Chapter Text
Early Next Morning –
“Ninety-eight, Ninety-nine, One hundred!”
Everyone collapses, either lying on the ground or hunching over, catching their breath.
“It’s supposed to be our day off… and we’re still training?” Shisui whines, panting as he looks up at the sky, watching the early morning clouds and sky transforming into multiple shades of purple and red, then blue.
“Don’t let the Commander hear you say that,” Itachi collapses beside him “, or do you wish for him to torture us like the last time he heard someone complain about the morning training?”
Who would wish for such torture? 45 minutes. It doesn’t sound that long, but it’s 45 minutes of push-ups, press-ups, star jumps, running back and forth and the same with a sword to deflect everything and anything thrown at you. All with only 20-second rest times between changes. But that morning, when someone complained, Madara decided to add an extra half an hour of training. The pain from that torturous nightmare of a morning drains all the colour from everyone’s face
“Never again”, Hikaku groans.
“Ha! You think that was torture? Compared to our old man’s training regimen on us as kids, this is paradise” Izuna walks up to them, wiping the sweat off his face with a cloth despite not being as out of breath as the rest. “Brother and I swore we’d only use father’s training on people we didn’t like”
“Wait-” Naori speaks up suspiciously, “that wouldn’t be the one that involves running up a mountain and back down while avoiding all the traps and monsters, would it?”
“That’s the one! Twice a day for a week,” Izuna answers with a smile, although it’s clear the happiness is forced and hides the trauma.
“Hold on! You told me that was part of the final selections!”
Izuna looks at Naka with a neutral expression, “Yes… Yes, it was”
“But you just said you’d only use it on people you didn’t like!”
“… Correct. We didn’t like any of those new cadets… and it was just bad luck that you were also a part of that group”
Naka stares at him for a moment, whispering under his breath, “Bastard”.
“Anyway!” Izuna moves on, pretending that he hadn’t heard that “Brother wanted me to pass on a message. He said, “As soon as you’ve finished your morning training, you’re free for the rest of the day””. Now the smiles are genuine.
Naka jumps up, “Really? This isn’t some trick, is it?”
“Tis true,” Everyone turns to see Madara approaching them in his casual civilian attire “You’re free to use your free time as you see fit. Of course, you’re more than welcome to stay here and continue-”
“No sir! I’ll take the free time you’ve graciously given us!
Later...
By mid-morning, Madara, Izuna, and Shisui are roaming through the bustling market streets, receiving the occasional cheers and thanks from civilians.
“I don’t recall it being this busy before”, Shisui remarks.
“It’s probably because people are celebrating the war’s end”, Izuna responds while watching a group of girls waving at him and Shisui, the latter waves back, which makes them weak at the knees. One of them literally.
“Explains why everyone’s in high spirits”
Izuna turns his attention to Shisui “By the way, where did Itachi run off to? He left in a hurry.”
“He’s with Izumi; they haven’t seen each other in so long, so they’re making up for lost time” Shisui wiggles his brow suggestively to his comrade.
Izuna retorts with just a raised eyebrow, “Didn’t they see each other last night? Also, didn’t they write letters to each other?”
“They did, and they also send each other letters, but you know what they say: ‘distance makes the heart grow fonder’”
“Receiving letters from your loved ones, no matter how many, isn’t enough to quench one’s thirst” Madara looks ahead, completely ignoring the knowing smirks from his comrades. He thinks back to the letters he and Sakura had sent to each other back and forth while he was away. Meanwhile, Izuna and Shisui continue.
“Huh, anyway, I’m guessing Naori and Naka are looking around together?”
“Of course, but Naka seemed nervous for some reason. Makes me wonder if he has something in mind”
“What are you suggesting?” Izuna glares at him, not knowing if Shisui’s mind is in the gutter or somewhere else.
“Really? It isn't obvious to you? They're-”
“Commander Madara!”
