Chapter Ten - Bad Blood

All Kakashi had to do was take a look at Shisui's face to realize that he had received nothing but bad news in the past three hours since he was gone. Upon registering Kakashi's presence, Shisui gave him nothing more than a lackluster head nod before he slumped down further in his seat.

A long sigh emitted through the room.

While Shisui was half sitting, half slumping in his seat, Itachi was the epitome of grace. He sat in the middle of his bed, his back ramrod straight as he remained in a mediation position. His expression remained impassive, seemingly unbothered by what made Shisui so distressed in the first place. Kakashi might have even been inclined to believe that Shisui was overreacting if not for one glaring fact.

The blindfold around Itachi's eyes.

Although this was a topic that none of them wanted to breach, Kakashi had to ask it anyways. "What did the doctor say?"

The only indicator that Shisui even acknowledged his question was the slight shift of his head from side to side while his eyes remained glued to the floor. Much to his surprise, it was Itachi who answered the question.

"As expected. They think I'm going to be permanently blind." Itachi was extremely calm and poised for someone who learned that he might be blind for the rest of his life. Maybe he had already accepted the idea during his time in the holding cells. Maybe he was just grateful that he was still alive.

But this was Itachi Uchiha that they were talking about. There were very few things in life that could faze him.

"This is what? The third?"

"Fourth," Itachi gently corrected.

"And how do you feel about it?" Shisui looked affronted to hear that such a question would even come out of Kakashi's mouth, but in his defense, all three of them had gone through far too much at this point to skirt around the touchier topics. Besides, what was the point? The last thing that Itachi wanted was their pity.

"Nothing," Itachi confessed, shaking his head slightly. "I did not believe that I would still be alive right now, so in comparison losing my eyesight is a small price to pay."

Perhaps it was for normal people. For shinobis, it probably meant the end of their career. But for an Uchiha? Their eyes were their most treasured weapon and the loss of his eyesight meant taking a huge hit to his ego.

"And all of the doctors said that your eyesight was unrecoverable? Not even a tiny bit?"

Shisui was the one who interrupted. "The doctors aren't even trying! The first two didn't even bother examining him thoroughly before saying that there was nothing that they could do. The third was downright hostile and kept making jabs at the Uchihas!"

During the progression of his rant, Shisui sat up straight and straighter in his chair. At the end of it, his back hit the back of the chair as he took a few deep breaths to calm his emotions and even out his breathing.

"And the fourth?" Kakashi prompted.

"The fourth was perfectly fine," Itachi answered, effectively preventing Shisui from going on another rant, if there was another one coming. "Same verdict."

"Maybe the fourth doesn't have that much expertise," Shisui grumbled underneath his breath.

"Well what can you expect? Not every medic is as talented as Tsunade sama." Kakashi had intended that to be a purely sarcastic jab at Shisui, so he didn't expect him to suddenly perk up. Sitting up straight in his seat, he angled his body so that he was facing Kakashi.

"That's a great idea!" Shisui exclaimed. "Tsunade will definitely know how to fix Itachi's eyesight."

His exclamation was met with a thoroughly unimpressed look from Kakashi.

"Do you really think it's that easy to get a hold of her?" Kakashi deadpanned. "Not to mention, Tsunade hasn't been in the village since the end of the war and nobody knows where to even find her. Even if you do find her, there's no way that you'll be able to get her to agree."

"Then what about someone else?" Shisui pressed. "Someone around Tsunade's caliber. Someone like…"

When Shisui faltered, Kakashi knew that both of them were thinking about the same person. Itachi was also quick to catch on, being the first to voice his opinion.

"No."

Shisui's gaze swung over to his cousin. "Why not? She's in the village right now and you know that she's highly qualified to treat you."

Itachi's lips etched into a frown. "It is not a matter of her qualifications. She would not be willing to help. Have you forgotten what we have done to her?"

Shisui fell silent, quietly accepting Itachi's argument. Kakashi was slightly tempted to offer that he could try to convince her, since he was the only one that could probably get through her anyway, but he didn't know the full story. He didn't know the full extent of her pain.

