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***
Two years later.
"Who's that talking?"
The sudden voice startled Sasuke Uchiha and Naruto Uzumaki.
They were still children when Itachi fell into a coma, so it was impossible for them to remember his voice.
Izumi Uchiha, who had been wearing a helpless smile, paused at the sound of the voice, as if she had been electrocuted.
Her beautiful eyes instantly lit up with ecstasy.
Swish!
As Naruto and Sasuke looked around, Izumi appeared in front of the bed in a flash.
She stared intently at the boy lying on the bed, her voice trembling with excitement.
"You're finally awake!?"
Under her gaze, Itachi Uchiha slowly opened his eyes.
He responded with a "Hmm," without moving his mouth.
The muscles around his mouth were noticeably stiff as he spoke.
It wasn't that he didn't want to speak, but rather that after two years in a coma, his muscles had become rigid.
In his haste to stop Naruto and Sasuke, he'd moved so violently that the muscles around his mouth had lost control.
Sasuke and Naruto also looked over.
Both children paused for a moment.
"Brother's awake!"
Then Sasuke cheered excitedly, unfazed, throwing himself onto Itachi's chest.
"Ahem."
Though the force of Sasuke's lunge wasn't great, it was still a burden for Itachi's current body.
He groaned in pain and could only watch Sasuke from the corner of his eye, his eyes filled with doting.
"Sasuke, if you do that, your brother will be in great pain right now."
Only then did Izumi manage to calm her emotions a bit.
She glanced hurriedly at Itachi, then lifted Sasuke off his chest.
"I'm sorry, brother, Sasuke didn't mean to!"
Sasuke then remembered his mother's instructions not to touch his brother immediately after he woke up.
Itachi naturally didn't mind.
Just as he was about to open his eyes, Izumi looked him in the eye and said, "Don't speak yet. Tsunade-sama said that sleeping for so long will make your body very stiff."
Then, she lowered her eyes again, resting her hand on Sasuke's hair, and chuckled softly, "Sasuke, I won't blame you."
"Mm."
Itachi met Izumi's gaze and, obeying her words, simply replied.
"I'll go find Tsunade-sama."
Izumi wiped the tears of joy from her eyes with her sleeve and instructed Naruto and Sasuke, "You two, stop playing around."
"Mm!"
Sasuke and Naruto, their faces filled with joy, nodded seriously this time.
"Then I'll be right back."
Izumi glanced at Itachi tenderly and quickly left.
After she left, Sasuke cautiously approached Itachi, looking very well-behaved.
Naruto, on the other hand, quietly approached from behind Sasuke, standing on tiptoe, and studied Itachi.
He looked at Itachi with a touch of reverence.
For as long as Naruto could remember, Minato had repeatedly mentioned a little secret known only to them.
Sasuke's brother, Itachi, was a remarkable young hero.
Naruto's angle of observation placed him squarely within Itachi's line of sight.
Gazing into those inquisitive, azure eyes, identical to those of the Fourth Hokage, Itachi's eyes returned a gentle glance.
Not long after, Izumi, Tsunade, and Shizune arrived at the ward.
"Boy, you're finally awake," Tsunade smiled, for Itachi was the patient she had treated for the longest with the most complex symptoms.
"Tsunade-sama, thank you for your time treating me."
By then, Itachi had begun to adjust to his condition.
While some movements might still be a little difficult, speaking was no problem.
"You're truly polite," Tsunade said, unconcerned.
She extended her hand, a soft green glow emanating from it, and pressed it against Itachi's forehead.
Itachi turned his gaze to Shizune and said, "Miss Shizune, thank you for taking care of me for the past two years."
"Don't worry, as long as you can recover," Shizune, also gentle and calm, said with a smile.
Itachi turned his gaze to Izumi's side, taking in the girl's more beautiful face two years later, and for a moment he was at a loss for words.
Because of the events before his rebirth, Itachi had previously felt a sense of guilt toward Izumi, which he had already confessed to her.
