“Fucking T&I” Thought the boy strapped to an uncomfortable metal chair. It had been a long time since the last time this happened, but the memories of the pain and relentless questions never went too far back in his mind. There had been no pain this time probably on account of him being part of leaf ninja or a young kid no one said for sure. The relentless questions however were ever present. Even if the boy spoke the truth, the same question kept being asked and tight straps kept him from shifting in his seat to relieve strain his body felt in this position in which he sat for hours now. After the initial questions about the incident, Ibiki’s hawk-like eyes had seen something. A tiny bit of hidden things. Just like that, he started circling like a bird of prey does prey. With every answer the circle tightened around the hidden truth, but it would never be found, the boy would never relent. After all how could start explaining he had died or he had a life where he was a soldier or the fact that he had an eldritch creature in his mind or that he was the jinchuuriki of the one-tailed beast? The circling hawk tightened around the prey that it knew it was there but never found it.

“What is your name?” Asked Ibiki once again.

“Kobayashi Ryoshi.” The boy answered for the umpteenth time.

“Where did you receive training?” Another common question came and another common answer echoed in the small room.

“Konoha genin academy.”

“What are you hiding?” Asked Ibiki once again. Completely unphased by the hours-long interrogation he sat unnervingly still, like he was the one strapped and not the boy. His tone never changed.

“I masturbated thinking about Anko sensei.” Answered the boy to the repeated question.

“I will have to bring in the Yamanaka for this. You know what they do right?” Asked Ibiki, finally a different question.

“Yes.” The boy’s listless eyes grew slightly brighter at the different question.

“I heard it was an unpleasant experience. Why don’t you just tell me the truth so we don’t have to resort to that.”

“I don’t know what you are talking about, but I must warn you.” Answered the boy. At which Ibiki responded differently for the first time when he raised a single brow and then his expression grew even sterner if such a thing was even possible.

“Warn me of what?” He asked his tone darker and more threatening than usual. Ryoshi ignored the silent threat unphased he answered.

“I learned of an ability I have, a kekkei-genkai I can only presume since no one really taught me about it. It is simply a mind protection against possession and similar abilities, again I can only guess. I do know however that it can be harmful to the trespasser. I mean no harm to the leaf but I might hurt a valuable asset if they trespass and I want no responsibility about such a thing.” The boy explained his words sounded like bullshit even to him, as the excuse was too convenient.

“That sounds like a bullshit excuse, so we won’t extract the information from you.” Answered Ibiki.

“I agree, Morino-san, however, I want you to be responsible for the life of the ninja entering my mind and I would prefer it if what I said was explained to them as well. I would rather not be executed for something I could not control.”

Explained the boy but he was still curious. It just would be too bad of a situation if it was assumed he killed an important ninja like Ino’s father or something. Then he would be executed most likely for being a spy or saboteur or an assassin. Worse yet it could implicate his sister as well. His relationship with the leaf was indeed dodgy but it was better than the unknown way other villages might treat him and his sister even if somehow managed to get away. Now being a student of Anko his station in the leaf would only grow. It was lucky enough that the ID given to him by Yuki didn’t make them suspicious of him or even the fact they never touched him outside of tying him down to the damned metal chair. If they checked under his eyepatch, now that was a reason for suspicion and a permanent residence in the T&I HQ.

He was left alone to stew in his thoughts. He thought about the damage an eldritch abomination could cause to a human. Even if it was only through something as esoteric as a connection to his mind from both parties. Or was the creature actually resting within him like the tailed beast does inside their jinchuuriki. The level of abstrusity of such thoughts was too absurd to even think about. The creature had not hurt Ryoshi at all, but that was wholly its intention. It did leave an ominous sentence about protecting his mind though. Perhaps half an hour had passed in his dark musings, when the door finally opened and Ino walked in with Ibiki Morino.

“Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit! I warn him of danger and he brings a kid into this! What the fuck!? Okay, okay calm, maybe I can convince her.”

“Ino-chan, I hope they told you that this was dangerous.” Started the boy in the chair.

“They mentioned you said something along those lines, but I don’t believe it.” Answered the blonde girl.

“Please Ino-chan, just refuse them, let someone else do this. I can’t protect you if you go in.”

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

“I appreciate the concern, Kobayashi-san, but practice opportunities like these with younger minds don't happen often and I must become stronger.” The boy couldn’t even shake his head, what kind of propaganda has she been consuming. Given their clans occupation and abilities it must have been enforced by her father, to be strong willed and filled with conviction to help her mind abilities. So the boy just stared as she started doing the hand signs for her jutsu.

“Foolish girl, don’t say I didn’t warn you.” Ryoshi just sighed, helpless to stop what was to happen. He watched her hands move into the animal signs. With his byakugan he also saw how her chakra moved. Saw it run up into her shoulders and down to her arms and hands. It collected around her small hands formed into a triangle. Then it suddenly launched directly at his forehead and he couldn’t even shake his head in disbelief. It hit him and once again he found himself in his mindscape corrupted by the abomination. Floating rock in the middle of space, amidst infinite stars and meteors leaving blazing trails in the distance, but most importantly, an unimaginably huge dark silhouette of tendrils grasped it all. They danced gently as if pushed around by invisible tides in the vacuum of space. Massive split in reality housed the ever transforming eyes and many mouths of the creature. Ino found herself lost in the serene beauty of it all until Ryoshi attempted to grab her and his hands just went through.

