"Ren… are you alright?"
"I'm obviously fine. But you'd better not be."
In a small grove behind the ANBU facilities, Shisui and Ren strolled side by side.
Shisui looked a little cautious.
Ren, meanwhile, wore a thoroughly sour expression.
Not because he had anything against anyone in particular—
It was just… anyone would look like this after their "good thing" got interrupted.
Still, Ren didn't dwell on it. Plenty of time ahead was a phrase he understood very well—
Whether as a noun… or as a verb.
He glanced at Shisui and lowered his voice. "So why did you call me out here? You know we really shouldn't be leaving ANBU right now."
"There are things I want to discuss with you… alone," Shisui said, scanning the area before speaking quietly.
"And… thank you. For covering for me."
"What Uchiha Obito said that night was too much."
Too much?
Ren blinked.
He didn't think it was "too much," exactly. Obito's words were drenched in conspiracy vibes, sure—
But when it came to judging Danzō…
Approaching from a "conspiracy" angle wasn't exactly unfair.
Because honestly?
Some of it… he might've actually done.
"You didn't drag me out here just to thank me," Ren said, shaking his head with a faint laugh.
"Obito's words are still bothering you, aren't they?"
Shisui fell silent.
He struggled for a moment—then nodded seriously.
Danzō's shadow had wrapped around his thoughts and refused to leave.
It had only been one night, but he'd tossed and turned until dawn.
If all of it was true…
Then what did the clan mean?
What did the village mean?
What was he supposed to do?
What was the clan supposed to do?
He didn't know.
But he knew he needed to understand more.
"As expected," Ren said lightly. "Obito really is a nasty bastard."
Ren wasn't surprised.
Shisui wasn't stupid exactly—but he was… soft.
In the original timeline, his starting point differed from Itachi's.
Shisui held both the clan and the village in his heart.
And his eventual suicide had been the result of being trapped between them, no path forward, no way back.
If he'd been harsher—if he'd been willing to strike the clan, or strike Konoha's upper levels—
Maybe things could've changed.
But now Shisui came to Ren instead.
Partly because of the bond they'd built as teammates—
Partly because Ren had covered for him, making Ren seem trustworthy.
In that case…
Why not give Danzō a little entertainment?
Ren had always lived by a simple principle:
A subordinate who lets his boss live too comfortably… isn't a qualified subordinate.
"I think you've misunderstood," Ren said, keeping his tone carefully restrained. "Obito's accusations toward Lord Danzō… aren't even worth mentioning."
He planned to "entertain" Danzō, yes—
But he would do it subtly.
At the same time, Ren expanded his sensing, carefully sweeping the surroundings.
After his recent upgrade, both his range and his precision had increased dramatically.
He could practically tell whether a bug carried chakra now.
Which meant he didn't even need to worry so much about the Aburame anymore.
"Lord Danzō's heart is with Konoha," Ren continued calmly. "He's often misunderstood, but he'll always act according to his own convictions."
"According to his own convictions…?" Shisui didn't quite understand.
Ren smiled softly. "Forget that. I heard a little story recently."
"Want to hear it?"
"…Huh?"
Shisui looked confused, but Ren continued anyway.
"Let me ask you something."
"Say a bandit joins a village, planning to loot it. The villagers unite and drive him out."
"But he leaves behind a child."
"Some villagers believe the child is the bandit's blood, and will inevitably follow the same path—so they insist the child should be killed."
"Others believe the child is a blank page. Even if his personality and temper resemble the bandit's… he can still be taught."
"In that situation—what would you choose?"
"Me…?"
Shisui hesitated. He felt like he understood what Ren was pointing at.
After thinking for a moment, he answered quietly.
"I'd choose the second option. The child… might be changed through guidance."
"Right," Ren nodded. "Maybe he could."
"But the first group opposed it," Ren went on, his smile brightening. "So they made a bet."
"To prove the child would inevitably become the bandit, the first group kept pushing him—guiding him, cornering him, forcing him."
"And the second group, because of the bet, didn't stop them. They only tried to teach the child to be good."
Ren tilted his head. "So tell me—what do you think happened in the end?"
Shisui frowned. He had a very bad feeling.
One side constantly pushed and shaped the outcome through pressure.
The other side tried to "teach" but refused to intervene.
No matter how he looked at it…
The ending wouldn't be good.
And he was starting to fully understand what Ren meant.
It sounded like—
It sounded like his clan.
"The ending," Ren said quietly without waiting for Shisui to answer, "was that the child grew under constant pressure and coercion."
"And when he became an adult… he slowly turned into his father."
"The first group raised their blades again without hesitation."
"And after it was done, they said smugly—'See? I won. The child was always like that.'"
"That's… obviously wrong," Shisui said through clenched teeth, shaking his head.
He couldn't accept that outcome.
"They forced him into it—shaped him into what they wanted—and then claimed victory?"
"How can that be winning?"
"Exactly," Ren said, turning calmly to look at him.
"How is that winning?"
"Shoot the arrow first, then paint the target."
"Flip cause and effect."
"How can that ever be victory?"
"It's just people acting according to their own fixed beliefs and will—so of course the result becomes exactly what they 'predicted.'"
Shisui's breath caught.
Paired with Obito's words from last night, something inside him clicked.
Shimura Danzō…
He only believed in his own judgment.
Even if he had to reverse cause and effect, even if he had to paint the target after the arrow landed—
He would still do it.
"How can he…" Shisui whispered, shaken.
He didn't understand.
He couldn't.
He didn't know what to do anymore.
He knew the clan's state well enough—that was why he'd chosen to stay in ANBU instead of returning.
But what was he supposed to do now?
"Honestly," Ren said, stretching lazily, "there's one thing I always found odd about that story."
"…What?" Shisui looked at him.
Ren shook his head and turned as if preparing to leave.
"Painting the target after the arrow isn't right."
"You can't gamble on human nature."
"But people also can't live without their own will."
"Maybe I'm overthinking it. A child doesn't have many ideas. When they first touch the world, they're clueless."
"But if it were an adult…"
Ren's voice stayed light—almost casual.
"An adult might see things more clearly."
"Wouldn't they?"
"An adult… see more clearly…"
Shisui repeated softly.
Ren waved a hand.
"Alright. Story time's over. I'm going back to rest."
"Obito's 'truth' isn't worth carrying in your heart. He's just a criminal."
"People should have their own judgment."
"You need to learn how to decide for yourself."
With that, Ren walked off without looking back.
Shisui stayed where he was.
His eyes flickered, thoughts racing.
Slowly—
His gaze hardened, becoming steadier by the second.
Read 50 chapters ahead on P@treon -> patreon.com/lucarioTL