"Cloud ninja?"
"Help me."
The Konoha ninja lying on the ground tried to lift his head, but after muttering a few words, he fell unconscious.
"This…"
Seeing this, Omoi and Karui exchanged glances, hesitant to make a move.
"Karui, did you hear what he just said clearly?" The lollipop rolled twice in Omoi's mouth. After a long pause, he turned to Karui beside him and asked.
"No."
"This person is a ninja from Konoha, and this family crest…"
"It's Konoha's Uchiha clan!"
Karui stepped forward, squatted beside the black-clad ninja, examined him carefully, placed her fingers on his neck to check his pulse, and then turned back to speak.
"Konoha's Uchiha clan? The ones with the Sharingan?!"
"If we take him back to Cloud Village, Raikage-sama might reward us greatly!"
Omoi's eyes lit up at the thought, but before he could celebrate, Karui instantly appeared in front of him and punched him hard on the head.
"You idiot, what are you even saying?!"
"Master and the two Yugito-samas are in Konoha right now. If Konoha finds out we took an Uchiha clan member back to the village, Master and the others will be in danger!"
Omoi couldn't dodge in time and took the full force of Karui's punch. He immediately winced in pain, clutching his head and squatting down, groaning, "If we can't do it, we can't do it! But why hit me?!"
Karui shot him a glare, shook her right hand in front of her chest in a clear warning, and Omoi, after opening his mouth to argue, thought better of it and huffed, looking away.
She turned back to the unconscious ninja and said, "Hey, since we can't take him to Cloud Village, we should leave quickly."
"The less we interfere, the better. There's no need for us to get involved in Konoha's affairs."
"We should leave before anyone sees us. If we're misunderstood, we could be in trouble."
As a ninja, caution while traveling was crucial. Countless others had lost their lives due to unnecessary meddling. Regardless of why this Konoha ninja ended up here, getting involved would surely bring trouble.
Omoi just wanted to reach Konoha safely, meet his master, and complete the task assigned by Raikage Ai—he had no interest in unnecessary complications.
"No, we can't just leave him here. He's badly injured. If we ignore him, he'll definitely die."
Karui shook her head firmly.
"But…" Omoi tried to protest, but Karui held up a hand to stop him.
"Enough, I know what you're thinking."
"But we can't just abandon him. We'll figure out a way to help him and take him to Konoha."
"Master and the two Yugito-samas are in Konoha right now. If we save an Uchiha and bring him back to the village, it might ease tensions between us and Konoha."
"This kind of goodwill could make Konoha look out for Master and Yugito-sama."
"Omoi, set up traps around the area, then scout outside to see if you can find any clues."
Karui flipped the unconscious ninja over and began examining his injuries, treating them carefully while staying alert for potential enemy traps.
Omoi, seeing her determination, sighed in frustration, rubbed his head, and leaped onto a tree branch to survey the surroundings.
Nightfall
The sky was dark, with only a few stars flickering above.
In the dense forest on the border of the Land of Fire, a campfire crackled, lighting up the darkness.
Beside the fire, Omoi and Karui sat roasting a hare. They were emissaries from Cloud Village to Konoha, carrying official documents from Konoha's border forces, so they had no fear of being discovered.
In the center of their campsite, a young man with a Konoha forehead protector lay on the ground, resting against a rock. His breathing was steady.
Suddenly, his eyes snapped open.
His pupils spun into black, windmill-like patterns. The young man silently observed the two Cloud ninjas before narrowing his eyes, as if recalling something. His gaze lingered on Karui for a moment before he blinked.
Then, his eyes shifted back to their normal black color.
The young man muttered something under his breath and placed a hand on the ground, struggling to sit up.
"You're awake?"
Omoi and Karui immediately noticed the movement. Omoi jumped up, startled, then quickly moved to help the young man sit up.
"Who are you?" The young man glanced at their clothing and forehead protectors, his expression unreadable.
"As you can see, we're Cloud Village ninjas, traveling to Konoha on business."
"My name is Karui, and he's Omoi."
"You collapsed near our camp, so we decided to help you."
Karui smiled, watching the young man's still-weak expression.
"Karui? Omoi?"
The young man murmured, then glanced down at his body. He was wrapped in white bandages, his wounds still aching, but he could feel the cooling effect of medicine applied to stop the bleeding.
"Thank you. I'm a Konoha ninja—my name is Shisui Uchiha."
A few strands of slightly curled hair fell over his face as he introduced himself. Shisui brushed them back, offering a gentle smile.
But the moment his name fell, Omoi and Karui froze.
Omoi's mouth hung open in shock. The lollipop in his mouth dropped to the ground without him even noticing.
"You… Konoha's Shunshin Shisui?!"
After a long pause, Omoi trembled as he spoke. He couldn't believe that the person they had rescued was none other than the legendary Shisui of the Body Flicker.
"…Yes, that's me."
Uchiha Shisui nodded calmly.
"Ahhh!!!"
"It's over! It's over! It's over!"
Hearing Shisui's confirmation, Omoi clutched his head in despair and howled.
Shisui tilted his head in confusion, watching Omoi's meltdown.
"You're actually Konoha's Shisui!"
"If you are here, injured, that means… someone terrifying must be chasing you!"
"And if they're after you, that means we're also in danger!"
"If they find you here, they'll assume Karui and I are your accomplices and kill us too!"
"And if we don't arrive in Konoha on time, Raikage-sama will think something happened to us!"
"If something happens to us, it will affect Master and the others! Raikage-sama will lose it! Then Konoha and Cloud Village will go to war!"
"And then I don't know how many innocent women and children will die because of me!"
"Doesn't that make me the sinner of Cloud Village?!"
