[Hokage] A rose in mourning for the summer moon

"Next Valentine's Day, send me roses."

She poked her head out from the bushes, holding a branch with one hand, with a smile on her face.

He stood under the tree and looked up at her.

"Rose?"

"It's kind of tacky, isn't it? But, I really—would love to receive roses from Itachi."

She jumped down and landed in front of him with grass blades on her hair and a sunny smile.

He brushed the blade of grass away with his hand.She didn't move, blinking her eyes slowly, the dark blue eyes became lighter in the sunlight, like pure glass.

"The next Valentine's Day will be next year." He said, "Xia Yue can do whatever she wants."

"However, receiving it on Valentine's Day is more memorable. Normally—"

She took his hand.The temperature of the palm and the shape of the fingertips are all clearly imprinted on the skin and cannot be forgotten.

"Usually, as long as I see someone I like, I am very happy." She said with a smile.

the person I like……

"Okay," he said, "I remember."

He was going to give her roses next Valentine's Day, and he remembered it.

"Is this an agreement?" She suddenly became cunning.

"I will treat it as an agreement, so..."

He turned his body slightly and grabbed out the book she secretly hid behind him without much effort.The vulgar cover and fonts are indeed those weird novels again.

"So, the time for Xia Yue to be lazy has come." He held her unwilling wrist, and knocked her on the head with the strangely named novel.

"Ah, it's really harsh, but it makes sense." She puffed her cheeks, but she didn't change her smile. She took a step back and put on a posture, "Don't laugh at me anymore, please guide me to practice, Mr. Itachi."

The appearance of bulging cheeks is just like Sasuke, really childish.

But... so he laughed?

You must have laughed.In front of her, he can't help but want to smile.

Because it is Xia Yue.

What kind of person is she?

Quickly.Warm.bright.stable.Peaceful.optimistic.

Every word can have another way of writing: Xiayue.

someone he likes.

Itachi never considered himself a clumsy person, although many thought he was.He usually keeps silent, just because he wants to think quietly, not because he is not good at expressing.But when he occasionally tried to describe Xia Yue, his smooth thinking and sentences suddenly froze, and only short words popped up one after another, arranged and combined in different orders.

He had wondered why.All the mysteries in the world have made him question and think, and this one is of course no exception.

"I know why."

Beside Nanhe River in the middle of the night, Zhishui patted him on the shoulder, holding back his laughter, but some laughter still leaked out.Those voices fell into the turbulent water of Nanhechuan, flowing into the depths of the vast night.

"why?"

"You are shy, hahaha..."

The water slapped against the stone wall, making a constant "crash" sound.His eyes could see through the night to see the shape of the water and the way the branches were repeatedly washed.He watched all this.

"Is that so... that's right."

Zhishui probably felt that his reaction was too flat.He stopped laughing and got serious.

"So, what happened?"

"How about what?" he asked.

"Xia Yue. Do you like her, or don't you?"

"Like it……"

"Hey, Itachi, don't tell me you don't know what 'like' is..."

"I like her very much."

"……what?"

"Xia Yue," he repeated, "I like her very much."

He looked at the dark night and the turbid mist in the night.He feels the world is in his eyes.The water of the ancient Nanga River washes over rocks, plants, the ancient and the modern, and rushes from one season to another; nature always gives people a sense of unchanging solidification, only human beings have such a short time.

"It's so... Itachi, I have to say, you always surprise me."

Zhishui nana's voice was blocked from thinking by Night Breeze.When he stared at the world, there was only him and the world in the world, nothing else.

Nature is slow, but human trajectories and emotions are changing.Most of the time he is looking at the future, but occasionally, the past will rush by.

Forgetting is the self-protection mechanism of the human brain.Most people forget the first time they met someone as a child, but Itachi was not one of them.He remembered everything he should remember.

Xia Yue always thought they met in the hospital ward, but that was only because she forgot.

The first time he saw Xia Yue was on the cold street of Konoha.

