Oblivion Rain (Naruto fanfic, Shisui Uchiha Story)

Prologue

Greetings, dear readers. I'm Airin Uchiha, and I'll be your guide on this journey. The author has kindly granted me the opportunity to narrate this story from the perspective of a young heiress, expected to carry on the Uchiha clan's legacy. 

Meeting these expectations proved to be an insurmountable challenge for me; perhaps I don't truly belong among the Uchiha.

Our tale unfolds in Konohagakure, the hidden village within the Land of Fire, one of the five Great Shinobi Countries. Each hidden village is led by a kage, who wields significant power and authority. In Konoha, the Hokage holds this esteemed position, with seven having served in its history. Despite its reputation as a formidable village, Konoha had enjoyed years of relative peace and stability – or so we thought.

"Shisui, you must care for the children while the other Jonin and I handle the situation," commanded Kagami Uchiha's voice within the cave.

Kagami sighed, visibly irritated by his son's persistent pleas. "But, Father, I..."

An explosive shockwave rattled the cave's walls and ceiling, threatening to crumble around us. The children in the bunker scrambled to avoid the dust and debris. Many civilians had sought refuge in this safe zone, which was among the closest to the Uchiha Grounds.

"Shisui, I won't argue with you further," Kagami-san sighed. "Your duty is to stay here and protect the children."

"But, Otōsan, I want to assist you and the other shinobi in defending our village," Shisui argued, clenching his fists.
"Who will watch over the other children here? Shisui, this is an order! Not from your father but from your superior!" Kagami silenced him, thoroughly annoyed.
Shisui dropped his hands and nodded. "Very well. I'll remain here."

"A wise choice," Kagami vanished without another word.

Seated on the ground, Shisui stared at the dirt wall, his eyes fixed on the ground. Outside, the chaos persisted, with cries, screams, and explosions piercing through the hideout's walls. Shisui and I were separated by just one year, but the gap in our abilities was vast. He had awakened his Sharingan early on during a tragic mission that claimed the lives of his entire squad. Shisui graduated from the academy last year and honed his skills in genjutsu. Many in the Leaf Village believed he had the potential to become Hokage, but I suspected that Shisui's ambitions lay elsewhere. Among the Uchiha, I remained largely unnoticed. After my parents perished in a mission meant to forge alliances with other clans in Kumogakure, Uncle Fugaku and Aunt Mikoto Uchiha took me in. Uncle Fugaku trained me in the Uchiha clan's ways, but despite my arduous efforts, I couldn't produce a single flame. After rigorous training, Fugaku concluded that I lacked the fire release chakra nature, a notion that felt far-fetched. Perhaps I wasn't truly an Uchiha after all.

The ground shook again, this time causing a portion of the ceiling to collapse. The children scurried for safety, and I edged closer to Shisui. His kunai remained firmly planted in the wall.
"Shi-Shisui. I-I'm sc-scared," I stammered, hugging him from behind and resting my head on his neck. Initially, he tensed, but then he relaxed.

"It's okay, Airin. I'm scared too." We sat together in silence for what seemed like an eternity, and eventually, I drifted off to sleep...."Airin," someone nudged my shoulder.

"Yes, Shisui?" I asked, stretching and yawning.
"Oh, I wanted to talk to you," Miko informed me.

Miko had been my first friend at the Ninja Training Academy, and our friendship blossomed after I met Shisui.

"Shisui ignored his father's orders and went to find him on the front lines!"

"Wait, what?" I shot up. "Oh, dear. This is very bad." I began pacing in circles. "Miko, I'm leaving you in charge of looking after the other children. I'm going after Shisui."