The trio stop and turn to their left to see a man waving at them “I heard you lot had returned! Welcome back! It’s good to see ya!” The man’s name is Bardon, or as most people know him as “Bardon the Butcher”. A man big in size, taller than Madara, arms like tree trunks, but loved by everyone with an infectious, bright smile that welcomes everyone. He always reminds Madara of his dear friend, Hashirama. Always making him wonder how he’s doing.
They approach the man’s stall of multiple selections of meat with Madar, who takes the man’s hand to shake “It’s good to see you, old friend. How’s the family and business?”
“The family is good. My lad’s growing up fast, and he’s a big brother now. And business… business is good- well, better than it has been”
The Uchiha pause at his response, “What do you mean?” Shisui asks, not meaning to make the broad man uncomfortable. It’s clear by the way he scratches the back of his head while laughing nervously at their enquiry.
“Haha, well, you know… with the war, people had to be a bit… cautious with their spending, which is to be expected. Of course, the tax rises didn’t help-”
“Tax rises?” Madara interrupts. He had expected taxes to rise with the war dragging on, but “rises”? multiple?
“Aye, the war went longer than anticipated, and to help build defences and to keep you lads going, they raised them a few times”
Madara turns to Izuna and Shisui, not saying a word but all thinking the same thing. Indeed, they always had food, supplies and everything they needed during the battles, but everything they needed, the Uchiha bought with their own coin. The only thing they received from the capital was food and medicine for the first month, and then the bare minimum after that. They saw not one increase in supplies to keep them going. In fact, they saw a decrease in quality. But they never complained, always thankful for what they were given.
“How much have they increased?”
Bardon is hesitant in answering “Well… they weren’t high at first but I’d say they’re five times higher since the beginning of the war. It’s taken a toll on people. Some more than others” he looks away frowning, watching the citizens going about their day “Some folks struggled, some even ended up on the streets or worse. The worst I heard was of an elderly couple who used to live down the street from here. Nice couple they were. Hiruzen and Biwako were their names. Treated the neighbours like their own family. They even gave their food and kindling to a family who were struggling to pay to feed their wee ones. Last winter was particularly bad. Bitterly cold it was. The elderly couple were found dead in each other’s arms one morning after a deadly cold night. No food, wood, or even kindling in their home, the poor buggers. Turned out they were about to be evicted from their home”.
“They never asked for help?” Izuna asks, but Bardon shakes his head in response.
“Not a peep. Must have been afraid of repercussions. Anyone who complained about the taxes or talked badly about his Majesty would vanish the next day. A few weeks ago, a man criticised how he couldn’t afford to feed his wife and newborn because of prices increasing, only to never be seen again” The Uchiha stay silent, Madara turns to his brother and Shisui once more, nodding at them. They nod back. Izuna continues down the street while Shisui disappears in the blink of an eye.
“Even I had to increase my prices on the meat I sell.” He waves his hands at his food stall “I hated doing it, but I had to- I had no choice” he pinches the top of his nose to ease the headache he can feel brewing. Madara pats his shoulder reassuringly.
“My apologies, Bardon. We had no idea things had become so dire here”
Bardon lifts his head and shakes it once again “Nah, it was nothing compared to what you and your lads had to go through. Can’t imagine the things you must have seen in battle”
The destroyed, lifeless land. The deformed corpses. It’s something Madara hopes the people here will never see. But a feeling stirs within him, a sense of foreboding that’s slowly creeping into the capital.
“GET YOUR HANDS OFF HER!”
“YOU CAN’T PAY US, SO SHE’S COMING WITH US!”
“NO! PLEASE! NOT MY DAUGHTER!”
“STOP IT!!”
Madara dashes down the street to see a crowd gathering around the commotion. There are several guards: 1 holding a young woman by her wrists behind her back, while 3 others stand by a carriage, clearly enjoying the show before them. The sight of the matching emblem on their uniforms has everyone shrinking in dread.
