If This Isn't a Bond, What Is It?

Seeing that Uchiha Shisui had finally been swayed and abandoned those foolish notions from the original timeline, Hayato breathed a silent sigh of relief. He braced himself against the ground to stand, but Shisui hurried over to support him.

"Let me take you back now; your injuries need treatment," Shisui said, his face etched with guilt.

"No need," Hayato waved a hand. "We must bring that Anbu's body back; he cannot be left buried here."

Shisui nodded solemnly, then helped Hayato make his way back toward their previous location.

However, upon arriving, even Shisui couldn't help but be stunned. The Anbu's corpse was currently being consumed by flames, the head in particular already reduced to an unrecognizable mass.

"It wasn't like this when I left!"

Shisui spoke as he rushed forward, intent on pulling the body from the fire. Standing where he was, Hayato curled his lips into a faint smile; this had resolved his lingering concerns. Once reduced to ash, even the Intelligence Division with all their heaven-defying capabilities would be unable to extract any information.

"Shisui, be careful, the fire is intense," Hayato called out, watching Shisui throw himself into the flames without regard for his own safety.

"Hey! You two Uchiha brats, what are you doing?"

A voice rang out, and Hayato felt a jolt of alarm as he quickly turned to look. A sturdy figure appeared not far away, his face wearing an unprecedented expression of gravity as his gaze swept over Hayato and Shisui.

"Lord Jiraiya," Hayato said respectfully. As one of the Sannin and a high-ranking official in the public eye, he had to show deference, no matter how reluctant he felt.

"Lord Jiraiya, I was just trying to retrieve the body of our comrade," Shisui said, a look of shame appearing on his face. He didn't know what had gotten into him today; first Hayato was injured because of him, and then his own negligence in failing to secure the Anbu's body immediately had led to it being incinerated.

Jiraiya looked at Shisui's blistered hands and paused. He leaped over to their side, crouched down to examine the Anbu's corpse that Shisui had dragged out, and studied the wounds. As Orochimaru's former teammate, Jiraiya naturally knew that only Orochimaru could have inflicted such injuries. His last shred of doubt vanished, and he helped the shame-faced Shisui to his feet.

"It's fine, you've done well enough."

He then scanned the surroundings once more before turning to Hayato and Shisui. "Was it here that you two fought Orochimaru?"

"Yes, Lord Jiraiya. By the time we arrived, this Anbu was already mortally wounded," Hayato nodded. This was the truth; besides, when he had scrambled the Anbu's brain, the man had clearly been on the verge of death anyway.

Jiraiya was taken aback. He had assumed Hayato and Shisui had been working in tandem with the Anbu, never imagining that these two teenage Uchiha had faced Orochimaru alone. Thinking of this, Jiraiya began, "You two..."

"I am a member of the Uchiha Police Force, acting under the Third Hokage's orders to investigate Orochimaru's underground laboratory," Hayato said softly. "As for Orochimaru, we lacked the strength to stop him." As he spoke, Hayato allowed his Three-Tomoe Sharingan to manifest. Jiraiya was clearly puzzled as to how they had survived an encounter with Orochimaru, so he figured he might as well come clean. In any case, this was no longer his final trump card.

Seeing this, Jiraiya realized the truth. He had long known that Uchiha Shisui had awakened the Three-Tomoe, but to find that this Police Force Chunin also possessed them made their survival against Orochimaru far less surprising.

"My apologies, I was overly suspicious."

Jiraiya apologized to Hayato with refreshing candor—this was his style, the demeanor of a hero rarely seen throughout the ninja world. Even if he was a bit of a lecher.

"It is nothing, Lord Jiraiya," Hayato nodded.

"Very well, I shall pursue him now. You two head back, and stay safe," Jiraiya patted Hayato on the shoulder before leaping away, tracking the trail he had just observed. Shisui walked over to support Hayato, and once Jiraiya's figure had vanished, he asked uncertainly, "Hayato, do you think Orochimaru will tell Lord Jiraiya about me awakening the Mangekyo?"

Hayato's expression remained unchanged, but he felt a surge of inner satisfaction. Good—at the very least, the fact that Shisui was asking this showed significant progress. It meant his words had truly sunk in.

"He won't."

Hayato shook his head, looking at the puzzled Shisui. "You must understand, the strong are always proud, especially since you forced Orochimaru to retreat. Orochimaru won't speak of such things, but he will take an interest in you. If you have missions outside the village in the future, you should be more cautious."

Hearing this, Shisui nodded. The two sealed the Anbu's body into a scroll and began the slow journey back toward the village.

Not long after he had walked away, a tremendous roar erupted from behind him.

Hayato looked back; a battle at the Kage level truly had the power to change the very heavens and earth.

At the very least, altering the terrain was the most basic of feats.

Rumble—

Above, layers of dark clouds gathered, with lightning flashing through them intermittently.

Drip—

Hayato reached out his hand, catching a single raindrop just as it fell.

A falling out—most were accompanied by some change in weather, and rain was the most common of all.

It seemed that many scenes in the ninja world were like this, as if it were the only way to properly convey the atmosphere.

Shaking his head, Hayato couldn't help but chuckle.

Rather than saying the heavens were responding to the situation, it was more accurate to say that the battle between Jiraiya and Orochimaru had directly affected the clouds above.

One was a master of Wind Style, the other a master of Fire Style.

Was it not inevitable that they would trigger extreme temperatures?

"Hayato, what are you laughing at?" Shisui looked puzzled, unable to understand why Hayato would laugh while watching the rain.

"It's nothing. I was just wondering if bonds are truly that fragile."

Hayato, who wanted to pull Shisui into his own camp, naturally knew exactly how to talk to him to strike a chord.

Shisui fell silent at these words. One had to remember that the Sannin had built their reputation on the battlefield; the tale of Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Orochimaru supporting one another to survive was legendary.

Yet, the title of Sannin no longer held its former glory.

Tsunade had left the village, and now Orochimaru had defected as well.

The Sannin would perhaps be officially disbanded today.

Shisui remained silent for a long while before looking up at Hayato, his expression solemn. "That isn't true, Hayato. Bonds are not that fragile!"

"I want to protect the village and the Uchiha clan, but I often don't know which path to take. You, though you've only spoken to me a few times, have helped me find the right direction." Shisui smiled as he spoke, his tone tinged with self-deprecation. "Kotoamatsukami can alter the will of others, but it cannot resolve my own confusion."

"Yet, you are able to point me toward a direction."

"If this isn't a bond, then what is?"

Hayato smiled at these words but remained silent.

Shisui reached out his hand, holding a fist in mid-air. "Hayato, I promise you: the secret of Kotoamatsukami will not be leaked to anyone but you."