"Do you want to know the future of the Uchiha?"
"Do you want to stop feeling lost?"
"Yes" or "No"
Year 48 of Konoha.
Friction simmered along the borders of every nation.
With the eruption of the Nine-Tails incident, the Golden Flash who once deterred the entire shinobi world fell alongside the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki within Konoha. The ninja world, which had only just begun to calm, boiled over once more.
In the winter of that same year, the Third Hokage returned to the forefront, raising Konoha's banner high to steady the hearts of the troops. The village's elite forces were fully mobilized. Even the Uchiha clan—caught at the very center of suspicion and unrest—were repeatedly dispatched to the eastern front to engage the Hidden Mist.
Winter, Year 49.
Sensing Konoha's fierce resistance, the other villages found themselves unable to continue the fight. The lingering aftershocks of the Third Shinobi World War gradually faded into silence.
"Captain! Captain! Shisui—wake up, Shisui!"
A worried voice rang beside his ear.
Lying beneath a tree, Uchiha Shisui slowly opened his eyes. His gaze was unfocused, staring blankly at the dense canopy overhead, motionless.
"Shisui, what's wrong with you? Damn it—clean up the traces. We're retreating immediately!"
What… happened to me?
A large hand waved in front of his face. At last, Shisui's awareness returned, and he regained control of his body.
The first thing he saw was the anxious expression of his clansman—Uchiha Hikaru.
Shisui shook his head. His mind felt strangely light, as if he had just woken from a dream. Yet no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't remember a single detail.
"What happened?"
"You don't remember?" Hikaru blinked in surprise, then quickly explained, "You defeated two Mist nin, and then suddenly collapsed. You scared me half to death. I checked you over—no injuries. You've probably just been pushing yourself too hard lately. Let me take you back to camp to rest."
"Mist…"
Shisui's eyes sharpened as memory returned.
After the Nine-Tails disaster, the Uchiha clan's situation had only grown more precarious. To restore their reputation, the clan head answered the Hokage's call and sent members to the eastern front.
As the strongest Uchiha in the public eye, Shisui naturally charged into battle without hesitation. Though the war was nearing its end, recent skirmishes had intensified. After two straight months of high-intensity combat, he had suddenly blacked out.
"What about the others?"
Now that he understood the situation, Shisui paid no mind to his own condition. There were more pressing matters.
"I sent them to stand guard. The Mist managed to infiltrate here—there might be more enemies nearby."
"They may have already bypassed the main line. Recall everyone. We're heading to the rear camp."
The rear camp housed logistics and medical units—second in importance only to the frontline command post.
"Mito Gate Captain Shōgo is guarding the rear camp. Right now, what matters is your body—" Hikaru's worry deepened. Collapsing in battle was something that had never happened to Uchiha Shisui before.
"I'm fine. I know my limits. Recall the squad."
"…Yes, Captain."
With a reluctant sigh, Hikaru signaled. Moments later, three more figures emerged from the forest. They wore Konoha's standard shinobi attire—but bore no Uchiha crest.
Shisui's expression turned grave as he faced them. "From this moment on, full speed to the rear camp."
"Yes, Captain!"
Without another word, Shisui took the lead, weaving through the forest like a streak of wind.
Yet as he ran, a faint voice echoed persistently in his mind—unclear, elusive—leaving him distracted.
"Don't panic! Reinforcements are coming! Gather together! Any shinobi who can still move—join the fight!"
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
A quarter hour later, desperate shouts near the rear camp snapped Shisui back to focus.
His pupils shifted.
Three tomoe spun slowly within his scarlet eyes as he gazed toward the rear camp.
It was already shrouded in thick mist. Flames and explosions flickered within.
"We're too late. They really slipped through…" Hikaru's face darkened. "Where's Mito Gate's unit?"
"Prepare for battle."
With his back to the others, Shisui raised his right hand—and brought it down sharply.
Without hesitation, the four vanished into the mist, rushing toward the rear camp. Shisui scanned the battlefield briefly, then flickered away in another direction.
Whoosh—whoosh—whoosh!
The moment they entered the dense fog, dozens of shuriken shot at them from all directions.
"Hmph. Cheap tricks."
Hikaru sneered as his own three-tomoe Sharingan spun to life.
With a flick of his wrist, several shuriken flew from his hand, curving in strange arcs to collide midair with the incoming barrage.
Metal clashed. Sparks scattered.
The enemy shuriken veered off course, grazing past them harmlessly.
"What?!"
"Damn it—it's the Uchiha! Stop them! Don't let them reinforce the rear camp!"
"Only four of them? How boring."
A savage grin curled across Hikaru's face. Lightning crackled along his blade as his crimson eyes swept across the hidden attackers.
"Don't underestimate us!"
"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet!"
A thunderous roar shook the mist.
Meanwhile—
In the rear camp, dozens of high-pressure water blades shot toward the tents from every direction.
"Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!"
Earthen barriers rose in haste, blocking part of the assault.
But many water blades tore through the tents regardless, shredding flesh and spraying blood into the air.
Inside the rear camp were mostly medical shinobi and wounded soldiers withdrawn from the front lines. Against this sudden ambush, they stood almost defenseless.
"Captain—we're surrounded! We can't reach Captain Mito Gate!"
