The two shinobi stumbled into the darkness of the woods. The smoke from their transportation jutsu already blown away by the nighttime breeze of the leaf country. They braced each other, using all of their remaining strength to support one another as they ran through the thickness of the trees. Their muscles ached and screamed with exhaustion, but the inevitable feeling of being trailed by the enemy pushed them on. The fear and anxiety began to set in; urging the duo to push themselves further than they have ever imagined. The malicious chakra of the enemy grew as they descended on fleeing pair. The pair knew were easily outnumbered and out armed. Their breath could be seen in the cool air as they inhaled sharply for more strength. Their own chakra reserves depleting faster than they could manage. Neither one of them had anticipated their mission ending up as a coup d'état. Their own comrade leading them into an ambush. They had managed to escape, but they were already deep into the grass country and sustained critical injuries. The three-day journey back to village safety turned into a flight for their life's. By day two they had already used up their solider pills. By day three they were close to death.

"We won't make it." The sharingan user gasped, his legs going limp, causing the two assassins to fall through the tree branches. His partner cursed, trying to brace their fall to the forest floor. Attempts to grip onto branches with chakra infused limbs failed. The Uchiha's partner attempted a last ditched effort to save them, infusing their last remaining chakra into their legs, helping to strengthen the muscles and bones to prevent breakage as they landed. The trees and leaves whirled past them, branches catching their clothes, causing more tears in their already ruined uniforms and even more injuries to their exposed arms. Teeth gritted as the duo landed, a cracking noise echoing into the forest as a result.

The dust and dirt of the forest exploded into a small cloud with their impact. The entire wooded area fell into an eerie silence as the dirt settled. Some particles descended slower than others and could only be seen in the faint light from the full moon. Nothing moved. No sounds were made. Even the animals knew to not make their presence known. A single black crow flew over the clearing, circling the fallen shinobi, its black beady eyes watching for any movement. The crow landed above the scene, tilting its head side to side as the dusty haze began to lift. It screeched out a cry, tapping its feet anxiously, awaiting to see any movement from below.

Finally, a single figure could be seen moving in the hazy manmade clearing from the fall. The crow tapped its feet again, anxiously screeching out another, now louder, cry. The sharingan user grunted, squinting at the loud crow above him. He gasped, using his remaining strength and energy to pin himself up against a tree trunk. He took sharp inhales of breath, panting for air as he stared at the crow above him. He cursed himself for his weakness. He knew the ending was near. His partner was unconscious across the landing from him. Her petite body limp, with no signs of movement. The crow screeched motioning its beak and wings towards his fallen partner. He desperately wanted to go to her aide but knew he'd never make it in his current state. The crow continued to screech.

"Fuck. Fuck. Amaya, wake up, damnit. Please wake up!" The sharingan user pleaded, the poison further spreading, causing him to lose movement to his entire left side. His eyes swirled red; he knew he had to use whatever strength he had left to attempt any jutsu he could when the enemy finally caught up to them. Their chakra grew in power as every second passed, he knew it would only be a few minutes until they met their demise. He readied his last remining kunai in his only functioning arm- which was already starting to go numb. The poison spreading faster than he anticipated. He prayed to kami that the village received their plea for backup, he prayed that their messenger hawk made it in time- or at all for the matter. If they could just hold off until their reinforcements came, he could tell them the ingredients they'd need for the antidote, he could save both of them, and prevent the village from losing a war.

"S-S-Shisui." A small voice sounded. His partners head turned slightly, her dark red locks moving to reveal her face. Her multifarious eyes were tired, the light in them gone. She tried moving her arm, to no avail. Her ankles were distorted in all directions from the crash landing, and she had no movement from her shoulder down. "Shisui." She called again, her voice hoarse and weak.

"Amaya, Amaya! I'm here, can you see me!" Shisui cried out, tears forming in the corners of his eyes. As the clearing between them became more vivid he could see all her injuries. She was covered in dirt and mud, her arms had fresh and old lacerations everywhere. Tree branches were tangled in hair, which was now knotted and tangled. Her ankles were destroyed, bone could be seen from both. Her breathing was slow and shallow. A knot in his throat formed as he took in her image, she was physically and mentally destroyed.

