"Feitao, didn't you go to borrow... hmm?" Itachi noticed that Feitao had been standing by the steps for a long time without moving, so he decided to come over and take a look. As he drew closer, he saw the silver-haired boy. He had seen this boy before; it was he who had paid for the noodles that time he and Feitao ate together. Hatake Kakashi, son of the Konoha White Fang, Hatake Sakumo, a genius ninja in every sense of the word.
He seemed to get along quite well with Feitao.
Kakashi instantly sensed the child's gaze and the confusion in his eyes. "My name is Hatake Kakashi." He knew Itachi already knew his name, but a formal self-introduction was still necessary. This child would undoubtedly prove to be a formidable opponent in the future.
"Uchiha Itachi. That's my name. I look forward to working with you." Itachi gave Kakashi a slight nod of politeness. Until now, it seemed they had never had the chance to properly meet.
Then came a bout of silence. Feitao was utterly speechless. This was precisely why she hated hanging out with these two; every little thing resulted in an awkward silence, didn't they know how agonizingly uncomfortable that was? Besides, wasn't she supposed to be borrowing a lighter to ignite her Kongming lantern? Now the three of them were just deadlocked here in silence, and everyone was suffering from the awkwardness.
"Rin, are you talking about that little cat from our mission last time? That cat was such a pain. Of course, catching it was entirely thanks to yours truly—well, alright, Kakashi helped a tiny bit too, just a tiny bit."
Feitao, equipped with her own built-in super-hearing, caught Obito's voice immediately. She turned her head and saw the two of them walking from the upper river path onto the paved walkway by the riverbank, just about to turn toward the steps.
"Brother Tu and Sister Rin! Quick, hide!" Driven by some unknown surge of strength, Feitao shoved Kakashi straight into the bushes, then grabbed Itachi and hauled him in after them.
"Fei—"
"Shh, don't speak, don't speak."
Before Itachi could ask what was going on, Feitao cut him off, pressing a finger lightly to his lips. "Brother Tu is coming."
Tu? Who was that?
Kakashi wore an expression of utter bewilderment. Why on earth did he have to hide? If he wanted to avoid being seen, he was fully capable of leaving—though that assumed Feitao hadn't ambushed him with that kick. Where on earth did a girl get that kind of strength? Oh well, he had nothing better to do anyway; watching the dunce Obito make a fool of himself might actually be entertaining.
"It's starting, it's starting! The blockbuster drama of the year!" Feitao whispered with intense excitement, her left hand clutching Itachi's clothes as her eyes gleamed.
A drama?
Itachi frowned, utterly uncomprehending as he watched the two figures walking down the steps. One wore a deep blue yukata and the other a pink yukata, and they were carrying a bouquet of red flowers. Somehow, they radiated an inexplicable sense of effortless harmony.
"Yeah, Obito has always worked very hard."
"Is... is that so? Ha... haha... I figured as much." Obito laughed foolishly, a tremor underlying his words. Damn it, he had originally intended to confess right away, but who would have thought they wouldn't allow water lanterns over there? Still, at least he got to take a walk with Rin. No, he couldn't let Momoko down after all the expectations she had placed on him; he had to confess, even if there was a chance he'd fail.
Step by step, the two descended. Reaching the very bottom step, Obito mustered all his courage and grabbed Rin's hand.
"Obito, what's wrong?" Rin looked at him in confusion. Why had Obito suddenly grabbed her hand? Did he have something to say? Wait, Obito had claimed he just happened to buy these roses on a whim, but of course, she didn't believe that for a second. She had originally planned to go out with little Momoko, but somehow Momoko hadn't shown up, and then she'd run into Obito instead. Add all those pieces together, and she could pretty much guess what was going on. Surely Obito wasn't about to...
At that thought, two rosy patches flashed across Rin's cheeks.
"Rin, there's something I've wanted to tell you for a long time." Obito gathered every ounce of courage he possessed and took a deep breath. "Rin, you've always been so nice to me, and I've always felt..."
And with that, Obito launched into an epic monologue, recounting events all the way from when he was still wearing open-crotch trousers right up to the present. Feitao's expression soured. She yanked fiercely on Itachi's clothes. "Damn it, what an absolute idiot! This is the exact moment you just cut straight to the point! Why are you rambling on so much? It's driving me crazy!"
"Feitao, you're hurting me," Itachi whispered. What had gotten into her? She looked absolutely furious. From certain angles, young Uchiha Itachi was a bit dense.
Kakashi facepalmed. *Momoko, this is his confession, not yours. Why do you look even more worked up than Obito? Still, Obito, I really overestimated you. What on earth are you even saying?*
"So, um... you see... Rin... well..." Obito stood there stumbling over his words, both hands frantically tugging at his own clothes. He looked as foolish as a person could possibly look, shifting his weight and squirming around, completely failing to reach the point after ages of rambling.