5 horizontal lines with the bottom two in cut half. Root. Also known as the Foundation. A separate division from the Uchiha Knights. Under the command of His Majesty and the Chancellor, although rumours suggest it’s the latter to whom they are most loyal.
The head guard – his name is Yugami – stands tall after kicking the middle-aged man, Nobu, to the ground.
Believing himself to be a man of power and bringer of justice, Yugami takes out a parchment and opens it, his voice boasting its content, “You have failed to pay your taxes for the last 5 months; thus, we’ve come to retrieve what you owe personally”.
Nobu groans in pain as he struggles to get back up. His wife, Haruka, walks to the head captain and confronts him, “That’s because you keep increasing it! We can’t keep up-”
The smack Yugami inflicts on Haruka with the back of his metal gauntlet knocks her down. The bystanders jolt at the sudden attack. Yugami looks at the woman slowly finding her bearings. He huffs with amusement, but his eyes remain cold. “You should teach your wife to keep her mouth shut”, his mouth twitches in enjoyment “Or maybe find a better use for it”.
The anger within Nobu grows at the guards’ disrespect to his family “Don’t talk about my wife like that- urgh- she’s right. No one can keep up with the continuing tax rises- argh!” Yugami stamps on the old man’s hand, twisting his heel into it.
“It’s called interest, old man”, the head guard shrugs with an arrogant smirk. “You can’t pay your dues? Your family will pay for you” his heel digs into the hand even more, looking down at the distraught couple.
The young woman continues struggling, “LET ME GO! FATHER! PLEASE! DON’T LET THEM TAKE ME!
“Y-Yui” The man stays on his knees, crying, knowing that if he doesn’t do something, his own daughter will be sold off. “P-PLEASE! Spare my daughter! I beg of you! Take me instead!”
Yugami rolls up the parchment, laughing out loud, “No can do, geezer. You’re old. No one will want to buy a decrepit old piece of meat, but your daughter, on the other hand…” The other guards chuckle, making the family shudder in trepidation. The guard snickers while tapping the man’s head with the parchment tauntingly, enjoying displaying his authority, “If you don't like it, then pay what you owe us” tapping his head with every syllable.
Nobu only responds with a scowl, which pisses off the Yugami. He kicks him in the stomach again.
“Please stop”, Haruka begs as she crawls to her husband, gently placing her hands on him as a form of reassurance and protection.
“Tch, then hurry it up, old man! I don’t have all day!” he sneers through his teeth as he stands up, no longer playing around and losing his patience as he shoves the now scrunched parchment back under his cloak. Nobu’s glare fades to desperation as he turns to his daughter, seeing tears running down her face as the other guards hold her, surrounding her like a pack of wolves. He’d rather die than lose Yui. He’s aware that the beauty his daughter possesses is more valuable than his old, decrepit self. She would be sold off as a slave or, most likely some nobleman’s toy. But how was he supposed to pay such a large amount? How was he supposed to save his family? Nobu and Haruka turn their attention to the crowd, hoping for someone to step in to help, but to no avail. Too afraid to get involved and get killed or taken away. These are the same guards who are sworn to protect them, but in reality, they merely take away the ones who defy their ruler.
“No one-”
“Huh? Speak up, old man!” Yugami heckles loudly.
Tears of anger and frustration run down the man’s face “How can anyone pay such an amount?! No one can! Not unless you’re a nobleman or King!”
The crowd surrounding them stay silent. Neither agreeing nor denying.
“Hmph, then maybe pray to the gods to be a King in your next life” That makes the other guards laugh, but no one else joins in. Yugami’s laughter fades, but his smile remains as he shrugs, “You refuse to pay your share, and now you expect to continue living here without paying or facing the consequences of your crimes?”
Refuse? The man didn’t have a choice. He could barely feed his family and himself.
Living? Surviving is the better term.
Crimes? Now it’s a crime to prioritise food over rent?
