Notes: Warnings from the last chapter apply.
"Good can be radical; evil can never be radical, it can only be extreme, for it possesses neither depth nor any demonic dimension yet - and this is its horror - it can spread like a fungus over the surface of the earth and lay waste the entire world. Evil comes from a failure to think. it defies thought, for as soon as thought tries to engage itself with evil and examine the premises and principles from which it originates, it is frustrated because it finds nothing there. That is the banality of evil." — Hannah Arendt
The war goes on for a year.
It's stressful, and the dark bags under his eyes are almost as deep as his parent's. The emotional and physical unrest makes him sloppy, causing his mandatory spars to end in fractured bones and sweat and tears until he loses his temper enough to activate his sharingan and use his shunshin to pummel his sensei bedridden for the next few days.
Shisui kneels on the ground in front of his groaning opponent, panting from chakra and muscle overuse. His sharingan flickers, eyes dutifully staring at the multitude of witnesses looking at him in fear, greed, or surprise.
Two doe eyes, framed with thick lashes, find his gaze, an air of melancholy attached to the small figure.
Shisui says nothing as he stands up and leaves.
"Due to recent developments, the Hokage office and its council have decided to temporarily uplift the Children Exemption Ban. As is our duty, several qualified Uchiha will be accessed for their availability," Fugaku states. He pauses.
No one speaks. An air of unsurprised frustration permeates the air as the Uchiha keep their eyes on the clan head.
Fugaku clears his throat. "Those who have not undergone academy training will not be expected to engage in combat. They will help with the war effort through medical and physical assistance. Children of civilians are also expected to serve Konohagakure—" With this, the muttering starts. Fugaku holds up a hand, "With permission from an eligible guardian or clan head. Children and adults expected to serve as shinobi can receive promotions on the war fields, if allowed by the clan head. However, one year of study in the academy will eventually be necessary." Fugaku shifts his feet, voice becoming more authoritative as he states, "I have trained my son well. Itachi will be a representative of our strength in this war," Shisui's ears perk up at the name. It sounded familiar in a way that wormed into Shisui's mind, gripping his thoughts in a steel-forged clutch. "And so may any deemed qualified by their respective guardian."
Shisui's mom, Homare, stands, her husband noticeably absent from her side. The blue and purple coloring under her eyes had softened with the extended stay allowed on her rotation, but the muscles on her exposed arms pressed taut against the veins in a way Shisui had not noticed on his mother a year before.
"I, Uchiha Homare, jounin of Konoha, will provide Uchiha Shisui the opportunity to give pride to the Uchiha clan, as well as protect the village our foreparents put in place."
Fugaku nods, face expressionless. "We will make arrangements for the process to occur. Shisui-kun," He snaps to attention, "You will be dispatched before the week is done. Be ready."
Shisui stands, mind reeling and body clenched, and bows. "I will bring honor to the Uchiha with my life."
He tries not to stare at the small smile adorning his mother's face as he sits back down.
"Homare-san, a word." Says a voice behind them in the departing crowd.
Beside him, his mother turns, facing Fugaku on the steps of the shrine. Shisui pauses as well, body half-turned in question.
Fugaku nods. "This concerns you as well, Shisui-kun."
Shisui shivers at the words, but stops in place.
Fugaku continues, posture becoming awkward in a way Shisui hadn't seen from the new clan head until now.
"Your husband, Hideyoshi, has been missing from the Iwa lines for the past four days," He says quickly, as if ripping off a clotted bandaid. Homare doesn't react as Shisui's eyes widen. "Officially, he has been declared dead in order to speed along processing. I'm sorry," His voice stiffens, "We will make arrangements when you feel it appropriate as well as postponing Shisui's-"
"That won't be necessary, Fugaku-sama," His mother interjects, "Shisui-kun will go."
Shisui swallows, glancing at the two figures engaged in silent eye contact. He can't help but wonder if this happened before as his sense of deja vu fails to make an appearance.
