Note: btw just so y'all know i changed some semi-critical plot scenes in previous chapters before posting this because I didn't like how they were written. it's not necessary to reread them if you're already at this point; I just thought I'd say in case someone became confused!
It's quiet, Shisui thinks as he carefully steps out of the bakery's door. Almost all of the windows he can see have their curtains pulled over, and the few that don't have no signs of life within the other side of the glass. Only the crow that he had sent out beforehand shows any sign of life as it circles above him, and Shisui grits his teeth as the understanding of what he has to do looms within his mind.
Painfully, but carefully masked, Shisui limps forward. The glare of the moon pulls him forward into the night as darkness creeps up from the shadows. He darts his eye from side to side, half-paranoid of something or someone jumping up from the shadows. Still, he overrides his instincts and keeps himself at ground level, knowing that the most well-trafficked areas at the moment would be the rooftops. He couldn't let his fear get to him. Especially now.
Shisui moves carefully, keeping his body pressed up against the dark brick and plaster of the buildings. It's a path he has taken many times before, but now the stakes are much higher than having calculated rumors spread around the village. He keeps his eye forward, pulling himself away from glancing back at the bakery. Genma and Saki have their own mission to fulfill.
Shisui looks upwards, and his crow summons gives him the all-clear signal. He darts forwards again, relying on his nickname's jutsu to propel him forward faster than he would have been normally able to. He pauses again, looking upward, and this game repeats itself until he's out of the range of man-made buildings and inside of the dense range of unnaturally grown forests, the trees inside humming with the first Hokage's chakra. Still, he doesn't let himself relax, acutely aware of every disadvantage that his broken body is giving him. The tenseness in his shoulders only increases as he spots the white and red of the uchiwa emblem staring across from him, mocking him with its bright coloring.
It's still too quiet. No muffled voices, no scuttles of squirrels and cats, no clank of weapons. Even the wind has left this place; the leaves refuse to rustle. There is only Shisui's quietly labored breathing and his drying sweat uncomfortably chilling his skin.
He presses forward.
Shisui's steps barely make a sound as he peers around the familiar homes and family shops. No one comes out to greet him, but the clan cats peer at him as he walks, their eyes reflecting off of the night sky. Even for Shisui, the place looks pretty fucking creepy.
He can't let it get under his skin. He has a mission to do.
"Hello?" Shisui calls out as he forcedly pulls back the shoji of his house, not bothering to take off his shoes. "Mom, are you there? I need your help with something."
There's a faint shuffle in the hallway, a little thunk of noise, and a deep, suspicious voice rings out. "Who's there?"
Shisui inwardly groans. Fucking perfect.
"I'm a friend of Homare's. Do you know where she is?" He monotonously asks into the darkness.
More shuffling ensues. "Homare-chan?" He replies back, his voice markedly lighter. The loud thump of a cane peters out in the distance, coming closer and closer until Shisui can spot his dad's scar-riddled face, courtesy of Iwa's Explosion Corps. Still, he gives Shisui a small smile as he emerges, the movement pulling at his markings. "Sorry for the trouble, Uchiha-san. Can't be too careful these days."
Shisui curtly nods. "Of course. Do you have any information on her location? We're doing a headcount back at the base."
His dad's expression dims at his question, and Shisui sees the fragments of his mind try their best at pulling together information. Hideyoshi grabs his head, swaying as he loses his grip on the cane, visibly confused. "I-I don't know, my wife went somewhere, she-" He starts muttering then, not looking at Shisui's face. Shisui feels tired resignation well up inside of him, struggling not to let his frustration shine through at his dad's behavior.
His dad fidgets, shifting side to side. Suddenly, his head bobs upward. "She's training in the third squad, Uchiha-san," He confidently announces. The third squad hadn't existed since the last war.
Shisui gives him a tired smile. "Thanks, da- Hideyoshi-san. You can go back to your post."
His dad nods, limping back into the house, his headband proudly displayed on his arm.
Shisui lets out a low sigh as he wanders back outside. Frankly, it would have been a long shot if his mother chose to stay here while a coup was happening outside and her only child was missing.
Shisui thins his lips. Time to go at it alone.
He wanders along the cobblestone road, periodically opening various houses he knows used to be occupied. But all that greets him is silence, save for some elders that answer his questions with evasiveness, even as they can't take their eyes off of his bandaged face. A good move for this situation, but it was intensely frustrating to find any sort of concrete information. It may be that the remaining Uchiha didn't know where the others were. That would have been the safest route for them — plausible deniability in case things didn't go in their favor.
Frustrated, Shisui runs his hands through his wild hair, feeling the strain on his body as he hobbles along to the outskirts of his compound. Even the houses become sparser and sparser, the buildings disappearing into the foliage as the Naka shrine looms in the distance—
Shisui stops. The shrine.
Finding a burst of energy, he pursues forward, zigzagging along the tree trunks as his crow summons carefully flies in front of him. Chakra usage wasn't allowed up the steps to the shrine for religious reasons, but Shisui could give less of a damn as he flickers up the hill to the Naka entrance.
Breathing heavily, he takes a moment to collect himself, eye peering out for any onlookers. No one approaches him — all of the abled must have congregated within the center of the village. However, that begged the question as to who was looking after the Uchiha's most treasured possession.
The children.