"Amaya listen to me, I'm-I'm-I'm not going to let them hurt you, okay?!" Shisui yelled to her. She looked at him, smiling faintly. "Stay with me, ok?" He managed to say through tears. The enemy was almost to them. He knew this was it. He readied his last functioning arm, his eyes swirling. With swift movement he sent his kunai flying into the darkness. Sounds of gasp could be heard as two bodies fell from the clearing. Each one of them landing with hard thuds as they met the forest ground. Their headbands gleaming with the grass symbol. The crow grew quiet watching the scene unfold beneath it. Its black beady eye watching the Uchiha with intent.

Large hands gripped the kunoichi by her hair, pulling her up by it mercilessly. She screamed in pain as the soldier further held her upright by her hair. Shisui stayed quiet, his red eyes spinning as he watched another five shinobi landed in the clearing around him. The middle, the largest of the group, held Amaya up, angling his sword to her throat. All of them grinned evilly. Shisui frowned, "You sick bastard." He growled. Peering at each of the members of the group, all of their eyes sown shut permanently. He could tell the stitches fresh, blood still poured down from the sutures and the sites were swollen and red. The only one left untouched was the leader in the center, he wore golden glasses that reflected his surroundings. He bared a big, toothy grin.

"What's wrong, Uchiha? Can't protect our pretty, little, Amaya?" The man mussed, his words soaked in sarcasm as he further held Amaya up, causing her to scream again.

"You betrayed us." Shisui growled, trying to not black out from anger. His reflection bouncing off of the enemy's glasses. Obviously, a tool that was constructed to be used against the Uchiha clan, a tool that only a person who has spent close proximity and time with a member could've done.

"I suppose I did." The man laughed, plunging a kunai into Amaya's thigh, blood spraying the ground as her cries filled the air around them. The crow remained silent.

"Stop it! What do you want? You were our friend, we trusted you!" Shisui yelled, his right arm now flaccid from the poison. The two of them had trained together for years in the ANBU Corps. He was one of his trusted friends, someone he invited to his dinner table and into his home around his clan and family. They were each introduced into the ANBU at a young age and shared a bond from that- plenty of times they would run missions just the two of them. It wasn't until recently, with Lady Tsunade's plead to the elders, that medical ninjas accompanied teams. A controversy topic at first, that later proved to be lifesaving. More teams returned with full numbers, less were loss to battle, and many were able to avoid lifelong injury by being able to receive treatment on the spot before it became irreversible. It was because of that, that Amaya joined the two men on their missions, her expertise in medicine and funjutsu proving invaluable.

"Taki, why." Shisui asked again, his sharingan deactivating, the poison finally affecting his entire body. He no longer could muster up the strength to use jutsu, or anything at that manner.

Taki laughed, holding the scarlet haired female still. He forcefully turned her head to face him, licking the tears that ran down her cheeks before forcefully kissing her. She cried, biting his tongue back in response, with a swift movement he smashed her head with his forehead and threw her to the ground. She landed with a loud thud, her eyes barely open.

"How pitiful!" Taki screamed in delight, his voice filled with craze. Shisui eyes filed with hatred as he planned hundreds of ways he would end Taki's life for even touching a hair on Amaya's body.

"The legendary Uchiha! And the famous Princess Senju! How weak you have grown!" Taki screamed into the forest again, long swords appearing in his hands. His voice rattled off the trees around him. His fellow shinobi all laughed; eye movement could be seen under their sewn eyelids as they summoned scrolls. Scrolls inscribed with death jutsu, specifically the kind used on enemy corpse to reveal secretes of their clan and power. Shisui knew what they were planning, the moment they passed they would perform an autopsy on them, using any information they found to bring the leaf village down to its knees. And to bring down two of the largest and most powerful clans that lived in it.

"T-taki, w-why?" Amaya managed to mutter, unable to move her body. She stared at her friend before her, at the monster he had become. They had grown close in the last few months when she joined their team. She felt their friendship the first day they met, and she knew it was a real bond. To see his betrayal in this form…hurt. Hurt more than any feeling she's felt- besides that of being unable to protect Shisui.

Taki leveled his swords; he was about to strike.

