Mitsuki stared at a simple, white folding fan in the village's road side stall. After a moment hesitation, Mitsuki decided to go on with her purchase. Not long after, Itachi approached Mitsuki who was seemingly done with her own shopping after finished with his own. Since they were done with their aim of revisiting the close-by shrine, the pair had decided to leave the village on the next day to resume their journey, as well as reconvening with Kisame.

Smiling, Mitsuki glanced towards Itachi as she opened her newly bought folding fan as she brought it closer to her face, covering her mischievous smile.

"Hey, Itachi-kun. How about we spar? It has been a while after all," Mitsuki remarked playfully. To her offer, Itachi nodded, wondering what strategy Mitsuki had in her mind that time round. He had been wondering about how the recent change had affected Mitsuki's ability as well.

After finding themselves a suitable space, separated by a river, Itachi and Mitsuki stood facing each other in their training clothes. Mitsuki had styled her hair up in a ponytail knot, readying herself to give her best. With folding fan in her hand, Mitsuki pointed at Itachi, challenging him.

"Feel free to use ninjutsu all you want," Mitsuki declared, surprising Itachi with her request. As if suddenly remembering, Mitsuki then added quickly before proceeding, "Ah, except for Mangekyou, that is. Please take care of your body," she noted with a tone of concern. Despite being slightly worried of Mitsuki's over confidence, Itachi nodded in agreement. After agreeing on the same rule as the previous spars, where one connected attack will determine the winner, the two counted down together. As soon as the both of them readied themselves, in contrary to his usual approach when sparing with her, Itachi went on direct offensive, surprising Mitsuki.

"Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu!" Itachi muttered in his mind as he blew on a giant fireball which had formed in front of him towards Mitsuki, creating a smokescreen of mist as it passed over the river towards Mitsuki.

Without moving and inch, Mitsuki pointed her fan to her front calmly, dispersing the fireball made of chakra in front of her, splitting the mist along with it.

"Is that all you've got?" Mitsuki smiled smugly upon her successful defense, mischief apparent in her eyes as she taunted Itachi playfully. Witnessing Mitsuki's confidence and villainous smile, Itachi felt a tickle in his heart as a smile slipped unto his face.

"You spoke to soon," said Itachi, smiling. Then, from behind Mitsuki, seemingly taking advantage of the distraction created by the fireball and the steam it caused, two of Itachi's clone appeared, ready to tackle her down.

"Clones? So that was the weird thing that I detected," Mitsuki thought to herself. Recalling, the first time Itachi had ever used clone replacement against her was during the first time she revealed her plant manipulation skill to Itachi. That time, everything happened so fast, she couldn't get a clear look on the clone's construction, or even impression on how those clones appear in her long range detection. So does during Itachi's fight with the Konoha shinobi. Depending mostly on her eyes as she watched the battle unfold, Mitsuki had never thought of ascertaining her knowledge about the clones that Itachi had been using. However, now she knew for sure, that in front of her detection, clones just appear to be a soulless bundle of chakra, meaning it would not be a problem for her to tell the real body apart from the clone as long as she kept her perception active.

Without a doubt in her, Mitsuki threw some needles towards the clones and accelerated them with the wind's help. As the needles pierced the clones, the jutsu was swiftly undone, but not before the clones threw a few shuriken in the air. As soon as the projectiles are thrown, crow scattered away from the clones, obstructing Mitsuki's field of view and overwhelming her with attack from every direction. Recalling what she had previously practiced with Itachi, Mitsuki prepared herself and opened her folding fan. Then, as if dancing, she spun with her fan, sending the wind around her spinning, creating a shield that blew Itachi's shuriken away by altering its trajectory, bouncing them upwards and out.

"Hmm, this feels just right," Mitsuki thought as she controlled the wind's movement with more ease than she had ever had during her practice with Itachi previously.

However, as Mitsuki stopped her 'dance', another attack had been waiting for her. From where Itachi was standing at the beginning of their spar, a figure rushed towards Mitsuki head on. Just to make sure, Mitsuki had a quick look and sent her detection towards the Itachi in front of her.

"!? Another clone? Since when?" she thought in panic as she realised how she had lost track of the real Itachi. As if not intending to give her any time to think, the clone created a hand seal and sent a wave of water spear towards Mitsuki, the same one he had used during his battle with the Konoha ninja. Quickly, Mitsuki readied her hand to freeze the coming water, wondering if the water splash would also count as her defeat. During her rushed defense, she also felt the urgent need to find out Itachi's position with her perception. But before she could even spare her attention to trace the energy around her, a barrage of Kunai tied with exploding tag flew in curves form her right.