“Our job is to make sure the citizens behave and do not cause trouble. You not paying your rent leads a bad example. Other citizens may follow your lead and refuse to pay their rent too, and what do you think will happen then, hmm? We are protecting them from troublemakers like you lot, while also making you pay for your crime, the crime of not paying your share of taxes or rent. It’s called justice”.
Nobu grits his teeth, “You call this justice?” he grips his knees as he stands himself up, trembling. His fists clench, his voice rising, “Hurting the weak, belittling and stealing from those who cannot fight back-” his eyes remain on the head guard “How can you call that justice?!”
A hush falls. No one dares to draw breath. Yugami turns slowly, eyes wide but cold, twitching with annoyance.
“YOUR JUSTICE IS TWISTED!” No longer caring for repercussions, Nobu yells the words that must be said.
“Silence” Yugami's voice is quiet but stern.
“THE FOUNDATION IS TWISTED!”
“Shut up” he steps forward, detaching his sword from his belt.
“AND EVERYONE KNOWS IT-!”
“SHUT UP! He strikes Nobu down with his scabbard and knocks him into the ground once more. “SHUT UP!” he hits him again “SHUT UP!” And again, "SHUT UP!" Blood pours on the ground around him. Still breathing, just barely. Yugami unsheathes his sword and aims it at the couple. “You will pay with your lives. But don’t worry, I’ll let you see your daughter one last time” he turns to his fellow guards and nods, “Do it” His men pick up the girl and carry her away into the carriage as she continues screaming for help. “FATHER NOOOO! STOP! SOMEONE! PLEASE!!!” No one in the crowd moves to stop them, only watching in horror and anger. “NOOO!!! LET ME GO! STOP IT! FATHER! MOTHER!” The girl elbows the guard who carries her in the head, making him drop her. She quickly gets up and runs back to her parents, but ends up running straight toward Yugami, who jumps in her path; the guards behind her charge at her.
“Little wench! I’ll make sure you never run again!” He declares with a smile as he swings his sword up. Her harrowing scream echoes through the air. The sword descends to her, but the impact of a stronger weapon in the way deflects the attack, causing the guard to lose his balance and fall back. The crowd gasps as Izuna stands in front of the girl. He slowly aims his blade at Yugami.
“You will stand down”. Yui stands close behind him, but the head guard ignores the order, keeping his sword aimed at him, ready for a fight.
“Hmph, back from the war and you think you can order me around? I will teach you to know your place, Uchiha” He takes a stance about to strike, but a new presence freezes everyone. Their mana is much stronger than anyone in the vicinity. One guard by the carriage even collapses from the sheer amount of intense mana coming their way. With the slam of his sword, Madara stabs the ground beneath him, silencing everyone and stopping all movement.
“You aim your blade at my brother; you will answer to me” his deep voice shakes their nerves. With crossed arms, he approaches them, leaving his sword in the ground, displaying the unnecessary need for it, as well as the fate of any who dare defies the Commander of the Uchiha Knights. The crowd parts for him. “Your skull holds more air than thought, Yugami”.
Yugami scowls at the older Uchiha, but one of his fellow officers- a newer cadet- stands charged, ready to attack the knight “Stay out of this, cur!”
All it takes is a simple look into Madara’s eyes, and the man freezes. A flash of red enters his vision. The poor lad falls to his knees, soiling himself. Madara scoffs at the sight, “You lot were left to protect the capital while I was gone? I’ve seen vultures on the battlefield with more honour than the pack of foul-mouthed leeches you've proven yourselves to be”.
Everyone stands frozen, though a few heads nod, barely perceptible, while a few hide their bitter smiles, seeing true justice finally taking on the Foundation soldiers who claim to be justice incarnate. Fear still hangs in the air, but beneath it stirs respect and relief. Madara Uchiha may be intimidating and unapproachable at times, but at least he and the Uchiha can sniff out the wolves in sheep’s clothing, or in this case, the leeches in uniforms.
