Malphegor
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HSU: Ch. 12
🕑 Added 2024-11-15 15:23:14 +0000 UTCShisui had a long dream.
The title Shisui of the Teleporter had brought him endless suffering as tensions between the Uchiha clan and the village reached a breaking point.
Each day, the weight of expectations grew heavier, the whispers of both admiration and suspicion following his every move.
Training with Itachi was his one source of joy in this harsh world. At least with him, I don't have to pretend. We both carry the same burden.
Yet, he often felt something was missing, making his life feel somewhat unreal. Like a shadow at the corner of his vision that disappeared whenever he tried to focus on it.
Caught between his clan and the village, he had little time to reflect on this feeling.
Eventually, an unavoidable moment arrived.
Determined to save the clan by using Kotoamatsukami, he was ambushed by Danzō mid-plan, losing one of his eyes.
In that instant, despair set in. Former allies would soon be at each other's throats, and the Uchiha name would fade into oblivion along with the clan's destruction.
Anger overtook him, and in a surge of rage, he activated his Susanoo with his remaining eye, defeating many Root ninjas.
Then, with a new purpose, he entrusted his remaining eye to Itachi, his disciple and brother in spirit, and leapt off a cliff, recalling fragments of his life, trying to remember what he had forgotten.
After letting everything go, he finally remembered. Why was there no one in the clan named Masashi?
But before he could think further, the world shattered before him; everything had been an illusion.
When Shisui opened his eyes, he found himself surrounded by a group of people.
He was still on the arena floor, and all his agonizing thoughts had merely been a nightmare.
I'm in the middle of a match?
"Shisui, are you okay?" someone in the clan asked. Others murmured amongst themselves.
"He's been standing there for minutes," another member whispered.
"Something's not right with his expression," a third added, taking an unconscious step back.
Everyone had gathered here out of concern because Shisui had stood motionless in the arena for too long, his expression shifting in strange ways that looked anything but normal.
And when they saw his twisted expression up close, it had given everyone quite a shock.
Even Masashi, the one responsible for this, was taken aback. Honestly, he hadn't expected things to turn out like this.
Shisui's reflexes in battle were impressive; after being caught in the Water Release for only a moment, he had managed to track a flow of water and used it to surge towards Masashi.
His speed had lived up to every legend told about him.
Had Shisui been an enemy, he would have torn him to shreds, but he couldn't do that to a fellow clansman.
The two had locked eyes through the water. After Masashi achieved a breakthrough in Yang Release a year ago, his Sharingan had changed.
Not to the Mangekyō level, unfortunately. Instead, his Sharingan's basic abilities had been significantly enhanced.
With his heightened insight, he could not only perceive chakra's flow and density but also observe the transformations it underwent.
On the Kiri battlefield, he had analyzed the nature of Ice Release, and after repeated experiments, he had developed his own version by the war's end.
When Shisui activated his Mangekyō Sharingan, Masashi could clearly see the movements of his opponent's ocular power—and the dense, inescapable darkness within it.
He wasn't surprised. Unlike his own unique development, every other Sharingan user he knew had awakened their power through trauma and loss.
And that was how Shisui ended up in this state.
Masashi wasn't exactly unscathed either; it had taken considerable effort to withstand the clash.
Luckily, Shisui was new to his Mangekyō and lacked mastery over its powers, and Masashi wasn't his enemy. The result was only a partial release of his chakra.
Given those factors, he managed to endure the attack with his strength and even managed to reflect it back at Shisui.
But he'd never have guessed Shisui would be so affected by his own Mangekyō power.
What kind of psychological weight had he been bearing all this time? No wonder Shisui in the original timeline had chosen to end his own life.
"Were you under a genjutsu?" Setsuna pushed through the crowd, his expression serious as he looked at Shisui.
"Setsuna-sama..." Shisui, now clear-headed, was still a bit dazed. "It seems so... Masashi reflected my genjutsu back at me."
"What?" Setsuna's eyes widened.
