Chapter 9: Shisui the Body Flicker

"Ah! Ah!"

Two young ninjas from Mist Village (Kiri) were rolling around in the grass. Their bloodshot eyes were wide open, and drool was flowing from their mouths as their screams almost echoed through the entire forest.

"Lord Ao, what's wrong with them?"

"Byakugan."

The ninja from Mist Village (Kiri) used his Byakugan to look into the distance and saw a despairing figure. Without any hesitation, he shouted...

"Retreat!"

"Lord Ao, are we just going to leave without even seeing the enemy?"

"Idiot! That's Shisui Uchiha from Konoha! All of us combined can't even hold a candle to him. Hurry up and retreat!"

......................

"Truly worthy of the title 'Shisui the Body Flicker.'"

The Third Hokage caught sight of the young Shisui Uchiha and couldn't help but think of his old friend, Kagami Uchiha. They were both young and responsible, always thinking about the village.

"Third Hokage, you're overpraising me. I have a request. Please grant it."

"What is it? Tell me."

"Lately, the relationship between the Uchiha clan and Konoha Village has been extremely strained. I want to step in and bridge the gap between them. I hope you'll allow it."

The Third Hokage regarded Shisui Uchiha with a deep sense of relief. There were truly young folks like him in the village, doing their utmost to bridge the gap between people.

"Okay, do as you please. I'll publicly declare that you're on a top - secret mission I've assigned. If anything happens, just mention my name."

Shisui nodded and disappeared in a flash.

.....................

On the outskirts of Konoha Village stood the secret hideout of Itachi and Shisui.

"Itachi, do you think Mr. Fugaku will really stage a coup?"

"I'm not sure. But ever since the Nine - Tailed Fox incident, the Uchiha clan has truly been under greater scrutiny. Everyone's on pins and needles now. We've no idea when this tension will reach its breaking point."

"But I want to stop all this! I want to change the tense relationship between the village and the Uchiha clan."

"If the Uchiha clan makes changes, Konoha will follow suit. But will the Uchiha clan reciprocate when Konoha changes?"

"There's an Uchiha clan gathering tomorrow night, and I'm gonna be there. If Mr. Fugaku plans to stage a coup, I'll resort to using Kotoamatsukami on him if need be."

Shisui regarded Itachi with a look full of remorse. He really didn't wanna use this method to forcibly warp someone's will, especially when this person was his clan leader and his friend's father.

But at this juncture, it was the only option he could come up with.

"Will you blame me for doing this?"

"Go ahead. Do you need any help from me?"

Itachi cracked a slight smile, his eyes brimming with trust in Shisui.

"Good brother. I knew our ideals were the same. We both long for peace to arrive."

Seeing Itachi's firm support, Shisui's last trace of hesitation disappeared. He hoped that through his efforts, he could dispel the mistrust between the two parties and ensure everyone a brighter tomorrow.

"By the way, your younger brother Sasuke seems to have a pretty good relationship with that forbidden child recently. The top - brass in the Konoha think that the Uchiha clan has rekindled their ambitions and wants to secretly control the Nine - Tailed Fox through Sasuke."

"It's just kids playing together. Those parasites in the Konoha, under the pretext of thinking about the village, don't even spare a child. It's extremely despicable!"

Itachi widened his eyes with the Sharingan activated, looking fierce. He didn't care what those people did to him, anyway. But he didn't want his precious younger brother Sasuke to be hurt in the slightest.

It's really time to deal with the top - brass in the Konoha.

....................

"I'm so exhausted!"

Naruto wiped the sweat from his forehead and slumped to the ground.

"Out of steam already? Oh~ future Hokage!"

(╬￣皿￣)?

That bastard Sasuke! He's been pushing him so hard, not caring that his legs were as weak as noodles and he couldn't even stand up.

Every time he was exhausted, Sasuke would use the phrase 'future Hokage' to goad him. It was so annoying.

Sasuke looked at the battered Naruto. He knew that Naruto had reached his limit.

Today, he taught Naruto to gather the chakra in his body at his feet and climb the big tree, advancing what Kakashi had taught them in the Land of Waves before.

He rushed towards the top of the tree again and again, fell repeatedly, and though covered in injuries, never gave up.

Now the Uchiha clan is facing a huge turning point. He hopes that he and Naruto can change all this with their strength. This is the real purpose of his time - travel.

But he doesn't know what the final result will be. Could he really change the course of history? In the end, would it all be in vain?

As he pondered, his expression turned serious and his brows knitted.

"Poke!"

Naruto stretched out his finger and poked at Sasuke's furrowed brows. Sasuke, lost in thought, didn't notice at all.

"Ouch! What are you doing?"

"I saw your brows furrowed. You look like an old geezer. Girls won't dig you if you're always so glum."

Looking at Naruto, who was grinning and looking a bit smug, Sasuke got really angry.

He still remembered that his daughter, Sarada Uchiha, had a huge crush on the Seventh Hokage standing in front of him. She even idolized him, which made his sense of fatherly presence take a nosedive.

God knows how much he's silently seethed with jealousy.

"Oh~ You're still so full of beans. How about an extra round of training?"

"Ahhh----Nooo----You're a devil----"

The pitiful scream reverberated through the woods, scaring the birds off. When he collapsed on the grass again, he couldn't even twitch a finger. His stomach rumbled like thunder.

"Growl----Growl-----"

"Alright, that's enough training for today. Let's go home and eat!"

"Sasuke! Wait up. I'm beat. Can you give me a boost?" 

(╥╯^╰╥)

Looking at those tear-filled eyes, dirty clothes, and an indescribable sense of grievance, he sighed helplessly, walked to Naruto's side, and helped him stand up.

"Let's go, future Hokage!"

"Where to?"

"To my home. Aren't you hungry? We can have a meal together."

"Ah! Really? Great! It's been a long time since I last had Sasuke's mom's cooking. I'm definitely going to eat a lot more."

Sasuke was quite speechless. How little does this guy eat every time he comes? Every time he can eat as much as his whole family of four, but he just doesn't grow at all. He really doesn't know where all the nutrients go.

....................