"Could it be... are you a pervert?"
Shukaku's sudden words left Chizhao speechless for a moment.
She didn't know what expression to use to respond to his bold statement.
"Haha... it seems like what I said caused a misunderstanding. I'm actually under the Third Hokage's orders to monitor her."
Monitor?! So that's it!
So the gazes she had sensed all these years were real, not just her imagination!
At this moment, a crow suddenly flashed in her memory, the crow that led her when she fought Yu Chuanwu.
"Then... the crow that led me in the forest a year ago... was that you too?"
The mottled shadows of the trees fell on Uchiha Shisui's handsome face, and he nodded, his beautiful eyelashes fluttering slightly with his eyelids.
The clues in her mind became clearer.
Hiruzen, that old man, must have known everything, so he sent someone to monitor her.
"I'm very familiar with Chizhao's voice, but the other one... I don't know who it is..."
"The other one?"
Chizhao turned her gaze to Shukaku, her brows furrowing even more.
Uchiha Shisui had been monitoring her all along, yet he was completely unaware of Shukaku's existence?
Shukaku proudly puffed out its chest, cleared its throat, and prepared to introduce itself:
"This great one is..."
"Ah! He's... he's A-He! My... summoning beast! That's right!"
Looking at Shukaku's displeased expression, Chizhao put her hands together and winked at it vigorously.
Shukaku glared at Chizhao and silently gestured to her:
I'm a Tailed Beast! Not some simple summoning beast!
Chizhao: Bento! Bento! I'll treat you to bento!
Shukaku: Then I want ten servings!
Unexpectedly, Shukaku opened its mouth like a lion, and Chizhao secretly regretted it, clenching her fist.
The puzzled Shisui tilted his head slightly and frowned gently:
"Summoning beast? I'm really not aware of this..."
Before the still hesitating Chizhao could speak, Shukaku took over Shisui's words.
"Of course, this great one is..."
It deliberately dragged out the ending, looking at her provocatively.
Chizhao's heart trembled, and she nodded frantically: Deal, deal, deal!!
"The strongest summoning beast da! Not everyone can see it, oh."
Shukaku changed its tone, allowing Chizhao, who was in a state of high tension, to breathe a sigh of relief and relax her whole body.
Unknowingly, she was extorted for ten bento boxes by the stinky tanuki. Grandma Huizi would praise her as a good rice bucket.
Shisui slowly raised his head, his gaze penetrating the darkness in front of him, looking towards the distant sky.
"That's right, Jiraiya-sama has set up a barrier here, so I really have no way of knowing what's happening here."
Chizhao's pupils trembled slightly.
Barrier?
Scenes from the past quickly replayed in her mind:
【This is a good place, you can come here often whether you are training or not.】
She immediately understood Jiraiya's intention in having her build a small wooden house.
Jiraiya's big, carefree smile appeared in front of her eyes, and a corner of her heart seemed to be lit up by a brilliant star, falling into the softest part of her heart.
Chizhao felt a slight tingling in her nose, and she pursed her lips tightly, trying to swallow the emotion back.
No wonder this place has always been so safe, it turns out that Master has been protecting her all along.
"What's your name?"
Shukaku crossed its arms in front of its chest, its tail swaying gently.
"My name is Uchiha Shisui." Shisui paused, a bitter smile appearing on the corner of his mouth:
"Although I am very grateful to be saved by you, the current me is no different from a wisp of a dead soul."
Chizhao was speechless, knowing the whole story, she didn't know what identity to use to comfort Shisui.
She also couldn't casually say those innocent words.
This kind of inability to understand the pain in other people's hearts, words are just empty wind, just blowing past.
"Judging from what you said, it seems to be a conflict between you humans again. Tch! How boring, this great one is sleepy, I'm going to sleep first..."
The uninterested Shukaku stretched lazily, and feeling sleepy after not closing its eyes all night.
It found a comfortable place, lay on its back, and exited their conversation.
Chizhao withdrew her gaze from Shukaku and landed it on Shisui's calm face in front of her.
