Chapter 8: Gaining the Second Shikigami

[Shinji's Perspective]

As it turns out, Konoha had some standards. Apparently, they wouldn't sell exploding tags to kids.

How ironic. A village that sent children to war had drawn the line at explosives. Very responsible of them.

Unfortunately, this meant I had to figure out another way to get my hands on those tags. Without them, taming the rabbit Shikigami would be significantly harder.

Walking home, I brainstormed ideas.

"Maybe I could transform into an adult ninja? No, I don't know the Transformation Jutsu yet."

"Stealing? Nah, that's just asking for trouble."

"Maybe I could learn Fuinjutsu and make my own? …Yeah, not happening anytime soon."

I ran through several more bad ideas before finally settling on one that might actually work. It required patience and a bit of risk, but if I executed it correctly, I'd have what I needed without raising suspicion.

With my plan in mind, I headed home, made myself some food, and finalized the details.

A few days later, I stood outside a small pub, blending into the shadows.

This was my target—a regular drunkard, a washed-up genin who had long since stopped advancing in rank. He was a veteran of past wars, one who had survived only to drown himself in alcohol every night.

I had been trailing him for days using a newfound ability I had unlocked during my cursed energy training—the ability to merge into my own shadow. It wasn't teleportation, but it gave me an incredible advantage in stealth and defense.

From my hiding spot, I watched as he stumbled out of the pub, reeking of sake, his steps unsteady.

'Tonight's the night.'

[Random Ninja's Perspective]

I drank a lot today. Just like every other night.

But what else could I do? The moment I closed my eyes, the memories returned—the screams, the blood, the bodies of comrades and enemies alike staining the battlefield.

The Raikage had cut through us like we were insects. I never wanted to see that again. Never wanted to feel that fear. Never wanted to relive the rage and sorrow that war brought.

So, I drank. And drank. And drank. At least then, I could sleep.

Tonight was supposed to be the same. But as I stumbled home, walking through a dimly lit alleyway, something felt wrong.

My body tensed.

It was the same feeling I had on the battlefield—the instinct that told me when death was near. I turned sharply, scanning my surroundings, but found nothing.

Yet, the feeling persisted.

I moved erratically, trying to detect the source of the threat while keeping my guard up. Then, from the corner of my eye, I saw a shadow move.

I spun toward it, but before I could react, a sharp pain struck the back of my head. My vision blurred, darkness closing in.

The last thing I saw was a black hound emerging from the shadows.

[Shinji's Perspective]

'Damn, he noticed me even though I never left my shadow?'

My mind raced as I executed a quick substitution with Kuro, swapping places with my Shikigami. I appeared behind the ninja and struck the back of his head with my sheathed sword.

He dropped instantly.

I exhaled, feeling the adrenaline rush through my body. So, war veterans develop an instinct for danger... That was something I'd have to keep in mind.

Moving quickly, I searched his belongings. Kunai, shuriken… bingo—ten explosive tags. Not a lot, but enough for my plan.

I placed a handful of ryo in his pouch as payment. I wasn't a thief—I just needed these more than he did.

Without wasting another second, I merged into the shadows and disappeared into the night.

The next day, I stood deep within a secluded section of the forest outside Konoha. The area was silent, untouched by any human presence. Perfect.

Around me, six explosive tags were attached to trees, forming a trap zone. Four more were stored in my shadow, attached to kunai.

I took a deep breath and formed the Rabbit hand seal.

My shadow stretched forward, shifting and bending unnaturally. From within its depths, a single rabbit emerged.

A symbol marked its belly—a cloak with three dots attached to it.

This was it.

As soon as I took a step forward, the forest floor erupted in motion.

An uncountable number of rabbits appeared from every direction, their bodies lunging toward me in a swarm of claws and teeth.

I reacted instantly, summoning Shiro and Kuro with the Dog hand seal. Simultaneously, I retrieved a kunai from my shadow and threw it into the largest cluster of attacking rabbits.

A second later—BOOM.

The explosion tore through the swarm, sending chunks of shadow-rabbit flesh flying. The remains disintegrated, melting into darkness before returning to my shadow.

But there were still too many.

Shiro and Kuro fought fiercely, tearing through the rabbits with ease. Their claws and fangs ripped through the horde, keeping them from overwhelming me.

I jumped back, narrowly avoiding their frenzied assault as I approached the centre of the trap zone and activated all of the explosive tags on the trees. Another blast rocked the area bigger than before, it destroyed all the trees around me and thinning their numbers further.

But I had to get to the marked rabbit to end it.

Spotting it perched on a tree to my left, I shouted, "Kuro, take it down!"

Kuro leapt, but the rabbit dodged, darting away with inhuman speed.

Gritting my teeth, I retrieved another kunai and threw it—but I missed.

I smirked.

Activating the explosive tag attached to the kunai, another explosion tore through the battlefield, scattering the swarm.

Using the smoke as cover, I dived straight for the marked rabbit.

Panic flickered in its eyes as it tried to counterattack. A massive rabbit swarm shaped like a serpent lunged at me from behind.

But Shiro was faster.

With a powerful snap of his jaws, he bit through the lead rabbit's head, causing the entire mass to collapse into shadow.

The battle was over.

I landed, catching my breath, surveying the wreckage. The forest was a mess. Smoke drifted through the air, the ground was littered with destroyed rabbits, and several trees had been damaged.

I sighed, rubbing my temples. "I should probably leave before someone investigates this."

With that, I ran out of the forest, taking the long way back to my apartment to avoid suspicion.

Three and a half months in this world, and I had officially tamed my second Shikigami.

But something felt… off.

Why was it so much stronger than I expected?

Even after using eight explosive tags, the swarm had barely been reduced.

Were all the future Shikigami going to be this powerful?

I needed to be careful.

Without mastering ninjutsu, I shouldn't try to tame any more just yet.

Exhaling, I turned to my two companions. "Alright, let's see what this new guy can do."

Forming the Rabbit hand seal, I called forth my newest Shikigami.

The rabbit emerged, staring up at me with an innocent smile.

And then—

My room was suddenly flooded with soft, fluffy rabbits.