Chapter 262 - My SI Stash #62 - Thread Plague by Waki Paki (Naruto) (1/2)

-A refreshing SI in Naruto with our MC getting isekai'd as a ninja of Takigakure, it's a story of its own and I like that! He'll be helping out Fu and will be exploiting Jiongu~

Sypnosis: There are worse fates than reincarnation. There are worse villages to be born in than Takigakure. There are worse specializations for a ninja than medicine. But once you have mastered the Jiongu, anything is possible. Ito Ikimono knows the horrifying power such a technique can grant, and he'll shed whatever he needs to take it; Sweat, blood, even skin. OC, Fu, Takigakure, Jiongu.

Rated: M

Words: 31K

Posted on: fanfiction.net/s/13529853/1/Thread-Plague (Waki Paki)

PS: If you're not able to copy/paste the link, you have everything in here to find it, by simply searching the author and the story title. It sucks that you can't copy links on mobile (´ー｀)

-I'll be putting the chapter ones of all the fanfics mentioned, to give you guys a sample if you wan't more please do go to the website and support the author! (And maybe even convince them to start uploading chapters in here as well!)

Chapter 1

It's a funny thing to really think about, death. I mean; intellectually, we all know we're gonna die sooner or later. Whether it's in your own bed or hit by a car or what have you. The important thing is to not be afraid. Why fear the inevitable? Just accept it and move on with your life.

Of course, accepting and not fearing it doesn't mean you want it or can't be surprised by it.

So when I suddenly woke up as an infant, I can only assume that I'd died.

The shock quickly gave way to despair as I faced the utter certainty that I'd perished and left behind the world I knew. My infantile form wriggled as I squealed and cried, which drew the sounds of footsteps and a large set of hands hoisted me up into the arms of a man who bounced me and spoke with calming tones in a language I didn't recognize. It surprised me enough that I did stop bawling, and opened my tear-filled eyes to look at him.

Above me was an older man, likely in his fifties or sixties or so. He looked to be of Asian descent, had a scar on his forehead, and a scraggly grey beard. He continued to bounce as he walked around and spoke. While he did this, I caught a look at the room around me. It was obviously a child's room, with a crib I had likely just left, several colorful toys that were clearly wooden and painted, a few cubbies and dressers, and some pictures and artworks adorning the walls. Looking at them, I vaguely identified the script as looking Japanese, and furthermore they looked to be hand-drawn and written.

Okay, so I'm reborn somewhere in a likely feudal or similar era Japan? Well thank goodness I took French in highschoo- ah, shit.

Well, no matter. I suppose I'll learn. I've got a whole life ahead of me to figure it out.

You know what the hardest thing to get used to was?

It wasn't the family, or lack thereof. My grandfather was the first person I saw because my mother and father were both dead. My father died in the line of duty and my mother died in childbirth, leaving me only my aging grandfather to look after me and raise me as his own. But the old man wasn't much of a guardian. He fed and clothed and bathed me, made sure I was safe and didn't get into trouble as a small child. But he never extended me much love. Maybe I was just a bitter reminder that the family he once had was dead, and maybe he was just a colder person to start with. As I grew older, he kept using words like ”Honor” and ”Duty” and ”Loyalty,” so maybe he was more dedicated to the family name than any particular person in it. Whatever the case was, we were merely polite and formal with each other instead of loving grandfather and grandson.

It wasn't the fact that I woke up in a fictional universe I knew, which I had identified after seeing a few weapons lying around the house and the ninja headbands that people wore when the old man took me out into the village. Yes village, because this was Takigakure from the Naruto universe. A show I'd been quite enamored with as a college student, and had frequently re-watched. While it was shocking to see, I'd already hoped that after I'd died and was reborn, I'd wind up somewhere cool. This was beyond my hopes, though. This was… providence. My shock and surprise quickly gave way to excitement and anticipation.

It wasn't the language. No, that was picked up fairly easily. Fantastically so, according to my teachers and grandfather. Learning a third language can go against the instincts but with a young, developing brain it was easier than I thought. The written part was the toughest, but still done with effort. I, however, kept all of my notes and journals in English. Nobody around here seemed to speak or read it, so it just became my ”secret code language” according to my grandfather. Dead useful for cataloguing the important past memories. I also sprinkled these with liberal amounts of French to be doubly sure any code-breaker type analysts would be hopelessly lost trying to figure it out.

