Author's Note: With the Yugito Arc finally concluded, we can move forward with other issues. I'm glad how well received said arc was, even if in hindsight I should have put more focus on Yugito, given that she was going to die. Oh well, at least I have another chance to showcase her in the future when she returns as an Edo Tensei zombie.

Anyway, enough ramblings. Enjoy the new chapter:

Chapter 68:

Aftermath of a Failed Mission

or

Not All Cats Have Nine Lives

Amegakure

Despite the fact that he hadn't finished his shift yet, the Ame Genin known as Yudachi was in a bar having some drinks. He had an average appearance, with spiky brown hair, black eyes, and a scar crossing his face being his only distinctive feature.

His unprofessional attitude contributed in a big way to his status as Genin despite pushing thirty. Not that he would even admit it. Besides, today it was a rather slow day. Nothing would happen if he drank a little. Little did he know, that was going to change soon.

"Hey there, handsome. Are you alone?" a soft female voice said.

Yudachi was almost startled by the voice, he swore there was no other patron in the bar except him, yet that woman had sneaked upon him without him none the wiser. But those distressing thoughts were replaced the moment he laid his eyes on the new patron.

The woman was tall, with pale white skin and long, wavy black hair, full lips and onyx eyes. She was wearing a red spaghetti dress that came down her knees. Her red high heels accentuated her height.

"Cat got your tongue?" the woman asked, giggling a little.

"N-No," Yudachi replied, snapping himself from his stupor. "And yes, I'm alone. Well, not anymore, now that you're here, hehe."

"So, you're a ninja, right?" the woman asked, looking at her forehead protector.

"Indeed I am!" Yudachi proudly replied.

"I love ninjas," the woman replied in a sultry voice, licking her lips. "I love strong men in general, but ninjas are the strongest, don't you think?"

"Indeed!" the Ame Genin enthusiastically agreed.

"So, why don't we show me how strong you are?" the woman replied, caressing his facial scar with the tip of her finger.

…

He didn't know how it happened, but Yudachi didn't care in the slightest. Rushing to one of the rooms for rent in the upper floor –thankfully all of them were vacant–, the Ame Genin and his conquest started to passionately kiss and make out, while they removed each other clothes.

He didn't want to think about how lucky he was. He was never very popular with the fairer sex, so having a woman so out of his league throwing herself at his feet was like a dream come true. That woman had everything to make her perfect.

Her smooth skin...

Her wavy, elegant hair...

A body most women would kill for...

Those thick, wet lips...

Her deep crimson Sharingan eyes, staring into his very soul...

...wait what?

But by the time he realized of what had happened, it was too late. Yudachi felt his whole body succumbing to paralysis. He could still feel his limbs, but they refused to obey his brain's commands.

The woman merely poked his forehead with a finger, and he fell backwards like a tree whose trunk had just been chopped, the bed behind him thankfully cushioning his fall.

"You're under my genjutsu now. Resistance is futile," the woman said, and in a poof of smoke, she turned into a man. A Konoha Ninja. He didn't need a bingo book to know that this ninja was Itachi Uchiha, one of Konoha's deadliest assets. "Judging by your expression, you know who I am," Itachi said, as he wiped his lips with the back of his hand. "So now that we know each other, let's get to business. Specifically, you're going to tell me who's the one in charge of this village. I know it's an Akatsuki, but I need to know which one. And no, there's no way you can't convince me that Hanzo the Salamander still holds the position. If I were you, I wouldn't do anything to push my patience."

Yudachi cursed internally for letting himself fall for such an old trick. He knew that woman was dangerous the moment he displayed a level of stealth way above any civilian, but his hormones had silenced his instinct.

That was one of the reasons Yudaichi was still a Genin.

…

Konoha

Above the village of Konoha, three young girls soared the sky. While the first time they appeared surprised the shocked villagers from below, in time they got used to them.

"Boy, I can't believe that I lived most of my life without knowing the wonders of flying," Hanabi gushed, before spinning a few times. "WHEEEEEEE!"

"I know, right? Once you know the skies, the land suddenly stops being enough," Fu agreed, smiling at the youngest Hyuga.

"And the view from here is spectacular," Hinata added. "And with the Tenseigan, even more."

"So, do you see somebody? Somebody we know?" Hanabi asked.

Hinata nodded and smiled. "Yes. Quite a few people. Some of our clansmen doing their daily tasks at the village. Some of my friends training..." her eyes drifted towards the Senju Park. "Oh, there's Naruto-kun!"

Fu chuckled. "Took you long enough to find him."

"It's not that hard. Naruto-kun has a very powerful chakra, and through my eyes finding him it's as easy as finding a bright star in the middle of the night," Hinata replied. She then noticed something odd about her boyfriend. He was just sitting alone in one of the park's benches. Naruto was somebody who tried to keep himself occupied at all times. If he wasn't with his friends or family, he was usually training. "I think something's wrong with him. He looks kind of gloom. Fu-sensei, do you mind if I take a moment to talk to him?"

"I'm not going to get in the way of love," the green haired girl replied with a sincere smile, as she flew away followed by Hanabi.

