Light gradually seeped into the depths of the darkness.
Shisui suddenly opened his eyes—no, more accurately, he tried to open them. A sharp pain came from his empty eye sockets, reminding him that he had already lost both eyes.
But what shocked him even more was that he could still think, still feel the tatami beneath him, and aside from the venomous insects, his injuries had somehow completely healed.
I'm still alive?
The realization made his whole body tense. He had clearly chosen to plunge off the cliff and die... so why?
"Yo, you're awake?" A cheerful male voice came from his right. "You were unconscious for such a short time. Aren't you going to rest a little longer?"
Shisui reflexively turned toward the source of the voice. Though he could not see, he could sense someone sitting there.
"Who are you?"
"You must have a lot of questions." The other person seemed to shift into a more comfortable sitting position, his clothes rustling softly. "About my identity, or why I saved you."
Shisui became alert. This did not seem like a chance rescue; it was a premeditated contact.
"This is our first meeting, but as for my identity... you've definitely heard of me."
Shisui's brow furrowed deeply. Every muscle in his body tensed at once, though in his current exhausted state, he could barely even use the most basic Body Flicker Technique.
"My name is Uzumaki Menma. I'm a few years older than you." The other person continued casually. "At present, I'm the leader of the Ember Organization... that should be enough, right?"
The air seemed to freeze.
...What?
Shisui's empty eye sockets trembled faintly. Menma? Ember? The leader of that terrifying organization who had attacked Konoha alone and shaken the entire Ninja World? But what concerned him more