Any Betareaders out where who would like to work with me on this?
Also, the heat still persists. Oh. My. God.
Lest you fade here all alone
Chapter 3
The moment they touched the ground after an impromptu teleportation and Shisui felt the stranger's arms around him withdrew, he leaped away. Whoever helped him didn't try to prevent him from gaining a distance between them. The teen twisted his body mid-air and landed in a crouch facing the unknown.
He didn't have time to look at the man before, not to mention that his vision was still a bit blurry after inhaling the poisonous gas. It wasn't lethal – Danzo told him this much – simply used to weaken and disorientate so that they could subdue him.
Shisui couldn't quite suppress the shudder from the thought of what exactly he had been saved from.
"You don't seem too steady on your feet and I can sense your chakra being unnaturally chaotic."
The young ninja finally looked at his unexpected savor and his eyes widened, irises alight with the red of the Sharingan. He scanned the stranger up and down, taking in every detail of his appearance and body language. It was no henge or genjutsu, he could tell.
The blond tilted his head to the side, his blue eyes watching the teen with a startling sharpness. "Should I be concerned and bring you to the hospital?"
Shisui stared, his mind stuck on comparing this man to the Yondaime Hokage. They were different, and at the same time – very alike. "You… Who are you?" he finally asked.
"Name's Rei." A smirk crossed the blond's face. "Ah. You're old enough to remember my brother, I presume."
"Brother. The Yondaime?"
"Yeah," Rei confirmed. "But that's beside the point. The hospital?"
The teen shook his head and stood up with a sigh. He allowed a bit of tension drain from his shoulders, but kept vigilant, not dropping his guard completely yet. "Thank you for your assistance," he said, offering a small bow.
"Think nothing of that, it was merely a coincidence," Rei waved him off with an easy grin. "I'm glad though. You seem like a good kid." He crossed his arms, expression growing serious. "You know, that old lunatic won't leave you alone until he takes what he wants."
Shisui furrowed his brow. "Yes," he replied quietly.
With the Root involved, everything got so much complicated. Danzo had the power and notoriety to do anything to stop him from using Kotoamatsukami on the Uchiha clan to stop the coup. The old bastard planned to sacrifice their clan from the very start.
Shisui gritted his teeth. One of his hands drifted to rest over his eye – the eye that monster almost stole from him. He could not let that despicable man stop him. He would find a way to preserve the peace and let Itachi stay with his family.
"Hey, you're not gonna rip them out, are you?"
Shaken out of his pondering, the teen's attention snapped back at the blond stranger who had this odd expression of absolute disgust, severe disapproval, and intense displeasure plastered on his face.
"Because that's just gross, kid. And I don't want your eyeballs, so better keep them for yourself."
Rei sounded genuinely annoyed, bordering on being angry, for reasons Shisui couldn't even imagine. Not that he had planned to do what the man assumed, but the latter's open resentment towards eye stealing somehow calmed him down.
The realization that he felt surprisingly at ease in this unfamiliar ninja's presence startled Shisui. So strange. It was the same feeling of unexplained security that always settled upon him whenever he had been in near proximity of the Yondaime Hokage.
A small smile curled on the teen's lips. Brother, huh.
Rei watched the smile, eyes narrowed in suspicion, ready to jump into action at any given moment. One could never know with the Uchiha type. Suddenly, he groaned, raking fingers through his own hair. "Look, I'll keep Danzo off your back," he stated. "He's really not a threat, merely a nuisance."
"You can't underestimate Danzo, Rei-san," the teen argued. "He's an elder of Konohagakure and has the whole Root at his disposal."
The blond looked completely unperturbed. "So?"
Such an easy-going attitude pissed Shisui off. This man was either a naïve madman or had the strength to support his over-confident claims. Honestly, he didn't know which option was worse.
Rei smiled, amused by the face young Uchiha was making. "I can get rid of him any time, but I'm still hoping that specific someone will come into contact with him." His overall demeanor changed at the drop of a hat, going from carefree and laid-back disposition to the savage baring of teeth as he glared at no one and nothing in particular. "That person is a slippery bastard, and if I don't annihilate him on the first opportunity, he'll definitely go into hiding. I refuse to allow his existence on this plane of reality for even a second longer than necessary."
