And the road of flowers is so long

The fifth and final stage of the archery competition gathered a lot of people. The presence of a civilian girl in the finale was disconcerting to many. However, the stands were full of those who sincerely supported Akina. In the final, it was necessary to hit three moving targets, in which, except for a small black circle, there was nothing: the first target rotated at a right angle, the second swung like a pendulum, and the third rotated around its axis. The only way to win was to hit the target. "Look at what's happening in the stands. The fate of the Uchiha team member is being decided. Will we see a moment of destiny, and a civilian girl will enter the top ten marksmen, surpassing the shinobi? Let's remind you that the Uchiha team is currently ranked seventh overall. They have a real chance to move up to sixth place. Let's wish Akina Tibo good luck." It was heard from the commentator's booth. The stadium was buzzing like a disturbed beehive. The accuracy of Neji's Hyuga caused a flurry of enthusiastic shouts from the stands and a laudatory review from the commentator. When it was Akina's turn, the audience froze. There was an oppressive silence in the stands. The girl looked at the first target for a long time, and when she felt a slight burning sensation in her eyeballs, she realized that her long-range vision ability had been activated. The target's movement seemed to slow down, and its amplitude was clearly visible. As a result, the girl knew exactly where the target would be in the next moment. Akina drew back the bowstring, and the arrow hit the target perfectly. The stadium erupted in cheers and applause. The second shot was just as successful. Akina was extremely nervous before the final shot. She slowly drew back the bowstring, taking careful aim. "A civilian can't defeat a Shinobi anyway," she recalled Naruto saying. By winning, she will arouse suspicion of cheating, and it will fall primarily on Itachi, as the leader of the team. The girl took a deep breath and, closing her eyes, released the bowstring. "I'm sorry," she mentally addressed her teammates and those who supported her. As expected, there was no knock of the arrow on the target, which would indicate a hit. There was a disappointed murmur in the stands. The girl opened her eyes and looked at the target. It was empty. "Well, no miracle happened. But still, Akina, you handled yourself well. We will remember this day when a civilian almost became the equal of a shinobi." Akina hurried to leave the arena. In an hour, they had a match with the Aburame volleyball team. The game was played with varying success. Akina's position was between Itachi and Yasuharu. And they covered her as best they could, reasonably assuming that all the enemy's attacks would be in her direction, with the expectation that she would not be able to repel. That was until, at the next crossing, the girl found herself near the grid. The ball was flying right over the net. Akina tried to stop him with a block. He hit her fingertips painfully. She winced in pain, but quickly regained her composure. However, the maneuver was successful, and the ball returned to the opposing team's side. Shino, who was near the net, received the ball, and it once again flew towards the Uchiha team, but it was intercepted by Haku. The ball once again soared into the air. Akina received the pass, but not entirely successfully. The ball hit the net, but Itachi caught it on the other side, and Sasuke sent it over the net. One of the opposing team members caught the ball, aiming for the net. Akina couldn't stop the ball with her injured fingers, and it hit the floor on their team's side. After a while, the match ended in a draw due to the efforts of the boys, which didn't affect the overall position of the teams. As the match ended, Morino Ibiki approached Neji, who was leaving the stadium. “I think you’ll find something interesting,” he said, inviting him into the headquarters’ hardware room. Neji watched again as Akina shot, how precise and sure her movements were, and the same golden glint in her eyes, then during the last shot she closed her eyes and let go of the string. "She was shooting blindly," Neji said in surprise. "What was she hoping for? Was she deliberately letting her team down?" "Don't you find her behavior strange? It's as if she's not even on the field," Ibiki said suspiciously. "No. It's probably due to the psychological pressure, as everyone expected her to win," Neji replied. He didn't want Morino to question her. "Well, everything is possible," the man spread his hands, deciding that he had jumped to