Greetings my readers, Unknown entity328 is back with a new chapter of New Life in Naruto?! First of all, I would like to apologize for the way, there was a terrible snow storm a while back and my internet was out along with the power for a while. Also, whenever I have time to write, real life gets in the way like work and school that really affects my writing mojo. But fear not, I am far from giving up on my writing and your support is what gives me the strength to keep going. With that said, our actors are in place and the curtains about to rise, enjoy!
Chapter Sixteen: Deception at its Finest
It's been a little over a year since I met Naruto and convinced Kurama to at least give him a chance. I'll admit, my outburst when talking with the nine-tailed fox was not my best moment and I have no idea what came over me. Even though they didn't make that many appearances in the series, Minato and Kushina were two of my favorite characters and hearing Kurama speak ill of them just flipped some kind of switch in me. Before I realized it, I was in a screaming match with Kurama and wasn't controlling what was coming out of my mouth. It wasn't until after I finished making plans with Isobu in my mindscape that I finally realized how immature my outburst was. I was confused because I always had better control over my emotions than that and I most certainly never bitten anyone's heads off like that before. Worried about what that might mean for me, I consulted it with Isobu when we put the finishing touches in our plan.
"Perhaps your mind is being affected by your body." Was what he said when I mentioned it.
Apparently, according to Isobu, my mind was slowly adjusting to my younger body after reincarnating. In other words, I'm regressing back into a child! I guess it would explain my out-of-control emotions since children have trouble in that department. It also explains why I always feel like crying whenever I think about my parents. Don't get me wrong, I would still cry even if I wasn't reincarnated as a child as the loss of a loved one is always painful. But enough of that for now, what needs to be said is what happened over the two years.
For starters, I had Isobu call Kurama again so I could apologize for my immature behaviour and ask how he was going to give Naruto a chance. Of course, the giant fox didn't respond to anything I said and just set some conditions for his cooperation. The first condition was that I must do nothing to influence Naruto's choices. To put it simply, Kurama wanted me to avoid Naruto for a while and watch from afar. The second condition was for me to prove that not all humans were what Kurama thought. I'll admit, this condition was going to be a tough one and will probably take time. But I accepted this condition with one of my own, which was that Kurama would at least try to understand what the villagers were feeling.
Naturally, Kurama wasn't happy with me seemingly giving him orders again. But I pressed on and practically begged the tailed beast to meet me halfway in this. When that didn't work, I used logic which is probably the most powerful weapon I have in this negotiation. I pointed out to Kurama that he couldn't properly judge people if he continued to be biased about them as a whole. When he retorted that all humans were the same, I just pointed at myself and asked if I ever once mistreated Isobu. That immediately shut him up and I continued to explain why I set that condition. If he put away his bias on humans for a few moments, then Kurama could see the pain and fear hidden under all of the villagers' hateful glares. I also pointed out that if he did then he could maybe differentiate the good humans from the bad.
We argued about it for what felt like hours until I finally managed to get Kurama to agree to my one condition before proceeding to his third and final condition. The final condition was for if Kurama does decide to try befriending Naruto, which was to convince the blond to work on his chakra control.
"I refuse to have a pathetic weakling be my vessel." Were Kurama's words when setting that condition. It wasn't going to be easy, but I think I can come up with a way to convince the blond knucklehead.
I'd say negotiations went as smooth as it could get, with a few bumps along the way, of course. Coming to an agreement, I kept my distance from Naruto for a couple of months. I felt guilty for suddenly avoiding the blond, but it was for the greater good. It still amazes me how Naruto could endure all the hateful glares and words sent his way and was still determined to become hokage to prove them wrong. I'd say the only people that genuinely cared about him at the moment were Hiruzen, Iruka, the owner of Ichiraku and his daughter, and myself even though I'm avoiding him right now. I'll admit, it took everything Isobu and I had to prevent myself from interfering when some of the glares and words got harsher. But after the third month, When I was about to snap at every idiotic villager in the area, Isobu told me that Kurama wanted to speak with me.
That surprised me a little as I thought Kurama was just going to ignore me entirely and decided that he wasn't going to cooperate. When I arrived, Kurama was already there with a blank look on his face. At first I thought he was going to say that he was right and that I could forget about getting any help from him. Kurama said nothing for a while before saying that he came to a decision about what we talked about. He admitted that he was lying about going to give Naruto a chance because humans weren't worth it. But something must have happened with Naruto, because he then told me he would actually consider our deal. It took another month or two, but Kurama finally decided to wait for when Mizuki revealed the truth to Naruto before making his decision. I didn't know what to make of that, but he wouldn't say why he decided to wait until the Mizuki incident. So I had no choice but to accept that's what the nine-tailed fox decided on doing and I had to wait.
Naturally, I made up with Naruto after giving a fake explanation as to why I was avoiding him. What I told him was that a few kids always intercepted me, after I explained what intercepting was to the clueless blond, and that they told me I should stay away. Of course, Naruto forgave me after treating him to ramen with the allowance Shisui started to give me shortly after living with him. After that, I continued training in my chakra control and Isobu's chakra while still finding time to hang out with Naruto.
Another year passed after that and despite living with Shisui in the Uchiha compound, I never once ran into Sasuke, which kinda threw a monkey wrench in my plans. I was planning on having Naruto and Sasuke meet sooner and hope against hope they became friends. But it seems that the universe hates me for some reason because I never seem to find that soon-to-be revenge fanatic! With that being said, I had no choice but to wait until I got enrolled in the ninja academy for me to hopefully salvage that plan. Turns out I didn't have to wait long, because I had my chance when my eighth birthday came around.
