Shisui's mind went blank.
He had just jumped off a cliff—so how was someone talking right next to him!?
Or… was he dead already?
Was this the afterlife?
But no—he could still feel the cold wind whipping past him as he fell.
He tried to follow the voice, but with both of his eyes gouged out, he could only sense the presence nearby, not see them.
"Who are you!?"
Shisui shouted into the wind.
"Well…"
The voice beside his ear replied lazily,
"You could just think of me as… hmm, someone smarter than you."
Shisui's face instantly darkened.
But before he could respond, the voice added,
"Let's talk later. Otherwise, I'm worried your blood will splash on me."
Then Shisui heard the sound of a door opening.
He seriously began to doubt reality—was he still alive?
How could there be a door opening in mid-air!?
Before he could ask, he felt his body float briefly…
…then crash hard onto solid ground.
"Urgh!"
He groaned in pain.
As he struggled to recover, he heard voices nearby.
"Menma-kun, is it really worth trying to recruit someone this dumb? He even got his eyes gouged out."
"Well, dumb as he is, his strength still qualifies him for recruitment."
"Menma-sama, if you want to heal him, he can bite me. But I can't help regrow his eyes."
"No way! Karin is cute, soft, and pale. I won't let someone leave bite marks on her."
"Mmm~ Menma-sama, you're the best! I love you the most!"
"Karin, Menma-kun is mine! You're his sister! You both belong to the same clan!"
"Nope! My mom said we're not blood-related at all!"
Girls? Two of them? And both were fangirls…?
Shisui was completely baffled as he listened to the chatter around him.
Was he still in Konoha?
Where the hell was he?
He was Uchiha Shisui, for crying out loud—he'd just escaped a brutal ambush and jumped off a cliff…
And now it felt like he was back in the ninja academy!?
As he sat there, dumbfounded, one of the girls suddenly said:
"Menma-kun, it looks like some Root ninja are approaching. Want me to kill them?"
"Mm. Kill them."
As the calm voice gave the order, Shisui heard several painful screams in the distance, followed by the rising heat of fire.
The reality of the situation snapped him back to his senses.
Suppressing his panic at being blind, he gritted his teeth and demanded:
"Who are you people!?"
"Why did you save me!? You're not Konoha ninja, are you? Are you from some other village?"
"Why would you rescue me? I'm already useless—I can't help you fight Konoha!"
"So noisy."
That was the last thing he heard before something struck the back of his head and knocked him out.
—
When he regained consciousness, Shisui slowly opened his eyes and muttered weakly:
"So bright… turn off the light…"
But the moment he spoke, his eyes shot open wide.
He sat up in bed with a jolt, heart pounding, and reached trembling hands toward his face.
As his fingers touched eyes—actual eyeballs—he gasped in disbelief.
"No way… my eyes… this has to be a dream."
He clearly remembered—
One eye taken by Danzo.
The other given to Itachi.
He shouldn't be able to see anything.
Yet he could.
"How… how is this…"
Before he could spiral further, a familiar voice spoke beside him:
"Settle down. Don't move too much, or those newly transplanted eyes will have to be replaced again. And they're not even a good fit."
Shisui froze.
He turned his head toward the voice, now able to see clearly.
Standing beside him was a blond youth—none other than Uzumaki Naruto.
Naruto calmly pressed a hand against his forehead.
"Lie down and talk properly."
Shisui felt an overwhelming force press him back down. He didn't even have the strength to resist.
"Urgh…"
He grunted, grimacing in pain.
After a few failed attempts to rise, he gave up and stared warily at Naruto.
"You… who are you?"
Naruto grinned and said:
"You can call me Namikaze Menma. A smarter man than you."
'Namikaze Menma…?'
Shisui mentally searched through every name he knew. No match.
"Then why did you save me…?"
"Let's just say I was bored," Naruto shrugged.
"I figured I'd save you so you can witness the fun that's coming six months from now."
Every word made sense individually, but together… they were gibberish to Shisui.
Bored?
Save him for a six-month event?
What on earth was he talking about?
Why couldn't he understand a single word?
Naruto could see the confusion in his eyes but didn't bother explaining.
He smiled and continued:
"Simply put, I want you to see the destruction of everything you tried to protect by giving up your life."
"I want to see if you can still cling to your loyalty to the Hokage then."
"Sounds cruel? Maybe. But you have to understand—I've been very bored lately."
"You… what are you even saying!?"
Shisui struggled furiously.
"Let me go! I am Uchiha Shisui of the Uchiha Clan! By capturing me, do you intend to fight Konoha!?"
"Tch…" Naruto clicked his tongue and turned to the boy beside him.
"Kabuto. Sedate him."
"Yes, Menma-sama."
The bespectacled Kabuto respectfully nodded, drew a syringe, and jabbed it deep into Shisui's backside.
"AAAAHHH!!!"
Shisui let out a blood-curdling scream.
Naruto raised an eyebrow and tapped Kabuto on the head.
"You did that on purpose, didn't you?"
The way he wielded that syringe—the grip, the angle, the force—just watching it made Naruto wince.
Kabuto gave an innocent little nod.
"Well… he disrespected Menma-sama. Just thought I'd give him a little lesson."
(End of Chapter)
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