善狐・ZENKO

１５章・Chapter 15

It had been an unusually clear morning. The Land of Waves' natural beauty could be observed without the obstruction of a hazy grey mist, allowing brilliant blue hues of the sea and sky to glimmer under the sun's rays. The sprouting mangrove trees stood tall and proud in vivid green shades, their leaves rustling gently amongst the light breeze.

You took in the sights with a deep breath, inhaling the cool crisp air of the morning as you sat contently on a wooden pier nearby Tazuna's house. On your lap lay a rolled out scroll detailing the exploits of last night's scout which you had just finished penning. You gave it one last scan, ensuring that all relevant details were present and correct.

Buntaichō,

I have finished my reconnaissance at Gatō's base located in Sector E, the next closest base to where I am currently stationed. Unfortunately no useful information has been found—it serves the same purpose as the base in Sector B. The bases at Sectors A and D are not as heavily guarded as the aforementioned two, so those have been moved to my lowest priority. I will investigate Sector C tonight.

— Kogitsune

You rolled up the scroll before pocketing it into your hakama, to give to Kakashi later. Rolling out your shoulders to relieve some tension, you let out a small sigh of fatigue. A faint breeze blew past, and you shut your eyes to enjoy the cooling sensation.

"Hey," From behind, called Sasuke's curt voice.

Sensing his approaching presence beforehand, you tilted your head to the side nonchalantly to indicate that you were listening. You heard him slowly walk towards your seated form, feet stopping right beside you. Finally opening your eyes, you looked up to meet Sasuke's expectant gaze—although you couldn't ascertain what he wanted.

After a short staring contest, Sasuke eventually broke eye contact in favour of plopping himself next to you, legs crossed and face resting on a propped up hand. His gaze bore into the wide open sea.

"I wanted to ask you something. You said last night that you knew Shisui, right?" You nodded at his enquiry. "Were you close?"

"Not exactly. Like I said, our relationship mostly consisted of chance run-ins..." You shrugged, "And back then, I'd been even more stubborn than I am now... I'm sure you can imagine."

"Hey, little Inarinomiya! Check this out." The unwelcomed figure of Shisui greeted you from across the training grounds, a silent Itachi following behind.

The taller boy brought out his tantō, coating it in a bright red flame before spinning his sword forward with a quick flick of his wrist.

"Uchiha Style: Sun Halo Dance!"[1]

The flames surged outwards, following the blade's momentum and unleashing a powerful wave of fire into the open clearing. Your jaw dropped at the display—not necessarily because it had been impressive (and it had, it pained you to admit) but rather, it was because it was exactly like—

"That looked like Inarinomiya-kun's technique." Itachi observed with interest flickering within his dark eyes. Shisui sheathed his tantō and rubbed a finger across the bridge of his nose, his expression a mixture of pride and sheepishness.

"I watched you practise your kagura a few weeks ago and thought it looked really cool! I kind of copied it and tweaked it into my own jutsu, heheh."

"W—What..." Recovering from your shock, you stammered out your disbelief through a furious scarlet face. "This is... so insolent! How dare you take something sacred to us and tarnish it like that!"

"E—Eh..." Shisui deflated, scratching the back of his head flusteredly as Itachi sighed from behind him. "That wasn't the reaction I was expecting..."