"Katsuko! Akira! Shisui! drop!" An older voice ordered.
Jumping in between the trees at near breakneck speed, Shisui did as instructed and jumped down to the ground.
"What is it sensei?" Shisui asked.
"I sense an enemy presense nearby, judging from their signature they must be Iwa nin. Stay on your guard." Their sensei warned.
"Hmph, I'm sure Akira here can probably take them all by himself." Shisui remarked sarcastically.
"Shisui, that is not the attitude a shinobi should have." Shisui's sensei scolded.
"Why? It's always Akria this and Akira that with you sensei. You always applaud him for his ninjutsu skills and always criticise mine." Shisui complained.
"Because Shisui, you lack one of the most fundamental aspects of being a shinobi, teamwork. Without teamwork you can never succeed as a shinobi." Shisui's sensei answered sternly.
"Pff whatever." Shisui retorted.
Shisui's sensei was rather disappointed at Shisui's immaturity. 'One day, you will understand what it truly means to be a shinobi.' He lamented to himself.
In almost a blink of an eye, five Iwa nin surrounded the group.
"Well, well well, look at what we have here?" One of the Iwa nin taunted.
"Konoha's standards must be really dropping if they're sending academy age students to fight against us." The other quipped.
Shisui's sensei knew he was heavily outnumbered. Analyzing the situation as best as he could, immediately thought of a solution, albeit at a cost.
"Akira, Shisui, Katsuko. Run. I'll hold them all off." Shisui's sensei instructed.
"Yes sensei." The trio said in unison as they all retreated.
Shisui's sensei put up a good fight against the Iwa shinobi. He had fought valiantly against all five of them, and even managed to defeat two. Unfortunately though he was ultimately bested by one of the Iwa Jonin.
The remaining three Iwa nin decided to track down the three Genin who had fled from them.
The three were tree hopping as fast as they could until one of the Iwa nin elbowed Akira into the ribs, sending him flying into a tree.
Shisui noticed his team-mate get ambushed by the Iwa nin, yet chose to not help him.
'Why should I help him? He should be able to take on those Iwa nin by himself.' Shisui reminded himself in an attempt to justify his actions.
He turned around to see how Akira was fairing against the Iwa nin. Unfortunately though the boy was a bloodied mess and was being held by the hair by the Iwa nin.
Shisui looked on as he saw the Iwa Jonin pull out a sword and position it into a stabbing motion.
"This will teach you what happens when you mess with the might of Iwagakure!" The Jonin proudly declared as he stabbed Akira through the heart.
Shisui had heard about the many deaths during the third shinobi world war, but he now realized how truly gut wrenching it was to see someone die with his own eyes.
He looked at Akira as he watched the life drain from his eyes, until he was now nothing more than just a recently deceased corpse.
A feeling akin to a burning fire awakened within Shisui. First his parents, then his sensei, and now Akira.
Sure he was envious at how his team mate always seemed to be his better in combat.
But no matter how much he envied Akira, he didn't deserve this fate.
"Akira!" Shisui cried out.
Shisui could feel the almost unbearable guilt fill his entire being. It felt as though his heart was being ripped out of his very chest...
"I'm sorry Akira..." he whispered as tears streaked down his face.
Shisui instinctively activated his Sharingan, however this time however his Sharingan felt different, as if it had more power.
The young Uchiha charged at the Iwa nin, intent on avenging his comrade. He was about to deliver a rage filled kick to the Iwa nin's head.
Shisui squinted his eyes as he noticed a bright light grow brighter to the point where he couldn't even see the Iwa nin anymore.
"SHISUI!" Marisa's voice called out in concern.
Shooting up from his bed, he could feel his heartbeat beating at an abnormally fast rate and when he placed his hand on his forehead...
"Sweat" he noted. No doubt what he just experienced was a nightmare.
"Shisui are you alright? I called out your name to inform you that breakfast was ready. I got concerned when you didn't respond and hurried here as soon as I could and..." Marisa explained as she placed a hand on Shisui's shoulder.
"Saw you thrashing in your sleep." She finished.
"Did you have a bad dream? You can talk to me about it if you want." Marisa offered.
"No thanks I'm fine. I'd rather not talk about it." Shisui replied.
"Oh. I understand..." Marisa said dejected.
