Kagaya, of course, wouldn't explain to Sasuke why he had high hopes for Naruto—nor could he explain it.
Right now, Kagaya was preoccupied with something else: time.
After defeating Naruto, Iruka arranged for several more students to spar with Kagaya. Normally, this kind of setup wouldn't happen, as it resembled a gauntlet match, which was unfair to the one continuously fighting. However, Kagaya was an exception. He defeated his opponents with such ease, often in a single round, that it didn't matter whether it was a gauntlet or not—the outcome was always the same.
After beating a few more opponents, Iruka finally called Kagaya to step down.
Kagaya stood alone in an empty corner, head lowered, quietly lost in thought.
There was a problem with time—or rather, a problem with the timeline he had predicted.
When he first enrolled, Kagaya had estimated the Uchiha massacre would happen in six months to a year. But after observing for half a year, he realized that while the tension between the Uchiha and Konoha was already severe, it was still some distance from erupting.
Most crucially, Shisui hadn't mentioned anything about using Kotoamatsukami to alter the Uchiha Clan's mindset.
This suggested that event hadn't occurred yet, and if that hadn't happened, the Uchiha massacre that followed was even less likely to have occurred.
"So, I got the timeline wrong?" Kagaya muttered to himself. "That's fine. Slower is better—it gives me more time."
As Kagaya was mulling over the timing of the Uchiha massacre, a voice suddenly interrupted his thoughts.
"Hey, Kagaya, there you are! Why are you hiding in a corner like this? Is something up?"
A blonde girl approached, cheerfully greeting Kagaya.
Kagaya recognized her. "Ino? Do you need something?"
Ino's face flushed red, and she stammered awkwardly, "W-Well, it's not… not really anything specific, just… just…"
Kagaya's brows furrowed slightly. Having his thoughts interrupted was not a pleasant feeling. "Just what? If you can, please say it quickly."
Ino's face turned even redder. Mustering her courage, she blurted out, "I just wanted to come see you!"
With that, overwhelmed by embarrassment, Ino turned and ran off.
In her mind, Ino had expected to chat with Kagaya a bit longer. But she hadn't anticipated him asking for her reason so directly. Not wanting to lie but too shy to elaborate, she fled in a fluster.
Kagaya, puzzled, watched her retreating figure and began to think. "Just wanted to come see me? Is that some kind of code? Or… did Shisui send her to pass a message in this way? Hmm, it's possible. I should go check."
With that, Kagaya prepared to skip class. This wasn't his first time doing so. Thanks to his exceptional grades and the fact that Konoha's leadership knew Shisui was mentoring him—meaning he wasn't learning much at the academy—the school turned a blind eye to his truancy. As long as he didn't skip openly and made a pretense of sneaking out, it wasn't an issue.
---
Outside the Ninja Academy, on the rooftop of a tall building overlooking the training field, two figures stood, chatting.
"Itachi, are you here to see Sasuke?" Shisui asked.
"And you? Are you here to see Kagaya?" Itachi replied.
"Me? Sort of. I want to see how strong that kid's gotten under my guidance. What about you? Aren't you going to train Sasuke?"
Itachi shook his head. "Not for now. You know the situation between the Uchiha and the village. I need to focus all my energy on that. Sasuke can wait. Once this is over, I'll teach him."
At this moment, Itachi didn't realize that his repeated excuse to Sasuke—"Next time, Sasuke"—due to being preoccupied with the Uchiha and Konoha situation would become the phrase Sasuke remembered him by most. He thought that once the issue was resolved, he could fulfill that "next time" promise. But Itachi hadn't anticipated that after the Uchiha and Konoha affair, he would never have the chance to properly train Sasuke.
All he could do was find ways to fuel Sasuke's drive to grow stronger, pushing him to become stronger and stronger until he could live freely without needing anyone's protection.
Shisui gave a self-deprecating smile. "I, on the other hand, can't not teach."
"Shisui!" Itachi suddenly shouted, then lowered his voice, shaking his head slightly. "That won't happen. You'll be fine, and so will I. We'll both get through this. Don't trust that lousy intuition of yours. Have you forgotten? You're the renowned Shisui of the Body Flicker. How could you not overcome something like this?"
Itachi understood Shisui's implication. "Can't not teach" suggested Shisui was preparing for the future—for his so-called intuition that he "wouldn't make it through." Was he assuming his own death and grooming Kagaya as his successor? Itachi refused to accept such a flawed intuition.
Shisui pursed his lips. "This isn't a small matter, Itachi."
"And you're not a small figure, Shisui!"
Shisui looked at Itachi's face, falling silent for a few seconds. Finally, he didn't argue and nodded. "Maybe."
Whether his premonition was accurate, Shisui wasn't sure. But he felt that the situation between the Uchiha and Konoha wouldn't end peacefully. Blood would be shed, and as the one at the forefront, he would likely be the one to bleed.
But that was fine. If his death could bring peace to both sides, Shisui would consider it a worthy sacrifice—a hero upholding peace from the shadows. That was the person Shisui aspired to be.
"Did you call him out?" Itachi suddenly pointed to a spot, addressing Shisui.
Shisui followed Itachi's finger and saw Kagaya skillfully sneaking out of the academy, avoiding the main gate. His movements were so practiced that no one would notice.
Only someone like Itachi or Shisui, observing from a high vantage point, could spot him instantly.
Shisui shook his head, puzzled. "No, I didn't ask him to come out during school hours today."
Itachi analyzed calmly, "Then he must have something to discuss with you."
Shisui shrugged. "Maybe. Let's go to him."
"Alright."
Using the Body Flicker Technique, Itachi and Shisui vanished from the rooftop in an instant.
Meanwhile, Kagaya had just snuck out and hadn't gotten far when Shisui and Itachi appeared before him. This only confirmed his suspicion—Shisui must have something to tell him!
As for Shisui, seeing Kagaya's confident and determined expression, he was certain Kagaya had something to discuss with him.
Without wasting words, Shisui and Itachi led Kagaya away from the Ninja Academy to a secluded spot to talk.
In a quiet, dead-end alley, Kagaya and Shisui exchanged glances.
Kagaya: "Senior, do you have something to tell me?"
Shisui: "Kagaya, what did you want to talk to me about?"
Kagaya: "???"
Shisui: "???"