The fact that the "Main Body," Aburame Tetsumaru, had nearly lost his life in a foolish—and frankly, unnecessary—skirmish sparked a collective outrage among his three hundred Shadow Clones.
Public anger is hard to defy, especially when the "public" is entirely made of yourself.
"A meeting! We must hold a General Assembly!"
"If the Main Body cannot profoundly recognize his own errors, he shouldn't be allowed to leave the house again."
"Exactly. We clones have our lives rooted in him. Committing this kind of mistake even once is one time too many."
A day later, all work ground to a halt. Three hundred and seven Shadow Clones rushed to the site. They used Kyochu of the End as a perimeter wall and Camouflage Butterflies to create a makeshift dome, erecting a massive, temporary hall.
The Second General Assembly of Tetsumarus was convened just days after the first. The clones were, quite simply, terrified.
Following a storm of interrogation and accusations, Tetsumaru bowed his head and admitted his fault with a remarkably cooperative attitude. The clones then initiated a brainstorming session to analyze the root cause of his lapse in judgment.
"Perhaps what returned from the Sea of Souls wasn't just memories and experience, but the 'Will' contained within those memories. My life as that minor German noble in another world went too smoothly. I used my 'foreknowledge' to gamble more than once, and every time was a success. Eventually, this created a subconscious inclination toward high-risk, high-reward adventurism."
"This subconsciousness influenced the Main Body without him realizing it, leading to a series of abnormal choices during this Mist Ninja incursion."
"Indeed. We have never been so reckless as to hunt someone down without full preparation after receiving intel."
"He saw the Executioner's Blade, recognized that things were unusual, and then threw that judgment out the window to charge in anyway."
"If he had waited just a bit longer and observed, that Ice Release ninja would have caught up and killed the rogue Mist ninja. There would have been zero risk."
"And once the Ice ninja appeared, he should have retreated or swapped out for a Shadow Clone. Instead, the Main Body chose to fight like Might Duy. What was he thinking?"
Over six hundred eyes stared at him intensely.
Tetsumaru frowned, carefully tracing back his thoughts. "Now that you mention it, it does feel strange. My mind felt blank at the time. I had only one thought: I wanted to vent. I wanted to kill."
"I kept thinking about the Land of Rain. Every memory made me more furious, and the desire for slaughter and destruction grew stronger."
"This is bizarre. There is no source for such savage bloodlust in our established will. Even my German past life didn't have it—it's not like I was possessed by a certain failed art student."
"Wait, the end of the other-world memory involved a zombie outbreak in Japan. If that world was a Japanese-style zombie setting, the following years would have been a chaotic, violent, and murderous apocalypse."
"The theme of that world aligns perfectly with the Main Body's behavior. Do you think the German noble persona was tainted by that world's 'Will' upon returning?"
"That... actually makes sense."
Suddenly, one Shadow Clone spoke up with a sly, knowing grin. "A Japanese zombie world... do you think it could be that world?"
"That world? Which one?"
"Idiot, look at his face. He's talking about Highschool of the Dead."
"Whoa, if that's the case, we missed out on a lot! Shizuka-sensei, the Takagi mother-daughter duo, Miyamoto, Minami Rika, and..."
"The long-haired goddess, Busujima-san!!" shouted a dozen clones in unison.
Tetsumaru's forehead was covered in question marks. How did the conversation suddenly turn so degenerate?
In short, the General Assembly took a massive detour. The clones spent a long time arguing whether it was HOTD or perhaps Resident Evil—maybe the US had covered up the Raccoon City incident and Japan just happened to be the first to break the news?
They even spiraled into theories about a "Main God Square" team invading Raccoon City.
It took a long time for the topic to return to the actual problem.
"Scary thought... were we infected too?"
"No, we're just pent up. We've been working too hard."
"For now, let's assume the Main Body's psyche has been 'polluted.' Think of it as a mental illness. There's no better cure for a mental ailment than manual labor. Work until you collapse every day, and you'll be fine in a week."
"Labor won't work. Given the Main Body's current state, he might cause an accident."
"Then solitary confinement it is. Meditation and clearing the mind to purge external mental pollution."
"That seems like the best approach. Since it's an external taint with no roots in our own will, it should be purgeable."
