"Hahaha!"
Shisui knew Uchiha Itachi all too well, and instantly understood what he meant. Taking it upon himself to explain on his behalf, Shisui said with a smile,
"Itachi is a prodigy. He had already mastered everything the Academy teaches long ago, so now he simply uses a Shadow Clone to attend classes in his place."
Hearing Shisui's praise, Itachi lowered his head once again, burying his face into his bowl of ramen.
"..."
Ah!
Amamiya Rei almost forgot.
Uchiha Itachi truly was a genius.
If he remembered correctly, there had been such a scene in the anime.
"That's incredible!"
Rei looked directly at Itachi and praised him with genuine admiration.
In his eyes, Itachi was truly a promising little piglet with boundless potential!
"With someone as talented as you, Itachi, I should have bought you another box of dango while I had the chance!"
The moment Rei's words fell, Uchiha Itachi lifted his head, those deep, obsidian-black eyes locking firmly onto Rei.
Rei blinked, and under the boy's unwavering gaze, he finally relented and said with difficulty,
"Fine... once we leave the ramen shop, I'll buy you another serving of sweet dango. How about that?"
With quiet composure, Itachi gave the slightest, dignified nod.
"..."
Damn you, Uchiha Itachi!
Amamiya Rei's feelings grew complicated.
He felt a pang of reluctance at the thought of his thinning wallet.
But on second thought, considering that all the money he spent would, in the end, somehow flow back into him in another form, Rei felt a small sense of consolation.
Glancing outside the ramen shop, Rei suddenly exclaimed in surprise:
"It's snowing."
Shisui also looked outside, but after only a single glance, he pulled his gaze back and instead looked at Rei's profile.
"Yes... it's snowing."
Seated between them, Uchiha Itachi likewise stared out at the snowflakes drifting through the air, as soft and large as goose feathers.
In his heart, Itachi was thinking about his younger brother... and of sweet dango.
Watching the snow, Rei's heart grew heavy.
He knew.
Uzumaki Kushina's time was near.
Though Rei was aware that her labor was approaching, he did not know the exact day.
He never expected it would arrive so suddenly.
....
Night fell.
On the snow-blanketed streets of the first snowfall, Rei bought Itachi the sweet dango and then parted ways with him and Shisui at the street corner.
When Rei returned home, brushing the snow from his shoulders as he stepped into Kushina's house, he immediately sensed that the air in the living room was unusually heavy.
Kushina and Minato were seated on the sofa, both of their faces marked by solemnity. Kushina's hand rested protectively upon her swollen belly.
At the sound of movement at the entryway, the two of them simultaneously turned their eyes toward the door.
Seeing Rei's figure appear, Kushina's expression softened into a gentle smile.
She beckoned him with a tender gesture of her hand:
"Rei, come here."
Obediently, Rei walked over and sat down beside her, leaving just enough distance so as not to accidentally bump her belly.
His eyes, however, were glued to that round belly—round like a great balloon, stretched to its fullest.
Kushina could not help but laugh heartily at Rei's curious expression, like someone who had never seen a pregnant woman before.
Whenever Rei revealed such a look, she always appeared adorably clumsy and silly in the most endearing way.
Catching Rei's questioning gaze, Kushina quickly stopped laughing and instead hid it behind a small, playful smile.
"Rei, these next few days, Minato and I may not be at home."
"You'll have to take good care of yourself."
Rei's eyes widened in surprise at her words, but Kushina explained with a soft smile,
"I'm going to give birth. The circumstances are... special, so I won't be in the hospital. Instead, I'll be in a barrier, outside the village."
Without hesitation, Kushina revealed to Rei the secret that Biwako-sama had repeatedly warned her to never share with anyone.
Rei froze for a moment, then reached out and grasped Kushina's hand tightly.
"Will it be dangerous?"
The genuine concern on her face made Kushina's gaze soften.
"No, it will be fine."
She reached out and ruffled Rei's hair gently.
"When the time comes, you'll be able to meet the baby too."
Without hesitation, Kushina even told Rei the precise location of the barrier.
Though their time together had not been very long, Kushina never once doubted her own ability to judge people.
And besides, there was Minato.
Minato, too, would never misjudge someone.
"I will protect you and the baby."
Amamiya Rei spoke solemnly as he held Kushina's hand.
Though he knew the outcome was already written, he meant every word—he truly would try to protect both Kushina and Naruto.
"..."
Minato, however, couldn't help but feel that those words... were supposed to be his line.
Had Rei just stolen his role?
Scratching the back of his head in awkwardness, Minato felt a strange thought creep into his mind—
Why did it suddenly feel as though Kushina and Rei were the true family, and he was the outsider?
Shaking his head, he quickly dismissed such ridiculous thoughts.
Kushina, meanwhile, could not help but chuckle softly. She squeezed Rei's hand with gentle warmth.
Immediately, Minato interjected with firm resolve,
"Rei, don't forget—I'll be there too. I'll protect Kushina and Naruto with my life, so you can rest easy!"
"..."
Somehow, Minato felt even stranger after saying it.
Forcing himself to stop thinking nonsense, Minato pushed the odd feelings aside.
Regardless of anything else, with him here, he would absolutely protect Kushina and Naruto!
"I'll be fine," Kushina said with a laugh.
"Relax already!"
"Rei!"
Kushina reached out and smoothed the deep furrows in Rei's brow, gently massaging them until his tense expression softened.
Rei gave her a small, reassuring smile.
Later, when he returned to his room, Amamiya Rei lay on his back, staring at the ceiling, and let out a long sigh.
He was no villain.
All he wanted was to eat meat and live freely under the sun, nothing more.
If he truly had the power, he would indeed want to save Minato and Kushina.
But he could not think of a way to do so without endangering his own life.
Closing his eyes, he acknowledged the truth: the ending was already set. With his current power, he was not yet capable of stirring even the wings of a butterfly.
....
The next day.
As usual, Amamiya Rei arrived at the training forest.
After forcing Kakashi to eat breakfast and then finishing their daily sparring session, he was left drenched in sweat and utterly exhausted.
Taking a brief rest, Rei then brought up his desire to train in swordsmanship.
Kakashi was slightly surprised.
He had indeed planned to eventually train Rei in the use of weapons—
But he had not expected Rei to be the one to bring it up first.
Rei believed the time had come to awaken his Thunder Breathing.
Otherwise, such a max-level skill would only go to waste.
"Do you... like the sword?"
Kakashi was cautious, worried that his own preference for kenjutsu had unconsciously influenced Rei.
Rei nodded, blinking a little in embarrassment before answering with quiet but unwavering conviction:
"I just have a feeling... I'll be very good with a sword."
Hearing that answer, Kakashi's pupils widened slightly. Beneath his mask, his face revealed an expression of astonishment.
This "feeling"...
It was often the first sign of true talent.
Many prodigious shinobi had followed such intuition to create or master their greatest jutsu.
Kakashi knew Rei was not one for arrogance. Quite the opposite—she was modest, but not to the point of false humility.
For Rei to voice such confidence... it meant she truly believed in her affinity for the sword.
Feelings like that could not be explained.
Wordlessly, Kakashi reached over his shoulder and drew the blade he always carried.
"Try this one."
It was a short sword.
A weapon that had accompanied Kakashi through all his years—from genin to jōnin and into the ranks of ANBU.
Rei, however, wanted a long blade.
But today, the conditions were limited.
Kakashi did not have one, and Rei certainly did not either.
Yet the moment Rei's hand closed around the hilt of that short sword, a powerful sense of familiarity swept through his entire body, as though awakening something long dormant.
***