And the road of flowers is so long

As soon as dawn broke outside, Akina went to the training ground, trying to figure out what had happened yesterday during the archery competition. She stood in front of the target and concentrated, trying to remember and repeat her actions. The girl concentrated her gaze on the black circle, but nothing happened. After several unsuccessful attempts and a short training session, Akina had no choice but to return to the house. This competition day promised to be more interesting and exciting as the clan competitions began. Haru and Sasuke participated in the lawn tennis doubles competition against the Nara clan. The stadium was buzzing like a disturbed beehive. The rich guests were happy to bet on the team that they thought would be the winner. The coordinated actions and skillful play of the guys led to a ten-point advantage, which did not completely satisfy the members of the Uchiha team, because they did not achieve a significant advantage in the total number. The volleyball game with the Inuzuka clan ended in a two-point loss. The girl's self-confidence faded with each game. "I'll try to narrow the gap," promised Yasuharu, who was about to take the pole vault. The second round of the archery competition involved shooting at three targets at different heights. Akina came down from the second floor, fully armed but not in the best of moods. "I'm ready," she said to Itachi, who was sitting on the couch. The others remained at the stadium, watching the other competitions. "You're not going," Itachi said, flipping through the pages of the newspaper he was reading. "What?" The girl couldn't believe her ears, paling noticeably. "I'm taking you out of the archery competition," he explained. "You won't do that," she protested firmly. "I've made my decision, and don't argue," he insisted with an indifferent look, making it clear that the conversation was over. "But why? So I've wasted so much time. That's how much you value my efforts," she said, tears of resentment streaming down her face. "I'm going to participate, and I don't care what you decide," she said, and she ran out of the house. How could she understand that he didn't want her efforts to be ridiculed or mocked? Because, in his opinion, that was the only way he could protect her from all of this, and as usual, he only made things worse. He caught up with her near the stadium and stopped her by grabbing her arm. "Wait, Akina..." "I don't want to see you. How could you? Or is a weak link like me not even worth a chance to prove that everyone is wrong? You don't value me at all," she interrupted him. "I don't... Why do you think... Who would say such a thing?" Itachi was taken aback. "You," she said, pulling her hand away and walking away. He still did not remember the phrase he had thrown out in a conversation with Sasuke, quoting someone else's words, which Akina had accidentally overheard. When she arrived at the reception desk, she didn't expect to hear her name. Itachi entered the observer tent with an unbiased expression on his face, even though everything was raging inside. The powerlessness he had experienced last time was worse than any physical pain. Itachi had never imagined that he would ever have to go through something like this, but he clearly did not want it to happen again. She was in the fifth group with Neji. He kept glancing at her uneasily, risking a miss. Their targets turned out to be adjacent, and this caused dissatisfied murmurs in the stands and disappointed glances from the tents for distinguished guests. Akina had made a vow not to listen to the crowd, to focus on shooting, but because of the unpleasant incident with their team leader, it was not easy. The first target was at ground level, the second was at the standard position, the third was high up. Akina drew the bowstring and focused on the middle, the easiest target. Suddenly, everything around the target began to blur again, and the center of the circle seemed closer. There was a slight burning sensation in her eyes. She instinctively flinched, but did not lower the bow. "Damn, it's happening again," she thought, annoyed by the sudden activation of her ancestral ability. Trying not to panic or draw unnecessary attention to herself, she fired her shot, hitting the sixth field from the center of the target. For her second shot, she chose the lowest field. She tried to breathe deeply and relax, as her brother had taught her, but it was difficult. "What if I don't try to get rid of it, but use it?" she decided, since she couldn't change it. Akina drew back the bowstring and, aiming at the center of the circle, fired, hitting the eighth field. "The main thing is not to worry," she told herself, trying her best to calm down. The noise in the stands was no longer as clearly negative as before, but everyone was convinced that the first good result was an accident. The upper target was the most difficult, in her opinion, so the preparation for the shot was the longest. The arrow was aimed at the very center of the circle, which had become enormous. She let go of the bowstring, closing her eyes, not expecting to hit the shield at all. When she heard the thud of the arrow hitting its target, she suddenly realized that the stands had fallen silent. Akina slowly opened her eyes. The arrow was firmly embedded in the