Rin never talked about it and Kakashi never bothered to ask. Perhaps it was better that he didn't get involved at all.

After a few moments of silence, Shisui stood up abruptly with such force that he knocked the chair backwards a few inches. "I'll go apologize to her. It's not fair that I was the one who casted the genjutsu on her and that you have to suffer because of it."

Shisui made a move to march towards the exit, but Itachi's authoritative voice stopped him in his tracks.

"It was not only your fault," Itachi stated. "Obito and I were both bystanders. When my father mentioned it, none of us protested. We just watched it happen."

"You were a kid," Shisui argued. "You were only ten years old. Of course there wasn't anything that you could have done differently."

"And were you not as well?" Itachi countered with equal ferocity. "You forget that you are not much older than me. If the clan head told you to cast a genjutsu on someone, who were you to disobey?"

"I could have kept my Mangekyo Sharingan abilities hidden."

"They would have found out either way, whether you told them willingly or not."

"I was the one who actually casted the genjutsu on her."

"And I was the one who never told her anything or set her free after I became the leader."

"And I-"

Itachi held his hand up, palm facing towards Shisui. "I don't want to argue with you, Shisui. We were all at fault and we should not bother her. There is nothing that we can do in this lifetime to earn her forgiveness, much less be qualified to ask her for a favor. Just leave it."

It was an order; Itachi's tone indicated it as much. It was the first time in his life that Itachi had used such a tone on him, so Shisui understood exactly how strongly Itachi felt about this. If it was anything else, Shisui could acquiesce to his wishes. If it was literally anything else, there would be no question about it.

But his cousin's wellbeing...was just too important to him. They had grown up together. Shisui mentored him. Taught him everything he knew. Looked out for him like an older brother. Always took the fall when needed.

This time wouldn't be any different.

And so for the first time in his life, Shisui disregarded Itachi's orders and walked out the door of his hospital room. Itachi called after him, repeatedly telling him to come back, but Shisui allowed his words to go through one ear and right out the other.

He only had one thing on his mind at the moment.

Find Rin.

For the umpteeth time, Obito waved his hand in Izumi's line of sight. Her brown eyes followed the movement of his hand, a frown etched across her face. Thirty seconds in, Izumi's hand shot upwards, slapping Obito's hand away from her face.

"Do you really not know who I am?" Obito questioned, leaning forward so that his face was right in her face. Instinctively, Izumi leaned backwards, an awkward smile tugging on her lips.

"Of course I do. You're Obito. You've only told me a hundred times by now."

Obito let out a long sigh. He plopped back down in his seat, crossing his arms over his chest while he examined her intently. It just didn't make sense.

"Why do you remember Itachi and Shisui and not me?"

Izumi cocked her head innocently to the side. "Should I know who you are?"

Obito resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "I was the one who introduced you to Itachi and Shisui, of course you should know who I am."

"I remember that part," Izumi insisted. "I just don't remember anything else about you."

"Then what do you remember?"

Izumi frowned, dredging up the little bit that she could make sense of. Everything else was still a muddled mess. Just thinking about the mismatched timelines and conversations sent another wave of pain. Her hand reached to clutch her head, as if that would do anything to ease the pain.

Obito stood up, hands outstretched like he was ready to reach out to her, but he eventually retracted his arms. He sat back down.

"Forget I even asked. You shouldn't push yourself too hard."

"I remember that there was war," Izumi supplied, completely ignoring him. "I don't know why or how, but I know that there was. Is it still going on? Is that why Itachi was held in captivity?"

Obito shook his head. "The war ended a little over eight months ago."

"Then what was going on? Does it have something to do with why my memories are all messed up?"

"Izumi, it's a really long story. Perhaps I'll tell you another day."

"Why won't anyone tell me anything?" Izumi demanded. The volume of her voice rose with each word. Obito leaned forward, ready to calm her down, but Izumi continued before he could get in another word otherwise. "Whatever it was, you guys trusted me to let me in on it. I think I deserve to know exactly what I lost my memory for."

