“Hasn’t Itachi returned yet?”
“No. Not long after you left for work this morning, Itachi was notified of an emergency mission and left home immediately.”
“Is that so? It seems his talent has already been recognized by Hokage-sama and the Anbu within this past month.”
This was a typical daily conversation in Sasuke’s home.
His father, Uchiha Fugaku, would always talk about the eldest son’s excellence and then remark with satisfaction:
“As expected of my son.”
Upon hearing this praise, the younger son, Sasuke, became even more taciturn, even deliberately suppressing the sound of his own breathing.
As if he was worried that his “unworthiness” would be too conspicuous and provoke the displeasure of his father, Uchiha Fugaku.
Ino was very familiar with this kind of family atmosphere—no…
her father certainly doted on her, but as a junior of a ninja clan, Ino understood the clan’s attitude toward “talent.”
Especially when there was a massive gap in “talent” among peers, the side that wasn’t “genius” enough was an eyesore just by existing.
She was a bit at a loss; Sasuke, who was worshipped like a brilliant star by everyone at school, was in a situation at home where he was the plain wooden box following the brilliant jade.
The tension of having glimpsed someone else’s secret made Ino force herself to stare blankly at the barley tea on the table, trying to relieve the pressure by zoning out.
But the young girl was clearly unable to dissipate the chilling aura emanating from Uchiha Fugaku, a high-ranking figure with immense power in Konoha.
The shivering little one desperately needed comfort from her own kind.
So, Ino’s gaze turned toward Sakura, who was sitting beside her.
However, Sakura, who usually read the room better than anyone, seemed not to notice anything amiss at this moment.
“Ah, I’m back to life!”
Sakura drained the barley tea in her hand.
From the time school ended until now, she had walked such a long way and eaten some dry crackers on the way.
Now, encountering the cool barley tea, a single cup down her throat made her feel completely refreshed.
“Auntie Mikoto, when are we going to eat?”
Sakura placed the empty teacup back on the table and asked.
As the saying goes, nothing in the world is more important than eating.
“Sakura? Sakura! That’s… that’s too rude!”
Asking for food while visiting someone else’s home was far too impolite, not to mention that as guests, they had come on a whim without prior notice.
“Eh? But I’m already very hungry.”
Sakura turned her head to look at Ino, who was subtly reminding her, and decisively dragged her into it too.
“Ino, aren’t you hungry?”
“I…”
Ino hesitated, not knowing how to answer.
Uchiha Mikoto, on the other hand, smiled gently and signaled to Ino not to be so restrained: “Just wait a little longer; dinner will be ready soon.”
In Uchiha Mikoto’s eyes, reactions like Sakura’s were actually quite amusing; this was how a six-year-old child should be.
Whether it was Itachi or Sasuke, both of her children were too mature and obedient, which occasionally made Uchiha Mikoto feel like she was missing out on the sense of involvement that comes with being a mother caring for her children.
After soothing Sakura and Ino, Uchiha Mikoto looked at her husband.
Uchiha Fugaku also nodded.
After taking a small sip of the barley tea in front of him, he said, “Since Itachi was summoned for an emergency mission, he probably won’t make it back for dinner. No need to wait for him.”
With Uchiha Fugaku, the head of the household, making the decision, Uchiha Mikoto stood up and walked toward the kitchen.
After Sakura’s little outburst, Ino suddenly felt the previously tense atmosphere ease up.
Without the presence of the understanding mother, the father reverted to his taciturn nature, silently sipping tea, while the son, unable to connect with his father, remained closed off in his own domain, avoiding any contact with his father’s world.
At least…
Ino reconsidered her thoughts; at least as guests and outsiders, they were removed from the tense atmosphere.
Well, although maintaining such a silent atmosphere was a bit awkward, it was much better than before.
Ino gradually relaxed her mood and adjusted to this silence.
But clearly, someone was unwilling to let the environment stay too quiet.
“Naruto, please pass me the teapot with the barley tea.”
Sakura spoke, gesturing to Naruto, who was sitting next to Sasuke.
“Oh!”
Naruto picked up the teapot from in front of Sasuke, handed it to Sakura, and then asked the question that Ino absolutely did not want to touch upon:
“Hey, hey… Sakura?”
While getting the teapot for Sakura, Naruto conveniently switched seats, sitting on Sakura’s other side and calling her name as if he had some burning doubt in his heart that he wanted to pour out to her. Enjoying the story? Read on at novelping.com.
“Hmm?”
Sakura took the teapot and refilled her empty cup with a full glass of barley tea, responding to Naruto’s call nonchalantly.
“Um… who is Itachi?”
“Didn’t you hear Uncle Fugaku just now? Itachi is Sasuke’s older brother.”
“Older brother?!”
Naruto was not one to hide his emotions; his surprised expression was a bit exaggerated, but it truly reflected his shocked state of mind at the moment.
“Sasuke, you have an older brother!?”
Naruto looked at Sasuke; he had never heard Sasuke talk about his older brother.
So this guy has his own sibling…
A sudden, inexplicable flash of melancholy that even he couldn’t understand passed through Naruto’s heart.
“Why didn’t you tell us about this?”
Naruto’s persistent questioning caused everyone’s gaze to involuntarily fall upon Sasuke, who was trying his best to suppress his own presence.
As the center of the conversation, Sasuke met each of the gazes directed at him.
The confusion in Naruto’s eyes.
The tension in Ino’s eyes.
The indifferent attitude toward knowing the answer in Sakura’s eyes.
And the scrutinizing gaze his father, Uchiha Fugaku, cast upon him.
“Because there’s nothing to say.”
Sasuke felt his scalp tingle, but he still answered Naruto’s question.
If it were Ino or Sakura, both would have realized that Sasuke’s so-called answer was essentially a form of evasion.
However, the one asking the question was Naruto, who had plenty of flaws: he didn’t like listening to others, didn’t know how to read the room, and loved to get to the bottom of things.
“‘Nothing to say.’ What does that mean?”
If Uchiha Fugaku weren’t here, Sasuke could have chosen to ignore Naruto’s pestering with silence.
But with Uchiha Fugaku present, Naruto’s questioning became a heart-piercing thorn stuck in Sasuke’s chest.
“It means my relationship with you isn’t close enough to discuss family matters.”
Thus, the flustered youth pulled out the thorn in his heart and turned it into sharp words, stabbing it into Naruto’s chest.