No time for Halloween? Halloween will come for you

Jun was stunned by the appearance of a spirit right there beside him. Soon he began to notice more and more presences, figures of men and women, some talking to each other, others just wandering around the cemetery, which before was absolutely deserted and now looked like a park on a sunny day, full of people. “What the hell…”. The genin was amazed as he walked through the cemetery amidst the spirits, who seemed to be more active than ever, but they did not seem to notice the presence of Jun. He even tried to get the attention of what seemed to be a spirit-couple arguing on a cemetery bench by waving and shouting next to them, but he was absolutely ignored, as if he wasn't there at all. Another odd thing is that, even that Jun could see the spirits lips moving as they were talking, he couldn’t hear any sound at all, as if they were all on mute, and they seemed to not hear Jun as well.

“Can’t they see or hear me?”. He decided to activate his Tengan to test his theory that the doujutsu couldn’t see the spirits as they had no thermal signature, and he was indeed right. With his doujutsu activated, all the spirits just disappeared from his sight, as they were not there at all, as Jun looked upon all the cemetery area… and something caught his attention.
The young shinobi saw, in the opposite side of the cemetery, a very weak thermal signature shaped like a person, very weak but still a thermal signature.  “So spirits aren’t my only companion on this graveyard… this could be the guy opening the tombs”. He stealthily rushed toward the thermal signature he detected.
 
The young Shibasaki came across as he approached an elderly, bald man, who had a shovel by his side and was standing, staring at a grave while muttering words. Jun continued watching the old man without revealing his presence, when suddenly he made typical jutsu handseals and, with a technique Jun didn't recognized, probably earth style, removed all the earth covering a grave. “I found him!”. Excited to have finally found the criminal, Jun acted recklessly and came out of hiding, revealing himself to the old man.

- Stop right there, grandpa.

The old man indeed stopped mumbling, as he turned around, without seeing surprised, to look to the young man that just appeared behind him. He was indeed a very old man, but he also seemed somehow… familiar to Jun.

- What do you want by breaching all this graves? Steal stuff from it? Are you the one summoning the spirits?

- Summoning, eh? Young man… I just want them to come back to their homes, you see?

As the old man speaked with his very frail voice, Jun suddenly recognized him. That guy was the gravedigger of the cemetery... the same one who had buried his father years ago.

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WC: 490
TWC: 5635

Jun was absolutely mesmerized. He remembered, after all these years, the man who had dug the grave and buried his father 7 years ago.

- What the hell are you talking about? You want the spirits to come back home? Are you behind this madness?

- Young man… you wouldn’t understand – replied the gravedigger, with his peculiar and frail voice.

- Try me!

- My family take care of this burial site for over 400 years, long before this was Kumogakure no Sato. From generation to generation, the task to take care of the ones that are resting here was passed, and along that responsibility, there was a prophecy passed on to warn us all… a prophecy…. a… a… a… - Suddenly the elder lost his words, as if he forgot them, and began to mumble words that Jun didn't understand in a quick and disjointed way.

- Are you ok, grandpa?

He looked again toward Jun, as if he was seeing the shinobi for the first time in his life

- Who are you, boy? – asked the elderly, looking confused by the young Shibasaki’s presence -Oh, excuse me I have so much work to do with these graves…The old man continued, as he turned his back on Jun and headed towards another tomb.

- Wait, sir! You were going to tell me about the prophecy!

- How the hell you know about the prophecy? Your nosy boy, I have too much work to do… - Before the elder could finish his speech, his legs gave out and the old man fell to his knees on the ground, which made Jun promptly run towards him to lift him up and hold him.

- I got you, sir!

- Ooof, I’m so tired boy… I just need to sit for a bit and rest for 5 minutes… - replied the old man, winded and trembling. Guiding him to the nearest bench while helping him to walk, Jun could feel that his heart was racing and that he was in a cold sweat.

- Thank you, young man, you’re very kind… I just need to catch my breath for a second…

- Take your time, grandpa… - said Jun, as he sat next to the elder, who looked increasingly weak.

