Shisui POV
I was deeply concerned for Noa. While it was not uncommon for him to be absentminded, his current state was something else entirely. It felt as though his very sense of self were fighting for its existence. Sometimes, I saw the boy I knew looking back at me, but other times, especially when he jolted awake from his now-daily nightmare, the void in his gaze was as dark as Itachi's, Kakashi's, or, even more concerning, Danzo's. Something else seemed to peer through him, carrying so much rage, bloodlust, and dark resignation that I actually froze in place the first time I witnessed it.
He never spoke during our trip through the Land of Fire. He kept his vision locked straight ahead, focusing only on the road. He refused to eat much, but I had learned from experience to gently encourage him to drink and consume small bits of nutrition. I tested his limits, increasing his intake gradually to keep his strength up, all while I kept talking to him, even if he barely reacted and did not respond.
By the time we finally reached the gates of Konoha a few days later, Noa's expression remained heavily shadowed by that ominous darkness. I escorted him all the way to his home, and he simply gave me a hollow wave goodbye without uttering a single word as he walked in and locked the door behind him.
Needing help, I walked to Genta's home. After a few firm knocks, a muffled shout echoed from inside. "Naruto, open the door... Naruto!" A frustrated grumble followed before Takemura swung the door open, already complaining. "Where did that little devil run off to now? I swear, I take my attention off him for one second and he completely vanishes. He is the most elusive shinobi I have ever seen when it comes to sneaking around." He stopped abruptly, noticing my grim demeanor. His expression instantly hardened. "What is it?"
I let out a heavy, exhausted sigh. "The mission we just returned from was incredibly difficult. Noa had to take a lot of lives for us to survive, and it took a massive toll on his psyche. I have been trying to break through to him, but with little success. I thought maybe you, Genta, or Naruto could help pull him out of it."
Takemura glared at me, his temper flaring. "Aren't you his sensei? Shouldn't you have protected him, and not the other way around?"
I could not argue back. Defending myself would not fix anything, and worse, I agreed with him. I felt entirely responsible for the shattered condition Noa was in, as I relied on him when he offered, rather than considering the consequences. Even if it would have cost me most of my remaining eyesight, sacrifice was what a sensei was expected to do for his student and the village's future. So, I just stood there in silence, taking the reprimand.
I knew my constant presence over the last few days was only making things worse. Every time Noa looked at me, he was reminded of the blood spilled in the Land of Waves. I had to step away. I hoped that a change of scenery, surrounded by different people, might give his mind the space it needed to heal.
Takemura realized I had no defense. He must have recognized the profound guilt and regret written plainly across my face, because he eventually waved his hand, his sharp anger fading into a tired sigh. "Genta is on a mission right now. I will go check on the kid myself until he gets back."
I bowed deeply, immensely grateful. "Thank you, Takemura-sama." And with that, I flickered out of the Senju compound, leaving Noa in his capable hands.
Moments later, I flickered in front of the Hokage's office and addressed the ANBU standing guard. "I have an urgent report for Lord Hokage."
The agent knocked on the heavy wood in a specific sequence, and I felt the privacy barrier collapse around the office. The Hokage's voice came through clear. "Come in, Shisui." I slowly opened the door and walked inside. The lock clicked shut behind me, and the barrier was instantly re-erected as I bowed respectfully.
I was greeted with a scene resembling a war room preparation. Multiple maps were spread across the tables, alongside border outpost reports and active mission files. Shikaku and Hirotaka immediately focused their attention on me. Fugaku was sitting in his chair, his eyes sharp and calculating.
"You did not mention many details in your message due to the understandable concern of the communication being intercepted," Fugaku said. "But now we need to know exactly what happened. Leave no detail out."
I stood up straight and began my briefing. "Once we made it to the Land of Waves, we were ambushed by a squad of elite Iwa ANBU. It was a perfect trap, one specifically designed to kill a shinobi of my caliber."
Shikaku's hands balled into tight fists in frustration, while Fugaku looked at me with genuine concern. "Are you okay?"
I offered a small smile. "Yes, Lord Hokage. Noa intervened, saving me from needing to rely on my trump card."
Shikaku and Hirotaka exchanged a quick glance of realization. That told me they had read my restricted files and knew the dangerous specifics regarding my visual prowess.
