A/N: Minor edits 10/15/17.

- Chapter Ten -

SHISUI

Shisui didn't consider himself to be a bad person.

Sure, he lied from time to time, might kill people for a living, and occasionally entertained the stray murderous thought towards his superiors when they really managed to piss him off, but he wasn't a bad person.

He knew bad people, had worked under some, had killed a few of them.

He was about to kill another, he mused, casually looking over the field ahead of him and effortlessly picking up the missing-nin's track. The Sharingan made it so easy that Shisui briefly considered turning it off to give himself a challenge. But he didn't, instead setting off on another fast sprint due west.

The tracks became clearer as he ran: broken branches, disturbed bushes, matted grass from footsteps. Either the traitor had given up on hiding their trail or they decided it was better to focus on getting away as fast as possible. It didn't matter. They were dead, either way—or would be, soon.

Regardless, Shisui wasn't a bad person.

He did, however, allow that he had the potential to be a bad person. His ability to extract information out of people, manipulate them, and read their intentions was rivaled only by a select few in T&I. It was a skill he discovered early on during his childhood and honed to be as sharp as the weapons he used, if not more dangerous.

Privately, he considered it to be his best asset. Not many others were capable of doing it quite as well as he was. Not many others wanted to, either, despite the fact that dishonesty and duplicity were trademarks of a shinobi. Kunai, for example, were a much more honest way of going about shinobi business.

It was all the same to Shisui.

Oh, he knew he also excelled in traditional shinobi standards. He could cast some ridiculously flashy jutsu and beat most people in a spar. Even so, it was never something he thought too much about.

He learned early on that being a shinobi was never about making a name for yourself or standing out. He knew this because he had seen what happened to people that let this single ambition drive them—the desire to be distinguished made people do stupid things.

It was what set the good people apart from the bad ones. That, and their loyalty to the village—or lack thereof. It was how Shisui knew he wasn't a bad person—he was loyal and everything he did was for Konoha and his clan. It was also how he knew the person he was about to kill was a bad person. They let their ambition get to their head, decided that some village secrets were worth in exchange for some personal fame and wealth, then slipped up.

Once they gave up on hiding their trail, it wasn't difficult to catch up.

"So," Shisui started conversationally, landing several feet in front of the man. "Akito-san, was it?" He continued casually, as if he didn't just spend half the day hunting this guy down. "According to my orders, I'm supposed to kill you on sight. But I'll give you a chance to return willingly and face an alternative punishment."

He didn't receive an answer and he didn't expect one. Akito merely sized him up and rewarded him with a smirk. He clearly didn't believe that Shisui was capable of stopping him, which made Shisui wonder how the man's arrogance hadn't killed him sooner.

"Move, kid."

Shisui didn't. He simply stood, waiting. He knew how unnerving the Sharingan was—something about the human psyche just didn't like it when glowing red eyes stared at you.

Akito's jaw clenched. He made a show of standing taller and squaring his shoulders, looking Shisui dead in the eye. It was a pathetic, primal attempt at gaining higher ground in the exchange.

Shisui mentally laughed at the posturing, but he knew full well how this game was played. He could simply kill the traitor and be done with it as the mission required, but a gut feeling told him there was more to be gained from this than just his death.

He took a small step back as Akito expected him to and allowed a wary glint to enter his eye as if he was reconsidering the man's threat level. Tensed his shoulders. Gripped his weapon tighter. All small, subtle signs meant to reassure Akito of his higher position.

The appeasement worked as it usually did on the types of men who relied heavily on bravado.

Akito visibly relaxed. "Look," he started in a conciliatory tone, but couldn't have been more condescending if he tried. "I know you're just doing what you were ordered to. But I'm not looking for another reason for Konoha to hang me."

"Sure," Shisui agreed with a crooked smile. "They have plenty of reason to do so already." He pointedly looked at the scroll hanging from the man's hip—looked just long enough to put an idea in the man's head.

