Anthem

Itachi had a long period of living alone.

Ever since his partner Shisui was taken by the Hunters, Itachi had harbored doubts. Shisui was as strong as he was—strong enough to fend off The Hunters' attack on his own. How could he have been taken? And before that, Shisui’s behavior had been unusual—he’d often look at Itachi, lost in thought, only to wave it off with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes when asked. Just before Itachi was called away by Sensei, Shisui had gripped his hand tightly, telling him to be careful. Careful of what? Itachi hadn’t had the chance to ask before Shisui urged him to leave quickly.

Then came the terrible news of Shisui’s capture by The Hunters.

Unwilling to accept it, Itachi secretly investigated clues related to the incident and found many pointed to one person—Sensei. But everyone revered Sensei; no one would doubt him. Knowing he couldn’t confront everyone alone, Itachi chose to leave by himself. After all, he was capable of handling The Hunters' attacks alone.

Until he met Naruto.

Naruto was found by Jiraiya during the winter patrol. During winter, the light quality declined, and everyone would hibernate—except Jiraiya, who, being Antarctic stone, could only operate in winter. But that winter, Tsunade also stayed awake, unusually, reportedly because of Naruto. Itachi, living alone, also stayed awake in the winter.

Thus, that winter, Itachi met Naruto. Itachi still remembered Naruto’s gaze—it sparkled like he had found a treasure. Later, Naruto explained that it was because it was the first time he had seen someone similar to himself, besides Jiraiya and Tsunade. Jiraiya and Tsunade always treated him like a child, spouting various life lessons. Naruto had always wanted a gemstone friend of similar age to play with—and then Itachi showed up.

In reality, Itachi was much older than Naruto, but Naruto still saw him as a future playmate and clung to him persistently. Naruto was incredibly energetic, endlessly chatty, and even though Itachi never responded, Naruto never gave up, always hovering around him.

Unbeknownst to Naruto, though, Itachi was always listening. He knew Naruto had traveled everywhere with Jiraiya since he was created, knew he constantly pestered Jiraiya to teach him combat skills, knew he often failed due to his low hardness and frequently needed Tsunade to put him back together. Something had happened between him and Tsunade that brought her back to their settlement. She, like Itachi, had traveled widely and only returned for emergencies (like the incident with Lee and Gaara), and it was said she had left too because her partner had been taken.

When Jiraiya found out that Naruto had found Itachi, he was shocked. After all, Itachi’s departure had caused a stir; everyone wanted to bring back this powerful Uchiha, but they never did. His brother Sasuke was deeply affected, going on long patrols every day, but always returning empty-handed.

Yet Naruto had stumbled upon Itachi and had been allowed to stay by his side. Worse, after witnessing Itachi’s battle with the Hunters, Naruto admired Itachi even more than Jiraiya—which made Jiraiya really upset . How unfair! He had raised Naruto and taught him combat, while Itachi had stolen Naruto’s admiration with a single battle!

Yet Itachi never spoke to Naruto. Although he allowed Naruto to stay around, he didn’t want to form any bonds—Naruto would eventually return to the settlement and Sensei, while Itachi had lost his trust in that place. He would only continue gathering information on Sensei and ensure Sasuke’s safety.

Then, one day, the Hunters appeared with fragments of Shisui, throwing Itachi into chaos. To retrieve Shisui’s fragments, Itachi fought recklessly, shielding himself from all the Hunters’ attacks. Although he managed to reclaim the fragments, he was left incapacitated.

Perhaps this was his end. Gripping Shisui’s fragments tightly, Itachi waited to be taken away by the Hunters. Too bad they didn’t bring all of Shisui’s fragments—maybe he could have had a brief reunion with him.

A golden figure stepped in front of him.

"Hey, you guys!" Bathed in sunlight, Naruto shone with a blinding light that drew all the Hunters’ attention. Compared to the dark Itachi, Naruto’s golden hue was far more appealing to them. Naruto winked at Itachi and, with a strength from who-knew-where, managed to push Itachi out of the Hunters' range.

Itachi, unable to move, could only watch as arrows shattered Naruto’s golden body and as the Hunters closed in on Naruto’s fragments. Itachi realized Naruto was about to be taken, but there was nothing he could do.

