Long past the smothering of the light of day, in the pitch-black forest stood a dingy hovel. Inside this hovel, a group of girls giggled and chatted in a subdued tone, so as to not disturb the boy lying in another room. Their efforts were for naught though as the boy hadn’t been able to fall asleep yet. When he first heard the deep, rumbling snarl he bolted upright to check around and a moment later he realised it was the beast within calling for him. Since then the boy had trying to see within, to visit the beast with not much success. Until he decided falling asleep might be his best option given the beast in question. When sleep overtook his weary eyes, he immediately found himself on a floating rock, almost like an island. The problem was the location of said island. All around him, the boy could see endless black space littered with countless glittering distant stars, galaxies and strangely silhouettes of tendrils wrapping themselves around the whole cosmos, constantly shifting to cover more and more, yet the cosmos was not consumed any more than it was since the boy started observing the phenomenon. The biggest error was the giant crack from whence the tentacles originated. It was filled with nothing, yet at the same time what appeared to be eyes, ever-shifting observed the boy. He tried observing it, but it was beyond mortal comprehension it seems. All he could see were unknown colours appearing and disappearing constantly as the eyes blinked and they too changed shapes from circles to everything else and sometimes back. The creature made from primal chaos was mesmerising in its incomprehensible form.
“Well, I’ll be damned! I came to meet my tenant, but I get to meet an eldritch abomination as a bonus.” Said the boy, just voicing his thoughts.
“You know what that is, kid!?” Asked a growling raspy voice from behind the boy. The voice was loud and booming in its surprise. The boy finally feeling safe in the confines of his own mind did not hold back when speaking, did not pretend to be a kid and responded.
“Ah, Shukaku. I’ve been meaning to meet you. I feel it’s important to get to know each other if we are to share a body.” Smirked the boy as he turned towards the one-tailed beast.
“How-. Wha-. Never fucking mind. Tell me about that!” Yelled the flabbergasted beast as he pointed a clawed digit towards the massive crack seeping tendrils of darkness into the world where they resided.
“I don’t know much. I can only make assumptions.” Shrugged the boy but then he continued.
“It is probably the reason I am alive and in a world I don’t belong in.” The demon did not speak but the boy did not wait for an answer, understanding the shock value of his statement and he continued to clarify.
“You see, Shukaku in my world I was a soldier and got killed in battle, imagine my surprise to awake in a battered that was decades younger than mine. Unfamiliar places and unfamiliar faces, yet not a completely foreign world. Now also I have a charge that I need to protect, which is why I wanted to meet you.” After a brief pause, he continued further as the demon had not said anything and still absorbed the information dump.
“You see I know your name because in my world, this one existed in fiction, but all is not the same. Certain people walk different paths now and others never even existed, like myself.” The boy pointed at himself with an index finger.
“Despicable human! Of course, you want something.” Growled the beast.
“Yes, but that’s what you caught from my exposition? Okay well, listen.” The beast said nothing and stood attentively. Still groggy from his recent awakening, he didn’t have it in him to mess with his new jinchuuriki yet. It was also surprising to wake up and see a real monster first thing after a long slumber. The seal on him was too tight, as to make him unable to mess with the boy’s psyche when he was younger. As a seal master himself, he could appreciate the little people’s skill in the art. As shallow as it was, it was much better than any other person’s sealing work he had seen.
“We both know, jinchuuriki are stronger than an individual beast, perhaps you might now want to admit that, and that’s fine. I also know you hate Kurama, because of the way he thinks, that more tails make him more powerful. It would be exceptionally stupid of me not to get your help. I do not wish to force your hand, claiming nonsense like ‘I die, you die’. We both know you gonna be fine in a few years after I die.-“ The boy got interrupted by the beast.
“Fine, fine kid stop talking so much.” The boy raised an eyebrow and listened.
“I’ll help, but I need a condition fulfilled.” Said the demon. “Speak.” Responded the boy.
“We gotta change the seal so I can feel what you do. I am sure you will kill others in the name of protection or otherwise. I want to feel that too and maybe some other things humans enjoy.” Said Shukaku as his voice got quitter towards the end it was almost a whisper. The boy noticed this and thought the beast was being shy for some reason so he held back a smirk and said.
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“That’s understandable, I can agree to that. I am dead tired and in need of sleep, I hope you won’t mess with me and we can start the seal work later.”
At this time a slimy voice wormed its way into the ears of both beast and boy.
“I am, gladh. You too couldh come to anh agreementth. Wouldh have been a shame, to reset this world. I didh put so much effhort into, it.” The voice was gurgling like a man speaking with too much saliva in his mouth and spittle flying everywhere. Then it introduced it self.
“I am called, it who devours joy. Andh that is the short version, believee mee. I cometh with a warning, if anyone managess to enther here, your mindsscape that iss. Let uss jusst ssay, you need not worry about them anymore, or any other information being sstolen from yourr mindd. Doo, live your life, as you wouldd, little one.”
