Shinobis, Exorcists, and Shamans

"I can sense that you have the capabilities of an exorcist."

Shion's voice cut through the quiet like a knife wrapped in silk—soft, but intentional. Her gaze was neutral, her tone deliberate.

Akai tilted his head slightly, curiosity piqued.

To her—and to the people of the Land of Demons—what he labeled as curses were known by another name. Demons.

But Akai didn't know that (in Shion's perspective).

And Shion didn't want to use his terminology either. Words like Curse Sorcerer or Shaman were too risky. Too telling.

From what she read, Akai didn't seem to recognize Jujutsu Kaisen as a pre-existing story; he believed he'd created the entire system of curses and cursed energy on his own.

So, Shion adapted.

She wouldn't use his terms. Not directly.

Let him think he was the pioneer here. It was enough to draw his intrigue—just enough—but not his suspicion.

Akai, in turn, chose his words with care.

He didn't mirror her terminology either.

"Ah, looks like you can see them too, then?" he asked, casually. "Those creatures?"

"Yes," Shion replied with a calm nod.

"I see..." Akai hummed thoughtfully, tapping a finger to his chin in mock contemplation. Then, with just the right amount of false curiosity, he continued, "So, what are they called? And this... exorcist, was it? You say it like it's a profession. Do those creatures have names too?"

Shion drew in a slow breath, as if the answer required some gravity.

"They're called... Demons."

Akai held back a smirk. Of course he knew. But asking was necessary. To pretend ignorance was its own form of caution.

"I see," he murmured, nodding as if in genuine reflection. "That... does sound accurate enough, considering what they are."

Shion smiled, eyes sharp beneath the gentle curve of her lips.

"Since there are no exorcists here," she said, "have you been naming them using your own terminology, Akai-san?"

There it was. The baited hook.

She already knew his term—Cursed Spirits. But if she said it, it would be far too suspicious.

So she let him say it first.

And he would—eventually.

The game was on.

"Cursed spirits," Akai answered without hesitation. "That's the name I gave them."

Shion nodded slowly, as though adjusting to the foreign word. She tilted her head slightly, then asked,

"You can see them, are you not?"

Akai let out a quiet breath, faintly amused. "I wouldn't have named them if I couldn't."

Still, Shion remained serious. Her eyes studied him—not suspiciously, but curiously.

"Most people can't," she said.

"Only the strongest... Demon—" she paused deliberately, then corrected herself as if unfamiliar with the new term, "—cursed spirits, are visible to the untrained. The smaller ones... they're like shadows. Harder to spot, but not particularly dangerous."

Akai nodded thoughtfully. "Yeah. That checks out with what I've seen. Most folks don't even notice when something's off around them."

Her gaze sharpened just slightly. "That's why I need to ask..."

She stepped just a little closer, voice softer now.

"I can feel the same energy from you... as I do from the im— cursed spirits. May I ask... what that is, Akai-san?"

Her pause before using his terminology didn't go unnoticed. But truthfully to Shion, it was Intentional. 

But to Akai, It sounded like someone unused to the word, not someone hiding knowledge—but Akai was still unsure.

"...You've got good instincts," he said after a brief pause.

He let that sit for a moment before adding, "I'm not one of them. That energy you feel—it's just something I've learned to use. To fight back. I figured if I could understand them, I could stop them more efficiently."

Shion nodded, not fully reassured, but not alarmed either. "I see. That makes sense... in its own way."

There was a silence between them, not quite tense—more like two hunters realizing they're not aiming at each other after all, just watching the same prey from different angles.

Then she offered, carefully: "I would like to collaborate with you. In exterminating these cursed spirits."

That caught Akai off guard, just enough to make him raise a brow.

"You can call them Demons if you want," he said with a half-shrug. "From how you talk, it sounds like that term's been around here longer anyway."

Shion's lips curved into a small, almost shy smile. "Perhaps. But if we're to work together... I should start learning your words, too."

Akai chuckled faintly. "Then I'll try not to get too attached to mine."

They weren't allies yet—but they weren't enemies either. Just two people circling the same truth from different sides, both hoping they wouldn't have to fight the other to get there.