"Pleeeeease, Shisui." I'll admit, I was laying on the childish begging a bit thick, but it had to be done for what I wanted to do. Heck, I even had the cloth of Shisui's pants tightly clenched in my tiny kid hands right now. "I really want to meet him!"
"I'm sorry, Kojiro." Shisui said, gently trying to remove my hands from his pants before putting on his sandals. We're standing by the front entrance because Shisui said he was going on a mission with a close friend of his and I knew who he meant. "I can't take you along because this mission's outside of the village."
"But you always talk about him." Despite knowing I'm doing it, I will deny every claim thrown my way about me pouting cutely with all the strength I have. I tightened my grip on his pants and brought out the teary puppy dog eyes. "You said he had a brother my age and I really want to meet him!"
Never before have I been more thankful to my childhood friend Jason for all the acting training he had me take part in. Jason was aspiring to be an actor in my previous life and had me practice with him every time we hung out. When we started middle school, he pretty much dragged me to where the drama club was and signed us both up. Initially, I had no interest in acting, so I was absolutely horrible when we first started out and I'll admit it hurt my pride a bit when people commented about it. But as I continued to attend practice, I eventually started to have fun without even realizing it and decided to stay in the club. We even joined the drama club when we got into high school and even in this life I'm using everything I've learned to the fullest of my capabilities.
"He's not going to be there when I meet up with Itachi, Kojiro." Shisui finally released my fingers from his pants and knelt down to be at eye level with me. He placed a hand on my head and ruffled my hair while giving me a smile. "Tell you what, since your birthday's coming up, I'll invite him and his brother when we get back."
"You'd do that?" I asked, putting on my best hopeful face and added a small, equally hopeful, smile for good measure. 'Never thought I'd be using my acting skills for something like this.'
"Of course, I know you don't have many friends other than Naruto." Shisui nodded as he removed his hand from my head and stood to his full height. He patted the pockets of his flak jacket and nodded subconsciously in satisfaction that all his tools were there. "So I was planning on inviting them so you could meet."
"Thanks, Shisui!" I jumped up to wrap my arms around the Uchiha's neck in a hug before jumping off and giving a small wave. "Stay safe on your mission!"
Because Shisui was going to be outside the village, I had to stay with Zensuke and let's just say that he has the worst sense of timing. I like the guy, but his timing makes any form of secret training, especially in Isobu's chakra, very difficult when he pops out of literally nowhere. One time, I was practicing on extending how long I can use Isobu's in the guest room when Zensuke poofed inside. I nearly had a heart attack when that happened and was lucky when it broke my concentration, effectively dispersing Isobu's chakra. Two days later, I tried to see if I could form one of Isobu's tails, but had to quickly give up when Zensuke walked in the room just as I was about to form it. This went on for a week with me trying to secretly train and Zensuke popping up at the wrong moment before Shisui finally came back.
Then it was finally my eighth birthday and Naruto was already there to help decorate the place. I thought it was a wise decision to keep a close eye on the blond in case he tried to hide a prank somewhere. It wasn't easy, but I managed to convince the prankster to not cause trouble in exchange that I plan his birthday months later in October. Both excitement and nervousness were fighting for dominance right now as I waited for Itachi and Sasuke to arrive. I know that Sasuke was like any other kid right now because the massacre hasn't happened yet. That should make things a bit easier in having him and Naruto becoming friends and hopefully get things rolling the way I want it.
While I was on the subject of the massacre, I was trying to find a way to avoid that from happening like warn Hiruzen by transforming into a random person. But with both Obito and Danzo involved, that plan's obviously out the window, plus they needed Itachi to infiltrate the Akatsuki. There's so much to consider and that the wrong action could make things worse instead of better. No matter what action I can think of, it always either ends the same or makes the situation even worse. Well, there is one action that might work, but that would involve someone who's long dead and I can't use the reanimation jutsu.
'Not like I have any of their DNA even if I did.' I was pacing in my room as I continued to think of a plan. Naruto and Shisui were down stairs decorating the living room and told me to wait in my room. 'Besides, said DNA is probably nothing more than a pile of dust at this point.'
"Are you sure you want to go with our current plan, Kojiro?" I could hear the uncertainty in Isobu's voice, not that I blame him since I had my own doubts about it. The plan itself was simple enough, the problem is executing it where no one would notice. "There are so many holes in it."
'I don't have a choice, Isobu.' I stopped my pacing to look out my window to see the clear blue sky and the sun shining brightly. I looked down just in time to see two very familiar figures approaching the front door. 'I know there's a lot that could go wrong, but it has to be done.'
"Kojiro!" I turned to face my door when I heard Shisui's voice calling out to me. "You can come down now, Itachi and Sasuke are here!"
"Coming!" I shouted back, walking away from the window to walk towards the door. I reached out to tightly grip the handle before taking a deep breath. After I calmed my nerves I said what was my catchphrase before going on stage in my previous life. "Alright, it's showtime."