Hinata made her descend, before finally landing just a few steps in front of Naruto. The blond naturally immediately took notice of his girlfriend.

"Hey," Naruto greeted her, in a rather subdued manner.

"Hello," Hinata greeted back. "I was flying with Fu-sensei and Hanabi-chan, and I saw you from above."

"While I appreciate it, you don't have to interrupt your flight lessons just to tell me hi whenever you see me," Naruto replied, chuckling a little.

"I know, but greeting you is not the only reason I wanted to talk with you," Hinata replied, placing her hands on her hips. "What are you doing here, Naruto-kun?"

"I'm just enjoying the calm of the park. Is something wrong with it?" Naruto innocently asked.

Hinata let out a sigh, before crossing her arms over her chest. "Naruto-kun, both you and I know that you don't do calm. You usually have too much pent-up energy for that. Unless there's something that's draining your energy. Something emotionally exhausting."

Naruto chukcled again, except this time it sounded a bit sadder. "I just can't hide anything from you, can I?" Naruto asked, before moving aside and patting the space besides him.

Hinata took the hint and sat beside him. "Now, tell me what's wrong. Whatever happened, I'm sure it can be fixed. If not, you'll feel better after talking about it with someone."

"Okay. You see, yesterday afternoon, Shizune-neechan's squad returned from a mission. Rin was with them," Naruto began.

"Something happened to either of them?" Hinata guessed, worry seeping into her voice.

Naruto shook his head. "All five were fine, thank goodness. Sadly, that's the only good part of their mission. You see, while we were in Taki, they were dispatched to Kumo because the Nine Tails had been seen there attacking a village near a river..."

Before Hinata could ask about such impossibility Naruto explained about how the Fourth Hokage sealed only half of the Tailed Beast into Naruto, and the other half into himself, which was released after Orochimaru reanimated him with the Impure World Resurrection.

"And turns out Obito took control of the other half," Naruto explained.

Hinata's normally pale face turned even whiter. "But that's...that's horrible! If Obito decides to do the same with Konoha, or even other villages...!"

"And you know what? That's not even the worst part," Naruto added, much to Hinata's shock. "The whole thing was just a ruse to make Kumo deploy one of their jinchuriki, and capture them when they were in the open. They succeeded."

Hinata took her hands to her mouth. No wonder Naruto looked so gloom.

"I promised myself that I wouldn't let any other jinchuriki fall prey of the Akatsuki, yet another one went down, with me not even aware," Naruto said, curling his hand into a fist.

Hinata placed a hand on her boyfriend's shoulder. "Naruto-kun, while what had happened is indeed terrible, it's not your fault. You can't save everybody. You're not almighty."

"I know but... but I can't still feel guilty. Feel that I could have done more. If I wasn't busy helping rebuild Taki, maybe we could-"

"Naruto-kun, no," Hinata firmly said, interrupting him. "Don't think what could have been, or what could have you done. Focus on the future, and how to make things better. Don't torture yourself like that, it won't help anybody."

"There's also the fact... I didn't even get to know her," Naruto replied, as a single tear fell down his cheek. "Her name was Yugito Nii. She was a Jonin. Same age as Kurenai-sensei. And the Akatsuki will be slowly killing her by removing her Tailed Beast from within her as we speak."

"Naruto-kun," Hinata said. "I'm not going to say not to grieve, because grieving it's human. But try not to feel guilty over her death. You know, I used to feel like that regarding my father's death. Had I been stronger, maybe I could have helped defend the clan from the Uchihas and make a difference..."

"You were like eight at the time. No offense, but I doubt you'd make a difference," Naruto told her.

"I know. But the emotional, irrational part of my mind insisted otherwise," Hinata replied. "Just like it's happening with you."

A shadow passed above them. Looking above, they saw it was Fu and Hanabi, doing another lap above Konoha.

"Thanks for talking with me, Hime. Even if it's not much, I do feel a little better now. Though you'd better return to your flight lesson. I'd feel horrible if I distratced you from your training."

Hinata smiled. "Don't worry. You can talk to me whenever you want," the Hyuga Clan Head said, before saying her boyfriend goodbye with a kiss to the cheeks, and returning to the sky with her instructor and younger sister.

…

A few days later, Shizune and Shisui's apartment.

While Itachi was out doing his mission, Shizune and Shisui had asked Sasuke to spend some days with them until his older brother returned. While they knew that Sasuke was more than capable of taking care of his own, his Jonin-sensei had seen that the outcome of the mission had affected Sasuke far more than she had expected, and upon talking with her husband, they decided that it was better not to leave Sasuke to his own devices.

The younger Uchiha had turned down the offer at first, but after much insisting, he reluctantly agreed.

If there was something good that came out of that disastrous mission in the Land of Lightning was that Rin was able to recover Shisui's lost eye, and bring it back to Konoha. After that, Shizune wasted no time in placing her husband's lost eye in his empty eye socket. Naturally, Shisui's mood improved dramatically the next few days, the opposite of his younger cousin.

"Man, it feels so good not to rely on the Sharingan for depth perception anymore!" the formerly one eyed man happily claimed.

