[Mad Tiger] Chapter 30

Everything was so complicated and twisted that it wasn’t easy to untangle the mess of schemes that had unraveled recently. While I was sick, a lot of interesting details came to light. So, as I lay there powerless and recovering, I tried piecing together all the bits of information I had gathered—before, during, and after my conversations with Kobo-san and Kushina-san—into something coherent and digestible.

It turned out that Kobo-san’s real name was Uchiha Shisui, and he was a master of an advanced Sharingan technique, the Mangekyo. This meant that even the “ultimate moon illusion” Minato had mentioned couldn’t faze him. 

Shisui had joined the daimyo’s service at thirteen, earning the trust of both the ruler and Madam Shijimi. He survived the chaos thanks to his heightened instincts—apparently, I had made him suspicious—and his unparalleled skills in deception. No one had ever seen his real face. Using combat illusions, he tricked Asuma into believing he was dead by leaving behind a convincing corpse dressed in his clothes, allowing him to escape to Konoha undetected.

To Shisui’s horror, he discovered that his clan was aiding traitors in extracting the biju from the current Hokage—Kushina-san—and using a sinister genjutsu to manipulate the shinobi village. But he located them, strangely enough, thanks to spotting me! I never thought I’d end up being an unintentional beacon for reinforcements.

Shisui witnessed a tragedy unfold. His cousin, Uchiha Itachi, tried to save Naruto and Kushina, his godmother, from their clan. But he failed. The others captured Itachi, and shortly after…

In one swift moment, the Uchiha clan ceased to exist.

Minato used his teleportation technique to kill every Uchiha involved in the conspiracy. Itachi, who was forced to watch his parents die, was then sealed into a toad by an accomplice—a clan traitor aiding Minato. 

Shisui recounted that when Itachi was released, he wasn’t himself anymore. He was broken. The second masked man then used some kind of space-time ninjutsu to pull Itachi into a strange dimension. Shisui suspected they had brainwashed Itachi into believing he had slaughtered the entire clan years ago. This was plausible because, using his special eyes, Shisui glimpsed fragments of Itachi’s twisted memories—filled with hatred for Naruto, anguish over Kushina’s supposed twelve-year absence, and the belief that the Uchiha clan had been annihilated long ago during Hiruzen’s failed coup attempt.

Minato had a plan. He intended to return to Konoha claiming he’d been displaced into a parallel world or time loop by the Nine-Tails. He would accuse Hiruzen of orchestrating the Uchiha massacre. The daimyo, eager to rid himself of the old Hokage, would not only force Hiruzen into retirement but possibly execute him. Minato even ordered his accomplice to spare Itachi’s younger brother, Sasuke, keeping him as both a hostage and a witness. The Sharingan of the deceased Uchiha would also be distributed as promised to certain parties. 

While listening to this, I had odd flashes of something yet to happen and realized that Sasuke, Naruto’s friend, was the last surviving Uchiha. The masked man had absorbed the bodies of all the others, just as he did with Itachi.

Kushina-san pitied Shisui for the impossible choices he had to make. He couldn’t reach the civilian population in the Uchiha district in time, especially since the masked man had teleported there after releasing the Nine-Tails from its statue. Shisui, plagued by guilt, knew his hesitation led to Naruto becoming the new jinchuriki of the Nine-Tails. According to him, the fox offered little resistance, appearing tired and battered despite its massive size. 

When Minato began the sealing process, Shisui witnessed something strange: Minato sealed the beast inside his son and then collapsed, lifeless. Kushina later explained that Minato likely didn’t know the consequences of using that particular forbidden fuinjutsu—his soul was the price demanded by the Shinigami.

What a nightmare. That’s what happens when you use untested scrolls! Despite his cunning, it seemed Hiruzen had outmaneuvered Minato in their bizarre game of shadows. It was like one of those action flicks where “everyone dies.” I sometimes have odd bursts of knowledge I can’t trace back to any source, but whatever—I’ll figure that out later.

After everything went down, Kushina-san managed to free herself. That’s when the worst of it came to light: she had also been under the influence of the genjutsu cast over the entire village. She couldn’t even approach her own son. Imagine loving someone so deeply but being filled with such hatred that you couldn’t touch them. Shisui comforted her, saying that without reinforcement, the illusion would weaken over time and her love would eventually overcome it. He sensed someone approaching and whisked Kushina—who was carrying my half-dead self—away from the sealing site, hiding us in a genjutsu.

Hiruzen arrived with a small ANBU squad and took Naruto, who was still unconscious, back to the village. He also sealed Minato’s body in a scroll and carried it off.