Then he woke to screams.
Having the kunai in the same place as his sidearm used to be helped, as the boy was already crouched with it in hand and Byakugan active already scanning his surroundings.
“One target. Unaware. Intoxicated. Adult male. Hostage, single. Within grapple range and in extreme danger. Piece of shit.”
It was a man he recognised from his first night in this world. One of the two that came looking for him in his house. In his drunken state, the man was holding down Hinata and fiddling with his pants, as the other girls tried feebly to get him off of her, but were easily pushed back. Luckily his back was turned towards the entrance of the room, from where the boy lunged forward with a kunai. Hoping his strength will be enough he aimed just below the chunin flak jacket right at his spine. The drunk thug realised something was wrong, but the alcohol in his system slowed him down enough for the kunai to find its mark. The kunai screeched as it broke through some of the steel rings of the ninja mesh the chunin was wearing and blood was drawn. The man straightened, letting go of his hostage and swinging his arm in a backhanded blow towards the attacker behind him. The boy expecting the blow dodged and hooked his own arm around his trapping it as he attempted a stranglehold on the man. With the successful manoeuvre, the boy pulled as he walked backwards and tried to pull the man down on his back. With his legs now paralysed the man could not find purchase and fell onto the boy’s lap. The boy attempted a stab just below the throat of the man, with a kunai held in his left hand. The free left hand came between them connecting at the wrist and stopping the blade inches away.
“Fuck! Even in his extremely drunken state, he is stronger. I have to finish this before his adrenaline kicks in. If only I knew some gentle fist to disable his other arm.”
The boy looked around him, scared and crying children surrounded him and a dazed Hinata.
“Hinata-chan, try disabling his left arm.” The boy spoke calmly, sternly and not too loud or too quiet. The strange calm amidst the chaos was unmissable and lavender eyed girl got up and assumed the gentle fist stance. The poor girl hadn’t even realised what was happening still, she just obeyed.
“Hnnggh…” The man tried to protest, but the boy’s hold was tight like a professional’s and held his jaw shut. He could not break free with only one left arm. Desperation came into his blurry eyes as the adrenaline kicked him hard enough to clear some of the intoxication’s effects. He tried to scream to make any noise, to draw attention from the dazed Hyuuga girl. He thought, no he knew the scared little girl would collapse under the stress if she wasn’t too stunned to realise what she was doing even her movement was practised stiffness, muscle memory drilled into all the Hyuuga children. He looked over at the boy holding him, thinking maybe he could mentally stress the boy for some mercy to loosen his grasp and escape, but all he saw in those eyes that stared right back at him was unbothered, uncaring subtle anger. No matter how he moved his arm or pushed at the boy, the blows came, the sound of chakra clashing with his own and the burning sensation of enemy chakra. The arm now hung loose and he was dragged outside the hovel.
“Stay inside, all of you.” The boy shouted as he dragged the man. “I’ll be right back.”
Once he reached the side of the house, hidden from the entrance, the boy unceremoniously stabbed the kunai all the way up to the hilt, aiming at the larynx so he would choke on his own blood. Then he casually walked back into the room. Everyone had stopped crying now, all that ninja training coming into play now. His sister lunged at him into a hug. Surprisingly Hinata was next and jumped on him too and the remaining two joined the group hug.
“Okay. It’s okay. I got you. You are all safe now.” Said the boy and held the girls for a few more moments.
“Ino-chan, you are not hurt right?” asked the boy and received a nod and a confused look, on why she was being singled out.
“And you are strong right?” Said the boy looking intently into the eyes of the blond. After a moment of contemplation, she nodded again.
“Okay, I have a mission for you now.” Before anyone could say anything in protest, the boy continued.
“I need to stay here, so you and Hinata-chan will have to get back to the closest street and get an ANBU, okay? That is your mission, if you yell when you get near enough one will meet you, I promise you will be safe. Stay together with Hinata-chan and run got it?”
“Yes!”
So the boy lead the girls to the front door and away from the body at the side of the house.
“Now go. Be quick. I will be waiting right here.” Said the boy as the girls dashed into the darkness.
Several minutes later, the body stank of piss and shit mixed with alcohol. The vile smell mixed with the sting of drink didn’t bother him though, it was common enough in his previous life. At the front door, he chatted and reassured the remaining two girls. That is when he noticed a single chakra signature, only somewhat familiar definitely not someone he committed to memory, like the girls or Anko. A man with silver hair and a hound mask shunshined in front of him.
“Explain.” He greeted. “Of course, it’s fucking Kakashi, I guess he is not on Naruto duty if the kid has the sannin watching over him.” Moaned the boy in his mind.
“Hello, Anbu-san. I am Genin number 012666 under Special Jounin Anko Mitarashi.” The boy greeted back curtly.