguishable from one another.
One had the head structure of a lion, another had one similar to a snake with the tusks of a boar. It was the tails that sent chills down his spine though, the lion had a snake for a tail, while another had a scorpion's stinger and another with wings on its back.
Shinji kept his attention on the big guy however, "My name is Shinji Sato-" Angered at this boy's tone, the large beast stood tall on its paws, dwarfing Shinji in his entirety even at the distance away he was.
Shinji's eyes widened at the sight before him. "No fucking way…" He said as he watched the beast spread a pair of wings from his back, but they were large, powerful wings that made the very winds tremble with their movement. Shadowing him even further, the beast took a mighty leap and flapped his large wings.
Faster than Shinji realized, the beast landed directly in front of him, the other smaller creatures bowing in respect and backing away. The youngest ANBU in Iwa found himself staring into the angry red eyes of the horned lion.
"Who do you think you are, to intrude on my territory and to name yourself before I…" the beast stepped forward which caused shinji to take a step back. "Such disrespect in my home." He said as he began to approach Shinji.
"Such bravado…such foolishness. I will grant you a moment to speak before you are my children's next meal." The beast stared into Shinji's teal eyes, ripe with anger and fear, taking note of the look in his eyes.
Shinji took a deep breath and vowed to not waste what might be his last. In his life as Gaston, he had come across a multitude of these beasts, they were strong, independent, but deathly loyal to their pack if they had one. He used to have the scars to prove every one of these points.
"Manticore." Shinji didn't mean to say it under his breath, but in speaking the word, it caught the attention of the beast. Beginning to circle Shinji the beast spoke, "How do you know of us boy?"
"I didn't. Pure coincidence actually." Shinji responded a little easier this time.
"There is no coincidence in this world child." The manticore stopped behind Shinji and sniffed him. Huffing to himself and continuing his circling of the child. Regarding the child with an almost regal like appearance, the manticore sat down on its hind legs, "Why are you here Sato?" the large beast huffed.
Steeling himself, Shinji answered his question. "To be the summoner of your clan." the manticore looked deep into Shinji's eyes, looking through the child. It was always the same story with humans, power over their enemies, greed, all for the prospect of 'peace.' The manticore found it pathetic how humans used these false pretenses.
'Curious.' The beast thought to himself. Their intruder was different, he sought power as all humans did yet it was unlike others who sought the power of his clan. There was a deeper anger within his eyes, something only found within those knocking on death's door. There was a desperation to his need for strength, for something other than peace.
"You? Our summoner? And why would I allow you to do that and let my children starve?" the beast asked his questions. Shinji looked around at the pile of animal bones and the obviously well fed nature of these creatures.
Evolving into a deadpan stare at the sight of the bones, "Yea, seems like you guys are starving." Growling at Shinji's response, the boy switched his tone. "I used the summoning jutsu and that brought me here, right at your doorstep, besides I know how you manticores work." Shinji adopted his smirk.
The manticore grew angry with the boy for daring to assume he knew anything about the proud clan of the Manticore. At the sight of the angry beast, Shinji did not cower away, he doubled down.
"I know you are a proud people, ones that value strength, cunning and the balls to stand up to anything. I offer all of that in spades." He said with pride as he held his arms out wide. "You know I'm worthy of being your summoner."
Growing furious, the beast began to yowl and prepared himself to leap at Shinji who in turn prepared himself for anything, "You dare put yourself on a pedestal similar to my people?! I will show you the strength you seek first hand!"
The manticore lunged at Shinji and went to swipe at him with his claws, however the boy managed to dodge the attack but was unaware of his spine covered tail that struck him as he landed.
Receiving minor damage to his arm from the attack, shinji reached into his kunai pouch and in the same movement, threw the knife at the manticore who just slapped it away with his wing. Turning back around, the manticore once lunged with his fangs drawn.
What the manticore wasn't expecting was for Shinji to use his head as a springboard to gain some altitude before hearing the boy call out a jutsu, "Earth style: Rock bullet!"
"First, restrict their movement!" Imad informed his student.
Shinji aimed for the wing of the beast, only managing to clip it as the boulder soared. However the young ANBU was not done. As he landed, he had a jutsu already in play, "Earth style: earth-style wall!" With the wall created, the beast looked back in confusion as Shinji landed, when he looked back to the child, all he saw was a flying knee as his head was put through the rock wall.
Dazed, the beast rose from the debris, a cut on its eyebrow and bleeding profusely. "You will regret that boy!" Smoke piled in the beast's mouth before launching a large wave of white hot fire.
"Shit!" the boy shouted as he managed to escape the heat, but not without getting his top burned causing him to throw away his standard issue top. Looking at the beast, Shinji took a deep breath, grit his teeth and rushed forward.
Smirking at the boy's brazen yet foolish attack, the manticore readied himself. As Shinji approached, the beast lunged forward and bit down hard. Not being met with meat and bone but instead a rock. Confused, he spat out the clay formation. He couldn't hear the boy, yet he did smell him, directing him into the air.