I plastered on the best excited childish smile I could muster before opening the door and stepping out of my room. I could practically hear my heart pounding with each step I took down the hall as the staircase got within eyesight. While this first meeting might just be a stepping stone, it's crucial in case I fail in preventing the Uchiha massacre. If I can get both Naruto and Sasuke to become close friends before the massacre, maybe Sasuke won't be as hellbent on revenge as he was in canon. I'm not naive enough to think he won't stop his revenge, I just hope everything goes as planned and Sasuke won't be blinded by hatred. Phase one of mine and Isobu's plan has two parts which is the framework for phase two. Part one is to get Naruto and Sasuke to be friends early while part two is to somehow prevent the Uchiha massacre. In the highly likely event that part two of phase one fails, we came up with a back-up. That back-up is that Naruto and I comfort Sasuke after the massacre and show him he's not alone. I will also try to tone down his quest for revenge if he still decides to follow it.
I know what you're probably thinking, how is a child whose barely eight years old gonna stop an entire massacre? Well congratulations, you just asked the hundred million ryo question that has a myriad of answers. If you think stopping an entire massacre is easy then you need to get your head examined. I understand why Itachi did what he did, but that doesn't mean I'm just going to sit back and let things progress the same way. If Danzo and Obito weren't involved, then I probably would have a way to solve everything without any bloodshed. I can't help but pity Obito after everything he's been through and being Madara's puppet. As for Danzo... the scheming warhawk can go rot in hell for all I care.
If anyone asks me why I hate Danzo so much, I would just tell them to read his character profile then they'd know. I've hated the warhawk the very moment he made his appearance and opened his damn mouth. As soon as I saw him in the manga, I knew right away I was going to hate him and I could only wonder when and how he would die. Suffice to say, I found it very satisfying when Sasuke killed the bastard and only wished it happened sooner. But I digress, back to explaining how I'm going to deal with the Uchiha massacre. Naturally, it would be idiotic and suicidal to think I can stop two powerful shinobi from killing an entire clan. So my plan of action is this, as much as it pains me to say this, I'll let the massacre go as canon.
I know, I know, I just said I would try to prevent it from happening. But think for a moment, do you honestly think an eight year old child with no combat experience can defeat two people with one of the most powerful dojutsu in the world? No? Good, at least we're on the same page on that. Even with Isobu's help, I highly doubt I can stop an entire massacre from happening and avoid capture at the same time. Speaking of Isobu, with his help during my chakra control training, I finally have enough control to attempt the transformation jutsu. I haven't tried it yet to avoid suspicion, but I have a theory that might work. Because they disperse after losing concentration or being knocked out, my theory is if I let Isobu handle maintaining the transformation, I can have my entire focus on the task at hand such as combat.
I finally made it down the last step of the stairs and approached the living room to see there were colored streamers and balloons everywhere. Sitting on one of the chairs at the table with a cheeky grin was Naruto and his arms resting behind his head. Standing beside him was Shisui and another guy his age who obviously was Itachi. It took every ounce of my acting training not to show any outward reactions other than excitement when I saw the older Uchiha. Last, but certainly not least, I saw an innocent kid version of Sasuke standing beside Itachi.
"There you are!" Naruto jumped out of his seat and ran over towards me and grabbed my hand. Naruto then proceeded to drag me to where the three Uchiha members were. "Don't just stand there, come on!"
"Calm down, Naruto." Shisui said, letting out an amused chuckle when we stopped in front of him. "The party isn't going anywhere." He then looked towards Itachi and placed a hand on my shoulder. "Itachi, this is Kojiro, the charge I was talking about."
"Hello, Kojiro." Itachi greeted, smiling as he held his hand out for me to shake. "As you heard from Shisui, my name's Itachi."
"It's nice to meet you, Mr. Itachi." I greeted politely, taking his hand and shaking it before looking at Sasuke and smiled brightly at him. "Hi, I'm Kojiro, what's your name?"
"It's Sasuke." Sasuke replied, bowing slightly to me which I returned when I let go of Itachi's hand.
'Is he blushing?' I couldn't help the thought when I saw Sasuke's cheeks were a barely noticeable shade of red. 'Why's he blushing? I know he's not shy.'
"I feel I should point this out to avoid confusion." Shisui's words caught the attention of everyone in the room. "Kojiro's a boy."
Yeah, everything went downhill after that and it took a while to rectify it. What happened was that Sasuke looked shocked and embarrassed which turned into a scowl when Naruto laughed uncontrollably. This was followed by the two butting heads and glaring at each other when Sasuke calls Naruto an idiot. It took the combined effort of both Shisui and Itachi to calm the two down and I pulled the 'It's my birthday' card to get them to at least try and get along. I was just relieved that they were in better moods when we started playing games.
Naturally, Naruto and Sasuke turned every single game we played into a contest. The first game was Ohajiki, which was just us flicking flattened glass beads to another without touching the rest. Sasuke ended up winning that one, much to Naruto's frustration and declaring he was winning the next game. The second game we played was japanese bingo and Naruto won that by a landslide. I swear his luck is ridiculous because he won every round. Sometimes I don't even think he's human considering all the lucky breaks he's got each round.
The games went on in this pattern with Sasuke winning some with Naruto following to tie them up. I occasionally won, but their constant bickering whenever the other won a game started to get a bit annoying. But I let it slide when I saw they were having fun, which was the main objective to begin with. I always started the conversations to hopefully get the two of them to get to know one another which kinda worked. When it was finally time for Naruto, Sasuke, and Itachi to go home, I'm pleased to say that the two admitted that they had fun. Needless to say I'll be sleeping peacefully tonight knowing that a friendship between the two is just a hop, skip, and jump away from happening.
