Hello my readers, Unknown entity328 with chapter 17 of New Life in Naruto?! First of all, I would like to apologize for the long wait for those who were patient enough. I had to think carefully how I wanted this chapter to go and shoutout to Karsap who is the co-author for this chapter. Thanks to Karsap's help, I was able to get the chapter the way I wanted it. Also, the reason I took so long is because of school and work, it's not easy to juggle three things at once. Despite all that, I always put everything I have in my writing so that my treasured readers enjoy my work. And because I want to spread my horizons, I would like to ask your help. I have a poll set up for my first attempt at an AU fanfic which will have no OCs whatsoever.
As you all may have noticed, I have only written fanfics with my own original characters added to the mix. I felt like I needed a change of pace, try something new. So I have decided to take a crack at writing an AU fanfic as well as a crossover with an AU being the first. I already have a poll set up which have the possible fanfics I have a few ideas for. After you finish reading this chapter, I ask that you drop by my poll and leave a vote.
With that being said, time to raise the curtain and begin the show you've all been waiting for!
Chapter Seventeen: The Hidden Uchiha
It's been five days since I faked Shisui's death and hid us in the forest. I'm still trying to wrap my head around how the plan worked. I mean, I was up against Danzo, a god damn kage level ninja for crying out loud! Sure, fog can hinder a person's sight, but let's not forget that Danzo and his Root agents are fully trained ninjas. Even if the fog Isobu made had genjutsu laced in it, there's no way it would have lasted long enough to make a quick escape. There might be a chance he let me escape, but that's highly unlikely knowing how he operates.
If I'm being honest, I think that I was followed and they reported that Shisui died. Of course, that's just me being optimistic with no evidence to support my theory. Danzo is a crafty man, and there's not a doubt in my mind he's scheming something right now. He might have failed in getting Shisui's Sharingan due to my interference, but he'll still be a problem in the future. What concerns me is what that warhawk will do once he finds out Shisui is alive.
Another major concern is Shisui himself, despite five days having passed, he's still unconscious. I know he isn't dead because I check his vitals every so often. The drug I gave him should have left his system a long time ago, and he should have regained consciousness soon after I tied myself up. It was really stressing me out that I had to get my mind off it somehow.
So I made a routine to follow to pass the time, which is basically ninja training. I start the day by eating the fruits I stashed, do a few stretches, run a few laps around our hiding place, push ups, and lastly sit ups for an hour or two. After the physical training, I took a fifteen minute break to check Shisui's vitals to reassure myself he was still alive. Once my break is over, I work on my chakra control by doing the leaf exercise. After that, I worked on Isobu's chakra for the remainder of the day until it was time I went to sleep. I've been doing this everyday ever since I woke up.
Isobu commented that my chakra control was getting better with each passing day. I could now stick five leaves on my forehead without them falling. I could also form the chakra cloak and one of Isobu's tails for twelve minutes now. I still struggle, of course, but it's progress nonetheless.
"Still no signs of waking up." I muttered to myself as I checked Shisui's pulse and breathing. Then I removed the bandages around his eyes and changed them. I looked down at Shisui, biting my lower lip worriedly. "Did I accidentally put him in a coma?"
"Maybe, it is concerning since five days have passed." I could feel Isobu's chakra flowing through my body in a comforting way and I began to relax a little.
"It can't be a coma, though." I said as I checked Shisui's vitals again, just to be on the safe side. "I didn't do anything to his head at all." After checking his vitals, I carefully inspected Shisui's head. "There's no blunt force trauma, maybe…"
"Do you think it's because of your drug?" Isobu asked and I just hummed in thought as I tried to remember what I used.
Before I made the tea, I went to the library as much as I could to study what plants in the area I could use. I didn't memorize their names because I was rushing, but I did know that the plants I used in the tea didn't do anything harmful. By themselves, they were harmless, but I didn't know what would happen if I mixed them together. They were meant to be similar to anesthesia, which should have numbed Shisui's body temporarily. Naturally, I tested it on a few rats I caught scurrying around the house first. The rats seemed to have been fine because they started to move around five hours later. I've been giving myself a headache as I tried to figure out why Shisui hasn't woken up in five days.
Although, if I had to guess, something probably happened when I mixed them together in the tea. Maybe the chemical composition of one of the plants I used had a negative reaction with the rest. It's not uncommon for some medicine or drugs to have different effects depending on who or what it was tested on. If I had more time, I could have done a few more tests to make sure it was safe to use on humans.
'For now,' I raised my right hand and focused my chakra to gather water from the air before having it slowly drip into Shisui's mouth. 'I'll have to monitor his condition and keep him hydrated.'
And I did exactly that, as well as kept up with my training routine for another three days. After the seventh day passed, I was starting to wonder if we'll ever be found. I didn't even take us very far from the village. On the eighth day, I decided to look around to see if anyone was looking for me or Shisui. Well, I guess they wouldn't be looking for Shisui since everyone thinks he's dead. But I digress, I found no one and started to worry if maybe I hid us too well.
On the way back, I caught a few rabbits with Isobu's help which was really lucky if I'm being honest. I was running low in food so catching the rabbits was a good thing even if I do feel sorry for them. Once I returned to my little hiding spot, I noticed that Shisui's position was shifted a little. I dropped everything I was carrying and ran over to inspect him and was relieved when I saw a finger twitch.
That relief lasted only about five minutes when Shisui showed no other physical signs of being conscious. With nothing better to do, I skinned and gutted the poor rabbits while thinking about my next move. Obviously, I need to figure out a way to prevent the Yamanakas from looking at my memories. It would be bad if they saw that I planned everything, or worse, my past life's memories. While I want to just let everything out, I can't so early on because it would have horrible repercussions, especially if certain people find out.