"GOSH, ARE YOU JOKING!?" Mitsuki shouted in frustration as she focused the freezing on her left hand, still dealing with the water jutsu's onslaught while her right hand prepared to defend her eyes from upcoming explosion's shock wave while commanding her vines to grab her own kunai and deflect the incoming projectiles in safe distance. However, taking advantage of her panic and overwhelmed state, before she realized, two set of kunai had been readied by her neck, threatening her, as two sets of strings tied both of her hands apart, pulling it unto different direction and sealing her movement. On her left, was the clone that cast the water jutsu, and behind her was the real Itachi.

Surprised by the quick turn of event and the sudden conclusion of the spar, Mitsuki froze in place, unable to move or even utter any word. Seeing her body tremble, Itachi was worried if he had gone too far this time, as somehow he felt tempted to tease and surprise her for her previous arrogance. As he wondered if he should apologize, suddenly, Mitsuki exploded with laughter, surprising him.

"? What's wrong?" Itachi asked in confusion as he dispersed his last clone, unsure of why she would laugh like that after her defeat. Seeing the slight worry and the confusion in Itachi's face, Mitsuki tried her best to calm her laughter down.

"No, it's just.. Even with my power unsealed, I still can't win you," Mitsuki said as she held her laughter back, slightly frowning with a complicated smile in her face as if she found the turn of event to be really amusing. Her smile was both gentle and infectious, as if she didn't mind her loss one bit. Soon, the confusion on Itachi's face was replaced by a smile of relieve.

"It's the difference in combat experience, maybe?" said Itachi, as if encouraging Mitsuki to try again next time.

Hearing Itachi's remark as she dropped her butt on the ground, Mitsuki leaned back and smiled as she gazed up at the sky.

"Aaaaah, so frustrating!" she exclaimed before turning her gaze over Itachi who was standing in front of her, locking eyes with him." It's so frustrating, but.."

"You're amazing, indeed," said Mitsuki with a cheerful, sincere grin that sent Itachi's heart aflutter.

Caught off-guard by the sudden rush of emotion, Itachi turned his back and avoided Mitsuki's gaze, flustered.

"It's simply because you told me to use any ninjutsu in my arsenal," he retorted.

"As it should be, I can't expect any enemies to hold back, right?" Mitsuki commented. "And who are you kidding; I know that it was not the true extent of what you could do!" Hearing Mitsuki's slight tone of complaint in her remark, Itachi let out a soft chuckle as the two turned their focus towards the clear, blue sky.

"Aaah… If only I was this proficient back then, my clan would have stood a chance to survive.." added the girl bitterly, albeit playfully, prompting Itachi to turn his gaze back at her with worry. Mitsuki was smiling, but something didn't feel right. He knew how hard it would be for someone to overcome their loss and trauma, and he himself should understand it better than anyone. It actually surprised him how well Mitsuki has handled her situation and the return of her painful memory, but somewhere within him, he was not sure if the girl was just holding her emotions back despite their promise. After all, he too, was doing the same. Sure, they have shared their truth, but the emotion behind them? Even he himself had tried to make light of it as he told her his truth, hiding the true extent of his pain, focusing on the facts alone. In a way, seeing Mitsuki who had begun to manage her display of emotion, to Itachi it was as if she had matured. After all, adults rarely wear their emotions on their sleeves. "Calm and collected, like an ideal adult," he thought. The image felt familiar to himself, and who he had strived to be as a child. Realising that, Itachi thought to himself.

"Could it be?"

However, before Itachi managed to bring the topic up, Mitsuki continued her sentences. This time, it was a remark filled with determination.

"I.. would never allow anyone I care about to fall before my eye again. Ever. Not while I can do something about it," she said with determination in her eyes. Hearing her exclamation, and reading between her lines, Itachi sighed internally as he approached Mitsuki and took a seat beside her.

"Eventually, life will come to an end. At least for human that is," said Itachi, as if hinting her. After all, he had his plans. And, out of all things, he didn't want his death to affect her, or give her further pain. Therefore, it was necessary for him to remind her of the end.

"I know.. I know what's in your mind, and I promise I'll help you see through it," said Mitsuki with heaviness in her heart. Somewhere inside, she wished to avoid the outcome that Itachi had wished for himself, but she knew that any further prolonging of his life will just be extending his suffering. Her head understood, but her heart..

"The eyes of an Uchiha, once the Mangekyou is unlocked, it will gradually lost its light," suddenly, Itachi declared, seemingly out of topic. Not sure of what had prompted his speech, Mitsuki waited patiently for Itachi to continue, while also clarifying,

"Was that what Reishi meant when he said.."

Itachi nodded before Mitsuki could complete her sentence.

"The only way around it is to have someone's eye transplanted into ours. But, it has to be someone of your own blood," Itachi added, and the information clicked within Mitsuki. Hearing his previous words, Mitsuki finally understood why Itachi was so insistent on having Sasuke hate him and pushed him onto the path of revenge. Then, as if asking the obvious, Mitsuki dared herself to clarify, even if she knew the answer to her own question.

