---
Morning mist hung low over the Naka River, drifting in translucent ribbons above the water. Sunlight filtered through the trees in soft shards, turning the river's surface into a mosaic of gold and silver. Shinobi trained along the banks, their movements slicing through the haze with practiced precision.
This place…
This was where Shisui practiced Body Flicker until it felt like second nature.
Where clan members whispered rumors of his impossible speed.
Where Itachi would one day stand, burdened by a choice that would break him.
But today, the river felt peaceful.
And I intended to keep it that way—permanently.
Itachi walked a step beside me, quiet as always, eyes scanning everything with that eerie maturity that never fit a child his age. Seeing him like this—small, soft-featured, innocent—felt surreal.
He really was just a kid once, I thought.
Not the weary, emotion-starved prodigy with a massacre hidden behind his eyes.
"Shisui…" He stopped suddenly.
I looked down. "Hm?"
His brows knitted slightly. "Your chakra feels… different."
I blinked. Already?
Either my assimilation had altered my chakra signature slightly, or Itachi was just way too sharp.
Probably both.
I crouched and tapped him lightly on the forehead. "You're imagining things, little genius."
He frowned deeper. "I don't imagine things."
"Fair point," I muttered with a smile.
Before I could come up with a believable excuse, a voice called out from the riverbank.
"About time you two showed up."
Standing with arms crossed and a strict expression carved into his features was Fugaku Uchiha—Itachi's father, and the clan head. His presence carried a weight that made even the air straighten its spine.
Behind him, a few older clan members murmured among themselves, eyes briefly flicking toward me. Shisui had always been a rising star; people expected things from him.
Pressure. Expectations. The kind of attention that made slipping through fate's cracks nearly impossible.
"Apologies for being late," I said, bowing slightly.
Fugaku's stern gaze softened—only by a fraction. "Training begins now. Both of you will spar. I want to see your current synchronization."
Itachi stiffened. "But Father—"
"No hesitation," Fugaku said. "A shinobi should not fear his comrade."
I placed a reassuring hand on Itachi's shoulder. "Hey. Don't worry. I won't go hard."
His eyes narrowed. "…That makes it worse."
A laugh escaped me. "True."
We stepped into the clearing near the river. The ground here was smooth, worn down by generations of Uchihas pushing themselves to their limits.
Fugaku raised his hand.
"Begin."
The moment his hand dropped, Itachi vanished.
Fast.
Instinct screamed—and I barely tilted my head as a kunai sliced through the air where my neck had been.
He's eight.
Eight.
And already terrifying.
I flipped backward, letting my body move the way the War Manual had ingrained into my muscles. Years of battlefield muscle memory surged through me, making each step feel instinctive.
Itachi pressed the attack, flickering in and out of my blind spots. His movements were surprisingly fluid for a child. Too fluid.
I blocked a kunai with my forearm guard, pushed off the ground, and blurred behind him.
He reacted instantly, ducking under my strike.
He's reading me already?
I suppressed a whistle.
"Not bad, Itachi."
He didn't answer—focused entirely on the battle. His eyes sharpened, and I felt a spike of chakra.
"Don't tell me…" I murmured.
His pupils shifted faintly.
He's trying to awaken his Sharingan?
No—not yet. Not fully. But the spark was there.
I flickered behind him using Body Flicker at only half its natural speed.
Even so, the moment I appeared behind him, his body froze for a split-second—instinct recognizing a speed he couldn't track.
I tapped him gently on the back with two fingers.
"Point to me."
Itachi staggered forward, panting slightly. Frustration tightened his fists. He hated losing. But he hated weakness more.
Fugaku's eyes narrowed with approval. "Good. Again."
We sparred several rounds. Each time, I made sure to win—but barely. Enough to push him. Not enough to break him.
By the fifth round, Itachi was trembling from chakra exhaustion.
"That's enough," I said quietly, stepping between him and Fugaku's stern gaze. "He'll collapse at this rate."
A long silence followed.
Then Fugaku nodded. "Very well."
Itachi sank to one knee, catching his breath. I knelt beside him.
"You did great," I said softly.
His voice was tight. "…You held back."
"Of course I did. I'd rather not traumatize you."
He glared at me—a small, adorable angry glare. "That's not it. You fought like someone… older."
My breath hitched for a moment.
Before I could respond, the System chimed inside my mind.
---
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]
Spar Completed: "Bond of Future Shadows"
Rewards Granted:
• +5 Chakra Control
• +3 Speed
• Skill Unlocked: Observation Pulse (Basic)
---
A new description appeared beneath it.
Observation Pulse: A subtle chakra pulse used to sense enemy movements within a 5-meter radius. Effective against ambushes and invisible threats.
My eyebrows rose. Whoa.
This wasn't canon—but it was insanely useful, especially against the type of people who loved sneaking up on Uchiha.
I kept my expression neutral.
Itachi, however, was still staring at me. "You moved like someone who has seen war."
"Maybe," I said quietly. "Or maybe I'm just talented."
He frowned again, unconvinced.
But before he could question further, another voice called out from behind us.
"Shisui!"
A tall boy approached—older than me by a couple of years, with a familiar smirk and a forehead protector tied loosely around his arm.
Shisui's cousin. Tenma.
In the original timeline, he died early. Too early.
I couldn't let that happen.
"Your body flicker looked sharper than usual today," Tenma said, crossing his arms. "Show me later, yeah?"
"Sure," I replied with a grin.
Itachi watched us, silent but observant.
Fugaku approached then, his expression unreadable. "Shisui."
"Yes, sir?"
"You've grown stronger."
His eyes were sharp—piercing. "Much faster than before."
My heart thumped.
Was he suspicious?
But then he turned away slightly. "Good. The clan needs strength."
A thin thread of dread coiled in my stomach.
No.
Not this early.
Not this soon.
The seeds of conflict were already inside him.
I bowed my head respectfully and stepped back.
As Fugaku walked away with the elders, Itachi tugged my sleeve.
"Shisui… something is wrong. With Father. With the clan. I can feel it."
I looked at him—really looked at him.
This child would one day carry the weight of an entire clan's sins.
Not this time.
I knelt beside him and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder.
"Itachi," I said with a soft smile, "whatever's coming… we'll handle it together."
His eyes widened slightly. "Together?"
"Yeah. You're not alone in this."
For a moment, his expression softened—melting the distant, guarded child into someone who looked… relieved.
But that moment didn't last long.
A cold breeze swept across the river, carrying with it a faint scent of steel.
The wrong kind of steel.
My new skill—Observation Pulse—triggered automatically.
A faint ripple of hostile intent flickered at the edge of my senses.
Someone was watching us.
Someone not Uchiha.
I stood slowly.
Itachi sensed the shift in my posture. "Shisui?"
I smiled to mask the tension. "Nothing. Just the wind."
But my mind was already racing.
Root.
Danzo's men.
Already?
My fists clenched.
If the future wanted to tighten the noose early…
I'd cut the rope before it ever reached our necks.
The river flowed quietly behind us, its waters clear and bright.
But I knew the truth.
Rivers remember blood.
They remember tragedies.
They remember the footsteps of those who never returned.
Not this time.
I turned toward the silent forest where I'd felt the threat.
My smile sharpened.
"Come then," I whispered under my breath.
"Let's begin rewriting fate."
---
END OF CHAP