[Hokage] A rose in mourning for the summer moon

If the world is about to end tomorrow, and today we don't realize it, does that mean that, in our eyes today, the joy of this moment will continue into futures that actually don't exist?

If tomorrow the world is about to end.

As long as you maintain today's ignorance, you will feel that happiness and hope are infinitely long.

but……

When the water is full, it overflows, and when the moon is full, it loses.Everyone should know this truth.

I still have some time before that final night of the full moon falls.

If you think about the life of a ninja, you will find that we are all very tired, most of the time is boring, and many moments can be called painful.365 days a year, 360 days we have to get up before six o'clock.If there is a task, of course it is based on the timetable of the task; if there is no task, it is usually a set of basic training in the morning, then a bath, a meal, and a day's work.At night, if there is no overtime, it will be a set of high-intensity physical training, plus ninjutsu practice.

Life is already very stressful and boring, not to mention that during that period of time, I was full of fighting spirit, secretly made a lot of extra training plans for myself, and survived on three times the amount of coffee/caine during the day.

As a result, not surprisingly, after three months of ultra-high-intensity life, I fell ill.

During the day, I felt lack of energy, but I didn’t react to it; finally, when the work was over, I pushed myself to barely finish the one-hour ninjutsu training.Like most Uchihas, the total amount of Chakra in my body is not too much, so I can only work hard to increase my control, and slowly increase the upper limit of Chakra with a little effort every day.

When I came out of the shower, a gust of night wind caused me to sneeze three times in a row, and my throat began to hurt badly, and I realized the serious protest of my body after a while.

I haven't been sick for several years, and the medicines in the house are all expired.After hesitating for a few seconds between the two options of "eat the expired medicine" and "drink more hot water and go to sleep", I decisively chose the latter.

The moonlight was very good that night, and the coldness of the winter night turned into the clarity of the starry sky.The moon is surprisingly bright, and even the impact craters and mountain shapes on the surface can be clearly seen.I wrapped myself in a thick quilt, curled up on the bed, and squinted at the moon for a while.

The high fever that comes with a fever confuses thinking.I stared blankly, thinking of the distant past life for a while, and seemed to return to my childhood for a while.I thought of when I was very young—I mean "very small" in this life—Takihira and Zhijiang were still together, the Third World War was going on, I was lying by the window looking at the desolate street, Zhie Jiang was cooking in the kitchen and asked me which flavor of pickled vegetables I prefer.

"I don't like any of them...I hate pickles the most..."

I was probably so burned out that I forgot that I had already grown up.When there was a slight abnormal sound in my ear, my first reaction was that Takihira had returned, and I thought that Zhijiang would be angry again if this man came back so late, and the two of them might quarrel again.

"... Xia Yue?"

Someone is calling me.Ah, that's my name, right?I wanted to answer, but my body was very heavy, and the dense cold sweat made my skin very cold, but it seemed like a fire was burning inside my body.My lips were surprisingly dry, and I licked them, but couldn't make myself any better.

"Xia Yue, you are sick."

Something cool rests on my forehead.I just realized that my skin was not as cool as I thought, but rather hot.

"It burned so badly."

You are sick, you are sick.I thought unhappily, why does this person swear at others so casually.I wanted to fight back, but my body was heavy and limp, and I couldn't control it.I became anxious, and for some reason suddenly remembered that Takihira had passed away a long time ago. At that moment, I felt extremely sad, so I burst into tears.

The patient's memory is very confused, so I don't remember any more details.But vaguely, I can still remember the feeling of being hugged physically.The window was open, and the night wind was blowing, but it was covered by clothes the next moment.

I remember the human warmth holding me, the cold wind being kept out by his coat.The roof was swept by quickly below, the green hills stood in the distance, and the full moon in the sky was huge and bright.

"Itachi...is it..."

"Don't worry, it will be fine." He whispered, "Sleep, Xia Yue."

That was a very reassuring answer.

I closed my eyes and felt that I had never slept so peacefully.

That stability lasted until the next day.When I opened my eyes and found that it was Mikoto who was placing a cold, wet towel on my forehead, the peace turned into a huge embarrassment.

I was a little flustered, sat up and thanked her repeatedly, and then apologized for causing trouble to her.My embarrassment escalated when I looked around and realized that this was not my small apartment but the patriarch's house.

Mikoto sat there, pursing her lips and smiling.She has long hair loose, and she looks so gentle every time she smiles.The morning sun, which fell on the floor and outlined the plain silhouette of the windows, made her seem to glow.

"It's rare to see Xia Yue look so flustered. It's really interesting." She laughed at me and blamed me, "But Xia Yue didn't pay attention to her body too much. You burned all night last night, and it's all here." 40 degrees! If Itachi hadn’t been here, the consequences might have been serious—prolonged high fever can damage the brain.”

I just say yes, bow my head and apologize.

"But why itachi would..."