"I made some eggs and bacon with fresh lemon juice." She announced, hoping that would make Shisui feel better.
(Downstairs)
"Wow, your cooking skills are unparalleled Marisa!" Shisui applauded as he took another large bite of the bacon.
"R-really? You think so?" She asked nervously.
"Yeah. You'd make a great wife one day." He complimented her as Marisa's face became beet red.
"Why thank you Shi-"
Marisa was interrupted by a soft knock on the door.
"Coming." Shisui replied as he walked towards the door and opened it.
"Good morning Shisui. I am Kirsch of the Order of the Ice Flower. Our leader Priest Casper Noscrim has personally invited you to join our elite order." Kirshch announced.
"Should you accept the offer, in return for your services His holiness Priest Noscrim will offer you all the gold and land you could ever want." She added.
Shisui was thinking about the offer Kirsch presented to him. The offer sounded tempting, he wasn't gonna lie although he knew there was a catch to this.
The Young Uchiha knew better, the offers of gold and land, it all sounded too good to be true. This was ROOT all over again.
"While the invitation sound most pleasing, I shall gladly decline the invitation." Shisui announced.
For a second Kirsch had a shocked expression on her face, clearly she wasn't expecting Shisui's answer. Her face then went back to it's usual emotionless self.
"Are you sure? Only the most skilled of heroes are invited to join our ranks." Kirsch postulated in an attempt to change Shisui's mind.
"The offer does sound rather pleasing and I am flattered that I had been invited to join the Ice Flower. However my answer is still no." Shisui stated firmly.
"I see...its's a shame you declined Priest Noscrim's offer, you would've made a fine member of the Order of the Ice Flower. Good day to you." Kirsch finished as she left Shisui's house.
Shisui closed the door of his house, his mind thinking a million things right now.
"Shisui, was that Kirsch?...of the Ice Flower?" Marisa asked nervously.
"Yes it was." Shisui replied.
"I heard you rejected her offer to join the Ice Flower. Why if I may ask?" Marisa queried, wanting to understand why Shisui rejected such a prestigious invitation.
"Because." Shisui began.
"The last time someone offered me a chance to join a similar organisation called ROOT, I discovered said organisation was conducting unethical and illegal operations under the nose of my villages leader the Hokage." Shisui explained with a grim expression.
"Oh my...that sounds terrible." Marisa gasped.
"It was. And when I declined to join that organization it's leader Danzo tried to assassinate me." Shisui explained solemnly.
"Why would he do that to you?" Marisa asked.
"Because unfortunately for some people power matters more to them than the wellbeing of the people they are supposed to protect." Shisui remarked bitterly.
"Is that why you came to Lescatie? To escape this Danzo and his ROOT?" Marisa asked.
"Yes." Shisui lied. He always detested lying, but due to the circumstances of being in another world he knew very little about and not feeling absolutely certain he could fully trust anyone here to reveal such sensitive information about himself, it was the only way for him to stay safe.
Marisa's downcast eyes reflected her current mood; a deep sense of sorrow for the boy who was chased away from his home.
"I promise that if this Danzo person or his goons ever try to lay a finger on you, I'll protect you with my life and send them all to the deepest depths of hell." Marisa declared.
Shisui chuckled at her fierce determination.
"Why are you laughing? Do you not think I can?" Marisa asked dejected.
"Hehehe no. It's not because I don't think you can, it's because I've never seen anyone here possess the Will of Fire like you do." Shisui answered.
"Will of fire?" Marisa asked.
"It's the belief that love will eventually bring peace. The founder of my village the first Hokage, Hashirama Senju, believed that everyone in his village was his family that everyone would cherish, love and stand up for the village." Shisui expounded.
"This Hashirama Senju sounds like a very honourable man." Marisa praised.
"He was. Many shinobi in my village look up to him and aspire to continue his will of fire." Shisui said, remembering the very principles of being a shinobi.
"Thank you so much for the lovely breakfast Marisa. I gotta go now since my mission will be starting soon." Shisui explained as he grabbed all of his gear and left the house.
(Meanwhile...)
Priest Casper Noscrim was currently in his office sorting out various documents. He found it quite funny that even though the monsters had "changed" since the new Demon Lord took over the evil of paperwork still stayed the same.
A soft knock was heard on the door with the priest uttering a formal "Come in."