Naruto had only recently joined them; he hadn’t even met the others. His only companions were Jiraiya and Itachi, and Itachi had never spoken a word to him.

Itachi felt a pang of guilt, his body trembling in silence. Shisui’s fragments still lay in his palm. He had already lost one important person, and now he was about to lose another—and this time, it was all his fault.

Fortunately, Jiraiya arrived in time and saved them both. After that, Itachi’s attitude toward Naruto changed. He would respond to Naruto, patiently teach him combat techniques, and, during Hunters’ attacks, prioritize Naruto’s safety.

When winter ended, Jiraiya asked Itachi to take Naruto back. Itachi was silent for a long time before finally nodding.

——

Hearing a knock, Tsunade looked up from her desk.

When she opened the door and saw who it was, she paused, surprised. After all, Uchiha didn’t usually show up at the medical office. Sasuke might have come a few times earlier, but he’d eventually stopped, maybe thinking it was beneath him, or perhaps because of his brother. In any case, no Uchiha would come here anymore. But why Itachi wouldn’t come... Tsunade sighed, pushing aside those thoughts, now wasn’t the time for that.

The two dark figures in front of her radiated an intimidating aura. Tsunade hesitated, as it was clear they weren’t here for any medical treatment. So what did they want? She cleared her throat, about to speak when a blonde head popped out from behind the two Uchiha. “Tsunade-Obbachan, save me!”

Sasuke shot him a glare, and Naruto promptly shut his mouth and shrank back. Tsunade frowned, unsure if he was joking or serious. Itachi gave a slight cough, redirecting her attention to him. “I apologize for disturbing you during your busy schedule, but we heard about what happened yesterday with Gaara and Naruto…” His eyes briefly scanned Tsunade’s desk before returning to her. “I think we need to talk.”

“OK…?” Tsunade eyed the two Uchiha suspiciously. As always, it was impossible to read anything from an Uchiha’s face, so she turned her gaze to Naruto. “I thought you’d know better than to spread this around.” She wasn’t sure how much Naruto had told them, but knowing these two, they’d probably pressed him to tell them every detail.

Naruto was about to argue, but Itachi cut him off first. “I don’t think telling us counts as spreading it around. Besides, we have every right to know about this.” Seeing Itachi and Sasuke’s determined expressions, Tsunade sighed, resting her hand against her forehead and stepping back. “Come in and talk.”

Tsunade had expected that Naruto’s situation would be discovered eventually by those around him, but she hadn’t expected it to happen so soon, nor that the first she’d face would be the Uchiha, and two of them, no less. “Alright, let’s assume Naruto’s told you everything. Yes, Gaara’s fragments are inside Naruto’s body. So, what more is there to say?”

“Exactly! Besides, I’m now immune to silver poison, so there’s no downside,” Naruto chimed in, but immediately quieted when he noticed the three intense gazes directed at him.

Itachi shifted his focus back to the fragments on Tsunade’s desk. “I guess you’re already considering testing if Naruto can merge with others’ fragments.”

Tsunade frowned, not denying it. She had attempted it before, but prior to Naruto, no one else had been able to fuse with fragments from anyone other than themselves. If not for this particular circumstance, she might never have considered it again. Ever since Naruto left, she’d been searching through the fragments recovered from the Hunters, planning to test it next time Naruto returned to the medical office (which wouldn’t take more than a day). “You better not tell me you’ve already tried it.”

Sasuke raised an eyebrow, while Itachi remained expressionless. Tsunade, suspecting the answer, felt her temper rising. “Do you realize how dangerous this is? Even if Naruto’s body can currently accommodate Gaara’s fragments, I can’t guarantee what might happen later, and now you’re adding even more fragments? I thought at least you’d consider the consequences, Itachi.” Confronted with their cold gazes, she barely managed to contain her anger, rubbing her temples firmly.

“We know what we are doing…” Sasuke glared at Tsunade, about to snap back when Itachi stopped him. “It was indeed a miscalculation on our part, but I just wanted to confirm things before Sensei did.” Itachi’s blood-red eyes held a cold edge as he looked at Tsunade. “Because I don’t want Naruto to become the next experiment.”