"Very well," Fugaku relents. His gaze draws to Shisui and pauses. Shisui quickly wipes off whatever emotion was slapped on his face.
"I—" Fugaku starts, then stops. "You will do us proud," He finishes, tone pulled back into the lull of the meetings. He bows, slightly, and Shisui and Homare answer with a deeper one of their own.
They head home in silence.
"Uchiha!" A chunin kunoichi barks, "Take that bucket of water and bring it to the maternity tent!"
Shisui hurries to obey the command, skinny arms grabbing the precious water as he carefully runs to the tent with the loudest screams.
A woman stands to the side of the tent's entrance, brows furrowed and arms crossed as she stares at Shisui's nearing form. Her glare makes him uneasy, but he continues forth, focusing on his goal.
"Tsunade-sama!" A head bursts out of the tent before Shisui can reach it, brown hair sticking to her face from sweat. Only half of her body sticks out, her hands curiously hidden behind the white fabric of the entrance. "She's at seven centimeter dilation! She's leaking a bit more than usual, but nothing worrying has occurred so far."
The scowling woman Shisui mentally categorizes as Tsunade nods. "Good job, Shizune."
All at once, both women's attentions focus on Shisui, who suddenly feels as if he would prefer to be engaged within the front lines with his mother than have their intense stare on him.
"You," Tsunade snaps, "Get that water in the tent. We've been waiting for fifteen minutes too long."
Shizune offers a more polite, if tired smile to Shisui. "Please come in. Don't leave the tent until I say so."
She moves her body back inside and Shisui follows, swallowing as he notices the streaks of blood on the other woman's hands.
The small room is thick with the musky scent of blood, sweat, and something else he can't identify. His musings are cut through when the woman in front of him lets out another scream, face distorted with anguish and anger.
"Of all fucking days that shitty bastard of a Hokage decides to send my husband out on a— GAH- stupid fucking mission to the fucking daimyo— Oh, I'm gonna kill him, I'm gonna kill both I swear—"
"Sarutobi-san!" Shizune interjects, eyes widening as she guiltily looks back at Shisui, as if apologizing for the other's language and blasphemy. Shisui just blinks. The other woman had nothing on his mother's creative insults when she stubbed her toe.
"Please, Uchiha-san, lay that bucket there, thank you."
"An Uchiha?" The struggling woman says, opening her eyes and slightly sitting up from where she had laid down, "A tiny Uchiha?! Hey, why the fuck isn't Tsunade-hime in here? Why is a fucking kid Uchiha taking her place?" She yells out.
"Sarutobi-san, please calm down. I'll be taking care of you as Tsunade-sama dictates outside, as we agreed. Uchiha-san will assist me with minor manners, which he has experience in." Shizune's eyes pierce Shisui's, commanding him not to say anything to the contrary. Shisui can't help but feel sympathetic and understand that he was probably the only person of low enough priority in the camp to help with the delivery.
"If a man can have his arm cut off and scream, then I should be allowed to do so also," She retorts, but visibly unclenches her muscles, laying back down with her legs spread out.
Shizune dunks a bloody rag into the water, face determined as she sits in seiza and wipes various fluids from the other woman's legs, blocking the view from Shisui's eyes. Her face shifts into a determined expression as she barks out orders for Shisui to follow, making quick work of the various towels and liquids he brings to her.
It isn't long before Shisui is staring at a pink, misshapen form yelling at him, tiny tongue sticking out in protest.
"Shisui," His mother whispers, amused, "You have to give Itachi-chan back to Mikoto-chan. He can't live with us no matter how cute he looks."
Shisui is forcefully pulled out of the vivid daydream as Shizune takes the newborn out of his hands, gently wiping them down and drying them in a towel before handing it to their mother.
"The placenta has already been delivered. Congratulations on your new baby girl," Shizune says, giving a tired smile.