The best I can think of is to throw a fit like a scared child, but that won't last long. I needed a more permanent solution that wasn't suspicious. I could say I was put to sleep, but that would contradict what I told Shisui. The Yamanaka's mind probing can be such a nuisance sometimes. Isobu can probably block my memories, but then that'll expose him. I didn't want to reveal Isobu just yet, both for his safety and to avoid unnecessary attention.
"If only there was a way to alter my memories." I muttered to myself before taking a bite at my freshly cooked rabbit. As I chewed, I continued to think of how to prevent my memories from being looked at. 'That way, even I would think it's the truth until my memories are restored.'
"I don't think there's a jutsu like that, Kojiro." Isobu said as I swallowed and took another bite, occasionally side glancing at Shisui. "Maybe you can say that you developed a fear of ninjas."
'That won't work.' I shook my head at Isobu's suggestion and continued to eat what's left of the rabbit. 'If I'm afraid of them, they'll just ask why I want to be a ninja when I enroll in the academy.'
After hours of thinking, I couldn't think of anything that could work. I eventually decided to think more about it later and buried the bones of the rabbit. After praying at my makeshift grave, I decided to do some stretches. I figured it would be best to make my body as flexible as possible since a stiff one would be a problem. I wasn't really athletic in my past life, but I plan to fix that in this life when I enroll in the academy. The saying "no pain, no gain" couldn't be more true as I continued to train. My body felt like it was being torn apart and lit on fire at the same time.
The next day, while I was training, I heard a groan coming from Shisui's direction. I stopped what I was doing, which was hand sign speed training, to see Shisui shifting. He soon rolled to his side and stopped when he realized he was tied up. I wanted to untie him, but decided against it in case he accidentally hurts himself. He tried to look around only to realize he had bandages wrapped around his eyes.
Putting my training on hold, I quickly went into character and started to sniffle as tears built up in my eyes. Another result of my hellish acting training, I can cry at will which comes in handy in this situation. Crying at will was the hardest part to learn in acting if I'm being perfectly honest. But the drama club president was adamant that all club members had this skill so the plays were more realistic.
"Kojiro?" Shisui tried to look around again when he heard my sniffling.
"I-I'm sorry." I blubbered out as I tried to wipe my tears away but they kept flowing. "I'm so sorry, Shisui!"
"Kojiro, are you crying?" Boy am I glad he's blind now, but I still feel guilty since I took away his sight. "Are you okay, he didn't hurt you, did he?"
"N-no." I replied, letting out a small hiccup and another sniffle as I slowly approached him. "He-he didn't hurt me."
"That's good." Shisui sighed in relief as he managed to get himself into a sitting position. "Since I can't see, I guess he got what he wanted."
"I'm sorry, Shisui." I apologized again, getting on my knees and wrapping my arms around Shisui in a tight hug. I rested my face against his neck so he could feel my tears and my body quivering. "I begged him to leave you alone, bu-but he wouldn't listen!"
"It's alright, Kojiro." Shisui tried to move his arms to comfort me, but he was still bound by the rope. "This isn't your fault."
"Yes it is!" I shook my head fiercely as I tightened my hug as I forced out a sob. "Because of me, you lost your eyes!"
"That is a problem." Shisui admitted, a small frown in his face before a thought crossed his mind. "Kojiro, is that man still inside you?"
"N-no, he left." I replied, pulling away from Shisui and reaching for his weapon bag I set to the side. "He said he got what he came for and dropped us in the forest."
"Okay." Shisui nodded as I pulled out one of his kunai and cut the rope. He felt around the ground until his hand made contact with mine. "Did he say anything else?"
"No." I replied, fighting the urge to shake my head because Shisui couldn't see anymore. I made sure that there was a slight quiver in my voice for Shisui to notice. "H-he didn't say anything else."
"Kojiro, don't lie to me." Shisui placed a hand on my shoulder and used the other to wipe away my tears. "You're obviously still scared of something he told you." I remained silent as I let a few more crocodile tears out along with a few sobs. "I can't help you if you don't tell me, Kojiro."
"H-h-he..." I wiped away my tears and sniffled for good measure as Shisui lightly squeezed my shoulder in a comforting manner. "He said he'd kill me if I talk."
"Kill you?" I felt Shisui freeze for a moment before he placed his free hand on my other shoulder. "What do you mean?"
"I-I don't know." I didn't stop myself from shaking my head this time as I gripped the hem of my shirt. "He j-just said if I talked he'd know and kill me."
"But how?" Shisui lowered his head thoughtfully before gasping in realization. "Your blood."
"My blood?" I repeated in confusion and Shisui nodded his head, a grim look on his face. "Shisui, you're scaring me, what about my blood?"
"It's just a theory," Shisui said softly, looking at me and I focused on the bandages around his eyes. "But I think he must have left a piece of himself inside you."
"What?" Even though I knew he couldn't see, I still widened my eyes as I let the shock enter my voice.
"It makes sense once you think about it." Shisui let go of my shoulders and leaned back but I grabbed his shoulders before he fell. "If he can turn his body into blood, he can leave some behind." A frown formed on his face as I gently led him to a tree to lean against. "I hate to admit it, but he's through."
"It seems Shisui solved our dilemma, Kojiro." Isobu said and I mentally nodded in agreement as it gave me an excuse to not have my memories looked at.
"So-so I'm going to die?" I asked, forcing my body to shake as the dread could be heard in my voice.
"Of course not." Shisui shook his head and reached towards me to pat my shoulder reassuringly. "I'll do everything I can to keep you safe, Kojiro."
"How?" I took deep exasperated breaths to have Shisui think I was panicking. "How can you keep me safe when that man's inside me?!"
"Kojiro, calm down!" Shisui firmly grasped both of my shoulders and, if he still had his eyes, sternly stared at me. "Everything will be alright."
"How?" I asked softly, still taking deep breaths to keep the facade of panicking.
