Naruto : Sequence 0 Visionary

Blood-Red Angel, Uchiha Mikoto.

She was given the nickname "Blood-Red Angel" by the major ninja villages because of her angelic and delicate appearance, but the brutal and bloody methods she used to complete her missions.

To outsiders, Uchiha Mikoto was seen as the successor to Fugaku, the leader of the Uchiha clan, a woman who acted somewhat mad. But only his disciple knew the true nature behind her seemingly angelic face, one that hid horrific, cruel, and bloody deeds.

The destruction of several small ninja villages was closely tied to Uchiha Mikoto!

Her blood-red hair, like strands of crimson silk, was soaked in the blood of nearly a thousand people she had slaughtered. The hair had been stained red from countless bloodbaths.

Only he knew of these things.

Or perhaps, it would be more accurate to say, he was an 'accomplice', having witnessed the most brutal side of Uchiha Mikoto firsthand.

Sometimes, Shisui even wondered: what exactly caused the former clan leader, Uchiha Fugaku, to suddenly go mad? How did the elders who opposed Mikoto's appointment as clan leader suddenly die, one after the other, in strange and mysterious ways?

"Shisui, what are you thinking about?" 

Shisui, kneeling with his head lowered, suddenly felt someone gently stroking his head. A cold sweat broke out on him as he quickly responded, "N-no, I wasn't thinking about anything, Mikoto-sama."

The hand stroking his hair suddenly stopped.

The ceremony hall was eerily silent, so quiet that a falling needle could be heard. Shisui dared not make a sound, his pupils shrinking to pinpricks, trembling slightly with a deep, overwhelming fear.

"Do you know why I let you off?" Mikoto asked in a soft, emotionless voice.

"N-no, I don't know."

Shisui made a swallowing motion, but his dry mouth was completely parched, not a drop of saliva to be found.

"Because you're very similar to him."

Mikoto lowered her eyelids, her slender fingers resting on the boy's neck, and whispered, "But, you're only very similar, that's all. Don't think that just because you resemble that person, I'll keep letting you off. I can raise you, but I can just as easily destroy you. Do you understand?"

Her tone, seemingly calm, carried an undeniable, chilling, and cold killing intent.

In an instant, the temperature in the entire hall suddenly dropped to freezing point.

"I understand, Lady Mikoto."

Feeling the cold killing intent in the air, Shisui's body trembled uncontrollably.

A bitter smile appeared on his lips. In truth, he had known for a long time that he and the Fourth Hokage were similar in some ways.

For example, they were both skilled in genjutsu and body flicker techniques, had messy black short hair, and were of similar height and build. Even his clothes, speech patterns, and personalities were deliberately shaped to resemble that of the Fourth Hokage.

Many people said his actions and mannerisms were very much like the Fourth Hokage.

But only Uchiha Shisui knew that all of this was a carefully crafted image. He wasn't that person at all!

His Sensei's occasional kindness had once given him the illusion that he was special.

But now, his dream had shattered.

He was Uchiha Shisui. No matter how much he had been trained to resemble Uchiha Sogetsu, in his Sensei's eyes, he was never that person.

"Go ahead."

Mikoto, holding Itachi, walked slowly toward the bed. "The task Sarutobi Hiruzen gave you must not fail."

With his head pressed tightly against the tatami mat, Shisui's eyes were filled with bitterness. He softly said, "Yes, Sensei."

As Shisui walked out of the ceremonial hall, he let out a long breath, as if a weight had been lifted off his shoulders.

When the cool breeze of the courtyard brushed past him, he suddenly realized that his back was soaked with cold sweat, as if he had just been pulled out of water.

And the piercing gaze behind him made Shisui feel as though a needle was pricking his skin, like he was prey being watched by a wild beast. His body was covered in goosebumps, and an unspeakable fear filled his heart.

"Uchiha Itachi… Is this monster about to be released?" Although it was still daytime, the warm sunlight shining on him did nothing to bring warmth. Instead, it only brought a deep, chilling cold. He muttered bitterly, "Sensei… What are you trying to do?"

