As Makoto Uchiha was about to head out, the corner of his eye caught the dessert shop on the street. Warm yellow light leaked through the frosted windows, spilling a small patch of glow onto the snow—like a pat of melted butter.
A minute later, he came back swinging a bulging paper bag. Inside, the tri-color dango steamed away, white vapor curling up with that sweet smell.
The red-bean filling of the dorayaki mixed with the cozy scent of milk, making stomachs growl on a cold snowy day. Even the air felt sticky, wrapped in a sweetness that wouldn't melt.
"Here, for you guys."
Makoto plopped the bag down on the snow. The treats inside rolled around with a soft clink—he hadn't paid a dime. He'd just put it on Fugaku Uchiha's tab.
Forget the clan head title for a second: Fugaku was also captain of the Konoha Military Police.
Pretty much anyone who'd lived in the village long enough knew his face, especially the shop owners.
Running a tab was no big deal. Once Makoto took over the police force down the line, those merchants would probably line up to pay "protection money" on their own.
Naruto Uzumaki's throat bobbed at the sight of all that fragrant food. His eyes gave away pure hunger—like a cat staring at a fish flake.
But he forced it down fast, little fists clenching inside his sleeves.
He'd grown up without parents to teach him manners, but he still knew you don't just take stuff from strangers.
After thinking it over, he fished a shiny frog wallet out of his jacket. The zipper clicked open, and he dumped every coin and bill into his hand, holding it out to Makoto.
"Thanks, big bro! I've never bought this stuff before, so I'm not sure if it's enough…"
Naruto's little hands were red from the cold, the bills damp from his grip.
Makoto waved him off, tapping the bag with a knuckle. "Just eat. No need to be polite—I didn't pay anyway."
With that, he turned and walked off—finally ditching his clingy little brother Sasuke.
Even after Makoto left, Naruto didn't touch the bag. He just crouched beside it, staring at the goodies inside, imagining how they'd taste.
Like a tiny fox guarding treasure it's too scared to touch, snowflakes on his lashes tumbling down.
Sasuke twisted open a milk carton nearby and chugged a big gulp. The warm liquid slid down his throat, making him shiver.
Catching Naruto's puppy-dog eyes in his peripheral, Sasuke's expression got a little complicated. Without a word, he grabbed a dorayaki and shoved it straight into Naruto's mouth.
"Mmph!"
The red-bean sweetness exploded on his tongue, warm and milky, sliding down his throat. It was so hot Naruto scrunched his neck, but his eyes went wide as saucers.
This was the best thing he'd ever tasted—as far back as he could remember.
He wasn't exactly broke; it's just that every time he tried to buy something, shopkeepers either pretended not to see him, claimed they were "sold out," or straight-up chased him out.
Hardly anyone would sell to him.
Naruto squinted, grinning ear-to-ear, words muffled around the pastry: "Sasuke, your brother's a really good guy!"
Sasuke let out a soft huff, turning his head away. Snow on his bangs shook off, dotting the ground with tiny white flecks.
Naruto scooted closer, boots crunching in the snow, voice brighter: "You're a good guy too!"
That finally got Sasuke to look back. Another huff, but his finger unconsciously picked at the milk carton, denting the cardboard.
Naruto nibbled the dorayaki in tiny bites while chattering away at Sasuke.
Should they swap the snowman's carrot nose for a red berry? Was he cold? Didn't today's snow seem lighter than yesterday's?
Sasuke barely answered, keeping up his cool-guy act. Only when a snowflake landed on his lashes did he blink fast, quietly passing more treats into Naruto's hands.
By the time Naruto's belly was stuffed—like he'd swallowed a basketball—his eyes sparkled like stars. He piped up again: "Big bro's such a good guy!"
"Sei's a total idiot!"
Sasuke fired back instantly, voice low but sharp, like he'd been holding it in forever.
"So what does big bro Sei usually do for fun?"
The second Makoto came up, icy Sasuke flipped a switch and actually started chatting like a normal kid, eyes flashing with annoyance.
"What else? Causes trouble all day!"
Sasuke scrunched his nose, face full of irritation. He left out the part that really bugged him: when Makoto got into scrapes, he never brought Sasuke along.
