"Sorry we kept you. A lot happened. How is Izumi holding up?"
Seventeen hours past their rendezvous time, Shisui and Honoka return shortly before dusk.
"She is-" Itachi starts
"Itachi. Izumi. I sincerely apologise for the belatedness," Honoka interrupts, "as Shisui mentioned earlier, a lot has happened, and I wish to make justifications for each minute of the way. I believe such information would placate any concerns you may have. Allow me to provide an account and if you have any questions, please refrain them until the end."
She proceeds to explain with minute attention to detail. But less than thirty seconds in, Shisui swiftly interposes.
"Honoka, I don't think that level of detail is necessary."
"…and between the hours of five and seven in the morning, we continued west. There were no interferences…" she continues without heed to Shisui's comment.
"Honoka…Honoka!" Shisui presses a hand to her shoulder, "you don't need to justify every minute."
But beneath the layers of her very monotonous features, they see the overt discomfort and a portion of opinionated words that are heavily suppressed. Honoka is now positioned in a slight bow that denotes obedience, and it may be the years of conditioning that renders her need to justify the events in exhaustive detail.
Shisui seems to catch on to this presumption because he softens in a manner that evokes compassion.
"Honoka, under my leadership, it is not necessary that you explain everything. Itachi and Izumi can fill in the gaps, and if they would like additional clarification around anything, they can ask you directly. This saves precious time that we do not have. And on return to Konoha, you can offer for a further explanation if you like. Is that okay?"
His rationale is remarkably concise yet pragmatic. And if there is anyone that can perceive Honoka's state of mind, it would be Shisui. Itachi is uncertain whether this is just a trait of his leadership style – the ability to adapt, or whether he is seemingly more attuned to Honoka's unusual personality.
"An order but with options," she replies pensively, "Shisui, that is a very peculiar way of thinking. Regardless, I will accept your words."
He gives a relieved sigh, then returns his watch to Itachi.
"Izumi, how is she doing?"
He gazes dubiously at Izumi's unconscious form.
"She only briefly woke for several minutes then returned to that unconscious state and has been like that since," Itachi replies.
"I see."
Without another word, Shisui begins perusing the surroundings and only stopping short of the blackened liquid Izumi had expelled earlier.
"That was much bigger before, but it shrunk over time. I did attempt to remove it, but it burnt through everything that touched it," Itachi explains.
He refrains from discussing the ill effects, and how he would fall into an abnormal trance if he stood too close to it.
Shisui, however, appears to read through Itachi's action for withholding said information.
"It affected you too, didn't it?" he asks quietly.
He does not await Itachi's reply. There is now a contemplative expression to his face, as if there is more to his presence than just them reuniting.
"Shisui, are you perhaps looking for the black spores again?" Honoka queries.
The following silence is tentative.
"Yes, I am," he answers.
And beneath the furrowed lines, Itachi sees the eerie glint of his Mangekyou, and the way it assimilates the space around Izumi.
"Help me bring Izumi to a sitting position. I'm going to try and remove the black spores from her body," Shisui says, "I'll explain everything later," he continues at Itachi's perplexed expression.
They pull Izumi upright, and together with Honoka's assistance, they hold her still on either side.
For quite some time, Shisui sits with his palms pressed firmly against either side of Izumi's head. His concentration remains unexpectedly stilted, as if an unknown presence is challenging his willpower.
"Itachi, turn on your Sharingan," Shisui says.
When Itachi complies, the change in atmosphere is unsettling. He sees the abnormality in her chakra and the way it manifests a will of its own. But the more scrutiny he gives, the more apparent the manipulation - something is controlling Izumi's life force.
"Sorry, Itachi, but you won't be able to see everything. Though I can surmise that you are able to see its unwavering control."
He nods in affirmation.
And for several long minutes, he watches in bemusement. The way Izumi's chakra amasses itself in one central location – her head – and the way Shisui is manoeuvring its movement, one string at a time, until it disperses in multiple directions and resettles in its original area. Left behind is a small dense ball of an unusual, coloured chakra. Itachi's instinct alludes to a foreign source, but his Sharingan testifies it to be Izumi's.
When Shisui unravels the outer layer of that dense ball, Izumi suddenly wakes and releases a petrifying screech that curdles his blood and penetrates his ears. Then, she leans forward and expels a large amount of blackened liquid.
"Izumi!"
Itachi takes hold of her flailing arm.
"Keep her still," Shisui orders.
Together with immense stamina, Itachi and Honoka work to curb her thrashing. Meanwhile, Shisui takes the next move and dismantles the second layer of that murky coloured chakra.
But this time, Izumi's violence is intolerable. She resists Itachi and Honoka's tenacious grip, then throws them both to the opposite ends of the room.
"Itachi! Honoka!" Shisui cries.
They swiftly re-calibrate whilst Izumi regurgitates another pile of blackened liquid. The substance has diverged to her nose and is dribbling steadily to the grounds.
She is now conscious.
"Are you okay?" Shisui asks uncertainly.
She nods and turns apprehensively towards Itachi and Honoka.
"I'm sorry, I don't know why I did that," she utters.
"It's fine, are you hurt anywhere?" Itachi winces.
She shakes her head.
"Excuse me, Izumi, but there is something coming out of your nose," Honoka says blankly.
She points a slack finger and makes a zig-zag gesture.
Izumi, however, is seemingly lost in her own trance like state and is staring vacantly at the walls in front.
"Let's break for now. We'll continue this later," Shisui sighs.