But much to Sasuke's chagrin, it seemed like Shisui's good mood was contagious. Or, more specifically, he wanted to infect Sasuke with his newfound cheerfulness and optimism –not that his cousin did not have obnoxious amounts of such traits before. And naturally, his wife was on his side, pressuring Sasuke to open up about his feelings.

"Sasuke, I know what you're feeling. I have failed my own share of missions in my life, and the guilt is unavoidable," Shisui insisted. "And these cases, the best you can do is open up and talk to other people about it. I know that you're not to most extroverted person out there, but please make an effort."

"Yes, Sasuke. I was there. You gave your all in the mission, like you usually do. You have nothing to be ashamed of," Shizune continued.

"You're wrong, sensei," Sasuke replied. "I didn't give my all. I could have done better, but I was unable to. Shisui," Sasuke called his cousin, before locking eyes with him. "You knew there's a way to overcome the traumatic flashbacks every time you use the Mangekyo Sharingan, right?"

Shisui's good mood immediately evaporated, replaced by a similar gloom that plagued Sasuke.

"Obito told you, didn't he?" Shisui dejectedly asked.

"Yes, but that's irrelevant. The actual question is why neither Itachi nor you told me if you knew about it," Sasuke asked.

"First of all, tell me exactly what Obito told you," Shisui requested.

Sasuke complied, and told the oldest Uchiha about how learning to detach yourself from the guilt of the moment that awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan ends up pushing the flashbacks away.

"And can you blame me for not wanting you to know that?" Shisui asked.

"I can blame you for keeping information hidden from me," Sasuke stated. "I know it's a big price to pay, but had I complete control over the Mangekyo Sharingan, maybe this mission would have been a success."

"No mission is worth you losing away your humanity, Sasuke-kun," Shizune intervened. "Never forget that."

"Sasuke, trust me, you don't want to be like Obito. You might start with good intentions, but in the end you'll end up following the same dark road as him," Shisui seriously stated.

"That doesn't change that this is not the first time you and Itachi withold information from me regarding the Sharingan," Sasuke spat back at him. "Do you trust me that little?"

Both Shisui and Shizune flinched upon hearing such an accusatory question. And deep down, Shisui had to admit there was a degree of truth there. He and Itachi had the best intentions. They didn't want Sasuke to be corrupted by the darkness that plagued the Uchiha clan. The Coup d'etat had been a real eye opener. But by not trusting Sasuke and giving keeping him in the dark they were risking losing him.

"I admit you're right, Sasuke," Shisui told him. "That's why I'm going to share you something Obito didn't tell you: there is a way to overcome the flashbacks that does not involve total detachment from your feelings."

"And you tell me that now?" Sasuke asked, still indignant.

"I didn't tell you because I thought that you knowing it wouldn't do you no good. I was afraid you'd misunderstood what I wanted to say and do something stupid," Shisui explained. "But you know what? It wasn't my place to decide that. You deserve to know it, and whatever you do afterwards with such knowledge, it will be on you."

Sasuke crossed his arms. "Alright then. I'm all ears."

Shisui opened his mouth to speak, but closed it again. He opened it again, but he didn't speak. He muttered something about this being far more complicated to put into words than he thought, before his eyes suddenly lit up, as if an idea dawned upon him.

"Shizune, this week I didn't pay Shunichi-san a visit, did I?" Shisui asked his wife.

"Unless you did it when I was out, then no, you didn't," Shizune replied.

"Alright then, I just had an idea. Sasuke, you're coming with me to visit an old acquaintance of mine," Shisui enthusiastically said, standing up. "Before you ask, yes, it has to do with the topic at hand. Knowing about Shuinichi-san will help you with your problems."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. His doubtfulness was evident in his face, but decided to comply.

"Alright then, cousin. I'm seriously hoping this isn't some menaingless distraction or ruse to keep the truth from me," Sasuke warned in a rather icy tone.

"I'll swear on my life if it makes you feels better. Now come on."

…

Training Ground Seven

As usual, Kakashi's Animal Squad was training in their regular training ground whenever they didn't have any missions. What wasn't usual, however, was the intensity of the training that they were doing. Seeing the sheer power of Naruto and Fu, as well as their fight against the Akatsuki made them realize that while they were stronger than the average Chunin, they weren't strong enough to deal with the threat that was Akatsuki. And thus, they asked Kakashi to give them a more intense training.

"If that's what you want, I have no problem with it. Actually, I praise your desire to get better," the silver haired Jonin had said. "However, I don't want to hear you complain if I'm too hard on you. Killing or permanently crippling you are the only lines I won't cross for obvious reasons."

And boy, did the Copy Ninja stay true to his word. At first sight there was nothing that made you think Kakashi was anything out of the ordinary. His usually bored expression, relaxed pose and nonchalant attitude didn't raise any danger flags. But upon seeing him fighting, one could appreciate the saying "appearances are deceiving". And while his students had seen him fighting at full power against enemies, it wasn't the same as having to fight him themselves.

"Aburame Secret Art: Insect Tornado!"

