Naruto : Shisui Uchiha & Gacha in multiverse

Tsunade remained silent for several seconds, but her mind was anything but still.

The boy in front of her, injured, blinded, wrapped in blood-stained gauze, spoke like someone who had already buried something far deeper than pain.

A Konoha shinobi. That much was obvious. His chakra, his speech, even the way he carried himself reeked of discipline drilled in through years of mission work and loyalty.

But it was clear that same loyalty had been shattered.

Betrayed. Most likely by those closest to him. His own teammates. The ones he would've died for.

Of course, all of this could be a lie. A desperate act. But Tsunade had seen too many liars to be fooled easily.

And this one wasn't lying.

Her eyes narrowed as she finally spoke, tone sharp and mocking.

"So let me get this straight. You come to me, the granddaughter of the First Hokage, asking for help. Asking me to save your life so you can go destroy the very village he built?"

Her tone dared him to deny it. To admit that he was just another embittered fool looking for revenge.

But Shisui didn't flinch. Instead, he straightened, those hollow sockets somehow seeming to meet her gaze all the same.

"You're mistaken," he said, his voice quiet but unwavering. "The village wasn't just built by your grandfather. It was Hashirama Senju and Uchiha Madara. Together. In fact, the name 'Konoha' came from Madara. The title 'Hokage' was Hashirama's."

Tsunade's brows twitched at that. She didn't respond, but her gaze grew sharper.

Shisui couldn't see it. His eyes were long gone. But he continued, unfazed.

"Yes, I came to you, even knowing the risk. That you might report me to Konoha's ANBU. That you could kill me here and now."

"I came anyway. Because you were the only one who might understand."

A pause. His next words landed heavier.

"Because you've lost faith in the village too. Isn't that why you never went back?"

Shizune turned sharply toward Tsunade.

Her face remained unreadable, but Shizune had lived with her long enough to know Tsunade wasn't calm. Not even close.

The silence between them deepened until the cloaked shinobi spoke again, his voice quiet but steady.

"Senju and Uchiha. The two founding clans of Konoha."

"One erased, scattered in the name of merging with the people. The other cast out, painted as villains."

"The Uzumaki, Konoha's closest allies, were annihilated. No reinforcements sent. Not even a whisper of support."

"The White Fang was driven to suicide by the very people he protected."

"One of the Sannin turned rogue. The other two vanished from the village, refusing to return."

"The Fourth Hokage died barely a year after taking the title. And his son, the child he died to protect, is treated like a curse."

He paused.

"Rotten milk. Mouldy food. Cold stares. Loneliness."

"And that's just some of what's happened... and what's still happening."

"That's the reality. That's the 'Will of Fire' we were taught to believe in."

His voice was low, not trembling, not angry, but tired. Like someone who had watched too much and lived too little.

"When the tree leaves dance, one shall find flames. The fire's shadow will illuminate the village, and once again, tree leaves shall bud anew."

He quoted the old saying, almost like a prayer. Almost.

"It's supposed to mean the older generation protects the younger so they can grow strong and carry the flame forward."

"But from what I've seen, it's the young ones who keep dying."

"Again and again… and again. Sacrificed to protect a village full of those too old, too safe, or too blind to step forward themselves."

"In every war, the Third Hokage stayed behind the walls of the village. Yet they called him 'The Professor', 'The Strongest Hokage'. Meanwhile, fresh academy graduates were out there. Blown apart by explosive tags. Throats slit in ambushes before they ever understood the meaning of fear."

He didn't stop.

Couldn't.

"Danzo, the great 'shadow', only ever dragged the village deeper into darkness. All his 'Root' did was rot the very foundation it claimed to protect."

His voice was steady, yet full of something far more dangerous than rage—clarity. Like a dam finally breaking.

"And the Elders? Homura. Koharu. No legacy. No courage. Just parchment, ink, and the authority to send shinobi to die from the safety of their chairs."

He took a shaky breath, eyes locking onto Tsunade.

"You all saw it. You knew. But you didn't act. Why?"

His voice cracked, but not from weakness.

"Because fighting back meant fighting the very people you once trusted. The ones you thought cared about you."

A pause. The silence trembled.

"Jiraiya… he's a fool."

Shizune's eyes widened, but Tsunade didn't flinch.

"He speaks of peace, of the child of prophecy, of how someone will one day bring change. But what has he done? What change has he ever brought? Nothing. He pushes the burden onto others because he refuses to lift it himself."

There was venom in his tone, but no hatred. Just truth.

"He knew about the darkness. We all did. He saw it. And yet when the Nine-Tails broke free and the Fourth sacrificed himself… where was the Third?"

His eyes burned with pain.

"Why didn't he come to check on his student's son? Why didn't he see what Naruto was going through? Are you telling me he didn't know?"

A bitter laugh escaped him.

"He knew. He just chose to look away. Because that's easier than facing what the village has become. He's a hypocrite."

The silence in the room was suffocating, but Shisui's voice cut through it like a blade.

"And Orochimaru. The best candidate for Hokage, passed over. Instead, they chose Minato—a junior with barely any experience. Why?"

He clenched his fist.

"Because Orochimaru wouldn't be a puppet. Because he wouldn't follow orders."

He met Tsunade's unreadable gaze.

"They say he's a monster. That he has no emotions. But I don't believe that. I think he was hurt. Maybe even broken. And when Minato died, they still didn't give him the position. Why?"

His voice dropped to a whisper.

"Because he was too strong to control. Because the Elders feared him. So they branded him a traitor. Accused him of inhumane experiments on villagers."

Then came the question. The one neither of them wanted to ask.

"But tell me this, Tsunade. Do you really think the Third Hokage didn't know what Orochimaru was doing? Do you really believe it all happened without his permission?"

Shizune sucked in a sharp breath, but Tsunade's expression remained cold. Too cold. That alone betrayed how shaken she was.

Shisui didn't relent.

"And you."

He pointed at her. Not accusingly. Just tired.

"You knew how the Senju fell. One by one. Betrayed. Erased in the name of unity. Your own brother, gone. And still, you refused to take revenge. Why? Because this village was your grandfather's dream?"

His voice wavered, but not from fear.

"This village that devours its own. That feeds on the young and spits out corpses. A village where darkness spreads too deep for light to shine."

His breathing grew erratic. Strained.

"Is Hashirama's dream so sacred to you that you'd let everything else die for it? The lives of your friends, your family, your comrades. All sacrificed for a dream that no longer exists?"

"Is the village more important to you than the truth? More important than your brother? Than all the others who died with their names wiped clean and their deaths labelled as necessary losses?"

His knees buckled.

"Is it so important..."

But the last word never came. His body gave out, collapsing to the cold floor.

**************

Should I continue?