Uchiha Akira raised an eyebrow, the corner of his mouth pulling into a half-smile.
"No? If you don't want it, I'll take it back."
He made as if to reach for the Chakra Fruit in Itachi's palm.
Uchiha Itachi's pupils abruptly shrank. He cupped the fruit protectively against his chest with both hands and hopped half a step back, undisguised panic churning in his crimson Tenseigan.
"I do! I want it!"
Neji made the exact same move beside him, cupping the fruit in both hands and hopping half a step back, their motions so neat they looked rehearsed.
The two looked at each other, then stuffed the Chakra Fruits into their mouths at the same time.
With one bite, red light exploded between their lips, and vast life energy surged down their throats into their bodies, spreading wildly through every limb and bone.
Uchiha Itachi's crimson Tenseigan grew brighter and brighter in the light of evolution. His Adam's apple bobbed several times; his mouth opened, then closed again.
Before this, Brother Akira had always given the good things to Hyuga Neji first.
The first pair of Tenseigan had gone to Neji, the first Genetic Serum had gone to Neji, and even when it came to going to the Floating Island to clean up, Neji had tried to compete with him.
When he first saw those two Chakra Fruits, his immediate reaction had not been to think of himself at all. In his mind, he had simply assumed they were for Neji and someone else.
Brother Akira would give a Chakra Fruit to him?
Impossible.
Only when the fruit landed in his palm, when that smooth, slightly cool texture traveled up from his fingertips, while the vast life energy was still surging through his mouth, did he become certain.
He had