Over the past few days, Sakiya's house had become lively. Ino and the others heard about Nanako's birth and rushed over with gifts and congratulations.
Sakiya's Mother, who had just been discharged from the hospital, happily welcomed them all.
Ino practically visited every day, while others like Sasuke and Shikamaru also stopped by to offer their blessings.
Sasuke's reaction was the funniest. He put on his usual aloof expression, hesitated for a long time, struggled to get a word out, then silently handed over a gift and immediately ran off to train—clearly too embarrassed to stay.
Sakiya was pleased. At least Sasuke hadn't turned into an ungrateful brat after all the effort she put into training him. A dark knight should look tough but be warm inside—that's the ideal personality.
Despite all the visitors, Nanako was surprisingly calm and never cried. She played along happily with everyone, her well-behaved and adorable nature only making Sakiya more eager to cuddle her.
Just as they were enjoying themselves, a familiar figure appeared at the door.
White hair. Droopy eyes.
Kakashi.
He casually greeted Sakiya.
"Yo~ Sakiya."
Then, he pulled out a gift box.
"A present for Nanako."
Sakiya immediately ran over, took it with a bright smile, and gave a small bow.
"Thanks, Conviction Eye."
Kakashi paused for a moment at the nickname, then chuckled.
"You're welcome, Strongest Eye of Death."
Sakiya's eyes curved into happy crescents.
Good times never last long…
As the visit wrapped up, Kakashi brought up the mission.
Sakiya, holding Nanako in her arms, pouted.
"Adventure missions are fun, but I want to stay with Nanako. I want to watch her grow. She won't be happy if I'm not here."
Kakashi took a deep breath and raised a finger.
"Steamed meatballs. One meal."
Sakiya hesitated, glancing at Nanako.
Nanako, in her arms, blinked her big, clear eyes at her, as if curious about what was happening.
So cute…!
Sakiya shook her head firmly.
"No. Nanako needs me."
Kakashi sighed, withdrew his finger, and raised his hand again.
"One month. Unlimited variety."
Sakiya's eyes widened.
Ten minutes later.
Nanako lay in Sakiya's mother's arms, watching blankly as a fully geared-up Sakiya walked out of the house.
She looked up at her mother, her tiny hands clutching onto her clothes, feeling abandoned in her young, innocent mind.
Sakiya's mother noticed and gently rocked her, speaking softly.
"Nanako, aren't you happy your sister is going on an adventure? Don't worry, she'll be back soon. And I'll be right here with you."
Nanako listened quietly, then turned her bright eyes toward the door, blinking as if deep in thought.
---
The Land of Thunder.
Itachi and Kisame walked silently along a narrow trail.
Halfway through, Itachi suddenly stopped, covering his mouth as he bent over, coughing violently.
Kisame, already aware of Itachi's condition, glanced at him with concern.
"Itachi, are you alright? Your body—"
After a moment, Itachi straightened up as if nothing had happened, his expression calm.
"It's just a small issue. I'm fine."
Kisame narrowed his eyes, frowning slightly, still unconvinced.
But Itachi dismissed the concern with a quiet, "Let's keep moving."
Kisame studied him for a moment before nodding.
"You've been using your Sharingan a lot lately."
Itachi's response was brief.
"Don't worry. Uchiha power isn't as fragile as you think."
Kisame chuckled.
"You're as terrifying as ever, Itachi."
Itachi said nothing, and they continued walking.
What Kisame didn't notice was the blood Itachi had just wiped from his hand.
His vision was already failing.
As he stared ahead at the end of the path, his thoughts drifted—mostly to one person.
Sasuke.
He glanced at Kisame, his expression unreadable.
---
Kakashi and Sakiya had made it to the Land of Thunder.
Kakashi checked the map, his brow furrowing.
"Sakiya, we need to pick up the pace. If they move faster than expected, they could reach their destination by this afternoon. Worst case, they might already be done."
Sakiya popped a piece of candy into her mouth, the wrapper crinkling as she unwrapped it.
"Then we just have to be faster than them," she said, grinning.
Kakashi glanced at her overstuffed ninja pouch and sighed.
"How exactly do you plan to compete with them?"
Sakiya smirked.
"Simple. Whoever runs faster wins."
Before Kakashi could react, arcs of lightning flickered across Sakiya's body. A sudden burst of wind erupted around her, forming a visible acceleration field.
Kakashi's eyes widened.
"Wait! Sakiya, don't—"
Too late.
The last thing Kakashi saw was her mischievous grin before—
Boom!
She vanished.
For a moment, Kakashi just stood there, dumbfounded. It was as if a streak of light had shot past him, across the field, and disappeared beyond the horizon.
"...Did she just—?"
He sighed, shaking his head.
"She left me. Alone. In this wasteland."
Kakashi rubbed his temples.
She's fast, sure. But…
He checked the map again, then looked toward the direction Sakiya had vanished.
"...You're running the wrong way."
Silence.
Kakashi exhaled, exasperated.
"Not to mention, you don't even know the way! What's the point of running so fast?!"
His words vanished into the empty air.
He shook his head in defeat.
Then—
"Why aren't you running?"
Kakashi nearly jumped out of his skin. He turned around sharply—only to find Sakiya standing right behind him.
His brain froze.
"Wait… When did you—?"
He hesitated, gears turning in his head.
"...Was that an illusion?"
Yeah. That had to be it. Everything made sense now.
Kakashi chuckled, nodding to himself.
"Of course. You got me, Sakiya. You were messing with me, weren't you?"
Sakiya blinked.
"...Huh?"
Kakashi patted her shoulder.
"Alright, enough games. Let's go. This way."
And with that, he started walking.
Sakiya stood there, utterly confused.
Wait. When did I use an illusion?
She shook her head, gave up trying to figure it out, and followed after him.
The two walked in silence for a while before Kakashi spoke up.
"Sakiya, you eat a lot of candy. Aren't you worried about getting fat?"
Sakiya blinked, pulled the candy out of her mouth, licked it, and popped it back in, grinning.
"Pfft, no way. My 'eye of death' can kill things like weight gain. Actually, my eye of death can eliminate all negative effects!"
Kakashi's mouth twitched.
"...That's completely ridiculous."
Sakiya just smiled smugly.
"Well, my eye of death is the strongest, after all!"
Kakashi sighed, shaking his head.
"Sure, whatever you say."
__________
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