"He won't kill you." Shisui said, certainty in his voice as if he was confident he was right. "That man said he might need us again." He wiped away more of my tears that started flowing again. "He wouldn't have said that if he wanted to kill us."
"H-he sounded like he meant it." Doubt could be heard in my voice as I let Shisui spin the story for me.
"He probably said that so the Yamanaka clan won't look at your memories." Shisui held his chin as he theorized and I fought to pump a fist. "This isn't good, this guy really knew what he was doing."
"W-what do we do?" I asked, not faking the anxiousness in my voice this time. "We have to tell lord third what happened."
"And we will, just not you." Shisui said and I opened my mouth in protest, but he held his hand up. "I may not know everything, but it's better than risking your life."
"But Shisui-"
"No buts Kojiro." I flinched at the sternness of Shisui's voice. "You need to trust me on this."
"O-okay." I lowered my head but was mentally sighing in relief while Isobu remained silent.
Three more days have passed, and I continued with my training with Shisui helping me. When he asked me why I was training, I told him that I wanted to get stronger. I said that I didn't want what happened to them to happen again. After hearing that, Shisui offered to help me by giving me advice. I pretty much jumped at the offer and I felt I was really making progress in my training.
I told Shisui how I was training, minus Isobu's chakra of course, and he suggested that I focus on my body. He advised me to work on my flexibility for now and I couldn't agree more. As I mentioned before, a flexible body will give better maneuverability than a stiff one. It was slow and painful, but the end result will be worth it. Shisui's advice about taking deep breaths helped ease the pain a little.
"Alright, let's move on to chakra control." Shisui said as I stretched my arms and legs to prepare for today's training. "Kojiro, how many leaves can you stick to your forehead?"
"Um, five I think." I replied as I recalled how many leaves stuck to my head.
"That's impressive." Shisui nodded in approval, his voice having an impressed tone as he leaned against a tree. "There's not that many kids your age who can get that far."
"Hehe, it was just trial and error." I said modestly, rubbing the back of my head at Shisui's praise.
Before anything else could be said, we were suddenly surrounded by men wearing animal masks. They all were wearing black clothing, a grey flak jacket, metal arm guards and gloves, ninja sandals, three ninja pouches on their back-waist and a spiral tattoo on their shoulders. I knew right away that they were the leaf villages ANBU. Despite knowing that, I still played the role of a scared child and hid behind Shisui.
"Shisui Uchiha?" The man with an owl mask questioned, I'm assuming he's the squad leader, surprise and confusion was evident in his voice.
"Who's there?" Shisui demanded, pulling out a kunai while keeping a hand protectively in front of me.
"We're the leaf ANBU black ops." The squad leader replied, still sounding confused as to how Shisui is in front of them. "We were sent to look for Kojiro Kurosawa, who went missing over a week ago."
"Shisui, I'm scared." I said fearfully, gripping the sleeve of his shirt as I pressed my body against his. "Who are these scary people?"
"It's alright, Kojiro." Shisui said, lowering his kunai and setting it on the ground. "They're with the village, they won't hurt us."
"Really?" I slowly removed myself from Shisui as I looked over the Anbu surrounding us. 'I just hope that none of Danzo's men is here.'
"You seem to be injured." The squad leader stated, noticing the bandages around Shisui's eyes. He looked over his shoulder to the men behind him. "Let's get them back to the village."
"Right." The men wearing eagle and tiger masks nodded and approached me and Shisui.
"Cat, you transport Kojiro Kurosawa." Owl said to the only female ANBU among them.
"Right." The woman ANBU with straight, purple hair reaching down to her waist wearing a mask resembling a cat nodded. The stripes of her mask had one vertical stripe on the forehead and two horizontal stripes, one on each cheek.
While the two men looped each of Shisui's arms over their shoulders, the cat mask ANBU approached me. I knew that the person behind the mask was Yugao Uzuki but said nothing. When she was standing over me, I just continued my scared child act as my body quivered. Seeing my shaking, Yugao crouched down so she was at eye level with me. She had her hands in plain view, showing that she didn't have anything in them.
"It's alright little one," Yugao said softly, holding her hands out to me in a silent invitation. "I'm here to take you home."
"Y-you are?" I asked, looking from Yugao to her hands and back as if to decide to trust her.
"That's right." Yugao nodded as her comrades stood patiently behind her. "You can trust us."
"O-okay." I slowly nodded and Yugao turned so her back was to me. 'Great, another piggyback ride.'
"At least they found you." Isobu pointed out as I climbed onto Yugao's back and she hoisted me up.
With a nod and before I knew it, the ANBU were in the trees jumping from one branch to another. I held on tightly to Yugao's shoulders at the speed that she was going. I looked over to Shisui and saw that he was still being supported. The ANBU with the eagle and tiger masks were looking at Shisui, probably asking him questions. It doesn't take a genius to know that they were asking how Shisui was alive. I was honestly relieved that we were found, because I was starting to doubt. Of course, I'm not completely out of the woods yet, no pun intended.
There was still explaining what happened, which Shisui unknowingly took that off my shoulders. There's also Sasuke, he's probably become a revenge fanatic at this point. I just hope that Naruto visits him in the hospital. Oh who am I kidding, this is Naruto we're talking about, no doubt they fought and the blond's keeping his distance. Sure, they're friends now thanks to me, but that doesn't mean they don't fight anymore. I honestly can't believe all my efforts to get them to get along was for naught. Well, not completely for naught, since they turn everything they did into a competition with smirks on their faces.
'At least they're the friendly rivals.' I thought as I rested my head on Yugao's back and closed my eyes. 'Not trying to outdo the other kind.'
"You must be glad, Kojiro." Isobu said and I felt tiny amounts of his chakra coursing through my body. "But you still have quite a bit to go with those two."
'I know, Isobu.' I replied mentally, already feeling the start of a headache as I thought about it. 'I swear, those two are worse than a cranky tailed beast, no offense.'