The sheer, brutal killing intent that suddenly radiated from the stranger forced Shisui to tense up and reach for his weapon. He restrained to pull a tanto out, not wanting to incite the already furious man even more. He could also swear that he saw those cerulean eyes flashing demonic red. If not for his active dojutsu, he certainly would have brushed it off as a figment of his imagination, but as it was, the image was now ingrained into his memory forever.
He had to admit – the option of this person having the strength to support his over-confident claims seemed much more believable now.
Rei sighed, closed his eyes, and reeled all his power back in, leaving Shisui in a befuddled daze, having an inner debate on if what he had just witnessed was true or not.
A three-pronged kunai embedded itself into the ground at the Uchiha's feet. The latter glanced at it. He heard stories about these.
"You and Itachi were looking for allies to stop the coup, right?" the blond asked. "Well, you found one. If you need me, insert some chakra into the seal on the kunai's handle and I'll come. Anytime. Anywhere. Against anything or anyone."
So, this person knew about the coup. And Itachi. Probably more about him too. Shisui wondered what else he knew as he cautiously picked the kunai up and inspected the seal.
Rei rolled his eyes. "Do I really look so untrustworthy?" he inquired, opening out his arms just to show how harmless and innocent he was. Yet a wicked smirk dancing on his lips completely trashed that impression. "You hurt my feelings."
The teen huffed in a way that sounded suspiciously like a smothered laughter, pushing the kunai into his pouch behind his back, and was rewarded with a wide grin.
"Alright, you can run along now to give a report to your…" Rei's cheery voice trailed off, his gaze shifting somewhere toward the village, a worried crease in his brow. "You should hurry up, Shisui. I can sense Danzo and the Sandaime together, no doubt weaving a tale of lies and trying to sway the old man to his side."
"What?!" Shisui exclaimed in alarm. "Dammit!" he bit out as he made the tiger seal and vanished out of sight.
Hiruzen rubbed his forehead as he stared at yet another civilian report about Yondaime's ghost wandering the streets. And buying groceries. Sometimes resorting to threatening Konoha's general populace. The victims always swore that the act was done without any reasons, but the elderly Hokage knew that it always followed after the said victim had been 'disrespectful' towards the current Kyuubi host.
Some part of him wanted to pat the ghost on the shoulder for the job well done.
Usually, the said ghost appeared in the grocery shops and markets, sometimes just strolling around Konoha. In the middle of the day, right in the open. He was definitely not hiding, but none of his subordinates ever laid their eyes on the entity. If the unknown blond was a real human, it would have been impossible to go around the village for three months entirely unnoticed under the noses of its many ninjas.
While wearing a bright orange haori.
It was preposterous.
A sigh left his mouth and Hiruzen put a sheet down on the table, leaning back in his chair.
He remembered talking with one of the witnesses. Terrified out of his mind, the man vowed that the ghost had the red slitted eyes – the eyes of the demon.
Minato mixed with the Kyuubi. It sounded like a bad joke.
If it truly was the ghost of the Yondaime – a possibility that he couldn't disregard, regardless how small or plausible it was – what purpose his chosen successor had? And how did his spirit escaped the stomach of the Shinigami?
And why change his white haori into a bright orange?
His mind seemed stuck on that insignificant detail.
He even doubled the ANBU guards for Naruto, but there were no signs of the entity making contact with him. Although, he received a few observations that the boy looked happier and healthier. Lighter, as Dog had reported. Which was good, he was pleased to hear that, but the timing brought great suspicion.
Something crucial was missing in this puzzle, and the Sandaime was determined to figure it out quickly. He had enough stress to deal with the rising danger from the Uchiha clan to add the damn ghost on top of that.
That's why he was still working this late into the night.
Hiruzen admitted that he required help. His advisors were preoccupied with Uchiha's coup d'état and brushed the sightings of the ghost as unimportant. He begged to differ. He had a bad feeling about both matters.