The new mother doesn't seem to process the words, staring at the wailing bundle with an expression Shisui can't quite place. Robotically, she pulls down her robe and breastfeeds the child, who mercifully decides to preserve Shisui's remaining hearing.
A quiet melancholy sets in as Shizune washes her hands and steps out of the tent to talk to Tsunade in a muffled voice.
"Yayoi," The woman says after a beat of silence.
Shisui twitches from his awkward stance in the corner. "Pardon?"
"My name is Sarutobi Yayoi. I apologize for not introducing myself beforehand," She explains, tone starkly more polite. Her eyes pass by the baby to stare into his own.
"Uchiha Shisui," He says, feeling faintly disturbed by the tense atmosphere only he seemed to be experiencing, "It was an honor to help you."
Yayoi snorts. "Yeah, I bet it was. Helping clean up the Hokage daughter's shit and blood is hopefully a once in a lifetime experience."
Shisui tactically stays silent, pushing past the sense of wrongness still stifling the air.
Yayoi sways a little, as if listening to a melody only she could hear. "So your name is Shisui, huh?"
"Yes," He replies.
"Then her name is Sarutobi Shinju," She confidently states, pulling her eyes away to look at the small figure now fast asleep.
Shisui grimaces. "Isn't it bad luck to name a baby in their first month?" He asks.
"It is," She simply replies.
They talk no more as Shizune walks back into the tent and dismisses him to his other tasks with a tired thank you. As he steps out into the dry heat, he can't help but breathe in a lungful of dust and air, grateful to be out of the claustrophobic room. Tsunade nods to him as he passes, and he can't help but give a shy smile back as he hurries to the main commune, thoughts still mixed up in the false memory and the sense of rightness when holding little Shinju.
He pushes it back as he jogs on the cracked earth. War doesn't give time for self-introspection.
Shisui finds that the worst part of war isn't the fighting, but the waiting.
Screams bounce off in the distance, the clashing of metal heard pass the thin trees and hard rock along Iwa's border, different scenery still unnerving even after spending a week in the same camp.
In fact, Shisui has come to accept the fact that being unnerved is normal within war. The constant vigilance for unexpected orders or mandatory evacuations wears at him, and the constant use of his sharingan for Konoha nins' personal documentation causes near-constant irritation to his eyes, thinning and weakening the skin underneath to form creases Shisui isn't optimistic enough to think are temporary.
It almost comes as a relief when on his latest rotation he's pushed into the front fields, officially put under the direction of a jonin and unofficially told to "Sit your ass in that tree so you don't get knifed in the back," before his instructor disappears into the distance.
Shisui's muscles tense as the sounds of fighting get closer to him and he merges his chakra signature as best he can into the trees'. He stays on the branch, content to follow his sensei's instructions before he spots some idiot running alone in the open field.
Shisui's eyes merge into the sharingan, taking up precious chakra to look at the small figure before balking at what he sees.
It's an Uchiha idiot. And not just any idiot, but the Uchiha Clan Head's idiot kid.
Shisui shunshins down, already mentally playing out the fastest way to grab Itachi and head back to the camp as he evades the trap pits and boulders blocking his view. The little Uchiha is bringing something up to the enemy's face, and Shisui has a split second to see the shinobi's arm twitch towards his thigh before Shisui tackles Itachi to safety.
Shisui gasps as he feels liquid spray against his neck and back, fearing the worst. He rises on shaky legs to take care of the enemy, ignoring the urge to look back and check any potential wounds.
Fugaku stares at him, kunai bloody and face tired. The enemy shinobi is on the ground with his neck cut deeply, eyes staring out in horror.
"Shisui-kun. Your presence is unneeded, but appreciated," Fugaku states.
Shisui can't help the incredulity on his face at the statement, looking at the dead shinobi before back at the tiny form of Itachi, who looks at him with open curiosity as he dusts off his clothes.
"Itachi, your reflexes were too slow," Fugaku chastises, turning his focus towards his son. The blood on his kunai steadily drips down. Fugaku makes no move to put it back into his holster.
