Uchiha clan district, Chiya's home.
A tempting aroma drifted from the kitchen. The savory fragrance of braised prawns and the spicy punch of stir-fried pork with chili peppers wove together, while the rich broth of a simmering whole chicken bubbled softly in the clay pot.
Chiya stood with an apron tied around him. His spatula moved with practiced ease, less like a ninja and more like a professional chef.
To celebrate Mikoto awakening the Mangekyō Sharingan, Chiya, who normally never went near a kitchen, had made an exception just this once.
"Chiya-nii, should we flip the prawns yet?"
Mikoto stood curiously to one side, holding a porcelain dish. Her three-tomoe Sharingan flickered faintly, as if she wanted to see right through the texture of the prawn shells.
"Ten more seconds."
Chiya did not look back. He gave his wrist a flick. The prawns in the pan flipped neatly in unison. Oil droplets scattered, and the aroma grew richer.
Just then, the doorbell rang out clearly.
Mikoto's brow creased slightly. She set down the dish and walked to the door.
The door opened, and a vivid, fire-bright head of long red hair was the first thing she saw.
"Mikoto-nee!"
Uzumaki Kushina beamed, a bag of fresh fruit in her hand.
"I heard Chiya-nii cooked personally for Mikoto-nee, so I came specially to mooch a meal!"
When Mikoto saw Kushina, her pupils contracted sharply.
The three-tomoe Sharingan shifted in an instant. The Mangekyō Sharingan activated without warning. The four-leaf clover pattern began to slowly turn in her eyes.
Kushina's smile froze on her face. A layer of cold sweat seeped down her back in an instant.
She instinctively stepped back half a pace. The bag of fruit nearly fell from her hand.
The Nine-Tails, who slept bound in golden chains inside her, opened its crimson beast eyes at that moment, fully on alert.
"Mi... Mikoto-nee?"
Kushina swallowed and called out carefully.
"Mikoto?"
Chiya's voice came from the kitchen.
Mikoto snapped back to herself. The Mangekyō Sharingan closed in an instant. The stiffness in her face gave way to a gentle smile again.
"It is Kushina."
She stepped aside.
"Come in quickly. You are right on time for dinner."
Kushina was full of questions.
'Why did Mikoto-nee's chakra suddenly become so terrifying just now?'
She looked at Mikoto again with disbelief, but that heart-stopping chakra had already vanished.
'Was she being too sensitive?'
"Nine-Tails, did you feel that just now?"
She opened an exchange with the Nine-Tails in her consciousness.
The Nine-Tails' enormous eyes opened and appeared in her mind, then slowly closed again.
"?"
'This Nine-Tails!!'
Kushina snapped back to reality and stepped carefully inside. The thick aroma of the food made her eyes light up.
"Wow, it smells amazing! Chiya-nii, I had no idea you were this good at cooking!"
Chiya came out of the kitchen carrying the freshly made braised prawns and laughed.
"What, did you think I was just a ninja who only knows how to fight?"
Kushina grinned and was about to lean in for a closer look, when she suddenly felt a gaze press into her back like a pin.
She turned. She met Mikoto's gentle eyes directly.
In the depths of those eyes, a trace of hard to detect emotion still seemed to linger.
Kushina's heart gave a thud.
'Mikoto-nee is acting really strange today!'
Mikoto's Sharingan had, without anyone noticing when, silently activated again.
"!"
Seeing this, Kushina's scalp prickled. Acting almost on instinct, she darted behind Chiya and tugged at the hem of his shirt, whispering.
"Chi... Chiya-nii... the way Mikoto-nee is looking at me is really scary..."
Chiya's movements paused. He let out an awkward cough.
He knew perfectly well why.
In the Tsukuyomi world, he had used the scene of "abandoning Mikoto and choosing Kushina" to trigger her Mangekyō awakening.
Now the real Kushina had appeared right in front of her face. The fact that Mikoto had not already lost control was already a sign of restraint.
"Mikoto!"
Chiya looked at her helplessly.
"Rein in the Sharingan. You are going to frighten Kushina."
Mikoto blinked. The Mangekyō faded once more. She said softly.
"Sorry. I just awakened the Mangekyō and am not quite used to it yet. And then seeing Kushina, I had a moment of trouble telling apart reality from the genjutsu world."
Kushina was taken aback.
"Genjutsu world?"
"Yes. A small accident during training."
Chiya glossed over it lightly and set the prawns on the table.
"Stop standing around. Help carry the dishes."
Kushina was not entirely convinced.
But since Chiya-nii had said so, there probably was not a real problem. She settled down and, lured by the smell, trotted eagerly to the kitchen to get the bowls and chopsticks.
Only, every time Kushina looked up, she caught Mikoto's meaningful gaze, which nearly made her drop the chopsticks in her hand.
'This meal is going to be hard to digest...'
The three of them sat down at the table.
The atmosphere between the two girls became briefly strange.
Chiya seemed not to notice at all. He picked up a braised prawn with his chopsticks and placed it in Mikoto's bowl.
"Try it. The timing should be just right."
Mikoto smiled slightly and peeled the shell off with elegant fingers. The tender prawn meat was dipped in the sauce and brought to her lips.
Her movements were slow. Her eyes never once left Kushina across the table.
Kushina squirmed under the stare and buried her head in her rice bowl, not daring to reach even for the stir-fried pork with chili peppers that had been tempting her appetite most.
"Kushina."
Mikoto suddenly spoke.
