Sasuke dawdled at the back, kicking a pebble by the threshold, his small face crumpled like a balled-up piece of paper.
He hated sweets, but seeing his brother’s enthusiastic look and meeting Sora’s sparkling eyes, he couldn’t bring himself to say no.
Especially seeing Sora and that blond kid follow his brother into the shop and even turn back to smile at him, the slight reluctance in his heart suddenly twisted into a sour lump.
He gripped the hem of his clothes and hurried to catch up, deliberately edging closer to Itachi and hiding half his body behind his brother, staring intently at Naruto and Sora sitting side by side like a wary little beast.
Itachi familiarly found a four-person seat by the window and beckoned a staff member over, saying warmly, “Three orders of Three-Color Dumplings, three bowls of Red Bean Soup, and an extra order of Soy Sauce Dango, please.” He specifically ordered an extra portion of savory Soy Sauce Dango.
Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Sasuke’s shoulders quietly relax—his younger brother wouldn’t say it, but as his elder brother, he knew Sasuke had never liked overly sweet flavors since he was a child.
Soy Sauce Dango were moderately sweet and salty, with the chewiness and sweet aftertaste of glutinous rice; they should suit his palate better than the purely sweet Three-Color Dumplings.
During the wait for the food, Itachi broke the silence first, looking at Sora opposite him and saying, “Sora, aren’t you going to introduce us to each other?” Only then did Sora realize that he hadn’t let Naruto know about the brothers yet, and Sasuke didn’t know Naruto either.
Naruto crossed his arms over his chest and intentionally raised his voice as if staking a claim: “My name is Uzumaki Naruto!
I’m Sora’s big brother!” Sasuke glanced at him and didn’t pay much attention, only giving Sora an awkward “Mm.” He didn’t like talking to strangers to begin with, but thinking it was his brother’s wish, he couldn’t maintain a completely cold face.
“By the way, Sora, how did you meet this big brother?” Naruto suddenly asked curiously.
He had been wondering for a while, having felt suspicious ever since seeing Sora and Itachi walking together.
As soon as those words were out, everyone looked at Sora.
Naruto and Sasuke were both somewhat curious, but Itachi frowned slightly.
It would be fine if they had met normally, but they had met in a place like the hospital.
Sora was only a three-year-old child, after all.
No matter how strong he appeared, that was a reality that couldn’t be changed.
It might not be right to make him mention such a sad event himself.
Sora sighed softly.
He didn’t give too many details, simply explaining his ordeal and focusing on his story after arriving in Konoha.
Sasuke sat to the side, lowering his head in some shame.
So that was how his brother and Sora had met; no wonder his brother’s eyes were always exceptionally gentle when looking at Sora.
Naruto also scratched his head, feeling a bit chagrined.
He had been jealous because Itachi and Sora were close; was he being a bit immature?
He quietly peeked at Sora, only to see him looking down, lost in thought.
The dining table fell silent instantly, leaving only the soft rustle of wind blowing through the leaves outside.
Just then, the shop owner came over carrying the dango and Red Bean Soup.
The Three-Color Dumplings were coated in glistening icing, and the Red Bean Soup emitted wisps of steam.
The sweet fragrance instantly filled the air, thinning the gloom at the table.
Sora’s eyes lit up, and he impatiently picked up a skewer of dango and took a small bite—the chewiness of the glutinous rice mixed with the sweetness of the icing instantly improved his mood.
Seeing this, Itachi breathed a sigh of relief.
From the look of it, Sora seemed fine.
Next, it would just be a matter of time and companionship to slowly wash away those sad memories of the past.
He picked up a skewer of dango and waved it in front of Naruto and Sasuke.
“You guys eat too.
They’re freshly made; they’re only fragrant while they’re hot.” Sasuke nodded, picked up a skewer of Soy Sauce Dango, and cautiously took a small bite.
He still didn’t like sweets; even the sweet and salty ones were a bit of a struggle to eat.
Sora looked up and saw Sasuke’s furrowed brow as he stared at the sweets, unable to help a secret laugh.
Sasuke at this stage was truly cute, clearly disliking it but choosing to persevere because of his brother.
He remembered Naruto and Sasuke’s preferences quite clearly.
After all, he had been a fan for several years, plus he had watched the anime seven or eight times out of boredom in his past life.
Even after several years, it would be hard not to be familiar with them.
The distracted Sasuke soon noticed Sora looking at him.
At first, he thought Sora was just glancing around curiously, but after a while, he realized Sora’s gaze was fixed on him, which immediately made him feel uneasy.
“Hey…
what are you staring at me for?
It’s not like I have food on my face…” After learning about Sora’s ordeal, Sasuke’s tone had become very soft, for fear of scaring the little guy who had just lost his family.
“Brother Sasuke is really not honest~ Although you’re quite cute like this, you’ll lose out if you’re always so awkward.
Also, don’t keep calling me ‘Hey,’ call me by my name; it’ll make me very happy.” Seeing Sasuke’s reaction, an involuntary gentle smile appeared on Sora’s face, his tone carrying a bit of teasing.
Seeing Sora’s gentle smile, Sasuke’s cheeks instantly flushed.
He lowered his head, his voice as faint as a mosquito’s buzz: “I-I get it…
S-Sora…” His voice grew smaller and smaller until, by the end, no one could hear what he was saying.
Itachi watched this scene with great interest, his eyes full of amusement—younger brothers were indeed cuter the more one looked at them, and watching two younger brothers get along was even more interesting.
“Tch~” Naruto turned his head away in annoyance.
Seeing Sasuke’s bashful act made a mysterious fire rise in his heart.
Damn it!
Why does Sora always smile at Sasuke!
“Stupid Naruto!
What are you huffing about!” Sasuke’s temper flared upon hearing Naruto, and his previous shyness vanished instantly.
“Stuck-up Sasuke!
You got a problem?!” Naruto refused to back down, craning his neck to talk back.
Sora watched the two start arguing again.
Instead of trying to stop them, he popped a dango into his mouth and watched the spectacle with great interest.
Itachi shook his head helplessly, stepped forward to pat both their shoulders lightly, and placed another skewer of Three-Color Dumplings on Sora’s plate.
“Stop arguing.
If you keep at it, the dango will get cold.” “Thank you, Brother Itachi~” Sora happily accepted the dango, his eyes curving into crescents.
Itachi nodded with satisfaction.
Sora was truly the second younger brother of his dreams.
For some reason, Sasuke’s temper was exceptionally explosive today; though it wasn’t aimed at him, but at Naruto.
However, having successfully introduced Sasuke and Sora, and seeing that the atmosphere of their interaction seemed quite good, it seemed he wouldn’t have to worry even when he wasn’t around.
Once the atmosphere improved a bit, Itachi turned to Sasuke and said, “Sasuke, I might not have time to accompany you for a while.
If you’re bored, you can look for Sora to play, but don’t go too far and be careful.” He had already requested permission from the Sandaime, and the Sandaime had agreed to let Sasuke and Sora spend time together.
However, seeing a Jinchuriki following Sora today—but everything in the Village was under that hokage’s eye.
Although there was a Jinchuriki following Sora, he had already requested permission from the Sandaime-sama before, and the hokage had agreed to let Sasuke spend time with Sora.
Although he couldn’t figure out the reason behind it, it should be fine.
Hearing that his brother would be busy, Sasuke felt a bit disappointed but still nodded obediently.
“I understand, Brother.” He stole a glance at Sora, and seeing Sora smiling at him, he awkwardly twitched the corners of his mouth into a somewhat stiff smile.
Naruto snorted from the side and took a fierce bite of a dango skewer, as if he were trying to kill the dango with his teeth.