The morning mist in the forest grew warm as the sun climbed, but a damp, heavy chill lingered in the deeper thickets.
Shisui Aburame leaped across the massive tree trunks, his movements becoming faster and more fluid with every stride. Behind him, Kazuya Mori's landings grew heavier, his breath hitching into ragged gasps.
"Shisui... what exactly is this mission? Why the rush? Huff... huff..."
"We'll talk once we're clear of the village perimeter."
"At least tell me where we're going!"
"West."
"West where? The Grass Country front? Or the River Country?" Kazuya stumbled slightly. "Hey... wait up! I'm still injured, you know!"
Seeing the gap between them widening, Kazuya pushed himself into a final sprint and intercepted Shisui, standing firmly in his path.
"Shisui, something feels wrong. We just finished a mission; we should be on leave. Why would you suddenly get a new assignment? You're usually the first one to advocate for rest. You never rush like this."
Kazuya wiped sweat from his brow, his eyes narrowing as logic took hold. "Besides, I'm not recovered, and we just lost two teammates.
We haven't even been assigned a new captain. How did a fractured squad like ours get a mission? Standard protocol says we should be merged into a new unit first."
The more Kazuya spoke, the more the reality of the situation unraveled. Finally, he looked Shisui in the eye, his gaze flickering with a rare, painful suspicion. "Ever since we left the gate... have you been trying to shake me off?"
"Shisui, what are you actually doing?"
"You caught on."
Shisui blurred, appearing behind Kazuya to deliver a knockout blow, but Kazuya—primed by instinct—dove forward, narrowly avoiding the strike.
"Don't try to knock me out! Tell me why!"
"It is exactly what it looks like."
Shisui didn't want to waste any more time. The outer forests were patrolled by ANBU—the final barrier to his freedom. He turned to flee, but Kazuya screamed with a desperation that echoed through the trees: "Shisui! Stop!"
Shisui halted.
He knew that if he let Kazuya continue to make a scene, the patrol would be on them in minutes. He turned as Kazuya caught up, doubled over, and wheezing.
Before Kazuya could speak, Shisui spoke his full name. "Kazuya Mori."
"Yeah?"
"Have you ever thought about dying?"
Kazuya froze for a second, then forced a laugh. "Why bring that up so suddenly? We're ninjas; death is part of the job. But I'm a Chunin now, I won't go down that easily."
Seeing that his friend still didn't understand, Shisui shook his head. He laid it bare: "What if it was the person you consider your best friend who was going to kill you?"
The smile died on Kazuya's face. He scratched his head with his one good hand, letting out a couple of awkward, hollow chuckles.
"Shisui... man, I didn't know you had a sense of humor. Heh... you really scared me there."
The laughter trailed off into a heavy silence. Shisui wasn't smiling.
"The mission is a lie. I am defecting."
"I know," Kazuya whispered, his voice trembling. "But we haven't left the village territory yet. It's not too late to turn back. Tell me what happened. Whatever it is, we can solve it together!"
"Shisui, do you know what happens to rogue ninjas? Hunted by the entire world, living in shadows forever. You're only eighteen! You have a brilliant future. Your promotion is coming any day now, you're practically a Special Jonin—"
"The Northern front is failing, the Root took heavy hits, and Elder Danzo hand-picked me." Shisui cut him off, his voice flat and cold.
"Danzo? He's just a consultant, isn't he? And what is 'Root'? Isn't that just a branch of the ANBU?"
"You understand nothing. They would turn me into a tool. No name. No self. Only a code."
Kazuya's face paled as the pieces clicked. Self-loathing washed over him. "So... it's because of me? I didn't know. I thought that by reporting your contribution, you'd be made a squad leader... that we could stay together. I just wanted—"
"Shisui, go to the Hokage. He'll have a solution."
"He knows. The fact that my promotion hasn't been signed means he's already looked the other way. Once I'm under Danzo's jurisdiction, I'm no longer his concern. My rank wouldn't matter anyway."
"Why you?"
"Perhaps someone 'better' than me needed to stay, and they weighed the pros and cons and made a trade."
It was a cynical guess, but in the world of shinobi, the darkest assumption was usually the closest to the truth.
"So," Kazuya's voice was a mere breath, "are you really going to kill me?"
"I gave you chances to stay behind."
"Then why tell me all this? With your strength, you could have finished me instantly."
"Yes," Shisui admitted. "I was... overcoming it."
Killing an enemy was easy. Killing a hostile stranger was easy. But killing the person who had stood by him for five years, who gave him total, unwavering trust? That was hard.
Shisui flickered, appearing directly in front of Kazuya. Kazuya didn't dodge; his body merely tensed.
"You should have signaled the patrol the moment you sensed I was defecting," Shisui said softly. "As a ninja, you've failed."
"But if I did that, I'd lose you forever. Shisui, stop joking. This isn't funny. Come back with me... please? We'll figure it out."
"We were never walking the same path, Kazuya. And... thank you, for that final bit of trust. Goodbye."
Shisui placed his hands on Kazuya's face. A tide of grey insects erupted from his sleeves, pouring into Kazuya's ears and flooding his brain before swarming over his head and body.
The insects began their feast from the inside out, simultaneously secreting a potent toxin to paralyze the nerves. Kazuya felt nothing. No pain, no betrayal—only a sudden, total numbness.
Three seconds later, Kazuya Mori was gone.
All that remained was a clean, white skeleton. Not a drop of blood stained the grass. A brand-new Chunin flak jacket hung loosely over the bones, and the bandages on the left arm remained pristine and white.
Shisui gently placed the skull on the ground. He pressed his palms together and bowed his head in a silent, brief prayer.
Logically, he should have dealt with Kazuya the moment they left the gates. But five years of companionship, no matter how much he tried to remain detached, had left a mark. Kazuya's warmth had been a terrifyingly persistent thing.
"Sigh... I almost let myself get infected," Shisui said with a faint smile. He reached up to wipe a tear from the corner of his eye, but his fingers came away dry. There were no tears to be found.