A tall man stood on a tree branch some distance away with relaxed posture. He had spiky black hair and wore a high-collared flak jacket with the Uchiha crest proudly displayed on the back. A subtle, knowing smile played on his lips.
Without even thinking, Kazeo muttered under his breath, "Shisui…?"
The man's expression shifted into mild confusion as he flickered near Kazeo. "Huh? That's my name, yeah. But… I don't recall us ever meeting before."
He tilted his head curiously. "How do you know who I am?"
Kazeo froze again, his pulse spiking. 'Crap. I slipped up. Damn it, Kazeo, think!'
He couldn't exactly say, 'Oh, I know you from an anime I watched in previous life.' His brain scrambled to find a believable excuse.
"I... uh... I heard about you from some of my classmates," he blurted out nervously.
"They talk about you and Itachi a lot. They call you 'Shisui of the Body Flicker'... so, I just guessed."
Shisui gave a small nod, clearly unfazed by the mention of his nickname. It was well-known, after all—not that he particularly cared about fame. Still, a curious glint sparked in his eyes as he asked,
"Oh? Who talks about me so much in your class that you even know my face?"
Thinking quickly, Kazeo threw out the first Uchiha name that came to mind.
"You know Ishikawa? The loud one with the dramatic flair? He goes on and on about you and Itachi all the time."
Shisui chuckled lightly, the sound warm and genuine. "Ah, that kid. So you're in Ishikawa's class, huh? Then let me guess… you're Tanaka Kazeo?"
Kazeo blinked, caught off guard once again.
"Wait… you know me?" he asked, genuinely surprised.
Shisui nodded casually, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "Yeah, I know you. Ishikawa brings you up every time we meet. Always asking me for tips—says he needs to beat Kazeo and Kaito to claim the top spot in class."
A playful smile tugged at his lips. "Poor guy always ends up second, though."
Kazeo stared at him, stunned. The fact that Ishikawa not only knew Shisui personally but actually talked about him and Kaito during training sessions was unexpected.
They talked for another some minutes, when Shisui extended his hand with a calm smile.
"Nice to meet you properly. Uchiha Shisui."
Kazeo, still slightly on edge, reached out and shook it cautiously. "Tanaka Kazeo… You can just call me Kazeo."
For a fleeting second, the tension in his shoulders eased, until a thought struck him again. He tensed, his voice a little uncertain.
"Did you… see the whole fight?"
Shisui chuckled knowingly, easily reading the concern behind the question.
"Every bit of it. I'd say… that was one intense spar."
Kazeo didn't respond right away. His mind was spinning. That fight wasn't just a random exercise—he had pushed himself. His real chakra level, his combat style, even the mastery of techniques he'd carefully kept hidden from everyone—it had all been on display. And now, someone else knew.
'If Hiruzen hears about it… would he guess I've been concealing my chakra?'
Letting out a soft sigh, he forced himself to calm down and casually asked, "Were you… spying on me?"
Shisui blinked, a bit surprised by the question. Then he gave a small laugh. "Spying? No, not quite. If I was really spying, trust me—you wouldn't have noticed I was even here." He smiled wryly. "I've just been… observing. Now and then."
"Why?" Kazeo asked, still unsure.
"Because this is my training ground," Shisui said, walking toward one of the trees Kazeo had recently split open some days ago. He rested a hand on the cracked bark.
"I found this place back when I was still in the academy. Made it into my own little corner of Konoha. A spot good enough so that I could train without eyes always watching. Been using it ever since—unofficially, of course."
Kazeo's eyes widened just a bit, the weight in his chest lightening.
Shisui continued, voice calm and honest.
"A few years ago, I noticed someone else had been using it. Footprints. Signs of repeated strikes. Trees cut in ways too precise to be natural." He paused.
"So I started checking in once in a while. But you always trained alone. And honestly…" he glanced sideways at Kazeo, a small smile playing on his lips, "you were working hard. Really hard. So, I didn't want to interrupt."
Kazeo stayed silent. Shisui Uchiha... was watching me train all this time?
But something didn't add up.
'Wait. If he knew someone was using this place for years, he'd have already looked into who it was. That means he probably knew about me before today… So that story about Ishikawa might've just been a fake.'
Still, the biggest issue was: Shisui knew about his chakra.
'If he tells the Hiruzen, I'm screwed. I need to come up with something—anything—to stop that from happening…otherwise Hiruzen would surely put me under surveillance.'
Shisui seemed unaware of Kazeo's mental scramble. He tilted his head and continued, "But today's fight? It was solid. You pushed yourself. Though... you made quite a few rookie mistakes. You know that, right?"
Kazeo had planned to analyze the fight later anyway but now Shisui had shifted the topic, buying him time, and offering elite guidance in the process.
