Chapter summary: Shisui awakens his Mangekyo Sharingan and is Not Okay

(Team Minato make it better)


Tenzou's sitting on the floor, leaning against the wall sitting on some pillows in Minato's and Kushina's – and his house too he supposes, although saying that out loud is like he's living some sort of ridiculous dream and one day he'll wake up and he'll still be with Orochimaru and he'll still be alone.

Minato's training a few days ago has helped, and they've just returned from a mission, the first one without Kakashi and Tenzou knows he wasn't the only one who didn't like it. Even with Kakashi and his rule-bound pigheadedness. It wasn't right.

Even so, they're lucky and horrendously spoilt, Tenzou realises.

Despite being the same age as Tenzou, and younger than Kakashi, Rin and Obito, Shisui has undertaken more missions for the Third Shinobi War than any of them.

Shisui is smart. Shisui has a lot of untapped potential. Shisui has already awoken his Sharingan and is much more proficient in its use than Obito, however, his presence on the battlefield has been long and numerous despite how his death could damage the Leaf with all that potential thrown away.

Tenzou has managed to escape this fate, maybe it's his Mokuton making him a little too important to risk throwing it into the jaws of war. Maybe Minato had a hand in it, attempting to keep his team alive. Maybe it's a fluke of mission turnouts.

He doubts he'll ever know, and he doesn't particularly want to ask. Especially as he holds Shisui hand and he stares blankly ahead, eyes glazed over and staring off into a different time.

The evening is rapidly approaching, the sun beginning to set, casting distorted orange light over the room.

Obito, Rin and Kakashi are asleep, collapsed against each other and limbs tangled in unconscious mutual agreement.

Shisui sneezes next to him and Tenzou flinches before he can stop himself. It Shisui jerks from his reverie, as though waking from a dream and only just coming aware of one's surroundings.

He looks around the room sharply. Eyes roaming every surface before landing on Tenzou. Shisui stares at him for a long moment, a confused glint in his eyes.

He shakes himself, slapping his cheeks and looks away, embarrassed. Tenzou just squeezes Shisui's hand. He doesn't try to say anything. Tenzou's still no good at words, and plus he's not sure what's going through Shisui's head at the moment. The last thing he wants is to say something and make Shisui feel even worse.

Covered in bandages from cuts the mission had left him seem insignificant compared to the way Shisui keeps looking past him to another place that's clearly not as pleasant.

Tenzou's not sure what happened on Shisui's mission, only that when Shisui left he had his Sharingan. Now, having returned, Shisui has awakened his Mangekyo Sharingan.

Obito had told him that to awaken the Mangekyo Sharingan the user must lose someone they're close too.

Shisui lets out a long sigh, runs his hand through his hair and visibly pulls himself together. It mostly works – his eyes clear, posture straightens, muscles relax, flexes the hand that Tenzou isn't holding and leans back against the wall.

He turns to Tenzou, a faint blush dusting his cheeks. "Sorry Tenzou," he says, keeping his voice quiet as Kakashi moves slightly in his sleep.

Tenzou shakes his head and thinks about the tanks. There have been some bad nights where Tenzou can't help but remember the worst moments. When that nameless little girl slowly died in front of him, smiling all the while.

When some of them had screamed – screamed so, so loud that Tenzou could hear it well despite the surrounding water.

He remembers how some children tried to escape but there was no coordination in their limbs. They'd fallen onto the shards of glass still sticking to the tanks and the blood had pooled out of their tiny bodies.

Tenzou was waiting for death in those tanks, and even all these months after his escape it still hurts even though he's surrounded by people who care.

Shisui's going through something really hard at the moment, but that's okay. Tenzou's here and maybe they can get through the things that make them want to lay down and never get up together.

"Don't apologise. Just make sure to stay here with us," Tenzou says and frowns, hoping that Shisui can work out what he means, that he doesn't want Shisui to join the others that have died just yet.

Shisui tries for a smile, it falls through in the end but Tenzou appreciates that no matter what, Shisui always tries to smile even if it doesn't work out.

"Thanks, Tenzou," Shisui always acts older than he is and looks older than he is and it's hard to remember that Shisui is the same age as Tenzou himself. He acts like someone with far too much weight on his shoulders, and even more so after this mission.

Kakashi mumbles something incoherent and shuffles under the weight of sprawled limbs, the movement jerks Obito from his sleep, and he displaces Rin. She just catches herself from face-planting the floor by gripping Kakashi's shoulder.

She quickly rights herself and gives Obito an exasperated look as he blinks sleep from his eyes. He rights his goggles and tries to shrug off the glare that Rin is sending him.

They both look over, yawning and acknowledging their presence.

Rin immediately checks over Kakashi as he blinks blearily up at her. Minato has been convincing – or as according to Rin, 'abusing his power of Hokage' although she hasn't tried to get him to stop yet – any available doctors or nurses to kick-start her training.

