Arashi dispelled his transparency jutsu and slipped through the open window, landing silently in the Hokage's office.
"I'm sorry for spying on you," he said, bowing his head in apology. His voice felt distant, a mere echo of its usual strength. As the words left his lips, he felt his breath catch in his throat.
"Cough! Cough! Cough!" A violent coughing fit seized him, his hand instinctively covering his mouth. He pulled it away, his eyes widening in horror at the sight of blood staining his palm.
"Shisui..." he choked out, stumbling towards his brother.
"Arashi, are you okay?" Shisui's voice sounded distant, muffled by a high-pitched ringing in Arashi's ears. The room seemed to tilt and spin, the walls closing in on him.
Then, everything went black.
Bump bump...
His heart hammered in his chest, a frantic rhythm that jolted him awake. He blinked, his vision slowly focusing on Shisui's worried face hovering above him.
"Hey! Wake up!" Jiraiya's voice, laced with concern, cut through the haze.
Arashi's gaze drifted to the floor, where a pool of blood stained the tatami mat. It had come from his own nose and mouth.
Shisui's eyes widened in alarm. "Arashi!" He instinctively reached for his brother, but Danzo stepped in his way, his expression cold and unyielding.
"What are you doing?" Shisui demanded, his voice thick with panic. "He's sick! He needs help!"
"Not your help," Danzo retorted. "We have yet to finish our discussion. Right now, he is a person of interest, and I will not let you interfere."
Shisui's fists clenched, but before he could react, Itachi stepped forward, his expression calm but resolute. "Let me take him," he said, gently lifting Arashi into his arms.
No one objected.
"Alright," Shisui said, his voice strained. "I'll swing by later and see how he's doing."
Itachi nodded and left the office, carrying Arashi on his back. He hurried through the corridors, his heart heavy with worry. Upon reaching the hospital, he frantically searched for a nurse, his urgency palpable.
"I need a doctor, quickly!" Itachi's voice echoed through the hospital corridors, his urgency palpable.
"Follow me," a nurse responded, hurrying towards him. "What happened?"
"He experienced chest pain, then coughed up blood and fainted," Itachi explained, his concern evident.
"That's never a good sign," the nurse said, her pace quickening. "Stay back while I get a doctor to check on him."
Itachi nodded, but as the nurse turned away, he vanished in a flicker of movement.
Back at the Hokage's office, the tension remained thick. Shisui's anger simmered beneath the surface, his disappointment palpable.
"So what?" he said, his voice sharp. "I'm supposed to just forgive you because you feel bad for what you did? You took a part of my life from me, and then you lied straight to my face."
"And now I'm telling you the truth," Hiruzen replied, his voice heavy with regret. "There's nothing I regret more than lying to you, Shisui. I apologize, but I did what I thought was right."
Shisui turned away, his jaw clenched. "Your apologies mean nothing now," he muttered.
"Hmph, you are too soft, Hiruzen," Danzo scoffed. "The decision was justified. The Uchiha clan attacked the village. Who's to say they wouldn't do it again had you allowed them to keep the Rinnegan?"
"You old fool," Jiraiya interjected, his voice laced with disapproval. "Do you truly believe a child like that would commit such a crime? As long as I've known him, he's a sweet kid. Sure, he can be a little on edge, but can you blame him?"
Jiraiya turned to Hiruzen, his gaze unwavering. "Sarutobi-sensei, in the village, you're admired because of your kindness. However, it seems Danzo-sama got the better of you that night. You lost your composure and made a rash choice. Forgive me, but I stand with Shisui and the Uchiha clan here. They have every right to be as mad as they want."
"Leave it to your students to betray you, Hiruzen," Danzo muttered, a cruel smirk playing on his lips. 'Yes, at this rate, the village is slowly falling apart. Once the Uchiha find out about this, they will no longer trust the village. And once that happens, it's only a matter of time before they stage a coup d'état.'
'All this is pointless,' Shisui thought, his anger simmering beneath a carefully composed exterior. 'Arashi is in the hospital, and now, more than ever, I need to be by his side. He did nothing wrong, but the moment he was born, they dragged him through the dirt of this world.'
'They act like none of it matters, like my brother's life is worth only an apology. Just thinking about it makes me furious.'
Shisui took a deep breath, forcing himself to regain control. He met the Hokage's gaze, his resolve unwavering.