He nodded. "Yeah... I guess falling for the chakra thread and wire trick twice was pretty dumb. Any other mistakes?"
Shisui smiled. "Good. You've got the right attitude. Let's go through all of them. I'll only say this once—so listen carefully, alright?"
Kazeo nodded again, and Shishui started, "Your first mistake was your chakra management."
"You used a Shadow Clone right at the beginning. That's fine—but using jutsu one after another drained you fast. You knew your chakra was halved, but you didn't fight like it. Wind Style, Earth Style, Genjutsu, tools, wires… You spent chakra like a rich man at a festival."
"My advice is—in a spar like this, conserve chakra. Use fewer high-cost jutsu unless it's to turn the tide. You almost lost to your clone because you didn't budget your energy."
Kazeo processed it silently. 'He's right... I did burn through my chakra recklessly.'
He gave a small nod. "I'll work on that. What else?"
Shisui continued, "Second mistake: you chose showmanship over efficiency."
"The wire tricks, flashy counters, spinning dodges—you fought like a performer. And yeah, it looked cool but it cost you time and energy."
He locked eyes with Kazeo. "The zig-zag wire deflection? It was stylish for sure—but not efficient for a life death battle."
Kazeo hesitated, then muttered, "Maybe... it wasn't."
"It wasn't," Shisui said bluntly. "Refine your combat. Make it clean. Simplicity wins when chakra's low—and yours was low."
Seeing Kazeo taking the feedback seriously, he went on.
"Third mistake: you let your clone create another clone."
Shisui narrowed his eyes. "It was a big one. Your Shadow Clone made a Wind Clone mid-fight—and you didn't notice. That's a fatal slip."
"In a real battle, that could've killed you. You need to feel that chakra. When enemy's grip loosened, or when he made a clone, you should've sensed it. Even against yourself, fight like the enemy's smarter than you."
Kazeo absorbed it all quietly.
"And the last mistake," Shisui added, "was poor kill-zone awareness."
"You had a kunai to your clone's stomach at the end. Good. But you weren't aware he could've been behind you. After your substitution, you dropped your guard—for just a second. That pause? In a real fight, it's enough to die."
"Always assume your blind spot is the enemy's target. Behind, above, below—always scan. I know you haven't faced life-and-death battles yet, but when you do, this advice might just save your life."
Kazeo kept nodding, almost absentmindedly.
Shisui noticed. "I know it sounds like a lecture, but these are real lessons. Learn from them—and correct your fighting style. It could be the difference between life and death someday."
In truth, Kazeo wasn't even registering the words anymore. His mind was somewhere else, as he'd finally thought of a reason that might convince Shisui not to report him.
Afterward, Shisui offered a few more tips. He talked about trusting instincts mid-fight, maintaining awareness of clones and traps, and even gave Kazeo advice on improving Body Flicker and reducing hand seals. Kazeo listened intently, committing everything to memory.
Eventually, as their conversation neared its end and Shisui looked ready to leave, Kazeo spoke up. "I have a small request. Could you… not tell anyone what happened here today? Not even the Hokage?"
Shisui looked surprised. "Huh? Why hide it? You're talented—what's wrong with the village knowing?"
Kazeo lowered his head slightly, his voice soft but brimming with excitement.
"I want to surprise everyone during the graduation exam." he said, almost whispering. "Last time, Hokage-sama said he expects great things from me... I want to go beyond that and surpass his expectations. So, please... can we keep this between us until the exam? After that, you can tell anyone you want. Pretty please?" He said the last line with puppy eyes.
Shisui's eyes softened. He stepped forward calmly and crouched down until he was at eye level with Kazeo.
"Don't worry," he said gently. "I'm not going to report you or call you anything and ruin your surprise."
His gaze drifted for a moment, his voice lowering. "You're not the only one who's had to keep things hidden from the world, Kazeo."
Then, standing back up with a faint smirk tugging at the corner of his lips, he added:
"But… you owe me a match one day. Just a friendly one, okay?"
Kazeo nodded, feeling a mixture of relief and lingering doubt, looked up at him. "So... you'll keep it a secret?"
Shisui brought a finger to his lips in a playful gesture. "My lips are sealed. But remember this—before training or sparring, scan at least half a kilometer around you. You never know who's watching."
Kazeo watched as Shisui vanished in a blur of body flicker, wind barely rustling in his wake. But this time, the weight in Kazeo's chest felt a little lighter.
'I can only hope he keeps his word... and doesn't tell anyone.'
'If the timeline is right, Itachi would turn thirteen this year. That means… Shisui doesn't have much time left. Please, whoever is god of this world… let the shisui incident happen before the graduation exam.'