Chương 129

When I got back home, Genta had already left. The flat felt emptier than usual, and I found myself standing in the middle of it, unable to sit down. My mind was a storm, thoughts firing off like constant explosions. A thousand ideas and fears rushed through me at once as I replayed my talk with Shisui. Did he really just ask me to help him resolve the Uchiha issue? The thought alone made me grimace. Given my experiences with the Uchiha so far, I had no interest in interfering with their fate.

From what I had seen, they were arrogant, vengeful, emotional, stubborn, and far too proud to change their course. They would keep staring down the village until their end arrived, no matter what anyone tried. Yet Shisui… he was different. He carried himself like a decent man, not blind to reason. That alone set him apart from most of his clan. I finally sat down on the cold floor, back against the wall. First of all, I did not believe I had anywhere near enough influence to affect something that large.

Even if I made our team shine, it would only polish the surface of the Uchiha's reputation. Their real problem came from within, and I doubted I could change that. Maybe that was why Shisui came to me. He wanted me to show the outside world, the other clans and the village itself, that Uchiha could be worked with. That they cared about the village's safety and prosperity. Meanwhile, he would push from within his clan to fix the cracks. That seemed like the most logical conclusion.

My mouth twisted as another thought crept in. If I chose to intervene, I would be walking straight into the reach of dangerous people. Danzo, for one. He already had eyes on me. And worse than him, Obito. I sighed heavily. Yes, I was getting stronger, but I was still far from strong enough to touch either of them. The thought of crossing their sights now was suicide. I clawed both hands through my hair, roughing it up as if forcing my thoughts to make sense, but the decision would not come.

I tilted my head back, staring at the ceiling. My body moved before I thought it through. I jumped, chakra sticking me to the surface. With a kunai summoned into my hand, I crouched low and pressed the blade into the wood. Each scrape echoed through the quiet flat, shavings falling in a steady drift. I already knew what I was carving. My hands did not hesitate, each stroke pulling more than just wood. Slowly the outline of long, wavy hair appeared, framing sharp but soft features.

I focused on the curve of her cheek, the shape of her face, remembering them exactly. Her smile came last, and it was always the hardest. Not just any smile would do. It had to be that same goofy grin that mocked me, encouraged me, and reassured me all at once. The one she wore even when everything else was falling apart. That smile had anchored me in my old life, and somehow it still anchored me here. I leaned closer, breathing carefully, etching the curve with patience. Sweat slid down my temple.

Finally, I pulled back and looked. She was there again, my sister, watching me from the ceiling. Silent, familiar, as though she had always been a part of it. For a moment I almost heard her voice again, the same words that had pulled me up before, find a reason to move forward, not a reason to stay still. I flipped off the ceiling and landed hard, collapsing to the floor with a heavy breath. My eyes stayed fixed on her carving.

"What do you think, sis? Should I risk it? Put myself in danger for something so far above my head that it will drag me into trouble no matter what?" Of course there was no answer, but I knew exactly what she would have said. She would have yanked my hair and scolded me for hesitating, then told me to stop overthinking. If I could help, I should help. That was all. I sighed again. I was not sure how much I could really do, but I would try. Who said things had to unfold exactly as they did in my memories?

I am here now. I have already changed things. Maybe I can push them a little further and keep some blood from being spilled." The thought of changing such a major event still made my stomach twist. The future could bend in unpredictable ways. But I was nothing if not curious.

"Let's do this," I muttered with a smirk tugging at my mouth. A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. Shisui had us waiting at the tree line the next morning. His hands rested in his pockets like always, calm and collected, but his eyes were sharp enough to cut.

"Today we are not running a mission," he said.

"This is a pursuit drill. I will move through the forest as your target. Your job is to track me, close in, and corner me. If I slip past one of you, the exercise ends. If I separate and isolate you, it ends even faster." He paused just long enough to make our throats tighten, then added quietly, "with my own hands." None of us spoke. We swallowed hard instead.

"This is not about measuring who is strongest," he continued.