"None taken." I felt a slight pull and didn't resist as I found myself standing in front of Isobu in my mindscape. "I was keeping track of Naruto through Kurama."
"Fox face is actually watching him?" I raised an eyebrow and I couldn't keep the skepticism out of my voice.
"He has." Isobu nodded, trying to hold back a chuckle at my nickname for Kurama. "It seems that Naruto has visited Sasuke everyday."
"He has?" My eyes widened in surprise before crossing my arms and looked at Isobu warily. "Any fights?"
"Every visit, but nothing violent so far." Isobu used a tail to lift me up to place me on his shell. "They're both worried about you since you usually break up their fights."
"Not surprising." I sighed as I sat cross legged and tapped a finger on my knee. "Well, at least they aren't using their fists yet."
"It might happen with the way Sasuke's provoking Naruto." Isobu mentioned and I had to fight an eye roll since those two are always trying to get a rise out of the other. "It's plain as day now how those two are Asura and Indra's reincarnations."
"I forgot about that." I groaned, leaning back to lay on Isobu's shell and stare up at the pitch black nothingness. "Well, this is a lot harder than I thought."
"You're doing alright so far, Kojiro." Isobu said, obviously trying to motivate and cheer me up which I'm grateful for right now.
"I just hope I can keep it up." I muttered under my breath, resting an arm against my forehead. "After all, the hate between Asura and Indra runs deep."
Our conversation was brought to a halt when I was brought out of my mindscape. I opened my eyes to see that we were now in front of the village gates. Once we were past the gates, the ANBU went to the rooftops. Before I knew it, we were in front of the hospital and getting curious looks from people walking by.
"I'll go inform lord hokage." The squad leader said, I looked over my shoulder to see he had the remaining three ANBU standing behind him. "You three get them looked over."
"Understood," Yugao and the other two nodded before the other ANBU dispersed.
We were then brought into the hospital and admitted at the front desk. The nurse guided us through the halls and I looked around. I wasn't looking for anything specific, just reading the nameplates. I'll admit, the looks we were getting were making me slightly uncomfortable. I almost had the urge to hide when we turned a corner. However, the name of one of the nameplates caught my attention.
"Miss. ANBU?" I nervously said, getting Yugao's attention before pointing to the door. "C-can we go in there, it has my friend's name on it."
"Your friend?" Yugao looked at the nameplate before coming back to me. "I suppose it's fine, but you still have to be checked out."
"I understand." I nodded as she crouched down and let me off her back. I bowed in appreciation before approaching the door and knocked.
"Come in." I reached for the door and slid it open to see Sasuke sitting in one of the hospital beds with a surprised look on his face. "Kojiro?"
"Sasuke!" I ran inside and pretty much tackled the Uchiha into a hug. I started to wail and let out crocodile tears. "I was so scared, I thought I'd never see you or Naruto again!"
"Wh-what are you talking about?" I could tell from Sasuke's voice that I caught him off guard. "Where were you this whole time?"
"He was in the forest." Yugao explained, stepping inside and closing the door behind her. "We found him along with Shisui Uchiha."
"Did you say Uchiha?" Sasuke looked from me to Yugao in shock.
"That's right." Yugao nodded, momentarily looking at me as I pulled back from Sasuke and wiping my tears away. "There were signs of a struggle when we investigated their house." she turned her attention back to Sasuke who was awkwardly trying to comfort me. "Judging from where we found them, it's safe to assume someone kidnapped him."
'Surprise, the kidnapper's in the room.' I thought as Sasuke handed me a tissue and blew my nose.
"Your friend doesn't seem to be harmed." Yugao continued, bringing me out of my thoughts. "But we brought him here just in case."
"By the way, Sasuke?" I gave the young Uchiha a confused look as I wiped the remainder of my crocodile tears away. "Why are you in the hospital, are you hurt?"
I already knew why he was in the hospital, but I had an act to maintain. Sasuke lowered his head to stare at his hands and clenched them into tight fists. I could see that he was scowling and I knew the reason why. Even though I knew the reason, I was still genuinely worried for my friend.
"Yo Sasuke!" I jumped when the door slammed open and looked over my shoulder to see Naruto standing outside. "Are you still being a big fat gloom in here?" He then saw me and pointed in my direction. "There you are Kojiro, I've been looking everywhere for you!"
"N-Naruto." I sniffled as I let more crocodile tears flow down my face.
"Whoa, why're you crying?" Naruto asked, looking uncomfortable at seeing me cry.
"He was kidnapped, idiot." Sasuke explained, handing me another tissue while Yugao stood to the side. "He just got rescued along with Shisui."
"Wait, kidnapped?" Naruto looked alarmed before he was suddenly in front of me. "Who did it, I'll prank them good!"
"Whoever did it is long gone by now." Yugao said, getting our attention as she leaned against the wall with her arms crossed. "This is just speculation, but judging by Shisui's condition, they were most likely after the Sharingan."
"Shari-what now?" Naruto looked confused while I tried to suppress a shiver at hearing Sharingan.
"I've said too much." Yugao shook her head before approaching me and held out a hand. "We should go now, Kojiro still needs to be examined."
"O-okay." I hesitantly took her hand and waved to Naruto and Sasuke. "See you soon guys, don't fight now."
"You make it sound like we fight everyday." Naruto crossed his arms and turned his head away with a huff.
"We do fight everyday, idiot." Sasuke said, causing Naruto to whip around and glare at the young Uchiha.
"Say that again, I dare you!" Naruto yelled, raising a fist and took a step forward.
"Alright, I'm stopping you there!" I let go of Yugao's hand and quickly got between Naruto and Sasuke. "Will it kill you guys to get along?"
"He's the one picking a fight!" Naruto pointed over my shoulder at Sasuke who just turned his head away.