A swarm of beetles emerged from under Shino's sleeves, and flew towards Kakashi with an angry buzz. Kakashi made several hand seals while quickly jumped backwards.

"Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu!"

Before Kakashi could exhale the fireball, Shino was already commanding his hive to move aside, in order to dodge the incoming fiery missile. However, the fireball still managed to kill many of his insects with residual heat. Jumping aside, the Aburame dodged the fire projectile.

"Now's my chance!" Tamaki thought, rushing towards Kakashi, before leaping at him with her claws facing forward. "Cross Slash!"

Despite appearing wide open, Kakashi easily dodged the cat kunoichi's assault. Undeterred, Tamaki continued her assault, delivering vicious swipes, that the Copy Ninja easily dodged.

"Damn Sharingan!" Tamaki cursed.

Kakashi then closed his left eye, and continued dodging her attacks just as easily.

"As you can see, no, it's not the Sharigan. You're too slow, and your technique lacks finesse," Kakashi calmly but sternly said, before grabbing Tamaki by her wrists, and hurled her against a tree. Wiping his hands, he started to look around. "And where the other could be...?"

The ground briefly shook for second. Most people woulnd't have sensed it, but Kakashi wasn't "most people". His hand was coated in electricity the moment Kiba burst from underground.

"Got y-"

"And there he is," Kakashi happily said, as he impaled the Inuzuka runt through the heart with his signature ability. "Lightning Blade!"

After piercing his chest "Kiba" crumbled into many smaller rocks, as the real Kiba and Akamaru were leaping at Kakashi from behind. Though as this was happening, Kakashi's hands were flying through seals at an inhuman speed.

"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"

Turning around, Kakashi blew a powerful wind blast at the attacking ninja and dog, pushing them backwards. They immediately got back on their feet, but rather than attacking, Kiba shot his sensei an indignant look. "What the hell, man, a Lightning Blade? What if that was the real me? You would have killed me!"

"Oh, you worry too much, Kiba," Kakashi replied in an infuriating cheerful tone, giving him his trademark eye-smile. "I was one hundred percent sure that wasn't the real you. I know your fighting style too well to let you make me think you would attack from underground, and without Akamaru."

"So you're saying I'm too predictable," an unamused Kiba replied, frowned.

"No, of course not!" Kakashi cheerfully reassured. "...actually yes, that's what I'm saying. The only way you could be more predictable was if you told me beforehand what you were going to do. Something your movements already tell me."

"Kakashi-sensei has flat out told you an area of your fighting style that needs improvement," Shino interjected. "You should take his advice as it is rather than an insult."

"Actually, that goes for all of you," Kakashi pointed out. "All of you seem to be pigeonholed into a very tight fighting style, and your enemies will catch wind of that. You need to find a way to improve your styles and change them to adapt to multiple situations. Though I admit that this is in part my fault for not training you as good as I could. But make sure such thing is about to change."

"Uh, hello," a new voice said.

The members of the animal squad turned around, and saw Rin Nohara, looking a little bashful, walking towards them. Tamaki welcomed her with a bright smile.

"Rin, hello!" the cat kunoichi happily greeted her. "Did you come here to train with us?"

"That would be awesome!" Kiba agreed, with Akamaru barking in agreement.

"I'm afraid I didn't came here for training," Rin said, rubbing her arm a little. "If I'm interrupting your training, I can come in another moment."

"It's okay, we were going to take a break," Kakashi stated. "So, what can we do for you?"

Rin sighed a little, and swalloed. This was going to be a bit hard to tell.

"Kakashi... during my latest mission, I fought against Obito," Rin revealed.

Even within his mask, everybody appreciated how Kakashi's mood changed, despite his best efforts to maintain a stoic expression.

"Go on," he said.

"During the fight, Sasuke-san discovered how his intangibility power works," Rin began. "His Mangekyo Sharingan is linked to a pocket dimension. He can send and release objects, up to people, inside. He can also send parts of his body to that dimension in order to avoid damage, that's how he turns intangible."

"That's a very valuable information to have," Tamaki praised. ·"Sasuke-kun did a good job, as usual."

"I think I'm starting to see what you're going to say next," Kakashi guessed.

Rin nodded. "I know you have a Mangekyo Sharingan. Obito told me he awakened his when he saw you killing me with your Chidori. Meaning that you must have awakened it as well."

Kakashi remained silent, before he let out a sight. "Yes, you're right. I have a Mangekyo Sharingan. But if Obito told you about it, then you probably know why I don't use it much. Besides the fact that it leaves me pretty drained due my lack of Six Paths chakra."

"Yes, but you have Obito's other eye. Logic says that your Mangekyo Sharingan should be linked to that pocket dimension as well. If we use it to our advantage, we might be able to counter his biggest trump card," Rin insisted.

"I'm trying to find holes in that reasoning," Kakashi said, as he rubbed the back of his head. "But I don't see any."

"You don't want to use that power, don't you?" Rin asked. "You don't want to relive my death like that."

"I try to tell myself that you're alive and well, and that your death is the equivalent of a bad dream but...it's not enough. The pain, the anguish, it still feels so real..." Kakashi started. "But if there's a chance I can help bring Obito down, I'll do it."

