Chapter 12 : Students and Teachers
Uchiha Shisui looked at Uchiha Makoto lying on the ground, and in that moment recalled the first time he had met Uchiha Itachi.
That boy always carried himself with a calmness beyond his years, but only when Itachi was alone with Shisui would he show the expressions a child of his age should normally have.
It always seemed like Itachi's mind was burdened by the fate of the clan.
Shisui often saw little Sasuke tagging along after his older brother, and their bond as siblings touched him deeply. That sight only strengthened Shisui's determination.
No matter whether it was the village or the Uchiha clan—he would protect both!
Yet deep down, being so alone, he often envied Itachi. He too longed for the warmth of family.
Makoto was about the same age as Sasuke. Were they not, perhaps, just like he and Itachi had been back then?
"Yo, Makoto, training here again?"
Shisui changed from the reserved manner he had shown when they first met at Fugaku's house, greeting him now with open warmth.
Makoto blinked. Of course, maybe it was because they had only met once before, but this time Shisui revealed his naturally cheerful personality.
What shocked Makoto more, however, was Shisui's speed—the way he appeared silently on the branch behind him, only to flicker in front of his eyes with a soft whoosh.
"Hello, Teacher Shisui."
Everyone deals with others differently, and Makoto decided, until he understood more about Shisui, it was safest to behave like a model student.
"Hahaha! No need to be so formal. You can just call me 'brother,' or even just Shisui."
Shisui laughed, examining the battered training stakes.
"Looks like you've been at it for quite a while. These posts are nearly useless now."
He tugged a shuriken free from the wood, then spoke casually to Makoto.
"After all, I was personally asked by Patriarch Fugaku to be your instructor, so it's only right that I check in on you."
"Even the Third Hokage has mentioned you to me. His evaluation wasn't bad at all."
"Brother Shisui, why would the Third Hokage even talk about me?"
Makoto was relieved that he had done nothing to betray Konoha's "Will of Fire."
If the Uchiha, already under suspicion, attempted anything against the village, it would only prove that they had truly outlived their welcome.
But for the Hokage himself to take notice of an Academy student made Makoto wary.
"Hahaha, well, you know the Third—he has his ways of observing everything in the village."
Shisui paused, his expression turning slightly awkward.
"There's even a rumor that he uses his crystal ball to peek at the women's bathhouse. But of course… something like that couldn't possibly be true."
Shisui brushed the subject aside with a dry laugh. It wasn't something to discuss with a young boy anyway.
Such talk not only tarnished the Hokage's image but might even make Makoto suspect that Shisui himself was odd.
Spying on women's baths? What a beast! Makoto thought bitterly. For a village leader to do something so shameless… if people dare spread it, maybe there's truth in it after all.
He silently resolved to remind Tenten never to bathe in a public bathhouse again.
"Anyway—why don't I teach you a new ninjutsu? The Great Fireball Jutsu. What do you say?"
Sensing the awkwardness in the air, Shisui quickly shifted the topic.
Forming the hand seals—Tiger → Ox → Monkey → Rabbit → Boar → Horse—Shisui inhaled deeply, then expelled a massive ball of flames that engulfed a scarred stake.
BOOM! With a sharp crack, the target finally gave way, exploding into splinters that scattered across the clearing.
Makoto stared in disbelief. He already thought himself daring for using Phoenix Sage Fire in the forest, but Shisui had just launched a full-scale Great Fireball Jutsu. True, there was a river nearby, but wasn't this basically asking for trouble?
Set fire to the mountain and sit in prison, Makoto muttered inwardly, half-amused, half-exasperated.
Still, he said nothing aloud. He had already learned this signature Uchiha technique.
"Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu!"
A fireball smaller than Shisui's surged forward, smashing into the remains of the other training posts.
Then the thought hit him: wasn't this his own training ground? Which meant he'd be the one cleaning all this debris! Makoto felt a pang of regret.
No, he decided, I'll drag Sasuke over to help me tidy this place.
At that moment, Sasuke, happily buying snacks at the market, sneezed.