"It's not that I don't want to tell you," Obito explained hurriedly, lest Izumi cut him off before he could get his point across. "It is really a long story. To explain it all, I would have to go back to our childhood."

Izumi crossed her arms over her chest. "Well it's not like I have anywhere to be, so I have all of the time in the world."

An excuse was already at the tip of his tongue, Obito was a terrible liar but at least, he was a quick thinker. Two successive knocks on the door broke his train of thought. Obito swallowed his excuse, swiveling his head to grant permission for the person to come in. The door creaked open, revealing a familiar mop of silver hair.

Kakashi nodded in greeting at Izumi before turning to Obito, getting straight to the point.

"Inoichi san agreed to take a look."

Obito let out a sigh of relief. At least something was going right. "That's great news. Still no news about Itachi?"

"What about Itachi?" Izumi interjected, leaning forward so that her head was right in between the two of them. She glanced back and forth between the two of them expectantly. The silence was deafening. "Why does no one tell me anything?"

Kakashi looked pointedly at Obito. "You didn't update her?"

A guilty expression was plastered on his face. "Ah well, you see-"

"You know Itachi is blind," Kakashi informed Izumi, saving Obito from having to make up a lousy excuse and incurring Izumi's anger. "None of the medics are able to recover his eyesight. It's possible that he'll remain blind for the rest of his life."

Her expression immediately fell. "Blind?"

Kakashi nodded. Abruptly, Obito stood up. Through gritted teeth, he informed Izumi that he would be right back before his hand latched onto Kakashi's arm, tugging him out of Izumi's hospital room. The two of them stopped right outside of Izumi's room. The moment that Obito pulled the door shut behind him, he whirled on him.

"What the hell was that for?" Obito demanded.

"What are you talking about?"

"Why did you tell her?"

"Why didn't you tell her?" Kakashi countered. "It's not that hard and I think she deserves to know. Hiding things from her is only going to make her angrier at you."

"She's recovering," Obito hissed. "Her mental state is extremely fragile right now. You shouldn't tell her anything that might affect her."

"Like you poorly dodging her questions isn't going to make her angrier," Kakashi scoffed. "It's not like she didn't already know. She and Itachi were held in captivity for a couple of days. Izumi has already seen the blindfold on him. I didn't tell her anything she didn't already know."

"Yeah but you had to go and confirm it for her. Dash away the last bit of hope that she may have had."

"Only fools have hope. Medics aren't gods; they can't magically heal a pair of damaged eyes."

Obito frowned. "You mean there's really no chance? Even the best medic confirmed it?"

Kakashi stared at Obito for a few moments, his lips pressed tightly together as he contemplated whether he should tell him or not.

"No, the best medic didn't confirm it," Kakashi began slowly. "But no one knows where she is. Shisui went to go find her, but there's no guarantee that she'll treat Itachi's eyes."

"What, why not?"

Kakashi inwardly sighed. Even after all these years, some things never seemed to change. Obito was still as dense as the first day since Kakashi met him.

"The best medic in the village is Rin." Obito's mouth parted slightly upon hearing her name. "I'm sure you're smart enough to put two and two together."

Obito sputtered. "But it's not Itachi's fault. He wasn't the one who did that to her. Itachi shouldn't have to suffer because of the clan's actions. If she really wants to blame someone, blame Fugaku. Or even me."

Kakashi gave him a deadpan look. "I don't know what happened, but I would advise you to think about it from her perspective. It's not always that easy for the victim to forgive and forget."

With those parting words, Kakashi left Obito alone to mull over his words. Kakashi would know; after all, it had taken him almost fifteen years to forgive Arata for driving his father to his death. And if the situation was horrible as Kakashi thought, based on the context from a few of his conversations with Obito, Itachi, and Shisui, then he didn't think that Rin would ever forgive them.

Even if she had a big heart.

