Chapter 22
Chapter 22: Interlude - Shisui
While Sakura was having her adventure in the Land of Waves with her team, in Konohagakure, a teenager was sleeping on his desk at the police station. Around him, many Uchiha chatted and laughed, taking statements or writing reports. His face was on the desk, snoring peacefully, while various other policemen around him were hectically working.
He was shaken awake by an older fellow officer.
"Hey, finish the report already, boy."
The "boy" yawned tiredly. "Yes, yes, Tekka-oji-san." Rubbing his eyes, he stared at the stack of papers and mumbled, "Kill me. This is hell."
Tekka barked a laugh. "Come on! Body Flicker Shisui, bested by paperwork?! It's just some paper. Your patrol shift is almost up, and Fugaku wants your assessment of the case."
Shisui grabbed his pen reluctantly, muttering under his breath about the evils of bureaucratic duty. He worked on the report with mechanical precision.
But his mind was elsewhere.
Since he was a kid, he'd always held a kunai.
He's seen war. Been in the 3rd Shinobi War. Killed people. Survived the war.
He was a weapon, a Uchiha, a man but first and foremost a shinobi.
The first line of defense of Konhagagure.
He’d been through it all—literally. Sometimes, he felt like nothing but a tool. But this was his life. The only viable way to live and survive.
Blinking, he finished a paper and went to the next. But then his thoughts wandered to someone—a strange girl he’d seen many times.
It had started four years ago.
The pink-haired girl. He had no idea what her name was, but it was strange seeing this 8-year-old girl, eyes closed, babbling, talking, and walking in the middle of the night. A sleepwalker is rare but it happens. He chuckled preening his police officer uniform and jumping from his rooftop position to the streets below where the girl was. He followed her. Stress and trauma likely caused this behavior.
But what could a civilian experience end up like this?
The best thing to do with a sleepwalker was to keep an eye on them never wake them and wait for them to awake on their own.
Then after a while, the girl woke up, looked around, paled, and ran away, seemingly back home to her parents.
It became a routine. Sometimes he found it comforting to see the pink-haired sleepwalker it made his night patrols fun. He never woke her up but sometimes he put his jacket on her or pulled her away to a safer street if she was about to run into a dangerous alley or something.
Hes a police officer after all his job was to protect the citizens!
At first, it was just once every blue moon. Then, almost once a month during his night patrols, he’d see this pink-haired girl sleepwalking, mumbling strange things like 'procedures' ' DNA compatibility' ' Failed' ' Toture'.
Morbid. Maybe she was an avid Video gamer?!?!?
Two years later, it got worse. By then, she must have been ten. The girl now displayed startling movements, running from one training ground to another, attacking training dummies, growling, and hissing.
Her fists glowed blue.
She was a shinobi in training.
Shisui could feel his blood rushing. His heart was pounding against his ribcage. A ninja in training. Then wtf was she going through to mumble such weird words?!?!
Quietly, hidden in the dark, followed her again. The night was cold, but his concern kept him moving.
She was like him—a shinobi.
A kid.
A fucking child!
The girl sat down after punching a training dummy, her hands bloody. In her sleepwalk, he heard her grumble, "I’m a monster... I don’t deserve... zzzz." Then, she cut herself. Her fingers were coated with thin, sharp chakra, and she sliced her arm open, only to heal herself again.
And again.
And again.
All over as if it was normal.
Shisui panicked and jumped toward her.
The girl, eyes still closed, snapped toward him and lunged, attacking him. She was in pain. — what trauma—could have caused this much madness? Abuse?!?! Wtf? Her senses even asleep were sharp, only anbu had this skill!
Startled, he took a punch to his gut, coughing as saliva sputtered from his mouth. "Oi,wake up!" he shouted.
The girl reached under her pajama shirt produced a kunai and slashed at him wildly. He dodged to the left, she swung neatly making even a a body spin and aiming for his head. Her speed fizzed from Chunin to Jonin. As if she was restricted. He ducked each of her swings. It's like they were dancing. Her body movement was precise to precise for a ninja in training but her body was too small to keep up with her preciseness.
Resigned he halted, waited until she was close enough then he slapped her.
Her eyes opened. Her cheek was red from his slap. So it took her only a few seconds to react, as though she’d seen a ghost.
The knife dangerously hovering over his heart. She stepped back and tumbled to the butt freaking out:" Forgive me, officer!" she yelled before running away back on her feet—too fast for him to catch.
That was the last time he saw her.
Or so he thought.
It was about a year before his cousin Sasuke was set to take his graduation exam to become a Genin. Winter had arrived, cold and snowy.
Shisui saw her again.
She was bloody, covered in blood, sleepwalking in the snow, wearing medical garb, hyperventilating as if replaying a dangerous memory.
She wore a strange Anbu-like outfit under the garb, The snow had been trailed with blood and footprints. The blood didn't come from her from what he could tell.
She was stabbing a tree, mumbling, "Die... die, you bastard. Your Will of Fire is... hypocritical... for the lives you make me take."
Her words made no sense to him, but the anguish in her voice was unmistakable.
As she collapsed to her knees, stabbing the tree one final time, Shisui stepped forward. Gently, he placed a hand on her shoulder and sent a small pulse of chakra through her system. Her body stiffened, and her eyes shot open.
Once again, the Sharingan spun in her gaze, only to fade into green.
The girl lashed out reflexively, punching him in the chest before turning and fleeing into the snow. Shisui stood frozen, his breath misting in the cold air.
On that day Danzo Shimura was found dead. His Arm was cut off from his, head was decapitated. His mouth was wide in shock as if he had seen hell.
Shisui pondered.
That night, he scoured the Uchiha clan archives, searching for any mention of a pink-haired Uchiha. Asked clan members. No clue. There was nothing. No records, and no connections.
There had never been a pink-haired Uchiha. Ever.
Especially with green eyes.
And yet, he had seen it. The Sharingan In her eye sockets. There was no mistaking it.
Shisui leaned back in his chair at the police station, staring blankly at the report in front of him. His fingers tapped idly against the desk as his mind raced with unanswered questions.
Who was she? And why did she bear the eyes of the Uchiha clan?
He was confused. He recalled that night in picture-perfect detail.
Her hands were littered with wooden splinters. How he gently grabbed her by the shoulder and sent a chakra pulse through her system.
How her eyes shot open. He saw it with his own eyes e, no illusion no figment of his eyes. Shifted from red to green. Her eyes filled with satisfaction, guilt, and happiness as if she was free. Finally free.
He pondered.
Shisui ruffled his curly air, Finishing his paper stack as he slung his police officer uniform jacket on sighing under his breath. The girl was kin and he had to find her.
Next time she sleepwalked he pinned her down by force even if he had to!
He walked out of the large office space, dropped his paper off to Fugaku then walked out into the chilly night. Was the girl okay-? Wait why was he concerned about her? She must have parents right? Urgh focus Shisui! His mind kept thinking. Recalling the last time they meet.
A perfect three-tomoe Sharingan spun in her gaze before shifting to green. She punched him, and then, like before, she ran away.
She must have seen hell to awaken them so quickly.
Then he recalled the Danzo assassination fiasco. Was or had she been held in Danzo's captivity? Then why didn't they find her among the ROOT survivors? Had she died?
Did she kill him? Why how and when and what?!?!?
His heartache. She looked so lonely and in pain too, like himself. He imagined them sitting together and talking about life.
He had to find her, even if it was her dead remains!