Two heads were better than one, so the Hokage straightened up and picked the brush to write a short message to his student, calling him back to Konoha. With Jiraiya's knowledge, they might have a chance to solve this riddle.
The brush was just about to touch the paper when the door suddenly slammed open and Danzo barged in without any formality whatsoever, a bunch of his personal ANBU in tow.
Hiruzen narrowed his eyes, secretly giving the signal to his hidden guardians to be ready. "What is the matter, Danzo?" he inquired, voice neutral, giving no sign of his caution.
"Shisui Uchiha betrayed Konoha."
The brush in the elderly Sarutobi's hand snapped in two. He took a deep breath to compose himself and slowly put its pieces down on the table. "…The evidence?"
"One of my subordinates intercepted the message between Shisui Uchiha and the ghost you are chasing for the last few months who is nothing more than a disguised enemy nin," Danzo explained, nodding to one of his escorts.
That threw Hiruzen for a loop. He accepted the small scroll from Root ninja and furrowed his brow as he read it. "A secret meeting?"
"I confirmed it. Uchiha was there to sell sensitive information to the unknown party. When they noticed my presence, they attacked me." Danzo stared his old friend straight in his eyes, daring him to call it a lie.
They were still glaring at each other when Shisui emerged out of his shunshin in the middle of the room.
It seemed like the time stopped for half a second, hanging in the deathly silence, before exploding into a cacophony of the sounds and movement: shouts, weapon drawn, and footsteps.
Only his eyes and instincts, forged in sweat and blood, saved Shisui. His tanto blade met the sword descending downward to his neck with a sharp ding as he parried the attack from one of Danzo's men before jumping back to avoid a slash from another.
Hokage's ANBU appeared between the Uchiha and his attackers.
"Enough!" Hiruzen roared, his chakra mixed with a killing intent washing the room like a tsunami wave, freezing everyone in their place. He glowered at each person for a brief moment, daring them to disobey, then turned toward the young jounin. "Deer, Marten, apprehend Shisui Uchiha under the suspicion of treason."
The Sandaime watched the boy's expression twisting into absolute horror and disbelief. He didn't fight the order though, surrendering his weapon instantly and even deactivating his Sharingan.
The Hokage turned to his old friend then. "You're completely out of line, Danzo," he said coldly. "Collect your people and leave."
"The traitor–"
"Right now!"
The old war hawk bit down whatever else he wanted to say, the lone eye narrowing into a furious slit. Sarutobi's voice was commanding, unyielding, a sheer titanium wall springing up metaphorically between him and his target. He had no other choice but to retreat.
Danzo turned on his heel and stiffly left the Hokage's office without another word, his entourage following suit.
Hiruzen heaved a sigh. What just happened was a great surprise. Someone definitely managed to get under Danzo's skin for he was acting rash and completely out of character. To scare the old, unmovable veteran like him to such degree was a feat rare individual could have achieved.
He looked at Shisui, the grandson of his dear friend, and saw the sadness in the boy's eyes. He nodded to his ANBU with an order, "You can release him now."
The moment he was free, Shisui sunk down on his knee, head held low in respect. "Hokage-sama."
"I heard one side, now I want to hear your side. Report."
"Yes, Hokage-sama," the teen complied. "I was preparing to start my mission when the Root ambushed me. They used poisonous gas to debilitate me and eventually I got captured. That's then Danzo," he all but growled the name, "showed up with an intention to steal my eyes, said it was a waste to use Kotoamatsukami to stop the coup."
The elderly Hokage took a moment to mull over his words. "How did you escape?"
"I received an aid from the unknown party," the young Uchiha answered without skipping a beat. "He rescued me and introduced himself as Rei, the brother of the Yondaime Hokage."
Hiruzen's eyes widened. "Minato's brother?" That could explain the witness reports about the Yondaime's ghost wandering around. "Does he wear the orange haori?"
"Yes."
The old man groaned, messaging his temples, shooing away the incoming headache. Such a person was a double-edged blade. He could end up being either a blessing to Konoha or its curse, depending on his motives and purpose of coming here and also their response to his presence.