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Akai returned to his room in silence, the weight of unsaid words hanging heavy in the air. Without a word, he made his way to the bath, hoping the heat would help untangle his thoughts.

Shion did the same, retreating to her own space. They had made a quiet agreement—no talking until after they'd both bathed. A temporary truce, just long enough to breathe.

Later, they regrouped in Akai's apartment, now dressed in casual clothes. Akai wore a haori beneath his shirt; Shion had a mustard yellow jacket layered under hers.

And finally, the silence broke. Their conversation began.

And...

Despite knowing everything about Akai, Shion should still asked him.

"For starters, if we want to work together, we'll have to learn about the other's powers," she said. "You don't have to if you don't want to, but... may I have a look?"

Obviously, to not get on the bad side of the so-called female protagonist, Akai don't have any problem with that. He is too, confident with his powers anyway, he just did all those other things like returning her favors to avoid any complications.

That's why, at exactly 10 a.m., they arrived at the clearing on the village outskirts—a quiet training ground nestled in the woods where Akai usually met up with Naruto.

The place had worn marks on the bark from projectiles, singed grass, and a faint lingering mist from prior cursed energy experiments.

As they walked side by side, their conversation was oddly formal—each sentence precise, every gesture deliberate.

They even addressed each other with "-san," as if two grown diplomats were holding a summit, not two kids barely in their tweens.

It was so weirdly mature, it made the eyes of a certain stalker twitch from above.

The "certain pervert stalker"—as Akai liked to call him—watched from a higher branch cloaked under a half-baked Transformation Jutsu. Shisui, of course.

He'd been tailing Akai all morning like usual, invisible to most... but Akai had Byakugan.

Akai didn't break pace. But he flicked his gaze to a tree, narrowed his eyes just slightly, and made a distinct expression. A look Shisui had come to recognize over the past few weeks.

It said, "You're being rude. Come down."

Shion blinked. "Akai-san?" she asked, tilting her head, clearly confused by his sudden change in demeanor.

Still hidden, Shisui didn't move a muscle.

In his mediocre disguise—which might fool most people but not a dojutsu user—Shisui responded by silently mouthing two words while stubbornly staying put.

"Don't wanna."

Akai's gaze stayed fixed for a beat longer. Then, he drew in a slow breath... and screamed at full volume:

"THIEEEEEEEEF!!"

Shion flinched. A flock of birds erupted from the trees. Somewhere in the distance, a squirrel dropped its nut and ran for cover.

Then, faster than the wind, a blur of black zipped down and slammed a hand over Akai's mouth, muffling him before he could yell again.

"Just because this is the outskirts doesn't mean there's no one except you, you brat!!!" Shisui hissed, panic all over his face.

Akai, with his mouth now firmly silenced, looked entirely unimpressed. His bored eyes stared up at Shisui's flustered expression like a parent watching a toddler throw a tantrum in public.

Meanwhile, Shion just stood there. Blinking. Obviously, it was an act, she knew who he was, but again, she should ask at least about everything Once.

"...Akai-san. You... know this man?"

Akai gave a slow, single nod, Shisui's hand still on his mouth.

"Is he a thief?"

Nod.

"A stalker?"

Nod.

"So which one...?" Shion sweatdropped.

But deep inside her thoughts, They seem close, they shouldn't be this close already though?

Shisui removed his hand and dramatically rubbed his temples. "Okay, you know what? Fine. Fine. I'll come down. I'm already here anyway."

He dropped to the ground with a sigh, releasing the Transformation Jutsu and returning to his usual self.

His dark cloak fluttered slightly as he landed beside them, folding his arms and eyeing Shion warily.

"So... who's this?" he asked, not even trying to hide his suspicion.

Shion straightened with poise. "Shion. Priestess of the Land of Demons."

Shisui raised an eyebrow. "Fancy title for someone about to be corrupted by that kid."

Akai blinked. "That's ironic coming from you."

Shisui scoffed, but then sighed in resignation. "Tch. Whatever. I'll just stay quiet in the corner then. Don't mind me. Pretend I'm not here."

"You're already not supposed to be here," Akai said, deadpan.

"Whose fault do you think was that?"

Shion just stared between the two with the expression of someone who'd stumbled into a sibling argument in the middle of a funeral.

"...Should I come back later?" she asked, unsure.

