Chapter 8: Assimilation Begin
"Slurp…"
Shisui gagged, the thick, bitter liquid assaulting his senses like poison.
"What the hell is this…?" he coughed, nearly vomiting, but somehow managed to keep it down. He didn't want Shizune to have more work cleaning up after him.
"You'll need to drink this for a week," Shizune said, giving him a pitying smile. She knew exactly how awful it tasted.
"…Well, it's still better than being in Konoha," he muttered, half to himself.
At his words, Shizune's smile vanished completely.
She couldn't forget what he'd told them. Every word still echoed in her mind, and Tsunade's silence had confirmed all of it.
The village I call home… was built on that?
Tsunade hadn't been herself since that conversation. She was drinking even more now, her mood darker than ever.
After a long pause, Shizune finally spoke. "…Are you really going to destroy the village?"
Shisui didn't answer her directly.
Instead, he asked calmly, "You must've known Kakashi, right?"
Before she could reply, he continued.
"You remember what I said that day, about his father?"
"The White Fang of Konoha. Hailed as a legend. A kage-level powerhouse. His reputation was greater than even the Sannin. He was the ANBU commander. Prime candidate for the Fourth Hokage."
"Then he killed himself."
Shisui's voice was flat and emotionless.
"Because of criticism? Do you believe that?"
Shizune said nothing, but her silence was answer enough.
"No one that strong should be so fragile," he went on. "And yet, that's what they claimed. That he couldn't handle the backlash from one mission. One decision."
"Kakashi-senpai… he was the youngest graduate in Academy history. And every day, the people whispered to him. Reminded him how wrong his father was. That his hero had betrayed the village."
"Then one day, he came home. And he found his hero hanging from the ceiling."
Shisui's voice grew colder.
"Do you think that was a choice? Or a message?"
Shizune's lips parted, but no words came.
Shisui pressed on.
"If Sakumo really wanted to repay the village for his mistake… wouldn't it make more sense to survive and fight in the Third War? To keep killing enemies for Konoha?"
"Or did he choose death because someone convinced him, or forced him, that it was the only way to protect his son?"
His voice dropped to a whisper, laced with poison.
"Which one sounds more like the truth to you?"
Shizune's shoulders trembled slightly. "I… I don't know."
But she did know.
She couldn't say it, couldn't admit it, not out loud, but the look in her eyes told the truth. And Shisui wasn't waiting for a confession.
He turned away slightly, his voice low and rough.
"There are people… who were good to me," he muttered.
His eyes stared past the walls, past the village, into memories long buried.
"And I'm going to repay that kindness," he continued. The words were sharp and quiet, like a blade sliding into flesh. "No matter what it takes."
It wasn't addressed to Shizune. Not really.
It was a vow, whispered more to the ghosts that followed him than to the woman who sat beside him.
Shizune said nothing.
Sighing, she stood up and turned toward the door.
"You should rest now," she said quietly.
The door clicked shut behind her.
Silence returned.
Shisui opened the system interface, watching as the familiar digital glow lit up.
[Points: 15]
"Let's do it," he muttered.
As the counter dropped to 0, five cards slowly materialised before him, floating and flickering like translucent projections.
1. Matt Murdock (Marvel)
"…A blind man, huh? Was this fate?" he murmured, raising an eyebrow.
It would've been better if I had pulled Toph or Fujitora. Someone more absurdly overpowered. Still…
Something is better than nothing.
He pondered the sensory range. Daredevil's echolocation varied wildly depending on the writer. Sometimes just a few metres. Other times, the whole city.
2. Nichirin Sword (Demon Slayer)
That'll be useful… if I ever end up in that world.
3. Straw Hat (One Piece)
He paused.
"...Am I getting nostalgic?"
The sight of the worn hat stirred something strange in his chest. With his memories slowly returning, he could feel parts of his old self resurfacing. Emotions he had forgotten.
Was he… becoming childish again?
4. Doracake ×4 (Doraemon)
"Would've preferred the blue cat robot himself," he muttered.
5. Hei's Mask (Darker Than Black)
Seeing the card he thought , At least I got one proper card.
Who knows what would've happened if I'd done it separately?
Without wasting time, he moved.
His hand hovered over the Matt Murdock card, and with a single mental command, he slotted it into the Assimilation Slot.
[Template Assimilation in Progress…]
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Can someone do genjutsu vs Daredevil please?