Shinnachiku stepped out from the quiet alleyway behind the library and took a slow step toward the grand, open entrance of the civilian park.
The bright afternoon sun beat down on his face, warming his skin, but his heart still felt heavy and cold from the painful memory of Kakashi running away. He raised his small hand and wiped a stray tear from his eye, trying to look strong.
As he walked closer to the sandbox, his small green eyes began to scan the area. He was an incredibly observant kid, noticing every little detail around him.
Usually, every park is packed with kids running around, parents laughing on benches, and babies playing in the dirt.
But right now, the entire atmosphere was changing into something scary.
A mother nearby suddenly gasped, quickly grabbing her little daughter's hand. "Come on, sweetie, we are going home right now..." the woman whispered, her face turning
completely pale as she looked toward the center of the playground.
Shinnachiku stopped in his tracks, watching them sprint out of the park gates. Then, he looked at another family. A father was hastily picking up his little boy's toys, throwing them into a basket with shaking hands. Everyone was whispering, looking terrified, and leaving the park one by one.
'Something is wrong.' Shinnachiku thought to himself, his eyebrows furrowing as his sharp eyes tracked the fleeing crowd. 'Why is everyone running away? The sun is still shining so brightly...'
On his left shoulder, the tiny Suyu-chan with the pearl necklace suddenly twitched her little tentacles. A cold shiver ran through her soft squishy body.
"Shin-chan... wait..." she whispered urgently, her soft voice trembling right next to his ear. "Stop walking. Do not go any further into the park."
Shinnachiku blinked, looking down at his shoulder. "Why, Suyu-chan? What's wrong, dattebaro?"
The other little slug clone on his right shoulder chimed in, her voice full of rising panic. "She is right, Shin-chan! The air... it feels horrible. There is a strange, suffocating chakra coming from that concrete play dome ahead. It feels like a very dark, malicious chakra is leaking out. We need to turn back right now!"
Shinnachiku looked ahead at the massive concrete structure. It looked like a giant, dark cave sitting in the middle of the empty playground. The happy sounds of children had completely vanished now, leaving the park dead silent.
"But... but I can't go back—" Shinnachiku murmured softly, his voice cracking as his eyes welled up with fresh tears. He clutched his small hands into tight fists against his red sleeves.
"Shin-chan, please listen to us..." the necklace-wearing Suyu-chan pleaded, nudging her soft cheek against his skin.
"It is too dangerous. We don't know what kind of person is hiding inside that darkness. Let's find another place to hide."
'No... I can't be alone anymore!' Shinnachiku thought, a heavy wave of loneliness washing over his chest. His mind flashed back to Kakashi slapping his hands away and screaming at the Root ANBU.
He felt so small, so abandoned in this giant, unfamiliar village. 'Kaka-ni left me. Kaa-san isn't here. I need someone... I immediately need someone to be with me, or I'm gonna break down.'
"I'm not turning back!" Shinnachiku said out loud, his voice stubborn but filled with a deep sadness. He ignored the frantic warnings of his two little friends and took a determined step forward, walking straight toward the dark, creepy opening of the concrete dome.
"I have to find a place to sit and infuse my chakra, just like you said. If there's someone inside, maybe they can help me, dattebaro."
"SHIN-CHAN, NO!" both of the Suyu-chans cried out together in pure worry, but the little boy had already made up his mind, stepping out of the warm sunlight and into the deep, chilling shadows of the dome's mouth.
Stepping inside the concrete play dome felt like walking straight into a freezer. The bright, warm afternoon sun from outside was completely cut off, replaced by thick, heavy shadows that clung to the smooth stone walls.
Shinnachiku took a slow breath, but the air felt so cold and suffocating that it made his tiny chest ache.
CREAK... CREAK...
The faint, eerie sound of metal chains echoed in the quiet space. Right in the middle of the shadows hung a large tyre swing.
Shinnachiku walked over to it, his small legs trembling. He climbed onto the heavy rubber tyre, his small body instantly shivering from the bizarre, icy chill that seemed to be pulsing through the very floorboards of the structure.
"Shin-chan, you are shaking so much..." the little Katsuyu with the pearl necklace whispered from his left shoulder, her tiny body pressed close to his neck to offer whatever comfort she could.