center of the circle. The stadium erupted into a deafening cacophony of noise, some of it angry and some of it enthusiastic. Thibault moved away from the red line, walking away, trying not to make eye contact with anyone. She approached the rest benches and sat down on one of them, leaning back. "Relax, breathe deeply, and calm down," she recalled Yasuharu's advice on deactivating this ability, closing her eyes. She gave a slight start when she felt someone touch her arm. "How are you?" she recognized Neji's voice. "I'm fine," Akina replied without opening her eyes. "You did a great job today," Neji complimented her. "I just got lucky with that last shot," she said without turning to face him. "Don't be too hard on yourself, I know you're capable of much," Neji replied, trying to encourage and praise her. How they and Itachi's attitude to her participation in the competitions were different. Uchiha, who tried to remove her from the competition after failing in the first stage, and Hyuga, confident that she would succeed, welcomed her participation. The girl slowly opened her eyes. The burning stopped. Her eyesight returned to normal. "Can we have lunch together?" Neji suggested as they walked towards the stadium gates. "I'd love to, but I've had enough scandals for today," the girl replied, without explaining the nature of the scandal. "Is Uchiha mistreating you?" Hyuga asked with concern. "He doesn't seem to have much faith in me," she explained. "I have faith in you," Neji replied. Akina smiled warmly at him. As soon as they left the stadium, they were surrounded by reporters. "You have shown excellent results today compared to yesterday's failure. How do you explain this?" poking a dictaphone in the girl's face, one of the journalists asked. "I tried," Akina replied softly, stepping back, and then she felt Hyuga take her hand, which calmed her down and gave her confidence. "Mr. Hyuga, as always, a brilliant result. You are in the lead in general and clan competitions. Do you hope to be in the first place this year?" He asked Hyuga a question. "I soberly assess the strength of my team, and it's too early to talk about any results. The competition has just started, and the opposing teams are quite strong. But, of course, we will strive to win," Hyuga gave an exhaustive answer. "You left the stadium with Akina Tibo. Do you have a personal relationship?" asked another brisk reporter, noticing that the guy was holding the girl's hand. “Just because we're rivals in the competition doesn't mean we can't treat each other well in life,” replied Hyuga, but the girl gave the guy a wary look. “And just how well do you treat Akina Tibo?” the journalist persisted, asking personal questions. “Well enough,” he replied evasively. However, Akina noticed that he was starting to get annoyed by the incorrect questions from the press officer. "Can you call Neji Hyuga your friend?" She asked the girl a question. She was silent, not knowing what to say. The guy looked at her. The girl replied with a confused look. "I can," Akina replied. "And how does Uchiha Itachi feel about your friendship, because you are rivals?" the journalist persisted. "She's obviously running a "Gossip" column," Tibo thought involuntarily. "It's none of his business. And this question is inappropriate, as it does not relate to the competition," replied Hyuga firmly, trying to make his way through the crowd of people surrounding them, making it clear that he did not intend to answer any further questions. "Please, a couple of photos for the local newspaper with the girl, Mr. Hyuga," stopped them some man with a camera. "Just smile," he said to Akina, putting his arm around her waist and pulling her closer to him. She was blinded by the flashes of cameras. Then the young people continued on their way, leaving the crowd. She followed him, and her gaze kept resting on his broad back, covered with a cascade of smooth black hair, and it seemed to her that she felt really protected behind him and that she did not belong next to him, despite his desire. "Neji, if you want to hear my answer... " she began in a low voice, but stopped in mid-sentence, looking past him. He turned around, following her gaze. Itachi stood in front of them, and his eyes flashed lightning. Hyuga instinctively pushed the girl behind him, as if she needed protection from the Uchiha. "I warned you to stay away from her," Itachi said in a menacingly cold tone. "She'd better stay away from you." She is not your property, and you have no right to dispose of her. By what right do you allow yourself to behave like this with her? Neji said confidently. "As head of the clan and captain of the team," Itachi replied without changing his tone. "You're taking advantage of your position. Are you really so afraid of losing influence? Apparently, your authority is too insignificant," Neji continued. "I'll worry about my authority somehow. I demand that you leave her alone," said Itachi, beginning to get angry. Akina looked at Uchiha-senpai timidly. Her eyes still held resentment towards him. Letting go of Neji's hand, she turned around, looking at the crowd of reporters who were busy with the other contestants. It wouldn't be good if they noticed the argument between them. It was scary to think how they might present it in their articles. It was necessary to stop the argument between them, and the sooner the better. "Stop it!"