conclusions. However, it made Hyuga think. Akina, as usual, trailed behind everyone as they walked home from the competition. The guys were talking about something, sometimes laughing. The girl was tormented by her conscience because she had leaked the archery competition and thus let the team down, realizing that she had no other choice. Yasuharu, as usual, stopped to wait for her. "Why are you depressed?" he asked. "Nothing. You won't win with me. And stop pretending that nothing happened," she muttered. "I found something to worry about. No one but you worries about it," my brother grinned. "But then why participate at all if you don't strive to win?" the girl objected hotly. "For fun. Playing together is fun," Haru replied without hesitation. Akina stared at her older brother in surprise, then looked at Haku, who was smiling. Haku seemed to be confirming what her brother had said. Akina looked back at her brother. In all the excitement, she hadn't noticed how her protector had transformed from a handsome boy into a handsome young man, destined to become a man who would captivate the minds and hearts of the girls in Konoha. Only she knew that beneath his stern exterior, there was a kind and caring nature. Only she knew how much her brother could be infuriating at times. "Don't think about the bad things. You did a great job," he said, and they continued on their way to the block. After a short rest, instead of lunch, we decided to go to the park for a picnic. There was a specially designated clearing with short-cropped grass in the park. However, before that, Fumi sent her daughter to the store to buy spices, which ran out. The girl asked Haku to go with her, because he was the best adviser in this matter. Walking through the rows of shelves in the grocery store, Akina quickly found everything she needed with the help of her friend and went to the checkout. Haku, on the other hand, lingered near a display of mixed peppers that he had been wanting to buy for a long time, but had not been available in the store. The girl left the store, assuming that the boy was following her, but before she had taken more than ten steps, she was suddenly pulled into an alley by strong hands. As she was pushed against the wall of the building, an angry Neji loomed over her. "Explain, if you don't mind, how to understand all this," he said coldly. "I don't understand what you're talking about," Akina said quietly, wondering what could have angered the boy so much. "There must be a good reason for deliberately letting your team down, and I want to know what it is. Were you bribed or blackmailed?" Neji asked, shaking her by the shoulders. "I was just scared," Akina said quietly, almost crying out of fear of his rage. "I saw the surveillance footage. There was no fear in your eyes, you weren't even nervous. You're lying!" Neji said confidently, still not letting go of her. Haku left the store after paying for the spices he had purchased, and after not finding the girl, he looked around anxiously, noticing her bag lying on the ground. A chill of fear ran down the youth's spine. But the sound of indignant voices caught his attention and calmed him down a bit. "Tell me why you did it," Neji continued, shaking her roughly by the shoulders again. "Neji, please," the girl whispered, and drops of tears rolled down her cheeks. "Hands off," came a voice from behind him, smacking of cold calm. Neji released the girl and turned to the potential opponent. Immediately, a forest of ice spikes grew around Hyuga, barely missing Akinu. “Haku, don’t!” she exclaimed, slowly sinking to the ground. Her legs were weak with excitement. Her heart was filled with fear. "Some people shouldn't meddle in matters that don't concern them," Neji replied in a dismissive tone. A blue chakra flame enveloped her companion's body. The byakugan instantly activated in Neji's eyes. The vortex of chakra shattered the ice spikes into small fragments. The girl miraculously managed to avoid injury thanks to Haku, who picked her up in his arms and carried her to a safe place. After freeing himself from the ice captivity, Hyuga disappeared. "How are you?" Haku asked her when it was over. She couldn't hold back and burst into tears, burying her face in his shoulder. He stood there, holding her in his arms, gently stroking her hair to try to calm her down. "It's all my fault. I shouldn't have let you out of my sight," he said softly. "It's not your fault," she replied, her voice choked with sobs. They continued on their way once Haku was sure she had calmed down. When they were almost to the Uchiha house, the girl stopped the young man. “Please don’t