“Neither do I!” Tsunade’s hand slammed onto her desk, leaving a faint crack. Itachi’s expression remained unchanged, but the tension in the room was palpable. Naruto instinctively tightened his grip on Sasuke’s hand, realizing that if Tsunade got angrier, her outburst alone might shatter him. He could only hope to slip away before things escalated.

“If you two are going to argue, Naruto and I won’t be staying.” Sasuke glanced at Itachi, who remained fixated on Tsunade, unmoving. Knowing his brother well, Sasuke tugged Naruto along and exited the room.

After hearing the door close, Tsunade’s anger softened slightly, and she sat down, her tone calming. “Look, Itachi, I know what you’ve been through, and I can understand your resentment. But when it comes to Naruto, we’re on the same side, alright? I need you to trust that I won’t hand him over.”

Itachi didn’t respond, and Tsunade glared at him. “Uchiha Itachi, I’d advise you not to overstep. Sensei’s system isn’t something you or I can overturn.”

“I know.” Itachi spoke so softly that Tsunade could barely hear him. “I’ve known that for years.” Seeing the unreadable emotion in his eyes, Tsunade patted his shoulder. “Alright, then, tell me your plan.” She met Itachi’s slightly surprised gaze with a small smile. “You didn’t come here so forcefully without a plan in mind, did you? If you want me on board, show me that it’s feasible.”

“I thought it would take more work to convince you,” Itachi replied, his expression calm again as he avoided further physical contact with her.

Tsunade chuckled, not showing the slightest irritation. “It looks like you still have some work to do. Not only with Naruto’s situation but on many other matters, we stand on the same side, Itachi.” She dropped her smile, returning to her desk. “Now, explain your plan carefully.”

——

"Why did you suddenly drag me out again? Weren't you the ones insisting I go in the first place?" Naruto grumbled as soon as they left Itachi's line of sight. After struggling with Sasuke for a while, he eventually found himself carried over Sasuke's shoulder. With no way to escape, Naruto resigned himself to sulking from his uncomfortable position.

After walking a considerable distance, Sasuke finally set Naruto down. Naruto glared at him angrily, but Sasuke continued to gaze at the sky. Right, he still had his patrol duties, while Naruto's job was to write that natural history that no one really understood the purpose of. Realizing Sasuke likely wouldn't talk to him further, Naruto pouted, ready to leave.

"Do you know about Itachi's former partner?" Sasuke suddenly spoke, making Naruto pause and turn back in confusion. There was something in Sasuke's eyes that Naruto couldn't quite identify, although his expression was unchanged. Naruto could just tell that Sasuke was in a bad mood. "Before you arrived... his previous partner wasn't me."

"No idea," Naruto said, sitting down beside Sasuke and curling up at his feet. Although Sasuke never said it, Naruto knew that physical contact offered him some comfort. "The first time I met Itachi, he was alone. Back then, I didn't know patrols were supposed to be done in pairs. Itachi was so powerful that he could make the Hunters flee on his own!" Naruto started to get excited, gesturing animatedly. But then he recalled something and quieted down. "Except that one time… Ji-san helped out then."

"One time?" Sasuke's gaze shifted to Naruto, narrowing. "Why didn't you mention this before?"

"Well, you never asked…" Naruto quickly closed his mouth as Sasuke's stare grew more intense. "That time, the Hunters used different arrows from usual. They were black."

"Black?" Sasuke frowned. It was common for Hunters to carry shards from their companions, but only one type of gemstone was black. Among the Uchiha, only one had been taken. "...It was him."

"Is this it?" Naruto pulled out a necklace from under his shirt, with a black shard glinting in the sunlight. "Itachi gave this to me back then."

Sasuke's eyes widened as he grabbed Naruto's necklace abruptly, ignoring Naruto’s protests. "Itachi actually gave you *this*?"

Unaware of Sasuke's complex expression, Naruto only felt a sharp pain in his neck and started shouting, "Ow, ow, ow! You're going to break my neck! If it snaps, both Baachan and Itachi are going to scold you."

Realizing he’d been too rough, Sasuke quickly released his grip. Naruto tumbled to the ground, more fine cracks appearing on his body. But the blonde seemed unbothered, sitting back up and taking off the necklace. "I remember Itachi collected a bunch of similar shards back then; this is just one of them."

