And the road of flowers is so long

The morning was almost summer-warm. When she woke up, she went down to the first floor. By the smell of the kitchen, she could tell who had woken up first. If it smelled like freshly brewed coffee, it was Itachi; if it smelled like herbs, like it did now, it was Haku. "Haku, good morning," Akina said with a sleepy smile as she entered the kitchen. "Good morning, how are you?" The guy asked, smiling back, without looking up from making the tea. He was wearing the same pink sleeveless kimono that Tibo didn't like, because she had once mistaken him for a girl. His long, heavy hair was tied in a bun, covered with a thick net, as it usually was when he was in the kitchen. The girl didn't respond to his question and sat down at the dining table. Haku placed a cup of tea in front of her. She watched the translucent steam rising from the hot beverage and sighed heavily. It was clear that she was deeply distressed. It wasn't that she was afraid of losing. She was mentally prepared for that. What she was afraid of was the way others would perceive her. She vividly remembered the snickers and jibes she had received from strangers during her training at the shooting range, and it was only through Neji's public support that she was able to ignore these negative comments. "Are you worried?" Yuki guessed, sitting down opposite her. "I'm going crazy. I'm not afraid of losing because I know that's what will happen. It's good if I make it through a couple of rounds," she replied, her face saddened. Haku remained silent, allowing her to express herself. This is what Akina appreciates about him—his ability to listen and empathize without saying a word. "Sometimes it seems to me that if someone else were in my place, you would have a better chance of winning a prize. I don't belong in this house or on the team," she continued. "You're challenging my decisions again," she heard Itachi's stern voice behind her. He stood in the doorway and stared at her sternly. "I'm telling it like it is. I'll let you down," she said confidently. "Don't you dare say and think like that, don't you dare. This is my choice, and I made it consciously, not because I needed another player in the team. Only with you it was possible to achieve well—coordinated interaction in the team," Itachi said without changing the tone of the conversation. "You're pushing yourself too hard," Haku supported the leader. He went to the kitchen and sat down next to her. A cup of tea was placed in front of Itachi by Haku. Soon, everyone else joined them in the kitchen. At the appointed time, after registering, Sasuke arrived at the stadium arena, handing his baseball cap to Akina. He appeared completely calm, as if this were a normal occurrence. The clan teams were seated in the front row. Itachi headed towards the observers' tent. Representatives of each clan in the team competitions must be present, and in most cases, these are the team captains. "Hello, Itachi, it's been a long time," Hana Inuzuka greeted. "Good to see you," he smiled at his former classmate, sitting down next to her. Akina was sitting on pins and needles, twirling the Uchiha's baseball cap in her hands. "Stop shaking, you're not running," Yasuharu, sitting next to her, said. When the start signal sounded, Akina almost jumped. There were almost no civilians participating in the running competition, so Sasuke had to compete against his own peers. Of course, Naruto was also involved, as it was another opportunity to determine who was stronger. Sasuke ran at a moderate pace, conserving his energy, and only accelerated towards the finish line, arriving first. The crowd cheered, as the stadium was likely filled with his female fans. As soon as he left the stadium, he was surrounded by photojournalists and screaming fans who wanted to hug their idol. When he finally broke free, he saw a small group of people in blue and black tracksuits with the Uchiha clan emblem waiting for him. A girl separated from the group and approached him, gently wrapping her arms around his shoulders and pressing her body against him. She ignored the disapproving looks from others, as if asking, "Is this allowed?" "Congratulations, I knew you could do it," Akina said quietly. A pleasant, calm warmth spread through him. Even through his clothes, he could feel the softness of her body and the rhythm of her breathing. His arms instinctively wrapped around her, and he smiled affectionately. This was what his brother had been missing: not the praise and admiration, but the quiet, peaceful warmth of the heart. The girl pulled away slightly and put the baseball cap back on his head, breaking free from his embrace. She then took his hand, and they walked back to the others. There were warm handshakes, shoulder slaps, and mischievous glances from his teammates. Itachi stood aside, observing them. The boys and the girl with the Uchiha clan mark. It was as if he could see his long-lost clan members in them. What if... He pushed away the