Two days later...
Uchiha Hikaru and Ao finally concluded discussions on all the terms of the treaty.
When drafting its contents, Uchiha Hikaru followed one guiding principle: opening the gates of the Hidden Mist Village and the Land of Water to trade and diplomatic exchange.
He wanted the goods of Konoha and the Land of Fire to flow freely into the region—and more importantly, he wanted Kirigakure to feel Konoha's intent to nurture them as a younger sibling village.
Ao, naturally, had no objection to this. As a result, the treaty was finalized smoothly.
That night, Uchiha Hikaru even took Ao, Hozuki Mangetsu, Ringo Ayuri, Itachi, and Shizune out for grilled at.
Only...
It seed Ringo Ayuri had developed a certain... fondness for Itachi. The way she looked at him—those eyes—there was definitely sothing there.
And that gave Uchiha Hikaru a bold idea.
If Itachi and Ringo Ayuri were to marry, it would undoubtedly bring the two villages even closer.
After all, they were both prodigies with considerable fa in their respective villages.
Still, that kind of decision couldn't be made on a whim. He'd have to talk to Itachi about it in private. Marriage was no small matter—it concerned his entire future. He needed to understand how the boy felt first.
After dinner, Uchiha Hikaru walked ho at a leisurely pace.
The mont he stepped inside, he saw Terumi i standing by the window. Her hands rested on the windowsill, her right hand propping up her cheek. Her usually bright and elegant brows were knit together slightly, and there was a sadness in her expression.
Her gaze stretched far to the east, and in her eyes—undeniable longing, anxiety, and lancholy.
Uchiha Hikaru silently approached her from behind and gently placed a hand on her shoulder.
"What are you thinking about? You look so down."
"Did I mistreat you? Not feed you enough at dinner?"
"If you've got a complaint, just co out and say it."
i turned to glance at him, then sighed softly.
"No... for a prisoner of war, this is already a good life."
"I just..."
Her words caught in her throat, pausing mid-sentence.
Hikaru casually slipped his arm around her shoulder and patted her smooth, pale shoulder twice.
"Don't hold it in."
"Say what's on your mind."
"We in Konoha treat captives like you and Kisa with basic human decency."
He even tilted his head toward Kisa, who was lounging on the couch, hugging a giant salted fish pillow and watching TV.
Kisa turned his head lazily, resting both arms on the back of the sofa, his armpits draped casually over it as he glanced at Hikaru and i.
"That's right, i Terumi. If you have sothing to say, just say it."
"Life's pretty good here. I've got no complaints."
He held up the salted fish pillow proudly.
"See this? First ti in my life soone gave a gift!"
He grinned.
"Uncle Teuchi gave it to after I helped gut fish all day."
i stared at him in disbelief and rubbed her forehead.
This guy... Kisa… Has he seriously gone this soft in such a short ti?
Doesn't he even care about the village? Or the people still in it?
"Yeah, life's not bad."
"I just… miss ho."
"Kirigakure is where I grew up, after all…"
When Uchiha Hikaru heard this, he quietly withdrew his arm and walked over to the sofa, sitting on the opposite end from Kisa.
"I finished the negotiations with Ao today."
"You can return with them tomorrow."
"No need to overthink it. Just go back. See it with your own eyes."
The mont those words reached her ears, Terumi i moved in a blur. She rushed to Hikaru's side and clung to his arm tightly.
That familiar softness pressing against him...
Uchiha Hikaru glanced down at the curve pressed up against his bicep.
Oi… this move again? This doesn't work on a grizzled old man like …
But Terumi i wasn't thinking about that at all.
She was simply overjoyed.
So happy, in fact, that her body moved on its own.
Smack~
A sudden, warm pressure touched his cheek.
Uchiha Hikaru froze.
...What the hell?
Did this woman just…?
He stared, stunned, as Terumi i suddenly realized what she'd done.
Panicked, she scooted back on the couch, her face bright red.
"Ahem... I was... That was... a mont of poor judgnt. Please forget it."
Uchiha Hikaru didn't say anything. He honestly didn't know what she was thinking either.
Terumi i covered her cheeks, absolutely mortified.
That was... her first kiss...
Why the hell did she throw it away like that?! (〃ﾉωﾉ)
...…
A heavy silence settled between them.
Until Kisa broke it in typical Kisa fashion.
"Sir Hikaru, can I stay in Konoha?"
His voice—low and faintly resentful—paired with that eternally expressionless fish-eyed face, made i's temple throb.
This traitor! You really want to defect to Konoha!?
But she didn't lash out.
Instead, she held her breath and asked through gritted teeth:
"Why don't you want to go back to Kirigakure?"
Kisa turned toward her, dead fish eyes heavy with exhaustion.
"Why would I return to that slaughterhouse?"
"That was before! The Fourth Mizukage was under genjutsu control! It's different now!"
"Don't you have anyone you care about there?"
Her words triggered a mory in Kisa.
That Anbu kunoichi…
What was her na again…?
The one he was ordered to kill with his own hands.
His jaw tightened. He slowly shook his head.
His face twisted into a strange mix of sadness, mockery, and suppressed rage.
"The Hidden Mist Village? What's left there for ?"
"All my comrades—I killed them myself. The village demanded it. For the sake of secrecy. For the sake of control."
"I crushed every shred of rcy in my heart. For the village."
"And now you're telling all of that—all of it—was because the Fourth Mizukage was being controlled?"
"That it was all fake!?"
"Then tell what the hell was real!!"
"What about the people I butchered with my own hands!?"
Kisa's voice cracked—then fell quiet.
He leaned back against the sofa, eyes on the ceiling, arms stretched limply at his sides.
"I don't care anymore."
"I don't care about villages, or duty, or loyalty."
"All I know is that here, in Konoha, Ichiraku Ran's old man treats like a friend."
"Mr. Hikaru treats with respect."
"Sure, people stared at at first. They looked at like I was a freak. But after a while… they started looking at like I was just a regular guy."
"What's wrong with that?"
"What's wrong with an ordinary life?"
"I'm tired."
"I just want peace."
"I just want to be normal."
Uchiha Hikaru looked at the man before him—a man forged in blood and betrayal—and felt sothing deep in his chest stir.
He stepped forward, placed a hand on Kisa's shoulder.
"Kisa…"
"You'll be Kirigakure's ambassador to Konoha."
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