*Fire Country*
The Black Market closed behind him like a wound stitched shut. The stench of rusted blood and torch smoke clung to Shisui's lungs as he pulled the mask tighter across his face. Shadows hung from his cloak, heavy with silence, as if reluctant to let him go.
The mercenaries inside still hadn't moved. He could feel their eyes even now, pressing against his back through stone and distance. The way they had frozen, the way the room had parted — not for steel or jutsu, but for his presence alone. In just a week, the One-Eyed Demon had become a name whispered with unease.
But reputation was a shallow thing. Shisui knew the truth: every step still cost him. The poison lingering in his veins. The empty socket where his right eye once was. The restraint he forced on himself, never allowing the full breadth of his power to surface. Death clung to him, yes, but not because he embraced it. It was because he carried it buried deep inside, pressed against his ribs like a second heartbeat.
At the tree line, a shadow detached itself from the branches.
Itachi.
Their eyes met, and for the first time that night, Shisui let his shoulders ease.
Without a word, they leapt into motion.
The forest swallowed them, branches bending underfoot as they moved in swift, fluid rhythm. The night air rushed past, cool after the tunnels' suffocating heat. Leaves whispered in their wake, and the moon flickered through the canopy like a pulse of silver.
For a while, neither spoke. Their movements alone carried an old familiarity — the ease of two who had trained, fought, and breathed in sync for years.
At last, Shisui broke the silence, his voice muffled behind the mask.
"So," he said lightly, though the weight beneath was clear, "you're coming to see Sasuke for the day."
Itachi's eyes flicked toward him, sharp and unreadable, but he didn't deny it.
They didn't need to say tomorrow was Sasuke's birthday. Neither of them spoke the word aloud. It hung between them anyway, quiet and undeniable.
Shisui's chest tightened faintly. He thought of the boy — too young to bear the hatred already etched into his gaze. Too young to see his brother only as a blade that cut down everything he loved.
"You know," Shisui added softly, "Sasuke hates you. Every breath, every step — he's feeding it. Just like you wanted…" His voice trailed into the night.
"I know," Itachi said. His tone was calm, but the undertone was glass-thin, fragile. "That hatred is his path. I won't take it from him."
Shisui glanced sideways, his lone eye narrowing. "And if it consumes him?"
"Then," Itachi replied, gaze fixed forward, "I will bear that weight, too."
There was no drama in his voice. No flourish. Just a boy already carrying too much.
Shisui exhaled, slow and heavy. "You're cruel to yourself, you know that?"
"Perhaps," Itachi said quietly. "But I would rather his hatred burn against me than against the world."
The branches whispered as they leapt onward, neither pushing the point further.
"You don't understand," Shisui said at last, his tone edged with sadness. "Sasuke… he's not like either of us. He's different. If he ever learns the truth — not just about the clan, but everything — he won't stop at the village. He would burn the entire world."
The words hung between them, sharp as kunai, swallowed only by the forest's endless hush.
*Waterfall Village*
They ran until the forest thinned, the rush of water swelling in the distance. Mist carried on the wind, cool against their skin. The Waterfall Village was close.
Shisui slowed at last, perching on a broad branch. His cloak shifted as he reached inside, drawing something carefully wrapped.
"There's something else," he said, his voice low, as though the forest itself might overhear. "Something I didn't mention before."
Itachi stopped across from him, his gaze narrowing faintly.
Shisui held up the object. A scroll — its silk faded, its bindings worn but unbroken. Even before it was touched, its presence seemed to bend the air, as though the forest itself leaned toward it.
"I found this after the massacre," Shisui explained slowly. "When I went back to salvage what little was left in the clan leader's house. It was hidden well. Too well. And when I tried to open it…" He shook his head. "Even with my Mangekyō, the seals wouldn't break. That's when I realized — it wasn't meant for me. Only those who share Aunt Mikoto's blood could ever open it."
He stepped forward, offering it. "That means you. Or Sasuke."
