Kitcune_Miyto
A life that I will change Book 1-3

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  • Аннотация:

    Uchiha Shisui is not a classic "hitman", he is trying to change the canon in order to stay alive. He and Itachi, taking a "kindergarten" of young brothers, sisters and their friends, leave Konoha after the liquidation of the Uchiha clan. Now they have to revive their clan in partnership with Orochimaru and return to Konoha with a new Hokage, after killing three.

  A life that I will change. Book 1: Saving the Uchiha Clan
  Автор: Кицунэ Миято
  Uchiha Shisui is not a classic "hitman", he is trying to change the canon in order to stay alive. He and Itachi, taking a "kindergarten" of young brothers, sisters and their friends, leave Konoha after the liquidation of the Uchiha clan.
  Обложка 1 книги https://vk.com/photo-119634594_427080280 there is also an album with the author's illustrations for this work.
  **Иллюстрации и картинки:**
  ч.1 гл.10 спасённые дети http://s01.geekpic.net/di-NF1GC4.jpg
  ч.1 гл.11 Замок Нэкомата http://s01.geekpic.net/dm-VIIOGT.jpeg
  ч.2 гл.9 Мастер Ракурэй http://s01.geekpic.net/di-3YEMXJ.jpg
  ч.2 гл.12 Коллаж ко второй части http://s01.geekpic.net/di-NHBSB8.jpg
  ч.2 гл.24 Саюри-сан http://s01.geekpic.net/di-0NLJBW.jpg
  ч.3 гл.27 Агара, Саске, Наруто, Кимимаро http://s01.geekpic.net/di-CYN5R5.jpeg
  ч.3 гл.27 Девочки в красивом http://s01.geekpic.net/di-56Q95D.jpg
  Part 1. "Non-classical popadanets". The Prologue
  Psychology professor Kanagawa Toru looked closely at his new patient. A very young guy, who, judging by the questionnaire, would have to turn sixteen in a couple of weeks, sat with his hands clasped on his knees, staring thoughtfully at one point. Nakomori Hiroshi addressed a problem that was unusual even for Professor Kanagawa's extensive medical practice.
  "Let's summarize all of the above, Hiroshi-kun. Are you saying that you live two lives and don't know which one is real? When you sleep there, you see this life as a strange dream, and vice versa. Is everything right?"
  "Yes, Professor," the guy nodded. His black, lively eyes were attentive and wary, and there was also something in them that Kanagawa couldn't dismiss. Nakomori Hiroshi said what he believed in. And that look was the look of an adult with a lot of experience. As they say, "a child with old eyes."
  "Did it start two years ago, when your parents died after an accident, and you yourself also suffered greatly, having experienced several clinical deaths? Do you remember how your father and mother died?"
  "Yes, Professor," the patient focused on his hands and the wide bracelets hiding his wrists. "I saw it happen."
  "Have you tried to commit suicide?" Kanagawa asked after making a handwriting in front of "suicidal tendencies" on the form.
  "Yes. But..."
  "But?.." The hitch was more than telling.
  "At first, I wanted to commit suicide so that I could... live that life alone. She's quite interesting. When I woke up here, after fourteen years there... It was very... painful. Because of this, I even got..." The guy stopped, looking at him suspiciously. Kanagawa pretended not to notice the slip. "In general, it was very stressful. But then I got used to it somehow. You could say he got involved. In general, everything began to suit me. But I've learned something recently. Actually, that's why I decided to contact you.
  "That's how," Kanagawa mentally gave himself a thrashing due to the fact that, having been carried away by such an interesting case, he had not yet clarified what was happening in the guy's second life. "And what did you learn, Hiroshi-kun?"
  "I think I'm going to die there soon. Something turned out... very important," he thoughtfully twirled a black lock of hair around his finger.
  "But how can you be so sure? Did you get sick there?"
  "No. I just found out that... My second life, it turns out, is public domain," the patient exhaled, as if deciding on such a strange statement.
  "Public domain?!" Kanagawa asked, barely able to control himself. He was embarrassed by the fact that, having lost his composure, he stared at the guy completely unscientifically, with his mouth open. "How's that?"
  "Everyone in Japan knows about it," Hiroshi continued thoughtfully. "I was the only one who thought for a long time and did not compare the facts and some of the same names. Besides, there's a big difference in the faces... And just a couple of weeks ago, I saw the scene of my death. And I must say, this is probably how it would have happened if I hadn't watched everything that led to it and been amazed at my own naivety and stupidity.
  "That is," Kanagawa analyzed the announced data. "Does your "other self" live in the past of the information that exists in our world?"
  "I'm far from the main character, and I just didn't realize at first that it was about my life there...." Hiroshi nodded. "I wasn't really there." By the beginning of the story, I was already dead." Tell me, Hiroshi-kun," Kanagawa even leaned forward, expecting something completely surprising, "and what is your name in that second life?"
  The viscous silence that followed his words was broken only by the ticking of the clock on the wall, sounding unnaturally loud in the instantly electrified atmosphere of the office. The patient was silent for a long time, staring at him with a piercing gaze, from which Kanagawa inwardly cringed, making all sorts of fantastic assumptions.
  My name is Uchiha Shisui.
  Part 1. Chapter 1. The Unacceptable "future"
  "What a jerk!" the first thing Uchiha Shisui said when he woke up.
  However, over the past two weeks, that "other me" had been annoying him more and more. Well, what kind of Shinobi goes to lay out everything to some incomprehensible uncle and will continue over and over again?!
  He was becoming more and more confident that this dream, which had been going on for the second year, was real. And somewhere, it is not clear where, there is a man-made world where people are weak as snails. No chakra, no jutsu, no need to sleep even in the clan area with half an eye with a kunai under the pillow. And the probability of dying from being run over by a giant metal unit called a "car" is greater than dying in a minor skirmish between neighboring countries or on a mission.
  At first glance, that world seemed like a pacifist utopia, akin to the plan of the First Hokage, but there were wars there too. And the conflicts between the countries, and even more so, the world war, were too terrible. For example, in the "homeland" of his "other self", a weapon stronger than biju was dropped, which destroyed everything and poisoned the dumping site for decades.
  I was constantly dreaming about a world that simply could not exist. And those creepy pictures of the "future"! Shisui could not understand how some kind of mangaka from another layer of reality could see everything that would happen to the Uchiha clan and the future of his home world! But, looking closely and listening to the conversations that were going on in the clan and in the village in general, he already understood and accepted somewhere deep in his soul that all this was true and that guy, Hiroshi, was right. They might take his eyes off, and then...
  "Shit..." Shisui covered his face with his hands.
  When it happened the first time, he thought that someone from the clan was making fun of him. It was the order of the day: to trap, to send into an illusion. This forced the young Shinobi to be vigilant at all times, even when they were among their relatives. He was born, lived, grew up, studied, showed promise, loved his parents, played, and then trained with Fugaku's eldest son and the heir to the main branch of the clan, Itachi. He fought and won. And one day, falling asleep in his bed, he woke up in an unknown place.
  More precisely, the place was very understandable, a hospital, but it definitely wasn't Konoha Hospital. Something was squeaking, and then the Irenines ran into the room in some strange clothes.
  "How are you feeling, Nakomori-san?"
  It was as if the name was a code word for particularly strong illusions, and a flood of information flooded into Shisui:
  Nakomori Hiroshi. It's him. He's fourteen years old. He's in high school. He likes the girl next door to Misaki. Mom - Nakomori Kaide is a housewife. His father, Nakomori Mamoru- is an officer of the National Police of Japan. It turns out that he is also a policeman, just like Uchiha Kagami. Accident. Shock. They're definitely dead. His parents are definitely dead. He saw everything!
  "Yamamoto-san, the patient has a new attack!"
  And the darkness. Shisui woke up at home in Konoha with these terrible memories of someone else's life. His eyes hurt. Activating the sharingan, he stared in surprise at the mirror. The legendary Mangekyo. In the form of a four-rayed shuriken.
  And then this dream began to repeat itself every night. That "other one" was taken from the hospital by his grandparents after he recovered. Hiroshi settled in a small village, went to school, and lived a normal civilian life, which Shisui even liked - he dreamed of something similar for his village and country. A great world in which children should not be taught from an early age the art of covert penetration, various ways of killing and extracting information....
  But one day, just two weeks ago, in the store where Hiroshi was buying something, the anime "Naruto" was shown. "The other one" hadn't watched it before. But he stopped in front of the screen because he heard a familiar name. His name and that of his best friend and cousin is Itachi. And that's when it all started. The guy bought the entire manga and read it for more than a week, looking for everything about the Uchiha clan and the fate of Shisui himself. But the painted story, one might say, began with his death. Itachi became an apostate, hiding the "village assignment" he received "as an ANBU" until his death. Sasuke's hatred. The undercover games of Uchiha Obito, who was considered dead in the clan. The resurrection of the "Main renegade of the clan" - Uchiha Madara. It was all beyond comprehension. Shisui did not believe and could not accept these fantasies for something real.
  But every day this "future" became more and more feasible. Itachi has already become the captain of the ANBU. The "second one" was looking for some more clues that would shed light on the approximate time of his death and the beginning of this tragic story for the "cursed clan", but he didn't really find anything. All that was known was that Shisui's suicide occurred on the day of the clan meeting, and two days after that, Itachi would kill everyone. And judging by various references and calculations by Hiroshi, Itachi will be thirteen years old, just like he is now.
  Shisui estimated that his friend had become captain almost immediately after his birthday, in early June, and it had already been three months. It's even funny that their birthdays coincided with Hiroshi's and they were about to turn sixteen. Clan meetings are held at the end of each month. If all this is related to the Fox, then it is quite possible that the Uchiha will decide to "change power" on the anniversary or a little earlier, in early October. That is, in the most unfortunate scenario for him, there are a little less than four weeks left before the "X-hour". The clan's grievances were expressed at the last meeting a week ago. So it's very likely.
  "Shit..." repeated Shisui longingly. The pictures of the future didn't bode well at all. Especially the Uchiha clan.
  "Nii-san," there was a rustle under the door. Have you woken up? Mom wants you to have breakfast.
  //nii-san - "big brother" (there is a variant onii-san - "dear big brother", if there is a big difference in age /position, an appeal to a cousin).
  Shisui got out of bed, dressed, and opened the door. His younger six-year-old sister Yumiko was waiting outside the door with clear intentions to get something from him. Shisui even felt ashamed for a moment, because because of the missions and these dreams, with the information that appeared in them, he didn't have time for his sister at all.
  "What do you want, imoto?"
  // Imoto is the "little sister".
  "Will you train me? I went to the Shinobi Academy, remember? We were told to practice throwing shurikens with the elders in the family. Shisui remembered that since the beginning of the week, his sister had actually started attending classes at the Academy. Itachi's younger brother goes there too, but he's a grade older. Looking into those big black eyes made my heart skip a beat. I thought that maybe he was going to die, but it turns out that Yumiko was going to die too?! If Sasuke is the only one of the Uchiha clan to survive, is Yumiko doomed?
  "Okay..." sighed Shisui. "I have some time after breakfast."
  "Can I call Sasuke-kun? And Kazuki?" Yumiko asked.
  "Doesn't Kazuki have one?.." Shisui broke off. The older sister of their second cousin, who lived in the house next to them, was indeed killed on a mission a few days ago. "Yes, let Kazuki-kun come with us too, it's more fun together."
  Mom has already prepared food for us! The little one turned around happily and covered her mouth with her palm.
  - Oh...
  "Yes, you're a real Shinobi." Shisui remarked sarcastically. His lips involuntarily stretched into a smile. "So you were sure that I would not refuse you? Together with your friends?"
  "Well-uh-uh... I'm getting ready!" His sister literally flew out of the hallway, as if using some kind of movement jutsu. And he went into the kitchen.
  ***
  Itachi came along with Sasuke. Strange feelings struggled in Shisui. He remembered that he and Itachi had always been rivals, at least Itachi had reached out to him and tried to surpass him in everything. Even this captaincy in the ANBU. Partly, of course, it was Fugaku-san's insistence, but there was also the desire of the "little brother" to prove something to him.
  Perhaps if Shisui hadn't found out what kind of burden Itachi would take on to "purify the honor of the clan" and what it would all lead to in the end, he would really have named his friend as his successor, handed over his dreams of a "better world" that he saw in his dreams. I would even gladly die with a smile on my face. But...
  But now that he knew, and even worse, he understood that what Itachi would do would be the only way out for the Uchiha clan and for Konoha not to start a civil war. It just felt bad. Dreams of a "better world" were swept away by the brutal "reality" of the damn mangaka. And the worst part was, Shisui knew that he was right, and that was probably how it would happen. It was disheartening.