Omoi ranted at high speed, leaving Shisui speechless.
This kid had managed to overthink an entire catastrophic chain of events in seconds.
Shisui had never seen someone like this before—it was terrifying.
Karui, who had initially taken Omoi's words seriously, quickly realized something was off. This kid was just spiraling again.
Omoi was one of Killer Bee's disciples, highly skilled in ninjutsu, and at just 16 years old, he had grown into an exceptional ninja.
But he had two major issues—forgetfulness and chronic pessimism.
His pessimism was practically ingrained into his DNA. Even the smallest matters could send his mind racing into absurd scenarios.
"Ahhh!!! What do we do?!"
Omoi kept muttering anxiously to himself.
Karui, finally losing patience, kicked him to the ground.
Omoi, still lying on his back, continued to mumble nonsense.
"Sorry, he's always been like this. You don't have to worry about him."
"Konoha's Body Flicker Shisui… I've heard of you for a long time."
"Although Omoi lacks a brain, he's right about one thing."
"The person who could seriously injure Uchiha Shisui must be a formidable enemy."
Karui looked at Shisui Uchiha solemnly and asked, "I don't know… who was it?"
As she spoke, she extinguished the campfire with sand.
In the darkness of night, a fire was the biggest giveaway of their position. Karui had no desire to face an enemy that even Uchiha Shisui couldn't defeat.
"The enemy… doesn't seem to be pursuing me."
"If they were, I should already be dead."
"Although I don't know their true intentions, I should be safe for now."
Uchiha Shisui lowered his gaze slightly, his expression dark. His cheek twitched faintly, as if he were suppressing his emotions. He didn't reveal anything more to Karui. After a long pause, he slowly pulled out a scroll from his robe and held it out.
"This is…?" Karui glanced at the scroll in Shisui's hand, then looked at him suspiciously.
"Although I don't know why they chose not to finish me off, I don't believe they've given up on killing me."
"Just in case, I can't travel with you. You're heading to Konoha, aren't you?"
"Can you deliver this scroll to Konoha and hand it over to the Fourth Hokage?"
"Even if I die, as long as you can get this scroll into Lord Raiden's hands, then my death will have meaning."
Uchiha Shisui spoke in a low voice.
Hearing this, Karui's face showed a flicker of curiosity. She instinctively reached out to take the scroll, but just as her fingers were about to touch it, Omoi—who had been deep in thought—suddenly sprang up, grabbed her hand, and shouted:
"No!"
"Sorry, but we can't help you!"
"You should return to Konoha and deliver this scroll yourself!"
Omoi looked frantic, terrified that Karui would foolishly take the scroll.
This was a hot potato! Who knew what was inside? If Shisui's unknown enemy had failed to obtain it and still wanted it, they would definitely be hunted down.
Omoi only wanted to get to Konoha safely—he had no interest in getting involved in Uchiha Shisui's mission.
Shisui's expression darkened for a moment, but he soon nodded in understanding.
"I see… that's a shame."
"But thank you for saving me."
"Forget about it."
Shisui nodded and began to withdraw his hand, intending to take back the scroll.
But at that moment, Karui snatched it from his grasp.
"Don't worry, it's just on the way. As long as we reach Konoha safely, we'll make sure this scroll is delivered."
Her gaze was firm.
Uchiha Shisui wasn't surprised by her decision. He simply nodded, then exhaled softly, adjusting his position and lying back down. His injuries were severe, and he needed rest.
"Hey! Karui, what do you think you're doing?!"
Omoi was stunned. He hadn't expected Karui to accept the mission so recklessly. He growled in frustration and reached to snatch the scroll back.
But Karui swiftly dodged his grasp, then tucked the scroll into her chest.
Omoi, seeing this, hesitated. After all, Karui was a girl, and he wasn't about to go grabbing around there.
Instead, he could only glare at her, fuming, "Why are you doing this?! Why do we have to get involved?!"
"Just in case."
Karui glanced back at Shisui, who lay on the ground, then turned to Omoi and interrupted, "Think about Master and the others in Konoha. We don't know what happened to the legendary Uchiha Shisui, but whatever it is, it's not a small matter."
"If we complete this mission for Shisui, it could earn Konoha's goodwill."
"Omoi, we need to move—now. We should split up from Mr. Shisui."
"Mr. Shisui, this hare is for you."
Karui spoke softly, then grabbed Omoi's hand and swiftly left the camp, making it clear she intended to travel overnight.
Shisui watched as Karui and Omoi disappeared into the forest, a faint smile appearing on his face.
Then, with great effort, he slowly sat up, reignited the bonfire, and leaned against the rock.
The night was quiet.
Not long after Karui and Omoi left, a soft rustling sound came from the dense jungle.
Shisui's expression immediately tensed.
A kunai had silently appeared in his hand, clenched tightly between his fingers.
His eyes flickered, black tomoe spinning within them, as he gazed into the darkness.
"It really is a nice pair of eyes…"
"Just as I expected. Your eyes have successfully evolved into the Mangekyō Sharingan, haven't they?"
A voice echoed from the depths of the forest.
Moments later, a figure slowly emerged from the shadows.
The moonlight illuminated the stranger's face—his features were handsome, yet under the pale glow of the night, his expression seemed even colder.
His long black hair draped loosely down his back, and he wore a crimson armor—the style reminiscent of the Warring States period.
Though his eyes were tightly shut, he moved without hesitation, walking straight toward Shisui.
"I found you. A little faster than I expected."
"…Uchiha Madara."
Shisui's voice was low.
The kunai in his grip, which had been clenched so tightly, loosened slightly.
(End of Chapter)