Shisui was stunned. He slowly turned his head, trying to make out the girl's focused and serious silhouette in the dark world.
"That, I truly don't know."
Chizhao gazed at the gradually fading sunset on the horizon, her eyes gleaming with a depth and maturity that belied her young face.
"Then, Shisui-nii, do you believe me?"
A gentle breeze rustled the leaves, and Shisui felt only the pounding of his own heart in his ears.
He gripped the half-eaten taiyaki in his hand, unsure how to answer for a moment.
If she wanted to save the Uchiha, she had to make Shisui believe her.
She took a deep breath, trying to make her voice sound serious and earnest.
"Your right eye was taken by Danzo."
Chizhao glanced at the frowning Shisui, then turned her gaze to the thundering waterfall in the distance and continued:
"Your left eye was entrusted to Uchiha Itachi, and then you jumped off the waterfall yourself, trying to stop the Uchiha coup with your own life... Is that right?"
Shukaku had already finished all the taiyaki on the other side. Seeing the heavy atmosphere, he wisely shifted his gaze and continued to grill fish with full concentration.
Shisui's fingers twitched, and he let out a long sigh, his shoulders relaxing. His expression showed a hint of relief, as if he had narrowly escaped a disaster.
"So Chizhao has such amazing abilities. It's a good thing I'm 'dead' now, otherwise, I really wouldn't know how to report this to the Third Hokage."
"You're right, all of it is true."
Shisui quickly accepted the fact. He took a bite of the taiyaki in his hand and asked, puzzled:
"Then, Chizhao, did you also foresee that I would be monitoring you, and that I would appear here?"
Chizhao waved her hand, as if sensing the unusual tone in his voice, like a game of mutual suspicion.
"I... I can't foresee my own affairs, and many things are quite vague. I only pieced these together based on some deductions and intuition. Also, it was A-He who discovered you last night..."
"I see."
After finishing the taiyaki in his hand, Shisui sat up straight, facing Chizhao, and smiled confidently:
"Then, did you see the fate of the Uchiha Clan? I imagine it must be a good future, can you tell me?"
........
Night quickly fell, and Chizhao returned home with a heavy heart, heading straight to her room after dinner.
As soon as she opened the door, she saw snack wrappers scattered all over the floor. She stared dumbfounded at the mess before her.
Only then did she realize that her stash of snacks had been completely devoured by someone!
What was going on?
Had a mouse gotten into the house?
Darn it, why did this mouse eat all my snacks?!
Suddenly, the shelf where the snacks were stored moved again. Chizhao nervously crept towards it, picking up a wooden stool nearby.
When she reached the shelf, she suddenly pulled open a bag of potato chips on top, ready to smash down.
A flash of green caught her eye. That familiar shell and familiar shape made Chizhao freeze.
Her arm, holding the stool aloft, also stopped in mid-air. She unbelievably called out the name of the unidentified object in front of her.
"Li... Little Wang?!"
"It is I!"
She put down the stool in her hand, picked Little Wang out of the pile of snacks, her face full of pleasant surprise.
"You can use your turtle body again! How long can you stay this time?"
Little Wang wiped the snack crumbs from his mouth, tilted his head back, and blinked his small eyes.
"About seven days."
"That short? I thought after sleeping for so long, you'd at least be able to maintain it for half a year."
She placed Little Wang on the bed, completely forgetting the messy snack bags on the floor.
"Oh, right, I have a question I wanted to ask you."
Little Wang picked up some snacks scattered on the bed, opening them as he patiently listened to Chizhao's question.
"If I save someone before a disaster even arrives, will that count towards the 'good deed' progress?"
"No."
"Why not?"
"Because if the event hasn't happened yet, your actions, which prevent the outcome, can only be considered a coincidence."
Chizhao lay on the bed, propping up her chin, following Little Wang's logic.
"Does that mean this world operates according to reality, and doesn't include my original memories?"
"That's right."
After getting the answer, Chizhao flipped over and sat up. It seemed her plan could still proceed smoothly, but she was a little worried about Shisui-nii's situation.
She looked back to see Little Wang stealing her snacks again and decisively snatched them back:
"You little rascal, leave some for me too!"
.........
Inside the small wooden hut, Shukaku lay sprawled out on the floor mat, fast asleep. When he rolled over, his tail conveniently hit Shisui's lower abdomen.
Shisui's eyes were tightly shut, and he didn't react. He tried to lift his eyelids, but it was still pitch black before him.