"Ah, so you already know the Fireball Jutsu? Then what should I show you next…"
Teaching a genius was always both enjoyable and troublesome. To be a teacher, you had to have something left to pass on.
"Right, I've got it. Makoto, I'll teach you two more techniques. Consider it my gift for underestimating you."
As if remembering something important, Shisui tapped his forehead and smiled.
"Our Uchiha clan possesses a unique kekkei genkai. With the Sharingan, we can copy and perceive ninjutsu in battle like no other."
"And another advantage of the Sharingan is its ability to cast genjutsu. Our dōjutsu can naturally use illusions, and at the same time, it greatly enhances the power of genjutsu."
"With a single tomoe or double tomoe, the Sharingan can only slightly amplify illusions, performing basic hypnosis and disrupting the opponent's perception. But once the eye matures into three tomoe, the Sharingan itself can cast powerful genjutsu, allowing the user to manipulate and control others."
Uchiha Makoto nodded in understanding—only to suddenly realize he couldn't move. A pair of fully matured three-tomoe Sharingan spun in Shisui's eyes.
"This is the Sharingan," Shisui explained calmly. "Even without intent, genjutsu may be activated. In battle, a moment's carelessness is enough to cost you victory. This is one of the reasons the Uchiha clan is feared across the shinobi world."
Exhaling deeply, Makoto twisted his neck when he was released, the sensation of immobility leaving him uncomfortable.
"The next step may unsettle you. It will force you to face the scene you fear most."
"Wait a—" Before Makoto could resist, the world before him shifted.
Is genjutsu really this powerful?
All around was pitch black. Makoto walked forward cautiously, spotting a faint glimmer of light ahead. Instinctively, he broke into a run.
When he emerged from the darkness, he was startled to find himself taller, standing amidst the bustling main street of Konohagakure.
So… what exactly is my greatest fear? Makoto wondered. He looked around and suddenly noticed three familiar figures not far away.
"Tenten! Neji! Lee!"
But the three walked on, ignoring his calls as though they couldn't hear him at all.
"Tenten, wait!" he shouted again and again. Still, there was no response.
At that moment, realization struck. His deepest fear was not death—it was the loss of belonging, the fear of being unseen, of not existing at all.
Desperately reaching out to touch a passing villager, Makoto's arm slipped straight through their body like mist.
"Genjutsu: Release."
The scene shattered, and in an instant he was back in his messy training ground. Shisui was watching him, his expression half-worried, half-baffled.
"Why did you cancel the illusion so quickly, right after I cast it?"
"This technique is Narakumi no Jutsu—the Hell Viewing Technique. It's only a D-rank genjutsu, but still, ordinary people can't dispel it after facing their deepest fear so fast."
Shisui scratched the back of his head in surprise.
"Well… it's not a bad thing. After all, it only proves that our clan has yet another genius."
Makoto understood the reason clearly—it was preparation. He had recognized that he was trapped in genjutsu, and once he was conscious of it, breaking free became far easier.
On top of that, he thought of the strange Gūshiji energy fortifying his body. Genjutsu functions by disturbing the opponent's chakra flow, yet his constant internal transformation and chakra refinement made him far more resistant to illusions than most.
"Brother Shisui, genjutsu really is powerful… but I want to learn your speed and swordsmanship too."
Makoto pulled a pitiful face, already scheming to squeeze every ounce of knowledge from his new teacher. After all, if he didn't drain Shisui dry, could he still call himself a true Uchiha?
He was genuinely envious of Shisui's body flicker, that ghostlike speed. Even if you can't win a fight, with such swiftness at least you can escape unharmed. Mastering that was definitely worthwhile.
And besides, Shisui carried a wakizashi at his hip; clearly, his kenjutsu was at a high level. Naturally, Makoto wanted to learn that too, shameless or not.
We're family after all—what's yours is mine. Every Uchiha should pass on their skills to me, he thought with a grin.
Shisui could only stare, dumbfounded. This wasn't what he had expected at all.
This boy… truly lived up to the name Uchiha Makoto. He was "genuinely" impossible to read.