Fugaku leaned forward, his brow furrowed. "If there were, as you said, multiple Iwa ANBU who were that experienced, how could Noa have helped? He is highly skilled, but he is not on that level yet."
I sighed, a heavy hint of sadness mixed with deep pride echoing in my tone. "He used a technique he must have created himself. It wiped out the entirety of the enemy force. It was one of the most devastating jutsu I have ever witnessed."
Fugaku stood up abruptly from his seat. "What?"
Shikaku appeared utterly shocked as he stared at me. "Shisui, are you joking? Because this is not the time for it."
Even Hirotaka had a completely stunned look, perhaps the first time I had seen an expression on his face that I was absolutely sure was genuine.
Fugaku's gaze sank deep into thought as he asked, "What kind of jutsu?"
"I have never seen anything like it before," I replied. "But if I had to compare the scale, I would say it was on par with the jutsu of the Legendary Sannin."
A broad smile appeared on Fugaku and Hirotaka's faces simultaneously, while Shikaku quickly asked, "Are you sure none of the ambushers survived?"
I shook my head. "They were all wiped out in the ensuing battle. Noa's summon and I helped thin the herd and protect him while he gathered the required chakra. It is beyond destructive, but it requires a lot of setup and hand signs."
Fugaku nodded in understanding. "A fair trade for such a formidable technique. That is beyond promising."
I nodded in agreement. "We were subsequently chased by two veteran Iwa captains, but I managed to take them down. Because of that, it is highly likely that no opposing operative survived."
Shikaku exhaled, visibly relieved. "That is good news. It means we stay silent. Out of fear of digging a political hole for themselves, Iwa will not dare ask us if we faced their units. That explains why they have not been aggressive on the borders or in the Land of Grass yet. But they will know soon enough." Shikaku pinched the bridge of his nose as if trying to stave off an incoming headache.
"Following that encounter, we proceeded with the mission and retrieved the information on Gato from one of our local spies," I continued. "Upon tracking him, we discovered the businessman had hired a highly dangerous missing-nin. Kakuzu."
The temperature in the room seemed to drop immediately. Shikaku's posture stiffened even further as he narrowed his eyes. "The notorious bounty hunter and missing-nin?"
I nodded as Fugaku concentrated for a moment before replying, his expression severe. "An S-rank threat. Those can be lethal indeed."
"Yes, Lord Hokage," I replied. "We set up a trap, and Noa was actually able to land a flawlessly executed fatal strike. However, we learned the hard way that the rogue ninja might actually be immortal."
Shikaku was the one to break professionalism this time, his eyes widening in disbelief. "What?"
"He possessed five distinct chakra signatures within his body," I explained. "Once we inflicted the lethal damage, only four signatures remained. He then released humanoid constructs made of black threads with masks mounted on top of them. Each one utilized a different elemental nature. He was incredibly tricky to fight."
Fugaku looked deeply concerned, so I decided to ease his mind. "We used that battle to distract him while a separate ANBU team, whose assistance I requested, snuck in and assassinated Gato. We have his corpse, along with his bodyguards and close advisors, right here in this storage seal."
I took out the scroll, and Hirotaka retrieved it from me with great care. "We will ensure this gets to the leaders of the Land of Waves who are under our control. They will reveal Gato's body to the public, earning themselves massive goodwill and making their political takeover of the Land of Waves seamless."
I nodded as I wrapped up my report. "Once the objective was secured, we showed those bodies to Kakuzu. He decided that a dead client unable to pay a full commission was not worth fighting a complete ANBU team, Noa, and me. So, he retreated."
Shikaku let out a long breath and nodded. "A very wise decision, Shisui. Fighting such a powerful and incomprehensible enemy would only spell doom, and now we have critical information on such a threat. I will assign some spies to gather information on whatever that thing was."
Fugaku stepped forward and tapped my shoulder. "It is good to have a reliable and experienced shinobi such as you out there. If it were almost anyone else, this mission would have gone entirely sideways. You do the village and the Uchiha proud, Shisui."
I could not stop a proud smile from forming on my face. But then I mustered my courage, meeting the Hokage's eyes. "Lord Hokage, may I speak with you privately?"