“It seems your fellow guardsmen know nothing about etiquette nor respect for the Uchiha Knights, let alone for the citizens they’ve sworn to protect”. He turns back to Yugami. Finding him grinding his teeth at him to be quite entertaining, “But then again, they don’t have a particularly good Captain to look up to”.
A few people in the crowd snicker, making the guard turn his attention to them for a moment before facing back. His patience wears thinner, not caring who he’s facing, “Watch your attitude, Uchiha”, speaking low and slowly, trying to sound intimidating “, and tell your brother to not stick his nose where it doesn’t belong”.
The Crimson Knight can’t help but smirk. Watching the guard before him trying to intimidate him is like watching a tiny kitten intimidate a full-grown lion. He takes a step closer, even the old man and his wife are smart enough to stand back. Yugami begins to sweat despite still standing, but realising the error he has made.
“I pray for your sake that wasn’t an order?” Madara speaks slowly, which makes him sound more frightening “From what I recall, I outrank you. The only person here who should know his place is you” He stands face to face with Yugami, their height difference making the Uchiha tower over the man “As a guard, it is your duty to protect these people, the very people you have aimed your blade at. It’s as you’ve said; we’ve fought in a war- on the battlefield, while you and your comrades on the other hand have been living the cosy life” his eyes drift up and down him, “and from what I see, you lot seem to be well fed, compared to the towns folk who can’t even afford to eat”.
The colour on Yugami’s face fades, hearing the murmurs of the crowd while looking at him and his men suspiciously. He turns to see the people glaring at them. “You must never forget, there may be a group of you” He turns back to Madara “but there is a whole army of them. Even a trapped, hungry mouse will bite back” he swallows, feeling exposed and vulnerable. In a panic, Yugami takes and step back and lashes out, “Fear is not in my vocabulary Uchiha! The Chancellor and his Majesty will hear of this, you hear me, Uchiha?!”
A smirk forms on Madara’s face “Go ahead” he takes a step towards Yugami, closing the gap once more, but making his words loud and clear “That fear of yours is as clear in your eyes as the skies above” he leans closer to his ear, lowering his voice for only him to hear “You hurt any of them-” he points casually to the people “or if you’re foolish enough to harm my brother or any of my comrades, you will answer directly to me. No King or Chancellor or Gods will be able to save you from me”.
Yugami distances himself from the Crimson Demon once again, trying to control his quivering body as he watches Madara’s red eyes- the infamous Sharingan taking shape. Only realising now, he has no chance against this devil. “Leave”, Madara calls out with his booming voice, “That's an order. You will do well to heed it”. Yugami reluctantly orders his men to retreat. They return to their carriage and horses and leave
The crowd slowly disperses as they continue mumbling about what has transpired and their dissatisfaction with the Foundation. The girl runs to her parents and hugs them, tears streaming down their faces. They turn to Madara and Izuna and bow to them.
“Thank you, Sir Uchihas. Thank you so much” The daughter, Yui, exclaims.
“How ever could we ever repay you?” Haruka chokes through her tears, holding her precious daughter in her arms once more. Nobu approaches them, still holding his stomach and bows his head to them again. Madara takes notice on how thin and frail he and his wife appear. The lack of food has added years to the couple’s appearance “Thank you so much. Please tell me what I can do to repay your kindness. Anything. We may not have money, but I can serve you as your servant should you desire it”
Yui approaches them and bows, “I’ll do anything I can to pay my debt to you, my Lords,” facing mostly at Izuna “day or night…” she looks away, blushing while nervously drawing her arms closer together to accentuate her chest more “I’ll serve you however you see fit”.
Madara is completely unfazed, but the same can’t be said for Izuna, who can’t help but admire the exposed swell of her breasts. His eyes then drift up and down. Now that he’s taking a better look at her, the girl is actually very pretty. He wiggles his eyebrow and gives her a sided smile “Yeah?”. He receives an elbow to the rib from his brother.
