Everyday Life * Brothers

It's rare for Izuna and Madara to leave work together.

In the past, Izuna would go home first to cook dinner and wait for Madara to come back for dinner, or he would pick Madara up to eat out.

This is the first time that both brothers have come out of the Office together like this.

Night had fallen, and the lights of the Hokage Building gradually faded into the distance behind them. Moonlight spilled onto the stone path, casting long shadows of the two men.

Izuna stretched and let out a satisfied sigh.

"Ah--Finally out. I'd rot if I'd stayed any longer."

Ban glanced at him, a slight smile playing on his lips.

"Didn't you say you absolutely wouldn't Hokage Building today?"

Izuna's expression froze for a moment, then he gave a dry laugh.

Well... plans can't keep up with changes.

"Yeah. The change is that you've taken on a whole bunch of extra work for yourself."

"Bandit," Izuna drawled, "Could you please not be so sharp?"

Ban chuckled softly and didn't continue the topic.

"Speaking of which," Izuna suddenly said, "Has the Hikaku been acting a little strange lately?"

Ban paused for a moment.

"Yeah?"

"Yes." Izuna nodded, his brow furrowing slightly. "It's very obvious. He acts like he's seen a ghost when he sees me, running away as fast as he can. He'll only stand there if he really needs something from me."

He tilted his head and thought for a moment.

"It's not just the Hikaku. The other Uchiha members are acting a bit strange too. Look at my eyes... how should I put it, it's like they're looking at something rare."

Ban didn't speak.

Izuna continued rambling, "I don't think I did anything wrong. I just had a fight Hyuga the Hyuga gang a few days ago, but I wasn't hurt or anything. Why are they looking at me like that?"

He paused, a hint of uncertainty in his voice.

"Brother Ban, did I do something to upset them?"

Ban was silent for a moment.

He knew why.

Last time, Uchiha Hinata the Uchiha because of his awakening of his Sharingan through drama.

Everyone was discussing this, and Hinata was also pulled aside to explain.

The concept of love proposed by Izuna was actually accepted within the Uchiha.

However, during this time, Hinata inadvertently mentioned something.

He said Izuna gave an example of a child who awakened his Sharingan because he was so excited about seeing his father.

Examples are acceptable, but the key point is that this event never actually happened among the Uchiha in this world.

When Ban heard the news, his heart skipped a beat.

To his surprise, the tribespeople's reaction was not one of suspicion or wariness.

Instead, they tried every possible way to make amends for him.

"This... doesn't seem to have happened."

"But Hinata is indeed..."

"That proves it's indeed feasible, but where did Lord Izuna get that information?"

"Are they members of their clan who have been separated from their clan?"

"Perhaps it was a branch of the Uchiha clan that Lord Izuna encountered during his travels."

However, the Elders were not so easily fooled; they approached him privately and questioned him.

"Madara, tell us quietly, is this Izuna really...?"

Ban snapped out of his thoughts and looked at his younger brother beside him. He suddenly reached out and ruffled his hair.

"Nothing," he said. "They're just... thinking about something."

Izuna instinctively shrank his neck as he was being rubbed.

"What's up?"

"About you."

Izuna's brow furrowed even more.

"About me? What's there for me to think about?"

Ban did not answer.

He simply withdrew his hand and continued walking forward.

Izuna stood frozen for two seconds, then chased after him.

"Brother Ban! Explain yourself! What exactly happened?"

"Think for yourself."

"I can't figure it out!"

"Then take your time to think about it."

"Brother Ban--"

The two brothers stopped in front of a roadside stall that was still lit up.

The stall owner, an elderly man, greeted them when he saw them.

"Yo, Lord Izuna! Lord Madara! What brings you so late today?"

Izuna smiled and sat down on the bench, "Overtime, what can I do? Boss, is there any food left?"

Yes, yes! Freshly made oden, still warm!

The old man deftly served two bowls of steaming oden, and added two extra pieces of tofu.

"This is for you. You've had a hard day."

Izuna thanked him and began to eat.

Ban sat down next to him and started eating as well.

Izuna ate quickly, finishing his bowl of oden in no time. He put down the bowl, rested his chin on his hand, and watched Madara eat slowly.

"Brother Ban, what do you think Hikaku and the others are thinking?"

Ban picked up a piece of radish without looking up.

