The Last Warmth

Several days later.

"Itachi!"

Izumi ran to Itachi's house and greeted him.

Thanks to Kagami's matter, Izumi had finally been able to get close to Itachi. Otherwise, since Itachi had been serving in the Anbu, it would have been difficult for her to see him.

"Ah, it's Izumi."

Itachi smiled gently and nodded at Izumi. After Shisui's death and Kagami's defection, in the vast village of Konoha, the only people who could bring even a little warmth to Itachi's heart were his parents, Sasuke, and the girl before him.

"Want to go eat dango together today?"

"Ah, about that... maybe next time."

Itachi hesitated. He wanted to say next time. He wanted to devote all his time to the relationship between Konoha and the Uchiha Clan. He wanted to do everything he could to find a way to resolve this conflict. But when the words reached his lips, Itachi found himself reluctant. After meeting Izumi for several days in a row, he had tasted warmth he had not felt in a long time.

Whether it was Konoha's higher-ups or the Uchiha Clan's higher-ups, they were all too cold. Itachi had been forced to turn himself into a machine—a machine meant to preserve the village, devoid of emotion, like a block of ice.

But after tasting that warmth, he seemed to have become human again. He was reluctant to reject it. Truly reluctant.

But Konoha and the Uchiha Clan needed him.

At that thought, the longing in Itachi's eyes was forcibly suppressed. He smiled faintly, as though he truly did not care.

"Izumi, I still have things to take care of. Maybe next time."

"R-really? But, Itachi..."

Izumi looked at Itachi hesitantly. If Itachi had simply and decisively refused her invitation, Izumi would not have continued pestering him. But she had clearly seen the brief longing that had surfaced in his eyes.

Izumi was not a foolish girl. She could roughly guess that Itachi must have something he needed to do by suppressing his emotions. But precisely because of that, she could not help feeling heartache. She did not want Itachi to do things against his own wishes. She hoped he could live happily, just as he had when he was young—despite being a genius, he had lived freely and easily, occasionally even showing a little shyness.

"Al-alright, then."

In the end, Izumi did not force Itachi to stay. She did not want to pressure him. Itachi was already under tremendous pressure, and she truly did not dare add to his troubles.

Izumi knew that they were no longer children.

"Itachi, go!"

A voice suddenly came from behind Itachi. It was Fugaku Uchiha's.

Fugaku stared coldly at Itachi.

"Go. Don't spend every day doing Anbu missions. The Anbu doesn't have that many missions."

Although this father was the Clan Head of the Uchiha Clan and knew how much both the Uchiha Clan and Konoha needed Itachi, he had still softened.

Itachi was his son, after all.

Go. Go and enjoy yourself. I can't be so unwilling to give my own son even a single day to play.

Fugaku spoke inwardly with a pang of heartache.

But on his face, Fugaku still spoke coldly.

"I'm ordering you as your father and as the Clan Head of the Uchiha Clan. You don't need to carry out any missions today. Understood?!"

Itachi's brows furrowed slightly.

"But, Father..."

"Understood?!!"

Fugaku forcefully cut him off.

Go, go. You've worked hard enough, Itachi. One day really isn't much. Go quickly!

Itachi was still somewhat hesitant.

"Father, I think..."

"Can't you understand me? You don't have to carry out any missions today. I'll say it one last time—understood?!"

Fugaku interrupted Itachi again.

Itachi opened his mouth, seemingly wanting to explain, but when he saw the sternness in Fugaku's eyes, he ultimately did not argue again. He nodded.

"Understood."

Deep in his eyes was a trace of uncontrollable emotion. How could Itachi fail to understand Fugaku's intentions?

It was simply that the times shaped people. In this environment, Fugaku, as the Uchiha Clan's Clan Head, needed to wear a mask. Itachi, as a member of the Anbu, likewise needed to wear a mask.

Itachi was thinking of Fugaku and the Uchiha Clan, wanting to devote all his time to the Uchiha Clan and the village. Fugaku, meanwhile, was thinking of Itachi's feelings. He did not want his son to become an emotionless shinobi. He hoped Itachi could live a little more happily.

Both father and son were thinking of each other, yet they acted as though they were arguing, able to bury even their emotions deep in their eyes. For this father and son, this era was truly cruel.

Before long, Itachi and Izumi left together.

Fugaku stood in the courtyard, apparently lost in thought.

"They've gone. That's good."

Mikoto Uchiha emerged from behind Fugaku and smiled as she watched in the direction Itachi and Izumi had gone.

Fugaku glanced at Mikoto Uchiha, sighed, and spoke with some guilt.

"Itachi is carrying too much. As his father, I've failed that child..."

Mikoto Uchiha smiled gently at Fugaku.

"You father and son are the same. I know. You've both done your best, and I understand. It's me who can't really help with anything."

A smile slowly appeared on Fugaku's face. He turned around and walked back into the house.

"Don't talk nonsense."

