Mizuki felt as though he had wandered inside a long, endless dream, a place where time stretched and twisted until it lost meaning. In that dream, he kept drifting in and out of darkness, as if he were floating right on the razor-thin boundary between life and death. Every part of his consciousness whispered that he was dying, yet something faint kept pulling him back.
His eyelids were unbearably heavy, weighed down as if thick stones rested upon them. He tried to open them once, twice, again and again, but they refused to budge. Only after what felt like a lifetime of effort did his eyelids finally lift.
A soft crack echoed from nearby.
Turning his head felt like dragging a mountain. But somehow, with slow, painful effort, Mizuki managed to look sideways. There, sitting beside the window with sunlight behind him, was Uchiha Souji.
The morning light spilled through the window, casting a soft golden halo around Souji, making him look strangely distant—almost majestic, almost unreal. He sat quietly in a chair, holding an apple in one hand. He took absent-minded bites, his eyes staring off in thought as if his mind was far away from the room.
To Mizuki, it felt obvious.
Master Souji must have been thinking about me…
The guilt hit him instantly. He remembered clearly the chaos he caused—how his reckless decision forced the Uchiha into conflict with Root, how he dragged Souji into Danzo's gaze, and how everything spiraled out of control. All because of him.
It's my fault… all of it…
And yet, despite everything, despite the risks and danger, Souji still chose to protect him, still chose to stand against Shimura Danzo of all people.
The thought was too much. Tears spilled quietly down Mizuki's face. Even in his weakened state, his trembling fingers gripped the edge of the blanket with whatever strength he could gather.
"Master… Souji…"
Uchiha Souji, however, was not thinking anything noble at all. His mind was somewhere entirely different—somewhere far from Mizuki's emotional imagination.
Souji was seriously debating whether he should visit the capital of the Land of Fire first. After all, if he ever decided to run away from Konoha, that was probably where he would end up living. You couldn't just move somewhere without checking the place, right? Even houses needed inspection before buying.
Just as he was picturing whether the capital had good food stalls, he heard a faint voice call his name.
Souji grimaced. It felt like someone shot an arrow into his knee.
He sighed.
He was used to this by now.
He slowly turned his head toward Mizuki—then his entire face twisted in pure frustration.
This idiot…
This idiot who caused chaos in Konoha was lying there sleeping comfortably for two or three days, while Souji had to endure the consequences the whole time.
During those days, the Uchiha clan practically worshiped him, praising him as if he were the second coming of Uchiha Madara. Villagers bowed to him in guilt, offering him food on the streets. Even Konoha's higher-ups had begun treating him like a dangerous but valuable asset, filled with both expectation and nervousness.
And the mastermind behind this whole mess?
Sleeping peacefully.
Calling him "Master Souji" with puppy-eyes.
Souji's teeth ground audibly.
"Good. Very good. You're doing well," he said through clenched teeth as he approached Mizuki.
Then he slapped Mizuki's shoulder—hard.
But Mizuki didn't feel the irritation. To him, that slap felt like kindness, like Souji was overwhelmed with relief.
Master Souji… he's happy I lived…
Tears welled up again in Mizuki's eyes. His heart swelled.
Even though he caused trouble…
Even though he dragged Souji into danger…
Souji still encouraged him.
Mizuki felt like collapsing in gratitude.
"Master Souji," he whispered with trembling excitement, "I have found the enlightenment you wanted!"
Souji's eye twitched.
What enlightenment?? Since when did I ask for that?? Do you have some kind of illness?!
He almost screamed at the ceiling.
But Souji forced himself to calm down. He needed Mizuki alive and predictable. Unpredictable Mizuki meant more trouble. More trouble meant Souji's plans would crash and burn.
He absolutely could not allow Mizuki to get any more "ideas."
Souji coughed twice to steady his tone.
"Ahem… good job. But… don't ever do something like that again."
He had originally meant to motivate Mizuki to recover quickly, so he could be useful again. But then he imagined Mizuki hearing those encouraging words and doing something insane again.
That thought alone almost made Souji collapse.
Mizuki, however, heard something entirely different.
He thought Souji was warning him because he cared so much about his safety. Souji's cold exterior, Mizuki believed, hid a warm, burning heart—a true heir of the Will of Fire.
For a moment, Mizuki even imagined Souji overlapping with the gentle silhouette of a certain blond ninja known for his compassion.
It was the most heartfelt misunderstanding in history.
Souji stared back at him in confusion.
Why are you crying again? Why do you look like I praised you? Just promise you won't cause trouble, you fool!!
Before Souji could add extra warning layers, Mizuki suddenly spoke first.
"Souji-sama… am I advancing in the dark wilderness?"
Souji blinked. Where did that come from?
"Why do you ask?" he said.
Mizuki swallowed hard and lowered his eyes.
"Because that day… I was really terrified. I regretted everything. I always believed death was just a part of a ninja's path. Something normal. Something that doesn't need fear."
He paused.
The room grew quiet.
"But when death truly stood in front of me… I realized how frightening he was."
He shivered.
"I was so scared I almost wet myself."
Souji exhaled slowly.
Good. He's scared. Perfect. Maybe I don't need to reinforce anything after all.
Looking at Mizuki's trembling form, Souji realized that if he didn't say something, the boy might mentally collapse. So he softened his tone just a little and placed a hand on Mizuki's shoulder.
"Listen, Mizuki," he began. "It's normal to fear death. Being scared until you shake, cry, hide under blankets—no one can blame you for that."
Then Souji leaned a little closer.
"But you need to understand something important—what real death actually is."
Mizuki blinked.
"Real… death?"
Souji nodded.
"Tell me. What do you think death is?"
Mizuki thought hard.
"A ninja lying on the ground, covered in blood, not breathing, cold… that's dead, right?"
Souji immediately shook his head.
"Wrong."
Mizuki frowned.
"Then… someone whose spine is broken, who can never move again and needs help even for the toilet… isn't that the same as death?"
"Wrong again," Souji said calmly.
Mizuki grew desperate.
"Then… someone who has turned completely into bones, with no flesh, no blood, no soul left… is that death?"
"Still wrong."
Three questions, three denials. Mizuki's face turned blank. He had described everything he understood about death—physical death, emotional death, symbolic death.
None of it satisfied Souji.
Souji stood up straighter, his expression quiet yet sharp.
"What you described…" he said slowly, "is only psychological death and biological death."
"And neither of those is the real meaning of death."
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