"You know," Akito remarked slowly, picking up on the interest immediately and fingering the stolen scroll. "This doesn't have to end badly. I know Konoha just wants this back, so how about you take it with you, forget you saw me, and we avoid a fight?"

Shisui raised an eyebrow. "Why the sudden offer?"

Akito shrugged, at ease now that he believed he had the upper hand, and completely oblivious to what was actually happening. "I really don't want to kill a kid," he said as if he had any higher moral ground to stand on. "And I'm sure we can work this out, right? We're both reasonable. No need for more violence."

"We could, but even so, you'd still be in trouble with Konoha." A calculated pause. "And with your buyer, I'm sure."

Akito's gaze sharpened and Shisui almost saw his plan forming together in the man's head.

Konoha was always deemed softer than the other hidden villages—too forgiving, too quick to trust, too willing to shelter their younger shinobi from the true face of the world. Too naive, their enemies would scoff, sneering and flinging the insult at Konoha, not realizing that they were handing them a weapon.

As if a village of shinobi wouldn't use such an image to their advantage.

Words are weapons, Shisui's father once taught him, during the nights where his face was illuminated by a single candle on the table and his voice haunted, as if he were recalling memories rather than parting instructions. They can be as sharp or as subtle as the tools we use. Master them, and not even the Sharingan will be able to discern the truth from the world you craft. People's perceptions can kill as well as any poison... but take heed, and be sure not to fall victim to your own ability.

He had taken his father's words to heart. He learned.

Akito watched him expectantly, and Shisui forced down a sneer from appearing. He felt a sense of heady satisfaction enter him as he usually did whenever he succeeded in manipulating someone. Somehow, it always felt more satisfying than defeating them through standard shinobi means like ninjutsu. If he was truly honest with himself, he'd admit that he enjoyed being able to do this.

But he would never admit it out loud.

Not only was it dishonest, but he knew it wasn't what good people did to other good people in their spare time. Regardless, Akito wasn't a good person by any standards so Shisui had no reservations in such a scenario.

"How about I offer you another deal?"

Akito watched him with the resemblance of a hawk stalking its prey. "I'm listening."

"Konoha is much more lenient than other villages." Each word was light, measured. "If you work with me right now, I'm sure your sentence will be much lighter when you come home."

"Come home, huh?" A sardonic grin grew on Akito's face. "You really think they'd allow that?"

Shisui spared him a knowing look. "Konoha has excused people for more than a stolen scroll," he offered glibly. "And I guarantee what I'm about to offer will help your case. Here's my deal: take the scroll with you. Report to your buyer, give them what they want."

"And then?"

"Then you're going to help me kill them."

Akito barked out a laugh, leaning his head back. "Kill them? Just the two of us? You must be crazy."

Shisui smiled. It was meant to be disarming, reassuring. And it had worked so many times before that he had lost count. "We can take on whoever it is. I'm ANBU, and they don't let just anyone into their ranks, you know?" He gloated, playing the role perfectly. "And last I checked, your record isn't something to sneeze at."

"It sure ain't," Akito said, preening like a peacock on show from the blatant flattery. But then he deflated, likely going through some more mental math. "Even so, we won't be able to take them on by ourselves."

"Yeah?"

Akito shook his head. "This guy doesn't fuck around and the people he associates with are powerful. He's careful where he works, disappears without leaving tracks. Apparently, he's been in the business for a long time."

Shisui hummed in thought, tapping the edge his tanto against his chin. "Perhaps a squad at our back would be better?"

"Nah," Akito said, waving off the idea like an annoying fly. He seemed comfortable enough now with his assured safety to offer information freely.

Shisui wondered when he'd finally catch on.

"This guy is holed up somewhere on the edge of Ame right now, or that's where I was to report to," Akito said. "He moves around too often. He might be gone by the time a proper hit squad is formed, or operating in another village."

"I suppose," Shisui conceded, shrugging and sheathing his weapon. "But he's still a threat, especially if he has been operating for so long and has eluded capture. Would you be willing to write up a report once you're done with him?"

