Pre-Pursuit of Itachi

Shisui and Tayuya, The Two of Them Had Become Even Closer, Tayuya Revealed She Was Now Pregnant, With His Child. Momentous News, Insofar as The Uchiha Clan Was Concerned. Either Way Tayuya's Protection Was Now His Second-Highest Priority. But Shisui Was Also Focused on The Future of The Uchiha Clan. That Being Said, He, Itachi, and Sasuke Were The Last Known Uchiha Alive. He Knew for A Fact His Father Was Alive, But Needed A Way to Draw Him Out, and One Thing Sprung to Mind, though it was Downright Despicable. "Shisui? What's The Deal with You and Sasuke?" Asks Jūgo, Which Draws Shisui From His Thoughts. "What Do You Mean?" Asks Shisui. "You Two Are The Last Of Your Clan, Like Me, But Your Reasons and Methods Are Completely, So What's The Deal?" Asks Jūgo. "Sasuke and I Were Separated After The Uchiha Massacre, I Was Sent to The Hidden Sand, While Sasuke Remained In The Leaf Village. I Inherited The Will of Fire, Sasuke Didn't." Says Shisui Distantly. "But That Doesn't Explain Your Difference of Methods, How Is It You Can Sustain Life-Threatening Injuries and Even Take A Blade to The Heart, and Still Live? Or How You Can Move So Damn Fast?" Says Jūgo.

"My Father Was Born In The Warring States Period, He Was Half-Uchiha and Half-Senju. His Father, My Grandfather Was Izuna Uchiha, Madara's Younger Brother, Because of His Parentage He Was Raised Differently Than Most Uchiha, He Raised Me the Same Way. We're Both Immortals, and We've Both Endured the Same Harsh Training." Says Shisui as He Slips Out of His Shirt to Show his Countless Scars and Burn Marks. "Must Have Been Some Training." Says Jūgo. "Yeah, Not Entirely Pleasant, But It Was Worth It, I Endured More Pain doing that Training Than I Have By Stabbing Myself in the Heart." Says Shisui as He Re-Dons His Shirt and Cloak Before Leaning Against A Tree.

"But Why is It Sasuke Is So Focused on Keeping Suigetsu From Killing, but Doesn't Bother to Stop or Reprimand You When Kill People?" Asks Jūgo. "Because Between The Two Of Us, I've Been Training Brutally and Mercilessly Since The Suna Academy. And Ultimately Between The Two of Us, I've More Skill, and I've More Training. I Can Use Four Chakra Nature Kekkei Genkai At Once, All The While, With One Arm and No Eyes." Says Shisui as Suigetsu and Tayuya Show Up. Tayuya Cuddles Up To Shisui, and He Wraps His Cloak Around Her, To Keep Her Warm and Close. "So Shisui, You've Faced Him Before Right? Itachi I Mean?" Asks Suigetsu as He Sits Next To Jūgo and Shisui's Face Darks and Tightens. "Three Times. I Was Nine Years Old When He Killed Our Clan, He Murdered My Mother In Cold Blood, Right In Front of Me. Then He Made Me Relieve The Events With Tsukuyomi Mentally For Twelve Weeks, In The Span of Three Seconds of Real Time. Itachi Uses His Mangekyõ Sharingan to Cast Tsukuyomi an Extremely Dangerous and Lethal Genjutsu. He Also Uses Amaterasu, Something To Avoid Being Hit By, Avoid It Like the Plague." Says Shisui as He Relives The Events Of the Past.

"What's Amaterasu?" Asks Jūgo. "A Fire So Hot it Consumes Fire-Style and Even Lava-Style itself and Keeps Burning Like Nothing was beating it Back. Besides Itachi, I Only Know That I Can Use it As Well, But Like Itachi I Have it in A Single Eye. But I Can Use My Experience With The Mangekyõ Sharingan and Having Grown Up Watching its Use, To Control the Flames Intensity, Shape, Potency and Where The Go. Generally I Infuse it With My Rasengan and Kamui, For Maximum Effect and Damage." Says Shisui as He Forms A Rasengan in His Right Hand Before It Becomes Alight In Flames of Deep Black and Looks like it is Continuously Imploding in On Itself and Re-Expanding Microscopically Every Second. "Whoa! I Have Never Seen A Jutsu Like That Before!" Says Suigetsu In Astonishment.