"That's impossible," an elder member muttered. "The Mangekyō has always been..."
"Could it be something about his Yang Release?" another wondered aloud.
Everyone else was equally stunned.
Wasn't the Mangekyō Sharingan supposed to be super powerful? Shouldn't the Mangekyō versus the three-tomoe Sharingan be like an adult beating up a child?
Their faith wasn't completely shaken; generations of Uchiha clan history vouched for the Mangekyō's power—it couldn't all be myth.
The anomaly must lie with Masashi's eyes. Everyone turned to look at his eyes.
They were just the standard three-tomoe Sharingan, identical to others in the clan.
Shisui also looked, and his only impression of them was one of an unbreakable barrier.
Could the three-tomoe really accomplish something like this?
"That's enough. The sparring ends here." Setsuna raised his hand. "Go about your business. Keep quiet about this; no word of it leaves here."
Everyone nodded in agreement. Those present were the clan's core members, well aware of the gravity of the situation.
Regardless, Masashi's Yang Release abilities would no longer be mere small talk among the clan. They were now a matter of genuine importance.
If this truly was due to Yang Release, then the Uchiha clan would need to rethink their tradition of emotional stimulation.
Everyone knew this practice's negative effects, which had left the clan perpetually on edge, but it had endured due to its effectiveness.
"Shisui, you know how dangerous genjutsu can be. Go home and rest for a while; no missions for now," suggested Fugaku, thinking of other concerns.
"There's no need to suspend missions; this is a critical time," Setsuna shot Fugaku a disapproving look. "As long as Shisui avoids using this power, he'll be fine. Now's not the time to wield it."
Everyone could see that Shisui was struggling, but Masashi hadn't fared much better.
There was no doubt about the Mangekyō Sharingan's strength. If it hadn't been for the Senju brothers appearing back then, the Uchiha would've been unstoppable.
Fugaku didn't insist further. He hadn't been serious about his suggestion, after all.
He didn't really think Shisui would have any issues.
"In any case, both of you should take a few days off," he concluded. "As for the rest, we'll address it later."
---
Masashi found himself getting another pay raise.
Not only did he avoid losing future pay, but he also gained an extra hundred thousand ryō as pocket money every month.
This called for a small adjustment to his plans; he still needed to enjoy some tea, maybe once every half month.
Otherwise, that person would get too accustomed to his rhythm, and if Masashi didn't show up for a while, it might be hard to keep up with their style.
After about a week of rest within the clan grounds, he started to notice the changes among his clan members. The shift in their behavior was subtle but unmistakable.
Before, when he practiced Yang Release, people nearby would pretend they hadn't seen him. Now, things were different.
Especially with Shisui, who was also at the 'shepherding stage'. He often came to train with him, saying more in that week than he had in all their previous time together.
This made Masashi a bit uncomfortable.
It wasn't that he minded Shisui—he was a nice guy, and Masashi was more than willing to be friends with him.
What he couldn't get used to was how he seemed to have turned into some kind of crowd-attracting celebrity within the clan, gathering onlookers wherever he went.
It was all his so-called distant relatives—an old ninja clan could trace kinship to practically anyone with the same surname.
"Look, look, it's Masashi!"
"Yes, yes, I heard from my kid too—he says his Yang Release training looks really cool! Um... did anyone in our family practice that before?"
"He's practicing Yang Release? Isn't that kind of ugly? Where's the appeal?"
"But why Yang Release? Our strength is in the Sharingan!" a young Uchiha called out.
Masashi wasn't really bothered by their chatter, nor did he dislike it. They were simply showing their affection in their way, even if their frequent matchmaking attempts made him uncomfortable.
Marriage? That's such a clichéd trope. Didn't Tobirama call the Uchiha the clan of love? Like a vast river, love is everywhere—who needs to dive in?
As usual, he smoothly talked his way out of accidental encounters with his overly concerned relatives at the training ground, and Masashi resumed his daily training, with taijutsu as today's primary focus.
