Chapter Text
A 15-year old boy stepped back from the decorations he put up. He smiled as he gave himself a nod of approval for the hard work he did. He looked around their living room and started to clean up after himself. He went to the kitchen and felt something was missing.
"Hanami! Hanako! Are you done with Arashi?" Shinachiku called for his sisters as he was finishing setting up the table for their parents' anniversary.
For the past few days, he's been busy preparing a party he wants to give them for their special day. It was the least he could do because his parents take care of them even if both have heavy responsibilities to the village. They weren't able to celebrate his father's birthday last week since his baby brother was sick at that time.
"Almost!" "Nope!" His twin sisters answered at the same time. Shinachiku rose his brow hearing shuffling noises down the hall and Arashi constantly voicing "no" to his sisters.
Shinachiku nodded to himself, since his siblings are busy, he better finish his chores.
"Okay! I'll just go get the dumplings I ordered. I'll be back soon!" He heard a faint ok then he walked towards the front door and locked it behind him. He turned, only to see his grandparents waving at him. He rushed to them and was greeted by Kushina who rained him with kisses.
"Are your siblings ready?" Kushina asked as he was being hugged by Minato.
"The twins are. They're not finished with Arashi yet." He smiled.
"We better go see what they did to Arashi." Minato laughed softly, remembering the makeover the twins gave him and their father.
"Ok. I'll see you soon!" Shinachiku shouted, running towards another direction.
Shinachiku happily strolled back home with anko dumplings in tow. When the shop owner knew about what they were celebrating today, she gave Shinachiku an extra half dozen sticks. He also picked up taiyaki for Arashi. Imagining how their family dinner will go tonight makes him bubble with happiness.
Breathing in the cool autumn air and seeing the golden sky turn blue, he couldn't pick a better day to celebrate a special day. By the looks of the sun in the sky, his parents must be getting ready to come home. He jumped onto a roof and dashed to get home quickly. He had waved and apologized to the people that noticed him sprinting above their houses.
The wind must have shifted because the hair on the back of his neck suddenly stood up. He heard something coming at him rapidly. His eyes veered to the side quickly as he managed to pull a kunai out of his pouch. The next thing he heard was a clash of metal and sparks in front of his eyes. Two shurikens flew haphazardly into the night sky. The teenager composed himself and tightened the hold of his kunai. Eyes searching cautiously where the attack came from.
A short chuckle broke the tension and Shinachiku found himself frowning from the sound. Finally, a hooded figure revealed itself among the trees lined outside their village.
"As expected from the son of the hokage and a nin." A hoarse voice spoke. His black cloak was swaying with the wind, face covered by a red oni mask.
"What do you want?" Shinachiku positioned himself, readying himself for further attacks. Emerald eyes focused on the stranger ahead of him. He wasn't familiar with the outsider's voice nor appearance but the masked man knew who his parents were.
"No need to be angry, boy. We just want to send your father a message." Another person appeared with the same ensemble, spinning a kusarigama on his hand. "We never thanked him for the blood bath he gave."
The blonde furrowed his brows. His father always warned him about this whenever he goes to missions with his teammates. He knew his dad's job was dangerous and the risks that came with it. That eventually he would come across people who wanted to hurt their family.
A flash of metal came towards him hastily, he jumped to dodge it but the sickle sliced through the bag he was holding, spilling all its content. Shinachiku gritted his teeth while in the air. He threw his kunai quickly in between the cloaked figures, lodging it on the tree's trunk.
"You missed, punk." Chided the first man with a hint of amusement.
"Did I?"
Hooded heads swiftly turned where the kunai landed, a familiar red note hanging from its end. "BOM-" An explosion went off before he could even finish the word.
Shinachiku had hoped that it would give him time to alert someone. He summoned a shadow clone when a metal chain sprang out from the dust cloud and wrapped itself tightly on his arm. "HURRY!" He shouted at his copy as he was dragged violently.