tell anyone,” she asked quietly. “But Hyuga is dangerous,” Haku retorted. “I’m sure he didn’t mean to hurt me... It just happened,” the girl said quietly, looking away. “Now I agree with Itachi. You shouldn't be hanging out with Hyuga," the guy insisted, looking at her anxiously. "Please, Haku, let me handle this on my own," the girl pleaded, looking at him with a pleading gaze. "As long as you don't interact with him, at least not right now," Yuki conceded. "Fine," she agreed. She had no desire to interact with Neji at the moment. They returned to the house. During lunch, the picnic area was the most lively. Itachi chose a spot under a spreading tree, which provided some shade from the already summer-hot sun. Once the blanket was spread out and the food was set out, the boys sat in a circle, with Akina once again sitting between the Uchiha brothers. She began to feel as if they were doing it on purpose, but it was just her imagination. Soon, the entire Hyuga clan team arrived at the clearing. Hinata and Hanabi were also present. They settled down at some distance from the Uchiha team, also under a tree. The girls quickly spread out a huge picnic cloth, and Hanabi noticed how Chizuru kept glancing attentively at the guys from the Uchiha team. "Who are we suffering for?" she asked her friend directly. Chizuru looked away, blushing. Hinata noticed her brother's frown as he noticed the girl sitting next to Uchiha Itachi. "Is something wrong?" — She was wary. He put on a casual smile as best he could and shook his head negatively. "This girl. You don't like her being around Itachi. Your heart made a strange choice," she guessed, not believing him. "I don't think your feelings for Naruto are weird," Neji said. "I'm sorry, nii-san, I shouldn't have said that," Hinata apologized. "Well, tell me," Hanabi kept up with Chizuru. She stubbornly remained silent and decided to leave her, but the younger Hyuga decided not to give up and grabbed the girl by the ankle. Chizuru sprawled on the grass, which the treacherous Hanabi took advantage of, sitting on top of her like on a bench, preventing further attempts to escape. "Okay, let me guess. Well, the fact that he's from the Uchiha clan's team is obvious to the naked eye. You've been staring at them for half an hour now. Don't drill a hole. So, the number one contender is Uchiha Itachi. He's too cold and serious and busy, so that's out of the question. The number two contender, Sasuke Uchiha, is very good, and will be simpler in character from his brother, but he is busy. Contender number three - Haku Yuki - the boy is just gold in all parameters, well, just the dream of a horny maniac, so grab and run," — said Hanabi, carefully watching Chizuru's reaction. — "And finally, the highlight of our program. Last in number, but not in importance. The dream of young girls of Konoha - Yasuharu Tibo. Closed, unsociable, distrustful, but his divine beauty a hundred times compensated for the shortcomings of his character. One look from his soul-piercing emerald eyes is enough to make you lose consciousness." Hanabi spoke with a deep breath, fluttering her eyelashes dreamily, clearly mocking her relative. At the mention of Yasuharu, Chizuru blushed to the tips of her ears. "Hanabi, stop it!" Chizuru protested, pulling herself out from under her annoying relative. However, Hanabi grinned triumphantly at her flushed face. "So, the choice is clear. Yasuharu Tibo stole the heart of our quiet Chizuru and added it to his collection of broken hearts. It's just impossible not to fall in love with him," Hanabi laughed mockingly. "You fool!" Chizuru snapped and went deeper into the park, sitting under a tree. "Why are you doing this, Hanabi? It's not good to reveal other people's heart secrets, and even laugh at them," Hinata scolded her sister. "Yeah, it's a secret to the world. Fifty percent of Konoha's women know this secret. So I didn't say anything new," Hanabi replied. "You're saying you know it too," Hinata teased. "Well, I'm not crazy about it, but if he pays attention to me, I won't let him go," Hanabi confidently stated. Yasuharu, feeling the stares and sensing that he was the topic of discussion, turned towards the Hyuga clan team. Catching his gaze, Hanabi froze in a daze and blushed, causing her older sister to laugh. The girl proudly raised her nose and turned away, stubbornly pretending that she didn't care. Neji gave his younger sister a critical look. "Don't be angry with her. Sometimes she can be a little harsh," Hinata apologized for her sister. "She's just mad that I didn't take her on the team, so she's taking it out on Chizuru," Neji explained. "She