"So, you mean the monster inside your belly says I'm a sly and crafty scoundrel? And it's been constantly cursing the Uchiha family with you, saying we Uchiha are all big villains?" As Yuka spoke, she began putting the meals she had served back into the food box, her eyes scanning Naruto up and down, lingering especially on his stomach as if evaluating something.
Itachi, who had noticed Yuka's actions: "..."
"Yeah." Naruto nodded sheepishly. He couldn't control what Kurama said, and it upset him to hear his friend insulted like that, but...
"But every time it talks trash about you, I scold it!! I yell right back at it!!!"
"Oh." Yuka's hands paused. Naruto's behavior pleased her, so she asked, "If I don't give you food, will it starve to death?"
"Caw caw caw—" A crow flew past the window from out of nowhere, leaving behind an awkward birdcall.
Naruto's face contorted into an utter facepalm expression.
Itachi, having foreseen this, remained completely calm.
Sasuke looked from Yuka to Naruto and agreed, "I think it would! People starve to death without food, and monsters would starve to death too. You could starve Kurama to death this way."
Nobody would believe he had no ulterior motives... Kid, you're ruthless.
"Of course not—! Wait, no! It would starve, but so would I!" Naruto snapped out of his dazed shock. Before he could say anything more to Sasuke, he looked anxiously at Yuka and blurted out, "Yuka, if I don't eat, I'll be the one who starves to death! And then the Tailed Beast will come out! Once it gets out, it'll do all sorts of evil things—it's always telling me what it's going to do once it gets out!"
Yuka's attention shifted from starving to death to something else entirely: "Eh? What's it going to do once it gets out?"
"The thing it talks about most is killing people." Naruto nervously scratched his head, relaying to Yuka everything Kurama had ever said: "Something about destroying the village, destroying the world, ruling as king, and creating a Tailed Beast paradise?"
Yuka's eyes widened a fraction. As Naruto spoke, she nodded along in enthusiastic agreement, and finally concluded with a look of high approval, "Wow, that sounds like a Tailed Beast with ideals and ambitions! Then I—"
Itachi stepped in just in time to stop Yuka from finishing her sentence. He half-pulled her back, using one hand to cover her mouth and the other to scoop her up around the waist.
"You are not allowed to listen to a Tailed Beast's ideals."
"Eh?" Yuka wriggled free from Itachi's hand, her little mouth chattering away: "But didn't Brother say we should respect other people's ideals and ambitions? I think its ideals are pretty good too. From a Tailed Beast's perspective, it's totally understandable."
Hearing this, the other two young boys turned to look at Itachi as well.
One pair of eyes was filled with worship, while the other held a hint of awe.
Yet without exception, both gleamed with curiosity. They were curious about the difference between Tailed Beasts and humans. At an age where they couldn't yet distinguish between good and evil and had never experienced war, they didn't understand just how catastrophic a Tailed Beast could be to a village.
Itachi suddenly felt a bit pressured—though it was manageable, still under control. The priority was to stabilize this uncontrollable variable first.
"Other people are people. Tailed Beasts are beasts."
"Oh!" Yuka had a sudden epiphany. "So I should call it another beast from now on? Do I need to respect another beast's ideals?"
Itachi replied calmly, "No, you don't. Another beast's ideals will naturally be respected by other beasts. You are human, not a beast."
Yuka blinked, half-understanding. "Got it, Brother. I understand. I'm human, and humans don't need to care about what monsters say. There's a very clear difference between me and the Tailed Beasts."
Itachi felt a slight sense of relief. "Mm."
Sasuke had a sneaking suspicion that this conversation between his older brother and younger sister sounded a bit weird, though he couldn't quite put his finger on why.
Naruto thought so too, but he likewise had no idea what was strange about it, so he could only scratch his head and offer an awkward chuckle. "Hahaha, Yuka, why did you guys come over anyway? It's so late... Especially after everything that happened today."
He suddenly recalled all the events of the day and remembered that Yuka's arm had been injured. "Ah! Your arm! Is it feeling better now? Does it still hurt? It's all my fault. If it weren't for me, you wouldn't have gotten hurt. I'm so sorry."
Yuka slid down from Itachi like she was on a slide and reached out to poke Naruto right between the eyes.
Naruto covered his forehead, looking at her with tears welling up, threatening to spill over.
Sasuke narrowed his eyes, shooting invisible daggers at Naruto. If looks could kill, Naruto would have dropped dead long ago. That was an intimate gesture between him and his sister! How could he use it on an outsider?! (Kid, you should realize that your sister is going to do that to other people every day; aren't you going to pass out from anger?)
"Don't say that, Naruto. You weren't the one who hurt me, so it's not your fault. As for my arm, it definitely hurt back then, but I'm a good kid who puts on a brave face—it doesn't hurt at all now."
Young as she was, Yuka could still tell right from wrong in a matter like this. Naruto was the victim; he was innocent.
Brother just said it: Tailed Beasts are Tailed Beasts, and people are people. They were two different matters and shouldn't be lumped together.