"And you're giving him what he wants." I retorted, looking over my shoulder to look at Sasuke worriedly. "He's obviously trying to get his mind off of whatever is bothering him." I then turned my attention back to Naruto with a pleading look on my face. "We're his friends, don't you think we should try and be supportive right now?"
"W-well." Naruto hesitated, lowering his pointing finger as he looked between myself and Sasuke. He let out a groan, rubbing the back of his head before muttering under his breath. "Sorry, Sasuke."
"There we go." I nodded in approval before turning to face Sasuke. "And Sasuke, stop provoking Naruto so much." When Sasuke just looked away, I sighed and shook my head. "Just know that we're your friends and we'll have you back, okay?"
Sasuke didn't say anything, just gave a barely noticeable nod of his head. Naruto and I shared a look before nodding. We left the room along with Yugao to give Sasuke some alone time since that's what he wants right now. Forcing Sasuke to interact will just have the opposite effect, which is not wise. So giving him some space is all Naruto and I can do as his friends for the moment.
"Well, I gotta go." Naruto said with his hands behind his head before giving me a small wave. "Catch ya later, Kojiro."
"Bye Naruto." I sweatdropped as I watched Naruto run down the hall before jumping out a window. "I guess he didn't use the front door."
"So it would seem." Yugao nodded in agreement before looking down at me. "So, ready?"
"Ready." I nodded as Yugao held out her hand and I took it as she guided me down the hall.
To say the least, the examination showed that I was unharmed and healthy. They tried to do a blood test, but I refused. When they asked why, I just told them Shisui's theory and what my so-called kidnapper did to me. The nurse who examined me looked horrified while Yugao seemed to mentally take note of what I said. After my examination was over, I asked to see Shisui. Yugao told me that they were still examining him but I could wait by his examination room.
That's where I am now, waiting anxiously for them to finish. I was sitting on a chair a nurse brought for me. All that was going through my mind was if Shisui was alright. Even though I changed his bandages regularly, there's still the chance of infection. Sure, I followed everything I learned in my past life, but the medical field can be unpredictable. One small mistake could cost the patient their life if you're not careful.
"Kojiro." I jumped from where I was sitting and looked up to see Hiruzen approaching me.
"Lord third!" I quickly got to my feet and bowed as Hiruzen stood in front of me.
"It's good to see you're unharmed." Hiruzen nodded at me before looking at the door I was sitting next to. "How's Shisui?"
"They're still examining him." I replied, fidgeting with the hem of my shirt as I sat back down on the chair. 'Isobu, I'm going to need your help on this.'
"Are you sure, Kojiro?" Isobu asked, concern was evident in his voice as he knew what I was going to ask.
'We gotta make it as convincing as possible.' I replied, mentally preparing myself for the act I was about to do. 'I'll be fine, trust me.'
"I see." Hiruzen frowned but didn't move, probably to keep me company. He looked down at me and I nervously looked back at him. "Kojiro, do you know what happened?"
'Alright, show time Isobu.' I said mentally as I looked down at my hands on my lap before looking back at Hiruzen. "Lord third, what happened was-"
I stopped mid-sentence when intense pain suddenly coursed through my body. My hand went up to my chest to tightly grip the fabric of my shirt. I let out a gasp of pain as I curled into myself while Hiruzen looked shocked. What was happening to me was because of Isobu's chakra running rampant through my body. He was being careful to not actually damage my body, just enough for me to feel pain. I looked up at Hiruzen who had Yugao beside him now and opened my mouth to speak. I felt another wave of pain and clenched my mouth shut while Hiruzen looked at Yugao.
"Cat, what's going on?!" Hiruzen questioned, caught off guard that I was suddenly in pain when I was obviously unharmed.
"This is the work of the kidnapper, lord hokage." Yugao replied, moving to kneel beside me and rubbing my back comfortingly. "Shisui theorized that if he says anything, then the kidnapper would kill him."
"How is the kidnapper doing it though?" Hiruzen asked as I felt Isobu's chakra leaving my system.
"Apparently the kidnapper has a jutsu that turns their body into blood." Yugao explained as I was panting heavily when the pain started to subside. "He then enters his target's body and takes control of it."
"And Kojiro was the target." Hiruzen stated more than asked, looking down at me with calculating eyes. "What was his objective?"
"The kidnapper was after the Sharingan." The three of us looked at the door to see Shisui standing there supported by a nurse. "He made his move before I could meet with you, lord hokage."
"Before?" You could hear the confusion in Hiruzen's voice and I couldn't blame him. "That can't be, I met with you and Danzo before you went missing."
"It's true." The nurse helped Shisui to the chair I was sitting on earlier before excusing herself. "He must have impersonated me so nothing was suspicious."
"That's concerning." Hiruzen frowned as he processed what he learned. "Did he say why he wanted the Sharingan?"
"He said his boss wanted them for an experiment." Shisui replied and I had to fight to keep the guilt off my face and eyes. "When I woke up, I was in the forest with Kojiro."
"All that matters is that you're alive." Hiruzen said, but I could tell from his face that he was thinking of something. "While it's concerning that someone has your Sharingan, we can only hope they don't learn what yours can do."
"I don't think they do." Shisui replied, bringing a hand up to lightly touch the new bandages around his eyes. "He never once mentioned he knew about my Kotoamatsukami."
"We shouldn't dismiss the possibility they do know." Hiruzen refuted, reaching up to lower his hokage hat slightly. "For now, we'll have to tighten security around the village."
"Lord third?" Hiruzen looked at me and I let crocodile tears build up in my eyes as I bit my lower lip. "I-I'm sorry."
"Don't apologize, child." Hiruzen patted me on the head in a comforting manner and wiped away my tears. "None of this is your fault."
'If only you knew.' I thought before I remembered Sasuke and looked worriedly up at Hiruzen. "Lord third, do you know why Sasuke's in the hospital?"
Hiruzen had a grim look on his face and I knew the reason why. "I think it would be best if Sasuke told you."
