Chapter 6

The infamous Uchiha Shisui of the body flicker.

How could he have failed to put a name to the face that tormented him, especially when said name was so legendary?

He was once one of the greatest Konoha had to offer – an exemplary shinobi that even many in his own bloodthirsty village, even the elite, refused to stand against. Boasting a page in at least ten Bingo Books should have made it impossible not to recognise him, but somehow, Kisame managed to do so, and it pissed him off.

What did that mean for his own state of mind? Was it because of the unshakeable genjutsu placed upon him that he didn't recognise Uchiha Shisui? Did it go deeper and darker than that? Was he just a foolish moron who allowed his bloodlust to rule over all rational thought?

Dismissing the other man and his vexing question (since Kisame already knew the answer, therefore knew that the genjutsu would never be lifted), he returned Samehada to his back and left the cabin for a short while. Clearing his head was a must before continuing to delve deeper into such a messy situation, just on the off chance he murdered his partner. He wasn't sure how that would go down, seeing as Konoha was alleged to be one of the hardest villages to infiltrate.

While the kid blatantly wasn't hopeful in their managing to smoothly infiltrate, he claimed to know of the rotations and how ANBU tended to create the squads on watch. They wouldn't be undetected, but they would have enough time to snatch the Kyuubi's jinchūriki and bail before backup arrived.

If only they could jumpstart the whole process already. Waiting around wasn't really his idea of a good time, especially not with the uptight Uchiha. More than that, it gave the jinchūriki more time to train – Kumo were particularly strict in their jinchūriki mastering total control over their beasts. If they all managed such a feat, then they were going to have a serious fight on their hands and realistically needed stronger guys on their side.

Kisame wasn't doubting his skills. After all, he was infamously known as the tailless tailed beast and not solely down to his seemingly infinite supply of chakra. The damage he dealt was brutal and he was capable of going against tens of shinobi at a time – even better, if they survived that long then they were the ones who tired out first, not him. However, he disliked the thought of being the one putting all the work in. Of course he would if his leader required it of him, but he would prefer competent guys backing him up or sharing the tasks.

Tailed beasts were not a foe to be taken lightly, even with his skillset and it had Kisame slowing in his brisk pace to get some air, coming to a halt in the thick treeline that would easily cover him, should he angle his body a particular way.

Having his mind toyed with in such a way was unpleasant but mostly harmless to the cause, he supposed. The only real issue was others coming after him and Kisame not recalling a single face – if it wasn't tied to just the one woman. There was no telling what risks were out there and waiting for him and it had Kisame sighing irritably, longing for just a single moment of peace – a peace Itachi was able to grant him, but most likely wouldn't.

Other than the pesky bug that was the ANBU captain interfering with their mission, there was no sound reason for Itachi to aid in dispelling the powerful genjutsu. It had quickly become apparent that he and Uchiha Shisui were once close and regardless of whether it was true or not, in Itachi's eyes, Kisame played a part in his friend's death. Taking out the woman who was banished from his memories wouldn't phase the kid who'd slaughtered the entirety of his clan in a single night, especially not if she continued impeding their goals by ambushing them.

Would it even bother him if the ANBU captain died? Truthfully speaking, Kisame didn't believe so. He genuinely didn't feel any semblance of emotion towards her – still couldn't recall her goddamn face or force his mind to focus on her. Even now, his thoughts threatened to stray, and he felt the beginnings of a headache as he compelled himself to concentrate once more.

Emotion towards her, no.

Reservations about finally ending her life, on the other hand…

It was frustrating as hell and getting on his last nerve, but the thought of putting her down even without knowing her was enough to fill his stomach with lead. Gut instinct had gotten him this far in a world full of deceit and corruption, had aided him in breaking out of that damned system. Right there and then, it was telling Kisame not to take the easy way out – that was what killing her would be. The easy way out.

How was he to know that Shisui's punishment wouldn't miraculously end with the woman's death? What if everything she said was true and the bond he couldn't remember submerged Kisame headfirst into some form of tortuous grief? One that would be exacerbated by his being the one who killed her? His supposed lover?

No, he refused to fall for that Uchiha's twisted sense of justice. He refused. And if that kid refused to reverse the genjutsu, then…

Then what? What exactly could he do when merely forcing himself to remain focused felt like it was setting his brain on fire? Kisame knew that it was purely mental and that he wasn't in any sort of danger, but that natural instinct to recoil from the pain, to free himself from it, was enough to cause his hesitation. It was a difficult impulse to shy away from.

What was he supposed to do?

