"Sensei, would you like to stay for dinner? I made fish tonight," Sasuke asked shyly, hoping her teacher would notice how much her cooking had improved.
Sasuke still remembered her first "dish" - it had been barely edible without tears. Knowing a shinobi should be good at everything, she'd decided to fix that little flaw. Her determination to learn how to cook only grew stronger when she realized that on long missions, shinobi often had to prepare their own meals, especially when far from any village.
So, to get some practice, she'd started making dinner for the family herself over the past month. She cooked from a recipe book, and if during the first week Mikoto and Itachi always seemed to have "just eaten" and skipped her food, by the second week they were sometimes even asking for seconds.
"Sasuke-chan, you don't have to poison me just to stop being my student," Akira replied bluntly, not bothering with tact.
"I can cook now, you know," Sasuke protested, pouting and turning up her nose.
"You know, I'd love to, but I already…" Akira started to make up an excuse, but the thought of food made his stomach growl. "All right, you win."
Sasuke grinned, satisfied with his answer.
****
"This is weird…" Sasuke immediately noticed the heavy silence at the table.
Sitting next to Akira, she had a perfect view of her mother and sister's faces across from her. Silence during meals wasn't unusual for their family - it was an unspoken tradition that went back years. But tonight, the quiet felt even quieter than usual. Mikoto and Itachi barely made a sound as they ate. Even their glasses touched the table without a noise. On top of that, Sasuke caught Itachi sneaking quick glances at her teacher more than once.
Unable to take the tension, she decided to break the ice.
"Onee-san… how was your mission?" Everyone at the table turned to look at Itachi, who, caught off guard, missed her piece of fish with her chopsticks.
"Uh, don't worry, everything went fine." Of course, she wasn't about to share any details about her ANBU mission, but that was enough for Sasuke.
"By the way, weren't you heading to the bath?" Sasuke noticed Itachi's hair was a little greasy.
"Ahem… I was just about to…" Itachi trailed off, not sure how to finish.
"She didn't make it. I asked her to help me… fix the wardrobe," Mikoto jumped in to help.
"Hm, I always thought you were pretty handy, Mikoto. Ahem." Akira started with a smile, but suddenly his face twitched at the same time a dull thud sounded from under the table.
Mikoto just kept smiling sweetly, doing her best to look innocent about the noise from beneath the table.
"Oh, Akira, sometimes I'm so clumsy I end up breaking even the sturdiest things, just by using a little too much strength," she said, her message landing right where it needed to. Akira just gave a crooked smile in response.
Sasuke looked from a beet-red Itachi, to her seemingly calm mother, to her teacher's odd grin. Suddenly, Itachi looked up, as if she'd just remembered something.
"By the way, we're out of milk."
"Ahem…" Sasuke turned to Akira, who was sitting with his face in his hand, shoulders shaking. After a moment, he pulled himself together, lifted his head - barely hiding a smile - and started to say to Itachi, "Don't worry, Mikoto will…" Another dull thud from under the table. "…buy some. We were just about to take a walk around the district and talk over a few things."
Itachi nodded and went back to her food.
*Did I miss something?* Sasuke wondered.
****
Mikoto and Akira strolled leisurely near the forest park, deep in conversation.
"So, we could set aside one house for a library, where people can read with a membership card. If they want to buy a book, that's fine too. Sort of a library–bookstore hybrid," Akira said enthusiastically, pitching his ideas for projects that could bring the Uchiha district some income through taxes and profit shares, depending on the investment.
"But why would people come to our district just to read? Wouldn't it be easier to buy a book at the market and read at home? Even if the second part of The Search for Truth draws people in, they'll just buy the book and leave," Mikoto replied skeptically. In her mind, even if a bookstore–library became popular, it probably wouldn't bring in much money.
"You're not seeing the bigger picture. People will come - trust me. Just the fact that the district will be open to outsiders will attract curious visitors, and since the sequel to my hit book will be sold here, people will definitely show up. And your idea of a library is a little different from mine. I'll make it as comfortable as possible, so people want to stay and read, feel more at home than at home. Soft couches, coffee tables, tea, little sweets - those won't be free, of course.
Sure, some will just buy my book and leave, but plenty will want to stay and read in a cozy atmosphere. But that's not even the main thing - the real goal is to bring people into the district, so they can see and appreciate the other businesses we'll set up. For that, a bookstore–library is perfect," Akira said, barely pausing for breath.