It wasn't the name, either. ”Ito Ikimono.” My Grandfather is Benjiro Ikimono. I originally had an English name, so this was a little weird at first, but soon became natural; like an old nickname you were so familiar with you accidentally signed your name as it once or twice.

It wasn't the technology level, which was annoyingly nebulous for the Naruto universe. I mean, Konoha sported digital screens and indoor plumbing and plastic and synthetic fibers and all other kinds of modern conveniences despite being an otherwise feudal seeming setting. Takigakure wasn't far behind, but were generally lower-tech by comparison. I can't tell you how relieving it was to know I wouldn't have to use a hole and a bundle of straw as a toilet; when I was able to, that is. There were electric lights and plastic and our home had a television, but no cable. It was mostly old movies on VHS and the like. It was more like a step back a decade or two than an era shift.

No. By far, the hardest thing to get used to was my body.

Starting from infancy was bad enough. I wasn't an athlete back on Earth, but I wasn't out of shape, either. I keenly felt the lost strength and motor controls. But on top of that, knowing just how long it would take for me to get back to a_d_u_l_thood… it was demoralizing, to say the least.

But it was all worth it. Worth it, because I knew what lay within me; Chakra. The mystical all-purpose mumbo-jumbo god juice that gave incredible power to the determined and intelligent. I'd seen what it was capable of in the show - hell, I'd seen what it was capable of in person. Grandpa would use a small fire jutsu to light the stove when the ignition was on the fritz, and we'd catch glimpses of jutsu when walking by the training grounds. But big and flashy jutsu like that were so very wasteful of the potential of those powers.

The chakra parts will definitely require some figuring out, but I already had vast knowledge about chakra theory and potential from watching the show many times. I wouldn't need training on the ideas - I probably had more innovative ideas than any of the Kage. Orochimaru may be a sick and stupid son of a bitch, but he had the right idea when it came to the potentials of power. A scientist and a shinobi in one. He knew the power of the mind is more deadly than damn near anything else. I'd just need to emulate him (scientific brilliance, incredible willpower, strong work ethic, determination, and innovative mind) and trim the fat (massive arrogance, megalomania, unnecessary cruelty, poor risk assessment, useless grudges, inefficient resource management, terrible leadership) and I could secure my place in the world, wherever it may be.

So as I toddled, and grew, and reached the age of one and a half, I delved deep within myself and finally unlocked my chakra. Grandpa was shocked. It wasn't like my family was some famous ninja clan; the Ikimono family were famous only for most of the family members becoming record keepers in the noble pursuit of retaining and protecting the jutsu, knowledge, and history of the village to the point of aggression and seclusion.

I could've revealed myself. Could've immediately sought to take advantage of the village's newfound interest and support for their young prodigy. But being well-spoken, polite, clearly intelligent, and chakra formative at such a young age would've brought me much attention. And I didn't need that many prying eyes on me. Having influence is good, having spies and assassins and people sticking their nose where it doesn't belong is bad. Besides; true ninjas hide their skills. Grandpa knew, and he offered to teach me what he could when I wasn't attending civilian school as a young man.

This uncharacteristic bout of generosity and interest seemed suspicious to me. The man was, as I stated, not the most loving. But as I we did such lessons, him explaining things a bit too slow and obvious for my tastes (which was to be expected; I was a small child and despite my displayed intelligence, he wasn't going to assume I was THAT smart), it became clear that he was concerned, or perhaps more afraid. Benjiro had outlived his parents, his siblings, and now his only son and his wife. They were all ninja, and he knew that job carried risks, but he hadn't expected to see them go so quickly. I was the last person left to carry our name, and when I unlocked my chakra so early, he knew I was destined for the ninja life. It was therefore his duty to prepare me as best he could to make sure I lived long enough to continue the family legacy and produce offspring. Leaving a nearly two-year old with potential superpowers alone to play with it was a recipe for disaster.

It was a bit cold, and a bit heartwarming to see the concern and attention he displayed on me. Between lessons on chakra, he taught me bookkeeping and honed my handwriting to a keen edge. He was very pleased by my reading skills, and pushed me to read as often as possible. It was his way of preparing me to continue the Ikimono tradition of being record keepers. He grew fonder of me, would spend more evenings talking with me instead of leaving me with some books and toys. I couldn't say we were very close, but we were at least more than just cordial around one another.