At that time, the Third Ninja World War was in full swing, and he was still at an age when adults thought he didn't understand anything, silently observing people's words and deeds, remembering and thinking about people's conversations about war.He is so focused on thinking that adults sometimes make fun of him, saying that he has a serious face all day long, and he doesn't know where he has so many thoughts at a young age.

"War" was not something to laugh at, lighthearted, as he had learned to this day through his own observations.But why do children's thinking make people laugh?He didn't feel any hurt to his pride—unlike his later brother—he was just puzzled.

——It would be great if I could see it with my own eyes, that kind of thing called "war".

He vaguely had such an idea.

Adults always say that he is a capable child.He wasn't sure if it was a compliment, but he was glad to be able to help, even if it was just a little errand.He can walk out of the clan area freely on the streets, looking at all kinds of people, and looking up, he can see colorful posters rustling in the wind.

On a gloomy day, he bought curry for his mother for dinner, and was about to practice shuriken in the backyard, but his mother stopped him.

"It's been really hard for you these few days. Itachi, let's go play with other children today and relax." His mother gave him a coin purse, resolutely pushed him out of the house, and suggested a few things that could be used as playthings. companion's name.

He remembered those children, but he had no interest in playing with them.Playhouses where balls of mud, throwing sand, and chasing each other play ninjas?forget it.

He walked and thought all the way, and he listed several places he could go to in an orderly manner, such as the training ground outside the clan site, the library, he can still complete his cultivation plan without interruption, or finish reading An unread book.Well, the library's dictionaries should not be borrowed, right?At present, he still needs to use reference books.

Unfortunately, the library was temporarily closed that day due to warehouse reorganization.He looked up at the flamboyant ink marks on the bulletin, feeling a little troubled, but he could only go to the next destination.

In the park around the corner, he noticed a person.

As long as it doesn't rain, there are always children in the park.The most popular are the slides and swings, followed by the sandpit.Whoever can occupy these places will be the leader in the group of children.

This is the phenomenon summed up by Itachi.

The slides, swings, and sandpit were all occupied and filled with loud, screaming children.But on the flower bed near the street at the edge of the park, there was another person sitting there alone, flipping through a book in his hand.She watched very intently, and the noise outside did not bother her at all.

Itachi stared at her for a while, realizing that he had an impression of her.That was an Uchiha too, and he lived not far from his house.

"……What's wrong?"

As a result, she noticed his gaze and raised her head to ask.

He suddenly felt a little ashamed.He is used to observing his surroundings, but he is not used to being told in person.So he bypassed her question with a rhetorical question.

"Excuse me, what are you looking at?" he asked.

She looked at him for a second longer.For some reason, she suddenly smiled.

"It's a collection of fairy tales from all over the world, and there are foreign ones. It's very interesting. Do you want to read it together?" She raised the book in her hand, her tone was gentle, but she showed a unique ease.

She was very different from her peers who played with sand and slides.Itachi was keenly aware of this.

"No, thank you." He didn't have much interest in meeting strangers, so he politely declined the invitation.Moreover, he does not have any expectations for fairy tale fantasy.

She looked at him for a few more seconds.Then she jumped down from the flower bed, holding the book, and walked straight to him.

"The fairy tale itself is also a reflection of reality. Not only that, but based on the common plot and characters, the subtle psychology of the creator can also be analyzed." She said, and smiled again, "Let's take a look together?"

He said yes.Strangely.

It was a collection of fairy tales with illustrations, a thick book, and the paper was slightly yellowed.He tried to analyze what she had just said as a "reflection of reality" through the gods, talking animals, and the adventures of the protagonists, but in the end he could only come to the same conclusion: fairy tales are really unrealistic products.

Maybe it was because he was concentrating too much on his thoughts, when the evening wind of reality blew again, he realized that it was already evening.I don't know when the sky cleared up, and the setting sun shone golden on the leaves.A few birds chirping "tweeting" reminded them that even the group of noisy children in the middle of the park had dispersed.

He felt uncomfortable again, almost chagrined.

"Do you like it?" she asked.

He had a stern face, a kind of displeasure at being deceived, and more of a depression that he had lost control of himself.He didn't want to talk much, but out of politeness, he still said, "No need, thank you."