The chirping of insects outside the window and the sound of the waterfall echoed clearly in his ears.
"The Uchiha Clan will be completely massacred by Itachi-nii in the near future."
He frowned and sat up, fumbling his way out of the small wooden hut and slumping onto the steps.
"Itachi? How could... There must be some mistake. How could Itachi..."
"If Shisui-nii doesn't believe it, he can try to contact Itachi-nii and ask about the current situation within the Uchiha Clan..."
The conversation with Chizhao from earlier in the day replayed in his mind. He painfully ran his hands over his eyes, laughing self-deprecatingly.
What did these eyes ultimately achieve?
Itachi, you must be in a lot of pain right now too.
The bright moonlight illuminated the area, but the young man sitting on the steps was drawn into a black Uzumaki, sinking into the night.
........
Today was a rare day off. Chizhao struggled, carrying lunch boxes in both hands, swaying as she walked down the street.
Little Wang poked his head out of her backpack, his voice full of disbelief: "Are all these lunch boxes just for you?"
Chizhao, panting, replied with difficulty: "Of course not, these are for A-He..."
"A-He?"
Chizhao stopped, placed the lunch boxes on the ground, stretched her arms, and turned to look at Little Wang:
"You stay put in the backpack, okay? Even if you come out, don't talk, otherwise it will be hard to explain..."
"Got it! I'm a little turtle~ little turtle~ little turtle~"
Why was he singing now?
After giving instructions, Chizhao smiled helplessly, took a deep breath, and mustered her strength again, picking up the two large bags of lunch boxes from the ground and heading towards the small wooden hut.
As soon as she stepped into the vicinity of the small wooden hut, Chizhao dropped the bags and her backpack, lying flat on her back on the grass.
Finally, she could catch her breath a little.
Even without Jiraiya, this kind of exercise should still be effective.
"Wow! Lunch boxes! Lunch boxes!"
Shukaku unceremoniously picked up two boxes, happily rubbing against them.
"The lunch boxes I promised you, try to eat them sparingly..."
"Got it, got it..."
Chizhao steadied her breathing, sat up, looked around, and then tilted her head to ask Shukaku, who was choosing lunch boxes:
"Oh, right, how is Shisui-nii? You didn't make things difficult for him, did you?"
Shukaku stopped what he was doing and gently tapped her head with his long tail, saying with a hint of displeasure:
"Is that what you think of me? That kid is doing just fine, don't worry. He's just been quiet since talking to you yesterday. He should still be in the small wooden hut now."
Rubbing her head, she looked towards the small wooden hut, picked up her backpack and a few lunch boxes, and slowly walked towards it.
Pushing open the wooden door, she saw Shisui sitting by the wooden table, seemingly lost in thought.
Hearing the movement, Shisui turned his head, his voice filled with surprise.
"You're here, Chizhao! Aren't you playing with your friends today?"
The young man in front of her was as gentle as ever, as if yesterday's heavy truth had left no trace in his heart.
Even after being told such a cruel truth yesterday, was he still so composed?
But when Chizhao saw the faint dark circles under Shisui's eyes, she understood that he was only acting this way so she wouldn't worry.
She placed her backpack on the table, sat down opposite him, and said in a relaxed tone:
"Because I still want to practice some taijutsu in the small wooden hut. I can't just play around..."
Chizhao paused, then took out some daily necessities she had bought on the street from her bag, introducing them to Shisui one by one:
"Shisui-nii, I also bought a few cups on the way, you can use them to make tea, and some towels and things..."
"Chizhao, I appreciate your kindness, but I might not need these anymore..."
"Why?"
A vague sense of unease crept into her heart. Chizhao stared directly at Shisui, waiting for him to continue.
"Last night, I thought carefully about what you said. If it's truly as you say, I want to use my lingering life once again to fight for a future for the Uchiha."
"Why..."
Hearing the girl's slightly trembling voice, Shisui paused, then a curve formed on his lips, his tone a little helpless.
"Because I want a future where you, Chizhao, and most children can live happily without war..."
Chizhao's hands quietly clenched, as if to solidify that invisible emotion in her palm.
Uchiha Shisui, the one who chose to end his life for the peace in his heart, even after being resurrected, his will remained unchanged.
His life was a persistent pursuit of peace, a firm guardian of his beliefs.
But...
"Such a future cannot be achieved by sacrificing Shisui-nii's life!"
