Kaida was in the hospital, and Shisui had just come back from an escort mission. Yomi was also out for her sensing and tracking training. Shisui was resting in the hall when a messenger came and knocked on the door.
"Shisui, check who is at the door," Hae ordered.
'I just sat down,' Shisui grumbled in his mind as he got up to see who had arrived. 1 PM was never an optimal time for visitors.
(A.N: True)
"Sir, Fugaku-sama is calling you to his office," the messenger said as soon as Shisui opened the door.
Shisui already knew the council meeting took place today, which was why he had returned so quickly. Normally, he would have taken an extra day to come back.
"Okay," Shisui replied.
After receiving confirmation, the messenger went back to the office. Seeing that the messenger was a regular worker from headquarters and not a jonin under the clan head, Shisui understood that nothing bad had happened during the meeting. Fugaku must be calling him to relay the results.
"Mom, I'm going out for a second. Fugaku-sama is calling me," Shisui said.
"Okay, but come back before lunch," Hae called out from her room.
---
"Good afternoon, Clan Head," Shisui greeted as he entered the office.
"I'm not your clan head from now on. Shisui, from today, you are no longer a part of the Uchiha clan. Also, you have to leave the compound. Lord Third will make arrangements for your living quarters," Fugaku said.
"This was not what we discussed, Uncle. I'm not going to leave my house just because some greedy people don't want to see someone getting ahead of them," Shisui said with a no-nonsense attitude.
"I know, but I can't do anything. This was decided in the meeting; even Lord Third is in favor of it," Fugaku said.
"I'll go and talk to Lord Third now," Shisui said and was about to leave the office when—
"How did you like being on the receiving end of a prank?" Fugaku asked with a small chuckle, completely opposite of the serious demeanor Shisui usually saw.
"You're laughing?" Shisui quickly activated his Mangekyo Sharingan to check whether he was in a genjutsu. Seeing that he wasn't, he quickly took out his kunai and said, "Who are you, and what happened to Fugaku-sama?"
"Quit your acting. I'm no longer your superior, so there's no need for me to be serious with you," Fugaku said with the same casual demeanor.
"So I don't have to move out, right?" Shisui asked.
"Of course not. Just removing you from the Uchiha clan is already a very big move on our part. Who do you think is shameless enough to even ask us to remove you from the compound too?" Fugaku asked.
"Everyone," Shisui said without waiting a second.
"I mean in front of everyone," Fugaku clarified. "No one."
"Correct. Also, Lord Third has allowed you to take custody of Naruto. You will be responsible for his safety and upbringing from now on," Fugaku said.
"No one objected?" Shisui asked, as this was his major concern. Naruto is a very important asset to Konoha; there's no way the Uchiha would be allowed to keep him under their wing.
"Why would they object to leaving him under the care of an Anbu?" Fugaku asked.
"Great," Shisui said, understanding that the plan had worked.
"Great. So I'll bring him to my house right now," Shisui said.
"As you wish, but first, go to the Hokage building and register as an Anbu. Even though this is just a formality, we don't want anyone to use this against us," Fugaku said, knowing that some higher-ups could be quite petty.
Shisui nodded and left the office. First, he went home to tell his mom about the new arrangement. She was obviously happy about it and asked Shisui to bring Naruto as soon as possible. That boy had already suffered so much—there was no need to let him stay there any longer than necessary.
Shisui then went directly to the Hokage office to complete the formalities of becoming an Anbu ninja. However, he had to stay there for three hours. To become an Anbu Ninja, you have to go through a series of procedures to ensure no spies are admitted, and Shisui also had to follow these procedures. It was Hokage's order that no one, not even his own son, would be allowed to skip them.
After three hours, it was already close to 4 PM, so Shisui decided to bring Kaida along with him as well and flickered directly toward Konoha Hospital.
---
When Shisui arrived at the hospital, he found out that Kaida was still with Mitsuru, practicing some operation-related techniques.
"Should I call him for you?" the receptionist asked.
"No, I'll wait for him," Shisui said and sat in the lobby, waiting for Kaida to come out. After 20 more minutes, Kaida came out of the hospital with a smile on his face.
"Did something good happen today? Why are you so happy?" Shisui asked.
"Brother, what are you doing here? Did something happen in the clan?" Kaida asked, fearing the meeting might have gone wrong.
"How would I know? I'm not part of the clan anymore," Shisui said, shrugging his shoulders.
"Oh!"
"Let's talk while moving," Shisui said, noticing that their chat was attracting some other audience as well—the nurses had just changed their direction upon hearing that.
Kaida chuckled and nodded his head, and they both exited the hospital.
"So what happened?" Kaida asked.
"The meeting went well. I'm no longer a part of the Uchiha clan, but I can still live in my house in the compound. Also, Naruto will live with us from now on. I'm responsible for his safety," Shisui said as if discussing the dinner menu.
"That's great! So, you brought Naruto to our home?" Kaida asked.
"I was just about to do that, but then I saw the time and thought you might like to tag along," Shisui said.
"Of course," Kaida said and made a shadow clone to notify Sora that he might not come for practice today, as he had some important work. Then they made their way toward the slums of Konoha.
---
Kaida walked alongside Shisui as they approached a rundown building near the village's outskirts. It was an old, weathered structure, standing tall but clearly past its prime. The building seemed almost out of place in the vibrant and bustling village, as if silently declaring, 'No one should live in this place.'
This was where Naruto Uzumaki, the son of the Fourth Hokage, had been living. As they reached the entrance, Kaida glanced at Shisui, who nodded in return.