The priest looked up from his paperwork when he saw it was Kirsch who had entered his office.
"So, did he accept the offer?" The priest asked.
"No he did not father." Kirsch announced formally.
"Tsk tsk, a shame really. That boy would've made a very useful asset." Priest Noscrim lamented.
"Kirsch, you know what to do." He told her.
"Yes father, the target shall be dealt with swiftly." Kirsch stated coldly.
"Before you take care of our dear friend, I want you to watch him closely. Make sure to track every move of his and gather as much intel on him as you can. There is more than meets the eye about that boy, and I don't like that. Once that is done then you have my permission to wipe him off the face of this earth." Casper ordered.
"I understand. Your wish is my command father." Kirsch said.
"Good. You may leave now Kirsch." Priest Noscrim announced.
The Priest soon turned around to face the window as Kirsch exited his office, his mind currently on the matter regarding Shisui.
'It didn't have to be this way, you forced my hand Shisui.' The Priest told himself as he looked out of his window. His plan was all coming together, the only things stopping him where that idiot of a King and that thorn in his side Shisui Uchiha. As long as he got those two out of the way Lescatie would be virtually under his control.
Casper Noscrim smirked, it was only a matter of time before all the pieces fell into place.
(Some time later)
A garrison of knights were currently waiting at the gates for Lescatie, all waiting in eager anticipation for a certain shinobi.
"Do you think he could be the one to turn the tide of the war into our favour?" One hopeful knight asked.
"I don't know. Since he bested Lady Vermut in a duel effortlessly, I can certainly see Shisui becoming an instrumental part to our eventual victory." The other knight voiced his opinion.
And almost as if on cue at the mention of his name, Shisui arrived in a gust of wind with a few leaves floating around him.
"Hey everyone." Shisui casually greeted.
A female knight with long silver hair tied into a ponytail and an eye patch on her right eye approached Shisui, offering him a handshake.
"Good morning Shisui. I am Merse Descaros." The knight named Merse greeted cordially.
Shisui returned the handshake and concurrently scoped the team that he would be accompanying on his first mission as an Order shinobi. The entire group was rather...uninteresting if Shisui could put it politely save for two people being the exception. The first was a green haired girl with pointed ears and the second a silver haired girl who appeared to be around his age.
"Everyone listen up." Merse spoke up, the entire group listening with rapt attention.
" A nearby village has been losing villagers every day for the past week. The villagers suspect that it's monsters causing these disappearances since eye witness reports say they've seen them near the outskirts of the village and have requested our aid." Merse briefed the group.
"We are fortunate that the Chief Goddess has blessed us with another hero by the name of Shisui Uchiha to accompany us on our holy mission." Merse stated.
"Shisui, I have no doubt you'll perform greatly on our mission today. Now, any questions?" Merse asked, waiting for anyone to either raise their hand or speak up.
When 10 seconds had passed and she got neither, Merse took it as a sign that everyone was ready to start the mission.
"Alright then, let's go!" Merse proclaimed as the gates guarding Lescatie opened.
The group had now exited the safety of Lescatie and were now at the mercy of the forest and all the creatures, both normal and monster.
(7 hours later)
An extremely tiring and boring 7 long hours had passed during which Shisui got to know a bit about some of his team mates. He learned that the green haired girl was actually a human-elf hybrid named Primera and the silver haired girl was named Wilmarina. The group had finally neared the village as they could see it in the distance. Shisui however felt something was off.
"Guys, stay back." Shisui ordered as he sensed for any signs of hostile parties. Years in the ANBU had sharpened his tracking skills to the point where he was on par with an Inuzuka. Shisui sensed for any signs of life and suspiciously found none.
"Something's not right. I advise you all draw your weapons." He advised.
The group cautiously approached the village with their weapons drawn and upon reaching the entrance of the village... saw a revolting sight.
Dead bodies littered the village's main street.
The sight was truly gut-wrentching. Most of the group looked as if they wanted to vomit and even Primera looked visibly uncomfortable. Shisui however was rather unfazed by this sight, as this was something he had grown accustomed to as a ninja.
"By the Chief God...what happened here?" Wilmarina asked shocked.
"Isn't it obvious? Monsters!" Primera snapped back.
Shisui didn't know much about these monsters, but to him Primera's answer was the most logical given the circumstances.