Akai smiled faintly. "No, no. This is the demonstration."

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The morning sun shimmered lazily over the water, casting dancing ripples of light across the banks where three figures had gathered.

Birds chirped somewhere in the distance, blending with the faint rush of the river's current.

Akai sat cross-legged in the grass, a mundane pair of glasses dismantled before him. His fingers moved with methodical care, tweaking the lenses, adjusting the arms, and murmuring under his breath.

Shion stood nearby, arms folded, posture casual. Yet her gaze rarely drifted from Akai's hands.

"How do Exorcists from your land see cursed spirits?" Akai asked, tone flat but curious, not looking up from the glasses.

Shion perked slightly, then gave a measured, practiced reply. "They're trained to sense... malevolence. Tainted energy, demonic residues—" she paused deliberately, her acting was perfect, "—I mean, cursed spirits, of course."

Akai didn't even glance up. "Cursed spirits or demons, any is fine. One term's enough," he muttered. "Makes the research cleaner."

A small grin tugged at the corner of Shion's mouth. He caught the slip. He always caught the slip. And yet, pretended like he didn't. "Cursed Spirits it is then."

A few meters away, Shisui sat atop a sun-warmed rock, one knee raised, his ever-watchful gaze fixed on the two. His chin rested on his hand, expression unreadable... until the corner of his lips tugged upward.

He's always been a little melancholic, Shisui mused, even when I met him for the second time. Mentioned a girl once too, didn't he? Then brushed it off like it was nothing...

A realization dawned on him. His eyes widened, then softened into something dangerously warm.

Wait a second... are they—

Shisui's face began to glow with a quiet, amused joy, the kind of look a fan might have while witnessing their favorite ship sail right before their eyes.

The same exact look Taruho wore that morning when Shion denied anything suspicious between her and Akai.

Akai, who had just finished adjusting one of the lenses, paused mid-movement. A shiver ran down his spine. Slowly, he turned toward the Uchiha.

"...Why is your face like that?"

Shisui, smiling way too innocently, sing-songed, "Nothiiiiing~~~🎵🎵"

Akai visibly recoiled. "Stop that."

Finally, after a few more tweaks and faint pulses of cursed energy, Akai stood and offered the glasses to Shion.

She took them, already knowing what they were—red-tinted lenses bathed in a familiar cursed aura. Crafted by Akai's own hand. Carefully. Deliberately.

She slid them on without hesitation, scanning the area... only for her gaze to stop abruptly.

Akai's left hand was extended slightly to the side. In it, pinched between two fingers, was the crushed head of a small, grotesque fly-shaped cursed spirit. Its limbs twitched uselessly.

It was... disgusting.

But Shion remained composed.

"This is an example of the lesser cursed spirits," Akai stated blandly, turning his hand a little so the dead thing could be seen more clearly.

"As you said before—they're too weak for most people to see. No real will, no real strength. Just infestations."

Before either of them could say more, Shisui's voice cut in, far too close now.

"Heeeeeeh~ Usually you eat them immediately," he mused teasingly, standing just beside Akai with that same matchmaker warmth. 

"Not even a tint of purple blood today. Were you just trying to look good or something, hm~~?"

Akai startled slightly, stiffening as that warm gaze fell on him again. His shoulders twitched.

Shion blinked.

Akai exhaled through his nose and slowly turned his head. "Oi. Whatever you're thinking... it's not that."

"Sure~ Sure~" Shisui grinned, throwing in a wink.

"Don't wink, you disgusting pervert," Akai deadpanned.

"If I didn't find you cute, I might've killed you, brat," Shisui retorted, flicking him on the forehead with a smirk.

Shion watched them, slightly slack-jawed.

Is this... supposed to happen?

Shion found herself thinking about it again—how had they grown so close, and so quickly? It didn't make sense. This kind of teasing, sharp-edged sibling bond between Akai and Shisui should've only developed after Shisui was officially reassigned from his surveillance mission.

Like the original Shisui, he was burdened with the impossible: spying on his own clan for the sake of the village, at the orders of Konoha's elders. Even so, he'd managed to carve out small moments to visit Akai.

Ironically, it was the lack of time they spent together that deepened their bond. Sparse, fleeting encounters made each one feel more meaningful, more human.