"All right… maybe. But a women's clothing store? And what was that about using the old elder's house with the hot spring?" Mikoto pressed on, still weighing whether to open the district to outsiders and, if so, how to break the news gently to her clanmates.
"I've already worked out the clothing store idea. Of course, I can't show you any profit reports yet, since the shopping center and the clothing store haven't opened, but there's definitely demand. I've got plenty of designs - all you need to do is hire women with sewing experience, find them a workspace with a small storage area, and set up a supply line from Otafuku."
"Ahem, right, you said those gifts you brought were clothes made from your designs?"
"That's right," Akira nodded, not forgetting to give each woman in Mikoto's house a present before he left.
"I see. Then I'll let you know what I think after I check out the clothes. But why a women's clothing store specifically? Wouldn't it be better to open a general store for both men and women?"
"Because women's clothes are more expensive," Akira shrugged. "And I doubt you'll want to double your workforce right at the start. For now, it makes more sense to focus on one target group. As for the hot spring… we'll turn that area into a full-on relaxation spot: besides the onsen, we'll add a sauna, build a pool, hire massage therapists for both women and men, and set up a mini-bar where drinks will be pricey. And entry to the spa won't be cheap, either." Every time Akira said "expensive," his smile got a little wider.
Mikoto, trying to picture all of this in one place, felt her head spinning. Akira had only just explained what a sauna and a pool were, so imagining it all together was a challenge.
"I couldn't build all that myself," she admitted, realizing she didn't even know what to ask the contractors.
"Don't worry, I'll help - I'm invested in this too. If it works, these projects will be the pillars for bringing people into the district and making money. Then your clanmates who aren't working for the village can open their own small businesses in the center - little cafes, whatever they want - or rent out space to enterprising outsiders," Akira said, mentally calculating the costs.
"Well… since Mikoto's going to cover part of the expenses, I'll probably have about twenty-two to twenty-four million ryo left. And in forty days, I'll need to pay a fifteen million ryo fee… hmm, maybe I should send my clones to Tanzaku again to earn another ten million? If they hadn't brought in that unexpected windfall, I wouldn't be able to do any of this. And when the shopping center opens, I'll have to drop another five million…" Akira double-checked his math and came to a not-so-pleasant conclusion.
"Damn! After all this, I'll only have three or four million ryo left! I'll be broke again? Wait… no, I'll get another two million from McDonald's, and a six million ryo cushion is enough. Then the shopping center will start making money, and the Uchiha district will bring in more…"
"Akira… about what happened," Mikoto pulled him out of his thoughts.
"Huh? You mean that recent incident? What did you tell Itachi?" he asked, focusing on the now-fidgeting Mikoto.
The girl was over sixteen, so Akira had no doubt Itachi understood everything without needing an explanation.
****
"God, I don't even know what to say," Mikoto began, covering her face with her hands as she sat next to Itachi in her daughter's bedroom.
Itachi didn't mind trying to comfort her mother, but she still hadn't fully recovered from the shock. And the distinct smell lingering around her, despite Mikoto's best efforts to erase the "evidence," wasn't helping her focus.
"You probably think I'm a terrible mother or wife, right?" Mikoto finally spoke again after a while.
"A terrible mother? No, you've never given me a reason to think that. If anything, I'm partly to blame - I should have knocked. Being exhausted after a week-long mission doesn't excuse missing something as obvious as the bathroom light being on," Itachi thought, placing her hand over her mother's.
"You're not a terrible mother," Itachi said, and though it wasn't like her, she was even ready to hug her mom to comfort her - but remembering the smell on herself, she held back.
"So I'm a terrible wife, then… I mean, it's only been two months since I said goodbye to your father," Mikoto said, staring off into space, her voice sad.
"What difference does it make?" Itachi asked directly. Catching her mother's confused look, she explained, "A month, two months, half a year… does it really matter how much time has passed since you became a widow? Sure, if it happened the day after the funeral, people would talk, but you and Akira-san weren't like that back then, right?"
"No, of course not!" Mikoto protested immediately. "Ahem… and since I'm being honest, I'll just say it - today was the first time I kissed Akira." She answered with a hint of embarrassment, thinking that sharing this might help clear her reputation a bit with her daughter.
Of course, if Itachi hadn't witnessed the "handiwork," she wouldn't have mentioned it. Mikoto also wisely left out the fact that the scene happened barely a minute after their first kiss.
"Oh…" Itachi nodded. "Congratulations, I guess?"
It was hard to tell what Itachi really thought from her expression.
