Someone You Love

Jada turned her attention back to Itachi and started, "Itachi, listen, we need to talk about Sasuke. Like I wrote to you before, he's been taken in by Orochimaru again."

At the mention of his younger brother, Itachi's stoic expression didn't shift, but she could still see the pain cross his eyes. He remained silent, contemplating the implications of Sasuke's choice, till he wondered what she meant by "again."

"Sorry!" she corrected. "I misspoke…"

"It's alright," he forgave in a calm tone.

Yet that did little to soothe the tension from the brothers' past.

In a soft tone, Jade continued, "He'll come back for sure. I know he will. Especially because of Naruto."

"Naruto?" he mused, as if testing her beliefs. "He truly believes in Sasuke, huh?"

Jada smiled and answered, "Yes, he really cares. We all do, actually. It's safe to say that we all love the idea of Sasuke not wanting revenge, you know?" Those words really touched Itachi's heart. "Instead of holding onto hatred, he could be with you. I mean, just imagine the two of you working together."

The thought filled her with warmth, a world where the famous Uchiha brothers could actually start anew without anguish or curses.

Itachi's features softened. "What I would give for that," he quietly admitted. "But it might already be too late. What I did was a sin, and I only want Sasuke to be the one to atone for my mistakes."

Jada knew he would say that. So she stepped closer.

"Itachi, what you did was for the betterment of the Leaf Village. If Sasuke knew that—if he understood your sacrifices—he would abandon his need for revenge and would rush to your side instead."

Itachi regarded her thoughtfully, unmoving. Even till this day, he was still somewhat haunted by his past transgressions. Anyone would be after slaughtering their entire family.

Some time ago, when Itachi and Kisame visited the Leaf Village to check on Naruto, they were stopped by an array of ninjas that knew they were coming. Upon leaving, Jada secretly followed the two and managed to separate the two, albeit not without a fight.

Via genjutsu, Itachi and Jada spoke without Kisame being aware. She revealed her background, in that she was at the orphanage during the Uchiha Massacre. He had actually remembered her face and wanted nothing to do with her at first, considering her to be fortunate that Obito hadn't discovered her whereabouts.

But due to Jada's foreknowledge of the story and impeccable charms, she managed to sway Itachi's heart, thus compelling him to give her his most powerful weapon: the Totsuka Blade.

"You're strong at heart, Jada," he finally said, admiring her determination. "You have a lot of hope in our clan."

She chuckled nervously, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear.

"I mean, most of my friends are still stronger than I am. I'm still learning." The shyness crept into her voice, revealing some of her insecurities. "But I did find a new sensei who's been helping me grow."

At the mention of a new mentor, he settled into a more comfortable stance and inquired, "Tell me about him."

"His name is Hoshikaze! He's really amazing and has been teaching me how to fight better."

It wasn't often that Jada praised someone like that. Itachi was a tad taken aback. "Hoshikaze? I've heard of him."

"You have?! How?!"

With a soft chuckle, he said, "I'm part of the Akatsuki. We keep tabs on the world's affairs, and that includes what happened in that tournament in the Land of Waves."

"Oh!" she exclaimed, suddenly feeling sheepish. "I'm sorry, I completely forgot!"

"You don't always have to apologize, you know."

"Right! So… I mean… okay!" The two settled in for a bit to discuss more about Hoshikaze. "It's thanks to him that I can actually beat Will in a fight now."

"I noticed you always talk about him," Itachi ventured. "I'll assume you're dating, so I'm happy for you."

Jada's cheeks turned red as she instinctively shook her head in denial. "No! We're just teammates! I mean, we've had our moments as friends, but that's it!"

Itachi couldn't help but give a cool smile. He enjoyed Jada's presence, being that she was an Uchiha. And from what he understood, she was the only female Uchiha who existed. Perhaps now would be the best time for him to probe.

"I see… Do you have someone you love then?"

Jada paused at the question. "Someone I love…?" she softly repeated.

Then her voice trailed away. Her mind drifted back to memories of the Uchiha brothers she had watched on screens years ago. She was a fan of both of them because the writers had done well to captivate her heart as a mere viewer of the series.

Yet now that she was in their world and everything felt as if it were alive, sometimes it made her feel like she had lost track of what was real.

She had honestly forgotten about her family back home in Germany because of it. Being a young adolescent, she never considered the thought of loving someone romantically—she was young and carefree.

Then, an image of Arthur crept into her mind, and she quickly rebutted her thoughts.

"No… I'm not into romance," she insisted with indignation as she relaxed.

Itachi couldn't help but chuckle at her answer. He chose not to press further, allowing her time to ponder her feelings more deeply.

Eventually, their shared laughter turned into silence before Itachi broke the quiet and said, "I need to return. There's an important meeting Kisame and I have back at the Rain Village."

"What's it about?" she asked in curiosity.

"I can't disclose any details," he answered, "but we're searching for a very dangerous shinobi from the Water Country."

Jada teased, "Well, I could always spy on your meetings with the paper I gave you, ya know."

