ꜱʜᴀᴅᴏᴡꜱ ᴏꜰ ᴛʜᴇ ᴍɪꜱᴛ | ᴛᴇɴᴛᴇɴ ꜰꜰ|

Chapter 95

The moonlight spilled softly through the window of Kakashi's apartment, casting long shadows across the room. Ugetsu stood by the glass, his arms crossed over his chest, eyes unfocused as he gazed out into the night. His thoughts, like the mist, clung to him, thick and persistent. He was back in the apartment, but the sense of peace that should have accompanied the end of the mission eluded him.

In the stillness, his mind drifted back—back to a time when life had seemed simpler, when the world felt small and full of possibilities. A time before the weight of the past had grown heavy on his shoulders. His gaze softened as his memories unfolded.

He was five years old again, standing in the shadowed streets of the Hidden Mist Village with Suigetsu and Hikari, the three of them huddled together in secret. The air was cool, and the weight of their plan pressed on their hearts. The goal was clear: to escape. To leave the brutal life of the Hidden Mist, to escape the bloodshed, the tyranny, and the looming shadows of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen.

Hikari, her lavender hair falling softly around her face, had looked at Ugetsu with a quiet, determined gaze. Her brown eyes had sparkled with hope and trust. "We'll leave together," she had whispered, her voice soft but resolute. "We'll start a new life. You, me, and Suigetsu. No more bloodshed."

Ugetsu had nodded, his heart pounding with the weight of their shared desire to escape. They had all dreamed of it—the freedom, the possibility of a life outside the Mist's cruel embrace. But there was a deeper connection between Ugetsu and Hikari. Something unspoken, something more than just the bond of friendship. Hikari's smile had always made his heart race, a warmth that contrasted sharply with the cold world around them.

Suigetsu had been different. His cocky grin never wavered, but Ugetsu had noticed the way he looked at Hikari, the way his eyes softened when she spoke. Ugetsu had never spoken of it, but he knew. Suigetsu had feelings for her—feelings that Ugetsu could never fully reciprocate.

Still, there had been a promise. A promise to leave together, to escape the chains of the past. But in the end, it had been Ugetsu who had broken that promise.

His breath hitched as the memory shifted, the vision of Hikari's face blurred by the fog of time. She had loved him, he knew that now, but back then he had been too selfish, too desperate to escape the life they had all known. His mind had been clouded by the desire to join the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, the prestige, the power. And when the time came to leave, he had run. Left Hikari and Suigetsu behind.

He had chosen Konoha. Chosen to live the life of a Hokage's son.

The image of Suigetsu's face—the anger, the hurt—flashed in his mind. And Hikari's disappointed eyes, the trust she had placed in him now shattered. He had never forgiven himself for that choice.

"Ugetsu?"

The soft voice broke through his reverie, and Ugetsu turned, blinking as if waking from a deep sleep. Kakashi stood in the doorway, his expression unreadable beneath the cover of his mask. He looked concerned, his single visible eye studying Ugetsu intently.

Ugetsu didn't need to be told that Kakashi had noticed the far-off look in his eyes. Kakashi had always been observant, a quiet presence that seemed to understand more than anyone realized.

"I saw you staring out the window," Kakashi continued, stepping into the room, his voice calm and steady. "You've been lost in thought since we got back from the mission. What happened when you got separated from the team during the mission?"

Ugetsu hesitated for a moment. He wasn't sure how to explain what had happened—the unexpected encounter with Suigetsu, the weight of the past crashing down on him in that thick mist. He hadn't even told anyone about meeting his old friend again.

His gaze dropped to his hands for a moment, gathering his thoughts before he looked back at Kakashi. "I bumped into an old friend," he started quietly, the words feeling heavy as they left his lips. "Suigetsu Hozuki. From the Hidden Mist."

Kakashi's brow furrowed slightly at the mention of the name, but he remained silent, letting Ugetsu speak.

"We... we used to be close. He was my best friend when we were kids...actually more like brothers." Ugetsu paused, memories flooding back, the regret clear in his voice. "He came looking for me. After I ran from the Mist, he tried to track me down. But instead of finding me... he ended up working for Sasuke."

Kakashi's gaze sharpened. "So, Suigetsu is with Sasuke now?"

Ugetsu nodded slowly, his expression grim. "Yeah. He was there to distract me. Sasuke gave him orders to keep me occupied, stop me from interfering with whatever plan they have."

Kakashi was silent for a long moment, his single eye narrowing as he processed the information. Then, he took a step closer to Ugetsu, his tone softening. "There's a lot of history there, isn't there?"

Ugetsu's chest tightened. "There is. But it's not just that." He turned his gaze to the window again, the weight of the past threatening to pull him back into its dark depths. "Suigetsu... he was angry. He wanted to know why I left. He said I abandoned him and Hikari—left them both behind. That I chose a life in Konoha over them."

Kakashi remained silent, allowing Ugetsu to continue.

"I thought about it, a lot," Ugetsu continued, his voice quiet. "When I left the Hidden Mist, I thought I was doing what was best for me. But now... now I know I wasn't just running from the Mist. I was running from my own past. From the people who needed me. I didn't want to be the 'Ripper of the Mist' anymore. I didn't want to be just a weapon for our clan. I wanted something more."

Kakashi nodded, understanding the weight of Ugetsu's words. "It's not easy, making those kinds of decisions. You made the choice to protect yourself, but that doesn't mean it was easy. You can't carry the weight of everyone's expectations forever."

Ugetsu met Kakashi's gaze, his eyes filled with a deep, quiet pain. "I thought I could forget it. Move on. But now I know I'll have to face it all one day. The people I left behind, the things I ran from... they'll catch up to me eventually."

Kakashi's eye softened, and for a moment, there was a warmth in his gaze. "When that time comes, you won't be alone, Ugetsu."

Ugetsu turned his gaze back to the window, his expression distant but resolute. The past had a way of catching up with people, and no matter how far he ran, it would always be there, waiting for him.

But for now, he was ready to face whatever came next. With the support of his friends, his team, and his new family in Konoha, he could face the storm that loomed on the horizon.

And when the day came for him to confront everything he had abandoned, he would be ready.

Suigetsu's words echoed in his mind once more. *"One day, you'll have to face everything you've abandoned. And when that day comes... I won't be there to protect you."*

Ugetsu clenched his fists, steeling himself against the future.

The battle was far from over.