I was in the middle of my morning meditation when I heard a quick series of footsteps rushing towards me. I knew who it was right away, by the speed and the depth of the sound, but I remained still and silent. A moment later, the steps slowed down, and they entered my room. There was a slight pause before the steps began to circle around me. After a couple of laps, they stopped directly in front of me. I still did not let on that I was aware of my surroundings and I fought back the smile that desperately wanted to form on my lips. I could tell by the changes in light and shadows before me that a hand was waving before my eyes. It was no doubt done to see if I was aware of his presence but I continued to feign ignorance. Finally, I heard a sigh of frustration and his body plop down in front of me. I gave it a moment before saying, "How a boy of your age and small stature can sound like an entire herd of elephants is beyond my comprehension." With my eyes still shut, a smile finally fought its way to my lips. There was an excited stirring before me as I heard, "S...sorry. I didn't want to disturb you." "Of course you didn't. We've talked about that at length, haven't we?" "Yes father, we have." There was then a long pause as the boy remained silent before me. "Spit it out," I said playfully. I knew that I would not receive any peace until I dealt with whatever was on the boy's mind. There was a shorter pause before he said, "I saw him again last night. This time he even spoke to me." I heard his words but said nothing. "He... He told me that his name was Mamoru and that you would know his name." Without letting on, my ears perked up at the sound of the name. I had never spoken of it to the boy so I knew that he indeed spoke the truth. He went to say, "He... he asked me to tell you that he was sorry and that he is proud of who you have become." The smile on my face melted away and a more stoic look replaced it. "Anything else," I asked calmly? "He told me to embrace the old ways and to bring honor to our family."
I finally opened my eyes. They glowed and sparkled as my sanryoukyougan activated. Just as I suspected, my son's eyes mirrored mine and stared back at me. With a stern face I said, "The name of spirit you spoke to is not to be uttered. Am I clear?" I could tell that my tone startled the boy. I understood why he reacted the way he did. I was generally calm, and quiet. This was a serious matter, however. It had to do with tradition and the honor of our blood. He quickly bowed his head before me and said, "Yes father!" I closed my eyes once more but the boy did not move. I asked, "Was there something else?" In a subdued voice, I heard, "Why?" My eyes opened slowly and I looked upon my son. Was he truly ready to take on the burdens of our line? I smiled and thought about how young and ignorant I was when I was in his place. He was growing up and it was indeed time to speak to him as a man.
I stood up and the boy followed. Looking down at him I said, "Before you were born, I swore to your mother that you would have a normal childhood. She wanted you to have friends, fun, and enjoy your childhood. As you look upon me with those eyes, you are now a man and my vow to her has been fulfilled. Your question is more complex than you know so listen and learn who you are." I formed two Onmyoudo tags and caused the earth behind both of us to rise and form makeshift metal chairs. After taking a seat, I motioned for my son to do the same.
I grew up alone with my father. I had no dreams of becoming a shinobi, in those days, and I knew nothing of our family's blood. My father, your grandfather, was a simple man. He made his living as an apothecary and provided medicinal herbs and remedies to the people. He had a soft spot for those in need and everyone always knew that he would never turn anyone away. I loved and admired him and he had the respect of his fellow villagers because of his kindness and disposition. I did not know much about anyone else in the family though and father would change the subject, whenever I asked. I had many questions, but I saw the pain in his eyes whenever I would ask, so I eventually became content in my ignorance and let it go.
My plan was to follow in father's footsteps and take over the business after him, so I was often in the shop. By the time I was twelve, I had a more than decent grasp of things and even dispensed the herbs and tended to those with minor injuries. One day, I was in the back room sorting through a new shipment when I heard the front door swing open. I thought nothing of it until a few minutes passed and I heard yelling from the front of the store. I grabbed a sword that father kept in the back and slowly peeked into the other room. His back was to me but I could see two men and a woman facing him. All three of them were clearly shinobi. I knew that because of the forehead protectors but the symbol was not one I knew. I had no idea who they were so I just watched cautiously.
