Chapter 1: Dead or Alive?

He was happy. Even as he fell, Uchiha Shisui was happy that he could do something for his friend, and for his clan.

He had lost both of his eyes - one being taken by Danzo and the other he gave to his best friend. He feared what Danzo would do with his the eye he had, but he knew that Itachi would use his other eye for good intentions.

As he fell, Shisui's final words had been, "Don't stop me, Itachi... If you're truly my friend."

It seemed that his friend followed through with that. He had heard Itachi yell out his name as he fell from the cliff, into the river below, and was glad that his friend hadn't stopped him.

He, like everyone else, cared about his own life, but he knew his death would help in solving the issues with the Uchiha clan, if only a little bit. As he fell into the rapid river, his only thoughts were about his clan, as well as the fiend he considered a younger brother.

He wished he would have been able to see what the future held for the Uchiha clan, but he was fine with this.

His life for the clan was fine by him.

His clan. His village. He was loyal to both, and wanted to protect both.

He had no idea what would happen though.

He would die there.

Or so he thought...

The first thing Uchiha Shisui noticed when he woke up was that his body was in immense pain. Yet, it was not as painful as he figured it should be. He could hear a groan from somewhere and turned his head in the directions.

He opened his eyes, but saw nothing.

More pain.

"A-ah! Please don't open your eyes yet! You are still healing!"

The voice came from the person who had been groaning.

Shisui closed his eyes and carefully put his hand over his eyes. He could feel bandages covering his eyes, and going around his head.

Being the skilled ninja he was, Shisui would instantly be on guard with the current situation. But he was more confused than anything. He had died. He was suppose to be dead.

Yet, he wasn't.

Shisui wasn't sure if this was some sort of afterlife, but he guessed it wasn't. He could feel the pain, he could feel his hearts pounding in his chest, he could hear the sounds of the insects outside.

'Somehow I doubt the afterlife is like this...'

The fact Shisui could think properly, as well as kneed his chakra as usual and wasn't tied up or anything, was something else that made Shisui think he wasn't in any danger. He was a bit on edge, but wasn't exactly going to be firing fire balls because of it.

"Uh... Sorry, but may I ask you to stay still for a little bit? I would like to make sure everything is alright."

Shisui continued to face the general direction the voice came from.

The voice itself belonged to the male, yet it was soft, as if talking to a child. It also held a sort of mature tone to it as well. Overall it was a rather soothing voice that anyone would love to fall asleep too.

Shisui flinched a bit when a pair of warm hands hold his head.

"I suppose I should introduce myself, right? My name is Ketsueki."

Shisui was about to answer back, but he stopped when he felt one of the warm hands touch the left side of his chest - where his heart was.

"I should explain what I'm doing."

Shisui scrunched up his eyebrows when he got a weird feeling. A sort of warmth started coming up and blossomed in his chest. The weird thing was that it didn't feel like it was coming from his own body.

Almost like it was someone else's warmth.

"... How am I still alive...?"

The question that was being repeated in his mind.

"Right... Well..."

The voice - Ketsueki's voice - got lower, more quiet.

"I am a medic. I had seen you in the river, and if course I couldn't let you drown or anything. It is against the purpose of being a medic. I had tried to heal you enough at the river, but you were right at the precipice of dying... I wouldn't even have been able to keep you like to bring you back here..."

If that was the case, why was Shisui still alive?

Shisui still didn't understand.

"I dabble in jutsu formulas... Really, you can just say I am a Fūinjutsu user. Anyways... I had...used a kinjutsu on you...as well as myself... It... It connects us... We share a life now. Our heartbeats beat at the same time, we share pain, we share feelings, etcetera... Although it isn't like we can see and hear what each other see or hear. The jutsu itself isn't perfect, so the connection isn't too strong. While I feel feint pain, you are probably in a lot pain."

Kinjutsu.

That was why he was still alive.

Not only that, he was now connected to this person. A person he had never met, and can't even see. This person who had tried to save his life out of pure kindess. After failing with medical ninjutsu, this man had resorted to kinjutsu to save his life.