And the shrine was the most secure physical space they had.
He approaches cautiously, feeling like a traitor to his clan even as he knew this was the best thing for all of them. Shisui's steps are silent as he walks past the fountain and into the main hall, finding no sign anyone had ever been inside. He steps forward on the tatami, leaving temporary indents in his wake. Shisui heads towards the right side of the room and lifts up the fifth tatami, revealing a stone hatch lying in wait. He extends his arm out, placing it on the tiny seal hidden in the ridge on the door and piercing it with chakra. It glows for a split second, activating for him, and then he opens it.
Bright light spills out across the dark room, illuminating his mutilated face and revealing stone steps and torches that lead down into the most sacred space — the Sharingan Tablets.
Shisui slowly descends down the shrine stairs, taking care to not alert whoever's down there of his presence. Even if they were friendly, no one likes to be surprised. Especially down here.
Cautiously, he approaches, peeking down as soft voices start filtering through the air. Torches flicker, betraying his position, and Shisui inwardly curses as his foot slips and slams against the stone.
Seven pairs of eyes look toward him.
"Shisui-nii!" One of his four-year-old cousins happily announces, but Naomi, the only adult, brings a harsh hand forward to stop her. The child cowers back.
"Shisui-san," She stiffly acknowledges.
He inclines his head. "Naomi-san. It's good to see you recovering well from your summon's death. Kara, wasn't it?"
She minusculy relaxes as he gives her insider information, letting her know there was a smaller chance he was an imposter. However, Naomi was suspicious by nature, and she doesn't let up her protective stance.
"What are you doing here, Shisui-san? We were told you were injured." She demands. Usually, she was the epitome of politeness, but enough stress made barbarians of all shinobi.
"I'm here to help protect the kids," He announces, flashing a grin at the children. Some shyly smile back, but most pick up on the tension lacing the room, nervously glancing back and forth at him and Naomi. "It seems like quite a few are missing, though. Where are the rest?"
"That's not an answer," She grimly announces, ignoring his question. Naomi's legs shift in preparation of something more than a conversation.
Shisui drops his smile.
"Naomi-san," He begins, voice low. He takes a step forward and she takes a step back. "You know that our clan won't survive in Konoha. The question is, are you going to allow all of us to be slaughtered?" Shisui says, putting on a show of bravado. The truth was, he was emotionally, physically, and chakra-wise exhausted. He especially did not want to make some of the last memories he will ever have with his clan members bad ones.
Naomi hesitates. "We deserve to be in Konoha. We founded this village!" She angrily whispers, her eyebrows furrowed. "Are you planning on betraying that?" She demands.
"This isn't about deservedness," He snaps back. "This is about pulling everything important out of our burning home. You think there aren't more eyes than mine on this shrine? Can you handle others not knowing the name 'Uchiha' as our massacre is swept into dark files? I'm doing what's best for this village and this clan, and I won't be an accomplice in your arrogance. If you want to die on the field with the rest, fine, but you won't bring these kids into it. You knew how the Iwa war went," He rapidly fires out. The war comment visibly pokes at her, pulling up memories of 6-year-olds on the front lines of fields blanketed with gore and viscera. Shisui sees her full hesitation now, but Naomi doesn't relax, her hands twitching at her sides where the weapon holsters are.
"It's going to be different this time," She grimly announces.
"It won't," Shisui tiredly, hopelessly answers. "Genjutsu: Yoko ni Naru."
As his left sharingan activates, the open chakra circuit in his right socket floods, causing a burning, frenzied stab of pain to dig into his unhealed flesh. Shisui involuntarily hisses, grabbing the bandaged side of his face, and Naomi takes the chance to send a harsh kick to his jaw. Reeling back, Shisui latches a hand around her exposed ankle and literally twists it sideways, causing an audible crack.
"Fuck!" Noami yells out, tears gathering in the corner of her eyes, and in her rage, she looks him straight in the eyes. A rookie mistake, especially for a chunin.
"Genjutsu: Yoko ni Naru!" Shisui exclaims again, gritting his teeth against the wash of exposed chakra. He forcefully shapes his chakra control to push it into her pineal gland, coaxing it to release a sudden wave of melatonin with the help of his sharingan's control.
Naomi instantly collapses, her ankle still in his grip.
Shisui breathes in for a few moments, quickly pulling back his reactive killing intent as it leaks across the room and flares his aching jaw and eye. He releases Naomi's leg, letting it join the rest of her on the cold, harsh floor. Shisui rapidly blinks as his eye turns back to black, ignoring the stinging of the sharingan.
There's a soft hiccuping sound coming from behind him. Shisui turns, suddenly remembering what he came here to do.
Six pairs of eyes stare back at him, all of them in various stages of horror and fear. A strong scent floats through the air, and Shisui realizes someone has urinated on themselves. Even the cousin he used to babysit just stares at him, her pupils blown wide open.
"It's, it's not- She's sleeping—" Shisui weakly tries to explain, but his gaze turns to Noami's crumpled body, and the words turn to dust in his mouth.
His head snaps up. "Wait, is Sasuke here? Where are the rest of the clan kids?"
Eyes look around the room, peering curiously even as others eye him warily still. No distinctive hair shows itself. Shisui runs his hands through his own hair as he realizes the second heir to the Uchiha clan is missing.
