Itachi Uchiha Kicked Out of Bed

"Hm?"

After leaving Naruto's house, A Luo first went home to check on Sasuke, who was now able to train, before returning to his body.

The moment he returned, he felt something restraining his body.

Only after kicking the person away did he realize who it was.

"Big brother, are you okay?"

A Luo looked at Itachi Uchiha, who had slammed into the wall and fallen to the floor with wide-eyed surprise, suddenly unsure how much strength he had used just now.

He should be... uninjured, right?

"I'm fine..."

Itachi Uchiha finally understood why Orochimaru's smile had been so strange earlier.

If judged solely by that instant of explosive force, his little brother's strength and speed might not have been any lower than a Chunin's.

Of course, it was only a sudden burst. Under normal circumstances, he was still below even Genin level.

"Orochimaru-sensei didn't tell you that it's not suitable to get too close when I'm sleeping..."

Considering their relationship, A Luo could more or less guess that Orochimaru had wanted to see Itachi Uchiha get beaten up.

So even if he had given a warning, it must have been deliberately vague.

"How did he know? When your soul went back to see Sasuke, what did he do to your body?"

Itachi Uchiha's gaze suddenly turned dangerous.

One would have to get very close to A Luo while he was sleeping to discover that.

So that bastard Orochimaru really had done something, hadn't he?

"He performed frequent examinations. During the first few days after my body recovered its health, I had to undergo detailed examinations every morning, noon, and night, before and after sleeping. Everything was recorded to adjust the various training routines..."

A Luo began listing everything Orochimaru had done before.

His condition after eating and drinking his fill at each meal, all his readings before meals, regularly scheduled physical examination reports—within those few days, they had filled two thick notebooks.

To examine him, Orochimaru had cut back a great deal on his own rest. A Luo had only learned this after noticing that Orochimaru was not in good condition and asking Kimimaro.

After that, he had the intervals between those examinations extended.

At present, unless there were special circumstances, he underwent a full examination once every five days.

"..."

The more Itachi Uchiha listened, the more depressed he became. Orochimaru was far too calculating!

Using this deliberately crafted, painstaking care, concern, and closeness, he had gradually made A Luo trust him.

Yet this kind of approach was the most capable of moving someone's heart, especially for A Luo, who had lacked the care of elders since childhood...

"Big brother, do you want to sleep a little longer? There are still several hours until dawn..."

Seeing the resentment suddenly radiating from Itachi Uchiha, A Luo guessed that he was upset again because A Luo had said Orochimaru worked hard.

Pulling the blanket with him as he shifted toward the other side of the large bed, A Luo pointed at the empty space and asked Itachi Uchiha whether he wanted to continue sleeping.

His bed was quite large anyway. Not only could it fit one more Itachi Uchiha, even if Sasuke came over to lie down with them, it would not feel crowded.

Orochimaru really understood him best. He had merely asked for a comfortable big bed, and Orochimaru had gotten him this one—a cozy resting bed so large that he could roll around on it without falling off...

"Sleep..."

Itachi Uchiha walked over and lay down at the edge of the bed, pulling up a corner of the blanket to cover himself.

Looking at A Luo's foolish grin, he glanced at the little toys beside the bed, grabbed a small ball, and threw it at the lamp switch.

"Mm, good night, big brother."

A Luo lay beneath the blanket, hugging a corner of it as he closed his eyes and fell asleep.

At first, he was very still. But after two or three hours of sleep, A Luo's restless nature flared up again in his dreams. Hugging the blanket, he rolled back and forth across the bed, and before long, he had gathered the entire large blanket into his arms.

"..."

Itachi Uchiha, lying at the edge of the bed, opened his eyes. In the pitch-black room, his feelings were complicated.

He truly had not understood before why A Luo needed such a large bed.

Now, he understood.

If the bed had been even a little smaller, A Luo might have rolled under it several times already.

His little brother had had a habit of hugging blankets in his sleep as a child too, but...

This was a bed for sleeping, not a training ground...

"Lord A Luo, it's time to get up. Will you get up on your own, or should I do it for you?"

In the morning, Kimimaro arrived at A Luo's door right on time. After knocking twice and receiving no response, he skillfully opened the door, entered, turned on the lights, and stood by the door as he spoke to A Luo.

Meanwhile, Itachi Uchiha, who had already gotten up at the sound and was standing beside the bed, was temporarily ignored by Kimimaro.

"Kimimaro..."

A Luo pulled up the blanket to cover his face, completely unwilling to get up.

He could train when it was time to train and work hard when it was time to work hard, but during those first few minutes after waking up every morning, he truly did not want to part with his big bed.

"Then there's no helping it."

Kimimaro silently counted down. When the time was up, he rolled up his sleeves, strode forward, and lifted A Luo with both hands.

Then he skillfully opened the bathroom door and tossed him into the bathtub that had been filled with water the night before.

Aside from the occasional time A Luo used it for bathing, the tub was usually prepared to wake him up in the morning.

"Move aside. Even if you're A Luo's brother, it's time for him to get up."

Kimimaro disliked Itachi Uchiha greatly, not only because he himself had once been suppressed by his genjutsu, but also because he had long known that this Itachi Uchiha was responsible for Orochimaru-sama's previous death.

Although Orochimaru-sama had been able to come back to life, the fact that he had once been killed still remained.

If not for Orochimaru's repeated emphasis and orders, Kimimaro would have wanted to kill Itachi Uchiha at every moment.

But not killing him was an order. Orochimaru had never said he needed to be polite to this person.