[Hokage] Flower Time

The uncle grabbed his aunt's hand and made her loosen the palm that was holding Huashi tightly, and said: "People in the clan are investigating Zhishui's whereabouts, but as far as the current news...no one knows where he is going. Where is it?"

Hua Shi nodded and said, "Okay."

Facing such a flower, the two of them were speechless for a while.

After learning the news last night, they imagined countless ways to comfort Hua Shi.In their guess, this little girl who has always been a bit petite and willful and was spoiled by her brother may cry uncontrollably, or ask repeatedly where her brother went.

However, they didn't expect that Huashi in front of them looked very calm, and couldn't see the grief of losing Zhishui at all.She answered other people's questions in a calm tone, as polite as ever.

The comforting words prepared in advance have lost their usefulness.The expected idea of ​​"replacing Shisui and continuing to take care of her" can't be said.

In the end, the two could only sigh, say goodbye and leave.

×

In the afternoon, the expected visitor arrived.

Huashi has a headache, how should I explain to Itachi what she has said countless times - she thinks that Shisui is not dead, but that she has to commit suicide for a temporary situation, I hope everyone will not use that kind of sympathy Looking at her with pity would make her feel uncomfortable.

Even though we didn't see Zhishui's body, why did everyone seem to be sure of Zhishui's death within half a day?

Just as she was worrying, the boy who had been standing at the door had quietly stepped across the courtyard and walked towards her.The black crow flew towards him, and finally landed on his shoulder, rubbing its claws against the black cloth on his shoulder, trying to leave its own mark.

"Hanamaru, come back quickly." Huashi stared at the crow and urged.

The crow couldn't understand her words, and still parked affectionately on Weasel's body.

"Flower time." He took a step forward, lowered his head, and said, "You..."

"I'm fine." Hua Shi didn't wait for the rest of his words to come out, and simply answered the words that had been said countless times: "The spirit is very good, I don't cry hysterically, and I don't believe that my brother has become like a clansman." The so-called suicide. There is no need for more attention, and the dinner is also settled, and I will still report to the third generation of your Excellency tomorrow."

Itachi lowered his eyes slightly, stretched out a hand, and leaned forward.

Hua Shi glanced at his movements from the corner of his eyes, and was a little puzzled by his actions.

Itachi squeezed his palms together, stretched out two fingers, and touched her forehead through Shisui's forehead protector.

"If you're really sad." Itachi's finger rested on her forehead for a while, then retracted: "Please don't hold it in."

"What." Looking at his retracted fingers, Huashi couldn't help laughing: "You actually used this trick against Sasuke to comfort me. Do you think I'm a kid who just entered the ninja school?"

"..." Itachi was silent for a while, then said in a low voice, "If possible, I would like to take care of you."

The whispered words seemed to imply regret and sigh.

"No need." She raised her head, looked directly into Itachi's eyes, and repeated in a low voice: "I'm not sad, because I believe that my brother is not dead....Could it be, did you see it with your own eyes? He death?"

She looked at Itachi, and Itachi looked directly at her with black eyes.The afternoon sun fell on his face, making the black eyes unreal, as if there was a depressing blood-red color.His black hair hangs down on both sides of his cheeks, and there is no gentle smile or helpless comfort on his face, and his expressionless facial features seem to be frozen by time, stopping at this moment for a long time.

After a long time, he opened his lips slightly and said in a low voice, "I didn't see it."

"Since you haven't seen it..." Hua Shi smiled for a while and said, "It's useless to say anything. I'm in good condition, and I don't need you to take care of me."

Hua Shi was about to say something when the sound of chaotic footsteps at the door drew her attention away.

The three tribesmen stood at the door and called Itachi's name from a distance across the courtyard.

"You guy, you are indeed here. What are you doing here? Are you pretending to comfort Shisui's sister?"

The malicious words came from the other side of the courtyard, full of sarcasm and malice.

Itachi straightened his body, but there was still no change in expression on his calm face.There was no smile or anger, just a slight turn of the eyes in their direction, and no words were spoken.

Maybe it was his unchanged face that angered the clansmen, their brows were wrinkled, and their eyes became extremely unfriendly.The summer wind brought their voices of questioning, even at a distance of several meters, Hua Shi could feel the suspicion implied in it.

"There were only two people who didn't come to the rally yesterday, you and Zhishui." The tribe said, "Why didn't you come? Itachi."

"When you enter the Anbu, there will be a lot of troublesome things to deal with. I can understand that. Your father often uses this as a reason to protect you, but we don't think you have the privilege of being absent from the assembly."

