The Shadow of a Predator
The room was dank and tightly shut from every side. It was deathly quiet, with the exception of the gentle, rushing sound of water that was pouring from the right side of the floor. Tencho flinched as the water sloshed against his bare feet, sending icy daggers throughout his legs and backside. His body had nothing to rest against, but the metal wall behind him. He focused his gaze in an attempt to look for an exit, but it was useless. Everything was shrouded in a thick layer of darkness. Tencho tried to shift his feet to the left, but his movement was abruptly stopped by the clanging sound of his ankle banging against another metal wall.
Pop!Tencho took in a sharp breath of air as more water splashed onto his shoulders. His breathing was starting to become shallow, his teeth clattering in between each breath. He quickly raised his hands to feel for a ledge, but was only met with the roof of the metal enclosure. Tencho whimpered at his own futility.
There’s no way out of here.He was supine by the blindness the darkness brought. He felt all of the strength wash away from his body as the water trickled off of his fingertips; completely exasperated by his own shortcomings – they were suffocating him.
“Oh no.”
Tencho suddenly gasped. Something had occurred to him in that moment of self-loathing. He wasn’t just being suffocated by his lack of strength. He was actually beginning to suffocate. The hour of oxygen he was warned about was nearing its end soon, and he could feel his lungs start to heave in his chest as they struggled to pull from the air that was rapidly thinning. Despite the fact that the water had already formed a pool up to his waist, the corners of his mouth started to crack from dryness and he could feel blood rushing to his face, causing his cheeks to burn intensely. Sweat poured from his brow, stinging the corner of his eyes. Tencho struck the wall in front of him, causing a loud, clanging echo to reverberate in the room outside of the enclosure.
“Let me out! He pleaded. Please! I’m going to die in here!”
He received no response from the outside. Tencho incessantly stuck the wall. But it was to no avail. It wouldn’t budge. Not even an inch. The skin on his knuckles was torn, and his exposed flesh stung after each hit. The sound of bone against metal continued to echo throughout the room, until a thunderous cracking sound suddenly replaced it.
“AGH!”
Tencho gripped his left hand. It limply hung to its side and blood trickled warmly down his forearm. The bones in his wrist were shattered. Tencho began to sob uncontrollably. The water had already reached his chest and he was having double vision due to the immense pain in his wrist.
This is hopeless. I don’t have the strength to get out of here. I wish I did. I’m going to die in here.“I d-don’t want to die in here.” Tencho hiccupped.
Hopeless.“I-I-I d-don’t want to die in h-here.”
…Hopeless“I DON’T WANT TO DIE IN HERE!” He shrieked.
Tencho started to weep, choking on the water that had finally reached his chin. But his crying was suddenly interrupted by a dark, brooding voice.
How dreadfully pathetic.Tencho’s eyes widened at the sound of it. He was hoping for an answer, but certainly not from him. It was exactly what he was trying to avoid. A menacing aura slowly embraced Tencho’s small body, and the realization of the horror that was to soon befall him locked tightly in his chest.
…
A tall figure stood behind a large glass window. Its face was hidden underneath the hood of the smoke colored robe it was wearing. Behind the figure was a small room adorned with chairs and a large, wooden round-table. The surface of the table had several small cracks, most likely due to its years of faithful service to the Shadow Men. The chairs were basic in structure; same mahogany paneling as the table, and both the seats and backrests lacked cushions. Four chairs were taken from this table, and their occupants were dressed in a similar fashion as the figure towering in front of them.
“Sir, sounds like the boy will really die this time. Let’s just leh em’ out. It’d sure save us the trouble of cleaning up!” Guffawed the man plopped in a chair to the far right of the room. This man was short, but stocky and wide set in build. His arms bulged in all of their muscular fortitude beneath his robe, and the chair he was so comfortably seated upon seemed to disappear beneath him.