A blood-soaked shinobi staggered back from the mist, grief etched across his face as he reported to the medical unit leader, Kohane Utatane.
"Damn it! How did they break through? This wasn't supposed to happen!"
Her face was pale as she struggled to direct the remaining combat-capable shinobi to raise more earth walls against the relentless assault.
At the first sign of attack, she had organized an attempt to disperse the mist and reestablish contact with the forward troops.
They had failed.
"Water Release: Great Waterfall Technique!"
With a deafening crash, the earth walls collapsed. Dozens of Mist shinobi rode surging waves as they charged in.
Two of them formed razor-sharp water fangs in their hands, lunging straight at Kohane.
It's over…
Despair filled her heart. Unlike Tsunade, she was not a frontline combat medic.
Then—
Within the mist, a pair of scarlet eyes slowly opened.
The two Mist shinobi charging her merely glanced at them—
And instantly convulsed before collapsing lifelessly to the ground.
Shing—
A silver flash cut through the fog.
A figure flickered like a phantom. Screams rose one after another. Those crimson eyes were like the mark of the Reaper himself—wherever they passed, Mist shinobi fell, utterly powerless to resist.
"It's Shisui of the Body Flicker! Why is he here? Run—!"
The terrified cry ended abruptly.
With the final caster down, the mist quickly dispersed.
Vision returned.
The rear camp fell silent.
Everyone stared in shock at the sea of corpses—and at the lone figure standing in the pool of blood.
Uchiha Shisui.
His expression was calm.
Of the five Mist squads assigned to intercept reinforcements, he had eliminated three. The eight squads that attacked the rear camp had been completely wiped out.
After confirming the numbers, Shisui finally exhaled in relief.
"Taiwa—hang on, Taiwa! We promised we'd return to the village together! Keiko's still waiting for you! Stay with me!"
A desperate scream tore through the silence.
They turned to see a shinobi named Taiwa, his body wrapped in old bandages. A water blade had sliced into his abdomen, blood pouring endlessly.
The man holding him was wounded as well.
"…Sorry. Looks like I won't make it back. Keiko… I'm counting on you…"
Taiwa's breath grew faint.
Before he could finish, the light left his eyes.
Grief surfaced in Shisui's gaze. He looked around.
Of the hundred-plus wounded in the camp, nearly half were gone. The rest lay groaning in agony.
Kohane Utatane strode forward, fury blazing in her eyes as she confronted him.
"Uchiha Shisui—why did you let the Mist break through the line? Why did your reinforcements arrive so late?"
"If you hadn't failed in your duty, would so many have died?"
"…What?"
Shisui froze, momentarily speechless.
"That's right! It's the Uchiha's fault!"
Her accusation was like a stone cast into still water.
The grief in the camp twisted instantly into hatred. Cold stares locked onto Shisui, who stood in bloodstained silence.
"Don't joke with me! Taiwa promised we'd go home together! It's your fault—your Uchiha's fault!"
Pain turned to rage. Curses and resentment rained down upon him.
"Shut up! You ungrateful bastards! If Captain hadn't come, you'd all be dead!"
Hikaru and the others arrived from the forest, having eliminated the remaining Mist squads.
Unlike Shisui, Hikaru had no patience for restraint. His Sharingan spun slowly as he swept his gaze across the crowd.
The camp fell silent.
Some looked away.
Others glared with hatred—but dared not speak.
"It was your responsibility to stop them!" Kohane snapped coldly. "If you hadn't failed, we wouldn't have been attacked!"
"That's right! It was your responsibility!"
"Damn Uchiha—it's all your fault!"
They had found their justification.
Stopping the enemy—that was what the Uchiha were supposed to do.
Why should they feel gratitude?
"You—!"
Veins bulged on Hikaru's forehead. Crimson chakra nearly seeped from his body.
"I'm sorry."
Shisui suddenly caught Hikaru's arm.
With a sorrowful expression, he bowed deeply to the crowd.
"Shisui!"
"Brother Hikaru… let's go."
Turning his back on the accusations, Shisui gave the four of them a gentle smile and vanished.
Hikaru cast Kohane one last vicious glare. His Sharingan spun—
Her body stiffened. Terror filled her eyes as she involuntarily staggered backward.
"Hmph."
With a cold snort, Hikaru left, taking with him the two Mist shinobi Shisui had subdued.
Back at the forward command tent, Shisui reported the day's events to the Eastern Front commander, Nara Suzaku.
Suzaku's face remained troubled. After listening, his gaze turned complicated.
"Today was thanks to you. Tomorrow, I'll convene a jōnin meeting to investigate the breach."
He paused.
"We've also received word from the Hokage. The war with the Land of Water is officially over. Those two Mist prisoners may be used for a hostage exchange."
"I understand. I'll have Hikaru hand them over tomorrow."
A faint smile appeared on Shisui's face.
The war was finally over.
That was good news.
"You've worked hard, Jōnin Shisui. Go get some rest."
"Yes."
Back in his tent, after setting up barriers to block outsiders, Shisui lay quietly on his bed.
The smile faded.
His eyes were distant.
"Why…"
Then—
That voice echoed again within his mind.
"Do you want to know the future of the Uchiha?"
"Do you want to stop feeling lost?"
"Yes… or No?"