I watched Hiruzen excuse himself before making his way down the hall with Yugao behind him. Hiruzen's reaction was all I needed to know about what happened. The Uchiha massacre happened and Itachi is probably gone. I may not have been able to save the clan, but at least I was able to save Shisui.
"We should go home, Kojiro." Shisui said, getting my attention as he stood up only to stagger a bit. "Do you think you can be my eyes?"
"Sure." I said softly, taking his hand and helping guide him through the hospital. 'Silver lining is Danzo can't use the Kotoamatsukami now.'
I helped guide Shisui out of the hospital and through the streets of the village. Again we got some looks, but I ignored them as I focused on guiding Shisui. We were soon at the now desolate Uchiha compound. It was disturbing to see the still blood stained streets and buildings as we walked. Shisui's lucky he's blind now, he doesn't have to witness what became of his clan. I'll admit it makes me feel guilty that I couldn't prevent it, but there's no point in crying over spilt milk.
"Kojiro." I looked up at Shisui to see he was lightly touching his bandages again. "It was you who treated me while I was unconscious, right?" Instead of nodding, I just squeezed his hand as an answer. "Thank you for that."
"It's the least I could do." I said, shaking my head even though I knew he couldn't see it. "I was the reason you lost your eyes after all."
"That's not true, Kojiro." Shisui shook his head as we arrived at his house. "The man who took control of you is at fault."
'I'm that man, though.' I thought as I opened the front door and guided Shisui to the living room and slowly set him on the couch.
I looked around and saw that the living room was still a mess from when I wrecked it. I fought off my urge to start cleaning and focused on Shisui. I helped him out of his flack jacket and set it on the coffee table. I then checked his bandages to make sure they weren't on too tight. Once I was done with that, I went to the kitchen to try to make something edible. I looked through the fridge to see what I could make.
To be perfectly honest, I'm not that great a chef. I can only do simple things like fried eggs and other things that don't require much skill. As I washed the rice, I thought about when I would become a ninja. While not required, learning how to cook might come in handy during long missions. Sure, I cooked that rabbit a while back, but I just left it over the campfire. Also, because Shisui can't see anymore, I pretty much have to learn how to cook. With that decision made, I cracked a few eggs on a pan. Once I finished cooking, I guided Shisui to the table and guided his hands where everything was.
We ate in silence, with me helping Shisui occasionally, and I thought about what to do next. Probably enroll in the academy because that's when everything starts. For one thing, that's where Naruto bonds with Iruka. It's also when the Mizuki incident happens and that needs to happen no matter what. While I feel sorry for Naruto for learning about Kurama that way, it's what strengthened his resolve after hearing Iruka's words.
Speaking of Kurama, I hope that he does help Naruto after that incident. According to Isobu, Kurama's been keeping an eye on Naruto since our talk. Well, at least it was something which is better than nothing. I just hope that I can convince Naruto to work with Kurama after he learns the truth. The blond will obviously harbor hate for the fox because he's responsible for the life Naruto has. But we'll cross that bridge when we get there, slow and steady wins the race. Right now, my main focus should be to get stronger and get into the academy.
"Shisui?" I said nervously, getting Shisui's attention as he lowered his bowl of rice. "How do I get into the ninja academy?"
"You still want to be a ninja?" Shisui asked, sounding surprised at my question and I nodded even though he couldn't see it. "I thought you'd change your mind after everything that happened."
"I want to get stronger." I said, looking and tightening my grip on my own bowl and chopsticks. "I don't want what happened to us to happen again." I looked back up to Shisui with a determined look on my face. "Please Shisui, I really want to attend the academy."
"Are you sure, tap once for yes and twice for no." Shisui said and I didn't hesitate to tap the table once. He didn't say anything for a moment before sighing. "Alright, but I have one condition."
"What?" I asked, excited and curious about what the condition could be.
"You wait one month." Shisui replied and before I could protest he continued. "During that month, you will be training with me." He took a few bites of his rice and fried egg. "Do that, and I won't have any problems with you attending the academy."
"I guess that's fair." I pouted, though I would deny that for a long time as I went back to eating. "What will we be training?"
"Mostly physical training." Shisui replied, going back to his own meal as he thought of what else we should train. "Since you want to be a medical ninja, we'll also work on your chakra control."
"Okay." I nodded in agreement as we finished eating and I gathered out dishes.
We began my training the next day, after I changed Shisui's bandages. The first thing Shisui had me do was stretches to loosen my muscles. He told me that what we would work on was my stamina, so he had me run laps around the house. He had me keep running until I was tired, which was five laps. After that, he told me to keep doing this for a few days. After running laps, we worked on my flexibility by seeing how far I can bend and twist my body. Doing all this bending and twisting reminded me about gymnasts a little from my past life.
After training my body, we moved on to my chakra control. Shisui had me meditate for an hour, just feeling my chakra flowing through my body. He then had me stick leaves to my forehead to see how many I could stick. Like I told Shisui in the forest, I was able to stick five leaves to my forehead. However, when we tried a sixth leaf, all the leaves pretty much burst apart. After that happened, we agreed we should just meditate for a while longer before trying again.
When that was done, next was weapons training. I say weapons training, but it was more like how to properly hold them. I may or may not have cut myself a few times holding the shuriken. But like I told Isobu a while back, it can also be pain tolerance training. But I digress, after I could hold them properly, Shisui had me practice throwing them at a target he set up. After the shuriken was the kunai, and I failed epicly with them. Shisui had me get used to their weight and how they felt in my hand. After the kunai was the senbon, which I was pretty much a pro with since I kept hitting the bullseye. Shisui also taught me about ninja wire and their uses which I found very interesting.
We followed this routine everyday whenever the weather allowed it. Whenever it rains, we stay inside and Shisui has me just stretch and meditate. Before I knew it, a week had passed since we returned to the village. Sasuke was released from the hospital and Shisui offered to let him stay with us. He refused and was rather cold to me when I tried to encourage him. This went on for about four days before I decided to try and talk to him.
