"Is that so..."
Hearing that long-confirmed answer, Sasuke's newly awakened Mangekyō Sharingan trembled slightly.
He tugged at the corner of his mouth, forcing out a strained smile.
"Thank you, Kou."
"Thank you for doing this... the thing I couldn't bring myself to do."
Kou quietly watched the boy forcing a smile before him, not exposing the fragile thing beneath it that was on the verge of collapse.
Some emotions should not be comforted, nor did they need to be laid bare.
They only needed to be seen, then allowed to exist.
"As for Itachi's eyes, wait until we reach the Land of Rice. I'll transplant them for you myself."
"This... was also his final wish."
Sasuke fell silent for a moment, then lowered the hand resting against his eyelid and nodded firmly.
"Don't worry. The way I am now... I'll definitely be able to help you."
"...Then I'll be looking forward to it."
Kou looked at him, and a genuine curve finally appeared on his face, half-lit and half-shadowed by the moonlight.
"We can talk about what your eyes can do after we arrive in the Land of Rice."
He paused, then said with a smile,
"Naruto has probably been waiting downstairs for quite a while. We... should head down too."
With that, Kou started down the stairs. Sasuke followed behind him, turning back one last time before leaving to look at the lonely moon beyond the rooftop.
There was no wind on the rooftop. Moonlight fell over his shoulders and the tips of his hair like a soft layer of snow.
Sasuke looked at the moon as though bidding a final farewell to the one who was no longer in this world.
A moment later, he withdrew his gaze and followed Kou down the stairs.
Downstairs, the "war" in