"Tsk, tsk, tsk. Where did you get this house? I never thought you'd be such a rich guy, Itachi."
Itachi was sitting lazily at the desk, reading a book. He held the book in his left hand and a teacup in his right, occasionally taking a sip.
Hearing Kakashi's voice, Itachi sighed, closed the book, and placed it on the desk. He shot Kakashi a less-than-pleased glance.
But when he saw Kakashi push open the door and walk in, dressed in simple robes with slightly tidied, messy hair and wearing a black mask, Itachi felt a bit better.
Though the cold weather didn't bother him, Itachi had shut the windows and doors in deference to winter's chill.
If Kakashi hadn't washed up and changed clothes, the lingering smell in the room would have been unbearable to imagine.
"Don't you have a house back in Konoha? What are you doing here?"
Seeing Kakashi make himself at home and shamelessly sit in front of him, Itachi ignored his question and asked with some exasperation.
"Nope. Lord Orochimaru told me you were in trouble, so I'm here to protect you personally. Besides, your place is pretty spacious. I'll just take the room next door."
Kakashi picked up the teapot on the table, grabbed a clean cup, and poured himself some tea.
"What trouble could I possibly be in?"
Hearing Kakashi's words, Itachi felt like rolling his eyes. Why does Orochimaru have to tell everyone everything?
"Come on, don't fight it. I won't bother you. I'll give you plenty of space—I'll just drop by for meals every now and then."
Kakashi casually drained his cup of tea, clearly unfazed by Itachi's resistance.
Of course, Kakashi was confident in this approach because he didn't sense any strong signals of rejection from Itachi.
Otherwise, he would've wisely stayed hidden in the shadows.
"Free meals, huh? You just reminded me—I'm broke. You've been saving money all these years, right? Make sure to share some with me."
Hearing Kakashi's words, the food-loving Itachi immediately latched onto the key point.
"Huh? You're broke?"
Kakashi was dumbfounded.
"I don't have a single penny left. Can't you see this mansion?!"
Seeing Kakashi's shocked expression, Itachi replied irritably.
He had never been one to carry money, and any cash he had was quickly spent.
"You're telling me you spent all your money on this mansion? What were you planning to eat?"
Kakashi found it hard to believe. If Itachi had the money to buy such a luxurious house, how could he not afford food? Would he have starved if Kakashi hadn't come?
"Lord Ashura, your afternoon tea has been delivered," came a sweet female voice and a knock at the door, interrupting Itachi's reply.
"Huh?"
Kakashi stared blankly at Itachi, stunned. What's going on here? Am I an outsider now?
"Come in," Itachi said, ignoring Kakashi. The atmosphere was growing awkward.
At his command, the door opened slowly.
A stunningly beautiful woman entered, gracefully balancing a tray in one hand. She placed the tray of snacks on the table before bowing slightly.
"Please enjoy, my lord. Let me know if you need anything."
Her movements were mesmerizing. After bowing again, she picked up the tray and left, gently closing the door behind her.
Kakashi sat frozen, still in shock.
"So... big. Uh, I mean... so round. Ahem, such white... snacks," Kakashi muttered to himself, suddenly finding his favorite Icha Icha Violence book less appealing.
"Seriously?"
Itachi gave Kakashi a look of utter disdain.
He wanted to say something but thought better of it and started eating the snacks instead.
"Tsk. I was wondering why this mansion had someone else's aura besides yours. I thought it was just some ordinary servant, but turns out it's your golden house of hidden treasures."
Ignoring any sense of shame, Kakashi grabbed a snack and began eating too.
"Your mind is truly problematic," Itachi said, sipping tea to wash down the snack's sweetness, clearly annoyed.
"What's wrong with my mind? You were just about to extort money from me a moment ago! Do you know how hard it is for me to earn money?"
Kakashi almost choked on his snack in frustration and quickly gulped down some water.
"I'm not lying—I really don't have any money. I'm just staying here as a guest. That 'ordinary servant' was arranged by someone else."