Itachi granted her a soft smile in return, knowing too well she wouldn't dare actually carry out that idea. Jada didn't like the idea of using her Flying raijin to spy on others and only deemed it necessary when she believed someone was in danger.

Of course, that didn't stop her from trying to piece things together.

'Just who could be dangerous enough from the Water Country for the Akatsuki to go after?' she thought to herself. 'Maybe the John Bel-guy.'

It was right of her to think this since Arthur had attacked Naruto and managed to win against him last she heard. But she and the others thought that he was part of the Akatsuki too, so things didn't make sense.

Perhaps this John fellow wasn't from the original story but instead a filler character from an arc that transpired during the three-year time skip. This was reasonable to believe since not many details were explained in that period.

"I wish you well on your mission with Kakashi, Jada," Itachi finally said.

She couldn't help but feel a twinge of sadness at their imminent separation. But she replied with sincerity, "Thanks, Itachi. I hope to hear from you soon."

After he nodded, she performed the Flying raijin. And just as quickly as he had arrived, he was gone, leaving her in the tranquil clearing, alone again.

Feeling the chill of the evening's onset, she decided now was the best time to return to the Leaf Village. By the time she arrived, it was already nighttime.

The Leaf Village always looked great at night with its many lights and traditional background. What she wouldn't give to spend a lot more time here.

Finally arriving at her apartment, Jada noticed Alice wasn't home yet, which left her with Margaret, who was sprawled lazily on the couch with a new book clasped in her hands.

Jada paused at the entrance with a playful grin to ask, "What are you reading, Marge?"

Startled, Margaret quickly tried to hide the book. Her cheeks reddened in embarrassment.

"I—uh! I thought you were out on a mission!" she stammered, fumbling the book beneath a cushion.

Jada laughed. "Are you reading something perverted again?"

Margaret's face turned a deeper shade of red as she answered, "No! I mean, maybe! But it's… ugh! Just don't look at me!"

"Relax! I'm just messing with you," Jada replied with good-natured amusement. "My mission's not until tomorrow, and it's just Kakashi and I going."

Margaret buried her face in the sofa, not willing to discuss anymore. This prompted Jada to fake yawn and head to her room. "I'll leave you alone with your book. Night, Marge! Haha!"

"Argh!"

Jumping onto her bed, Jada sank into the soft mattress. Her mind was still preoccupied by her earlier conversation with Itachi.

For some reason, the hope she felt after sharing her ideas didn't feel like they would happen. Yes, she desired good in this world, such as peace for all clans alike, but there was still so much to do.

Her heart was heavy at the thought. As a passionate fan, she had experienced every heartbreaking moment alongside the characters from the original story.

The memory of Rin Nohara's death struck her the hardest. Jada felt the agony Obito must have felt in witnessing his beloved friend die by the hands of his best friend, an act he never intended.

If only she and the players were in that timeline instead so she could prevent the event from happening. That's also what made her admire Naruto Uzumaki since he never focused on revenge but tried to understand their pain.

Utakata's fate was also a mystery to her. He was written to have died fighting for his disciple Hotaru, yet never returned to her because Pain captured him. To try and prevent that from happening, the players desired that Utakata become a ninja in the Leaf. But they never discovered his location.

And then there was Neji, whose selfless sacrifice during the war illustrated the depths to which one could go to protect loved ones. His death was particularly crushing, so the players would never allow that to happen again.

At the thought of death, her mind wandered further to the tragic tale of Jiraiya, fighting for the village he loved but ultimately falling to a former student, a heart-wrenching reminder of how trust can lead to devastation.

The only way she and the other players could stop that was by liberating Nagato early. Of course, they would need the help of Naruto, who would need to mature first.

'Or maybe one of us could talk to Pain?' she wondered.

It wouldn't be impossible considering everyone knew of Nagato's background. And so long as Itachi was able, and Konan had a sense of heart, there was most certainly a chance that the Akatsuki would disband.

Amid these thoughts, the image of Itachi emerged, burdened with the painful choice of sacrificing his family for the greater good.

Jada had failed in preventing Sasuke from abandoning the village. She had tried to tell him the truth prior, but he was too hardheaded and deep in darkness already. The two hardly spoke, and he quite detested her for not having experienced the tragic pain he had felt—he believed she didn't understand.

Yet there was still hope here. Sasuke might have succumbed to darkness, but so long as Naruto was able, those two's stories would intertwine again.

All the players had to do was dismantle the Akatsuki. By doing so, practically everything would be fixed. From Asuma's death to Sasuke's recruitment, from Madara's revival to Kaguya's resurrection—all of it would be stopped.

The only regret she had now was that she wasn't strong enough to save those already lost: Ino, Shikamaru, and Kiba. Those were three pivotal characters that played very important roles. To think everyone was progressing without them.

'It all just feels so different… Arthur… I hate you for that.'

Her thoughts finally shifted to the Fourth Great Ninja War. The last thing she wanted was for another one to happen. And the only way to stop it was by stopping Madara Uchiha's plans of manipulating Obito.

As she drifted off to sleep, she whispered softly to herself, "I won't give up on this. Not now, not ever…"