[Mad Tiger] Chapter 55

Naruto’s tense voice cut through the thick silence like a kunai. "What happened to Sakura?!"

Even the campfire seemed to burn quieter, and the rain outside had stopped its rhythmic tapping against the rocky ground. Sasuke wasn’t even breathing, frozen like a statue.

"Relax. She’s just asleep," Shisui said, his Sharingan still gleaming from the shadows. "I put her under a genjutsu so she wouldn’t interrupt our conversation."

"Who… are you…?" Sasuke rasped like the words were caught in his throat.

Poor guy probably felt like his world was tilting. Ninja life 101—if you screw up, don’t expect anyone to wipe your tears.

"You don’t recognize me?" Shisui huffed softly, stepping forward into the firelight.

"This… this isn’t possible," Sasuke whispered, taking a shaky step back. "You’re dead!"

"You know him, Sasuke?!" Naruto stage-whispered, clearly thrown off. "Wait, so this isn’t Itachi?"

"No," Sasuke flinched at his brother’s name before glaring at Shisui. "This is my cousin, Shisui. He supposedly took his own life right before Itachi… did that." His voice dripped with unspoken rage. "Itachi was blamed for Shisui’s death. And a few days later…" He clenched his fists. "But now it makes sense! Itachi couldn’t have done it alone! I was only eight, but I’ve thought about it so much since then. It’s obvious now!"

Well, given the information Sasuke had, his conclusion was actually pretty logical.

"So that’s what you remember…?" Shisui murmured thoughtfully, rubbing his chin.

That’s when I realized—unlike me, who had literally watched Sasuke’s version of events in the anime, Shisui was piecing things together in real-time. He must’ve suspected, but without concrete proof, he didn’t know exactly how Konoha had rewritten history. And as far as actual witnesses went, there was only one: Uchiha Sasuke.

"What do you mean ‘that’s what you remember’?" Naruto asked, tugging on Sasuke’s sleeve. He’d caught that phrasing immediately. "Are you saying there’s a different version? Did we forget something?" He turned to me then, his blue eyes sharp. "Tora-chan, do you know something?"

I puffed up importantly since everyone was looking at me and gave a solemn nod.

"It seems Tora-san has been trying to tell you," Shisui tilted his head. "But even I don’t know how to explain it all, and I can actually talk. I don’t even know if you’ll believe me."

"You know Tora-chan?!" Sasuke and Naruto asked in unison.

"Of course," Shisui replied, nodding. "Tora-san is the personal cat of the Fire Daimyo’s family. For the past four years, I’ve been serving as one of the Twelve Guardian Ninja." He gestured to his belt, where a white triangular cloth bearing the Fire Country emblem was tied. "Tora-san is… special. He’s incredibly smart. I was personally involved in some of his training—if you can even call it that. Even as a kitten, he was sharp, picked things up quickly. He’s about two years old now. Still young, but already accomplished."

Hearing someone speak so highly of me? Ah, music to my ears. I casually strolled over and stretched out by the fire, enjoying the stunned expressions on my boys’ faces.

"You’re saying our cat is only two years old?" Sasuke looked at Naruto, both of them clearly thrown off. "But… he told us he’s an Uchiha!"

"That’s right," Shisui nodded. "Tora-san was given to Madam Shijimi by Uchiha Yakumi in the middle of the sixth month, two years ago."

Sasuke and Naruto exchanged glances.

"He’s stronger than both of us," Naruto pointed out. "If this is a trap, we’re already caught."

Sasuke gave a sullen nod. They hesitated for a moment but eventually sat down across from Shisui. I ended up between the older and younger Uchiha—like a buffer.

"Tora-chan, you’re really only two?" Naruto asked suddenly, looking at me. I nodded. Just to make it crystal clear, I swiped my paw through the dirt, drawing two little lines.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "Tora-chan, do you actually know Shisui? Can you confirm what he’s saying?"

I nodded again.

Naruto leaned in and whispered (not well enough, given my superior feline hearing), "This is like that thing with the canned food, remember?"

Oh! Oh! He actually remembered! My tail flicked in excitement.

"What’s this about canned food?" Shisui asked, curious.

"Alright, tell him!" I urged.

Naruto nodded. "Tora-chan kept leading us to the Uchiha district. We weren’t sure what we were looking for, but we found some weird stuff. Like fresh Autumn Equinox festival snacks. And imported canned food with a production date after the massacre was supposed to have happened."

Shisui exhaled, giving me an approving look. "I’m glad you had doubts and found some small pieces of the truth on your own," he said. "Because the massacre of the Uchiha clan did not happen four years ago. It happened much more recently. Seven months ago, during the Autumn Equinox."

"What?!" Both Sasuke and Naruto practically screamed, their eyes blown wide.

"Seven months?" Sasuke’s voice cracked as he clenched his fists. "But… I remember…"

"Your memories were altered," Shisui said softly. "The last time I saw you was four years ago, right before I became a Guardian Ninja. I didn’t commit suicide. But I returned to Konoha when I learned what was happening… I just wasn’t fast enough to stop it."

"Altered memories? But how?" Naruto demanded.