It turned out there was an Uzumaki refuge hidden in the Forest of Death—a sanctuary created long ago by Uzumaki Mito, the wife of the First Hokage. Shisui and Kushina went there to lay low. Kushina was completely drained, running on sheer willpower and her indomitable spirit. As for me… I was in a coma then. Shisui, from what I gathered, took care of us both. He couldn’t even remove the suppression seal Minato had placed on Kushina-san.

Kushina woke up just hours before I did. I don’t know if she was the one singing to me, but I was glad to have survived. Apparently, things would fall apart without me!

As I recovered over the next week, Shisui made a few trips to Konoha for reconnaissance. He discovered that Minato had chosen the Autumn Equinox festival for his plans—a time when the entire village gathered to celebrate in the streets at night. Anyone who didn’t “remember the correct version” of events was quietly eliminated.

Shisui also mentioned that those who had cared for Kushina and Naruto would suffer emotionally due to the genjutsu. They would feel pain without understanding why.

On one of his trips, Shisui learned that Senju Tsunade and Shizune had left the village. Jiraiya, who had visited his godson during the festival, didn’t stick around either. Shisui reassured us that strong shinobi like them wouldn’t hold onto the false memories for long. Perhaps within six months—or even sooner—they would shed the negative feelings toward Naruto. Strong-willed individuals weren’t as easily influenced by collective opinions or illusions. The weaker the shinobi—or, worse, civilians without chakra—the harder it would be to break the conditioning. Kushina’s extreme reaction to Naruto seemed to stem from the suppression seal layered onto her.

It was a lot to process. But one thing was clear: things were far from over.

One of the first decrees issued by the reinstated Third Hokage was that Naruto must never be told about his parents or the fact that he was a jinchūriki. Shisui speculated that Hiruzen feared the powerful chakra of the Nine-Tails might somehow help Naruto recover his memories, especially if someone triggered them with reminders.

Again, I was struck by strange visions, as though the situation was painfully familiar. Shisui, likely trying not to upset Kushina-san, painted a rather softened picture of Naruto’s current life. But I couldn’t shake the images of angry, twisted faces and the haunting dreams of a sad, slightly hunched blonde boy sitting alone on the swings at the park near the Academy. From what I understood, Hiruzen frequently visited Naruto, bringing him food since he couldn’t buy anything at the market without being cursed at and chased away. The Hokage was practically the only adult who didn’t treat him like some kind of plague victim, using those visits to worm his way into the trust of the new jinchūriki.

Meanwhile, I worked on recovering, forcing chakra through my channels and eating whatever I could stomach. Often, the food didn’t stay down, but I was determined to heal quickly so I could find my little chick and comfort him.

Thankfully, Shisui understood my resolve and occasionally took me outside the hideout, suggesting I eat certain plants, similar to what cats do when they’re sick. I didn’t know anything about eating grass, but yesterday, a tree caught my attention with its scent. Instinct urged me to claw at the bark to get to the sap inside, but the wood was too tough for me in my weakened state. Thank the feline gods, Shisui figured out what I was after and used a kunai to peel back the bark. The sap tasted oddly familiar—similar to something I’d eaten back with the Inuzuka clan. Though I suspect it was prepared differently then, it didn’t matter. I licked up the sap, and almost immediately, I started feeling better. By evening, I managed to eat some strange meat that looked like it might’ve once been a centipede roaming the Forest of Death. This time, my stomach held it down without complaint, finally seeming bigger than a thimble.

And this morning, I woke up feeling completely healthy!

“Tora-chan, are you trying to go outside?” Shisui asked as I purposefully headed for the hideout’s door. I nodded.

“You’re already better?” Kushina-san asked. During our time lying low, Shisui had apparently told her that I was far smarter than your average cat.

I nodded again.

“Naruto! I want to go to him!” I declared. Humans don’t usually understand me, but Shisui surprises me sometimes with how quick he is to catch on.

“Are you heading to Konoha?” the young man asked, clearly focused on my intent. Again, I nodded.

“Tora-chan might be able to be with Naruto! Maybe even deliver a letter from me!” Kushina exclaimed, her hope shining briefly.

“Yes, but it’s not that simple. He’s being watched closely,” Shisui cautioned. “Even with all my skills, I haven’t been able to get near him. He’s always under surveillance and rarely leaves the house. A letter could risk exposing our little spy here and draw unnecessary attention. Besides, Kushina-san, imagine the chaos if it’s discovered you’re alive. You wouldn’t be able to reach Naruto—who would undoubtedly want to see his mother—nor could you fight back if ANBU or the Hokage found us.”

“You’re right,” Kushina said, wiping her eyes. “You’re right, but it’s so hard to accept.”

“I think we need to come up with a solid plan,” Shisui said, his tone serious as he glanced at me. “All of us together, factoring in Tora-san’s unique capabilities.”

I jumped onto the table, sitting upright to show I was listening intently.