"Agreed."
"Let's vote."
After a round of "sincere" self-criticism, Tetsumaru reflected deeply on his mistakes and swore never to engage in combat personally without full preparation.
Then, following the "Mental Disinfection Protocol" established by the vote, he went into solitary meditation. He wouldn't come out until his psychological issues were resolved.
Meanwhile, the Shadow Clones took over the cleanup. They mobilized the Swarm to conduct a massive sweep, clearing every trace of the battle.
A rogue Mist ninja was technically no big deal—especially one whose strength was mediocre—but carrying the Executioner's Blade changed things. It was said to be the foremost of the Seven Ninja Swords. Even if it was technically the "worst" one, its political significance was massive.
Furthermore, there was a Mist ANBU trailing him—a clansman of the Third Mizukage and a rare Ice Release user. Each of these identities was a headache; combined into one person, it was a catastrophe waiting to happen.
If the truth of their deaths got out, Tetsumaru would be in deep trouble.
Of course, the problem couldn't be "solved," but it could be buried.
The shinobi profession is built on mysticism. Ninja often carry out secret missions where even their superiors don't know their exact locations. Once they leave the village, they are hard to track, making disappearances extremely common.
The Shinobi World has no "Life Lamps" or "Soul Cards." A ninja's death is usually only confirmed by a body. If no body is found, they are simply listed as missing, and eventually, the case is closed.
In a few years, even the Third Kazekage will go missing, and that will remain a mystery until Sasori—seeking death—shows off his human puppet.
It's worth noting that the Kazekage's disappearance had little actual impact on the Third Great Ninja War; it merely caused the outbreak to happen a few days earlier. A living Kazekage is a titan; a dead one is irrelevant.
As long as he handled the bodies and the battlefield like Sasori did, there would be no issue.
Tetsumaru produced a crystal coffin and placed the Ice Release ninja's body inside for storage. The Mist rogue's body was left where it lay. He then dropped a canister of spores. The Creep soon covered the battlefield, the fungi completely destroying all traces of combat and decomposing the rogue's corpse into nothing.
Then, he moved to sanitize Awaji Village. He used insects to gather the bodies for burial. Finally, he found the village of the farmers who had reported the news and used subtle mental suggestions to push the timing of the event back by a few days.
Until the birth of Naruto Uzumaki—that outlier of a ninja—the shinobi's disregard for "commoners" was deep-seated. They trusted the physical traces they found over the words of peasants. A minor interference was more than enough.
By the time all traces in the Land of Tea were scrubbed, twelve days had passed, and Tetsumaru had successfully completed his "Mental Disinfection."
He returned to his new main base—the Central Broodmother located at the foot of Mount Takatai. He stored the crystal coffin, the Executioner's Blade, and the rogue's head in his vault.
Then, Tetsumaru equipped Bio-Armor Unit 1 and took ten thousand freshly produced scout insects and fifteen Giant Dragonflies. He followed the coast eastward, tracking and cleaning the traces of the two Mist ninja outside the Land of Tea.
No evidence could remain in the Land of Tea. He even sanitized traces within the Land of Whirlpool. As for the Land of Fire, he didn't care; Konoha was a behemoth that could take the heat, and it wasn't his job to worry about them.
Nine days later, Tetsumaru stood on the surface of the sea, waiting for his swarm on the shore to finish cleaning the rogue's trail. A small boat appeared on the horizon, a young man rowing for all he was worth, heading south along the coastline.
The unlucky youth saw a ninja standing on the water and nearly jumped out of his skin. He lowered his head and rowed even harder, splashing past Tetsumaru in a blur of effort. He didn't slow down until he rounded a cove, where he finally collapsed into the bottom of the boat, exhausted.
For sixteen minutes, Tetsumaru didn't move an inch or even look at him. But a few inconspicuous Gadflies had landed on the boat. Every move the youth made was now visible to Tetsumaru.
Once the boat disappeared from sight, Tetsumaru turned his head.
His disguise is almost there, but he's too inexperienced.
The youth looked like a destitute, travel-worn wanderer, but the way he handled the oars—the angle and the force—was different from a civilian. It was the smooth, refined motion of someone who had practiced for thousands of hours. His timing with the waves was perfect, reflecting the "Steady, Accurate, Ruthless" mantra of a trained fighter.