just likes to be the center of attention," Hinata continued to justify her sister. "It's obviously superfluous in sports. And for her, it turned out to be an extra reason to show off in front of Yasuharu," Neji concluded. Hinata didn't find anything to object to and just shrugged her shoulders. The fact that Akina was constantly caught between Uchiha wherever she was became an annoying constant. In addition, the girl stubbornly hid her bruised fingers, which were beginning to swell, not wanting anyone to notice it, believing that she was already causing too many problems. "Do you eat little, do you have no appetite?" Itachi asked. "There's a little," she replied quietly. The guy noticed that she was hiding her hands, and he took her hand, looking at her fingers. "Why didn't you say?" he asked reproachfully, staring at her sternly. "There's no need to worry about that, it'll pass soon," she replied, expecting a new round of morals. "Okay," he said reluctantly. "If you're having trouble eating, I can feed you." The girl stared at him, dumbfounded. Imagining this picture, she felt her cheeks begin to burn. "No, it's not worth it, I can handle it," she refused, taking the chopsticks, but it really hurt to hold them with swollen fingers, and Itachi noticed the changed expression on her face. He picked up a piece of fried meat with chopsticks and held it to her lips, without taking his expectant velvety gaze off her. As usual, she was looking for a trick in all this, but after a little hesitation, she opened her mouth and took the food off the chopsticks. Then Itachi handed her a piece of bread, which she also ate. "Tell me what you want to eat, and I'll serve it," said Itachi, running his hand over her shoulder and brushing back a loose curl. "Thank you," said Akina quietly, fidgeting with her hands. On the other side of her, Sasuke was watching his brother with a hint of amusement, noting the way he was feeding the girl and trying to appear uninterested. Neji kept glancing at Akina. She was talking to the other guys, and she was passing something to Sasuke, who was sitting next to her. Then Itachi took her hand, and he picked something up with his chopsticks and held it up to her face, intending to feed her. He said something quietly, and he ran his fingers over her shoulder. Hyuga felt a rush of heat to his face, and he turned away. Returning home in the evening, well rested and in high spirits, the guys decided to go to the sauna. There was also a small swimming pool with transparent walls and imitation of a natural landscape in the manor house. The girl refused the offer to join them. The hot water and light evaporation pleasantly relaxed the body. After the water treatments before dinner, the guys decided to relax a little, indulging in idleness. Yasuharu went up to his room. Itachi went to the kitchen to make himself some coffee. Haku was sitting on the porch, combing his wet, long hair. Itachi was watching him from the kitchen window. "He really does look like a girl," he thought, remembering the comments people had made about him. Then he noticed Akina sneaking up on him from behind, holding a towel. She was moving silently, but Haku's head movement told Itachi that he had noticed her. Sneaking up on him, she covered his head with a towel and began to actively turn his smooth hair into a washcloth. “What are you doing!” the guy was indignant. “You can’t sit outside with wet hair. You’ll catch a cold,” she scolded him. After her manipulations, Haku looked at his tangled hair in horror. “Well, you’ve made a scarecrow out of me. Are you satisfied?" He said with feigned displeasure, hiding a smile. The girl laughed merrily, falling on her side. "Come on, you're the cutest scarecrow I've ever seen," she said after laughing. "Thanks," the guy replied, trying to put himself in some sort of order. "Let me help," she said, grabbing a comb and starting to untangle and comb his hair. The guy had no choice but to let her take care of him. All this time, Itachi had been watching their merry antics from the kitchen window, sipping hot, fragrant coffee and occasionally smiling. He suddenly realized that he was smiling a lot when he was watching her. "I could get used to this," he thought, and a warm feeling spread through his chest at the thought that it would always be like this. "I can see the envy in your eyes," he heard his younger brother say behind him. "You're wrong," Itachi said confidently. "Really? Don't you want to be in his shoes?" Sasuke continued his interrogation. "No," Itachi chuckled, remembering how Haku looked after her hair-dressing. "Do you really believe what