Shisui swallows as Itachi steps forward. "I will do better next time, Tou-san," He says, voice gravely in a way that betrays his constant use of katon jutsus. Shisui doesn't do anything but stand there, unsure of what to say.
Fugaku takes the lead for him. "Shisui-kun, report back to your superior. I'll make sure you receive a promotion after this."
Shisui nods, head feeling heavy. "Thank you, Fugaku-sama."
He turns back, legs heading towards the outpost as the tingle of another's eyes follows him.
"I just don't understand it, Kaa-san," He says on a rare rotation where they're both in the village, "Fugaku-sama was hesitant when sending me out, but when his own child is on the front lines, a kid who is younger than me, he places him in combat!"
Homare hums from her side of the small table, eyes half-closed and tea cold from where Shisui placed it half an hour into his rant.
"Why would he do that? Isn't that hypocrisy?" He asks, not knowing if his mother would answer. Shisui was already wondering if she learned to fall asleep with her eyes open.
Homare yawns, comforting Shisui with the fact that it was not, in fact, a mannequin disguised as his mom. "Sometimes parents hold their own children to different standards. It doesn't need to make sense." She pushes her cup around, distracting Shisui away from the deep purples and blues under her eyes, "I'll let you in on a little secret," She whispers, body leaning in Shisui's direction. Shisui unconsciously leans forward.
"Parents don't base most of their decisions for their children on logic," She finishes, grinning, "Some actually see their children as an extension of themselves, and therefore when their children fail, they see themselves as failing. Of course, the parents will almost always be stronger than their children, at least initially, so the set standards will be impossible to achieve." She finishes with a flourish, arms sweeping out as if finishing a grand speech.
Shisui frowns, thinking over her words. "What standards do you have for me, Kaa-san?"
Homare joylessness chuckles, "The one thing I want from you is to not be like me, Shi-chan."
It lasts for another year.
Obito Uchiha, a clan member Shisui only vaguely remembers for his infamous clumsiness and fun babysitting games, is the last of their clan to die. The funeral is somber as the citizens outside the clan celebrate the return to peace. The name 'Hatake Kakashi' follows the procession in angry whispers.
Minato Namikaze is announced as the new Hokage, causing muffled voices and slammed doors to echo out from the main Clan Head's building.
The Third Hokage's daughter, son-in-law, and granddaughter are found dead in their homes with no signs of a struggle. No statement is given. The Hokage's two remaining sons leave the village without explanation, as well as the esteemed Sannin Orochimaru, lead scientist and fighter of Konohagakure. No one speaks of it, any rising voice quelled with fearful looks and anger.
Tsunade and Shizune unofficially leave the village with rumors of elopement and treason following their footsteps. Shisui remembers the hidden hands drenched with blood and thinks he understands.
Late at night, after the festivals and funerals, a feeling of dread does not abate from Shisui's skinny form as he lies awake staring at his grandfather's tanto, newly polished and given by his mother on his eighth birthday.
The third stool in the kitchen table stays empty.
Shisui officially graduates from the academy. The smiling visage of his sensei handing him a Konoha headband feels like a slap to the face after witnessing bodies pulled apart by explosives and the taste of ash in the air.
Shisui gives them a weak smile and heads back to his seat, waiting for his assigned team.
His team is … decent.
Shisui's new sensei is an older aunt of his. Kyomi Uchiha's scowls and tough expectations command the full attention of him and his teammates, but her words are layered with advice and pride. He's partnered with a painfully shy clan girl named Tsuyo Nohara and a freckled civilian boy named Toshiro Ishikawa.
It's terrifyingly obvious that his two older teammates hadn't participated in the war. Shisui knows he's not supposed to, but he can't help but feel resentment for it. Every flinch at a kunai and loud wail at a cut breeds contempt for their weakness, their lack of understanding, the fact that they didn't see and witness the things he did.