And as that thought settled in, so did a grim image—Shisui's death, and the hollow devastation that would consume Akai afterward.

Her mind wandered further. Whenever Shisui failed to visit Akai, when that familiar presence vanished without warning, it was in those very gaps that Kanzai began to drift closer.

"—H-huh?!" she gasped out loud.

Both boys turned toward her, blinking.

Shion waved her hands quickly. "Wait, wait—Shisui-san, you—you know about cursed ener—"

She tried to recover, correcting herself: "I mean—cursed spirits! You can see them?!"

This time, it wasn't an act—she genuinely slipped. She'd nearly stepped on a landmine.

After all, neither Akai nor Shisui had ever mentioned "Cursed Energy" in front of her. She wasn't supposed to know about it. Not yet.

"Huh? Well... Yeah." Shisui simply stated.

Shion, went speechless. He could see them?! But even in the fanfic, he couldn't! And Akai never gave any of glasses infused cursed energy to him.

"Well~ How long have you been~?" (Shisui)

"I don't even know what you mean." (Akai)

"Oh come on, don't be like that~~~"

"Your face is disgusting."

W-Was it me? Shion thought, panic creeping in. Did seeing me back then—and dropping an F-bomb on Akai—somehow set all this off?

Terrifying... Butterfly effects are way scarier than I thought.

The breeze swept gently across the riverbank, rustling the grass and tugging at the hem of Shion's coat. She stood there, still gripping the red-tinted glasses Akai had handed her, caught halfway between awe and a spiral of her own thoughts.

And then—

"E-EHEM!" Shion forced a cough, a little too theatrical.

Akai and Shisui both turned toward her at once.

"T-this is... quite a nice invention," she began, voice just a notch too high. "I hope, maybe, if I could ever make one myself and give it to the Exorcists—would that be possib—"

"Not possible," Akai interrupted flatly.

Her words died mid-sentence.

He didn't even look smug—just matter-of-fact, eyes flicking toward her as if he already knew what she was going to ask next.

"The infusion is only temporary," he continued. "I haven't perfected it yet."

Shion blinked, lips parted. Ah.

Right. She remembered now.

That was how it was supposed to go.

In the original story—the story, the actual narrative—Akai never finished the glasses. He theorized them, wrote about them in his journal, hinted at their potential. But no one ever used them. No one ever saw cursed spirits through his lenses.

They were ideas.

Not real tools.

Not like this.

"...I see," she murmured, quieter now, eyes dropping to the red-tinted lenses in her hand. The cursed energy hummed faintly beneath her fingers.

"But that's when you came in."

Shion blinked, her brows raising in mild surprise. "Huh?"

Akai glanced at her. "I mean... the Land of Demons. Your priestesses are known for their sealing arts, right?"

She gave a slight nod, cautious but curious.

"I've only heard fragments about sealing jutsu," he continued. "But I'd like to learn. Even just the theory would help."

He trailed off, catching the subtle shift in her expression—her lips pressing together, eyes a little distant.

Akai quickly looked away. Maybe she's not comfortable sharing.

"I mean—if you don't want to, that's fine," he said, waving a hand. "Forget I asked—"

Thunk.

Huh? Somehow, I felt like a "Thwack" would've filled the air better, Akai thought.

A gentle smack landed on his head. Shisui stood beside him now, expression half stern, half amused.

"Idiot," he said, "you don't go prying into other villages' secret techniques like that. You know better."

And he did. Especially with something as sensitive as sealing arts. Besides, while the priestesses of the Land of Demons were certainly skilled, Akai knew well enough that the real legends of sealing came from another group entirely—the Uzumaki clan. Their expertise was practically mythic, etched into shinobi history.

...But it wasn't like he'd say that out loud right now.

To his surprise, Shion's reply came soft but steady.

"I don't mind."

Akai and Shisui both turned to her.

"You don't?" Shisui asked, blinking.

Shion shook her head slowly. "Actually… if Akai-san ever needed anything from me, I'd give it."

Silence fell.

Shisui stared at her, stunned.

Then, something glittered in his eyes.

What the hell is this strange energy surging through me?! he thought, rocked to his core. It's not just the kid—she's totally fallen for him! Maybe even worse than he has?!