After my birthday, I always drag both Naruto and Sasuke to the park to play and give the final push. It didn't go as planned when the two decided to fight near the swings every time I drag them there. Their fighting soon got to the point I was dragged into it trying to separate them. This went on for about a week until one rainy day. Well, technically it wasn't raining yet, but it did in the middle of another of their fights. Needless to say the three of us were covered in mud with all the rolling around we did. Turns out that's what was needed because the two started to laugh and point at each other. I was confused before I saw how ridiculous they looked with their faces covered in mud. After that realization, I joined them in their laughter and things went a little smoother after that.
Two months have passed since then and it's finally the day I was waiting for, the day I enact my plan. I noticed that Shisui was acting a bit strange for a while and he always seems to go to the hokage tower lately. Of course, I knew why that is, it's almost time for his meeting with Hiruzen and Danzo. With that in mind, I quickly went to prepare everything I needed for mine and Isobu's plan. It wasn't going to be easy, I knew that much, but I had to make it work somehow. I didn't have much time, so I had to get it started quickly without rousing any suspicion.
Shisui was currently in the living room prepping his flack jacket with everything he might need. As for me, I'm in the kitchen pouring some freshly made tea into a cup to give to Shisui. I know, what part of my plan involves me making tea? Well, you're about to find out soon enough.
"Alright, showtime." I said softly, low enough that Shisui didn't hear, and took the cup with me as I approached Shisui. "Shisui." He turned to face me and noticed the cup of tea I was holding out to him. "You're going to see lord third, right? Here, to calm your nerves a little."
"Thank you, Kojiro." Shisui gave me a small smile as he knelt down to take the cup from my hands. "I have a feeling this meeting will be a bit stressful, so calming my nerves a little will help."
He brought the cup to his lips and I anxiously watched him drink its contents. The tea I made was a combination of chamomile and lavender, which both help with stress and anxiety. I was really lucky that the Yamanaka flower shop had what I needed, but I did get a few curious looks. Shisui probably didn't need the tea, but you never know, it doesn't hurt to be extra careful. I know that stress can lead to a myriad of problems and best to nip it in the bud before it gets worse. I guess owning a family clinic in a previous life has its perks sometimes with all the medical books I read.
Now that I think about it, I always wondered why the clinic didn't double as a house when I was my current age. It would definitely save my parents a lot of gas if that were the case, but then again, it was located quite far from any schools. I guess that should have been my first hint, my parents wanted me to attend school that was within walking distance and we couldn't exactly build a clinic where we lived. It was nothing but houses and any lots that would have worked were already bought.
I was brought out of my thoughts at the sound of glass shattering and I watched as Shisui convulsed and collapsed to the floor, his fingers twitching in an attempt to move them. I looked down to see small shards of the cup scattered across the floor in all directions. I was worried for a moment before I remembered what caused Shisui to collapse. I felt Isobu trying to help me calm down with his chakra as I mentally counted down from ten. I also recalled everything the drama club president always talked about not just portraying the character, but becoming the character. I didn't get what he meant by that, so I was introduced to his hellish crash course in acting which was spartan level.
With that in mind, I plastered a triumphant smirk on my face as Shisui struggled to raise his head to look up at me. I let out a forced short laugh while at the same time remembering the character I came up with for this plan. "Hah, I can't believe that actually worked."
"K-Kojiro." Shisui managed enough strength to raise his head and look up at me in the eye and I willed myself to show no other emotion other than triumph. The look in Shisui's eyes told me that he was confused as to what was happening right now. "W-what did you do?"
"Kojiro?" I raised a confused eyebrow, temporarily allowing my smirk to drop, before chuckling and placing a hand on my chest. "Oh, you mean this brat." Confusion was still evident in Shisui's eyes and I leaned forward, placing back the smirk. "I have some bad news, the twerp is currently not available."
"W-what?" I really felt guilty that it was me who put Shisui in this pitiful state, but it was necessary. I watched as he managed to prop himself up with an arm and tried to push himself to a sitting position but failed. "What are you talking about?"
"Let me put it this way." I leaned back to stand straight as Shisui continued to try and move his body. Mentally apologizing to Shisui, I kicked him hard on the shoulder so he was laying on his back. "Who you're talking to right now isn't the brat, but the one who made it possible for you both to meet."
"What do you mean by that?" Shisui tried to reach one of his flack jacket pockets but I quickly kicked the hand away. He glared up at me, his Sharingan active and I had to suppress the chill that went up my spine. Even after all this time, I'm still a little afraid of Shisui's Sharingan even though I know he would never use it on me. "Where's Kojiro?"
"He's right here." I tapped my head with a finger, slightly narrowing my eyes in faux amusement and my smirk grew. "I simply commandeered control of his body." I held my arms out as if displaying something behind me as I took a step back. "Amazing, right? It's a jutsu of my own creation."
"A jutsu?" Shisui repeated as he slumped to the floor, having lost all strength in his limbs, but kept his glare up and the tomoe in his Sharingan began to spin.
"Correct." I snapped my fingers and pulled out a senbon from my pocket and pricked my thumb to draw blood. Shisui tried to jump up to stop me, but only ended up on the floor again. "It turns my body into a blood-like substance and I enter the body of my intended target through an open wound." This was obviously a lie, but it was part of the plan and I didn't let it show on my face. "It makes infiltrating a hidden village so easy, especially if my vessel is a child."
"So that was your aim." Shisui gritted his teeth in frustration when he once again failed to move his body. "What did you give me?"
