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"Oh, this? Don't worry about it."
Shisui's smile was gentle, as if nothing had happened, as if they were still at that familiar training ground, with Shisui teaching him ninjutsu.
"Kagaya, come on, spar with me one last time."
"Brother, what are you talking about? The most important thing right now is you—"
Kagaya spoke urgently.
But Shisui interrupted him.
"Spar with me. If you still see me as your big brother, fight me one last time."
Kagaya looked at Shisui's serious expression and knew he couldn't refuse. The night breeze brushed against his face. Under the moonlight, Kagaya assumed a fighting stance, his shadow trembling slightly on the ground.
"Come at me with everything you've got."
Kagaya instantly appeared beside Shisui, throwing a punch.
But Shisui was faster, kicking Kagaya away with a single strike.
"Too slow! I told you to come at me with everything. Are you looking down on your big brother?"
Indeed, Kagaya's speed had been far too slow—slow enough that even a Genin could have countered.
"B-but…"
Kagaya looked at Shisui's closed right eye, unsure of what to say.
"Come at me with everything!"
Shisui's voice was stern, repeating the command.
It was the first time Kagaya had seen Shisui so serious, reiterating the same thing twice. Biting his lip, Kagaya had no choice but to give it his all.
Body Flicker Technique!
This time, unlike his earlier sluggishness, Kagaya's speed was so great that even Itachi's three-tomoe Sharingan nearly failed to track him!
In the past, Kagaya had always suppressed his speed. If he moved too fast, his own eyes couldn't keep up with his body, making excessive speed a hindrance rather than an advantage.
But with the awakening of his Sharingan, that speed was unleashed. That was why, after awakening his single-tomoe Sharingan, he could perform the Instant Clone technique.
Now, with his three-tomoe Sharingan, the speed he'd suppressed was fully liberated. Even a three-tomoe Sharingan might miss his movements if not paying close attention.
"Good! Now you're facing Konoha's Shisui of the Body Flicker!"
Shisui blocked Kagaya's arm with his own.
"That's more like your true strength."
The next moment, a second Kagaya appeared on Shisui's other side, attacking.
"Body Flicker Technique!"
Both Itachi and Shisui were shocked. They hadn't expected Kagaya to have mastered this technique.
Shisui's smile grew brighter. This made him even more reassured.
He quickly stepped back, dodging the pincer attack from Kagaya and his Instant Clone.
For some reason, in this fight, Shisui didn't use his Instant Clone, his Mangekyō, or any ninjutsu. He was holding back throughout, yet even so, Kagaya could only match him evenly.
Itachi watched quietly from the side.
Three figures clashed at breakneck speed near the cliff's edge, their movements sharp and precise. To any onlooker, this would be a thrilling duel, but to Itachi, the scene was deeply sorrowful.
Finally, as the fight wore on, a change occurred. Kagaya landed a punch on Shisui's right cheek. Shisui could have dodged, but the loss of his right eye had reduced his field of vision, causing him to miss it.
"Brother! I—"
Kagaya instinctively started to apologize. Shisui had just lost his right eye; that punch must have hurt terribly.
"No need to apologize. You won this fight."
There was no pain on Shisui's face, only relief. This spar had finally put him at ease.
"Do you remember our agreement? I told you before that if you ever beat me, I'd give you a gift."
With that, Shisui reached up, gouged out his left eye, and handed it to Kagaya.
"I originally said I'd give you my short sword, but you said that since I'd already mentioned it, the surprise was ruined. So I said I'd think of another gift. Here it is—this eye can perform Kotoamatsukami, a ninjutsu that can permanently alter someone's will. It might not seem like much, but it's your big brother's gift, so you'd better not dislike it."
Kagaya shook his head vigorously.
"Brother, I don't want this gift. I don't want it. Take it back. I want your short sword, your short sword! You've already lost one eye—how could you… how could you…"
Shisui smiled faintly. Then, a crow flew down, swallowed the eye in Shisui's hand, and landed on Kagaya's shoulder.
"That's why I told you not to dislike it. Even if you do, as your big brother, I'm giving you this gift, so you'd better accept it. I've already made a contract between you and this crow. It's been my summon, and from now on, it's yours. I didn't tell you before because I planned to wait until you'd moved past your grief. Then I'd teach you the Crow Clone technique and tell you about your new summon.
"But it seems I won't have time to teach you the Crow Clone now. If you want to learn it later, ask Itachi. Oh, by the way, what's our sparring record?"
Kagaya choked out, "910 losses, 1 win. It's the reverse of your birthday, October 19. I… I remember it clearly."
In the last semester at the Ninja Academy, Kagaya had used a shadow clone to attend classes while his real body trained daily, leading to a sharp increase in his spars with Shisui.
Shisui closed his eyes, relying on his senses to approach Kagaya and ruffle his hair.
"Is that so? I'm so happy, so happy to have met you, my little brother. Kagaya, do you remember? We had two agreements. The first was that if you beat me, I'd give you a gift. The second was that I wouldn't let your Sharingan evolve further. I kept the first promise, but I failed the second. If you want to hate someone, hate me. I'm a useless big brother. The so-called Shisui of the Body Flicker is just a worthless ninja in front of his little brother. But promise me this: even if you can't protect the Uchiha or the village, you must never turn against them in the future! Can you promise me that?"
Shisui feared that Kagaya's hatred for Danzō would one day extend to Konoha. That wasn't what he wanted. If he had more time, he would have guided Kagaya slowly, but he was out of time. He could only use this promise to hold Kagaya back.
"I won't, I won't. How could I ever hate you, Brother?"
