Drawing a Cake

"All right, we're already at the village. Why are you still wearing that look?"

At Konoha's gate, Habara looked helplessly at Shisui, who was walking behind him and seemed a little absent-minded.

Shisui had been like this for the past few days. No matter when or where, he looked as if he were deep in thought, and after thinking, he would even show a fearful expression from time to time.

In truth, Habara had a pretty good idea what was going on. This guy had probably been frightened by what he'd said that night, hadn't he?

And Habara really had guessed right. Shisui had indeed been scared—and badly, too!

All these days, he had been thinking about the matter, his inner heart constantly running through every possibility.

He had even brought out all the knowledge Habara had taught him and put it to use, only to discover that Habara truly had not been exaggerating without any reason.

What kind of person was Danzo, exactly? Shisui had interacted with him, and he had also heard the clan elders and the Clan Head's evaluations of him.

He knew that damn old man was an extremist, someone who would not easily trust anyone.

Especially when it came to the Uchiha, that man seemed even more disgusted and resistant, with no goodwill to speak of at all.

And what was even stranger was that he had done countless things that overstepped his bounds, yet he had never received any punishment. From this alone, it was completely clear just how much the Third Hokage trusted Danzo.

A man like that—someone who trusted no one to an extreme degree, hated the Uchiha, yet had the Hokage's trust.

Once he learned of Shisui's Mangekyo ability, Shisui could already foresee exactly what would happen.

That man would probably attack him without the slightest hesitation and seize his eyes. In the eyes of someone like him, such power would definitely be better off kept in his own hands.

As for Shisui's own fate, if he was lucky, he might survive. But if he returned to the clan alive, then that would also be a sign that Konoha was about to move against the clan.

And if he died, the outcome would be the same. When the time came, the clan would still be filled with outrage, and the internal conflict between Konoha and the clan would erupt from there.

It could be said that once his ability was exposed, his own fate—and even the clan's fate—would probably already be sealed.

Shisui was still immersed in his own thoughts, but when he heard Habara's words, he couldn't help but snap back to himself. Then he said, sounding slightly apologetic, "Sorry, it's my fault. I was just..."

"All right, I know." Habara helplessly shook his head. "Let's register, then go home. Everyone's tired."

"Yes, I understand." Shisui raised his head and glanced at Konoha's gate.

The gate was still as broad and majestic as ever, but when Shisui looked at it, a different emotion rose in his heart.

For some reason, he had the thought that he was unwilling to step through this gate, because once he crossed it, he would have to face the troubles within the clan once again.

And also the troubles from Konoha—troubles he had never once imagined before.

"Sigh..."

He let out a soft sigh, then another soft sigh. Shisui knew his thoughts were very unrealistic, because in the end, he was still a Leaf Ninja.

He honestly followed Habara to complete the village-entry registration. At this time, the ninja guarding the gate were not the later Izumo and Izumo Kamizuki, but two unfamiliar ninja.

The two of them did not make things difficult for Habara and the others, and very soon, Habara and Shisui entered Konoha.

Inside Konoha, it was still bustling with activity. Quite a few children were running and playing happily in the streets.

But such a happy and warm scene looked somewhat out of place when contrasted with Shisui's current state.

Habara naturally took all of this in. He really had not expected that his wave of analysis from God's Perspective—or to put it bluntly, spoilers—would cause Shisui such great distress.

However, he did not regret revealing this matter to Shisui. After all, this was the truth to begin with, and making him recognize the cruelty of reality was also a good thing.

It was just that Shisui still being in this state left Habara rather helpless. After thinking for a moment, he simply walked over to a bookstore.

Without looking carefully, he casually bought two books and came back. Although he also found the bookstore owner's expression a little strange, he was too lazy to care about such details.

"Here." Without any explanation, Habara directly stuffed one book into Shisui's arms. "Right now, all you know how to do is let your imagination run wild. That's not right."

"Hm?" Shisui did not react for a moment, but he still instinctively caught the book Habara handed over.

Before he even had time to lower his head and see what the book was, he heard Habara speak again.

"I told you all of this not so you could overthink blindly, but so you would understand a fact—so you would understand your value and importance.

You trusted me and told me about your ability. And I trust you too, so I have to properly think about your situation."

At this point, Habara paused slightly. Then he put an arm around Shisui's shoulder and only then continued with a smile.

"You're the friend I've known since we were little, the classmate I grew up with, and even more than that, the rival I've had to face ever since childhood.

And now, the two of us are also people in the clan who possess those eyes.

Perhaps it's fate's arrangement that we now have to work together as comrades for an even greater goal.

But with you in your current state, it'll be very hard for us to do what we should be doing."

Habara's words deeply moved Shisui. Indeed, from childhood to adulthood, their relationship had been extremely close and unique. They were both friends and rivals.

And now, both of them had awakened the Mangekyo. Under these circumstances, the sense of closeness Shisui felt toward Habara intensified wildly in his heart.

Especially Habara's words—they made Shisui feel complete agreement in his heart. Perhaps this really was heaven's arrangement, having the two of them save this clan together!

Thinking of this, Shisui also felt somewhat ashamed. Habara had helped him analyze things and understand all of this for his own good, but his behavior seemed to have failed Habara's expectations.

"I'm sorry. I won't be like this again." Shisui took a deep breath, then promised Habara with incomparable seriousness, "I'll immediately adjust my state and face everything in the future in my best condition."

"That's the Shisui I remember, and also the Shisui I need."

Looking at Shisui's attitude, Habara was naturally incomparably happy in his heart. And in order to help Shisui maintain his condition, Habara also decided to paint him a rosy picture.

"What we're going to do in the future is very dangerous, and once we succeed, we'll need to supervise each other too."

"There are countless stories of dragon slayers becoming evil dragons. We can't let ourselves become that dragon."

"So no matter which one of us becomes Clan Head, the other will be Vice Clan Head. He'll have to take on the role of supervising the Clan Head and assisting him."

"We must keep ourselves in the best condition at all times. Only then can we keep moving forward and ultimately achieve our goal."

"Yes, I absolutely won't let you down!" Sure enough, Shisui was completely fired up by Habara's words.

When a person sank into confusion, even to the point where his faith collapsed, giving him a brand-new path—even a single ray of sunlight—would let him see hope.

Habara had seen the fervor of converts before. Although Shisui could not quite be considered to be in that state, it did not stop Habara from using a similar routine.

"When you're feeling upset, read more books. Books can help you cast off your worries, bring you happiness, and teach you knowledge."

Looking at Shisui now, Habara smiled and withdrew his hand. Keeping his hand on a man's shoulder the whole time felt a little awkward to him too.

Shisui nodded seriously, but when he lowered his head and looked at the book in his hand, his expression turned slightly strange.

"Habara, are you sure you want me to read more of this book?"

"That's right. What's wrong?"

"But this book is Icha Icha Paradise!"

"Huh?"