"Relax, it's not a poison." I replied, kneeling down to pat Shisui's head in a mock comforting way. "It's just a drug that makes you lose feeling in your limbs." That part is true, I added a mixture of herbs to the tea that numbs Shisui's nervous system. "This brat has been really helpful with his knowledge of herbs."
"Let Kojiro go." I'll admit, it was nice to see the worry and protectiveness in Shisui's eyes as he glared at me.
"Sorry, but I still have a use for this twerp." I replied with a mock apologetic tone in my voice as I internally fought to stay in character. "But I'll let you in on a little secret." I got on my knees and moved my head next to Shisui's as if to tell him a secret. "Even though I'm in control, the brat is still awake and watching everything."
Shisui's eyes widened at that and I forced an amused chuckle as I got to my feet again. I could tell that Shisui was still trying to force his arms and legs to move, but the end result was the same. Finally seeming to have given up, Shisui looked up at me and again I had to suppress a shiver when I saw his Sharingan. "What are you after?"
"The Sharingan, of course." I crouched down to rest my elbows on my knees and my chin on my hands. "Why else would I live with you if not to take them?" I reached toward Shisui as if to actually take his eyes before pulling back. "You see, my boss wants the Sharingan for an experiment they're conducting."
I'll admit I was just ad-libbing at this point, which happens quite often on stage, but it seems I underestimated my acting skills. Shisui's buying every lie that's coming out of my mouth and I knew that he was trying to buy time for him to regain feeling in his limbs. I felt I should tell him that he won't be able to move his arms for another two hours, but said nothing as he continued to struggle. Though it pains me to do it, I really do plan on taking Shisui's Sharingan for the next step of the plan. Sure, he won't be able to see anymore, but at least he'll be alive when everything's over.
"What experiment?" Shisui demanded through gritted teeth as I pulled out a couple senbon from my pocket.
"You don't need to know that." I replied, adjusting my grip on the senbon before looking down at Shisui. "But I am feeling generous today, so I won't kill you or the brat once I have your Sharingan." I forced a smirk on my face as I got on my knees and placed the tips of the senbon against Shisui's neck. "After all, I might need you and this brat again in the future."
"What-" I didn't let him finish as I plunged the senbon into Shisui's neck and his body fell limp almost immediately. Thanks to my knowledge of the human body, and watching Haku, I know the exact place to strike to induce temporary death.
"Sorry, Shisui." I apologized softly, knowing he couldn't hear me as I checked for a pulse. I felt none and I was worried I accidentally killed Shisui.
"He is still alive, Kojiro." I jumped at Isobu's voice, but calmed down slightly. "It is faint, but he is still breathing."
"Thank god." I let out a sigh of relief when I heard that before reaching into my pocket and pulling a roll of bandages. "Well, time for an enucleation."
For those who don't know what an enucleation is, it's a procedure for removing an entire eyeball. It's slightly different from an evisceration, which is just the removal of the cornea and the contents of the eye. Because I didn't have the right tools, I had to be extra careful when I removed the Sharingan from the muscles that control eye movement. Luckily, I was able to substitute a scalpel with a small knife in the kitchen. I also had a needle, which I bent into the correct shape needed, and thin ninja wire to act as the suture. Of course, to avoid infection, I sanitized everything beforehand and got to work.
It was really difficult to avoid puking as I held the newly removed Sharingan in my small hands. I may have studied to be a doctor in my previous life, but I've never removed an eye before. I looked down at Shisui, who had bandages wrapped around his eyes, and bit my lower lip hard. I tried to back out a total of ten times before I began to remove Shisui's eyes, but pressed on for the sake of my plan. Taking a deep breath, I placed the Sharingan in a container and slowly weaved my hands into the dog, boar, and ram hand signs.
"Transform."
I channeled the amount of chakra needed and got engulfed in a sudden puff of smoke. I started coughing when I inhaled some of the smoke and when it cleared I couldn't believe what I was seeing. I could see everything from a higher point of view, around Shisui's height I think, and I looked down at myself. I was taller and wearing the same clothes Shisui was wearing as I continued to check myself for any errors. When I saw nothing, I looked down at Shisui and, with help from Isobu, lifted him up to lay him on the couch.
After I made sure Shisui was comfortable, I walked through the house to the bathroom to find a mirror. When I saw my reflection, my face was exactly the same as Shisui's, except for a few things. For one, my hair was still blue and spiky. Secondly, I still had my green eyes instead of Shisui's Sharingan staring back at me. Last, but certainly not least, the Shisui that was staring back at me looked a bit feminine.
"Of course the first try was a bust." I groaned in Shisui's voice, gotta get used to that, and hung my head. "At least I didn't make him fat like when Konohamaru learned the sexy jutsu."
So I tried again… and again… and again. Let's just say it took me a while before I finally fixed the aforementioned flaws and I looked like a carbon copy of Shisui. Before leaving, I began to make a mess of the living room until it looked like there was a struggle. Taking a deep breath to calm my nerves, I went to the front door and made my way to the hokage tower. As I ran through the busy streets, because I can't jump roofs yet, I went over what to do in my head.
To be honest, I'm really anxious right now and the running was helping a little. There's so much that can go wrong with even the slightest misstep. There's the obvious problem in the form of Danzo, that warhawk's going to be hard to deal with. Then there's Itachi, I'm a bit worried that he'll see through my transformation with his Sharingan. Finally, I may have fooled Shisui with my acting skills, but what about the previously mentioned people? Itachi's known Shisui for a long time, a single mistake could lead to suspicion. As for Danzo, I don't even want to think what he'd do if he found out. So yeah, I'm trying so hard not to dwell on that too much and have a panic attack again.