"I'm glad to hear it," Rin smiled. "Though, I want you to know that I know this is painful, and I wouldn't ask you to do it if there were other options."

"It's okay, I'm old enough to know the kind of stuff this job entails," Kakashi replied. "And given that you literally died for the sake of the village, how could I refuse?"

…

Downtown Konoha

Sasuke followed Shisui through the crowded streets of Konoha. Hands buried inside his pockets, the younger Uchiha had a sullen expression, trying to figure out how this mysterious friend of Shisui was going to be of any help with their matter at hand, if he wasn't an Uchiha.

"You know Sasuke, since you know me, you probably think I'm a pretty cool guy," Shisui began, his cheerful attitude being the complete opposite to Sasuke's. "Someone charismatic, kind, friendly, skilled..."

"Not to mention humble," Sasuke deadpanned, as he rolled his eyes.

"Yes, that too," Shisui happily agreed, oblivious to Sasuke's sarcasm. Or pretending to be oblivious, with Shisui it was hard to tell.

"The thing is, I wasn't always like that," Shisui admitted. Sasuke noticed his voice suddenly losing its usual warmth. "When I was younger, I was arrogant and full of myself. Bascially, a standard Uchiha. Even more, given that people praised me for my skills, calling me a genius among a clan of geniuses."

"What does that have to do with anything?" an annoyed Sasuke asked.

"You'll see, be patient," Shisui replied. "Anyway, back when I was a brat, Minato Namikaze was a rising star among the Jonin. The fact that he came from a civilian family inspired many kids of similar backgrounds to become a ninja and join the Academy. Among them was a boy called Shuinichi. And just like the Yellow Flash, he was incredibly gifted for a civilian kid.

"Naturally, the two of us butted heads many times and became heated rivals. We competed for the spot of Rookie of the Year, which eventually went to him. Neither him nor the other Uchihas let me live that down."

As Shisui talked, Sasuke realized that they were leaving thew urban area of Konoha, and heading somewhere else.

"Uh, Shisui, are you sure this is the right way?" Sasuke asked.

Shisui ignored Sasuke's question and continued talking about his childhood.

"Even after graduating and being assigned to different teams, we still tried to outdo the other. Sometimes, even at the cost of the mission. Must say, I'm not especially proud of my attitude back then," Shisui admitted, chuckling alittle while rubbing the back of his head. "Anyway, after the Third Ninja War ended, being two of the strongest Chunin Konoha had, the two of us were dispatched to deal with some Kumo ninjas that were still giving us some trouble in the border. Naturally, we were going to use this mission as another opportunity to outdo the other.

"We located the enemy ninjas and engaged them. However, things didn't go as planned: thanks to faulty information, there was an ANBU captain among the Kumo ninjas. Even if going back and return with reinforcements would be the most sensible course of action, we continued the fight. Shuinichi called dibs on the captain while I dealt with the underlings.

"However, despite his talent and skill, an ANBU captain was too much for Suinichi. He was quickly overwhelmed, and called for my help. I decided to drag my fight on in order to make him suffer a little and teach him some humility –as if I was any better–. I could have ended my fight much quicker and provide him with help. Between the two of us, we could have defeated that captain."

Sasuke then saw that they were heading towards the Konoha Cemetery.

"Shunichi was killed before I could lend him my help," Shisui finished, his voice now completely devoid of all his usual warmth and joviality. "I could have helped him, and I didn't. It wasn't that Kumo ANBU who killed him, but me, even if indirectly. That revelation, and the subsequent guilt and despair, made me awake the Mangekyo Sharingan."

Sasuke was left speechless. He was completely unaware such side of his obnoxiously cheerful cousin even existed. He was really good at masking his emotions. Guess it was a proof that not everything is what it seems and that a ninja must learn to see through deception.

The cemetery was mostly empty. Sasuke followed Shisui until he stopped in front of a grave he guessed was that of Shuinichi. The name on the tombstone confirmed it.

"I try to pay Shuinichi a visit every week, at the very least. To never let myself forget what my haughtiness caused. Heh, it's a good thing his family doesn't come here often. As you can imagine, they aren't exactly fond of me, and the Uchiha Insurrection didn't made things any better," Shisui sadly chuckled. "The Uchiha Insurrection. Even my failure to stop that it's only second to this one."

"How can you say that? Not to disrespect Shuinichi's memory, but he was just one person. Lots of people died in the insurrection, and its effects are still felt today," Sasuke stated.

"Because, even if I fail, I did try my all in stopping it," Shisui replied. His fist clenched. "Sasuke, life is paved with failures, and nothing will change that. But as long as we give our all, there's nothing to be ashamed of."

"Now you're sounding like Naruto," Sasuke pointed out, sounding mildly annoyed.

Shisui shrugged. "Eh, I'm married to his older sister," he nonchalantly said, before his mood turned somber again. "But with Shuinichi, I didn't. I let my arrogance and jealousy get the better of me, and somebody else paid the price. That's why, from that moment onwards, I vowed to be not only the best ninja I could be, but also the best person. It wasn't easy, but I was able to change myself for the better. And to this day, I use the power his death awakened in order to save as many lives as possible.