"Thank you. But don't worry… nothing in our family will change. You're not getting a new dad, and I plan to keep our relationship a secret," Mikoto said, gesturing emphatically.
"That makes sense. Our clanmates might not take it the right way," Itachi agreed easily.
"And… what do you think? About me and Akira?" Mikoto asked, a little anxious.
The conversation felt oddly backwards - usually, it's the daughter asking her mother for advice about a partner, but given everything that had happened, neither Mikoto nor Itachi found it strange.
"Akira-san is a good person, and from what I've seen, he's not the type to chase after every woman," Itachi said thoughtfully.
Mikoto nodded in agreement, but something in her daughter's words made her pause.
"Tell me, sweetie, when did you have time to learn all that about him?" Itachi made a blank face and looked away. "Were you spying on him?"
"That's classified," Itachi replied, and that was her answer to any follow-up questions, too.
"Hm," Mikoto mused, her face slowly brightening. "I see, he knows how to use chakra and he's not exactly subtle. Is he clean?"
"Yes," Itachi decided that was safe to share. "Oh, and he's definitely got a thing for Kushina-san," she "exposed" him.
"I know." To say Itachi was surprised by that answer would be an understatement. Uchihas were naturally monogamous, and it was rare for a Uchiha woman to share a man. As far as Itachi could remember, there had only ever been one man in the clan with two wives - and by some strange coincidence, his name was also Akira.
*Is Mom trying to steal Akira-san from Kushina-san? Or is Kushina-san fine with it?* Itachi started theorizing, thinking that with her hair color and temperament, her mother actually looked better with Akira.
****
The next day, after training, I went to the hospital for my massage session and to sign up for the medical-nin courses.
Turns out, even to sign up, you have to pass a basic screening - specifically, a chakra volume check. Makes sense, since if you've only got a teaspoon of chakra, you're not much use in medicine, even as a battery.
The guy handling applications - Yokutsaki-san - after a quick introduction, checked my chakra reserves, and judging by his face, he was very pleased.
He also asked a bunch of questions: Why do you want to take the medical-nin course? Do you like helping people? Where do you work or where have you worked before? Any bad habits?
I kept waiting for the classic "Where do you see yourself in ten years?" but it never came. In the end, he handed me a form to fill out: name, surname, year of birth, height, gender, address, registration number in the village - the one everyone gets upon gaining residency in Konoha.
They took my form and gave me a slip with the date, time, and location of the classes - turned out to be on the same floor, just in the next wing.
Feeling good about my productive start to the day, I headed home in high spirits.
"All right, in an hour, I should drop by Kushina's," I remembered our little rendezvous.
A half-hour shower later, I was fresh and standing in front of the mirror, wondering how to dry my hair faster.
"Man… sometimes I amaze myself," I said, stretching out my hand and focusing chakra into the tenketsu of my palm and fingers, spinning it at the same time. The Rasengan appeared instantly, swirling with wind.
Some might say it's stupid to use such a dangerous technique to dry your hair - and they'd be absolutely right. An A-rank jutsu can easily kill someone, and the only thing keeping me safe is my perfect control over it. I can dispel it in a split second, so even if my hand slips, nothing bad will happen. I hope.
"Hm…" I studied the Rasengan in my hand, thinking about the penetrating and destructive power of a sphere. Not wanting to interrupt my hair-drying, I created a second Rasengan in my other hand.
By my calculations, I had enough chakra for about twenty Rasengans, which is pretty impressive. In my mind, an A-rank jutsu is pretty chakra-intensive - most chunin can only use it three or four times in a fight - but the real challenge of Rasengan is the chakra control. If jutsu had a separate rank for energy efficiency, I think Rasengan would be S-rank.
"All right, what if I tweak the chakra flow a bit?" I started to gradually reduce the angle of the chakra streams, and the sphere slowly flattened, starting to look like a squished ball. I tried distorting the flow even more, but the jutsu lost its shape and the Rasengan vanished. The idea that popped into my head was simple as a rock - try changing the sphere into something closer to a disk. Of course, this jutsu wasn't meant for cutting damage, but I wanted to try.
A knock at the door stopped me from trying again.
"That must be Kushina… guess I got a little distracted."
Not wanting to make her wait outside while I got dressed, I went to open the door half-naked, with just a towel around my waist.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm coming." I flung the door open and surprised not only Kushina, but also an unexpected guest - a young beauty I already knew, thanks to her gray eyes.