"Do you intend to give your eyes to your brother? Is that why you're so insistent in having him kill you?" Mitsuki looked straight into Itachi's eyes with slight frown on her face as she clarified her suspicion. In response, Itachi returned her gaze and nodded slowly without hesitation, while adding,

"That's the only way I could ever repay him for everything," he said with determined, yet sad tone in his voice that pierces Mitsuki's heart.

"I see," said Mitsuki, averting her gaze. She felt like she had no right whatsoever to interfere with Itachi's plans and wishes. Even so, she couldn't help but think of what a horribly sad conclusion it would be if he made sure to see it through. Knowing him however, there was no doubt in Mitsuki's mind that he would. After all, the man in front of her could be hard headed to a fault.

The two sat in silence for a while. Feeling responsible for the souring mood, Itachi decided to probe Mitsuki a bit, trying to distract her from what he had just told her by refocusing the conversation towards her.

"When are you going to tell me about what happened back then in the shrine?" Itachi asked sarcastically, knowing that Mitsuki had purposedly delayed starting the conversation about it. Upon hearing his question, Mitsuki sighed loudly.

"It's not a pretty story though. You sure you want to hear it?" Mitsuki asked playfully with a pained expression in her face as she glanced towards Itachi, meeting his gaze.

"I can handle it," said Itachi jokingly as he laid his back down on the grass, waiting for Mitsuki's reveal.

"I see," Itachi remarked as Mitsuki finished her own retelling. His calm tone didn't betray his emotion even as he couldn't imagine the extent of what Mitsuki had been going through, both physically, and emotionally. "So, the wound back there, was your old scar being reopened?" Itachi asked, hiding his true concern as he remembered how Mitsuki was acting after she woke up from her trance.

"Mmhmm. I guess that's what Amaterasu-sama meant when she said that our memories are tied to our whole being. Maybe it's something like expanded flesh memories? Thanks to that though, I can say for sure that the memory was real, and it undoubtedly happened to me in the past," said Mitsuki with a bitter smile. If not, it might have felt as if she had a horrible long dream, that's all. However, seeing what Inaba saw, feeling her pain, everything told Mitsuki to not look away from the fact, from her past.

".. Is that why before your seal was released, your appearance was.. different?" Itachi selected his words carefully as he questioned her, as he tried not to upset her with his question. Hearing the hesitation in his voice, Mitsuki laughed.

"Just say it, I look way younger, or even like a kid? You're not Kisame, and you're not saying that to mock me, so I won't get mad," she said, grinning. "I admire your considerate nature, Itachi-kun, but you don't need to worry so much around me, even though I'm happy about it, hahaha."

Upon Mitsuki's contradicting remark, Itachi stared at her in confusion. Then, immediately catching his concern, Mitsuki added.

"Isn't it tiring, having to be a certain version of yourself every time? It must be very suffocating eventually. No one knew your true self, so you have to always be careful about how you act around certain people."

Mitsuki's word rang true inside Itachi's heart. Even before he left Konoha, he had always been one to carefully analyse people and act carefully around them. At some point, it was hard for him to actually be himself in front of everyone but his younger brother, especially with how the clan and the village's situation were.

"At least, in front of me, I hope you can relax. We made a promise didn't we?" said Mitsuki with slight hesitation in her voice. Hearing the tone in her words, Itachi glanced back at her with a piercing gaze, as if hinting that he knew Mitsuki had yet done the same as well. Noticing this, Mitsuki continued quickly. "I'll.. try to not hold anything back from you too," she added.

Mitsuki's offer brought an unfamiliar feeling within Itachi's heart. Some of it was fear, and reluctance. After all, he had never let anyone close in so far to his true self, not for a long time. And, truthfully, it was unnerving, being so vulnerable, being so honest. However, Itachi had to admit, that some other part of him wanted to believe in her and accept what she was offering, to share his burden with someone after so long. Unsure, Itachi didn't give a response, causing Mitsuki to tease him over it.

"Come on, after being mutilated alive and fed to wild animals, do you think anything can surprise me anymore?" she chuckled, not realising how grim her word was. Catching the darkness within Mitsuki's joke, Itachi looked at her with a concerned frown, once more. Even if she had seemed to be back to her usual self not too long after what happened, could the memory be affecting her somehow in a way that he couldn't discern yet? Thinking of the time where Mitsuki had suddenly ran off after his eye's recovery, Itachi felt a sense of unease.

"Huh!?" suddenly Mitsuki exclaimed as her face turned pale dramatically in horror, surprising Itachi out of his own rumination. Wondering what could have been the cause, Itachi looked at her with confusion clear in his eyes.

