"Who are you? Where am I?!"
Uchiha Shisui turned his head toward the voice. Though he couldn't see, the act of turning was instinctual. His voice was hoarse from a lack of water.
Noticing this, the girl stood and walked to a table nearby. After pouring a glass of water, she returned to Shisui's bedside, placed the cup in his hands, and replied gently:
"Here, this is water. You should drink some first."
"This is Windmill Town in the Land of Fire. You were badly injured—my father brought you back."
"This is my home. My name is Misa."
Seeing Shisui fumble to take the water from her hand, she brought it to his lips, a faint smile flickering in her eyes. Misa seemed to remember something and immediately stood up. Before leaving the room, she called out cheerfully, "Wait here! I have something to return to you!"
With that, she stepped out, and the room fell into silence.
When Shisui sensed she had gone, he raised a hand and waved it in front of his eyes. Upon confirming his blindness, frustration filled his face.
"So it's true. I can't see anymore," he murmured, despondent. A tear welled in his greyed left eye.
As an Uchiha, losing his vision was a devastating blow. Even someone as resilient as Uchiha Shisui couldn't avoid the crushing weight of despair. He knew very well that with his sight gone, his days as a ninja were likely over. No squad would take a blind shinobi on missions.
While he was still reeling from this realization, the sound of hurried footsteps came from outside. Shisui quickly wiped the tear from his cheek and bowed his head.
A moment later, Misa reentered the room, slightly out of breath, and sat down beside him. Without checking whether Shisui had finished his water, she snatched the teacup from his hands and placed a cold metal object into them. Her voice was filled with excitement:
"Here! This is yours, right?!"
"I didn't expect you to be a ninja from Konoha. That's amazing!"
She looked at Uchiha Shisui with pure admiration. As someone her age, she had grown up hearing stories about ninja. It had been nearly twenty years since the end of the Third Great Ninja War. In the aftermath, chaos still lingered across the Land of Fire—rebellious rogues and opportunistic bandits remained common.
But with Konoha's return to stability, its ninja had worked tirelessly to root out rebellion and restore order. Misa, like many civilians, had experienced firsthand the peace Konoha's efforts brought. Because of this, she had a natural fondness for its shinobi.
The metal piece she returned to Shisui was his forehead protector. Though the cloth strap had been removed, Shisui traced the familiar spiral symbol with his fingers and sighed.
"I can't be a ninja anymore… and being one isn't as great as you think."
Shisui gripped the protector tightly, his voice low.
But Misa's spirits weren't dampened by his gloom. Her admiration remained undiminished.
"That's not true at all—ninjas are incredible!"
"Oh! What's your name? We've been talking so long, but I still don't know it!"
She leaned in slightly, both hands gripping the edge of the bed. A light floral scent drifted toward Shisui, and he instinctively leaned away, blushing faintly—though the candlelight made it hard to see.
"Shisui. Just Shisui is fine."
He avoided mentioning his surname.
"Brother Shisui—can I call you that?"
Misa beamed at him, her chair creaking as she shifted eagerly.
Even without his sight, Shisui could feel her bright gaze fixed on him. Her enthusiasm left him flustered, and he responded without thinking, "Sure, call me whatever you like."
"Thank you… and thank your father, too."
Just as Shisui finished speaking, the door was thrown open. A tall, muscular man entered, holding a long knife stained with dried blood. He wore a leather apron, also bloodstained.
"Who?!"
Shisui caught the sharp scent of blood in the air. Ignoring his injuries, he leapt from the bed and placed himself in front of Misa. Even blind, his instincts and sensory skills made him a threat to any normal person.
The large man blinked at Shisui's sudden movement. Then, after a pause, he said with a blank expression:
"You're healing fast for someone so injured."
"You're already this active—you'll be fine in no time."
As the man finished speaking, Misa peeked out from behind Shisui and called cheerfully, "Father, you're back!"
The word father froze Shisui in place, and he awkwardly lowered his guard.
The man noticed and chuckled, realizing he'd startled the boy. He set the bloodstained blade by the door and stepped into the room, his tone more relaxed:
"Kid, relax. I'm not your enemy."
"I saved your life, remember?"
"I was in the next village helping butcher pigs. That's why I reek of blood."
"You're a ninja—shouldn't be the first time you've smelled it."
He gave a knowing grin. Misa walked up and took his hand, unfazed by the blood.
"Dad, you're finally back. Brother Shisui hasn't eaten since waking up."
"There's no rice at home, and it's already late—I was too scared to go out and buy any."
"Please go get some! I'm hungry too!"
Misa clung to his arm, her tone playfully coaxing. The big man sighed in mock defeat.
"Alright, alright. My poor daughter."
"I brought rice back with me. The host gave me some pork liver too—I'll make some porridge."
"Brother Shisui, right? Hang tight—I'll get you something to eat!"
