Luminous

Chapter 6

"Kurama wants to meet you."

And for the second time that day, Shisui had a very, very bad feeling.

He could feel Naruto's fingers gripping his forearm, but she looked hesitant to... lead? wherever that Kurama person was located.

"He's just a big grumpy ball of fluff that loves to put up a show," the redhead said, eyebrows knitted together, expression serious. "Don't panic."

Was that supposed to be a reassurance? Because it hit all the alarm bells in Shisui's head and made him even more uneasy instead.

Without any forewarning, a deathly silence fell upon his ears, too jarring and abrupt for it to be real. Surroundings descended into shadowy obscurity and the world faded away, replaced by a weird ivory white wall right behind Naruto.

A growl shattered the unnatural stillness. A low, guttural rumble reverberated throughout the space and the air itself shook from the sheer immensity of that sound. The ivory wall slowly parted, a ferocious snarl slipping free in a form of warm breath that blew against Shisui's skin. Not a wall, he realized with icy tendrils of fear spreading around his gut, but a terrifying maw, full of teeth that easily dwarfed any human.

He looked up, Sharingan meeting the demonic eyes, bloody red pools of smoldering resentment and disgust. Raw killing intent overflowing and choking the air only helped in amplifying the pure hatred they exuded. A multitude of tails swayed somewhere behind the creature's colossal form. Nine of them.

Lungs freezing, body going taut—every cell in Shisui's body came to a grinding halt.

The Kyuubi.

The monster that ravaged their village and haunted every Konohan's dreams even now.

There was a moment when his breath was stolen away, a moment when Shisui simply couldn't comprehend the situation, but then came the understanding and with it a burning resolve. He blurred into action.

A few handseals he knew by heart.

Chakra pouring into his legs, swelling for a technique.

Naruto's startled yelp when she was suddenly swooped up in his arms.

A step as a world rushed past.

This strange space had no edges, stretching endlessly into an ominous void, and no matter how far Shisui ran, the distance between them and the Kyuubi stopped increasing after a specific point. He halted on that precarious boundary, putting Naruto down and nudging her behind him. Her lips were moving, but he couldn't quite hear her through his own erratic pulse beating in his ears.

The Kyuubi seemed to focus solely on him, powerful and deadly, that of an apex predator staring down at its prey.

Shisui was completely fine with that. Keeping Naruto safe was his top priority.

Three tomoes spun rapidly, swirling and coalescing into a single shape.

The great fox's eyes narrowed and his lips curled up even further as a fresh sea of malice cascaded over two humans.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!"

Shisui was suddenly yanked by his shirt away from the sight of the snarling Kyuubi, Mangekyou Sharingan recording a genuine alarm on his girl's face.

"No need for those, 'ttebane!" the redhead exclaimed, sounding almost as panicked as the Uchiha felt. "Turn it off!"

Shisui simply stared in uncomprehending shock, his mind refusing to even start processing the possible reasons behind her words.