That warm, knowing gaze returned—stronger, sharper.

Akai flinched.

Shion did too.

Shisui crossed his arms, nodding in approval. "Hm~ Hm~" he hummed, clearly basking in his own fantasy.

Both Akai and Shion slowly turned toward him, dread sinking in.

"I'll definitely support you two!" he declared, as if this were the most obvious love story ever written.

"...Shisui," Akai muttered, tone deadpan. "Whatever you're thinking right now..."

"...It's not like that!!" both he and Shion burst out, their voices overlapping in perfect, panicked harmony.

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The sky was starting to brighten into a soft midday glow as their lecture sessions stretched on.

Akai sat cross-legged in the dirt, furiously scribbling into his notebook. Around him, the ground was a chaotic sprawl of smeared glass lenses, half-burned prototype seals, and inked tags bleeding faint red into the soil.

Despite the casual sprawl of his posture and the occasional muttered sarcasm under his breath, there was a distinct spark in his eyes—sharp, electric, alive.

At his core, Akai was a researcher. Maybe that had bloomed only after he reincarnated as Akai Hyūga. He couldn't remember what he did in his past life—not really.

Just faint impressions: the worn-out rhythm of routine, the creak of an old office chair, the glare of fluorescent lights. Nothing solid. Nothing that mattered here.

But here?

Here, his curiosity thrived like wildfire.

And he learned fast. Too fast, some would say.

Genius.

That was the word people reached for.

Akai hated that word.

It made everything sound easy. Like he hadn't bled for every insight. Like the burn behind his eyes and the weight of sleepless nights weren't part of the equation.

Say that word in front of him, and you'd be lucky to leave with your nose unbroken.

"Okay," Shion's voice cut through the rustle of paper and tags, "so this section—basic warding seals.

They're commonly used on shrine grounds, but shinobi tweak them for barrier detection."

Akai's brush moved with fluid precision, replicating the seal diagram with practiced ease. "...So the composition is reactive. It resonates when chakra disturbs the field."

Shion blinked, then smiled. "Exactly. And if you use chakra-conductive talisman ink—"

"—It amplifies the detection range," Akai finished.

Even Shisui, lounging on a boulder nearby with one leg dangling lazily, gave a low whistle.

"Oi, oi. Ten minutes ago you looked like you were zoning out, and now you're talking like a someone who's been sealing since birth."

Akai didn't look up. "It's not that hard."

"Ah yes, of course not, they're paper," Shisui muttered.

Was that a dad joke?

Shion giggled softly, nudging a scroll closer. She was trying. Genuinely. 

Not just to teach—but to prepare him. She wasn't trying to bring Shisui back, not really. She just wanted Akai to be strong enough to stop it all from happening again.

Maybe even strong enough to carry the weight better than she'd seen him do... in the story.

Shisui noticed, of course. His gaze lingered a beat longer, eyes warm with something unspoken. But he didn't say a word. He just smiled.

Meanwhile, Akai had already shifted focus—hands now delicately working on a broken pair of glasses, seal tags laid out beside them. 

"This system... it's fascinating. At first glance, it seems like changing the language shouldn't affect the mechanics, but seals are essentially chakra programming. Directing energy through specific flow paths. Technically, just pouring chakra into the correct pattern should activate it."

He tilted the glasses slightly, examining the micro-etchings on the frame.

"The chakra-conductive ink just makes the process faster. You don't need to understand how the seal works—it simply guides the chakra for you."

As Akai tinkered, Shisui quietly pulled something from his cloak—a thick, fabric-bound notebook, edges worn, its surface scuffed from years of use.

He held it for a moment, like it carried weight beyond its pages.

Akai's journal.

The one packed with his observations on cursed spirits, diagrams of grotesque forms, cursed techniques in theory and practice, and page after page of speculative notes on execution methods.

Shisui flipped it open, eyes scanning over a crude drawing of a one eyed, birdlike spirit.

"Swarm type: Caged bird, and how to defeat them..." Shisui mumbled. "He even wrote snarky footnotes."

He smirked. "Tch. What a weirdo."

Akai didn't look up. "I can hear you, you know."

"I hope you can," Shisui replied, flipping the page, "I'm sitting five feet away."

