Boom!
In the fading twilight, deep within an ANBU training forest, the sound of steel clashing echoed sharply through the trees.
Uchiha Shisui leapt nimbly from branch to branch, his movements swift and precise.
But close behind him, five Root operatives pursued without pause, their masks gleaming in the dim light.
Suddenly, Shisui faltered. His foot caught against the bark, and he half-knelt on a trunk, gasping for breath.
"Damn it… just now… I inhaled… poisonous smoke…"
"Hah…"
The Root agents landed in a circle around him, tightening the net. Cold, mechanical voices cut through the silence.
"You have nowhere left to run, Uchiha Shisui."
Each of them drew kunai...tags fluttering ominously at the hilts. Detonation tags, every one of them.
"Aim for his legs. Don't damage his eyes."
With that order, they flung their kunai straight toward him.
"Tch…"
Shisui's vision wavered, his head pounding as the poison gnawed at his body. His teeth clenched.
"No… I still have something I must do!"
The tomoe in his left Sharingan spun wildly, transforming into a sharp, four-pointed windmill pattern.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
A chain of thunderous explosions erupted. Flames roared to life, and a wall of black smoke swallowed the forest.
"…Did we get him?"
The Root agents retreated warily, eyes locked on the smoldering haze.
But in the next instant
Boom!
Countless orbs of brilliant green chakra burst from the smoke, streaking toward them like a storm of arrows.
"What the—?!"
"What is this jutsu?!"
The light spheres pierced through three operatives in a blink, detonating on impact. Screams echoed, cut short as their bodies were blown apart.
Only two Root shinobi survived, barely escaping the deadly barrage.
"That… what's that?!"
One Root ninja froze in shock, pointing forward.
As the smoke thinned, a towering green construct emerged, a half-body Susanoo, its chakra radiating like a storm.
"Tch… one-eyed Susanoo," a voice muttered nearby. "To see this scene with my own eyes… it almost feels nostalgic."
Perched on a distant trunk, masked in shadow, Obito stared at Shisui's Susanoo. His voice carried a faint sigh, tinged with irony.
A moment later, he pulled his cloak back, slipped on an ANBU vest, and fastened an animal mask over his face. Then, like a phantom, he vanished into the woods.
"Agh… huff… huff…"
Shisui stumbled forward. Blood seeped from his gouged right eye, poison still burned in his veins, and the searing strain of summoning Susanoo pushed his body to its limits. His vision blurred... every step wavered.
Yet, even half-blind, his Susanoo roared and forced the two Root operatives back.
As the chakra giant dissolved into embers, Shisui pushed off the branch and sprinted deeper into the forest.
"After him!"
The two Root ninjas prepared to give chase
Shhhk!
A flash of steel gleamed. Two clean arcs cut the night, and their heads toppled before their bodies hit the ground.
Obito emerged from the darkness, blade dripping, his gaze fixed on the direction Shisui had fled.
--
Meanwhile, Shisui clutched the hollow of his right eye, staggering through the woods, desperate to escape.
Shhhk!
Another blade of light cut across his path. His eyes widened, he jerked back just in time, the slash grazing his neck.
But before he could move again
Thud!
A sharp pain tore through his stomach. The strike hurled him backward. His body slammed into a thick trunk with a deafening crack, shaking branches loose as leaves scattered around him.
Coughing blood, Shisui's gaze blurred. A masked ANBU figure appeared before him, silent and cold. In the next instant, agony ripped through his remaining eye.
Darkness consumed him.
I couldn't… even protect my left eye…
Leaning weakly against the trunk, a deeper pain than any wound welled in Shisui's chest.
Boom!
Suddenly, a blazing fireball roared from the depths of the forest, scorching the air as it hurtled forward.
Obito glanced at it, feeling the chakra signature. His lips curved into a faint smirk.
Pocketing Shisui's left eye, he dissolved into the trees, leaving nothing but the echo of burning leaves and a fallen Uchiha.
In the next moment, a figure dropped from the sky, Uchiha Itachi, clad in ANBU uniform, mask tossed aside.
"Shisui!"
His eyes widened as he saw his comrade slumped against the tree, his body battered and both eyes gone. He rushed forward, kneeling at his side.
"Don't you… still have a mission?"
Shisui's eyelids remained shut now, there was only darkness. Still, he forced a faint smile.
"I had a bad feeling… so I came anyway."
(PS: Awww so romantic~)
He coughed weakly, blood trailing down his lips. "Sorry… to trouble you…"
"Don't talk about that now." Itachi's voice was low, urgent. He quickly pulled an antidote vial from his pouch and injected it into Shisui.
Then he lifted his weakened body onto his shoulder and leapt away into the woods.
The sky burned crimson as the sun dipped toward the horizon, leaving only the faint glow of dusk scattered across the clouds.
Instead of returning to the Uchiha compound, Itachi carried Shisui to the place they had often visited together...the cliff before the great waterfall.
The roar of crashing water filled the silence as the two stood side by side, backs straight but hearts heavy.
"…It was a Root ambush," Shisui finally said, voice strained. "Danzō himself was there. He's become the greatest obstacle."
