Uchiha Itachi walked into the house, his expression soft and a rare smile tugging at his lips.
"Brother, where have you been?" As soon as he stepped inside, he was greeted by a pouting Sasuke holding a cleaning rag, clear disapproval on his face. "I came home and you weren't here! I asked Mom, and she said you went on a date!"
Sasuke emphasized the word like it was an unforgivable betrayal.
Who else would my brother date besides that Ah Quan girl?
Sasuke crossed his arms. Tch. Always choosing girls over me. If even Itachi is like this, will Naruto be the same in the future? No way! I might not be able to stop my brother, but I'm definitely keeping an eye on Naruto!
Itachi chuckled and flicked Sasuke on the forehead with practiced ease.
"Ow! That hurt!" Sasuke winced, rubbing his reddened forehead.
Itachi didn't answer his question. Instead, he raised a brow. "Sasuke… why are you holding a rag?"
"I'm helping Mom with the housework." Sasuke replied proudly, glancing at the rag. Hmph! Next time, I'll blow Naruto's mind with my cleaning skills.
After returning home and learning Itachi had gone on a date, Sasuke had sulked—until he remembered his second goal: to learn how to do housework. So he had gone to their mother for guidance.
When Uchiha Mikoto heard his request, she paused… then smiled brightly. "Sasuke, what brought this on?"
Sasuke flushed and explained what had happened at Naruto's house earlier.
Upon hearing the story, Mikoto couldn't help but laugh out loud.
"Mom, don't laugh!" Sasuke's face reddened further. He ducked his head in embarrassment. (ω)
"Okay, okay. I'll stop." Mikoto suppressed her smile and began teaching Sasuke how to clean.
Sasuke was surprisingly diligent, following her instructions to the letter.
Mikoto watched him with warmth in her eyes. Deep down, she silently thanked the Uzumaki brothers. She'd always wanted a daughter after giving birth to Itachi, and though she loved Sasuke, she had once wished for a girl to balance out their home. A girl would've made a perfect pair—one boy, one girl. The ideal family.
She glanced at Sasuke's side profile and a mischievous thought popped into her mind: If I grew his hair out and dressed him in a kimono… He'd be such a pretty girl.
If Sasuke had any idea what his mother was thinking, he'd probably drop the rag, scream, and regret ever asking about housework.
Meanwhile…
Itachi ruffled Sasuke's hair and said, "Helping with the chores already? You're growing up. I heard from Naruto that he does a lot of housework too."
Sasuke beamed at the first part, but the smile instantly vanished when he heard the second.
His brother… praised Naruto? Again?!
"Hmph! I don't wanna talk to you anymore! I'm going back to cleaning!" With that, Sasuke stormed off to the living room, rag in hand, determined to prove himself.
The Uchiha household was huge—yard big enough to be a training ground—so cleaning wasn't exactly a walk in the park. Sasuke worked tirelessly, wiping and scrubbing everything in sight.
Itachi turned to their mother, curious. "Mom? What's up with Sasuke?"
Mikoto smiled and relayed Sasuke's story. When she finished, Itachi burst into laughter.
—
The Next Morning
Before heading to school, Mikoto handed Sasuke some money. "This is for the glass you broke at the Uzumaki house yesterday."
Sasuke nodded and pocketed the cash without protest. Mikoto lovingly ran her fingers through his hair and thought: After school, I'm definitely taking him to buy some clothes.
Sasuke, completely unaware of his mother's fashion plans, simply enjoyed the affection.
—
At the Ninja Academy
Sasuke entered the classroom, eyes scanning immediately for Naruto.
"Na—" He stopped mid-greeting when he saw Naruto chatting animatedly with Hinata.
Why am I annoyed?
He stomped over.
Naruto looked up, beaming. "Sasuke! Good morning!"
Sasuke ignored the greeting and reached into his pocket, pulling out the money. "Here. For the glass from yesterday. Take it."
"Glass money?" Naruto tilted his head, then remembered the window Sasuke had broken. "Oh, that? It's no big deal."
Sitting beside him, Menma thought silently: No big deal? That was half a month's worth of Ichiraku ramen.
Sasuke held the money out again. "My mom insisted. Take it."
"I said it's fine."
"Take it."
"Nope."
"Take it."
Menma had had enough. He raised his fist and bonked them both on the head.
"OW!" Both boys rolled dramatically on the floor, clutching their heads.
"If you two keep arguing, I'll let you try my Rasengan next." A glowing blue orb whirled in Menma's hand.
Naruto: "…"
Sasuke: "…"
The boys looked at each other. "We're done arguing."
"Good." Menma returned to his seat, closed his eyes, and began digesting everything the shadow clones had learned last night. The scroll not only included the Shadow Clone and Flying Thunder God techniques—it also had Uzumaki clan sealing jutsu.
Not bad, he thought. This time, Old Man Sarutobi finally gave me something useful.
—
Back at the Hokage Residence…
"Ha-CHOO!" The Third Hokage sneezed loudly.
Ugh… am I catching a cold? No… I'm just getting old. Old, old—it's time to retire.
Last night, after long contemplation, Hiruzen Sarutobi had finally come to a decision.
It was time.
(End Of Chapter)
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