The night was deep. Darkness spread across the Land of Fire, draping it in a shawl of peace and calm.
It was quite the deceptive veil.
In this darkness, where many were asleep, those who dabbled in the medical field found not a single moment of rest.
Konoha's Hospital was brimming with brightly-illuminated rooms. Shadows moved across different hallways like diligent specters. The recent conflicts had been growing with each passing day.
Thus, the hospital was quite full, with many of its rooms having a patient or two.
In one of these rooms...
Watching over Naruto's unconscious body, Itachi's eyes swirled. Standing on guard and observing the young jinchuriki's fragile state for hours on end.
However, Itachi did not find any of this tiring.
He was busy collecting his thoughts, pondering upon his past actions.
'It seems like I was right...'
Having used a technique he had only practiced in theory, it was clear that there would be unwanted side effects. Unfortunately, he wasn't given another option — it was either that, or Naruto's complete mental collapse.
Now, Itachi was dealing with the aftermath of his lack of preparations.
"Hmmm,"
—Click. Tak.
Someone entered the hospital room just then.
"...Lord Third,"
Itachi didn't have to turn around to know who it was. From the stride and the aura alone, it was clear which powerful shinobi had joined him.
"Oh, Crow. How's Naruto doing?"
Hiruzen's voice was unnaturally cold. Something about it bothered Itachi, however, there wasn't much else to suspect.
From what Itachi knew, Hiruzen had gone through a lot after Danzo's death. Despite his vast experience, Hiruzen's heart was stained with a greater darkness.
"Naruto is doing fine, albeit with a few complications," Itachi said, silently eyeing the Third Hokage beside him.
Hiruzen's Will of Fire burned differently nowadays.
'The clean up still isn't showing any signs of progress.' Itachi thought.
Danzo's forces were too numerous and too widespread. Just like the roots of a millennium-old tree spanning the entire forest — there were too many places where his organization had infiltrated.
Furthermore, a few shinobi villages had long gotten entangled by these roots — and drained of their nutrients.
'...Just like Sunagakure,'
Now that it was fractured and forced into a passive state, Itachi knew that the other villages would soon act in defiance or compliance. Whichever choice they made, there was sure to be bloodshed.
And not against Konohagakure, no...
They were going to act against the poisonous roots spreading throughout the world.
"Hmmm," Hiruzen's hum of contemplation pulled Itachi out of his thoughts. "Continue taking care of him. Konohagakure will need his help soon."
"Roger," Itachi bowed his head.
—Clack. Clack. Clack.
...And waited until Hiruzen left the hospital room before he raised his gaze once more.
***
Sitting by a still lake, Naruto waited for his fishing line to react. Smelling the cold air of a year coming to an end, he watched the distant birds flying off into the horizon.
The smell of iron was prominent from his newly-cleaned kunai.
"Sigh,"
Naruto knew he was dreaming.
He knew... however, he still denied it. It was a denial from the bottom of his heart. With eyes looking away from the core contents of his trauma, he could live in peace.
There was no need to peer into the depths of the lake before him and relive past horrors.
Indeed...
'I cannot look down,' He thought to himself.
Satisfied with his gaze merely grazing the lake's surface, Naruto took his time to meditate. It was rare that he dreamt so deeply like this.
"Oi, you damn brat."
Ruining his peace was a deep, rage-filled voice. Blunt and completely void of respect, the Kyuubi's maws opened and out came more of his words.
"What the hell are you doing, losing to that bastard?"
Naruto frowned.
"Ha?" His reply was equally venomous, "I was about to beat him, right then and there, believe it! But I was stopped midway. That damn Sharingan... Can't you help me break their Genjutsu in the future? You useless fox—"
"Hmph, if not for that Uchiha Itachi's request, I wouldn't have let you live any more than a day. Don't get so cocky, brat."
"Tsk," Naruto clicked his tongue, annoyed. "Then don't! I'll deal with everything myself."
Stuck in the dream, Naruto slowly reassumed control of his chakra. Feeling the mass of energy lying dormant in his body, a wave of frustration washed over him.
It was like a human trying to move 10-ton steel coils around — an impossible feat of control.
Naruto had no choice but to use what little he could muster into obedience. Forming a single seal, he forced his chakra to move.
Then—
'Kai!'
The illusion placed upon him was thus shattered.
***
When Naruto woke up from his dreamy slumber, the sun was on the verge of rising. The sky was slowly being dyed in a beautiful blue.
"Did you talk to the fox again?"
Itachi's voice was the first thing that greeted him, muffled by the crow mask.
"...Yes," Naruto replied, his voice no longer as venomous as in his dream. "I tried getting him to help me break any Genjutsu in the future, but he refused."
Suddenly, Naruto met Itachi's gaze. The darkness of Itachi's Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan was unnatural.
For a moment, Naruto froze. The Kyuubi inside of him stirred, seemingly unnerved by the unsettling gaze that had fallen upon them both.
'Damn Uchiha and their cursed Dojutsu,' Kurama's thoughts echoed out in Naruto's mind.
Time and time again, an Uchiha always sought to control him. In the distant past, it was Madara. Thirteen years ago, it was Obito. Now, it was Itachi.
They always thought themselves superior because of their gaze.
Perhaps the only thing that made Itachi bearable was the fact that Kurama didn't see himself being viewed as just a weapon. To him, Naruto and Itachi had become the two humans he could barely tolerate.
Along with, perhaps, that silver-haired child.
—Without knowing that it was the suggestion implanted by the Kotoamatsukami.
Yet, until now, Itachi felt uneasy about it.
His suggestion to the Kyuubi using his Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan's Kotoamatsukami had been instinctual.
There was no detailed plan when he had used his Dojutsu. As he didn't know for sure what kind of situation Naruto and the Kyuubi had been in, he had no choice but to improvise when he saw it for himself.
[Do Not Harm Uzumaki Naruto.]
It was a simple command, but Itachi was still exploring its possible implications. He had to ponder the pros and cons with great diligence, as otherwise, a dangerous situation might arrive in the future.
"Sigh,"
He had been doing this since they fled to Mount Myoboku and continued to do so until today.
'I hope nothing goes wrong with this one...'
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Hi! I am back~
But not with daily uploads. I'm halfway through my thesis proposal and I'm no longer as burnt out. I'll be pacing myself with around 2-3 days per chapter.
Still, have five chapters today as an apology for being gone for a while!
Chapter 5/5.
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