Iruka-sensei was expounding at the board, screeching loudly with chalk and explaining some important things, but Naruto, as usual, wasn't listening.
Sarada nee-chan...
He sighed.
And why did she run off? How did I offend her?
Outside the window, a flock of birds strolled across the ground, and Naruto watched them. They distracted him from his thoughts far less than Iruka-sensei.
"Na-ru-to!"
He jumped on his bench.
"Huh? What, dattebayo?"
"You're not listening!"
Naruto scowled. Any other time he'd have given Iruka-sensei a proper retort, but now... His heart was too heavy. Naruto just stayed silent, utterly surprising his teacher, who was already braced for another prank.
The bell for break...
Should he skip the rest of class?
"Did you hear?" his female classmates whispered loudly. "They killed everyone in the Uchiha clan."
Naruto was passing by but suddenly froze in place.
"Only Sasuke-kun survived..." Ino continued.
He scanned the classroom. That arrogant idiot Sasuke wasn't there. How had he not noticed? But where was he?
"Hey!" Naruto flew over to the girls, bursting into their intimate circle. "Repeat what you said!"
The girls recoiled from him in fright.
"Get lost! I'm not repeating anything for you," Ino declared belligerently.
His heart raced so fast that Naruto started suffocating. Blood pounded noisily in his ears.
"Is that true? It's not a joke? You're serious?"
Ino, seeing how alarmed he was, faltered and stopped attacking.
"Yeah. I heard my parents talking about it this morning. Hey, Naruto. What's wrong?"
Naruto recoiled from the girls as if stung and bolted into the corridor, then out into the street. He ended up skipping after all, but not for mischief this time.
I have to know. Ino is an idiot. Ino is lying.
Naruto brushed tears from his lashes and stopped by the fence, catching his breath. Why was it so hard to breathe? Once he'd somewhat recovered, he dashed on toward the Uchiha district. Sarada often visited his place, but he'd never been to hers. For some reason, he'd always been afraid to enter the Uchiha clan district. How was he planning to get in now? Risking it all?
But the dilemma resolved itself. Panting, Naruto stopped at the district entrance. He couldn't go further: the gates were cordoned off with yellow tape, and an Anbu in a cat mask stood guard.
"No entry."
"But my friend lives there, ttebayo!"
The Anbu didn't respond.
Or rather, used to live there?
"Hey, hey, mister! Is it true what they're saying? That all the Uchiha were killed except Sasuke?"
Silence.
"Why won't you answer?!" Naruto was on the verge of tears.
The Anbu took pity and replied curtly:
"Classified information."
Naruto trudged back.
No. Impossible. Even if Ino didn't lie, they couldn't have just killed Sarada nee-chan like that. She's strong.
Naruto felt like he was falling somewhere. An unbelievable, inconceivable piece of news. The Uchiha clan...
But they're all strong, dattebayo! How could they be killed? Why didn't they fight back? And... who?! Did some maniac that strong really appear in our village? Nee-chan was with me; maybe she didn't go home? Maybe no one knows she's alive?
If Sarada nee-chan is alive, where would she go? If not training or a mission, then to Shinko nee-chan, obviously. The teahouse had long become their unofficial meeting spot, though Naruto always preferred Ichiraku Ramen. He spotted the friendly waitress from afar. Shinko nee-chan sat on the terrace, hugging a sobbing unfamiliar girl by the shoulder.
"I can't believe it, Itachi-san... Really?"
"Yeah, Himuka. I still can't believe it either. But facts are facts."
Naruto stopped nearby, eavesdropping on the conversation.
Itachi... Uh. Sasuke's brother. He too...?
It seemed all of Konoha was discussing the Uchiha tragedy today. Naruto was about to step toward the terrace when the unfamiliar girl spoke again.
"But, senpai!"
"I'm not senpai anymore, yeah? Stop calling me that!"
"But..."
"Sho, you gonna keep crying? Here, eat some dango."
Shinko slid a tray of sweets toward her. Himuka wiped the tears streaming down her cheeks and, mouth agape, pulled a dango ball off the stick.
"Thanks... It's delicious."
Shinko threw her head back, as if recalling something.
"There's one thing I still can't figure out."
"Mm?"
"That kid is six years younger than me, but he always seemed so grown-up."
"I get what you mean. I always called him Itachi-senpai; it just came naturally."
"A lot can happen to someone who's been through a lot, yeah. They snap... But Itachi... I knew him. I'm telling you, Itachi-kun wasn't the type to do something like that, and they say he even killed that sweet girl he brought here once."