“Thank you, but there is no need. However-”
The family stands before them, readying themselves for his request: “I ask that should a time come for your aid, you will accept my request, no matter how dire it may seem?”
They look at him for a moment, then at each other in confusion and hesitation. Nobu answers, “Y-yes, of course, Sir Uchiha, whatever you ask” They bow in acceptance, but Nobu grunts in pain again. Izuna quickly gets to work and uses basic healing magic while Madara continues.
Madara nods, “Good. In that case, I have a job for you all right now. You remain here, you two-"
"No" Nobu interrupts him ", Please...let me help" Understandably, he wants to stay close to his family at this moment.
Madara looks at Izuna, who heals the back of his head. After a moment, he nods, managing to heal the worst of his injuries. "Very well, follow me” he walks away with the trio following swiftly behind. Izuna walks behind them. They head back to the meat stall. Bardon looks at Madara with a confused expression, watching closely as the Knight takes out from his pocket a filled pouch, the shape of coins making the contents obvious “I will purchase your whole stock. These three here will help you divide them to those in need of much needed sustenance” he looks back at the family “Understand what must be done?”
They all look at him with amazement, then immediately nod “Yes, of course!”
“And should anyone need a kitchen to cook, please use ours” Haruka urges.
“Yes, mother’s a great cook! She can season the meat so it can last longer and the flavour will stay when you cook it-”
“Oh, hush, that’s enough now. My cooking isn’t something to write home about. It’s just simple-” Nobu and Yui continue singing praises about Haruka’s cooking despite her modesty. Other people join in asking for cooking advice. Izuna sits Nobu down and continues healing him while the old man continues urging people to collect food for themselves and reminding them not to be greedy and take more than they need. "You don't wanna end up like those Root snobs, do you?" That makes the people laugh and lightens their mood. Meanwhile, Madara hands his coins over to Bardon, “Save some for your family too, old friend. It’s not much, but it’ll help those in need for the time being”.
Bardon almost chokes on his laugh while also hiding his tears “Not much?! Lad, 'tis a grand gesture you’re doing for the townsfolk. They’ll be praising you as much as the Princess”.
“The Princess?” Izuna smirks as he practically feels his brother’s attention shift as soon as Sakura’s title is mentioned.
“Aye, you didn’t know?” he continues talking as he helps the family trio pick up the meat and passes it to people who are gathering to collect the now free meat. His wife, Joanna, joins them to help. “When people began to die from the cold and starvation, the Princess was the one who stepped in to help. I dunno how, but she managed to convince one of the nobles- the Yamanaka’s to remodel an empty storage warehouse close by and turned it into a shelter for the homeless. They were hesitant at first, but they’re continuing their charity and helping people however they can. From donating food and clothes to even hiring them. They’ve even convinced the Akimichi house to help, so no food goes to waste. It truly makes you believe the rich folk aren’t all that bad”
The Yamanaka house is a very powerful house, specialising in philosophy and interrogation in the military. Madara recalls the family head has a daughter- Ino- who’s around Sakura’s age. A good friend to the Princess- her only friend.
“And his Majesty? What of his actions in all of this?”
Bardon hesitates and looks away, not daring to say anything that could get him arrested, but his silence is clear. The King has chosen to do nothing. He was enthusiastic about the banquet tonight, but nothing else outside the castle.
“In that case, I suppose I should pay a visit to the Yamanaka house to thank them for their goodwill and generosity, and the Princess, of course”.
Excitement forms on the man’s face “Aye! Be sure that you do! And tell the princess we say thanks”
A smirk forms on the Knight’s face, “That I will”.