Toshiro especially, with his easy grins and soft hands make for particular ire in Shisui's thoughts.
Sometimes it scares him, how he can look at someone and know that he can hurt them. That he can make them bleed without even thinking.
His Oba-sensei sends him looks from time to time, but says nothing on his too-hard punches and angry scratches.
Still, life goes on. They take jobs, they laugh, they spar, they learn.
Their last mission comes earlier than any of them had expected.
They're halfway through an escort mission to Kiri when they're ambushed.
Six missing-nin, all sporting Iwa headbands, corner them in the middle of their route back to Konoha. Four of them go after his sensei, who quickly stands in a defensive formation for Tsuyo, the closest of the three. Two of them part off to target Toshiro and Shisui, clearly delegating them as the weaker target.
Shisui's eyes harden and flicker to his fully-developed sharingan, letting the surprise of his enemy's face burn into his mind. Underestimating him will be the last mistake the nin ever makes.
Unfamiliar muscle memory guides his route as he flickers over to the enemy, taking care to pass over the rocks and twigs as the sweaty grip of his kunai plunges into the wood where his attacker's neck was.
Shisui's eyes flicker to the right, taking his weapon out from the kawarimied wood and jumping over to the spot where his eyes show him the enemy's chakra signature. Once the nin spots him, they circle around, making a tactical retreat to pull him away from the group, but Shisui is faster.
He feels nothing as the spray of blood hits his face and neck. It feels too familiar.
"Shisui!"
Shisui is forcefully pulled out of his thoughts as his head snaps back to the sound of Toshiro's voice, his legs scrambling even before he knows what he's doing.
There's the large body of the missing-nin that split off lying on the ground, but Shisui can't spare him more than a glance as he notices orange hair freely moving in the wind as Toshiro grips the lower part of the ledge of the cliff, letting them both get a good view of the hundreds of feet of empty space below.
He doesn't even have time to think, but his feet are already moving and his mind is screaming Save Toshiro for reasons he doesn't understand as he starts to stretch his hand forward.
There's a pause as he wonders What if… as he sees Toshiro's desperate face begging him for help.
You never liked him, the voice whispers again.
For a moment, Shisui listens.
And then as he reaches the ledge he grabs the freckled hand, feeling the strain in his chakra pulsing through his muscles like needles as he tries to stick his feet to the earth and pull Toshiro up quick enough that he doesn't lose his grip.
Toshiro lads with a loud thwack to the earth, both of them panting from adrenaline before Shisui scrambles upwards, turning around to check on their sensei and teammate.
The missing-nin lying next to the cliff is gone, either faking death or taken by their teammates, but two figures can be seen in the distance. Shisui makes a beeline for the sight, chanting for his instincts to be wrong as Toshiro similarly scrambles to his side.
He isn't wrong.
Shisui and Toshiro stare down at the mangled corpses of their sensei and Tsuyo.
Their sensei has lacerations all over her body, but none of the bloody cuts compare to the hollow sockets staring at them in retribution. They can't see Tsuyo apart from a small hand sticking out from underneath Kyomi-sensei's torso.
Toshiro barely breathes as Shisui gets down on shaky legs, fingers fiddling with the black scroll assigned to his team until opening it and separately sealing them both with mechanical, textbook accuracy.
"We need to head back," Shisui says. He feels old and numb. The stiff movements of his legs force him back towards Konoha, their mission failed and their teammates dead.
Toshiro's footsteps aren't as quiet as he jogs back to Shisui's side after a pause. "Shisui-san, I just wanted to say thank you for—"
"Don't thank me," Shisui snaps.
The walk back is long and silent until the third day, when they reach the last outpost of Konohagakure and spot a nine-tailed beast wreaking havoc on their home.
Fun fact: Toshiro is inspired by malignedaffairs short doujinshi Interlude, which can be found on ao3. I highly recommend you read it, it's an incredible piece of writing and art featuring how Shisui got his mangekyou.
More Itachi next chapter! See ya next week
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