Hokage’s Office
Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at Kiyosuke and asked,
"Back so soon from training?"
He rembered that when Jiraiya used to train at Mount Myōboku, he would disappear for long stretches. Could Ryūchi Cave training really be this efficient?
"Yes, Lord Hokage. I need to go to Kirigakure."
"I see. Be careful. Things are getting more and more complicated over there."
During Kiyosuke’s ti away training, the Third Mizukage, dragging his ailing body, had led the Kirigakure shinobi in a direct assault on Orochimaru’s defense line. Though Orochimaru and his band of misfits put up a fight, they were ultimately overmatched by the elite mist forces. He was forced to retreat to their base in the Land of Waves, separated from the Land of Water by sea.
Even though they had been driven back, the Third Mizukage’s health had collapsed under the strain. Now he was bedridden, his days clearly numbered.
"You’ll be bringing soone with you on this trip to Kirigakure. Co in."
At that mont, the door opened and in stepped a black-haired boy, about the sa age as Anko. He had large, expressive eyes and a fair complexion. He wore a Konoha forehead protector, a high-collared short-sleeved shirt, and a short sword strapped to his back.
"Lord Hokage," the boy greeted.
Hiruzen nodded and introduced him.
"This is Uchiha Shisui. His ancestor, like mine, was a disciple of the Second Hokage. He’s joining the war effort—I hope you’ll take him with you."
Uchiha Shisui?
Kiyosuke was stunned. This was the future Body Flicker Shisui, wielder of the most powerful genjutsu—Kotoamatsukami.
Kotoamatsukami could control others without their knowledge, permanently altering their thoughts and beliefs. The jutsu’s power was imnse, but each use required over a decade to recharge—unless you had chakra on the level of Hashirama Senju, in which case the cooldown could be drastically reduced.
In other words, if Shisui were given a tailed beast, and his personality took a dark turn, even Kaguya Ōtsutsuki might find herself locked in a basent with tally marks scrawled all over the walls...
"Nice to et you, Kiyosuke-senpai. I hope to accompany you to the front lines at Kirigakure," Shisui said politely.
Kiyosuke turned to Hiruzen, unable to hide his skepticism.
"Lord Hokage... are we sure he’s really from the Uchiha clan? He’s... oddly polite."
No Uchiha should be this courteous.
"..."
"..."
"Um, Kiyosuke-senpai," Shisui said awkwardly. "You might have a bit of a misunderstanding about the Uchiha. They’re just... not great at expressing themselves."
He couldn’t exactly deny it. Most of the Uchiha were moody tsunderes. People like Obito and himself? Total anomalies.
Hiruzen cleared his throat.
"That’s enough. Shisui is a very respectful young man. And Kiyosuke, let’s not repeat those comnts around the village—it could hurt morale."
"Don’t worry, it’s fine. Besides, they can’t beat anyway." Kiyosuke’s confidence had clearly ballooned since mastering sage techniques.
Hiruzen stiffened.
As blunt as it was, he wasn’t wrong. The Uchiha specialized in Fire Release, but against Kiyosuke, their fire techniques were about as threatening as birthday candles. As for the Sharingan? Utterly useless—there weren’t many Uchiha who could go toe-to-toe with him one-on-one.
When did this kid get so powerful?
He hadn’t even noticed the transformation as it happened.
Shisui looked a little embarrassed, though there was also a spark of defiance in his eyes. He was still an Uchiha, after all, and Kiyosuke’s words had stung his pride.
"Alright, I get that your strength’s improved," Hiruzen said. "But never let it get to your head. Arrogance is a fatal flaw for a shinobi."
Too many proud ninja had t early graves because of overconfidence and showboating. Rarely were there exceptions.
"I understand," Kiyosuke replied. "Is it just Shisui coming with ?"
"Kakashi will join you too. The battles in the Land of Earth have mostly stabilized. With Minato stationed there, things are under control. But he’s needed on both the Earth and Lightning fronts, so it’s better not to weigh him down with Kakashi. He’ll head to Kirigakure with you."
"Got it. Oh—what about Rin?"
"She’s under ANBU protection."
Given the looming threat of Uchiha Madara, Hiruzen had made thorough preparations. Ever since learning Madara was still alive, it felt like a mountain had settled on his chest—making it hard to breathe.
"Understood. Then I’ll be off."
Kiyosuke patted Shisui on the shoulder.
"Let’s go, Shisui. Ti to show you the battlefield."
"Yes, thank you, senpai."
"Alright, alright, let’s move."
...
At the Konoha gate, Kakashi was already waiting, backpack slung over his shoulder. He noticed Kiyosuke approaching with soone unfamiliar.
"Who’s this?"
"This is Uchiha Shisui. He’s from the Uchiha clan and will be joining us on the Kirigakure front. Shisui, this is Hatake Kakashi."
"I’ve heard of you, Kakashi-senpai. Your exploits are legendary."
"...It’s nothing." Kakashi’s mood visibly dipped.
Shisui looked alard, thinking he’d said sothing wrong. Kiyosuke pulled him aside and whispered,
"It’s fine. He’s just sensitive. His comrade—also an Uchiha, nad Obito—gave him his right eye before they parted ways."
Though Kakashi knew Obito was still alive, being reminded of him still hurt. Knowing that Obito was currently with Madara made things worse.
What if Obito turns evil under Madara’s influence? What then?
"I see... I shouldn’t have brought it up."
"Don’t worry about it. He’ll get used to it eventually." Kiyosuke waved dismissively. If the future played out the sa way, Kakashi would have plenty of guilt to work through.
Are you two even friends?
Shisui found their dynamic weirdly... brittle.
Soon after, Asuma and Kurenai arrived. After Kiyosuke introduced them to Shisui, Asuma raised an eyebrow.
"There aren’t many Uchiha on the Kirigakure front. The terrain over there isn’t exactly Uchiha-friendly. Why’s he going?"
"Because it’s the safest front," Kiyosuke replied.
Compared to the wars in the Lands of Earth and Lightning, the conflict in the Land of Water was relatively ta. The terrain might not favor the Uchiha, but it was still a good environnt for Shisui to gain experience.
"I volunteered for the front lines myself," Shisui explained. "Lord Hokage was concerned and asked senpai to take along. I might be a burden on the journey, so please bear with ."
"No worries at all," Asuma said with a shrug.
"Leave it to us. We’ll take good care of you," Kurenai added, flashing a charming smile.
Kiyosuke watched the interaction with thoughtful eyes, glancing between Asuma and Shisui.
They didn’t look alike. If anything, they just shared black hair.
So why... why does Asuma’s daughter look so much like Shisui, even though Shisui died years before she was born?
(Author’s note: Shisui’s age is a bit of a mystery, but in this story, I’m setting him to be six years older than Itachi.)
----------------
Pls Drop so Power Stones
100 Chapters and support on Patreon(.)com/Jixo
Reviews
All reviews (0)