- No, no…the prophecy…it’s important… I…I just need to remember it…oh yes, the prophecy. You see, my clan always foresaw the recent events, with the spirits walking among us. It goes like this if I’m not mistaken: one day the earth will become saturated from the shinobi's constant use of chakra... "one day, earth will align with the farthest planet in our solar system, and the barrier that separates our world from that of the spirit realm will thin considerably, allowing those who are gone to return, and a ominous and foreboding messenger will arrive"… The thinning of this barrier, or veil, was at its most intense a few days ago… right now, the veil is becoming solid once more and the spirits are returning back to their realm… but them, the ENVOY will come to try to rip the veil between realms once and for all… I’m just trying to guide the spirits that can’t find their way back by pointing them the way, before he arrives, as he would consume all these poor souls when stepping onto this realm to empower himself, and that cannot happen, not on my watch. Would you help me, young man? Would you help me guide the spirits? My watch is almost over…

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WC: 590
TWC: 6225

The old gravedigger kept starring at a confused Jun Shibasaki as he asked the young shinobi for help… with what exactly? Jun had no idea.

- Help you how?

-Unfortunately this madness happened on my watch… so I’m just doing what my father told me to do when this day arrived: to help the spirits trapped in this world back into their eternal rest… cof cof… - some dry coughing interrupted the old man – and as my father instructed, we must open their graves so they can find the way back to their eternal rest…


- So that’s why you are opening the graves? So they return to their coffins and stuff? This makes absolutely no… - and as Jun was about to finish his sentence, he realized that indeed, in the grave that the old man opened while Jun was stealthily watching him, there was a spirit of an old lady, slowly walking toward it as she was somehow attracted to it, and then she just phased through her coffin and simply disappeared – What the hell… you’re actually right, grandpa!

- Of course I’m right! But who are you, boy? Help me up, I need to help the ones left behind… - mumbled the old man, looking again very confused, as he tried to support himself into Jun to stand up.

- I’m the one that is going to help you finish your last mission, grandpa… - and so Jun gently helped the old man up.

And for the rest of the night, he guided the old gravedigger throughout the cemetery, supporting the old man on his feet, helping him sit up to rest and pointing him in the right directions, that he always told Jun before forgetting it a few moments later where was he going. Usually, the old man would use a Douton Jutsu to open the tombs, at great cost to his vitality, with Jun eventually helping by using a shovel when he was very winded, and soon a passing by spirit would gladly enter it to return to their realm. 

Grave after grave after grave, finally by the time the sun was almost rising, the last spirit entered his tomb, and their job was finally done. The old man was absolutely exhausted as he did most of his job with his Doton Jutsu, so Jun helped him to sit on and bench as he heavily breathed, trying to catch his breath.

- Than…thank you…whoever you are… now my watch I complete…

- You are welcome, grandpa.  But you need to rest, so don’t keep talking too much… - told him Jun, while contemplating the sunrise, knowing now that he wouldn’t see his father after all.

- I.. I can tell you have someone that is no longer in this realm with us… someone very dear to you…

- Yes… my father… he is right here, buried at this cemetery… but I never saw him… I hoped I would to be honest… I just miss him so much… - said a now emotional Jun.

- You know why some spirits stayed trapped in this realm? It’s because their living beloved still did not let go of them… they did not accept their departure… and by doing it so, they trapped their loved ones in a realm that they no longer belong… you, young man, you let your father be a free spirit, and now his watching you from the spirit realm, and I’m sure he’s a very proud father… cof cof cof cof… my watch is coming to an end, boy… but still there is one last task you must do… - the old man now tore off a necklace he had around his neck, with a strange stone as a pendant, and he handled to Jun – You must stop him, the ENVOY... he is coming… it’s the last piece of the prophecy… promise me!

- I… I promised, but who or what is the Envoy?

- My watch is almost over… you’ll be ready when the time comes… just keep the stone and… you must stop him from stepping into this realm… cof cof… my watch is over, boy…

And then the old man leaned back on the bench and closed his eyes, at least gone to his deserved and eternal rest, leaving Jun, sitting there on the same bench, absolutely confused and terrified by what was coming next, but also with a feeling of pride for helping the old gravedigger send the spirits back home and of not having trapped his father in the world of the living just out of a selfish feeling. “How the hell I will write all of that to my report to Captain Agamoto…”

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WC: 785
TWC: 7010

EXIT CLAIMS: