Konoha Village — Uchiha Clan District.
By the time Uchiha Shisui rushed back, night had already fallen.
He had two things to do in the village: first, a private matter Tsunade-sama had entrusted to him; second, the New Year was approaching.
The border force had been established for nearly two years now—time to start the rotation plan. To let everyone who'd been away from Konoha for so long come back for the holidays, the relief-and-replacement work would be completed before the New Year.
Members of other clans, and civilian shinobi, could be reassigned freely. The Uchiha couldn't.
Even though Tsunade hadn't said this explicitly, Shisui understood: he had to come back in person to oversee it. He needed to select carefully based on each clansman's temperament and leanings. Under no circumstances could he send the hardline hawks to the border. Their presence would severely affect those clansmen who could otherwise reintegrate into Konoha.
This once-in-a-lifetime opportunity would not come a second time. Anyone who tried to obstruct it—I would show no mercy!
With his mind made up, Shisui concealed the Mangekyō Sharingan that had surfaced and knocked on Uchiha Fugaku's door.
In the study, after a private discussion with Fugaku, they quickly reached agreement. Fugaku went to retrieve the clansmen's files. In the meantime, under Sasuke's resentful glare, Shisui "borrowed" Uchiha Itachi, who had just returned from work.
On the veranda steps in the courtyard, the two sat side by side.
"Shisui… is there something you can't let Sasuke hear?" Itachi asked softly.
"There is," Shisui nodded, glancing at the boy beside him. "But more than that—Itachi, I also want to talk to you seriously."
"About what?"
"Are you adapting to Anbu work?"
Itachi was silent for a moment, then nodded. "It's fine. Because of my age, it's hard for them to trust that I can handle things… but time will prove it."
"Yeah." Shisui sighed with feeling. "Time always proves—genius privilege is justified."
Then, without delay, he looked Itachi in the eyes and made his request. "But Itachi, I hope you'll submit an application to the Hokage and withdraw from Anbu. Come to the border and help me."
Itachi froze. "Why? Is the border situation getting worse? I heard that—"
"No." Shisui cut him off. "That's not the reason. It's… my personal selfishness."
"The conflict between the Uchiha and the village… finally has a solution. Once the first batch of border-duty shinobi rotates back, things will improve quickly."
That answer stunned Itachi. "Why?"
"It's all thanks to Tsunade-sama," Shisui said, voice filled with genuine gratitude—and also a trace of regret. The true benefactor was someone he still couldn't name.
"The border force she established and the mixed reorganization she pushed gave the Uchiha and the village a chance to talk again. With communication, understanding becomes possible. And on the front line, they've formed deep bonds of comradeship. Those bonds will help our clansmen rise beyond narrow clan thinking, and they'll also help the villagers see the Uchiha anew."
"There are more ways than this to deal with Kumogakure's threat—but the only solution that can pull the Uchiha out of the mire is this one. To a large extent, Tsunade-sama's true purpose was to help the Uchiha clan."
"So, Itachi—do you understand what I mean?" Shisui looked at him earnestly. "The Uchiha owe Tsunade-sama an enormous debt. We must repay it."
It took a long moment before Itachi's widened eyes settled. He murmured softly, "Tsunade-sama is indeed worthy of respect."
"The Uchiha can't defeat Konoha… but the clansmen can't easily recognize that. And that's why they won't realize that Tsunade-sama saved them without them even noticing. So you want me to assist her as well?"
Shisui suddenly laughed. "You could say that… and you could say you're wrong."
"At a time like this, you're joking?!" Itachi choked on the sudden turn. Even his cheeks puffed up as he reached out to pinch Shisui's face.
"Shisui!"
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Shisui threw both hands up in surrender.
He'd always treated Itachi like a real younger brother, and Itachi only showed this kind of childishness in front of him.
Lowering his voice, Shisui explained, "The border is actually very stable. In fact, a lot of the 'conflicts' with Kumogakure were deliberately provoked by us—just to keep the necessity of this force alive. But this—only Tsunade-sama and I know. Luckily, I'm decent at genjutsu. Kumogakure still hasn't noticed anything."
"And—Tsunade-sama already has tremendous prestige in the village. If she truly wants to contend for Fifth Hokage, the Uchiha's attitude won't change much. Strictly speaking, we can't actually help her with that."
Itachi quickly sorted out the details: Shisui's responsibilities at the border were twofold—managing daily affairs and secretly continuing to stir the Konoha–Kumo situation.
But both were ultimately fulfilling the Uchiha's needs. For Tsunade herself, they weren't truly necessary.
"Then… what should we do?"
"Return a favor with a favor," Shisui's eyes flashed. "Even if Tsunade-sama doesn't need our help—Kiyonari-kun might."
"I understand." Itachi immediately caught on. "Repay this debt through Hyuga—Kiyonari-kun. Tsunade-sama will naturally feel the Uchiha's sincerity."
"Exactly." Shisui nodded, satisfied—especially at the moment Itachi changed how he addressed Kiyonari.
"Besides rotation matters, Tsunade-sama also entrusted me to use this opportunity to bring Kiyonari-kun to the border. I heard he has already mastered the Mystical Palm Technique, so Tsunade-sama wants to test his results."
"This will take some of Tsunade-sama's time and energy, and I have a feeling things will get extremely busy next."
New Year, troop rotations, new arrivals needing time to adapt… and even if the border was stable, Kumogakure might still seize the chance to make a move. And once Kiyonari arrived, would he suggest changes to the current situation?
Sigh.
Shisui sighed inwardly and continued, "So—if you could come help me, things would be much easier."
"Shisui, I…" Itachi hesitated.
"What is it?" Shisui noticed the reluctance. "Do you have concerns?"
Itachi was quiet for a moment, then shook his head. "I'm sorry, Shisui… I don't think I can agree."
"Why?"
"Because of Sasuke." Itachi's voice softened at once. "If I go to the border, assuming nothing unexpected happens, I won't be back until around this time next year. A whole year without seeing me… Sasuke…"
"And now that the Uchiha and the village have room to ease tensions, I feel lighter too. I've neglected Sasuke for so long—I want to make it up to him."
Shisui smiled with understanding. He knew how much Itachi loved his little brother.
"I didn't think it through. Then forget it."
"Shisui…" Itachi looked at him, not expecting him to accept so quickly. A trace of wavering crossed his heart. "Give me some time to think about it."
"Alright." Shisui patted Itachi's shoulder. "I'll depart in three days. Until then, you can come find me anytime. You can also spend more time with Sasuke. There's still a month until New Year—if you want, you can even come with the rotating clansmen."
They chatted a bit longer until Fugaku came looking for them, and then they parted.
Three days later, in the morning.
Hyuga Kiyonari left Konoha's gates together with Shisui. He had already said goodbye to his friends and specifically told them not to see him off.
Yet as he stepped outside the village, Hinata still quietly emerged from behind roadside grass, silently watching him go.
On the journey, Shisui maintained high alert at all times.
His Sharingan hardly closed. Not the slightest movement escaped his eyes. Even at night when resting, he set up an extra barrier technique outside the bell traps.
Kiyonari couldn't help asking curiously, "Shisui-senpai… aren't you a bit too tense? We're just going to the border, not on some dangerous mission."
"No, Kiyonari-kun." Shisui answered with great seriousness. "Tsunade-sama specifically ordered me to protect you. No matter what, I can't let my guard down."
"That's still a bit much, isn't it?"
"It's my duty."
Seeing Shisui insist, Kiyonari had nothing more to say.
They traveled at speed, but to accommodate him, they didn't reach the border base until two nights later.
When Kiyonari saw the enormous camp—so large it could be called brightly lit—he couldn't help being surprised.
Two years ago, Tsunade's letter home had described only a single lonely wooden cabin here. Now, what stood before him looked like a small town-sized base.
Two guards stood at the entrance. Seeing Shisui, they immediately bowed.
"Shisui-sama, you're back."
"Mm. Is Tsunade-sama here?"
"In the command office."
"Good. I understand."
Shisui led Kiyonari through the camp. Along the way, shinobi they passed saluted them. These were shinobi from many different clans: Uchiha, Hyuga, Sarutobi, Akimichi, Yamanaka, Nara—and also civilian shinobi with no clan insignia. People of many identities were mixed together, chatting warmly, with no sense of awkwardness at all.
The Konoha forehead protector on their heads was no longer merely an identifier.
As the person who had set all of this in motion, Hyuga Kiyonari felt a heavy, satisfying warmth rise from deep within as he witnessed it with his own eyes.
Soon, they reached their destination. Shisui knocked lightly.
"Tsunade-sama, Kiyonari-kun has arrived."
"Come in."
