Forced to sell misery

The patriarch's residence.

That night, the moon was as cool as water, reflecting the pond in the courtyard.

Itachi sat in the corridor, looking up at the not-so-full moon quietly.

He remembered that on the eve of the Uchiha clan leaving Konoha, because of his special status, he hurriedly resigned from the Anbu and returned to the family to be on standby. It was a rare leisure night, but the things he had to consider were even more chaotic and complicated.

He left the room to get some fresh air, but saw Jing Ye sitting there, holding a bag of unopened dumplings in his hand, as if he was waiting for him.

Ever since he joined the Anbu, he has become increasingly busy. It has been a long time since the two of them sat together and ate dumplings in peace.

So he sat beside Jing Ye in silence.

"You can't sleep either, Itachi?" Jing Ye turned his head and looked at him. "There are too many things to consider, the village's decision, the attitude of the upper echelons, the future of the clan, the comfort of the clan members... too many, too many, if you consider them one by one, your head will definitely hurt."

"As..." His head was suddenly hit and he looked at Jing Ye in surprise. The two had not been so intimate together for a long time.

Jing Ye said with a smile, "You guy, you just think too much. Look - we are the same age, but Itachi already has deep nasolabial folds." Jing Ye reached out to touch his face.

"Don't make trouble." He avoided it with a smile and tears, and it was rare for him to have the mood to play. "What nasolabial folds? Kasan said that these are tear troughs."

"Really?" Jing Ye pretended to be surprised, "So Itachi is a crybaby."

"You bastard." He tapped Jing Ye's forehead helplessly.

"It hurts!" Jing Ye covered his forehead and screamed in an exaggerated manner, but when he was not paying attention, he reached out and tickled his itchy spot.

"Alright, stop messing around. You're really not a child anymore, Jing Ye!"

"Itachi will definitely get old very quickly if he continues to look like this!" Jing Ye couldn't beat him, so he could only put on a tsundere look and say bad things about him.

Really, he has always had this kind of childish mentality, always clamoring that he is the older brother, but in fact he is just a child who will never grow up.

but……

"That Sharingan..." He was still worried.

"Actually, I don't know how my eyes opened. I just felt a lot of pain in them... like they were burning, that burning sensation... I reached out and wiped them, and blood was all flowing out of my eyes. I was scared to death at the time..."

Even when talking about such a serious matter, this guy still seems so out of touch.

"Don't worry, Itachi, you are a member of the clan, no, the entire Konoha, no, you are a rare outstanding genius in the entire ninja world, you will definitely open the Mangekyō Sharingan soon."

He just felt at a loss whether to laugh or cry. The power of kaleidoscope... in the mouth of this guy Jing Ye, it became something that could be used whenever he wanted.

"Oh, right." This guy even leaned close to him, pretending to be mysterious, and whispered to him, "But the power of the kaleidoscope can't be used casually. Excessive use of the eyes will damage the eyes, and in serious cases may even cause blindness..."

He was also seriously told to take care of his health, otherwise, when he opened his eyes in the future, overuse would not only be bad for his eyes, but also his body would collapse...

He just listened with a mixture of laughter and tears. This guy was always so out of tune.

Jing Ye even told him nonchalantly that his Mangekyō Sharingan seemed to be a little off... In fact, he had no idea what abilities he would have after opening his Mangekyō Sharingan. Even the so-called ability to "recall the past and see the future" was just a lie to fool the adults...

He was shocked at the time. Jing Ye was really being too naughty.

But he was also very curious about what Jing Ye said about the past, Uchiha Madara and the first Hokage, as well as the origins of the names of Konoha and Hokage.

At that time, Jing Ye's eyes wandered around, and he scratched his head and said that his father always forced him to read those files about family, politics, etc., and occasionally he saw...

Jing Ye has been like this since he was a child. When he lies, he doesn't try to hide it at all. He either has a wandering look in his eyes, scratches his hair, or laughs.

But he didn't ask any further questions, because he also knew that Jing Ye had his own little secret.

He always thought that they still had a lot of time together... Even if they were to separate now, he would leave with his clan, while Jing Ye would stay in Konoha, but they were brothers, and even if they were separated, there would be a special bond that would always connect them together...

but……

Itachi suppressed the soreness in his eyes and closed his eyes.

That night, they just sat together and talked about a lot of things. They finished a large portion of dumplings. It was already very late at night, but neither of them had any intention of leaving.

Later, he realized that Jing Ye was still sleepy, so he persuaded Jing Ye to go to sleep for a while.

Jing Ye said that he absolutely couldn't sleep, while yawning and leaning on him all the time.

In the end, he was the first to stand up and pull the guy up.

Then, he was hugged suddenly.

"Itachi, I'm so happy." At that time, Jing Ye said, "Really, although I know it may not be my own wish, but you still choose to be with the clan, even if it means opposing the village, you still choose us..."

At that time, he didn't understand the meaning of Jing Ye's words, but now, he seemed to understand a little.

"I know you have always been unwilling to let your guard down... Whether it's Itachi of the Konoha Anbu or Itachi of the Uchiha clan, you have done a great job." Jing Ye said.

"But you, like me, are the 11-year-old kid at the door of an adult..."

"You've been carrying too much, Itachi. It must be very hard."

"But I won't do that anymore. I have me, my father, my mother, and my tribesmen... Even though some of them are really annoying, cocky and tsundere, we are from the same tribe after all.

And Sasuke... Although he is still a little brat now, he will definitely grow up to be an excellent Uchiha in the future... After all, he is that Uchiha Sasuke..."

"You are not alone, and you don't have to carry such a heavy burden and walk alone in the dark..."

"I...we will always be with you, so...Itachi, you have to take good care of yourself too. Don't always force yourself. Tell us if you're hurt or sad. Just work hard on missions and don't try to be stubborn. Remember to go home when you're tired. We are all here...Itachi, you are not alone."

"Okay." He heard himself reply softly.

But Jing Ye fell asleep on his back.

The moonlight was beautiful that night, and everything seemed perfect like a dream.

Although, there may still be some bad things in the future, at least there is beauty that can be carefully cherished.

He has always believed this.

But now, Konoha is still the same Konoha, the clan has a new future, and Sasuke is growing up... However, the person who promised him good things is gone.

Tears streamed down his face, Itachi opened his eyes, and the world became hazy and sad in his eyes.

"Dong" is the sound of the bamboo tube hitting the slippery stone.

He remembered that when he was a child, although he was in poor health, Jing Ye was always a noisy child. He was full of curiosity about everything and even wanted to wade across the pond to see the water bamboo.

Of course he didn't stop him, and when the guy was pulled back to the shore by his dad, both of his trouser legs were wet, and as expected, he had a high fever that night.

And that guy still had a blushing face and smiled at him, "This way Itachi won't be busy with training and so on, and can always be with me."

forgive me……

He remembered that time again, when Jing Ye was suspended in the air, his face covered in blood, looking at him, crying, and finally using the forbidden technique.

No, I will never forgive you, ever.

Itachi wiped away the remaining tears from his eyes.

"Nisan, aren't you asleep yet?" Sasuke rubbed his eyes and opened the door.

"I'm sorry, Sasuke. Did I wake you?"

"Not really..." Sasuke looked at his brother with a conflicted expression.

"Go to bed." Itachi stood up, took Sasuke's hand, and they walked into the house.

Outside, the moonlight is gentle.