Akito shook his head again, but looked pleased all the same at the offer. "There's not much else known about him. He's just interested in classified information from major villages. He's paying well for it."

"Konoha still appreciates whatever information you could offer." Shisui's smile was sharp. "That's all you know about him, then?"

"Just about," Akito confirmed. And the realization of what he just admitted to came to him a second too late, as Shisui had already moved.

He wasn't entirely sure which he found more disgusting: how easily Akito betrayed his buyer, how easy it was to get information out of him, or the fact that he willingly traded village secrets for money. He couldn't really bring himself to feel any remorse for the man as his blade went through Akito's chest.

It was quick, clean, and efficient.

After going through standard hunter-nin procedure and making sure the body was properly sealed, making sure the stolen scroll was secured, Shisui turned and headed home with half the day to spare.

.

Debriefings were always Shisui's least favorite part of a mission.

Writing reports was never his forte and it was no secret around the village that he had a habit of pawning the job off to someone else whenever he had the chance. Newbies quickly learned to make themselves scarce whenever Uchiha Shisui returned from a mission.

But after solo jobs he had no choice but to sit down and hash out a report.

Thankfully, dealing with Akito had been a short ordeal and there wasn't much to write. The bit about an information broker based in Ame was a bit alarming—especially given the supposed length of his existence—but it wasn't a new sort of threat. Konoha had dealt with information brokers before.

And it wasn't like they didn't employ some of their own outside the village walls.

It was late evening by the time Shisui was dismissed. He took his time on the walk back to the compound, enjoying being back in the village, basking in the feeling of home. It was a few days until his next assignment. He vaguely remembered something about another guard rotation this week, but filed that in the back of his mind.

He'd probably hand that off to someone else, too.

Shin had returned from his own mission the day before. Shisui made it a point to be home when he did, despite his younger brother's protests to 'stop checking up on him, it was only a C-rank, for fuck's sake'. Shisui had promptly given him the scolding their mother would have had she been around, but wisely dropped the subject after congratulating him on his achievement.

He sighed and rubbed his neck, then nodded in acknowledgment at the Uchiha who stood guard at the entrance of the compound.

The relationship between him and his younger brother had been strained for years. The tense atmosphere that hung around the house had become commonplace, so much that they were rarely if ever home at the same time. Shisui had long since run out of ideas on how to fix things, but that didn't discourage him from attempting each time all the same.

Surprisingly, things between them had gotten marginally better once Shin finally graduated. The ire that was reserved for him had mostly shifted towards Shin's new teammate, and when that transformed into determination, Shisui naturally felt the need to investigate.

Whatever he expected, it wasn't a smartass eight-year-old girl who reminded him of Itachi. (A less refined, mouthier, slightly more feminine version of Itachi.) Young geniuses always went one of two ways—they were either a blessing to the village or a curse, so he quickly began verbally prodding the girl, testing her reactions and digging around her personality.

He wasn't disappointed. She was sharp and picked up on his tricks instantly, much to his delight. He mentally filed away her reactions once she had become properly guarded of him as the layers of his deception were peeled away. Her mannerisms reflected a maturity higher than her peers, though she still exhibited the petulant actions of a child, made evident in response to his jabs.

Yet she seemed to be a positive influence on his brother, and perhaps that was why he felt the need to assist her now. He spotted her walking through the Uchiha compound nearly two minutes ago, and she looked downright uncomfortable under the attention she was receiving.

He sighed and sauntered over, greeting her with his standard crooked smile. "Hey. Miho, was it?"

Irritation briefly flashed across her face before it settled into a neat mask. "Uchiha-san. It's been a while." Her forced politeness was obvious, leading him to believe that she was still sore over their last encounter. Given her stiff back and guarded look, she seemed more likely to snap at him this time around than to play along to his prodding.

He settled for a safer comment, content with small talk. "Uchiha-san makes me feel old, you know."