"Fucking brat." The woman furiously towed the chain to her expecting a winded-out nin but she was greeted by a harsh kick on her face that sent her propelling to the ground. Shinachiku was about to release himself from the shackle on him, however, he let the weight pull him.
Seeing in his peripheral vision, the now-half masked man tried to attack him. If he had hesitated to take off the kusarigama even for a second, he'd be having a huge hole on his body much like the trunk of the tree.
He landed and shrugged off the metal chain. As he looked up, the man above aimed at him with a violent kick. He jumped back immediately, the moment the back of the man's foot connected with the ground, rubble flew everywhere.
'He's strong.' Shinachiku thought while crossing his arms to cover himself from debris. 'But not as strong as mom.' He remembered the strength training his mom put him through when he was preparing for the chunin exam. Brutal as it is, his mom even told him that she was holding back a bit.
The man moved rapidly, fists ready to pummel him. The man was able to connect some punches and kicks on his body, however, with Shinachiku being lighter on his feet, managed to evade the fatal blows he's receiving. The man went full-on offensive with him, not even giving him any chance to strike back.
'I just need an opening.' Shinachiku thought, trying to swipe the stranger's legs under him. The man snarled at him and caught his foot in a vice grip then suddenly hauled the boy towards him, fist aiming at the young nin's gut.
Shinachiku flew backward, breaking a few trees with the impact. With the taste of iron in his mouth, the blonde spat out blood. Even with his body aching, the teen tried to stand but felt a sharp pain instead. He can feel his broken ribs stab his insides. A soft green glow appeared on his hand then placed it on his side. He needed to patch himself up quickly to prevent further injuries.
He looked ahead and even from afar, he saw the man gloat yet clearly drained. As their eyes met, the man charged toward him. Shinachiku seethed through his teeth as he crouched down, feet planted to the under him. He threw a kunai at the incoming figure and firmly jabs one on the ground. "Hiraishin no jutsu."
The masked intruder eyes widened as his target appeared right in front of him. "Shinkei sonsho no jutsu." He heard being whispered before he felt like he was shot with several bullets on his torso. He collapsed feeling like there was a boulder crushing his chest. The crawling sensation was spreading throughout his whole torso preventing him from breathing properly.
Shinachiku flashed back to where he was, thanking Kami-sama that it worked. He was still a rookie when it came to learning his grandfather's technique however his soon-to-be perfected technique managed to land a lethal blow. Just like what his mother taught him in order to gain Byakugo no In.
He heard a menacing scream and turned to see the man slowly get up only to rush towards him. The blonde tugged the kunai off the ground. Eyes focused on his opponent, he used Minato's technique once more.
This time he was behind his assailant, he was ready to aim at his back when the man turned his head and tried to elbow him. He redirected his attack to the male's left arm instead. The knuckles of his fingers stung every pressure point on the arm. The man howled in pain as he felt his bones break inside his skin. But instead of stopping, it seems like it fueled him to attack Shinachiku more. He twisted his body to slug the blonde with his unharmed arm. The young nin stooped downwards, darting the back of the man's legs with lithe precision. The man let out an ear-piercing wail as he dropped to the ground with a heavy thud.
"You son of a bitch." The man cursed. "I'll fucking bury your whole family."
Shinachiku was willing to leave the man incapacitated but after hearing those threats, it was better to end this man's life. He walked mechanically over the stranger's body, took his uninjured arm, and twisted it until the man shouted in excruciating pain. Shinachiku then turned his attention to the man's chest, his fingers above the man's heart.
"I'm sorry that it has to end this way." Shinachiku murmured. He was about to strike the man's heart when he felt a sting on his back. He quickly whipped his head and saw the woman he struck earlier.
The teenager felt a throbbing pain coursing through his body as he removed the needle from his back, vial empty. Shinachiku felt his body stagger and mouth felt like it was filled with cotton. His head dropped and was now facing the masked man.
"Took you long enough." The man called out. He bashed his head against the ground to break his mask.
The last thing that Shinachiku saw were red eyes and a bright light.