And during the two years that Itachi had been in a coma, although his body could not move, his mind remained clear most of the time.
For two years, Izumi hadn't spent a single day without being by his side.
Itachi's lips moved, but Izumi looked at him and shook her head.
"You don't have to thank me. In fact, I'm the one who should be saying thank you."
The others didn't know, but Izumi knew it well.
Itachi had become like this two years ago because he was trying to protect the village.
And back then, Itachi had saved her life.
Swish!
At that moment, a specially crafted kunai placed in the corner of the ward glowed faintly, and four figures appeared.
Minato Namikaze, Kushina Uzumaki, Mikoto Uchiha, and Fugaku Uchiha.
As they looked at the boy who had opened his eyes on the hospital bed, different expressions crossed their faces.
Mikoto was the most excited, her body trembling as if she had been electrocuted, and she quickly walked toward Itachi's bedside.
"Itachi!"
She called out her child's name, her voice quiet but tinged with indescribable emotion.
At this moment, Tsunade withdrew her hand.
She turned her gaze to Mikoto, who had just approached, and smiled faintly, "He's physically fine, and his damaged mental strength has fully recovered."
"Thank you," Mikoto nodded.
At this moment, Fugaku also approached, giving Tsunade a slight nod.
"Mom, Dad."
Itachi choked, his emotions once again uncontrollable as he looked at his parents.
He had once been able to remain calm in the face of everything, but in the presence of his parents, his brother, and those he truly cared about, it always touched a vulnerable part of his heart.
This time, Itachi had almost experienced a life-or-death separation from them.
And during the two years he had been unconscious, the worry that his parents, Mikoto and Fugaku, had endured, filled Itachi with guilt.
He took a deep breath, then, dragging his somewhat stiff body, he slowly sat up from the hospital bed.
Mikoto, noticing this, immediately stepped forward to support him.
"You got up too fast," Mikoto gently stroked Itachi's back, wrapping her arm around him to ease the effort.
Itachi looked at his parents before him, his voice fluctuating slightly as he said, "I'm sorry to have made you worry about me again."
At that moment, Itachi's gaze shifted to his father, who usually wore a stern and serious expression, a softness he had never seen before.
Fugaku's eyes, like those of all parents, shone with emotion.
"Your mother and I, just seeing you wake up safely is enough."
"Hmm."
At this point, Itachi Uchiha didn't want to upset Fugaku Uchiha and Mikoto Uchiha anymore, so he just murmured.
"Mom and Dad, don't worry. This won't happen again!"
He vowed to himself.
The most critical Nine-Tails incident he could remember had now passed safely.
The Fourth Hokage was still alive, and the Nine-Tails within Kushina Uzumaki hadn't been released.
Therefore, the prejudice against the Uchiha that the village leaders and villagers once held was much less.
Itachi glanced past Fugaku to Minato Namikaze and Kushina, who now stood behind him.
Minato smiled and nodded.
"Although your mental strength has fully recovered, to be on the safe side, it's best to stay in the hospital for a few days for observation."
Tsunade, not quite used to this situation, gave Itachi a warning and turned to leave.
Shizune nodded and followed her out.
"Mom, just put me on the bedside."
Itachi suddenly felt a little uncomfortable, as he was held in Mikoto's arms.
If he were only a seven-year-old on the outside, it wouldn't be a big deal, but inside he was a twenty-something.
Being held by his mother in front of the Fourth Hokage, Izumi Uchiha, and the others was quite unusual.
"Haha, I get it," Mikoto said, noticing the shy look in Itachi's eyes and smiling.
She propped Itachi's pillow upright, and Kushina helped her fetch another pillow from the other bed.
Itachi leaned back against the pillows, looked at the red-haired woman, and said, "Auntie Kushina, I'm sorry for bothering you these past two years."
The unflappable Kushina casually waved her hand, smiling cheerfully, "Your mother and I are best friends, and Naruto and Sasuke are good friends too. It's nothing."
She reached out and placed her hands on Naruto Uzumaki's and Sasuke Uchiha's heads.
