When Toneri arrived, Nagato was indeed startled. No—everyone was startled. Amegakure had a special protective barrier, and Nagato had linked it to the Akatsuki members using the Rinnegan. Any intruder would immediately be detected. So, when the barrier was triggered at 2:30 a.m., the Akatsuki living in the village woke immediately.
Within less than a minute, everyone gathered. Kita was already prepared, and Karin—an unofficial member—was ready as well.
All eyes focused. When Toneri's white hair came into view, one could only imagine the expressions on the Akatsuki members' faces.
Sigh… this was a capitalized "WHAT THE—" moment.
"Hahaha! You're all awake? I'm seventeen today—no, yesterday I turned seventeen! I can come down and play with you now! Oh, the moon looks so beautiful from here~"
Toneri was completely out of sync. And then came Deidara's storm of shouting and cursing.
"Otsutsuki Toneri!!! Waking us up in the middle of the night, I say!!!"
Hidan wasn't present—if he were, Deidara wouldn't have been the only one screaming.
Nagato nearly died of fright.
The consequence of such midnight chaos? Everyone woke up exhausted the next morning. Itachi sat dazed on the living room sofa, petting Daichi the cat to counteract the sleep deprivation.
Sakura was genuinely shocked to see him awake. Normally, this roommate wouldn't stir before ten a.m., but now it was just seven, and Itachi was already up. The sun must have risen in the west today. He's acting strange… maybe he's sick.
She stepped forward instinctively, placing a hand on his forehead. Hmm, the temperature was fine—no fever. Looking closer, his eyes were half-open, vacant. Sakura leaned in and lightly waved her hand under his eyelids.
No reaction at all.
What?! Could this be the legendary sleepwalking?!
Sakura was horrified.
But this sleepwalking was far too obedient… and open-eyed?! Do sleepwalkers do that? Could it be some rare condition?!
Excitedly, Sakura clenched her fists. Chakra began covering her hands as she formed hand seals. No matter what, I need to check first!
"I'm awake," Itachi said, sighing long and deep. Sakura froze mid-motion, stunned. He adjusted Daichi in his arms and fully reclined on the sofa.
"Toneri woke me last night. I'm tired. Sakura, you really need to fix that professional habit of yours."
Sakura smiled awkwardly, embarrassed.
"Sorry~ I… just got curious. But if you're like this from lack of sleep, it indicates low blood pressure, low blood sugar… related to hematopoiesis. With your usual habits, there's an issue. Don't ignore such small things; they're serious. Over time, it could worsen, affecting the hematopoietic system and lymph tissues, which are important for a ninja…"
A barrage of medical jargon spilled from Sakura's mouth. Itachi, clutching Daichi, could only wish he could cry.
"By the way, want breakfast?"
Ha! The great Uchiha of Akatsuki eating breakfast? Impossible. Petting Daichi in the early morning was king. Breakfast was a waste of ninja energy. Plus, if he ate, Kisame would never let him live it down.
"No."
"Not eating breakfast is a ninja taboo. Look, skipping it causes dizziness, weakness, fatigue. Your brain isn't getting enough blood flow, your sugar is low… It seems fine now, but it's the start of a chronic problem. Your skin is dry—this issue has been ongoing. You see…"
Itachi gave in.
"I'll eat…"
Silence followed.
Bread, milk, and sausages. Sakura planned to fry an egg, but it wasn't ready yet. Itachi nibbled bread without letting go of Daichi, feeding half the sausage to the cat. Perhaps, as Sakura said, after a little nourishment, he felt less tired. She decided to explain the plan for the day.
"This afternoon, there's a team gathering. Toneri came yesterday—his birthday. Even though you're not Akatsuki, come along. Kita and Karin will be there too."
"Eh? Toneri? Team gathering?"
Sakura looked utterly confused.
Itachi shrugged, giving Daichi the last piece of sausage.
"It's just everyone eating together—no formalities. Kita and Karin will go."
"A team lunch?"
Itachi nodded. "Yes. Toneri's had a rough time these years—you'll understand when you see him."
"Wait… who's Toneri?"
"A friend we met on a mission," Itachi said. Then added, "He grew up differently. No sense of homeland or village, morality is unclear. Don't scare him."
Sakura felt like yelling.
========
Sakura's first impression of Otsutsuki Toneri? A remarkably striking boy. Second impression? His IQ might be an issue.
"Whoa!!! This is nothing like I imagined! So many towers, all iron? Buildings below too? My god! Nagato, are people living in these towers? That pointy thing on top—what is it?! And these buildings are ugly… one color… so dull!"
Obito slapped Toneri on the head. "Stop talking about your aesthetics! Your decorations make me want to gouge my eyes out!"
Toneri glared, kicking Obito—but Obito dodged perfectly. Failing, Toneri ran to Nagato, complaining. Nagato tore him away, agreeing with Obito, "Your taste really needs fixing."
Ha ha ha.
Laughter erupted. Sakura didn't know how to react—she had never seen anything like this.
Cooking, washing, Nagato and Pain ate fruit while deflecting Toneri's attempts to be cuddled. Obito playfully fought with Toneri while handling fish. Kita wove a kite. Konan, the 'angel,' sat cross-legged, eating fruit without dignity. Mizuki said something that prompted Karin to pummel him. Too terrifying.
========
"Just arrived?"
Itachi spoke, finished cleaning vegetables, waving hello to Sakura. She nodded, carrying a wrapped gift.
"Oh, I just remembered someone's birthday, so I prepared a gift."
Konan smiled. "It's just a meal together, not a birthday." Then called out: "Toneri, someone brought you a gift."
Toneri's eyes lit up, turning to Konan.
"Eh? A gift?"
Konan shrugged casually.
"Here you go."
"Who are you? I've never met you!"
"I'm Kita's doctor, staying temporarily with Akatsuki," Nagato explained. Toneri's attention immediately went to Kita.
"Eh, Kita, you sick?"
Kita shook her head. "Just a small thing, I'm fine."
Toneri nodded repeatedly. "If you are sick, you must heal, or it'll be uncomfortable." Then he bounced over to Sakura, close enough to touch. "I'm Otsutsuki Toneri. Hello. Give it to me~"
Uh… something about this feels off.
Sakura handed over the birthday gift.
"Uh, happy birthday, I… Haruno Sakura."
"Happy, happy! What's this?"
He tore open the long package—and revealed…
A thermometer.