At the Time, It Seemed Ordinary

"Is... is that really okay? Will the clan head agree to let me come over and play?" He studied Koki closely and saw that the sincerity in his eyes was genuine, but a trace of hesitation appeared on Obito's face as he rubbed his hands together nervously.

Once, he had seen the clan head from a distance. The clan head was stern and awe-inspiring.

"It's fine. Dad's not home right now, and even if he were, it'd be fine. I'll take care of him. You just have to come home with me." Seeing his hesitation, Koki patted him reassuringly on the shoulder.

Obito's eyes lit up at once. The loneliness in his heart seemed to have found an outlet, and his joy showed plainly on his face. "Then... I won't cause you any trouble, will I?"

Koki shook his head and smiled. "Absolutely not, Obito. You're very welcome to come over, and Itachi will be happy to see you too. Right, Shisui?"

Shisui could see how nervous Obito was and nodded with a smile.

In that moment, it was as though a warm current flowed into Obito's heart. He felt a warmth he had never known before. He had been so lonely that he nodded and accepted Koki's invitation.

"Then we're friends from now on! This is great! I finally have friends. I have to tell Rin the good news!" Obito was overjoyed. He felt that this was the happiest day of his life.

That happy? Koki blinked and said sincerely, "Obito, believe me, we'll be the closest of friends."

"Okay!"

The summer afternoon sun shone down on the earth, as though every inch of ground were boiling with heat.

The season had its own distinctive beauty, with a deep blue sky and white clouds that seemed close enough to touch.

The sweltering summer was torture for the Uchiha Clan. They excelled at Fire Style, and their clothes were mostly heat-absorbing black or blue, but Koki and the others all felt happy that day.

Itachi especially: as long as he could be with his brother, even training made him incredibly happy. What was more, his brother had come home today and said he wasn't going to train, but would spend the whole day with him at home and take him out to eat that evening. Itachi was practically bubbling over with happiness.

When Koki and the other two got home, neither Fugaku nor Mikoto was there. Only Itachi was home, reading a book, and he was delighted to see them return.

"Brother, why are you home so early today?" When Itachi saw Koki come through the door, he rushed over excitedly.

"There's nothing to do today, so I can spend it with you. Where's Mom?" Koki wrapped his arms around his younger brother.

Itachi had grown a little taller recently, and it was already a bit difficult to pick him up, so Koki could only hold him in his arms.

"Mom went out."

Seeing the happiness on his younger brother's face, Koki immediately decided to spend the day with him at home and treat everyone to dinner that evening. Obito was so happy he jumped for joy, Shisui agreed, and Itachi was busy planting kisses on his brother's face.

They started by doing the housework. Obito might have seemed carefree, but he was really good at it, and Shisui needed no mention. The two of them had practically put everything in order without letting Koki lift a finger. Afterward, they washed the clothes and bandages and hung them out to dry in the shade in the courtyard.

When everything was done, they rinsed their lower legs and feet in the courtyard with the garden hose. Somehow, Obito and Koki started spraying each other. Shisui and Itachi naturally took Koki's side, and in the end, Obito was so angry he stomped his feet, saying the three of them had ganged up on him.

The three laughed at the bedraggled Obito, and after what had happened that day, Obito opened his heart completely.

Shisui took a chilled watermelon out of the fridge, cut it up, and brought it out, while Koki made orange juice himself.

The four sat beneath the covered walkway in the courtyard, leaning against the cool wooden floorboards and gazing at the towering tree in the yard. They ate chilled watermelon and drank orange juice to their hearts' content, utterly at ease.

Koki held a hand fan, gently fanning Itachi in his arms as he leaned against Shisui's shoulder. Shisui told them amusing stories about the Ninja Academy. Itachi listened, engrossed, and asked from time to time, "Brother, when will you teach me to use Shuriken?"

"Brother, when will I get to go to school?"

"Brother, when we grow up, let's make our names together in Konoha!"

Koki nodded and smiled.

Sunlight fell on them through gaps in the leaves, and a gentle breeze brushed past, bringing waves of cool air.

There was a large pond in the courtyard, and Obito, unable to sit still, had long since run over to it.

Obito eagerly took out the fish food he had found in Koki's room, ready to feed the fish. Seeing this, Koki deliberately shouted to scare him. "Be careful you don't feed them to death, or your clan head won't let you off lightly."

The remark struck right at Obito's weak spot. Koki knew Fugaku was the person Obito feared most and was using him to scare Obito.

Sure enough, Obito was so startled that his hand shook, scattering fish food all over the pond. The fish scrambled to eat it, and the scene was chaos.

"Oh no, what do I do? I spilled all the fish food. Will the clan head be so angry he'll kill me?" Obito looked anxiously at the fish in the pond, at a loss.

"Hahahahaha, you're done for! Your clan head will definitely blame you!" Seeing Obito like this, Koki doubled over with laughter.

Obito's face immediately turned pale with fright.

Beside them, Shisui covered his mouth and chuckled, while Itachi nestled uncomprehendingly in his brother's arms, thoroughly puzzled by the scene before him.

Obito panicked on the spot for a while, until he saw Koki doubled over laughing and realized Koki was only teasing him. Furious, Obito chased Koki around the courtyard, while Koki ran and screamed.

Itachi was eager to protect his brother, but his little arms and short legs couldn't do much. Shisui stood smiling at the side, helping neither of them as he watched the farce unfold.

The sounds of scuffling, laughter, and water mingled together, forming a warm and harmonious scene. In that moment, time seemed to stand still, leaving only the four of them to enjoy this rare peace and happiness.

They had whiled away the time betting over books, spilling fragrant tea; at the time, it had seemed ordinary.

Many years later, all four still remembered that warm afternoon.

The laughter and carefree happiness of that time had become their most precious memories.

Only when night fell did they reluctantly bring the day's fun to an end. Fugaku and Mikoto still hadn't come back, so Koki left them a note, picked up his little rabbit wallet, and the three of them went out.

What are those two doing? Did they go off for some time alone together to make Uchiha Sasuke? No, that's not right. Sasuke won't be born for another few years, will he?

What am I thinking? Koki laughed at his own thoughts.

The four walked along Konoha's bustling commercial street, and Koki said boastfully, "What do you want to eat? It's my treat!"

"Great! I want barbecue!" Obito, who had been craving barbecue for a long time, nearly jumped for joy when he heard Koki and spoke without hesitation.

"No problem!" Koki nodded. He happened to be craving barbecue himself. Next time, they could have a barbecue in his courtyard. The Uchiha were good at Fire Style anyway, hehe.

Neither Shisui nor Itachi had any objections, and the four of them walked into a barbecue restaurant together.