They were blood brothers… He'd take the scolding or the hits right alongside him.
Then, like another bad memory hit, he kept going: "Half a year ago he snuck up to the Hokage Rock and graffiti'd all over it!"
Naruto clapped a hand over his mouth, letting out a tiny gasp, eyes round with awe.
"That was Sei who painted the Hokage Rock?"
Sasuke gave a small nod, finger tracing shallow lines in the snow—like he was picturing Makoto's "masterpiece."
"I'm definitely making Sei my teacher!" Naruto slapped his hands together, practically bouncing. "I decided that the second I saw it!"
"Ever since I saw Sei paint up there, I wanted to do it too. But lately the village has paint on lockdown—I checked every store and couldn't buy any."
He counted on his red, frozen fingers, dead serious: "If I could've gotten paint, I'd have been up there with him!"
"I remember Sei made the Fourth Hokage look super cool—especially that green hair. I wanna paint it just like that!"
Sasuke glanced over. The worship in Naruto's eyes looked 100% real. He couldn't help a soft "hmph" of approval.
Deep down he liked this new friend more and more. The corner of his mouth twitched up before he forced it straight, pretending to focus on packing the snowman's body—nice and solid, edges perfectly neat.
Snow kept falling, big fat flakes wrapping the two small figures in a blanket of white.
The strawberry nose on the snowman was half-buried, just a red tip peeking out like a ruby hidden in the snow.
Naruto reached to fix it, fingers brushing cold snow. He yanked his hand back but laughed even louder.
Sasuke watched without a word, just scooting a little closer to block the wind whipping in from the side.
...…
Meanwhile, back in the little grove, Sasuke and Naruto were building their snowman, Naruto's giggles ringing out now and then.
But in the shadows outside the trees, Itachi Uchiha paced like a cat with its tail on fire.
He stared at Makoto's shrinking figure, nails digging bloody crescents into his palms. Cold sweat mixed with melting snow ran down his forehead, dripping dark spots onto the roof tiles.
Makoto had always been stubborn—never listened to him growing up.
His boots crunched through the snow with every anxious step. His little brothers were split up—which one should he follow?
He knew shadow clones, but he only had one real body. Where did it belong? The scene stabbed a memory awake.
Half a year ago, Makoto had asked him dead serious: "If Sasuke and I both fell in the river at the same time, who would you save first?"
He'd brushed it off as kid stuff. Now the question felt like an icicle to the heart.
Today's orders came straight from their father, Fugaku—every word heavy: protect Makoto.
But when he glanced back at the grove, there was Sasuke, laughing with the Nine-Tails jinchūriki. Given the clan's current tension with the village…
It looked like tossing a lit match into a powder keg. His eyelids twitched just watching.
Makoto's side was just as dangerous. Half a year ago he'd pissed off Danzō Shimura bad.
If Danzō ever got his hands on Makoto… Itachi couldn't even finish the thought.
He took two steps toward Makoto—boots scraping loud on the tiles.
Then his peripheral caught Sasuke's rare smile in the grove. He froze, forced himself two steps back.
Wind whipped snow into his face like tiny knives, but he barely felt it. His chest felt clogged, every breath shaky.
Frustrated, he crushed the ice between his fingers; cold seeped into his bones.
Shisui Uchiha watched from the side and sighed. As Itachi's best friend, he knew this stubborn overthinking streak all too well.
"Just use a shadow clone—problem solved, you cover both."
He clapped Itachi's shoulder, warmth seeping through the fabric.
Itachi whipped his head around, black eyes wild with conflict, shaking his head like a rattle. "I know shadow clones, but I only have one real body… Which side does the real me stay with?"
His voice cracked with urgency, ears turning red.
Shisui rolled his eyes hard—Itachi was usually ice-calm, but the second his brothers were involved, his brain short-circuited.
He shoved Itachi toward the grove. "Stop overthinking! Sei's about to turn the corner. You stay here and watch Sasuke—I'll tail Sei."
Before the words finished, he left a shadow clone with Itachi. His real body flashed away in a streak of black, closing the gap to Makoto in the blink of an eye.
"Shunshin no Shisui"—the name echoed across the ninja world for a reason.