Birthday

"Happy birthday!!"

The moment Uchiha Shu opened the front door, he heard a sharp pop.

A black-haired girl stood in the entryway, holding a freshly twisted party popper. Streamers and tiny star-shaped confetti drifted down over their shoulders.

Shu glanced at the scraps on the floor. "Remember to clean that up."

"So cold!!" The girl's catlike black eyes widened, and her cheeks puffed out slightly. "I came to celebrate your birthday. Your big sister will be heartbroken if you treat me like this, you know."

"Mm, what a wonderful surprise! Thank you, Sister Izumi~" Shu clapped with an expression of delight. "All right, clean it up~"

"..."

Uchiha Izumi pouted deeply. "You brat, you're getting less and less cute. You used to need your big sister to hold you every day before you would sleep."

"Don't twist the facts. You were the one who insisted on holding me while we slept. Too bad you're too young to be prosecuted, or there'd definitely be a seat for you in the Interrogation Department's electric chair." Shu took off his shoes, his tone full of regret.

At that, Uchiha Izumi's pout grew even deeper.

The Uchiha Clan was full of little-sister and little-brother fanatics, and Uchiha Izumi was no exception. Though the two were not biological siblings, they had lived together for six years, so they were naturally very close.

Originally, Shu had not felt much affection for Uchiha Izumi. He had even been somewhat prejudiced against her. After all, in his eyes, anyone who could fall for Yellow Weasel had to have something wrong with their head.

Still, for the sake of his adoptive mother, Uchiha Hazuki, he had reminded her to stay away from Yellow Weasel.

Considering that they had known each other for years, and that Izumi already had vague feelings for Itachi, Shu had assumed she would not take his warning seriously.

Yet to his surprise, Uchiha Izumi agreed without hesitation.

She had not been brushing him off. She had made the promise with complete sincerity, and afterward, she never contacted Itachi again.

That surprised Shu, but it also made him feel the weight of her trust.

That was why, among the people Shu cared about, Izumi counted as one whole person, while Shisui only counted as half.

"Shu, you're back?"

The moment they entered the living room, a woman in an apron emerged from the kitchen. She looked to be around thirty, with refined and beautiful features, and she carried a plate of freshly fried tempura.

"Aunt Hazuki!" The instant Shu saw her, his face broke into a bright, sunny smile. Then he turned toward the other person in the room, and his smile vanished at once. "Well, if it isn't our Hokage loyalist—Lord Shisui. To what do we owe the honor of your sudden visit?"

"Haha... I came to celebrate your birthday, of course." Sitting beside the dining table, Shisui scratched his head. His smile was awkward, with a touch of helplessness.

He knew that with Shu's cold and distant personality, after their unpleasant conversation that morning, Shu would definitely draw a line between them.

But Shisui did not want to sever their bond so easily.

Part of it was emotional, and part of it was because Shu's words—words he had been unable to refute—had truly shaken him.

Just as he was hesitating, he happened to run into Uchiha Hazuki, who had gone out to buy groceries. When he learned she was celebrating Shu's birthday, he followed her back.

"Oh my, did you two have an argument?" Noticing the stiff atmosphere between them, Uchiha Hazuki set the tempura on the table and reached out to stroke Shu's head. "You should get along with your senior, Shu."

"Mm, okay!" Uchiha Shu nodded obediently and gave Shisui a fake, stiff smile. "A guest is a guest. What would you like to drink? We only have pee at home, if you don't mind..."

Smack!

Hazuki lightly chopped Shu on the head. "You can't be rude to your senior."

Shisui gave a bitter smile, but he was not angry. He could understand Shu's rejection of him.

Trust was something precious, and it was also what the Uchiha and the higher-ups lacked most right now.

The moment he chose to trust the Third Hokage, he naturally lost Shu's trust.

Thinking back to their conversation that morning, Shisui kept feeling that something was off.

From what he knew of Shu, the boy might be strange, but he was even more mature than Itachi had been at that age. He was not someone who spoke without reason.

The fact that he had suddenly brought up that topic that morning likely meant he had noticed something, or perhaps even knew something.

Remembering the rumors he had heard that afternoon, a sliver of hope rose in Shisui's heart for no apparent reason. He looked at Shu and said seriously, "Shu, can we talk alone?"

"Hm?" Uchiha Shu raised a brow. For Uchiha Hazuki's sake, he still tilted his head slightly. "Let's go to my room."

After leading Shisui into his bedroom, Shisui curiously surveyed the room.

As a ninja, psychological profiling was a required subject. An experienced ninja could infer seventy or eighty percent of a target's personality from their living environment.

Shu's room was simple, with only a bed, a desk, and a small bookcase.

A bouquet of flowers sat by the bed. Several Ninjutsu scrolls were casually spread across the desk, and the blanket was somewhat messy as well.

It was clear that Shu's living habits were not great, but someone often helped clean his room. Shisui did not know whether it was Izumi or Aunt Hazuki.

Shu sat cross-legged on the bed. "Go on. What is it?"

"I came to apologize to you, Shu."

Sensing Shu's coldness, Shisui sighed. He pulled out the chair beside the desk, sat opposite Shu, and spoke seriously. "After you left this morning, I thought about it carefully. Perhaps you were right. Regarding the Mangekyo, I was too naive."

"In the past, I always felt that the clan was too arrogant to communicate with. But thinking about it carefully, I seem to have made the same mistake. Just because you were young, I arrogantly assumed you understood nothing. That really was my fault."

"Heh, you're not stupid after all?"

Uchiha Shu stared at Shisui in surprise. He rose to his feet and circled Shisui twice, tilting his head as he clicked his tongue in wonder. "So—what made an arrogant man like you change your mind?"

Shisui smiled awkwardly. "I heard... you defeated Sasuke and awakened the Three-Tomoe Sharingan?"

"I knew it..." Uchiha Shu sneered, looking thoroughly uninterested. "In the end, you're still an Uchiha. When it comes down to it, only strength matters. You're no different from the idiots in the clan, but at least you know how to reflect. That means you're not completely beyond saving."

Shisui did not mind Shu's sarcastic barbs. After a brief hesitation, he asked uncertainly, "Shu, did you awaken the Mangekyo?"

Shu shot him a glance. "What? Want to pull me in to sell my ass with you?"

"..." Shisui did not know whether to laugh or cry. "Of course not. Don't say such vulgar things! I've already realized my mistake!"

"You realized your mistake? Hmph, too late!" Uchiha Shu sneered. "The kid's dead and now you bring milk; the snot's in your mouth and now you know to wipe it! You? You're already at death's door! If you don't die within a month, I'll take your surname!"

"We already have the same surname..." Shisui's mouth twitched. "And is it really as serious as you say?"

"I'm afraid... it's far more serious than that!"