you're saying?" Sasuke said, stepping closer to his brother and leaning against the windowsill, arms crossed, staring intently at him. "I saw how you courted her at the picnic, how carefully you did it, how tenderly you looked at her. I'm sure you would have let her do whatever she wanted, and not just with her hair." "What are you getting at?" Itachi looked at him displeased, but Sasuke still noticed a slight blush on his face. "You understand me perfectly," Sasuke said, looking at his brother slyly. "You don't understand. She will never treat me the same way she treats Haku," Itachi said with regret. "You give up quickly. At the picnic, I thought you were taking action, but now what? What are you afraid of? I don't think Hyuga Neji is a serious competitor," Sasuke continued to question him. "It's not about Neji. She's my main rival, and I don't know how to defeat her," Itachi sighed sadly. "I don't believe that there's nothing about you that she would like. There must be something, think carefully, maybe she has hinted at it, praised you for something. Remember," Sasuke persisted. "She likes my coffee," replied Itachi after some thought. Soon, Akina and Haku entered the house. Itachi noticed that Haku's hair was in a braid instead of its usual knot. "Her work," he realized, a slight smile on his lips. During the evening tea party, he noticed that the girl didn't hold her cup in her hands, and if she did, she didn't hold it up. "Apparently, her hands are not as good as she tried to convince me," Itachi guessed. When the tea party ended, the girl quickly left the living room. Itachi felt uneasy. When it got completely dark, he decided to take a short walk around the block. When he reached the training ground, he picked up the forgotten ball as usual. I threw it into the ring a couple of times, hitting the basket exactly. Then I heard the distinctive sound of a ball hitting the floor coming from the direction of the gym. The guy picked up his ball and headed towards the building, wondering who could be training at such a late hour. As he opened the door to the gym, he was shocked to see Akinu, not immediately noticing her bandaged hands. She was practicing dribbling and shooting, but her attempts were unsuccessful. Akinu kept wiping her eyes with the back of her hand as she sat on a bench to rest. He realized that she had been crying, and instead of revealing his presence, he decided to give her some privacy. He left the ball in the small hallway and quietly retreated. Remembering today and looking at the clear starry sky, Itachi couldn't help but recall his conversation with Sasuke. Sasuke was very observant, and it was only natural that he would be concerned about his brother's changed mood. And he... He wasn't happy about the changes in himself. No matter how much he read about love and romantic relationships, the conclusions were not encouraging. Some compared it to a disease, some to insanity, but most agreed that unrequited love was an unimaginable torment that made any torture seem like child's play. And the more he recalled his feelings when he saw her with Neji, the more he realized that these opinions were correct. "Angels call it heavenly bliss, devils call it hellish torment, and humans call it love." "Love is a sweet tyranny, because the lover endures its torments voluntarily." He remembered the quotes from the book he had read. The only thing he couldn't understand was why she was the one. It wasn't a languid beauty with expressive eyes and a stunning figure, but a flighty, insecure, albeit quite attractive, girl who was often a walking disaster. "Perhaps her vulnerability is her most effective weapon," Itachi realized. He remembered their training sessions and rehearsals, and a warm feeling spread through his heart like a healing balm on an open wound. Her fleeting gaze made his heart race, and the touch of her delicate fingers sent a shiver down his spine. No other girl in Konoha had ever evoked such feelings, not even Ayumi, who was quite popular and had a large following. However, whenever he thought of Hyuga Neji, a surge of rage erupted from the depths of his soul. Itachi would never forget the time they spent training together, when he asked her out. The minutes of silence before she responded felt like an eternity. He breathed a sigh of relief when she didn't immediately agree, asking for time to think it over. Although it seemed strange to him. It wasn't every day that a jonin-rank shinobi asked a civilian girl out. Most people wouldn't have hesitated for a second. Maybe his situation wasn't so bad, he thought, and turned his attention back to the races. Deciding