Sasuke watched with a calm expression as a swarm of people, laden with bags big and small, stormed into his house. If he didn't know every single one of them, he might've thought they were here to tear his place apart.
"Sasuke, where's your kitchen?" Naruto grinned, pulling ingredients from the bags he'd brought, not even glancing back as he called out.
"Idiot, haven't you been to my house before?" Sasuke shot back, his usual jab at Naruto, before pointing. "To your left."
"Got it!" Naruto exclaimed, holding a daikon radish in one hand and a kitchen knife in the other, his face brimming with confidence. As for Sasuke's "idiot" remark? Lord Uzumaki wasn't one to sweat the small stuff—he'd let it slide, no need to bicker with this idiot.
Sasuke's gaze swept over the crowded living room, packed with his peers. Not a single one was missing. Sakura, Choji, Shikamaru, Kiba, Ino, Shino, Hinata, Lee, Tenten, Neji—they were all here.
"We didn't exactly ask for your permission before barging in. You don't mind, do you, Sasuke?" Kiba asked, already used to Sasuke's prickly demeanor from their shared missions.
"It's fine. As long as you're all having fun," Sasuke replied with a shake of his head. He slipped into the bathroom to change into the clothes he'd laid out before his shower, then quietly cleaned up the mess on the floor.
His eyes lingered on the shards in the trash can, his brow furrowing slightly. A sudden thought struck him.
The Destiny Reversal Technique didn't just bring bad luck out of nowhere. It worked by taking the target's existing circumstances and subtly twisting reality, amplifying the smallest incidents into something far worse. For someone already steeped in negativity, the effect would spiral out of control.
And if the technique was unintentionally cast on himself? Sasuke could feel his mental defenses crumbling step by step, with no resistance. The moment he realized he'd been affected, he sensed the warped, shadowy chakra of his own eyes.
His hand instinctively rose to touch his eyes. So, for him… was the Mangekyo Sharingan his greatest misfortune?
The thought sent a chill down Sasuke's spine. How could that be? The Mangekyo Sharingan was supposed to be the ultimate power of its wielder, the pinnacle of the Uchiha clan's strength! Yet the Destiny Reversal Technique, born from his own Mangekyo, seemed to suggest that his eyes were his greatest curse.
But the fact that he'd noticed something was off the very first time he'd unknowingly used the technique… Was the Mangekyo Sharingan truly a source of power for him?
"Sasuke, did you fall into the toilet or something? What's taking so long?" Sakura's voice cut through his spiraling thoughts from outside.
Sasuke grabbed a few tissues, tossed them into the trash to cover the mirror shards, and buried his heavy thoughts. With a calm expression, he pushed open the door. "Coming."
"What took you so long? Everyone's waiting for you," Sakura said, a lollipop dangling from her mouth as she eyed him.
"It's nothing," Sasuke replied, brushing past her. His response caught Sakura off guard. Was something bothering him? Sasuke's acting was terrible—she saw right through him. Despite his usual cold, unapproachable demeanor, he was worse at hiding his feelings than Naruto.
The moment Sasuke appeared, those skilled at reading people—Shino, Neji, and Shikamaru—picked up on his unease. Aside from Choji, who was munching on snacks, Kiba, who was playing with his dog, Hinata, whose attention was fixed on Naruto, and the ever-enthusiastic Lee, everyone else vaguely sensed Sasuke's odd mood.
The lively atmosphere in the living room faltered for a moment.
"W-Well, how about we play a game of chess?" Tenten, quick to react, tried to salvage the mood.
"Chess? That's boring, and there's too many of us," Kiba grumbled, always eager to stir things up.
"This is something I just picked up—a real treasure!" Tenten flashed a mysterious smile, pulling an ancient-looking box from a ninja tool scroll and setting it before everyone.
"What's that?" Ino asked, eyeing the box curiously.
"Good question!" Tenten beamed. "I call it The Earth-Shattering Fissure of Creation—or, Genesis Mountain!"
Ino's head sprouted three question marks. "So, is it Earth-Shattering Whatever or Genesis Mountain?"
"That's not the point," Tenten waved off the question. "The important thing is, it's a game we can all play!"
As Tenten prepared to rope everyone in, Sakura interjected, "Hold on. Naruto can't handle cooking for all of us alone. Ino, Hinata, go help him in the kitchen."
Naruto, who'd been eavesdropping from the kitchen, piped up without thinking, "No problem! I've got my Shadow Clone Technique!"
Idiot, I'm trying to help you out here! Sakura thought, glaring. "Shut it! Ino, Hinata, get in there."
Naruto didn't get a chance to argue.
"Huh? But I wanted to try this game," Ino said, glancing reluctantly at Tenten setting up the board.
"N-Naruto…" Hinata's cheeks flushed as she stole a glance at the busy figure in the kitchen. For her, no game or chessboard mattered as long as she could be near Naruto.
As Ino and Hinata headed to the kitchen, Sakura sighed. She'd wanted to send Hinata alone to help Naruto, but Hinata's tendency to get flustered was too risky. What if she fainted from shyness? With Ino there, things were less likely to go wrong.
Sakura didn't get why Hinata was so shy about it, but whatever—Hinata liked Naruto, and that was her business.
"Alright, count me in!" Sakura said, her eyes lighting up as she joined the group gathered around the dazzling Genesis Mountain setup in the living room.
…
"Stop! That's salt, not sugar!" Naruto's voice rang out from the kitchen, followed by Hinata's panicked apology. "S-Sorry, Naruto-kun!"
The lively crowd in the living room barely batted an eye.
"Hinata, that's a sweet potato, not a tomato!" Naruto wailed. "My beef and tomato stew!"
Hinata's voice trembled again. "S-Sorry, Naruto-kun!"
Ino, tying on an apron and ignoring the chaos, gave a satisfied nod at her freshly made fish soup. Sure, her cooking wasn't on Naruto's level, but she wasn't half bad.
Glancing at the two beside her, Ino sighed inwardly. Why was Sakura so set on pairing these two up? Naruto clearly didn't see Hinata that way—her feelings were a one-sided crush. What a drag…
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