Shisui's Guidance

Konoha.

It was another day of classes ending at the Ninja Academy. Six Uchiha clansmen, including Shiren, stood outside the academy gates.

Their gazes swept back and forth as they continuously searched for Sasuke.

Though Sasuke hadn't yet reached the gates after school, his One-Tomoe Sharingan had given him exceptionally sharp eyesight.

He spotted the people at the gate from a long way off. Over the past few days, they had come to block his path every day.

Each time, Sasuke inevitably received a vicious beating.

Naruto nudged Sasuke with his elbow. "Hey, how about we wait until Iruka-sensei comes out before leaving?"

Sasuke touched the bruised corner of his mouth, his expression uncertain.

Several days of brutal beatings had already worn down much of his pride.

After all, the last time he'd refused to wait for a Ninja Academy teacher to come out because of his pride, he'd lost two teeth. Even now, his mouth still whistled when he spoke.

Of course, Naruto hadn't held back from helping either, and had gotten beaten up alongside him.

Just as he hesitated, a cloaked figure appeared at the gate, making Sasuke's eyes light up.

"It's fine, someone came to pick me up!"

With that, Sasuke quickly ran toward the gate.

"Hey! Sasuke!"

Worried, Naruto immediately chased after him.

But the Uchiha at the gate saw the cloaked figure, their expressions changed drastically, and they scattered like frightened birds.

The ANBU monitoring from nearby trees and rooftops were also shocked.

Because that person was Shisui, who was suspected to have already died.

Sasuke came before Shisui and immediately called out, "Shisu—"

Shisui raised a finger to his mask, signaling Sasuke not to speak.

Then he pointed at Naruto behind him.

Sasuke bit his lip and turned to Naruto. "Naruto, I have something else to do. Go home first."

"Where are you going? I'm coming with you!"

Without a second thought, Naruto wanted to follow Sasuke.

Recently, they had gone to school and returned home together, faced danger together—gotten beaten together.

And since Naruto often mooched meals at Sasuke's house, he had already come to see Sasuke as his best friend.

He practically wanted to stick to Sasuke every day.

Sasuke had no resistance at all to such pure, heartfelt kindness.

All he could do was say helplessly, "I can't take you with me this time. Go back first and tell my mother I'll be home late. She'll understand."

Naruto was a little disappointed. He looked at the masked Shisui beside them and guessed he was a member of the Uchiha Clan, since he had seen him a week ago.

Then Naruto suddenly realized that, in a week, if his house was clean, Trumpet Nine would tell him why he was being bullied.

Oh no! I haven't cleaned the house yet!

Only then did Naruto realize that he had been having so much fun mooching meals at Sasuke's house lately that he had completely forgotten about it.

"Then I'm heading back first!"

With that, he stopped paying attention to Sasuke and dashed home in a flurry.

Konoha, Training Ground Seven.

The glow of the setting sun filtered through the leaves, casting dappled spots of light across the clearing of the Uchiha Old Training Ground.

Under the watchful eyes of many ANBU, Shisui brought Sasuke here.

Looking at Sasuke's two missing teeth and the bruised corner of his mouth, he removed his mask.

At that moment, a mass of Chakra hovering in the sky immediately shone down.

It seemed to have discovered Shisui's face before quietly dispersing.

Sasuke's small face bore a gloominess beyond his years, along with a trace of barely concealed anticipation.

"Brother Shisui, what are you going to teach me?"

No matter what state Brother Shisui was in, he was still the Brother Shisui who had watched him grow up.

With no other relatives or friends left, Sasuke couldn't help feeling close to Shisui whenever he looked at him.

"Sasuke, today we won't practice Shuriken, and we won't practice Fire Release."

"I want to ask you something. If one day, you were alone and lost in a forest, what would be the first thing you did?"

Sasuke froze for a moment, then answered instinctively, "Find the way out?"

"No." Shisui gently shook his head. "You calm down and observe. Observe the direction of the sun, the moss on the trees, and listen for the sound of running water in the distance."

"In any situation, panic will only lead you to make the wrong decisions."

"You need to learn to first use your own eyes and mind to judge the situation."

He paused, then quietly shifted the subject. "Just like now, at school, when facing those clansmen... who keep looking for trouble with you."

"The first thing you should do isn't fight back head-on, nor is it endure it blindly."

"You need to observe. How many of them are there? When and where do they usually block your path? Who takes the lead?"

"Is their real purpose to vent the pain of losing their loved ones, or do they simply want to bully the weak?"

Sasuke pressed his lips together tightly, his hands unconsciously curling into fists. Clearly, Shisui had struck at the heart of the matter.

"Anger and hatred will blind your eyes, Sasuke."

Shisui's voice grew deeper.

"A true strong person needs more than strength. They need a heart that can think calmly under any circumstances and weigh the pros and cons."

"Strength of mind is sometimes more important than powerful ninjutsu."

"Your brother's mind was too fragile, which led him to commit an unforgivable mistake."

"Remember, never let anger blind your eyes."

"You may express anger, but you must not express yourself in anger."

As Shisui spoke to Sasuke, he also said to Shien's Heart Seed within him,

"Shien, if Itachi had heard these things from you sooner, would things not have turned out like this?"

Shien's voice sounded from within Shisui. "What's happened has happened. We need to look forward."

[Sooner? I wasn't even here sooner.]

"Sasuke is very talented, but we absolutely can't let him follow Itachi's old path."

"Teach him more during this time. The Uchiha Clan's greatest enemies are our own arrogance and stubbornness."

"Now that you've appeared, the Third Hokage should come looking for you. Handle him."

"I didn't leave much Chakra in your body. Remember the arrangements I made before."

Shien's voice gradually faded away, while little Sasuke stuffed these things—things he couldn't fully understand yet—into his mind.

Shisui stood up and gestured for Sasuke to rise as well.

"Of course, staying calm doesn't mean letting others walk all over you."

"I'll teach you a few simple but practical moves. Not so you can go looking for fights, but so that when conflict is unavoidable, you can protect yourself and create an opportunity to escape."

Over the next stretch of time, Shisui began teaching Sasuke some basic defensive and escape techniques:

How to block the most common punches and kicks, and how to use leverage to break free when grabbed.

How to use the surrounding environment—such as walls and trees—to limit the advantage of being surrounded by several opponents.

And most importantly: how to run as fast as possible to a safe area where teachers or ANBU were watching after breaking free.