"Chizhao...?"
During two years of silent observation, Shisui deeply felt that this girl, compared to other children her age, possessed a maturity and sensibility beyond her years.
Even now, from her tone, her attitude, another image was painted in his dark world.
"Besides, A-He and I went through so much trouble to save you, so we won't allow you to do anything foolish again."
Chizhao's words revealed an undeniable firmness.
This made Shisui, who was filled with admiration, show a gentle smile.
"Thank you, Chizhao."
"But now I've lost my eyes... I can't do anything..."
Feeling Shisui's despondency, Chizhao suddenly stood up:
"Itachi-nii still has me by his side! I can help you!"
"But I don't want to put you in danger..."
A rush of footsteps quickly came before him, and his right hand was held by a pair of warm, small hands.
A faint scent wafted to his nose, and Shisui's eyelashes twitched as he felt the warmth from his palm.
"Don't worry, Itachi-nii, you know my abilities better than anyone, don't you? I'm confident I can protect myself, and everyone around me."
The two remained in that position for a while, then Shisui sighed softly, tightened his grip slightly, and pulled Chizhao into his embrace.
He bent his tall back, gently rested his chin on her shoulder, and his steady breath sprayed on Chizhao's hair, creating a slight ripple.
"Itachi...nii?"
This sudden hug made Chizhao a little flustered.
She could feel the exhaustion of the person in front of her, like a drowning person finally finding a piece of driftwood.
A strange emotional resonance surged in her heart, and Chizhao allowed Shisui to lean some of his weight on her shoulder, not moving at all.
She only heard his deep, slightly hoarse voice come from beside her ear: "What a...reliable little sister..."
The afternoon passed by like flowing water, and after they finished their bento in the small wooden house.
Chizhao saw Shisui use the Summoning Jutsu in the open space of the wooden house, summoning a crow.
He handed his personal short sword to the crow, which then grabbed the short sword and flew off into the distance with a purpose.
"Is it for Itachi-nii?" Chizhao asked curiously.
"That's right, I'll have to trouble you to go outside and pick him up later, after all, this barrier requires your guidance."
"No problem! Leave it to me!"
At this moment, Shukaku waddled to Chizhao's feet, looked at the departing crow, and twitched his ears.
"Who's coming later?"
Chizhao replied without looking: "Uchiha Itachi."
"Oh."
A few seconds later, Chizhao suddenly realized.
If Shukaku was seen by Itachi, wouldn't the lie be exposed?
And Itachi wasn't blind; that big tail clearly wasn't an ordinary Summoning Beast!
Chizhao picked up Shukaku from her feet and took him to the edge.
"A-He, you heard it too, someone's coming later, so you can't stay outside."
"Hmph! Whatever, I don't remember anything since I was sealed anyway, at least it won't be boring."
Suddenly feeling a little guilty, Chizhao clasped her hands together and promised him that next time she let him out, she would treat him to something delicious.
After Shukaku readily agreed, Chizhao put him back into the Membrane Card, looking at the majestic Shukaku in her hand, she actually had a sense of a cute contradiction.
"Ouch."
Shisui's voice came from near the small wooden house, and Chizhao quickly put the Membrane Card into her pocket and ran over.
She saw Shisui sitting on the ground, rubbing his nose in pain, and seeing the stone by his feet, she figured he had accidentally tripped.
It seems he still needs a cane.
By the sparkling riverbank, Shisui held the fishing rod Chizhao had bought from the street, sitting cross-legged on the grass, concentrating on feeling the vibrations of the rod.
Meanwhile, Chizhao, on the other side, chose a good piece of wood and meticulously carved a cane with a knife.
The two figures blended into the scenery of mountains and water, appearing incredibly harmonious.
"By the way, why haven't I heard A-He's voice since just now?"
Chizhao stopped her movements and thought for a moment: "He's been with me for too long, so he went back first."
"I see."
The rhythmic sound of wood carving continued beside him, giving him a strange sense of security in the darkness.
"Chizhao, do you want to learn Shuriken Jutsu? Or Ninjutsu? You've helped me so much, but I can't do anything for you, except teach you some useful things."
"Really? Itachi-nii, are you willing to teach me?"
"If you want to learn, of course, I'm willing to teach you everything I know."
Chizhao happily jumped up from the ground.
"Yay! That's great!"
Just then, the fishing rod in Shisui's hand suddenly trembled violently, and he quickly gripped the rod and began to reel in the line.
"Looks like a big one took the bait, watch me!"
The ripples on the river grew larger and larger, and Shisui pulled hard, a beautiful koi fish flipped out of the water, landing on the bank and thrashing about.
"Ah! How beautiful!"
Hearing the girl's exclamation, Shisui tilted his head and asked with a smile: "Did you see anything?"
"It's a beautiful koi fish!"
"It's a pity I can't see this koi fish I caught myself, otherwise I would definitely take a picture to commemorate it."
The koi fish thrashed on the bank for a while, then gradually quieted down, its mouth opening and closing, its scales shimmering with colorful light in the sun.
Chizhao bent down, picked up the koi fish, and with a "plop", threw it back into the river.
"As long as the koi fish here are still alive, Itachi-nii will have a chance to see them."
The simple words, the innocent tone, made Shisui's heart tremble, he carefully pondered the meaning of the sentence, and smiled slightly.
If the koi fish are still alive, he will be able to see them?
Suddenly, the fishing rod in his hand was pulled away, replaced by a long stick of moderate thickness.
He waved it, a little puzzled: "This is?"
"This is a cane I made for you, so you can use it to explore the way and you won't fall like before."
Explaining and teaching hand-in-hand, Chizhao then thoughtfully asked: "Do you think the length is suitable? Do you need me to adjust it?"
Shisui gently stroked Chizhao's head, with a hint of tenderness: "Thank you, Chizhao, it's enough."
Suddenly, Shisui stopped his movements and turned his face towards outside the forest.
"Are you here, Itachi?"
Then, he turned to Chizhao, his face beaming with a warm smile: "Then I'll trouble Chizhao to bring Itachi in."
"Of course, I'll go right away."
Itachi was the most important part of the entire plan; he was indispensable for the plan to succeed.
Passing through the dense forest, Chizhao saw Itachi in Anbu combat uniform, holding Shisui's short sword, with his back to her.
"Itachi-nii!"
Hearing the call, Itachi half-drew the sword from his back, and a pair of Mangekyo vigilantly looked at the newcomer.
"Who are you?"
Itachi hesitated for a moment, searched his memory for her name, and called it out uncertainly:
"I remember your name is... Shiratori Chichao..."
"So Itachi-nii still remembers..."
The crow flapped its wings and landed steadily on Chizhao's shoulder, it stared intently at Itachi, making a few soft caws.
This gradually relaxed Itachi's vigilance.