"Kai, it's you."
When Shisui saw Kai appear out of nowhere, he wasn't particularly surprised.
He simply smiled and greeted him.
After knowing each other for so many years, Shisui had long since gotten used to Itachi's little brother being impossible to track—
or rather—suddenly popping into existence.
For all he knew, this kid might just materialize behind him at any moment and start talking.
In the beginning, Shisui really had been startled a few times.
Especially that one time when he was in the middle of… doing his business.
Kai had suddenly popped out from behind.
Scared him so badly he nearly—well, clenched shut on the spot.
"Shisui-ge, what are you doing here?" Kai asked.
"Hm? I…"
Shisui froze for a moment, genuinely puzzled.
Wasn't this place something he had discovered?
Why did it suddenly feel like he was the one who didn't belong here?
The odd feeling passed in a flash.
One tall figure and one short one stood atop the river's surface, chatting casually.
Caw—caw—
Above them, crows swooped down, skimming along the riverbank before disappearing into the distance.
As time passed, Kai gradually noticed something different about Shisui.
A blazing mass of gold shone from him, dazzling to the eye.
And beneath it, one particular trait was billowing with thick black mist.
[Conversation Target: Uchiha Shisui]
[Analyzing copyable traits…]
[Kotoamatsukami (Gold), Phantom Body Flicker (Purple), Mangekyō Sharingan (Purple), Kotoamatsukami (Gold), Heart Set on Death (Black)…]
Compared to two years ago, Shisui's trait list was practically flawless now.
He was only missing that glaringly green Susanoo.
But—
Kai sighed softly when his gaze landed on that special black trait.
"A man walking toward death… So he's already sensed something, huh?"
In the original story, this sunny, open-hearted boy could have lived.
And with a very real chance at that.
Whether returning to the clan or defecting from the village, survival had been possible.
Yet in the end, he chose to hand over his last eye to his closest friend—
using his life to help Itachi awaken the Mangekyō.
Which came first, the cause or the effect?
Kai couldn't tell anymore.
His thoughts drifted, and he couldn't help but recall his own black trait.
He tugged at the corner of his mouth and checked his status.
[Name: Uchiha Kai]
[Chakra: 1,852,511]
[Traits: Seven-Year Itch (Black), Body of Light (Rainbow), Low Presence (Rainbow), Flying Thunder God Technique (Gold) Lv.6, Nine-Tails Jinchūriki (Gold), Mangekyō Sharingan (Purple)…]
Six years had passed.
His mind and body had both grown tremendously.
Especially in the last two years—now that he was older, his physical growth had accelerated.
And this was only his normal state.
If he activated Cloud-Style Body Enhancement and the Nine-Tails' power, his stamina would multiply several times over!
Purely through taijutsu alone, he could already rival an average jōnin.
But more importantly—
After all these years, Seven-Year Itch hadn't changed at all.
The black mist around it was so dense it was almost frightening.
Kai had tried feeding it other traits before, but nothing happened.
Like stagnant water—utterly unresponsive.
Maybe he'd only see results on the night of the clan's massacre next year.
That thought lingered as he looked at the grinning, carefree boy beside him.
"Shisui-ge," Kai said casually, "what do you think of the village?"
"The village?" Shisui replied brightly. "It's great! No wars lately, everyone's living happily."
"And what about… Danzō?"
"Lord Danzō?" Shisui hesitated, then answered earnestly.
"He's a true hero—someone who dedicates himself in the shadows to protect Konoha."
Kai: "..."
It's over.
Completely hopeless.
Among the Uchiha, Shisui truly had zero scheming instincts.
[Conversation duration reached. Attempting to copy trait…]
[Copy failed.]
Another failure.
If conversation didn't work, then—
Fight it is.
Kai lifted his head slightly, looking at the tall boy before him.
Sunlight filtered through Shisui's bangs, glaringly bright.
"Shisui-ge."
"Hm?"
"I've got a bit of fire in me today."
"Huh? Have you been staying up too late lately?" Shisui blinked.
"No."
Kai rolled his neck. Bones crackled sharply.
"I want to fight you."
The laziness drained from his eyes completely.
Like a lion awakening, his entire body radiated sharp, blinding intensity.
"Haha, you kid, why so sudden—"
Shisui laughed, even reaching out to ruffle Kai's hair.
But in the instant his hand moved—
He saw Kai's eyes turn crimson.
Shisui's expression changed.
Sharingan?
When did Kai awaken it?
In his memory, Kai was always sprawled somewhere, basking in the sun.
Talk a bit, then refuse to move another inch.
Uchiha usually awakened their eyes on the battlefield—
after witnessing the death of comrades under extreme emotional shock.
But Kai had never even been to war.
Nothing particularly tragic had happened in his life either.
So how?
And more than that—
Those crimson eyes sent a chill straight down Shisui's spine.
This kid… was serious.
Shisui inhaled deeply, his expression turning solemn as he nodded.
"Alright."
Shing!
He drew the short blade from his back and retreated several steps.
Chakra surged through his body.
Gurgle, gurgle.
At his feet, the river boiled like hot oil, bubbles rising violently.
"Then let me see how far you've come, Kai!"
He slashed forward.
Splash—!
The blade's arc dragged a wave of water with it, surging straight ahead!
Crash!
Water erupted, instantly obscuring vision.
Behind the white mist of spray, Shisui began forming hand seals and called out:
"Kai, be careful. Next I'll use Fire Style: Great Fireball—attacking from three directions at once—"
His voice cut off abruptly.
Drip.
A bead of sweat appeared on his forehead.
His back prickled with goosebumps.
At the edge of his vision, the cold glint of a shuriken hovered at his kidney, silently radiating danger.
Above Kai's head, the symbol of Flying Thunder God flickered.
Kai pinched the tail of the shuriken, shaking his head.
"Shisui-ge… hasn't anyone ever told you?"
"When you're fighting, don't talk so much."
"Long wind-ups get you killed real easy."
This guy had already started the fight and was still reminding him to be careful.
Against someone fast enough, that would've been instant death.
Only now did Kai truly understand why the Yellow Flash, Namikaze Minato, had made entire villages abandon missions on sight.
Even the legendary Sannin never inspired orders like 'encounter and immediately retreat.'
"You… when did you—?"
Shisui frowned, true caution finally appearing in his eyes.
Kai had clearly been in front of him just moments ago.
How had he ended up behind him in an instant?
Body Flicker?
But when had the seals been formed?
Splash—
In the next second, Shisui's body collapsed into water and flowed into the river.
Splash splash!
Ten meters away, twelve figures reformed simultaneously.
Twelve clones.
Each holding a blade.
All facing Kai.
"Body Flicker? Now that's a little interesting…"
Kai's eye veins bulged as his crimson gaze sharpened—and beneath it, the Byakugan snapped open instantly.
"Sharingan plus Byakugan."
"Shisui-ge… your Body Flicker just became useless."
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