!! Akina was angry. It was only then that the young men noticed her, as if she had not existed before. Apparently, the fact of the quarrel was more important to them than its cause. "I suggest that we all calm down and go to a cafe for lunch," she said, taking both men by the hand and pulling them away from the dangerous crowd of journalists. As they sat across from each other at the table, their eyes were fixed on each other with a cold, piercing gaze. Akina sat between them, propping her chin on her fists, looking from one stubborn man to the other. "Would you stop playing peek—a-boo and start eating?" the girl interrupted their visual confrontation, waving her hand in front of their eyes. The meal went on in tense silence, although it was obvious that both of them couldn't get a bite down their throats. Neji left the cafe first, saying goodbye to the girl, "I'll see you later," in an attempt to annoy Uchiha and make it clear that he wasn't going to back down. As they left the cafe, Itachi abruptly stopped the girl at the entrance. "Do you like to tease me? I forbid you to associate with him," he said, staring at her sternly. "We're in the same competition. I can't run away from him. Besides, I enjoy his company. Unlike you, he believes in me," she said, pushing him away and walking away. Itachi remained standing, watching her with a tense gaze. How to make her understand that everything he does is because he's afraid for her and cares about her. "Fear... I never thought I'd feel this way about something like this... Not because of a real danger, not related to the ninja profession," he thought, feeling the girl slowly but surely becoming his weakness. He started to follow her, but was stopped by Kakashi. "Have you thought about my offer?" he asked. This wasn't the first time that Hatake had pestered him with the offer to supervise the academy, actively implying that it was one of the duties of the Jonin. "Sorry, I didn't have time," Uchiha said honestly. They walked down the street away from the cafe. "I understand, but still, think about it. Not everyone is nominated by Iruka for this position," Hatake gently insisted. "I don't know what motivated him when he nominated me. Am I that old already?" Itachi chuckled. "Are you implying that I'm an old man?" Hatake's displeased expression couldn't be hidden even with his mask on. "I didn't say that," Itachi retorted. "Are you afraid of responsibility?" Hatake suggested. "I don't think I can handle it. Besides, I don't think any parents would trust their child to a former renegade," Uchiha replied. "This is your opportunity to redeem yourself and prove to the village that you can be trusted," the copying ninja responded. Itachi remained silent, and they soon parted ways. When Itachi returned home, Akina was already at home, sitting dissatisfied on the sofa in the living room and carefully averting her frown from him. Before lunch, Naruto dropped by for a light. It didn't take long to persuade him to stay for dinner followed by an overnight stay. "You've made a lot of noise.The whole village is on its ears," he said when they gathered in the living room after dinner. "Apparently, everyone expected something completely different," Haku guessed. "Well, no matter how good your results are, a civilian can't compare to a shinobi," Naruto said confidently. Sasuke rolled his eyes, indicating that Naruto had a long tongue. "Well, I don't doubt it. There are three more stages ahead, and they are the most difficult. Let's see if I can hold out until the last one," Akina said matter—of-factly. They decided to sleep in the big hall again. Akina was just starting to fall asleep when she heard a loud knock from downstairs. The girl sat up abruptly on the bed. "What are they doing there again?" she thought irritably, putting on her robe and going downstairs. When she opened the door to the large hall, she was stunned to stand on the threshold. The entire hall was filled with Naruto clones. He himself, with a Caesar-like air, stood on a raised platform made of chairs, futons, headrests, and pillows. "I am the king of the mountain, and no one will throw me out of here," he proudly declared. "We'll see about that," Sasuke said. He, like the other guys, had to fight off his clones. The good thing was that none of them used their ninjutsu. Cloning was the most harmless, and it was allowed as an exception. Itachi was not in the audience, so the rampant anarchy was understandable. "What the hell is going on here?" Akina shouted at the top of her lungs. "You're what, fucked up! Night outside. What you're doing. My children don't behave like this, and you adult fuckers. And where is Itachi, sharigan in his rump, hanging out at this hour?!" "With his madam somewhere," Naruto replied. Ayumi dragged him away on an evening walk around Konoha. And after today's events, he needed to unwind. Naruto's ashamed clones began to disappear. The boys also chose to vanish. "And your stupid disguise technique won't help you!" the girl continued her scolding. Indeed, the technique didn't shield them from her angry words. Itachi appeared behind her, apparently attracted by the sound of her furious voice. "I must have missed something... " he remarked at the complete mess in the hall. The boys had appeared by