"Why are you not eating?"
"Huh? I... I..."
Kushina stumbled over her words, about to say she had an allergy.
But then she saw Mikoto pick up a prawn with her chopsticks and hold it out to her personally.
"Here."
Mikoto's smile was so gentle that a chill ran down Kushina's back.
Kushina froze in place, not knowing whether to take it or not.
She looked to Chiya for help, only to find this person was trying not to laugh!
'You jerk!'
'What is even happening right now?!'
Just as the atmosphere was about to solidify completely, Chiya suddenly reached out and pulled Mikoto into his arms.
Mikoto was caught off guard. Her cheek pressed against his chest, and then very quickly, she went completely still.
"Alright."
Chiya ruffled her hair.
"Mikoto, your Mangekyō just awakened. Your emotions are still fluctuating. Use this time to get used to your new eyes instead, and stop frightening Kushina."
Mikoto let out a quiet sound of acknowledgment from inside his arms, closed her eyes, and her breathing gradually steadied.
Kushina watched this scene and felt an unexplained sour feeling rise in her heart.
She poked at the rice in her bowl and said quietly.
"Should I... not have come today..."
Chiya let out a sigh. His other arm suddenly extended and scooped Kushina in as well.
"No. You came at exactly the right time."
Kushina: "???"
Kushina breathed in the scent from Chiya and wanted to refuse and pull away, but could not bring herself to leave.
Half pushing back and half giving in, she settled into Chiya's arms.
The small grievance that had risen in her heart a moment ago slowly faded.
She was quiet as a little cat.
One on the left, one on the right.
Chiya was truly enjoying the best of all things.
After a tender moment, Chiya finally let both of them go.
"Alright. Can we actually eat properly now?"
Hearing this, the two girls finally turned their attention to the table. The dishes Chiya had carefully prepared gleamed with tempting color.
Food must never be wasted.
Kushina's eyes went straight to the stir-fried pork with chili peppers. She could not hold back any longer.
"I am digging in!"
She pressed her palms together and eagerly picked up a piece of meat, stuffing it into her mouth.
Mikoto elegantly ladled a bowl of chicken broth for each of them and said softly.
"Chiya-nii simmered it for three hours. It is very nourishing."
Chiya placed a piece of meat in Mikoto's bowl.
"Try it. I used a new seasoning method."
Mikoto smiled slightly and began to eat in small bites.
Her movements were elegant, but her gaze would drift involuntarily toward Kushina across the table.
Then she remembered this was reality.
She drew her eyes back and pressed lightly on her temple.
"I really do have trouble telling apart..."
Chiya patted one of Mikoto's hands to comfort her.
"Take your time adjusting. Mikoto, there is no rush."
He noticed Kushina's puzzled expression and explained.
"We used a special method during training earlier. Mikoto's Sharingan just evolved and needs time to adapt."
Kushina understood at once and asked with concern.
"Is it serious? Should she go to the hospital?"
Looking at the sincerity in Kushina's eyes, Mikoto's expression softened.
"It is fine. It will pass after some time."
She proactively picked up a dumpling with her chopsticks and offered it to Kushina.
"Try this one. Chiya-nii made them by hand."
The tense atmosphere at the table gradually eased.
Chiya shared a funny story from the Military Police that day. Kushina talked about an embarrassing moment during her own training. Mikoto chimed in from time to time with a remark.
The conversation between the three grew more natural. Laughter came more often.
"Come to think of it."
Kushina bit into a dumpling and her eyes lit up immediately.
"This filling is incredible! Chiya-nii, when did you learn to make these?"
"I learned from Sara when I was in Loran."
Chiya kept a straight face as he made something up.
"They have a special spice there that really brings out the flavor when mixed into the filling."
Mikoto said quietly.
"Chiya-nii is very thoughtful. Last time he even adjusted the spice level specially for me."
Kushina suddenly remembered something and took out a delicate box from her bag.
"Oh right! I brought three-colored dango I made myself. Let's have them as dessert!"
Chiya and Mikoto exchanged a smile.
They both knew this was Kushina's specialty.
Dinner continued in a warm atmosphere.
The night deepened outside the window, but inside the room it was full of warmth.
After the meal, the three of them cleared the dishes together.
Kushina volunteered to wash the bowls. Mikoto prepared tea.
Chiya watched the easy, unspoken way they moved together and the corners of his mouth curved up on their own.
'If they could all just...'
"Here."
At that moment, Mikoto held out a cup of hot tea to Kushina, who was drying her hands.
"It helps with digestion."
"Thank you, Mikoto-nee!"
Kushina took the cup and suddenly thought of something. She pulled a small bottle out of her ninja pouch.
"This is a calming incense I bought specially. It is very good for sleep. Mikoto-nee, give it a try."
Mikoto was a little surprised, but took it with genuine gratitude.
"That was thoughtful of you, Kushina."
Chiya walked between the two of them. One hand rested lightly on Mikoto's shoulder, and the other ruffled Kushina's red hair.
"Today really is a good day."
Mikoto leaned against his shoulder. A gentle light shimmered in her eyes.
Kushina made a playful face.
"Then I am coming to mooch another meal next time!"
Outside the window, a round moon had quietly risen. Silver light poured in through the glass.
On this ordinary evening, a simple home-cooked meal and a few warm words made up the most precious kind of moment.
Chiya looked at the two girls beside him, and a tenderness settled in his heart.
He knew that no matter what the future held, this warmth right here was worth protecting with everything he had.
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