Chapter 7: Hidden Thoughts
Yu's heart tightened.
Why was Itachi looking for him? Had he noticed something?
"Did he ask anything else?" he asked, trying to sound casual.
"He asked what you've been doing these past few days." Sasuko swung her little feet, her ink brush creating a small blot on the paper.
"What did you tell him?"
"I said you were teaching me my lessons!" Sasuko proudly lifted her little face, a dot of ink staining her cheek. "I even recited part of the multiplication tables for him."
"Very clever." Yu smiled, using his thumb to wipe the ink spot from her face, his peripheral vision glancing at the wall clock. "Time's almost up."
"You did that on purpose!" Sasuko huffed and buried her head, her brush scratching urgently across the paper.
Yu watched her fluffy head, tenderness welling in his eyes.
Tick, tick...
"Finished!" Sasuko slammed down her brush with a smack, holding up the paper like a treasure. The still-wet ink created tiny ripples as she shook it.
Yu took it for a closer look, his brow unconsciously furrowing.
"Did... did I write it wrong?" Sasuko nervously pinched her sleeve, her nails scraping against the fabric.
"It's not wrong..." Yu turned the paper around. "It's just that this handwriting is really ugly."
"You only gave me ten minutes!" Sasuko puffed out her cheeks, but her obsidian eyes sparkled brightly. "So... did I pass?"
Seeing her expectant expression, Yu had no resistance as always: "Where do you want to play?"
"Yay, I want to go to the market!" Sasuko jumped up excitedly, her black twin-tails tracing cheerful arcs through the air. "I heard there's a new candy shop that opened, and they have three-color dango!"
Yu smiled and ruffled her little head: "All you think about is food." He pulled out several bills from his pocket and waved them in front of Sasuko. "But I'll make an exception today—you can have 3 skewers of dango."
"Only 3?" Sasuko pouted, her eyes rolling. "Then... then I want Yu to carry me there!"
"..." Yu crouched down helplessly. "Get on."
Sasuko cheered and skillfully climbed onto Yu's back. When they reached the entrance, she suddenly leaned close to his ear and whispered: "Actually, big brother also asked me... if I saw any strange people last night."
Yu's steps faltered almost imperceptibly.
"But I didn't say anything!" Sasuko proudly swayed the magatama pendant at her chest, her warm breath gently brushing Yu's ear. "This is our secret~"
The girl's faint fragrance lingered at his nose, her exhaled warmth making Yu's ears tingle slightly. He instinctively hunched his neck, drawing giggles from the little girl on his back.
From the Uchiha compound to the market meant crossing half of Konoha village—quite a challenge for Sasuko's short, pale legs.
But now she rested peacefully on Yu's back, her little feet swaying gently with his steps.
In the afternoon, lazy sunlight filtered through leaf gaps, casting dancing light spots on the stone path.
Sasuko hugged Yu's neck, humming a tune she'd made up, her soft voice rising and falling with his stride.
Whenever a butterfly flew by, she'd excitedly pat his shoulder: "Look! It's yellow!" Or she'd crane her little face toward the sky: "That cloud looks like a rice ball!"
They were perfectly ordinary things, but Sasuko couldn't help wanting to share her joy with Yu.
Yu always responded patiently: "Mm, very pretty." Even for the most trivial matters, he never brushed off Sasuko's sharing.
Just as they were about to leave the forest boundary, several Uchiha clan members wearing Police Force armbands blocked their path.
"Miss Sasuko," the lead officer, Uchiha Ryochu, spoke stiffly. "The clan head has ordered martial law. No one may leave or enter the compound without permission."
"Uncle Ryochu~" Sasuko drew out her voice, blinking her watery big eyes. "Just this once~"
"Miss, please don't make this difficult for us." Ryochu bowed slightly. Well, even her usually infallible cute offensive had failed.
Sasuko pouted but nodded understandingly: "Alright then. Yu, let's go play somewhere else."
Just as Yu was about to turn around, Ryochu said coldly: "Kid, don't take the young miss anywhere dangerous. The village isn't safe lately."
"Uncle Ryochu, he's not called 'kid'!" Sasuko bared her teeth angrily like a bristling kitten. "His name is Uchiha Yu!"
Yu calmly patted Sasuko's back and nodded slightly to Ryochu: "Thank you for the warning."
Hearing this, Ryochu's expression softened somewhat.
This guy showed some sense at least.
After they'd walked away, mocking laughter drifted on the wind from the guards:
"A twelve-year-old who still hasn't awakened his Sharingan... I really don't know why the clan head adopted him."
"All he does is suck up to the young miss..."
"Does he even deserve the Uchiha name?"
"I heard he graduated from the Academy with a D-rank evaluation. Pathetic..."
Sasuko's small hands suddenly tightened, but Yu just shook his head gently and continued walking with her on his back.
Throughout the journey, Yu remained somewhat silent, his thoughts lingering on the guards' words.
Even coming and going required strict inspection—the situation was more serious than he'd imagined. What had happened during the few days he was away?
What were Danzo and Itachi plotting now...
"Yu, you're not angry, are you?" Sasuko tilted her little head, her soft hair brushing against his cheek.
"Of course not." Yu curved his lips upward. "Do I seem like such a petty person?"
Over these years, as the clan head's adopted son who still hadn't awakened his Sharingan, he'd grown accustomed to the clan's contempt.
Aside from his adoptive parents and the innocent Sasuko, even Itachi's greetings were merely polite courtesy.
"Speaking of which..." Sasuko swayed her pale little legs. "I don't think I've ever seen Yu angry."
"Does Sasuko want to see me angry?" Yu deliberately put on a stern face.
"Of course not!" Sasuko quickly shook her head, her twin-tails swaying like rattles. "Let's go back."
Sensing Yu's troubled mood, she'd lost interest in playing. "If you have worries, you should tell me too." She gently rested her little head on his shoulder. "Don't be unhappy..."
Yu's steps faltered.
Sasuko...
"Oh my, our Miss Sasuko has grown up—she even knows how to care for people now~"
"You meanie!" Sasuko huffily thumped his shoulder.
"I was originally planning to buy five skewers of dango..." Yu said regretfully.
"But... but..." Sasuko's voice immediately softened. "I'll forgive you just this once..."
...
On the way back:
"Burp~"
Sasuko suddenly let out a small burp and quickly covered her mouth.
"I told you that you couldn't eat that much." Yu shook his head helplessly, looking at the remaining skewer of dango in his arms.
"I'm just avoiding waste," Sasuko stubbornly swayed her little feet. "This is nothing at all..."
"I can buy them for you anytime you want."
Sasuko suddenly grew quiet, her small hands unconsciously twisting a strand of Yu's black hair: "Who knows if you'll suddenly disappear again..." Her voice grew smaller, carrying barely perceptible grievance.
She remembered how Yu had suddenly vanished in the sunlight that day. Even though it was just a shadow clone, her heart still felt hollow, like something was missing.
Yu's heart softened, and he was about to say something when he felt Sasuko suddenly lean close to his ear: "Yu... will you always stay with me?"
A breeze stirred, lifting the withered leaves by the roadside. Yu's steps paused almost imperceptibly.
"I will." He nodded gently, adjusting the little girl on his back. "Sasuko must promise me too—practice your ninjutsu properly and protect yourself."
Sasuko buried her face against his shoulder, rubbing it there as she gave a muffled "mm."