"I want to make a deal for my release," he stated calmly.
"A deal? You're in no position to make demands, Shisui Uchiha," Koharu interjected, her voice sharp.
"It's true," Homura added, his tone grave. "What happened all those years ago was morally wrong. But we did it for the sake of the village. We regret nothing."
Shisui's eyes narrowed. "I wasn't talking to you," he said coldly. "I'm addressing the Third Hokage."
Koharu bristled at the rebuke, but fell silent.
Lord Third nodded. "I'll do anything to come to a peaceful resolution," he said, his voice weary.
"Good," Shisui replied. "Right now, if the village were to know that the elders and the Hokage would do something like this to even the Uchiha clan, questions will arise. People will want more, and that'll lead to an unstable village."
Danzo's frown deepened. "You plan on blackmailing the Hokage?" he growled.
"All's fair at a time like this," Shisui retorted, his voice unwavering. "I want to see my brother. And if this is the only way, so be it."
"Finish saying what you want in exchange," Lord Third prompted.
"Very well," Shisui said, his tone resolute. "In exchange for my secrecy, I want Arashi and the Uchiha to be completely left alone by the Anbu and Root forces."
"Preposterous!" Danzo exploded.
"Shut up and listen," Shisui interrupted coldly, his gaze unwavering. "If I spot even one of your agents near my brother or my clan, I'll leak all the information I've gathered during my time in the Anbu Black Ops to the other great nations."
His voice hardened further. "To add to that, all of this will be leaked to the public as well. The villagers will see the fraud you all are, and the village will crumble. It's true, I love my village and my clan. But there's nothing that comes before my brother's well-being."
"Enough!" Danzo slammed his hands on the table, his face contorted in rage. "How careless are you? As I said before, you don't have the power to make such demands."
Shisui's lips curled into a chilling smirk as he looked down at the chakra-suppressing cuffs on his wrists. "But I do," he murmured, his voice barely above a whisper. "Haven't you realized?"
He raised his head, his Sharingan blazing with an intensity that sent shivers down Danzo's spine.
"This seal was never activated in the first place."
A wave of shock rippled through the room. 'When did he...' Itachi wondered, his own Sharingan activated in surprise.
"I knew all this would happen," Shisui explained, his voice calm but resolute. "So as a last resort, I summoned a crow and placed a delayed genjutsu on the one who would apply these sealing marks. They wouldn't activate them, and I'd have to play along until I was in a suitable position. This genjutsu is my most powerful weapon, but now I have only a few more uses before a lengthy timeout."
'So this is the power of the Sharingan?' Jiraiya thought, his gaze fixed on Shisui. 'How incredible... The way he explains it, he didn't even need to see the other's eyes.'
'Tch!' Danzo clicked inwardly. 'What a powerful eye. I must acquire his eyes, no matter what.'
"Now," Shisui's voice cut through the silence, his gaze unwavering, "will you take me seriously?"
Lord Third looked at Shisui, his expression a mixture of awe and apprehension.
'Eyes once filled with wonder, now only filled with hatred...' Hiruzen's heart ached at the sight of Shisui's transformation.
With a heavy sigh, he nodded. "I accept your terms, Shisui."
"What?!" Koharu and Homura exclaimed in unison, their faces etched with disbelief.
"Hiruzen, that clan is under suspicion, and that boy is as dangerous as ever!" Homura protested.
"No," Hiruzen said firmly, his voice unwavering. "I've already done enough against them. Shisui could have demanded even more in his deal, but he didn't. Instigating further conflict will only lead to destruction.
However, Fugaku Uchiha must not know the truth. As far as he's concerned, you found Arashi, your long-lost brother, and in exchange for us not investigating his 'disappearance' further, we've granted your clan privacy."
Hiruzen then continued. "In addition, you two will keep a close watch on your clan. Deep in my heart, I still believe you are loyal to Konoha. Is that agreed?"
Shisui nodded solemnly. He held out his hands to Itachi, who silently removed the chakra-suppressing cuffs.
"It's a shame we met under such unfortunate circumstances, Jiraiya-sama," Shisui said, his voice regaining a hint of its former warmth. "It's always an honor to meet one of the legendary Sannin."
Whoosh!
Without another word, Shisui vanished in a blur.
(Edited on: 21/09/24)