"Please, it is still not too late to leave. This place... it feels entirely wrong."
"I-I'm fine, dattebaro—" Shinnachiku stammered, his teeth clicking together as another violent shiver ran down his spine. He wrapped his small arms around himself, clutching his red sleeves tightly.
'It's just so cold in here...' the little boy thought to himself, his green eyes staring blankly at the dark concrete floor. 'Why is it so cold? And why does my heart feel so heavy? It feels like... like when Kaka-ni was looking at those scary ninjas. Like danger is right next to me.'
The second little slug clone on his right shoulder nudged his cheek gently. "Shin-chan, if we are staying, you must focus. The sooner you infuse your chakra, the sooner someone friendly can track your chakra and rescue us from this creepy village."
"Right..." Shinnachiku murmured softly. He took a shaky, deep breath and let go of his arms, bringing his small hands together in front of his chest.
He clapped his palms together, trying to stop his fingers from trembling as he focused entirely on the energy sleeping deep inside his little body.
'Please work!' Shinnachiku prayed silently, closing his eyes tightly as the darkness enveloped his vision. 'Please let Ke-chan sense me. Or Kaka-ni... or even Mini Mini... anyone. Just please don't leave me all alone in the dark anymore.'
"We are right here with you, Shin-chan!" the necklace-wearing Suyu-chan cheered softly, sensing the sudden, warm flow of the little genius' chakra beginning to stir. "Just like that. Keep steady."
Shinnachiku nodded with his eyes closed, forcing his mind away from the terrifying silence of the park. Slowly, a bright, pure blue chakra began to flicker faintly around his tiny frame, casting a soft glow against the massive, dark walls of the dome.
He concentrated with all his might, pushing the energy outward into the air, completely unaware of the heavy, dark presence shifting silently in the deepest corner of the done behind him.
Deep within the chilling dark of the concrete dome, Shinnachiku kept his hands pressed firmly together. The bright blue chakra continued to flicker around his small frame, casting long, dancing shadows against the stone walls.
He was trying so hard to focus, but the heavy, freezing pressure in the air was making it almost impossible to stay still.
SCRITCH...
A faint, sudden sound echoed from the dark corners behind the slide pipes. It sounded exactly like someone shifting their weight against the rough concrete floor.
Shinnachiku's small heart skipped a beat. A sharp spike of fear shot straight through his chest. Instead of opening his eyes, the frightened boy squeezed his eyelids shut even tighter, burying his face slightly between his shoulders.
Small, warm tears began to leak out from the corners of his closed eyes, tracking wet lines down his dusty cheeks.
'Please, no... don't look!' Shinnachiku thought frantically, his mind racing as he trembled violently on the tyre swing. 'It's just the wind. It has to be just the wind, dattebaro. There's no monster here. Kaka-ni said I'm a smart kid... smart kids don't get scared of little noises.'
"Shin-chan..." the necklace-wearing Suyu-chan whispered, her voice dropping to a tense, worried breath on his left shoulder. Her little tentacles were raised high, straining to listen to the darkness.
"Did you hear that?"
Before the little boy could even whisper back, another sound cut through the heavy silence.
TAP
It was the distinct, unmistakable sound of a ninja sandal lightly hitting the solid floorboards from the deepest shadows of the dome. Someone was definitely moving in the dark.
Shinnachiku snapped his eyes wide open, his green irises shaking with absolute terror. He instantly cut off his chakra flow, the soft blue chakra vanishing and plunging the dome back into dim, creepy shadows.
He spun his head around, staring wildly into the darkness near the back of the slides, his breath catching in his throat.
But there was nothing there. The corner was completely empty, shrouded in still, silent darkness.
Shinnachiku blinked, letting out a long, shaky breath that he didn't realize he was holding. He let go of his hands and immediately raised both of his small palms, slapping his own chubby cheeks with a loud—
SMACK! SMACK!
"Ow..." he muttered softly, his cheeks turning a bright rosy pink from the slaps. He rubbed his face with his sleeves, trying to shake away the terrifying thoughts clouding his head.
"Shin-chan! What are you doing?!" the second little slug clone on his right shoulder squeaked in surprise, tilting her tiny head toward him.
