As he prepared to leave, Makoto's peripheral vision caught the sweet shop on the street corner. Warm yellow light leaked from the ice-flowered windows, casting a small patch of light on the snow, like a melting pat of butter.
Before long, Makoto returned carrying a bulging paper bag. The dango inside steamed, white vapor carrying a sweet aroma upwards.
The scent of red bean paste from the dorayaki mixed with the warmth of milk, enticing growls from stomachs on this cold, snowy day. Even the air became sticky, wrapped in an un-meltable sweetness.
"Here, for you."
Makoto placed the paper bag on the snow. The sweets inside rolled slightly, making soft colliding sounds… he hadn't paid for these, as they were charged to Fugaku's account.
Putting aside his identity as Uchiha Clan's Clan Head, Fugaku was also the Captain of the Konoha Military Police Force.
Few people living long-term in Konoha didn't know him, let alone the village's merchants.
Charging to his account was a small matter. In the future, when he took over the Military Police Force, these merchants would probably proactively pay 'protection fees'.
Seeing these delicious-smelling treats, Naruto's throat moved. An undeniable longing shone in his pupils, like a cat staring at a dried fish.
But this strong desire was quickly suppressed by Naruto. He clenched his small fists inside his sleeves.
Although he grew up without parents to teach him, he still knew it wasn't good to accept things from others for no reason.
After a moment's thought, he pulled out a worn, shiny frog wallet from his clothes. The zipper made a click sound as he took out all the money inside and offered it to Makoto.
"Thank you, big brother. I've never bought these things before, so I don't know if this is enough..."
Naruto's small hands were red from the cold, the paper money slightly damp from his grip.
Seeing this, Makoto waved his hand, tapping the paper bag with his finger: "Just eat. Don't be polite. I didn't pay for it anyway."
With that, Makoto turned and left, finally shaking off his little shadow, Sasuke.
After Makoto left, Naruto still didn't move, just squatted beside the paper bag, gazing longingly at the various sweets inside, imagining what they would taste like.
He was like a little fox guarding a treasure but afraid to touch it, snowflakes rustling down from his eyelashes.
Beside him, Sasuke twisted open a milk carton and took a large gulp. The warm liquid slid down his throat, making him shiver.
Seeing Naruto's state out of the corner of his eye, his expression became slightly complex. Without a word, he grabbed a dorayaki and stuffed it into Naruto's mouth.
"Mmph!"
The dorayaki entered his mouth. The sweet, fragrant taste of red bean paste instantly exploded on his tongue. The warm, milky flavor slid down his throat, making Naruto shrink his neck from the heat, but his eyes widened.
As far back as he could remember, this was the first time he had eaten something so delicious.
He wasn't actually short on money. It's just that every time he went to a shop, the owners either pretended not to see him or said 'sold out'. Some shopkeepers even violently chased him away.
Very few shopkeepers were willing to sell him anything.
Naruto squinted, a grin spreading to his ears, mumbling indistinctly: "Sasuke, your brother is really a good person!"
Hearing this, Sasuke let out a light snort, turning his head away. Snow shook from his hair onto the snow, creating fine white dots.
Seeing this, Naruto quickly shuffled closer, his small feet making a rustling sound in the snow, and added, his voice even brighter: "You're a good person too!"
Hearing this, Sasuke finally turned his head back, let out another light snort, his fingertips unconsciously picking at the edge of the milk carton, digging a small dent in the cardboard.
Naruto nibbled on the dorayaki in small bites while chattering away to Sasuke.
He asked if they should use a red berry for the snowman's nose, asked if Sasuke was cold, asked if he also thought today's snow wasn't as heavy as yesterday's.
Sasuke barely responded, maintaining his aloof demeanor. Only when snowflakes landed on his eyelashes would he blink rapidly. From time to time, he would stuff various treats into Naruto's hands.
When Naruto was full, his little belly round like he'd stuffed a ball, his eyes sparkling like they held stars, he muttered again: "The big brother is really a good person!"
"Makoto is a big idiot!"
Sasuke retorted almost instantly, his voice not loud but enunciated clearly, as if he'd been holding it in for a long time.
"So what does Makoto-nii usually do for fun?"
The moment Makoto was mentioned, the aloof Sasuke seemed to find his voice, finally willing to chat normally with Naruto, a hint of indignation in his eyes.
"What else? Causing trouble all day!"
Sasuke frowned, his little face full of discontent. There was one thing he didn't say out loud: when Makoto caused trouble, he never took him along.
Even though they were blood brothers... he could accompany him through scoldings or even beatings.
Then, as if remembering something unpleasant, he continued: "Over half a year ago, he even secretly climbed the Hokage Rock and scribbled all over it!"
Hearing this, Naruto suddenly covered his mouth with a small gasp, his eyes wide and round, shining with admiration.