Wilmarina noticed that not too far from her were two corpses, that of a woman and a young boy.
Shisui knew the harsh realities of war and the suffering that accompanied it. On the outside his facial expression was neutral but on the inside he was silently grieving for the many lives lost. Whoever did this would face justice he told himself.
Wilmarina on the other hand was still in shock, no doubt deeply disturbed by the sights she had seen today. Shisui placed a hand on her shoulder, hoping it would help somewhat.
After staring at the corpses of the woman and the boy for a good minute Wilmarina walked towards them and closed their eyes.
"May you find peace in the afterlife." She muttered softly as a tear streaked down her face.
"I see someone on the roof!" Primera alerted the group as she pointed towards said roof where she saw someone, snapping Wilmarina out of her thoughts.
Everyone turned their attention towards the roof Primera pointed at. Standing on top of the roof was a man draped in a black cloak, white porcelain mask and a top hat.
"You there! Do you know who or what caused this!?" Merse asked.
The man remained eerily silent, merely just staring at the group. His silence only fueled the groups suspicion until finally, after what felt like an eternity he spoke up.
"You humans are all the same. Acting like you're superior to every living creature on this planet just because your hypocritical God goads your egos with honeyed words." The man stated bitterly.
"You dare insult the Chief God heretic! Now tell us who here was responsible for the deaths of these villagers or face the righteous wrath of her servants!" Merse warned.
"Hehe Isn't it already obvious to you, Merse." The man asked, specifically saying Merse's name in a teasing manner.
The pieces of the puzzle slowly came together in Merse's mind. The villagers claimed that monsters were regularly kidnapping villagers. That story didn't add up as all of the 'lost' villagers were here in the village, albeit lifeless. To make matters worse all of the supposed 'monsters' were not even near the village and Primera didn't notice any Demonic Energy within a two kilometre radius. The only person alive in the village was this man.
She didn't want to believe it, truly she didn't. But the evidence was overwhelming.
"You...killed everyone in this village didn't you?" Merse asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
The man then jumped down from the building, and cleared his throat before speaking.
"Yes I did. Even when the mamono offered you an olive branch you humans merely responded with swords and arrows." The man stated harshly.
"And your point is?" Shisui spoke up.
"War, segregation, hatred. That is all humanity is capable of, and ever will be capable of. And that is why I've taken it upon myself to rid this planet of the disease known as man." The man explained.
The man than dissapeared from view, and reappeared behind Wilmarina.
"This is payback for all the mamono you killed!" He angry declared as he prepared to stab Wilmarina. However before he could do so Shisui blocked the man's sword with his own.
"Just because some humans are bad doesn't mean everyone is like that. You can't judge everyone for the actions of a few" Shisui tried to reason with the man as the two of them met in a furious dance of blades which echoed through the night air.
Shisui had to admit, this man was fast and had almost gotten the better him where it not for his many years of training. Felling the odds steadily going against his favour Shisui decided it was now or never to use to use one ace up his sleeve; the Sharingan.
'What the? His eyes they're' The man mused as Shisui's attacks became twice as fast and twice as hard.
Eventually the man was overwhelmed by Shisui's superior kenjutsu skills as his sword was flung out of his hand.
With his sword to the man's throat Shisui offered him an ultimatum.
"Either you come with us and face justice for your actions, or I kill you on the spot and bring your head back to the King." Shisui offered.
"Fuck you..." The man croaked out.
The immediate area was filled with smoke that hindered everyone's vision except Shisui's.
"Cough What cough the-" Wilmarina wheezed as she tried to understand what was going on.
When the smoke finally cleared the man was gone. Shisui tried to scan for his Spirit Energy signature but found none. Saddened and angered that innocents had died and that the killer had escaped Shisui decided that the only thing that could be done now was head back to Lescatie and issue a bounty for the killer.
"I recommend we head back and inform the King that a killer is currently on the loose." Shisui advised the group as she sheathed his sword.
No doubt today could've went a lot better. Unfortunately Shisui just had more questions than answers after what transpired today. What did the man mean that the monsters, or mamono as he called them, had offered the humans an Olive branch? Why did accuse Wilmarina of being a murderer? All these questions would have to unfortunately wait until Shisui got back to Lescatie. Until then he would have to wait until tomorrow to get his answers.