Shisui watched the scene unfold before him. He knew this was it. "Amaya, I'll always be with you. In this life and next." He spoke- loud, clear, and comforting. Amaya managed a smile, a single tear streaming down her face. She knew Taki would end her first, it would cause Shisui the most pain to witness her death and then face his own. "I know, I'll find you in the next." She cried out, Taki's sword hurdling at her.

The crow screeched. And another scream sounded in the forest.

All Shisui saw was red. Then black.

Am I dead?

Two hands gripped his shoulders, his entire body felt as if it was fire, a million needles were piercing his skin at once. He screamed in pain as the sensation continued, traveling throughout his entire being. Everything felt like he was being stabbed at once, his organs were on fire, his spinal cord felt as if it was being crushed, his eyes were bleeding. A giant weight was on his chest, preventing him from breathing.

"Shisui! Wake up!"

I know that voice.

"Wake up!"

What's happening?!

"Come on!" The pain hit its climax; he couldn't bare it any longer. His screams grew louder as his entire body felt as if it was engulfed in flames. He swore, opening his eyes. Everything was blurry at first. He could hear his heartbeat; it was drowning out everything else.

"Shisui!" The pain suddenly went from fire to a cooing sensation. Almost as if a switch was flipped. The weight on his chest subsided- and he could finally take in a full breath without pain. Something he hasn't done in days. Sensation and tingling ran throughout his entire body and down his arms and legs. He slowly started moving his hands and feet. He never thought he'd be able to that again. Every time he blinked the images before him became clearer and clearer.

A young female materialized out of the blurry image he was seeing. Her blonde hair was tied into two braids, her Carmel eyes stared at him, filled with concern. "Are you okay? Can you hear me?" Her voice demanded- strong and confidently. His entire shoulders down was engulfed in swirling green chakra, all coming from her hands that laid on them.

"What happened?" Shisui asked, scanning the clearing. Taki was gone, and his men laid on the ground, staining the surroundings with red. Leaf village ANBU filled the space. More units than he's ever seen on a mission before.

"Tsunade…what happened?" Shisui asked again, staring at the Slug Princess. Her demeanor calm, but the anxiety in her eyes evident.

"We received your messenger hawk just in time." Shisui looked up to the other voice, a smile crossing his face as Itachi neared. His cousin and best friend approached, kneeling next to them before removing his mask.

"We came with as much reinforcements as possible." Itachi explained, watching Tsunade continue to heal his cousin. Her green chakra swirling at impossible speeds around his injured body. "That message is the reason not only you, but other Uchiha are alive today. With the antidote, we were able to recreate it. Uchiha's have been storming our hospitals doors the past three days, all inflicted with this poison, rendering them completely vulnerable. Once we read what was happening, we knew we had to come to your aid. I'm just glad we made it in time."

The antidote. Shisui grinned ear to ear, of course Amaya would've found time to inscribe the incredibly long and complicated formula as they were on the run. And list the rare ingredients they'd need. And then summon her clans fastest hawk to deliver the message. The plea for help. The cure to this poison. Amaya was brilliant in that way. She was able to learn an enemy's patterns and techniques in mere minutes. Memorize complicated Justus. And perform the most interknit fuinjutsu he's ever seen. There was a reason she was hailed as a powerful shinobi. Her skill and pure bloodline of the Senju clan made her a threat. He still remembers the first day he met her, he thought it was a joke. She walked up to him and Taki in civilian clothes as they were training, claiming she was their new teammate. Her chakra levels barely detectable. He laughed, thinking it was a joke another squad put her up to. Little did he know she was purposely hiding her enormous stores of chakra to see how they'd react. She had the last laugh when she literally crushed the ground beneath them with her two fingers, her monstrous strength making them both adjust their attitudes.

Shisui's eyes widened with realization.

"Amaya! Amaya! Where is she?! Is she ok?!" He shouted, now noticing how Tsunade was avoiding eye contact with him.

Itachi shared a sideways glace with the slug queen. Each understanding their silent agreement.

"What's wrong, why won't you tell me." He demanded from the two.

