Beneath the cool moonlight, Uchiha Izumi's shadow swayed faintly on the wall, and droplets clinging to the ends of her hair caught the light in tiny flashes.
Uchiha Ao swallowed his last mouthful of porridge. From the corner of his eye, he saw a red mark on his sister's wrist, left by the hot steam, like a thin, winding line.
"Sister Izumi, your hand..." He reached out suddenly to grab it, but Uchiha Izumi deftly dodged him.
She flicked his forehead with a fingertip, her voice tinged with amusement. "Little brother, focus on your food."
Outside, the night wind rustled the leaves. Uchiha Ao opened his mouth, but in the end, he obediently lowered his head and continued drinking his porridge.
Hmph, they actually hurt my dear Sister Izumi.
Itachi, Obito, I'm not done with you!
Uchiha Ao thought to himself as he drank his porridge.
Meanwhile, Uchiha Itachi had just returned home after completing his mission.
At the thought of seeing his adorable little brother soon, a rare hint of warmth crossed his usually expressionless face.
Uchiha Itachi pushed open the front door, and warm light spilled from inside, tinting his black robe a caramel color.
Out of habit, he softened his footsteps. His gaze swept over the two pairs of wooden sandals neatly placed in the entryway. Sasuke's pair still had mud stuck to them from the previous day's training, and one corner was slightly curled up. He couldn't help reaching out to gently brush it, the curve of his lips deepening.
Suddenly, the sound of light footsteps came from the kitchen. Itachi quickly withdrew his hand, his expression turning cold again.
Sasuke came around the corner, carrying a stack of bowls and plates. His black hair stuck up in a mess, and a grain of rice clung to the tip of his nose.
"Big brother! What took you so long?" Sasuke set the dishes down on the table with a huff, splashing a few drops of soup. "The miso soup's completely cold!"
At the sight of his little brother all riled up, a soft chuckle escaped Itachi. He reached out to ruffle that tuft of sticking-up hair, but stopped halfway.
Sasuke warily dodged backward, his cheeks flushing. "You're trying to mess up my hair again!"
"Sorry." Itachi drew his hand back, lowering his eyes to hide his smile. In his peripheral vision, he spotted the rice balls still steaming on the table. Their lopsided shapes were clearly the result of Sasuke's clumsy handiwork. "Did you save these for me?"
Sasuke turned his face away, his ears bright red. "W-who said I saved them for you? I just made too many!"
Then he suddenly remembered something, spun around, and pulled a bundle from the cupboard. Muttering, he tossed it into Itachi's arms. "I saw it on the way and bought it. Nothing special."
Itachi unwrapped the rough cloth, revealing a brand-new kunai pouch inside. The stitching was crooked, and some paint still clung to the edges.
"The stitching's too uneven. It'll rub against your hand." Itachi's fingertips brushed over the bumpy fabric, but his voice was gentler than the moonlight.
Sasuke bristled. "If you don't like it, then don't take it!" Before he could finish, Itachi gently drew him into his arms.
Familiar warmth and a gentle scent enveloped him. Sasuke's resistance gradually faded, and he heard Itachi's low voice above his head. "Thank you, Sasuke."
Suddenly, Itachi felt an itch at the tip of his nose. He rubbed it instinctively, but the strange tickling sensation wouldn't go away.
An unbearable itch welled up in his throat. He quickly turned his head to sneeze, but then noticed the bowl of soup Sasuke had left for him on the table. It was too late to dodge it now.
All Itachi could do was hope Sasuke would forgive him.
"Ah-choo!"
Warm droplets mixed with fine sprays flew out, instantly spreading ripples across the once-calm surface of the soup.
The room fell utterly silent.
Sasuke stiffly lifted his head from Itachi's arms and stared straight at the bowl of miso soup that had "fallen victim" to the sneeze. His ears turned bright red before their very eyes.
"Big brother!" His voice wavered as he shoved Itachi away and pointed a trembling finger at the bowl. "I saved that for you!"
Meanwhile, in Kirigakure.
Dense fog shrouded the entire village.
In the office on the top floor of the Mizukage Building, the crystal chandelier clinked and rattled amid an invisible tremor.
"Ugh..." A baby-faced man knelt on the floor, trembling all over as beads of sweat rolled down his forehead.
A bizarre spiral slowly appeared behind him, followed by the emergence of a figure wearing an ocher-colored mask.
"Obito, what happened? Why did the genjutsu suddenly wear off?"
The ground rippled black like tar, and a pitcher-plant-like creature emerged from beneath it.
One half was black, the other white.
"This is part of my plan. Stay out of it." A hoarse voice came from behind the mask as Obito's scarlet Sharingan swept over the struggling Fourth Mizukage, Yagura.
A moment later, Yagura stopped struggling. His eyes lost focus completely, and he slumped like a puppet with its strings cut.
"Heh." Black Zetsu didn't believe a single word Obito said.
What did he mean, this was part of his plan?
Black Zetsu might be a lump of black liquid, but he wasn't blind.
Yagura had nearly released the Three-Tails.
"Obito, you need to understand the consequences if Yagura breaks free of the genjutsu." Black Zetsu decided he still had to warn the idiot before him. "The Eye of the Moon Plan cannot fail."
"Black Zetsu, the real Madara is dead. I'm the one carrying out this plan now." How could Obito not understand the consequences of Yagura breaking free of the genjutsu?
But a mere embodiment of a dead man's will still thought he could boss him around?
If Black Zetsu weren't so good at gathering information, Obito would have killed him long ago.
"..." Black Zetsu no longer wanted to talk to this arrogant fool.
Someone blinded by hatred couldn't listen to reason.
"Hmph." Though Black Zetsu was black from head to toe, Obito still read the undisguised contempt in his eyes.
All they ever did was mock me. Only Rin would save her kindness for me.
Just wait. When the Eye of the Moon Plan is complete, I'll create a world where Rin exists.
And you, Black Zetsu, along with Madara, will be nothing but stepping-stones on my path to success!
The space around Obito twisted violently. His body became a black vortex and vanished into it in an instant.
"Useless." Once Obito had left, Black Zetsu sank underground with White Zetsu. Only a tar-like black stain remained on the ground, quickly swallowed by the fog.
The next day
Uchiha Ao didn't get up until nearly noon. He'd spent so long memorizing the acupoints the previous night that he hadn't fallen into a deep sleep until the sky began to brighten.
Uchiha Ao pushed open his bedroom door. The house was quiet, and Sister Izumi and Auntie were nowhere to be seen. Only the aroma of food drifted from the table.
A note lay beside the food, held down by a dish. In neat handwriting, it read, "Little brother, remember to eat! (✿◠‿◠)"
Uchiha Ao shook his head, put the note away, and began to eat.
Using his brain all night had taken a lot out of him. He picked up a bite of the greens Sister Izumi had stir-fried. Their crisp, tender texture and salty fragrance spread across his tongue, but as he chewed, he still felt something was missing.
As he ate the breakfast Sister Izumi had made, Uchiha Ao thought about what to do next.
Now that Hinata's main quest was complete, judging by how this system operated, he needed to interact with characters from the original story to trigger a main quest.
But why hadn't the system reacted when he interacted with Guy before? Was there some kind of order to it?
Uchiha Ao tapped the rim of his bowl with his chopsticks, producing a crisp sound as his brows knitted more tightly.
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