Kagaya was sobbing, unable to speak clearly. The more Shisui acted this way, the more Kagaya realized what Shisui was about to do.
"Then promise me."
Shisui smiled softly. He needed Kagaya's answer to find peace.
"I… I promise, Brother. I'll never turn against the Uchiha or the village. Never. Please, take your eye back. I'm so scared."
Shisui's smile grew brighter. He ruffled Kagaya's hair firmly.
"This is the last time, so I've got to make it count, haha."
In his final moments, Uchiha Shisui was still thinking of his village, his clan, his best friend, and his little brother.
Then, Shisui walked to the edge of the cliff, facing Kagaya and Itachi, his back to the drop.
"You're both smart enough to see how critical things are between the Uchiha and the village. If I die, maybe things will change. If that change comes, you must seize the opportunity. I've left a will. At the very end, being able to see you both… it's been great. From now on, protect the village and the Uchiha for me."
As he spoke, Shisui began to step backward.
"Wait, Shisui!" Itachi called.
"No! No! Brother, please, no! You're my last family… don't leave me. I… I really have nothing left…"
The first plea came from Itachi, the second from Kagaya. All of Kagaya's vulnerability was laid bare in that moment. He couldn't bear it—couldn't bear losing another important person.
Shisui looked at Kagaya, his mind flashing back to that day in the snow when Kagaya had fallen and struggled to get up. He didn't know what to say to Kagaya. After thinking of countless words, none came out. In the end, Shisui smiled. He wanted to face Kagaya with a smile, to leave him with the best memory. He was the big brother—how could he cry in front of his little brother?
"Kagaya, it's not snowing today. It's not cold."
Kagaya reached out, trying to grab Shisui, shaking his head desperately.
"It's cold. I'm so cold, Brother. Please come back, okay?"
Shisui shook his head with a smile.
"Don't stop me, Kagaya, Itachi. Meeting you two was the greatest fortune of Shisui of the Body Flicker. My dearest friend, my proudest little brother… I have one final wish. Will you help me?"
Kagaya's voice trembled as he spoke.
"Brother, tell me."
Shisui smiled faintly, his body tilting backward.
"Take care of the two most important people to me. One is Uchiha Kagaya, the other is Uchiha Itachi. Thank you."
Shisui fell, his figure vanishing below the cliff. No one saw the two tears streaming from his eyes as he descended. A big brother couldn't cry in front of his little brother. Now that Kagaya couldn't see him, he could let the tears fall.
'Kagaya, Itachi, I really, really wanted to live happily with you both. I'm so reluctant to leave you. But the village needs my death. The Uchiha need my death. Your eyes need my death. Shisui of the Body Flicker will die with meaning. I'm satisfied, truly satisfied. The rest is up to you, my best friend and my proudest little brother.'
Itachi stood frozen at the cliff's edge, staring blankly at Shisui's disappearing figure.
Kagaya, like a madman, leapt after him without hesitation.
Snap!
At the critical moment, Itachi grabbed Kagaya's left hand.
"Let me go!!!" Kagaya roared at Itachi.
Itachi shook his head.
"Kagaya, it's no use. If you jump, you'll die too."
Kagaya's body trembled uncontrollably.
"Last November, I lost my teammate. In December, I lost my parents. It's only January now, and you're making me lose my only big brother? He's… he's my only support left…"
Itachi's eyes were filled with pity. He looked away, unable to bear seeing Kagaya like this.
But Kagaya didn't care. He drew his short sword. If Itachi was holding his left hand, he'd cut it off!
Clang!
A kunai blocked the sword aimed at his own left hand.
Itachi yanked Kagaya up with force, shouting angrily.
"Do you think Shisui jumped off that cliff hoping you'd follow him to your death? He gave you his last eye so you could die with him?"
The scolding snapped Kagaya out of it.
It wasn't snowing today, yet it felt unbearably cold—so cold that Kagaya lost all sensation. There wasn't a drop of blood here, but both Kagaya's and Itachi's eyes were blood-red.
Itachi's Mangekyō pattern consisted of three curved blades. Kagaya's had a hollow center, encircled by a ring. Two sharp spikes extended from the ring's sides to the edges of his pupils, with a third spike at the bottom, also reaching the edge. Around these spikes, each empty space held a thin, hook-like shape, similar to Obito's Mangekyō but more delicate.
Both had awakened their Mangekyō Sharingan. These eyes brought not only power but also nightmares.
Kagaya stood dazed for a long time before looking at Itachi.
"Is there a path to the bottom of this cliff?"
"You want to…"
Itachi looked at Kagaya, realizing his intent.
After navigating treacherous terrain, Kagaya and Itachi reached the base of the cliff, where a river flowed.
Kagaya stepped into the river, his three-tomoe Sharingan spinning as he searched for something.
It was nighttime, and the river was freezing, but Kagaya didn't care.
How could this river be colder than the snow from days ago? How could it be colder than the wind atop the cliff?
Gradually, his hands and feet turned purple from the cold, but Kagaya pressed on, searching downstream.
"Where is he? Where? Brother…"
No one noticed that this blank-faced boy was crying out for help inside. He was broken, utterly despairing. He could no longer feel a trace of light. He had nothing left. He desperately wished Shisui would appear again, ruffle his hair, and ask, "How's your training going today?"
---
The next morning, Kagaya finally found Shisui's body on a riverbank. For the first time, he smiled from the heart, a smile of fulfillment.
Kagaya walked over, hoisted Shisui onto his back, and spoke softly to him.
"Brother, let's go home."
That day, Shisui had carried Kagaya home. Today, it was Kagaya's turn to carry Shisui home.
Home… home…