I stuck leaves to my forehead, I walked on trees, I eventually walked on water. I even tried to walk up a waterfall, but I still haven't managed that. I played in the dirt and sand and moved it around with just chakra. Control was the key. My chakra would grow as I used it and aged, but control had to be strived for. Control of chakra multiplied your effective chakra capacity and potency of your jutsu, not to mention the importance in medical chakra.

That was precisely what I was aiming for, actually. I wanted to become a mednin, or at least be very proficient in medical knowledge and jutsu. In my old life, I had just finished my second year of medical school and was doing damn well in my classes. Applying that knowledge here would save me a lot of training and time, I'd just need to nail down the chakra parts.

Of course, I didn't do all this cooped up in my home. Going for walks, I got a good look at Takigakure itself. The village was hidden amongst trees, which can be accounted for by the fact that the founder was an Uchiha exile. It's only accessible through a large waterfall in a forest of waterfalls, which is where the actual name comes from. There's a footpath for travelers and a waterway for boats. The central part of the city is a massive tree that hides the village from outside view, and I mean massive. It was easily a mile or two or more across, and nearly as high, though I couldn't be sure since I couldn't see the top. Inside the base of the tree was the village leader's office and other military structures. It was surrounded by a large lake, somewhere around half a mile from shore to shore in any direction. The only passage by land was a long and narrow bridge, mostly for civilian use. Most career ninjas simply ran across the water. You could even catch some young genin teams practicing water walking in the shallow parts (I had simply used the bath in our home).

The outer ring of land was forest and cliffs, though much smaller trees. Buildings were trailed around the perimeter of the lake, and the city grew outwards from there. Small waterfalls dotted across the city and gave a tiered look from the number of cliff faces. Our family home was in the back-leftish part of the city, near the residential district for civilians. It was also near the edge of the city, a feature identified by the fact that the land around the village was mostly cliff walls and tree roots and vegetation too thick for animals to wander through. The only part that wasn't walled away was the back of the city, which had a long stretch of forest and land before dropping off a large cliff, giving it another iconic waterfall.

The city itself was nothing terribly impressive. Takigakure was a minor village, after all. The lush forest and abundance of water meant that most food was gathered instead of farmed in the traditional sense. Tiered farms with hanging gardens were mainly located by the left side of the village, and fisheries could be found every couple blocks. The style was a rough asian and western mix and lacked color or extravagance. Indeed, our village seemed to be quite simple and if you cut out the ninja parts, it would fit in well in the Japanese countryside.

But the ninja parts were very much there, and very prevalent. General ninja supply stores, blacksmiths and weapon shops, a ninja-staffed hospital, poisoners, and more. Takigakure's quite hidden nature and emphasis on military strength meant that as civilian-to-ninja ratios go, it was higher than most, including the big 5. Luckily, the two groups got along well and didn't seem to spark any friction due to it. They also seemed to agree on one thing in particular.

They all hated a little green-haired girl by the name of Fu; the Jinchuriki of the seven-tailed beetle, Chomei.

Unlike Naruto, there wasn't a law against speaking about this village's jinchuriki, which meant that everyone knew who the supposed ”demon” was of the town. People being what they are, it didn't surprise me that this particular world was more akin to the manga universe, where everyone was an irrationally hateful bastard and feared what they didn't understand. Best they could tell, there was a demon in that girl and that meant she was as good as the demon itself, and therefore antagonizing it was a good idea.

I almost pitied the poor man, having so much to deal with at such a young age, but found I had none to spare. Life wasn't fair. You did what you could and dealt with it.

I rose early, as was my norm. My morning workout was physical training, and my afternoons were chakra focused until I had a proper teacher for physical combat. I quickly donned my running gear and stepped into the living room, where I was surprised to see my grandfather up and enjoying a cup of coffee. He preferred to sleep in most days.

”Good morning, grandfather.”

The man looked up from the scroll he had been reading. I knew he'd seen me come in; hell, he'd probably heard me wake up. Retired shinobi do not lose their senses so easily. ”Good morning, grandson. Leaving so quickly?”