Without waiting for Shisui to reply, he left the room. Misa quickly turned back and helped Shisui return to bed.
With her assistance, Shisui sat down again—but his earlier movement had reopened the wound on his abdomen. Bright red seeped through the bandages.
"Brother Shisui, you're bleeding!"
"I'll go get more gauze!"
She was about to leave when Shisui, not wanting to trouble her, instinctively grabbed her wrist.
"No need. It's just a surface wound—it's fine."
Misa glanced at the bloodstained gauze and firmly disagreed.
"No way! I dressed that wound myself—I know how bad it is."
"Just wait a second, I'll be right back!"
She pulled free and rushed out. Moments later, she returned with gauze, antiseptic, scissors, thread, and other supplies. Sitting beside him again, she got to work.
Shisui smelled the alcohol and asked curiously, "Misa… what do you and your father do? Why do you have all this?"
"My father's a butcher—he handles all the pig and sheep slaughtering in nearby villages."
"As for me—guess!"
She said brightly, a mysterious gleam in her eyes.
Shisui thought for a moment, touching the neat bandages on his body.
"I didn't feel any calluses when I grabbed your hand, which means you don't do heavy labor."
"Even though I can't see, I can tell—the stitching on my wounds is clean and precise. So… I'd say you're a doctor!"
Misa laughed, her eyes narrowing in amusement.
"Doctor? Close, but not quite. I'm a veterinarian!"
"I treat the injured pigs, sheep, dogs—everything in the village!"
Her eyes sparkled with pride.
"..."
Shisui fell silent for a moment, unsure what to say.
"Don't worry! I might be a vet, but I'm really good!"
"I've stitched up plenty of wounds—I'll make yours look nice and clean too!"
She threaded a needle with ease, then gently began unwrapping his bandages. Shisui tensed up, unmoving.
"Brother Shisui, do you want anesthetic?"
"When I stitch pigs, they squirm a lot from the pain, so I usually sedate them. It works great—one shot and a pig goes down in seconds."
"You want some?"
"..."
Shisui was speechless. He didn't know how to answer—but he definitely didn't want that anesthetic. He wasn't a pig, and he wasn't trying to pass out.
"Miss Misa… why do pigs even need stitches?"
"Because people who raise them don't know better. If you keep pigs together too long, they start fighting."
"That's how they get injured."
Misa wiped his wound with a cloth, then gently laid him back and began stitching.
"..."
Shisui fell silent again. Was she implying something? He couldn't prove it… but he suspected it.
The room was quiet. Under the soft flickering candlelight, the shadows of the two were cast gently on the wall.
"No!! This can't be!!"
At the ruins of Uzushio Village, Uchiha Madara stood inside an empty underground chamber, roaring in fury. With White Zetsu's help, he and the masked man had easily discovered the hidden room beneath the village.
But to Madara's shock, there was nothing inside. Not a single sealing scroll—nothing but dust.
Madara's mood turned dark.
"Master Madara, everything here must've been taken long ago."
"Our only option now is Konoha."
"When Uzumaki Mito died, her inheritance went to her descendants. Her grandson and granddaughter surely hold some sealing scrolls."
"I don't know if they can undo the Rinnegan's seal, but they'll definitely help."
"Before Uzumaki Raiden returns, we can infiltrate Konoha and steal one."
The masked man stepped beside him, voice calm. His suggestion soothed Madara slightly—anger was useless now.
"You're right. To Konoha, then."
Madara turned and left. The masked man watched him, his eyes narrowing behind the mask.
"Go distract the Senju—Nawaki and Tsunade. With you pulling attention, I'll sneak into Raiden's mansion."
"There's no way Konoha has a better stash of sealing techniques than Raiden. I won't let a failure like you use the Rinnegan!"
Smirking inwardly, the masked man slowly sank into the ground and vanished.
Within the Land of Hot Water
Having found nothing near the Fire Country's border, Uzumaki Raiden expanded his search. Based on where Shisui was last seen by Cloud ninja, he suspected Shisui may have been forced into the Land of Hot Water.
The Land of Hot Water had no ninja village of its own. Sandwiched between the Land of Fire and the Land of Lightning, it survived off hot spring tourism. Year-round, visitors came from across the shinobi world.
Raiden arrived in a border town and decided to rest. After days of searching, even someone like him was exhausted.
At a hot spring inn, Raiden changed clothes and entered the public bath. Leaning against a rock, he closed his eyes to meditate. Though he was in the bath, Kagura's Mind's Eye still scanned the town.
Suddenly, a splash broke the calm.
"Oh! Uzumaki Raiden—what a surprise seeing you here!"
Raiden opened his eyes in confusion and found himself face to face with a pair of pale legs submerged in the spring.
"Terumi Mei?!"
"Why are you here?!"
(End of Chapter)