Chapter Twenty: Shisui's Story

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His plans for that evening had gone completely off the rail. He was supposed to confront Fugaku, use the Kotoamatsukami power of his Mangekyo Sharingan to sway the clan leader's mind to want to avoid the coup and reach out to the Third Hokage for a peaceful resolution.

Sure, the younger police officers would protest, but what power did they have over the word of the clan leader? The plan needed to succeed for Itachi's sake. Otherwise, he'd be forced to do the unthinkable.

While both Uchiha teenagers were part of Anbu, Shisui had been given authority by the Third to do whatever it took to stop the coup. Itachi on the other hand had been given mission after mission. Eight weeks ago, thirteen year old Itachi had been forced to take a life for the first time.

Shisui only found out because he'd overheard Kakashi Hatake, the captain of the Ro squad, trying to comfort the younger Uchiha. The two were the child prodigies of their generation— youngest graduates of the Academy, assassins before they could even grow facial hair.

Shisui's hands were not clean either by any means. He'd awakened his Mangekyo Sharingan — a feat not accomplished since Madara Uchiha's brother died. Shisui understood how it could be achieved. He'd been with his squad and his teammate, since they were twelve, whom he'd always been jealous of — he was too slow for the retreat.

Shisui could have reached back and saved him.

But he didn't.

And the guilt of losing his rival/teammate/best friend had awakened such a feeling of despair as he saw the boy cut down.

It was just a moment of hesitation and bitterness that kept his hands forward instead of reaching back.

Not two days later, he'd run across a young Itachi training in the woods on the outskirts of the Uchiha district. They'd become friends. Shisui could see the younger boy's talent and instead of jealousy, he'd nurtured the boy and was eager to see him surpass his own skills. Itachi had a little brother and the look of adoration on Sasuke's face when he looked at Itachi, reminded Shisui of excitement on young Itachi's face when they trained together, honing their skills.

But now, it was many years later and they were both in Anbu and the clan would soon be crushed in an attempt to overthrow the village's government. But, the carefully created plan between Shisui and Itachi had been thwarted. They'd been careful to avoid the cameras that spied over the district, but somehow Danzo knew.

He'd used a member of the Abarame clan to paralyze Shisui and then Danzo had plucked out his right eye. As he was dying, Shisui managed to body flicker away before he could lose his second eye. It wasn't that Shisui was afraid to die — he'd inflicted enough death in the war that he knew he'd have to pay eventually. He was afraid of leaving thirteen year old Itachi alone to bear the burden of their clan. Thinking he was going to die, as a typical villain, Danzo had gleefully shared his plan to have the entire clan slayed.

There were children in the clan.

That was completely unfair and as the Uchiha were founding members of Konoha an absolute betrayal. Shisui knew the Third Hokage wouldn't agree to this, but he'd been letting the prejudices of Danzo and the council dictate his unfavorable actions towards the clan.

Finally, Shisui made it to the meeting place. He wasn't supposed to meet Itachi for another few hours and this was the night where attendance had been mandatory for the clan members.

"Sorry, Itachi. I failed." Shisui could feel the dried blood caked on his face under his closed eyelid. On unsteady feet, he walked to the edge of the cliff. The river was below him.

"What happened to your eye?" Itachi asked.

"I wasn't able to meet with Lord Fugaku. Danzo caught me. One of his subordinates uses insects?" Shisui asked.

"The one in the white Tiger mask," Itachi confirmed.

"Ah. I've been poisoned. I'm dying. I wish to give you my other eye for safe keeping. And I wish you to kill me," Shisui explained.

"Ki-kill you? Why? We can just find you an antidote!" Itachi started to rush towards Shisui's side.

"You are my best friend, Itachi. But I had a friend before you. I was responsible for their death and that grief I felt — it allowed me to awaken the Mangekyo Sharingan. In the shrine, there's a book about the ocular powers of our clan. You must read it. And you must kill me. It will awaken your own power," Shisui explained. He smiled, feeling at peace with his decision. "Just push me over the edge. You don't even have to get your hands bloody."

He removed his remaining eye and safeguarded it within a crow, merging the eye with the bird's eye. "You're the only one I can entrust the clan and the village. I'm sorry to leave you with this burden all on your own."

He could feel Itachi's strong hands fisted in the front of his shirt. Shisui hugged the younger boy, though he could feel his arms growing weaker.

"I will carry this burden for us," Itachi whispered.

Then he felt Itachi shove him and the cold water of the river stole away Shisui's conscious thought.