"He also gave me this," Shisui continued, reaching for his weapon pouch. He stopped when Deer shoved a kunai under his chin.
The Sandaime shook his head and the ANBU withdrew his hand with an affirmative dip of his head. The teen pulled out a three-pronged kunai and offered it to his Hokage.
A deep frown creased Hiruzen's face as he took the kunai, his eyes instinctively zeroing on the familiar seal, wrapped around its handle. Having unknown Minato's brother somewhere in the village was one thing. Having unknown Minato's brother on the loose with an ability to perform Hiraishin could turn out to be a disaster. No wonder he appeared and disappeared like a ghost.
"What did he want from you?"
"My rescue was a coincidence, but he knows about the coup and offered his help to stop it." Shisui motioned at the kunai. "Told me to call him anytime and anywhere if I needed assistance."
That really didn't say much about the man's motives. The offer could have been thrown just on the spur of the moment.
"He's also hunting for someone who may come into contact with Danzo."
A frown became more profound on the Sandaime's forehead at that piece of information. He stared at the seal, his heart aching. "Do you believe that this man means well?" he asked as he glanced at the young ninja in front of him.
"For now," the teen replied after some consideration. "But he's a wild card."
"Very well," the elderly Hokage sighed. "I trust your judgment. So, first we have to deal with Danzo, then we'll think what to do with this unknown."
Shisui's eyes grew wider before he bowed again. "Thank you for believing me, Hokage-sama."
"Of course, my boy." Hiruzen smiled kindly at him. "I have my men observing Danzo for some time now and I do not like the reports I'm getting." He walked around his table, sat down, and scowled at the broken brush. Then pushed it aside. "It will not be easy to take him down, however; his connections run deep. We cannot act against him without a solid proof." He paused, fixing the young Uchiha with a thoughtful gaze. "I'll have to ask you to play bait. You'll be put into the ANBU holding cell under the suspicion of treason. If Danzo wants your eyes, he'll find a way to get to you. We may even present the opportunity to him before springing the trap behind him. You're free to refuse this mission as it's–"
"I accept," Shisui said, his voice strong and confident, carrying no hesitation whatsoever. "Just please keep this information a secret from my clan. If they will hear that I was arrested for treason…"
"We would have a coup upon us immediately," the Sandaime agreed with a heavy heart. "Are you still determined to use your visual jutsu on the clan?"
"Yes."
A ghost of a smile touched the corners of the old man's mouth. "You're as stubborn as Kagami was," he muttered looking at the young man, driven by such a strong Will of Fire. "This plan will have to wait now," he spoke after shaking himself out of his reminiscence. "If we want the Uchiha clan to change, the village has to change too. If we want the village to change, we need to get rid of the one that keeps feeding its darkness."
Hiruzen had a hard time to admit that his friend went sideways a long time ago, but he was the Hokage. No longer could he turn a blind eye at Danzo's machinations and the increasing damage it brought upon Konoha. Attacking and then framing up the ninja who was loyal to a fault was the last straw and would finally result in his undoing.
"Deer, Marten," the Hokage called out to the two ANBU who were still flanking Shisui, "accompany this young man to the hospital for a check-up after inhaling that gas. Crane, inform the detention center about a new arrival and see to the preparation of a cell. They do not need to know that in actuality this is an undercover mission. Whatever you all have heard in this room should stay in this room."
"Yes, Hokage-sama!" everyone present intoned dutifully.
Satisfied, Hiruzen nodded. "Dismissed."
The ninjas vanished to fulfill their new orders or back to their guard duty. The Sandaime glanced down at the three-pronged kunai in his hands. "Rei," he murmured the name under his breath. "The spirit*. How fitting."
Rei strolled into Danzo's office like he owned the place: spring in his steps, hands in his pockets, whistling some merry tune, and giddy with excitement.
It had been years from the last time he pranked someone. Years! And the paranoid type always was his favorite to prank.
A grin found its way onto the blond's face as he surveyed an empty office. A table with a neatly assembled tea set caught his eye and he walked closer. Picking each cup, he placed the invisible storage seal at their bottom, each having enough space to contain an average-sized lake. No matter how much tea they were gonna pour into these cups, they would always remain empty.