"She's in critical condition and had to be taken back to the village immediately. It's unlikely she'll make it to see village gates." A deep, stern voice answered the Uchiha. Tsunade and Itachi fell quiet. The only sound was of the other ninjas footsteps nearing them and the energy from Tsunades medical ninjutsu still engulfing Shisui and healing his wounds.

Shisui frowned, meeting a single dark orb that peered through his being.

"You had one job. Ensure Princess Amaya's safety at all cost." The wolf spoke evenly, his voice holding authority over the trio. Both the legendary sanin and feared crow master bowed their heads to the ANBU's Lead Captain. The man not only in charge of all ANBU, but also a select few powerful enough, and trusted enough to be a part of Team Ro- the Hokage's personal unit.

"Kakashi, you know I'd do everything in my power to ensure that, and I promise you I did." Shisui answered back, his voice just as lethal.

The silver hair man peered down at the injured Uchiha, his hands in his pocket, and his stance aloof. His one visible eye filled with rage.

Shisui gritted his teeth, his hands forming into fist. He couldn't believe Kakashi would accuse him of doing such an act. As if he wouldn't sacrifice his life for Amaya. Sacrifice anything to have prevented this from all happening in the first place. Heck- if he could time travel, he would've gone back and stopped her from ever becoming a ninja so he could spare her the trauma and pain she's ever experienced.

"If she doesn't make it. Count your days still breathing. You won't have many left. That's a promise." Kakashi said, his voice icy, sharp, and filled with murderous intent. The air on the field suddenly became thick. Everyone was on edge. No one was stupid enough to dare speak yet alone move, in fear they'd be the wolf's next victim.

"I promise you, sharingan stealer, you would never be able to beat me." Shisui growled back. His eyes swirling red. Tsuande stopped her treatment, the green chakra dissipating, she quietly moved out of the two shinobis way, not daring to be stuck in the middle of this mess. Itachi rested his hand on his swords hitch, slowly stepping to Shisui's side. Kakashi may have out ranked him, but his family and clan came first. Especially his cousin and best friend. Shisui grinned, still sitting against the tree trunk, his hands ready to form any jutsu he may need.

Kakashi lifted his headband, his sharingan already spinning. The wolf tilted his head at the threat, his sword materializing in his hand.

"You can try and hurt me all you want Hatake. But I swear, when I get back to the village, I will tell Amaya the deal you made with her cowardly father." Shisui frowned, his stare cold and hard.

Kakashi stopped moving towards the Uchiha. He lowered his sword.

"You're a fool to think I wouldn't find out." Shisui threatened again, the wolf's demeanor now completely changed. A hint of anxiety could be sensed from him-something Itachi has never seen from him, especially not when on he was in the middle of a mission.

"You wouldn't dare." Kakashi spoke finally. Refusing to make eye contact with Tsunade- who stared at him wide eyes.

"Deal? This can't be what I think it is." Tsunade said, her voice cracking as she looked up at Kakashi horrified.

"Kakashi…no…you didn't. How could you." She said again, nearly speechless at his acts.

Kakashi narrowed his eyes at the Uchiha. "It's time we get a move on and head back to the village." He stated, loud enough for the rest of the units on the field to hear. Each one of time gathering their supplies and making their leave to the village.

"Kakashi!" Tsunade yelled as the wolf turned to leave, walking back to his small unit that waited for him on the other side of the field. Team Ro. The most feared ANBU squad in the village. Small. Elite. And near impossible to join, or defeat in combat.

"That's an order." Kakashi spoke again, staring back at Itachi.

Itachi frowned, putting his mask back on. Walking briskly past his captain, ensuring to brush against his shoulder harshly as he passed him to join his other teammates. Shisui grunted as Tsunade boosted him up, supporting him as they both stood.

"We will debrief back at the village." Kakashi spoke before disappearing in a cloud of leaves. His other teammates already gone, no trace of their presence ever being on the field left.

Shisui stared at Tsunade, he could see the grief and shock in her eyes. He felt remorse, he was selfish and shouldn't have brought Kakashi's deal up in front of her, she loved her cousin and would do anything to protect her happiness and freedom.

"Tsunade-" Shisui attempted.

"Let's go." She cut him off. The two of them disappearing into the woods with the medical squad.