  Shisui couldn't see a way out of the circumstances, but he didn't want to die either. How to share your Mangekyo or sharingan Uchiha clan with the leader of the Danzo Root. Let the ANBU Hokage kill his clansmen? That would be an even bigger shame.
  "What are you thinking, aniki?" Itachi chuckled and smiled, poking his in the shoulder and shaking me out of my dark thoughts.
  // aniki is an "older brother", but unlike "nii-san", it can be used as an address and not to a relative, it can be loosely translated as "bro".
  "What would we show the little ones so that they would remember us for a long time and try to surpass us?" Shisui smiled back and said thoughtfully.
  Sasuke, Kazuki, and Yumiko heard his words and started talking with anticipation.
  Part 1. Chapter 2. Two Brothers
  "Hello, are you Uzumaki Naruto? You're in the same class as my brother, aren't you, Sasuke?" Itachi looked at the "object" of his new assignment with interest.
  The blond-haired boy was thin, small and did not look like his almost eight years. And you can't say that such a little thing can contain the main weapon of the village - the nine-tailed fox demon Kyubi no Yoko.
  "Y-yes..." The boy took a step back, eyeing him suspiciously.
  "Are you skipping The Academy?" Itachi asked.
  Naruto blushed and looked away with his bright blue eyes.
  "It's just... it's... me... Iruka-sensei... They all..."
  "I see" Itachi nodded.
  He didn't understand why many Shinobi hated this boy. Biju the fox, who destroyed part of the village about eight years ago, managed to imprison this child. In fact, Naruto was Konoha's savior, his parents sacrificed their lives to seal the Kyubi.
  Itachi was five and a half years old, but he remembered the red-haired, smiling woman his mother was friends with. And how the three of them, together with little Sasuke, came to the hospital after the attack of the nine-tails. Mikoto-kaa-san was looking at a sleeping baby with a yellow chicken crest. Itachi was sitting in the hallway with Sasuke at the time and hardly heard anything, but his mother came out of the office of the head of the hospital very upset. It seemed to him that Mikoto-kaa-san wanted to take Naruto to them, but she wasn't allowed to.
  Naruto was despised, shunned, or, at best, ignored. The first Hokage created Konoha so that the children in it would be happy. But this boy is clearly unhappy. Itachi thought that, probably, everything would have been different for Naruto if at one time his mother had still been able to take this chicken into their family.
  "I saw you near the Academy. Are you an Uchiha?" The man asked him not very politely.
  "Yes, my name is Uchiha Itachi," he introduced himself.
  You should go to the Academy after all. To grow strong, you need to study and train a lot.
  "They... don't want to teach me anything," Naruto muttered. "They just laugh and mock. Also, I don't have... a good weapon. Only the broken shurikens with the center of gravity knocked down, which I found at the training ground," The boy whispered very softly, lowering his head and hiding his eyes behind his long, unevenly cropped bangs.
  Itachi took out four shurikens from his bag and strung them on a child's finger. Practice," with these words, he jumped up and disappeared into the dense foliage of a nearby tree, putting on his mask and easily discovering the one he had come to replace.
  "Dog-san," Sparrow greeted softly. Itachi nodded and indicated that he was taking over the shift.
  Watching Naruto wander through the village, kicking pebbles, Itachi thought again about yesterday's conversation with Shisui, who, after sending their younger ones home, detained him at the training ground, offering training. A few punches, and Itachi was trapped in the illusion again.
  "You know that I was ordered to keep an eye on you a year ago, right? The clan suspects you of playing a double game.... And lately, you've been acting especially strange," Shisui, who was frozen in front of him, sighed. "Despite the fact that I also work for the ANBU, they don't trust me as much as they trust you. But our beliefs are very similar. I guess I'm not playing my role well, so Danzo-sama suspects me."
  "There's a lot of suspicion all around. Instead of paying attention to external enemies, we dig into our own dirty laundry." Itachi tried to say it evenly, but he didn't know that Shisui was suspected.
  It was as if they were always on opposite sides of the barricades that the clan and the village had built between them. And sometimes Itachi didn't understand if it was possible to trust his brother at all, recognizing his right not to trust him. Just because both of them- Uchiha - are part of the cursed clan. Spying on each other, trying to outdo each other. Friendship and rivalry. Where was the real thing and where was the pretense? Or maybe, having plunged into the filth of the ANBU work since the age of eleven, it all seems to him? It's not for nothing that the Shinobi of their clan are called masters of illusions.
  "I have a feeling there's not much left. It's like a taut string that's about to snap. And I still don't know what to do. There are innocent people in our clan. Do you agree?"
  Itachi squeezed his eyes shut and clenched his teeth. The older brother was right. He was thinking the same thing himself. If this abscess opens, no one will be spared. The old cripple hated their clan with all his vile black soul and sincerely believed that Konoha would be better off without Uchiha. No matter how attached Itachi was to the village, no matter how much he wanted to stop the massive bloodshed, he loved his younger brother even more. He was willing to do a lot for Sasuke, and Danzo deftly manipulated this weakness of his. But he's no match for the elders and the head of the Root. Not now. Except with his brother...
  "Checks and rechecks," Itachi chuckled, deciding to be frank. "The clan... the clan is rotten... All these political games and monthly meetings... They just want to start a war to be in charge of the village.... Konoha was created so that clan and ordinary Shinobi could live peacefully and coexist together. And the war... When a brother goes after a brother..."
  Shisui just nodded. He smiled as if he saw something important for himself. However, maybe he did, it's his genjutsu, and it's impossible to dodge or tell a lie in it. Itachi smiled to himself. After all, he could always count on his older brother, who had been an example to him all his life and shared his views. He stopped his chakra flow and broke out of the technique. The whole conversation took a split second. They fought hand-to-hand in silence for another ten minutes, and then went home.
  At parting, Shisui said that he had been assigned a two-week mission to guard the border of the Land of Fire in the east. The Land of Water and the village of Hidden Mist stirred.
  After that, Itachi analyzed this conversation for a long time, his brother's inhales and exhales, hidden and explicit meanings, threats, hints and semitones.
  Can his trust Shisui?
  And then there was the simple answer -yes. Otherwise, they're all doomed.
  Despite everything, the brother is considered one of the strongest Shinobi of their clan. Many opponents, upon hearing that Shunshin Shisui was opposing them, fled in fear, trying to save their lives.
  Itachi always followed Shisui.
  Should I trust you now? Yes. They'll have a chance to save someone.
  His aniki hinted at Sasuke and his younger sister, possibly Kazuki. This boy is quite talented, even if he hasn't awakened his sharingan yet. However, Sasuke also couldn't boast of a clan dojutsu.
  Today, Itachi was assigned covert surveillance of the Jinchuuriki, but was removed from surveillance of the Uchiha clan, which he did periodically between serious liquidation missions during the last two years of service at the ANBU.
  Some kind of sign? Is this a "promotion" or a "downgrade"? Itachi didn't believe it was an accident. There are no accidents in this job.
  Naruto reached a small clearing almost on the edge of Konoha, not far from their clan's quarter. Apparently, jinchuuriki had equipped her for training. For several more hours, the boy stubbornly threw the four shurikens he got at the crookedly chalked target on the tree.
  Itachi thought again.
  Shisui said he didn't know what to do yet, but there was less time. The unrest in the clan at the last meeting seems to have reached its peak. Probably, everything should definitely be resolved in the coming weeks. The cousin was sent on a mission, as if he was also suspended from the clan. Don't they trust him? Maybe that's the whole point. Something is clearly being prepared. From both the clan and the village leadership. Words about a taut string... Is your brother worried about his life? Can he be eliminated? The strongest Uchiha who is considered loyal to the clan... It's quite realistic.
  In addition, the peculiarity of the Shisui sharingan is unusual for their clan....
  Itachi raised his head up. Heavy clouds gathered over the village. It got dark abruptly, despite the fact that there was still one and a half standard hours before sunset. The air smelled of a thunderstorm. A bright branching lightning streaked across the sky above Mount Hokage.
  His ward sat down under a tree, clutching blunted shurikens in his blood-soaked hands. Naruto's stomach rumbled loudly, but the boy, clenching his teeth, took a stained bandage from the pocket of his shorts and began to rewind his palms.
  After bandaging, Naruto practiced for about forty more minutes under the downpour. Itachi admired such stubbornness and determination. The chalk circle was washed away, and in the dark, in the rain, without using a sharingan, almost nothing became visible. One by one, the shurikens were lost. Naruto still rummaged in the bushes, but did not find the weapon given to him, after which he trudged towards his house above the boiler station.
  Looking through the window, Itachi was amazed at how dirty and untidy the young jinchuuriki's home was. There are practically "trodden paths" between empty bags and cans of custard noodles and milk cartons. A real dumpster. Naruto took off his wet clothes and, putting on a stained T-shirt and breeches that felt like they were fished out of a basket of dirty laundry, brewed himself a portion of noodles.
  "Dog-san," a new kid from his unit interrupted Itachi's observation. I've come to relieve you.
  "Yes," Itachi nodded, hardly taking his eyes off Naruto's joyful face, who was devouring a tiny portion of noodles from a cup with obvious pleasure and enjoyment.
  ***
  "Itachi, you're not eating anything at all," His mother smiled shyly at him at the family breakfast.
  For some reason, he thought about what Naruto Uzumaki was having for breakfast, and he couldn't get a bite down his throat. Yes, and this conversation with his brother and the analysis of the whole situation. Itachi looked into the eyes of the woman who gave him life, and clearly realized that he would have to take her life. Either he or the ANBU will do it. Moreover, the ANBU is not the worst of the scenarios. There is also a department of torture and interrogation. And then... a public execution, like traitors to the village with indelible shame.
  "I don't feel like it," Itachi forced a smile.
  "Nii-san," Sasuke said. "Will you practice with me today? Yesterday was so great. I practiced the throw you showed me all night yesterday!
  "Sorry, Ototo, another time...."
  There was a prearranged knock on the door, and when Itachi opened it, he saw his cousin on the threshold, who came in and bowed to his father.
  "I'm being sent on a mission, Fugaku-dono...."
  "Of course, Shisui-kun," my father, as the head of the clan, coordinated all the missions issued by the village, so there was nothing surprising in my brother's appearance.
  But he had known about the mission yesterday, which meant that Shisui had come so that Itachi would understand that they should see each other alone as soon as possible. Perhaps he thought of something during the evening and night.
  "I'm going to the eastern border with my team. For about two weeks. The Hokage's order."
  "I hope you'll be back for the clan meeting." Fugaku asked.
  Yes, I think it will be inevitable..." his brother smiled thoughtfully and sadly and, after a brief glance at Itachi, took his leave.
  "I have to go to headquarters," after waiting ten minutes, Itachi put on his ANBU gear and slipped out of the house.
  Shisui should be waiting for him at their agreed place, near Nakanogawa Bend.
  Part 1. Chapter 3. Countdown
  Looking into the raging river stream from the cliff from where he would fall, judging by the version of his future world that his "other self" had found in his own, Shisui calculated the current situation.
  The future became more certain because the "second him" that night found a plot where he came from a mission, and most likely it was the same mission that he received before training with the kids.
  A clash with the Hidden Fog Shinobi while guarding the border is quite possible, according to intelligence reports, they are planning some kind of sortie and a check of forces by combat. He'll be back in time for the clan meeting. And he could have asked the Hokage to try to avert trouble from the clan. Now that not only his future and the future of the clan have been revealed, but also the many conversations of the elders, there is no point in believing the Hokage.
  As the pictures showed, Sarutobi likes to rake in the heat with someone else's hands. He has a Danzo, with whom the Third plays almost a feud in public, and when left alone, he whispers about "the good of Konoha." Of course, Shisui wasn't going to trust any hand-drawn stories one hundred percent, but based on this knowledge, he began to look in the right direction and began to notice things that he hadn't noticed before or didn't want to see. Despite the "all-seeing" sharingan, unfortunately, sometimes he was just hideously blind.
  Shisui had always considered himself an honest man, and having been assigned to keep an eye on his brother, he did everything to show and encourage him to think about surveillance. Shinobi's job is generally dirty, but... Maybe he was too attracted to that dream world... Too perfect to be true... At least so that the same thing can be achieved in their reality.
  According to his latest data, two hundred and five people lived in the clan's quarter. Sixty-eight of them are elite Shinobi serving in the Konoha police. One hundred and twenty-six people are genin-level Shinobi and civilians over the age of twelve. The remaining eleven are him, Itachi, Yumiko, Sasuke, Kazuki, and six other children between the ages of one and ten.
  "Shii-kun," Itachi called out with a childish nickname as he approached their meeting place.
  "Ichi-kun," Shisui teased his brother, smiling.