Mikoto smiled again.She is such a beauty, everyone will be heartbroken for her when her eyebrows and eyes are curved.

"Ah, that kid. I didn't expect that either." She said happily, "Itachi has been busy with work recently, and we haven't seen him for several days. He should have just finished his mission last night, so I want to meet him quietly. The side of the person I like. Seriously, I didn’t expect Itachi to have such a cute side.”

Is that so?I think of the cold moonlight last night, and the reassuring warmth under the moonlight.

"Then...is Itachi here?"

Mikoto shook her head regretfully, saying that he went out again. "I'm always busy with the work in the village. Sometimes the clan..." She sighed, swallowed the rest of the words, and immediately cheered up, "Xia Yue must be hungry, right? I made breakfast, come on."

It is already quite disturbing to make myself sick and trouble my lover's mother to take care of me; when I walked to the restaurant, I found Sasuke sitting at the table with his back straight, and the majestic patriarch was sitting on the table. At first, I was so guilty that I wanted to run away in public regardless of face.

"Xiayue is here." Fu Yue looked up at me, coughed, put away the newspaper in his hand, and told me indifferently: "Sit down."

I responded obediently and sat down obediently.Every word and deed strives to be extremely well-behaved.When I was young, I felt that Fuyue had a stern face that would reprimand others at any time. Since I started attending family meetings and witnessed the patriarch's ability to reprimand others with my own eyes, my guess has been further confirmed.

Sasuke was sitting across from me, also with a calm expression, as obedient as a mouse after seeing a cat.Well, don't let him know my metaphor, or the young master will lose his temper.

Eat without speaking, sleep without speaking.People who don't know the truth will always misunderstand, thinking that everyone with the surname Uchiha has such strict rules, but in fact only the patriarch and a few clan elders have such strict rules.A grassroots Uchiha like me prefers a lively dining atmosphere.Uchiha is also a human being, no different from a person whose surname is not Uchiha.

However, it is a pity that few people have really realized this.

After breakfast, Fuyue asked me a few words as usual, and even cared for me a few words.He is our patriarch and also the father of my lover, so I naturally have to be respectful and careful in the face of such majesty.

When the words were almost finished, it seemed that Fuyue was going to go to work. Just when I was about to breathe a sigh of relief, the majestic patriarch said suddenly: "Xia Yue, you should be satisfied with this child Itachi? Recently I I'm thinking about it, why don't you decide on your marriage first."

"..."

A sentence came from outside the sky, which made me stunned.Not only me, but Sasuke gave an "Ah", and then he was glared at by his father, and immediately lowered his head and looked at me secretly, his eyes widened.

Mikoto didn't look surprised, but she sighed inexplicably, and sighed again, as if she was worried about something.

Fu Yue narrowed his eyes slightly and looked directly at me.Needless to say, that look was majestic, unquestionable, and even tinged with coldness; it seemed that when he talked about this matter to me, he was more as a patriarch than as a patriarch.The latter only cares about the happiness of their children, while the former has to consider the interests of the whole family.

What did I answer.I must have answered something, I can't remember the specifics, but it should not be too satisfying to Fuyue.For I remember his sullen, discontented expression; those hard-pressed wrinkles deepened.

"Xia Yue, Itachi has always wanted to protect you." He unexpectedly started with this sentence, "He has shouldered more things for this. Therefore, we have always acquiesced to his wishes. But until now... "

"—Fuyue!"

The patriarch looked at Mikoto in surprise.

Sasuke poked out a pair of eyes from outside the door, peeping at us quietly, with a disturbed expression.

Mikoto's chest heaved deeply a few times, and her expression gradually regained her composure, with a bit of determination. "We promised," she said. "We can see how much pressure the child is under for this."

In my impression, that was the only time I saw Mikoto's toughness.Her voice was low, but her husband was surprised by the resoluteness of her voice.

"Excuse me, what happened?" I asked.

"...It's nothing." Mikoto lowered her head, as if she was trying to calm down some surging emotions.When she looked at me again, I remember, it was another soft smile.

In terms of emotional restraint, and always smiling at people around her, she and Itachi are exactly the same in these two points.

"I think it's better to wait for things like engagement. When the children are older and things are settled, it's not too late to discuss." She looked at her husband, her voice softer , as if to make up for the unexpected toughness just now, "How about 16 years old? Fuyue, we got engaged at 16 years old."

The patriarch's mouth sank.It was a look of deep discontent but self-control.Finally, he nodded slowly, smoothing his frown.

"Let's do it like this." After he finished speaking, he hummed again, and said mockingly, "Itachi—I really raised a good son!"

That morning is etched deeply in my memory.The seemingly calm, but actually turbulent atmosphere in the patriarch's house coincides with the oppressive atmosphere in the family.I have repeatedly thought about what is hidden behind the calm, what people's eyes mean, and what the patriarch and Mikoto's hesitant words represent.Am I being too preoccupied, or is there really something important and a shocking secret being hidden.