Facing the words of the clansman, Itachi slightly closed his eyes and said, "I understand, I will pay more attention in the future."

"You will appear here, so you must have learned about Zhishui's death from your father." Another clansman raised his head and said, "The other person who did not attend the rally is Zhishui....You seem to be, Do you really regard Zhishui as your own brother? I remember that you grew up together."

Speaking of this, the clansman glanced at Hua Shi who was sitting beside him from the corner of his eye.She kept her head down, and her long hair covered her face. They couldn't see her expression, they could only see her clenched fists.

"Our guards intend to investigate this matter comprehensively." A clansman took out a piece of paper from his sleeve, handed it to Itachi, and said, "This is the suicide note left by Shishui, and the handwriting has been confirmed. , indeed he wrote it himself."

Itachi looked at the piece of paper in the hands of the clansman, took a few steps forward, took it from the opponent's hand, and took a rough look.

"But..." The eyes of the clansman who spoke before darkened, and he said: "If you have Sharingan, you can easily imitate other people's handwriting. Shisui is an excellent member of the Uchiha clan. For the sake of the whole clan, Any mission will lead by example. It is really incomprehensible for such a man to commit suicide by leaving such a thing."

"Anyway, I'll hand over this suicide note to you first." Several clansmen turned around, glanced at him out of the corner of their eye, and said, "Take it, and go to the Anbu to ask for assistance in the investigation. Don't try to destroy the evidence, we have other evidence. A channel of communication with the dark department."

Itachi Uchiha tightened his grip on the paper.

"It's better to just say it directly." Itachi put down Shishui's suicide note in his hand, raised his head, and three black hook jades appeared in his scarlet eyes: "You...are doubting me."

"Ah... that's right." One of the clansmen snorted coldly and said, "It's good that you know."

"Listen up, Itachi! Try to betray our Uchiha clan. Don't think we will let you go easily..."

"You guys are so noisy!"

The hostility of several clansmen was suppressed by Hua Shi's shouts.

She raised her head, stared at the three people, and shouted at them in a rude tone she had never seen before: "Zhishui is not dead! His body was obviously not found, why are you here to start suspecting the possible murderer?" ? What if the brother is still alive?"

She hated those people who judged that Zhishui was dead before reaching a complete conclusion.

Obviously... obviously don't know anything.

"Flower time..." The scarlet color in Itachi's eyes faded because of her sudden cry, turning into black.He wanted to say something, to dissuade Huashi, but the other party ignored the turmoil between the few people, but stood up, walked straight through the gap between them, and walked towards the street outside the house. run away.

"Where is she going?"

"...Forget it, let her go."

She left the clan's comments and obstructions far behind her.

The only thing she can think of now—the only one who can get comfort, who will not hurt her, and who will obediently and quietly admit her thoughts, is the fourth generation.

Everyone thought Shisui was dead, including Itachi.

Perhaps only the fourth-generation lord, who has been sleeping peacefully, would agree with this idea, and silently urged his brother to come back home.

As she ran outside, she raised her head again to confirm the current season.

The tail of summer, the season of wearing short sleeves.The children on the street are playing and chasing through the street, young and full of vigor.The laughter filled the ears, mixed with the sound of water droplets falling on the ground, pouring into the ears together.The hot wind blows through her long black hair, and the summer leaves are dark green full of life.

those voices...

It is the accumulated water left by the heavy rain a few days ago, dripping into the puddles along the arc of the branches and leaves.

It was the footsteps of children who had left the ninja school early and hurried across the street to avoid the still hot sun.

It is the summer wind that blows the leaves and rubs against each other, and the wind grows upward along the veins.

Thousands of voices poured into the ears, mixed into undulating tides, hitting the coast with indeterminate shapes wave after wave.

Her footsteps gradually approached Hokage's tombstone—on that tall monument, the red color with cracks was not as bright as before. Years of wind and rain made it slightly faded, but countless people still came to pay their respects and pray every year.

Her footsteps stopped suddenly a few steps away from the tombstone, and her eyes fell on the platform under the tombstone of Hokage.

There—a withered flower lay quietly.

The wilted yellow petals have long lost their original color and are scattered softly on the ground.In my impression, the green grass stems also turned completely withered and yellow, as if they were abruptly dragged from winter to a season that did not belong to it, thus losing all the vitality of life.

Huashi stood silently a few steps away from Hokage's tombstone, and raised his head.

In the scarlet eyes, two Gouyu emerged quietly.