  (*"Shii" can be translated as "chestnut", a childhood nickname because of the unruly "spiky" hair and its color. (While Shisui can be interpreted as a combination of the words "shi" - death and "sui" - water).
  *"Ichi" can be translated as "the first", "striving for primacy".)
  Itachi always wanted to be the first in everything, so the abbreviation of his name suited him very well.
  "So... when are you coming back from the mission?" Itachi asked. "Or will I only see you at the clan meeting?"
  "I think we'll see each other a little earlier," and after making sure that no one was following their conversation, Shisui activated the sharingan anyway.
  He really didn't like the fact that in those "pictures of the future" there was an omnipresent "walking aloe" undetectable by most sensors.
  And if we take into account the fact that, apparently, a masked comrade, Obito Uchiha, took part in the liquidation of the Uchiha clan, then Shisui did not intend to tell him about his plans.
  ***
  "Shisui-san, there's some movement in the hidden mist camp," the command sensor reported.
  They arrived at the border four days ago, and so far everything has been calm.
  "Let's go," Shisui commanded, activating his sharingan.
  If the opponents had forced a fight, he would have thought that this was either not the situation that was shown in the "pictures of the future", or that the time of his supposed death had been postponed, or that the "pictures" from dreams were also wrong. But he recognized the "one-eyed" man who was hiding the byakugan behind a blindfold, despite the fact that he had seen it for the first time in his life.
  The Shinobi of the Mist also recognized their opponent and hastily retreated, taking their "distraught" comrades with them.
  "This will keep them away from our borders for a while," Shisui muttered in response to his team's congratulations and joy.
  The accuracy of the "predictions" was confirmed, causing the heart to contract for a moment and skip a beat. Still, there was hope that everything would work out and the terrible future predicted by that mangaka would not happen.
  "Will you go alone, Shisui-san?" the sensor was surprised. "Take at least a Kano with you for strength support."
  "No, it's okay. I just want to visit Ryu. My mother's relatives live there, and when she found out that my mission was in the east, she asked me to find out about their affairs if I had the opportunity. Intelligence reported that the Foggies had curtailed all operations and sorties on the territory of the Country of Fire and in the border waters. They've also moved out of the Hot Spring Country, so I think I can afford to satisfy my mother's request. I'll leave you a crow in case the situation changes and our opponents make a move. She'll be able to find me, and I'll be back.
  It's been thirty hours since one-eye's party attacked with the byakugan.
  "Our shift will come in three and a half days, I'll be back in three. Saiko, take command!" Shisui commanded.
  "Yes, Captain!" Saiko straightened up.
  "We won't let you down, Shisui-san!" The others whispered in unison.
  He nodded and headed southwest to Ryu City, one hundred and sixty kilometers away from their mission site, planning to get there in three to four hours.
  Upon arriving in the city, the first thing Shisui did was go to the bank, withdraw all his accumulated mission money from the clan accounts. He did the same with Itachi's savings account.
  Cashing out something in Konoha would be too risky. And in the old Ryu, besides the fact that it was located near the hideout of the Uchiha clan, which was run by a neko led by an Old Cat, there was an excellent banking system where you could receive or transfer money from the Big Five countries from anywhere. Among other things, Konoha Bank is unlikely to find out about this operation without an appropriate investigation. And there will be no one to inherit him after his "death", if everything goes as planned.
  The money was sealed in scrolls and placed at the bottom of his bag. Part of the plan was successfully completed. It was lucky that he was sent on a mission so timely and close to Ryu. Shisui went to the market, bought fresh fish, several bottles of valerian tincture, a bag of catnip and went to the shelter.
  In general, it belonged to the main branch, Itachi and Sasuke visited Ryu more than once, several relatives of their clan actually lived there, and once, before moving to Konoha, the Uchiha clan lived.
  Sasuke then, to the admiration and envy of his younger sister, enthusiastically talked about his "cat hunt", which he was going to continue later, describing his album with cat paw prints in colors, not knowing that he and Itachi had once started this competition. Therefore, Shisui was also a member of this shelter and was well acquainted with the Old Cat and her preferences, besides, he was directly related to the main branch of the clan.
  "Shii-kun! Long time no see!" He was met by two ninja cats at the entrance. "Did you bring us some goodies?"
  "Is Grandma the Cat at home?" showing a rolled-up ball of mint, he asked. The Ninneko cheered, sniffing hungrily.:
  "Yes! We'll escor-r-rt you if you've forgotten where her chambers are."
  "No, I remember. Is she there, then?" Shisui smiled. He always liked cats-beautiful, flexible, cute and dangerous.
  "Yes!" The guards of the shelter received their offering and, clutching it in their teeth, rushed off, purring the corridor.
  The Old Cat's chambers smelled of tobacco, and, as always, she was smoking thoughtfully, holding a long mouthpiece with a smoking pipe.
  Shii-kun," Grandma Cat greeted in a cracked voice, slightly bowing her gray head with a rim in the form of cat ears.
  "What need brought you to the Shelter?"
  "Grandma is a Cat," Shisui bowed respectfully and sat on his knees. "I've come to ask for your help..."
  ***
  Shisui-san, you came back quickly! - Saiko greeted, remaining in charge.
  "There were no incidents during your absence," the sensor reported. "You managed just in time, the pigeon of the relief team recently arrived, they will arrive in twelve hours. How are your relatives?"
  "It's all right," Shisui nodded. "General collection. I want to hear a report from everyone."
  "There is!" Saiko gave the pre-arranged signal, and six Shinobi were already standing around him a couple of minutes later. Shisui activated his Mangekyo sharingan and erased the team's memory of being away. Twelve hours until the end of the mission. In another twenty hours, they will return to Konoha. After that, the countdown will start in minutes...
  Shisui squeezed his eyes shut and adjusted his breathing, calming down.
  "Kano, you're on duty, the rest of you are resting. Our shift will arrive soon."
  Part 1. Chapter 4. Epiphany
  Sasuke sighed and looked at the basket of food once more. He knew that his mother had wrapped onigiri, sweet rice dumplings, his favorite tomatoes, and some other foods in it.
  It all started with the fact that a couple of days ago, when the three of them were having lunch without their father, Itachi suddenly asked his mother about her It all started with the fact that a couple of days ago, when the three of them were having lunch without their father, Itachi suddenly asked his mother about her Girlfriend Kushina-san.
  Mom was upset and said that this Kushina died immediately after the birth of the child and that mom wanted to take this child into their family because the boy's father died too, but some circumstances did not allow Mikoto-kaa-san to even look after her friend's son.
  My brother almost never talked about his missions, referring to the secrecy of his work at the ANBU. But that day, Itachi looked thoughtfully at Sasuke and said that this child, the son of his mother's But that day, Itachi looked thoughtfully at Sasuke and said that this child, the son of his mother's Girlfriend, was in the same class with him, and Itachi's current assignment at the ANBU was to look after this orphan from lunch until late at night.
  Sasuke was sorting through his classmates in his mind at that time, and only a few people fit the definition of "orphan". And, of course, according to the law of meanness, this idiot Uzumaki Naruto turned out to be the "one".
  A truant who constantly talked about rivalry and bullied Sasuke, however, unsuccessfully, only making himself look even more of a fool. He never responded, reminding himself of the dignity of the clan and ignoring it, but it wasn't easy.
  Uzumaki was wildly annoying, it's not clear why. Perhaps because he was very different from all his classmates, who, for the most part, treated Sasuke with great respect and admiration bordering on adoration. Especially the girls. Because he was the best student in the class and because he is an Uchiha. Uzumaki completely omitted this fact and said that he was better than him, but it was not clear - why. But, despite the beatings from the girls and the laughter of the others, he did not back down from his "rivalry" with him.
  Itachi casually mentioned that Uzumaki was practically starving, his mother had packed some food, and Sasuke had to hand it over so as not to arouse suspicion. He couldn't figure out why ANBU and his brother were so attracted to this jerk.
  Today was a day off, my brother said that his classmate could be found in a small clearing near the clan quarter where he was training. Itachi advised him to wait for his shift before approaching Uzumaki with a basket.
  Sasuke sighed again. His mission was just to pass on the food. And for some reason it was difficult for him.
  Suddenly, someone from the Hug jumped out of the bushes onto the path, according to all the signs: transparent eyes and long hair. A guy about Shisui-nii-san's age was dragging a girl with him.
  Sasuke saw that it was his classmate Hyuga Hinata, who was squeaking something protesting that Naruto had saved her from bullies, and they had left him beaten up in the woods, to which her guard snorted contemptuously and said:
  "To get dirty because of any brat. You shouldn't think about him, Hinata-sama, he's not worthy of your attention."
  They passed by, and for some reason Sasuke didn't like what the elder Hyuga said at all. It was as if he had voiced his own thoughts, and he was a little ashamed to hear them from the outside. Turning down the path into the forest, from where the representatives of the second Konoha clan of dojutsu came out, Sasuke walked two hundred meters through the bushes and found Uzumaki on the ground. He lay with his eyes closed, breathing heavily. His lip was split, and there was a healthy black eye.
  Sasuke looked around for his brother, but couldn't find him. Most likely, the "surveillance" forbade interference. He examined the tracks and realized that there were three people who had beaten Uzumaki.
  Actually, this jerk often came to the Academy in bruises and abrasions, but Sasuke never thought that the blonde could be beaten up by a crowd, he believed that Uzumaki himself was fighting with someone or finding adventures in a soft spot. Suddenly, I remembered the strange whispers of my classmates and their estrangement. It was in the air of the Academy that one should not communicate with Uzumaki. And the glances that adults cast... Sasuke didn't think much of it either, but his inquisitive mind began to put together the "secret of Uzumaki Naruto." Who for some reason was not allowed to join his family and who was hated by adults and shunned by his peers. Not to mention the ANBU surveillance.
  It suddenly occurred to him that if his mom had been allowed, Uzumaki would have become his sworn brother. Sasuke looked at the blond man's face: quivering eyelashes, blood on his lip had already dried and stopped flowing, thin stripes on his cheeks like cat whiskers, and suddenly he thought about the nature of these stripes.
  Their classmate Kiba from the Inuzuka clan, who walked around with red triangles-fangs on his cheeks - drew them, but somehow boasted that when he became a genin, he would get the same generic tattoos. It's the same with the "spirals" on Akimichi Cheji's cheeks.
  But Uzumaki was an orphan, and he probably didn't get clan tattoos. Moreover, there is no such clan in Konoha, if there was, it would definitely have been taken away.
  Sasuke put the basket on the ground, sat down and ran his finger along someone else's cheek, trying to erase the stripes, they did not look like tattoos, but rather symmetrical birthmarks of a very unusual shape.
  "Hey, wake up," Sasuke lightly patted his classmate's face. Her long, fluffy eyelashes fluttered, and her bright blue eyes opened in surprise.
  "S-Sasuke?" There was a strangled murmur. Then Uzumaki, trying to get up, winced and hissed like a snake, apparently in pain.
  Sasuke helped him sit up.
  "They've got you all right. The whole lip is split..." Not knowing what to say, he muttered. Uzumaki looked at him strangely, as if he had met him for the first time.
  "Did you see?" The voice was hoarse and croaking.
  "No, I just heard Hyuga talking and found you here. Those who did this have already run away," Sasuke almost lied. "Hinata seemed to want to help you, but that guy Hyuga refused..."
  Uzumaki looked away.
  "They were bullying her...." he mumbled and frowned, glaring from under his brows, as if it was Sasuke mocking their classmate, and for some reason it became very uncomfortable to look into those piercing blue eyes.
  "Well done for intervening. Let's eat, hunt down these bullies and teach them a lesson?" He suggested it. "There were three of them, weren't there?"
  "Yeah," Uzumaki cocked his head to the side. "How did you find out?" Following the footsteps. Nii-san taught me how to untangle footprints," boasted Sasuke.
  Uzumaki smiled broadly at the mention of Itachi.
  "You have a very good brother, Sasuke. He's kind."
  "Y-Yes...", Sasuke wondered why his older brother was familiar to a classmate.
  "Did you say "let's eat"?" Uzumaki suddenly caught himself and looked expressively at the standing basket. "Do you have food in there?"
  "Yes... help yourself," Sasuke took out the handkerchief covering the basket and put the food prepared by his mother on it.
  "Can I eat this?!" Uzumaki whispered in disbelief, swallowing noisily and staring incredulously.
  "Of course," Sasuke nodded, and was the first to take onigiri from the makeshift table, taking a bite. "Eat it."
  I accept with gratitude! Uzumaki exclaimed joyfully, instantly changing from suspicion to boundless happiness, and attacked the food.
  (* "I accept with gratitude" is the literal translation of the well-known "Itadakimas".)