"It's A Hidden Leaf Secret Technique. Only A Few Can Use It, and Fewer Still Successfully and Safely. It Was Developed by The Lord Fourth Hokage, After Gaining Inspiration from The Ultimate Tailed-Beast Technique. It Took Lord Fourth Three Years to Simply Perform and Several More to Perfect. He Then Taught it To His Sensei. His Sensei Who Was A Student of the Previous Hokage, and Teammate of Orochimaru, Then Taught it To Me and The Fourth's Son. It's The Highest A-Rank Technique Ever Developed, Simply Because It's The Highest Form of Shape Transformation in Current Existence." Says Shisui as He Evaporates The Technique. "So Are You and Tayuya Together?" Asks Jūgo out of The Blue. Tayuya Was, At This Point, Asleep in His Arms. "Yeah, She's Carrying My Child. So I Have Two Extra Goals to Ensure Succeed Now. But Talk to Me Tomorrow, I Need To Sleep." Says Shisui as He Relaxes and Begins to Nod off with Tayuya In His Arms.

Shisui and Tayuya Had Slept a Deep Sleep in Each Others Arms. They Were Kept Suitably Warm and Comfortable From Shisui's Cloak. It Was Once His Grandmothers, Who Passed it Down To His Father, who had it Re-Weaved. The New Cloak Was Special Because it Had Several Different Layers, The Inside Was A Special Velvet That Was Special Because of the Silk and Linen Woven into It. Behind That Was High-Quality Wool That Was Specially Farmed and Created By The Nara and Yamanaka Clans. The Wool Could Endure The Frigidity of The Lands of Snow and Iron Combined, The Heat of The Land of Wind and Steam Combined, and Because of A Special Semi-Metallic Fiber Woven Over, Under, and In Between The Wool and itself. This Fiber Was Forged Very Rarely, Once Every Few Decades. It Was Durable and Strong Enough Not To Break in Any Shape or Form, All The While Remaining Light As Air and More Flexible Than Orochimaru. Because of The Cloaks Composition and Material, Shisui Could Use It To Shield Himself Or Others From Any Fire Other Than Amaterasu, Any Ice So Cold it Melts Skin. But It's Crown Jewel In His Opinion Was That Because The Fibers Are Chakra Absorbant, He Can Dispel Any Chakra-Enhanced Blade or Taijutsu Attack or Even Jutsu Like Chidori or Lightning Cutter, He Can Simply Catch The Cloak onto Such Things and It Sucks The Chakra Flowed into it, before Redistributing it To him.

In Essence The Cloak Was Like Samehada, Except it Was Cloak Rather Than Weapon. In Any Event, Shisui Awoke to Find Tayuya Gone and Only Jūgo Waiting Where He Was When He Dozed off. "Where Are The Others?" Asks Shisui. "Karin and Suigetsu Went To Gather Supplies, Tayuya Went With them. Sasuke Said He Wanted a Bit of Time to Reflect." Says Jūgo Immediately. "Huh, Well, In That Case, Up For A Bit of Training?" Asks Shisui." What Do You Have In Mind?" Asks Jūgo. "Simple Sparring, I'm Curious To Know How Long You Can Retain Your Serenity and Calmness. No Sharingan, No Ninjutsu or Genjutsu." Says Shisui as He Adopts A Loose, Yet Firm Stance. "Alright." Says Jūgo as He Adopts His Own Stance. Shisui Drops His Stance to Activate Something, His Byakugan!!! "Hey I Thought You Said No Sharin.....Ugh!" Jūgo Tries To Say Before Shisui Gut Punches Him. "I Said No Sharingan, Never Said No Byakugan. Sides, Mom Was Hyuga. Shisui says As He Simultaneously Back Sweeps Jūgo's Feet Out From under Him.

