Konoha at Five in the Morning

"Is everything ready?"

Grandmother squinted, her silver hair reflecting the bright yellow light. Drowsy, she leaned against the bedroom doorway and watched her well-behaved grandson sorting through his ninja tools.

"Are these things even going to be any use if the Nine-Tails really attacks?"

Rikusei stared solemnly at the ninja tools laid out on the table. He picked one up and fiddled with it, looking troubled as he spoke.

Perhaps the cool hint in the early-morning summer breeze had cleared Grandmother's bleary eyes. She suddenly remembered something and went into the bedroom. Then she returned with a sealed iron box and set it on the table.

"What's this?" Rikusei asked curiously from the sofa, eyeing the somewhat battered iron box, which seemed to reek of history.

Grandmother smiled mysteriously and opened her palm to reveal a key. Under Rikusei's eager gaze, she slowly unlocked the box. A few little yellow balls lay quietly inside.

Rikusei recognized them at a glance.

They were Smoke Bombs. He already had some on him, so putting these in an iron box seemed like overkill.

Grandmother seemed to notice his confusion. She took them out and set them on the table, speaking with a hint of nostalgia. "These are specially made Smoke Bombs. If the Nine-Tails really tries to attack you, you can use them to disorient him. The chakra-infused smoke might get blown away in an instant, but it should still buy you some time."

After watching her good grandson tuck them away, she was about to close the box when she seemed to remember something and muttered, "These would probably be more suitable for using on the Nine-Tails."

"?"

Rikusei hadn't heard her clearly. He looked at Grandmother in confusion, but she tapped him on the forehead.

Watching her grandson rub his forehead, Grandmother's eyes shifted. She sensed familiar chakra approaching and hurried him along. "Little Naori will be here soon. Why aren't you heading out?"

"Oh."

Rikusei put the Smoke Bombs in his ninja tool pouch, then glanced reluctantly at Grandmother as she went back into the bedroom. He straightened his clothes, turned off the light, and headed outside.

Grandmother wasn't sure how strong the Nine-Tails was, but she knew Madara and Hashirama's strength like the back of her hand.

She had been there for the battle between the Eternal Mangekyo and Wood Release. Rather than worry about them, they ought to worry about the Nine-Tails.

She slowly closed her eyes, but her Sharingan couldn't help replaying the scene of that battle. Although the Uchiha Clan had lost, the two clans had reached an accord, bringing peace to the Shinobi World.

Rikusei quietly shut the door behind him. Standing in the street, he tugged his collar closed against the wind slipping inside. Summer was scorching, but the early-morning breeze still made him hunch his shoulders.

"Does Rikusei get cold too?"

A soft, teasing voice drifted over on the breeze, like a lark perched in the morning branches, ribbing a passerby bundled up in his collar.

Rikusei turned toward the sound. A pair of ninja sandals, their toes peeking out, swung playfully over the roadside wall.

The moonlight tried to catch up with her jade-like toes. His gaze traveled up from her smooth, pale feet to the bandage-wrapped calves swaying gently, making her Uchiha high-collared robe flutter. Her slender fingers held a white lantern marked with the Three-Tomoe Sharingan, tilted upward, its warm yellow candlelight illuminating the girl's flawless face.

Moonlight fell evenly over Naori's soft purple hair. Her dark eyes studied him curiously. Seeing him staring blankly, she pouted.

She sprang gracefully down from the wall and narrowed her eyes as she watched the flame flicker. Thankfully, it hadn't gone out. She brushed the dust off herself, then stood obediently beside him.

"The moon is beautiful tonight," Rikusei said, his eyes slightly unfocused as the Moon Wheel's bright light drew his gaze to the dark blue sky.

"Yeah. There aren't many stars out." Naori gazed up at the clear night sky, holding her lantern level and steadying the short sword at her waist so it wouldn't clink and disturb the peaceful, picture-perfect night.

Rikusei took the lantern and looked around the Uchiha Clan Grounds in the early morning. Insects chirped rhythmically in the roadside grass, joined by the rustling leaves in the distance, composing a melody for the midsummer dawn.

Faint starlight and the bright moon illuminated their path as they headed toward their agreed destination.

The gates of Konoha were their rendezvous point.

"Catching the Nine-Tails is going to be grueling, isn't it?" Naori asked the boy beside her in a hushed voice, her steps light and lively.

"Don't worry. I brought hot pot." Rikusei picked up on her hint and discreetly pointed to the scroll in his ninja tool pouch.

Her bright eyes welled with tears as Naori grabbed his sleeve. "That's wonderful, Rikusei!"

Who could resist the temptation of hot pot, especially the special kind with dumplings added? The flavor had changed quite a bit, but it had still won the girl over with its novelty.

Rikusei let her hold on to his sleeve, though he regretted that the lovely girl beneath the cool moonlight had vanished like a fleeting flower beneath the stars, conquered by the prospect of good food.

A few lanterns were glowing at the Uchiha Clan Grounds' gate ahead. Though the night obscured their figures, Rikusei could make out Kagami, Baru, and Naka.

The darkness was nothing to a ninja's eyes. They carried lanterns simply to announce their presence, so their companions could spot them at a glance.

The four lanterns crossed the gates of the Uchiha Clan Grounds side by side. They strolled down Konoha's streets, where the soft lamplight cast a glow on roads transformed by night, lending them a special charm beneath the full moon.

Naka and Baru eagerly imagined the battle that might break out, while Kagami embellished their ideas with all the stories he had heard.

"Instead of discussing that, shouldn't you be wondering whether you can keep up with the march?" Rikusei tapped Baru on the shoulder. When Baru looked at him in confusion, Rikusei whispered the words like a devil tempting him.

The lively mood fell silent in an instant.

After thinking it over, Baru turned his head stiffly and met Naka and Kagami's eyes. All three wore the exact same expression.

"The clan head and the others will definitely adjust their pace for us," Naori said, deciding to save them as she watched the color drain from their faces.

"Phew!"

That was a relief. The three of them looked at their savior, their big sister, with gratitude and sighed together. Their pounding hearts finally settled.

"Wait! Don't turn your faces away." The brief pause let Naori notice their eye bags in the moonlight. Something felt off. Rikusei had been teasing them; normally, they would've caught on. How had they fallen for it this time?

Cold sweat began to trickle down their foreheads. Her sharp gaze pricked their faces like needles, stirring memories buried in their minds.

The terrifying memories and the dim twilight made them tremble. The big sister who had once beaten them all by herself was back, and this time that man was with her. Despair spread helplessly through their hearts.

"You three were so excited that you couldn't sleep all night, weren't you?" Rikusei suggested, gesturing to their dark circles as evidence.

Naori didn't know what to say. She rummaged through her pocket, took out a few pills, and prepared to hand them over.

Judging by their appearance, they were Military Ration Pills, good for restoring chakra and stamina.

The three shook their heads together to show they had brought some too. Then they took out specially made rice balls and shared them, filling their stomachs as they walked toward the meeting point.