22 A Bloody Coincidence

Spotting something blindingly white in a very green forest wasn't really that hard per se, but maybe being a chatter box trying to entertain a seemingly "innocent little boy" could hinder one's senses. Maybe, just maybe, Shisui was able to sense the all-white jerk, but just in case, I sent a clone towards that bastard.

Making a clone a few meters away is not that hard when you grasp the concept—thanks to tou-san when he was demonstrating how his "stealthy duties" in his line of work, though I don't know what his work is, up to now, and I doubt I'd know in the near future either.

As of now, the easiest clone I can make is made out of pure shadow… which makes it a shadow clone? I don't know. Tou-san showed me once that he can make "copies" or "clones" of objects using his own shadows so I just broke down his concept and made a few "false clones" of things in my spare time. This is actually my first time creating a "human" clone so I don't know if it works but…

YOLO

Trying won't hurt, right? So… Imma just wing it—

Well, if that white bastard tries anything suspicious—attack us, even, I can just alert the ninjas that scattered around the forest by, well, obnoxiously screaming like the earth's falling over or maybe even flare out an excessive amount of chakra. Maybe even do both. It will definitely work.

It's not like I could actually do anything right now. I still feel too drained after the centipede incident so flaring up chakra may actually kill me so shouting it is…

I'm actually too tired.

I let out a sigh. Shisui-nii grunted, "You've been heavily sighing this morning like you got the world's problem on your back. What's up with you?"

Yeah… what's up with me? Come to think of it, I've been taking deep breaths since this morning, like, my lungs needs more than the intended amount of oxygen a child should take… or maybe I'm just tired. Weird "memories" and voices had been keeping me awake these past nights… so… yes, I'm just tired.

Really tired.

"It's… uh… boring?" I answered the Uchiha. He simply rolled his eyes, "That's a question, Ori-kun. Just tell me if you're already tired, we'll go back with your words." He ended with a smile.

"Why would I be tired?" I smiled as I rested my chin on his shoulder, closing my eyes, "You're the one who's been walking up to this point, niisan."

"You just seem very tired." He chuckled, propping me up a bit.

"Do I?" I asked in a hoarse tone.

"Hn."

"Don't 'hn' me, niisan. It doesn't suit you when you're all chatty." I lifted my head up, he chuckled. "I'm just trynna light up the atmosphere." His smile remained.

"Hm…" I hummed, lazily eyeing the scenery forwards before blinking when the greenery rippled and transitioned to a barren clearing. "What the—" I perked up as Shisui halted on his steps.

"—heck." The Uchiha continued my words. "What the heck indeed." He began looking left and right, assessing the once hidden area that we unknowingly stepped into.

I pushed myself up and started to observe with the Uchiha. The clearing seemed to be freshly and unnaturally made—several deep and shallow craters and molten rocks littering the area. Black smoke is even coming off from one of the craters…

Heavy, dense chakra is also around… which is making me feel really off. Ever since we stepped into this clearing, my heart keeps…

["My bad, dear brother." He laughed, "You've been far too kind and naïve for your own safety."]

Snaking my arm onto my chest, I gripped tight on Shisui's shoulder.

[The sword glinted as it snaked through one's body, the other's victorious smile placed proudly on his also blurred face. Blood seeped through the person's mouth as he stepped back, his feet dangling near the edge of the universe.]

My chest constricted, and it's getting hard to breath. My head hurts too.

[Using his sword, he pushed the person off.]

Shisui is talking about something but I couldn't understand him as my hearing is getting repressed, and my vision is starting to spin.

[The person fell, his blurred face getting clearer. His saddened eyes looked back at the person who pushed him off f the edge, his gaze forgiving and understanding.]

It's like something is lodged in my chest.

[The person closed his eyes as fell, his face now clear.]

My eyes widened as the person's face remained in my mind. I gripped onto Shisui's shoulder harder, my nails digging deep into his clothes.

'The person that fell… looks just like… me.'