  Sasuke also had an appetite when he saw how quickly the food was disappearing. There were enough supplies in the basket for four people, he thought, before he became more familiar with other people's gluttony.
  "Sorry... It's over," Fifteen minutes later, he looked at Uzumaki's empty handkerchief with some surprise. You probably carried it to someone? Oh, remorse came too late.
  "Nothing," Sasuke waved his hand, intuitively deciding not to tell who this basket was intended for. "So, are we going to chase those three?"
  His classmate jumped up abruptly, burning with some kind of frenzied enthusiasm. Sasuke was surprised to notice that he looked better after eating: his eye wasn't swollen shut, there was just an abrasion, and there was a scab on his lip.
  "Yes! We'll definitely teach them a lesson with you!" Uzumaki smiled broadly and somehow bloodthirsily, slyly narrowing his eyes. "I have a plan!"
  Sasuke wondered what kind of plan it was. Judging by his behavior at the Academy, it should have been just "he came out of the bushes into a clear field, challenged and attacked," but when Uzumaki voiced his idea, his eyes almost popped out.
  And he thought this guy was stupid?!
  ***
  In the evening, Itachi praised Sasuke for the fact that, being able to make only illusory clones, he worked well with Naruto in the team, catching up with three hooligans of mystical horror, from which they almost shit their pants and vowed never to offend the little ones or attack three on one again.
  Sasuke remembered with a smile how they found those guys in the forest. Naruto came out to them with a pathetic speech that he was the evil spirit of this forest, who possessed the boy they had beaten to punish them. Perfectly depicting howls and slightly rolling his eyes, besides showing a slight disorientation of the body.
  At first, the boys didn't believe him and decided to beat him up again. But at a certain point, when Naruto touched each of them, Sasuke, sitting in ambush in a tree, made illusory clones of these bullies. And semi-transparent ones.
  It looked like Naruto had pulled the souls out of the bodies. And he threatened to take them away if the boys didn't come to their senses and obey everyone they offended. And then three almost grown-up guys on their knees begged for forgiveness from the "spirit of the forest" and asked for their souls back. Sasuke, at Naruto's sign, "placed" the illusory clones on objects and dispelled them. And Naruto made an illusory clone of his grandfather Sawada, a formidable old man with scars and a full beard, who seemed to "come out" of Uzumaki and, wagging a finger at the bullies, also disappeared into one of the trees.
  The show was a success. Naruto played that he "woke up after moving in," those guys almost kissed his hands, and then ran away to "apologize to the others." Naruto Uzumaki amazed him, and thinking about him, Sasuke smiled.
  Part 1. Chapter 5. Premonitions
  "Mom, do you know what my father thinks of me?" Sasuke asked at breakfast. They ate together this morning. His father went to work, and Itachi slept off the night mission.
  "I think he's proud of you." Mom smiled, turning around.
  "And if I ask him, will he let Naruto come to us?" It's been a week and a half since they "accidentally met" in the woods, and since then their friendship has been gaining momentum. But Sasuke was no fool, and almost immediately noticed that if Naruto was mentioned, it was not in the presence of the head of the family.
  He really wanted to introduce his friend to his father and get his approval. What would happen if Fugaku-too-san didn't accept Naruto, Sasuke tried not to think. Of course, he had friends in the clan-Yumiko's cousin and Kazuki's second cousin. He enjoyed playing and training with them, but Naruto, unlike Rodney, was completely different. Sasuke had fun with him. They came up with all sorts of pranks and managed to practically avoid getting caught. At the same time, Naruto demonstrated excellent skills in disguise and covert penetration, so Sasuke initially puzzled over why his friend was lagging behind at the Academy. I haven't looked closely at the differences in teaching methods yet.
  The teachers, and especially Iruka-sensei, constantly ridiculed Naruto, ironically commenting on every wrong thing he said or did, called him a fool, made it difficult to concentrate, and tugged. He puffed and blushed and couldn't do anything, and usually there was a "puff" and a friendly laugh from the class.
  If the same exercise was performed by someone else from the future Shinobi, the teachers were calm, gave time to think, patiently corrected, praised or told what was being done wrong, and helped to fix it.
  There were separate classes in the clan where Sasuke and other Uchiha were taught the basics of clan genjutsu techniques. And he came to the conclusion that what the teachers at the Academy were doing to Naruto was something like mass hypnosis: the formation of a common idea that Uzumaki was a loser and an idiot capable of nothing. And the most amazing thing is that he is an Uchiha himself, but he also succumbed to a low-level technique that used not chakra, but just words.
  And in ordinary life, when Naruto didn't seem to be doing anything special, he was constantly getting hurt. Even at the market, where he himself wanted to buy something with the weekly allowance given to him by the Third Hokage, the Uzumaki were bullied, scolded and could beat up. And if they sold something, it was at exorbitant prices. It is not surprising that he was starving, despite the fact that the amount given out made it possible to buy enough food. That's what Sasuke did the last time. Naruto almost danced with joy when Sasuke came out of the market with a huge bag of food without spending even half the money. There was enough for apples, and for several fried squid, and for a piece of baked pork, and not just for the cheapest custard noodles.
  A few days ago, terribly embarrassed and shy, Naruto asked to show a few "tricks", and Sasuke was surprised at his friend once again. Despite the fact that he was covered in dust, Naruto repeatedly stood up and asked to see more. Sasuke realized that he had found the perfect sparring partner. His brother almost always had no time, he had missions. Of course, Itachi showed him some techniques and taught him how to throw weapons, but he was still an adult and always stronger. Yumiko and Kazuki got tired quickly and were a year younger than him, studying with each other more often. And Naruto was hardy, very hardy, and learned fast enough. After an hour, the "bruiser" was able to put a block and, somehow cunningly twisted, nevertheless got Sasuke once.
  During the week, he took some of his belongings to his new friend. Naruto was skinny, less than half a head, and his trousers and T-shirts, which Sasuke himself had grown out of last year, suited him. Mom supported this initiative, but she first stripped off all the clan patches, if any, from her clothes. Naruto was very happy with the "new clothes" and finally got rid of his two stretched, faded, darned-darned T-shirts and shorts, which Sasuke could not look at without shuddering.
  "Tomorrow is the day off and there is no need to go to the Academy. Today we could come to dinner and then spend the night in the garden in a tent...."
  He continued his thought, but stopped when he saw his mother's expression darken.
  "Clan meeting the day after tomorrow evening..." Mikoto-kaa-san muttered. "Let's not rush it yet. Fugaku is very busy right now. Maybe a little later?"
  "Okay," Sasuke muttered. No one was going to tell him about Naruto's secret, but he decided to solve it on his own. Sasuke finished his breakfast and heard the door to Itachi's room slam softly. It was almost impossible to hear the footsteps of a real Shinobi.
  Sasuke went out into the hallway and saw that his brother was going somewhere, putting on his shoes.
  "Nii-san! Can you help me train with shuriken after the Academy?" Itachi hadn't been paying much attention to him lately, and Sasuke decided to try his luck ahead of the weekend.
  The older brother turned around:
  "Sorry, I'm busy. Ask your father about it...."
  "But he said that you're the best at handling shuriken, so I want you to train me! Don't treat me like an annoying child!" Sasuke tried to put on a smart face so that his words would be taken seriously.
  Itachi seemed to get into it and beckoned him over. But when Sasuke came up, he poked his forehead with his fingers again.
  "Forgive me, Ototo, some other time." Sasuke wanted to protest, but froze, staring at his brother's thoughtful and very sad face. A second later, Itachi froze, got up and left the house.
  "Well, as always," Sasuke muttered, rubbing his forehead.
  ***
  Itachi didn't come to dinner. Sasuke was drinking tea, wondering what they were going to do at Naruto's and where they could go at night. His new friend had said something about a cemetery....
  Mom, compensating for the fact that she couldn't go to them, allowed Sasuke to spend the night with a friend himself. I have already prepared a backpack with a sleeping mat and pajamas. And Naruto, having heard about the honor in the afternoon, hurried to his room after school and said not to hurry, because "we urgently need to clean up."
  Sasuke hadn't been to his house yet, but for some reason he imagined the chaos and destruction inherent in his new friend there. However, it may turn out that Naruto will surprise you again, turning out to be a meticulous cleaner....
  His father was already at home and also had dinner and was drinking tea.
  "How are you doing with your workout?" The head of the family asked Sasuke, who was dreaming. "Did you ask Itachi to help you with the shuriken?"
  "Yes, but my brother hasn't been paying attention to me lately," he replied.
  "Itachi is a bit weird," His father said thoughtfully, shaking his head. "He's the kind of guy who doesn't like talking to people."
  "Why?" Sasuke was surprised. Itachi always talked to him a lot.
  "I don't know. Even I, his father, can't understand him...."
  It seemed strange, but Naruto was probably already waiting for it, so Sasuke waved off his parent's words. There has been some tension in the family lately. Itachi rarely ate with them when his father was in the house, somehow it always turned out that way. It was as if the two of them were avoiding each other. Sasuke received a bundle of food from his mother and, picking up his backpack, ran towards the boiler station where Naruto lived, sincerely hoping that this misunderstanding in the family would resolve itself, because his brother is very good and has always been his role model.
  ***
  After almost a sleepless night in the evening and spending a day off with Naruto, Sasuke decided to go to bed early. Tomorrow, when there's a clan meeting, Mom let him stay out late again, so he decided to get a good night's sleep. But he was awakened by loud voices. In the room, his father and Itachi were talking in raised tones through the wall. Sometimes there was a third voice trying to calm them down, his mother's.
  Sasuke got up and walked around the house, as the entrance to the adjoining room was on the other side of engawa.
  "Why don't you want to go to the clan meeting tomorrow night?" His father was angry.
  "I have a mission," Itachi's voice wasn't very loud, but Sasuke heard him well.
  The light was off in the room, and he put his ear to the door of the shoji in surprise, not daring to look into the dark room where his parents and older brother were arguing.
  "What kind of mission?" His father exclaimed in a way that made Sasuke's heart skip a beat.
  "I can't tell you. A secret mission," Itachi imagined his lips tightening and his eyes closing, as they always did when someone started arguing with his brother.
  "Itachi, you are the connecting thread between our clan and the village. Do you understand this or not?!"
  "I understand."
  "Then do your best. Come to the meeting tomorrow" The father repeated insistently. Sasuke didn't understand the need for this, he had heard some adults gossip that they just sat and discussed the same boring things at these meetings. If a brother has a mission, what's the need to be at some boring meeting?
  "Sasuke," Itachi said suddenly, apparently sensing his presence outside the door. "When you're done in the bathroom, go to bed."
  Him had to look into the room and say yes.
  "Why aren't you in bed?!" My father jumped up and headed for the door. "Go to bed! Now!"
  Sasuke hurried back to his room.
  His heart was pounding like crazy, he had never seen his father so angry.
  Part 1. Chapter 6. The Terrible News
   "Our father thinks only of you," looking at the report card for the last month of study, Sasuke muttered.
  He and Itachi were sitting in the courtyard, on the porch of the house - his older brother called there when Sasuke unsuccessfully tried to show his excellent grades for a month of study to their father. But Fugaku-too-san was somewhere in his thoughts and did not pay any attention to his youngest son.
  "Is it unpleasant for you?" Itachi asked, leaning back and staring at the setting sun. "Never mind, it's common that many people hate ninjas."
  "But... you say that," Sasuke looked at his brother with concern. There was clearly something wrong with Itachi. An absent-minded look. An unnatural smile. And this relaxed pose... "You and me..."
  "Being perfect is not easy either," Itachi smiled falsely again, which made Sasuke's insides freeze. Over time, you become lonely and arrogant, even if you strive for your cherished dream from the very beginning. There are no more brothers like us," the voice faltered.
  Sasuke listened with his mouth slightly open.
  "I'm like a wall that needs to be climbed...." Itachi's dark eyes, with the shadows beneath them, were serious. "Even if you hate me.... What else is an older brother for?"
  Suddenly, Itachi turned around sharply, and Sasuke also noticed the sound of the door opening slightly. Someone came in from the street.
  "Itachi, are you here?!" they shouted from the doorway. "We need to talk. Come out!"
  His brother got up and walked towards the central exit of their house, and Sasuke slipped in after him. After this strange conversation, my soul felt kind of dreary.
  "What do you all want from me?" Itachi asked, pausing in front of the three Shinobi. Two stood on the threshold, and the third remained behind, and loomed behind the backs of his comrades.
  Sasuke thought he saw these men in the neighborhood.
  "Three people were absent from the meeting. And one of them is you," said the one with the long hair down over his shoulders.
  Sasuke, with a beating heart, remembered the domestic quarrel he had witnessed.