Seeing Kakashi's pitiful expression, Itachi explained softly.
"Wow. So you've got rich friends in Konoha? When are you going to introduce me? Maybe they have a collector's edition of the Icha Icha series I could borrow."
Hearing the explanation, Kakashi felt slightly better.
But his mind immediately wandered to the possibility of rare editions of his favorite books. Truly, Kakashi's thought process was unique.
"You don't want to know."
Itachi glanced at Kakashi, then looked at the door, seeming lost in thought as he spoke.
"Why wouldn't I? But, by the way, is 'Asura' your new codename?"
Kakashi had been ready to argue, but when he noticed Itachi wasn't interested in the topic, he shifted gears and asked instead.
...
"Hm..."
After a few seconds of silence, just as Kakashi, unable to hold back his curiosity, was about to ask again, Itachi gave a soft hum and nodded slightly.
"Then should I come up with a nice-sounding codename for myself? Just in case something happens and I need to announce my name—it wouldn't do to embarrass you."
Seeing Itachi's dismissive attitude, Kakashi couldn't help but feel a bit helpless.
This is what they call karma—what goes around comes around.
Back in the day, he had brushed others off in much the same way, though not as excessively as Itachi.
Itachi was blatantly dismissive, zoning out every now and then.
Was his charm really less captivating than a door?
...
"Sure, think of one yourself."
Itachi's gaze lazily returned to Kakashi as he replied with a serious expression.
"Can you tell me why you keep zoning out every time you come to Konoha?"
Seeing Itachi finally focus on him, Kakashi felt a rare sense of being respected.
"Oh, I'm not zoning out. I was just looking into the distance for a bit after reading for a long time. It's good for the eyes, helps prevent nearsightedness."
Itachi couldn't be bothered to entertain Kakashi's questioning and came up with a half-baked excuse on the spot.
"Does that actually work?"
Kakashi stood up, opened the window, and looked into the distance with a mix of surprise and skepticism.
He thought his eyesight had been getting worse too.
Who would've thought prolonged reading could lead to nearsightedness? That had never crossed his mind.
...
"You might want to check your brain instead. Your symptoms are already in the advanced stage—looking into the distance won't help."
Hearing Kakashi's remarks, Itachi sighed inwardly.
This Kakashi really did seem to have something wrong with him.
He had Hashirama's cells now, so his vision should've been fully restored by now.
There was no need for such ridiculous measures.
"Huh? I feel like you're mocking me. I'm offended..."
Kakashi's expression shifted after hearing Itachi's words, and he stared seriously into Itachi's eyes.
...
"I'm being serious. I used to experience blurry vision after reading for too long. Now that my eyesight is finally restored, I'm determined to take care of it and avoid damaging it again."
After a brief silence, Kakashi asked with sincerity.
"Did you read books with really small text? Or read in poor lighting, sneaking around? Or maybe you were walking or doing other things while reading?"
As Kakashi earnestly sought advice, Itachi avoided his gaze and stared at the tea in his cup.
"A true doctor... Everything you said applies to me. I really did read sneakily—those were treasures, after all, and I didn't want anyone else to see them. And yeah, the other situations happened to me too."
Kakashi quickly sat down beside Itachi, eager to learn.
...
"Don't worry. Your body's recovery abilities are incredible now. Your vision should naturally restore itself. Just cut down on reading inappropriate books and doing unproductive things. You'll feel more energetic, your back won't ache, your head won't hurt, and you won't have ringing in your ears anymore."
Kakashi looked at Itachi as if he were a divine healer, which made Itachi feel a bit awkward.
So, he decided to show off a little.
"A true healer..."
Hearing Itachi's subtle criticism and recognizing symptoms he'd experienced himself, Kakashi stared at Itachi with awe.
He never thought Itachi was so versatile.
"Alright, alright, enough already..."
Itachi quickly raised a hand to stop him.
This Kakashi really could talk endlessly.