Returning home a few hours after finishing a mission, Kakashi learned that his father had visited Nariya Ueshima yesterday, but due to some other matters, that conversation had remained unfinished.
Now that he happened to run into him, Kakashi figured it would be a good time to make the invitation explicitly.
So he said directly, "Nariya, come live at my house as my little brother."
After all, even Guy subconsciously thought the two of them looked a bit alike, like brothers.
Caught off guard, Nariya Ueshima blinked and glanced at the not-yet-grown Kakashi standing before him. The other boy was about the same height as him, though lacking the childishness of their peers, appearing somewhat more mature and steady.
Especially that deadpan gaze—which in the future would show little enthusiasm for anything other than Make-Out Tactics—was already starting to take shape.
"Kakashi, we're the same age. Why should I be the younger brother? What month is your birthday?"
Honest Kakashi replied, "September."
December-born Nariya Ueshima: "..."
Put that way, he really would have to be the younger brother.
Seeing him unable to argue, the corners of Kakashi's mouth curved slightly beneath his mask. Just as he was about to speak again, Obito suddenly barged into his field of vision.
Obito yanked Nariya Ueshima back as if shielding him, planting himself firmly in front, his dark eyes blazing as he stared straight at him.
"Give up on that idea right now, Kakashi! Nariya is not going to your house!"
"Don't make decisions for others on your own, Obito," Kakashi said with a frown.
Clenching his fists, Obito announced loudly, "It's not on my own! Because Nariya and I are going to live together! It's already been decided!"
"—Really?"
"Why would I lie to you?" Obito's veins throbbed on his forehead as he glared, feeling wronged.
Kakashi shifted his gaze, looking past Obito to Nariya Ueshima as if seeking confirmation.
"Obito is right." The one being looked at nodded calmly. "It was just decided a few hours ago. I'll speak to your father about it myself, Kakashi, so you don't need to worry."
"Oh, I see." Taken aback for a moment, Kakashi nodded in acknowledgment.
Although a bit regretful, it was no big deal.
Seeing this, Obito felt like he had finally scored a win against Kakashi, and a wave of smugness washed over him. Just as he was about to press his advantage and say something, Kakashi's voice sounded again.
"Nariya, watch out that you don't become an idiot yourself, living with an idiot like Obito for too long."
Obito instantly bristled. "...What are you talking about, Kakashi! Who are you looking down on?"
Nariya Ueshima replied with a smile, "I'll be careful then."
Obito's angry expression collapsed instantly. "Aah, Nariya..."
That little look of disbelief seemed to accuse him of siding with Kakashi against him.
So Obito was very unhappy.
Nariya Ueshima added with a smile, "Still, I just happen to like making friends with idiots."
"..."
Hearing this, the look in Obito's eyes paused, and he immediately brightened up again.
"Did you hear that, Kakashi!"
As a result, Kakashi gave him a very helpless look, as if doubting his intelligence.
Feeling insulted by that look, Obito trembled with anger. "Whoa, what's with that look?! What kind of look is that!"
Cants to bother with Obito, who had just indirectly confessed to being an idiot, Kakashi shook his head, massaged his temples, and turned to Might Guy.
"Let's go, Guy."
"Oh!" Guy snapped out of it, full of vigor. "Have you come to settle things once and for all with me, Kakashi?"
Kakashi: "..."
He almost forgot that this one was an idiot too.
"I'll come back for the photo tomorrow," he said, turning to the photo studio owner.
Then, before turning away, he glanced sideways at Nariya Ueshima and said, "And Nariya, congratulations on enrolling."
"Ah, thanks."
Watching Kakashi and Might Guy leave the photo studio, Obito let out a breath once he calmed down. "That guy's finally gone."
The nice group photo had been ruined by Kakashi barging in, leaving Obito thoroughly displeased.
After thinking for a moment, he grabbed the contemplative Nariya Ueshima by the arm, his expression eager. "Let's take advantage of this and retake the picture right now, Nariya!"
"Sorry, it's already been developed," the photo studio owner chimed in at a very inopportune moment. "Even if you want to retake it, you still have to pay for the first one, you know."
Obito: "..."
Pay up it was; he had his wallet on him anyway.
He pulled out his savings without hesitation, but a small hand pressed down on his.
"Don't waste that money. Missions aren't easy for you either. What you need to do right now is go home and bring over the necessary things—like clothes and toiletries."
Hearing him bring this up, Obito blinked and nodded happily. "Oh, right!"
A second thought struck him, and he asked, "What about you?"
"I'll walk around the neighborhood a bit more. You can go move your things into the house yourself later. You already have the key, right?"
Hearing him use the word "house," the smile on Obito's face widened. "Yeah!"
After the two temporarily parted ways, Obito's light and cheerful footsteps suddenly ground to a halt.
Ah, retaking the photo!
Damn it, he had been completely led by the nose by Nariya and completely forgot the moment he turned around!
...
Right now, Nariya Ueshima was heading straight for the Konoha vegetable market. Since the two of them would be living together from now on, everything at home needed to be prepared in duplicate.
Having just finished cooking at noon and finding that his vegetables were running desperately low, he took advantage of the outing to buy some more.
Speaking of Obito, he hadn't originally planned on living together, though he had considered visiting the Hatake clan.
However, when he brought it up with Obito back then, he clearly noticed that Obito's mood had dipped. Even though he was smiling and offering congratulations, the loneliness hidden deep within those black eyes was hard to ignore.
So he had simply handed Obito the spare key and invited him to move in.
Sneaking into Uchiha territory all the time was too troublesome anyway; it was much easier to just summon Obito out.
As far as he knew, Obito didn't have a very strong sense of belonging to the Uchiha clan, so he wouldn't refuse.
And as it turned out, that was indeed the case.
The expression on his face had grown visibly much happier.
"Hey, stop meddling in things that are none of your business, brat! Hurry up and go home to sleep!"
In a relatively uncrowded alleyway, Nariya Ueshima, who was passing by, suddenly heard a shrill scolding.
Stopping in his tracks, he turned his head to look inside and saw that seven or eight meters away, three kids around his age were surrounding a little girl. One of the dark-haired boys had a handful of her aqua-blue hair grasped tightly in his fist, refusing to let go despite the painful expression on her face.
Meanwhile, that boy's wrist was firmly grabbed by another, much smaller arm.
The owner of that arm was no more than five or six years old, with a pair of very pretty, large eyes, slightly upturned eyelashes, and a distinctive head of messy curls.
"…He looks like someone from the Uchiha clan," a companion standing slightly behind whispered urgently, having spotted the clan symbol on the back of the other child's clothes.
"So what if he's from the Uchiha clan?"
"Charging in like this rudely to meddle—I don't care whose family he's from. He's not even as tall as my shoulder, what is there to be afraid of?"
"No, what if his family members are nearby? People from the Uchiha clan are not to be messed with..."
"..."