Using kinjutsu wasn't against any legal law, but researching it and working on one is against the law. Shisui knew that Orochimaru, a student of the Sandaime Hokage, had run away from the village due to researching kinjutsu. Then again, Shisui didn't know if this man was even from Konoha.

"Now then, I would like to ask you a question. If that is fine with you."

"Yes?"

"You are Shunshin no Shisui-san, correct?"

With a swift motion, Shisui was on guard. Many knew about who he was from that title, so it shouldn't be a big deal. But if this man tried something...

"No, no. I was just clarifying. If I wanted to do something, I would have done it when I first found you. Not to mention you have the Uchiha emblem on the back of you shirt."

Now that Shisui thought about it, he was shirtless. He could still feel the fabric of his pants touching his legs, so he assumed that he was shirtless so that Kou would be able to check the seal he had apparently placed.

"Now I would like to talk about your eyes... I know that Uchiha eyes are special, so I was wondering why you had none in your sockets. I won't ask what happened though. It is not my place. Well, I wasn't sure what to do, so I had transplanted a new set of eyes while you were still sleeping. They are regular eyes that I had acquired from dying people who wished for their bodies to go to good use."

New eyes, that did not belong to an Uchiha. That would mean under no circumstances would he be able to use his Sharingan again. He could always go to Itachi and retrieve the eye he gave him, but that was out of the question.

He is dead to Itachi. And to the village. Going back would cause a large amount of trouble.

"I have heard that there is a special jutsu that can regenerate a person's body part using their cells. It apparently won't work on something major like a limb, heart, or brain, but eyes should fall under the category of 'not major'. It is...also a kinjutsu though. It takes a large amount of chakra and energy, as well as rapidly splitting cells, so it is almost impossible for a single person to perform the jutsu for themselves, or without a medic. I don't actually have that particular jutsu, but I have continued to hear rumors about where I could find that information."

Another kinjutsu that could help Shisui out. The first one was used to save his life. This second one was so that he could regain his lost eyes. There were issues with both of those jutsus though. The first was imperfect, so side effects were bound to appear. The second one was just a rumored jutsu. There was no absolute proof that it exists.

Everything that seemed to be able to help him was a gamble. He was alive because either he or Ketsueki had won the first "gamble" with this connection seal. Could they really try for the second "gamble"?

"So, I was thinking that I could go look for that jutsu. Meanwhile, you could stay in the village, with the people you know. I would of course return to help you regain-"

"I'll go with you."

Shisui couldn't see what Ketsueki's reaction was, but he could feel a small bit of it through the seal they now shared.

"Sorry for interrupting. But due to certain...circumstances, I don't need to be in the village anymore."

"I see... Alright. Having company is always nice. And besides, disregarding my status as a medic, I'm not much of a fighter."

Shisui was grateful that Ketsueki didn't question why he could just leave the village like that. It was easy to tell that Ketsueki was an honest and kind man, so Shisui was fine putting his guard down.

Even without his own eyes, he didn't put his guard up.

It had been three days after Shisui had been saved by Ketsueki. During that time the Uchiha had gotten to know the person who saved him, although still couldn't see him. He had been told that it would still take some time for his eyes to heal, along with the rest of his body.

Even as he learned more about Ketsueki, he had never said anything about what happened to him. Ketsueki never pressed that subject, or even mentioned it, which Shisui was still grateful for. He did trust Ketsueki more and more as the minutes passed by, but he felt that what was going on in the village - in the Uchiha clan - wasn't something that Ketsueki would need to know.

'How are they doing...? What is going on over there!?'

Of course he would be worried about his clan. He wasn't suppose to be alive, which means he can't go to the clan's compound and check up on them. He felt frustrated about that - like he really couldn't do anything for them now.

He had asked Ketsueki, who had gone out for some things they would need for their travels, if he could find something - anything - about how his clan was doing. He figured that Ketsueki would tell him about anything he found out. It's not like he could lie anyways.

Something that both Ketsueki and Shisui had learned about the forbidden seal that was placed on both of them was that fact that neither could lie to each other. They could feel if each other's heartbeats were sped up, even if by a single beat. That meant they could use those extra heartbeats to determine if the other was lying.

Another thing they learned was that the farther they were from each other more more those feeling from the seal weakened. That meant that the connection that kept the two alive also weakened.