“Fuck! Ino don’t look around. Just leave.” The boy cursed and shouted at the girl. It was already too late however. Her eyes were focused behind him, he realised, where the split in reality was. Then the dark tendrils shot through space and wrapped Ino almost completely covering even her mouth, completely immobilising the diminutive girl.

“No! She is just a kid. Don’t hurt her.” Shouted the boy pleading with the entity of the void.

“Whhat ddo we have herre? Allready someone inntruudess. We cann’t have heer babbling abbout me, now cann wee?”

“She won’t do that! She is just influenced by the will of fire propaganda fed to her. She doesn’t any better. Can’t you just let her go.” Pleaded the boy, grasping at the tentacles around Ino and a vain attempt to free her. He looked at her eyes and said,

“You won’t speak of this ever ever. Will you?” He asked her mellowing his tone. It was no use though. Only a pair of terrified pale cyan eyes looked back at him pleading and crying. Unable to even shake her head or nod, she was completely in the grasp of ‘It who devours joy’

“Inffluennce, youu ssay. Ffine, ffine. I cann arrange ssomethhing. Let’sss ssee, a bitt of this and ssome of tthat. Needdss a tiny ammountt of this too and lastly, cannot forrgett about a hhealthy dashh of terror. Ahh, of courrsse the last ingreddient.” The tendrils emitted string like gas that at first swirled out of them and went through and into the boy’s eyes, then left from his ears, nose and mouth. Crystallised into small purple fragments, which went back into sharper and thinner almost ethereal strings that floated gently in the air and flew into Ino’s mind through the terrified girls ear, nose, mouth and eyes.

“Sshe will llive.” The slimy voice said and everything went black and the boy once again opened his eyes to a girl screaming. Fully coming back to his senses he saw Ino crumpled on the floor and the metal door flew open almost flying off it’s hinges.

Apparently Morino had prepared just in case, even if he didn’t believe the boy about intruding upon his mind being dangerous, because a medic nin was examining the unconscious blond girl. The Yamanaka clan head was there too, concerned about his daughter. Undecided on where to focus his parental anger he was looking between the medic, the boy in the chair and Ibiki Morino standing at the back of the room, near the door. His eyes settled on the boy, controlled anger burned behind them as he grasped the boy and asked.

“What did you do?” The anger apparent in his voice but controlled, concern for his daughter had pushed it back.

“I did my best to not hurt her. She should be fine. Like I said before, I can’t control it. So I don’t really know” Answered the boy telling the truth, he had done nothing but pleaded for her safety. At that moment the medic nodded.

“Physically she is fine, just unconscious.”

The blond man kept gazing into the boy’s eye. After a moment he relented and backed away.

“The Yamanaka are done with this case.” He declared lifting Ino and heading towards the door with the medic in toe.

Before he left, he paused and said.

“Pray to the sage of six paths, that Ino is fine when she wakes up. Otherwise the three sannin together won’t be able to save you.” Then he left and soon Ibiki followed, leaving the boy alone once again, still tied.

Another half an hour passed until the door opened again. It took the boy a few moments to recognise the newcomer. A man with a stern face and red long hair, with some of it being tied at the back of his head, walked into the room followed by Morino. Then the boy realised it was Fuu Yamanaka Danzo’s mind reader.

“Fuck! This shit again!. Man just give up. What the fuck you think a kid like me is gonna do to Konoha. I am not hiding the secrets of immortality in my fucking head. Wait. Maybe I am, there is an eldritch being in my head after all. Hmm.”

There were no words said, the red headed man walked up and placed his hands on the boy’s head. His byakugan showed him the flare up of chakra leaving the man and entering his head. Pressure built around his head, then it went deeper around his skull. There it escalated immensely, causing enough pain for the veteran in a boy’s body to scream. Soon enough he found himself in a familiar place for the third time.

“Oh for fuck’s sake. He is all yours.” He said out loud gesturing towards the red headed man looking around with surprise. Ominous cackling echoed throughout the whole mindscape. That was that, he was back in the waking world, feeling like a flashbang went off in his head. Slowly his senses came back to him. First he noticed the drool on his chin, apparently whatever Fuu did put him out. Then his hearing was coming back, an annoying sound like a rabbit scream was all that came through. He had heard men scream like that before. It was common in the torture rooms. It was the settling of extreme horror. Happened a lot in battle, but the one he remembered and stayed with him was a wrestling athlete breaking his neck. The absolute horror the man felt, it was just so obvious. There was a loud crack as he was slammed on to the floor and he just stood for a moment in complete silence. The fear settled as he realised he could not move his body anymore and he screamed the same way. Next he managed to open his eye and see the scuffle between Ibiki and Fuu. The interrogator was attempting to stop the red headed man from clawing his own eyes out. He was shouting something but the screaming made it unintelligible.

The door once again swung open, but this time the hinges did not hold. Snakes slithered through and bound both men as Orochimaru swaggered in.