As I eavesdropped, I heard the eldest of the men say, "So this is where you ran off to hide your shame. Do you even regret your actions boy? Do you know the blood you have on your hands?" I was quite confused by those words. I never knew my father to be a violent man. I had never heard him even raise his voice before that day. My father shouted back, "I never asked for that. You forced it on me and I wanted no part of it then and I want no part of you now!" The older man stepped forward and I clenched the handle of the sword tightly. In a softer voice he said, "Is that what you tell your son when he asks why you killed his mother?" At his words I... I was overwhelmed. The subject of my mother was always off limits but I could not see my father killing anyone. Before I could make sense of things, the old man continued, "The demon killed thirty-seven people after you ran boy. Your two youngest sisters died as they stood with me to fight as you ran. Your wife died to shield your only son but you just ran like a pitiful coward" By that point, father was on his knees in tears and I did the same. I wanted him to defend himself and to call the man a liar but he just cried. My own tears were interrupted by the sound of a sword being drawn from a sheath. The old man stood over my father and was about to strike when I unsheathed my own sword and instinctively moved to parry the blade. It all seemed to happen in slow motion. As I ran, I saw a glow around the three strangers and my father. There was no time to think about it but I would later learn that my sanryoukyougan had activated just as yours has. What I was seeing was the spiritual nature of those who shared my blood.
Don't ask me how, but I parried the blade before it struck father and as our blades crossed the older man jumped back to the two who entered with him. I stood there in front of my cowering father waiting for another strike to come but it never did. The old man sheathed his blade and closed his eyes. When he opened them, they glowed a bright blue. He smiled and said, "It is good to know that my grandson is not a coward like his father." It took a while for his words to sink in for me. He then said to me, "Your mother named you well boy. You are indeed the loyal son." My hands shook as I held the blade and then I saw it. My eyes reflected off of my blade and I saw that they looked just like those of the man before me. I lowered the blade slightly and said to my father without turning to him, “Is this true? Is this man my grandfather?” I waited but I did not get any response and the old man looked upon me with pity in his eyes. It was a foolish move but I dropped my blade, turned to my father, and screamed, “Is this true? Is that how mother died? Who are these people?” I'm sure I shouted other questions as well, but it is hard to remember exactly what I asked because I was so emotional. Through his tears, my father could only manage to whisper, "I'm sorry. I'm so very sorry." I turned and walked right past the three strangers and went out into the street. I slammed the door so hard that I could hear bottles fall from the shelves as I left. Just like you, once my sanryoukyougan became activate, my childhood was over.
I wandered the streets for hours trying to make sense of what had just happened. I had so many questions but I had no idea how to get the answers I wanted. The man I loved and trusted more than anyone had lied to me for my entire life. How could I trust him to tell me the truth now? Then there was the old man who claimed to be my grandfather. He was a stranger and I had no idea if he could be trusted either. I found myself downtown and sat down on a stool at a local restaurant to gather myself. The restaurant owner's son was sick a few weeks prior and he had visited the shop for some medicine. When he saw me, he brought out a lavish spread of food and thanked me excessively for my help. I feigned a smile and ate my fill but my mind was not at ease. Long after I finished eating, I just sat there in thought. Before I knew it, the restaurant was closing and the owner's wife approached me. She smiled and said, "Did you and your dad have a fight? It happens when boys reach your age you know. You are welcome to spend the night with us if you like?" I smiled and nodded politely as she showed me to a small room upstairs from the restaurant.
In the morning they fed me again and just let me be. They seemed to notice that I did not want to talk and I appreciated that. When I was done, I began cleaning the plates when there was a knock on the door downstairs. A few moments later, the old man from father’s shop stepped into the room. "May I have a moment with my grandson," he asked. The owner's family complied and we were left alone in silence. The old man broke the ice and said, "What are the five elements?" It was an odd question and seemed to have no relevance but I answered anyway. In some ways, it was easier to talk about a seemingly unrelated topic I suppose. I said, “They are fire, wind, water, lightning, and earth.” I had friends who were at the Academy, and they never shut up about those things. Because of that, I thought I knew the right answer. The old man hung his head and said, "If your father gave me that answer at your age, I would have cut him down where he stood, but your ignorance is of his doing not yours. You bear the blood of the Tsuchimikado line child. That should mean something to you but it is clear now that it does not. Your father has disgraced himself and if that was not bad enough, he now seeks to spread that disgrace to yet another generation. Tell me, if you wish to join your father, I will leave you both and erase your names from our histories, or you can claim your name and fulfill your place in our family. Which will it be?"