As Rei went around the office, he swapped and shuffled things around just to help the guy with his paranoia – he was such a generous soul!
The blond finished by placing the final seal on Danzo's chair – the storage seal full of his special itching powder. It would activate upon someone pressing on it, well, sitting in this particular case. He sniggered at the image of Danzo scratching his itchy butt.
Rei glanced around the office for the last time and grinned in glee when the woman's painting on the furthest wall warped and twisted into some kind of macabre nightmarish scene for a briefest of the moment and then returned to normal as if nothing strange had happened.
Perfect.
The blond was about to teleport to Suna – Gaara was due to get a visit – when he felt a tug on one of his Hiraishin beacons. He blinked in surprise. There was only one kunai that he gave to another person a few days ago and the chakra sent into the seal was definitely not his.
Rei closed his eyes and concentrated, sweeping the whole Konoha with his senses in an instant until he found what he was looking for. Underground. In the ANBU detention center.
His chest rumbled with a deep growl, red eyes burning with sudden anger – one that poured out of him and crackled around the room.
Rei saved the kid's life and promised to help him; thus felt responsible for him now. If anyone touched even a hair on that particular Uchiha's head, they were about to experience what happened to those who harmed the people he took under his protection.
In a blink, the blond was gone from the office.
Shisui tried to rest, but the sleep eluded him. He was lying on his stomach, face buried in his pillow.
He felt restless – only his sheer willpower stopped him from prowling around the cell like a caged beast. Walls were layered by the chakra suppressing seals, and it left him helpless – weakened beyond belief.
"What the hell is going on?!"
Shisui almost fell from his bunk. Well, alright, not almost, he actually fell from his bunk as the unexpected raised voice scared the hell out of him and he didn't quite manage to put his feet under him in time when he rolled off of it.
His head whipped up and onyx black met bloody red.
In all his orange glory, Rei stared down at him, clearly expecting an answer: lips pressed together, brow furrowed, arms crossed in front of his chest. He even tapped his foot impatiently.
"Rei-san?" Shisui spoke in absolute disbelief. "Why– How did you get here?"
The blond huffed, "The same way I get anywhere else."
"You can use chakra here?"
"What are you talking about? Of course, I can." Rei lifted his hand and a blue orb of chakra instantly formed in his palm. "See?"
"But there are chakra suppressing seals all around this cell," the teen pointed out dumbly.
The blond raised a questioning eyebrow and his eyes – blue again – flicked to look at the wall. "Oh," he said flatly. "I was wondering what this annoying ticklish sensation was."
Shisui blinked. This situation was so absurd and this person so ludicrous that he couldn't help it – he just burst out laughing.
* – Rei, 霊, "spirit, ghost"
A/N
So, I watched few fillers and 'The Two Uchiha' (from the game) to get a feel of Shisui character, and... what can I say? I bawled my eyes out. Like, are you even serious? It was so sad, I cried like like someone stole my sweetroll. Shisui and Itachi are such an amazing guys, oh my god. Seriously, if I hadn't already decided on Shisui being one of the main characters in this story, I would have scraped the whole story and rewrote/rethough it. Hardcore Shisui fan here now, peeps. Anyway, I hope I did his character justice.
On the other hand, the Sandaime lost any kind of respect I still had for his character. He was nothing but the Hokage in name, dancing to Danzo's tune like a monkey on the strings. Urgh, it was sooooo frustrating to watch, I wanted to punch him in the face! Shisui or Itachi didn't go to him after the whole eye stealing thing because they had absolutely no trust in the man! And the whole Uchiha uprise? Pretty much his fault. I think they made him like this to work around the many plot holes that litters the whole canon, but regardless the reason, canon Hiruzen Sarutobi pissed me off to no end. And if I had to use canon Sandaime, this would have turned into a bashing fic. Considering that I hate bashing and I won't lower myself to such degree, I tried to salvage the situation and altered his character. I hope you enjoyed what I did! Leave a comment with your opinion on all this.