Omake -
Izumi moans Itachi’s name, pressing her forehead against his as he spills himself into her. Their bodies covered in sweat, their muscles slowly relaxing after another intense session. Izumi catches her breath, but continues placing more kisses on Itachi’s skin “Mmph, I love it when you struggle holding back for me” She cups his face, keeping him close “It makes me want to see how far I can push you”
“Watch yourself, Izumi, or there’ll be a 3rd round” he whispers against her neck as he places more kisses along his lover's neck and shoulder, making her sigh while leaning back, running her hand into his hair.
“But you need to get ready for the banquet”
Now it's Itachi’s turn to sigh. He really doesn’t want to go tonight “There’s still some time before then. Besides,” he presses his forehead against Izumi’s once more “I made a promise to you before I left” he kisses her lips, pulling her body into his “I will give you a baby before I’m sent off again”.
Izumi giggles sincerely at his resolve to keep his promise. They had been apart for 4 years. Letters being the only way to stay in touch. Letters full of love and excitement about the news of Izumi’s pregnancy. It pained Itachi to be away.
But then the letters stopped. If it wasn’t for his crow familiar, the anxiety of not knowing what had happened would have driven Itachi mad. Once he found out the truth, though, he just wanted the stupid war to be over so he could return home and comfort Izumi.
She had lost the baby. A miscarriage.
Itachi sent her letters of comfort. Reminding her how much he loved her and missed her and that it wasn’t her fault. Izumi recalls how one night, at her lowest, Itachi used his mana to transform his crow familiar to look like himself for her to cuddle. Comforting her through his familiar.
“Forgive me for not being there in a time you need me most”
One night of embrace saved her, and his continuing letters healed her. Eventually, she began writing back. Which was why as soon as he returned from the castle after arriving, Itachi hurried straight to Izumi and apart from the morning training, he hasn’t left her side. But now the celebratory banquet.
“But you’ve only just gotten back. Do you think that’ll be soon?”
She watches Itachi sitting on the edge of the bed, looking out the window, his brows frowning. He’s deep in thought.
“Itachi?”
“I’m not sure yet, it’s just a feeling I have. As if something-”
“Is about to change?”
He nods without looking back, “Yes,” his attention remains on the outside world, "but not for the better" He had seen many harrowing things on the battlefield, but the rumours he had heard of his own homeland were even more disturbing. Especially about the fact that they made sense.
“Really?” He turns his head slightly, feeling Izumi right behind him, her chin on his shoulder “I think it will be for the better. You never know” She moves to press her cheek against his shoulder blade, wrapping her arms around him. Smiling as she feels his fingers intertwine with hers.
Such an optimist. It brings a smile to Itachi’s face. He closes his eyes for a moment and then lets himself lean back, allowing his head to rest on Izumi’s lap. Humming at the feeling of her fingers grazing his face, then into his hair, not able to help herself from combing his hair with her fingers. She knows full well that he likes it, despite not openly admitting it, but his expression of calm and content speaks for itself.
Itachi takes a moment to live in the moment, feeling Izumi’s positive energy overflowing into him and healing him in a way. Reminding him well that the world isn’t full of hatred and darkness. He opens his eyes to look up at her. This beautiful woman with a beautiful soul he has known since the age of 5. If war has taught him anything, it’s to never take life for granted. He reaches up to her face, watching her take his hand and kissing his palm lovingly.
“You know” Itachi turns over and crawls over her, taking in her still naked form as he cups her cheek “there’s still a few more hours before the banquet” She bites her bottom lip as he places his other hand on her waist, gently letting her back touch the mattress.
“Do we have time for another round?” Her breath hitches with anticipation.
“Love, we have time for a few more rounds” He kisses her lips once with enough passion to get her to open her mouth. Catching her moan as he swipes his tongue with hers. He parts her legs as the kisses intensify. His fingers draw up her thighs to where she desires him most. He pauses at the sound of a scream in the distance. Sensing his comrade’s mana heading toward it however, allows Itachi to continue working on his promise.
Perhaps… things will get worse before they get better…