I just could not get the look of my father whimpering on the floor like a newborn child out of my head. For the first time in my life I did not want to be like him. I asked forcefully, “Will you tell me the truth? I want to know about my mother. I want to know what my father did." The old man stepped towards me and said, "I once travelled the world maintaining the balance. Those of our blood have the ability and the duty to expel the spirits and demons in this world back to where they belong. That was my life for years, until I met your grandmother and settled down. Your father was my oldest son. It was his destiny to lead our family into the next generation and I trained him to take on that role from the moment he was born. It was not the life he wanted, but that was not his to choose. One day, our village was attacked. When the village fell we were forced to flee. Our family finally settled in a small farming village, in a nearby country. That was where your mother was from. She was a beautiful girl with a kind soul and your father fell deeply in love with her. They were married and had you soon after. You were a small ray of hope during an otherwise dismal time. Despite that, we still needed to fight to get our home back, so i decided to use an old ritual that had not been used in many generations. A powerful demon had been spotted by one of your uncles, a few days prior, so we all went out to hunt it down. Everyone knew their role and it was all going according to plan. We had weakened the demon enough to perform the ritual when your father lost his nerve and ran back towards our new home. The demon cut down two of his brothers as it chased after your father. When it got to the village, it killed innocents including my two youngest girls. The demon was about to kill you when your mother shielded you and was cut down. Your father then managed to pick you up and run and I had not seen him again until last night. Thirty-seven people died before we could fend off the beast. Had your father done his duty, he could have saved them all, including your mother."
As the old man stopped, I could see the genuine emotion in his eyes. He was either telling me the truth or he was a very good liar. I remained silent for some time taking in the story and when I finally spoke, I simply asked, “So… what are the five elements?” The old man looked up, smiled, and said, "They are wood, fire, earth, metal, and water." I took a deep breath and said, “I have a feeling that I have a lot to learn.” The old man looked at me and said, "I am Junichi of the Tsuchimikado line and I will guide you until it is my time to go.”
That was the turning point in my life. My grandfather stayed in Konoha to train me in the ways of the family and he enrolled me in the Academy. My father disappeared shortly after that and that just made me trust my grandfather's story even more. I had a late start at the academy though. I was twelve and there were students as young as eight and nine around me. It was frustrating when many of them knew more than me but I was a quick learner and caught up eventually. My skills with earth and water were clear and I soon became quite adept with metal, and wood, as well. Fire was harder for me to master and took a lot of time and effort to learn. Those difficulties aside, I quickly became a genin, and it seemed like I was a chuunin, in no time. I was so focused and busy that it took my mind off of what my father had done. I could not admit it then but I still missed him and even loved him. Still, my anger and disappointment trumped the more positive feelings I had buried.
When I became a Chuunin, my grandfather began travelling more. He felt that I was both old enough and skilled enough for him to deal with matters that he had put on hold to train me. At one point, he had been gone for several months. When he returned, he was visibly injured and distraught. He gathered me along with my aunt and uncle and informed us that he had encountered a demon that he could not manage to exorcize. He explained the situation and as he did, I saw the somber looks on everyone’s faces. Clearly this was a serious situation but they all looked as if someone had died. It became clear that I had missed something so I finally gathered the nerve to ask, “What are you not telling me?” My aunt placed her hand on my shoulder and said, “This demon is very similar to the one that killed your mother. We will need to perform the ritual that your…” She stopped but I finished her words saying, “The ritual that my father ran away from. If that is so then I will do what he could not. Tell me what I need to do and I will reclaim the honor that he sacrificed.” All three of them turned and nodded. There was a look of pride in their eyes that fueled me and shriveled the fear that was welling up inside of me.
