3 years later…
Michiko has been away from Konoha for a long time. Hiruzen feels like he can barely remember her face. He hasn't seen her since the day she left, small and slightly nervous in the company of Jiraiya.
Shisui fares much better than her uncle. He has managed to meet Michiko every couple of months since her departure, through the force of his sheer will and unimaginable tracking skills. So far, he has seen her nine times since she left- and each time, she seems a little different. There is a new scar somewhere on her body, a new skill she has learnt, or some new task she is undertaking for Jiraiya.
She is stronger now and better versed in her kekkei genkai, but best of all, she is stable. Her memory has recovered, and she has faced some of the ghosts of the kidnapping.
'I wonder if she has tracked that guy down.' When they last met, she shared a description of him with Shisui, and sombrely included that the sinister man reminded her of her dead childhood friend, Uchiha Obito.
Unfortunately for him, this conversation was the last he heard from her in person, eight months ago. This is the longest he has gone without seeing her.
The last news of Michiko came from a failed rescue mission conducted by a restructured Team Ro; they were meant to escort an uncovered spy safely back to Konoha but were caught by one of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist.
'One? Or maybe it was more…'
Michiko had been nearby and (stupidly) jumped in to distract the swordsman while the team escaped. They managed to make it out after the loss of one shinobi, but the Sarutobi was not heard from after that. Shisui could choose to believe she was dead, but something within him told him she was very much alive. A few months after the mission, Enma delivered a message to Hiruzen conveying that his niece was alive, although not safe nor sound, and that she would be in contact soon.
Frustrated by the many stressful events going on around him, Shisui lays his head on his desk and closes his eyes. Heaving a dismal sigh, he sits up and leans back in the little chair of his cramped office within the Konoha Police Head Office.
'Even Tachi' is changing with all this bullshit.'
The sun is setting outside, lighting the little room with a pleasant golden-orange hue. He stares at the calendar on his desk, counting the days in his mind repeatedly. He can't stop thinking about how long he has left. Morbidly fascinated by his foresight into his own fate, he wonders if he will have a chance to see Michiko before it is too late, for either of them.
Hiruzen holds the freshly arrived note apprehensively. It is evident that it is frantically written, and in only some words jump out at him as he reads.
Mizukage…man…swordsmen…prison…sword…feud…revolt…
He crumples it and tosses it onto his desk as it is consumed by flames. Restless, he chides himself for not demanding Michiko to return to Konoha. The 17-year-old has caused enough trouble. There are more pressing matters in Konoha, and the image of one sad, blonde toddler surfaces in his mind.
"As if I don't have enough to deal with." He groans, reaching for his pipe and tobacco.
Frustrated and disappointed with his niece for letting herself get involved in Kirigakure's politics, he has half a mind to go there and collect her himself, but if her note is anything to go by, she has already managed an escape.
'Through the help of the Swordsmen of the Mist.' He half scoffs. It is important information; if the Swordsmen have turned against Kirigakure then the Mizukage is weaker than most sources would have him believe. It is little comfort to him and with the current situation within Konoha, it is utterly useless.
He shakes his head angrily, as he lights his pipe aggressively.
'It will be of no benefit to Shisui to have her here as a distraction, but…' There is an ominous darkness on the horizon of his mind. He tries to ignore it, but he feels it so strongly that he cannot dismiss it. There are many other pressing matters that he would rather employ his niece to tend to, first and foremost on that list is Uzumaki Naruto.
As the match goes out for the third time, he tosses the matchbox onto his desk and yells for the jounin outside his door. The man nervously pokes his head into the room, curious and frazzled.
"Call Hatake Kakashi here. Right now!"
The man nods, shutting the door behind him as he sprints down the hall to wherever he thinks the jounin can be found.
Hiruzen is tired of waiting.