The two figures staggering along the border of the Fire Country were none other than Shisui and Kakashi, both of whom had barely escaped with their lives after clashing with the Akatsuki organization.
The journey had been harsh. Their clothes were tattered, their bodies carried the marks of battle, and fatigue weighed heavily on their movements. Kakashi, his single visible eye sharp yet weary, turned his head to glance at Shisui. The once-proud Uchiha walked beside him with sightless eyes, his steps careful and guided by Kakashi's arm.
Kakashi's brow furrowed. He had seen many tragedies in his life, but Shisui's current state struck him deeply.
"Shisui," Kakashi asked in a low, serious voice, "are you absolutely certain that this boss you mentioned can heal your eyes?"
The question carried not doubt but desperation.
Shisui tightened his grip on Kakashi's sleeve. His usually calm demeanor was edged with determination. "I'm sure, Senpai. When I was at my lowest, when I had leapt from a cliff and should have died from the fall… it was this boss who saved me. He used methods I cannot even begin to describe, something beyond any healing jutsu I've ever seen. He restored me then, and I believe he can restore me again."
Kakashi's eye narrowed thoughtfully. He had fought beside Shisui enough to know the younger man was not one to lie or cling to false hope. Still, this claim was staggering.
It hadn't been long since their confrontation with Orochimaru and several other Akatsuki members. In order to create an opening for escape, Shisui had pushed his Mangekyō Sharingan to its absolute limit, forcing the perfect form of Susanoo into existence. It was a sight both awe-inspiring and terrifying. The towering warrior of chakra had shielded them, buying precious seconds for retreat.
But the cost was devastating. Shisui's vision, once the sharpest among the Uchiha, had burned away into darkness. The Mangekyō's power was extinguished, leaving him blind.
And yet, here he was, clinging to the memory of a mysterious figure.
Kakashi's thoughts drifted. A mysterious boss who can heal injuries no medical ninjutsu can touch… He remembered something Obito had once said to him—words he had dismissed as the ramblings of a broken mind.
Obito had spoken of resurrection.
The idea had sounded insane at the time, nothing more than the obsession of a man unable to let go of the past. But if this boss was real, if what Shisui said was true… then perhaps there really was a way.
"Could it be," Kakashi murmured under his breath, "that the method Obito spoke of came from this very person?"
The thought sent a jolt of hope through him. His heart pounded faster. If there really is a way… then maybe… Rin, sensei, father… I could see them again.
His feet began to move faster, almost without his realizing it. With renewed energy, Kakashi guided Shisui along the border, searching, searching… until at last, after what felt like hours, something unusual appeared in the forest ahead.
Between the trees stood an ancient-looking structure, its weathered walls giving it the air of timelessness. At the entrance rose two massive stone pillars, carved with intricate patterns that glimmered faintly under the dappled sunlight.
"Shisui," Kakashi said, pointing ahead, "is that it? The shop you mentioned—with two huge pillars at the front?"
Shisui's blind eyes lit up with excitement. "Yes! That's the one! And on the pillars—there should be an inscription."
Kakashi stepped closer, squinting to make out the words etched into stone. Indeed, in bold script were the words:
[Omniscience and Omnipotence, Everything You Need]
The copy seemed almost boastful, yet standing before the shop, Kakashi felt a shiver of awe.
"So it's true…" he whispered.
His chest tightened as a surge of excitement coursed through him. If such a place really existed, then perhaps the impossible was within reach.
He remembered the moment Obito had asked him to join his side. At the time, Kakashi had dismissed Obito's talk of resurrection as madness born of grief. Yet out of guilt, and out of love for his friend, Kakashi had followed him anyway. If Obito is mad, then I will walk into madness with him, he had thought. I owe him that much.
But now… Shisui's words, this shop, the inscription—everything pointed to the fact that Obito had not been entirely wrong.
Kakashi's breath grew heavy. "Rin… Sensei… Father… I will find a way to bring you back."
But before that, there was Shisui's blindness to address. And Obito—he had to be saved before the Akatsuki consumed him entirely.
With determination, Kakashi helped Shisui climb the steps to the door. But when his gaze fell on the sign hanging there, his heart plummeted.
In bold letters were the words:
Closed.
Kakashi froze in disbelief.
Shisui tilted his head, sensing the sudden silence. "Kakashi-senpai? What's wrong? Why don't you go in?"
Kakashi's shoulders sagged. He let out a bitter laugh. "We… came at the wrong time. The boss isn't home."
"...???"
Shisui's heart sank like a stone. Of all the times! At this moment, when everything depended on the boss, he was simply… not here?
"What about my eyes?" Shisui muttered in despair. "What about Obito-senpai? And Rasa?"
Kakashi glanced again at the sign and grimaced. "The message says… the boss has made enough money and decided to go have some fun. He'll reopen when… he feels like it."
Shisui felt his knees weaken. He had faced Akatsuki, stared down Orochimaru himself without flinching—but this? This was cruel. Everything he had hoped for crumbled to dust.
"It's over…" he whispered. "It's all over."
By the time the boss returns, Obito-senpai's body will have started to rot… maybe it already has…
While Shisui spiraled into despair, Kakashi noticed something odd. The ink on the wooden sign glistened faintly. Curious, he touched it with his fingers. The writing smeared instantly.
His eye widened. "This… it's still wet. The boss must have just left!"
Hope flared anew. "Shisui! We can catch him if we hurry!"
Ignoring their exhaustion, the two set off into the wilderness, chasing a trail they could barely imagine. But fate was cruel.
For at that very moment, Peter—the so-called boss—was already hundreds of kilometers away.
---
The Kingdom of Wind
"...You've got to be kidding me."
Peter stood in the middle of endless sand, his face twisted with frustration. He had meant to head toward Konoha, but somehow, thanks to his terrible sense of direction, he had ended up in the Kingdom of Wind instead.
"Damn it," he muttered, kicking at the sand. "I was supposed to go left, wasn't I? Not right. Great. Just great. And now I'm in a giant sandbox."
He pinched the bridge of his nose, exhaling heavily. "Fine. Whatever. Since I'm here, might as well look around."
The desert stretched endlessly before him. The heat shimmered, the air was dry, and apart from the occasional gust of hot wind, there was nothing but silence.
"Kingdom of Wind, huh? All desert and nothing else… what a tourist trap," Peter grumbled. He was about to turn away when something in the distance caught his eye.
On top of a dune, half-buried in sand, lay a motionless figure.
Curiosity prickled at him. "What the hell…?"
He approached, his footsteps crunching softly on the sand. The closer he came, the clearer the scene became, and his expression shifted from annoyance to shock.
It was an old man.
White-haired, emaciated, his body bore the marks of brutal torture. His upper torso was bare, revealing a chest and back covered in deep, crisscrossing purple welts—whip marks so severe they seemed burned into his flesh. One arm remained, trembling weakly against the sand, while the other had been severed crudely, leaving a ragged wound. His legs were ruined, hamstrings cut, leaving him to crawl inch by inch across the desert.
Behind him stretched a pathetic trail of uneven crawl marks, a testament to how far he had dragged himself in this merciless wasteland..
Peter stopped, staring down at the man.
"...Tsk." He clicked his tongue, shaking his head. "This old man's really been through hell."
--
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