This wasn't an ordinary person. This was a ninja with decent disguise skills. If he had been a bit more seasoned and suppressed those deep-seated muscle memories, Tetsumaru might have overlooked him.
Of course, encountering a disguised ninja in the strait near the Land of Whirlpool was normal. He wasn't even the first one Tetsumaru had run into today.
But the flash of pure hatred in the boy's eyes when he saw Tetsumaru's Leaf headband? That was what caught his attention.
An enemy of Konoha, it seems. A Shadow Clone and a few thousand bugs to track him shouldn't be too much trouble.
Four days later, the youth traveled upriver into the Land of Fire. He stopped at every village along the way, practicing medicine and dispensing herbs to earn a meager living.
His medical skills were genuine. He handled minor ailments like headaches and fevers with ease. Major illnesses weren't his to treat—his face looked too young for patients to trust him with their lives.
At the seventh village, he encountered a hunter who had been gored by a "Mountain Lord" (a massive boar). The man's belly had been ripped open by a tusk, and he was bleeding out.
There was no time to fetch a doctor from the city. The villagers had no choice but to let the wandering young doctor try. The youth cherished the opportunity, treating the wound with meticulous care. After a series of procedures, he successfully saved the man's life.
The villagers were overjoyed. They paid him double and invited him to stay for dinner and a bed.
That night, the Shadow Clone finally heard the man's name: Shinno.
So, he's a Sky Ninja. The same Shinno who fought the protagonist in the future.
The Sky Ninja were supposed to have been wiped out entirely—not a single prisoner was supposed to have been left alive. How were there remnants?
And this was the same Shinno who, years later, would command a flying fortress, manipulate the Zero-Tails, and lead a swarm of flying ninja to cause massive trouble for Konoha.
Is this the corrective force of history?
Tetsumaru's first instinct was to kill him. How strong could history's "correction" be? Could it stand against his combat power?
Wait... no. Sky Ninja. Flying fortress. I can't be too hasty with the killing.
Tetsumaru's eyes lit up. The corrective force of history was a good thing! It meant the flying fortress and the flying tech hadn't gone extinct. This future leader of the Sky Ninja should have them in his possession.
He has to have them, right?
Before dawn, Tetsumaru personally arrived outside the small village to rendezvous with his Shadow Clone. Under the suspicious and questioning gaze of the clone, Tetsumaru produced the "Main Body Departure Authorization" document granted by the General Assembly. Only then did the clone stand down.
Yes, Aburame Tetsumaru was now restricted by his own clones. Until Year 40 was over, he could not leave the Land of Tea without the consent of over two hundred clones and a valid permit.
The clones' threat was very effective: If the Main Body dares to be disobedient, we will all dispel simultaneously. We'll cook your brain with the feedback, and we'll all go together.
Tetsumaru: (ノへ￣,)
Having proven his "legality," Tetsumaru took over the surveillance of Shinno. Since he wanted those high-tech goodies, he couldn't kill the man yet. This was going to be a long-term game of patience and tracking.
Fortunately, it didn't play out as poorly as he'd feared. A month later, the hidden village of the Sky Ninja remnants was discovered. At the end of the day, no hider or disguiser can withstand a focused, meticulous search—especially not a teenage boy with limited patience and experience.
However, these remnants weren't his target. If it weren't for the hostility the children showed, they wouldn't even have registered in his domain.
It wasn't until early December that Tetsumaru followed "Shinno" into a secret cave.
The moment Tetsumaru saw the main control system of that gargantuan Flying Fortress through his Domain Field Barrier, he decided to make his move.
Given his current strength and his Bio-Armor Unit 1, dealing with a Sky Ninja leader who was—at best—an elite Chunin felt like a case of a giant bullying a toddler.
But the lesson from a few weeks ago was still fresh. This was the enemy's home turf, and they had years to prepare. Tetsumaru didn't dare be sloppy. He cautiously created two Insect Clones to coordinate the ambush, ensuring the enemy couldn't make a sound or send a single signal.
Already in his cloaked position, Tetsumaru thought for a moment and created one more Shadow Clone.
After all, you only live once.