She opened her mouth, hesitated for a moment, and put her hand on his shoulder.
Sensing the sudden warmth, Shisui looked in the direction of the touch.
A clear voice rang in his ears:
"Jiraiya-sensei has gone on a journey, so this place is very safe. Shisui-nii can stay here for the time being!"
At this moment, the sky was clear, and the morning sun cast down from the gaps in the clouds, like fine threads, just shining on the two people under the shade of the trees.
Although Shisui couldn't see the sunlight, he could deeply feel the warmth transmitted through his skin.
Relying on this memory, he outlined Chizhao's face in his mind, and a gentle smile appeared on the corner of his mouth.
"You have always been a gentle child..."
Chizhao was stunned, her cheeks slightly red upon hearing Shisui's sincere praise.
Although the other party's eyes were closed, she could still feel his passionate gaze.
She quickly withdrew her hand and looked away in a panic.
Just as she didn't know how to respond, Shisui's soft voice came from in front of her:
"I was really happy to hear you call me Shisui-nii just now."
Chizhao didn't speak, she just quietly stared at his handsome face.
Under the sunlight, he seemed like a sunny young man integrated with nature, clean and beautiful, leisurely enjoying the tranquility around him with his eyes closed.
"Because I often come to see you, after a long time, I unknowingly regarded you as my younger sister..."
"It might sound a little strange to you to say this... but whenever I see you happy, I can't help but feel happy myself..."
"When I jumped off the cliff yesterday, I was regretting that I might never see you, this younger sister I had never met... I didn't expect to meet in this way..."
Shisui paused, the silence around him made him feel a little flustered.
"Haha... I'm sorry, I must have caused you trouble... After all, suddenly a suspicious person with blindness says that he regards you as his younger sister or something..."
"It's okay."
In the dark world, Shisui felt the warm touch on the back of his hand, and he was stunned in place.
"Shisui-nii helped me before and safely sent me home, so he must be a very good person!"
Although she felt a little uncomfortable hearing that she had been monitored all along.
But if it was the kind Shisui, then it wasn't unforgivable, right?
A breeze blew past, and the sound of leaves rubbing against each other was relaxing. Shisui took out his right hand and accurately pressed it on Chizhao's head, gently rubbing it.
"Thank you, Chizhao. Then I'll have to trouble you from now on."
"No trouble! Shisui-nii can first move into the small wooden house I recently built. I also brought you food, you can eat it when you're hungry later..."
Chizhao, who was bursting with a desire to share, took out things from her backpack and kept stuffing them into Shisui's arms.
Feeling the girl's enthusiasm, Shisui, who was about to be unable to hold the things, smiled helplessly.
He sat up and held the things firmly in his arms, trying to avoid dropping them on the ground.
The constantly rising humidity around him flowed through Shisui's other senses, and he reflexively estimated the time in his mind.
After thinking for a while, he frowned and freed one hand to grab Chizhao's wrist.
"What's wrong, Shisui-nii? Is there something you don't like to eat?"
Looking at Shisui's serious face, Chizhao was a little confused.
"Chizhao, I remember you have to go to school today, right..."
As soon as these words came out, Chizhao covered her cheeks in shock, and a thunderbolt struck down on the background board.
How could she have forgotten about this?!
If Grandma Huizi didn't see her downstairs, she would definitely come to her room to call her!
"Sorry, Shisui-nii! I'm going back to school now! I'll come see you later!"
She hurriedly shook out all the food, slung her empty backpack, and ran madly towards the outside of the forest.
Shisui stood up from the ground with the food in his arms and loudly instructed in the direction where the sound was leaving:
"Be careful on the road!"
"I know!"
As the sound faded away, Shisui still smiled and stared ahead.
But the darkness in front of him couldn't help but make his heart heavy again.
His thumb stroked the packaging bag in his hand, and recalling that he had entrusted his eyes to his close friend yesterday, he couldn't help but feel worried for him.
Itachi, I'm very sorry that I can't contact you now.
But, the future of the Uchiha is entrusted to you.