Feeling much more tired due to the distance, Shisui slowly stood up and walked in the direction the connection could best be felt.

"I'm sure he wouldn't mind if I moved around a bit."

As he walked closer to the wall, stumbling a bit, he could feel the connection grow just the tiniest bit stronger. He was able to regain some of his lost breath due to the distance.

"I guess this really is an imperfect kinjutsu... Heh. Something like this is payment for surviving when I was suppose to die."

Shisui wasn't a bitter person, yet his tone definitely was. He was absolutely grateful, and indebted to Ketsueki for saving his life. Life was always a precious thing that all should cherish, he would never think otherwise. The issue was that he felt bad for Ketsueki, as well as hating how he couldn't do anything for his clan now.

His life, which now seemed like it could disappear at any moment, was connected to this kind man who is literally risking his life by just being involved in any shape or form with Shisui. This life could be used for helping his clan, for helping his village, for helping anyone, yet he also felt like he couldn't do even that much with a sort of anchor now.

He now had something else that was important to him. Not only did he hold his own life in his hands now, but he also held Ketsueki's. That meant he had to be much more careful from now on. That also meant he would have to put Ketsueki ahead of the Uchiha clan and Konoha.

Shisui let out a small sigh as he lowered his body to sit next to the door. He could feel the connection start to grow stronger by the second.

'He's on his way back. What news will he bring? Something good? Or something bad? Whatever it is...just please let me know how everyone is doing...'

Shisui put his head on his arms, which were on his knees. He just had to wait for a minute or so, then he would find out what was going on in the village.

Just as he thought, after a minute, the door opened.

"Shisui-san, I'm back. Although I'm sure you could figure that out."

Shisui could feel curiosity start to form in Ketsueki. That curiosity quickly turned into panic, making Shisui feel bad once he felt his heart speed up due to Ketsueki's panicking.

"Why did you get out of bed!? You're stilling healing! I know the connection was getting weaker, but that was why I came back!"

Ketsueki carefully helped Shisui to his feet before guiding him back to the bed he had previously been on. As he was doing this, he could feel himself calming down, most likely due to Shisui using the connection to help.

Shisui could hear the other man let out a sigh before he heard some shuffling on the floor. He guessed that Ketsueki was going to what he had gotten while he was gone.

"I know you are worried, so I made sure to get as much information as I possibly could." Another sigh. "From what I know now, any feelings towards the Uchiha clan haven't changed. The same could be said for the village. As for the village as a whole, nothing particular seems to be going on. Although... I did see this interesting blond kid running around. It was rather entertaining to see excitement like that. Oh. Sorry, I'm getting off topic."

"It's fine. Knowing that the village is still the same is reassuring. Although, when it comes to my clan..."

"Yes, well... I have also been hearing things about your 'death' from multiple people. They truly believe you are dead, meaning you too extra measure to make sure they did. Something about a suicide... Is that true?"

"..."

"Right! Sorry! I won't pry into the details! Anyways... I'm sure you couldn't feel it through the connection, but a little before I returned here... Someone seemed to have noticed what I was doing. Actually, more than just one. There were quite a few in the shadows, keeping an eye on me. I had managed to lose them with some barriers I used on myself."

"Was there anything else particularly odd about them?"

"No. I'm guessing they are Konoha's ANBU though. There was this young man as well. He was also from the Uchiha clan. He was actually a kind fellow, although a bit stoic. Wait, isn't that all of them...? Well, anyways... He also noticed what I was doing and actually confronted me about it."

'Could it have been...?'

"I hadn't told him anything about you. I had told him that I was here to stock up on supplies for my travels, which I was. I was just looking around to see what Konoha was like. I'm not too sure if he completely believed me though. His expression didn't give anything away."

"Did he give his name?"

"Yeah. He said his name was Itachi. Uchiha Itachi."

Shisui couldn't help the small chuckle that came out. Of course Itachi would notice something like that, as well as keep a nice poker face the whole time. It was just like him to be able to do something like that.

Shisui felt a hit of relief wash over him. He could also feel happiness coming through the connection he had with Ketsueki. It seemed that his relief had affected Ketsueki as well.

"Ketsu-san, thank you."