Didn't you say you couldn't think of anything?

"Yeah, I can't figure it out." Izuna sighed. "Can't you just tell me directly?"

Madara raised an eyebrow. "I'm not telling you."

"Eh--" Izuna lay down, his cheek pressed against the table, looking somewhat comical. "Alright then, there's a reason why Madara doesn't want to tell me, so I won't pry."

Ban finished eating, put down his chopsticks, and stood up.

"Let's go back."

Izuna paid and followed in his footsteps.

The night was quiet in the Uchiha Clan Compound.

Moonlight shone on the bluestone slabs, and the eaves on both sides outlined soft contours in the night.

Occasionally, a few insect chirps would come from the corner, only to quickly disappear into the silence.

They arrived at their doorstep.

Izuna pushed open the door, went inside first, and lit the lamp.

A dim, yellowish light spilled out of the house, casting a warm shadow on the stone steps in front of the door.

Ban followed behind and went into the house.

The door closed gently behind me.

Madara opened his arms wide, smiling, and gestured to Izuna.

Izuna froze for a moment.

Then he went over and hugged Ban.

Ban tightened his arms, pulling him into a tight embrace and giving him a firm hug.

The force was so real that Izuna groaned as he was hugged.

Then he let go of Izuna's hand, put his arm around Izuna's shoulder, and walked inside.

After being led a few steps, Izuna finally couldn't help but speak.

"I'm serious, Ban, this is really weird."

"Hmm? What kind of monster?"

"This," Izuna pointed to his hand on her shoulder, then to herself, "This ritual. Hugging him every day when we get home, don't you think it's a bit..."

"What's up?"

"It's a bit like..." Izuna carefully chose his words, "... a wife's reaction to her husband returning home."

Madara looked disgusted and puzzled. "What nonsense are you talking about? Isn't this just normal brotherly interaction?"

"Uh... normal brotherly interaction?"

"Yeah," Ban said, putting his arm around him as they continued walking inside. "You used to snuggle into my lap and sit there."

Izuna: "..."

Let's not talk about things from when we were kids, shall we?

"Not when we were little," Ban said, his tone as calm as stating a fact, "But you still cling to me now that we're older."

Izuna's expression froze.

He looked up at his older brother's profile.

His face held an expression of utter certainty, without a hint of joking.

Is this guy making things up?

But Ban genuinely felt there was no problem.

He and Izuna were originally a very close pair of brothers.

When they were little, Izuna always followed him around, going wherever he went.

Even as an adult, she's still the same; she'll always be around him, whether there's something to do or not. When she's tired from training, she'll lean on him to rest; when she comes back from a trip, he's the first person she looks for; and she'll be the first to tell him anything good or bad.

That natural intimacy felt as normal as breathing.

But later...

Ban's eyes darkened for a moment, then quickly returned to normal.

This Izuna, while respectful to him, is still somewhat awkward when it comes to intimate gestures.

For example, a hug.

Izuna wouldn't have found it strange at all in the past.

Ban didn't say anything, but simply persisted in doing this every day.

You'll get used to it after holding it a few times.

Izuna was led into the living room by Madara and sat down at the low table.

The lights were on inside, casting a warm, yellowish glow throughout the room.

Izuna sat cross-legged, resting his chin on his hand, and watched as Madara sat down opposite him and poured two cups of tea.

"Are you hungry?" he asked. "Was that oden enough?"

"It's alright." Izuna took the tea. "But I wouldn't mind if you were making a late-night snack."

Ban glanced at him.

"Want some?"

"Think."

Ban stood up and walked towards the kitchen.

Izuna lay on the table, watching that figure disappear behind the curtain.

The sounds of chopping and the soft clinking of pots and pans came from the kitchen.

He suddenly remembered the conversation he had just had on the road.

What are Hikaku and the others thinking?

The way he looked at me was so strange; it didn't seem like he disliked me, nor did it seem like he suspected me.

Izuna couldn't understand it.

But since Ban Ge didn't react much, it probably isn't a bad thing.

"Izuna."

Ban's voice came from the kitchen.

"Um?"

Would you like an egg?

"Want!"

Izuna sat up straight and called out towards the kitchen, "Two!"

A soft laugh came from the kitchen.

"Knew."

Izuna leaned back on the table, resting her chin on her hand, listening to the sounds coming from the kitchen.

