Kushina eyed the preparations inside the dimly lit mask temple, the three children seated before the altar, their faces illuminated by the flickering candles. Kushina stared at the ominous Shinigami mask on display, its ghastly visage seeming to shift in the dancing shadows and the arrangements of Tender meats multiple bowls of rice white steaming rice and multiple jugs of sake. "So I wear this, and I'll be possessed by the Shinigami?" she asked, her voice wavering slightly.

Chitose nodded, his expression reassuring. "Yes, but there's no danger. The Shinigami will merely speak its, air quotes "wisdom" through you, and it will remove the mask once it has imparted its knowledge." He offered her a comforting smile. "It's an ancient ritual, passed down through generations of our clan."

Kushina remembered the words the Shinigami had spoken during her previous ritual. "The Shinigami said my child would outlive me," she murmured, her brow furrowing.

Chitose gave his thoughts a somber tone. "It's better to outlive them and to bury them, Kushina." He spoke somberly, his eyes reflecting a deep sadness. "Put the white Kimono on, alright Kushina?" She nodded.

Once the sun set, Kushina took a deep breath and slipped into the pristine white kimono, its fabric whispering against her skin. With trembling fingers, she reached for the ominous Shinigami mask, its hollow eyes seeming to bore into her soul. Lowering it over her face, she felt a chill run down her spine as the shadows around her seemed to deepen.

Kushina's eyes widened as her consciousness slipped away, the Shinigami's ethereal form slowly sinking int Kushina and taking control of her body. The flickering candlelight seemed to intensify, casting eerie shadows that danced across the walls of the dimly lit temple.

The Shinigami's hollow gaze fell upon the offerings laid before the altar. With a low, rumbling chuckle, it reached out and began to devour the offerings, its movements almost frenzied.

"This is the only reason I come back every decade," the Shinigami's voice echoed, muffled by the mask, "to taste the offerings of you mortals. Without them, your existence would be as dull and tasteless, like those fish that subsist on feces."

Chitose and the children watched in hushed reverence, their eyes wide with a mixture of awe and trepidation. The Shinigami's appetite seemed insatiable, its ghostly form hunched over the altar as it consumed the offerings with gusto.

After a moment, the Shinigami turned its hollow gaze towards Chitose. "Chitose, still clinging to life?" it mocked, its voice a rasping whisper. "You're seventy. You should have jumped into the ocean and ended your worthless existence already."

Chitose sighed, his shoulders sagging slightly under the weight of the Shinigami's taunts. "Why do you enjoy bullying the elders so much?" he asked, his voice tinged with weariness.

The Shinigami let out a grating laugh, its skeletal fingers curling around a vessel of sake. "Because it amuses me," it replied, lifting the jug to its lipless mouth and draining it in a single, greedy gulp. "Your kind is so fragile, so fleeting. Like mayflies, you burn brightly for but a moment before your flames are extinguished."

The Shinigami turned its hollow gaze towards the three children seated before the altar, its skeletal fingers curling around another vessel of sake. "Hmm, you!" it rasped, pointing a bony finger at Akiko. "I see your hands covered in blood. Iron will make you strong. Yet don't bother with Kenjutsu, you have two left feet."

Akiko's eyes widened, a shiver running down her spine at the Shinigami's ominous words and Mildly offended at the remark.

The Shinigami's gaze shifted to a boy sitting beside Akiko. "Ryu, is it?" it rasped, its hollow voice sending a chill through the air. "I see you covered in blood, try not to get stabbed." Ryu swallowed hard, his fingers clenching the fabric of his robes as he tried to make sense of the Shinigami's cryptic warning.

Finally, the Shinigami turned its attention to the last child, a boy named Riku. "Riku," it murmured, "I see you covered in ink and red eyes stalking you. You're going to be a scary beast." Riku's brow furrowed, his mind racing as he tried to decipher the meaning behind the Shinigami's words.

The flickering candlelight cast eerie shadows across the walls of the temple, the air thick with tension and unease. The children exchanged nervous glances, their young minds struggling to comprehend the weight of the Shinigami's prophecies.

Chitose cleared his throat, his voice wavering slightly as he addressed the Shinigami. "Great Shinigami, I will cut to the point. Can you give us some clear advice?" he said, annoyed at enternalmbeing. "Because our clan has been cut down to a hand full of members so make it clear please."