overwhelming memories and approached the others. "Congratulations, Sasuke. I'm proud of you," said Itachi. And there was no praise more pleasant for his younger brother. Uchih-junior's victory calmed Akina down a bit. All worries and sorrows faded into the background. When they returned home, they gathered in the gazebo. Haru and Itachi were quietly playing their guitars. As always, Akina emerged from behind the railing like a jack-in-the-box, joining her brother in a playful banter, occasionally eliciting warm smiles from those around her. Peace and harmony reigned. Everyone had become accustomed to these gatherings, and they had developed their own traditions. After lunch, Akina started getting ready for the stadium. The competition was more than an hour away. "Did you take everything?" Itachi asked sternly when she came down from the second floor. "Yes," Akina confirmed. "Have you checked your gear?" Is everything all right? "yes." "Are you sure you haven't forgotten anything?" "no." "Check it again," he insisted. "Itachi, please remind me who should be worried right now," the girl remarked with a chuckle. Itachi looked at her with a worried gaze, taking a deep breath to calm himself, but it was a poor attempt. "Let's go," he said, barely concealing his agitation, and everyone left the house. She approached the registration area, which was about to begin. Her teammates were standing nearby. "Akina, you..." Itachi, about to say something encouraging, suddenly stopped in mid-sentence. All thoughts flew out of his head. "Oh, don't worry. If I'm not worried, then neither should you. Whatever happens, happens," she said, placing a comforting hand on his arm. A slight half-smile touched his lips. "Well, I'm off," she said, and headed towards the crowd of marksmen. Itachi watched as Neji approached her, and they began to talk. He turned and walked away, heading towards the observers' tent. The rest of the team took their seats in the front row of the stands. After a while, Naruto joined them, expressing his desire to cheer for Akinu. "Hi, are you excited?" asked Neji, pulling Akin aside as she passed by the crowd of onlookers. "Not really," she waved off. "I’m really worried," admitted Neji. "You???" the girl looked at him in disbelief. "You can imagine," said the Hyuga. "No," admitted Akina. A few minutes later, registration began. "Good luck," said Neji, heading towards the registration tables when his name was called. "Good luck to you," she said after him, not expecting him to hear her. After the marking, the assistants of the judges checked the weapons and equipment in order to identify malfunctions and possible prohibited modifications. Only then was the archer allowed into the arena. After the first group of shooters took their places in front of the targets, the signal was given for the start of the competition. Akina admired Neji's precise, confident shooting. When it was her turn, Thibault walked to the red line in front of her target and looked around out of the corner of her eye. Neji stood to the side and watched her intently. She could feel his gaze on her, and it was distracting. The signal was given, and the archers began to shoot. Akina gripped the bowstring tightly and focused on the red circle, pulling the bowstring taut and aiming the arrow at the center. Suddenly, everything except the target began to blur, and the circle seemed much closer. It was as if she were looking at the target through a telescope. She shuddered as she realized what it was, and in her confusion, she accidentally released the bowstring. After hitting the shaft with its fletching, the arrow flew a couple of meters and stuck into the ground. Akina touched her face, rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand, as if something had gotten into her eye. The stands were filled with a roar of discontented voices. There were whistles and angry shouts from all directions: "Get off the field!", "Take off your uniform, don't embarrass it!", "You're crooked-handed!" Itachi stood up from his seat, but Ibiki's heavy hand pushed him back down. Ibiki's expression changed when he noticed the awakened Sharingan in Uchiha's eyes. "If you step onto the field and interfere, she won't be allowed to complete the stage. Learn to trust your team," he said sternly. One of the assistant referees approached the girl and asked her what was wrong. "It's nothing." Something got in my eye, she replied, and he called for medics. "Why now?" she thought desperately, afraid that someone would see that something was wrong with her, and not knowing what to do about it. From the sidelines, she noticed Neji trying to find out what was wrong with her, but he was being held back by other assistants. In such situations, interactions between participants were discouraged. Her team members were watching from the stands. The crowd's discontented murmurs continued until Naruto stood up and shouted at the top of his lungs, "Shut up, everyone!" Surprisingly, this had an effect. Haru