harleyscars Page 175
Page 175
With a child's cry that he had longed for but hadn't heard in so long, a small body suddenly rushed into his arms, and soft hands wrapped tightly around his waist.
In an instant, Itachi froze completely.
[Ding! Emotional fluctuations from Itachi Uchiha have been detected! Emotional value +1000!]
I'm such an idiot, I haven't set a timer in ages and I messed it up.
Chapter 163 Then what does all that I've done count for?
Fortunately, Sasuke didn't think too much about it and quickly started eating at Mikoto's urging.
Itachi then quietly breathed a sigh of relief.
His tense nerves eased slightly, and he lowered his head, his fingertips feeling a little cool.
He quickly realized that he had also entered this strange dream.
In a daze, Mikoto's voice pulled him back to reality: "Itachi, what are you daydreaming about! Time to eat."
With a hint of reproach in her gentle voice, the mother handed over a steaming hot bun.
Itachi was taken aback for a moment, then quickly reached out and took it: "Ah...yes."
He looked down at the steamed bun in his palm; it was white and soft, with a faint aroma of wheat.
He took a small bite, and the delicious broth and soft filling melted on his tongue, the warmth sliding down his throat into his stomach.
Itachi's pupils trembled slightly, and the long-lost feeling made his heart ache.
For so many years, he had almost forgotten the taste of home.
But now, everything feels so real, as if time has turned back.
It really is... the taste of my memories.
Itachi stared blankly into thought, the emotions surging in his chest almost impossible to suppress.
For a moment, he almost wondered if he was dreaming.
The realism was so striking that even the aroma and taste of the food were exactly the same as I remembered.
Itachi quietly raised his eyes and gazed at Uchiha Mikoto sitting opposite him.
His mother looked a little older than he remembered, with a few more fine lines around her eyes, but her dignified and beautiful face remained gentle and lovely.
Mikoto noticed Itachi's gaze and turned to look at him: "What's wrong, Itachi?"
Meeting his mother's concerned gaze, Itachi's heart tightened, and he hurriedly turned his head away: "N-nothing, Mother."
He turned his head away awkwardly, not daring to look Mikoto in the eye.
[Ding! Emotional fluctuations from Itachi Uchiha have been detected! Emotional value +400!]
"Nii-san!" Sasuke's clear voice came from beside him. "Let's go train in the yard after breakfast!"
Itachi was taken aback by what he heard, with half a mouthful of bun still stuck in his throat: "Cough... Cultivation?"
He turned his face to the side.
Sasuke looked at him expectantly, his dark eyes shining with excitement—an expression that was both so familiar and so distant.
Itachi's heartstrings trembled violently.
Will he personally teach Sasuke his training?
Wasn't that personally teaching Sasuke how to kill him?
"No, Sasuke."
Before Itachi could answer, Mikoto chimed in with a light rebuke, "Your brother is on patrol at the police station today, so he won't have time to practice with you. Don't keep bothering him."
With the unique strictness and doting of a mother.
"All right……"
Sasuke pouted upon hearing this, lowered his head in obvious disappointment, and silently picked up the porridge in his bowl, no longer bothering Itachi.
[Ding! Emotional fluctuations from Uchiha Sasuke have been detected! Emotional value +200!]
But a moment later, he muttered to himself, "Then I'll go practice with Naruto later..."
For a moment, the only sound on the dining table was the soft clinking of bowls and chopsticks.
Itachi ate his meal silently, but out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of his younger brother pouting, and a feeling of guilt and affection welled up inside him.
If... this is just a hypothetical... if he really had a chance to start over, how he would love to stay by Sasuke's side like this, to be a good older brother that his younger brother could rely on.
Even if it was just a dream, Itachi suddenly felt a longing: how wonderful it would be if things could stay this peaceful forever...
[Ding! Emotional fluctuations from Itachi Uchiha have been detected! Emotional value +500!]
……
Meanwhile, outside the dream, several figures had already taken their seats in the audience.
Naruto, Sakura, Kakashi, and Jiraiya were watching the events unfold in the dream through the large black screen.
"Sigh—" Naruto Uzumaki crossed his arms behind his head and complained with a pout, "I haven't been inside in ages! Sasuke's going to train all day again today, it's going to be so boring!"
He puffed out his cheeks, looking sullen.
It had been several days since he last participated in the dream.