With the Third Shinobi War still raging, Minato hasn't had much time for them, but he's been helping Tenzou with the Mokuton, helped Obito with Katon and honing his Sharingan and helped Rin gain even more chakra control and teaching her the ins and outs of field medicine.

But, with Rin's potential as a medic-nin (that Minato had gotten really excited about the more he tried to teach her) she needs more than Minato and frankly, the last few days alone have paid off immensely. When taking care of others, Rin is in her element. And apparently, this team needs a lot of taking care of.

She nods to herself and pats his shoulder. It's nice to see Rin smiling and happy. She could have taken her capture during the Kannabi Bridge mission badly, sunk into herself even. But instead, Rin has found renewed determination to save all of them, Tenzou can't complain at all.

Shisui stares at the exchange, a fond look on his face. It's not a smile, but it's close enough that Tenzou's worry for him eases ever so slightly.

Their hands are still clasped together though, and Tenzou doesn't plan on letting go anytime soon if that's what Shisui needs to keep him grounded.

Because absolutely nothing gets through Rin, she eyes Shisui's face quietly for a moment.

"Something happened?" she asks. Her voice trails off at the end, brow coming together. She glances at Tenzou's hand firmly wrapped around Shisui's and her face softens.

Obito peels his goggles off, rubbing his eyes and looks at Shisui as well. He sits on the edge of the couch, and Tenzou can see the exact moment where Obito guesses it. He stiffens. "Little cousin?" he asks cautiously. He's already moving to Shisui's side before he's even replied.

Shisui tenses against Tenzou's side, but his face remains relatively impassive. He leans slightly against Obito as he eases down next to him.

Kakashi sits up and Rin and Kakashi share a confused look before slowly walking over. Kakashi sits in front of them, his right side facing them so it's easier to see. Rin sits in front of Shisui, her legs tucked neatly underneath her.

She reaches a hand out to rest in Shisui's hair, giving it a light tussle. "What happened?" she whispers.

Shisui takes a deep breath. He still hasn't told Tenzou exactly what happened, and he doesn't look like he's ready to give all the details now either. Whatever had happened and shaken him to his core.

"I got my Mangekyo Sharingan," Shisui says, his voice quiet and hesitant. He looks down at his lap and plays with the hem of his shirt.

There's a distinct look of understanding horror that crosses each of the other faces. Obito had spent the other day explaining the Sharingan as best he could to them and there is no easy way to activate the Sharingan, let alone the Mangekyo with ease.

Whatever Shisui had seen must have been awful.

Obito leans heavily on Shisui's shoulder, causing both Tenzou and Shisui to list to the side. "Don't have to deal with this alone," Obito says and he pokes Shisui's cheek.

"We can't have one day without one person having a terrible day can we," Rin throws an arm around Kakashi's shoulder's, ignoring his tense shoulders and drags him closer.

"First, I get captured," she says, as she releases Kakashi from her hold and presses glowing hands to Shisui's head. "Then Kakashi loses an eye, Tenzou has an awful nightmare and disappears and now Shisui awakened his Mangekyo Sharingan."

She releases her hands as Shisui sighs. "Feel better?" he nods, the headache finally gone and lists against Tenzou's side, blinking sluggishly. "Sorry," he says and closes his eyes.

Tenzou reaches up and pats his head. Obito lays down to rest his head in Shisui's lap and tugs Kakashi and Rin down with him. "No need to be sorry," he flicks Shisui gently on the nose "bad things just happen sometimes."

They all descend into silence for a long moment, limbs tangled and tiredness creeping up on them after the hideously long day they've all had.

Kakashi's face is pressed into Obito's stomach and he lifts his head up just enough so he can speak.

"I will get back on the team," he lets his head fall back onto the ground, his eye closing again. "It might take me a while, but I'll be back."

"Of course!" Obito squawks and jerks Shisui from the light slumber he'd fallen into. Tenzou pushes him back down, hushing him and Rin wacks Obito over the head. Obito flinches and clutches his head but barrels forward anyway.

"We'll help you get back," he says, resting his hand in Kakashi's hair. Rin reaches over and tugs on the bandage that's still over Kakashi's face and says "Team Minato includes you, Kakashi. We're not going anywhere."

Tenzou hums along. Rin and Obito have voiced his thoughts exactly, and Kakashi isn't so tense anymore with everyone piled close like this, it's hard to have bad thoughts.

Tenzou never thought cuddle piles of all things would become an essential post-mission activity but here they all are, cuddling.

Tenzou holds Shisui close to his chest and finds that wouldn't trade any of these people for anything.


Idek. this chpt was titled in my folders as "heckign let me live dammit" bc this chapter was causing me pain. I hope it's okay (I don't know anymore) heckkkk

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