"Sasuke, you did really well. If I hadn't used the power of the Sharingan this time, you would've won."
Hearing his exclamation, Shisui worried Sasuke might be upset, so he quickly patted him on the shoulder and offered some comfort.
For a moment, Shisui had wanted to let Sasuke win. After all, Sasuke had lost every time they'd sparred over the past dozen or so matches. But Shisui felt that would be wrong, so in the end he abandoned the idea.
"Haha, Shisui, you don't need to comfort me. Only by failing can you learn your weaknesses. And only after you know them do you have a chance to improve."
Sasuke waved his hand and replied with a smile.
Sasuke knew full well that there was a huge gap between his abilities and Shisui's. Even without the Sharingan, Shisui could easily beat him.
"Sometimes, I feel like you're not a child at all. The things you say are so convincing."
Shisui was taken aback by Sasuke's words, then smiled.
Shisui had guessed right. Sasuke wasn't a child anymore. As an outstanding middle schooler from the twenty-first century, Sasuke was far more mature than a child.
"Shisui, after I leave, be careful of Danzo."
Looking at the smile on Shisui's face, Sasuke suddenly thought of something and spoke seriously.
According to the timeline, Danzo wouldn't make his move against Shisui for about another month. But Sasuke was afraid things might change, so it was better to be cautious.
"Danzo?" Shisui paused briefly, then his expression shifted. "What are you worried about, Sasuke?"
"The Konoha High Command is hostile toward the Uchiha Clan, and you're the strongest member of the clan. I'm worried that Danzo, who's ruthless in his methods, might come after you."
Sasuke took a deep breath and lowered his voice.
"Danzo shouldn't be that kind of person, should he?"
Shisui frowned more deeply as he heard how serious Sasuke sounded, then replied in a low voice.
Shouldn't be that kind of person? If Lin Feng had a phone right now, he'd love to show Shisui a video and let him see just how ruthless Danzo could be.
"Shisui, you can never know what's in someone's heart! If Danzo weren't willing to use ruthless methods, how could he have become the leader of Root?"
Sasuke's expression grew more serious than ever as he continued.
"Thanks for the warning, Sasuke. I'll be careful."
Shisui fell silent for a moment. He thought Sasuke made a lot of sense, so he replied softly.
Only after Shisui nodded did Sasuke let out a breath of relief. "Shisui, remember what I said. If Danzo really comes after you, don't get tangled up with him. Just use the Body Flicker Technique to get away."
"Sasuke, why do I get the feeling you know something?"
Shisui had never seen Sasuke so worried before, and he suddenly smiled.
What did it matter if he knew a lot? Even if he told Shisui, Shisui might not believe him. Sasuke shook his head helplessly, then said in a low voice, "Shisui, trust me. When I get back, we'll face whatever trouble comes together."
"All right!"
Shisui didn't know what trouble Sasuke meant, but he nodded anyway.
"Then I'll head home now, Shisui."
He'd said all he needed to. Since it was getting late, Sasuke said goodbye and turned to leave.
Watching Sasuke disappear among the trees, Shisui smiled. "Sasuke's getting more and more mysterious."
By nightfall, lights flickered like fireflies, growing more numerous by the minute. The whole of Konoha seemed to be wrapped in a dream.
The four members of Sasuke's family were gathered around the table in the living room, having dinner.
Sasuke was especially happy about this dinner because he got to see Itachi, who had been busy with all sorts of Anbu missions lately.
Ever since Itachi had started doing better and better in the Anbu, he'd been given more and more missions. Sometimes, he was gone for more than ten days without coming home.
"Sasuke, tomorrow will be your first mission outside the village. Be sure to stay safe, and give it everything you've got so you can finish the mission quickly."
After taking a few bites, Uchiha Fugaku suddenly stopped and reminded Lin Feng.
"Don't worry, Dad. I'll be careful."
Sasuke nodded and smiled faintly.
"Sasuke's leaving the village tomorrow?"
Itachi was startled. He was worried about Sasuke, since his little brother had never left Konoha before.
"Yes, big brother."
"Our team will be escorting a client to the Land of Waterfalls tomorrow."
Sasuke explained to Itachi.
"The Land of Waterfalls? I'll be heading that way too tomorrow, to the border near the Land of Fire. Our routes are roughly the same, but we'll be carrying out different missions."
Itachi spoke quietly from where he sat.
"Oh?"
Uchiha Fugaku looked at Itachi in surprise. He clearly hadn't expected Itachi's mission to take him along the same route as Sasuke.
"Big brother, what's your mission?"
Sasuke was curious, so he asked.
"Oh, it's nothing special. Some rogue ninja have been robbing people along the border. A few of them are quite skilled, so the Anbu are sending members to deal with them."
If it had been a confidential mission, Itachi wouldn't have said anything. But this was an ordinary assignment, so he told them openly.
"Rogue ninja? Are they all from Konoha?"
Sasuke blinked and asked in confusion.
"Not necessarily. Some missing-nin from other countries flee to the Land of Fire to escape being hunted at home. To survive, they either become rogue ninja and rob people, or work as mercenary ninja for the black market, doing other people's dirty work."
Before Itachi could answer, Uchiha Fugaku explained it to Lin Feng.
"I understand!"
Sasuke nodded. He remembered that Zabuza Momochi in Naruto had been a rogue ninja before becoming a mercenary ninja and carrying out plenty of assassinations.
"Stop chatting and eat. The food's going to get cold."
Seeing the three of them talking instead of eating, Uchiha Mikoto quickly reminded them.
"Okay!"
Sasuke smiled at his mother, then continued enjoying the meal with Itachi and Uchiha Fugaku.
After dinner, Itachi called Sasuke into his room.
The room was bright, and pale moonlight streamed in through the window, casting a hazy glow.
"Big brother, what did you want to talk to me about?"
Sasuke saw Itachi searching through a box and asked curiously.
"Sasuke, take this flare with you."
Itachi took a flare out of the box and handed it to Sasuke, then spoke softly.
"Big brother, if something really happens and there aren't any shinobi nearby to help, sending up a flare won't do any good, will it?"
Sasuke knew what the flare was for, so he said.
"These flares are only given to Anbu members, and they're expensive to make. It's better to have one than not."
Itachi saw Sasuke's reluctance and shook his head helplessly.
"Okay, I'll take it."
Sasuke nodded with a wry smile.
Even though he knew the flare wouldn't be much use, Itachi meant well, and Sasuke couldn't refuse it.
"It's getting late. Get some rest."
Itachi watched Sasuke put the flare away, nodded with satisfaction, then smiled.
"Okay, big brother. You should get some rest too!"
With that, Sasuke turned and left.
"Sigh!"
After Sasuke left, Itachi looked up at the moon outside the window and sighed. He'd wanted to go with Sasuke and protect him in secret, but he had an Anbu mission to carry out, so he was helpless to do so.
(A reminder: Sasuke is only six years old right now, not twelve like he was in the anime's main storyline, so the missions he takes on will naturally be different.)