'Damn it! They've even covered this place.'
"You're an impostor!" Tsuki declared, his voice trembling with a mix of anger and fear. He charged at the figure, kunai flashing in the moonlight. But his strikes were met with effortless evasion, as if his every move was anticipated.
Tsuki gritted his teeth, frustration mounting. 'He knows what I'm going to do before I even do it.' He grabbed another kunai, a desperate plan forming in his mind.
He feinted with his right hand, then tossed the second kunai high into the air. In a blink, he teleported onto the airborne weapon, descending towards the imposter with deadly intent.
'That's too fast for him to dodge.'
But as he fell, Tsuki noticed a surge of chakra emanating from the figure below. 'He's about to use the Substitution Jutsu!'
Buzz!
The imposter's body dissolved into a crackling arc of lightning, shocking Tsuki as he passed through the empty space.
'Just as I thought, Big Brother Kakashi.'
"Sorry, Tsuki," Kakashi's voice came from behind him, laced with a hint of regret. "Orders are orders."
Before Tsuki could react, Kakashi scooped him up, and with a poof, they vanished.
"Always be two steps ahead of your enemies, isn't that right?" Tsuki's voice echoed through the now-empty clearing, a defiant taunt lingering in the air.
He reappeared deep within the forest, his body flickering between trees, leaving a trail of afterimages in his wake. Kakashi, hot on his heels, used his own mastery of the Body Flicker Technique to keep up.
"Hand yourself in, Tsuki," Kakashi called out, his voice surprisingly calm. "You're making a mess of things, and I don't want to hurt a comrade."
"A comrade?!" Tsuki's voice cracked with emotion. "You practically raised me and Naruto! No! I'm through listening to what the Hokage wants! Leave me alone!"
"I know you didn't mean it," Kakashi's voice remained calm, but there was a steely edge to it. "But there are consequences to attacking the Hokage, even unintentionally. He could have been killed."
"How could you say that?!" Tsuki's voice rose, his anger flaring. "Do you think I knew what I was doing?! Lord Third took away my only friend for these useless villagers! They hate me and Naruto! They treated us like scum! I'm leaving this dump, and you aren't stopping me!"
Kakashi's expression hardened. "Then I'm sorry, Tsuki, but I have to do this."
Tsuki watched as Kakashi slowly removed his headband, revealing his left eye. His eyes widened as he saw the same powerful chakra signature that emanated from Shisui and Itachi.
'He has the Sharingan!'
"Tch!" Tsuki clicked his tongue, his resolve hardening. He landed in front of Kakashi, adopting a fighting stance.
'Even when he's holding back, I can't beat him,' Tsuki realized, his mind racing. 'I can only run away, and even that will be difficult. I'm low on chakra. I made too many shadow clones today.'
Kakashi lunged, and Tsuki responded in kind.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Tsuki whispered, summoning four clones. They dashed towards Kakashi in a zigzag pattern, attempting to overwhelm him with their numbers.
Fwoosh! One clone appeared behind Kakashi, its kunai poised to strike.
"That won't work on me!" Kakashi said, effortlessly grabbing the clone's wrist and kicking the kunai away.
"This will!" Tsuki's voice rang out, and in a flash, he swapped places with the clone. His hand blurred through a series of seals.
Kakashi's eyes widened as he saw three of the clones transform into crackling spheres of lightning.
Boom! The clones detonated, engulfing Kakashi in a blinding explosion.
Tsuki seized the opportunity and sprinted away, his heart pounding in his chest. He risked a glance back, only to see a log lying where Kakashi had stood moments before.
"Substitution Jutsu?" he muttered, his anxiety mounting. He frantically scanned his surroundings, searching for any sign of his pursuer.
'He's not behind me, obviously not in front, not to the side, and not above me. Which means...'
Boom!
The earth beneath Tsuki's feet erupted, and Kakashi's hand shot out, grabbing his ankles and yanking him downwards.
"Earth Style: Hiding Like a Mole Technique!"
Tsuki tumbled into the darkness, the world around him dissolving into a claustrophobic embrace of mud and soil. He struggled to break free, but Kakashi's grip was unyielding.
"Let me go!" Tsuki cried, his voice muffled by the earth. 'I don't have enough chakra to teleport.'
Kakashi ignored his pleas, pulling out a small communication device. "He's with me," he reported, his voice clipped and professional.
'Who's he talking to?' Tsuki wondered, his heart pounding in his chest.
"Yeah, got it," Kakashi said, ending the call. He turned to Tsuki, his expression grim. "Don't tell anyone this happened. There's a unit of Anbu on the south and north sides. Take the west and hurry."
"What? You aren't making any sense, Big Bro!" Tsuki protested, his confusion mounting.
"Just hurry!" Kakashi urged, helping Tsuki out of the muddy hole. "I'll help by leading them on a false trail." With a flicker, he disappeared into the forest.