"I'm waking myself up, dattebaro!"
Shinnachiku whispered back stubbornly, though his voice was still cracking with tears.
He forced his small shoulders to straighten up, trying to act tough. 'I can't be a coward. If I stop infusing my chakra now, I will never get to Kaa-san and no one will ever find me. I have to keep going. I just imagined it because I'm lonely.'
Bringing his hands right back to his chest, Shinnachiku clapped his palms together once more. He took a deep, freezing breath, closed his green eyes tightly, and began to concentrate with all his might, forcing the pure blue chakra to stir inside his belly all over again.
Shinnachiku kept his small hands pressed together tightly, forcing his pure blue chakra to flicker back to life. He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to block out the eerie chill of the concrete dome.
But the quiet didn't last.
Through the freezing air, a low, distorted sound began to scrape against the silence. It was a voice, but it didn't sound completely human. It was a broken, raspy muttering, coming from the pitch-black shadows right behind the slide structure.
"Chakra..." the voice rasped, the words dragging out unnaturally. "...faint... chakra... where...?"
Shinnachiku's breath hitched. His blue chakra wavered violently.
On his shoulders, both of the Suyu-chans instantly froze. Their little tentacles dropped flat against his skin, completely terrified. They didn't utter a single word, going dead silent in hopes that whatever was in the dark wouldn't notice them.
"...don't go..." the creepy voice muttered again, closer this time, accompanied by the dry sound of clothes shifting against concrete. "...hey... wait... is it... from inside... or outside...?"
'Who is that?' Shinnachiku's mind screamed in pure panic, his chest tightening so hard he could barely breathe. 'It sounds like a person, but it feels like a monster. Who's chakra is it talking about? Suyu-chans, please tell me what to do... please say something!'
But his little slug friends remained perfectly still, paralyzed by the overwhelming pressure bleeding into the room.
The low, disjointed muttering didn't stop. It grew heavier, filled with a strange, predatory hunger. "...it's a child... inside... just here... with chakra..."
SCRAPE
The distinct sound of body weight shifting and a ninja sandal dragging against the floorboards cut through the air. The figure was getting up.
Shinnachiku couldn't take the tension anymore. Squeezing his eyes shut even tighter, he slowly turned his body around on the tyre swing, forcing his trembling head to look back toward the deepest, darkest corner of the slide structure.
He was staring into the darkness and slowly cracked his eyes open.
Cutting straight through the pitch black were two massive, glowing red structures.
They weren't normal human eyes; they were twin slits of pure crimson fire, glowing with a terrible, ancient malice that locked instantly onto his tiny frame. The shape of the eyes was wild, beastly, and completely consumed by hatred.
The figure began to move out of the corner, swaying unnaturally from side to side as it crept toward the swing.
"AH... AH..." Shinnachiku's throat closed up, his voice catching in terror. The absolute dread pinned him to the tyre. As the glowing red eyes lunged forward, the little boy completely lost it.
"AH! AHHH! AHHHHHH!" he screamed at the top of his lungs, his voice echoing violently off the concrete walls.
He tried to jump off the swing to run, but his small legs were completely stuck. The sheer horror had paralyzed his muscles, gluing him to the rubber seat.
"SHIN-CHAN!" the necklace-wearing Katsuyu finally broke her silence, screaming in pure desperation.
Seeing the terrifying figure closing the distance, the little slug on his left shoulder reared back and spat a sudden, burning stream of acid directly at the swing structure to break him free.
The acid hissed violently as it ate through the heavy rubber tyre, but in the frantic rush, a few stray droplets splashed right onto Shinnachiku's bare leg.
"OWWW! IT BURNS! IT BURNS, DATTEBARO!" Shinnachiku shrieked in agonizing pain, the sharp sting of the acid violently snapping his legs out of their paralysis.
Tears exploded from his eyes.
"RUN, SHIN-CHAN! RUN FOR YOUR LIFE!" both slugs shouted.
Wiping his face blindly, Shinnachiku threw himself off the melting swing and bolted out of the dark dome, his tiny heart hammering against his ribs. He burst out under the bright afternoon sky, sobbing loudly as the warm sun hit his tear-soaked face.