"Was it Makoto-nii who painted on the Hokage Rock back then?"
Hearing this, Sasuke gave a slight nod, his fingertip tracing shallow lines in the snow, as if recalling Makoto's previous 'masterpiece'.
"Then I must become Makoto-nii's apprentice!" Naruto clapped his hands, his tone full of yearning, his small body swaying slightly, "I decided that over half a year ago!"
"Ever since I saw Makoto-nii painting on the Hokage Rock, I wanted to paint too. But lately, it seems like paint is restricted in Konoha. I went to many shops but couldn't buy any."
At this point, Naruto counted on his red, frozen fingers, seriously saying: "If I could have bought paint, I would have gone to paint long ago!"
"I remember Makoto-nii painted the Yondaime Hokage especially cool, particularly that green hair! I want to paint like that too!"
Hearing this, Sasuke glanced at him. Seeing the genuine admiration in his eyes, not feigned, he couldn't help but let out a soft 'Hn'.
He felt increasingly satisfied with Naruto as a friend. He even couldn't help the corners of his mouth lifting slightly, but quickly straightened them, pretending to focus on patting the snowman's body.
He patted the snow firmly, even smoothing the edges neatly.
The snow continued to fall, large flakes drifting down, wrapping the two small figures in a vast whiteness.
The strawberry on the snowman's nose was half-covered by snow, revealing a red tip, like a ruby hidden in the snow.
Naruto reached out to straighten the strawberry. His fingertip accidentally touched the snow, making him flinch from the cold, but his smile grew even brighter.
Sasuke watched him without a word, just shuffling closer to him, quietly blocking the wind and snow blowing diagonally.
…
Meanwhile, while Sasuke was building a snowman in the grove and Naruto's laughter sounded from time to time,
In the shadows outside the grove, Itachi was like a cat with its tail on fire, pacing anxiously.
He watched Makoto's retreating figure, his knuckles leaving deep marks in his palms. Cold sweat mixed with snowmelt trickled down his forehead, dripping onto the roof tiles and staining a dark patch.
Makoto had always been exceptionally strong-willed since childhood. He never listened to Itachi.
His pacing steps crunched the snow, each step radiating indescribable anxiety. His brothers had split up. Which one should he go to?
He knew the Shadow Clone Technique, but there was only one real body. Which brother should he stay with? This scene was like a needle, abruptly piercing his memory.
Over half a year ago, Makoto had seriously asked him: "If Sasuke and I both fell into the water at the same time, who would you save first?"
He had dismissed it as childish talk back then, but now the question felt like an ice spike, stabbing deeply into his heart.
Today's mission was given personally by his father, Fugaku. Every word carried gravity, instructing him to protect Makoto.
But turning his gaze, he saw Sasuke in the grove, building a snowman with the Kyubi Jinchuriki.
Given the current relationship between the clan and Konoha, this scene looked like tossing a spark into a powder keg, dangerously unsettling.
Makoto's side was also extremely dangerous. After all, over half a year ago, he had thoroughly offended Danzoma.
If Makoto fell into Danzo's hands... the consequences were something Itachi didn't dare to imagine.
Thinking this, Itachi took two steps towards Makoto's direction, the sound of his soles grinding against the tiles particularly harsh.
His peripheral vision caught Sasuke's smiling face in the grove. His steps halted abruptly, and he forcefully shuffled two steps back.
The cold wind, carrying snowflakes, whipped against his face like tiny knives, but he remained oblivious, only feeling his chest tight and suffocating, his very breath trembling.
Frustrated and confused, the ice shards between his fingers were crushed to powder, the cold seeping from his fingertips into the gaps between his bones.
Shisui watched from the side, sighing inwardly. As his close friend, he understood Itachi's tendency to overthink.
"Use a shadow clone! Then you can handle both sides!"
He reached out and patted Itachi's shoulder, the warmth from his palm passing through the fabric.
Itachi whipped his head around, his black eyes full of struggle, shaking his head like a rattle drum: "I know the Shadow Clone Technique, but I only have one real body... Where should the real body go?"
The urgency in his voice seemed capable of crushing his teeth, the tips of his ears turning red.
Seeing this, Shisui rolled his eyes dramatically, 'Itachi was usually quite calm, but when it involved his two brothers, his brain seemed to short-circuit.'
He pushed him towards the grove: "Stop agonizing! Makoto is almost around the corner. You stay here and protect Sasuke. I'll go after Makoto."
Before the words finished, he left a shadow clone with Itachi. His main body transformed into a black shadow, speeding towards Makoto's direction.
The reputation of 'Shunshin no Shisui' was now renowned throughout the Shinobi World. True to his fame, within a few flickers, he was not far from Makoto.
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FOR EVERY 50 POWER STONES, I'LL UPLOAD ONE CHAPTER