On the way back to Kushina's house.
The night wind was cool, and the bright moon hung high in the sky, casting silver light upon the streets.
On the silent street, only the soft footsteps of Rei and Shisui could be heard.
From the corner of his eye, Rei glanced at the boy beside him, a tiny spore pinched between his fingers. He was searching for the right moment, biding his time, waiting for the perfect moment to act.
His gaze dropped to the cobblestone path beneath his feet. Narrowing his eyes slightly, a plan formed in his mind.
Suddenly, Rei's foot faltered, and he stumbled forward.
"Ah!"
He let out a cry of alarm as his body pitched forward uncontrollably.
"Rei!"
Shisui's eyes were sharp and his reflexes quick.
He immediately extended his hand and caught Rei's wrist.
Rei's hair brushed lightly across Shisui's cheek, like a pair of gentle hands caressing him tenderly. In that instant, Shisui's breath was overwhelmed by the intoxicating fragrance of flowers.
With a slight exertion of strength in his wrist, Shisui pulled Rei back up.
But as a shinobi, his strength was far from small.
Because of his excessive force, Rei, carried by the inertia, was drawn straight into Shisui's arms.
Rei's hands landed lightly against Shisui's chest, and in that very moment, the spore held between his fingers successfully melded into Shisui's skin.
The spore implantation was complete.
Relieved, he quietly exhaled, then shifted his hand from Shisui's chest to his arm.
Neither of them moved.
For a moment, only the pounding of two hearts could be heard, echoing unnaturally loud beneath the night sky.
To Shisui, it felt as though time itself had frozen. As if the entire world had vanished, leaving only him and Rei.
Amamiya Rei's scheme had succeeded.
Lowering his head, hidden from Shisui's view, a sly smile crept onto his lips.
Soon, Shisui's chakra would become his chakra.
Hehehehe...
Shisui felt as though his heart was about to leap straight out of his chest.
He clutched Rei's wrist tightly, unwilling to let go, as though he were holding onto a piece of precious silk—soft, delicate and smooth.
Shisui held on for a long time without releasing Rei.
Meanwhile, Rei estimated that the two of them had remained in this posture for far longer than the three-minute mark of a cliché drama scene.
With quiet determination, Rei finally withdrew from Shisui's arms and gave him a gentle push. Yet even then, Shisui did not let go of his hand.
"..."
Rei lifted his eyes to glance at Shisui.
Anyone sensible would have released him by now.
But clearly, Shisui was not such a sensible person.
Shisui was greedy.
His gaze remained locked on Rei, unblinking.
The expression in his eyes and on his face made a vein bulge on Rei's forehead.
What the hell was with that bizarre expression on his face!
The feelings between spear and spear could never work. It was doomed—one of them was bound to get hurt.
Amamiya Rei only wanted to eat meat, not suffering.
He quickly wrenched his hand free from Shisui's grasp.
The immense force Shisui felt at his fingertips snapped him out of his trance. His heart still pounded wildly as he realized what he had just done, and he looked at Rei with embarrassment and shyness.
"..."
Shyness, my ass!
Don't make that bashful little-bride expression!
Suppressing the urge to punch him, Amamiya Rei quickened his pace toward Kushina's house.
If he could fly home this instant, he would.
Shisui trailed closely behind Rei, step for step, escorting him all the way to the door. Only after watching Rei go inside did he finally clutch his heart—still floating upward—and return to the Uchiha compound.
Later, Rei lay in bed, recalling Shisui's expression. He could not suppress a shiver.
It was terrifying!
He shut his eyes quickly, unwilling to recall that scene again.
The next day.
Amamiya Rei woke up early.
He went into the kitchen and began cooking.
He was going to prepare pig feed!
In his previous life, Rei, as an independent man, had naturally mastered the skill of cooking.
He deftly heated oil in the pan.
By the time sounds stirred in the living room, he was already serving a breakfast as lavish as a royal banquet.
Minato Namikaze: "..."
Kushina Uzumaki: "..."
The two of them froze stiff at the dining table.
They looked at the dishes filling the table, then at Amamiya Rei, who was wearing an apron and had clearly been busy for a long time.
Blinking at each other, Kushina was the first to speak:
"Rei... did you not eat enough last night?"
Amamiya Rei: "..."
Tilting his head in puzzlement, he wondered why Kushina would think that.
He set a cup of hot milk in front of her and explained, "I've already eaten. This breakfast is for you two!"
The corners of Minato's mouth twitched. He had a feeling this morning was destined to be a dark one.
Kushina swallowed hard. "But... isn't this... a bit too much...?"
She spoke cautiously, afraid of hurting Rei's feelings.
But Rei pressed her gently into her seat at the table and said earnestly, "You're carrying a baby—you absolutely need to eat more! And Hokage-sama..."
Rei turned to Minato. "With such busy work every day, how can the Hokage eat only a little breakfast?"
What if he got too thin?
If Kushina and Minato grew thin, it would wound Rei's heart!
That morning was sheer torture for the couple.
Kushina fared better—after all, being pregnant, her appetite was naturally larger.
But Minato was stuffed so full his belly bulged. He had no choice but to walk to the Hokage's office, just to digest the food.
He thought grimly: at this rate, it wouldn't be long before the abs on his stomach turned into fat.
Minato did not want to lose his abs!
Meanwhile, Rei carefully packed the leftover breakfast into a bento box.
He was going to bring it to Kakashi.
He would make sure to restore every bit of weight Kakashi had lost.
Carrying the bento box, filled to the brim, Amamiya Rei set off toward the Konoha Forest where training usually took place.
Because of the morning's cooking, he arrived a few minutes later than usual. By the time he reached the spot, Hatake Kakashi and Uchiha Fugaku were already waiting.
Even Shisui, who had promised to come and assist with training, was there.
The moment Rei appeared, the gazes of Kakashi, Uchiha Fugaku, and Shisui all locked onto him at once.
"..."
Rei felt an overwhelming pressure, it was like facing a row of teachers impatient for class to begin.
His eyes went first to Kakashi.
The aura around Kakashi was still listless, his energy clearly not restored, his whole demeanor slack and weary.
Rei silently criticized Kakashi's lack of self-control.
Fortunately, he had come prepared today.
Quickly striding up to Kakashi, Rei presented the bento box he was carrying.
"Kakashi-senpai, this is the breakfast I made. Please eat it first before we begin training!"
How could anyone function properly without eating?
If he didn't eat, he would get thinner—and that would mean one less bite of meat for Rei to enjoy.
Rei would never allow his food to shrink away like that.
Food should be plump and enticing, sparking one's appetite.
Kakashi looked at the bento in front of him, then lifted his eyelids slightly to glance at the girl offering it with such sincerity.
"I already ate."
Kakashi lied.
He hadn't, but he didn't want to accept the bento.
First, because he wasn't used to accepting kindness from others.
And second...
The intensity of Uchiha Shisui's gaze beside him was enough to bore a hole straight through him.
***