The river had flowed to the North, towards the lands of Iwagakure. The poison flowing in Shisui's veins had slowed due to the frigid temperatures. And it was only by chance that a member Iwagakure's disgraced Kamizuru clan fished him out of the river.

Known enemies of the Abarame, the Kamizuru were exiled from Iwagakure after a failed attack on Konoha some years before. They'd been shunned and lived secluded in the woods to the North of Konoha minding their bees, wasps, and hornets. It didn't take long for the clan to recognize their enemy clan's handiwork. Perhaps out of spite for the Abarame, Shisui had been administered a general antidote the Kamizuru had for Hymenoptera insects.

When Shisui awoke, he'd been disoriented and confused. It took but a moment to remember he was blinded.

"Ah, so you're finally awake," a gentle, feminine voice called softly. A warm, soft hand brushed over his forehead. "The fever has finally subsided. You're very blessed that my brother fished you out of the river."

"How am I alive?" Shisui asked, his voice croaked with disuse and thirst.

"Here, drink this." The hand left his forehead and an arm banded around his back, helping him to sit up. A cup was placed into his hands and the woman's warm hand lifted his hands to his mouth. It was a tea of some sort with the sweetness of honey. "We are a bee keeper family," the woman said. "Our clan was great enemies of the Abarame clan of Konoha. We were able to recognize their handiwork on you. It is good that the river is cold this time of year. Otherwise, you would have been dead long before we found you."

"Kamizuru?" Shisui asked. "From Iwa?"

"Ah, from here and there. Iwa rejected us, so we have found comfort in the land away from the politics of shinobi and the constant war. My name is Hanī — it means honey. May I know your name?"

Shisui finished his tea and held the cup like a lifeline in his hands in his lap. "My name is Shisui—Shisui Uchiha."

"Ah, so you were attacked for your eyes. I am sorry, Shisui. I am afraid your life as a shinobi is over. It would not be impossible to fight as a blind man, but certainly more challenging for one that used to possess the Sharingan," Hanī pointed out.

"I was supposed to die," Shisui said. "I was ready. I left my best friend to try and deal with an impossible situation. How long have I been unconscious?"

"You've been with us for a week, Shisui." Hanī took the cup out of his hands. "Our clan is not welcome in Konoha, but we can try to get you close to there if you would like. However, if your village did this to you — I don't think it is wise. But the choice is yours."

"If it's okay, I would like to rest." Shisui's muscles were so tired. "It's better if my friend thinks I'm dead. No one else cares about me either way— I'm just a tool to everyone else."

"You may stay with us for as long you'd like, Shisui," Hanī said, helping him to lay back down.

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OoO

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Sasuke didn't remember much about his brother's best friend. But when the blind man said his name, it came back to him in an instant. "Shisui Uchiha?"

"Yes. I'm —-I'm sorry to hear about Itachi. He lived a very hard life," Shisui said.

Sasuke nodded and received an elbow in the ribs from Naruto who gestured towards his own eyes. Oh. Right. Blind man. "Yes, he did," Sasuke agreed. "No offense, but how do I really know it's you?"

"Suspicious as always," Shisui murmured. He rubbed his hand over his chin and angled his head to the side. The pose was familiar to Sasuke. "Did you manage to catch all those cats in Itachi's mission book?"

Sasuke exchanged a look with Naruto Their Team Seven actually completed that assignment shortly before Sasuke had defected. "Yes, actually."

"I think it's fine," Naruto whispered. "I mean, seriously? If he is a threat, don't you think we can contain him? Besides, we can let him tell us for sure, can't we?"

Shisui cleared his throat. "I don't want to be rude, but I do have very excellent hearing as a result of my blindness. I just wanted you to know I can still hear you."

His daughter started to giggle.

"Hana, don't be rude," Shisui chided.

"Do you like flowers, Hana?" Sarada asked. "I would think with your name…"

Hana smiled at Sarada— both girls had the same onyx irises. It led credence to the man's story. "I do love flowers, Sarada. My family has a close relationship with bees — so I'm a bit of a flower expert."

"Dad, I'm getting kind of hungry. Can we go back?" Boruto asked. His stomach growled loudly.

"Alright, come with us," Sasuke said. "Though, we will need to report your presence to the Hokage. Though, as he's a close friend of ours and apparently a neighbor, it won't be a problem."

Shisui chuckled. "Lord Fugaku could never have imagined such a scenario. His son best friends with the son of Lord Fourth and a the Hokage their former team leader."

"You know about our Team Seven?" Naruto asked.