The moment the tower came into view, I kept repeating in my head that I was Shisui now and to get into character. I always do this in my previous life whenever I'm nervous before I go on stage for the drama club's performances. By repeating that I am the character I'm playing, it kinda does this self-hypnosis effect on me. It helps me be in character better and it becomes like reality if I repeat it enough times. I figured this out during my second year in middle school when Jason pointed out how much better I was compared to when we first started. When he asked me what my secret was, I just told him I repeated I was the character in my head multiple times.
But enough about that, I was nearing the room I believe Hiruzen and Danzo were meeting in. I arrived in time to hear muffled voices through the door which were Hiruzen's and Danzo's. I couldn't make out what they were saying, but I knew by heart what they were saying. I closed my eyes in concentration and took a deep breath through my nose. 'It's showtime.'
"Shisui!" When I heard Hiruzen calling out his name, I got into character before opening the doors.
"Shisui Uchiha?" Danzo asked inquisitively, It tried to not show my nervousness through the mask I placed as I stepped inside. I closed the door behind me and got on one knee and rested my arm on the other.
"Shisui will attend the assembly." Hiruzen explained and I tried to keep a neutral face as I mentally prepared myself for anything. "If Fugaku Uchiha incites a rebellion, Shisui's orders are to…"
When he looked at me, I knew it was my turn to explain and hope I didn't screw up Shisui's voice. "Use my Kotoamatsukami."
"You'll use your visual jutsu?" Danzo inquired and I can already tell what's going on in that head of his despite his single visible eye squint shut.
"Fugaku will have absolutely no clue Shisui is using a genjustu to control his actions." Hiruzen further explained.
'Okay, everything's going smoothly so far.' I thought as I once again took over the explanation of what Hiruzen is planning. "I will make Fugaku think about coexistence with the village."
"I doubt that controlling only Fugaku will bring an end to the Uchiha's dissatisfaction." I was really tempted to punch Danzo in the jaw then and there. But I had to remind myself that doing so would blow my cover and chose to stay quiet.
"No, if the Uchiha will change then we of the leaf must change as well." That's one of the things I like about Hiruzen even knowing about his past actions. Despite what he's done in the past, he's trying to find a peaceful solution with the Uchiha clan. "We must improve our treatment of the Uchiha."
"That's what I'm hoping for." I said, lowering my head slightly to hide the sadness in my eyes. 'However, I already know what's going to happen.'
"I will assign one anbu behind the scenes." I didn't raise my head at Hiruzen's words as the meeting is obviously reaching its end. "I'm counting on you."
"Yes sir." I nodded once before standing and bowing to the two, though it was reluctant at Danzo, before taking my leave. Once I closed the doors, I patted myself down and nodded when I felt the senbon I had with me. 'Now to prepare for the next part.'
"Leave the rest to me, Kojiro, you just do your part." Isobu said, letting a little of his chakra through my system. It's strange, but feeling Isobu's chakra flow through my body is comforting in a way.
'Thank you, Isobu.' I heard the familiar sound of wood hitting the ground and I knew right away it was a walking stick. I turned to see Danzo approaching me with that neutral face of his. "Lord Danzo, is there something you need?"
"Come with me." Danzo ordered as he walked past me and continued walking. "I have something I wish to discuss with you."
'It's here.' I thought as I followed the warhawk to where he was leading me. 'Everything that Isobu and I have been preparing for.'
When we arrived at where Danzo wanted to talk, which was a secluded area that had a shrine with two multi-armed statues on the left and right respectively, I knew I needed to be on guard. Just in case, I had Isobu subtly cover the area in a thin mist which was barely noticeable unless you were looking for it. It didn't seem like Danzo's noticed, which was good because the mist was part of the plan. It took a while to get it right, but this mist has already begun to shroud the area in a genjutsu. The genjustu is to make it seem as if Danzo took Shisui's right eyes and to get thicker for me to make my escape. Thanks to Isobu's help, it was finally perfected for this exact moment.
"What is it, lord Danzo?" I asked after a few moments of silence, which I took advantage as I released a little more mist. "It's almost time for the assembly to begin."
"What if your visual jutsu gets Fugaku and the clan to cooperate, but then the leaf village refuses to change?" Danzo asked, which I knew he would and prepared to reach for my senbon without him noticing.
"Lord Hokage has given me his word that he would make a change." I replied, remembering to be on the lookout in case Danzo's Root agents make an appearance.
"Even if he's satisfied that the Uchiha have reformed," Danzo said, the same neutral tone in his voice making me slightly nervous, "The distrust among the leaf won't go away."
'Like you're doing anything to make the village a better place.' I thought bitterly, but kept it off my face as I tried to keep it equally as neutral. "I realize that, but in time…"
"Besides," Danzo interrupted, knowing that it was almost time, as he lowered his head I mentally told Isobu to prepare the mist. "People like me, people who are always suspicious, will never truly change, what will you do then?"
'It's here.' I thought as I felt Isobu preparing to use the mist and his chakra flowing in my body. I suddenly felt my body relax and I knew right away that Isobu was about to take control. I allowed him, but my mind was still in control, which was good for what was about to happen. "But, lord Danzo."