The sound of the pitter patter of raindrops drummed incessantly against her umbrella. Droplets slid from the top to the side before dripping off of the edge, some splashing into the puddles around her, while others dripped onto her toes. Rin sloshed through the murky puddles, uncaring that her sandals were completely drenched.

On a normal day, Rin would have been warm and dry inside the hospital. She would have been making her rounds, making small talk with the coworkers that she had gotten to know over the past few months, or performing some of her experiments. Of the things that she should have been doing, none of them entailed wandering mindlessly around the village during a downpour.

But where else did she have to go? Her apartment wasn't an option; they would find her too easily and too quickly.

Rin was nowhere near ready to face them yet and that reason was what prompted her to head out the main doors only ten minutes after she stepped foot into the hospital when she began to hear rumors that there were Uchiha members in the hospital. It briefly crossed her mind that Obito might have been one of them, and maybe, just maybe, Rin was ready to face him, but the moment she heard that there were more than one of them, Rin fled.

Maybe she was overreacting. Maybe she wouldn't have run into them at all; there were so many more medics in the hospital. Any one of them could treat them. It didn't have to be her. But being in that atmosphere, under the same roof as them, felt so suffocating. Felt like that at any moment, Rin would be thrown back to being twelve years old, when she lived under Daisuke's tyranny. Thrown back to when she was fifteen years old, where she was unknowingly placed under their genjutsu to live a life that didn't belong to her.

The further away she was from the hospital, the less suffocated she felt, yet that didn't stop the plague of thoughts assaulting her conclusion led to the next; one horrible thought led to a downward spiral down that hole.

And Rin had naively thought she had come to terms with that part of her life. That she had put it all behind her after her confrontation with Mikia. It all sounded great in theory, but nothing was quite like having to face them in person.

What would they even say to her? Did they feel an ounce of remorse at all?

"Rin?" Immediately, Rin jolted out of her thoughts, whirling around to the direction of the voice before she could stop to think that it could have been someone that she was avoiding. Luckily for her, he wasn't.

"Minato sama," Rin greeted. She bowed slightly, tipping her umbrella forward.

"You don't need to be so formal," Minato told her. Rin couldn't help it. It was an unbreakable habit ever since she was punished for not addressing Daisuke correctly when she was first held captive.

"How are you? Why are you out in the rain?" The questions seemed so genuine. Minato's face didn't scream "I have a motive" but Rin still couldn't help the sinking feeling in her stomach. What if he was here to convince her to heal the Uchihas? It was no secret that Minato was the spearhead of keeping with the Uchihas, hence why he allowed them on Senju territory. It also didn't help that Rin heard that there were two of them that were badly injured…

"I'm doing alright," Rin responded in a small voice, while her mind warred with herself. If Minato asked, it wouldn't be his fault. He didn't know what happened to her during her time at the Uchihas. If he asked, it would simply be because he was looking to keep the peace.

That consolation didn't make her feel any better though. Regardless of the reason, Rin didn't want to be forced to see them. She didn't want to see them at all.

"That's great to hear," Minato was saying. "I heard that you're doing well at the hospital too. I'm glad that you're settling in so well."

Anxiety wracked her inside and out. Was this small talk just a precursor to the bomb that was about to drop? Did he mention her performance at the hospital as a hint of what was coming next?

Rin shot him a forced smile. "Thanks for letting me stay."

"Of course. Anyone is welcomed. We're in peace time, so you're not the enemy anymore."

Minato shot her such a warm smile that it made her feel guilty that she had been on the enemy side. As if it was her choice. As if he never tried to kill her.

"Well, I have to get going," Minato announced, probably sensing that she wanted to be left alone. His kindness made her heart ache. If he could forgive her for creating a poison that once killed over thirty of his people, then why couldn't she forgive the Uchihas? "Take care of yourself, alright?"

Rin had been so lost in her own thoughts that by the time she regained her senses enough to register Minato's parting words, he was long gone. Her perfunctory response was right at the tip of her tongue, but she never got the chance to use it.