"And by honoring him, and being the best I can be as both as a ninja and as an individual, over time, the flashbacks I suffered from using the Mangekyo Sharingan stopped ."

Naturally, this did draw Sasuke's attention. "So that's it? That's what I have to do? Be a better person?"

Shisui shook his head. "You're not getting it, Sasuke. Not the part about being a better person –please always strive for that–. In order to overcome the flashbacks, you need to learn to forgive yourself."

"But how I can do that?" Sasuke asked. "I asked Naruto and his family for forgiveness. They said there was nothing to forgive and that they understood why I did that. But it's not enough. The guilt persists. The pain persists."

"I'm afraid I can't help you with that, Sasuke. At least not more than what I already did. While we had help and support from others, both Itachi and I had to walk this road on our own. And so you will have to find yourself what you have to do until you can forgive yourself," Shisui finished. "I'm sorry if this wasn't the answer you were looking for. Though I can still tell you this: do you know what they say about a broken vase?"

"Yes. That even if you glue the pieces together, the cracks will always be there, to remind us that there was a time it was broken," Sasuke replied.

Shisui nodded. "True. But what most people don't realize is that, if properly glued, the vase can still be used as before, cracks and all. You might have some cracks, Sasuke. But that doesn't make you any worse person or ninja. Never forget that."

"I...thank you, Shisui," Sasuke replied, sounding genuinely touched. "Thank you for telling me this."

Shisui smiled. "Don't sweat it."

…

Unknown Location

In a dark place full of light blue blocks of varying sizes, a spiraling portal opened. From it, Kakashi Hatake came out. He briefly inspected his surroundings –there wasn't much of interest to see– and nodded.

"So, this is where I send all that stuff with the Kamui," Kakashi said, before he disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

Another spiraling portal opened, this time, it was Kakashi again, accompanied by Rin Nohara.

"And you never thought in sending a clone until now?" an incredulous Rin asked, as her feet touched a large concrete platform. Or what she thought was concrete.

"Truth be told, I was too afraid to know what this place could be," Kakashi admitted. "So, is this the place you were when Obito abducted you with his Kamui?"

"Yeah, pretty much," Rin confirmed. She then looked around, just to be extra sure. "Well, maybe the blocks were arranged in a different way, but it was pretty much the same."

"I see. So if I send somebody here –or just myself–, we'd be able to hit Obito whenever he tries to use his intangibility," Kakashi said.

"Yeah, that's the idea," Rin replied.

"Well thought," Kakashi praised. "The problem is, though, that we don't know when Obito is going to appear. Especially if he realizes that I'm the key to counter his ability."

"Yes. Last time he personally took part in the jinchuriki's capture, but from what it appears it's never the same. Next time they may send other Akatsuki to do the job," Rin stated.

"In that case, we'll have to guess when Obito will show up again," Kakashi said.

"I have a good idea about that. From what you told me, he's been trying to abduct the other half of the Nine Tails three times in the past. After so many failures, it had to be something personal for him. Not to mention that with the other half under his control, he might feel emboldened," Rin explained.

"So Obito will come for Naruto," Kakashi replied, with a sigh. "Guess we'll have to keep our eyes open when that happens."

"Indeed," Rin agreed, then she looked around, before rubbing her arms. "This place gives me the creeps. I think we tested it enough. Can you get us out of here?"

"Eh...you see..." Kakashi began, as he sheepishly smiled from under his mask, while rubbing the back of his head. "I know how to send things into this dimension, but I haven't tried taking them out."

"Kakashi!" Rin yelled.

"Kidding, kidding! I know what to do!" Kakashi replied, holding his hands in defense. "...I think."

…

Training Ground Nine

In the Medical Squad's usual training ground, a sparring was taking place between two members of the Uzumaki clan.

"Earth Release: Mud Trap!"

The grass around Karin started to change into mud. The bespectacled kunoichi made several backflips in order to avoid the spreading mud, as well as putting some distance between herself and her opponent.

"You know, you won't do anything by dodging alone," Naruto taunted with a smirk of superiority.

Karin replied to Naruto's smirk with one of her own. "Good thing these element is so good for ranged attacks," Karin said, as she pulled out several shuriken. "Wind Release: Vacuum Wave!"

Karin tossed the shuriken forward, which were covered in an aura of wind that made them both spin and fly much faster, while increasing their range.

The Uzumaki cousins have been teaching each other the basics of Wind and Earth release, elements each one was expert and the other wanted to learn. In Naruto's case, Earth Release was the only element he had to master, while Karin wanted to learn Wind in order to have a counter against Earth's natural weakness, Lightning, as well as helping herself into obtaining a promotion.

After that, they had the idea of hosting sparring matches in which Naruto and Karin were limited to Earth and Wind respectively, in what ninjutsu entailed, so they could ease themselves into the new elements. So far, it worked really well and helped them master what they had learned from each other.

