"My head!"
Uchiha Shisui frowned, wincing as pain pulsed behind his eyes. The fusion process of his eyes had caused the optic nerves to reconnect with his brain, and now that the anesthetic had worn off, the sensation was excruciating.
Huh?!
Something was wrong. Shisui could feel his eyeballs moving.
What the hell is going on?!
One of my eyes wasn't taken by Danzō… but I gave the other to Itachi myself. So why… why can I feel both eyes now? Am I dreaming?
Before he could process the strange sensation, a warm hand grasped his.
"Shisui! You're awake!"
Shisui immediately turned his head toward the familiar voice, disbelief etched across his face.
"Itachi? Are you… Uchiha Itachi?"
Itachi, clearly emotional, held his old friend's hand tightly and nodded several times. "It's me. It's really me—Uchiha Itachi!"
Orochimaru noticed Shisui's awakening and approached, peeling away the gauze around his eyes. But the moment Shisui sensed Orochimaru's chakra, he sat upright, on full alert.
"You… are you Orochimaru-sama?"
With a twisted smile curling at his lips, Orochimaru said, "Uchiha Shisui… as expected, even in such a state, you can sense my chakra instantly."
Shisui scoffed coldly. "The Third Hokage always kept a close watch on you. There's no way I'd forget who—or what—you are!"
Itachi quickly interjected, "Shisui, a lot has happened since you… passed. I'll explain everything. Orochimaru is… our ally now."
Orochimaru stepped back with his arms folded and smirked. "For Naruto's sake, I'll accept the title of 'companion.'"
Shisui's eyes widened. He turned sharply to Itachi. "Wait… what did you just say? Since I died? So, I was… resurrected?"
He was visibly shaken, then snapped his gaze to Orochimaru. "You! You used some kind of vile, forbidden technique to bring me back, didn't you?!"
Itachi quickly shook his head. "No, Shisui. That's not it."
But Shisui wasn't convinced. He climbed off the operating table, glaring. "You've lost your mind, Itachi! You actually colluded with Orochimaru just to resurrect me?!"
As he spoke, he reached up to rip off the gauze covering his eyes. Orochimaru stepped forward urgently. "Hey, Shisui! Don't be reckless. Use your chakra to stabilize the eye—don't waste my effort! Your optic nerves are fully connected now."
Shisui paused, scowling… but he could indeed feel both eyes. He closed them and focused, circulating his chakra. The next moment, a vibrant chakra surge filled his ocular system. If observed through the Byakugan, one could see the chakra in his eyes glowing a vivid green.
Shisui was stunned.
This feeling… this chakra… these are my eyes. Both of them. That explains everything. If these are mine, then Danzo's stolen eye must have been recovered. It all makes sense.
In the next second, Shisui opened his eyes.
Twin trails of blood ran down his cheeks.
Uchiha Shisui, once again resurrected, looked upon the world anew.
Standing before him—yes—was Orochimaru. He turned his head and saw Itachi, who was watching him closely.
"itachi…"
"Shisui…"
The two grown men stared at each other, unmoving.
"You look haggard, Itachi. You must've suffered greatly in the days after I died."
Itachi offered a bitter smile, eyes shimmering with suppressed emotion. Of all people, only Shisui could pierce his mask with a single sentence. Perhaps that was the true strength of Shisui—the wielder of the strongest Genjutsu, the man who could see into the hearts of others.
Kisame, standing off to the side, observed silently. It was the first time he had ever seen such raw vulnerability on Itachi's face. It was as if Itachi had found an older brother he could finally rely on.
Mr. Itachi… as your friend said, it seems you've been hiding your true self behind a mask all along.
Shisui turned to him again. "Itachi, what's going on? Why am I alive again? Did you really join forces with this snake just to bring me back?"
"Itachi didn't use any forbidden Jutsu."
Shisui's ears perked up at the unfamiliar voice. He turned toward the source as the door opened and a young man stepped into the room.
"I did."
Shisui's eyes locked onto him in confusion, then widened in disbelief.
Those eyes… those ripples… that color…
That's—!
Purple pupils rippling with concentric circles—Rinnegan.
The fabled eye of legend.
Shisui stood speechless.
The Rinnegan—the eye of the Sage of Six Paths, said to control life and death… and this boy has it?!
Naruto approached and smiled warmly. "Let me introduce myself. I'm Uzumaki Naruto… the future Seventh Hokage."
He extended his hand.
Shisui blinked, eyebrows furrowed. "What did you say? Uzumaki… Naruto? You're from the Uzumaki Clan?"
Seventh Hokage?
You just get to decide that now? Like it's nothing?
Since when did Konoha produce Rinnegan users?!
Before Shisui could speak again, Itachi gently took his hand and pressed it into Naruto's.
"Shisui, Naruto is the one who brought you back. And… he's the one who returned both of your eyes."
Shisui slowly turned to Naruto. "So it was you. You… retrieved the eye Danzo stole?"
Naruto nodded. "That's right."
Shisui frowned. "Danzo just let you take it?"
Naruto tilted his head and smirked. "I didn't ask for his permission. I just took it."
Shisui froze.
"…He didn't chase after you?"
Naruto's grin widened. "I chased him. But it got boring. So I guided Itachi's little brother—Sasuke—to kill Danzo. As for Root… they're mostly dismantled."
Shisui's jaw hung open.
He turned to Itachi, who confirmed the statement with a silent nod.
"…Looks like a lot really did happen after I died," Shisui muttered with a sigh.
But then, something clicked in his mind. He turned quickly, his eyes hopeful.
"Wait! Itachi… how's the village now? Is the Third Hokage still in power? After I died… did the Uchiha Clan survive? Are things peaceful now between the clan and the village?"
Danzo is gone, Shisui thought. Then surely things must be better. The village must be stronger. The Uchiha must have been accepted again…
He stared into Itachi's face, desperate for affirmation.
Itachi looked back.
And swallowed.
Hard.
Orochimaru chuckled darkly at Itachi's expression.
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