There was little time to waste but my grandfather taught me the ritual that needed to be done. I had my doubts, but I knew firsthand what could happen if I failed. My mother sacrificed herself for me and I owed it to her to show that her sacrifice was not for a coward. My grandfather then told me that things would be even harder because we were one person short, for the ritual. It normally required the five members, of our line, but there were only four of us available. He told me that he would have to be responsible for two elements as opposed to just one. “Which element will I utilize,” I asked? He looked at me and said, “The same on as your father. You will represent metal and you will be bound inside of an iron coffin with the demon. If you are not up to the…” I cut him off because I knew what he planned to say. I was terrified by his words but I tried not to let it show and I said, “I know my duty.” With that, we did not speak of it again.
The four of us moved through the jungle searching for the demon. Eventually, we all stopped dead in our tracks. There was no mistaking it even through the trees and the brush. The black murky aura oozed around in front of us as the demon came into view. To my surprise, the demon was not ghastly looking as I had expected. It was a rather beautiful woman. In fact, I would not have know that she was a demon if I could not see her aura. We all moved back as she came into view fully. She stood around five feet tall but something about her made the hairs stand up on the back of my neck. Instantly, we began our attack but she was extremely agile and seemed to easily avoid our attacks. My grandfather looked at each of us and we knew exactly what he wanted us to do. We spread out to surround the demon but it still got the drop on us. Her attacks seemed to emerge from nowhere and continued to catch us by surprise. My uncle was attacked from behind and he was swatted down to the ground from the tree he was in. This continued to go on and it kept up its surprise attacks on us. Suddenly, I her behind me and as I turned I saw her about to pound me into the earth. I quickly raised a wall of iron to block her attack and as I did, I saw a familiar face. It was my father and he was standing behind the demon. Without looking at me he used his tsuihouton tag and tried to exorcise the demon. The woman screamed out as my father yelled to us, “Now, do it now!”
Without hesitation, my aunt sent vines around the demon and brought her to his knees. My uncle then brought molten magma from the depths of the earth and coated the demon in it. My grandfather collapsed the earth under her feet sending her down into a massive pit. He then yelled at me “Now boy! Do it now!” It was as if time froze and I understood for the first time what my father must have gone through. I realized that if I thought about it too much I would run as well so I simply jumped down to the pit and did my duty. I made the metal coffin and trapped her inside of it with me. I never questioned why I had to be in the coffin with the demon but I wished I had at that point. As the metal surrounded us, the sun slowly faded from sight and we were both trapped inside. I just had to have faith that my family knew what they were doing. I did not know what was going on outside but I later learned that my father filled the pit with water. That served as yet another barrier to trap the demon. The beast was weakened but our eyes met and I could s hear her breathing and struggling to get free. Then it happened. The pain that ran through me was excruciating. Apparently, that was what an exorcism felt like. I could feel myself being pulled in all directions and the demon did not seem to be faring much better. Finally, the pain was such that I lost consciousness.
When I awoke, I was on the ground and surrounded by my father, grandfather, my aunt, and my uncle. I thought that they would be smiling but they immediately leaped back and took defensive positions around me. Before I could ask what was wrong, I felt an immense amount of chakra flow through my body. Suddenly, I was not in control and I began attacking them without mercy. In my mind, I tried to stop but my body moved without my permission. I watched as I killed my uncle and badly injured the rest. Finally, my father stood before me and said, “You are better than me Tadao. Fight the demon!” It had not even occurred to me that the demon had possessed me. I managed to form a tsuihouton tag and then I used it on myself. I felt that horrible pain again but it seemed to stun the demon long enough for me to gain some control. “Focus your mind boy,” yelled my grandfather. I tried to do just that and I fought the hardest battle I had ever fought before but I still felt like it was only a matter of time before I lost control again. As I felt my control slipping, I drew my blade and turned it on myself. As I attacked myself, I felt my aim change causing the blade to simply cut my side. I then heard, “Are you insane boy! What are you doing?” It took a minute but I realized that the voice was inside of me. It was the demon inside of me. “If I cannot control myself, I will kill myself,” I yelled as I tried to plunge the blade into my heart again. Once more, I just missed the mark and I heard, “Enough! You are a stubborn one, even for your kind. Very well then, I will grant you control, for now. It might be interesting seeing how pathetic your mortal existence truly is. Besides, you seem like an interesting host to me. I’m sure we will have all sorts of fun times together.” As the voice stopped, I felt the demon’s influence subside and I fell to my knees. My grandfather rushed to me and placed a seal on my chest. It glowed for a few seconds before fading into me. I knelt there and looked at my uncle and just wept.