In this stifling grudge between the clan and the village, everyone involved needed comfort. Itachi could not bear to abandon the warmth Izumi gave him, and Fugaku could not bear to abandon the warmth Mikoto Uchiha gave him.

This village was simply too cold for the Uchiha Clan. They had to find some warmth to help them hold on and keep themselves from collapsing.

By the river.

Izumi and Itachi sat on a bridge, eating the dango they had bought.

"Itachi, you've awakened the same eyes as me now, haven't you?"

Izumi suddenly spoke while eating her dango.

When they were young, Izumi and Itachi had once sat here as well.

At first, Izumi had foolishly and presumptuously said to Itachi in a pitiful tone that a genius like him probably would not like dango. Then she had pitifully taken back the dango she had offered to share with him, and started eating it herself. As a result, Itachi had stared blankly at Izumi, completely tantalized.

It was also from that day that Izumi learned Itachi liked dango too.

That time, to apologize to Itachi, Izumi said she would give him a present.

But Itachi had looked at Izumi's eyes. Because her parents had both died during the Nine-Tails' Rampage, Izumi had awakened the three-tomoe Sharingan.

At that time, Itachi had just awakened the Sharingan and learned the pain of awakening it. Perhaps he had merely felt pity for Izumi.

But Izumi had thought Itachi wanted her eyes. She had lowered her head and said dejectedly, "I'm sorry, but I can't give these to you."

Now, Izumi asked Itachi whether he had awakened the same eyes for only one reason.

Itachi froze for a moment before answering.

"Yeah."

"It must have hurt a lot, right? I understand."

Izumi spoke sympathetically. She only wanted to comfort Itachi. For some reason, she always felt that Itachi was suffering terribly—terribly.

Itachi remained silent for a long time before speaking faintly.

"Yeah. It hurt a lot."

It was only a simple sentence, yet no one knew how much pain it contained.

Izumi smiled faintly.

"If you ever feel troubled in the future, Itachi, come talk to me. I don't want to see you looking so sad."

Itachi was stunned. He could tell that the girl before him was speaking from the bottom of her heart.

"What do you think? I'm very reliable, you know! Itachi, bearing pain alone is very hard. I know that. So if you ever feel troubled, let me share it with you! I'm very reliable!"

I'm very reliable! Izumi repeated that sentence twice, as though she desperately wanted to prove to Itachi that she was reliable. She truly hoped she could share his pain.

This time, Itachi did not say anything for a long while. The anticipation and longing in Izumi's eyes slowly turned into disappointment. She forced a smile and spoke.

"I-I'm sorry, Itachi. I was being too presumptuous. Honestly, how could someone like me understand a genius like you? I'm truly sorry. It's all my fault. I'm really sorry. J-just pretend I never said any of that."

Just like when she was young, once this girl began apologizing, she would say sorry several times in a row, as though only that could express the depth of her apology. She was so endearing that it made people feel sorry for her.

Izumi's reflection appeared in Itachi's black pupils. Even now, he still did not answer her. Instead, he raised his hand and brushed her cheek.

"You got some dango on your face."

At that moment, under the setting sun, both of them blushed.

After a long while, Itachi and Izumi got up and prepared to leave.

But the moment they turned around, they discovered a person standing not far behind them, wearing an Akatsuki Robe and a hat that concealed his face. He was standing side-on to them.

Izumi was slightly surprised. The scene was exactly the same as when she had encountered Kagami several days earlier.

But Itachi showed no surprise at all. He acted as though he had not seen Kagami whatsoever and walked straight past him with Izumi.

The three brushed past one another just like that. Itachi and Izumi did not stop, acting as though they truly had not seen Kagami.

Kagami, however, smiled in satisfaction. At the instant he passed Itachi, his lips moved slightly. Although he made no sound, Kagami believed Itachi could certainly understand his words from the shape of his mouth.

After passing him, Izumi turned her head slightly and looked behind them, but there was nothing there, as though no one had ever existed.

"Huh? Itachi, did you see that person just now?"

A warm smile appeared on Itachi's usually calm face.

"I did."

At that instant, Itachi had also said something to Kagami.

In the moment they passed each other, Kagami had said to Itachi:

She's a very good girl, Big Brother Itachi. Don't you dare lose her.

Itachi had said to Kagami:

Remember to protect yourself.

The setting sun bathed the riverside in exceptional warmth. Even though this village was so cold, there were still people here who passed their flames to others so they could share the warmth.

This was the last warmth.

Good morning, everyone!

This scene wasn't in my original stockpile of chapters. I had planned to skip it entirely, but after thinking it over, I decided to write it after all. I really didn't want Itachi to suffer the whole time. Before the clan's destruction, I wanted to give Itachi a little warmth.

I don't know whether I wrote it well. I've never been very good at writing romantic scenes, but I really wanted to write one this time, so I went ahead with it.

If it wasn't written well, I hope everyone can forgive me. Many thanks!

Oh, and finally, March 27 is Hanabi Hyuga's birthday, so Noob will celebrate Hanabi's birthday on behalf of this book.

—Hanabi, happy birthday! You've grown another year older!