Naruto: I Am Itachi Uchiha!

My eyes fluttered open, revealing the stark white of the ceiling above me. The sterile scent of disinfectant filled the air, sharp and unmistakable. Turning my head toward the window, I felt the soft warmth of sunlight and a gentle breeze brushing against my face. It was oddly soothing.

I tried to move, but my body refused to cooperate. It felt as though a massive weight pinned me down. Taking a closer look, I noticed my legs were encased in plaster, my arms suspended in slings. My chest was tightly wrapped in layers of bandages, and even my head was swathed in a thick dressing. The faint metallic tang of blood lingered. I wasn't dead, that much was clear, but I wasn't far from it either.

An hour passed in silence before the sound of footsteps reached my ears. I turned my head toward the approaching figure and saw her tear-streaked face.

"Izumi," I greeted weakly, forcing a small smile. "Where have you been?"

"Itachi, you're awake!" Izumi exclaimed, hurriedly wiping her tears with the sleeve of her shirt. She rushed to my bedside, a mixture of relief and worry etched on her face. "I was at the memorial service for the Fourth Hokage. I… I also paid my respects to my parents."

"Oh." My response was quiet, restrained. I couldn't meet her gaze. The raw emotion in her eyes was too much to bear. The way she wiped away her tears just now… It stirred something deep within me, though I quickly shoved the feeling aside.

"Do you feel okay?" she asked, her voice trembling with concern.

"Not really." I let out a dry chuckle, attempting to ease the tension. "It's uncomfortable not being able to move my arms or legs. And my chest… it feels like it's being crushed."

"Please bear with it," Izumi said gently. "The medical-nin spent hours removing the debris from your body last night. The injuries you suffered from the Nine-Tails' attack aren't easy to heal. You'll need to rest for a while."

"How long?" I sighed, staring at the ceiling.

A new voice answered, one that carried an air of authority. "At least a month," said my father, Fugaku Uchiha, as he stepped into the room. "That's if you behave and don't push yourself. Otherwise, you risk being permanently crippled."

I rolled my eyes. It was about the only movement I could manage, but it got my point across.

Fugaku ignored my silent protest and continued, "Izumi explained what happened, but I need to hear it from you. Why were you there, Itachi? As a man, once you make a decision, you must be prepared to face the consequences. You can't protect anyone by acting recklessly."

I looked away, unwilling to argue. He wasn't wrong. My recklessness had nearly cost me everything. If I were stronger, could I have avoided this? Could I have saved more people? The thought gnawed at me.

"I understand," I muttered, my voice barely audible.

Fugaku's stern expression softened just slightly. "Good," he said. "You have a lot to prove, Itachi. But for now, focus on recovering. Izumi will be staying nearby to help look after you."

With that, he turned to leave, offering only a curt nod to my mother, Mikoto, and Izumi on his way out.

Once Mikoto followed suit, it was just Izumi and me. She stayed by my bedside, her wide eyes filled with concern. I could feel her gaze burning into me.

"Stop staring at me," I said irritably. "If I weren't injured, you'd be dead by now."

She didn't understand the hidden meaning behind my words. Instead, she smiled sweetly and said, "If you hadn't been there, Sasuke and I would have died."

I sighed, exasperated. How could someone so naive survive in this world? Still, there was a certain charm to her innocence.

"Show me your Sharingan," I said suddenly.

"Sharingan?" she echoed, tilting her head in confusion. "What's that?"

I groaned inwardly. "It's a dojutsu unique to the Uchiha clan. The red eye you awakened during the Nine-Tails' attack. You can activate and deactivate it by channeling chakra to your eyes."

"Oh, let me try!" she said enthusiastically.

An hour passed. She hadn't managed to activate it even once.

"This is too hard, Itachi!" Izumi pouted, frustration evident in her voice.

If I could move, I would have smacked her by now. Instead, I settled for a heavy sigh. "Focus your chakra and direct it to your eyes," I explained patiently. "Like this."

With a flicker of chakra, my own Sharingan activated, the two tomoe in each eye spinning lazily. "This is the Sharingan."

"Wow! That's amazing, Itachi!" Izumi clapped her hands, her eyes sparkling with admiration.

She closed her eyes and concentrated, her hands clenched into fists. When she opened them again, her irises glowed crimson, a single tomoe spinning within each.

"Single tomoe… Not bad," I said, offering her a rare compliment.

Izumi beamed at me, her joy infectious. For a moment, the weight of my injuries didn't seem quite so heavy.

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