The sounds of the stove fire, the sizzling of oil in the pan, and the stirring of chopsticks.

It was an ordinary night.

A very ordinary home.

Ah, this is what life is all about.

Oh, try again.

Sharingan!

When Madara brought out two bowls of noodles, he saw Izuna lying on the table, staring at his water glass.

Ban blinked in confusion, but didn't pay much attention. His younger brother had plenty of strange moments, and he'd gotten used to it lately.

He placed the noodles in front of Izuna.

"Eat."

Izuna blinked her sore eyes, looked up, and pulled the bowl in front of her.

The steaming hot noodle soup is topped with two golden poached eggs and sprinkled with chopped green onions.

He picked up his chopsticks and began to eat.

Ban sat down opposite him and began to eat as well.

The room was quiet, with only the sound of the two people eating noodles.

After finishing the noodles, Izuna insisted on washing the dishes.

Ban didn't stop him; he just leaned against the kitchen doorway and watched him wash.

"Oh, right," Izuna said while washing the dishes, "Are you coming to the rehearsal tomorrow?"

"Come."

"Aren't you pretty busy lately? Do you have some free time?"

"Just squeeze it and you'll get it," Ban said. "I have to take a look at what you've got."

Izuna's lips curved into a smile, but he didn't say anything.

After washing the dishes, he dried his hands and walked out of the kitchen.

There were two unfinished cups of tea on the low table, the tea already cold. He put the cups away and turned to rummage through the bookshelf.

He took out a Local Gazetteer and sat cross-legged at the small table.

After coming to Konoha, he developed a habit of flipping through a few pages before bed to see what strange and wonderful things he didn't know about the world.

Sometimes it's a strange wild beast in the mountains, sometimes it's a glowing fish on the beach, and sometimes it's an ancient legend circulating in a village.

Although most of it is hearsay or simply fake, it's quite interesting to watch.

Izuna pulled out a booklet with its corners rolled up and sat back down at the low table.

I had just turned to the first page, and before I could even look at it, I heard a rustling sound beside me.

Izuna looked up and saw his older brother slowly move to his side and then rest his head comfortably on Izuna's lap.

Izuna froze.

He looked down at the furry head on his lap, feeling the weight of the skull, and blinked.

"... Brother Ban."

"Um."

"What are you doing?"

"Lie down for a while."

"Lying down for a while is fine. But why are you lying on my lap?"

Ban kept his eyes closed, speaking as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

"Otherwise, where would you lie down?"

"You can go back to your room and lie down."

"Too lazy to move."

Izuna: "..."

Very good, very domineering, as expected of Madara Uchiha, very self-righteous.

He looked down at the head on his lap, its black hair spread out on his knees, a few strands hanging down and swaying slightly with its breath.

Ban had his eyes closed and was breathing evenly, as if he were truly resting.

But Izuna knew he wasn't asleep.

I was just talking to him, how could I fall asleep so quickly?

But since Ban didn't move, he couldn't say anything.

Forget it, I'll just lie down then.

Izuna sighed, picked up the local Local Gazetteer again, and opened it.

After reading just two lines, the head on my lap shifted, moving to a more comfortable position.

Izuna looked up from the book and glanced down at it.

Ban's eyes remained closed, but the corners of his mouth seemed to be slightly upturned.

This guy.

Izuna withdrew his gaze and continued reading.

According to Local Gazetteer, there is a type of monkey in the mountains to the north that steals things from passersby and can also imitate human actions. Some people have personally witnessed a monkey sitting by the roadside, mimicking the actions of passersby, and gnawing on a stone as if it were Rice Ball.

Izuna's lips twitched, thinking to himself, "What kind of rubbish is this? They can't even make up a decent story."

He turned the page and continued reading.

The room was quiet.

The lamplight flickered gently, casting soft shadows on the wall. A few chirps of insects occasionally drifted in from outside the window, only to quickly disappear into the night.

Izuna flipped through a few pages and gradually sensed that something was amiss.

The head on my lap seemed to have become heavier.

His breathing became long and even, much slower than before.

He looked down.

Ban's brows were relaxed, and his eyelashes cast a faint shadow on his eyelids.

She's really asleep.

Izuna: "..."

He remained motionless, still holding the Local Gazetteer.

I dare not move.