A ninja might lack skill in genjutsu or ninjutsu, but a ninja without taijutsu might as well not be one at all—this is the most widely used skill.
"Shisui, are you sure you want to practice Yang Release too?" Masashi asked, tossing a stone the size of a millstone like a shot put while speaking to Shisui nearby. He's hiding something. It couldn't be food, right? I hope it's food...
The day after their match, Shisui had come to his place and started trying to get closer. But Masashi felt like Shisui wasn't truly interested in Yang Release.
Nonetheless, he was happy to promote his Yang Release in the Uchiha clan.
When he first began training, he had tried spreading it, but this stubborn bunch wasn't interested.
The fast-paced Uchihas had no patience for a technique requiring slow accumulation and subtle release.
Shisui was the first to approach him about it.
"Yes, Masashi-nii, you're very strong. I want to be strong like you."
"Oh, you really know how to talk." Masashi put down the stone. "Say that again, but think through it more carefully and see if you catch any issues."
"Have you developed new Sharingan abilities?" Shisui asked, darting back and forth across the open ground as if practicing side steps, though he was actually working on his Body Flicker.
To be fair, Shisui was more skilled at Body Flicker than Masashi—his title Shisui of the Teleporter was well-deserved.
Not only could he use Body Flicker at will, but he also combined it with Shadow Clone Jutsu, making it hard to tell real from fake.
When fighting Kiri ninjas, famed for assassination, he often took down entire teams in one attack.
Masashi couldn't match that; he couldn't use Shadow Clones with Body Flicker and had to rely on sheer power instead.
If forced to compare, each had their strengths.
"Three-tomoe aren't enough for what you're thinking." Masashi shook his head, though he didn't outright deny it. "But you, did you really have to use your Mangekyō on me that day?"
"But it didn't work! I knew from the start you could handle it."
"Yeah, right." Masashi gave him a glare before adding seriously, "But I do recommend you start practicing Yang Release now to protect your eyesight."
Shisui blinked, clearly not following.
"Yang Release isn't just about physical strength," Masashi explained. "It's about understanding and enhancing the body's natural abilities. If you practice it right, even with moderate Mangekyō use, your vision shouldn't deteriorate."
He wasn't just guessing—there was actual evidence.
Obito didn't have a sibling to transplant his eyes; he survived after being crushed, and then Madara transplanted Hashirama's cells into him. Ever since, he used his Mangekyō freely.
Without this real example, Masashi wouldn't be so sure. For Shisui, however, this was all too theoretical.
"I know a bit about Yang Release, but that's a bit..."
"Alright, I'll give another example." Masashi thought for a moment. "You know Izanagi, where the user sacrifices their eyesight? That ability was originally used by the Sage of Six Paths to create the tailed beasts. Have you ever read that he went blind?"
Shisui's eyes widened. Was that even an example?
In the records, it was noted that the Sage created the tailed beasts in his later years, maybe even near his death. Who knew if he went blind?
But Shisui was a good kid, respectful and kindhearted—never one to argue.
"Yes, I believe in you."
"Hey, don't believe me; believe in history."
Masashi couldn't help but feel accomplished. This young man had some issues. He was sure of it. You can't just heal that kind of thing on its own.
After a week, he was convinced that Shisui wasn't overly brainwashed, just sensitive and introspective, caught between clan and village—a classic Uchiha trait.
With that mindset, it was no wonder he struggled mentally. Instead of daydreaming, he'd be better off training with Masashi in Yang Release.
Idle minds wandered, leaving only one solution: make them tired enough.
"Alright, that's enough. Tomorrow, we'll go find Fugaku-sama and propose a team. Training and missions go hand in hand; like a marriage, you learn by doing."
"Really?" Shisui liked the sound of that. He had wanted to talk to Masashi about something else but hadn't known how to bring it up.
But if they were teamed up, there'd be time.
"Yeah, first thing tomorrow—no, actually, why wait? Let's go right now!"
