Tamamo shot upright in her futon, eyes wide with purpose.
"Today is the day," she whispered dramatically. "Today… we train."
She launched out of bed in her crumpled pajamas, feet slapping the floor as she burst into the hallway. The morning light was barely creeping through the windows.
Tamamo marched straight to Sasuke's room, flung the door open, and without hesitation, grabbed the edge of his blanket.
"WAKE UP!" she shouted.
Sasuke let out a startled whine, still half-asleep. "Tamamo, it's not even—"
"No excuses! The world waits for no shinobi!"
She grabbed his wrist with both hands and dragged him — blanket and all — out of bed, down the hallway, and straight through the front door.
"We've got training to do!"
The sun had barely climbed above the rooftops of the Uchiha compound. Dew still clung to the grass as Tamamo stood in the courtyard, drawing a circle in the dirt with a stick.
"This," she declared, "is the Arena of Destiny."
Sasuke stood nearby, still yawning, arms crossed. "It's just a circle."
"A circle of fate," Tamamo corrected, dead serious.
"You're weird."
"And you're scared of getting beaten by a girl in pajamas."
That got him.
With a scowl, Sasuke stepped into the makeshift ring. "Fine. But I'm not holding back."
Tamamo grinned. "Good. Because neither am I."
They faced off, standing on opposite ends of the dirt circle. Their breathing slowed. The playful energy from before shifted just slightly — not gone, but focused. This was still a game… but now it felt like one worth winning.
Tamamo narrowed her eyes. "Alright, no more messing around. You ready, noodle-head?"
Sasuke rolled his shoulders. "You're going down, pajama warrior."
They charged.
Tamamo threw a wild hook — Come on, come on, land just one, she thought — but Sasuke ducked and countered with a shove to her side. Of course he saw that coming.
She staggered, pivoted, and came back with a spin kick that mostly missed, but earned a surprised grunt from her twin.
He lunged for her again, and with perfect comedic timing, Tamamo snatched a fallen leaf from the ground and slapped it across his face.
"Leaf Slap no Jutsu!" she shouted.
Sasuke stumbled back, stunned more by the absurdity than the impact. "You slapped me with a leaf?!"
"And it was super effective," Tamamo declared proudly.
Sasuke retaliated with a low sweep — Keep your center low, just like Itachi said, he reminded himself — and Tamamo jumped — barely — landing with a wobble and a triumphant yell.
"HA! Ninja Reflexes!"
"You just flailed!"
"It was a tactical flail!"
Sasuke rushed her again — She's faster than she was last week, he noticed. Tamamo met him halfway, trying to imitate Itachi's footwork — One step, two step, pivot like a pro, she recited mentally.
Their limbs collided in a tangle of swats, dodges, and poorly aimed strikes. Neither landed anything clean, but they were sweating now. Breathing heavier.
"You've been practicing," Tamamo said, grinning.
"So have you," Sasuke admitted. "Leaf Slap actually stings."
Tamamo beamed with pride. "Told you it was real."
She ducked low again, pushed chakra into her legs — this time on purpose — and dashed forward in a blur.
Sasuke barely had time to block her palm strike with both arms.
The force wasn't much, but it was there. Real. Intentional.
They both froze.
Tamamo blinked. "I don't know… but I think I did a thing."
She stared at her hand, feeling the faint tingle still lingering in her fingers. That was real. She did that. Not in a dream, not by accident. Just her. It was the tiniest spark of progress—but it was hers.
They looked down at the scuffed ground where she'd pushed off.
Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "Again."
"You're on."
They reset their stances, ready to go another round.
Then a familiar voice cut through the courtyard.
"Your stance is too wide."
Both kids froze.
Itachi stood by the doorway, arms crossed, expression unreadable.
Tamamo and Sasuke straightened up immediately.
"How long were you watching?!" Tamamo squeaked.
"Long enough to witness the Leaf Slap no Jutsu."
Sasuke looked mortified. Tamamo, on the other hand, grinned proudly.
"Well? What'd you think?"
Itachi considered for a beat. "Your chakra control is improving. But maybe less shouting."
He stepped forward and gently poked Tamamo's forehead with two fingers — a gesture so rare and deliberate it made her blink in surprise.