His fists clenched. "With my eyes stolen, I can no longer use Kotoamatsukami. There's no way left to stop the coup…"
He looked toward the horizon, regret shadowing his expression.
"If civil war breaks out in Konoha, the other nations will strike without hesitation. That will mean war… another great war."
Turning slowly, Shisui faced Itachi, his hollow gaze somehow still sharp.
"I wanted to use Kotoamatsukami to end this without bloodshed. But I never thought Danzō would set his sights on me… and steal that power away."
His tone hardened with bitter clarity. "He doesn't trust me. He'll protect the village in his own way no matter the cost."
"…Shisui."
Itachi's face remained calm, but his chest ached with turmoil. His comrade, his brother in all but blood...reduced to this.
The two Uchiha stood at the cliff's edge, the waterfall's roar masking the storm of emotions between them.
---
At the bottom of the cliff, Obito lay stretched out by the riverbank, hands behind his head, legs crossed like he was on vacation.
'They're probably pouring their hearts out up there… how touching'. His thoughts carried an amused bite, lips tugging into a crooked smile.
The ANBU disguise was long gone, shredded to pieces. He was back in his trademark black cloak, as if nothing had happened.
"Well… guess Danzō's gonna have to eat this one. Poor old guy's reputation is about to get roasted again."
Obito chuckled, lips curling into a playful grin.
But as the minutes dragged on, his expression flattened.
"…Seriously? How long are they planning to stand up there and brood?" he muttered. "Even the river's getting tired of waiting."
He sighed, rolling his shoulders. "Come on, Shisui… when the hell are you going to jump already? I'm down here ready to catch you."
"That's generous of me, isn't it? Most people don't get complimentary funeral service."
A faint chuckle escaped him, low and dry. "Tch. I'm a better friend than they'll ever admit."
Minutes passed and still Nothing happened.
With a sigh, he sat up, pulled out a nail cutter, and began calmly trimming his nails as though this would make the time go faster.
Boredom written across his face, he muttered,
"At this rate, I'll be perfectly groomed by the time Shisui decides to jump."
---
As the sun dipped fully beneath the horizon, a crescent moon rose into the night sky, casting its pale light across the cliff.
"If I die… the situation will change. I've already written my will."
Shisui's voice was steady, though his body trembled. Step by step, he backed toward the cliff's edge.
"Wait, Shisui!"
Itachi reached out instinctively, panic flashing in his eyes.
"Don't stop me, Itachi. If you're truly my friend…"
Itachi froze in place. His calm façade cracked, the weight of the words pressing down on him.
Shisui gave a faint chuckle.
"Don't make that face. Even like this, I can still feel your expression. It doesn't suit you. Uchiha Itachi should always remain calm… no matter what."
"…Shisui."
Sadness carved deep lines across Itachi's features.
"For you, the road ahead may lead only to hardship in the ANBU… and I can't walk beside you anymore. For that… I'm sorry."
He took another step back. The edge crumbled slightly beneath his heel.
"The village… and the Uchiha clan… I entrust them to you, Itachi."
Then, with one last faint smile, Shisui let himself fall backward.
His body vanished into the darkness below.
"Shisui!!"
Itachi's cry tore through the night, raw with grief for his bf. The waterfall thundered on, swallowing his voice.
--
At the same time, by the river below, Obito finally sat up, stretching his shoulders. His eyes gleamed as he spotted a shadow tumbling down from the cliff.
A grin split his face.
Finally. Shisui decided to stop monologuing and actually jump.
Just as Shisui's body was about to hit the river, Obito flickered into place, caught him mid-fall, and landed lightly on the shore.
"Wh–who?!" Shisui muttered weakly, startled even in the haze of death. But before he could react, a sharp blow struck the back of his neck.
His consciousness crumbled into darkness.
Obito slung him over one shoulder and murmured toward the shadows.
"White Zetsu."
"I'm coming, I'm coming!"
With a ripple in the earth, White Zetsu popped up beside him, eager as ever.
Obito dropped Shisui to the ground. "He's yours."
"Don't worry," Zetsu chirped. Immediately, his body began to shift after absorbing some of Shisui's chakra. In moments, an identical copy of Shisui stood there, blinking.
Then Obito calmly set about replicating the wounds, starting with the most important detail gouging out the eyes.
"Gyaah! Damn it, that hurts! Captain, you absolute bastard!" White Zetsu yelped, flailing.
Obito didn't even blink. "Shut it. You'll grow them back after a snack or two. Besides…" His lips curved into a sly grin.
"When I actually saw those eyes up close, I couldn't resist. Now I kinda get where Danzō was coming from."
White Zetsu froze, slack-jawed. "Captain, did you just compare yourself to Danzō? That's low, even for you."
"Stop whining," Obito said flatly, ignoring the complaint.
"…Tch. Fine." White Zetsu puffed his cheeks like a sulking child, then shuffled toward the river.
"Here goes nothing."
With a dramatic flop, the fake Shisui let himself fall into the current, body drifting downstream exactly as the plan demanded.
Meanwhile, Obito vanished into the night with the real Shisui slung over his shoulder, his quiet chuckle echoing after him.
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