Tsuki didn't waste a moment. He sprinted away, pushing his exhausted body to its limits. Hours passed as he ran, the Body Flicker Technique propelling him forward in bursts of speed. He constantly glanced over his shoulder, his Rinnegan searching for any sign of pursuit.
'Naruto, I'm sorry,' he thought, his heart heavy with guilt. 'Perhaps sometime I'll come back to Konoha. But for now, I can't. I can never come back to the Hidden Leaf Village.'
Finally, his legs gave out. He collapsed behind a tree, his lungs burning, his chakra reserves nearly depleted.
'I'm running out of chakra,' he realized, leaning against the rough bark for support.
"I was wondering when you'd take a break."
The familiar voice sent a jolt of fear through Tsuki. He leaped back, a kunai appearing in his hand. Shisui stood on a branch above him, his signature smile in place.
Tsuki stared at him, his Rinnegan scrutinizing every detail, every nuance of chakra.
'His chakra is the same as Shisui's,' he thought, his mind racing. 'But can I really trust him?'
He tightened his grip on the kunai, his hand trembling slightly.
"Relax, Tsuki," Shisui's voice was gentle, his hands raised in a placating gesture. "I'm not here to fight. I'm just here to talk. Besides," he added with a playful smirk, "you're not beating me when your chakra is that low."
Tsuki hesitated, his grip on the kunai unwavering. "How do I know you aren't here to stall until the Anbu members catch up?"
"Come on, Tsuki," Shisui chuckled. "If I was here to capture you, don't you think I would've put you in a genjutsu already?"
Tsuki's shoulders slumped slightly. 'He has a point.' He lowered the kunai, his grip loosening.
"Come with me," Shisui said, extending a hand. "I want to show you something."
Before Tsuki could respond, Shisui activated his Body Flicker Technique, vanishing in a blur.
"Don't fall behind!" his voice echoed through the trees.
'Shisui would never betray me, would he?' Tsuki shook his head, dispelling the lingering doubt. 'Of course not.'
"Wait up!" he called out, tucking the kunai into his pocket. He focused his chakra, activating his own Body Flicker Technique, and followed Shisui into the depths of the forest.
"Where are we going?" Tsuki asked, his curiosity piqued.
"It's a surprise," Shisui replied with a cryptic smile.
After a moment of silence, Shisui's tone turned serious. "Tsuki, tell me something," he said, his gaze meeting Tsuki's. "Were you really about to leave the village like that?"
Tsuki's resolve wavered. "Yes," he admitted, his voice barely a whisper. "I had to."
Shisui nodded slowly. "I have to say, you're one of the smartest people I know," he began, his tone measured. "However, that was probably the dumbest thing you've ever told me."
Tsuki's eyes widened in surprise. "But the Third Hokage hates me!" he protested. "He wants me gone. He tried to get rid of me like I'm a pest! He only keeps me alive for my eyes!"
Shisui sighed, his expression softening. "Just because the Hokage and his elders don't like you doesn't mean you should leave all the people who do love you. Would you leave all your friends? Naruto? Sasuke? Me?"
Tsuki's face fell, his gaze dropping to the ground. He couldn't deny the truth in Shisui's words.
"Why did it have to be me?" he whispered, his voice thick with emotion. "I never wanted these eyes! I never wanted to hurt the Hokage, so why me?! Didn't I have enough problems?!" Tears welled up in his eyes, threatening to spill over.
"Why is there so much pain in this world?" he cried out, his voice filled with anguish. "Naruto suffers just like me. We're hated in the village for something we couldn't even control! Why?! Shisui, tell me why!"
Shisui's eyes widened, his heart aching for the young boy's pain.
He walked towards Tsuki and knelt down, his expression a mix of compassion and understanding.
"Truth is," Shisui began, his voice gentle, "I... don't know. I can't tell you why there has to be so much pain and suffering in this world."
He paused, his gaze distant as he recalled his own struggles. "My father was injured in the war. He ended up bedridden because he lost his leg and got sick. I have to constantly pay for his hospital bills, even though I know that eventually, he will die."
Shisui's voice grew heavy with emotion. "All he ever did was protect his home and family. Bad things happen to good people all the time. I wish that wasn't true, and that it never happened, but it does, and it is true."
He looked at Tsuki, his eyes filled with a quiet determination. "It's our job to prevent bad things from happening as much as we can. Even the smallest task, like helping an old lady carry her grocery bags, can change how they view life and make them happier. Even the smallest effort still counts as an effort."
Shisui ruffled Tsuki's hair, a warm smile returning to his face. Then, he rose and continued running, his silhouette fading into the moonlit forest.
'The smallest effort still counts?' Tsuki pondered Shisui's words, a newfound resolve taking root in his heart. He clenched his fist, a spark of hope igniting within him.
With a renewed sense of purpose, Tsuki followed after Shisui, his footsteps echoing through the silent night.
(Edited on: 21/09/24)