Her eyes fell to the ground, fixating on a puddle as she watched the continuous droplets of rain cause ripples in the puddle.

Was she harboring too much hate in her heart? Was this what they called the endless cycle of hatred? Was that why war persisted decades after decades because of the hatred that they carried?

Rin wandered aimlessly around the empty village to the point where she wasn't even aware of where she was anymore. All she could hear was the sound of her footsteps sloshing through the water in two second intervals. Step by step, her subconscious took her back to the hospital, the same place that she had been trying to avoid.

Upon seeing the glaring red medic symbol plastered front and center right on top of the front door of the building, her mind screamed at her to leave. Yet her feet remained rooted to her position. Even when she spotted a familiar silhouette exit the front doors of the hospital, her entire body froze.

The figure turned to look the other way, angling his body so that Rin caught a glimpse of the damned red and white symbol on the back of his shirt. Dozens of images flashed through her mind in a millisecond. At that speed, her mind couldn't process the specifics. A chill went down her spine as her mind landed on one particular memory: that day at the library.

The memory dispersed from her mind the moment the figure moved so that the symbol was no longer in her line of sight, yet a chilling feeling pervaded through her entire body. Goosebumps formed all along her arms and legs.

And then his eyes landed on her.

Rin still remained frozen to her spot, even as he began to make his way towards her. Her eyes swept the distance between them, mind constantly calculating how many more steps it would take him until he reached her. A warning flashed in her head when she noted that he was barely two steps away from reaching her. Instinctively, Rin took two steps backward. Her hand shot outward, palm facing his direction in an universal stop motion. She ducked her head to the side, squeezing her eyes shut.

The sound of footsteps stopped. Slowly, Rin slid her eyes open, craning her head in his direction. Much to her surprise, he didn't encroach in her personal space any further. There were still four steps in between them. Although she knew that this distance wouldn't be a problem for him, he was known for his teleportation skills after all, Rin still felt a small sense of comfort.

Silence stretched between them. As time passed, Rin noted that his hair got progressively less spiky as the weight of the water weighed it down. Tendrils of hair stuck to his forehead. Despite getting completely soaked, Shisui didn't make a move to seek shelter.

He waited and waited and waited, as if it seemed like he was waiting for her to speak first. What was she supposed to say to the person who put her under the genjutsu in the first place? Maybe he was putting her under one right now…

Rin gasped. Wasn't that his power? The victim would do his bidding thinking that it had been of their own volition.

Discreetly, Rin averted her eyes away from making direct eye contact with his. "You should go inside otherwise you'll catch a cold."

"Not until you hear me out," Shisui insisted. "I'll wait until you're ready."

"There's really nothing to talk about." If he wanted to apologize for the past, there was no point. He couldn't give back the fifteen years that she had lost. The only thing he could do was stay as far away from her as possible.

Despite that, Rin nodded, indicating that she was willing to listen to him. Was it because she really wanted to or was it the influence of a genjutsu? Rin didn't know what to think anymore.

"We never meant for any of this to happen to you," Shisui started. "When Itachi saved you from the holding cells, he didn't have any motives. We just never thought that Fugaku and the council would turn that into an opportunity to manipulate you into working for the Uchihas. Itachi and Obito had nothing to do with this. If you need someone to blame, then blame me. I was the one who casted the genjutsu."

Rin shook her head sadly. "What's the point in blaming? It's not like you can return my life to me. You don't even have to apologize; it's not going to change anything. What was done is done. Is that all?"

"Itachi needs your help."

Silence permeated in the air. It was just as she feared. The only thing that was worse than meeting an Uchiha was having to heal an Uchiha again. Like she foolishly had done all those years.

"I can't help him."

"You're the best medic in the village right now. If you can't help him, then no one else can. Please. This past year all Itachi has been advocating for is to dismantle the system that caused you to be enslaved as a child and…" Shisui paused, gulping. He proceeded to finish his sentence in a whisper. "Forced you to work for us."

