"Senior Uchiha Sou, thank you for saving us."
"We're all Konoha Ninja. There's no need for that."
Inside a hidden cave, Uchiha Sou listened to Shisui's fervent thanks and gently shook his head.
He hadn't expected to run into Shisui Uchiha here, either.
To be honest, if he hadn't had five Konoha teammates, including Might Guy, following behind him, he might really have considered pulling out a kunai and throwing it at the guy!
He knew Shisui Uchiha all too well.
Actually, if Shisui in the original story had been a little more ruthless and resolute, he could have completely turned around the relationship between Konoha and the Uchiha Clan.
But in his eventful yet fruitless life, if there was one thing about him that people remembered most—
It was probably that when the Uchiha Clan was on the brink of disaster, but still had a chance of being saved, he chose to kill himself, wasn't it?
His death left behind some baffling last words, which sent another super double agent off to have an epiphany in the woods, ultimately turning him into a ruthless hardliner!
Of course, that was just a thought.
Uchiha Sou had noticed that something seemed off about Shisui's chakra.
That chakra, so full of a chilling, destructive aura, had made him realize something.
Could this guy have awakened the Mangekyo?
The original story never said exactly when Shisui awakened his Mangekyo, but judging by the timeline, it seemed to have been during the Third Shinobi World War.
He glanced at the body on the ground, someone from the Uchiha Clan whom he didn't recognize at all, and fell into thought.
Does this mean I've witnessed history?
Besides, he knew that even if he killed Shisui, it wouldn't change anything.
The Uchiha Clan's situation was incredibly complicated. Leaving aside the problems inherited from the past, the Fourth Hokage's death during the Nine-Tails' attack had nearly driven the clan to a dead end.
On top of that, there were divisions within the clan and the schemes of a few double agents. Even without Shisui fanning the flames, the clan was already in grave danger.
He couldn't just attack them, but if he did, he wasn't sure he'd lose.
The real problem wasn't Shisui. It was in the Hokage's office in Konoha!
With that in mind, Uchiha Sou naturally gave up on all those messy ideas.
Besides, if Shisui really had the Mangekyo, and he was still so young and hadn't joined Root yet, then maybe he could—
That was why Uchiha Sou had ultimately stepped in and defeated the Mist Ninja Anbu.
Unfortunately, someone had still died.
"If you hadn't come, our whole squad would probably have been wiped out, Senior Uchiha Sou."
Shisui had no idea what was going through the mind of the clan prodigy before him, who was three years older than he was.
He looked at the body on the ground and gave a regretful shake of his head.
"Too bad Senior Makoto still died. It's all my fault."
That's right. The one who had died was Uchiha Makoto!
He'd been terribly unlucky. By the time Uchiha Sou and the others arrived to help, the Mist Ninja Anbu had already killed him.
As for the other one, a woman named Uchiha Shizuka, she was gravely injured but still clinging to life.
Fortunately, Uchiha Sou and the others had arrived in time and defeated the Mist Ninja Anbu quickly. Otherwise, even emergency treatment wouldn't have been enough.
"That's how missions go. No one can know what will happen." Uchiha Sou spoke calmly. "So, what are you planning to do?"
"Shizuka is in terrible condition. I have to take her back for treatment." Shisui's expression instantly turned resolute.
He had thought his sister was as good as dead, but now he had hope again.
He couldn't let that hope fade. He had to save her!
What he failed to notice was that Uchiha Sou raised an eyebrow as he said this.
He'd finally gotten here, and he still wanted to leave? That was rather impolite, wasn't it?
With that thought, he turned to Shiranui Genma and gave him a look.
Genma, who had a senbon between his teeth and looked rather idle, understood what his squad leader meant at once.
He sighed inwardly, then could only speak up. "Sorry, are you planning to head back?"
"Yes, Senior."
Shisui nodded. He didn't know Shiranui Genma, but he still answered politely.
"Our mission failed, and my sister is in terrible condition. I have to take her back!"
"But have you considered one thing? Can you even make it back?" Shiranui Genma said helplessly. "You made such a commotion. Do you really think you can just walk back without trouble?"
"Senior, what do you mean?" Shisui frowned despite himself.
"What do you think the Mist Ninja's deployment along the border will look like now?"
Since Uchiha Sou had made him play the bad guy, Shiranui Genma had no choice but to keep going. Besides, what he was saying was true.
"The Anbu have been defeated, so they'll definitely tighten their deployment. Even if you're strong, how are you supposed to break through with an injured person in tow?
"And if you take a detour, are you sure she can hold on that long?
"Besides, I don't know what your mission was, and I don't care, but ours is important. If you get captured, we'll be in serious trouble."
Shiranui Genma spoke earnestly, and his words made Shisui's brow furrow even more.
Seeing that, Uchiha Sou knew it was time for him to say something.
"Shisui, I want you to stay calm." Uchiha Sou patted Shisui on the shoulder and spoke evenly.
"You want to save your sister, but I also have to take responsibility for my squad.
"I think you can probably guess what our squad is doing here. We wouldn't have gotten involved if we hadn't had to.
"But now you've caused such a huge mess. Is it really right to just walk away and leave behind a serious risk like this?"
Shisui opened his mouth as if to say something, but in the end, he said nothing.
Uchiha Sou was right. They had caused a lot of trouble.
Even if Uchiha Sou didn't say what they were doing, what else could a squad behind enemy lines be doing? They had to be there to launch sneak attacks!
After running into them, Shisui already knew their numbers and makeup. Even if that was only basic information, it was still dangerous enough.
Could he promise that he wouldn't get captured? Or that even if he did, he wouldn't reveal anything?
No one would believe that. This was a matter of life and death, after all.
Besides, with his sister so badly injured, Shisui wasn't confident he could get them through the encirclement.
"But my sister..." Shisui hesitated, his fists tightening.
"We can look after her. We don't have a medical ninja, but we can still provide basic treatment."
Uchiha Sou offered reassurance at just the right moment. At the same time, he gave a gentle smile.
"I don't think you want your sister to die here in the Land of Whirlpools because of you, when she still has a chance to live, do you?"
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