"Sasuke, wait up!" I called out as I ran after Sasuke who was walking down a deserted path. When I caught up, he just kept walking and didn't so much as look at me. "Sasuke, why have you been so cold lately?"
Sasuke didn't say anything, he just kept walking until we were at a dock. He crouched down and wrapped his arms around his legs as he scowled at his reflection. I knew why he was acting this way, but I couldn't say that. I just stood behind Sasuke, waiting for him to explain. How I wish Naruto was here, he'd know how to get Sasuke talking.
'What would Naruto do in this situation?' I looked around, hoping for the blond jinchuriki to suddenly pop up. My eyes widened slightly and a mischievous smirk was on my face. 'I know…'
I slowly crouched down and silently took a step closer to Sasuke. I made sure that my breathing was silent and it seemed the young Uchiha was oblivious. I made sure that I was directly behind him so my reflection wouldn't appear on the water's surface. I had to suppress a snicker as I was now directly behind Sasuke and he was still scowling at his reflection. Quick as I could, I shoved Sasuke with a loud shout. This resulted in the young Uchiha to give out a startled yell, waving his arms to keep his balance, and fall off the dock and into the water below. I stared down at the bubbles coming up to the surface before I burst out laughing.
As Sasuke surfaced, I had one arm around my midsection while I was pointing at him. I could feel tears forming in the corners of my eyes from how hard I was laughing. I couldn't help it, Sasuke's reaction was priceless despite him glaring at me now. He spat out some water, which added to the hilarity and made me start laughing anew.
"Really?" Sasuke did not sound amused as he pulled himself out of the water and wrings his shirt. "I expected that from Naruto, but you Kojiro?"
"Sorry," I said as I tried to gain control of my laughter and wiping the tears away. "but it was the way I could think of to get your attention." Sasuke just hmph'd as he continued to wring his shirt dry as much as he could. Once that was done, he turned his back to me and resumed his previous position. "Come on Sasuke, talk to me."
"Leave me alone." Sasuke muttered, gripping his pants as he tucked his legs closer to himself.
"Nuh-uh, not happening." I shook my head, resting my hands on my hips as I leaned forward with a scolding look on my face. "Naruto and I gave you space so you can sort your thoughts." I stomped my foot as if to make a point that I'm standing my ground. "Not this time, you obviously need someone to talk to."
"You wouldn't understand." I could practically hear Sasuke clenching his teeth. I sometimes forget that children go through more mood swings than a pregnant woman.
"I would if you just tell me." I sighed, knowing I needed to strike a nerve to get him talking. I pretended to look around with a confused look on my face. "By the way, where's Itachi?" I caught Sasuke's shoulders tense at Itachi's name. "Is he out on a mission?"
"Shut up." Sasuke growled out, getting to his feet and curled his fingers into tight fists. "Don't say that name again."
"What, Itachi?" I asked, striking the nerve again and got the result I was expecting. Before I knew it, I was on my back with Sasuke on top of me and clutching the collar of my shirt with both hands.
"I said don't say that name again!" Sasuke shouted, roughly shaking me as he glared at me. "That man is dead to me!"
"Dead to you?" I repeated, holding his wrists so he would stop shaking me. "But aren't you brothers?"
"He's no brother of mine!" Sasuke's hand began to shake but his glare only intensified. "He killed my entire clan!"
"He what?" I widened my eyes to act shocked before turning my expression sympathetic and turned my head away. "I'm sorry, I didn't know."
"I knew you wouldn't understand." Sasuke roughly let go of my shirt as he got off me but still glared at me. He turned his back to me and slowly walked to the edge of the dock. "You'd never understand the pain I'm going through."
"You're wrong about that." I said softly, effectively stopping the young Uchiha but he didn't turn as I laid on the dock. "I know that pain well."
"Don't lie!" Sasuke shouted, waving an arm as he turned to face me. "How can you understand the pain of losing everything you cared about?!"
"How about not knowing who did it?!" I finally shouted, jumping to my feet as I glared back at Sasuke. His eyes widened when I suddenly raised my voice and I took that chance. "At least you know who to get revenge on, but not me!"
Over my time in the village, I nearly forgot about my parents and what happened to them. Even now I can't remember who was responsible for their death. No matter how hard I tried, I can only remember their bloody bodies and deep red. Nothing can erase that pain, not even revenge. I learned a long time ago in my past life that even after getting revenge, all that's left is the feeling of emptiness. You feel so hollow, like you no longer have a reason to live and want the empty feeling to go away.
"I can't remember anything about the person who killed my parents!" I continued to approach Sasuke until I was in front of him and got in his face. "Even if I did remember, revenge is never the answer!"
"So you don't care about your parents?" Sasuke challenged, snapping out of his surprise to glare back at me.
"Of course I care about them, I just know getting revenge won't bring them back!" I shot back, jabbing a finger at Sasuke's chest to stop him from talking. "Let's say you got your revenge, what's next after that?" Sasuke opened his mouth to answer but I beat him to it. "I'll tell you, nothing, that's what's next!"
"What's that supposed to mean?" Sasuke asked, slapping my finger off his chest.
"Come on Sasuke, think for a moment!" I raised my hands up in frustration as I felt my tears forming from remembering my parents. "Do you think getting revenge will bring your clan back?" I shook my head and walked past him to the edge of the dock. "It won't, it'll just leave you empty inside."
I stared down at my reflection's pained expression which was the same as mine. I could see Sasuke standing behind me, not saying anything as he processed my words. I'll be honest, I was thinking of avenging my parents. But as I remembered what revenge did to Sasuke, I didn't want to be like that. So, instead of seeking revenge, I decided that I would make sure to keep my parents' memories alive. And if I run into their killer, well, I'll just beat the crap out of them while tempted to kill them.