“Silence, Hazumi. Show more respect to your superior.” Spoke the man seated to the far left in a raspy baritone. This man was taller and much more slender in frame, and his long arms were crossed knowingly across his chest. Although he was thinner in stature, his presence boasted a fierce atmosphere. Hazumi lazily looked at his colleague and snorted.
“Lookin’ for a fight, Alex?”
“It’s Alexander.” He corrected, his voice going an octave lower. I don’t recall giving you permission to shorten it.”
“Like eh’ matters. Hazumi scoffed. You keep talkin’ to me like tha’, and the only thing I’ll be lookin’ to shorten is yer life span.”
The men continued to bicker until they were interrupted by a smooth, sultry voice.
“Why not do us all a favor, and both of you shut your mouths?”
Despite the harshness of her words, her voice still melodiously carried itself. The woman who spoke such silky, but piercing words, was seated towards the center of the room. Her golden hair shone brilliantly beneath her hood, and the robe hugged her body in a way that revealed her various curves and supple bosom.
“This does not concern you, Misugaya-san. I’m more than capable of silencing a buffoon myself.” Alexander rebutted stiffly.
“Bahfoon!?” Hazumi roared.
The three of them began to uproariously argue, but were quickly silenced when their colossal superior jolted his attention towards them.
“All of you…, he began with a pause,
be silent.”
The man hissed his last words, and his subordinates did as they were told. His voice was low, and coarse with a disciplinary tone. The robe shifted slightly off of his face, revealing a chiseled maw and a rough patch of facial hair. His arms were thick and long, and his fingers gnarled together as he clasped his hands. After he was sure he had their undivided attention, the giant continued speaking.
“We will not release him from the enclosure. He needs to get out of there using the Rokubi. It’s the only way he can get out.”
“But, Hiroshi-sama, he’s just an eight year old boy. We can’t expect him to be able to control power like that at his age.”
Hiroshi brought his attention to the gentle voice that came from his right side. The woman seated next to him was more slender than Misugaya in shape, but still carried an air of elegant beauty. The face revealed under the hood had smooth, porcelain like skin, and her eyes were like shallow azure pools with a vibrant sliver of gray that swam along the irises. Her hair, which delicately fell to her chest, was smoky in color, nearly camouflaging against her robe.
“This isn’t a matter of whether he can control it or not, Tetsuki, Hiroshi began, but whether or not he can endure it. Tencho is the first host to not be ripped apart by the Rokubi. All he needs to right now is survive.”
Hiroshi’s face turned deadpan as he finished his sentence. His eyes narrowed and his stare became hardened. Tetsuki looked out of the window at the metal enclosure down below. There were several high rank Shadow Men guarding the parameter. They were positioned in three levels: three men encompassing his enclosure; three men encompassing those men; and three men guarding the exit. She could faintly hear Tencho’s cries for help.
Tencho…
…
The water continued to pool at Tencho’s face. The white aura continued to plague his body. His stomach turned over and his veins began to violently throb beneath the skin of his forearms. A sickly feeling crept up Tencho’s throat, making him gag.
“Please, Tencho begged, don’t do this. I don’t want your help!”
Foolish child. I wasn’t asking for your permission. A predator does not ask his prey if he can feast on its flesh. He merely does.“I-I-I am not your prey!”
You are certainly no predator, either. Let me show you, boy, that a predator cannot be backed against a corner.“NO! DON’T DO THIS!” Tencho begged.
Silence, fool. It’s much too late for you to protest. You will…The white aura enveloped Tencho’s face, turning his eyes a wild shade of emerald.
Taste blood.Before Tencho could continue his plea, the water consumed the rest of his body. The water began to boil as the Rokubi’s chakra dressed Tencho in a white cloak. He could feel his blood run rampant through his veins like a vicious flame, and the bones in his wrist cracking into place. The insatiable appetite for carnage rose in his body, clouding his mind and poisoning his judgment. Tencho raised his arm to the steel wall in front of him, white claws forming around his fingertips as the transformation completed. He slowly pressed his index finger into it, effortlessly piercing the wall. Tencho ripped it apart and the water poured onto the chamber floor.