"I don't have time for this," He hisses out, feeling the fatigue in his body take its toll. He walks over to his younger cousin, and she fearfully scoots away as he nears. Shisui ignores the sudden pain in his chest at the sight and grabs her arm, pulling her towards him.
"Hey, stop!" A high voice cries out from the group. Shisui turns his head slowly, sensing a low volume of chakra to the right. Before him stands a kid no more than seven on shaky legs, eyes determinedly burrowed into Shisui's own. The child points a finger at him. "Let Yuzuki-chan go, Shisui-nii! O-or I'll stop you!"
Another kid stands up. "Yeah, leave us alone!"
One by one, the children's confusion and fear turn into determination and anger, with some standing up in defiance and others glaring back at him.
Shisui sighs, letting go of Yuzuki's arm.
"Genjustu: Yoko ni Naru," He tiredly says. Instantly, he feels his chakra seep out of him like a burst pipe, and the drain hits his healing body hard, causing him to stumble a little. The Uchiha children slowly crumble into heaps, not unlike Naomi, and then it is blessedly quiet.
But only for a moment, because now he has to take at least two children with him.
Shisui shuffles forward, the ache in his bones renewed as he scoops up his little cousin and the kid nearest to him — the boy who stood up to Shisui. He tries to scan for Sasuke again, hoping that he was simply missed in the small crowd, but no luck. They must have split the children into different hiding spots, which would be a good strategy and a horrible possibility.
"Fuck," Shisui says, just for good measure, but it doesn't make him feel any better. He adjusts the unconscious children quickly, securing one to his chest and the other to his back by modifying his empty tantō strap, leaving his arms free for any trouble that might arise. He scurries up the steps and past the shrine, signaling to his crow anxiously circling above that everything was fine. The crow, Tomodachi, dashes off in front, looking forward and sharply dodging to the side to warn Shisui of any incoming traffic, which Shisui mitigates by pressing his chakra inward and hiding in the trees. After the footsteps pass, he moves forward, his goal the only thing situated in his mind.
Breath softly labored, Shisui stops at the bank of a calm lake at the outset of Konohagakure. It looks peaceful, but Shisui has been a shinobi too long not to know about the nasty seals placed along the perimeter. Seals that he has specially tinkered with.
Shisui waits at the edge, unwilling to act rashly. This must go according to plan. Only the soft sound of his controlled breathing answers him for maybe twenty minutes, and then the water moves below him. Shisui clenches his jaw, instinctively keeping his grip on Yuzuki in front of him. He doesn't let up until the slow rise of familiar hair greets him and Saki's wet hand takes out the hollow reed within her mouth.
Shisui blinks. "Your hair…" He questionably states. Saki self-consciously runs her hand through the strands that were now shorter than Shisui's own.
"Yep, got less of it," She semi-amusedly answers. Saki looks up at him. "I figured it'd help later. The kids?" She more seriously asks.
He wordlessly shows her Yuzuki and the boy slumped on his back. "Genjutsu. It was safer than that anesthetic you suggested."
She critically eyes him. "And how are your chakra levels?"
He shrugs. "I can make it," He says. He doesn't know if he can make it, but by the gods will he try. He has to.
Saki knowingly looks at him, but before she can say anything else he's handing over the kids to her, and she fumbles as she struggles to adjust them in her grip. Shisui moves to the side and pushes away the reeds lining the bank, exposing a driftwood raft camouflaged with natural flora and a large woven basket placed within the center.
"There were only six kids in the place. They must've kept the rest elsewhere," He informs her.
Her shoulders fall. "We'll do the best we can. Six are better than zero," She grimly states.
"Ready?" Shisui asks. Saki nods, gently placing the children on their backs in the basket, making sure they were as secure as they could be before putting the cover back on. Knowing they had to act quickly, Saki waddles into the cold water, pulling up her bamboo snorkel and slowly pushing the raft to the other side of the lake as she sinks underneath the glistening surface. Shisui takes a moment to carefully survey the area, but no obstacles show themselves. His shoulders slightly relax with relief as Tomo above gives him the 'all clear' formation, and he moves back into the forest, his steps silent along the grass. The Naka shrine shines under the moonlight, pulling him toward his destination.
Four more to go, he unamusedly thinks. And one more, if I can find him.
"What are you doing here, Shisui?"
Shisui jumps up into the trees on instinct, feeling his heart thump in his chest as adrenaline courses through his veins. His eye shifts towards Tomo's gentle, inquisitive circle and the unwelcome guest below him.
Shisui grimaces. Of course Tomo wouldn't warn him if that person was near — Tomodachi knew Itachi wasn't an enemy.
"You're fidgety," Itachi states, voice monotone as he looks up. Shisui spots his eyes widening a little as he takes in his full appearance. "Your eye…" He involuntarily mutters, not taking his own sharingan eyes off of Shisui's face.
Shisui swallows. "Your uniform," He grimly throws back, referring to the gray ANBU uniform the younger wears.
Itachi looks down, as if surprised at what he was wearing. "Yes," He answers. There's a tense silence as neither one of them moves or continues the conversation. Shisui can't recall the lines of loyalty anymore, trapped before a future that expresses deep betrayal and a past filled with trust and love. It's enough to make him hesitate, and hesitation has killed far more shinobi than kunai.
