In the Uchiha Clan Compound of Konoha Village.
Ever since the discussion in Fugaku Uchiha's office regarding the plan against Saitama, Shisui Uchiha had fallen into a slump for several days.
Minato understood Shisui's feelings, so he specially gave him half a month off, exempting him from reporting to Anbu every day.
During this time, Shisui stayed at home for the first few days without stepping out the door even once.
Even after several days, he still hadn't been able to make sense of everything.
It wasn't that he was being overly sentimental—truly, he believed Saitama had genuinely been framed by the village.
No matter what Saitama had done now, before Danzo ambushed him, he had always worked for the good of the village.
The past shouldn't be rewritten just because of what he's done recently.
Shisui knew Elder Danzo was a companion to the Third Hokage and the two former advisors to the Hokage. Together, they had lifted Konoha from its deep mire and carried the burden of leading the village for decades.
However, this still wasn't enough for Shisui to accept the idea of sacrificing Saitama—who could no longer be saved—for the sake of preserving Danzo's honorable legacy.
Shisui understood how hard it was for Minato-sama, caught between the Third and the Uchiha clan, and how difficult it was for Fugaku-sama trying to balance family loyalty with his duty to the village.
But himself, stuck between Saitama and the village, felt just as torn.
Back then, Shisui remembered Saitama's words: "There's no going back anymore, Shisui!"
...
Sitting on one of the benches provided by the Clan Guards for resting, Shisui tilted his head back, hands hanging loosely by his sides, offering a faint, bittersweet smile.
In this very spot, he had trained and rested alongside Saitama. Those times were truly unforgettable!
It was about four or five in the afternoon now. Most members of the guards had finished their training and gradually left.
From a distance, they naturally kept their distance—anyone could tell Shisui was in a foul mood.
As for Shisui himself, those who had joined in the past few years naturally knew his name well. Many of them had chosen to join the guards inspired by him.
Recently, Fugaku had continuously expanded the size of the guard unit. Thanks to cooperation with Minato's Anbu, he kept recruiting gifted children and young adults from the Uchiha clan into the guards, later selecting promising ones loyal to the clan to join Anbu for further refinement and growth.
Having climbed his way up from the Clan Guards, Shisui had now become a prominent Anbu officer—an inspiring new role model for the entire Uchiha clan, following in Saitama's footsteps. His reputation even eclipsed Saitama's at the time.
His fame largely stemmed from his exploits on the battlefield in the Mist—achievements that only gained more recognition during peacetime, further boosted by Fugaku's behind-the-scenes promotion. It was impossible for someone like Shisui not to shine.
The only thing keeping Shisui's heart from sinking completely was how humane Minato-sama remained.
Konoha had labeled Saitama as a Rogue Ninja, but hadn't made a public spectacle of it. Details surrounding this situation also remained confidential.
Unless you were high up in the village and nosy about clan business, you probably wouldn't have even heard about this.
Recently, maybe because he had agreed to Minato's request, Fugaku had started avoiding Shisui, hoping that Shisui could calm down and see through the hidden agenda behind everything.
Besides that, the Uchiha Clan Guards had now been completely handed over to Hayashi and Mori to manage, freeing Fugaku up to focus entirely on running the Security Force.
As for the relationship between these two units, they could either be considered one or two separate entities. The reason was that all members of the Guards were officially listed within the Security Force, while a portion of the Security Force had originally come from the Guards.
So, although outwardly appearing as two different organizations, in reality, they were completely unified under one authority.
The logic behind it was simple: every month, members of the Security Force received subsidies from the village—nothing huge, but enough for the occasional nice meal or two.
It was basically Fugaku giving them early paychecks—ones that didn't come out of the clan's own pocket.
"Phew! Thought this hard for so long, still can't get used to politics and all this behind-the-scenes stuff!"
Shisui stayed still, gazing blankly at the sky. The pale yellow heavens were slowly painted red by the setting sun. In the distance, layers of clouds piled up, hinting at another beautiful day tomorrow.
Slowly sitting upright, he looked around. He was alone now, so after shaking his head slightly, he got up and walked outside.
Regarding the issue of "Saitama becoming a rogue ninja," most of the high-ranking members in the Uchiha household already knew, but few ordinary villagers had caught wind of it.
After leaving the Clan Guards' Training Ground, Shisui didn't head toward his home; instead, he walked in the opposite direction.
That way led to Saitama Uchiha's house—the same house where Obā-san lived!
As the one closest to Saitama, Obā-san still didn't know he was alive.
After thinking things through for so long, Shisui felt he should tell Obā-san the truth. After all, she was getting older, and Saitama's supposed death had become her greatest regret in her twilight years.
Walking along a very familiar path, Shisui seemed to briefly hear Saitama's voice—as if once again hearing him whisper beside his ear, saying, "I will bring glory to our clan and peace and happiness to everyone we care about!"
A faint smile appeared on his face, as though he had finally begun to move past the emotional turmoil caused by the idea of "rogue ninja Saitama."
"At least Saitama is still alive, right?"
Trying to comfort himself, Shisui thought that with Saitama's current strength, even as a rogue, the chances of being captured were extremely low.
