"Normal Dialogue"
'Inner thoughts'
[Year ???]
~ With Shisui ~
Shisui walked through the crowded streets of the Flower Blooming Capital, Crocus, his eyes taking in every detail without appearing to stare. His shoulders relaxed in a slouch—the walk of someone unremarkable, just another face in the crowd. But behind this carefully maintained facade, his mind catalogged everything: the flow of people, the positions of the Royal Guards, the nonchalant conversations of the people.
'A month'. It had been a month since he had woken up in this strange world. The scent of freshly baked bread lingered from a nearby bakery, temporarily distracting him from his thoughts. His stomach grumbled, but he ignored it, continuing his observational walk.
'Live your life,' The mysterious man had told him.
'As if starting over in an entirely different world was as simple as finding a new apartment.' Shisui's mouth formed a half-smile at the thought. 'What does living even mean when you've been pulled from everything you've ever known?'
He passed a group of children playing with small bursts of magical energy, creating sparkles and tiny animal shapes that dance through the air. One boy, no older than seven, produced a miniature butterfly that soared around their heads, trailing smoke that smells like cinnamon. The children laughed, their faces lit with joy at such a simple display.
'Magic.' They called it magic here, but Shisui knew it was similar yet fundamentally different from what he himself was capable of.
His mind drifted back to his first week in this world. After waking for the second time in that forest clearing, disoriented but unhurt, he'd made his way to a small village nestled between rolling hills. The people there had been friendly enough, offering him food and temporary shelter, but he'd needed information more than comfort.
That night, he'd attempted to use normal genjutsu on the village elder—a simple technique, just enough to make the man more forthcoming with information about this world. Shisui had formed the hand sign, channeled his chakra, and... nothing. The elder had simply stared at him, confused by his strange gesture.
"Something wrong with your hands, young man?" the elder had asked, and Shisui had quickly played it off as a stretch. Later, alone in the small guest room they'd provided, he'd realized the truth. Genjutsu works by manipulating the chakra flow in another person's brain. If the people here had no chakra to manipulate—it was like trying to steer a boat that didn't exist.
Shisui turned a corner, heading toward the city center. The enormous fountain there seemed to pulse with magical energy, the water occasionally forming shapes that defy gravity before collapsing back into the basin. He sat on its edge, dipping his fingers into the cool water. The sensation was real enough. This world was real enough.
During this month of exploration, he'd also discovered that while he could not manipulate the ethernano that permeated this world, he could sense it. At first, he'd thought it might be similar to the nature energy back home, but that notion quickly faded. Nature energy was pure, raw, untamed. Ethernano felt... processed somehow. Refined. As if it had been passed through some cosmic filter that changed its fundamental properties.
His own chakra, however, remained intact. His speed, his fighting abilities, even his Sharingan—all functioning as they should. He'd tested each cautiously, far from prying eyes, and found that he could replicate many of the feats the locals achieved with their magic. In some cases, he could do much more.
And therein lay the danger. Shisui knew what happens to people who stood out too much, who show abilities others covet. He's lived that reality once—he has no intention of becoming a target in this new world.
A pair of street performers nearby drew applause as they created an intricate dance of fire and wind, the elements twirling around each other without mixing, but careful enough not to cause an enhanced fire hazard. The crowd tossed coins into a hat they had placed in front of them, and with a bow, their magic dissipitated into the air. The display would be child's play for Shisui to replicate with his fire and wind techniques, but he simply watched, applauding politely, and moved on.
For now, observation was his primary mission. Learn the rules, understand the players, find his place. The question of what to do with his life remained unanswered, but Shisui had always been patient. There was no rush to decide his path—not when the path itself is still revealing itself to him.
Just then, his stomach made itself known to him once again.
'Yeah, yeah, I hear you.' With a sigh, he rised from the fountain's edge, deciding to find a place to satisfy his rising hunger. His fingers brushed against a small pouch of jewels—the currency here—that he'd earned doing odd jobs. Enough to keep him fed and housed for now. Simple problems with simple solutions.