But Shisui can see Itachi is under the same sway, and he pulls at it for his own sense of hope. "Why are you here, Itachi? I only just woke up a few hours ago," I'm not a threat, the statement tries to ring.
If Itachi feels some sense of relief or sympathy for Shisui, he doesn't show it. "I'm here to kill our clan," He monotonically announces.
The words pierce through Shisui's heart like a katana, and he instinctively shifts back. Itachi's red eyes continue looking at him, unblinking, and for the first time in a long while, Shisui has no idea what Itachi is thinking.
"That isn't the way," He hisses out, anger flooding his voice.
Itachi slowly shifts. "So you've chosen the clan over the village."
Shisui could throttle him. Why was everyone in his clan so fucking stupid? "No, you've chosen Danzo's threats over the clan and the village. Can't you see he's manipulating you? Don't you understand what he's doing?"
Itachi shakes his head. "You are no more manipulated than I am, Shisui. This clan… it's rotted us from the inside out. This pursuit of power, this destruction of life… it needs to stop," He says, choosing his words carefully. Itachi's eyes wander on Shisui's face. "I am willing to sacrifice for that. Are you?"
"Is that a threat?" Shisui demands. "Does your sacrifice include Sasuke?"
There's a twitch on Itachi's face at the name, and Shisui knows he has gained ground.
"Sasuke is safe," Itachi sternly announces, which fills Shisui with a strong sense of relief. However, he's hesitant to completely trust Itachi's statement, as his definition of 'safe' seems to have changed a bit.
"Shisui, are you going to stand in my way, or will you let me pass?" Itachi bluntly asks, his hands fidgeting towards the katana strapped to his back.
"Are you willing to kill me if I don't?" Shisui grimly asks his best friend.
Itachi answers with a subtle genjutsu that Shisui instantly breaks. He dashes into the canopy, not willing to waste his chakra on a counter-genjutsu he already knows Itachi will break as well. They're too evenly matched; after all, Itachi learned all his tricks from him.
Sorrow and regret shift inside as he jumps around, away from the compound, hoping Itachi would follow. His best bet now would be to stir up enough trouble that reinforcements would come. Even now, even as Itachi pulls a weapon on him, Shisui can't bear to kill Itachi. As pathetic as it would be, Shisui knows, deep in his heart, he would pull out his other eye than have Itachi's cold body under his arms.
Resolution propels him forward. He hears Itachi before he spots him, the shifting of wind his only warning as Itachi strikes a kunai forward, leaving himself open. Shisui takes the easy opportunity, smashing his elbow into the exposed arm and then grabbing the leg that 'unexpectedly' comes up underneath. It's a move that would have gotten him if it wasn't for the fact Shisui taught Itachi the exact steps for it.
Shisui forces chakra into his arms, almost getting a good enough grip and force to break Itachi's leg, when Itachi retreats back, getting high enough on the tree's canopy for Shisui's plan.
"Katon," Shisui starts, "Gōkakyū no Jutsu!"
He spots Itachi's eyes widen for a nanosecond before hurrying back down and hopefully digging himself into the earth for protection as the intense heat and radius of Shisui's jutsu blazes into the night sky. He grins at the sight. If that wasn't a call for Uchiha reinforcements, he doesn't know what is.
Thankfully (and unfortunately) Itachi emerges a second after it passes, his clothes and face caked in dirt. He lunges after Shisui, and just like that, the fight continues on.
Shisui keeps retreating in a circle, forcing Itachi to follow him while staying in the radius of the blast so that they wouldn't stray too deep from the reinforcements. A minute of half-assed taijutsu and kenjutsu go by, with Itachi not weakening in his conviction. Shit, where was everyone? There wasn't any rustling in the Hashirama trees.
But no one comes. It's like…
Shisui's eyes widen. It's like they were being ignored.
Shisui curses to himself at his lack of thought. Of course. Danzo could have easily given out an order for his troops to ignore any fighting around the compound, and the rest of the abled Uchiha were off the in center of the village sieging the government buildings. They wouldn't even see anything out here.
Shisui could hit himself for the error, but Itachi does that for him.
He lets out an oof as Itachi's knuckles bruise his jaw hard enough that he knows he won't be eating well for the next couple of weeks. Shisui starts to fall off of the branch that they were in, but he flickers away on instinct to the nearest branch.
That's his last mistake.
As Shisui does the wordless jutsu, the last of his chakra fizzles out of his body, causing him to stumble as he lands, and then stumble as a katana pierces through his lung. His eye widens as he feels his soft flesh yield under the steel of Itachi's weapon and he spots Itachi's red eyes lift up in shock before the pain hits.
It's… it's indescribable. There's no warning, no gentle increase, just massive, destructive fire running up his nerves just as suddenly as the katana pierced its target. Shisui feels like he's been flayed open, his every nerve scraped apart with dull, bloodied sandpaper.
"Shisui…?" Itachi quietly says, as if surprised at what his own hands had done.
Shisui can't answer him, however. Only a gurgle comes out of his wet lips, and then he's falling out of the trees, his back slamming against the grass with a dull, violent thud. He doesn't even feel the impact — his hands are already numb, and he knows that's a bad sign.
He slowly blinks, looking up at the starry sky, and then Itachi's face appears in front of him, his eyes lit up in red and horror. Shisui wheezes as he feels pressure on his chest, realizing Itachi must have placed his hands over the wound. Shisui's next wheeze comes from a choked laugh — if this was how they could have stopped fighting, Shisui would have done it sooner.
