Chapter 16: Shisui's Idiocy

(T/N: There is now a p.atreon for this work, and any new work I add will be dropped there first. check it out for an early release of up to 30 chapters edited smoothly. https://www.p.atreon.com/INeedRest)

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For the next few months, Colt fully immersed himself in mastering the lightning chakra nature transformation.

Fundamentally, nature transformation hinged upon the ninja's elemental perception and synchronization.

To train Wind Release, one needed to attune their chakra to the cutting gales, embodying that razor-sharp edge.

Fire demanded continually raising the internal combustion temperatures until the slightest spark detonated into raging infernos.

The Lightning Style Colt chose focused on increasing the electrical currents' sheer speed and destructive might.

His training regimen proved remarkably straightforward - constantly converting his chakra into crackling electric discharges before releasing them in controlled bursts.

Nothing beats persistent, perfect practice.

With his immense reserves, Colt could dedicate far more daily hours than most ordinary ninjas. His progress proved staggeringly visible.

...

October 10th arrived in a blink.

Autumn's chill embrace had long since enveloped the Hidden Leaf.

Yet Konoha's mild climate ensured even late fall remained comfortably warm.

On this particular day, however, ominous storm clouds gathered overhead, blanketing the entire village with an oppressive feeling of gloom.

Colt ceased his training for this day, donning a somber black mourning dress before retrieving a bouquet of carefully prepared purple asters.

'It's time'

With a stoic, expressionless face, he made his solemn way outside.

Many others who were dressed identically filled the streets, all marching in silent procession toward the same destination.

Five years ago, on this day, far too many of Konoha's people lost beloved family and friends forever.

Every year without fail, countless would flock to the village's memorial cemetery to honor their departed loved ones' memory.

Before the engraved monument bearing his parents' names, Colt gently laid the flowers on the ground.

Purple asters - the petals whispering of memory, remembrance, and soulful reflection.

Since traversing to this ninja world, he never had the chance to reunite with his parents in this life before their untimely demise.

'I'm thankful'

Yet that did not diminish his sense of profound gratitude toward them in the slightest.

Without them as his origin point, he would have no new beginning here at all.

Even now, he could live so comfortably within Konoha's walls thanks to the modest legacy they left behind.

Otherwise, he too would have been just another nameless orphan ward of the state.

The daylight continued waning as light rains began speckling the ground.

It seemed the very heavens wept in shared mourning for those lost on that terrible day.

The crowd rapidly thinned beside the memorial monument - the dead were honored, but life marched steadily onward for the living.

Colt, however, remained rooted in solemn vigil for over an hour more as the downpour steadily soaked his mourning robes.

Only as he finally turned to depart did he realize an unexpected presence.

'That guy is here…'

On the opposite side of the monument, a solitary man stood unmoving beneath the relentless deluge.

He was a man that Colt instantly recognized - Kakashi Hatake.

Also known as Konoha's Copy Ninja, the genius Kakashi of the Sharingan, possessor of the Mangekyo Sharingan.

To be precise, only Colt truly knew of Kakashi - the masked jonin remained blissfully unaware of the strange child's existence.

This younger Kakashi seemed worlds apart from his canon counterpart's aloof airs and sardonic demeanor.

A sense of profound world-weariness and decadence clung to the Jonin's entire being like a suffocating shroud.

Colt understood the man's inner turmoil all too well.

Within a year according to his original world's timeline, Obito would perish, Rin would die by Kakashi's own hand, and their beloved sensei would fall before the Nine-Tails.

It was a miracle Kakashi's psyche hadn't completely shattered beneath such an endless onslaught of traumatic blows.

Even retaining his slipping grip on sanity, the anguish weighing upon his heart showed no signs of healing anytime soon.

With one final glance at the forlorn jonin, Colt turned and departed without a word of greeting.

This Kakashi still operated within ANBU's shadowy ranks, his entire existence steeped in darkness.

It would prove better for both to avoid intersecting for now.

Yet Kakashi's peripheral senses still easily discerned the strange child's presence as he watched the tiny figure's retreating back disappear into the torrential downpour.

Once home, the expansive sense of growing strength Colt had cultivated these past months vanished in an instant of sobering clarity.

He remained worlds away from his absolute limits.

Although surpassing many of his peers, facing the overwhelming might of Tailed Beasts or Kage-level juggernauts rendered him a mere insignificant speck once more.

Only by redoubling his efforts to grow exponentially stronger could he hope to grasp true mastery over his destiny.

...

Within the Hokage's office, Shisui knelt respectfully before the Third in a solemn audience.

"With these eyes, I am confident I can quell the dissenting voices plaguing my clan," the young Uchiha stated firmly.

Shisui had witnessed the intensifying conflicts between Konoha and his family firsthand. He could no longer remain idle.

Thus, he had resolved to unveil the truth of his Mangekyo Sharingan's ultimate ability - Kotoamatsukami - to Hiruzen, alongside his intentions to subjugate his trapped clansmen's minds at the next gathering.

He would leverage this forbidden power to suppress the impending insurrection before it could be born.

Regarding the youth kneeling before him, the Third could not help but reminisce about his own fallen friend and comrade - Kagami Uchiha.

Like Shisui, Kagami embodied the complete antithesis of the Uchiha's traditional darkness - both shinobi's hearts brimmed with brilliant love for their home.

'Kagami...if only you had lived longer, perhaps the situation would be different now,' Hiruzen inwardly lamented with a weary sigh.

"Shisui, I recognize the noble Will of Fire burning brightly within your heart. But do not act so rashly - now is not the appropriate time."

"I have urgent village matters requiring my attention elsewhere. You are dismissed for the present."

Catching the implied rebuke within the Third's words, Shisui offered a grateful glance of acknowledgment.

In his eyes, Hiruzen seemed hesitant to endorse using such an ability against their own Konoha brethren, despite recognizing Shisui's clear Kage-level power and authority.

How tragically mistaken the poor fool remained...

Shisui's political savvy amounted to utterly disastrous levels of ineptitude.

Never could he have fathomed that in revealing his trump card, he had actually drawn one step closer to his own demise.

"Report the full details of our conversation to Danzō," the Third stated flatly once Shisui had departed, returning his focus to the village paperwork.

The threat posed by Kotoamatsukami's mind-controlling powers proved too catastrophic to willfully ignore.

As Konoha's ruler, Hiruzen could never permit any under his command to wield such terrifying abilities unchecked.

For now, Shisui's heart still belonged to the Leaf, prioritizing the village's welfare over his clan's treacherous ambitions.

But what if that dedication faltered? What if he suddenly turned that indomitable power against Hiruzen himself?

The Third would never allow such an unacceptable risk.

This marked the precise purpose behind Danzo's ROOT's shadowy existence - to handle the critical tasks too unscrupulous for the Hokage's direct involvement.

Upon receiving ANBU's report, Danzō sneered derisively.

"Still feigning such transparent hypocrisy after all these years, Hiruzen?"

Having been comrades since youth, the one-eyed hawk's understanding of the Third Hokage eclipsed even the man's own wife. (E/N: Lol)

This blatant attempt to shrug off responsibility spoke volumes - Hiruzen sought to preserve his saintly image while having Danzō perform the soiled deeds.

Yet the subversive WarHawk held no objections to being the scapegoat. On the contrary, he felt that he had profited.

As long as he gets Shisui's Sharingan, his strength will definitely be greatly enhanced.