“Tencho has broken through the enclosure!” barked one of the men.
“Restrain him!” yelled another.
All three men rushed at Tencho with chakra infused katanas. The first two men were swiftly slashed at their mid-sections, their blood staining the concrete floor. The last man came down at Tencho with a downward strike, but Tencho caught the blade with his left hand and thrust his right arm into his stomach. He grasped the foot soldier’s spine and could hear it crunch between his fingers. Tencho inhaled deeply – the sound was exhilarating. He cast the Shadow Man to the side while the others charged at him. He sneered and rushed towards them, knocking their blades aside and hacking away at their bodies. One of the men guarding the exit spoke into his ear piece.
“Sir, Tencho has breached the second wall of the parameter! I don’t think we ca-GAH!”
Before the man could finish speaking, Tencho slashed at his chest. The man coughed up blood and collapsed onto the floor. Tencho motioned to tear the door open, but was suddenly thrown back by a side kick to his solar plexus. Tetsuki raised her hands in a guarding position, and switch blades appeared from the side of the gauntlets on her arms. She swiftly charged Tencho and pinned him to the ground, pressing the blade against his neck. Her advantage over him was quickly overturned, however, as the cloak sprouted a tail and Tencho broke from her grasp. He slashed at her right eye, tearing off a large piece of flesh in the process. Tetsuki yelped in pain and Tencho shoved her off of him. She slid several feet across the chamber floor. Tencho motioned to finish her off, but Hiroshi, suddenly appeared in front of him like a foggy apparition. He muttered something under his breath and rammed his palm into Tencho’s stomach. Chakra burst from his back, and a seal with multiple markings appeared on Tencho’s forehead. Steam emitted from it, and the white cloak around his body began to dissipate. Tencho glared at Hiroshi as the Rokubi spoke through him.
Hiroshi Nariwagame. Do you really think you can keep me contained within this child? I alone stand at the apex. You cannot stop me. I will rip this boy apart as I did to the others, and I will make sure you are there to watch every single drop of his blood spill.Tencho’s eyes wildly dilated as he looked up at the window of the conference room.
You ignorant fools! What makes you think that you can cage a predator!?The aura completely faded as he finished speaking, and Tencho collapsed into Hiroshi’s arms. Hiroshi bit his lower lip at the sight of this young, tattered boy. A firm hand then clasped Hiroshi’s right shoulder.
“So I see the Rokubi has yet to kill the child.”
Hiroshi turned his head to see Tenzo standing behind him. His facial expression was blank and his eyes were focused. His presence felt so cold and lifeless.
“Sir, I don’t think I can do this anymore.” Hiroshi said softly.
“You don’t have a choice, Hiroshi. This is for the sake of the village. As it currently stands, we can’t hope to control the Gobi’s host. He reeks of resistance. We need a countermeasure if the Gobi is to step out of line.” Tenzo replied flatly.
“But, sir. This is my son. Even for Hyougagakure, I can’t begin to think of what I’d do if I lost hi-
“And it’s precisely because he’s your son that I selected him as the Rokubi’s host. Tenzo interrupted. He’s clearly inherited your will, Hiroshi. He’s obedient and has the will to survive. A true predator isn’t just defined by his strength, but by his ability to survive; the ability to effectively outlast the others. And that’s what we will make your son – a predator. Raise him to embrace that power that roars inside of him, and teach him to protect Hyougagakure in the shadows, much like a tiger guards his territory.”
“But he’s already killed nine of my men!”
“A reasonable sacrifice. We will continue this tomorrow.” Tenzo continued, disregarding Hiroshi’s plea for clemency. Clean up these bodies. Take this one to the infirmary to get patched up.” He said into his wrist, poking an unconscious Tetsuki with the side of his heel.
Shadow Men quickly appeared before Tenzo, picking up the slain men along with Tetsuki. Hiroshi looked down at his son. His breathing was calm, as if nothing ever happened. He slung Tencho over his shoulder and made his way to the exit.
Forgive me, Tencho…