Chapter 84: A Flicker in the Dark
"Shisui?"
Uchiha Akira's spiritual form sent out a pulse of gentle chakra, a beacon in the oppressive emptiness of Shisui's mind. The words were not sound, but a direct vibration of intent.
The translucent figure hugging its knees shuddered. Slowly, painfully, the figure raised its head. The eyes that found Akira's spirit were hollow, glazed over with a film of confusion and deep exhaustion. They stared without recognition, like windows into an empty house.
Seeing that blank expression, a cold knot formed in Akira's spirit. 'Has his consciousness been completely shattered? Is there even a person left in here?'
But then, after a long moment of staring, a faint spark kindled in those dull eyes. Awareness, slow and heavy, seeped back into them. The ghostly image of Uchiha Shisui focused, and his form seemed to solidify just a little.
"Senior… Akira?" The reply was a weak, echoing thought, thin as a whisper in a vast cavern.
Relief washed through Akira. The core was still there, buried under the damage. "You remember me. Good. Do you remember what happened to you?"
Shisui's spiritual brow furrowed. The process of recollection was visibly strenuous. After a pause, his thought-voice came again, tinged with the shadow of pain. "I remember… the enemy. The one with the Rinnegan. He attacked the border post. Our defenses… they meant nothing to him."
His expression twisted, the memory vivid even in his broken state. "His power… it was too much. Our ninjutuit faded against him. My Body Flicker… he countered it with pushes and pulls of force. He could… he could tear the soul right out of a person."
The spiritual form trembled. "I was almost caught. I had no choice… I had to use it. I had to use Susano'o just to stand against him." The admission was filled with a weary shame, as if using that last resort was a personal failure. "I don't know… how many of the border force made it out. I couldn't protect them all."
He looked up at Akira, the anxiety cutting through his own faded state. "What's the situation now, Senior Akira? How long has it been?"
"Almost six months have passed," Akira answered, his spiritual presence projecting calm assurance. "Because you fought as you did, you bought critical time. The majority of the border defense force survived and retreated. You can set your mind at ease on that."
A visible wave of relief passed through Shisui's form. The tension in his shoulders, barely perceptible, lessened. "Then… I am glad." He looked down at his own faint, translucent hands, a sad understanding dawning. "I'm sorry. It seems this is as far as I can go. I've caused trouble for you, Senior Akira. For the clan."
"The trouble is not the point," Akira stated, his tone firm and direct. "The Uchiha clan still needs your strength, Shisui. You cannot die here. Not yet."
Shisui looked at him, a flicker of his old, gentle stubbornness appearing. "But you can see my condition, Senior. To force the Susano'o… I pushed my mind and body far past their limits. I am… an empty cup. Even if Lady Tsunade herself were here, I don't think she could mend this." His head tilted, curiosity piercing the despair. "Unless… does the clan have a method to treat an injury like this now?"
"You guess correctly," Akira confirmed with a slow nod.
Shisui was silent for a beat, his sharp mind, even in this state, working through the implications. "Senior Akira… it's not an ordinary medical procedure, is it? It must be something… unconventional. Something the village would not approve of. If it were sanctioned, you probably wouldn't be talking to me like this, here."
"Perceptive as ever," Akira said, his spiritual gaze holding Shisui's. "It is unconventional. It is not, however, a formally forbidden technique of the village. It is simply… unique. And because of that uniqueness, I needed to speak with you first. Your body is on the brink. The medical equipment here is all that sustains you. The only chance you have is a transplant of a specific type of cell that I… acquired."
"A transplant? Of cells you acquired?" Shisui's surprise was clear. This wasn't the dark, taboo secret he had begun to fear. It sounded almost clinical. "What kind of cells?"
"Cells from a strange, humanoid creature I encountered," Akira explained, weaving truth and omission carefully. "These cells possess an extraordinary density of life force, of pure vitality. They are the only thing powerful enough to refill the cup you have emptied."
Since the method didn't seem to involve breaking village law or delving into the Forbidden Scroll, Shisui's resistance eased. His practical side took over. "If the clan has the means and it's not forbidden… then I am in your hands. But, are there side effects? Hidden costs?"
"The side effect is not a weakness," Akira replied, watching him closely. "But a potential… transformation. Successfully integrating these cells may grant the user the power of Wood Release."
"Wood Release?!" Shisui's spiritual form rippled with shock. The revelation was a bolt of lightning in the dark space. "What kind of creature's cells could possibly grant Wood Release? Only the First Hokage ever mastered that!"
Akira noted Shisui's genuine astonishment. Good. The young jonin was clearly unaware of Konoha's own dark history of experiments with Hashirama's cells. His youth and relatively straightforward service had kept him from the village's deepest, dirtiest secrets. This ignorance was an advantage.
"Have you ever seen a being like this?" Akira projected a clear mental image beside them: the stark, white, featureless form of a White Zetsu.
Shisui studied it, then shook his head. "No. Never. Is it… related to the 'Madara' who attacked the Fourth Hokage? He used Wood Release too."
Akira gave a solemn nod. "The connection is almost certain."
"I see," Shisui murmured, the pieces clicking into place in his mind. Now he fully understood Akira's caution, the need for this private conversation. If the transplant worked and he awoke with the power of Wood Release, how could he possibly explain it to the Hokage or the Council?
Wood Release was the sole signature of Senju Hashirama, the God of Shinobi. Now, the only known users were two of Konoha's greatest enemies, one of whom might be the Uchiha clan's own infamous founder. If a Konoha Uchiha suddenly manifested that same power… suspicion would fall on the clan like a hammer. Whispers of conspiracy, of collusion with the enemy who controlled the Nine-Tails… it would destroy everything he had worked for. The fragile peace between the clan and the village would shatter irrevocably.
A cold dread, deeper than his fear of death, settled over Shisui's spirit. He had dedicated himself to bridging the gap between the Uchiha and Konoha. The thought of becoming the inadvertent cause of its final rupture was unbearable.
"If the transplant is successful," Shisui said, his thought-voice firm with newfound resolve, "and if I gain that power… I will keep it an absolute secret. No one outside this room will ever know."
Akira felt a quiet satisfaction. The guidance had worked. Shisui had walked himself to the necessary conclusion, motivated by his own core desire to protect the clan's place in the village. It was a far stronger guarantee than any order.
'As the saying goes,' Akira thought, 'it is easier to deceive someone by letting them deceive themselves.'
Aloud, through their spiritual link, he simply agreed. "If you gain Wood Release, you must never use it openly. And you cannot reveal the nature of the procedure that saved you to the village leadership. Some truths are too dangerous. The explanation is impossible, and people's minds… they leap to the worst conclusions."
Uchiha Shisui took a deep, steadying breath, his spiritual form squaring its shoulders with the last of its strength. "I understand. To protect the clan, to keep it from being suspected… I will carry this secret. You have my word."
(End of Chapter 163)
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