Jūgo Lands on his Back Lightly and Shisui Holds out His Hand For Him. Jūgo Accepts it and Shisui Pulls Him Up. "Try Again." Shisui Says Warmly with A Smile. Jūgo Tries Charging Him, But Shisui's Both Quicker, Stronger, and More Experienced. As Such, Shisui Evades Every Strike with His Hands Behind His Back, and Without Landing Any Strike or Kick. Switching Tactics, Jūgo Tries to Catch Him Off Guard with a Lumbering Charge, before Giving Him a Fast backhand. Shisui However Dodges and Lifts His Flattened Foot a Few Inches and Subsequently Trips Jūgo. Once More He Holds A Hand For Jūgo. "Try Again." Says Shisui, and They Begin Again. And Again. And Again. And Again. Right Up Until Shisui Calls an End to it and Helps Jūgo Up, Steadying Him and Letting Him Regain his Balance.

"How Is It You Can Move So Fast? And Know My Attacks Before I Do?" Asks Jūgo. "Experience Means Nothing Without Suitable Skill, Just As Skill Means Nothing Without Suitable Experience Jūgo of The Scales. You Have A Heart of Flowers, But Your Kekkei Genkai Is Uncontrollable and Dampens Your Sanity. I Can Help You Overcome This Weakness, All I Ask is You Protect Tayuya and Sasuke In My Absence. But Should You Face A Decision between the Two, I Ask You To Protect Tayuya. Interested?" Asks Shisui as He Holds His Hand out for Jūgo to Shake. "When Can We Start?" Jūgo Asks Seconds Before He Takes it. "Follow Me." Says Shisui as He Leaves A Note for Sasuke and The Others, before Walking Away.

Shisui Took Jūgo to A Nearby Waterfall and Spring. "Watch This." Says Shisui as He Bites His Thumb Hard Enough To Draw Blood, and Makes Several Hand Signs, Before Planting His Hands Flat on The Ground. "Ninja Art: Toad Summoning Jutsu!" Says Shisui As Massive Smoke Erupts and Gamabunta Appears. "Shisui? Why'd You Summon Me? Is There a Battle?" Asks Bunta. "Not Quite, Chief. Allow Me To Introduce Jūgo of The Scales. He Has An Unusual Kekkei Genkai Ability. His Body Constantly Absorbs External Energy, and When He Uses it, He Becomes Mentally Unstable. Orochimaru Used The Enzyme in His Blood to Perfect the Curse Marks, and Believe it or Not, Jugo Went Willingly To Him and His Experiments." Says Shisui as Jūgo Steps Forward. "Why Would You Do That Boy?! You Have Met The Leaf's Viper Sannin Haven't You?" Demands Bunta. "Chief, Listen Carefully, Jūgo is The Gentlest Soul I've Met since Gamatatsu. But He Has So Little Control Over His Ability That He Sometimes Can't Keep Control over it. He Massacred A Whole Village Before Joining Orochimaru, After That, Jūgo Decided That he'd Live in Isolation Far From Others." Says Shisui. "Hmm, I've Heard of This Before. We Of Mount Myõbõkū, Have A Somewhat Standard Sage Art Transformation Ability. Standard as In That it is Generally the Standard Sage Form Used. But The Snakes of Ryūchi Cave, They Have their Own Method. Like Us They Have A Great Sage, Their's is The Great White Snake Sage. While We Teach Would-Be Sages to Draw Natural Energy Into Themselves through Various Methods, The Snake Sage Bites A Supplicant to Inject Them With The Natural Energy. If Their Body Manages To Survive The So-Called Snake-Fication, They Are Taught by the Sage, if not, they're Devoured." Says Bunta. "I Assume The Cave is Between Myõbõkū and Shikkõtsū Forest?" Shisui Asks Bunta. "Yes, but Be Forewarned, There Are Several Trials You Must Face if Your To Reach The Sage of The Cave." Says Bunta before returning Home.