"Dobe, this one is *special*." Sasuke shook his head, crouching down to look at the shard in Naruto's hand. "Do you know what makes the Uchiha unique?"

"Black, strong, and powerful? And hair that looks like a hedgehog?" Naruto beamed brightly, ignoring Sasuke’s glare. "But Itachi’s hair looks soft, so maybe it’s personality-based? Is that why most of you Uchiha are such stubborn—ow!"

Sasuke’s eyebrow twitched as he withdrew his hand. Naruto clutched his forehead, still grinning. "Don't push my limits, usuratonkachi."

"Fine, fine. So what’s unique about you guys?"

Bending down, Sasuke suddenly leaned in close, their foreheads nearly touching. Naruto’s eyes widened, his vision filled with Sasuke’s features up close. Now he understood why so many had argued over being partnered with an Uchiha. Before, Naruto didn’t get what made the dark gemstone people so attractive. But now, up close, he realized sometimes pretty things didn’t need vibrant colors. Black gems could also be dazzling.

In Sasuke’s usually dark eyes, multiple colors seemed to swirl, and Naruto found himself entranced. Just as Naruto got lost in thought, the black in Sasuke’s eyes abruptly shifted to blood-red.

"Whoa! That’s so cool! I saw Itachi use it once before, but I haven’t had a chance to see him fight since." Naruto leaned even closer, noticing tiny black spots within Sasuke's red eyes, rotating as if alive. "So is this what makes you guys unique? What's so special about it?"

Too close. Sasuke instinctively moved back a bit, his eyes returning to their pure black color. "With these eyes, we can see things that others can’t, which gives us a great advantage in battle. But it also brings a lot of trouble."

"Why? Isn’t it a good thing to have that ability?"

Looking into Naruto’s clear blue eyes, Sasuke sighed. “Dobe, there are some things you’re better off not seeing too clearly. Knowing too much only brings more pain.”

“But you can’t live in lies forever, can you?” Naruto tilted his head, gesturing toward the palace they lived in. “Life here might seem peaceful now, but the Hunters could show up anytime, break us into pieces, and take us away. If we’re unaware, aren’t we just sitting ducks?” His gaze shifted to the sun, that blinding, glowing orb. “Besides, no one really knows what happens to the gems who are taken. Sensei says we’ll be made into something else, that we’ll lose our freedom, but no one has ever come back to tell us if that’s true. Maybe life on the moon is better. Maybe Sensei’s lying?” Naruto looked at Sasuke’s shocked expression and gave a calm smile. “So, eyes like yours don’t bring more pain—they’re a blessing from the gods.”

“Whatever.” Sasuke looked away without further comment, though Naruto could tell from his tone that he’d accepted his words. “That shard you have… it belonged to Itachi’s former partner, Shisui.”

Naruto’s gaze returned to the shard in his hand. If it was from the Uchiha clan, the black seemed lighter than usual; when held up to the sun, faint red glimmers appeared within. “So this was when he, like you, activated his eyes…?”

Sasuke nodded. “Normally, in that state, the Hunters wouldn’t be able to catch us—they don’t know our weaknesses.” Unless someone who did know intervened. Sasuke didn’t finish the thought, but Naruto understood the implication.

“Who?”

“We don’t know. Itachi has his suspicions, but he couldn’t find any proof. Baseless accusations would only make us distrust one another, so he chose to leave on his own.” Sasuke shrugged, his gaze drifting to the horizon. Ever since Itachi left, Sasuke would often look out at the edge of the grasslands during his patrols, hoping to catch a glimpse of a familiar figure in the distance. But every time, he’d only see a dark speck in the sky.

Until Naruto came, bringing Itachi back to Sasuke’s side.

“But why would someone do that? There’s no point in betraying a comrade, is there?” Naruto’s heart burned with anger at the thought of his friends being taken by the Hunters. He had finally found a place where he belonged, no longer alone, so why would anyone want to deliberately betray their own?

“Because they want our eyes. If they’re lucky, a successful transplant would turn them into powerful weapons.” Sasuke let out a cold laugh. “They couldn’t take our eyes in a direct confrontation, so they chose to act when Itachi and Shisui were separated, but even then, they didn’t get exactly what they wanted.”

“Because Shisui let the moon people take him on purpose.”