The moment Hyuga Kei said "lesson," a flicker of panic passed through Shisui, but he quickly forced it down.
He told himself, this time is different.
This time, he'd spent days observing Kei's every move, scouring every alley of the slums. And despite all his efforts, no one else appeared to be a more likely suspect than Hyuga Kei.
So it couldn't be that he was wrong, no, the issue had to be Kei's talent for deception. If he pressed harder, if he applied just enough pressure, surely the truth would slip through the cracks in that calm, polished mask.
Determined to overturn his past humiliation, Shisui hardened his resolve.
"Enough with your psychological games," he snapped. "I've seen through every one of your tricks!"
Kei merely shrugged.
"I suppose there's no need for me to explain anything then," he said lightly. "Because even if I did, you wouldn't believe me."
"People like you, once you've made up your mind about someone, you never change it. It's not about truth, it's about confirmation."
He smiled faintly.
"Let me guess. If I admitted I was the culprit, you'd be thrilled, because it would prove you were right. But if I denied it, you'd be furious, not because I'm lying, but because I refuse to confirm your so-called 'truth.' Isn't that right?"
"No more games." Shisui cut him off, short blade slicing through the rain.
"I don't want to raise my weapon against a comrade, but you're no comrade of mine!"
He lunged forward, aiming for Kei's limbs. His goal was not to kill, but to disable and restrain.
The blade cut through the air and struck,
, but there was no blood.
Just an illusion fading into mist.
"You've always had the strength to overpower me," Kei's voice echoed behind him. "But now, you can't even see through a simple clone. So tell me, Shisui, what makes you so sure you're seeing the truth?"
Startled, Shisui whirled around, and there he was. Kei stood calmly behind him.
"You never noticed, did you?" Kei said.
"From the moment I spoke the word 'destruction,' your image of me was set in stone."
To his left, another voice chimed in. Shisui turned and found a second Kei standing there.
"That night, you were furious, weren't you? You thought you'd exposed me, only to find what you grabbed from my coat was money, not a scroll full of corpses."
A third voice came from the right. Shisui didn't need to look, he already knew. A third Kei stood there too.
"You can tell yourself it was because you underestimated me, that's why you fell for such tricks. But when the enemy is real, how many mistakes are you allowed to make?"
"One? Just one misstep might send you to ruin. Just one… could wipe your clan off the map."
Voice after voice rang out. Kei's illusionary clones surrounded him. Shisui didn't turn anymore. He already knew.
He'd underestimated Kei.
He'd assumed a blind man couldn't fight back.
And now, he was paying for that mistake.
What shook him even more: this technique.
It was nearly identical to his own Body Flicker Illusion Style.
"How did you do this?" Shisui asked.
"Just chalk it up to genius," Kei replied.
"Genius again? Don't you have any other excuses?"
"It's not an excuse," Kei said calmly. "It's just the truth.
The same way you believe I'm the killer, without a shred of proof. You've decided I'm suspicious, so you reject everything I say."
Before Shisui could respond, Kei pressed on.
"Instead of interrogating me, why don't you go see what's really been snatching villagers?"
Kei and all his clones lifted their canes, pointing toward a distant alley.
Shisui activated his Sharingan. The scarlet glow of the three tomoe spun in his eyes as he stared at Kei, hesitating.
Kei's voice cut through his doubt.
"Keep hesitating like this, and you won't see anything at all."
Shisui stood frozen… then charged toward the alley.
He didn't want to go. But his body moved on its own.
,
At the far end of the alley, he caught a glimpse, a pale white serpent slithering from a villager's home, darting toward the storm drain.
In a flash, Shisui hurled his short blade.
It sliced cleanly through the tail.
The rest of the snake vanished into the sewer, leaving behind only a severed, bloody piece.
Shisui stepped forward and picked up the twitching tail, his brow furrowed.
Behind him, Kei approached slowly, tapping his cane with measured steps.
"So," he said. "Do you still think I'm the one behind the disappearances?"
Shisui stared at the snake's tail, visibly shaken.
But what came out of his mouth was:
"Someone is using snakes to kidnap villagers. But as for who's controlling them, we still can't be sure."
"Is that really because you have no suspects?" Kei asked softly.
"Or are you just afraid to name them?"
Shisui pressed his lips together, saying nothing.
"How did you know it would strike tonight?" he asked instead.
"I may not be stronger than you," Kei replied. "But my sensory skills are far sharper. I see things you don't."
"Then why didn't you say something sooner?"
"Why not just accuse me directly of orchestrating the whole thing?" Kei said dryly. "Wouldn't that save you the trouble?"
"Isn't it possible?" Shisui pressed.
"Oh, it's possible," Kei admitted. "But like I said, where's your evidence?"
"I've told you again and again, and you keep ignoring it. Even now, if I tried to explain, would you really believe me?"
Shisui instinctively shook his head,
Then froze.
That was Kei's trap. Again.
So he countered, "If the explanation makes sense, why wouldn't people believe it?"
Kei tilted his head, smiling faintly.
"Tell me then. When your Uchiha clan tried to explain yourselves to the village, did they believe you?"
Shisui stiffened.
"The way you've treated me today… isn't it exactly how the village and its people treated the Uchiha?"
"In fact, you're even more pitiful than them," Kei said quietly.
"Because at least they were manipulated.
You? You're doing it of your own free will."
"No… it's not like that…" Shisui began, but trailed off.
"You already know the truth," Kei said. "Even if your pride won't let you say it out loud."
He stepped forward, tapping the cane lightly against the ground.
"Go on. Keep arguing. I know you can. You're Shisui of the Body Flicker, after all. You could force me to submit right here if you wanted."
"But whatever you do… you won't get an answer out of me.
Because I'm not the one you're looking for."
He pointed at the snake tail in Shisui's hand.
"The answer is right there.
Dig deep enough, and you'll find the truth.
And when you do… I wonder what you'll feel?"
Shisui had no response.
Once again, tonight's events had spiraled far beyond what he'd expected.
He'd hoped to force Kei into slipping up, but underestimated him again.
And even though he'd finally found the key to solving the case…
…it had been Kei who gave it to him.
And so once more, in front of Hyuga Kei,
he'd lost.
<150 P.S = 1 Extra Chapter>