The Curse of the Uchiha's – Chapter 3

The night stretched endlessly over the Hidden Leaf Village, a blanket of darkness heavy with unspoken words and concealed emotions. The rain, relentless and heavy, pounded against the windowpanes of the Hokage's office, its rhythm matching the pulse of the village that never quite seemed to slow down. Inside, the atmosphere was thick with tension, a quiet hum of voices and hurried footsteps. Shisui Uchiha stood by the window, eyes narrowed, his hand gripping the edge of the glass as he stared into the storm outside.

Naruto Uchiha had survived. The medical ninjas had performed everything in their power to save him, but it wasn't just his broken body that had been saved—it was his spirit that had been given a second chance, a chance he never thought he would see again. But even with the surgeries, the blood transfusions, the healing jutsu, there was something that weighed heavily in Shisui's heart—a burden he could no longer carry alone.

He had given up his eye. It was an irreversible decision that meant his own life would be forever altered, and he couldn't help but wonder if it had been the right one. His Sharingan, a symbol of power and legacy, was now in the hands of the very person who had been rejected by the village, the very person who had suffered in silence. Naruto Uchiha, the forgotten son of the Uchiha clan, the boy who had been tortured by the past sins of his family, now carried a piece of that legacy within him. And for better or worse, Shisui could not help but feel responsible for what would come next.

The door behind him creaked open, and Shisui turned to see the Hokage's assistant entering the room, her face as unreadable as ever.

"Shisui, he's awake," she said, her voice firm, yet laced with concern. "You should go see him."

He nodded, not trusting his voice to convey the mix of emotions churning inside him. His mind was still reeling from the surgery, from the moment he had made the decision to donate his eye to Naruto. He had known it was dangerous, yet something had driven him to do it anyway. Perhaps it was guilt, or perhaps it was the overwhelming desire to give Naruto a chance at a future he so desperately deserved. Either way, it was done. And now, all that was left was to see what kind of person Naruto would become with the Sharingan inside him.

Shisui left the office and made his way to the infirmary, his footsteps muffled by the soft, wet earth of the village streets. The rain had slowed to a drizzle, and the world around him seemed to reflect his inner turmoil. As he entered the medical wing, he was met by a familiar sight—the sterile, quiet hallways, the flickering lights overhead, the scent of antiseptic in the air. But it wasn't the usual calm that greeted him. It was an air of tension, of unease, as if the very walls knew something had changed.

When he reached Naruto's room, Shisui hesitated for a moment, his hand hovering over the door handle. What would he find on the other side? Would Naruto accept the gift of the Sharingan, or would it only serve to further isolate him from the world?

Taking a deep breath, Shisui pushed the door open, stepping into the dimly lit room. Naruto was sitting on the bed, his back against the headboard, staring out the window. His face was pale, his features drawn and worn from the ordeal he had been through, but there was something else—something different in his eyes.

Naruto's left eye was now the color of a blood-red moon, the three tomoe swirling slowly in the blackness. The Sharingan. But it wasn't just any Sharingan. This one carried with it the weight of generations of Uchiha power, the weight of Shisui's sacrifice.

Shisui took a tentative step forward, his heart heavy with anticipation. "Naruto," he said softly, trying to keep his voice steady.

Naruto didn't turn to face him, his gaze still fixed on the darkening sky outside. "Shisui-nii," he whispered, his voice low and hoarse. "Why did you do it?"

Shisui felt his chest tighten, the weight of Naruto's question nearly unbearable. "Because I couldn't watch you suffer any longer," he said, his words thick with emotion. "Because I care about you, Naruto. You're family. And family protects each other."

Naruto didn't respond immediately. Instead, he reached up, his hand trembling slightly as he touched the bandage wrapped around his left eye. His fingers brushed against the stitches that held the new eye in place, and for a moment, Shisui could see the raw vulnerability in his expression.

"I never asked for this," Naruto said, his voice cracking. "I never asked to be a part of this cursed clan. I never asked for any of it."

Shisui's heart ached. He knew the burden Naruto carried—knew the scars that ran deeper than any physical wound. He had seen it in his eyes, had felt the weight of it every time he looked at the boy.

"You don't have to bear it alone," Shisui said, his voice firm, yet gentle. "You're not alone, Naruto. I'm here. And I always will be."

But Naruto's face hardened, his jaw clenching as if the words stung. "I'm cursed. No matter how much you try to help, no matter what you do for me, I'll always be the failure. The disgrace of the Uchiha clan."

Shisui took a step forward, his eyes softening with sympathy. "That's not true. You are not a failure. You have more strength in you than most people could ever hope for. You just haven't seen it yet."

Naruto's eyes flicked to him, and for the briefest moment, Shisui saw a flicker of something—hope? Desperation? It was gone too quickly to be sure, but it was there, if only for an instant.

"The village… they hate me," Naruto muttered, his voice distant. "They always have. I'm nothing more than the demon they think I am."

"No," Shisui said, his voice low but unwavering. "You're more than that, Naruto. You're more than the rumors and the lies. And I'm going to prove it to you. I won't let you fall into that darkness. I won't let you be consumed by it."

Naruto turned his gaze back to the window, his expression unreadable. "It's already too late, Shisui-nii. I'm already lost."

Shisui felt a pang of sadness, but he refused to let it show. "It's never too late," he said, his voice firm with conviction. "You have a future, Naruto. A future beyond the past. And I'll help you find it. Together."

Naruto's lips twitched, a faint smile playing at the corner of his mouth. "You're an idiot, Shisui-nii."

But there was no malice in his words—only a trace of something that might have been hope.

Shisui smiled, his heart lightening. "Yeah, but I'm your idiot."

The two shared a brief, quiet moment, and for the first time in a long while, the silence between them didn't feel so heavy.

Outside, the rain had finally stopped, leaving behind a world washed clean by the storm. And inside, amidst the shadows and the remnants of past pain, there was a flicker of light—small, fragile, but real. A chance for redemption. A chance for healing.

And, for the first time in his life, Naruto Uchiha wasn't entirely alone.