"Shisui," Itachi desperately says, his voice changed so drastically from the monotone of before, "I'm—"
There's a snarl, a feminine scream, and then Itachi disappears from Shisui's view.
"Get the fuck away from my son, Itachi," His mom's voice hisses out. "I'll fucking kill you for this! I'll fucking KILL you!"
Shisui slowly turns his head, black eyes widening as he sees his mother attack Itachi's bloody figure, sparks from their weapons clashing out into the forest floor. His mother's face is filled with rage, her thick hair flying out as she attacks from every angle. Itachi is similarly intense; his eyes are trailed with blood, and his black tomoe is spinning so wildly that Shisui can't even make out the shape of them as he flickers by, his visage retreating into the background. Homare shrieks in anger, and then she disappears too, and then the forest is silent as the sounds of footsteps and weapons slowly filter out.
Then, there is silence, save for Shisui's fight for every breath. His eyelid is trying to stay closed every time he blinks back the tears of pain, but Shisui won't allow himself to fall asleep, knowing that he would not awake if he did. Instead, he tries to focus on the sky, counting the stars above him.
It's beautiful, Shisui dizzily thinks. When was the last time he took the time to look at the sky? When did he last notice the beauty of things around him? A sudden rush fills him. He wants to live. He wants to live so badly — to feel his mom's hugs again, to see his clan flourish, to eat Saki's donuts, to see Itachi's face full of peace, to wait for another sunset and sunrise. He wants it more than he wants anything else in this world, more than anything else he has ever worked for.
"I— I want to live," Shisui gasps out. "Please, I want to live. One more day. Please."
Nothing answers him. Even Tomo doesn't come out. He lies in silence, feeling the wind push against his dulling face.
Something runs up next to him.
"Shisui!" A voice sounds out. Shisui doesn't bother turning his head at the noise.
"Shisui!" It says again, this time closer, and then Shisui opens his eye. When did he close it? Disorientation filters everything in his mind, taking him a few seconds to focus on Saki's horrified face.
"I was worried about you taking too long, and then your crow came and I knew something bad had happened," Saki desperately answers, pressing her hand to Shisui's chest. It hurts, but not as bad as it used to. Shisui doesn't know if that's a bad thing or not.
"Saki," He gasps out. "Children. Go," Shisui says, firmly looking into Saki's face. At least, he hopes it's firm. He can't really focus on her features.
Saki's eyes are wide open, her irises blown large enough that they almost touch her sclera. "No, no, no, Shisui, I can't do that, I can't do this without you—"
"Asleep. Follow the plan."
Saki starts shaking her head even before he finishes. "No, no, no. No—"
"Saki!" He angrily yells, feeling his strength weaken with each word. "You're brave! Do it!" He commands. His eyes start watering as the pain grows, somehow, and he stops speaking, letting out a low groan as his muscles relax into the earth.
She looks at him for a few seconds as little shivers of anxiety and fear rake her body. Then, she stands, taking the warmth and the pressure with her, and then he's alone again. He almost wants to call out Don't leave me, but he knows he can't. He can't be selfish.
"Tomo-kun," He weakly calls out. There's a minute of silence as only his weakening body and the stars above give him company, but then the familiar sound of wings flutter by.
The sound of grass being crushed is faint, but noticeable to Shisui. His crow's dark eyes blink at him intelligently, and Shisui can't help but crack a faint smile as he forces his numb hand to gently caresses the shimmering feathers.
"Tomo," He weakly begins. "Fly. Protect Saki…"
Instead, his crow hops closer, nuzzling his face with his beak and then hopping directly on his chest. Tomo shuffles a little, as if considering something, and then settles down into Shisui's bleeding fabric like a nest. Shisui tries to lift his head up to see what the crow is doing, but even that amount of strength leaves him. He barely manages to lift up that same arm and try to shove the bird off, but Tomo doesn't budge.
"Stupid bird. I told you—"
Shisui stops. There's a faint warmth coming from the pressure on his chest, and it spreads out like vines through his body, interweaving strength and vitality to his muscles. He finally manages to look up, and there is Tomo, sitting contentedly on his chest, washed over in pale blue. As Shisui looks on in amazement, feeling better with every second that ticks on, Tomo's body slumps until he's fully pressed on, wings extended as if in deep sleep.
Tears begin to spring in the corner of Shisui's eyes as he realizes what his crow, his summons, his friend has done for him. "Oh, you stupid bird…" He quietly mutters to himself. Gently, carefully, he scoops Tomo's body up, running his hand through the feathers one last time. There's no pain in his chest, so Shisui looks down at himself.
His shirt is caked in blood; he's half expecting a gaping, huge hole in the fabric where the katana hit, but it's barely perceptible. There's no wound.
Shisui turns back and kisses Tomo's small, feathery head. "Thank you, my dear friend," He whispers. He places Tomodachi on a grassy mound on the earth, forlornly looking back as he starts to slowly hobble away, quickly gaining speed as the last threads of severe pain dissolve into something more manageable.
There was never time for mourning. He has a job to do, and if he doesn't do it, Tomo's sacrifice will be in vain.