Brute force usually worked in his favour, however he knew from the conviction in Itachi's eyes and his general disregard towards his brutish ways that he wouldn't be so easily swayed. Chances were, if he went down that route, Itachi really would leave him to fester in the genjutsu.

Kisame hated being at the mercy of others and it never failed to leave a bitter taste in his mouth. But what else could he do? Remaining the way that he was, would put the entirety of Akatsuki's plans in jeopardy – that absolutely could not happen. They had to succeed.

Sensing a shift in the area around him from further east of where he was headed, he came to a gradual halt and listened carefully. With the ANBU captain in tow it wasn't impossible to believe their position was compromised.

However, that was when the quiet whimpering of a child caught his attention and Kisame sighed in resignation. He waited several moments to see if it would be claimed by some sort of guardian, though his feet were already dragging in the direction it came from. Despite what many believed and what he knew he led them to believe, he was no monster. He knew children were, for the most part, innocent. To leave one suffering was inhumane, particularly when it wasn't exactly going out of his way to at least check in on them.

Besides, the way children were treated in the messed up shinobi system was part of what turned his stomach. The rest were different shades of fucked without a shadow of a doubt, but the children… Even for him – the soulless, tailless beast – it just didn't sit right.

Finally finding the location of the wailing child, he once more waited for several long moments for somebody to claim it, slowing in his pace to grant them a few extra moments. But then he arrived and the crying didn't cease, telling Kisame that there were no guardians in the immediate area.

On the off chance that he was falling into some kind of trap or ambush, he came to a stop behind a tree that was large enough to hide his body, using a kunai to look over at the child without giving his position away.

Ah, it was a tiny, helpless thing who was barely managing to keep a grip onto the trunk with both arms and legs. Kisame could tell from the way he glanced down hopelessly that he was stuck, which explained the tears that were clearly once hysterical considering the mess of his face, but subdued by exhaustion.

What could have compelled the boy to climb a tree that high? Kisame wondered morbidly. From looking through the reflection on his kunai, it was impossible to tell. He could only really see outlines – a katana would have been better suited or better yet, a compact mirror.

Returning the kunai to his pouch, Kisame gave away his position at the unignorable sight of the child clinging in clear fright to the tree, deciding to show the boy pity. Although obviously frightened, there was no fight left due to exhaustion as Kisame reached out to him without a flicker of hesitation, easing him down onto his feet. A second later and the boy was falling to his behind, his exhale sharp but filled with relief to be back on the ground.

"Oi, kid. You shouldn't be so reckless," he warned after several moments of the child regaining composure. "Don't go climbing trees if you don't know how to climb back down."

Now that he was closer it was blaringly obvious he'd been stuck there for a few days, the smell of putrid urine at the roots of the tree and the signs of dehydration around his mouth a dead giveaway. Unfortunately for the kid, Kisame had left the cabin in a hurry so didn't have his canteen on him.

There was distinctly some kind of predator that had given chase, though had long since given up since its tracks were in the process of being covered by nature. The only way to know for certain was to investigate further, but Kisame could tell that there was no immediate threat in the area. There was no point in burdening himself with such a tedious task. He'd done his rare, good deed for the day.

"I-It was…" Swallowing hard, the boy struggled to bring himself to his feet and soon fell back against the tree trunk with his hands coming to his knees to steady himself. "…pack of… dogs…"

Kisame sighed heavily as he caught him by the scruff of the neck just as he slumped towards the ground, eyes going skywards in a silent, useless prayer begging for patience.

Although he'd always believed children to be innocent and need to be protected, that didn't mean he liked being in the presence of them. Truth be told, Kisame didn't have the patience to be around children. They asked too many questions and always rubbed him the wrong way with their unabashed staring, their honesty absolutely ruthless and knowing no bounds.

But their hideout was the only cabin for miles and he wasn't about to traipse into the nearest town searching for the kid's family – if he even had one. Going off his tattered clothes that were a couple of sizes too small, Kisame suspected him to be an orphan or a runaway.

It wasn't like he could leave him out there either, he thought irritably. The elements would finish him off and in the unlikely chance they didn't, then that pack of wild dogs he'd mentioned before passing out could potentially return. Kisame was a lot of things, but he wasn't about to add a child murderer to his list.

He would give the kid a day to rest up before sending him on his merry way – more than what anyone else would do, certainly.

Decision made, Kisame heaved the boy onto his shoulder and turned back towards the cabin, somewhat thankful that he had something else to concern himself with now.

A/N - Ughhh I'm so sorry for the extremely slow and short update! I'm really struggling with Kisame's character at the minute, as I'm used to seeing him as just a villain that's never really appealed much to me. Hopefully I'll be out of this funk while working on the next chapter!