What is hiding in front of my eyes, but when I try to find it, I can't see anything?

If I move the time forward a bit and go to the later period when everything has already happened, when many people know this secret past, the secret I have been thinking about seems to be very clear.At the time when I was 12 years old, the bigwigs of the Uchiha family had decided to resort to violence and rebellion, and they "notified" the elite ninjas of the family.

I should have been in the range of insiders, too.If it weren't for the existence of ferret.

He warned people that if I or Sasuke were involved, he would immediately tell Konoha the whole truth.And if people can maintain the most basic silence, they can maintain his loyalty.

Naturally, people said yes.But it was also because of his threat that they became more dissatisfied and wary of him.Fu Yue is eager to reconcile the relationship between the family and Itachi—he is still a father after all—so he hopes to finalize our marriage as soon as possible, so that people can feel at ease in this way.After all, if a person's entire family, including his valued fiancée, is on the side of the family, what other choice does he have?

Later, I would occasionally think, if I was really engaged at that time, would it be different?

Will not.

Who can change the direction of the tide, who can stop the rain from falling?History will inevitably lead to the consequences recorded later, and that person will also make a choice according to his own will, no matter what stands on the road ahead, and no matter how much he leaves behind.

That is Uchiha Itachi.

That's Uchiha Itachi.

By the way, there is one more little thing.

When the turning point of history is approaching, the gloom entrenched in the clan land is like the black clouds when the rainstorm is approaching. Even Sasuke can see the existence of anxiety from the people around him.He asked his stern father, but was reprimanded that this is not something children should think about; he asked his gentle mother, but was perfunctory with vague comfort; Come to that familiar figure.

In the end, he could only come to me.

On another night, he sneaked up to me.The eyes of the young master who was doted on in the past are full of uneasiness and confusion.

"Xiayue, what's the matter with everyone? Mom and Dad are very strange, and my brother comes home less and less." He stood at the entrance of my house, his small body stood up straight, his eyes were big and black , "The last time the uncles and uncles came to look for my brother, they had a quarrel, very loudly. They said that my brother killed Zhishui...Xia Yue, is that true?"

"...Sasuke, what did Itachi say?"

"Brother said it wasn't Zhishui who killed him."

"That's not it."

I knelt down and patted his head.Sasuke is the kid who doesn't like being touched on the head because he doesn't like being treated like a kid and it makes him feel like his pride is hurt.But that early spring night, he let me stroke his hair without saying a word.

"Trust your brother, Sasuke." I felt a little tired, maybe because I had been sad for too long, I couldn't help feeling tired.

"Itachi has always been a good brother, hasn't he? He loves you very much."

"But, they didn't tell me anything...Xia Yue, you know? Those things they didn't tell me."

I didn't speak, but I should have shook my head in denial.

The little kid looked at me.Sasuke and his brother look alike, but have completely different personalities.But the way he looked at me at that time made me feel that their brothers had similar eyes for the first time.

Understandable, understandable, and empathetic.

"Don't be sad, Xia Yue."

That really immature child patted me on the shoulder lightly.

"They're so strange, maybe... maybe they're just sick. Just like the last time Xiayue was sick." He comforted me earnestly, "It will definitely get better, Xiayue."

Years later, I used to talk about this night with Sasuke, about this conversation that happened when the spring cherry blossoms first bloomed.By that time, the once immature and optimistic child was completely different.He stayed in the shooting range at that time, practicing Uchiha's secret shuriken throwing technique over and over again, his eyes were cold and sharp.

"Can not remember."

He would answer me so coldly.

It's really sad.The past, the future, the life of a ninja is always sad.

Perhaps the word "ninja" is itself a disease, but some people have mild symptoms and others are terminally ill.

I just don't know which kind of ferret it is, and which kind I am.

What kind of dead Zhishui is it?

How did that cheerful and warm boy die?Why did the next meeting after the farewell become his cold corpse in Nanhechuan?

neither knows.Except maybe ferret.

Except for Itachi, who is even more taciturn and withdrawn from people than before.

In his icy silence, in his wordless gaze, there was a kind of repressed and terrifying determination, lingering like a ghost.

"Itachi, what the hell..."

"Xia Yue, do you want to move out?"

"Hey?"

"Your father, Takihira, is not from the Uchiha clan. You wanted to move out a long time ago, and no one will stop you now."

"Why suddenly..."

"Hey boy, what are you sneaking about?"

There are always elusive tribesmen who suddenly appear and warn us viciously.They're spying on us, but why?

Itachi fell silent again.But whenever he stares at someone, those dark eyes are like the abyss of death, and sometimes even I feel creepy.

"madness."

He had uttered the word in an overly calm tone.

That degree of resolute, unshakable will—

I thought it might be some kind of disease too.

We are all terminally ill with no cure.