This thought propels him forward, pushing Shisui to recklessly start running almost as fast as he had originally. Still, it's slower than he'd like, his breathing still laboured and sticky with pain and rattling fluid. It seems like most of the healing was done externally. Shit.
He has to slow, especially as he reaches the Naka shrine again. Breathing heavily, he drunkenly goes back inside, looking out into the basement. Four bodies, plus Naomi, lay breathing on the floor. He sighs in relief.
Quick steps sound out behind him and Shisui turns, holding up a shaking hand clenched around a kunai.
It's Genma, with Saki right behind him. He sighs in relief, pocketing the kunai.
"Well, good to know you look less than dead," Genma drawls out, but there's clear relief in his voice. Saki looks like she's about to cry as she looks him up and down, finding no visible wound on his chest. They don't ask questions; Saki and Genma just walk up to him, which he's grateful for. They don't have time to peel back the bloody wounds of his summon's sacrifice.
"Where's Sasuke?" Saki demands, forcefully blinking back the tears in her eyes as her face takes on a determined look. Shisui shakes his head.
"We don't have the time or the resources to get him."
"Bullshit," Saki firmly announces. Shisui grits his teeth and ignores her as he hobbles over, slowly picking up one of the unconscious kids. Fuck, his chest hurt something fierce.
Powerful steps sound off above them. Everyone freezes, each of their faces looking upward at the basement ceiling.
Genma brings up a finger to his mouth. Shisui nods. His friend slowly starts heading up the stairs, taking careful measures to not make a sound as each foot goes up with intense deliberation. He gets closer to the exit and pauses, holding up five of his fingers to Shisui.
Five pairs of steps, Shisui translates. Genma looks at him. Shisui shakes his head, causing Genma to grimace.
Shisui extends a hand out to Saki in front of him as she slowly turns her head, inquisitive. She nods in acknowledgment, careful not to move the rest of her body.
Someone screams.
They all tense as they hear the noise above them, and the footsteps get even louder as they rush in from all angles. There's a soft thud, another voice, a high-pitched scream, and then all movement stops.
The three of them continue looking up at the ceiling, each of their shoulders tensed. Shisui's shoulder hurts from holding onto the child he had picked up, but he doesn't dare let go for fear of any noise that would draw unwanted attention toward them. No one moves for a minute, and then the steps start back up again, this time farther away from where they were.
Another minute passes.
Then another. Saki looks at him, but he shakes his head. Genma keeps looking up, not daring to turn away from the entrance.
Three minutes pass. Saki shifts her foot, and Genma glares at her. She stops.
Five excruciating minutes pass, and Genma dares to take a step up the stone staircase, freezing as it makes contact. Nothing happens. He takes another, and another, until Genma can peek over the tatami covering it and extend his chakra past the walls.
He makes a gesture with his left hand. All clear.
Shisui grabs another kid and runs up to him, pausing a second as Saki does the same, hauling the last and smallest of the kids on her back with the fabric tied around her torso. Genma, being the most able, takes the lead, guiding them through the shrine and down the steps of the building where the moon shines bright on their visage. Shisui tries his best to cloak them in a genjutsu, but that only did so much when it came down to bright lighting and quick movements. Thankfully, the kids remain asleep and docile in Shisui and Saki's arms as Genma keeps a slow pace to the north.
They travel under the night, heading towards the docks. Shisui has been doing far better than he did a couple of minutes ago, but adrenaline could only do so much, and he stumbles over a protruding cobblestone, forcing Saki to catch him before he hits the ground.
"Shisui, the children!" Saki desperately whispers, her eyes flickering towards the boy held asleep in his arms.
Shisui wrenches free, dismayed. "I wouldn't let them get hurt," He affirms. Genma side-eyes him, but keeps going on ahead. Shisui turns his eye upward on instinct, but no crow circles their heads. He brings his head forward and continues on, determination lacing each step.
Shockwaves rise underneath their feet, and two and a half pairs of eyes gaze backward in shock as the center of Konohagakure shines up the sky in a brilliant display of orange, yellow, and black smoke. Genma's lips tighten as he spots the sight, and Saki's hands enclose around the child in front of her like a prayer. Shisui doesn't feel anything; he turns back and continues running. Grief could only fill him so much.
Genma skids to a stop as bushes and trees give way to water reflecting off of the luminescent sky. Saki jumps forward, pushing away the reeds as Genma and Shisui stay on the lookout.
"Got it," She clips out. There's a splash as Saki slowly settles into the water, carefully placing both children in the previously hidden raft. She makes a grabbing motion with her hands, and Shisui slowly hands her the others, their sleeping chests rising and falling in time with the sway of the river.
Shisui turns to Genma, who nods, and makes his way into the water with Saki, shivering as the coolness hits his skin. She hands him a hollow reed as a snorkel and goes underwater, pulling the raft as she goes. He does the same, hoping that the bandage was put on tight enough that the water wouldn't seep into his wound.
It's not. He almost gags as the river awakens a new flash of pain around his socket, but he focuses on his breathing, careful not to panic and use up precious oxygen within his body. Movement settles behind him, and he calms down with the knowledge that Genma is guarding his back. It must've been no more than fifteen minutes, but it feels like hours before they finally cross over to the bank of the narrow lake.
Shisui gasps as he breaks through the surface of the water and crawls upward, feeling the exhaustion lace through every bone in his body. He brings a hand up to his face.