Even though what he was doing directly opposed the Five Great Villages, Shisui still had complete faith in Saitama. He truly believed that Saitama would accomplish everything he set out to do!
Saitama's house looked mostly unchanged—the door remained the same—but the yard now hosted many white flowering plants. Shisui didn't know their species, but he did know they were all planted by Obā-san during her free time.
The kitchen light was still on, and through the window, a slightly hunched figure could be seen busily moving around.
[Creak!]
Not bothering with formalities, Shisui wasn't a first-time visitor. Ever since Saitama was reported dead in battle, he often visited Ka Po-pu together with Itachi out of concern.
Pushing open the door, Shisui stepped right in. As expected, Ka Po-pu paused her actions in confusion, awkwardly turning her body around to face the doorway.
When she saw it was Shisui, her slightly flushed face softened into a warm smile.
"It's you, Shisui!"
Looking at Ka Po-pu, Shisui noticed that despite her snow-white hair, she looked remarkably healthy, with a warm flush in her cheeks.
"Yes, it's me, Ka Obā-san!"
Walking closer, Shisui smoothly took the tray from Ka Uchiha's hands just as Saitama used to do, gently guiding her toward a seat.
"What brings you here this time? Coming specially to see an old lady again!"
Once seated, Ka Uchiha, having lived such a long and insightful life, quickly picked up on Shisui's intention. She immediately sensed that Shisui had something important to tell her.
"You make it sound like I need a reason to come by. Can't I just stop by and visit sometimes?"
Shisui placed the cleaned dish into the cupboard, then sat beside Ka Uchiha once more.
The two settled into light conversation, catching up like old friends. Shisui didn't immediately reveal the news about Saitama. He figured he should ease into it first.
After all, she was already very old. If shocked suddenly, it might harm her health.
A long while passed, and outside the sunset had fully disappeared; darkness slowly spread across the sky like a black curtain descending over the world.
Picking up her teacup, Shisui took a sip and felt the moment was right. He straightened his expression and said, "Ka Po-pu, I went on a mission not long ago and met someone."
He held Ka Po-pu's gaze steadily, his expression calm and composed.
"Oh? Who could possibly leave such an impression on Shisui?"
Ka Uchiha caught his words and asked curiously.
"It was… Saitama. He's alive!"
Crack! The teacup gripped tightly by Ka Uchiha made a grinding noise against its lid as her strength suddenly increased.
Ka Uchiha's eyes widened, disbelief flashing across them as both hands instantly grabbed Shisui's arm.
"Is that… really true? Don't joke with an old woman like me!"
Meeting Shisui's sincere gaze, Ka Uchiha already believed him nine-tenths. When she saw Shisui nod again, only then did her heart finally relax.
"That's good… I always knew it…"
She murmured softly, her eyes growing misty, memories surfacing unbidden.
These past years, Saitama had remained a deep pain in her heart. So young, so gifted—he'd died mysteriously without explanation, his body never found.
Now, everything would be alright!
"However… he's done some terrible things recently. He's become a Rogue Ninja."
Meeting Ka Po-pu's anxious stare, Shisui continued speaking.
"No matter, no matter! As long as he's alive, nothing else matters! Alive or not, just knowing he's out there is enough to make me happy!"
"But if he's been alive all these years… why hasn't he returned to visit this old woman? At least let me know he was still alive!"
Ka Uchiha's eyes became glassy, tears forming rapidly before spilling silently down her wrinkled cheeks.
After a long silence, Ka Uchiha finally pulled herself together and wiped her tears away with both hands before meeting Shisui's gaze.
"Thank you… thank you so much, Shisui."
Shisui gently gripped Ka Uchiha's slightly shriveled hand and patted it a few times. Then he stood up and gave her a light hug.
"Don't worry, Ka Po-pu. I believe he must have his reasons. I promise—I'll bring him back someday!"
"Yes… yes…" Ka Uchiha tightly held onto Shisui's hand, her eyes welling up with tears again.
For her, today was truly a blessed day!
Shisui stayed quietly by Ka Uchiha's side for a while, giving her time to calm down, before deciding it was time to go home.
His family ate dinner late because his father worked in the Security Force, usually finishing around seven or eight o'clock.
"Well then, Ka Po-pu, I'll head home now. If anything comes up, just send someone to let me know—I'll come right away!"
Placing both hands on Ka Uchiha's shoulders, Shisui lowered his head and spoke in a warm tone.
"All right, all right. Ka Po-pu understands." Ka Uchiha nodded, lightly patting Shisui's waist to signal him to take care on his way out.
Bang! The door shut. As Shisui stepped outside into the dim light, his shadow stretched across the ground and slowly faded into the darkness.
"Good… so good… thank goodness he's still alive…"
Still seated in her spot, Ka Uchiha stared blankly into space, her white hair seeming even more radiant under the lamp's glow.
Her aged face, covered in wrinkles and age spots, wore a real, genuine smile—one she hadn't shown in years. It was a sincere, heartfelt smile.
No matter what Saitama had done out there, the most important thing was—he was still alive.
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