Chapter 65: Do You Want My Eyes?
Yu gently patted Sasuko's small bottom: "Time to get up."
Sasuko reluctantly moved away, watching Yu put on slippers and head to the bathroom.
She quickly jumped out of bed to follow, like a clingy little tail.
In the bathroom, the two stood side by side at the sink.
When Yu squeezed toothpaste, Sasuko stood on tiptoes to hog the mirror;
When Yu bent down to rinse, she secretly flicked water droplets at his back with her wet fingers.
"Don't be naughty." Yu said indistinctly through the foam, casually smoothing down her messy hair.
Sasuko brushed her teeth with a grin, foam covering her mouth.
After washing up, Yu tied on an apron and asked: "What do you want for breakfast?"
"Anything's fine." Sasuko sat at the dining table swinging her legs. "Except ramen."
Yu went into the kitchen to prepare ingredients.
When they first moved in, they used to grab breakfast outside, until one day he tried making simple rice balls and discovered that even picky Sasuko ate them all.
Now Yu's cooking skills had improved considerably. He was beating eggs when he heard pattering footsteps approaching.
"Need any help?" Sasuko gripped the edge of the counter, eyes sparkling as she looked at him.
Though last time her "help" resulted in spilling the flour bag, making the kitchen look like it had snowed.
Yu handed her a small bowl of peas: "Can you shell these?"
Sasuko nodded solemnly, taking the bowl to sit on a small stool and begin work.
After shelling just a few, she got tired of the trouble and simply popped them in her mouth to crack open, earning a light tap on the back of her hand from Yu's spatula.
"Cheating isn't allowed." He said, suppressing a laugh.
Sasuko puffed her cheeks and spat the peas back into the bowl, continuing to shell them earnestly.
Sunlight streamed through the kitchen window, illuminating the standing and sitting pair.
When breakfast was served, Sasuko's eyes immediately lit up.
The golden fried egg had crispy edges, rice balls shaped like cute animals, and even the miso soup carried just the right fragrance.
"Your cooking has improved again..." she whispered in admiration.
Yu smiled and reached over to pinch her cheek: "Thanks for the compliment."
Halfway through eating, Sasuko suddenly put down her chopsticks and announced: "Tomorrow I'll cook!"
Yu paused mid-sip of his soup.
"How about waiting a bit longer?" he suggested diplomatically. "When you're taller and can reach the stove more easily."
Sasuko immediately straightened her back: "I can reach it on tiptoes!" Then added defiantly, "Besides, ninja academy already teaches wilderness survival cooking..."
Looking at her eager expression, Yu couldn't bear to dampen her enthusiasm. Finally compromising: "Then let's cook together tomorrow. You handle stirring, I'll control the heat."
Sasuko puffed her cheeks and poked the soft-boiled egg, watching the golden yolk flow out, then suddenly looked up: "Are you afraid I'll blow up the kitchen?"
"Yes." Yu admitted frankly, then added with a smile as she widened her eyes, "So I need to supervise."
Sasuko huffily ate two more rice balls, determined to impress Yu tomorrow.
After breakfast, Yu was clearing dishes when he casually asked: "What do you want to do on your day off?"
Sasuko rested her chin on her hands thoughtfully, then her eyes suddenly brightened: "I want you to teach me ninjutsu!"
Yu dried his hands and turned around: "How about I teach you sword techniques?"
"No good," Sasuko shook her head. "Ninja swords are too long, inconvenient for me right now."
"What about Fire Style? The Uchiha clan's specialty."
"No good," Sasuko continued refusing. "Fire Style uses too much chakra."
Yu thoughtfully rubbed his chin: "Then I'll teach you Shadow Clone?"
"Don't want to," Sasuko pouted. "School already taught that."
Yu couldn't help raising an eyebrow: "Then what does my Miss Sasuko want to learn?"
Sasuko's eyes sparkled with anticipation: "I want to learn that jutsu where you can instantly disappear and suddenly appear! Just like in the shelter last time!"
Yu's Mangekyo Sharingan rotated slightly as his form suddenly blurred, twisting and flickering in the air like a poor signal: "This one?"
"Yes, yes! That's it!" Sasuko excitedly grabbed his sleeve. "Yu, teach me quickly!"
But Yu showed a mysterious smile: "You don't need to learn this to use it."
"Then tell me how to use it quickly!" Sasuko shook his arm urgently.
Once she learned this, she could come straight home during breaks.
Yu crouched down to meet her eyes, his fingertip lightly tapping his own eye: "Just give you my eyes and you can do it."
Sasuko froze in place, the excitement gradually fading from her face. Looking at Yu's still-smiling eyes, she suddenly understood this wasn't a joke.
"Exclusive dojutsu of the Mangekyo Sharingan requires special ocular power to activate."
Yu maintained his crouching position, gazing gently at Sasuko: "So, Sasuko, do you want my eyes?"
His voice was light, as casual as commenting on nice weather. The Mangekyo Sharingan slowly rotated, reflecting Sasuko's suddenly pale face.
"I don't want Yu's eyes!" Sasuko practically shouted, her eyes instantly reddening as she clenched her small fists: "I want... I want Yu to always look at me like this."
She suddenly lunged forward, grabbing Yu's clothes: "Don't say such things again!"
Yu felt the wetness on his shoulder and finally put away his joking expression: "Alright, I won't say it."
Yu gently embraced Sasuko, his voice apologetic: "Sasuko, I'm sorry. I was just joking with you."
He stroked his sister's hair. "Actually, I have another instant movement jutsu that doesn't require eye transplantation to learn."
Sasuko raised her tear-stained face, looking at him seriously: "Don't joke like that anymore!"
"Okay." Yu nodded with a smile, though he knew inwardly that it hadn't been entirely a joke.
If Sasuko truly insisted, giving her these eyes would be fine. She was just too young now, her chakra reserves couldn't handle the Mangekyo's consumption.
"How about I teach you Flying Thunder God? It's also a space-time ninjutsu." He deliberately used a light tone to add, "Though the learning difficulty is S-rank."
Sasuko's eyes immediately brightened, but then she squinted suspiciously: "It doesn't require transplanting anything, does it?"
"Really doesn't this time." Yu smiled and pinched her nose tip. "Just need to learn marking and chakra conversion formulas, though it might take several years of practice."
Sasuko tilted her head to ask: "How do you know this jutsu? It sounds really rare."
"Someone gave it to me." Yu said naturally. "I've been studying it these past few days."
"'Someone' again." Sasuko crossed her arms, her small face scrunching up. "Before you said the big house was from someone, now jutsu scrolls are also from someone." The more she spoke, the angrier she got, jumping directly in front of Yu to block his path. "Yu, are you treating me like a fool?"
Yu looked at his sister's indignant expression and couldn't help but laugh: "How could I?"
He reached out to ruffle her hair, but Sasuko dodged by tilting her head.
"Then explain clearly!" Sasuko persistently tugged at his clothes. "Which 'someone' is so generous? I want to meet them too!"