"Not bad, nee-chan, not bad," Naruto praised, as his hands formed hand seals in return, before slamming them into the ground. "Earth Release: Earth Style Wall!"

A wall of earth started to rise in front of Naruto. But much to his horror, it stopped midway.

"The hell!?" the blond asked indignantly, before seeing the wind-enhanced shuriken flying at him. "Oh shit!"

The steel stars hit their mark, and if Naruto didn't have a Body Replacement prepared in advance, he could have suffered serious injuries.

"I think I take this round," Karin cheered, pumping her fist into the air. "I think I'm better at Wind that you're a Earth."

"Of course," the real Naruto said, as he emerged from behind a group of trees. "The more elements you master, the harder it becomes. Anyway, I feel like taking a break. How about you?"

"Sure," Karin replied.

Both Uzumaki decided to rest under the shade of a large tree, setting into a comfortable silence. However, as they rested, thoughts started to invade Karin's head. Thoughts she has been trying to silence or push away, but were now coming back. Specially since she was now in her cousin's presence.

She couldn't take it anymore, and decided it was time to talk about it. Plus Naruto was the ideal person to discuss such topic.

"Nii-san?" Karin asked.

"Yes?" Naruto replied.

"You know my latest mission, right?" Karin asked, stammering a little.

Through her chakra sense, Karin could feel how Naruto's mood dampened. She didn't want to poke such fresh wounds, but it was inevitable.

"Yeah. What about it?" Naruto asked, trying to keep a neutral tone.

"You see, since you were in Taki and we couldn't afford waiting for you to get back, Hokage-sama and Shizune-sensei planned to use me as the vessel of the other half of the Nine Tails," Karin stated.

"I didn't know that," Naruto admitted.

"And as you can guess, we failed," Karin told him.

Naruto nodded. "Don't worry. Nobody expected you to win against somebody that commands a Tailed Beast."

"That's not the problem," Karin said, her lips quivering a little. She could sense Naruto's confusion. "Despite our defeat and everything that it entailed... I was glad we failed."

"What?" Naruto shouted. She feared this reaction. "Explain."

"I was afraid of becoming a jinchuriki. So, so afraid," Karin confessed, trying to hold back her tears. Albeit they weren't tears of fear anymore, but of shame. "And not just because of the thought of having a demonic beast living inside my body. When I saw Obito taking Yugito away, I thought, 'that could have been me'. All jinchuriki have massive targets painted in their backs, and the idea of being the prey of a dangerous criminal organization...my blood freeze of just thinking about it."

Naruto didn't say anything, and let Karin's words carefully sink in. He had to admit the redhead was rather brave for showing such a vulnerable side of her, though on the other side he couldn't help but feel little sympathy for her apparent cowardice.

"You must think I'm a coward," Karin continued, as if reading his mind. "But... I just don't want to go to that life again. I can't."

"What do you mean?" Naruto asked.

"I think I already told you about my childhood. Until I was eight, I never knew a permanent home. It was always going from one place to another, hiding our identities, not being able to trust any strangers, because so many people wanted both me and my mom for our genetic abilities... when we settled in Konoha, I thought that we finally left that life behind. But then, when we discussed the possibility of becoming a jinchuriki, I realized the implications besides the obvious one," Karin explained, as tears streamed down her face. She removed her glasses in order to rub her eyes. "Sorry, given what you are, you probably don't think too high of me right now."

"No, it's okay. I don't have the same perspective since I've been a jinchuriki literally from the day I was born," Naruto replied. "This life is all what I know, so I can't tell what a normal person must feel when he or she is forced to become like me. And I don't blame you nor anybody else for being afraid."

"Still...I can't help but feel awful for letting myself be so cowardly. I'm a ninja, for Kami's sake! I should be able to make a sacrifice for the village that make so much for both me and my mom!" Karin protested, as her fist hit the grass.

"But you were willing to become the other half's container, right?" Naruto asked. "Shizune told me what happened. She was going to seal him inside you, when he suddenly woke up and everything went to hell."

"Yeah, but-"

"No buts," Naruto firmly interrupted. "Being afraid in your situation was natural. Yet you managed to keep that fear under wraps and do what was necessary. Don't blame yourself for the failure of that mission.

"But if you feel that's not enough, then listen to me: you might be one of the few people on earth who can contain the Nine Tails, but you're under no obligation to do so. Hell, you don't even need to be a ninja to begin with. Given your background, it's very selfless of you to take such path," Naruto praised.

"My mom said it's important we show appreciation for the village that took us in. Plus being a ninja sounded kind of cool," the redhead admitted.

"See? There you have. You're not selfish nor coward. It's natural to feel overwhelmed under certain circumstances," Naruto said.

"If you say so," she replied, before smiling a little. "Thank you for telling me this."

"Anytime," Naruto said, smiling back.

…

Undisclosed Location, That Night

Kabuto was sitting on a large tree branch, his back resting against the trunk. Unable to stifle it, a yawn escaped his mouth. He hated to do these kind of errands. At first he always felt a bit uneasy due the other part's potential treachery –there were many Sound Ninjas hidden around in case of foul play– . But after some time, he always ended up boring.

