Shisui could not bring himself to speak.
He had already shattered Amamiya Rei's innocence once before, and he was unwilling to do so a second time.
Lowering his gaze, his silence alone made his stance unmistakably clear.
Kakashi glanced at Shisui, knowing that he was different from him.
Shisui cherished Rei, while to Kakashi, Rei represented responsibility.
Yes, responsibility.
Rather than allowing Rei to witness certain truths with her own eyes, Kakashi would much rather see her face those truths only after she had gained sufficient preparation and strength.
"Human experimentation."
Although Kakashi did not possess concrete proof that Orochimaru was conducting human experimentation, he needed Rei to clearly understand the danger that Orochimaru represented.
"Human experimentation?"
Rei was a medical ninja, and she understood what human experimentation meant, yet such practices were explicitly forbidden within the shinobi world.
"What if he wanted to take you and use you for human experimentation?"
Kakashi did not give Rei any time to respond and pressed forward relentlessly.
"At that point, even Shisui and I would have extreme difficulty finding you."
Kakashi stared directly at Rei without blinking.
Both his expression and his gaze told her unmistakably that he was neither lying nor attempting to frighten her.
Rei parted her lips, visibly confused, because what Kakashi described lay far beyond the scope of her understanding.
"But human experimentation is forbidden."
"Orochimaru-sama is Hokage-sama's disciple."
"How could he possibly do such a thing?"
She grabbed Kakashi's arm, asking as if seeking confirmation, her fingers tightening unconsciously.
Kakashi looked into Rei's crystalline red eyes shimmering beneath the moonlight, and a sharp ache rose in his chest, because he knew that what he was about to say would wound her.
"Konoha is not composed solely of our comrades, because there are those who will harm others for the sake of benefit, and no matter who they are, anyone is capable of doing such things."
He tightened his grip on Rei's hand and warned her firmly.
"That is why you must never trust others too easily."
Rei bit down on her lower lip, deeply shaken, and stood dazed for a long while before lifting her head to look at Kakashi and Shisui.
"Then what about Shisui and Kakashi-senpai? Can I trust you?"
Shisui froze, bitterness flooding his heart.
The last time Rei trusted him, that trust had already cost her an entire lifetime.
Shisui raised his head and glanced at the moon, then swore beneath its pale light.
"I will never betray you in this lifetime."
"Rei."
"You can trust me."
"I will always place your life above my own."
Rei stared at him with widened eyes in shock.
"Shisui..."
Rei looked at him with genuine emotion and reached out to grasp his hand.
"Do not place my life above your own, because I do not want that."
She smiled softly, gentle ripples forming in her eyes.
"I want you to cherish your own life just as much as you cherish mine."
Shisui froze, then smiled involuntarily, his eyes growing red.
"I will."
As long as it is your request, I will fulfill it.
"You can trust me."
"Of course, you may also choose not to trust me."
"But my responsibility to protect you will never change."
Kakashi's voice was no different from usual.
Cold and restrained as ever.
Rei fell silent.
When translated, was that not pure domineering protagonist dialogue?
Who would have thought that this was the persona Kakashi had chosen for himself?
"Then I choose to trust you."
Rei firmly believed that whether it was Kakashi's domineering narrative or Shisui's deeply affectionate narrative, neither could surpass his own saintly narrative.
"If Kakashi-senpai and Shisui are not trustworthy, then who in this world could I possibly trust?"
That single sentence struck true.
Kakashi and Shisui were completely defenseless against it.
Rei quietly observed their expressions.
Although Kakashi wore a mask and kept his emotions tightly restrained, and although only one eye served as his window to the soul, that single eye revealed an abundance of feeling.
At that moment, it looked as though spring had returned and ice had melted away.
Warmth and gentleness radiated from him, like cotton dried beneath the spring sun.
In simpler terms, he felt good.
Rei's words had thoroughly pleased him.
As for Shisui, Rei did not even need to focus.
Shisui's emotions in front of him were as transparent as a child wearing open-crotch trousers.
Everything was obvious at a glance.
Rei continued holding Shisui's hand with one hand and Kakashi's with the other, coaxing them gently.
"I will listen to Shisui and Kakashi-senpai."
"I will try to stay far away from Orochimaru-sama, and even if I cannot completely avoid him, I will remain highly vigilant."
"But Shisui and Kakashi-senpai must also listen to me."
"Eat properly."
"Sleep properly."
"Take good care of your bodies."
She emphasized each point with earnest seriousness.
Shisui felt warmth spread through his heart and shyly promised, "I will listen to you as well, Rei."
Kakashi nodded, considering that his agreement.
Rei spoke with sincere conviction.
"The reason I came to the battlefield is also because of Shisui and Kakashi-senpai."
"I want to protect you."
"Because you are both very important people to me."
"You can protect me, and I can protect you as well."
"I have always been working hard at my training."
"Hokage-sama said that my strength is already sufficient to enter the battlefield and to be of help to you."
"Shisui and Kakashi-senpai are my most important friends."
"I want to fight side by side with you."
Rei nearly coaxed the two of them back into infancy.
Under the moonlight, the young girl's bonds spread like an all-encompassing net, completely enveloping Shisui and Kakashi.
From that moment onward, neither of them would ever be able to escape.
With the most sincere emotions, she bound the three of them together.
From then on, on every night when the bright moon hung high in the sky, one of them would inevitably recall these words.
"All right."
"From now on, we fight side by side."
Shisui tightened his grip on Rei's hand.
Kakashi turned his hand as well, firmly grasping her other hand.
The three of them gazed at the moon together.
The oath was sealed in that moment.
Rei glanced at Kakashi's profile.
Since they were fighting side by side now, Kakashi could not be stingy when it came to giving him meat in the future.
Fighting together was wonderful.
When hungry, he could nibble Kakashi on the left and Shisui on the right.
Rei could already imagine such a beautiful life.
That night, in high spirits, Rei returned and fell into a dream.
In the dream, Shisui, Kakashi, Uchiha Fugaku, Orochimaru, Uchiha Itachi, Uchiha Obito, and every shinobi whose name carried weight within the shinobi world stood obediently in a line, waiting for his favor.
He no longer needed to sneak around to eat meat.
He no longer needed to exhaust his wits and schemes just for the sake of eating meat.
***
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