"Good work."
Tamamo pouted. "It's for dramatic effect."
He nodded once. "Then at least project from the diaphragm."
Tamamo crossed her arms, tilted her head, and gave him a deliberately exaggerated, squinty-eyed nod.
"Hn," she said, mimicking every Uchiha she'd ever seen with a look of pure mischief.
Mikoto, standing just behind him, chuckled under her breath. She said nothing — just watched her children with a fondness that filled the morning air with quiet warmth.
The training would come.
But for now, it was enough that they were laughing, learning, and leaping across the dirt, yelling nonsense attacks like they were the strongest ninja in the world.
And maybe, one day, they would be.
Tamamo brushed her hands together and turned to Itachi, squinting up at him. "Hey, by the way — who's the weird stalker hiding in that tree over there? He's been watching us since Leaf Slap no Jutsu."
Mikoto blinked, surprised. "Tamamo? What do you mean?"
Itachi turned his head slowly toward the treetops, eyes narrowing.
Tamamo pointed without hesitation. "Up there. His chakra feels funny. Bouncy. Like soap bubbles."
Itachi's expression shifted just slightly — the faintest edge of surprise. "Tamamo… you can sense him?"
Before anyone could respond, a familiar voice called down from the tree, cheerful and amused:
"Well, I was trying to stay hidden, but clearly someone's got talent."
With a flicker of motion, a figure appeared beside Itachi in a gust of leaves and light — tall, lean, and grinning.
"Yo," Shisui said, waving lazily. "Nice moves, future kunoichi of chaos. You've got potential — and a mean slap game."
Sasuke's eyes were wide with awe. "That thing you just did — when you appeared out of nowhere — can you teach me that? Please? You just vanished! That was amazing!"
Tamamo puffed up immediately. "Excuse you — I sensed him first. He should teach me!"
"You just want to sneak snacks without getting caught."
"And you want to run away from chores faster."
"You called me a noodle-head this morning!"
"Only because you are one!"
"Enough," Itachi said, rubbing his temple. "Tamamo, Sasuke — this is Shisui Uchiha. My friend. And a shinobi you both could learn a lot from."
Mikoto stepped forward with a polite smile. "It's good to see you again, Shisui."
Shisui scratched the back of his head, laughing sheepishly. "Sorry for eavesdropping. I was gonna head out, but then I saw two miniature ninja screaming about destiny and slapping each other with leaves, and I thought, 'Now this… this is serious business.'"
He gave them a mock-serious nod. "Besides, I figured I'd stop in and give my number one fan a demonstration. You know — me, Shisui of the Body Flicker, faster and stronger than even Itachi himself."
There was a beat of silence.
Both Tamamo's and Sasuke's expressions shifted in unison — the light in their eyes dimming to pure deadpan as they scanned him from head to toe, unimpressed.
"No chance," Tamamo said flatly.
"Not happening," Sasuke added, shaking his head.
Tamamo squinted. "Someone with a haircut like yours? Stronger than Itachi?"
Shisui staggered back, clutching his chest as if struck. "Oof!" he cried. "An arrow of disbelief — right in the heart."
Sasuke crossed his arms. "You dress like someone trying to blend in at a genin graduation."
Another dramatic recoil. "Ack! A second shot! Brutal honesty!"
Tamamo delivered the final blow with a smirk. "And your shoes don't even match."
Shisui stumbled backwards, miming a third arrow. "Gwah! The final blow! Death by sass."
He dropped to one knee, groaning. "I'm too pretty to go like this…"
Tamamo crossed her arms. "For the record, I was winning."
"Nuh uh," Sasuke shot back instantly.
"Yuh uh."
"You almost kicked yourself in the face."
"That's called flexibility, thank you."
"You made up five jutsu that were just different ways of falling."
"It's called innovation, peasant."
"You're a menace."
"You're a gremlin."
"Your battle cry sounded like a drowning duck."
"And yet, it struck fear into your soul."
Shisui grinned. "Sounds like a proper Uchiha battle to me."
Mikoto chuckled, while Itachi just shook his head — but there was the faintest hint of a smile on his face.
Shisui's brain short-circuited.
Itachi smiled!!! Someone write that down!!! The world is ending!!!