Killed that sweet girl.
"So he did have a girlfriend?" Himuka forced out bitterly.
"Oh, what?" Shinko perked up. "You had your eye on him, yeah?"
"N-no," the girl blushed and sighed in surrender. "Definitely not now."
Naruto burst from his hiding spot. Shinko nee-chan paled upon noticing him.
"What were you talking about? What did you say?"
"Who's that?" Himuka asked.
"Uzumaki Naruto, yeah," the kind waitress replied quietly.
"Hey!" Naruto screeched. "Answer me, ttebayo!"
Shinko watched in shock as he cried, tears welling in her own eyes.
"That Itachi... Who did he kill? Who were you talking about?"
"His girlfriend," Himuka replied, bewildered. "And everyone else..."
Shinko hastily clapped a hand over her mouth. Himuka mumbled questioningly, trying to pry her friend's hand away.
"Everyone else?" Naruto exclaimed and blurted out: "Sasuke's brother?! But... What about Sarada? What about Sarada? Is nee-chan alive? Is she okay?"
Shinko gasped convulsively, and tears spilled from her lashes, slowly trickling down her cheeks. She still said nothing. The truth, long hovering in the air, crashed down on Naruto's head like an icy waterfall.
Sarada nee-chan is dead. She's gone. She doesn't exist.
She won't come to the teahouse or his home, won't cook soup.
Why does it hurt so much in my chest, ttebayo?
His cheeks were soaked with tears, as were the fingers Naruto used to wipe his face. His body felt light and weak, like a stuffed toy. Shinko removed her hand from Himuka's face and reached out to him. Naruto stared at her in disbelief, not understanding what she wanted.
"Come here."
His disobedient legs took a few steps toward Shinko. The girl didn't lower her arms, and Naruto kept going until he bumped his belly into her knees. She didn't push him away; instead, she hugged him and pulled him closer, stroking his head. No one had ever touched him like that. Never. Not even... Sarada. Nee-chan was a friend, but Shinko acted more motherly. A completely unfamiliar feeling of warmth and protection enveloped Naruto.
****
Shisui flew along, leaping from branch to branch. His team followed in coordinated formation. Only ten kilometers to home Konoha, and Shisui couldn't wait any longer. That damned mission had dragged on for months... And they'd sent him out at the worst possible time.
How's Itachi holding up? Carrying that burden alone—the hatred of the Uchiha... But he hadn't sent the crow, so everything should be fine.
The forest thinned, and the team dropped to the ground: easier to run on land.
"Captain!" the sensor called out anxiously. "Someone's here. I can feel it."
Shisui halted, and the whole squad with him.
But they didn't have time to act—enemy technique immobilized their bodies. Strings of symbols from the activated seal slithered through the grass.
Damn. Barrier!
They'd walked into an ambush. But who? Who could've known they'd return this way, so close to the village?
Several smoke bombs flew from the trees. One explosion, another, and a lilac cloud enveloped the paralyzed team. Shisui held his breath: poison maybe? His instincts, strained to the limit, sensed danger. Right behind him. And at two o'clock above, four o'clock, and... one more second... But he couldn't move!
Chakra surged to his eyes, activating the Sharingan, then immediately the Mangekyo. Green chakra wrapped his body, shielding from the salvo of shuriken and kunai launched from all sides. At him. The gas dispersed around the awakened Sharingan technique. Now Shisui could breathe, but sharp pain pierced his entire body, every cell. He didn't like using the Mangekyo unnecessarily and had truly employed it only a few times, including the mission to kill Mukai and Kotoamatsukami, which convinced Fugaku to abandon the coup idea. Susanoo's defense had activated only once before, and good thing he'd practiced it a bit, or he wouldn't have oriented himself now. He felt the chakra source of his chunin sensor fading.
My team... Damn barrier.
Shisui still couldn't move. Wrapped in Susanoo's chakra, he felt the barrier's resistance, unwilling to release him. First priority: protect his people. Only he had a chance to break free from the technique; no one else. He clearly sensed the foreign chakra lending the seal strength. B-rank at most. No more was needed. The squad had hit an ambush, and the enemy planned to simply finish off the immobilized targets. Even jonin caught off guard wouldn't withstand such a combo. No taijutsu or ninjutsu with a bound body. No time to think. Sharingan genjutsu in the smoke was useless too.
They didn't throw the bomb for nothing. They knew there was a Uchiha in the team. Who?
Shisui directed Susanoo's power against the barrier. The barrier resisted.
