Shisui couldn't understand it, no matter how hard he tried.
Orochimaru was the student of the Third Hokage, a hero of the village, and even a potential candidate for the Hokage seat itself.
Someone like that should have been a symbol of the village's brightest ideals, a role model for him and countless others.
So how could he have done something so vile?
Shisui felt his beliefs begin to crumble. He couldn't comprehend, much less accept, that the truth was so twisted.
Hyuga Kei observed him calmly and spoke:
"There is shadow beneath the light.
Do you know the second half of that phrase?"
Shisui slowly shook his head.
"There is shadow beneath the light," Kei said softly.
"Evil has always been among us."
"I've hinted at that phrase to you at least three times now," he continued, "but you never once chose to listen."
"I wanted you to start paying attention to the places people usually ignore. Piece things together from there. But what did you see?"
"You saw nothing. You only followed your preconceptions, whatever conclusion fit what you already believed."
"And the moment the conclusion doesn't satisfy you, you get angry."
"And after anger? Guilt, right? You're feeling guilty now, aren't you?"
"Enough!" Shisui's voice trembled as he gripped a nearby tree for support.
Moments from his conversations with Kei came rushing back to him. All the things he'd brushed aside, dismissed as misdirection, now they flooded his mind with unsettling clarity.
And finally, his thoughts came to rest on that night, when money fluttered like leaves in the wind.
Except now, the weight of it hit harder, sharper.
Kei's voice broke through the haze again:
"If you won't hear more, then let me leave you with one last piece of advice:
Don't let pride blind your eyes.
Even a master should always hold the heart of an apprentice.
Because if you can't use your eyes to truly see where the darkness lies,
You will die by them."
He raised his hand and folded three fingers in, leaving two extended.
"Now you owe me two."
"Remember, Shisui: no one owes me anything without paying it back.
Not even in death."
Shisui lowered his head. He didn't argue.
Whether it was guilt or shame, he had no strength to refute it.
And for the first time, he saw it clearly, if only he'd listened to Kei from the beginning.
If he had set aside his pride and bias, maybe the real culprit would've already been found.
Instead, he'd spent his time suspecting Kei over and over again.
He stood still, like a statue lost in time. Minutes passed, perhaps longer, until finally, something shifted.
Shisui looked up and faced Kei.
"I'm sorry," he said. "It was my mistake."
Kei, in the middle of idly twirling his blind cane, froze.
He found it hard to believe.
Shisui, prideful, stubborn Shisui, had apologized?
Had he truly been rehabilitated? Had Kei actually succeeded in "reprogramming" him?
He expanded his senses to probe Shisui's mental state.
The apology was genuine, full of guilt and sincerity.
Shisui truly was acknowledging his mistake.
But after simulating Shisui's mental journey in his mind, Kei sighed.
The results showed that while Shisui had recognized some of his flawed thinking, he hadn't yet reached true clarity.
But there was a simple way to test that.
"So," Kei asked, "what are you planning to do next?"
"Report to Lord Third," Shisui said immediately. "What Orochimaru did must be punished. He has to face the village's justice!"
There it was.
Kei gave a slight shrug. As expected, the simulation result had been right:
This was still not enough to help Shisui see the real darkness.
"Wanna bet?" Kei asked.
Shisui blinked. "I've already admitted my fault. If you have something to say, just say it. I'll listen seriously this time."
"Maybe. But…" Kei smiled faintly. "I still think it'll be more fun as a bet."
"Alright," Shisui agreed.
This mission had been a bitter and humiliating chapter of his life.
The least he could do now was prove to Kei, and to himself, that he wouldn't make the same mistake again.
"What kind of bet?" he asked.
"You want to report to the Third Hokage so he'll personally arrest Orochimaru," Kei said.
"You want him to face consequences, right?"
"Yes," Shisui replied without hesitation. "Orochimaru is one of the Sannin. He's the Third's own student.
This kind of operation has to be led by Lord Third himself."
"So you're certain that the Third Hokage will succeed in capturing him?" Kei asked.
"Of course," Shisui said. "If the Third leads the ANBU himself, even Orochimaru won't be able to escape."
Kei's eyes flickered faintly. "So you truly believe that?"
Shisui frowned. "Don't you?"
"I never said that," Kei replied. "You're reading into things."
Suspicion tightened on Shisui's face. "Then what are you saying?"
Kei didn't answer. Instead, he pulled out a blank patient chart, scribbled something on a clean page, tore it off, and folded it carefully.
"Some answers lose their meaning if you know them too soon."
He handed the folded paper to Shisui.
"When the time comes, open this. You'll understand what I was betting on."
"Of course, you can open it now," he added with a shrug, "but I wouldn't recommend it."
"In the end, the choice is yours."
With that, Kei turned and began walking away.
He'd said what needed to be said.
His goals were mostly achieved.
Now all he wanted was to go home and get some sleep.
"But how will I know when the right time is?" Shisui called after him.
"You'll know," Kei replied without looking back.
Shisui clenched his jaw. "All these strange ideas and mind games… are they all from psychology?"
"They are," Kei said. "This, too, is psychology."
Whether Shisui believed him or not didn't matter. Kei wasn't lying.
That folded note?
It was a psychological obedience test.
In fact, it was a common method, used often in workplaces and social settings.
So subtle that even when people noticed, they rarely resisted.
Take toasting at banquets, for example.
That's not just a cultural ritual, it's a test of obedience.
The real goal? To see if someone is easy to control.
If you cave to pressure on the drinking table, you'll likely cave in more serious matters too.
From forced company outings to toxic overtime culture and even workplace harassment,
They're all subtle (and sometimes not-so-subtle) obedience tests.
You follow. You give in.
And the more you do, the more you lose.
"Psychology… always psychology…"
Shisui stared at the folded slip of paper in his hand.
The urge to open it pulsed through his fingers.
But after wrestling with himself a few times, he ultimately tucked it away into his robe.
He turned back to the dark, looming estate in front of him.
Then, silently, he ran toward the Hokage Tower.
<150 P.S = 1 Extra Chapter>