"That's it again."

As a result, she laughed, with the brilliance of the setting sun in her eyes, like burning sea water.

He suddenly realized that her eyes were a beautiful dark blue.Uchiha's bloodline doesn't have this kind of pupil color, does that mean she has the bloodline of a foreign race?

"Aren't you happy?"

He shook his head silently, thinking, this girl has so many problems.

"Then, this book is for you."

He was puzzled: "Why?"

"Well... why. Because fairy tales are essential for children. The protagonist represents the good side of the heart recognized by the child, while the stepmother and the devil represent the bad side. By defeating and punishing these bad people, the child can Relieving bad emotions in the heart is equivalent to descaling the soul. In addition, many fairy tales record some historical deformations that are inconvenient to record, and compare them with history books, maybe you will find interesting results?"

……Amazing.

It was the first time that he encountered a peer who said something that he half understood, which made him feel a sense of awe towards that fairy tale book.

"Besides—" she draws out her voice.

"What?" he asked subconsciously.

"Besides, I obviously like it, so I watched it so intently."

Before he could think of a rebuttal, she had stood up, stretched, smiled and waved to him.

"For you. I'm going home, see you next time."

It was also the first time, outside of his parents, he watched the back of someone leaving.Like him, there is only one person's back, but there is no feeling of loneliness.

What a weird...wonderful person.

That night, he opened the collection of fairy tales again.A name was written on the title page: Natsuki Uchiha.The handwriting was more agile and graceful than many adults, which made him a little amazed again.

He picked out a favorite pencil and wrote: Uchiha Itachi squarely on the side.

Itachi feels that there are some mysterious qualities in Xia Yue, which he doesn't understand yet, but he wants to understand.

She became an important object of observation.

What is the difference?

At first glance, it seems that there is nothing particularly surprising.

The culture class is very outstanding, but the aptitude in taijutsu and ninjutsu is mediocre. He talks about working hard every day, but secretly sleeps and reads novels from time to time. When he is found out, he laughs embarrassedly.

He resists using animals as practice objects, and would rather skip class than kill rabbits, but when it comes to exams, he will calmly stab the sharp knife into the vitals of animals.

When worrying about the family and his father's drinking and gambling, his irritated and nagging appearance is no different from other people with similar troubles, but he will still go home to cook, sigh and cover his drunken father with a quilt.

When talking to unfamiliar people, he is always polite, and he will bow his head when reprimanded by his elders, but he will be more lively in front of familiar people, and he is especially good at perfunctory others. Just now he smiled and said "yes yes yes", When I turned around, I unceremoniously put the annoying orders behind me.

What is the difference?

This doubt spanned several years, and finally settled in his mind and became the conclusion: Xia Yue is the most peaceful person he has ever met.

She will not get carried away when she is happy, and will not give up on herself when she is down; she will practice hard and allow herself to be lazy as a reward; she treats everyone and everything calmly, does not demand how good others are, and does not forgive those unforgivable mistakes ; She will comfort and understand others, but she also refuses to bear the distress on behalf of others.

This sounds a little strange.He thought that he had set his ambition very early on to quell the disputes in the world by himself.The like-mindedness with Shishui is also because the other party has the same ideals.Human beings are not created equal, and those who are more talented and morally superior should stand on a higher ground, take on more responsibilities, and make decisions that are most beneficial to other ordinary people.

They are all people who set their goals early, and then go all out for them, never wasting a single second, and Xia Yue is much more leisurely and wise in protecting herself.

Now, he understood what was different about her, but a new question arose: Since their paths were different, why did he value his time with her so much?

Is it a common love of knowledge?They always hit it off.

Is it the same distaste for strife and clamor?They did spend many pleasant hours together in the tranquility of the forest.

Do they all have similar kindness towards life?Is it the distant commonality when the blood relationship goes back up?

It seems to be part of it, but not all of it.

Then, there is only the last and most inexplicable reason left.It must be admitted that many questions in this world are naturally unexplainable.