The Shinigami turned its hollow gaze towards Chitose, its Kushinas fingers tightening around the sake vessel. "F*ck no," it rasped, its voice dripping with disdain. "Next time, I want tempura."

With those words, the Shinigami ripped the mask from its face, its ethereal presence abruptly departing from Kushina's body. Kushina gasped, her eyes fluttering open as her consciousness returned. She looked around the dimly lit temple, her brow furrowing in confusion.

"What happened?" she asked, her voice trembling slightly. "Did the Shinigami not offer any guidance?"

Chitose sighed, his shoulders slumping in disappointment. "No, it did not," he replied, his tone tinged with frustration. "It simply demanded tempura for the next offering."

Akiko, Ryu, and Riku exchanged perplexed glances, their young minds still reeling from the Shinigami's ominous prophecies. Ryu leaned towards Akiko, his voice a hushed whisper. "Do you think it meant we'll be covered in real blood? Or was it just metaphorical?"

Akiko shook her head, her eyes wide with uncertainty. "I don't know," she murmured, her gaze shifting to her small hands. "But the Shinigami said I have two left feet, I want slap that mean old haf."

Riku remained silent, his brow furrowed as he contemplated the Shinigami's cryptic warning about ink and red eyes stalking him. He couldn't help but wonder what dark path lay ahead.

Chitose rose to his feet, his movements slow and weary. "Akiko! we all do, now Let's back to the compound." he said, his voice heavy with resignation. "It seems we must decipher the Shinigami's words on our own."

As they filed out of the dimly lit temple, the flickering candlelight cast eerie shadows across their faces, the weight of the Shinigami's prophecies hanging over them like a shroud of uncertainty.

Chitose leaned back in his chair, a heavy sigh escaping his lips as he removed his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose. "That damn Shinigami," he muttered, shaking his head in frustration. "Every time, it's the same nonsense. Demanding offerings, taunting me, and spouting cryptic prophecies that leave the children confused."

Kushina entered the office, her brow furrowed with concern. "I heard the ritual didn't go as planned," she said, taking a seat across from Chitose. "The Shinigami was particularly uncooperative this time, it seems."

Chitose let out a groan, leaning back in his chair with a weary expression. "It only told Akiko not to train in Kenjutsu. That's the only straightforward prediction it gave."

Kushina frowned, her eyes filled with concern. "What about the others? Ryu and Riku? What did the Shinigami say to them?"

Chitose's expression darkened, his eyes clouded with worry. "It told Ryu that he would be covered in blood and warned him not to get stabbed."

Kushina gasped, her hand flying to her mouth. "Covered in blood? But that could mean..."

Chitose nodded grimly, his expression grave. "Yes, when the Shinigami gives such a prediction, it often means the child is destined for a short life if they pursue the path of a shinobi." His eyes held a deep sadness as he spoke. "Ryu will be trained as a weapons smith in the forge like his father. Perhaps that path will keep him from the bloodshed the Shinigami foresaw."

Kushina's heart ached for the young boy, torn between the desire to protect him and the knowledge that fate could not be easily swayed. "And what of Riku?" she asked hesitantly, dreading the answer.

Chitose nodded solemnly. "As for Riku, the Shinigami warned that he would be covered in ink, with red eyes stalking him." Kushina's brow furrowed in concern, her mind racing to decipher the cryptic prophecy.

Chitose leaned forward, his eyes holding a mixture of sadness and determination. "I will train Riku as a fuin master, just as I was trained. Ink will stain his hands as he learns the intricate art of sealing, but I fear the red eyes, better make sure he doesn't piss off the Uchiha."

Kushina nodded. "We just need to be careful Right?"

Chitose looked somewhat defeated. "In my Generation most were told they would die in their homes. I was one of those who wouldn't, back then I envied all my friends." His hands shacked. "Now I swear that I will do all in my power to keep our clan safe, Kushina even if I fall while doing so."

Kushina held his wrinkled and calloused hand.

Chitose calmed down letting out a breath to relax. "We will endure Master Chitose." She spoke with confidence and Fire the old man only witnessed three times in his life, smiling at nostalgia it gave him.

"thank you Kushina."