~ Later ~
The tavern smelled of spilled beer and yesterday's stew, a combination that would be unpleasant if not for the lively chatter filling the space. Shisui sat at a corner table, a half-finished plate of food in front of him. His tablemate, a portly man with a mustache that curled at the edges like question marks, flipped through a glossy magazine with an enthusiasm that seemed at odds with his otherwise dignified appearance.
"Mind if I sit here?" The man had asked ten minutes ago, gesturing to the empty chair across from Shisui. "Everywhere else is full."
Shisui had nodded, more focused on his meal than conversation. The tavern, one of many in Crocus, wasn't particularly special, but it served decent food at reasonable prices. Perfect for someone living on limited funds while figuring out his next move.
The man turned another page of his magazine, snorting at whatever he read. His fingers tapped against the table in an irregular rhythm. The magazine's cover, glossy and bright, announced itself as "Sorcerer Weekly" in bold letters.
Shisui took another bite of his food, his eyes casually drifting to the open pages as his tablement periodically set it down to consume his food. A spread of images showed scantily-clad women posing with magical artifacts, but it was the headline opposite that caught his attention: "A year since the disappearance of several members, Fairy Tail's downfall continues as more of their own abandons the guild!"
His fork paused halfway to his mouth.
'Fairy Tail.' That name again.
The mysterious man who brought him to this world had mentioned the guild, speaking of it with a strange mix of reverence and amusement. "Fairy Tail," he'd said, "one of the most prominent guilds in Fiore. They consider their members as family, not merely colleagues."
Shisui resumed eating, but his focus had shifted entirely to the article. From what he could see, the piece detailed how after the disappearance of several key members a year ago, the guild had been slowly losing members. A few of those who remain seemed to be hanging on out of habit more than loyalty.
The irony was not lost on him. A guild founded on the principle of family, now watching that family splinter apart when tested by hardship.
"Shame about Fairy Tail," the man across from him said suddenly, noticing Shisui's interest. "Used to be something special. Now look at them." He taps a photo showing Fairy Tail's guildhall.
Shisui offered a noncommittal hum. "Family only matters when it's convenient, I guess."
The man shrugged, turning to a feature on magical swimwear. "That's life."
Shisui returned to his meal as he thought of the Uchiha clan—proud, powerful, and ultimately isolated. How the village had slowly pushed them to the margins, how suspicion and fear had replaced trust and respect. How family had become both their greatest strength and their greatest vulnerability.
The parallels were uncomfortable. Like the Uchiha, Fairy Tail seemed to have been set apart, distinguished by their power but perhaps feared for it as well. And when crisis struck, those who claimed to value family revealed the conditional nature of that bond.
He wondered what happened to those missing members. Were they abandoned? Did they leave by choice? Or was there something more sinister at play? In his personal experience, powerful organizations do not simply fall apart without cause.
'Danzo… Could he have…'
The man across from him lets out a laugh at something in the magazine, pulling Shisui from his thoughts. "These models get more ridiculous every issue. Look at this one—she's wearing what looks like armor made of feathers. Feathers! What's that supposed to protect against? Aggressive pillows?"
Shisui offered a polite smile but doesn't engage further. His mind was still circling around the concept of family and its fragility. The Uchiha had turned inward when isolated, their pride becoming resentment, their strength becoming a threat.
'What happens to a guild built on family bonds when those bonds start to break?'
He finished his meal, pushing the plate away. Perhaps there was a lesson in Fairy Tail's story—a warning about putting too much faith in ideals like family and loyalty. Or maybe it was simply another example of how quickly people abandon principles when faced with adversity.
Either way, it reinforced his decision to rely primarily on himself in this world for the moment. Attachments were comforting but dangerous. They could create vulnerabilities that others could exploit.
As he signalled for the bill, the server placed a small slip on his table and Shisui counted out the required jewels.
As he left the tavern, Shisui could not help but wonder if the mysterious man who brought him here knew about Fairy Tail's current state. Was sending him to a world where the embodiment of family values was crumbling some kind of message? Or just a cosmic joke at his expense?
'Knowing his reasoning, he probably thought that me finding out about Fairy Tail's situation would be entertaining.'
Some questions, he suspected, would never have satisfying answers.
~ End of Chapter 04 ~