Written: November 4, 2024

Publish: November 27, 2024 

Edits:

Words: 1,688 

Y'all already know the idea, "Myougan" Uzumaki Shizuki is Uzumaki Naruto from the future and is mute. Myougan is his disguised last name but his hair is already giving it away that he is an Uzumaki sooo no point in that anymore lol.

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The forest was quiet, save for the rustling of leaves and the occasional snap of twigs beneath the weight of their footsteps. Shizuki's mind raced as he leaped from tree to tree, his pace steady and determined. There was so much to consider and change, yet a nagging feeling of doubt lingered in the back of his mind. 

Could he really undo all the damage...? Could he truly reshape the future, or was he just setting the stage for more disasters just waiting to happen..?  But could peace even exist after all this? After so many years of war, betrayal, and loss? His thoughts flickered to those who had fallen—his former comrades, those who had given their lives for the hope of a better world. Were they really gone? Or were they just... lost? The ache of their absence gnawed at him, even as he pushed forward.

Can he really uphold Sasuke's promise..? Can he avenge them all till peace is restored? He knows they are alive... but they weren't his friends.. They aren't the ones that he spent years crying, breaking down in front of them, showing them his vulnerable moments, none of it.. were his friends. 

Deidara and Sasori just followed him as they leaped after tree after tree seeing as though it will be endless until they reach somewhere. Hell they weren't even sure where they are going as they are just following Shizuki. 

Shizuki continued leaping tree after tree while thinking of where he should bring them... 

Konoha... Was it still worth it to return? The village had been his home, but the path it had taken after the destruction done by Madara, even so, after everything that had happened, felt distant and tainted. Still, it was the best option. Without Danzo pulling strings in the shadows, without the constant threat of ROOT and his twisted vision for the future, there was a chance. A chance for real change. 

Every leap between branches was measured and deliberate, a dance of precision and purpose. His silence was deafening, the absence of his voice only making the tension in the air more palpable. He had no choice but to stay quiet now. To speak would be to risk everything. The past, the present, and the future—it all hinged on this moment, on his next steps.

Deidara's voice pierced the quiet of the forest, snapping Shizuki out of his spiraling thoughts. "Oi, where exactly are we going, hm?"

Shizuki's gaze flickered briefly toward the pair trailing behind him. Deidara and Sasori, former members of the Akatsuki, had been unlikely allies in his pursuit of change. There was something about their relentless drive, their willingness to act without hesitation, that had struck a chord with him. They were both lost in their own ways, searching for meaning in a world that had long since lost its innocence. But trust? That was something he couldn't offer. Not yet, at least.

"Oi, what's with you? You've been leading us through these woods like you know exactly where you're going, but you're not saying a word! You're acting like you have some kind of secret."

Shizuki didn't respond. He couldn't. His eyes flicked briefly to Deidara before scanning the horizon. They were getting closer to the village now. The lights of Konoha flickered like stars in the distance, barely visible through the trees, but it wasn't enough to distract him. There was a plan here, and it was still forming in his mind.

Sasori, as always, exuded a calm and measured presence. While Deidara fidgeted with impatience, Sasori remained composed, his eyes narrowing thoughtfully as he watched Shizuki's every movement. He spoke in his usual low, deliberate tone, his words carrying the weight of someone who had long learned to read the unspoken.

"You don't speak, but you're clearly taking us somewhere important," Sasori remarked, his words cutting through the stillness like a blade. "I'm not interested in your reasons, but I need to know what comes next. I'll follow, but only if I understand where this is going."

Shizuki's gaze remained fixed ahead as he continued his steady, rhythmic leap from branch to branch. His eyes, sharp and intense, flicked over to the lights of Konoha in the distance, but it was only for a moment. His mind was elsewhere, buried in the tumult of past decisions and future risks.

Shizuki's hand tightened around the branch beneath him, the only sign of his internal conflict. He wasn't ready to explain, not yet. But Sasori's demand was reasonable, and while Shizuki wasn't the type to offer explanations lightly, he could feel the pull of their uncertainty. 