  "We understand that you are a member of the ANBU and are engaged i n difficult tasks," The long-haired man continued. "That's what your father says. He stands up for you...."
  "But don't expect special treatment." a comrade with a bristly crew cut of rather blond hair, especially for an Uchiha, spoke up next to him.
  "I see," Itachi inclined his head slightly. "I will consider your wishes. Now go away."
  "Let's go," the hedgehog nodded, squinting. "But first, let's ask you one more thing. About Uchiha Shisui, who committed suicide by drowning himself in the river last night."
  Sasuke almost screamed at those words. A small shudder went through his body. There were hammers in his head that his older brother Shisui was no more. Did Itachi know about this? Maybe that's why this strange conversation happened a few minutes ago? Itachi's trembling voice echoed: "There are no more brothers like us."
  "He was the one who didn't come to the meeting," The long-haired man declared. "They say that you regarded him as your older brother," This uninvited guest drawled with a strange hint.
  "That's right, they say..." Itachi said softly in a kind of deadened voice. "But I haven't seen him for a long time. How sad..."
  Sasuke felt the tension, which made it difficult to breathe. He remembered seeing Shisui when he visited them in the morning, before his mission, two weeks ago. So, it turns out that the cousin returned from a mission and killed himself?
  "Since we are a police squad, we decided to focus our efforts on investigating this incident," The long-haired man seemed to have difficulty pronouncing. "And his partner, rummaging in his wide light belt," took out a piece of paper and handed it to Itachi.
  "Here is the farewell note that Shisui wrote. We've established that it's his handwriting. He wrote it, without any doubt."
  "If it's suicide, what will the investigation do?" Still motionless, my brother asked the interrogators.
  "It is very easy to copy handwriting using sharingan" The long-haired man explained.
  Sasuke became very scared from the tone in which this was said, as if these people who came to their house suspected his brother of something very bad. Itachi reached out and took the note.
  "He was the best in the Uchiha clan," While my brother was reading, he said "hedgehog." "He was known as Shunshin Shisui, the Ghost of Shisui. He would do anything for the clan. It's hard to believe that a man like Shisui wrote this and drowned himself...."
  "Don't judge people by their clothes," Itachi interrupted him.
  "We're leaving a note for you," the long-haired man said with a grimace. Take it and ask ANBU for help in our investigation.
  "I see," my brother muttered, dropping his hand helplessly and clutching a piece of paper.
  Sasuke could see from behind that Itachi was barely restraining himself from the feelings he was experiencing in connection with the death of their brother.
  The troika turned around and had already crossed the threshold when the "hedgehog" stopped and said loudly:
  "I hope there will be evidence."
  And his partner answered, as if keeping up the conversation.:
  "We, like the ANBU, also have our own methods." and turning slightly to Itachi, he said: "If you try to interfere with us, we'll deal with you."
  Sasuke felt as if his heart had stopped.
  The silence was broken by the rustle of a note that was crumpled. His brother's hand tensed and trembled.
  "Can you tell me directly?"
  The trio turned around. There were red sharingans in everyone's eyes. Sasuke's knees almost buckled.
  "Are you suspecting me?" Itachi growled.
  "That's right, you smart bastard" The long-haired man spat out the phrase.
  "Itachi, just try to betray our clan, you won't get away with it so easily!" For no reason, he shouted "hedgehog".
  Sasuke did not even notice how his brother found himself next to the investigators who came out into the middle of the street. In less than a second, Itachi was left standing alone, and the three of them were lying on the ground.
  "As I said earlier: "Don't judge people by their clothes." Did you think I could stand it?"
  Itachi spoke softly, but it seemed to Sasuke that these words were sounding right in his ears, he did not understand himself when he appeared on the threshold of the house, following his brother.
  "They said "clan, clan, clan." If you can't even evaluate your own capabilities, then how can you evaluate mine? Therefore, lie in the mud."
  "Shisui was watching you", the hedgehog hissed, sitting up. "You've been acting weird lately. What are you thinking about?"
  "Is it related to the organization? Is he related to the clan? Why is he constantly "connected"?" Itachi muttered. "All these connections are just limiting my own abilities, that's what I'm thinking. People are afraid and hate those who are stronger than them, how stupid..."
  "Stop it, Itachi!" His father's angry voice seemed to bring his brother to his senses. It seemed to Sasuke that thunder had struck. "What the hell is going on here? Itachi, you're acting weird!"
  "It's nothing strange," Itachi replied in that lifeless voice again. "I'm doing what I have to do. That's all."
  "So why weren't you there last night?" The father repeated the interrogators' question.
  "To reach the top," my brother replied incongruously.
  "What are you talking about?" My father exclaimed. "And Sasuke flinched when his brother abruptly snatched out a kunai and hurled it at the wall, piercing the red-and-white clan symbol painted on it."
  "Link... I can't achieve anything in this clan...."
  Memories flashed before Sasuke's eyes. How can a brother say that? Most recently, he himself taught him that the clan is good, and Itachi is proud to be a part of it. What has changed? Is it really because their cousin... that Shisui was gone. Sasuke himself didn't know what would have happened to him if someone had come to him and told him that Itachi was dead...
  "People constantly perceive themselves as part of a clan, and as a result, they don't see the really important things: you can't change when you're being controlled and controlled, when you expect and demand something more...."
  "Stop it!" Itachi's father interrupted, helping the others to stand up.
  "Say one more word, and we'll send you to jail!" The "hedgehog" screamed. And Sasuke felt his hands getting cold.
  "So what? What'll we do? You can't beat us anymore!" The long-haired man stood in a clan stance. "Captain, give the order and we'll capture him!"
  That was the last straw.
  "Nii-san! Enough! No need! You are welcome! No need!" Sasuke shouted all over the street. Tears welled up in his eyes, and his fingers were still nervously clutching the door frame, unwilling to let go.
  "I didn't kill Shisui," Itachi suddenly knelt down and bent in a pose of reverence. "I'm sorry for everything I said. Forgive me."
  "Apparently, you've been working so hard at the ANBU that you don't understand what you're doing," his father said loudly. "The ANBU is directly subordinate to the Hokage, even we, the police, cannot arrest anyone without a warrant. I take responsibility for Itachi on myself," and having said that, he walked past Sasuke, not paying any attention to him.
  Sasuke shuddered when he saw his brother's eye, which watched his father enter the house. For a moment, it seemed that Itachi's three tomoe sharingans had merged into a strange three-ray shuriken.
  Part 1. Chapter 7. Ashes of Hope
  Shimura Danzo barely restrained himself from touching his new eye through the blindfold. The newly acquired sharingan should finally take root in a couple of days. He looked at Uchiha Itachi, who was sitting in front of him and the elders along with the Third Hokage. Danzo's hopes for Konoha's future and his leadership in the village went hand in hand with this very young but so talented Shinobi. A trained Shinobi. The Uchiha clan itself gave Itachi away, and Uchiha Fugaku made some concessions to the village and the Root so that his eldest offspring would enter the ANBU. Many were surprised that such a young and kind boy had fallen on the "dark side", unaware of how much was at stake in this figure. With what love Itachi polished, tuned up, got motivation and thoughts.
  "Due to Shisui's death, the coup was postponed." Itachi finished his report.
  "You shouldn't have pushed him so hard," Hiruzen chuckled.
  "But some in the clan and the ANBU are sure that you killed Shisui," Danzo, not without pleasure, pressed on the sore spot.
  "Did those who believe not know that Shisui and I were pursuing the same goal?" Itachi didn't react too politely. "Shisui did not show up at our meeting place," The guy lied and stared at Danzo's blindfold. The puppy was showing his teeth.
  "He had secrets." He had to support this lie. "I'll notify the ANBU that Shisui actually committed suicide. Don't you agree, Hiruzen?" Actually, they watched this suicide together, and the Third Hokage nodded.
  "But the threat of attack still remains?" I asked Danzo a clarifying question. "Did Shisui's death just delay the inevitable a bit?"
  "Yes," Itachi lowered his gaze.
  "We can't let that happen." Koharu muttered. "Are they going to start a revolution and usurp power?! We have no choice!"
  Danzo smiled to himself. Yes! His time has come! And his right arm, which Orochimaru grew for him from the cells of the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama, can be scored with the most powerful sharingans. And he will be the only one who will have all their power. "Koto Amatsukami," which Danzo acquired along with Shisui's sharingan, which allows him to control a person's thoughts. Just a dream. He was very sorry that such a convenient technique was only possible once a decade. But "Izanagi"! The ability to turn what is happening into an illusion.
  Even his own death. Of course, you need to sacrifice your sharingan for this, but if there are a lot of them...
  The Hokage started arguing with Koharu about taking a break and thinking, and Danzo immediately intervened.:
  "Hiruzen, the Uchiha clan cannot be persuaded. We need to take action. To avoid casualties" he looked at the Uchiha, who was blankly watching their argument, and added, putting a hidden hint into the words: "Especially among innocent children."
  "Don't say that in front of Itachi." Hiruzen played along. "By the way, coping with Uchiha is not a trivial task. We need a plan."
  "There's no time to sit back! We must launch a preemptive strike! If we join forces with all the ANBU units and suddenly attack from the rear, then everything will be over quickly and quietly."
  "Uchiha are experienced and seasoned warriors," Danzo's old friend objected. " want to try to negotiate before using force. I'll suggest a strategy." Danzo almost tsked out loud. Hiruzen was always playing the good guy, as soon as someone else appeared on the horizon.
  "Itachi, I need time. Try to win just a little bit."
  "I understand," Itachi bowed.
  "I'll walk you out." Danzo glanced at his old friend, who nodded almost imperceptibly.
  It's time to finish processing Uchiha Itachi and avoid unnecessary sacrifices on the part of his people. Who better to deal with the Uchiha than the best of this damned clan? Boundless love for loved ones is their weak point. Little brother is Itachi's only remaining weak spot.
  They reached the Ninshuu temple, surrounded by many-armed and many-faced statues, and with pleasant excitement, Danzo involuntarily remembered how just a couple of days ago he had talked with another young Uchiha here. The now deceased Uchiha Shisui.
  The guy naively thought that he could save his clan, and offered to use his suggestion technique to set up Uchiha Fugaku for benevolent cooperation with Konoha. As if Konoha needed it. Shisui really shouldn't have told a few months ago about the unique ability of his sharingan. It's about a very unusual ability that needs to be managed very deliberately and that needs to be in the right hands. And Danzo believed that only his hands were the most correct in this case.
  He summoned Shisui before sunset, setting up a perfect trap.
  "Even if you use your sharingan on Fugaku to make the clan cooperate," Danzo told the young Uchiha. "What if the village doesn't change?"
  "The third promised that he would make her change." Shisui naively blinked his red eyes, and Danzo wanted to laugh.
  "Even if the Third One is satisfied, the distrust in the village will not go away. Besides, someone who always treats everyone with suspicion, like me, will never change either. What will you do then?"
  Uchiha tried to protest and was able to dodge his first attack, trapping his clone in an illusion. And he missed the real blow, losing his precious eye. I didn't even have to use that technique and sacrifice my sharingan as planned. Unfortunately, it was not possible to grab the guy to remove the other eye. The damn Uchiha possessed teleportation, which is why he got his "ghostly" nickname. However, Shisui did not escape far, but only to the Nakanogawa bend, where Uchiha Itachi, his best friend and cousin in one person, was waiting for him. Naive kids who decided to save their beloved cursed clan.
  Hiruzen's all-seeing sphere revealed that Shisui, having transferred his other eye to Itachi, had thrown himself off a cliff.
  But Itachi has a Mangekyo sharingan, with which he can defeat most of his clan. Now it's time to put the squeeze on this client and return to Uchiha quarter to harvest sharingans!
  "Despite what the Third One said, if there is going to be a massacre, then we will defend the Leaf." Danzo said to Itachi, who was frozen in front of him. "In this case, Hiruzen, as Hokage, will have no choice but to take drastic measures. Will it lead to war or not when the Uchiha rise? Then complete destruction is predicted. Not excluding your innocent little brother," Danzo hinted. "However, there is a way to get Sasuke out of the mess before the coup takes place. But if that's the case, then most likely your brother will know the truth. And if he starts talking, Leaf's Shinobi will ridicule his entire clan, which will fill his heart with a desire to take revenge on Leaf, after which, to my regret, he will have to die."
  "Are you threatening me?" Itachi jumped up, not yet realizing how caught up in the web he was.
  "No, I just want you to make a choice: either an alliance with Uchiha in organizing a coup d'etat and death to you, your clan and your beloved brother. Or join the List. Save you brother before the troubles begin and help us eliminate all the Uchiha. No matter what happens, it must be over before there are any more victims. All for the sake of saving the village. And the only Shinobi who can be trusted with this case, Itachi, is you. Double agent of Uchiha and Liszt.