"Wait, don't—!"
It's too late. Shisui rips off his bandages, exposing his wound to the autumn air. He hisses as it hits, immediately regretting his decision.
"Goddammit. Here," Saki says, slamming into his still-healing chest a roll of bandages covered in plastic. Shisui makes a faint wheezing sound as it hits. "Wrap up."
Saki takes her figure over to the sleeping children; water drips down her in rivets, sprinkling light over the river bank. Shisui shivers as the cold pierces him — the lack of chakra must be affecting his internal temperature regulation. His shaking hands pull apart the plastic in his grip, taking out the bandages and sloppily but securely attaching them to his skull. He's had enough experience doing this that it's not a problem for his broken body.
A splash resounds behind them, and Shisui and Saki sharply turn toward the noise. It's Genma, rising up out of the water like a disgruntled creature of the lake.
"We got em all?" He mumbles out, wiping away the water on his brow. Shisui and Saki meaningfully look at each other.
No, Saki's glance says.
We don't have enough time or hands, Shisui tiredly implores.
"We'll come back when we can," Shisui says. It's not a lie — they just might never be able to come back after this. Neither side was for them, now. Not the village, and not the Uchiha. They were on their own. It's a thought that depresses him more than he would admit. In the pits of hell, he always had someone on his side, or someone waiting for him at home. Now it was all tearing apart in front of him, without a speck of anything remaining once he stepped outside of the gates of Konohagakure.
Genma slowly nods at his words. It's clear he knows that there won't be a next time as well. Not for the first time, Shisui wonders if his friend really bought Saki's story about the Daimyo; it could be entirely plausible Genma helped them because he took a leap for Shisui more than anything else. The thought feels Shisui's heart with grateful remorse for his friend, but Shisui and Saki won't be the only ones affected by today's situation.
Genma looks at Saki. "And you? What's for you, after this?"
Saki bites her lip as she nervously adjusts the child strapped on her back. "I—"
"Shit," Genma suddenly swears. He quickly takes off a woven basket attached to his back, handing it over to Shisui, who carefully holds it, trying to feel his chakra out as he does so. There, a kilometer away — four mature chakra signatures. "We got followers," Gemma says, eying Shisui, and Shisui looks at him with morose understanding. "Don't wait up, Shisui-senpai."
Then, faster than both of their eyes can follow, Genma is gone.
Saki takes a step forward, but Shisui grabs her arm, gripping it tight enough to surely leave bruises. She turns her head towards him, eyes wide and pleading, but Shisui shakes his head.
"We have to go. Now. He'll only be a short distraction," Shisui clips out. Methodically, he starts taking two of the Uchiha children, stacking them in the baskets and strapping them horizontally on his back, camouflaging them as civilian luggage. He can see the moment Saki stops hesitating and goes into mission mode — she scrambles over to the shored raft, placing two children in the same way as him and putting the third basket across her chest. It looks heavy for a civilian, but she hides the effort well.
He briskly walks into the shrubbery, trying not to think about Genma's fate as he does so. The wind is brisk against his skin, and he makes sure to cover his tracks, glancing back as Saki does the same behind him, carefully avoiding making any broken twigs or suspiciously bent leaves. Hopefully, the false trail that they had laid out beforehand would occupy their pursuers for a little bit.
"How much further?" He asks, business-like.
"Three hundred meters," Saki clips out. True to her word, a tree appears, looking like any other save for an almost invisible red scratch on the top of its trunk. Shisui slams his hand against it, calling up a pulse of chakra that bends back Konohagakure's invisible security barrier for just a moment, allowing Saki to slip by. Shisui follows her as she passes; it looks like that ANBU seal was still good for some things.
They don't speak as they walk outside the town they had devoted their lives to, the bed they had slept in, where their hopes and opportunities nestled in the pot of their making. Instead, the soft patter of Saki's sandals sound off against the damp ground, only pierced apart with the rustle of clothing.
"Here?" Shisui whispers.
"A few steps ahead," Saki whispers back.
Sure enough, Saki veers to the right, Shisui right on her tail. She suddenly drops to the ground and digs with her hands into the moist earth, upending it with the smell of fresh soil. Shisui stands by her side, keeping watch and suppressing his minuscule chakra pool. It isn't long before Saki is lifting up a simple box and wasting no time opening it, revealing civilian robes and straw hats.
She digs around a little more, eventually grasping something and handing it over to him. It's a small, yellow pill.
Without preamble, he takes it from her hand and swallows it, grimacing as it slowly slides down his esophagus.
"Did you try it, before?" He asks.
Saki nods, swallowing the other pill and making a face similar to how Shisui felt as it lodged in his throat. "Yes. It'll stop us from sweating for the next six hours; a good amount of time they can't track us."
"Don't get cocky. Kakashi Hatake will be on the team and his nin dogs are good at what they do."
She shrugs. "Maybe. He could surprise you."
Shisui eyes her at the cryptic comment, but politely averts his gaze as she starts to carefully place the woven baskets on the ground and strip down. He fixes his eye on a tree in front of him, trying and failing to not feel embarrassed as his friend dons on civilian robes.
"Okay. Your turn."