Damn. No time for this; every second counts. My comrades are defenseless.
Yes, Shisui didn't like the Mangekyo, but he had no choice. He saw no other way to save himself.
Harder...
The pain intensified. His eyes channeled so much concentrated chakra that they seemed about to melt into liquid. Large vertebrae emerged in Susanoo's green flame. Shisui pressed with everything he had and...
His body was free.
He could move again. Through the link with the retreating barrier, Shisui felt how desperately the technique clung to his teammates, redirecting all efforts to hold them. Another salvo of shuriken burned in Susanoo's green flame. Explosive seals boomed. Pointless.
I can't maintain Susanoo long. Not enough chakra...
Under his Mangekyo's protection, he could breathe easy. Shisui quickly formed seals and took a deep breath.
Wind Release. Gust.
He exhaled. The dispersed lilac gas was blown away by the air wave. Shisui deactivated the Mangekyo and saw his people. They were frozen in awkward poses, bound by the technique, and one lay on the ground with a shuriken in his carotid artery, neck bloodied. The sensor. New shuriken flew at the rest of the team, but Shisui deflected them with a counter salvo and shunshin-ed to a better position to parry the rest with his sword. The seals on the ground didn't react to him. The barrier had captured its victims on initial activation; to catch Shisui again, they'd need to restart the technique, which was risky.
The Sharingan picked out chakra sources throughout the forest. Four... five... Five of them. He'd seen them earlier, in the smoke. But what good was that if he couldn't move?
"Who are you?" Shisui shouted.
Hopeless, but maybe they'd respond?
No response.
I can't fight freely while the barrier holds.
Shisui formed seals and inhaled deeply.
Fire Release.
A wave of flame engulfed the forest. Hissing sounded. The Sharingan saw the chakra sources counter with Water Release techniques. The sparse grove filled with hot steam.
Ambush on our route. Then smoke bomb. Now shinobi wielding water nature. Four out of five. Perfectly prepared for fighting me. And most importantly... the sensor. Why eliminate him first? If they planned to wipe out the whole immobilized squad, Kiochi was no bigger threat than the rest. Unless because the sensor could clearly identify the attackers' chakra?
Either way, fighting five shinobi alone, who knew his abilities, was too tough. First, neutralize the barrier.
I had a suitable technique somewhere. But fat chance they'll give me time.
Kunai laced with explosive seals rained from the trees. Shisui leaped into the air. He moved like lightning. Wielding only his sword, he batted all the kunai back into the forest before the seals detonated, somersaulted, and landed. Explosions boomed around. Dust and smoke shrouded the scorched grove.
Shadow Clone Technique.
The clone knelt, and Shisui stood over him sword ready. He planned to buy himself some time. The shadow clone pulled a scroll from his vest pocket and unfurled it sharply across the ground like a carpet runner. Shisui glanced at it sidelong.
Next. Keep looking.
The enemies realized what he was up to. Water techniques struck the paralyzed team from all sides. Water Release stronger than Fire, but Shisui's katon had enough power to neutralize even superior natures. He kept them from close combat. The shadow clone formed seals and slammed his palm on the scroll. Seal tendrils shot out in twelve directions from his palm. Countermeasure. The prepped technique in the scroll blocked the barrier.
"Two at three o'clock, two more at eight, and one at one o'clock, a hundred meters back."
Kiochi was dead, so Shisui took the sensor role. His comrades charged into battle. Shisui dispelled the Shadow Clone Technique; chakra reserves immediately swelled.
Shunshin...
****
The fortress wall loomed ahead—a few minutes and they'd be in the village. Shisui carried his wounded comrade on his back. Winning three against five hadn't been easy after all; the opponents were strong.
Shisui bit his lip. Guilt gnawed at him.
Kiochi... Fighting and surviving all these months—just to die so stupidly two steps from home. Some captain I am...
Shisui knew that if anyone else had been in his place, they'd likely all have died, not just the sensor. Few jonin in the Hidden Leaf could boast strength to suppress a B-rank barrier without seals.
But I can. And I was obligated to protect everyone.
They'd defeated four attackers. The enemies wore Mist forehead protectors, but each shinobi activated a technique before dying, and their bodies self-incinerated in blue flame; the last one, a hundred meters away, escaped. They were hiding their village's involvement. Mist Anbu so close to Konoha? But something about it all didn't sit right with Shisui, and he couldn't yet pinpoint what.
They stopped at the open gates, passed quick routine checks with the guards.