"Maybe.. I've jinxed myself. Amaterasu-sama had specified that there are still two memory fragments left. Which means.. this is not.. the worse of it!?" Mitsuki returned Itachi's gaze with exaggerated fear on her face, causing him to let out a bitter smile, not knowing how to response to her analysis. Seeing Itachi's troubled smile, Mitsuki let out a nervous chuckle.

"Wah, shit, I'm scared now," Mitsuki chuckled lightly as she threw her body unto the ground, lying down as she gazed upon the clear blue sky. Her feminine figure bounced slightly as she hit the ground from the impact, forcing Itachi to shift his gaze away from her awkwardly to avoid staring.

"I won't give up though," Mitsuki added lightly, "I've decided on finding out the truth, and I'll look through it," she declared, more to reassure herself than anything else. Her honesty in admitting her own fear, her bravery to face it anyway, and the determination in her tone brought a smile unto Itachi's face as he thought of how strong Mitsuki had become.

Omake:

After another round of spar that ended in another loss for Mitsuki, the pair returned to the village they stayed in for the last time before their planned departure. Determined to enjoy her last day of stay fully, Mitsuki brought Itachi along on a dessert hunt around the village's tea-houses. Still exhausted from her last spar, Mitsuki had opted to sit down and waited as she let Itachi handle the food purchases.

As the shop handed over the dessert and drinks over to Itachi, he looked around to find where Mitsuki was resting, he saw a group of guys whispering as they looked over Mitsuki's shoulder from afar, seemingly commenting on her while edging each other on. Not sure what was going on, Itachi ignored them as he walked towards Mitsuki with their orders in his hand. During his approach, he saw Mitsuki as she was tugging the collar of her training attire back and forth to create a small breeze against her neck and chest. As he unconsciously observed her movement, sweat was dripping down from the side of her neck, down to her collar bone and slid down her cleavage, causing Itachi to halt his step and froze as he was caught off guard by the alluring sight.

Seemingly realising Itachi's presence, Mitsuki turned her head to look at him with innocent look in her eyes, cheek still flushed red from the aftermath of their sparring session. As their gaze intersected, Itachi felt his blood rushed from both embarrassment and guilt over staring upon her body incessantly. Then, suddenly, he realised about what the group of guys were doing while whispering to each other behind Mitsuki's back.

"Itachi-kun? Why are you just standing there?" Mitsuki asked without a shred of awareness about her current predicament, puzzled at Itachi's seemingly odd action. Hearing the confusion in Mitsuki's voice, Itachi sighed as he continued on his track to their reserved table. Throwing a sharp glance to the group of guys, Itachi took a seat beside Mitsuki in the direction of where the group of guys were standing while staring, blocking her figure from their line of sight, and silently watched them as they got scared away.

"? Who? You know them?" Mitsuki asked upon seeing the group of guy scuttling away not long after Itachi glared at them.

Itachi turned his head towards Mitsuki with a complicated feeling as she turned her head back to meet his gaze with confusion. Frowning, Itachi caught unto Mitsuki's innocent, oblivious expression. Not knowing what to say, Itachi heaved a heavy sigh, not sure how could he tell her to keep her guard up more often from then on.

"What?" Mitsuki asked with a mix confusion and worry over Itachi's silence and the frustration brimming in his eyes, creating a frown on her forehead.

"It's nothing," replied Itachi briefly as he felt an incoming headache brewing.

Author's note:

I'm a girl, but I like boobs OwO /slap self

As in, drawing characters with a decently sized ones. I don't know but I find it more fun and dynamic to draw, easier to draw their mature, sexy charms out! The contrast between a girl character with a killer body and their innocence is one of my favourite trope hehee

I hope you guys don't mind these! I know how there's quite a big cultural gap between Asian and Western country, leading to lots of debate on internet regarding fan service and such. Overall, we in Asian is more accepting about fan service, and don't fuss too much about character showing sexual interest in each other since we are used to it and hence more accepting of it, as well as other cultural point that might not always be commonly accepted in the other counterpart of the world. But rating this work as Mature, I hope we all can approach these differences in mature manner and accept the differences! I promise I won't go overboard with fan service, and I'll balance it out for the girls and guys (I doubt there's a lot of guys interested in this fic tho, but I like drawing pretty girls so.. x'D) so uh.. you know what to expect further *cough. I'll make sure to throw some sexy Itachi art in too to make up for it :x hehe
I wonder if I were to illustrate some smut scene later on, where can I upload tho :') is it even allowed to put it as image in the story hahaha. It'll probably be mostly artistic POV, closer to intimacy in Josei manga, so I hope it will be fine!

Bonus meme and bonus illustration on ance_moondemon on X. My friend say Mitsuki's smugness just before her complete defeat remind her of this.