Preventing The Inevitable

Chapter 11

"Obasan?" the boy – but really, he couldn't be called that anymore. Not with the blood coating his hands, – asked, swirling a spoon in his teacup. "Can I ask you something?"

"Hm... It's rather unusual for you to ask me questions." the older woman hummed. "Go ahead."

"I don't understand women. No– girls."

Silence. Then, a chuckle. "To think I would get to hear you say those words." The woman raised her teacup to her mouth. "Now, this is an interesting turn. Have you finally met the one? Perhaps a heartbreaker, just like you?"

"No, not like that." He was flustered.

"Are you sure?"

"Definetely. It's not anything... love-related."

"Well, that's unfortunate. But what is it, then?"

Deciding that this topic called for a more serious situation, he got rid of his casual, bored expression and sat a little more upright, letting go of the teaspoon. "I met this girl..." He started, his mind running through several ways he could explain the situation to his aunt without revealing too much. Tensions between members of the Konoha Military Police Force and civilians outside the clan were rising, and his aunt was married to the leader of the Police Force. He had yet to deduce exactly which side she was on in this whole ordeal.

Said woman, sensing the severity of his tone and perhaps wanting to lighten the mood, asked, "How old is she?"

The boy blinked as his mind that had been wandering was thrown back into the present. "She's young. Four, I thi– But! That's not the point."

Mikoto didn't say anything, simply watching him in silent acceptance to hear him out.

So, he started. Again. "The girl—I found her training in the woods—said she'd join the Academy."

"So in a class with Sasuke."

Shisui stopped himself from mentioning that Itachi had said the same thing, not wanting to give away his older cousin's involvement.

"Yeah... in April. I asked why she'd train if she was going to learn it all soon anyway. You see, she was all alone in the forest, and her training methods were more than 'just risky' and also unsuited for a child of her age. According to her, it's preparation for the Academy. To ensure she won't fall back in a class of clan heirs. But, the way she trained... It wasn't just preparation." He took a deep breath, deciding that his next statement couldn't be sugarcoated. "It reminded me... of someone preparing for war. Someone who was working with a time-limit and knew it. Someone seeking to become stronger just fast enough to survive, but not caring for long-term damages." He knew that train of thought all too well.

His aunt's expression didn't change visibly. But he knew that her surprise and bemusement were carefully concealed underneath that guise of calmness. It was just like Itachi, he thought.

"But it isn't something she needed to do. She doesn't need to do... all of that. We're not in war, her generation is the first to grow up in complete peace. It puzzled me—it does now, too—which is why I questioned her." Strictly speaking, it had been Itachi, not him. But the two thought more alike than others thought. If Itachi hadn't asked, Shisui would've done it.
"She doesn't have to become a shinobi. She doesn't need to go to such lengths."

Mikoto, ever the graceful Clan Matriarch, didn't lose her unperturbed composure, though she never broke eye contact with him, a sign of her unwavering attention. Shisui wondered what she would be like had she awakened the Sharingan.

But there was his question, so he resumed. "She– immediately denied it. As if not becoming a Shinobi was never an option. As if her very life depended on this ambition. As if... she couldn't even consider, nor imagine the thought. But Obasan, why would she think that? Is there really a need to become a Shinobi in this era of peace?"