Fifth's Reply

Yes, when you actively sought it out, the darkness of this world would suffocate you.

It was not that he had failed to see darkness in the past.

He had seen it, but kind people instinctively avoided it after witnessing it. They would not look any deeper, or any more thoroughly.

Shisui was that kind of person.

He knew there was much darkness in this world, and he grieved over the many tragedies within it.

Yet he had never dared to look too deeply. Whenever he caught an inadvertent glimpse, he could not help but turn away.

But this time, he had to carefully examine the truth behind all the darkness in this world.

Because he needed to gather intelligence from within that darkness in order to prepare for light to shine into it.

The more thoroughly he investigated, the better the light would be able to illuminate the darkest corners in the future.

So this time, Shisui truly did not run away.

He opened his eyes wide and looked carefully, earnestly, at the truth behind all that darkness.

Then, he failed to control himself.

—I killed some people I believed deserved to die.

Itachi could see that when Shisui wrote that line in his journal, he had pressed down so hard that the force nearly pierced through the letter paper.

"Shisui."

Itachi called out worriedly.

He seemed able to feel Shisui's helplessness.

This was in a fairly prosperous city somewhere within the Land of Fire.

Inside an apartment, beneath the night sky, the room was pitch-black. On the single bed within, Shisui sat curled up with his legs in his arms, his button nose pressed against his knees. His pair of scarlet eyes seemed to glow in the darkness.

The three tomoe in his eyes spun.

The Sharingan was an eye of insight.

It could perceive every detail.

The Sharingan was also an eye of genjutsu.

Besides casting genjutsu, it could also make illusions manifest.

It could even be said that everything these eyes saw would be deeply imprinted and recorded, serving as material for illusions and becoming an information storehouse for their owner.

That was why Sharingan users were sensitive.

Every malicious detail would be deeply imprinted by those eyes, impossible to forget even if they wanted to.

Even the slightest mistreatment from others would be easily remembered and readily replayed in their hearts.

Thus, they were sensitive—sensitive to the point of seeming somewhat neurotic.

Using a pair of eyes like that to observe darkness...

Was not a pleasant experience.

Knock, knock, knock.

Someone knocked on the door.

Shisui immediately rose.

A smile appeared on his face, seemingly the same as always.

"Come in."

The door opened.

Two pairs of scarlet eyes could be seen.

Tomoe spun within them.

His clansmen.

They appeared calm, though that was only on the surface.

The Uchiha were sensitive and inwardly fragile, yet unwilling to easily reveal that fragility. What they loved most was using a cold exterior to conceal their weakness.

That was the typical Uchiha.

But Shisui differed from the typical Uchiha. He used a smile to hide it.

"Lord Shisui." The two Uchiha bowed.

"We have already cleaned up the loose ends."

"Mm. I will bear responsibility for this."

After all, it had been an intelligence-gathering mission, yet he had lost control and gone on a killing spree.

Even though they had cleaned up the loose ends and ensured no one would know Konoha ninja had done it, he had still acted beyond the scope of his duties.

For ninja, carrying out the mission was more important. To that end, they even had to cast aside their emotions.

After all, missions could not be allowed to fail.

More importantly, the greater situation this mission concerned was something Shisui valued greatly!

Although he did not regret his choice.

Once he had made that choice, however, he had to bear the consequences.

Thus, he had already written a letter of apology to Lord Fifth and entrusted someone to deliver it to Konoha.

Naturally, he had also taken the opportunity to write a letter to Itachi...

At the Hokage Building, Orochimaru looked at Shisui's letter in his hand.

From Shisui's letter, he could sense his fear and unease, as well as his sincerely expressed request to be punished.

He then looked at another investigative report on the desk before him. The full chain of events surrounding what Shisui had done was basically no different from what Shisui had described in his letter.

"Uchiha, huh."

In Second's research documents on the Uchiha, the Uchiha had been called a clan of love.

To some extent, that description was indeed fitting.

Perhaps the kinder one was, the more easily one went to extremes?

Of course, Orochimaru himself felt there was nothing much to punish Shisui for regarding what this kind-hearted young man had done.

So he took out a sheet of letter paper.

On it, he wrote many words to comfort Shisui.

—Shisui-kun, your anger toward those who have sunk into darkness and fallen into a painful hell where they suffer endless torment instead proves that the Will of Fire surges within your heart. Guided by the Will of Fire in your heart, you are unwilling to tolerate the dark deeds before your eyes. This is not a bad thing; rather, it shows that you are a qualified Konoha ninja who deeply understands the Will of Fire. As Konoha's Hokage, I am very proud to have a Konoha ninja like you.

Burning flames will ultimately bring light. It is precisely because of people like you, willing to burn yourselves, that light can arrive sooner in this dark world. I understand the anguish in your heart, and I also understand your anger when you witness those unjust and ugly things.

But as you said, you are a ninja—

At this point, his tone shifted.

After all, he was still the Hokage. Even if he felt there was nothing much to punish Shisui for in all this.

As the Fifth Hokage, he also had his own duties.

—Ninja must place their missions first and possess a broader view of the situation. Whether for the village's upcoming actions or for allowing light to better return to the human world, you must learn to endure. After all, those who learn endurance are ninja.—

At this point, Orochimaru could not help smiling. He recalled how Jiraiya had once said that so-called ninja were those who could endure.

—You failed to restrain your impulse, disrupting the mission and hindering the greater situation. You undoubtedly neglected your duty as a ninja. Of course, your embodiment of the Will of Fire is also worthy of praise. Your thoughts deserve encouragement, but your actions do not deserve commendation. Once this stage of the mission is complete, your merits will be recognized and rewarded, while your mistakes will also be punished. I hope you will remember this and not repeat it. Please do not become dejected either. Remember: everything is for the Will of Fire; everything is for the fire inherited from the First. For the wish for peace, it shall surely be passed on...

After finishing the letter.

He placed it in an envelope and wrote the recipient's name on it.

Then he had someone take the letter away, to the place it needed to go, into the hands of the person it needed to reach.

And this was merely one of the matters Orochimaru had to deal with.

He had even more matters to handle, and more reports to review.

Come! Sacrifice my friend! Boost my luck! Forgive me!—Ahem, sorry. That was a little too edgy.