Hearing Tsunade's voice, Shisui stepped back half a pace, signaling for Kiyonari to enter first.
Kiyonari opened the door. Tsunade was seated behind her desk, reviewing documents. "Sensei, long time no see."
"Long time no see." Tsunade set down her pen and stood, her amber eyes inspecting him carefully. "The trip went smoothly?"
"Very smoothly. Thanks to Shisui-senpai's care."
"Good." Tsunade stepped closer, measured his height with her hand, then gently pulled him into a hug.
"Mm. You look healthy, and you've grown quite a bit. How did Nonō teach you?"
That unimaginably overwhelming embrace nearly swallowed him. Kiyonari could only force himself to focus and answer.
"She's a very responsible teacher. She explained every aspect of medicine clearly. Even without medical ninjutsu, I'm confident I could become an excellent doctor."
"Confidence is good."
Tsunade released him and flicked his forehead lightly with her finger, an affectionate scolding.
"But theory and practice are still two different things. Here at the border, you'll have plenty of chances to see real wounded. When that happens, you'll understand."
"I understand."
"Alright. Enough chatter for now." Tsunade returned to her seat and pointed to the chairs beside it. "Sit. I have something to discuss with both of you."
"Kiyonari—based on what you saw along the way, what do you think of this border force?"
Kiyonari rubbed his chin and thought seriously. Shisui, sitting beside him, couldn't help watching with expectation.
"Hmm… if I had to say it, I'd call it… thriving."
He meant the word in its original sense—nothing to do with that one infamous "worst-rated" game.
"Thriving?" Tsunade repeated the word thoughtfully. "So you're saying there's still a lot of room for improvement."
Kiyonari spread his hands helplessly. "I just arrived, and I can only judge from everyone's spirit and morale."
Shinobi were a nation's military power, but they were still quite different from true professional soldiers. It was hard to find that kind of harsh battlefield atmosphere here—shinobi were already used to killing, so there was no need to tense up deliberately.
Then Kiyonari suddenly changed the subject. "But as for you, Sensei… I do have something to say."
"Oh?" Tsunade's brows rose with interest.
"If you really want to cultivate Shisui-senpai as your successor, you shouldn't be burying yourself in every administrative detail and then assigning tasks afterward. You should let Shisui-senpai review the work first, have him filter out what requires your personal decision, and then present those parts to you."
"To become a leader, studying isn't enough. You must first learn to think."
The moment those words landed, the last trace of doubt in Shisui's heart vanished completely. At this point, he was absolutely certain: the person who saved the Uchiha clan was Kiyonari.
Shisui was about to speak—when Kiyonari's stomach made an ill-timed sound.
"Grr~"
Only then did Shisui react, face full of apology. "To reach the border today, aside from breakfast, we haven't eaten all day. I'm fine, but I neglected that Kiyonari-kun is still young—he eats little and gets hungry quickly."
Tsunade waved a hand. "Shisui, take Kiyonari to eat first. We'll talk about the rest tomorrow."
The mess hall was the largest wooden building in the entire camp—impossible to miss no matter where you were.
Even though it was already night, it was still packed inside. Many shinobi who had just finished missions were eating, and others were preparing rations for the night shift.
After a full meal, Kiyonari leaned back in his chair contentedly. Shisui still had work to do, so he left first.
Only then did Kiyonari realize Shisui hadn't arranged sleeping quarters for him. When he chased after him, Shisui was already gone.
After wandering around, he ended up back at Tsunade's command office.
"Um… Sensei, where am I sleeping tonight?"
"Where?" Tsunade blinked, then answered as if it were obvious. "With me and Shizune, of course."
Oh no.
This is a two-sided grilled-cheese sandwich, and I'm the cheese.
Kiyonari froze. "T-that's not appropriate, is it? Men and women shouldn't—"
Before he finished, Tsunade couldn't hold it and burst into laughter. "Hahahaha— you little brat, you actually know 'men and women shouldn't touch'?"
She walked over, squatted in front of him, and pinched his cheeks, rubbing them back and forth.
"You've got the ability for that? And you're talking about 'men and women shouldn't touch'?"
What kind of talk is that?!
Are you looking down on me?!
Tsunade seemed to read his thoughts and immediately stifled her laughter. "Relax. Your teacher isn't going to eat you. At most—"
She leaned in and grinned.
"—I'll just check if you're developing normally~"
~~~
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