that she had trained enough, Akina made up her mind to leave the gym. Her aching arms were difficult to control, and she dreaded the thought of playing tomorrow. Locking the gym and lighting her way with a flashlight, she made her way down the path leading to the main road of the neighborhood. However, before she had taken more than a few steps, she stopped. The light of the lantern illuminated the legs lying across the path, or rather, the feet, which were shod in high-topped half-boots, a characteristic ninja footwear. The light moved along the long legs, torso, chest, and the arms crossed over it. "Itachi," Akina exclaimed in surprise, recognizing him and wondering what he was doing here at such a late hour. From his closed eyes and even breathing, she realized that he was asleep, leaning against the wall of the gymnasium near the door. The girl approached him and sat down next to him. She reached out to wake him up, but stopped, afraid of his reaction. "This is just what I need," she sighed sadly, realizing that this was becoming a problem. She looked at his slender figure. Even his clothes could not hide his symmetrical proportions. He was slightly taller than average, and his legs were longer than any model's. Akina sighed heavily, thinking back to the problem she needed to solve. To wake up a sleeper, and even so that he doesn't strangle you. An episode from a fairy tale I had read suddenly came to mind. "How did they wake up the sleeping beauty..." she thought, imagining a guy lying in a bed of flowers with a bouquet on his chest, and herself in men's medieval clothes with a cloak and a sword in a sling. The girl imagined with horror how she was kissing the sleeping handsome man. "But fuck you... Dream," she thought decisively, blushing for some reason. Akina remembered a similar episode, only with her in the lead role, and a malicious smile played on her lips. Preoccupied with conflicting thoughts, she did not notice that Itachi had been watching her from under lowered eyelashes for a long time. "This is the time for revenge," Tibo decided, and quietly plucked a narrow blade of grass and slowly ran it over the fan of his long eyelashes. The guy winced. She repeated her actions, this time running her fingers over his eyebrows, but Uchiha brushed her off like an annoying insect. She continued to run the blade of grass over his face, neck, and collarbone, but the guy didn't even move. "Damn it," she thought in frustration, and as she looked around, she saw a small bug crawling through the tall grass. She smiled and, taking the bug by its leg, brought it closer to the open collar of the guy's shirt. The insect flapped its legs in the air, trying to free itself. "Well, if that doesn't wake him up... I'll have to catch a frog," she thought with a touch of glee. But before she could react, she found herself pinned to the ground by strong arms, feeling the weight of his body on top of her. "What did you want to do?" he asked quietly. "I... I didn't...Nothing," the girl replied, her face visibly pale. "You little mischief-maker," said Itachi, smiling softly and slightly mockingly. "I didn't mean anything bad," she assured him, trying to free herself from his strong arms. "The little mischief-maker must be punished," he whispered, and in the next moment, his eyes glowed crimson, and she could clearly see the pattern of three tomoe in them. The girl froze in a daze. He leaned towards her face and ran the tip of his tongue over her lips. Akina shuddered slightly. The guy could no longer restrain himself and passionately pressed his lips to hers, demanding that she open her own, wanting to gently punish her. His tongue plunged into her mouth, sliding over her tongue with a voraciousness that sent waves of pleasure through her body. It was an exhilarating experience. The activation of his Sharingan intensified all her senses. His hand slipped under her shirt, feeling the softness of her skin beneath his fingertips. The conflicting emotions that swirled through her were frightening: pleasure, passion, anxiety, and fear. The fear that she might eventually give in. Akina clutched at his clothes, trying to pull him away from her, feeling his hips pressing tighter against her thighs. How long this confrontation with him and with herself lasted, she did not know, having lost track of time. Soon, Itachi reluctantly pulled away from her. "Itachi, that's enough! Let go!" she demanded, panting. He ran his fingers over the oval of her face, over her lips, stopping at her chin. "I only know one way to silence a girl.".. It's a very pleasant way. Do you want me to use it again? — with a gentle