Tears welled up in her eyes, blurring her vision. "And if I refuse, will you put me under a genjutsu again?" Her voice trembled, barely audible over the pouring rain.

Shisui shook his head. "That was my fault. I shouldn't have ever agreed to it. I was old enough to know better back then, but Itachi was only ten. He was still a kid. And if there's someone who can bring about change, it's him. I know a simple apology won't make everything go away, but if there's anything that I can do, please let me know. I'll do anything."

The desperation in his voice...that wasn't how it was supposed to go. The Uchihas weren't supposed to show remorse. They weren't supposed to make it harder for her to hate them.

"The only thing I want is to not see another Uchiha in my life," Rin told him in a steely voice. "Including Itachi. I won't be able to help him."

Nothing prepared her for what happened next. Shisui's body lurched forward. His knees dropped onto the ground, sending droplets of water flying everywhere. Rin's mouth fell open as Shisui lowered his head to the ground, bowing to her.

This wasn't supposed to happen. It was always the other way around. Never in her life did an Uchiha ever bow to her.

"Please, this is my only request," he murmured. "I will pay with my life if that's what it takes for you to help him."

"That's not necessary."

Shisui seemed to perk up a bit at her response, maybe feeling more hopeful that she was leaning towards helping, when in reality, Rin just didn't want to see anyone die, Uchiha or not.

"Itachi's blind from a kunai injury. None of the other medics were able to help him, but I think with your expertise, there must be something that you can do…" Shisui continued to babble on, while Rin tuned him out completely. She didn't want to know. She didn't want to hear his case. That only made him seem like a normal patient, made her more compelled to help him.

"I'm sorry. I can't help him." Rin cleared her throat. "I won't help him."

And for the first time in her life, Rin turned down an opportunity to heal someone. Shisui was saying something back to her, but over the sound of her thumping heart, she couldn't hear what he was saying. She vaguely registered her grip loosening on the umbrella. It fell out of her grasp, tumbling to the ground next to her. Droplets of rain landed on her head, her shoulders, seeping through the fabric of her clothes. A few drops landed on her forehead, rolling down the side of her cheeks.

Was it the rain or her tears? Rin couldn't tell.

All she knew was that she spun on her heels and took off running. She ran and ran and ran, sandals slapping against the wet pavement, sending water droplets everywhere. Tears mixed in with the raindrops continued to run down her cheeks.

Rin never thought there would be a day she turned down the opportunity to heal someone. The sole reason why she even picked up medical ninjutsu was so she could fulfill her dream of healing people. For the longest time, her greatest motivation to become better was to save people. She even learned to reason with herself that learning the arts of poison was so that she could prevent her comrades from dying, not that she was killing.

Yet there was no reasoning that could convince her to heal an Uchiha.

Maybe it was cruel of her to let him suffer like that, but for him to suffer, just maybe he could finally feel an ounce of pain that she had gone through in the hands of the Uchihas.

Right as Rin convinced herself that she had made the right decision, she felt her foot ram into something on the ground. Her entire body lurched forward, her arms shooting outwards to break the fall. The palms of her hands slammed against the ground before Rin gave in to gravity and allowed the rest of her body to fall. Shoulder digging into the gravel, cheek pressed against the pavement, through blurry vision, she stared at the sidewalk.

Looking, but not really processing.

Rin didn't know how long she laid there, but she eventually picked herself off of the ground. Mechanically, her feet carried her in the direction of her apartment. She had enough of avoiding. She had finally come to terms with her decision.

Only, a fleeting thought crossed her mind.

He didn't use genjutsu.

But just as quickly as it came, that thought was pushed out of her mind.

She would never heal another Uchiha for as long as she lived.

A/N: Hi again!

Thank you all for your kind words - it really made me excited to share part 2 with you! I'm happy that I could bring back the Senjus, had to find a way to do that somehow haha. And I realized that I never addressed how Rin felt about the Uchihas in the first book, so I suppose this is a little continuation of her backstory.

Thanks for reading. Until next time!

-MM