"Then put it back before you start highlighting things."

"I already did."

"You what—"

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—Angry Akai noises in progress, please standby—

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In the far corner of the clearing, Akai sat hunched over a tiny workbench fashioned from a flipped-over box, furiously muttering under his breath. 

His red and white eye twitched as he flipped through pages of his once-pristine journal—now permanently vandalized by Shisui's enthusiastic and unrepentant highlighting.

"...Absolute heathen... desecrated it like some kind of savage... yellow highlighter... who even uses yellow...?" he grumbled, clenching the ruined notebook with trembling hands.

"He drew a smiley face next to a dissected curse diagram. Who does that?"

In front of him, a new pair of glasses sat waiting—seal tags carefully arranged around the frames, cursed energy faintly pulsing beneath the ink. 

Even while sulking, Akai's hands were steady, carefully applying cursed energy into the seal. A faint shimmer sparked as it activated briefly, the lenses did not turn red, but the afternoon sun painted it red nevertheless.

Shisui, meanwhile, stood nearby, studiously not looking at Akai. He heard everything. Every grumble. Every insult. But he chose silence, wisely deciding he probably deserved it.

Instead, he turned toward Shion and tapped two fingers together.

"Alright, my turn to share some wisdom," he said, cracking a grin. "Cursed energy 101: it's basically bad vibes weaponized."

Shion blinked. "...Bad vibes?"

"Yeah," he nodded. "Negative emotions—fear, hate, grief, rage—clump together and become energy. We use it to fuel jutsu. Or weapons. Or punch really hard."

"And if we don't use it...?" she asked, already half-knowing.

"It festers. It leaks. And eventually, you get curses. Real nasty ones if the emotion is strong enough. You can think of it like... rotting emotions growing limbs and teeth. Just like... 'Demons' as your people calls it."

Shion perked up, and then nodded.

The lesson continued smoothly, but when the last of the ink dried on Akai's seals and the sun shifted toward the west, a quieter energy settled over them.

Shion sat still, gazing into the horizon with a strange melancholy expression.

Shisui noticed first.

"You alright?" he asked, brows slightly raised. "You've been quiet."

Shion stood up slowly, brushing the grass from her clothes. "It's nothing," she said with a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "It's just... your ways are interesting."

He tilted his head. "Interesting?"

"Rather than trying to fight them with light... you devour darkness to fend off their own darkness."

Her words gave Shisui pause.

She wasn't speaking off the cuff—those were words she once read in a fanfiction long ago, where Akai had been the protagonist.

The very same Akai who, in the climax of the story, had slain a cursed Shisui that he himself had created through grief and obsession.

A version of Akai who had learned the hard way that intent alone could twist the strongest emotions into monsters.

A man who stood atop a broken world, declaring the era of cursed energy would no longer be feared—but understood and taught.

A man who promised that, no matter what, no one else would repeat his mistake.

"To fight something born of hatred," she said quietly, "you need someone who can survive in that hatred... and hurt it from within."

Then, with a soft exhale, she added:

"Unlike Exorcists, you're... Shamans. Right?"

The word slipped out with weight. With reverence.

Akai looked up from his corner, eyebrow raised. "Shamans...?"

Shion turned slightly, bashful. "Well—technically, you guys are shinobi, but again... just an impression."

Akai tilted his head, a thoughtful look on his face. Then, for the first time in a while, something strange tugged at his lips.

A smile.

"I like it," he said.

Shion blinked. Her face warmed.

Can he even smile like that? she wondered, stunned. 

The boy with a red eye and cynical expressions... smiling like a normal kid? Maybe after everything with Elder Genzou, Akai had recovered some fragment of his old life—his original self.

But it didn't feel like enough to explain this moment. It didn't feel like enough to explain the way her heart picked up speed.

Fortunately for her, the reddish tint of the setting sun made her face look no different than the world around her.

The moment passed in silence until Akai suddenly remembered something and turned toward Shion.

"Oh, by the way, Shion-san... yesterday, didn't you say you had an appointment with Hokage-sama at noon?"

Shion blinked. "Huh?"

Shisui also turned. "Huh?"

...

...

"What appointment?" (Shion)

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To be continued.