"Doesn't everyone, Naruto Uzumaki?" Shisui countered. "Kakashi should recognize me. We knew each other a bit. I'm looking forward to meeting your wife, Sasuke. I faintly remember a little pink-haired girl that would train in the woods."

Sasuke had started leading the way back to his home, but paused at Shisui's words. He turned and looked back at him. "You've been away since I was six years old. How would you see Sakura training in the woods?"

Shisui angled his head to the side. "Oh? You didn't know about that?"

"Um, Sasuke," Naruto said, chuckling nervously. "That's true. I remember when you and Sakura-chan were in the first year at the Academy and she apparently went to confess her feelings for you and you cruelly told her you had no idea who she was."

Sasuke stared at his best friend. "What?" He had no memory of that. Most of the girls at the school confessed their love for him on a daily basis. He gave the same response to all of them. 'Who are you?'

"Yeah, so I followed her. She was really upset and I was worried. She would go to the woods every day and practice her stances. She had this cute little clubhouse in the woods too — decorated with flowers and stars." Naruto cleared his throat. "Anyways. I was really impressed by her. Why do you think I had a crush on her for so long?"

Sasuke frowned and shifted the weight of his daughter on his back. He'd hurt Sakura a lot over the years — usually intentionally to keep her at arm's length. He wasn't aware of how many times he'd hurt her unintentionally. Their first year at the Academy all he cared about was getting perfect marks on his report card to try and impress his father and getting home to train with Itachi.

Sarada patted his cheek. "It's okay, Daddy. Mommy isn't mad at you."

Sasuke clenched his teeth and felt a muscle twitch in his cheek. He would make sure his children weren't casually cruel. He remembered Sakura when they were kids. He thought she was smart and slightly less annoying than the other girls. He didn't remember her confessing her feelings to him until they were on a team together.

"Well, I definitely know who your mom is now, Sarada," Sasuke said quietly. He vowed to himself that his wife would know she was valued. She was the matriarch of the Uchiha clan and mother of his children. She was home.

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OoO

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Sakura was surprised to see Sasuke's party return with two additional members.

"That's impossible," Itachi murmured behind her. "He should be dead— Shisui Uchiha."

Sakura stood and kept her sons behind her, while Hinata and Himawari sat quietly on the blanket. Sasuke's eyes were laser focused on her with such an intensity, it actually sent a chill up her spine. She was reminded of the first time he looked at her like that — when she and Obito had rescued him from Kaguya's desert dimension.

Naruto created a Shadow Clone that ran off. Likely to inform the Hokage office of their guests. Sakura let her gaze drift past Sasuke to see a man at least a decade older than them with bandages over his eyes and a teenage girl.

Sasuke set Sarada down and she ran to her brothers to give them a double hug. At the same time Sasuke rested one hand on Sakura's hip and the other cradled the back of her head, threading his fingers through her hair. He stared deeply into her eyes and then pressed his lips against hers, stealing her breath away. After a few moments he pulled back and she was still stunned by the unexpected display of affection.

"I'm sorry, Sakura," Sasuke murmured.

"For what?" Sakura stared at her husband's swollen lips and then looped her arms around his neck and pulled him back down for another kiss. She licked his lips and when he opened his mouth, twined her tongue with his in a familiar dance.

Sasuke smirked down at her afterwards. "Sorry for being a bratty kid that cruelly discounted your feelings for me back when we were little."

Sakura snorted. "That's fine Sasuke. It's good that you did. I needed to toughen up and focus on bettering myself, not on fawning over you."

He played with her hair gently. "I kind of like when you fawn over me." He pressed his forehead against hers. "My strong, brilliant wife."

"To be continued, dear," Sakura said, pressing one last chaste kiss to his lips. She stepped back from Sasuke's embrace. Naruto and Hinata were both red-faced after watching them and the teenager pointedly looked away. The kids didn't even notice. The mystery man had his head angled slightly and had an amused smile on his lips. "Shisui Uchiha," Sakura said using the name Itachi had supplied. "Welcome. Would you like to join us for some food?"

"We would be grateful," Shisui said.

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A/N: Thanks for reading, reviewing, kudos, likes , follows on this story. There is lots of referencing in this chapter. Some direct quotes from Itachi's Story Midnight and the filler episode about Sasuke and Sakura in the final season of Naruto Shippuden. There's still a lot to tell in his fiction of mine…I intend it to be a long and winding tale. I'll probably reference a lot of the light-novels in the future chapters. I don't want too many original characters. I may go back and edit Sooner Than You'd Think — it's pretty sloppy, but for now I'll focus on my current works.