  The guy was silent, but Danzo had seen too much and now he also saw that Uchiha had already given up and accepted this offer.
  "Itachi, this is going to be the hardest mission of your life, but on the other hand, it's going to save your little brother. I know that you care about the village as much as I do. Do you agree?"
  The guy turned around without saying anything, but Danzo knew that he would do as he said. All of them, these honest and trusting idealists, always do as they are told and choose what the village needs.
  ***
  They were in a hurry. The best of the best. Personal squad. It was necessary to clean up after Itachi, who had already started cleaning.
  "What's it? So many corpses?" and the seasoned Root ANBU, who had undergone training in emotion deprivation, exclaimed in surprise.
  "They have..."
  "Damn..."
  Danzo himself wanted to howl in frustration and curse the damn son of a bitch who had done this! This bastard didn't just kill everyone, all the faces were disfigured, and there was a deep cut through the eyes of each corpse.
  Little bitch! Shimura Danzo hissed, unable to formulate anything but the filthiest curses. His hope of acquiring a dozen or two Sharingans was crying!
  "Count the corpses, now!" he decided that in revenge he would not let that bastard Uchiha, his little brother, live, damn Itachi with his arrogance! Ten minutes later, the assembled ANBU reported that two hundred and five corpses had been found in the block (There are 205 people in the clan, Shisui died, it became 204 + Uzumaki 205!). Among the Uchiha was the corpse of Uzumaki Naruto. Also with a disfigured face, as if the jinchuuriki had sharingans.
  "Don't touch it!" Danzo yelled when he saw that one of the ANBU decided to raise the Uzumaki. He had a bunch of explosive seals under his jacket.
  "Let's run!" Danzo commanded, leaving the location first. A cannonade of explosions thundered behind him, which did not leave a single whole building from the block.
  ***
  Everything burned down. When they put out the fire, only charred corpses and skeletons of buildings remained.
  "Damn! How? B-bitch! Itachi!" Danzo raged, forgetting about the subordinates around him. "Killed the entire clan, himself, his brother, and jinchuuriki into the bargain? The beast!"
  "Danzo-sama," the guy in the Cat mask called out. Danzo remembered that it was Hatake Kakashi. Hiruzenov is a defector. Another naive one who managed to survive. Hatake was working with Itachi and had to confirm that he had carried out a massacre in his clan.
  "What do you want?" he asked impolitely, sitting down on a blackened stone.
  "It seems to me that Itachi-kun didn't do it. When I was walking around the block, I saw a Shinobi in a one-eyed mask. He spoke to me. He said he did it all out of hatred for his clan. And... his scent. And then he was gone, as if he had been sucked into himself."
  "Did you recognize him?" Danzo was surprised by Kakashi's strange reaction, remembering who could belong to the clan but not be a member of it.
  "Yes... it seems to me that it was Uchiha Obito.... That's the one. From whom I got my sharingan."
  Part 1. Chapter 8. The Phantom Phoenix
  Itachi opened his eyelids. For some reason, the blurry spots on the ceiling turned into cat's paw prints.
  "I'm sorry I knocked you out...." The familiar voice made my heart stop and beat twice as fast. Slowly, very slowly, Itachi turned his head to see the face of his older brother, who was sitting cross-legged on the floor, staring at him with red eyes. Remarkably, they were whole.
  "Sh-shisui?" The voice trembled. "B-but... Did I die too? Is this a Clean world?" an obvious thought came to mind.
  "No, you're alive, and I'm... alive too. I'm sorry that I had to deceive you, but otherwise it wouldn't have worked," Shisui held out his hand, and Itachi took it, feeling the warmth. And immediately the current of the chakra in the body was interrupted to make sure that this was not an illusion. His brother just smiled knowingly, noticing his manipulations. But I stayed where I was and helped him sit down. As it turned out, Itachi was lying on some kind of low sofa.
  "But..." the last thing he remembered was killing his parents.
  They were standing with their backs to him, on their knees. The father said in a calm voice:
  "So you've gone over to their side? Clear."
  "Father... Mom... I..." Itachi tried to justify himself. Despite everything, despite all the promises, threats, and rejection of his father's policies, his heart was bursting with pain. Anyway, he was preparing himself for this moment. I understood that this would happen.
  "I know, Itachi," was all the woman who had given him life said. Uchiha Mikoto was a Jirnin wuman and accepted her death with dignity.
  "Itachi, just promise me...." There was a strange warmth coming from him father. "Take care of Sasuke."
  He promised, whispering through his tears. The katana in his hands was shaking.
  "Don't be afraid of anything," his father said softly, as if sensing his uncertainty. "It's your choice. Compared to you, our pain will only last a moment. Even if our life positions differ, I'm still proud of you, son. There is real kindness in your heart..."
  "I love you, Itachi," Mom whispered.
  He killed them with one swing. Both of them. He raised his head, taking his eyes off the two prostrate bodies in the spreading black puddle, and saw Sasuke's face, and then...
  Darkness.
  "Sasuke!.. Did you save Sasuke?!" Itachi remembered about his brother. Immediately, his arrangements with Danzo and the guy in the mask came back to mind, and he was ashamed. "I'm sorry, I... they... Your sister... I..."
  "Itachi," Shisui shook him by the shoulder, forcing him to look into his eyes. "Calm down. The children escaped. We... saved the innocents."
  "How many?" Itachi exhaled, still unable to believe the reality of what was happening.
  "Nine Uchiha and one more." Sasuke's friend. Naruto Uzumaki. The boy decided to come with us.
  "Naruto?!" Itachi exclaimed. "But he's a jinchuuriki"...
  "I know," his brother grinned. "But it seemed fair to me. The Uchiha was accused of our clan releasing and controlling the nine-tails eight years ago. Currently, there is no subject of dispute, so to speak. And with sharingans, Danzo broke off."
  "Danzo... damn..." the memory of the last conversation with the elder and the head of the "dark ANBU" burned Itachi with a new dose of shame. During this last conversation, he realized that he was being purposefully trapped like some kind of animal. And he thought he was so smart and brilliant. "Sharingan?!" Itachi almost hit himself on the head. And how could he not have guessed that the sneaky cripple needed clan dojutsu!
  "He's in league with the Hokage." Shisui's lips tightened. "But hopefully, at least for a while, we managed to break away and cover our tracks."
  "Speaking of which" Itachi stopped self-flagellating and looked at his best friend. "How?! How did you do that?!"
  Shisui sat down next to him.
  "I was naive. I admit it. And stupid. I believed that I could save our clan, that everything would work out, that we were the younger generation who believed in Konoha and the Will of Fire... the smartest and most astute. It's now that I realize that all this is a fairy tale for idealists like me... and you.... And this bunch of gullible followers are controlled by two spiders, pulling the right strings. One of these spiders hides in the dark, waiting for prey, and the other... You know, the ones that sit in the middle of beautiful flowers?" Itachi nodded. "These spiders are almost transparent, beautifully sprinkled with flower pollen, and attracted by the sweet nectar, the insects do not notice the trap."
  Shisui paused meaningfully, then closed his eyes and continued.
  "A few months ago, I recklessly told the Hokage about "Koto Amatsukami." A special gift from my Mangekyo sharingan. Do you know that you need to be pretty close to a person in order to use them? Up to five meters. Since then, I wasn't supposed to get closer to the Hokage than six.... And then... You could say that the gods sent me a vision....
  "A vision?" Itachi interrupted. "Some new property of sharingan?"
  "Maybe," Shisui muttered uncertainly. "They say that sharingan can make you feel like your opponent sees the future. And I... saw my future. I really should have died. But it seems he was able to deceive the Shinigami. I died, but not for long."
  "So it's there, on the bend..." He grabbed Itachi's brother's hand, and he nodded:
  "Yes, the illusion wouldn't work on you. Your awakened Mangekyo would see the falsity. I stopped my heart and chakra flow and fell into the water. The current carried me out about fifty kilometers from Konoha.
  "But your eye?! I saw it!.. I felt the chakra..."
  "Yes, that was the hardest part of the plan." Shisui acknowledged. "But I turned away, sleight of hand, and here my eyelids are stained with blood, and in my palm is a real sharingan, although it was not mine..."
  "And whose?.." Itachi felt his throat go dry.
  "Our grandfather, Sawada. We have a similar chakra. And he... volunteered to help me. He gave away his eyes," Shisui paused, biting his lip. "You know, he said that it's hard for him and the old generation to change, just like it's hard for someone like Danzo to change, but we can revive the Uchiha clan anew, like a ghost phoenix. Also, my grandfather's friend lived in the Land of the Whirlpool and was a master of fuinjutsu.... I was planning something like this myself, I wanted to poison that sharingan or do something like that. Danzo, as I found out, did not let anyone near him, checked the food, did not go anywhere unnecessarily, he was always guarded by a bunch of ANBU. In general, it was almost impossible to make an attempt on his life. And then he himself... decided to use other people's dojutsu. Perhaps this will be a good lesson for those who want to hunt Uchiha because of our eyes.
  "So what did Sawada-sama do?" Itachi asked.
  "After I extracted the sharingan to give to you, it activated the internal seal on the back of the retina. After this sharingan is used, imbued with chakra, the eye will explode. "The last Revenge" is called."
  Imagining Shimura Danzo's head exploding, Itachi couldn't help but smile. He felt sorry that the implanted sharingan could not be used immediately, the chakra channels had to fuse first. But if the Third was in league with Danzo, then the death of his right hand would not have changed the plans for the Uchiha clan.
  "So, in a few days, the head of the "Root" will lose his head?" He clarified.
  "Yes. And I plan that in the coming years, the rest of the elders who gave you the order will honor the Pure World with their presence." Shisui said harshly. And Itachi promised that they would revive their clan. And they'll whitewash his reputation.
  "How did you manage to save all the... children?" Itachi went back to questioning Brother.
  "When I was on a mission, I contacted Grandma the Cat. He asked me to provide shelter and put me in touch with your old acquaintance."
  "So that's where the cat footprints on the walls come from as patterns." Itachi voiced his thought. "No one will find us here for sure. Could you really sign the Contract?"
  "Am... yes..." Shisui hesitated. "Something like that. More precisely, it's something like a temporary agreement. You know they don't really like " pyople." I used the call and the callback to pick up the children, and then you, Sasuke, and Naruto.
  "I killed my parents, and Sasuke saw it." Itachi muttered. The guilt that had receded filled his heart again. "I wanted to... I wanted my brother to hate me and, when he grows up, kill me for this crime...."
  "Itachi," Shisui pulled him by the neck to himself, resting his forehead on his forehead, "You had no choice. Now is not the time to think about it, okay? We'll tell Sasuke and the others everything. But let's agree right away that we won't become like Danzo and we won't just pull the strings, shaping the avengers or personal punishment. We'll deal with more pressing issues now, okay? And then we'll figure it out calmly."
  Itachi was embarrassed: his brother rarely showed his feelings. Carefully freeing himself, he looked at his hands and asked.
  "Did that guy in the mask kill the others?"
  "Speaking of which," Shisui chuckled. "This is Uchiha Obito. The one who was presumed dead ten years ago."
  "I realized that he was an Uchiha. Because only the Uchiha know where the secret stone table is. He said he hated our clan. I agreed with him that he would not touch Konoha and Sasuke, but in return would carry out his revenge..."
  "When he finished and left, I destroyed all the sharingans of our clan, printed out the "missing bodies" that were made here, and mined everything. And besides, I gave Konoha a big and fat clue for the official version of who is responsible for the death of the clan.
  Shisui looked at Itachi, as if waiting for him to analyze what was said and figure it out for himself.
  "Hatake Kakashi? My former senpai? But... to deceive him..."
  "That's right, I used my "Koto Amatsukami" on it."
  Part 1. Chapter 9. Selection
  Naruto opened his eyes and rubbed his face. It's too light. So, he had overslept the Academy, which he had recently attended with great pleasure. Because his friend studied there. The guy he mistakenly thought was an upstart and arrogant, but he turned out to be very good. His first true friend is Uchiha Sasuke. Naruto jumped out of bed and realized that he was not sleeping on the bed at all, but on the floor, on a mattress called a futon, and several other children of different ages were lying side by side on the same mattresses. It was like he was back in the orphanage he had lived in before entering the Academy. Naruto stared at Sasuke sleeping next to him and looked around at the others, who were also dark-haired, determining that Sasuke and another boy had the blackest hair.
  Memories of the past day flashed like lightning.
  ***
  At break, he told Sasuke about Inuzuka Kiba's record, the cherished three minutes and thirty-seven seconds, which he could not beat in any way. However, Inuzuka himself had not been able to break his latest record for several weeks either.