"Of course."

"I will take the bandages off now. Again, I apologize for making you keep them on for so long."

Shisui gave a smile as he sat against a tree.

The two had left the village at last and were currently in the woods a few miles away. Shisui had been waiting to finally see again, but he had been told multiple times that he needed to keep the bandages on. It seemed that Ketsueki was a bit of a worrywart and didn't want to take any chances concerning Shisui's eyes and eyesight.

Now that it had been a few days, Ketsueki seemed fine with taking the bandages off. They were on a break right now, so there was no rush in anything.

"I understand," Shisui said as he waited for the bandages to come off. "By the way, where are we headed first?"

"Oh. First we are going to head over to Kumogakure for a mission I have received. Afterwards we will head to the ruins of Uzushiogakure, or at least where they should be. That being said, we have to stop near Kirigakure at some point to see what is happening and stay up to date. I know your eyes take top priority for you and...Kumogakure and Kirigakure may not be places you wish to go, but..."

"It's fine. Missions are important, especially since we don't have a village to completely stay at. My eyes can wait."

As he finished speaking, Shisui could feel the last piece of the bandages come off his head. He didn't open his eyes since he thought it would be best for Ketsueki to tell him when to do so.

"Alright. You can open your eyes now."

Doing as he was told, Shisui started to slowly open his eyes. His vision was a bit blurry, but he got use to it in a few seconds. He figured that, out of respect and gratitude, the first thing he would see was the person who had helped him out.

"You look different than what I had thought you would look like."

"Eh!? Really!? I am sorry then..."

Shisui looked forward at the man who seemed to be in his late twenties with short black hair and brown eyes. As Shisui got a better look at Ketsueki he could see that, despite everything he had said, the man was actually rather muscular with his skin being tan. Ketsueki was currently wearing a simple yukata top with pants and sandals.

Shisui gave a laugh and patted Ketsueki's head when he saw the older man looking down like a sad puppy.

"I didn't mean anything bad by it! I was just saying you look better than how you described yourself!"

"I-I see. Well, what do you say you get changed? We stuck with that outfit since you could change into it without much thought, but I'm sure you would prefer something different."

Shisui nodded his head and pulled out the outfit he had been given by Ketsueki. He headed behind the tree and started to get changed.

While the Uchiha was doing this, Ketsueki decided to start a new conversation.

"Hey, Shisui-san-"

"No need for the 'san' at this point. Shisui is fine."

"Right. Shisui...kun, would you mind doing me a favor? Since we will be traveling together now."

"Hm? What is it?"

"Well... Since you are a well known shinobi, I am sure you know a good amount of different jutsu. I wanted to know if you could teach me some. Nothing major like elemental jutsu, but other things like-"

"Like Shunshin?"

"Anything would be fine. As I said when we first met, I'm more of a Fūinjutsu user. I do some other things like what they teach in academies, but nothing other than that. Ah. Excluding those kinjutsu."

"Alright. I owe you much more for saving my life and keeping me up to date on what has been going on, so teaching some jutsu is definitely more than okay."

Ketsueki was about to give a response, but stopped when Shisui come from behind the tree with a "Tada!"

Shisui held his arms out as he stood there in his new outfit. This one consisted of a yukata top as well, although this one reaching just below his waist, and pants. A sash held the top together while bandages were wrapped around his wrists going up his arm a bit and ankles going up his legs a bit. He wore the standard shinobi sandals. He no longer had his hitai-ate and instead had a bandana that pushed his hair back a bit.

Ketsueki have a smile and thumbs-up at the new look.

"Nice, huh? Oh, and thank you for putting the seals on the inside of the outfit and bandages."

"It is no problem. Keeping your hitai-ate and blade close is something I would not want to take from you."

Shisui gave a nod and smile of gratitude. While he was no longer able to go back to Konoha he still wanted something that would remind him of his reasons for doing what he did. He felt rather lucky to have met such a person like Ketsueki.

"Now then," Ketsueki said as he stood up, "shall we get going?"

"Right."

And there's that. I apologize if it sucks. Also, I apologize for the way I kept Shisui alive. I wasn't sure how I was going to do that. So Kinjutsu was my best bet. Still hope you liked it though.