"We have Our Destination. Come Jūgo." Says Shisui. "How'd You Plan On Getting To this Cave?" Jūgo Asks. "You'll See."Says Shisui as He and Jūgo Return to Camp, To Find Sasuke Already There. "Where'd You Two Go?" Asks Sasuke. "To Speak to an Old Friend. Listen Do Me A Favour and Summon Manda?" Shisui Asks. Sasuke Goes to Ask Why, But He Sees The Look in his Cousin's Eye and Nods. "Ninja Art: Snake Summoning Jutsu!" Says Sasuke as Manda Appears Looking Hungry. "Now What?" Asks Sasuke and Turns To See Two Shisui's. "I'm Going To Speak To Manda's Boss, My Shadow Clone'll Have to Suffice Until I Return." Says One Shisui Before He Takes Off Up To Manda's Head and Waves To Sasuke and Jūgo, Right Before He Disappears with The Murderous Snake Back To It's Cave.

"You'd Better Let Me Eat You Uchiha! Like You Said You Would!" Snaps Manda. "You Will If All Doesn't Go Smoothly, Like I Said." Says Shisui and The Come Before A Giant Old White Snake. "What's This? Bringing Your Meals Home Manda?" Asks The Snake. "Great Sage, I Am Shisui Hashirama Uchiha II. You Once Tutored My Father, Zaskuare in your Peoples Form of Sage Art, After His Training With The Toads." Says Shisui. "Yes, I Remember Zaskuare, Bright Boy. Your His Son Are You? I Can Only Assume you Wish to Become A Sage like Him." Says the Sage. "Yes and No Respected One. I Have A Friend Named Jūgo, a Former Subordinate of Orochimaru. His Clan has A Unique Kekkei Genkai Which Allows them to Passively and continuously Absorb Natural Energy. According to His Research, Orochimaru Discovered Your Home to be the Source of This Kekkei Genaki." Says Shisui. "If it is as You Say, then He is Indeed Who I Suspect him to Be. Only A Sage Like Your Father Can Truly Control Him." Says the Snake Sage. "Then Please Begin The Transformation." Says Shisui as The Snake Shifts Around before biting Shisui and Injecting the Natural Energy into Him.

Shisui Stifles A Cry of Pain as The Sage Bites him. He Feels the Natural Energy Into His Body. It Surges Through Him, Transforming Some of His Physiology. But His Unique Gene Tree adapts to this Intrusion quickly Even As he Becomes More Snake Like, Shisui's Body Becomes More Like it Was before being bit. His Senju Ancestry, and Something Else, Stem the Transformation Granting Him Snake Sage Power, but keeping him Human, More-Or-Less. "That's.................A First" Comments The Sage as Shisui Raises His Head and His Rinnegan Has Merged With Sage Mode. "Leave Us Manda, This Boy has Succeeded Unlike Any Other Before Him." Says the Sage as Manda Grudgingly Leaves. "Let Us begin Respected One." Says Shisui As He Sits With His Legs Crossed before the Sage.

Shisui Had Spent A Week Training Under The Snake Sage. The Sage Taught Him Many Things, Things About The Sage Arts, Jūgo's Clan, His Father and His Bloodline, and Countless Jutsu. But The Sage Had Bestowed Upon Him A Rare Honor, Granting Him A Summoning Contract With The Sage's Grandson, Aoanda. Aoanda Had Proven to be Polar Opposites with Manda. Aoanda Was Polite, Friendly, and More Similar to Gamakichi than Anything Else. They Got Along Rather Well so far. But Shisui Had A Duty To Return to Sasuke and Tayuya. So With His Training Complete, He Returned to Sasuke.

Shisui Reappeared With Sasuke and Tayuya Just as His Shadow Clone Vanished. "I'm Back." Says Shisui as Sasuke Nods. "Good, The Hunt Begins Now." Says Sasuke as He Leads the Way. Shisui Turns to See Tayuya and Karin Giving Suigetsu an Earful. "Somethings Just Don't Change Do They? Jūgo?" Notes Shisui. "Nope." Confirms Jūgo. "What'd You Find Out?" Jūgo Asks. "Much, but We'll Talk More Later." Says Shisui as He Continues To Follow Sasuke