  Naruto was able to buy himself a stopwatch to train, and he wondered how fast his friend could run and if he could win the race, which was again planned by the guys on the weekend. Sasuke became interested in the route, and after studying, they went to the outskirts to the mountain path that led to the very finishing spruce.
  "It's exactly one kilometer from here to that spruce tree on the mountaintop", Naruto drew a line with the toe of his shoe. "Almost every weekend in the summer, the guys organized candy races. When I had something to put on, I also participated several times," He looked away, sighing, remembering how hard it had been for those candies to feel not alone for a few moments. And how quickly those moments ended with another loss. He believed that if he had won, they would have become friends with him...
  "Do you want to practice to win candy?" Sasuke asked.
  "Nuu...", Naruto rubbed his neck, embarrassed. "It's not just about candy. However, it would be great to get this prize. But I... In general, it's like a great speed and endurance workout, and I promised myself that I would definitely beat Kiba's record. So that he wouldn't get cocky. I'll prove it...." He bit his lip as he looked at Sasuke, who was staring at him intently. He abruptly stopped wanting to talk about his dream of becoming Hokage, so that his friend would not think that he was just talking, but in fact could not do anything. As Naruto had already realized, Sasuke preferred actions to empty words.
  "Well, let's try," he shrugged his shoulders. "Do you have a stopwatch with you?"
  "Yeah," Naruto proudly showed off the device.
  "Then let's count down."
  They stood at the line, and he pressed the button and commanded:
  "March!"
  Sasuke arrived a couple of seconds ahead of him, but he didn't beat Kiba's record either. However, Naruto thought that it was because his friend didn't know the route. No wonder he was the best student in the class. Even better than Kiba. For some reason, Naruto was not upset by Sasuke's victory over himself, he only mentally promised himself that he would catch up with him in order to always be there and keep up.
  They decided to practice here. They threw shurikens, held several sparring sessions, during which Sasuke showed him several new grips and ways to get out of them.
  "We need to run along the route of the "candy race" again, but one at a time, because when you spot yourself, it's not the same at all." he proposed to Sasuke after stretching and warming up, and then climbed to the very top of the spruce and waved his hand from there.
  Naruto took off abruptly. He had never run like this before. It was as if there were wings on his legs. The feeling that he was doing this workout with a friend and that he was waiting for him and, perhaps, rooting for him, gave him strength. He touched the tree and saw Sasuke's smiling face, who turned the timer towards him.
  "Three minutes and thirty-five seconds?" Naruto whispered, not trusting his eyes. My heart calmed down and stopped pounding, and all the fatigue instantly disappeared from happiness.
  "Here," Sasuke handed him a kunai. "Record your high score."
  Naruto cut out his name and time above Kiba's record. The record didn't last long because Sasuke ran in three minutes and thirty-four seconds. But Naruto was not upset by this fact again. He had a strange feeling when he saw their names written next to each other. And he wished that he and Sasuke would always be friends and never be separated, like these inscriptions carved on an old fir tree.
  "It's getting dark," Sasuke said. "Maybe we'll have something to eat in honor of our records, and I'll go home?"
  "Yes! I saw that a new ramen room was opened not far from the Hokage's Residence! Ichiraku Ramen, there's an old man who looks kind..." Naruto agreed without hesitation.
  "Then let's go," Sasuke nodded.
  The owner of the Ichiraku, who introduced himself as Teuchi-san, said that he had recently been in Konoha, although he had previously lived in the village and worked in his father's ramen, but had left for several years to study the art of cooking and now opened his shop. His noodles were delicious and relatively inexpensive. Naruto really wanted to treat Sasuke, because he had money left after the purchases that his friend made, but he did not allow it. After hearing their argument, Teuchi-san said that he greatly respects friendship and young Shinobi, and gave a discount. It turned out that Naruto paid for one serving, but they ate two, and Sasuke did not have to pay. Naruto thanked the kind old man for his resourcefulness and said that when he had money, he would always come to him.
  They walked slowly through the dark streets of Konoha, talking. Naruto accompanied his friend to his clan's quarter, and they said goodbye until tomorrow.
  After a hundred meters, Naruto froze. Something was wrong. A bad feeling settled in the chest area and made his heart beat rapidly. He remembered that when he had seen Sasuke off earlier, it had been light on the streets of the block and there had been a buzz of people. But this time they didn't come so late, and the Uchiha was surprisingly quiet. And the darkness.
  Naruto ran back. A clear sense of trouble was pounding in his temples.
  Without hesitation, he flew through the open gate and stumbled, tumbling several times on the hard pavement. When he got up, he saw the face of an elderly woman. She was dead, otherwise she wouldn't be lying in the middle of the street in an unnatural position. Looking around, Naruto saw several more bodies. He thought about Sasuke, and everything went cold inside. Where could he have gone?
  "Wait, Naruto," a man's voice called out. Turning around, he saw a silhouette with two red eyes.
  "Where is Sasuke?!" fear for his friend overcame fear of this creepy creature.
  "Don't worry, he's safe," the red-eyed man replied. "I'm his cousin, and I saved those I could from the massacre."
  "From the massacre?" Naruto repeated hoarsely.
  "Yes, the Third Hokage and the elders ordered the killing of all Uchiha" The deep voice was full of sadness.
  "That's not true!" Naruto shouted as the meaning of what was said dawned on him. "The third one couldn't! He's kind! It's some kind of mistake."
  "Look around, does this look like a mistake? These people lived, dreamed, they had loved ones whom they loved, but now they are dead. And Sasuke could have died too. All Uchiha were sentenced to liquidation without trial", The red-eyed man uttered bitterly.
  "And Sasuke..." Naruto repeated, looking into the eyes of the dead woman under his feet.
  "I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to erase your memory of this conversation. And everything about Sasuke. I can't take any chances. We have to hide so that the Third and his men don't find us and finish what they started."
  "My memory?" He ran his hand over Naruto's face.
  The past two weeks flashed before his eyes. The happiest days of his entire life. And this man wants to take them away? As if they had never happened? It was as if he had never had a real friend. Erase their names side by side. To make him forget Sasuke. The best friend they had a prank with, who bought him groceries, protected him from teachers, and taught him everything?"
  "Yes, your memory," The red-eyed man confirmed. "You're unlikely to agree to come with us from your beloved Konoha to share your exile, so I don't see any other way out. Sorry..."
  "No! No need!" Naruto raised his hand, shutting out those creepy eyes that could rob him of his brightest memories. "I don't want to break up with Sasuke. I don't want to live in Konoha without my best friend! I'll go with you."
  "Are you sure, Naruto? There will be no turning back", The red-eyed man warned him. "I don't want to force you. I only gave you a choice because you're my brother's friend. Think about it, you won't remember anything, which means you won't suffer, miss, or be sad. Your life will be the same."
  Naruto shuddered at the prospect.
  "I don't want any "old life"," He whispered. "I'm coming."
  "Then I have to tell you something else." A heavy sigh came from the shadows. "Don't think that I'm trying to talk you out of it, but I don't want any ambiguities or accusations that I didn't tell you everything or, Kami forbid, used it for my own purposes, and so on. You're old enough to find out the truth about yourself and make an informed decision."
  Naruto swallowed, wondering what else his frightening companion was going to tell him....
  "In fact, you're already in my illusion, so I can show you what I know. There is still time, and here it stretches the way I want it to...."
  ***
  "I am the jinchuuriki of the nine-tailed yokai fox," Naruto whispered, coming out of his memories and focusing on his sleeping friend's face again. The black eyelashes fluttered, and Sasuke opened his eyes."
  Part 1. Chapter 10. Dream and reality
   Sasuke had a very scary dream. It was as if he had returned home after training and entered the surprisingly deserted territory of the clan. The moon in the sky caused a strange feeling of doom and longing. His heart was beating like a trapped mouse.
  "No! I'm a ninja, I'm not afraid of anything!" Sasuke objected to himself in his dream.
  He took a few more steps. A vague outline took shape, and he saw his aunt lying on the pavement, turning her empty eyes into the cold black autumn sky.
  "Itachi! Mom! Father!" He ran to his house.
  His gaze clung to the corpses of clansmen lying here and there, through which his path ran. He recognized many of them. The black shadows seemed to live on their own. They reached out to him, reproached him for something. The smell of blood filled his nostrils, making him suffocate. A sickening stench. Sasuke knew that Shinobi was a profession that involved killing, and he had been trained for it since childhood - to kill or be killed. But he had never seen death so closely or so much. It was as if he had fallen into a terrible illusion from which it was impossible to escape. Finally, he reached the house, which was greeted with ominous silence and darkness.
  "Mom? Itachi?! The father?.." In the cold darkness, the voice sounded timid and trembled disgustingly.
  His knees were shaking slightly, and every step was difficult, as if Sasuke was walking against the current of a viscous icy river. Pushing aside the shoji, he saw the sprawled bodies of his parents and his older brother next to them.
  "Nii-san, what happened?" He wanted to ask, but his tongue seemed to have dried up or stuck to the roof of his mouth.
  A moment later, Itachi also fell down next to his parents.
  "No! Nii-san!" Sasuke screamed, feeling pain in his eyes and dizziness. It was as if someone with sharingans burning like coals had been woven out of the shadows.
  "Go to sleep!" a strangely familiar voice ordered him... Sasuke woke up. Sunlight flooded an unfamiliar room, and next to him, Naruto was sitting on a futon.
  "Where are we?" Sasuke wheezed, surprised by his friend's presence.
  Naruto shrugged and whispered, nodding somewhere behind his back.
  "I left Konoha to be with you and the survivors of the Uchiha clan massacre."
  The words didn't reach him in any way, and Sasuke stared blankly into the blue eyes that looked at him with sympathy. The terrible truth took over the body and consciousness, paralyzing, depriving of breath.
  "Sasuke!" Naruto shook him. "Sasuke... Your eyes are red...."
  "It's a sharingan," he replied to his friend in an indifferently quiet voice. "There are none... My parents and my brother... They are no more."
  "Do you know them?" Naruto braked, breaking out of his indifferent stupor.
  Sasuke looked around. Yumiko was lying next to him, and his cousin was sobbing softly as she continued to sleep. Kazuki's second cousin was also tossing in his sleep. Sasuke didn't know the older girl, he'd only seen her a couple of times, and it seemed she was homeschooled, or maybe she wasn't a Shinobi at all. Next to her, a little girl of at most two years old was sleeping. And then there were four guys who looked from three to five years old, whom he also saw in the clan, but they were not close relatives, so they did not communicate, and he was never interested in these kids, he preferred to spend time with his brother, Yumiko and Kazuki, and now with Naruto. The memory of his brother made his heart clench again, his eyes stung, and Sasuke exhaled loudly, holding back tears.
  The sound of the shutters opening distracted from the grief he was experiencing and forced him to get closer. Just because they were saved does not mean that it was done with good intentions. Of course, you can't compete with Sasuke's level against a strong Shinobi. But it happens that adult Shinobi do not expect fierce resistance from children. In fact, he could have taken the genin exam this year, but Itachi asked him not to. Especially trying to please his father, so that he would say "what was expected of my son." My brother didn't explain why, but...
  When Sasuke saw the newcomer, or rather, the newcomers, all thoughts flew out of his head.
  "Nii-san!" He flew up to his unharmed brother and hung on his neck. "You're alive!"
  It took him a full second to realize that his enemies could trick him by playing on his feelings and replace him with his brother. For example, make a henge or send it into an illusion. He released the slightly blushing Itachi from his embrace and placed a kunai against his stomach, which, in the process of showing brotherly feelings, slipped out of the thigh sheath.
  "How can you prove that it's you?"
  "And our baby Sasuke is not a miss," said the second one who entered, whom Sasuke did not pay attention to at first, absorbed in the fact that Itachi was alive.
  He glanced at his brother's companion, and the kunai fell out of his weakened hands.
  "Shisui-nii-san?!" His cry coincided with the cry of the awakened Yumiko, who also ran up to her older brother.
  ***
  All the children were woken up, and Shisui printed out the food from the grocery scroll.
  "Eat first, and then I'll tell you everything," My cousin ordered it. Sasuke obediently took the onigiri and began to eat, hardly feeling the taste.
  He reflected that of the entire Uchiha clan, which had more than two hundred people, eleven remained, nine of them children. There was a fear that his older brothers would abandon him and the rest of the little ones. The situation is very bad. For adult Shinobi, they are a burden. They are located somewhere unclear, perhaps in some clan hideout, but obviously not in Konoha. Naruto also said that he left the village to be with him and the others after the massacre. Who did this? Killed Yumiko's parents, mom, Kazuki's relatives, the rest of the clan? What will happen next? How will they live? Itachi also looks so strangely and looks away, as if he is ashamed of something.... Is he really going to leave? Leave him alone to seek happiness elsewhere. To forget about the clan he disliked so much and "limited his opportunities"? Sasuke remembered these words well.