Feitao was practically grinding her teeth. Was he trying to drive her out of her mind? Just spit it out! Fumbling around like this, were you even a man? Of course, Master Obito could tell you very solemnly that no, he was not; he was merely a tiny twelve-year-old boy.
Itachi, who was only a little over three years old, didn't quite understand their current behavior, but he felt that doing things alongside Feitao made him happy and at ease.
And so, Obito dawdled and hemmed and hawed for a full half-hour without managing to spit out a single point. Feitao's enthusiasm dissipated entirely on the night wind. Her previously burning passion had vanished; she now resembled a frost-bitten eggplant, drooping her head with lifeless eyes. *You're beyond saving! Just stay single for the rest of your life!*
Just as Feitao felt her legs going completely numb from squatting and considered stretching them out, she heard Obito finally approaching the main point.
"I... I've always had... had... different feelings for Rin... Actually... I..." Obito took a deep breath. He had to say those words today, or else he feared he'd never get another chance. Besides, he absolutely could not let down Momoko's expectations of him.
"I like you!"
"Rin, it's getting late, let's head home!"
Just as Obito blurted it out, a voice rang out. The massive volume drowned out his words entirely, meaning Rin almost certainly hadn't heard him. She smiled apologetically at Obito. "Sorry, my dad is calling me. It's getting late, so I should head back. Thanks so much for the roses, Obito. I'm off, see you tomorrow."
Rin turned and bounded up the steps.
Only then did Obito wave at her limply. "See you tomorrow, Rin."
Gradually, Rin's figure vanished from sight. Obito finally lowered his gaze and stared at the ground. "Damn it! Seriously, Uchiha Obito, you're a coward! You let such a great opportunity slip through your fingers! Who knows when you'll get another chance like this! Ah, you idiot!" He grabbed a nearby tree and shook it furiously.
"You really are hopelessly stupid!" Feitao scoffed aloud. Such a fantastic opportunity! Moonlight, roses, and such a wonderful festive atmosphere! He had just thrown away a golden opportunity like that!
"Who? Who's speaking?" Obito blinked and looked around wildly, but saw nothing.
Only then did Feitao and the other two crawl out of the bushes. And truly, they crawled out; the scene resembled Sadako emerging from a television set, each of them looking as though their legs had been broken. Feitao twisted her waist and steadied herself against the railing. "I'm telling you, Brother Tu, why couldn't you just spit it out?! Watching you was so agonizing!"
"What?! You guys were here the whole time? And Kakashi too?! Ah!!" Obito was utterly dumbfounded. To think Kakashi had witnessed such an embarrassing spectacle—unbelievable!
Timely as ever, Kakashi nodded. "That was utterly pathetic."
"You... you, you, you..."
Obito lunged forward and grabbed the lapels of Kakashi's tunic. "You are not allowed to speak of this to anyone!"
"Even if you begged me to talk, I wouldn't. Heh, little stutterer."
"I am not... a... a... stutterer!"
Feitao couldn't help shaking her head. Kakashi was truly something else; his deadpan remarks never failed to make Obito instantly blow his top. Still, since he'd muffed an opportunity this good, what kind of date was he supposed to pick for the next attempt? The Mid-Autumn Festival or New Year's?
"Feitao, what is he trying to do?" Itachi didn't understand, nor did he know why they had been squatting there. Were they trying to conceal themselves? That much he understood, because concealing oneself during battlefield missions was crucial, but hadn't they failed to gather any intelligence?
Feitao sighed. "He's just here to play the fool. If you ever want to confess to a girl in the future, you have to be fast, precise, and ruthless, otherwise you'll end up just like him and get despised." Of course, Feitao figured the chances of Itachi being the one *receiving* confessions were probably much higher.
"Why would someone confess to a girl?"
"Then do you want to confess to a boy? Hmm, come to think of it, that might not be bad either."
"What does confessing mean?"
"It means telling someone that you really like them and want to stay together with them forever."
"Is that so?" Itachi frowned and looked at Feitao. "Then, I'll confess to Feitao, because I really like Feitao."
With that, Itachi flashed a broad, beaming smile.
Feitao froze entirely. "That's not how you use it, you bowl-cut kid!"
"Yo, our little Momoko has got a suitor now," Obito chimed in immediately, squatting down to look at Itachi. "You're from the Uchiha clan too, huh? What's your name?"
"Uchiha Itachi."
"I'm Uchiha Obito. Since you've confessed to our little Momoko, you'd better protect her well from now on, or else I'll beat you up."
"Mn, I will."
Feitao genuinely wanted to slap both of those Uchiha numskulls. This Uchiha Itachi was clearly just a kid who didn't have a clue what he was saying. "Hatake-san, I pity you. I suspect Brother Tu forgot to bring his brain when he left the house."
"Forgot when he left the house? Actually, one might argue he never grew one in the first place."
"That makes a lot of sense."
A rare moment of consensus with Kakashi.