Uchiha Clan Compound.
Caw—caw—
Flocks of crows descended from the night sky, circling before landing inside a modest little courtyard.
The yard sat deep within the Uchiha compound—plain, quiet, almost secluded.
"Is that you, Itachi?"
Hearing the noise outside, Shisui, his eyes wrapped in bandages, slowly pushed the door open.
Creak.
The sound of a wheelchair scraping against the wooden floor was unusually sharp in the stillness.
When Itachi saw this scene, the calm, rippleless look in his eyes couldn't help but tremble—just slightly.
So faint it was almost imperceptible.
In the darkness, even if one tried to see it, they wouldn't.
But Shisui wasn't just seeing.
"Your heart's in turmoil," he said after a brief pause, gesturing to the seat beside him. "Sit. Have a glass of water."
Watching him, Itachi frowned faintly.
"Shisui-niisan… you seem a bit… different."
The Shisui before him was nothing like the sunny, spirited young man he remembered.
He was like stagnant water—utterly still. No ripples. No change.
"Different?"
Shisui tugged at the corner of his mouth, trying—and failing—to form a familiar smile.
"I'm already a dead man."
The darkness before his eyes seemed to be slowly swallowing the last traces of light in his heart.
The two stood facing each other in silence.
"Shisui-niisan… I'll be going."
After a while, Itachi took his leave.
Rustle.
When he pushed the door open, the moonlight outside had already vanished, leaving behind only thick, oppressive darkness.
It quietly swallowed the entire Uchiha compound.
Only the dim yellow lamplight inside the room remained.
Just as Itachi lifted his foot, about to step into that heavy night—
Shisui suddenly spoke from behind him.
"Itachi… have you made your choice?"
Tap.
His raised foot froze on the threshold.
His back stiffened, motionless.
Only when the lamplight behind him finally went out—dark as ink—
Did he chuckle softly and reply,
"Shisui-niisan, it's late. You should rest early."
His foot came down.
And he was swallowed by the night.
Gone.
Drip.
Drip.
Outside the window, the faint sound of night dew falling echoed intermittently.
"…That Itachi. Leaving without even closing the door."
After a long while, Shisui finally moved his wheelchair forward to shut it.
Clatter—
Bang!
But just as the wooden door was about to close, a small, youthful hand suddenly slipped through the gap.
"Hm? Itachi, you—hm?"
Shisui froze, instinctively speaking—then immediately realized something was off.
"…You're Kai?"
"Yo, Toko-nii, you're surprisingly free tonight, huh?"
Shisui: "..."
This kid's mouth really was something else.
And yet—
The dead, lifeless surface of his heart rippled, just a little.
He gave a bitter smile.
"It's the middle of the night. Not sleeping, you…"
"What, he can come in but I can't?"
Kai ignored Shisui entirely, yanking the door open and squeezing inside.
His small figure swayed lazily through the dim room.
Like a landowner casually inspecting his own territory.
Finally, Shisui couldn't hold back any longer and asked the question that had been gnawing at him:
"Why did you save me?"
"I didn't save you," Kai replied unexpectedly.
"I saved the Uchiha clan."
That answer made Shisui think of many things.
The Uchiha.
Konoha.
And Itachi's wavering stance.
His entire body stiffened. Even the hand he'd raised didn't know where to go.
In the end, it could only drop to the side of the wheelchair, fingers digging tightly into the armrest.
Kai looked at Shisui—who barely reached his chest now—and grinned, lifting a hand to tap his forehead.
"Shisui, your heart's in turmoil."
Shisui: "..."
Those words felt eerily familiar.
Only the positions had been completely reversed.
He raised his head, staring straight ahead.
He couldn't see anything—but in his mind, a youthful face quietly took shape.
Just a child!
And—
Judging by his behavior, not even a particularly smart one.
So why was it that every time he spoke with Kai, he felt completely seen through?
As if there wasn't a shred of covering left on him.
As though he stood naked before Kai.
Like a giant standing above fate itself, looking down at him.
More than once, Shisui had wondered—
Could it be that Kai's eyes were able to see through destiny itself?
He'd never been able to confirm it.
After hesitating, he still asked,
"Why save me? I've lost both eyes. My dōjutsu is gone. My legs are broken. I'm crippled."
"…I'm already useless."
Kai waved it off casually.
"Useless is great. Useless people are way easier to farm traits with."
Shisui didn't understand a single word of that.
He simply assumed Kai was spouting nonsense again and shook his head.
"So… what do you need me to do?"
"Huh? You noticed already?"
Kai looked a little surprised. It seemed that dying and coming back really had changed Shisui's mindset.
He didn't beat around the bush.
"I need you as muscle. The Uchiha clan's muscle."
"Oh, right—one reminder."
"I'm the one who saved you."
"So strictly speaking—"
"You, Uchiha Shisui, should belong to me from now on. My servant."
At those words, the playful slackness vanished completely from Kai's face, replaced by pure seriousness.
He stared straight at Shisui.
In his right palm, delicate adamantine chains materialized.
Three intertwined together—
And at their center…
An eyeball.
Kotoamatsukami.
The reason Kai had waited this long to have this conversation—
Was because he'd been figuring out how to use it.
And today, he finally understood it completely.
Now, if Shisui dared say even a single word of refusal—
Kai wouldn't hesitate to fire it off.
Shisui's Kotoamatsukami was extremely useful.
Worst case?
He'd just treat the clan-extermination scenario like a game of collecting SSR cards.
Of course—
Someone like Danzo?
Not even a dog would want him.
"So… Kai's already prepared to completely oppose the village?"
Hearing this, Shisui fell silent once more.
He vaguely grasped what was coming—
Even glimpsed scenes of brothers turning blades on each other in the future.
It left him drained.
And made the torment in his heart even worse.
Run away.
Perhaps death was the only escape.
Sensing Shisui's emotions, Kai leaned in closer and whispered softly by his ear,
"Of course, Toko-nii, if you really want to die, that's even easier."
"Ever heard of the Second Hokage's forbidden technique…"
"Edo Tensei?"
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