Naruto then turned to Jiraiya, who was standing leisurely to the side: "Hey, you perverted sage, I have a few questions—"
"No! You didn't!" Jiraiya interrupted him before he could finish speaking.
Naruto was taken aback by the retort, then complained angrily, "Perverted Sage! Why did you suddenly..."
Jiraiya cleared his throat, a rare moment of seriousness on his face. "Naruto, I'm afraid I'll be leaving Konoha for a while soon. If you have any questions during this time, ask Kakashi. Don't you like Kakashi as your teacher the most?"
"Eh?" Kakashi looked completely innocent, a few beads of cold sweat appearing on his forehead. "Lord Jiraiya, what you're saying is making me a little..."
"Huh?!" Naruto was also completely bewildered, "What are you talking about, you perverted sage?"
Having said that, he suddenly realized the meaning behind Jiraiya's words and jumped up from his seat. "Wait, wait! Perverted Sage, you're leaving again?!"
Jiraiya nodded slightly, then turned his gaze to the screen, his expression unusually serious: "Yes, I need to go out and investigate some things."
"I see..." Upon hearing this, Naruto's previously fiery emotions cooled down instantly.
He slumped back into his chair, his hands hanging limply. "The lecherous immortal is leaving the village again... Strange, this time I feel a bit off."
[Ding! Naruto's emotional fluctuations have been detected! Emotional value +500!]
……
on the screen.
Itachi and Sasuke had already finished breakfast.
"Dong dong."
There was a knock on the door.
Itachi walked to the entrance and opened the door a crack.
A young man with familiar-looking long hair stood outside the door.
Itachi blinked, momentarily stunned—Uchiha Inahi?!
He remembered this person.
In her memory, Uchiha Inahashi was a rigid and suspicious person. She had joined the Anbu under her father's orders and had been monitoring her every move. She was always wary of her and never gave her a kind look.
However, the rice fire standing at the door is quite different right now:
As soon as Daohu saw the weasel open the door, he immediately bowed respectfully and said earnestly, "Young Master! Are you ready? It's time to go on patrol."
His eyes even held a deep sense of reverence and admiration.
"...Huh?" Itachi's mind was processing this sudden change in mood so quickly that he forgot to respond for a moment.
[Ding! Emotional fluctuations from Itachi Uchiha have been detected! Emotional value +500!]
Why does Daohuo treat itself in this way?
It's important to know that in reality, this clansman always suspected that he had betrayed the Uchiha clan and was a traitor to his own people.
Every time she saw him, she would frown and scrutinize him, trying to find some flaw in him.
Seeing that Itachi Uchiha had not answered for a long time, Inahisa raised her head slightly, looking somewhat puzzled: "Young Master, are you not ready yet?"
"Itachi, it's time to go." A gentle female voice came to his rescue.
Mother Mikoto walked over with a smile, holding a neatly folded uniform vest in her hands. "It's Inahi. Itachi just finished breakfast and is about to set off."
Itachi quickly took the vest and whispered to Mikoto, "Thank you, Mother."
His fingertips touched the familiar texture, and when he looked down, he saw it was the uniform of the police force—a green vest.
It turns out that in this dream, he was still in his tribe, shouldering the responsibilities of the police force.
Just then, a flurry of footsteps approached from afar: "Nissan! Wait for me!"
Sasuke hurried over, already dressed in a dark coat, his face beaming with barely suppressed excitement. "I'll go on patrol with you!"
Itachi was taken aback by what he heard, and subconsciously looked at his younger brother's longing eyes.
Deep down, he didn't know how the "self" in his dream would answer.
But there was one thing Itachi was very clear about—no matter what, he didn't want to reveal any flaws to Sasuke and let his younger brother discover anything unusual.
After a brief silence, Itachi slowly nodded: "...Okay, let's do it together."
If the Itachi in his dream bore any resemblance to him, then he would certainly not refuse Sasuke.
Upon receiving the reply, Sasuke excitedly pumped his fist: "Great!"
The boy was so happy he almost jumped for joy. He turned around and rushed back into the house. "I'll go tell Mom. It'll be done soon!"
Before long, Sasuke, equipped with his gear, trotted back and reappeared in front of the two.
Inahime didn't seem surprised at all. She just watched with a smile the whole time, neither stopping him nor showing any displeasure, as if it was only natural for Sasuke to patrol with her.
Itachi slowly breathed a sigh of relief.