Drinking, pying cards, and staying up through the night continued until the first light of sunrise. Since the Uchiha cn massacre, Itachi had rarely felt the need for sleep—but on this night, after the fireworks ended, he found himself curled up on the sofa, lulled to sleep by the chatter and ughter of those around him, sleeping like a child. The only one who couldn’t stay awake like him was Deidara, a year younger.

  He was surprised when he woke up. Even he didn’t expect to have slept so deeply within Akatsuki, so soundly. Before he could fully process it, Deidara was already rubbing his eyes, calling out a cheerful “Good morning!” and smirking. “I told you, what you say on New Year’s Day matters. Wait until everyone else leaves, and you’ll lose the chance.”

  Deidara’s eyes lit up as he realized. “Uncle, Happy New Year~”

  “Happy New Year.”

  Along with the greeting came a modest red envelope. Just as he thought to open it, he felt a tap and heard, “Hurry, before they leave—where else will you find them?” Deidara froze for a moment, then grabbed the departing Kakuzu and called out, “Happy New Year, Mr. Kakuzu!”

  Kakuzu gred briefly and muttered, “Always meddling. Happy New Year.”

  Though grumbling, he still handed over a red envelope. He gnced at Itachi, still sitting dazed, and added, “You too.”

  Itachi’s lips curved into a gentle, smiling expression.

  “Happy New Year, sir.”

  “Happy New Year.”

  The red envelopes weren’t heavy, but who would refuse a New Year gift? The confused feelings that had arisen from sleeping amidst Akatsuki’s chaos vanished instantly. Bowing respectfully to Kakuzu, Itachi said, “Mr. Kakuzu, Happy New Year.”

  With envelopes and New Year gifts in hand, Itachi felt slightly embarrassed. He hadn’t prepared gifts himself, as he wasn’t aware of Akatsuki’s custom of exchanging presents. He received six gifts from other members, and promised to make it up next time. For now, the important thing was finding a pce to sleep.

  …

  Although Konan wanted to rest at home like Zaraki Kita, she had to preside over the New Year’s Day rituals. It wasn’t complicated—essentially climbing the mountain, ringing bells, and offering prayers for good fortune in the year ahead. Normally, this would be Nagato’s duty as vilge leader, but he had never performed it before.

  Fortunately, it was still early. Returning home, Konan washed off the lingering smell of alcohol and changed into a clean bck robe with red clouds. She looked at her lover lying on the bed, ready to sleep, and felt a twinge of guilt.

  “Why don’t you take a body transformation and come with me?”

  Non-humans weren’t allowed near the ritual, as people believed it would bring bad luck for the year. Zaraki Kita shook her head, not particurly fond of the ceremony.

  ——Go ahead. Shigure will be looking for you soon.

  Shigure, Konan’s right-hand, handled the details of the ritual; Konan just needed to appear and shake the bell.

  The process was simple but time-consuming. Climbing the mountain could take Konan only five minutes, but during the ritual, she had to walk step by step, surrounded by people, maintaining the pace of ordinary vilgers. By the time the ceremony ended, it was already afternoon. Hungry, Konan was eager to devour the cold dishes Kakuzu had prepared the night before.

  As expected, Nagato was also home. Knowing Konan would return around this time, Zaraki Kita had already set out the cold dishes. Nagato quickly washed her hands and stuffed a roll of beef into her mouth.

  “I’m starving. Shigure nearly killed me, wouldn’t let me eat!” Konan swallowed her bite. Zaraki Kita went to the kitchen and poured her a drink.

  Nagato smiled. “Three days of fasting and ritual. You only did one day and compined?”

  “Go die, will you? That should have been your fast,” Konan shot back, grinning. It wasn’t unreasonable to shorten the three days to one—ninjas expend so much energy daily that even a single missed meal leaves them famished. Nagato poured himself some tea and said with a smile, “Alright, I was wrong. Forgive me?”

  Konan gred at him, continuing to eat. “Not forgiving. What are you talking about?”

  Nagato sipped his tea thoughtfully. “By the way… do you know?”

  “Know what?”

  Zaraki Kita smiled but didn’t respond.

  “Expin why you brought Itachi to live in the vilge.”

  “Better to have him under my watchful eye.”

  “Aren’t you afraid he’ll gather intelligence on the vilge?”

  “Could you stop him if he tried?”

  Naturally, Nagato raised his hands in surrender.

  “You win.”

  Konan blinked at Zaraki Kita. “You found out?”

  Zaraki Kita nodded.

  “The Uchiha pnned a military coup. Itachi was ordered to annihite the cn, personally executing it to save Sasuke’s life, defecting from the vilge, joining Akatsuki, and secretly monitoring us.”

  “Impressive, Kita. You discovered all this?” Konan excimed. Zaraki Kita shrugged.

  ——Thanks to Jiraiya-sama.

  “Teacher?” Konan blinked in surprise. Nagato expined, “Ah, when Itachi passed information to the teacher, Kita saw his summon, the crows. She received this note this morning.”

  A small paper note, and Zaraki Kita smiled.

  ——It should have been uncertain, but this confirmed it.

  Summoning crows was rare. Besides Itachi, none of the Sannin could rey messages like this.

  The note read: Uchiha Itachi can summon crows.

  Konan cpped, ughing. “Incredible. Even Madara never imagined being stabbed in the back by one of his own.”

  ——Not as incredible as you. I didn’t even tell you, and you brought him straight under our watch.

  Zaraki Kita expined. Nagato nodded. “Killing him is impossible for now. Keep him, see how Madara moves. Kita, what do you think of Itachi?”

  ——Hard to say. Not close yet, but he could be leveraged against Madara.

  “How so?”

  ——He still sends info to Konoha, showing he leans toward them. Madara is already at odds with Konoha. If we pry him right, it might destabilize Madara, and Itachi is strong.

  “Reasonable.” Konan said, munching on seafood.

  “The weak point is his brother and Konoha. If we give way here, it’s manageable,” Nagato said. He looked at Zaraki Kita. “Any way to sever Itachi’s communication with his teacher?”

  Zaraki Kita nodded.

  ——Switch the message channels. I’ve started training crows recently too.

  “Won’t the teacher notice?” Nagato asked. Zaraki Kita shook her head.

  ——If the info is accurate, no. He only cares about Konoha.

  “How much does Konoha know about us?”

  ——They know I’m non-human, but can’t deduce specifics.

  “Can we hide the Rinnegan?”

  ——Uncertain. I can only try.

  “Then try, but don’t overdo it.”

  Allowing Itachi to communicate with Konoha posed a minor risk, but it was rgely harmless. Even if Konoha learned Akatsuki’s intel, international politics made retaliation nearly impossible. Losing the Uchiha cn had already weakened Konoha. Both sides knew their limits. Hidden currents flowed constantly, but no major storm could rise.

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