What was going on?
Why was he looking at him like that?
Sasuke's gaze held both delight and pity, sending a chill down Uchiha Satoru's spine.
The smug little grin vanished from his face. His neck stiffened, and he slowly turned around.
His Six Eyes had already shown him exactly who was standing behind him.
Oh, crap.
He'd let his guard down too much.
He'd seen everything, but none of it had registered.
Uchiha Itachi's face was black as thunder, and he forced each word out through his throat.
"Uchiha Satoru."
"You really are something."
"You've even started leading Sasuke astray."
"Clearly, you have too much free time if you've still got the energy to fool around."
"I'll tell Father to increase your training."
That was it? Just a little extra training?
Uchiha Satoru's eyes lit up, and he fought to keep the corners of his mouth from rising.
Sasuke, who had been caught red-handed alongside him, stayed silent-until he opened his mouth and stabbed him in the back.
"My second brother never trains anyway. What's the point of giving him more?"
What did he mean, never trained?
That was a gross injustice!
When it came to ninjutsu, his Six Eyes had him covered. One look at a technique, and he could reproduce it perfectly.
He could even follow the flow of energy to work out a more efficient way to use it and make improvements.
All he really needed was time to build up his cursed energy reserves.
He had discovered that cursed energy could power all kinds of ninjutsu too.
For the same amount of effort, cursed energy packed an even bigger punch than chakra.
He admittedly struggled with genjutsu that required the Sharingan, though.
His Six Eyes specialized in seeing through things, not bewitching minds.
As for taijutsu, he wasn't the sort to charge in and trade blows...
"Too many sweets are bad for your teeth. I had Mom lock away those boxes of limited-edition dango that were mailed home."
"We'll talk about them after you've finished training."
After hearing Sasuke's remark, Itachi added another line.
"Sasuke, you've been getting sluggish lately. You didn't even hear me coming up behind you."
"Double your taijutsu training."
His voice remained utterly level. Sasuke, standing beside him, wasn't getting off the hook either.
"Yes, big brother." Sasuke nodded and gave a subdued reply.
"Huh?" Uchiha Satoru wilted completely.
So much for his limited-edition dango.
"Big brother! Big brother!" A shout erupted in the distance.
Something like a yellow whirlwind came sweeping straight toward them.
Hmm? It was that kid, Naruto Uzumaki.
Uchiha Itachi and the others, along with Kakashi lurking in the shadows, all fixed their eyes on him.
Crouched on a tree branch, Kakashi furrowed his brow slightly, his eyes unreadable.
Tch. This was getting tricky.
How had those two gotten mixed up with each other?
This was already as close as he could get to the Uchiha.
If he moved even half an inch closer, that sharp little brat would surely sniff him out.
Uchiha Itachi, the Uchiha Clan's foremost prodigy.
What was he supposed to do about this?
"Hey, if it isn't Naruto." A smile returned to Uchiha Satoru's face.
"Big brother, we ran into each other again!"
"Oh, right! You still haven't told me your name."
Naruto beamed like sunshine at Uchiha Satoru, showing no sign that anything had ever weighed on his mind.
"Satoru. My name's Uchiha Satoru, and this guy on my left is Uchiha Itachi."
The corner of Uchiha Satoru's mouth lifted as he answered Naruto.
"Second brother, you haven't forgotten me again, have you?"
Sasuke had waited and waited, but not a single mention of him had come.
His cool face, still carrying a little baby fat, was tight with resentment.
"Hmm? Since when was there someone else standing here?"
"Too short. Didn't see him."
Uchiha Satoru exclaimed theatrically, as though he'd only just noticed him.
Most people couldn't appreciate the joy of teasing this little brother.
"Huh? What do you mean, too short?" Naruto asked, his face full of question marks.
Why was big brother having so much fun?
"It's how far something stands above sea level. Just think of it as how tall or short it is."
He hadn't expected anyone to play along.
Uchiha Satoru's face blossomed into a grin, and he explained with great enthusiasm.
As he spoke, he gestured over the heads of the two beside him, clearly getting hooked on playing the teacher.
Beside him, Itachi and Sasuke glanced at him in unison, their gazes frighteningly flat, with knives lurking underneath.
"Oh, I get it, big brother!"
"You were saying this guy next to you is a shorty."
Naruto blurted it out excitedly. He finally understood what big brother meant.
"Who are you calling a shorty, dead last?!"
"And I'm not 'this guy.' I have a name. It's Sasuke Uchiha."
The instant Naruto's words reached his ears, Sasuke's temper flared.
What a load of crap! How was he short?!
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