"If you try to think about anything from the past four years, your mind automatically plays the same ‘flashbacks.’ You can’t recall specific details. Either there are massive gaps, or your memories are generalized. Think about it. Try remembering the last few months. And the time before that."

"I tried," Sasuke admitted suddenly, voice low. "But all I ever see is the massacre. Every time I think about my past, that’s all that comes up. I only started thinking about other things when Tora-chan and… Naruto showed up."

"For me, it was the same," Naruto murmured. "Whenever I thought about my past, all I could see was how much everyone hated me. It was constant. Never-ending."

"Can you even remember moving into your apartment? Where your stuff came from? The small everyday things?" Shisui asked carefully. "Do you remember learning to read? To write? Do you have any memory of a time when you were too young to take care of yourself?"

Naruto fell silent. Deep in thought.

"No," he admitted finally. "Just this constant… emptiness. And my apartment… I just felt like I’d always lived there. Like it was normal. I never questioned it. Like, I don’t question where the water comes from when I brush my teeth."

"Exactly," Sasuke muttered. "But that could just be trauma. Some people block things out, like war veterans. They either bury it under fake cheerfulness, like that ‘eternal rival’ of Kakashi-sensei…"

"Or they obsess over it," Naruto finished grimly. "And spend half their lives at the cemetery."

"Alright, let’s say our memories were tampered with," Sasuke crossed his arms. "But what about our friends? Did someone rewrite their memories too? You’d think they’d have noticed or at least dropped some hints."

And that, my dear boys, was the million-ryo question.

"You’re absolutely right, Sasuke," Shisui allowed himself a small smile. "Have you ever heard of the Mangekyo Sharingan?"

"The… Mangekyo Sharingan?" Sasuke echoed, swallowing hard. "I… yeah. My brother showed me his eyes. That night… And before that, I saw them when he fought with our father and the other Uchiha about your death."

"On that day, during last year’s Autumn Equinox festival, a specific genjutsu technique was activated," Shisui said grimly. "A secret technique of our clan, Sasuke. It altered the memories of everyone in Konoha and the surrounding areas. Most people didn’t even notice, because the changes revolved around a single, secluded clan. And just like that, it became ‘common knowledge’ that the Uchiha clan was wiped out four years ago, that the eldest son of the clan head had committed a brutal massacre, leaving only a single survivor—Uchiha Sasuke, the younger brother of Uchiha Itachi."

"You’re lying!" Sasuke suddenly screamed, clutching his head as his eyes flared red, the Sharingan spinning wildly. "That’s impossible! Itachi did it! I saw him do it! He told me himself! It was Itachi!"

Naruto grabbed Sasuke as he thrashed, eyes wide with panic. He turned to me for help, then to Shisui, completely at a loss.

Shisui exhaled, stepping in to hold Sasuke’s other side. "Looks like they put a mental block on him," he muttered. "No matter how much evidence he sees, he’ll instinctively reject it."

Sasuke fought against their grip, his whole body shaking. "Ita—chi—" His voice cracked.

"Sasuke," Shisui called gently. "Itachi loved you. He loved you so much. Remember the brother he used to be. Remember, Sasuke!"

Tears streamed down Sasuke’s face.

"I don’t believe you," he choked out, voice barely above a whisper. "I don’t believe you. Itachi killed them all. He killed my father. My mother. My little brother Kazuki. Your sister. Do you remember Yumiko-chan? She’s dead too. He killed her. And your mother—Aunt Keiko. Can you really forgive him for that?"

Shisui visibly paled, his expression crumbling. "I remember them," he whispered. "I remember them all. But it wasn’t Itachi. Sasuke. It was not Itachi. He tried to save them. He tried to save Naruto. He went against the clan because he wanted to protect them."

He took a shuddering breath. "Forgive me too. I wasn’t fast enough. I couldn’t save them. But I remember. And I want to save him. Help me save Itachi."

"What?" Sasuke’s spinning eyes abruptly dimmed, shifting back to their usual dark color. He went completely still, as if processing what he’d just heard. "Did you just say… save Itachi?"

"Yes," Shisui murmured. "You see, Sasuke… Your brother was made to believe that he did it. That he was the one who slaughtered everyone with his own two hands. Do you understand?"

"No," Sasuke whispered, his voice small, broken. "I don’t understand anything anymore…"

Naruto, hesitating for only a second, placed a firm hand on Sasuke’s shoulder. "We’ll figure this out, Sasuke."

That was it. I couldn’t take it anymore. I leapt onto Sasuke’s lap, rubbing against him in the most comforting way I could. His whole body was rigid, but I could feel it—the same cold, hollow emptiness inside him that I’d sensed before.

"Nope, not on my watch" I pressed my nose against his tear-streaked face, staring straight into his dazed eyes. "You’re my gloomy little Emo! Don’t you dare fall into that darkness again. We need you! Me and Naruto!"

Sasuke flinched, his fingers gripping my fur tightly before he pulled me into his chest. I purred, trying to ground him, letting him know he wasn’t alone.

"Tora-chan…" His voice was barely a whisper. "My brother… Itachi… He’s the one who… killed everyone?"

He pulled back just enough to look me in the eyes, desperate for an answer.

I shook my head firmly.

"No."