was watching his sister intently, and in a flash, he had jumped over the barrier and was next to her. The referees tried to stop him, but he brushed them off and approached the girl before the medics could. "Yasuharu Tibo, if you don't leave the arena, your participant won't be awarded a stage," one of the judges said sternly. "Just a minute," Haru replied. He hugged the girl, touching her chin, forced her to look into his eyes. There was a golden outline around the pupil of her eyes. "How to remove it," she whispered in despair, almost crying. The guy pulled her into his arms, making her bury her face in his shoulder. "Breathe slowly and deeply, try to relax completely. And most importantly, calm down," he said quietly. "What's wrong with her?" Sakura asked sternly as she approached. "She's fine, just overreacting," Haru explained. "She said something got into her eye." "I'm going to put some drops in her eyes," she said. The boy looked at his sister, whose eyes had returned to normal. "Do what you need to do," the boy said with a sigh of relief. The girl was laid down on a bench, and the doctor put some drops in her eyes. "Will she be able to continue?" one of the judges asked. "Yes, she will," Sakura said. Haru gave Akina a reassuring smile as she returned to the shooting range. He left the arena. The Uchiha team was awarded two out of three attempts with an average score and one penalty point due to Yasuharu's interference. The Hyuga team, as expected, earned the maximum score. Her teammates were waiting for her near the arena gates. Akina approached them with a guilty expression. Yasuharu took the bow from her and slung it over his shoulder, Haku took the quiver of arrows from her and did the same, Sasuke took the equipment bag from her. The guys walked ahead of her as if nothing had happened, followed by Akina's bewildered gaze. "Well, what shall we do? We have the evening free," Haru replied. "Do you have a suggestion?" asked Sasuke. "Well, it's too late for the beach. Maybe to a cafe. We have to celebrate your victory," suggested Yasuharu. "Well, we can arrange a feast at home," replied Haku. The guys behaved as if nothing had happened. It was as if her loss had never happened. "Apparently, my involvement is so insignificant that they don't care if I win or lose," she thought dejectedly as she trailed behind the others. Itachi noticed this and caught up with her, falling behind the others. "What happened in the arena?" he asked her. "I got something in my eye, so I dropped the bowstring," she explained, realizing that he shouldn't know the truth. "Are you upset?" Itachi asked. "I wasn't hoping for a good result," she sighed sadly. "It's not worth it. As for me, everything was pretty good," the team leader expressed his opinion. But her mood did not improve, and when she got home, she went up to her room. "Why is this happening now?" she wondered, remembering that her ancestral abilities had awakened at an inopportune time. After all, all her attempts to activate this ability during her training sessions had been unsuccessful. The technique did not require seals and could be activated with a single thought, but no matter how hard she tried, nothing worked. So what now? "Maybe Haru is right, and it's just a result of my excitement," she mused. The girl shuddered at the thought of the consequences, imagining what would happen if the medics noticed what was happening to her eyes. Being removed from the competition would have been the least of her worries. The guys bought groceries, and soon the kitchen was busy. The time flew by unnoticed during the cheerful conversations, and soon the table was set with all kinds of dishes. There was a knock on the girl's room. After giving permission, Yasuharu entered. "It's so good to be sour. Come to our place, we've prepared everything there. Eat, and your mood will improve," my brother said. Akina reluctantly followed him. From the abundance and variety of dishes, it seemed that they were not going to leave the feast for a whole week. However, the girl doubted this, watching how quickly the food disappeared from the table. The guys were actively discussing the competition. Again, Akina did not participate in the conversation, which alarmed the team leader. After dinner, Itachi was reading the latest issue of the Konoha Herald, and as expected, the front page featured coverage of the first stage of the archery competition. There were enthusiastic reviews about the results of the Hyuga team and mediocre reviews about the participation of the Uchiha team. "As expected, Uchiha's team did not perform well in the first stage of the archery competition." The newspaper's review read as follows: "As expected..." he thought with annoyance, as she had already been labeled as a failure. "No one expects anything from me..." he recalled her words, and an unpleasant feeling arose in his heart. There was a knock on Sasuke's door. He had chosen to rest after dinner. After receiving permission, Itachi entered