But the pain in his leg and the lingering terror were too much. His balance broke, and he crashed heavily onto the dirt playground, trying desperately to scramble away on his hands and knees, dragging his small body forward while his two little Suyu-chans clung tightly to his shoulders.
Dragging himself across the dirt, Shinnachiku sobbed loudly, the agonizing sting of the acid on his leg mixing with the raw terror pounding in his chest.
He could barely see through the thick flood of tears blurring his vision. The bright afternoon sun felt mocking now, casting his tiny, vulnerable shadow clearly against the open playground.
Behind him, a deep, rumbling vibration shook the ground. The chilling chakra from inside the dome didn't fade—it was spilling out into the light.
"SHIN-CHAN! STOP CRAWLING! THERE IS NO TIME! RUN ON FOOT!" the little Suyu-chan with the pearl necklace screamed from his left shoulder, her voice shrill with absolute desperation.
"YOU HAVE TO DO IT RIGHT NOW! PERFORM THE REVERSE SUMMONING JUTSU!"
"B-But... I can't... it hurts, dattebaro!" Shinnachiku wept, his voice cracking into a high-pitched whine as he gripped the grass.
He felt so small, so completely helpless. 'Kaa-san... To-san ... someone save me...'
"YOU CAN DO IT, SHIN-CHAN! WE WILL HELP YOU! DON'T FORGET YOU HAVE ALREADY DONE IT ONCE THAT'S WHY YOU HAVE ME! FOCUS YOUR CHAKRA!" the second little slug clone screamed from his right shoulder.
Without waiting another second, both of the tiny slugs launched themselves off his shoulders, landing heavily on the dirt right in front of him.
The moment their soft bodies hit the ground, they began to violently infused their own chakra to support the young boy's failing strength.
Instantly, an incredible phenomenon occurred. Strange, thick, black ink-like written summoning formulas exploded outward from beneath the two tiny slugs. The dark seals slithered rapidly across the dirt like living snakes, weaving together to form a massive, intricate, circular summoning formula that glowed with a volatile blue light.
THUD
A heavy, explosive step shattered the concrete edge of the dome's entrance. Shinnachiku's green eyes widened in pure horror as the figure finally emerged fully into the sunlight.
It was completely terrifying. The posture was hunched over like a wild animal, and a thick, bubbling shroud of malicious red-orange energy was starting to coat his clothes.
But the most horrifying part was the voice. It wasn't a human voice anymore—it was a dual, echoing roar of pure hatred that shook the leaves on the trees.
"THAT'S MY CHAKRA...!!" the figure screamed, his wild, red slit-pupil eyes locking onto Shinnachiku with lethal focus. His fingers clawed violently at the air, his teeth bared in a monstrous, foaming snarl.
"MY CHAKRA...!! GIVE IT BACK!!"
'He's going to kill me!!' the realization struck Shinnachiku's mind like a bolt of lightning, freezing his blood solid. 'This monster... he's really going to tear me apart!'
The sheer instinct to survive overrode his pain. Shinnachiku threw his hands forward, forcing his small, trembling fingers to move through the handsigns he had watched his
father perform so many times.
RAM! He clapped his hands together, his fingers interlocking tightly as he forced his pure blue chakra to spike.
BOAR! He shifted his hands rapidly, his knuckles turning white as he fought against the oppressive weight of the enemy's malice.
DOG! His hands slammed into position, the pressure building so intensely around him that the dirt began to swirl.
BIRD! He crossed his wrists, his heart hammering against his ribs like a trapped animal.
And finally, TIGER! He locked his fingers into the final hand seal, holding it tightly in front of his chest.
"DIEE!!" the monster roared, unleashing a wave of suffocating heat. With a terrifying, explosive burst of speed, he launched himself through the air, his clawed hands outstretched, flying straight toward the small boy with clear intent to rip him to shreds.
Shinnachiku didn't even have time to blink. The monstrous face was closing the distance in less than a second, filling his entire vision. With a final, desperate gasp, the four-year-old raised his bitten, bloody thumb and smashed his palm violently into the dead center of the black ink seal on the ground.
"REVERSE SUMMONING JUTSU!!!—"
---