People raise Hokage in Yunyin

As the sun sets, the golden rays of the sun shine onto the ground, coating the entire wooden leaves with a golden glow.

On the wide avenue, there is an endless stream of pedestrians on both sides, and shops are dotted in every corner, but even such a scene cannot be described as lively.

What is hidden behind this prosperous scene seems to be more appropriately described as solemn.

Pedestrians looked hurried, and transactions were straightforward. It seemed difficult to see communication between people.

Except for some children, it was difficult to see a smile on the faces of the crowd.

And on a certain tall house between the streets and alleys, in the shadow of the back sun, a figure was sitting quietly on the edge of the eaves.

He was half leaning and half leaning on the uneven protruding rubble, playing with the cat-face mask he wore all year round in his hands. One leg was bent on the roof, and the other leg was hanging precariously in the air.

On his face was a calm expression that had always been unfazed by humiliation. His eyes were looking forward blankly, not knowing what he was thinking. He was dressed in a standard ninja vest, making him look like an ordinary young ninja, except for the strange appearance on his face. His deep tear troughs inadvertently reflect his identity.

Uchiha Itachi stared at the Konoha in front of him, as if looking at something ethereal.

The prosperity on the surface seems to be just delusion, like an old and yellow plant. Although the half-yellow green leaves on the surface are about to wither, they are still fulfilling their mission dutifully - absorbing nutrients through photosynthesis.

And under this withered and decaying plant, there are roots of darkness that perfectly utilize nutrients to grow.

Such eerie roots thrive downward, making it difficult to imagine its final growth direction.

Uchiha Itachi shook his head and collected his somewhat divergent thoughts.

He has not thought about such a thing for a long time. Issues such as the village and the Ninja clan, the Ninja clan and the individual, and the individual and the village have long had nothing to do with him.

‘Is it the rare vacation that makes my thinking slow? ’ He couldn’t help but think of this.

In recent years, he has been busy between tasks. It is rare that he got a whole day of rest like today, which made him not even know what to do.

'Stay a little longer and go see Sasuke! ’

After thinking about it for a while, I quickly got the answer.

Counting the time, Sasuke has already gone home from school. After dinner, he will most likely go out for a walk. Then he can follow him from a distance...

Itachi thought about it for a while and felt that the plan was perfect.

If he listed his schedule in the past few years, it would basically consist of eating, sleeping, practicing, performing tasks, and seeing his brother...

In fact, besides these things, Itachi didn't know what else to do.

Apart from the mechanical execution of the first few events, only that last one made him feel like a human being.

He sat on the eaves of an empty house, his thoughts gradually becoming empty again.

"Captain, are you here?"

A crisp voice sounded from behind. The moment Itachi heard the voice, his divergent eyes gathered subconsciously. The face that looked a little dull due to being too empty was replaced by a serious expression. In the blink of an eye, the dazed young man on the eaves was covered by the heavy weight. Replaced by the deep thinker who is enveloped in melancholy and thinks all the time.

Itachi maintained a serious expression, thinking rapidly in his head, and one voice after another flashed through his mind.

Finally, with a certain tone and a little doubt, he asked without looking back: "Izumi, what do you want from me?"

The girl behind him walked slowly to Itachi's side along the protruding ridge of the house.

"Captain, what are you thinking about?"

Izumi's slightly curious words came from behind.

Itachi didn't answer her question, his eyes wandered between the eaves in the distance, and he made plans to retreat in advance.

Of course he is familiar with the girl behind him. Uchiha Izumi of the Uchiha clan was one of the first few people he was forced to recruit, so she has always been very impressive.

They were considered to be the most talented people among the Uchiha survivors, so they joined the root team led by him.

It was clear that she had always had a disgusting attitude towards herself before, but for some reason it suddenly changed. Recently, she has been looking for herself from time to time...

Uchiha Itachi had already thought of an excuse and was going to leave later.

As the leader of the Uchiha clan who has been pushed out by Danzo for a long time, he deeply understands how hated he is.

Even if Quanmei behind him stabbed himself to death with a knife in the next second, he felt that it was not incomprehensible.

Izumi didn't seem to feel his rejection, so she took a small step forward and sat next to Itachi.

Slightly open the paper bag you brought in your hand, and a slightly warm fragrance comes out of the bag.

Itachi's drifting eyes immediately froze. He dared to swear with his three magatama Sharingan that this wonderful thing with a small fragrance and bright color must be...

"Captain, I just bought three-color meatballs. Let's eat some together?"

Izumi's considerate voice came from the side.

Itachi took a deep breath, looked like "I've lost to you", and reluctantly took out a bunch of meatballs from the bag.

His head was slightly tilted to the side away from the crowd, and he used the back of his head to cover his happy eyebrows.

‘Although I only ate it during the day, but... who can resist three-color meatballs? ’

Izumi sat quietly on the eaves, the strange patterned mask on her face was placed on the side of her face, and she ate the meatballs in her hands with a delicate mouth.

After finishing the bunch in his hand, Itachi naturally reached for the paper bag again.

When he took the new bunch out of the paper bag, he belatedly remembered where the meatballs belonged.

He glanced at Izumi cautiously, and found that the other person seemed indifferent to his behavior, so he took the meatball back with peace of mind...

"Captain, do you know that most of the remaining Uchiha clan members hate you very much..."

While Itachi was enjoying the food in his hands, Izumi's faint voice came from behind.

The movements of Itachi's hands paused for a moment, and then resumed their usual rhythm, seemingly not paying any attention to Izumi's words.

Izumi didn't care about his reaction, and continued to talk to herself: "I originally thought so too. I felt that you must have colluded with Danzo early on and sold the entire family to Danzo..."

Itachi's expression was a bit complicated. It was hard to tell whether this idea was wrong. After all, since the entire clan joined the Roots, they had often carried out the most difficult tasks.

Most of the young generation who have grown up are tired from various tasks.

Middle-aged and elderly people who lack combat effectiveness are used as a perfect labor force, performing various chores day after day in anonymity.

"But after I joined your team, captain, I discovered that you always take on the most difficult tasks. When executing them, you usually rush to the front alone. You also secretly take good care of the Uchiha people..."

Itachi knew that the other party was telling the truth. After all, as the leader of the clan, it seemed that this was all he could do.

Sometimes he regrets that he agreed to Danzo so easily, but when he thinks about it, he doesn't know what else he could have done.

Is it to drag the entire clan and Danzo to death, or is it like this slow knife to cut flesh, and the whole clan disappears in the ninja world after who knows how many years?

Often caught between such thoughts, Itachi would rather be a single-task machine.

'So, why do you have to tell me this at this time...'

Itachi looked at the food beside his mouth and glanced at Izumi with some resentment.

"I heard that Danzo is still recruiting wandering ninjas. If one day, our dark jobs are replaced by others, Mr. Patriarch, have you thought of a way out for us?"

Izumi didn't seem to feel Itachi's eyes and continued to add.

"Don't say that again in the future, we are from Konoha after all!"

Itachi interrupted Izumi forcefully, seemingly annoyed by her inappropriate remarks.

But his twinkling eyes seemed to represent a slightly different idea.

Quanmei took a peek at his face and seemed to understand something. She nodded with some satisfaction and regained her composure.