The visits from Yamanaka Kaze and Orochimaru had once again disrupted Hyuga Kei's quiet life.
That night, sleep didn't come easily.
By the time morning arrived, the sky outside mirrored his mood, clouds thick and heavy.
Kei sighed beneath his blanket. Life, after all, had to go on. He sat up, dressed himself neatly,
even as a psychologist, appearance mattered. A white coat, crisp and clean, had a curious effect: it invited trust. A subtle psychological suggestion used across professions.
Of course, uniforms could also excite people, but that was a different matter, best left to private settings.
Cane in hand, Kei made his way out of the Hyuga compound through a narrow side path.
The moment he turned onto the old street where his clinic stood, he sensed a presence he really didn't want to deal with, Uchiha Shisui.
Kei immediately turned around.
Clinic? Closed today. No discussion.
But Shisui stuck to him like glue.
"Kei-kun," he said, "I have a few questions I need to ask you."
Damn it, Kei cursed silently.
Sensing the young Uchiha hovering beside him, step for step, he sighed in frustration.
"I thought we had an agreement. And since when were we close enough for you to use my name so casually?"
Shisui didn't respond. He simply followed, stubbornly, like a shadow that refused to lift.
Unable to shake him, Kei gave up and reopened the clinic.
He wasn't planning on doing anything, though. Just pure, shameless slacking off.
He brewed a pot of tea, sat in his chair, and tuned out the world. If Shisui wanted to stand there, let him. Kei entered full-on wellness mode.
But Shisui's persistence far exceeded his expectations.
He started talking:
"Hyuga Kei, parents deceased in childhood. Lost his sight following a fainting spell a month ago. White Eye no longer active. Opens a psychological clinic, gains local renown through remarkable results…"
"So?" Kei interrupted with a blank look, even though Shisui had just rattled off almost everything that had happened to him lately.
"I have one question," Shisui said. "Before you went blind, you had no background in psychology. How did you master it so quickly?"
Kei's heart skipped a beat. But his face remained composed. He sipped his tea.
"Maybe I'm just a genius."
"A genius, huh?" Shisui's tone dripped with disbelief. "Then you must be truly extraordinary, Kei-kun."
"Extraordinary? Hardly," Kei replied dryly. "If anyone here is a genius, it's you, Shunshin no Shisui."
Shisui gave a faint smirk, but didn't continue the argument.
Kei set his teacup down and said bluntly,
"I don't know what you're hoping to achieve, but you're barking up the wrong tree. I can't help you."
"I don't believe that," Shisui said. "You saw into my heart. That's not something anyone can do."
"I didn't 'see' anything," Kei replied coolly. "It was your words, your emotions, that told me everything."
Shisui shook his head.
"That doesn't matter. What matters is, you spoke my fear aloud."
"It was just a guess," Kei shrugged. "A blind one, at that."
But even with closed eyes, Kei could feel Shisui's gaze, firm, unyielding. This wasn't some fleeting curiosity. Shisui had made up his mind.
And unless Kei answered him, he'd never know peace again.
Well, Kei thought bitterly, not like I've had peace since your first visit anyway...
He exhaled.
"I understand your anxiety, Shisui. But the truth is, I can't save the Uchiha. And neither can you."
"Why are you so sure? The Third Hokage… he'll help us."
"That's exactly the problem." Kei's tone sharpened. "As a shinobi, you should know this: relying on others is never as reliable as relying on yourself."
"I'm not weak," Shisui snapped. "I'm strong enough, taijutsu, ninjutsu, even my eyes…"
"Yes, yes, you're nearly flawless," Kei acknowledged.
"But when it comes to the human heart, you know nothing."
That silenced Shisui.
Kei shook his head slightly. Shisui was indeed a remarkable shinobi. He'd already awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan. The technique embedded within, Kotoamatsukami, was terrifying, capable of rewriting a person's will.
And yet, when it came to understanding people, their fears, their motives, Shisui was completely blind.
He failed to see that the growing tension between the Uchiha and the village was more than a clash of ideology. It was a battle of power, of manipulation. It was conspiracy in its most poisonous form.
And in that darkness, Shisui had placed his trust.
That trust… would destroy him.
And after Shisui, Itachi would follow.
Kei took a sip of his now-lukewarm tea, the bitterness sliding down his throat.
He knew too much, but lacked the strength, or willingness, to change anything.
He had no interest in being a hero.
He didn't crave justice or glory.
He just wanted to restore his health, regain his freedom… and live in peace.
Eventually, Shisui left, unwillingly.
After he was gone, Kei stood at the doorway and stared into the grey sky above.
The clouds grew heavier by the hour. The air felt increasingly oppressive.
A storm was coming, and who knew when it would pass?
Days passed. Kei returned to his routine, quietly running his clinic.
Unfortunately, Shisui hadn't given up.
Sometimes, Kei could sense him loitering nearby, watching, waiting, hoping to be invited in, or maybe probing for something.
Kei ignored him completely.
One evening, as usual, he locked up the clinic.
Rain continued to fall without pause. Puddles gathered in the streets.
Kei didn't carry an umbrella. He didn't need to.
Rain never touched him.
Anyone standing close would've seen it: the raindrops curved around him, diverted as if repelled by some invisible force field.
A refined control of chakra, one of the many "gifts" he'd developed after going blind.
But as he exited a narrow alley, Kei's heart tightened. Danger was near. He sensed it.
Without hesitation, he swung his cane forward.
It passed through several figures holding kunai, phantoms, illusions.
They flickered, then vanished. No damage done.
Kei lowered his cane, his expression darkening as he turned toward a rooftop.
There, he sensed Shisui watching him, letting the rain soak his figure.
The man on that rooftop wasn't the warmhearted friend from earlier. Not now.
His eyes carried weight, scrutiny. The psychologist mask had dropped. What stood below was a shinobi.
Kei drew in a breath. His voice was flat.
"So… this is how you 'test' your comrades now?"
"It was only a probe," Shisui replied. "They were illusions. They couldn't hurt you."
Kei gave a cold chuckle.
"And what did you learn? Satisfied?"
"…At the very least," Shisui said after a pause, "you're still a shinobi."
"I always was. I made Chūnin before I lost my sight," Kei said sharply. "So what? Is there a rule saying a psychologist can't be a ninja too?"
"I can't win an argument with you." Shisui clenched his fists, frustration evident.
"That's because I only speak the truth," Kei replied as he walked past him, into the rain.
Shisui stood alone for a long moment. Then he turned and entered another alley.
There, several unconscious bodies lay on the ground.
Drag marks. Faint trails not yet washed away by the rain, these people had only recently been dumped here.
They were dressed in rags. Their skin was pale, bruised. Their bodies emitted a stench born of long neglect, one even rain couldn't wash away.
Shisui stared at them. Thoughtful and troubled.
Then, he heard it.
That now-familiar tap of a cane on stone. Followed by a quiet voice:
"What? Surprised to see them?"
He turned. Kei stood behind him.
A flicker of surprise crossed Shisui's eyes, he hadn't expected him to return, let alone speak.
"…Who are they?" he asked, a note of accusation in his voice.
Kei shook his head.
"They're part of the village. You just never noticed."
"That's impossible," Shisui muttered. "The villagers… they'd never fall this low. The village would never allow it, "
"I wouldn't know," Kei shrugged. "I'm not the Hokage."
"But I suggest you visit the orphanages. The shelters. The places no one pays attention to."
"…After all, even light casts a shadow."
<150 P.S = 1 Extra Chapter>