"Congratulations, Orimaru, on enrolling in the Ninja Academy and embarking on your ninja journey."
"Thank you, big brother. And congratulations to you for graduating from the Ninja Academy and becoming a genin."
The afternoon sun bathed the gates of the Ninja Academy in a warm glow. The elder of the two brothers, sporting a headband with a gleaming metal plate, clutched his graduation certificate from the academy.
The younger brother, named Tsukikage Orimaru, wasn't originally from this world. For reasons unknown, he had arrived in this ninja-filled realm over six months ago and had seamlessly blended into its ways.
Beside him stood the tall figure of Tsukikage Hayate.
Tall, that is, relative to the six-year-old Orimaru.
At this moment, Hayate wasn't yet the battle fodder of team skirmishes or the referee of the chūnin exams. He was merely a fresh genin, newly adorned with his ninja headband.
"Orimaru, tell me, did you meet anyone interesting today?" Hayate asked, a faint smile crossing his pale face, followed by a soft cough.
"Hmm." Orimaru paused to think. "I met a boy with jet-black hair, wearing a shirt with a fan emblem on the back. He carried himself like an adult, even though he's just a kid like me."
Hayate nodded thoughtfully, murmuring, "Uchiha, huh…"
Orimaru wasn't surprised by his brother's reaction. After last year's events, the name "Uchiha" carried a heavy weight in the village.
As for the Uchiha boy who spoke with the maturity of an adult, Orimaru knew exactly who he was.
Uchiha Itachi.
Just as he'd imagined—reserved and quiet. While other children cheered at seeing their names on the academy's announcement board, Itachi merely glanced at it and walked away in silence.
"Yo, Hayate! Come join us!"
Outside a dango shop along the road, a ninja clad in green waved energetically. Beside him sat a kunoichi with striking red eyes and a male ninja with a distinctive high-top hairstyle.
Orimaru recognized them instantly.
Might Guy, Yūhi Kurenai, and Sarutobi Asuma.
"No thanks, I've got a lot of dojo matters that needs me to attend to," Hayate replied with a polite smile, waving them off.
"Oh, come on, don't be so stiff! Today's your big day as a new genin. Let your seniors treat you to celebrate—and maybe share some wisdom while we're at it."
Ignoring Hayate's refusal, Might Guy dragged him into the dango shop. Kurenai gently pulled Orimaru along as well.
"What? Your little brother's starting at the Ninja Academy too?"
"That's double the good news! Congrats, congrats!"
"Let's raise a toast!"
"Don't be shy, little guy—join in!"
The group clinked their drink cups together, though Orimaru's cup was noticeably shorter than the rest.
As they set their cups down, Might Guy's expression grew serious.
"As your senior, Hayate, I've got to share some advice."
Three years Hayate's elder, Might Guy was already a chūnin, while Hayate was a newly minted genin. Guy's seniority was undeniable.
"You heard about that C-rank mission Team Three took on a few days ago—clearing out some mountain bandits?"
Though addressing Hayate, Guy's gaze shifted between Kurenai and Asuma.
Asuma nodded. "Yeah, I heard. Team Three… only Shinko Aburame came back, right? He's in the hospital now. The others didn't make it."
"Didn't make it?" Kurenai, clearly unaware, faltered, her voice catching. "You mean… that kind of 'didn't make it'?"
For a ninja, "didn't make it" often meant death.
"We don't know," Guy shook his head. "The village still hasn't confirmed what happened to the rest of Team Three."
Kurenai relaxed slightly at this, but her face remained uneasy. Ninjas valued efficiency and punctuality. Returning promptly to report after a mission was an ironclad rule. Failure to do so usually meant the worst.
"But didn't Aburame senior return?" Hayate interjected. "If something happened, couldn't we learn about it from him?"
Guy turned to Hayate, his voice low. "Normally, yes. But only if Shinko Aburame is still… normal."
"Normal?" Kurenai and Hayate echoed, puzzled.
Guy took a deep breath, arms crossed. "Shinko didn't walk back on his own. He was found collapsed in the Konoha forest and brought back by other ninjas returning from their missions."
"I was near the village gates that day and saw it myself," Guy continued, swallowing hard as if recalling something unsettling. "Shinko was lying quietly on his comrade's back at first. Then, suddenly, he leapt to the ground, staring wildly around him."
"His eyes… they weren't human anymore. It has or was Bloodshot, bulging like a fish's, with saliva—or maybe slime—dripping from his twisted mouth."
"Others tried to calm him, but he lashed out, swinging whips made of his kikaichū beetles. No one could get close."
"Then, just as suddenly, he stopped. He curled up on the ground, hugging his knees. All the beetles swarmed out of his body, covering him completely."
"I don't know if it was Shinko's will or the beetles' own instinct, but they formed… something."
Guy paused, searching for the right word.
Then, as if struck by inspiration, he said, "A statue. The beetles formed a statue over Shinko's body!"
"What kind of statue?" Everyone at the table leaned in, gripped by curiosity, but only Asuma dared to press for details.
"The statue…" Guy hesitated. "I might not have seen it clearly, but it looked like a crouched human figure, with a head like an octopus."
"The beetles on its lower face didn't fully connect—they dangled in the air like writhing tendrils."
"And behind it, there were wings. Those wings…"
Guy's voice faltered, his eyes glazing over as he murmured, "The statue… kilei…"
"Hey! Hey! Hey!" Asuma called out three times, snapping Guy out of his trance.
"You okay?"
"Huh?" Guy shook his head, flashing his signature grin. "I'm fine, I'm fine!"
"What happened next?"
"After that, the Aburame clan arrived. They used female kikaichū to draw the beetles off Shinko's body and took him to the hospital."
The table fell silent, a collective sigh of relief passing through them.
But then Guy's expression shifted, as if recalling something else. "Oh, right. When Shinko was encased in that strange statue of beetles, I think I heard him muttering something."
"It sounded like… 'Cthulhu,' or something like that."
(End of Chapter)