This Uchiha Itachi is very lonely

Is this... what does mother mean?

As his father left angrily, Itachi fell into deep thought in the room.

"Sorry, it seems that my suggestion gave you wrong guidance."

Artoria's apologetic voice rang in his ears, interrupting Itachi's thoughts.

Raising his head, he stared at Arturia beside him.

"If I hadn't given you wrong advice and made you think that your mother needs companionship, maybe the conflict between you would not have arisen."

Artoria explained that she thought it was her inadvertent reminder that prompted this conflict between father and son.

It is true that she did not think carefully. As a jounin, Uchiha Mikoto should not need the care of others in terms of physical fitness and ability.

But Itachi denied her statement, shook his head and replied:

"You are only giving advice, and I am the one who takes the advice. Please don't make the mistake alone."

"Besides...I'm very grateful to you for reminding me of this."

"Whether the mother needs care or not, as a family member, she needs care and companionship."

He doesn't think he is wrong, but there may be something wrong with the way he cares.

As for my father...

Itachi thought carefully about his father's situation during this period, and it seemed that as long as he was at home, he would never be too far away from his mother.

When the scene finally stayed on the scene where he was sitting on the sofa with his mother when he entered the house and reminded him that the bath water was ready.

Maybe... I really misunderstood him.

Itachi felt guilty for having preconceived ideas.

"Cheer up."

But soon, Artoria next to her spoke again, "Since your mother doesn't need your care, you should start practicing ninjutsu from tomorrow."

"But this way, we have no way to allocate our training time."

"But you should practice according to your father's requirements first. After all, this is the world of ninjas."

Um?

Artoria's suggestion surprised Itachi.

"Are you...still willing to guide me?"

he asked hesitantly.

"Why do you say that?"

Artoria was very puzzled, her face full of confusion.

"I just said that I don't want to be the patriarch."

Itachi repeated the conversation he had just had with his father, "I would rather stand by my family than stand by the overall situation."

"I even started to feel a little disgusted with being someone who has a big-picture perspective, because that would force me to be ruthless."

"But in this case, I am no longer a qualified king. I... failed to live up to your expectations and ran counter to you, didn't I?"

Artoria shook her head, "That's not the case."

"On the contrary, you who cherish your family so much make me even more happy."

Her voice was very gentle, without any hint of dissatisfaction.

However, the way Arturia looked at him made Itachi feel very uncomfortable.

Because it was a look of pity, regret and pain.

"Actually, I have long known that for these concepts of the majority and the minority, the overall situation and the small family, I can't make you understand at all if I just tell you through words."

"But I believe that one day, you will find that there are many things in this world that you have to do even if you don't want to."

"And in the process, you will understand my past better, and slowly become me and surpass me."

Her meaning was very clear. Even if she didn't want to be a clan leader for the time being, she had no concept of being a clan leader.

But one day, I will gradually develop the concept of the overall situation and become the kind of person I hate now.

Will it really happen?

Itachi couldn't guarantee it, so he didn't speak.

…

Early the next morning, when Itachi got up and washed up, he opened the door and wanted to walk towards the dining hall.

As soon as he took it out and went out, he saw his mother standing in the aisle, looking worried.

"Itachi..."

When she heard the sound of the door opening, Mikoto's face became cautious.

She seemed to have been waiting in the aisle for a long time.

Itachi was stunned for a moment, recalling what his father said yesterday.

Then, he hurried over and said, "Mother."

He shouted respectfully.

"Itachi, what your father said yesterday was a bit harsh, don't take it to heart."

Before Itachi could say anything more, opposite him, Mikoto had already hurriedly explained, "Mother doesn't need your care, she just... just doesn't want you to delay your practice."

"A ninja's time is very precious, especially in this era of continuous wars."

"The more capable you are of protecting yourself, the more assured your mother will be..."

She didn't look good.

Last night, when her husband came back to the room angrily and explained the conversation between Itachi and him, she was immediately confused and kicked her husband out of the house.

Her husband is not the kind of person who can talk, and she knows that very well.

Therefore, Mikoto had many thoughts in her mind, such as whether her son who eagerly wanted to accompany her would misunderstand her, thinking that she didn't like him and didn't need him, and so on.

She didn't sleep well all night.

Itachi stood opposite her, listening to her continuous explanations, his thoughts in his heart were a little confused.

After a long time, he was reminded by Artoria next to him and asked: "Then...is mother happy that I am accompanying you?"

"Of course I'm happy."

Hearing Itachi's inquiry, Mikoto breathed a sigh of relief and replied without hesitation, "You have been as rigid as your father since you were born. Now you have finally changed a bit. I am definitely happy."

Old-fashioned?

In response to this evaluation, Itachi wanted to put on a gentle smile to prove himself.

But he thought for a long time about how to achieve this expression.

Mikoto noticed his embarrassment, covered her mouth and laughed, "If you can't laugh, don't force it."

"Your father is like this too. He has never smiled at me."

"But I can tell when he is happy."

Itachi gave up laughing and continued to ask: "Then mother wants me to continue practicing, right?"

"Um!"

Mikoto nodded, "Since you were born in Uchiha, you cannot avoid becoming a ninja and performing tasks."

"Compared to the future, when you set foot on the battlefield, I will be on tenterhooks at home."

"It's better for you to practice harder now. It's best to become an elite ninja like your father."

"This way, your mother can feel more at ease when you leave to perform missions alone and go to the battlefield."

After a pause, she continued to add: "It's not that mother doesn't need your company, but the daily chores at home are my job."

"If Itachi has free time after practicing, mother would like you to take a walk with me, drink tea, and eat snacks."

"But all this is based on you completing your practice. In this world, having power is essential."