Naruto remained racked with guilt. The shadow of the past two years couldn't be wiped away with just a few words. He had been cursed at and bullied by too many people, and though he had tried to fight back, it never worked. The physical blows landing on his body were one thing, but when someone got hurt protecting him—especially Yuka—he couldn't get past that mental hurdle no matter what.
"But their target was me. Because I'm a monster, so—"
"Nope. Naruto, if you went to school, you'd definitely be the slow learner who never understands what the teacher is saying."
As soon as Yuka opened her mouth, Naruto's self-reproach was shattered to pieces, and his brain short-circuited all over again. "Eh?" He genuinely had no idea how Yuka's thought process worked to make such abrupt leaps.
"Hmph." Sasuke stood beside his brother, crossing his arms as he cast a sidelong glance at him, his cold dark eyes full of disdain. "Class loser."
"Wh—what did you call me, loser?!" Naruto jumped up like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, pointing a finger at Sasuke and roaring, "Who on earth are you?! Why did you come to my house?!"
Yuka turned around and looked at Naruto as if he were an idiot. "Naruto, he's my brother. We're twins—can't you tell we look alike? Besides, he came here with me. Is there something wrong with your eyes too?"
The word "too" was very subtle. Itachi lowered his gaze, glancing at the crown of Yuka's head without a trace.
"Oh, right!" Naruto reacted as if he had just discovered a new continent, looking back and forth between Sasuke and Yuka: identical black hair, identical faces, identical black eyes, except for the curve of their bangs...
Yuka had parted bangs framing both sides of her forehead, while Sasuke had strawberry-shaped bangs resting across his brow.
Everything else was practically a carbon copy, truly cut from the same mold!
"You guys look so much alike!!"
"Well, duh!" Yuka proudly lifted her chin. "We're twins, of course we look alike!"
"We're getting off topic." Itachi timely brought the conversation back from its repeated tangents. "It's getting late. You need to go home and sleep."
"Oh, oh, oh, oh!" Yuka nodded obediently. She wasn't supposed to be out tonight, but after begging for a long time, her brother had finally agreed to let her come see Naruto. "Anyway, Naruto, you didn't do anything wrong."
"If you listened carefully to what Brother said earlier, you'd know he meant people are people and beasts are beasts. Even if there's a monster in your body, it has nothing to do with you as a person. So those people calling you a monster just because you have a beast inside you—that's their problem, not yours."
Though young, Yuka read a lot and understood far more than her peers. While her speech was always nonsensical, she saw through things much more clearly than others her age.
Itachi stroked Yuka's head.
Yuka smiled, hugged her brother's leg, rubbed against it, and continued with a cheeky grin.
"Good thing I'm farsighted! I specifically asked Brother why people called you a monster, and that's how I found out there really is a monster inside you. But Naruto, this genuinely isn't your fault. You were just born, and the Tailed Beast wasn't put into your body with your permission—what does that have to do with you? Whether it's being called a monster or having a Tailed Beast stuffed inside you, you're the victim in both cases."
Itachi hadn't explained to Yuka where the Tailed Beast came from, nor who had sealed it inside Naruto. He knew very well that if he told her Naruto's father had sealed the beast within him, given Yuka's personality, she would definitely ask him: "Parents always want their children to grow up better and better, so why would Naruto's parents put something so dangerous inside their own child?"
With Yuka's logic, she would easily arrive at the conclusion: "Oh, so Tailed Beasts are actually good for the body; they make children stronger."
That would be a very dangerous train of thought. Itachi had to nip that idea in the bud, which was why he hadn't told Yuka too much about the Tailed Beasts or the sealing. He had merely warned her that Tailed Beasts were dangerous and should be avoided, but that Naruto—who carried the Tailed Beast—was still a human being with his own thoughts, someone she could interact with.
Naruto's mouth puckered, then curled upward again. He looked at Yuka with an expression that hovered between crying and laughing, utterly bewildered.
"What is that expression? It's not cute at all! So ugly." Yuka stepped forward, reached out, and pinched both of Naruto's cheeks, kneading them back and forth until Naruto broke into a cute, brilliant smile again before letting go. "You need to smile more. Men look best when they're smiling."
"Ahem—" Sasuke, who had been standing to the side with his arms crossed coldly, nearly choked on his own saliva. Though he didn't know much either, he knew a two-year-old child couldn't be called a man. "Yuka, he's two years old."
Itachi began to wonder if some weird books had somehow slipped into Yuka's recent reading list.
"Oh, never mind, whatever, you get the point. As long as you understand, don't sweat the details." Yuka waved a dismissive hand, then gave Naruto's shoulder a hearty smack of encouragement. "Don't let my trust in you go to waste, Naruto! You hang in there, you hear me?"
"Oh! Got it!" Naruto quickly recovered his usual optimistic and cheerful self, grinning broadly. "Thank you, Yuka!!"
