"Discipline is choosing between what you want now and what you want most."
— Abraham Lincoln
--
The sun was just beginning to set, dipping low behind the Hokage Monument. Golden light stretched across the rooftops of Konoha, the villagers were heading home after a long day of work, while some were opening their shops for the night.
Otis walked through the quieter residential streets, his axe sheathed across his back, his cloak dusty from the long mission. He was heading back to his hut after reporting in.
The familiar forest path that branched away from the main district led toward the river—and his hut.
He slowed slightly, gaze lingering.
The bear.
Then the memory returned—Sayuri's offhand voice in his head.
"Hinata and I will take care of it."
He'd left for missions while they looked after it.
But as he passed through the market area, a voice called out.
"Otis-kun."
He stopped.
Standing in the middle of the market was Mikoto Uchiha, her arms crossed, and dressed in a dark blue yukata, her hair tied in a low bun. She held a grocery bag in her hand.
"You returned." Her voice was smooth, confident, but beneath it was… familiarity.
Otis gave a quiet nod.
"I just got back."
Mikoto's eyes studied him for a long second. The travel-worn look, the subtle bruising on his knuckles. He didn't look like a boy anymore—not quite a man,
A rare smile touched her lips.
"I was for preparing dinner. Why don't you join me?"
Otis blinked. "…Now?"
"Yes." Her eyes narrowed slightly, playful but sharp. "Unless the great Otis is suddenly too good for home cooking?"
He shrugged. "You know I can't say no to your food."
She laughed—a warm, elegant sound. "Come on then."
Uchiha Compound
The house smelled like simmering broth and freshly steamed rice.
Mikoto moved with graceful efficiency, setting bowls on the table. Otis sat silently, legs crossed. until the door slid open.
"…You're back?" came a familiar voice—dry and unimpressed.
Sayuri stood in the doorway, arms folded, her gaze narrowing the moment she saw him.
Otis raised an eyebrow.
"Looks like someone's not happy I'm back. Should I just live outside the village forever?"
Sayuri scoffed. "I didn't say that."
Mikoto snorted from the kitchen. "You're both ridiculous."
Sayuri sat down beside him without asking, glancing at his scuffed gloves and the scroll beside him.
"…Why did it take so long?" she asked quietly.
Otis leaned back, stretching his arms behind him.
"Escort missions are always slow. Clients move like snails. But the pay is good"
Sayuri huffed. "So, two months of babysitting?"
The soft clinking of dishes echoed. Mikoto stood near the kitchen window, Otis sat quietly. He hadn't eaten a home-cooked meal in weeks.
"Thank you for the meal," Otis said, voice low but polite.
Mikoto's gaze softened. "It's okay. You can come to eat here anytime… and I'm glad you're safe."
Before more could be said, a pair of footsteps echoed through the corridor. Itachi entered the room silently, eyes flicking to Otis.
Behind him came Sasuke, slower,
Itachi gave Otis a subtle nod. "You've returned."
Otis said. "Hokage sent me for an Escort mission."
Sasuke stood across the table, eyes narrowed slightly.
"…You were gone for two months," he said.
Otis looked at him. "And you're still short."
Then Mikoto said,
"Sit, both of you," she told her sons. "You can talk after dinner."
Location: Otis's Hut – Next Morning
Yuki-Box.
The giant bear Otis had raised from a cub was sprawled lazily near the firewood pile, rolling on her back with her legs kicking like a dog. Yes, cub. It seems ten feet was the height of a cub in this world, and she was now about eighteen feet tall. She looked clean, fed, and well-brushed—her glossy coat catching the light.
Otis had just finished chopping firewood when he heard footsteps again, He turned slightly. Hinata stood there, her hands clasped in front of her,
"…Sayuri told me," she said softly. "That you're back."
Otis wiped the sweat from his forehead with a towel and tossed it aside.
"I am."
That was all. Nothing dramatic.
She didn't need more than that.
She smiled, just a little.
One Week Later…
A week passed by just like a breeze.
Otis kept to his routine—training, chopping wood, walking to the village only when needed.
He ran into Naruto a few times. The kid hadn't changed—loud, full of questions, slightly taller, and too much energy packed into too small a body. But Otis didn't mind it. Naruto's presence made things… lighter
Then something odd happened.
It seemed Sasuke started showing up.
It began after a training match where Sayuri had decisively knocked him to the ground—twice at that
Sasuke had stared up at the sky, his eyes blank, chest heaving, while Sayuri stood over him with a raised brow.
"You're weak," she said, brushing her hair back.
He clenched his fists, frustrated and confused.
And then a few days later, he saw Itachi praising Sayuri.
"You've improved, Sayuri," he said. "I can see it."
Sasuke's jaw tightened.
Something in him shifted that day. Not anger and not envy.
A realization.
That his sister was no longer someone he was simply stronger than by birthright.
So the next day, Sasuke showed up at the clearing where Sayuri and Hinata trained.
"Tch. Don't get cocky just because nii-san praised you," he muttered.
Sayuri smirked. "Then stop giving him reasons to praise me."
They trained until the sun dipped behind the trees.
And without realizing it, Otis's small clearing was no longer his alone.
It had become something else.
Not a team.
Not a class.
Just… people drawn to strength.
To effort.
To each other.
***
Location: Mission Assignment Hall – Midday
Same faded wood. Same old shinobi leaning against the wall pretending not to eavesdrop. The crowd was thin today—just a few Genin teams hovering by the D-rank listings, and a couple of Chūnin flipping through scrolls in the C-rank section.
Otis stepped through the doors silently,
The mission scrolls were arranged in neat rows. He ignored the D-rank stack without even glancing at it. He'd done enough of those.
He reached the C-rank listings.
His eyes scanned the brief summaries inked on the scroll tags:
"Herbalist escort – Land of Tea border."
"Missing pet in Land of Hot Springs – may involve rogue ninja."
"Bandit suppression – Fire Country outpost."
"Bridge repair guard
He paused on the third one.
Bandit suppression. Fire Country outpost.
It was familiar terrain.Otis had done a mission there before.
Otis reached out and plucked the scroll cleanly.
He tucked the scroll into his belt and turned toward the clerk's desk.
Behind the desk, an older woman looked up from her tea.
"Back already, Otis?" she asked, her voice scratchy but not unfriendly.
"Didn't feel like wasting more days," he replied simply.
She raised an eyebrow as she took the scroll from him and began noting it down.
"Its a Two-man mission. You got a partner in mind?"
Otis paused.
"…No. I'll handle it."
The woman gave him a look—half amused—as she jotted down his name and signed the ledger with a practiced flick of her brush.
Otis nodded once, took the stamped copy of the mission scroll, and turned to leave.
--
(A/N)
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