𝐔𝐍𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐃𝐈𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐀𝐋𝐋𝐘 | itachi/sasuke uchiha

chapter eight

The next day, you're violently awoken by someone shaking you, making you yell and instinctively cover your chest as you're wearing a loose (colour) shirt.

"Aunty Mikoto?! What is it?!" you exclaim as your aunty steps back, frowning. She flicks you on the nose, looking very displeased. You falter and struggle to speak.

"What did I-?!" She crosses her arms and gives you a look, tapping her foot.

"I'd meant to speak to you before you left last night, but you were just gone so suddenly I didn't have the chance!" You sit up, pulling your shirt up from behind and rubbing your eyes with one hand.

"Oh. What did you want to say?" you ask, stretching your arms.

"No more training until after your birthday! Did you see the state you were in when you got back yesterday?! Singed hair, chapped lips, burnt cheeks- we don't want you turning up to your sixteenth birthday in more than one piece!" You gape at your aunty as she tuts, utterly bemused. If anything, she'd always encouraged you in your training and shinobi endeavours.

"But-" She wags a finger in your face.

"No buts, (name), we want you to be flawless when the time comes. Okay?" You're still confused, but you nod anyways.

"Good. You can spend the day doing something else for once."

She simply walks out as if breaking into your house at seven in the morning and violently shaking you awake to tell you something so little was no big deal.

"What the hell am I supposed to do?"

You end up cleaning. And by cleaning, that meant scrubbing every visible surface, re-folding and organising all of your drawers, colour coding your wardrobe and cleaning up the fridge. You're finished by three, and your stomach grumbles loudly. You beam and clasp your hands together. No training meant you could go and eat out somewhere. You eagerly grab your headband from your bedside table and put it on, covering your right eye.

"Ichiraku ramen, here I come!!"

When you get there, you're greeted by Teuchi and his daughter Ayame, who both gasp at your sudden appearance.

"Do my eyes deceive me? Is this the famous (name) Uchiha?" gapes Teuchi as you saunter in and take a seat at the counter. You grin at him, hands clasped in front of you on the countertop.

"The one and only," you beam. "Long time no see, eh?" Teuchi puts a hand over his belly and lets out a deep laugh.

"You're telling me! You always used to come here when you were at the Academy! What happened, eh?" he says in a light tone. You chuckle.

"Even I'm not sure, to be honest. But hey, could I have a bowl of beef ramen? I'm starving," you say, putting a hand over your belly. You see Teuchi raise his eyebrows and look at Ayame, who giggles. Your smile falters.

"Was it something I said?" you say, confused, hand still on your tummy. Teuchi lets out yet another booming laugh.

"Oh ho ho, so the rumours were correct, were they?" A vein pops on your forehead as you realise what they were laughing about.

"I AM NOT PREGNANT! WHO STARTED THAT, ANYWAY?!" you exclaim, banging your fist on the table. The two ramen makers sweatdrop.

"I knew it was false," says Teuchi quickly. "You're much too young!" You're still fuming as Ayame places a bowl of ramen in front of you.

"Beef ramen for the lady!" She gives you a friendly smile, and you stop raging. Why was everyone under the impression that you're pregnant?!
She gives you a pair of hashi (chopsticks), and you instantly stab them into your bowl of ramen.

"Yanno, you may only be sixteen, (name), but I wouldn't blame people for believing you're pregnant," chuckles Teuchi, leaning over the countertop. You frown as you slurp ramen into your mouth. Ayame joins his side, nodding.

"Agreed! No offence, (name)-chan, but you have the mind and personality of a thirty year old woman," she says wisely.

"All offence taken! And I'm still fifteen!" you exclaim, now holding the bowl in your hands. The two laugh, and Ayame gets back to the oven.

"Besides, I'd never be so stupid as to make a mistake like that so early on in my life," you say with a mouthful of ramen, pointing your hashi at Teuchi. He raises his arms in surrender.

"I won't argue with ya." You hear the flaps behind you move as someone walks in, and out of the corner of your eye see two shinobi. You turn in your seat.

"Naruto! Hi!" The blonde haired boy sits with his sensei, Kakashi, obviously arguing about who's going to pay for the meal. He looks at you, and grins widely.

"(name)-chan! It's been a while!" he exclaims loudly. You wave at Kakashi, who nods at you in acknowledgement. You grin at him. People often compared you two by the way you wore your headbands: his, of course, was to hide his Sharingan eye, and yours was to cover your amethyst eye, which you had a habit of calling "the weird one." It didn't seem to be any different to your other eye apart from the fact that it's amethyst, and it really bugged you.

"It has! How have you been? Are you Hokage yet?" you say cheekily, setting the bowl of ramen back onto the counter. He grins and scratches his head, and Kakashi jumps in.

"He's working on it, believe me," he says. You nod, and let Naruto order before he comes back to talk to you.

"So you're turning sixteen, huh?" he says cheerfully. "I hear your family's planned a huge birthday party!" You raise an eyebrow.

"How did you know?" you ask suspiciously. He laughs nervously.

"Well, word's been going around, plus me and Sakura were invited by Sasuke, so..." You snort. Sure. Sasuke invited them. More like Mikoto forced him to. You beam at him again.

"Oh, definitely bring a date along," you say, winking. He goes red, and Kakashi coughs, nose stuck in a little orange book.

"I- Sakura and I aren't- but-" You laugh and shake it off.

"Come together as a date, for me," you say, trying to play matchmaker.

"But Sakura likes Sasuke... And by like, I mean... a lot," he mumbles under his breath, looking rather dejected. He looks so sad at the girl of his dreams not returning his love that you feel really bad for him. You finish gulping down the last of your ramen and give him a soft look.

"Hey," you say in a soft voice as Ayame gives the pair their bowls of ramen. "Don't give up, okay? For all we know, Sasuke could well end up with another girl, then who would Sakura have, huh?" Naruto slurps his ramen, and wipes his mouth before looking back at you.

"So basically you're telling me to be a rebound, huh?" You sweatdrop at his words, realising what you sounded like.

"N-no, of course not! I mean..." you sigh and hang your head. "I just... okay, if you really love Sakura, then your goal would be to make her happy, wouldn't it?" Naruto keeps a straight face as he eats. It's so comical you almost laugh.

"Hmm... I guess so..." You get to your feet, taking leave.

"Seeing the one you love being happy should make you happy, right?" you say, handing your empty bowl back to Teuchi. Naruto nods, more encouraged now.

"Right! Thanks, (name)!" You nod, and speak to Kakashi.

"I take it you're coming as well?" you say. He looks up at you with a bored look on his face.

"Hmm? Oh, um..." You roll your eyes.

"Or don't you want to celebrate with your team the coming of age of one of their family members?" you laugh teasingly, making Kakashi chuckle.

"Alright, I'll be there," he says, shaking his head with a smile. Well, you assume he's smiling. He hasn't touched his ramen or taken off his mask.

"Great! It was nice seeing you again! Bye guys! Bye Teuchi! Bye Ayame!"

"Bye now, (name)-chan!"

You make your way out of the ramen shop, beginning to head back home to shower before you headed to your aunt and uncle's house for Mikoto to force you into yet another yukata. Oh, the joy.