his room with a tense expression, and Uchiha realized that his visit was not without purpose. "What's the matter?" he asked lazily. "What should I do?" Uchiha-senpai asked uncertainly. Sasuke looked at his brother in surprise. It wasn't often that he asked for advice. "We need to do something to distract her. You've probably noticed that she's been very down lately. With her current mood..." He stopped short, unable to finish his sentence. "We could end up losing. I've been thinking about it, and after consulting with the others, we've decided to focus on winning first place in the individual competitions to make up for any potential losses in the clan competitions," Sasuke replied, reluctantly getting out of bed. "You've already thought of everything," Itachi smiled. "Yes, but she shouldn't know about it," Sasuke said, and Itachi agreed. It would cause a lot of discontent. "Of course." But what should I do now?" Uchiha returned to the original problem. Sasuke looked at his brother carefully. "Ask her out for a walk or to a cafe," Uchiha suggested. Sasuke was a little amused by his older brother's expression. He looked like he was solving a complex mathematical problem. A whirlwind of barely readable emotions passed across his face. "Have you ever asked a girl out for a walk... a date... anywhere at all?" Sasuke asked, realizing the reason for his hesitation. Itachi had nothing to say, as girls were always the first to take the initiative in his attitude. All he had to do was either agree or refuse under a plausible pretext. But he had no desire to invite anyone himself. Uchiha Jr. sighed heavily, for his brother's silence was more eloquent than any words. "I have no reason to invite her anywhere," Uchiha said softly, as if apologizing. "Itachi, my God. Isn't your desire to help a sufficient reason? You want to cheer her up. So go ahead. At the same time, don't miss the chance to please her," Sasuke said, reminding her of his sympathy for the girl. "Like it?" Itachi looked at his brother in disbelief. "But you don't have to get into a pose. I understand everything. Those who spoke unflatteringly about her at the stadium today, you would have buried in the asphalt. And it was only the presence of Ibika and the others that kept it from happening, right? " Sasuke looked at his brother searchingly. He just looked away, confirming his point. "Is it necessary to do something in order to be liked?" he asked softly. "If a girl doesn't care about you, then yes. Unless, of course, you want her to like you, and it all depends on how much you want it. And don't forget about tactile contact. It's important. Hold her hand, give her a hug, and so on. Let her know that she means a lot to you," Sasuke advised, smiling as he watched the tension on Itachi's face. Itachi was afraid of her reaction. What if she got scared or angry? With a thoughtful expression, Itachi left his brother's room. Did he want Akina to treat him differently? He remembered her gentle smile when she spoke to Neji, the way she rested her head on Haku's shoulder as she shared stories with him, and the excitement in her eyes when she engaged in debates with her brother. Yes, he wanted to see her smile, to see the sparkle in her eyes, and to feel her warm touch. But how could he achieve this when she often reacted with skepticism or, at best, wariness towards his words and actions? "He doesn't trust..." he made a disappointing conclusion with a sad sigh. Gain trust? It was easier for the Shinobi. Show yourself to be a reliable colleague, covering for others, able to make the right decisions quickly, and you are already a leader that anyone will be happy to follow, because reputation in this case is your calling card. But what to do in this case, because she is not a Shinobi? No matter how much he thought about it, nothing came to mind. "Love is a theorem that needs to be proved every day." He remembered one of the quotes from the book. After going over all of Sasuke's advice in his head, he decided on a walk. "To ask... What if she says no?" he pondered as he changed clothes in his room, standing by the open window. The evening was descending on Konoha, illuminating the streets with lanterns and providing a refreshing coolness after the summer heat. Noticing movement on the porch, he grabbed his cloak and hurriedly left the room, heading downstairs. Akina couldn't sleep again, remembering the day that had passed, filled with both pleasant and unpleasant events. "What have I done to them?" she thought with resentment, recalling the shouts from the stands. Her heart felt empty and sad. The coolness of the approaching night did not provide any comfort, despite her hopes. The girl almost screamed, shuddering all over when her shoulders were wrapped in the black cloak with red clouds. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you," she heard Itachi's quiet voice near her ear. "And I'm sorry for what happened today," he added after a short pause. "You couldn't have done anything anyway," she said without turning around. Akina felt him embrace her from behind, pressing her against his body. "I shouldn't have put you in the singles competition. It was my selfishness, my vanity," he said, and she could feel his hot breath on her hair. "You didn't know how things would turn out. It's too late to back out now, and I don't want to," Akina replied confidently, turning to face him. "Can we go for a walk, if you're not going to sleep?" he suggested as insistently as possible. "Yes... no... I think so," she said, visibly confused. He picked her up in his arms, and in the next moment they were on the roof. It took him a couple of minutes to leave the clan territory by moving across the roofs. "Itachi, if we're going for a walk, why are we running so fast?" she said over the noise in her ears. "It's faster this way," he explained, easily lowering himself to the park's alleyway and setting her on her feet, hiding the fact that he was afraid she would reject his proposal and quickly took advantage of her confusion. The girl looked at her companion angrily, as he was only wearing a mesh T-shirt. She took his coat off her shoulders and handed it to him. "It's a good thing I didn't change into my pajamas. I would have caused a stir in the middle of the park," Akina thought critically. They walked slowly along the alley. The trees rustled with their leaves, and a light breeze carried the scents of night flowers and herbs. The lanterns cast shadows on the few passersby walking through the park. But there was something exciting about this ordinary, unremarkable evening. Itachi cast occasional glances at his companion, trying to gauge her mood, and gently touched her fingers with his own, taking her hand. Akina gave a slight start, looking at him with surprise and a hint of wariness. "Itachi, is something wrong?" "What is it?" she finally asked, expecting him to say something negative. "I just wanted you to relax a little, get distracted," he replied. "I thought you wanted to talk to me in private, that's why you dragged me here." Although it's commendable that you care about the morale of your team," Akina replied with a sad smile. "You think I brought you here just as a team member," said Itachi, a shadow of disappointment in his voice. "Well, yes," she said, unable to think of any other explanation. "But what if it's not just like that? What if it was a date?" Itachi retorted, waiting for her reaction. "A date??? Are you kidding?" If I'm not mistaken, you have someone to go on dates with. Maybe you should stop making fun of me! She was seriously offended. "Why do you think I'm making fun of you? Don't you ever consider the possibility that it might be true? You're misunderstanding my words and actions," he defended himself fiercely. The intensity in his black eyes spoke volumes about his emotions, but she remained oblivious. "Because it can't be, it can't be, okay?" People like me shouldn't stand next to people like you! I'm not Ayumi's competitor, and you know it perfectly well. So why all this pointless conversation? Akina was indignant. A chill ran down his spine. He had a premonition that she would use Ayumi as a barrier between them. Itachi could clearly sense her fear, but he couldn't understand what had caused it. The feeling of failure in his love life urged him to give up and stop trying. However, his stubbornness and determination to achieve his goals, not for his family or village, but for himself, prevailed. "Why have none of you ever asked me what I want?" he said, looking into her eyes, hoping that she would see, understand. "Let her ask," she said, taking her hand out of his and starting to walk away from him. "I want you to ask me that," he said after her. The girl stopped and looked at him in fright. Silence fell between them. "Come on, look at me. Why can't you see what others understand without words?" thought Itachi, and his heart began to beat desperately. "And what do you want?" she asked warily. He looked at her in silence for a while, and a gentle smile played on his lips. Itachi approached her and touched her face. " I want you to agree to walk with me. "I hope you won't refuse this small request from the head of the clan," he said, using his authority instead of what he really wanted to say. Why was it so difficult to express what was most important to him? Fear crept into his soul like cold tentacles, telling him that it wouldn't work out, that he wasn't worthy of having her by his side, but he stubbornly pushed these thoughts away. Akina looked at him skeptically, took his hand, and they continued walking down the alley. They returned a couple of hours later, using the same route they had taken to get to the park, and said goodnight to each other before going to their rooms. Akina fell asleep immediately. The walk had been a good thing for her. Itachi, on the other hand, spent some time berating himself for not being able to explain himself to her. "It's all your cowardice," he remembered Sasuke saying.