The wooden sword struck the ground with a sharp, dry sound.
Sasuke lost his balance for a moment, stumbling two uneven steps backward, almost falling. He only managed to stop himself by planting his foot firmly into the ground, breathing heavily, dark eyes burning with frustration and pent-up energy.
"Again," Sasuke muttered through clenched teeth.
He repositioned himself without waiting for instructions. The next strike came too fast, cutting through the air without enough control. The blade missed the makeshift target by a wide margin, and Sasuke scowled in irritation.
"Did you see that, Itachi?" he asked, turning sharply.
Itachi was leaning against one of the veranda's pillars, arms crossed, watching with calm focus.
"I did," he replied. "But you're using too much force."
Sasuke frowned.
"If I don't use force, it won't work."
"It will," Itachi corrected evenly. "Just not the way you're doing it."
Sasuke snorted, adjusted his stance, and tried again.
A few steps behind them, Ren sat on the edge of the veranda.
His feet swung lightly above the ground. His eyes followed Sasuke's every movement—not just the strike itself, but what came before it: the held breath, the shoulder lifting too much, the rush to land the hit.
Sasuke twisted his body too quickly and nearly lost his balance again.
Ren tilted his head slightly.
Itachi noticed the gesture.
"Do you want to say something?" he asked, still watching Sasuke.
Ren hesitated before answering.
"You lift your arm too high," he said calmly. "When you get tired, your shoulder drops."
Sasuke turned around immediately.
"I'm not even tired," he snapped.
"You are," Itachi said, without raising his voice.
"I'm not."
"You are," Itachi repeated, firm.
Sasuke scowled, but adjusted his posture and tried again.
The strike was smaller. More solid.
He stopped, assessing the result.
"Like this?" he asked, looking at Itachi.
"Like that," the older brother confirmed.
Sasuke shot a quick glance at Ren.
"Why didn't you say that earlier?"
"You didn't ask," Ren replied, without any hint of provocation.
Sasuke grumbled, but went back to training.
After a while, Itachi shifted his attention to Ren.
"Do you want to try?" he asked.
Ren stood up slowly.
"I think so," he said.
He picked up the spare sword and tested its weight before gripping it properly.
"You hold it differently," Sasuke observed.
"It doesn't hurt your hand," Ren explained.
Itachi remained silent, watching closely.
Ren took a deep breath and moved.
The strike was slow. Controlled. Free of unnecessary force. His body flowed naturally with the motion.
The sword stopped just a few centimeters from the target.
"Good," Itachi said. "You don't force it."
"But that takes too long," Sasuke complained.
"Not everything has to be fast," Ren replied.
"That's enough," Itachi cut in, ending the exchange. "This isn't a competition."
Sasuke dropped the sword onto the ground.
"I'm tired," he announced.
"Me too," Ren agreed, carefully returning his sword to its place.
A little later, inside the house, the smell of food filled the hallway.
Mikoto was stirring something on the stove when she heard footsteps approaching.
"Were you two fighting?" she asked, without turning around.
"No!" Sasuke answered far too quickly.
Ren passed by her in silence, heading to wash his hands.
Mikoto glanced at both of them from the corner of her eye.
"Then you were arguing," she concluded.
Sasuke opened his mouth to protest, then gave up. He sat at the table, swinging his legs.
"He's always correcting me," he complained. "Even when I get it right."
"You ask for opinions," Mikoto replied calmly. "Then you don't like the answer."
"I only asked once."
"Once today," she corrected, smiling softly.
Ren approached more slowly and stopped beside her as she set the dishes.
"Are you okay?" Mikoto asked, looking at him.
Ren nodded.
She bent down slightly to meet his height.
"Training is tiring," she said. "Not just physically."
Ren thought for a moment.
"It's worth it," he replied.
She smiled, surprised.
"It is," she agreed. "But you don't have to prove anything here."
Ren didn't answer. He only brushed his hand lightly against her arm—a quick, quiet gesture.
During dinner, Sasuke talked more than he ate.
He described the strikes he almost landed, exaggerated the details, and complained about how Itachi always told him to slow down.
"He says that because you run before you learn how to walk," Mikoto commented.
"I already know how to walk," Sasuke replied, offended.
Ren watched in silence.
"You run too," Sasuke suddenly said, pointing at him. "Just on the inside."
Ren blinked.
"What do you mean?"
"You think too much," Sasuke explained. "That's why you take longer."
Ren considered this for a few seconds.
"Maybe," he said.
After their baths, exhaustion came quickly.
Sasuke threw himself onto the bed, still talking even as his eyes grew heavy.
"When I get strong," he said, yawning, "I'll beat everyone."
"Everyone is a lot of people," Ren replied.
Sasuke laughed.
"Then almost everyone."
The room fell silent for a few seconds.
"Ren?" Sasuke called.
"What?"
"Do you think I train wrong?"
Ren thought before answering.
"No," he said. "You just try to do everything at once."
"Is that bad?"
"No," Ren replied. "It just tires you out faster."
Sasuke went quiet.
"You'll train with me tomorrow?" he asked, already half-asleep.
"If you want."
"I do," Sasuke murmured. "But don't just stand there watching."
Ren let out a small smile.
"Okay."
Sasuke's breathing soon grew heavy.
Ren remained awake, sitting on his bed, staring at the ceiling.
The door opened quietly.
Itachi stepped in and stopped near the bed.
"Still awake?" he asked.
"I couldn't sleep," Ren replied.
Itachi sat beside him.
"Sasuke always crashes fast after training."
"He uses everything at once."
"That's just how he is."
A brief silence followed.
"You think too much," Itachi said, without criticism.
"Someone has to."
Itachi smiled faintly.
"You don't have to carry that alone."
Ren was silent for a few seconds.
"I know," he said at last. "But it doesn't bother me."
"Even so," Itachi replied, taking a slow breath, "I'm here."
Ren nodded.
"I know."
Itachi adjusted Sasuke's blanket and left.
Ren lay down shortly after.
Two brothers slept.
A third kept watch.
And between them, bonds continued to form—not through strength, nor haste, but through shared time and the differences they were learning to accept.