The tension in the air grew heavier, and the sound of their breathing, each quiet footfall, seemed to fill the vast emptiness of the forest.

Shizuki's silence stretched on, the weight of his own thoughts heavier than any words he could muster. He could feel both Deidara and Sasori's eyes on him, the unspoken question hanging thick in the air like a storm waiting to break. They had been with him long enough to know that the path he walked wasn't just about survival—it was about something much deeper. But what?

Deidara was still impatient, the sounds of his breathing erratic as he switched between curiosity and irritation. "Hey, you're killing me here, hm!" He growled, frustration evident in his voice. "Just say something already, you're making this worse, you know?"

Sasori, ever the tactician, was more focused, observing the way Shizuki's body language had shifted. The tension in his muscles, the slight tremor in his fingers as they gripped the branches—it wasn't just the weight of their journey pressing on him. There was something more personal at play here, something that ran far deeper than mere strategy.

"Stop pressing him, Deidara," Sasori murmured, his voice low and steady, yet with an edge of understanding. "We'll get there when we get there. For now, we follow."

Shizuki couldn't help but feel the sharp sting of their gaze on him. They were waiting for something he wasn't sure he was ready to give. The truth? The full weight of everything he carried—the lives he'd failed, the ones he would fail, and the war he'd never be able to undo?

His mind flickered back to the faces he knew, those who had fought beside him, those who had fallen. They were more than memories. They were the reason he kept going. The ache in his chest grew, a gnawing reminder of his purpose, but also the heavy burden of the path ahead. Was he chasing redemption for them, or for himself?

His eyes locked onto the distant village, the lights growing brighter with every passing moment. He could see it—the home that had once been full of hope, but now only felt like a relic of a life he'd never truly lived. Could he return to Konoha and make it right? Or was he doomed to repeat the same mistakes?

He didn't know anymore.. He didn't know whether if bringing them to Konoha was the right thing to do. The only thing he thought of.. Hell he couldn't consider Uzushiogakure because it was a ghost village, too many memories.. Restoration? It takes time, and too long to bring it back up.

The pain in his neck flared, an all-too-familiar reminder of the injury that had stolen his voice, stolen his past. It was the one thing he could never undo. His silence would never be filled by words again.

Deidara's impatience finally broke through the stillness again, a desperate edge to his tone. "So, what's the plan, hm? You're the one leading this, but you can't even say where we're going. Konoha? Really? You think we can just walk in there after everything that's happened?"

Shizuki's eyes narrowed the dim light of Konoha reflecting in his gaze. He'd lived through the fall of the village, seen the streets turned to ash, and felt the betrayal of those who should have stood beside him. But even after all of that, there was something there. A fragment of hope, fragile but worth fighting for.

He took a deep breath, his chest constricting as he continued to leap through the trees, the decision weighing on him more with every passing second. Could he bring them back? Could he bring back the ones he had failed, the ones he had loved? He wasn't sure.

But what he was sure of was that he couldn't do it alone. Not anymore.

Finally, his voice—his unspoken one—pressed against the silence. He would not reveal everything yet, but they would know. His eyes flicked to Deidara and Sasori, and then back to the village that lay just beyond their reach.

"We go to Konoha," Shizuki finally signed, his fingers moving with a fluidity that only those who had lived through the chaos of war could understand. His eyes didn't leave the village as he spoke with his hands. 

The silence stretched, but his gaze never left the distant village, the lights flickering like a faint heartbeat in the distance. His hand fell back to his side, and the decision was made. Konoha was the only place left that held any possibility of redemption.

Shizuki gave them no further explanation, and with a final leap, he landed softly at the edge of the village's outskirts. The soft hum of activity in the distance made his pulse quicken. Konoha.

Now, all he had to do was get them there.

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So sorry for the late update, I have been busy lately, and I came across some writer's block..

The updates should somewhat return to normal again if I don't get too busy with college assignments.

Till next time!

- Midnight