I coughed.

__________

Shisui had recently just come home from an ANBU mission, and he immediately got called over into the Forest of Death in place of the Kitsune, his temporary captain, to "take care" of things. Of course, he was more than happy when it turned out that he's going to be taking care of a white-haired child's safety. His exhaustion and need of rest immediately vanished when he heard of the child's name.

Why wouldn't he? After hearing a big news of Orion activating his golden eyes and almost defeating a king-class creature reached his ears, it was more than enough to energise him and motivate him to get ready straightaway. He just instantaneously vanished when his Hatake captain gave him the orders coming from a certain Nara.

Though he came back a few days after the so called "centipede incident", that didn't stop his curiosity so, he personally went to Shikakuro in order to get the gist of a few things. Turns out why the jounins around the camp are quite the distance away, they still have the irrational and unconscious fear from Orion's gaze.

Orion seems to be so drained after the incident, so he wanted to check the child out himself. Taking a deep breath, he slid open the door to the said child's room, slipping in a few words and momentarily pausing when a flare of chakra first hit his sense before his deep gaze locked with the child's golden one.

Something cold enveloped his surroundings as he stared more into the golden left eye of the young boy, a memory flicking inside his mind.

["You were reborn as a Nara, after all."

Shisui quickly gazed back at the child, staring frozen as his red eyes locked onto Orion's golden left eye. It was like the child had been caught—a deer caught in headlights in a highway, as still as Shisui as well. His awakened Sharingan had no match for the chilling gaze of the child's golden eye.

'What the—'

"Ah, I wonder what it's like to know what had happened in the past of your world… and to know what will happen in the future of this world…" The masked man smiled at Orion as Shisui tried to lift himself up. "Well, as crazy as I might sound," the man started waving his hands, as if telling a tale to a kid, "I might actually believe him that… both of you came from another world." He snickered, shaking his head.]

Why did Shisui remember that particular day? He really didn't question that the first time, but thinking back now—he didn't actually understand the "reborn" thing the first time and now that he really has a good view of Orion's saddened eyes… the cold atmosphere the child's eyes are giving away heavy details of how he had lived his life.

Like he had gone through so much—too much, and Orion himself doesn't even know it.

Well, like before though, the Uchiha doesn't really want to question it. Though he knows that the child might've actually came from "another" lifetime—based on the child's actions and perspective in life, he still sees Orion as someone that needs care and attention. He sees him as a little brother that needs to be protected.

After quickly tossing a mirror to the child and ranting on how they should go for a walk for the said child's sake. Orion definitely looks like someone who came back from the dead thanks to the dark circles under his eyes.

The child earned it, like, seriously. Orion hadn't had any long break since his training started—Shisui heard from Kitsune.

Shisui got the young boy dressed up and ready, carrying him on his back as they both snuck out of their camp. They headed out to wherever he had assessed safe, walking as peacefully as he can as his shadow clones dispose of potential threats running or hopping around, mainly the normal-class beasts in the area. Maybe to even look out for definite threats wearing white clothes and sticking out in the green forest.

Yes, one of his clones saw Shiro, but it seems like Orion beat him to that bastard so, his clone henge into a crow to follow behind the two because… they seem to be conversing about "something". They're behind a strong sound barrier that Shisui's clone could only read what they are conversing about.

Something about "code", "avenger", or "someone not being a hero nor a villain".

He couldn't read everything as he was perched onto an unfortunate spot. The only thing the clone could hear clearly was the laughter that erupted through the barrier for a split second. Shisui is very sure his keen hearing didn't deceive him. That was definitely Orion's laughter.

It sounded vibrant.

He will be lying if he doesn't admit that his crow henge smiled a bit after hearing the child's laugh. It's like music to his ears. Same goes when he heard Itachi laugh for the first time.

