Bang, bang, bang!
Knocks came from outside the room, leaving Uchiha Kai a little confused.
He had lived in Hidden Leaf Village for years but never really made any friends.
The only ones he was close with were Ayame and old man Teuchi.
But they were just civilians—there was no way they could come to the Uchiha compound, right?
With that question in mind, Kai stood up. After savoring the softness of the sofa for a moment, he walked into the courtyard and opened the door.
And then—
The instant he saw who was standing outside, his face filled with shock and disbelief.
It was… Uchiha Shisui?!
What on earth was going on?
Granted, his cheap parents had been diehard supporters of Uchiha Kagami. Before his death, Kai had indeed seen Kagami bring Shisui along to visit his family. So of course, he recognized Shisui!
Even though Shisui hadn't yet earned the name "Shisui of the Body Flicker," he was already a rising star and the pride of the clan.
But ever since Kai's parents were brutally killed, he had cut off all contact with Shisui. In all these years, the two hadn't seen each other once.
"Kai-kun, surprised?" Shisui smiled gently. "I'm sorry. I've just had too many missions."
"Especially these past years—even during festivals, I couldn't take a break."
"So I never had time to visit you. I'm really sorry!"
Shisui sounded truly sincere.
Because of their parents' connection, the two had often played together as children. But Shisui was a genius. He graduated early in third grade and became a ninja, then was constantly busy with missions, striving for peace for both clan and village.
If he said he was busy and had no time, Kai believed it. Shisui wasn't the type to lie.
The problem was—Kai really didn't want to get entangled with "main characters" of the story. So all these years, he had deliberately avoided him. But since Shisui had come in person, it wasn't like he could just slam the door in his face.
So, forget it.
He sighed inwardly, then forced a laugh.
"Why apologize?"
"I know you're busy. Being a ninja, that's normal."
"Don't just stand there—come in, let's talk inside."
Kai stepped aside and invited Shisui in.
Once inside, Shisui's brows furrowed slightly at the sight of the overly simple, somewhat shabby house. But he said nothing.
After they sat down in the living room, Kai brewed a pot of tea.
"Here, have some tea, Shisui," Kai offered.
Shisui lifted his cup, then after a pause asked quietly, "How have you been these past years? I noticed you eating at Ichiraku Ramen this morning."
…
Busted.
So that feeling of being watched earlier—it must've been Shisui. He hadn't expected that Shisui had been tailing him since morning.
After a moment of thought, he chose not to hide anything.
"Eating, obviously."
"Eight years ago, when my parents died on a mission, I was still too young. Ichiraku Ramen was cheap enough for me to afford."
"So since then, I've been eating there."
"But you know—my parents didn't leave me much, and I wasn't some genius who could graduate early and make money from missions. I had to wait until finishing the academy at least."
"All these years, just my parents' inheritance wasn't enough to cover food."
"So I made a deal with old man Teuchi: until I grew up, I'd eat three meals a day there, and since I was a long-term customer, maybe he could cut me a break."
"Teuchi was kindhearted. Even in the mornings before the shop opened, he'd let me eat with him and Ayame, and wouldn't charge me."
"For lunch and dinner, he'd only take cost price, and even then he often charged me less than that."
"I really owe him a lot. I think of him as a father."
Shisui froze.
He never imagined that Kai had been living so miserably all these years.
But… wait.
His own father had died around the same time as Kai's parents. Yet Shisui had always had someone to care for him. Why was Kai left like this?
In his simple heart, he really couldn't figure it out.
"Why?" Shisui couldn't hold back. "Didn't the clan do anything?"
"I remember there's a clan orphanage. Any Uchiha who lost their parents could go there."
"Not to mention, your parents died in service. You should have been more than qualified for the orphanage! So why not?"
But to that, Kai remained silent.
A long time passed before he finally spoke in a low tone.
"The reason's simple."
"My parents were diehard loyalists of your grandfather, Uchiha Kagami."
"When your grandfather died, his followers naturally got purged."
"Forget about me—go check yourself. The children of Kagami's old subordinates… many of them had it even worse than I did."
Shisui sucked in a sharp breath.
His face went pale. Even the hand holding the teacup began to tremble.
Seeing this, Kai sighed softly.
He recalled how, in the original story, only Shisui and Itachi had stood together. Kagami's old followers and their children—none of them had supported Shisui.
Back then, Kai hadn't understood why.
But after transmigrating here, it all made sense.
After Kagami's death, his subordinates were purged. Over the years, most of them had been wiped out. Their children rarely lived to adulthood. Even if some barely survived, in their hearts they likely hated Kagami and Shisui's line to the core.
Support him? Yeah, right.
Only Kai himself—having lived two lives, with a steadier mindset—could see things differently.
He knew Kagami and Shisui were good people. His parents hadn't been wrong in choosing loyalty; it was just a shame Kagami had died too young.
As for Shisui? He was just a kid back then. What did he know?
That was why Kai had never blamed Shisui. He stayed away only because he knew the plot and didn't want to get tangled with the story characters.
In other words, he just didn't want the trouble.
Meanwhile, Shisui's face grew darker and darker.
"No… no, it can't be like this!"
"How could they do that?"
"Those… bastards!"
Creak.
Even gentle Shisui, upon learning the truth, couldn't help but radiate killing intent. He was furious.
After all, Kai's suffering had been caused by his grandfather Kagami's faction!
And by Kai's account, he was actually one of the lucky ones.
At least, under Teuchi and his daughter's care, he had managed to live safely to adulthood. From here on, as a ninja, he wouldn't have to worry about food and clothing.
But what about the others?
Imagining those miserable fates, Shisui's rage boiled over. His Sharingan flared open, and faintly—
His three tomoe were on the verge of evolving into a Mangekyou Sharingan.
At that, Kai was utterly screwed.
He didn't know exactly when Shisui had awakened the Mangekyou Sharingan in the original timeline, but if it happened here in his own house, he'd be completely finished.
The Uchiha clan, even the entire Third Hokage's faction—
All of Hidden Leaf Village's upper echelons would instantly focus their attention on him.
How was he supposed to keep "lying low" then?
Shit, no way!
Kai's scalp went numb. He hurried to stop him.
"Shisui, calm down!"
"It's not a big deal. I don't blame you."
"And look—I'm an adult now, aren't I? Please, don't lose it!"
"for God's sake, I'm begging you here!"
"…"