"Take Kiochi's body and report everything to Hokage-sama," Shisui ordered his subordinate. "I'll take Yuki to the hospital."
He'd lost a lot of blood, but luckily the village was close, and he'd get help fast.
Heading to the hospital, the Uchiha noticed passersby eyeing him curiously. As if the whole village knew who Uchiha Shisui was and stared at him like an exotic specimen. Every person, even civilians, felt compelled to scrutinize him from head to toe. It puzzled him slightly.
Shisui entered the hospital and shouted to the girl at reception:
"Medics here, quick!"
They took Yuki almost immediately. Shisui dashed out of the hospital and headed home.
Damn, even the medics looked at me weird. Gotta see Itachi soon. I need to know how he is. How critical it all is.
He didn't want to weave through streets; he went straight: vaulting fences, climbing roofs... Shisui was tired, but the long-awaited rest and peace were close—right there, beyond those buildings.
He leaped from the roof straight to the district gates and halted. The entrance was cordoned with yellow tape, guarded by an Anbu in a cat mask. Something unpleasant tightened in his chest.
"No further."
"This is my home," Shisui said, frowning. "What happened?"
Silence.
"Answer me. I'll get through anyway."
"By Hokage's order, the area is off-limits. I won't let you pass," the Anbu replied impassively.
"Well, try to catch me."
Shisui vanished.
It wasn't funny at all. Empty district, not a single living soul. The Sharingan detected no chakra sources. A chill ran down his spine.
Where did everyone go?
His heart beat faster. Uchiha Shisui had faced danger on missions often, been anxious, nervous. But a mission was a mission. Now he was heading home, and the district's deathly silence evoked thoughts...
Something definitely happened while I was gone. No, I just don't understand something, that's all.
Shisui cautiously entered his home. Silence. He walked the corridors... He'd already realized the district was empty. What had he expected to find at home?
Hallway, living room, his bedroom, kitchen... Shisui's eyes widened in horror. Unblinking, he stared at the dark stain soaked into the wooden floor. His eyes watered from prolonged exposure to air, but Shisui kept staring at the bloodstain. Cold sweat beaded on his skin. He tried to swallow, but his mouth was dry.
"Mom..."
The terrifying unknown turned into no less horrifying reality.
The Uchiha hadn't gone anywhere. They were all dead.
Gods... What did I miss?
Shisui blinked rapidly and wiped the gathered tears from his lashes. He'd planned to write a report at home and brief the Hokage, but now he knew he wouldn't write any report. He'd go straight there.
****
The doors burst open, slamming against the wall with a bang. Hiruzen jumped in his chair from the shock. In decades of rule, no one had ever burst in on him so rudely. Uchiha Shisui entered the office, and the doors slammed shut behind him on their own.
"What is this?"
Hiruzen eyed the furious youth tensely.
"What do you mean, Shisui?"
The black iris of his eyes turned crimson, tomoe swirling around the pupils.
"How could you?" he exclaimed threateningly. "How dare you, damn it!"
"Shisui-kun," the old man said dully. "Konoha had nothing to do with it."
"Then who did?"
Hiruzen lowered his face and glanced at the unrolled scrolls.
"Uchiha Itachi. He wiped out the entire clan. Only Sasuke-kun survived by miracle; Anbu found him barely alive on the district street at night."
"What? What are you saying..."
"Itachi fled the village and is declared an S-rank criminal."
Shock, disbelief, realization, and wild horror successively flashed in Shisui's eyes. Hiruzen pulled a small black-covered booklet from the drawer and placed it on the desk's edge.
"Look for yourself, see the proof."
Shisui didn't touch the book. He stepped back, breathing heavily, but his eyes showed he'd accepted the truth astonishingly fast and even drawn conclusions.
"You promised me..." Shisui's Sharingan blazed with anger. "I upheld my end. And you? What did you do? You betrayed us all: my trust, all the Uchiha! You were supposed to resolve this. Protect them from themselves, as Hokage."
Hiruzen had a kind heart. He forgave his subordinates' antics, but even his patience had limits. Shisui had exhausted his quota for today. Gripping the armrests, Hiruzen half-rose from his chair.
"By what right do you speak to me like that!" he fumed. "How dare you lecture me?!"
But his words didn't calm the young man at all. Tears streamed down Shisui's cheeks from helpless rage, but he wasn't embarrassed or trying to hide them. He didn't even seem to notice. His Sharingan's tomoe swirled, merging into a strange pattern resembling a shuriken.
"As acting head of the Uchiha clan, I dare anything."
