If one time, you ever do come across a girl whose heart is brimming with love for you, will you. will you steal all of her precious three-color dango? Would you even steal the big fish that she has in her shopping bag too?
Beiyuan stared blankly at the scene in front of him.
It had been a long time since he last laid eyes on them. Uchiha Izumi chatted excitedly non-stop about her life at ninja school, bubbling over with every detail that came into her head, while the boy—his mouth badly stuffed with sweet dango—squeezed his eyes tightly shut and nodded occasionally in agreement. He was either badly listening to her stories or daydreaming, remembering the delicious taste of the sweets he had never had the chance to enjoy for many long months.
Their smiles that covered their faces never once wavered, remaining warm and pleasant all along the duration of their company. Even though it was just a dull afternoon tea, the whole atmosphere that befell them made Beiyuan feel distinctly uncomfortable and perturbed.
The small cub, with a questioning look on its face, was seriously thinking of plucking cabbage?
Izumi's smile sparkled with happiness and excitement as she watched Itachi daintily brush away a little bit of sauce that had smudged on her lips. "Itachi-kun, I'm glad because soon I'll be a ninja. I want to grow up fast and be able to do all things," she exclaimed with a large smile on her face.
Uchiha Itachi answered, releasing a tiny hiccup as he did so. He was totally full, having eaten to his heart's content.
"Izumi…"
Before they parted ways, the boy looked deeply into her eyes, as if he was trying to impart a message beyond words. Ultimately, after all the intense silence, longing, and after all that stuff, all he could say was merely, "Thank you.
Beiyuan: "Gah…"
What type of discussion is this even going to be?! Everything just completely seems hopeless…
Do you truly love Izumi Uchiha as a character, or is it only the cute three-color dango that she typically carries with her that interests you?
Beiyuan never had any appreciation for Itachi's intrigue—it's simply easier to communicate plainly.
"As for those dango Izumi brought, they were simply delicious," Itachi replied consideringly, hesitating for a moment to choose his words carefully. After a moment of hesitation, he continued, "After today, I won't be able to enjoy them if other people buy them for me anymore."
Gah.
Beiyuan did not give a verbal answer at all, then suddenly posed a puzzling question: how would things be if it were Shisui in this given situation?
Itachi bit his lip and paused.
Beiyuan, brimming with happiness and enthusiasm, practically clung to his arm with a radiant smile. "Gah…"
After all, no one else in their lives ever went out of their way to buy Itachi dango, only those two people who always did. Fugaku, his father, and Mikoto, his mother, did not even pay attention to such seemingly insignificant things. But Itachi did possess an observatory nature and was actually quite particular about his tastes. He just kept this part of his personality very much under wraps, mainly because Fugaku always wanted him to be the pillar of the whole clan.
Beiyuan was not part of the ninja group.
Upon their return home, Beiyuan saw Uchiha Mikoto taking care of flowers with little Sasuke playing around her. The kid already knows how to walk—last time Beiyuan saw him, he was crawling.
The moment Sasuke's eyes locked with the crow's, he sprang forward in a rush to catch the wing, but in the process, lost his balance and fell over at once.
Sasuke broke down in tears.
"Sasuke?" Mikoto spun around, surprised.
She smiled when she saw Beiyuan, picked it up, and put the crow on her shoulder gently before taking up her sobbing son.
Itachi knelt down next to his little brother, Sasuke, and wrapped his arms around him, copying the warm and comforting smile their mother had on. "You're certainly going to be fighting with Sasuke the moment you get home, aren't you…"
"Gah!" Beiyuan's reddened eyes narrowed furiously, furiously with feeling as he gave Sasuke a withering glare. What he secretly needed to convey, buried deep in the curve of his face, was—I missed bullying you!
"Though, everything is as it has always been," Mikoto smiled softly as she softly stroked the gentle wings of Beiyuan with her fingertips. "Itachi, you only just returned from your journey?"
"Ah… Sasuke, no more sobbing now…" Itachi reassured his brother, who then confronted Mikoto. "Dad's not home?"
Mikoto's bright smile a moment ago started to weaken and fade a little. "There is a clan ceremony which is being held today at the Naka Shrine… He may become late."
"I will take Sasuke to the shrine, and I will wait there for him until he arrives." Itachi carefully placed Sasuke on his shoulders, holding him tight. The little toddler laughed with glee and slapped his small palms in sheer delight at the fun experience.
Mikoto cast a hurried glance at the crow beside her. "Beiyuan, will you not accompany them on their journey?
Beiyuan yawned and ruffled his hair. Too much flying. He just wanted sleep.
Mikoto watched and stood by as it swayed and staggered into the bedroom, and she called out to it with a small concern, "If you sleep too much, you'll miss dinner!" Beiyuan found himself struggling to catch quality sleep. There was a strange sensation that was always tugging on his feathers, making him feel uneasy. With a gentle struggle, he gradually opened his eyes and was met with a shocking sight: Sasuke was intensely gazing into his eyes, in the meantime clinging firmly to his head fluff.
The child smiled. "Bed…
".Gah."
The crow, which was utterly shocked and could not react to what was happening, quickly grabbed Sasuke's collar with its beak and then flew off with him, taking him to the main hall in a speedy fashion.
There sat Uchiha Fugaku and Uchiha Itachi, not a word spoken between them. The atmosphere was charged.
"Sasuke, come here…
Itachi gently picked him up from Beiyuan's sharp beak, being careful not to hurt him. "You woke Beiyuan up by yourself? That's just amazing!"
"Gah…" Beiyuan gave a slack, uninterested expression to the world. Why was it that everyone treated him as if he was lying in bed all day?
From the warm and inviting kitchen, Mikoto beckoned, "Are we all done with everything? The dinner is all prepared and done. Itachi, would you mind assisting me with the dishes?
She had a red-eyed appearance, which clearly showed that she had been weeping. The environment that enveloped the father and son was clearly colder than it was before this.
Could it be that something was happening much, much sooner than it ought to have been?
In the initial timeline that had occurred, Fugaku had been quite interested in his son Itachi being an Anbu, which would bring him closer to important inner-circle information pertaining to the village. However, at this point in time, being Jiraiya's apprentice, Itachi had already within his reach and in continuous contact with some of the strongest members in Konoha's leadership.
And Jiraiya. he had invested so much in Itachi along the way.
Tonight, maybe Fugaku would at last talk to him.
"I really apologize, Mikoto. I have no appetite now." Fugaku stood up from his chair and slowly tied his clogs, ready to leave.
The whole room stopped moving.
Before he went out, Fugaku paused and thought for a moment. "Itachi, this is not what I wanted… I would never do any harm to you intentionally."
"Yes." Itachi answered in a gentle voice, lowering his head into the posture of contemplation. Although his face was out of view, the somber shadow beneath his forehead protector said more than words could possibly express: "Father, I do not require this accursed power to display my own capabilities. I strongly believe that I can still rise to greatness and become a superior ninja based on my own capabilities."
Then—
A black pair of wings spread behind him silently.
Nobody else in the family seemed to know what was going on around them. Beiyuan slowly shifted his head, his face contorted in a look of shock and disbelief…
At what point in time did the young cub, in its development and growth process, acquire the phenomenal ability of entering Sage Mode consciously at will?
No… what is going on here? What's the logic behind his needing Sage Mode at home, just to impress Fugaku?