I felt it before I saw him.
The night air rippled faintly, chakra sliding across the rooftops like an omen. My Sharingan lit instinctively, but when I caught the figure dropping into the alley ahead of me, I exhaled.
"…Took you long enough," I said.
Shisui Uchiha smirked, though his smile was thinner than I remembered. His dark eyes studied me like he was memorizing every detail.
"I wanted to come sooner," he said softly, "but after the Nine-Tails attack… the clan's been restless. Suspicious. The Hokage has me running missions constantly. It wasn't easy to find a window."
I crossed my arms. "And you thought slipping into my street in the middle of the night was the best first impression after years of silence?"
His grin faltered, guilt flickering across his face. "…I needed to see you. To talk."
We walked together to the training ground on the edge of the village, away from prying eyes. The moon cut pale silver lines across his features, and for the first time, I noticed the exhaustion in him—like he was burning at both ends.
He didn't waste time.
"The clan is angry, Akari. Furious at the village, at the Hokage, at everything. They think Konoha deliberately held back during the Nine-Tails attack, that we're being blamed. The pressure's getting worse."
I stayed quiet, letting him talk.
"And me? I'm stuck between them and the Hokage. Between family and duty. I don't know how much longer I can keep them from exploding."
His voice cracked slightly, and then—he did it.
The tomoe in his eyes spun, twisting into a pattern of pinwheels. Mangekyō Sharingan.
My chest tightened.
"I unlocked it," Shisui whispered. "After… losing someone on a mission. I didn't tell anyone. Not even the clan. But I trust you."
I swallowed hard. My demon body didn't need the Mangekyō stimulus—mine had awakened unnaturally, in full control. But seeing it in Shisui's eyes… I knew exactly where this road led.
And I hated it.
Because if my memory was right, then in only a handful of years—just two before the massacre—he'd be gone. His eyes stolen, his life cut short.
I forced my voice steady. "You shouldn't trust me that easily, Shisui."
He chuckled, a little bitterly. "Maybe not. But something tells me you see things more clearly than anyone else does."
…If only he knew.
As we stood under the moonlight, I felt the weight of Naruto's tiny hand clinging to mine in the back of my mind. Kushina's laughter. Minato's quiet warmth.
And now Shisui, the crow who didn't yet realize how short his wingspan truly was.
My timeline knowledge screamed at me: If I don't intervene, he dies.
But if I do… the whole Uchiha massacre spirals differently. Itachi's path changes. Sasuke's story changes. Naruto's destiny shifts.
The world tilts.
Shisui's eyes met mine again, unreadable. "You're hiding something, Akari. I won't pry… but whatever it is, I hope it won't take you from this village."
I smiled faintly, even though it felt like a lie. "Don't worry. I'm not leaving."
Not when there was so much left to protect.
Not when his clock was ticking.