"You did say I should respect my elders and superiors," she said nonchalantly. "I'm only doing as you asked."

His eyes gleamed. So she wasn't in that bad of a mood. "I'm not that much older than you," he pointed out, crossing his arms. "Only by a few years. Using my first name is fine."

"Perhaps, but you're still a much higher rank than me."

"I'm letting you call me Shisui."

"That would be terribly rude. I barely know you, despite being teammates with your brother." Her lip twitched. "Uchiha-san."

"...you're enjoying this," he noted dryly, amused all the same.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," she said blithely, but her brief good mood evaporated quickly. She kept glancing at the group of Uchiha civilians by the open cafe, and although she appeared calm enough, it was obvious she felt uneasy standing in the middle of the street.

Shisui felt frustration welling in his gut at his clan's actions. Please, be more obvious of your suspicion towards outsiders, he thought irately, directing a pointed look over Miho's head at the group blatantly staring at her. They blinked, recognizing him and evidently trusting him with keeping an eye on her. They immediately returned to minding their own business.

Shisui didn't agree with the direction his clan was heading, but he wasn't in a position to do anything. He was respected, but not enough. Not yet. At least the Uchiha shinobi were more discreet about monitoring outsiders in their compound.

A quiet voice brought his attention back to the girl standing next to him. "Thanks," Miho mumbled lowly. She glanced up at him through her lashes. "You didn't have to do that."

"I have no idea what you're talking about," he repeated in the same cheeky tone she used on him earlier. That earned him a long-suffering sigh and he couldn't help but chuckle at her reaction. She definitely reminded him too much of Itachi.

"What's that?" He pointed at the colorful box she clutched to her chest.

"Sweets. It's a gift."

He raised an eyebrow. "For my brother?"

"No," she snorted, giving him a knowing look and purposefully ignored his teasing. "Shin hates sweets." Then in a quieter tone she continued, "This is for Itachi. As congratulations."

Both of Shisui's eyebrows went up. "You're friends with him?"

"I...guess?" It sounded more like a question than an answer. No one paid Miho any attention this time as they walked, and the tension gradually drained from her shoulders. "He made chuunin... and he took the entire test solo."

Shisui nodded, coming up beside her. "First to do so, too." He wasn't bragging, not exactly, but he was definitely proud. Itachi was dear to him after all, and he felt the same pleasure at Itachi's accomplishments that his parents likely did. "He's exceptional."

"No kidding," she mumbled. "He's going through the ranks so fast."

The undertone of dejection in her voice made him glance sharply at her, but Miho ducked her head rather than meet his eyes. He wondered if she had the same attitude towards Itachi that Shin had towards him. It would explain why she and Shin got along.

He had to resist sighing. A higher rank equated to more work and more danger, but neither she nor Shin seemed to see it that way. Only Itachi seemed to understand this. Yet he wasn't in a position to lecture her as they were neither friends nor family, as she had pointed out earlier.

They lapsed into silence.

The closer they got to Itachi's home, the more Miho grew uncomfortable again. Tension crept back into her spine and her knuckles continuously clenched around the box. She exhaled deeply as they approached the front of the house and seemed to gather herself before turning to him. He stopped beside her, waiting for her to go towards the house.

She didn't move. "Thanks for the escort."

It was the most obvious of dismissals, but he shrugged it off. It was a small favor and he'd be seeing Itachi soon regardless. "Say hi to Itachi for me, would you?"

"I will," she said. Her smile was strained and Shisui wondered what suddenly racked up the nervousness, but wisely kept silent. "Can you tell Shin to meet at the grounds early tomorrow? Yūgao-sensei wanted us to catch up on some training... despite the fact that we were just on a mission."

"She's like that," he snorted, fully aware of Yūgao's training regimes. "But you got it." And with a quick Shunshin, Shisui vanished from sight.

He made a mental note to pester Itachi later, and another to seek out this girl again. It was too much fun riling her up.