Sasuke was a little annoyed by her gesture, but he didn't dare resist.
Naruto, like his mother, smiled brightly and said, "Hello, Itachi-nii."
There was a hint of pleading in his eyes.
Itachi immediately understood Naruto's intention.
He was pleading with him not to tell Kushina about the near-fight between him and Sasuke.
This struck Itachi as a different impression of the blond boy.
He had seen Naruto before, but back then, he wasn't as clever as he is now.
It seemed that with his parents by his side, Naruto's personality had changed.
Itachi smiled at him.
They stayed with Itachi for a while, and only when the sky darkened did Minato and Naruto's family leave.
Although Itachi had something to ask Minato, now was clearly not the right time.
Izumi, who had to get up early to attend the ninja academy the next day, reluctantly went home after Itachi's persuasion.
Itachi had wanted his parents and Sasuke to go home and rest as well, as they surely hadn't gotten a good night's sleep in the past two years.
But unable to resist Mikoto and Sasuke's insistence, Itachi compromised.
Fugaku also stayed in the hospital room.
Late at night, Sasuke fell into a deep sleep, lying beside Itachi.
In his sleep, a cheerful smile graced his delicate, fair face.
Mikoto then turned to Itachi and said, "Itachi, can you tell Mom and Dad what exactly happened two years ago? Why did your mental strength suffer such severe damage?"
Fugaku also looked over.
Itachi pursed his lips, knowing that this time, he couldn't just make excuses.
Seeing the embarrassment in his expression, Mikoto gently patted the back of Itachi's hand and said, "We don't have to force you to tell us. Don't make it difficult."
For Mikoto and Fugaku, as parents, simply wishing Itachi well was enough.
Hearing his mother's gentle words, Itachi raised his eyes and spoke in a slightly lower voice.
"There are things I want to tell you, but I don't know how."
Itachi had taken the risk of telling the Fourth Hokage about his rebirth in order to change the future of the Uchiha clan.
If he could keep these things to himself, he would have kept them to himself.
But they were his parents, and Itachi trusted them completely.
However, even now, he didn't know how to tell Mikoto and Fugaku the truth.
After all, it was Itachi who had killed his parents in his previous life.
Fugaku folded his arms and looked at Itachi, his brow furrowed.
He suddenly reached out, patted Itachi's shoulder, and said, "Since you haven't decided what to say yet, there's no need to force it."
Fugaku said this because he noticed Itachi's fists were clenched tightly under the quilt.
"You're risking your mental strength to protect something you hold dear, right?"
Itachi nodded emphatically.
"As expected of my son, Dad is very proud," Fugaku said with a faint smile.
"Mom too," Mikoto smiled.
Itachi said nothing, but as parents, they trusted their child with all their hearts.
Sometimes, between close relatives, there are things and words that simply need to be understood.
"Thank you for your understanding, Dad, Mom."
Itachi said with a firm gaze. He would reveal the truth to Fugaku and Mikoto sooner or later, but not now.
Not until he had truly changed everything!
The night was still, and all of Konoha was hushed.
Only a few dim lights remained in the village.
Itachi peered out the window.
After two years of sleep, he certainly wasn't sleepy at all.
"Chi!"
His dark eyes turned blood red.
This allowed Itachi to see a wider area of the village even in the darkness.
Two years had passed, and no trace of that bloody night remained in the village.
But Itachi could never forget the tragic sight of so many civilians and Konoha ninjas perishing before him.
He had given his all to protect the village where he was born and raised, more than once.
Even now, this conviction remained unchanged.
For whether the village was in the light or the darkness, he was still Itachi Uchiha of Konoha.
And this time, Itachi would not only protect the village but also those he loved and who loved him, with all his might.
Slowly, within his blood-red eyes, the black magatama began to spin.
"Huh," Itachi exhaled softly, closing his Sharingan.
While his current body could handle it, it hadn't fully recovered, and Itachi didn't want to burden it any further.
Slowly adapting to his new body, Itachi quickly realized the changes that had taken place.
....
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