At dawn, the crowing of a rooster woke Kaito from his slumber.
"Stop sleeping, get up already…"
Rubbing his eyes, he groggily nudged the space beside him, intending to wake Sasuke.
But his hand reached out and found nothing.
What's more, Kaito wasn't sure if it was due to lack of sleep, but he kept faintly smelling something burnt.
"Huh?"
"Where'd he go?"
Just then, Sasuke's voice came from the corner of the room.
"Morning, Kaito."
Sasuke exhaled a puff of black smoke, flashing two rows of white teeth. His face was charred, and his body crackled with electricity as he greeted Kaito.
Last night, after finally smoothing out his hair, it had turned into a wild, spiky mess again.
Kaito turned his head and saw the boy, momentarily wondering if he was still dreaming. He rubbed his eyes several times.
A few seconds later, he finally accepted the hard-to-swallow truth.
"Uchiha Sasuke!"
"Are you insane!?"
"You spent the whole night playing with electricity!?"
Regretting what he'd done last night, seeing this obsessed fool now made Kaito want to pin the kid down and beat him up first thing in the morning.
"No, I didn't."
Sasuke pulled the cord from the socket with one hand, slowly stood up from the floor, and the arcs of electricity crackling around him were even more intense than the night before, sounding like an electric mosquito swatter at work.
He smoothed his hair—somehow, the wild spikes on his head had returned to normal.
"Kaito, right now, I…"
"Am strong."
Whoosh—
By the time Sasuke finished speaking, Kaito had already pulled open the curtains and was looking up at the weather outside.
Yep, it was definitely sunny.
The changes in Sasuke didn't surprise him much.
After all, in this Shinobi World where Chakra existed, strange things happening was completely normal.
Just some electrified Sasuke.
No big deal.
He'd even seen electric rats that could unleash 100,000 volts.
"Look at me for once!"
The arcs around Sasuke couldn't last long, and he desperately wanted to prove he was different now. But Kaito just wouldn't turn to look at him.
This was driving the kid crazy.
Whoosh—
The door slid open, and Itachi appeared in the doorway with a gentle smile.
He was wearing a pink apron and holding a spatula—clearly, he had prepared breakfast with care today.
"Big bro!"
"Look at me!! My Lightning Release!!"
Seeing Itachi gave Sasuke a new target to show off to. He dashed over, waving his arms.
But the electricity around him had already vanished, leaving him with no proof.
Itachi took in Sasuke's charred appearance and the lingering burnt smell, his smile stiffening slightly.
It seemed to remind him of something very unpleasant.
Last night, after Konoha's repair crews fixed the power issues, everything was supposed to be fine.
But for some reason, it was like a ghost was messing with the system—lights kept flickering on and off. He and Shisui had already returned, only to be called back to the Hokage's office, where they spent the whole night listening to the Third sighing and breathing in secondhand smoke.
"It was there… just a second ago…"
Sasuke looked down at his empty hands, his expression full of disappointment.Kaito, who had changed his clothes nearby, shot a resentful glance at Itachi by the door, furrowed his brows, and said gloomily.
"Hey, Itachi."
"Choose both! Choose both!"
Hearing Kaito call his name, Itachi didn't hesitate for a second before responding, not even giving him a chance to finish his question.
"No, that's not what I was asking."
"Shouldn't you be with Shisui right now?"
Kaito rolled his eyes, indicating he'd already anticipated Itachi's response. His main concern was that Danzo might make a move once Itachi left Shisui's side.
"I am."
"Itachi, I really envy you having two such adorable little brothers."
Shisui's figure appeared at the doorway as he casually slung an arm over Itachi's shoulder, his smiling face freezing when he saw Sasuke mirroring Itachi's stiff expression.
"Big brother Shisui!"
Sasuke was clearly surprised by Shisui's arrival, exclaiming excitedly and about to run toward him.
Fortunately, Itachi reached out and poked his forehead, stopping his younger brother's impulsive behavior.
"Go wash up first."
"You can't be so reckless, understand?"
Shisui waved it off. "Itachi, you know I don't mind these things."
Amid the laughter, Sasuke still ran off to the bathroom to clean up.
Throughout this, Kaito kept giving Itachi and Shisui strange looks, rolling his eyes repeatedly.
When he entered the dining room and saw the entire table covered with fried eggs, his exasperation reached its peak.
Kaito looked up, his gaze meeting Itachi's nervous eyes, focusing entirely on the other's face.
However, apart from the dark circles under his eyes, he couldn't spot anything unusual.
This Itachi guy...
Did he awaken the Mangekyō?
Did he really use Amaterasu to fry all these eggs??
Kaito muttered to himself, his eyes darting between Itachi and Shisui.
Seemingly uncomfortable under the scrutiny, Itachi wiped sweat from his brow and awkwardly asked,
"Do they not suit your taste?"
"No."
Kaito shook his head, then raised his hand to point at the two before him.
"Don't you think... you two are being a bit too intimate?"
Itachi: ?
Shisui: ???
He had thought sending Itachi to personally protect Shisui was the right move.
But these two...
Was it really necessary to sit pressed together like this?
Their elbows were touching and everything...
Is this what they call Leaf Friendship?
Terrifying.
Naturally understanding his implication, the two who had been sitting close together immediately moved their chairs apart, maintaining some distance.
An awkward silence fell over the room until Shisui broke it after several minutes.
"Itachi, your little brother here is really something."
"And also..."
"Kaito, if you don't hurry up... you're going to be late."
Itachi nodded, turning toward the bathroom to urge Sasuke to move faster.
"It's just school registration. I don't really need to go..."
Kaito was indifferent about attending, and after a poor night's sleep, he genuinely didn't feel like going.
But before he could finish his sentence, the system's voice echoed in his mind again.
[Ding—]
[Task Triggered: Awaken Martial Soul.]
[Task: Having arrived in the world of Martial Souls, you've now reached the optimal age for awakening. Go find the Grand Soul Master at the village entrance to awaken your Martial Soul!]
Kaito: ???
Upon hearing this task, Kaito actually summoned the system interface, checking it over and over.
After experiencing cultivation demon-slaying missions, Liaozhai fox spirit gratitude stories, and even plant vs. zombie apocalypses, Kaito thought he could handle any abstract task the system threw at him.
Never did he imagine...Every task from the system is so unexpected.
But!
System, are you even listening to yourself?
Awaken a Martial Soul? Find a Grand Soul Master at the village entrance?
I think you've already signed your own death warrant.
[Reward: "Hidden Weapons Compendium"]
When Kaito saw the reward at the bottom, his attitude instantly took a drastic turn.
Alright, fine.
My earlier tone was inappropriate.
This mission reward is perfect for the Uchiha!
The system's tasks are fantastic—not abstract at all!
"Kaito, what are you spacing out for?"
Sasuke's voice suddenly rang in his ear, and Itachi and Shisui also turned their gazes toward him.
"Oh, coming."
Kaito quickly shoveled down the last few bites of breakfast, slipped on his shoes, and hurried out.
Though he wasn't sure how to complete this mission, he had a vague suspicion that it might be related to his school enrollment.
Awakening a Martial Soul at the right age = Ninja Academy registration.
Makes sense