An Interlude

The Mist Village ninja around them had no idea what was going on and prepared to rush forward and gang up on the two, but the weakened Yagura waved them off.

"You're awake..."

Seeing the familiar Yagura before him once more, Juzo spoke blankly.

"Yes... I'm awake. But it's time for me to fade away too..."

Yagura braced himself and tried to sit up. Seeing this, Juzo helped him sit on the ground.

Yagura spoke softly.

"The Mist Village needs you. Can you stay...?"

Yagura spoke gently. He did not mention the Three-Tails, only quietly made the request of Juzo.

As though, in his heart, Juzo mattered more than the Three-Tails...

"Juzo, stay. This is your home..."

A struggle appeared in Juzo's eyes as Itachi softly urged him.

"But..."

Hearing Itachi's words, Juzo fell completely into a dilemma.

He recalled what Kakashi had said to Yamamoto Jisi. Having faced darkness themselves, shouldn't they do their best to drive away the darkness of others...?

And now that Yagura had regained consciousness, Juzo's heart, which had long been utterly disappointed, slowly began to revive...

Seeing the emotion deep in Juzo's gaze, Yagura waved over several of his trusted subordinates.

"Juzo, promise me that you'll take good care of my brothers and temporarily take the position of Mizukage. If someone capable of leading the village to prosperity appears in the Mist Village someday, then support him as the next Mizukage... Just as we once did..."

Yagura softly explained his final arrangements, preparing to entrust his people to Juzo.

Compared to Juzo, he could not trust anyone else...

But Juzo did not have the qualities needed to be the leader of a village, which was why he said this...

The once-confused Juzo was completely moved by Yagura's words...

He knelt straight down, just as he always had...

"I will follow your will from back then and see that it is carried on..."

Juzo spoke softly...

Seeing Juzo like this, Yagura took something from his robes.

"This is the token... Take care of them... I'm sorry, all of you..."

Two streams of tears ran down Yagura's face as all the things he had done over the years, all those memories, continuously played through his mind...

Once Juzo caught the token, Yagura extended his small hand, clenched it into a fist, and wanted to bump fists with Juzo.

It was a promise between men...

But halfway through extending it... his hand fell straight down...

His clenched fist did not loosen for a long while.

"Lord Mizukage!"

At Yagura's death, Juzo cried out in grief, and the trusted subordinates Yagura had summoned also fell straight to their knees...

The dozens of ninja behind them dropped to their knees as well...

Itachi watched the scene with mixed feelings. Even though Yagura had been foolish and cruel under Genjutsu.

A Kage was still the soul of a village, with countless diligent subordinates...

They had all faithfully clung to the Yagura of their memories. Perhaps whenever they could no longer endure, they would comfort themselves in their hearts: it would pass. The Mizukage from their memories would return...

With Yagura's passing, a perfect ellipsis was drawn.

"Kid, thanks for this..."

Juzo and Itachi stood in a forest filled with mist.

In the distance stood a vast formation of ninja troops. Following Yagura's will, they continued to follow Acting Mizukage Juzo and fulfill the ideals they once held.

"It was what I should have done, Juzo..."

Itachi looked seriously at Juzo's face.

Although Juzo had not died, they would probably find it difficult to meet again in the future...

"Promise me that you won't be so impulsive when making decisions from now on..."

Juzo gently stroked Itachi's soft hair as he spoke.

Hearing Juzo's words, Itachi smiled faintly.

"People can't always make the right choices. Sometimes, they need to make choices that make them happy too..."

"Create the future that belongs to you..."

Itachi softly advised him.

Juzo removed the ring from his finger and handed it to Itachi.

"I will..."

Juzo said firmly...

"For now, don't reveal that you're acting as Mizukage. You know quite a lot about the Akatsuki's inner workings. Don't bring disaster upon the Mist Village."

Taking the ring Juzo handed over, Itachi recalled Pain's strength and spoke softly.

"Juzo is already dead. From now on, I'll live behind a mask, making the village's future better, until the true Mizukage worthy of being entrusted with the hopes of me and my brothers appears..."

Hearing Juzo's words, Itachi smiled.

It was a smile from the bottom of his heart—a smile for Juzo's release, and for the future Juzo had found again.

The smile was so breathtaking, so bright...

"Kid, smile more when you can. You look good when you smile!"

Seeing Itachi smile sincerely for the first time, Juzo was deeply moved, then made the request somewhat greedily...

Itachi did not answer Juzo's words.

He turned around and waved the hand holding the ring.

"I won't be paying back your money. We're even now..."

Itachi left, his figure stretching farther and farther beneath the setting sun...

"Kid..."

Juzo froze as he watched Itachi's carefree retreating figure.

Then he hurried after Itachi, grabbing his slender body and pulling him into an embrace.

"Kid, don't take such risks in the future. Live properly for me! You have to repay what you owe; there's no such thing as being even!"

Juzo tightly held the tense Itachi as he spoke urgently.

"I don't like men... Let go already. I'm getting goosebumps..."

Caught off guard by Juzo, Itachi's tense body slowly relaxed as he spoke softly...

Juzo slowly released his hands, two silent trails of tears running down his face...

Itachi left. In Juzo's eyes, he had left with utter freedom.

Yet Juzo felt terrible inside.

He sensed how badly Itachi was doing now, but he could not say anything...

When he had rushed toward Itachi just now, Itachi's tense body had given him away...

Now, Itachi could not even sense someone appearing behind him...

Forcibly changing fate required a price...

Nothing could be gained for free.

The more intangible something was, the more precious it was, and the harder it was to obtain.

Night soon fell. Itachi's eyes were half-open, bloodshot and filled with exhaustion.

"Cough, cough..."

Itachi stared thoughtfully at the blood he had coughed into his palm.

The powerful strength gained by overdrawing his life force had to be repaid.

But when he remembered the light in Juzo's eyes, Itachi felt it had all been worth it.

And there was also the Three-Tails stored within his body.

Itachi felt that this trip had yielded plenty...

The night passed without words. After summoning several Shadow Clones, he rested against a somewhat damp tree trunk.

He was too tired. He needed to rest...