then and started clearing the mess. "Yes, you missed... You missed the destruction of your home! What were you thinking when you left them alone! If you can't maintain order, just say so. I don't understand how one can be so irresponsible! You're a real jerk, you know that?" she continued to chastise him. Itachi didn't have much to say in response. However, his smug expression didn't seem to indicate any remorse for his reckless actions. Once again, she caught a glimpse of amusement in his eyes. Frustrated, she slammed the door shut and stomped away. "If I don't watch it, I'm going to start swearing like a drunk sailor, and I'm not supposed to do that. I work with children," she continued to complain as she walked down the hallway. After a while, when the great hall was finally put in order and everyone lay down in their futons, the door was jerked open, and Akina appeared on the threshold with a futon and a blanket in her hands. "Uh, there are actually men here," Naruto replied with displeasure. "I'll need a telescope to see the men here," she said sarcastically, spreading a futon next to Itachi's futon. "Good night, everyone," she said loudly as she settled into bed and pulled the covers over her, listening to the quiet responses from the others. It took a while for Itachi to fall asleep, his eyes fixed on her, although he could tell by her slow, steady breathing and slightly fluttering eyelashes that she was asleep. She was so close to him that he could reach out and touch her dark green hair, which was spread out across the pillow. And he was grateful that the circumstances had developed in such a way that Akina was here and next to him. However, Itachi soon fell asleep. Naruto, unhappy with the presence of a girl in their strictly male company, tossed and turned in his seat for a long time, but he soon fell asleep. He had never had a more bizarre dream than that night.

***

He was walking through a dense forest, following a path dotted with small flowers. He had never seen such flowers or trees before. Occasionally, he would spot glowing insects in the foliage of the dense shrubs. It was broad daylight. Suddenly, he heard a ringing, crystal-clear laughter in the distance, as if a thousand bells were being chimed. He stopped, listening intently, and when he was certain that it was not an illusion, he followed the sound of the laughter. He was surrounded by the rustling of leaves and the chirping of birds that he had never seen before. The boy walked, looking around nervously. Usukami was always used to being on guard, and this strange forest, although it didn't seem dangerous, was still unsettling. And that laughter, who was it from, friend or foe? Soon he came to a small clearing, and what he saw made him freeze in shock. In the middle of it sat a girl, almost a teenager. Short dark green hair, shining, as if covered with glitter. Clothes looked like a cluster of flowers and herbs, entwining her body. On the hands and feet, not covered by clothes, he saw some kind of drawing, but he could not make out what it was. The girl was sitting half-turned, and he could not see her face. But not the strange appearance of the child struck him most, but what was the reason for her fun. On her lap sat a small red fox, resting its paws on her, trying to lick her face, wagging its nine fluffy tails. "The Kyubi," Naruto couldn't believe his eyes. Looking closer to the movement in the grass near the girl, he was speechless. Not far from her, curled up as much as possible in the grass, was the little Yonbi. Sanbi, hiding under his shell, lay next to him, watching the commotion around him and apparently not wanting to participate in the games. Nibi was chasing Gobi, trying to grab one of his tails. Ichibi was rubbing his nose against the girl's hand, demanding to be petted, which she eventually did. Rokubi was crawling around in the grass, searching for something. The girl had to bring him back to her every time he crawled too far away. Nanabi climbed up the girl's back and sat on her shoulder, just in time to see Hachibi chasing after him. Hachibi was determined to get to Nanabi and pull him off his comfortable perch. Perhaps it was their actions that elicited the beautiful laughter that had brought him to this clearing. Naruto remained standing, watching the playful antics of the two-tailed creatures. Feeling that she was being watched, the girl turned around. There was something vaguely familiar about her face, but what really struck him was her eyes. They seemed to be filled with a swirling golden flame. The child smiled at him, picked up the little Kyoubi in her arms, and held it out to him. The puppy yapped happily, wagging its tails. "Do you want to play, onii-chan?" she asked with a smile.

* * *

Naruto jumped up, looking around in fright. Everyone was asleep in the great hall. "Fuck it," he said, realizing that it was just a dream, even though it seemed very real. His fumbling woke up Haku, who was lying next to him. "Why aren't you sleeping?" quietly, so as not to wake the others, he asked. "Just a stupid dream," Uzumaki waved it off. In the morning, he seemed out of place, and everyone noticed it. Because the quiet Naruto was alarming. He tried to smile and assured that nothing had happened, trying to find at least some clue to his dream, remembering it over and over again.