Itachi accepted it with care. At once, the parchment warmed against his palms, and a gentle glow spread across the silk — soft, welcoming. Not resisting, but recognizing him.
He drew a line of blood across the binding. The seals shimmered, unfolding in intricate light. Symbols bloomed across the parchment, glowing with ancient power.
Both men leaned closer.
It wasn't just a scroll. It was a summoning contract — but unlike any they had ever seen.
The sigils pulsed faintly, revealing their truth: a pact with a divine beast, a creature of myth no shinobi in living memory had ever bound. For centuries, such a contract had been thought impossible. Yet here it was, sealed in blood to one name alone.
Mikoto Uchiha.
Shisui's lone eye widened, awe thickening his voice. "…Aunt Mikoto… she forged a contract with a divine creature no one has seen in centuries. She carried this in silence, as though it were nothing." His voice trembled with reverence. "She was far greater than any of us realized."
Itachi's chest tightened. The glow bathed his features, pulling warmth into eyes too used to shadows. "Mother…" he whispered, almost to himself.
For a long moment, he stared at the contract — his mother's legacy resting in his hands. Then he closed it carefully and turned, pressing it back into Shisui's grasp.
"I cannot take this," he said firmly, though reverence colored his tone. "I already have the crows. And… I am not worthy of Mother's legacy."
Shisui frowned behind the mask. "Itachi—"
"No," Itachi interrupted quietly. His eyes softened, but his words were unshakable. "After Mother… only Sasuke should inherit this. He will grow. He will reach for more than hatred. And when he does, he must have this. You will be the one to give it to him when the time is right. And besides…" He paused, a rare flicker of gentleness crossing his face. "I already took the Totsuka Blade from Father. It's only fair that Sasuke inherit this from Mother."
Shisui stared at him for a long moment, then slowly nodded, tucking the scroll back into his cloak with reverence.
The night fell silent again, save for the distant roar of the waterfall. But the air still hummed with Mikoto's unseen presence — her will lingering in the contract, waiting for the day another Uchiha would be ready to claim it.
Shisui adjusted his cloak, still feeling the faint hum of Mikoto's sealed scroll against his side. For a while, neither spoke, the roar of the waterfall filling the silence. But then his lone eye shifted toward Itachi.
"There's one more thing," Shisui said at last. "I've heard whispers. About the group you joined."
Itachi didn't look surprised. His gaze stayed fixed on the falling water, its endless descent. "Akatsuki."
Shisui's voice tightened. "You joined them a week ago. A nest of criminals, missing-nin, men with more blood on their hands than rivers could wash clean. Tell me you didn't do it blindly."
"I didn't," Itachi replied, tone calm, steady. "They are dangerous, yes. But that is why I must be among them. To see, to know, to keep their shadows from spreading unchecked."
Shisui exhaled sharply, anger and worry warring in his chest. "So you'll poison yourself from the inside, is that it? Join monsters so you can pretend to leash them? You've already buried yourself once for this cursed duty. Must you do it again?"
Itachi finally turned, eyes catching Shisui's with quiet resolve. "If I do not, who will? The world does not need another war. If Akatsuki's plans threaten peace, I will know. And if they must be stopped… then I will act."
For a long moment, Shisui just stared at him. Then he let out a bitter laugh, low and tired. "You've always been like this. Willing to cut away every piece of yourself until there's nothing left but duty."
Itachi didn't deny it. His gaze returned to the waterfall, voice barely above a whisper. "That is the path I chose. Even if it leaves me alone in the end."
Shisui shook his head slowly. "Alone in the end… Itachi, you already are."
The sound of rushing water swallowed the rest, leaving only silence between them once more.
Shisui gave a heavy sigh. "It's getting late, Itachi. I'm going back to Sasuke. You should leave."
"I know," Itachi replied softly. "I'll stay somewhere nearby. I have something for Sasuke's birthday. I'll give it to you tomorrow."
They both turned, vanishing into the night.
**End of Chapter 10**