Shisui gratefully turns around and does the same as Saki keeps the lookout, her hat pulled down over her head, obstructing parts of her face from view. The robes are slightly itchy, but comfortable, their colors mute and cut in a masculine manner like Saki's. He places his old clothes back in the box; his hand touches the embroidered uchiwa for a moment before he slams the box shut, burying in from where it came.
"Ready?" Saki clips out as Shisui adjusts the baskets on his back. He nods, and she starts walking northwest, determination clear and her steps. Shisui follows, keeping watch all around them. They weren't out of the woods yet, literally and figuratively speaking.
But as their trek continues on, the trees become sparser, thinner, and shorter. No one stops them. No one ambushes them, no one hassles them — not even bandits bother two civilian farmers out on the road. Cautiously, Shisui orders them to stop in the middle of a valley as the sun sinks into the distance.
Saki flicks her eyes up at him as they start to mill around their new campfire. It's not even a fire, really, just hot embers made with sticks that occasionally flicker with sparks in order to keep their profile low. Shisui watches around their setup as Saki adjusts the children the baskets, making sure each of the six was breathing regularly or needed their clothes to be changed. It's clear she wants to say something to him, so he waits. He can be patient.
As she finishes, laying the lids on top of them again, she kneels down across from him in seiza. Oh boy.
"Shisui," Saki begins, "You need to sleep. Let me keep watch."
Shisui wants to give her a polite grin, but it probably comes out more like a grimace. "I'm fine," He softly says.
She stares at him. He stares back. "You're walking slower than me," Saki replies to that statement, which, ouch. She knew where to needle where it hurts.
He doesn't have a good reply to that, so he keeps silent, staring at the fire, watching it beat and move with the wind in a rhythmic sway as his chakra stays coiled. Saki does the same, staring at the flicking embers with the same tired intensity. Shisui slowly blinks, and then he's falling.
A hand slams against his chest, and he awakens with a start, his eye flying wide open and staring directly over the campfire he was about to fall into. His eye follows the arm on his chest, linking it to Saki who is staring at him knowingly.
"Okay," He mutters before she can say anything. Saki gently pulls him up, and he stumbles as he shuffles over to the open blanket, feeling every minuscule ache and lethargy present in his broken body. Shisui dumps himself on the makeshift bed with Saki's help, and then it all goes to black.
Shisui wakes up to a wail.
"Shh, shhhh," Saki's voice desperately whispers.
Shisui tries to blink himself awake, groaning as his left eyelid irritates the delicate lining of his skin. If he doesn't find a miraculous eyeball replacement soon, that problem will have to be sown and healed.
Pushing away the macabre thoughts, Shisui pushes himself up, blearily looking up at the sight of Saki struggling to hold and comfort a three-year-old who is screaming their little heart out, their black hair sticking up in all sorts of directions as their face turns redder and redder in time with their wails as the light of dawn seeps into their little camp.
Shisui slowly stands on his feet, groggily walking towards them. Saki's eyes lighten as she spots him.
"They just woke a few minutes ago, I couldn't get them back to sleep and we're still not at our destination yet so I'm worried—"
Shisui experimentally prods at his chakra pool. Good enough. "Genjustu: Yoko ni Naru," He says, securing it over the rest of the chakra signatures for good measure. Blessedly, it becomes quiet once more.
Saki lets out a big sigh of relief. "Thank you," She says.
Shisui comes up and rustles the toddler's hair in a comforting manner. "Looks like this one has a bit of natural genjutsu resistance. They might get the sharingan pretty soon," He says, a hint of surprised pride in his voice.
Saki's lips turn downwards. "With our help, they won't have to," She says, placing them back in one of the baskets.
Shisui goes quiet for a second. "No, I suppose they won't have to," He echoes back. A slew of emotions overtake him as he says the words, and none of them can be spoken.
Saki shrugs on the last of their 'luggage.' "Let's go, we're wasting daylight," She matter-of-factly states before walking. They both know where to go, but she seems more sure of herself than him.
He looks down at her partially obscured face, really looks this time, his view now released from the strain of fatigue and stress and pain. Saki's eyes look sunken, and the harsh crop of almost-scalped hair exposes the thinning line of her jaw. It suddenly occurs to Shisui the enormity of what Saki has just thrown away; the risks that she took for them all to get here. And for what? A clan that isn't hers? A few children that would have been disposed of on the front lines anyway?
"Saki," Shisui begins, his voice thick with sleep and emotion, "Thank you for doing this. I'm sorry you had to leave your bakery behind."
"It's fine, my bakery was losing customers anyway," She says, shrugging, her arms defensively crossed over her chest. It was clearly not fine.
Shisui looks at her as they continue walking through the forest. "I'm sorry," He genuinely says. "It was because of me, right?"
Saki's eyes turn to the ground. "No, not because of you," She unconvincingly remarks.
"My clan and I are the same," Shisui rebuts. "We cannot be taken apart," He says, clenching the basket he holds close to his chest.
Saki reaches for his hand, squeezing it. "You won't be," She promises, authority laced within her voice. Saki can't promise that for him, but Shisui, somehow, believes her all the same.
His hat pulls down, obscuring his bandaged face and small smile, and he walks through the forest content with the knowledge that Saki is by his side.
Note: yep, pills that stop sweating actually exist irl! I thought that's a neat mechanic to prevent ninja tracking from happening. thanks for sticking with waiting for these chapters to come out!