"It is about whether three blades can cut in the same direction. In the field, you will not always have time to speak. There will be moments when only instinct and rhythm keep you alive. That is what I want you to feel today." Kaen folded his arms and frowned, but Shisui's gaze stopped him from answering.

"Do not misunderstand. I am not asking you to trust each other blindly. But you must at least tolerate one another long enough to act as a squad. If you cannot, you will not survive outside these walls. That is not a threat. That is a fact." He gave us no time to reply. He simply vanished. No flicker of movement, no puff of smoke. One moment he was there, the next he was not. Sena broke the silence.

"We should split paths but stay close. I will take the middle and use my sensing ability. If I find him, I will alert you." I gave a short nod, but before either of us could move, Kaen swore under his breath and darted off to the right, taking the high ground. Sena steadied herself and moved into the center path, her chakra spreading outward in a wide, unseen net. I went left, light on my steps. The forest was still. Too still.

My ears strained for more than the whisper of leaves, but then a shadow flickered behind me. Cold steel pressed against my neck.

"Dead." I spun, but nothing was there. We regrouped. Kaen's Sharingan spun angrily.

"I did not see him," he muttered.

"You were not supposed to," Sena said, her annoyance clear. Her plan had failed in seconds, and she sank into silence, reflecting and scanning again. We tried again. Sena suggested forcing him out. Kaen did not bother answering. He leapt ahead, separating instantly, and unleashed fire into the treeline. The flames carved jagged light into the branches, but Shisui slipped through them with ease. He tapped Kaen in the ribs.

"Dead." A breath later Sena called sharply, "Above you." I threw a quick hand seal and fired a Current Shot upward, the blue flash ripping through the trees. For a heartbeat I thought we had him, but my vision twisted. A second Shisui appeared on my left. His fingers tapped my throat.

"Dead." The illusion broke an instant later, leaving only smoke. Sena gasped as he materialized behind her and touched her shoulder.

"Dead." We stood there, angry and frustrated, all of us exhausted and beaten far too easily. He reappeared above, balanced on a branch like he had never moved.

"You acted as though the others were obstacles. That is why you failed. Alone, you will always fail. Remember this." We reset. I tried to guard the center, cautious and ready. A flicker came from ahead. I lunged, kunai raised. He slipped past and tapped my ribs.

"Dead." Kaen lasted longer only because Sena shouted a warning, but Shisui took him down soon after. The pattern repeated. Every attempt collapsed in a different way. Kaen rushed ahead and was drawn into traps where we could not reach him. When I tried to anchor the center, he bent the terrain itself against me, shadows and branches pulling me off balance until his hand tapped my throat. Sena tried to sense and stay distant, but he never allowed her time. A single flicker and he was already behind her.

By the fourth attempt the truth was obvious. We were not losing just because Shisui was fast, though he was. We were losing because each of us was only guarding ourselves. Three strangers, fighting three separate battles. Shisui tore us apart for it every single time. By the time the sun shifted overhead, sweat poured into my eyes. Kaen's jaw was clenched so hard it looked painful. Sena's face stayed calm, but her grip on her kunai was tight enough to crack bone. We were not improving.

We were just being cut down again and again. Finally Shisui landed in front of us. His voice was even, not unkind, but sharp with meaning.

"That is enough. You are beginning to understand. You have not succeeded, not yet. But now you can feel it. Three separate blades cut nothing. That is the lesson." His eyes lingered on Kaen and me.

"You two especially. You do not have to like each other, but you will have to tolerate one another. For now, professional cooperation will save you, especially if friendship still feels too far-fetched. Think about that before tomorrow." With that he walked into the trees, fading out of sight. We stood there, catching our breath. Kaen glanced at me once. No insult, no smirk. Just a long look that said he had reached the same conclusion I had.

We could not afford to treat each other like mortal enemies, not during missions. That was surprising to see from Kaen. Maybe he was not just a bitter idiot after all. I wondered what Shisui had said to him to shift his perspective, even if only a little. I gave him the smallest nod. He did not return it, but he also did not sneer. That was something. Maybe next time we might manage a little better in that exercise after all.