Chapter 7: The Gamble That Lived
Shisui lay motionless on the bed, eyes closed. Then, suddenly, they opened.
Only to find the same unrelenting darkness.
A bitter reminder.
His vision was gone.
He heard the soft creak of a door opening and turned his head slightly.
He tried to sit up, but pain exploded through his body.
"Aghh—"
"Don't move!" a voice warned gently but firmly.
"Your body's covered in injuries… and the poison made it worse. Tsunade-sama had to work hard just to keep you alive."
Shisui let himself fall back, breath shallow.
"So… she saved me, huh," he muttered, almost to himself.
But the faint smile tugging at his lips gave him away.
It had been a gamble.
And he'd won.
"Yes," Shizune replied, stepping closer. "She decided to help you."
She paused, watching him.
Even now, hours later, she couldn't forget how frantic Tsunade had been while treating him.
And when they checked his vitals, they found something else too.
He was younger than her.
Barely more than a boy.
Before she could ask him anything, a sharp voice interrupted from the hallway.
"You're an Uchiha?"
Tsunade entered the room, her expression tight with emotion.
Shisui turned toward her voice. He didn't deny it.
"Yes, I am. How did you know?"
Tsunade's gaze darkened.
"Your eyes," she said.
"Even when they're gone, the Sharingan leaves its mark."
"I see," Shisui nodded slowly, as if he'd already anticipated her answer.
Then, with a faint smile tugging at the corner of his lips, he turned his head slightly in her direction.
"Do you regret it?"
Tsunade's gaze flickered, but she didn't answer.
Instead, she said coldly, "Just leave. Once you're healed, walk away and never come back."
Without waiting for a response, she turned on her heel and began to walk toward the door.
But Shisui wasn't finished.
"Have you decided?" he asked softly. The weight behind his words froze her in place.
She stopped, her back still to him.
"What?" she asked, her tone sharp, brows knitting into a frown as she turned halfway.
Shisui's voice was calm, almost gentle.
"Are you going to destroy Konoha with me?"
Tsunade scoffed, turning fully toward him this time, arms folded.
"Boy, just because I healed you doesn't mean I agree with you," she said coldly. "And destroying Konoha? Don't even dream of it."
Her eyes narrowed, voice laced with fire.
"This village has survived attacks from all the other Hidden Villages combined. It stood strong even then. You think just because two Sannin and Minato are gone, it's suddenly weak? If that's what you believe, then you don't understand this village at all."
Shisui didn't flinch. He stared up at the ceiling for a moment, then looked back at her with the same calm smile.
"I never claimed I understood it," he replied quietly. "After all, if I did, I wouldn't have lost my eyes."
He shifted slightly in the bed, pain flashing briefly across his face, but his tone stayed steady.
"And I've never underestimated Konoha. Not once."
He paused.
"Even one forbidden jutsu, the ability to summon the dead, is enough to stop most enemies if the village ever truly stands on the edge."
Tsunade's eyes widened the moment his words settled.
"You… know about that forbidden jutsu?" she muttered, stunned.
But the moment passed, and she scoffed, mocking and bitter.
"And even then, you still think Konoha can be destroyed?"
"Yes."
Shisui didn't even hesitate.
"And I'll be the one to do it."
He turned his head, dark eyes locked onto hers with an eerie serenity.
"Too many have died… some because of my actions. I can't undo that. But I can make up for it. Not with peace. Not with justice. But with retribution."
He drew in a slow breath.
"For every clan betrayed. Senju. Uzumaki. Hyūga. Uchiha."
His voice grew darker with every word.
"I'll make sure they pay a price they never imagined. The four parasites who have rotted this village from the inside… I will burn everything they built."
Tsunade stared into his hollow eyes—eyes that once belonged to a proud shinobi of Konoha, now cold and alien.
She didn't reply.
Instead, she turned her back to him with a tired sigh.
"Shizune... I'm going to the casino."
Shizune blinked. "Wha—now?"
But Tsunade was already halfway out the door.
Shizune looked between her retreating mentor and the battered boy on the bed.
"I'm sorry," she said softly. "I… I can't let her wander alone."
Shisui smiled faintly, almost amused. "It's fine. Go… before she vanishes."
With a conflicted glance, Shizune followed Tsunade, leaving him alone in the dimly lit room.
The silence returned, and so did the screen, only visible to him.
---
Name: Shisui Uchiha
Race: Human / Ōtsutsuki
Energy: Chakra
Gacha Points: 14
Gacha Mode: Normal (Unlocked) — [3 Points per Draw]
Assimilated: None
In Progress: None
---
He ignored the section showing jutsu, skills, or titles. None of that mattered right now.
His eyes narrowed as he focused on the numbers.
So… I've been unconscious for two days. It was 12 before.
He leaned back, a faint smirk playing on his lips.
So the system's passive regen works even when I'm unconscious...
Shisui's fingers twitched slightly, the muscles still aching with every minor movement.
"Four more points and I can do a five-card pull."
He stared at the floating interface above him with a half-smirk.
One by one feels like a waste. In every fanfic I've read, it's always the ten-pull or five-pull that lands the good stuff.
He knew it wasn't scientifically proven, but in a world where he had a literal Gacha system fused to his soul, superstition felt like logic.
That's why he hadn't drawn yet. Even back when he woke up near death or while wandering the border searching for leads, he'd held back.
If Tsunade hadn't healed me, I might've pulled it while chasing Orochimaru. He was the backup candidate after all…
Shisui's eyes narrowed.
Orochimaru. The genius who abandoned Konoha. Brilliant, dangerous, unpredictable.
If anyone understands the rot inside this village, it's him. But whether he'd help or turn me into a science experiment depends on how useful I can be.
He let out a soft sigh, trying to move but immediately regretted it as pain flared in his side.
Still too early to move.
He closed his eyes again—not to sleep, but to think.
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