Children's laughter are filled with innocence and hope, and Shisui admire them. Sure, maybe he had been longing for sweet laughter since he grew up in a solemn way after pouring his time over to make himself stay on the top, blocking his childhood from ever blossoming, but just hearing one tone of laughter makes him smile.

The reason?

He doesn't really know why. He just get drawn to children and would very much like to hug them if not for his position in ANBU, which pretty much stops him from doing what he's used to around Itachi and Sasuke (hugging them to death). It may not look like it but, the Uchiha loves children.

So when he encountered a peculiar, silver-haired Nara that clearly resembles his captain, Kitsune, and the Silver Arrow that once stood on the battlefield, on the day he was supposed to catch a "possessed" Nara member, aside from panic when the child fainted, he felt the same way he feels around his younger cousins.

It's his "brother-mode" activating.

This "brother-mode" grew bigger when the same child gave him kindness while he gave him the silent treatment because of work.

Sure, he always run away when it's with the "steal Karasu's mask mission", but that's just him being competitive over a smartass child that has the blood of the world's genius clan running through his veins. It's petty, but it's his way of telling himself that he's still stronger than any child—let alone a mere toddler at the age of four.

His crow henge smiled wider when he suddenly remembered Orion getting close to stealing his ANBU mask before a disastrous event—that being the Shiro-guy appearing out of nowhere and almost getting the two of them killed. No, he's not smiling about Xavier suddenly ruining their fun, but he was smiling at how stupid he was for being quite petty because Orion almost outsmarted him.

Snapping back into reality, Shisui's crow clone looked back at the two targets in front. His beady crow eyes widened before he poof away at the real Shisui's command.

Shisui was just talking about how could such a place in the woods exist when all of a sudden, the tiny hands of Orion clutched hard on his right shoulder. He narrowed his eyes and quickly propped the child onto his knee as he crouched down. His eyes widened in shock when he saw the young child cough.

Orion had covered his mouth with his small hands upon coughing, eyes starting to go wide as the metallic taste of blood reached his senses. He slowly pulled away his shaking hands, eyes meeting the sight of blood on his hands, blood dripping from his mouth down to his chin. He quickly looked up and met a bewildered face of an Uchiha, eyes locked with him as if he's asking: why? Why is there blood—

"ORION!" Shisui caught the young boy, voice in panic, "O-Orion?!"

Well, it's not the time to panic. He needs to get the young boy to a safe place. Going back into the camp isn't really the best idea since the medic ninja there is a bit hesitant to go up to the small Hatake-Nara at the moment.

He quickly looked around, senses active. His nose picked up the most familiar scent.

Going forwards from where they are, they could easily reach the Uchiha's with no problem… and is it a coincidence that Orion's mother could also be there as well? Kaiya would often visit the said clan in order to chat and talk with people there so, just maybe, he could take the child there.

Ah—Shisui's already headed that way anyways. He had never travelled at such speed like his life depended upon it. To be fair, a child's life is at stake.

Arriving at the gates of the clan, he didn't even worry to check in and just whizzed past everything and everyone before arriving at the main family's doorsteps. He didn't even bothered to knock and just barged in when his cousin opened the door coincidentally.

"Where's Kaiya-san?!" His voice was loud enough to be heard throughout the whole Uchiha household.

The young Itachi stared at him indifferently, not noticing the child his older cousin is carrying, "You just missed her. She went back a couple of minutes ago—"

"Catch up to her, will you? Catch up with her, please, Itachi." Shisui ran past Itachi and went ahead and waltz into the house's guest room.

Itachi deemed it as urgent and followed his older cousin's… order since… the Shisui he knows would definitely bicker and will make fun of him every second. To his surprise though, just as he was about to step out of the door, a white blur shoved him gently to the side before waltzing in the same direction as Shisui went. This makes the Uchiha child wonder why people like to shove him and go past him today.

What's the occasion? The person he was supposed to catch up with already arrived.

Wait… was the thing he saw on Shisui's clothes… blood? By the smell of it, it is. That made him turn back and curiously walk into the guest room.