  Everyone ate in silence, an oppressive silence hung over the makeshift table, until the little girl suddenly began to whimper.
  "Mina, I want to go to my mom. Ane-san, where is my mom?"
  "Shh, Natsumi," her sister hissed at the girl, looking at the others in confusion.
  "I'm sorry, onii-sama," the one named Mina addressed Shisui. "Natsumi is only a year and a half old, so she still doesn't understand well... I'm on my own... We fell asleep in Konoha, and woke up here... I don't know what happened...."
  "The Uchiha clan is no more," Shisui said. "We are the survivors of last night."
  Sasuke looked at the silent children. Yumiko's eyes widened, and, pulling away from her older brother, she looked into Shisui's serious and sad face. Kazuki, who was living with relatives because his entire family had died, including his older sister, who had disappeared on a mission just recently, paled. The others looked at each other and were silent, most likely unable to believe what they were saying. All the guys were future Shinobi who were trained for the military path from an early age, well, except for Natsumi, and they accepted the news quite staunchly. Only the smallest one sniffed.
  "Then I'll talk to each of you separately, take care of each other," Shisui rolled up a grocery scroll. His face was tense. But after a second, he seemed to force a smile. "There are few of us left, but we are still the Uchiha clan. And now you can tell us your names and ages so that we can remember each other well. Let's start with you, imoto."
  "I'm Uchiha Yumiko," Yumiko introduced herself obediently. "I'm still six years old, but I'm about to turn seven."
  "I am Uchiha Kazuki," their second cousin was sitting next to Yumiko. "I turned seven this summer. I studied with Yumiko in the first year of the Shinobi Academy."
  "My name is Uchiha Mina, and this is my little sister Natsumi," next was an older girl with her hair in a long ponytail on one side. "I am ten years old, and my sister is one and a half years old. My family was against me studying Shinobi because our older brother and sister died in the war. That's why I don't know much...."
  "Uchiha Sen, six years old," a boy with dark copper hair tied like Itachi's in a low ponytail introduced himself.
  The smallest of the guys sniffed and said nothing, but the other one spoke for him:
  "This is Yui, he's three years old, and I'm Renzo, I'm four. Yui is very shy. Our families are friends. We were friends..."
  "Uchiha Taro, five years old," said a boy with gray hair that was much lighter than Itachi's.
  "Uchiha Sasuke, eight years old," it was Sasuke's turn to introduce himself. "The second year of the Shinobi Academy. The Awakened Sharingan," He reported after looking into Shisui's eyes.
  "Uzumaki Naruto, I'm almost eight," Naruto, who was sitting next to him, scratched his head and added. "I'm studying with Sasuke. He's my friend, and I decided to join you. Here."
  "Uchiha Itachi," Itachi introduced himself, looking around at the others. "I'm thirteen years old. Captain ANBU. Zenin."
  The children whispered, and Sasuke felt a surge of pride for his older brother.
  "Uchiha Shisui," Shisui ended their circle of acquaintance. "Sixteen years old... almost. Captain ANBU. Zenin. I hope you all remember each other well, because now we are one big family. I think Mina, Natsumi, Yui, and Renzo can stay here for now, and the rest will come with us. We have to think it over and decide together how to move on and what to do."
  "Can I come with you too?" Mina asked, biting her lip. "I understand that I'm not a Shinobi, but I also want to be useful. Please, onii-sama. I'll learn, I can do it."
  "Then, Yui and Renzo, you have your first responsible assignment. Keep an eye on Natsumi. We'll be back soon."
  Renzo nodded. Sasuke got up and followed Shisui out with the others.
  Comment
   Onii-sama is a very respectful "big brother".
  Part 1. Chapter 11. A frank conversation
   Shisui looked around at his new army, his team, the remnants of the Uchiha clan with the lost Uzumaki. It is also a kind of fragment of the once powerful Whirlpool Village clan. After his apparent death, Shisui returned to the Uchiha quarter disguised as Sawada's grandfather in order to take a closer look at his future charges without raising questions and suspicions. Their habits, character, schedule, when it is convenient to pick them up, so that the children are not missed ahead of time and so that at least some of them do not see the massacre of their relatives and loved ones. It wasn't because he was worried about their psyche. It was just more rational and convenient. Using shadow clones and summoning, he barely made it. The man from the dreams, to whom the "second he" frequented, insisted that a child's vulnerable soul could not stand such a thing and the kids could lock themselves in. A man from a foreign pampered world did not know what a hidden village and its upbringing were, he could be forgiven. Shinobi children should gain independence as early as possible.
  Constant wars and deaths accompany them from birth to death. Shisui himself lost his father when his mother was just carrying Yumiko, and not so long ago, when the Third Hokage gave the highest permission to use Koto Amatsukami on Uchiha Fugaku, the village head himself recalled that he "was friendly" with his parent.
  Once again, Shisui felt a veil fall from his eyes. While working at the ANBU, he became interested in the circumstances of Uchiha Kagami's death and found out that his father had been sent on a deliberately impossible mission. It was there that he died along with the entire team. Shisui had heard more than once that his father had objectively brushed aside the direct accusations that began to be hurled at the Uchiha clan after the Fox attack, practically preventing the conflict from flaring up. The courage and peacefulness of Kagami-otoo-san united the Uchiha clan with other clans and the clanless Shinobi of Konoha. And then Uchiha Kagami "so successfully" died on a mission, and Konoha's main "spiders" gradually fanned the embers of discontent again. A man here, a man there, words dropped supposedly in the heat of the moment, and now indignation is ready, and other people's minds are captured by the situation "with these Uchiha who consider themselves better than others."
  Shisui himself was caught continuing his father's work and having to reconcile the clan with the village. I naive fool!
  "I would like to discuss our situation with all of you and tell you about the reasons for the destruction of our clan. I understand that I am still a child in many matters and judgments, but I will try to convey this to you as much as possible..." Shisui hesitated, choosing his words, "honestly and objectively."
  He remembered the stupid advice of that man from his dreams and, cursing inwardly, he still sat on the floor, and the children occupied the sofa on which Itachi was sleeping. His cousin landed next to him, lightly touching his shoulder, as if giving him support.
  Seven pairs of watchful eyes stared intently at Shisui. He sighed softly, thinking that in the near future, as the eldest, he would have to be the leader of the new Uchiha clan before he could push everything onto Itachi, as the son of the last head.
  But once you've taken responsibility, you can't give it up.
  "Konohagakure no sato, the village hidden in the foliage, was our home. More than seventy years ago, the Uchiha clan, teamed up with the Senju clan, built this village so that the children would not have to die too early. Following the same principle, following the example of Konoha, some other clans joined forces and other hidden villages were formed. You know this from the legends of the clan and the lessons that were taught at the Academy. It's true. But this is not the only truth. Eight years ago, our village was attacked by a Nine-tailed Fox demon, Kyubi no Yoko. With the help of the sharingan, it was easy to take control of him and take the trouble away from the village, but our clan was not allowed to do this, fearing that controlling the Fox would make the clan even more powerful than before. The order was given by the Third Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen and the council of elders under the leadership of Shimura Danzo. During the Fox attack, two thirds of the village was destroyed, a small Uzumaki clan perished, the remnants of the Umino and Juhi clans, a quarter of the Hyuga clan, other clans suffered losses, almost four hundred clanless Shinobi and several hundred civilians died. There were almost no losses in the Uchiha clan," Shisui paused and looked at Naruto. The small blond man fidgeted and glanced sideways at Sasuke, who was sitting next to him.
  "Another truth is that the Nine-Tailed Fox Demon didn't just appear out of nowhere in the middle of the village. He has been in the village practically since its foundation. The Kyubi no Yoko was Konoha's main weapon, the bijuu, sealed into a human. Such a person is called jinchuuriki, and there are such people in many hidden villages of Great Countries. In this way, the fragile peace on the continent is maintained, because there is nothing more terrible than letting bijuu go free. In Konoha jinchuuriki of the nine-tails, there were three people, all three from the same clan, who have a special chakra, which can be attributed to their unique genetic feature - kekkei genkai. The reason why the Fox broke out of jinchuuriki and why he attacked the village, I do not know for sure, I can only guess, and therefore I will not voice it to you. Returning to the Uchiha clan, I will say what is known for certain. The other clans and Shinobi were unhappy that our clan stayed away, following orders not to approach the liberated biju. A scandal broke out, which was resolved by my father Uchiha Kagami. But very soon Kagami died on a mission, and the hidden discontent continued. There were rumors that the Uchiha clan was controlling the Fox during the attack. There were disagreements between the village and the clan, which grew every year. I won't justify the clan and say that ours were good too. In response to discontent and hints about the Fox, they responded with aggression, even beating up residents, but the duty of the police is to protect. Eventually, it got to the point where the incited clan decided to retaliate. And drastic measures. A change of power. Or simply, for a coup, which in any case would have turned first into a civil war, and then, when other countries learned about the weakening of Konoha, into another military conflict, possibly a world war. It's actually very scary. You're still young and don't know what it is, but Itachi and I... We were against this and acted as "connecting links" between the village and the clan, working in the ANBU. At the same time, they talked about what was going on in the clan and what moods were going on there, and reported to the clan about what the top authorities were leaning towards.
  "Double spies?" Sasuke whispered, glancing at his brother. He nodded.
  "We tried our best to influence both sides. Somehow to reconcile the village and the clan, but, unfortunately, it did not work out. At the clan meeting, on the night I supposedly died, it was decided to attack and change the government in Konoha. And the Third Hokage and three elders gave Itachi the order to destroy the Uchiha clan, as an ANBU operative."
  It seems that the children stopped breathing, and their eyes became equally round.
  "In return, as a reward for completing the mission, Itachi was allowed to keep his younger brother Sasuke alive. Only him," Shisui added weightily.
  "But... then how..." Yumiko murmured softly. "Why are we alive?"
  "The night I died... I've learned something important." Choosing his words so as not to lie to the children, Shisui said. Shimura Danzo, the Hokage's right-hand man, revealed to me, thinking that I would be finished, some circumstances. I suspected, but it's one thing to suspect, and another.... The elders and the leadership did not want peace with the Uchiha. On the contrary, they fueled the conflict with all their might in order to seize the clan library and wealth. And also clan dojutsu... Not for the village. For himself. Danzo wanted to deprive me of my sharingan, but he got caught in my illusion, and I managed to escape, and then fake my death in order to save at least you. Innocent children."
  Shisui looked at each of them. Someone looked away, someone looked straight ahead, Mina could barely hold back tears. Naruto bit his lip and glanced at his friend. Sasuke studied the floor.
  "Itachi had found out something else before that very night", Shisui continued. "A masked man was constantly infiltrating the clan's territory, thus arousing even more suspicion. He turned out to be one of the Uchiha who possessed a Mangekyo sharingan with the special property of subduing space. Uchiha Obito. This man was believed to have died in the Third Shinobi World War - about ten years ago. There is reason to believe that it was Uchiha Obito who provoked Bijuu, forcing him to break out of jinchuuriki and attack the village eight years ago. For some reason unknown to me, this man hates Konoha and the Uchiha clan. Itachi had to come to an agreement with him. And "exchange" the lives of our clan for the lives of Konoha residents. By this time, the clan had already been sentenced to liquidation by the elders. And if Itachi and Uchiha Obito hadn't worked, our clan would have been slaughtered by Konoha's ANBU anyway. Perhaps by doing this with maximum brutality, because there are many orphans in ANBU who lost their parents in that very incident with the Fox. I want you to understand. When greed, ambition and someone's hatred collide, innocent people always suffer. We tried to prevent it, but it turned out the way it turned out," Shisui looked into Itachi's guilt-clouded eyes.
  "I ask you all to think about my words and try to understand this difficult situation. After that, I'll talk to each of you again, or if you want to discuss something, you can come to me or Itachi. And now I would like to sort out more pressing issues with you. At the moment, we are visiting, so to speak, the allies of the Uchiha clan. You've probably all heard of draft animals? Our masters are the nyako ninjas, and we are in their dimension in Nekomata Castle. We were allowed to live here until spring, and during that time you have a lot to learn, and Itachi and I, and maybe the older guys, earn as much money as possible in order to... to have something to live on. In order to live in this castle and stay outside of these rooms, you need to follow certain rules and learn the local language. And then I want to introduce you to your new teacher..."
   The guys relaxed a little, and some of them smiled modestly. Shisui exhaled, admitting that some of the advice from the guy in the dream had been helpful after all.
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