To travel from the Land of Fire to the Land of Water, they needed to pass through the Land of Waves, and finally take a boat.

The journey wasn't short, and before the official handover, they had to ensure the princess's safety, preventing her from being kidnapped by bounty ninjas.

The daughter of the Land of Fire's daimyo was a "big catch" in the underground market, and many people, like sharks sensing blood, planned to target her.

But in the end, there was no doubt that all of them were swiftly and cleanly dealt with.

The four of them were carrying a palanquin, slowly walking through the forest. 

Suddenly, from the trees beside them, several dark figures dashed out, clearly aiming straight for the palanquin.

"We got her!"

Just as one of them showed a look of triumph, a thin, silk-like thread, glowing faintly in the air, suddenly sliced across their necks.

The next second, the heads of the dark figures rolled to the ground.

Kakashi, wearing a mask and holding a short blade, stood there with a cold look in his eyes.

The beheaded bodies lay silently in the forest, and blood stained the ground red. On a tree above, Shisui, who had been on lookout duty, smiled as he watched the scene unfold. "Your swordsmanship has improved a lot. Looks like you'll inherit the 'White Fang' name soon."

Kakashi, wiping the blood off his short blade, frowned. "Something feels off."

Shisui jumped down from the tree and approached Kakashi, resting a hand on his shoulder and grinning. "What's off?"

"Don't you think the frequency of attacks has been increasing since we entered the Land of Waves?" Kakashi said, a sense of unease creeping up on him. He exhaled and said in a low voice, "We need to stay alert and not let our guard down."

"Hmm, now that you mention it, it does seem like that."

Shisui stopped brushing it off and began to analyze seriously. "The closer we get to the Land of Water, the more cautious we need to be."

"Exactly."

Kakashi agreed, then glanced at the palanquin. "Princess, we can move on."

However, that one glance caused both of their faces to change dramatically, their pupils shrinking in shock.

The guards beside the palanquin, the samurai, had all fallen to the ground, their eyes wide open. They had strangled themselves with their own hands, each one lying in different positions, dead.

There was also a man wearing a spiral mask, half-squatting on top of the palanquin. His gaze toward Kakashi was filled with mockery and ridicule. "Oh, long time no see, Kakashi."

"Y-You are…"

The familiar spiral mask, which once haunted Kakashi like a nightmare, seemed to appear in front of him again.

Seeing that something was off with his companion, Shisui's eyes filled with caution. He lowered his voice and asked, "Kakashi, who is he?"

"Wow, wow, wow~"

The man with the spiral mask exaggeratedly shouted, then looked Shisui up and down with his eyes. "Look at me! Guess who I found? Uchiha Shisui, the famous genius. Has it been so many years that you've forgotten my voice?"

At the same time, Kakashi snapped back to reality and growled through gritted teeth, filled with hatred, "He is Uchiha Obito!"

"What? Uchiha Obito!"

Shisui stood frozen in shock, his expression filled with disbelief. "The biggest traitor of the Uchiha clan, but isn't he already dead?"

"No, he never died!" 

Kakashi glared at the figure, his teeth clenched in anger. "Be careful, Shisui. This guy is strong!"

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. Looks just like him, but his face… not quite." 

However, Obito seemed completely unconcerned. He continued staring at Shisui with a sinister grin and said, "But it doesn't matter. Since that bastard is already dead, I'll make you pay for the debt. I'll make you taste every bit of the pain he once caused me!"

"Huh?"

Shisui blinked, looking confused for a second.

But then, as if a thought crossed his mind, his expression became stiff. He glanced at Kakashi and quietly asked, "Did the Fourth Hokage offend him?"

"Uh, well, I guess not really 'offend' him…" 

Kakashi was caught off guard by the question. He hesitated and stammered, unsure how to respond, "At most… he was a bit too… aggressive." 

********

Support me on my patreon and read upto 15 early chapters.

https://www.patreon.com/Unique_Writer