”Yes?” I was a bit confused. He knew my schedule. ”Is there something going on today?”

A slight chuckle escaped the man and a small smile graced his weathered features for a moment. ”I thought you would at least like to hear a 'Happy Birthday' before you left.”

Oh, was it that time of the year again? Peeking over to the calendar, I confirmed it was June. I was now eight years old.

”You'd forgotten, hadn't you?” he asked.

”It seems I have. Thank you, grandfather.”

He waved his mug about. ”Tell me, what would you like for your birthday this year?”

Knowing that I was quite m_a_t_u_r_e for my age, and very driven, Benjiro had opted to let me ask for gifts rather than simply give me something. It may have reflected a lack of interest on his part, but we were both satisfied with the arrangement. He knew I would get something I enjoyed, and I gained opportunities to grow. I'd already planned what I wanted to ask, but hadn't thought the day would come up so quickly.

”I'd like scrolls on medical jutsu.”

Benjiro paused over his drink. Before he could speak, I continued my request. ”I'll be starting the academy next year, but medical jutsu takes a long time to master and I need to start early if I want to get the advantage. You know I'd have better chances of catching a jounin-sensei if I had a notable skill like that. We've been working on my chakra for years now, and my control is beyond excellent. I'm ready for this, grandfather.”

At my boast, his eyes narrowed slightly. He stared for a minute longer, then nodded in an approving manner. ”You are soon a child no longer. I'm glad to hear you've thought this through.” He drained his mug and sat thoughtfully, then carefully stood and handed me a small number of ryo bills. ”Go, do your workout and enjoy the day. When you return, I'll have things ready for you.”

I accepted them with a slight bow. I wasn't fond of the practice, but it was this world's way of showing respect and appreciation. ”Thank you. Take care, grandfather.”

”And you, grandson.”

Biting into my morning protein bar, I took off from the house at a jog, heading to one of the lesser-used training grounds by a particularly verdant spot near the outer walls with a small waterfall in it. It was pretty out of the way from most of the ninja parts of the city, making it inconvenient for most people to bother with. It was one of my favorite spots. Between the isolation, the scenery, and the waterfall, it was a nice place to train and relax in. I'd worn out a nice jogging track along the outside and set up some boulders for various lifting and traversing challenges, even if it had taken me the better part of a week just moving most of them. If I hadn't had such control of my chakra, I'd have needed to wait until I was an a_d_u_l_t before I could move the larger ones.

But as I said; this place was remote and pretty much used only by myself, which is why it was unusual to find someone else already there, slowly wandering around and looking at everything. A girl, probably a year younger than me. She had mint-green hair, tanned skin, and though I couldn't see, I knew her eyes were orange. She was clad in some shabby off-white clothes that practically shouted ”neglected orphan” and a large red sack on her back.

To be honest, I hadn't expected to interact with her. Our village wasn't huge, but it was plenty big that you could live your life here and only know most of the people there. If we were going to meet, it would've been possibly years down the line when we were both part of the ninja corps. Yet here she was.

I made sure to slow my jog down to a walk and came from an angle so she wouldn't spot me until I was closer. About twenty feet away, while she was clamoring on one of the rocks, I called out to her.

”Good morning.”

She let out a little yelp and fell sideways off the rock. Scrambling up, she finally spotted me. ”Oh. Um, hello.” She shook herself a bit, then broke out a wide smile. A smile I could easily see was riddled with nerves, fear, sadness, and hope. ”Hi! My name's Fu.”

”Hello, Fu. My name's Ito Ikimono,” I gave a slight bow and smile. ”What brings you to my little training ground?”

Her eyes widened a bit. ”Oh! I'm sorry, I didn't know this was anyone's, I was just looking for a place to hang out and maybe train a little, but I can-”

I held up a hand and let out a little laugh. ”Hey, hey, don't worry. If you'd like to stay here and train, you're very welcome to.” I leaned in a bit and stage whispered. ”Between you and me, I think the training ground gets a little lonely with just me here. It would be glad to have company.” I gave her a conspiratorial wink.

The 6 year-old girl seemed a bit surprised, then grinned. ”Cool! Can I join you?”

”Certainly,” I gestured to the track. ”I jogged here for my warm-up, so I should stretch. You'll need to warm up, too. So run one l_a_p around and then meet me back here.”