"When the time comes," Danzo raised his head and I almost flinched when I saw the look in his eye. "Will you use your Kotoamatsukami on me as well?" He dropped his walking stick and suddenly in front of me and reached a hand out to my eye. "Your Sharingan shall be with me for safe keeping."
"Forgive me." I didn't really mean it, but I had to stay in character as Isobu quickly moved my arm to tightly grip Danzo's wrist. Using what control I had, I took out a few senbon and pierced Danzo in points that will cause paralysis throughout his body. I quickly took notice that he fell limp and the mist got thicker by a small amount. Isobu released the arm and I told him to prepare for what came next. "It's only genjutsu, you'll snap out of it soon."
I felt Ibosu turn my body and felt the impact of a punch to my gut as Danzo appeared in front of me. He gave me a few more blows to the face and when he reached for my eyes again, Isobu was quick in twisting my body out of the way and jumped back a few feet. It was then that Danzo's Root agents appeared around him. I watched as Danzo removed the bandage around his head to reveal a Sharingan in his right eye.
"Sharingan." I muttered as the dojutsu began white and blind and the lids closed.
"I will take yours to replace this eye." Danzo said, rewrapping the bandage around his head again as his agents prepared to attack. "Is what I was going to say, but it would seem as though you anticipated that."
"I knew what you were planning from the beginning." I said and smirked when I saw Danzo's eyebrows go up in surprise. 'At least his Sharingan was covered by bandages, so he didn't see through the transformation.'
"You knew from the beginning?" Danzo's eyes furrowed at my words and I could see that he was trying to figure them out. "What do you mean by that?"
"Failing to get the Sharingan was your first loss, Danzo." I said, letting more mist cover the area until it became a thick fog. Danzo and his agents were on guard, but it was too late, as the fog was laced with genjutsu courtesy of Isobu. "It's only a matter of time before you meet your end."
With that said, when the fog was thick enough that you can't see, I quickly made a run for it to the nearby woods. My lungs burned from the lack of oxygen as I continued to run, but I kept going until I was a safe distance away from Danzo and his Root agents. Once I was far enough away, I dispersed the transformation and reapplied it with a few changes. I found a river and checked myself over to make sure it was perfect. I was still Shisui, but my clothes were roughed up and my body was covered in blood, cuts, and bruises. I also felt something cold and hard under the transformation and knew it was Isobu's coral. He probably did it to hide my true appearance from Itachi's Sharingan to be on the safe side.
After I finished checking myself for errors, I let Isobu take over my body again and let him jump through the tree branches. I didn't realize until Isobu mentioned it, but if he channels chakra into my arms and legs, he could enhance my reflexes like he did with Danzo earlier and jump through the trees. Obviously I can't do it myself, which is why I let Isobu do it for me until I can do it too. We quickly found Itachi in his anbu attire laning on a boulder and purposely shook the branch to make some noise.
"Shisui?" Itachi asked, looking up at me through his mask.
"Come with me." I said as I helped guide Isobu to the cliff with the waterfall with Itachi close behind. Once we arrived, I kept my back to Itachi as I pulled out the container holding Shisui's Sharingan eyes. "It seems we can't prevent the Uchiha coup d'etat." I made sure that they were out of Itachi's sight as I took them out and held them in a clenched fist. "And if a civil war erupts in the leaf, the other villages will invade for sure, true war will break out."
The next part was going to be tricky and require all of the acting skills I had, but I know I can do it. Right now, I'm Shisui Uchiha, Itachi's best friend, and I need to play my part perfectly. I can already feel Isobu was getting ready to use his chakra but told him to wait a little longer. If Itachi sees Isobu's chakra with his Sharingan, then it's game over.
"When I tried to stop all this with the Kotoamatsukami, Danzo tried to steal my eyes." I turned to face Itachi and kept Shisui's Sharingan out of sight in my clenched fist. "That man doesn't trust me at all, he intends to protect the village his way no matter what it takes or how it looks." I turned away from Itachi as if contemplating something. "I suspect he'll try to take my eyes again, so I'll give them to you before he has a chance." I reached up to my eyes and, with a little sleight of hand, made it look like I actually pulled them out. "You're the only one I can count on my best friend, protect the village and the Uchiha name, both of them."
Even if it looks like my eyes are closed, they're actually wide open through the transformation as I watched Itachi closely. I held out Shisui's eyes for him to take as a crow flew down when Itachi closed his eyes as its feathers scattered through the air. Shisui's eyes were no longer in my hand and Itachi's Sharingan was active which made me a little worried.
"Alright, I accept it." Itachi said as I lowered my arm now that I no longer held Shisui's eyes. "What will you do now?"
"If I die, many things will change." I replied as I slowly backed away from Itachi, knowing I'm going to break out of character soon. "I left a note."
I can see that Itachi figured out what I was going to do and frantically took a step forward. "Shisui, wait!"
"Don't try to stop me, Itachi." I quickly said as I stopped at the edge of the cliff. I gave Itachi a sad, apologetic smile as I leaned back and let gravity take over. I could see Itachi running and desperately trying to grab my arm but didn't in time as I began to plummet to the water below.
"Shisui!" Itachi called out, his hand reaching down to me as if he will me to float back up.
'Now, Isobu!' I felt Ibosu's chakra flood inside my body before a cloak formed around me and I kept my body straight when I finally hit the water. I'll admit, hitting water at that speed hurts like hell and if it weren't for Isobu's chakra I'd be dead right now.