"You're welcome! Momoko made the food, and it's delicious! Make sure you finish it later! And remember to wash the food box yourself, okay?" Having given all her parting instructions, Yuka looked around Naruto's room one last time to inspect it. "I'll have Momoko bring you some more supplies tomorrow. The clothes you're wearing are way too dirty, and they have three holes in them—stop wearing them. If you keep wearing them, your butt is going to show. Wear new clothes next time; it doesn't matter if you ruin them, I'll support you with the money my brother earns."
Hearing this, Naruto hurriedly covered his backside, finally letting out a sigh of relief when he found the clothes back there weren't torn yet.
Itachi: "...?" He raised a hand and lightly poked Yuka's forehead to express his disapproval.
Sasuke chimed in indignantly as well, "Yuka! You can't just adopt random stray things outside!"
Yuka covered her forehead, reluctantly changing her words: "I can support you with the money my father earns, too."
As soon as those words left her mouth, the two disgruntled brothers finally put away their displeasure.
Naruto felt a bit embarrassed. "Your family is so nice. Kurama was lying after all—the Uchiha family are clearly all wonderful people!"
"Of course they are!" Even though she didn't like wearing the clan crest on her clothes, Yuka still possessed a fair bit of family pride. She gave a thumbs-up and asked Naruto, "Do you want to join the Uchiha family and be called Uchiha Naruto? Don't worry, our family members are super strong; we can definitely protect you!"
You can't go around saying things like that!
Itachi truly had to perform a mandatory mute on Yuka this time. He covered her mouth and scooped her up into his arms once again.
Turning his head, he saw that Naruto was actually frowning in deep thought.
"Uchiha... Naruto... That name sounds a little weird, but if you insist, Yuka..."
Facepalm...
Kid, are you actually considering this?!
As the only person present who knew the whole story, and the oldest of them all, Itachi said solemnly, "Naruto, there's no need to take these words to heart. A family name is important; it cannot be casually abandoned or changed."
Naruto nodded hurriedly. He knew this person—Yuka's brother—was very serious and terrifying! Yuka always sneaked around behind his back when she wanted to do something!
"Got it, Big Brother!"
Sasuke panicked, his protective-brother complex erupting in full force: "You can't call him Big Brother!"
Only he and his sister were allowed to call him that! What kind of person was Naruto to be calling him that?!
Naruto opened his mouth, looked at Itachi, then looked at Sasuke, and asked, "Then what should I call him?"
Yuka twisted her mouth free from Itachi's hand, her desire to express herself extremely strong. She had her own unique insights when it came to nicknames: "How about you call him Cool, Aloof, and Handsome Hunk! I saw that written in books all the time—men who don't talk much are called aloof guys, and good-looking ones are called hunks... My brother looks—mmph, mmph."
Yuka, having spoken precisely one sentence, was forcibly muted again, but her pretty eyes were still winking at Naruto.
Naruto swallowed hard, glanced at Itachi's expressionless face, and tentatively called out, "Cool,... aloof, and handsome hunk...?"
Itachi: "..."
Sasuke: "..."
Yuka's eyes lit up even more: "!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
As expected of the toy I picked out! He's seriously so obedient!!!
...
The night was deep, and the entire Konohagakure was quiet. Moonlight poured down onto the ground, dyeing the path silver and illuminating the way home.
One tall and two short figures were drawn out into very long shadows by the moonlight, walking slowly toward the Uchiha Village.
"What kind of books have you been reading lately?" A calm voice broke the silence.
"Um, I only read very normal books, all bought from the bookstore... Just reading for fun, hehehe." The sound of a little girl's giggling drifted over.
"How could normal books contain descriptions like 'cool, aloof, and handsome hunk'?" This was a question raised by another childish voice.
The little girl's voice gradually lowered, carrying an inexpressible, indefinable tone that sounded a bit melancholic—though for what reason, nobody knew. "Ah... maybe because it's teenage angst literature?"
The calm voice retorted, "Teenage angst literature?"
"Ah, oh, eh?" The little girl's feigned ignorance was glaringly obvious. "Did I just say something? Hey, look, you guys! The moon tonight is so round, hahahahaha!!!"
Itachi and Sasuke raised their heads at the exact same time, only to see that the moon overhead was curved into a crescent, not round in the least.
By the time the two of them realized they had been tricked by Yuka and turned their gazes back down, where was there any trace of Yuka?
Yuka, who had long since dashed ahead down the path, turned around and waved at them. "Let's play a game! Let's race to see who gets home first!! I'm definitely going to win first place!"
—It was a very obvious and clumsy way to change the subject, but somehow, both brothers fell for it hook, line, and sinker.
"Hey, Yuka!" Sasuke forgot what they had been arguing about just a moment ago and hurried after her. "You're cheating, you got a head start! I'm telling Big Brother!"
"Blech!" Yuka ran forward without looking back, her short legs moving at lightning speed across the flat ground. "I don't care! That's called tactics! That's called strategy! Got it? Brother Sasuke, you still have a lot to learn!"