"Point is I lost my parents, you lost your clan." I said softly, taking a deep breath before turning to face Sasuke. "So yeah, I know your pain quite well."
Sasuke didn't say anything, looking down so his hair shadows his eyes. I just stood in front of him, waiting for him to say something. I knew that his mind was going a mile a minute, trying to decide what he should say or do. I was tempted to say something else, but held back as I saw Sasuke's hands shaking. He balled them into fists and I saw tears travel down the sides of his face.
"How can you deal with it?" Sasuke finally asked, looking for me to see that tears were indeed traveling from his eyes down his face. "How can you deal with the pain and not even think about revenge?"
"I just remember the good memories." I replied, walking over to Sasuke and wrapping my arms around him in a comforting hug. "I'll admit, the pain will never go away, even after revenge." I could feel my own tears go down my face as I tightened the hug. "But remembering the good times eases the pain a little, along with new memories."
"New memories?" The confusion in Sasuke's voice was to be expected.
"Yeah." I pulled back and placed my hands on Sasuke's shoulders and gave a small smile. "Like meeting you and Naruto." My smile turned into a grin as I closed my eyes but the tears kept flowing. "Because you guys are my friends, I hardly have time to feel sad."
"Friends?" Sasuke repeated, as if the word was alien to him, which it probably is.
"We are friends, right?" I let out a dramatic gasp as I let go of Sasuke's shoulders. "We aren't, aren't we?" I screamed and ran my hands through my hair as I got on my knees and lowered my head. "I'm such an idiot, of course you didn't think we were friends!"
Sasuke didn't say anything as I continued with my dramatics about how I assumed we were friends. He suddenly started to chuckle and slowly turned into a laugh and I looked up in confusion. I just smiled and joined in the young Uchiha's laughter and I could practically feel Isobu smiling in my mindscape.
Everything was smooth sailing after that as Sasuke slowly but surely became less cold. After that little talk with Sasuke, I went back to my training with Shisui. Naruto and Sasuke sometimes pay me a visit and join in my training for a little while. Naturally, they turned it into a competition to see who can get the most bullseyes. It goes without saying that Sasuke won by a landslide with Naruto only getting two or three. This was followed by a glaring contest and I was surprised when they started bantering with smirks on their faces.
This went on for the whole month of training and Naruto decided to keep doing pranks. He even dragged me and Sasuke along with a few of them. I gotta admit, these pranks were fun and nice stealth training, talk about two birds with one stone. Since Naruto was the dead last in the academy right now, I suggest he keeps it that way. When the blond told me no way and why he should do it, I told him it would give him the element of surprise. I explained that his enemies would underestimate him which will help get the jump on them. Even Sasuke admitted it was a good tactic which helped in convincing Naruto. I didn't tell them that it would also mean they would be on the same team years later.
Of course, I didn't neglect my training in Isobu's chakra, I just did that at night after Shisui fell asleep. Sure, it took away some precious sleep, but it was worth it since I can now hold the one tail state for a good half hour. I decided that I shouldn't push it and wait until I reach an hour before going for two tails. I know I wanted to get stronger, but overworking myself won't help in the slightest. I also figured out how to make coral with Isobu's help, but I can only make small ones.
One month soon passed and I finally got the okay from Shisui to attend the academy. I was so happy that I just hugged him saying thank you over and over again. That's where I am right now, standing in front of the entrance as I took in its appearance. I didn't even want to risk blinking only to wake up and realize it was a dream. Once I take one step forward, there won't be any turning back. Did I care, no, because I decided long ago that I would follow this through to the end.
'Get ready Isobu.' I mentally said to the three-tailed turtle as I took the first step forward and slowly approached the academy. 'Because this is where everything begins.'
I sincerely hope that you enjoyed this chapter. Now that the curtain has fallen for this act, time to reply to your reviews!
Karsap: Ah yes, that blackout really through a wrench in my writing plans.
frankieu: Glad to hear you thought the previous chapter was interesting. I hope that this chapter has met your expectations.
thtadthtshldntb: Thank you for your criticism, and I understand your confusion. This was precisely why I wanted to do the battle scenes in third person, so such confusion could be avoided. Once again, thank you for pointing out those points about Kurama. I'll admit that I forgot about those and I deeply apologize. But it's because of criticism like this that shows where I did wrong and can improve.
ArticWolf1996: Thank you for your kind words, I do hope that the wait was worth it for this chapter.
guest reader: That is an interesting suggestion, I'll have to give that some thought, thanks for bringing it to my attention. Yikes, error on my part! Thanks for catching that, I'll fix it right away! DX
Yifto: Glad you thought it was interesting, I hope that you thought the same for this chapter.
fifi: You have no idea how happy it makes me to hear that you love my work, thank you from the bottom of my heart. Thank you for your detailed review, and I'll explain to relieve your confusion. Yes, Kojiro should have suspected Obito, but with everything that's happened to him, he had little time to really think about it. With everything he had to plan for the future, it's understandable if he forgets a thing or two along the way. I hope this chapter satisfied your curiosity and I'm glad you liked Sasuke's reaction. I wanted to do something funny for that chapter and that popped in my head.
thepowerfulkira: Fu, huh? Hmm, that would be interesting. I still haven't decided on a pairing for Kojiro, so like all the other pairing suggestions, I'll give it some thought.
DragonBladeB5: First of all, I know it's late, but happy birthday to your brother. Secondly, I apologize for the long wait, but chapters like these need time to get where I want them to be. Yes, I know Yo-kai Watch, my niece and nephew used to watch it all the time. Yes, the nine-tailed fox, also known as a kyuubi no yoko, is a yokai. I will answer any digimon related questions you may have when I next update that fanfic, for now I ask for you to be patient.
With that said and done, I bid you farewell until the next time the curtain rises for another show for you to enjoy.