She dropped her bag and took off at a sprint before I shouted ”Not too fast!” and she slowed down with a sheepish grin. A few minutes later, she returned, barely breathing hard.

”Okay, so now we stretch.” I demonstrated by bending over and touching my toes.

”Why?” Fu asked, confused.

”Because if you don't stretch before and after your workout, it won't be as good and it'll hurt more afterwards.”

”Okay!”

I led her through my morning workout routine. We started with running, then jumping over and on boulders, then core workouts, upper body, moved on to balance, and finished with recovery techniques. Like rolling into a fall, or leaping up from lying down. After that was another stretch.

Fu took it all without much complaint, or I suppose I should say she didn't complain about the difficulty. I was a little ashamed that she managed to keep up so easily, and was probably in as good or better condition than myself. I chalked it up to her status and encouraged her to push herself even as I lagged behind. She was a little unsure, but did so anyways.

During our final stretches, she asked ”Ito-san, why didn't we do any, like, fighting or something?”

”I don't really know how to fight,” I informed her. ”I mean yeah I can throw punches or kicks, but nothing official or directed. I don't want to pick up bad habits by practicing bad combat form.” I leaned sideways as she mirrored me. At her confused look, I elaborated. ”Imagine throwing a punch the same way a thousand times and getting used to it, only to fight a real opponent and figure out you had an obvious flaw they could exploit. For now, I'm content to improve my body and mind before my fighting.”

She pouted a little. ”Aw, okay.”

”You certainly don't have to hold back on my account, Fu-san,” I told her. ”If you'd like to find somebody to spar with, I won't stop you.”

She turned away, looking uncomfortable. ”Well… nobody really likes me. And nobody would want to play with me or help me train. You're, like, the first person who's been so nice to me except for Shibuki-sama.”

I winced. I'd forgotten about that bit. We finished our stretch and I waved her over to the waterfall for us to grab a drink. ”I tell you what. I'm starting at the academy in a year, and I'd be happy to teach you as soon as I know stuff.” I bent over and caught some of the falling fresh water with my hands, pouring it into my mouth.

”REALLY?!” she shouted, jumping over and giving me a hug. I choked a bit on the water, but she was too excited to notice. ”You promise? You gotta promise!”

Pounding my c_h_e_s_t, I coughed up the water I had swallowed. ”Yes, I promise,” I assured her in a weak tone. She squeezed me even harder. I returned the hug, albeit more gently. When she let go, both our stomachs growled, and she blushed a bit. ”It's about lunch time anyway. Why don't you join me? I could go for some pasta in town.”

Fu suddenly looked quite apprehensive. ”Ah, I, well, not sure that would be okay. I mean, most people are mean to me, and…”

”I insist.” I put a hand on her shoulder. ”It's not every day I get to enjoy someone's company. Besides, I have an afternoon training routine when we've finished eating. You could join me for that too, if you like.” While obviously conflicted, the girl's stomach growled again and so I shuffled her along with me and headed into town.

We made idle chat as we walked, me pointedly ignoring the looks sent our way and doing my best to keep Fu occupied so she wouldn't notice as well. Some of the looks were more confused or curious than malicious. I should note that while my grandfather had and I weren't hermits, we also were generally isolated and tended to keep to ourselves. Apparently, me walking through town casually with the whipping boy raised more than a few eyebrows.

In any case, we soon arrived at my frequented low-end restaurant. The food was still good and healthy, but pretty cheap. Plus, they didn't overcook the noodles, which I counted as very important. Walking through the front door, the nearby waiter smiled in recognition of one of their more common patrons, before twisting his smile into a surprised scowl when he caught sight of the mint-haired girl next to me.

I forced down a sigh and decided to try heading off the issue before they could speak. ”Hey Tanaka-san, I'll take my usual in the back booth, and whatever Fu-san here decides after she's had a chance to look at the menu.” I turned to her. ”Do you like spicy food? Because they've got good curry here.”

”I've never tried it, Ito-san!” Fu said with some wonder. ”I think I want something sweet, though.”

I chuckled and led her past the front counter to my typical spot, a booth in the back. ”We could do dessert, but first we need proper food. Take a look and see what looks good. And just two waters to start,” I threw over my shoulder.