threat in his voice, he said, leaning towards her again, but the girl managed to turn away, and his lips slid over her face. "Well, if that's what you want," he whispered in a hot whisper, and the next moment she felt his lips close on her earlobe, and his hot, wet tongue began to caress her. "Let go, you bastard, you son of a bitch, you son of a whore!" The girl was desperately trying to get out from under him, pounding his shoulders with her fists. Eventually, he pulled away from her, looking at her flushed face with a slight smile, which was not hidden even by the darkness surrounding them. But when he saw the moist shine in her eyes, he became wary. "You silly girl, why are you so scared?" he said softly, trying to touch her, but she hit his hand before he could do it. "Get off me!" she demanded, no longer holding back her sobs. Itachi stood up, giving her a chance to get up from the ground. "I hate you!" She shouted and started running away down the path. He sat on the ground for a while, trying to calm his racing heart and breathing. Her last words, which he knew were sincere, cut deep into his heart. His attempt to make light of the situation only made it worse. However, he felt a surge of heat as he remembered the sensations he had experienced when he kissed her and touched her body. Taking a deep breath to calm his emotions, he stood up and made his way back to the house. Akina ran into the house and quickly climbed the stairs to the second floor, ignoring her brother, who was sitting in the living room. He watched her with a careful gaze. A few minutes later, Itachi entered the house and barely dodged a swift kick from behind, only to catch a fist flying towards his face, locking eyes with bright emerald eyes filled with anger. "Haru," was all Uchiha could say. "I warned you," he replied coldly. "You've misunderstood," Itachi tried to explain. "Then tell me why almost every conversation you have with your sister ends in an argument, and now you've even made her cry," the guy persisted. "She just doesn't understand my words and actions. I'm not her enemy," Itachi assured him. The Uchiha's block was once again shattered by a powerful strike. Itachi tried to grab him, but Yasuharu anticipated his move and dodged it. "We're going to wake the whole house up," thought Itachi, retreating into the depths of the room, allowing himself only to defend, giving Haru the opportunity to let off steam. Finally, Itachi made a successful sweep and, grabbing him by the neck, pinned him to the floor with his own body. Haru's rage gave him strength, but it also made it difficult for him to focus on his opponent's actions, which Itachi took advantage of. "Wouldn't it be easier to simply ignore all words and actions and leave her alone?" Haru continued, struggling to break free from his grip. “I didn’t mean anything bad, believe me,” Itachi tried to calm him down. “Leave her alone,” Haru repeated in a demanding tone. Itachi held his gaze and slightly loosened his grip, feeling that the guy was beginning to calm down. But, freeing himself from the grip, Haru punched him in the jaw, and Itachi flew away, hitting the back of the sofa with a noticeable impact. Uchiha sincerely hoped that the guy hadn't noticed that he had deliberately missed his punch, hoping that this would finally bring him to his senses and end their match. And so it happened. After that, Yasuharu got up from the floor and, giving him a piercing look, walked towards the stairs leading to the second floor. Itachi didn't immediately get up from the floor. He sat near the couch for a while, covering his eyes with the back of his hand. "Everything's going to hell," he thought, recalling the recent events of the day. Then he slowly stood up and made his way upstairs. His feet seemed to lead him to the door of Akina's room. He reached out to knock, intending to explain himself, but he stopped when he heard a soft sob coming from behind the door. He sat down on the floor, leaning his shoulder against the wall near the door. "Was it just fear that she felt? She doesn't like it that much, or maybe she doesn't like the fact that I'm the one doing it? Maybe she's disgusted with me," the guy was lost in guesses. "Why would he do that? Well, what did I do to him... He's got a girlfriend. Isn't he cheating on her by his actions? Or it's not treason with civilians, and you can do whatever you want," Akina thought desperately, shuddering all over after sobbing, burying her face in the pillow. The memory of their kiss sent a wave of shivers through her body, and the places where his fingers had touched burned. But eventually, she fell asleep.