After all of that, I could not just head home. Despite our best efforts and the assurances from the demon inside of me, other precautions needed to be taken. My grandfather took me to the Valley of the End and spent his time teaching me how to control my mind to block out the influence of the demon. Three months passed by and he trained me every waking moment. I worried about being away from Konoha that long, but he told me that my father and aunt would explain that I was badly injured and required treatment before returning home. That story was made more believable since they went back to Konoha with my uncle’s dead body and many wounds of their own to nurse. We were not sure how to explain what truly happened so we left it at that for the time being. As my training progressed, my grandfather told me that I needed to bond with the demon in order for us to both inhabit the same body. “How the hell do I do that,” I asked him? He told me that he couldn’t tell me that part and that I would have to figure it out on my own. I became quite anxious hearing his words but he calmed be right back down when he gave me a hug and simply said, “Our ancestors are proud of you today.” With that he walked away and left me alone.
As all of my emotions gathered, I could feel the demon’s chakra welling up inside of me. By then, I knew that it preyed on my doubt, fear, and anger so I tried to focus my mind by sitting under the waterfall to meditate. As I sat there, my mind calmed and I went into what seemed to be a deep trance. I found myself face to face with the demon inside of me. She laughed and said, “So, you finally got the nerve to come and talk to me? Well then, what about some introductions?” I was taken aback by her words because I assumed that I was in for a fight and not a conversation. I spoke but remained cautious. “My name is Tadao and I am of the Tsuchimikado line.” “Yes I know of your blood boy. I watched your pretty eyes when you sealed me in here.” She smiled and continued, “I have many names myself but you may call me Rei.” She circled around and looked me up and down. “You are an impressive specimen, I’ll give you that. To keep me from emerging for this long, you deserve some respect. Not much mind you, but some. Don’t worry too much though, because I’m not going to fight to get out.” I knew not to trust her but I still asked, “And why is that?” “Oh it’s very simple Tadao. I am not going to force my way out because you will eventually let me out. You humans are all alike. No matter how noble your intentions, power is far too tempting for you to resist. Eventually, you will call my name and beg me to come forth on your own. That is when we will see who the true demon is boy. I make no apologies for what I am, but your kind hide behind your duty and honor. I wonder how long you will hold out?” She was mocking me and while I wanted to laugh at her words, I stayed focused and instead took them to heart. From that moment, I dedicated myself to mastering my own will to ensure that such a thing would never happened. “I am your prison Rei and you will die with me. I will not allow your will or mine to allow you to wreak havoc again.” The demon smiled and gave an empty bow to feign his respect for my words. “Whatever you say master. I will be here when you change your mind and call upon me.” She blew me a kiss as she faded away.
My mind slowly drifted back to reality and I tried to open my eyes but I could not. They refused to move and I realized that the rest of my body was stationary as well. It was then that the cold hit me. I was inside a block of ice. I used my charka to heat my body and freed myself only to find that the waterfall I sat under was frozen solid and snow blanketed the ground around me. When I first sat down it was spring time but I awoke deep into the winter. How long did that conversation take, I wondered? Was this the demon’s doing? Other questions entered my head before I blocked them all out. None of that mattered. I had to remain in control. “I am in control,” I said. I spoke out loud wanting my guest to hear the conviction in my voice. Then a wave of peace washed over me and a small smile reached my lips. I was confident because I felt like I was finally truly in control.
With the tale over, I looked at my son as he tried to grasp all that I had just said. I did not anticipate what he would ask first and I had to admit that his question startled me. He simply asked, “So… have you ever lost control since then?” In that moment, I felt the darkness creep up inside of me as if she was waiting for me to call upon her. I suppressed her quickly and said, “That is a story for another day boy.”
