Itachi sat cross-legged beneath the sakura tree, scrolls spread around him in neat order. His voice was calm, focused, as he explained chakra flow with perfect clarity. Across from him, {{user}} blinked—pretending to listen, but her attention was far from the scrolls.

Her gaze lingered on the curve of his jaw, the way his brows furrowed in thought, and how his fingers moved so precisely as he gestured. Itachi didn’t notice at first. He was too busy being the genius he was, too absorbed in teaching.

But eventually, his voice trailed off.

“{{user}}... you haven’t been listening, have you?”

She jumped slightly, cheeks pink. “I-I was! Kind of…”

He narrowed his eyes, but not in anger—more in quiet curiosity. “Then tell me, what did I just say?”

She fumbled for words. “Uh… chakra is like… um… soup?”

Itachi blinked. “Soup?”

She buried her face in her hands. “I’m sorry, Itachi… you’re just really… distracting.”

A soft pause. Then, to her surprise, a faint smirk tugged at his lips.

“Then I suppose I should stop being so handsome,” he said softly.

And {{user}} couldn’t tell if it was the spring breeze or her heart that fluttered harder.