"I don't know why we even bother with scheduling an hour if these guys are always late," the silver haired medic-nin complained, and he looked up at the night sky.

Until he heard it. The sound of leaves rustling. His reflexes kicked in, jumping to his feet as his hand pulled a kunai from one of his weapon holsters, just when an individual landed in front of him. A figure wearing a black hooded cloak that hid his whole body, while his face was obscured by a mask similar to those wore by Konoha's ANBU.

"Sorry for being late," the masked figure said, revealing her feminine voice. "Kabuto Yakushi, I presume."

"You guess right," the bespectacled ninja replied. "You're not the usual contact."

"I'm new," the woman replied, as if that explained everything.

"If that's the case, then you'll know the password," Kabuto told her in a challenging tone.

"White orchids. Three birds flying above an icy mountain. Red sunset in the sea," the woman stated.

Kabuto couldn't help but smile. "Password correct."

"You're too trusting. I could have killed the actual messenger and force them to give me the password," the masked woman replied.

Kabuto couldn't help but chuckle. "Trust me, I find that very unlikely. Anyway, what news do you have pertaining the jinchuriki?"

"The jinchuriki of the Seven Tails, Fu, remains in Konoha. While she's allowed plenty of freedom, and the village does little to hide her presence, neither her nor those close to her suspect a team of Konoha ANBU watching every one of her moves," the woman began.

Kabuto nodded. "As expected. Jiraiya-sama is no fool. Capturing her will much harder this time around. But knowing her location is still valuable intel. What else?"

"You're going to like this. Apparently, Kirigakure ninja had finally located Utakata, the jinchuriki of the Six Tails," the woman stated.

Kabuto couldn't help but smile at such good news. "That's a very valuable information, indeed."

"That's not all. We know they send a letter for Konoha asking for help. Apparently, they want to borrow the jinchuriki of the Nine Tails to get close to Utakata and convince him to return to the safety of Kiri."

"So Akatsuki has the chance of capturing two jinchuriki at once. Excellent. Any other news on the other jinchuriki?" Kabuto asked.

The masked woman shook her head. "We found the jinchuriki of the Eight Tails has vanished. We suspect that after Yugito's abduction, the Raikage sent him to a hidden refuge in order to keep him safe," the woman continued. "We still don't know where the jinchuriki of the Four Tails is."

"Oh well, guess it was too much to ask. Still, information on Utakata was vital to obtain, so thank you for that," Kabuto said, making a slight head bow. "If there's nothing else to discuss, I think our meeting should come to an end,"

The woman nodded, silently agreeing, and both she and the Oto ninja left in opposite directions.

OMAKE: Itachi's Torture Methods

After the effect of the paralytic genjutsu disappeared, Itachi tied Yudachi to a chair. The Ame Genin, however, didn't show any hints of being intimidated by the Konoha Jonin.

"I don't know what you plan to do with me," Yudachi defiantly said. "But it won't work! You won't get any information from me!"

"That's what everybody says, until they find out what I plan to do," Itachi's Sharingan changed shape to a curved, triple bladed shuriken against a red background. "Tsukuyomi."

The two ninja were transported to a nightmarish, red and black landscape, which would fit into the popular description of Hell. Suddenly, a large, flat screen TV appeared in front of the Ame Genin. The TV turned itself on and started to play something.

"Let your torture begin. Do you recognize this series?" Itachi asked his prisoner.

"Yeah, it's Haruto! The shonen about a young ninja who wants to prove everybody his worth. What, you plan to use this series to torture me?" Yudachi asked, laughing a little. "Yeah, I know this series has some bad rep, but I think it's pretty good. So tough luck, hater."

"Watch closely," Itachi added. "Don't you recognize this opening?"

Yudachi had a bad feeling, as he tried to recall what season this opening belonged to. All trace of color left his face when he remembered the answer.

"No... no! It's can't be! It's-"

"The almost one hundred episode long filler season set between Parts I and II," Itachi finished Yudachi's sentence All the bravado the Genin had displayed was all but gone, replaced by sheer, primal terror. "Enjoy seventy two hours of mediocre writing, forgettable characters, cheap animation and nonsensical yet predictable plots."

"No! NO! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Author's Note: It's been a while since my last Omake, isn't it? I hope you guys enjoyed it. Though, to be fair, I acknowledge that the filler hell had some hidden jewels among the garbage, such as the Bikouchu arc (which left quite a lasting impression on the Naruhina side of the fandom) or the Yakumo Kurama arc.

That scene with Shisui and Sasuke had been in my head for literally months, and you have no idea how glad I was when I was able to put it on proverbial paper. I always love how when a somewhat cheerful comedic character reveal more about themselves and you can see that there's more to them that meets the eye. Though in many cases it's revealed that the cheerful attitude is a façade to hide their inner turmoil, which is something I don't really like. Shisui's funny and easygoing personality is genuine here.

Thanks to Ookami88 for betareading this chapter.

As hinted by the last scene, the next arc will be about the Six Tails Jinchuriki. While you wait, leave your thoughts on this episode in a review. Reviews make me really, really, really happy!