Shisui stepped closer and slammed his fists on the desk, looming over the scrolls. The offended Hiruzen, ready to unleash his fury, sank back into the chair under the pressure. What could scare a man who'd just learned he'd lost everything? Nothing.
"Who appointed you head?" the Hokage exhaled.
"Itachi is a renegade. Sasuke isn't even genin. I appointed myself. Unanimously," Shisui hissed.
Blood vessels burst in the whites of his eyes. Transparent tears on his cheeks were tinged crimson. A ghastly sight, the ominous Mangekyo Sharingan pattern... The Third couldn't have imagined this good-natured guy could be so terrifying in rage. He'd long prepared mentally for Shisui's return and suspected how devastating the clan massacre news would be for the young jonin. But such a reaction the Sandaime hadn't foreseen.
Unable to break eye contact, Hiruzen stared at the Mangekyo pattern, though he knew looking an Uchiha in the eyes was suicide. The youth's round face doubled, tripled... Each image framed by a thin rainbow-shimmering line. But Shisui seemed unaware his Mangekyo was active. He wasn't planning to attack the Hokage; he was just furiously angry. Involuntary genjutsu, unfocused, undirected...
The old man suddenly doubted: if this young man decided to take his life, could he, the Third Hokage, withstand it? He'd never pondered so deeply why Danzou insisted on sending Shisui to the border. Damn Danzou had planned ahead and knew that if Shisui stayed, Itachi wouldn't act. After the tragedy, that calculation was obvious. Hiruzen had thought Danzou's motives were Shisui's ideals influencing Itachi, preventing Root's leader from claiming the young prodigy. But now, under the genjutsu pressure in the blurring office, Sandaime realized it wasn't just ideals but Shisui's raw power. Danzou didn't know the guy's true strength but instinctively sensed that with Uchiha Shisui in the village, the clan would be safe.
"I shouldn't have gone along with him," Hiruzen thought belatedly. "Someone else to the Mist border, and none of this might have happened: no deaths, no this conversation.
Shisui exhaled angrily and stepped back. The world stopped tripling. The genjutsu receded. The Uchiha pressed a palm to his right eye, ran fingers down his cheek, and seemed surprised to see blood diluted with tears on them. He closed his eyelids and still breathed heavily, calming down.
"Even if you say Itachi destroyed the clan, however unbelievable... As Hokage, you committed a crime. Because under your rule, an entire clan was slaughtered in their homes, and you did nothing to stop it; now you're cowardly hiding behind Itachi's shadow, trying to prove to me the village is innocent."
Shisui spoke calmly, but his low voice trembled slightly. His eyes remained closed. Hiruzen began stuffing his extinguished pipe with fresh tobacco, anticipating how the strong smoke would steady his frail old nerves.
"I know why you're doing this," Shisui continued. "You're afraid I'll seek revenge. Don't worry, Sandaime. I won't tell Sasuke anything or avenge myself on Konoha or you. It's pointless. These people aren't guilty of your sins, and you're an old man; you'll die soon anyway. I'll never forgive you, but nevertheless, I'm still a Leaf shinobi. And always will be."
Shisui cracked his eyes open. His dulled gaze wandered aimlessly over the desk cluttered with papers and scrolls.
"I was wondering," he smirked, recalling something of his own. "Where the ambush came from... Who's waiting for us right on the doorstep..."
Hiruzen frowned.
"What are you implying?"
"Come on, Third Hokage. Isn't it obvious? Someone really wants to finish off the remnants of our clan. But killing just to cover up a Chunin who has nothing to do with the Uchiha... that's too much, you know."
Shisui backed toward the door.
"That's a serious accusation," Hiruzen replied grimly. "You don't actually think I ordered the attack on your team, do you?"
He had recovered somewhat from the shock and felt more confident.
"I don't. It wasn't you. It was Root."
"Nonsense. I ordered Danzou to disband Root."
Shisui had already turned his back to him and was preparing to open the door.
"You didn't order it well enough, Third Hokage."
Hiruzen set down his pipe and narrowed his eyes. Shisui was so sure of his words...
Could Danzou really be behind it? Not Mist?
"I'll look into it," Hiruzen said, trying to infuse his voice with as much firmness as possible.
Though it was unlikely this ploy would convince or calm Uchiha Shisui after everything that had happened to his clan. The young man touched the door handle.
"You shouldn't go back to the district," Hiruzen hastily added. "Sasuke is still in the hospital, but I've arranged for you to get an apartment this week. As compensation..."
Shisui left the office, quietly shutting the door.