He just simply liked the feeling when he was with her.He cherished the peace of being at peace with the world, and the bright optimism that when she smiled, all problems were no longer problems.Even her guilty reaction when she secretly read the novel and was caught by him was very interesting.

It was as if when they met for the first time, he couldn't see any advantages of fairy tales, but he was still attracted by the adventures of the protagonists. He felt that time passed by in the blink of an eye, and when he looked up again, he saw only the sunset and melting gold.She smiled and said that he obviously likes him.

She has forgotten, but he still remembers.That unreasonable feeling of being attracted is called "like".

The whole world is at peace when she is by her side.

The night wind blows from the opposite bank, carrying the misty water vapor of Nanhechuan.Zhishui was joking about the "I like it very much" that he blurted out just now, and said that he should tell Xia Yue himself this sentence the next time we meet.

He looks away.

"talk later."

Zhishui gave a long "Oh": "Sure enough, I'm still shy. Itachi, your ears are red."

"The night is dark, and Shishui sometimes makes mistakes."

"Itachi, from the time when Sharingan was opened, I am your senior."

"Sharingan sees Chakra, Shisui."

Zhishui shook his head with a smile. "Seriously, remember to tell Xia Yue. Say what you want to say while you can, Itachi, remember this."

It's so easy to say "like" but what's the point?Words are meaningless, action is the key.

So, he understands.

He understood that it was because he intentionally blocked the information from the family that she was oblivious to what happened; it was because he kept silent about all her questions that she ignorantly walked into the final night .

He wanted to protect her.He originally wanted to protect her.

He has struggled.He tried to get her to move out, tried to beg Sandai Hokage to transfer her to a distant place with a mission after the plan was written; he assured Konoha's senior management that she knew nothing about Uchiha's rebellion or the truth about Shisui's death .She will not harbor resentment, will not want revenge, a peaceful and tough person like her will only spend the rest of her life in Konoha.

Konoha agreed.

He did not misread Hokage's character, but underestimated the determination and despicability of the family.

After learning that Xia Yue was taken away from work by his clansmen and never returned, he knew that all his efforts were in vain.

"……madness."

He may never understand why the clansmen are so stupid.Many things in this world really cannot be explained.

The same goes for his own stupidity.

Unexplainable stupidity, yet someone else bears the consequences.

She is innocent.She is innocent.why why?

can not explain.

He had never seen a moonlight as pale as that night in his life.The full and huge moon, domineeringly entrenched in the center of the night sky, looks like a monster, with its ugly mouth wide open, wailing silently.

——Next Valentine's Day, send me roses.

——I will take it as an agreement and abide by it.

——You should say what you want to say while you can, Itachi, remember that.

A promise that should have been kept.Words that should have been spoken.

She was completely white, standing in the pale, monster-like moonlight, the blood on her chest slowly smudged and fell, making a terrible "tick" sound.

She rejected Yueyue's illusion, and refused to sink into his illusory dream at the last moment.Without saying a word, just looking at each other, she knew what he wanted to do, and he also knew what she was rejecting.That's who he likes.

It's someone he likes very much...I like it very much.

"That's... enough."

He has seen the sunshine burning in her eyes, and he has also seen the stars and the moon fall in her eyes like silver bells ringing.He knew her eyes were beautiful.

Now he knows more.

He knew how the brilliance of life gradually disappeared in those deep blue eyes, and finally turned into a dead silence.

This is for righteousness...

—she is innocent.

For Sasuke...

—she is innocent.

For the whole Konoha...

—she is innocent.

for……

He will always, always, always...

Will not forgive myself.

Blood splashed and spread before his eyes.From that moment on, the world was forever stained with blood.

"Brother...what did you do...you lied..."

Live, Sasuke.No matter what, live on.

There is only one prayer left.

live and then...

Bury him with your own hands into the only ending he deserves.

The author has something to say: I'm sure, one of my personal hobbies is to write extra episodes after the heroine dies [no

After writing it, I think of it, "The Covenant of Roses" seems to have been the brand name of an electric car!

BGM recommendation: Mika Arisaka "Lifegoeson"

One of Gundam Seed, the music of this animation is really amazing>

Lower part: spring comes