My body hurts all over and I was slowly losing consciousness as I got deeper under the water's surface. I tried to stay conscious, but it was proving to be a losing battle until I felt Isobu's chakra beginning to heal my body. After a few minutes, the current dragged me to shallow waters and I dragged myself to dry land. I tried to help Isobu in healing my body by using healing jutsu, but my mind was still disoriented from plunging head first into the water.
'Just one thing left.' I thought as I struggled to get to my feet and walked through the woods using any nearby trees to support myself. 'Gotta get to Shisui and hide for a while.'
"Is that why you made the house look like there was a struggle?" I just nodded my head in response to Isobu's question. It was hard to move with my still aching body, but I fought through the pain and continued my trek to the village. "Don't push yourself, Kojiro."
'I'm fine, Isobu.' I knew Isobu didn't buy that, considering I hissed in pain everytime I took a step. But I still continued to make my way to the village, trying to ignore my protesting legs until I saw the village was in sight. 'Almost there.'
When I made it inside the village, Isobu's chakra finally healed my body so it was only sore, but I knew it'll still take a day or two before I'm fully healed. Since it was night, there was no one around to see my current state as I got to the Uchiha compound. I walked through the familiar streets of the compound until I got to Shisui's house. Once I was inside, I quickly went to Shisui to see he was still out from the senbons in his neck. Using Isobu's chakra to form a tail, I used it to pick up Shisui off the couch and left the house.
It wasn't easy, but I was able to leave the compound with Shisui unnoticed and into the nearby woods. Probably because of the assembly that there was no one in the streets right now. A few minutes later, a large shrub of bushes came into view and when I pushed some of the leaves aside, I saw that there was some rope and an assortment of fruits. I gently set Shisui down before dispersing the chakra tail I formed, walked over to where the rope was, picked it up, and looked over to Shisui. I contemplated removing the senbon in his neck, but decided against that for now.
"Sorry, Shisui." I said softly before kneeling down next to the unconscious Uchiha and began to wrap the rope around him. It wasn't easy to tie him up, let alone finding the rope for that matter, but I was able to do it. I picked up the remainder of the rope I had before a thought crossed my mind. 'How am I going to tie myself up?'
"You could try a cloning jutsu." Isobu suggested, which was a good idea, but there was one problem with that.
"I can't use the shadow clone jutsu, Isobu." I replied, knowing that Shisui couldn't hear me as I looked at the rope in my hands. "I clearly didn't think this through."
"I can lend you some of my chakra." I dropped the rope at that and facepalmed when I remembered why the shadow clone jutsu was a forbidden jutsu.
"I'm such an idiot." I smacked my forehead a few times as I felt Isobu's chakra filling my body again before forming a cross with my middle and index fingers. I focused mine and Isobu's chakra until I had enough for the jutsu and hoped it worked. "Shadow Clone jutsu!"
There was a puff of smoke next to me and when it dispersed I tried hard to facefault. The "clone" next to me looked like a stick figure with a really thin body that looked like it'll snap in half. However, knowing I didn't have the time nor the chakra to practice, I hand the "clone" the rope and let it tie me up tightly before dispersing. Now all that's left is to wait until Shisui regains consciousness and hope no one finds us any time soon. At least until Itachi leaves the village, that would be ideal so he wouldn't get suspicious as to why he's still alive. I let out a loud yawn when the adrenaline finally left my system and exhaustion caught up after the day's events. I slowly closed my eyes and let sleep take me into a blissful, dreamless sleep.
I do hope that you all have enjoyed today's performance, now unto replying to your marvelous reviews.
Karsap: I'm not entirely sure yet, but I'm sure I'll come up with something.
frankieu: You're welcome, happy to hear that you liked it.
RustyRam: There's no need to apologize, your criticism is exactly what I'm looking for to better improve my writing. You made excellent points and I'll keep them in mind for the next chapter. I hope that this chapter better explain Kojiro's outburst and I hope to hear from you again as it's comments like yours that shows me where I can improve.
rainfallMyth: You're very welcome. I hope so too, but only time will tell.
Ed: An interesting idea, I'll give it some thought.
True Hyper Sonic: Very excellent points, and I totally agree with you about Kurama trying to at least understand the Jinchuriki.
Sultan Asil Arslan: Kurotsuchi, huh? Like with the other pairing suggestions, I'll give it some thought.
Oblivious IJ: Indeed, it would have. But for the plot's sake, I had to write it as it was.
SilverDragon1218: Thank you for the kind words. Who knows, that will be my little secret until next time.
guest reader: Naruto doesn't know how to use them yet, Kojiro only showed him what they can do. Whether or not he continues to practice seals is something only time will tell. You just gave me an idea for when Kojiro finally gets into the academy, so I thank you for that.
SuperKitty4789: I'm glad to hear that you liked it so far and I hope you continue to to read future chapters.
PopperPaper: Why thank you for your kind words and I hope you will enjoy this chapter and many more in the future.
warriormindset: I'm happy to hear you think that. You're very welcome and I plan to continue it no matter what. And I want to let you know that all of my readers reviews are extremely appreciated as well.
mad thought: Thank you. To be honest, I didn't even consider those two, I'll have to give them some thought as I think of who to pair Kojiro with.
JWoldcat: I'm happy to hear that you like it.
KatrinaWhite: Thank you. Here's the next chapter, I hope the wait was worth it.
And now the curtain shall fall on yet another brilliant performance, till next time when the curtain rises again my readers.