Shinji came down like a bullet, slamming his fist onto the snout of the manticore, sending it reeling. As Shinji landed, he pulled the dual edged sword from his waist and in the beast's dazed state, proceeded to slash at his joints.
Grimacing, Shinji realized his blade would only go so deep into the tough flesh of the monster.
"Second, overwhelm the creature!" Imad once again yelled at his student who was facing off against a horned beast three times his size.
With his agility, Shinji ran circles around the beast, slashing at its flesh leaving a multitude of shallow cuts all across his body. The crowd of smaller breasts began to grow worried at the sight that was before them. Beige fur marked with slashes that leaked blood, staining his coat a deep red color and panting.
Shinji ceased his attack and backed off, waiting for the beast to make the next move. He stood for a few moments, before the manticore fell to the ground. Jumping atop its downed form, Shinji brought his blade up.
"Finally, take its head." Imad told his student as he stood over the felled corpse of the namesake of his school.
Placing his foot on the manticore's neck, he looked into the red orbs that looked back at him. There was recognition in his eyes, and even respect if Shinji was seeing right. He could hear the crowd that formed during their fight begging for him to not kill the beast.
He sheathed his blade, noting how the crowd had gone silent except for the noise of flapping wings. Looking out into the crowd, they were all bowing, not at him or even the beast under his feet, but at something approaching from the south. From the sound alone, they were far larger than the beast he had just beat.
Looking in the same direction as the others, Shinji saw something that seemed to blot out the sun itself due to its size. It was flying at a speed that was worryingly fast for Shinji, 'Nothing that big can move that fast!' he shouted within his mind, worried at the sight.
Before long, it felt as though a tornado began to touch down right in front of him as the larger than life manticore landed, indenting the very earth where it did so. The gargantuan beast had its eyes closed.
"I ask you to get off my son." Her deep yet feminine voice escaped the lips of the large manticore.
'Just because she asked so nicely.' Shinji thought as he stepped off of her son. "May I presume you to be the leader of the Manticore Clan?"
Sitting on its hind legs and looking down at the boy who bested her son in combat with orange colored eyes, she replied. "No, I am the mother of our King, whom you have just bested in combat."
Said son rose from his position, trembling the whole time, "Mother-" He began, before a green snake-like tail came around from his mother and slapped him on the head. Upon closer inspection, the mother had navy blue scales from the base of her paws that reached halfway up her legs. Her coat was a dark, almost black color and she had the same horns as her son, only far bigger.
"Hush now my king, go and lick your wounds, I shall entertain our guest." Disciplining her king, who put up no defense and instead listened to his mother, Shinji wanted to chuckle but he settled for a smirk instead.
As the son left, Shinji paid attention to the mother, and bowed in respect. "I apologize for that, but all the same it's he who initiated the battle. It's a pleasure to meet you, my name is Shinji Sato."
"Hm, a human with respect. Very well, I accept your apology and thank you for not killing my son. I am Senkura, after my father." Senkura bowed to Shinji in respect.
"Now, I understand you wish to be our summoner, is that correct?" Shinji was happy that Senkura wanted to get down to business and his smile showed this.
He nodded in confirmation to Senkura, who began leading him into a nearby cave lit with torches.
She was silent as she led him, but upon reaching the cave, Shinji could see an altar with a large scroll resting on top. "We have not had a summoner since the time of the great sage. Do not disappoint us child." Senkura stated quietly as she left the boy to sign the scroll.
Walking down the steps at a slow pace, deciding there was no point in contemplating his actions any further, he approached the altar and opened the large, blood red scroll.
Inside were designated areas for a handprint and signature, curious, shinji unrolled the scroll even more to find that there were two previous summoners, both with blacked out names.
"Must have shamed the clan somehow. Or died I guess." He spoke to himself. Eyeing the empty spot in the scroll and without further ado, he made a cut on his thumb and spread the blood to each of his finger tips.
Pressing down his hand into the empty spot, then signing his name in blood, the very same red liquid glowed white for a second before fading back to the natural color. He didn't feel any different, but he supposed that was to be expected, all he did was sign a contract after all.
Reaching the light at the entrance to the cave, he saw a crowd had gathered outside and were waiting for him. Senkura sat still outside, standing next to her son and king.
"We of the manticore clan recognize you, Shinji Sato, as our summoner." The king stated to Shinji in front of what appeared to be the entire, large, clan of manticores.
Stepping down from the cave and walking right in front of the king, the crowd watched with bated breaths as he approached. Looking down on his new summoner, Shinji had his tired smirk still in place.
"I still never got your name, my king." He stated, dismissing the manticore's annoyed look. The smirk on his face however was telling enough that he was enjoying the challenge.
"I never gave it, pint size." Chuckling at the restrained annoyance of Shinji, "I am Honotora. I believe this will be a fun partnership between us."
Honotora raised his paw in what appeared to be a handshake of sorts. Shinji reached out with his own hand and grabbed the outstretched paw. "I can't help but agree." Shinji agreed with the king of the Manticore clan both sharing the same smirk.