Reaching the Uchiha Compound, Indra hurried to his house, the soft click of the door welcoming him inside.
"I'm home!" he called out.
From the kitchen, Renji's calm voice answered, "Freshen up, Indra. We're going to Nawaki-senpai's house."
"Hai!"
…
A short while later, the brothers walked hand-in-hand through the busy streets of Konoha. Indra clutched Renji's hand tightly, almost like a fish struggling to keep its head above water. The rich aroma of food stalls filled the air, and his stomach growled audibly, but he forced himself to look composed.
Renji, catching the drool forming at the corner of Indra's mouth, chuckled softly. Without a word, he stopped at a dango stand.
"Two servings, please."
Moments later, hot skewers of dango were placed in their hands. Indra's eyes lit up as though he'd just been handed a national treasure. He didn't waste a second before digging in, munching happily as the two continued toward the Senju compound.
But suddenly, Indra's cheerful steps faltered. He turned his head and spotted Haruto a few streets back, pointing at him and whispering to an older Uchiha.
Indra scoffed. Did he really go to tell an trusted adult?
Yet before he could react further, the adult suddenly struck Haruto across the face. Indra blinked in surprise, his brow arching as his eyes slid toward Renji.
What he saw made his breath catch—Renji's eyes had shifted into a deep crimson, three tomoe spinning in the blood-red Sharingan.
The next instant, the eyes were gone, as though they'd never been there. Renji glanced down at him casually.
"What's wrong, Indra?"
Indra quickly masked his thoughts with a bright, innocent smile. "Nothing, brother."
Renji smirked knowingly. "Then tell me—who hit you on the head today?"
Indra let out a small laugh. "The same redhead girl."
Renji's brows lifted in mild amusement. "Do you like her?"
Indra flushed, instantly assuming he was being teased. "I don't know!" he shot back.
But Renji only smiled faintly. He didn't need words to read his brother. Every little habit, every flicker in Indra's eyes—Renji had recorded them all like pages in a book only he could understand.
The streets soon opened up before them, and a towering gate came into view. Carved into the wood was the name of a clan both old and proud.
The senju clan
The Senju compound gate creaked open, and there stood Nawaki, grinning brightly.
"Come on in!" he motioned.
"Hello, Nawaki-senpai!" Indra greeted with a cheerful smile. Nawaki knelt down and playfully massaged Indra's cheek.
"Yes, Indra? You hungry?"
Before Indra could reply, Renji's voice cut in. "Nawaki."
Nawaki looked up, his playful grin softening when his eyes met Renji's. For a moment, silence hung between the two older boys before Nawaki straightened.
"Indra, go play with my big sister—Sister Tsunade!"
A sharp roar came from inside.
"What, Nawaki?!"
"Take care of someone for me!" he yelled back with zero hesitation.
The door to the house slid open, and a striking woman with golden hair appeared, irritation clear on her face. "Who dares bother—" Her words trailed off as her gaze fell on Indra, standing there with innocent, curious eyes. Tsunade blinked, then glanced toward Nawaki and Renji. Understanding flickered in her expression.
"Hello, Indra. How are you?" she asked warmly.
Indra bowed politely. "Sister Tsunade, I'm good. How about you?"
"I'm good too. Let's go inside," she said, stepping aside.
Indra followed her, while Nawaki and Renji disappeared into another building.
---
Inside Nawaki's quarters
Renji leaned back against the wall, his expression guarded. Nawaki, no longer smiling, faced him squarely.
"So… you're afraid, huh?"
Renji's lips pressed into a thin line. "I don't care if I live or die, Nawaki. But my brother…" He exhaled slowly, his voice heavy. "He's too soft. If I die… I'm afraid he won't eat properly. He might wander down the wrong path—or worse, be captured by enemy shinobi."
"Why?" Nawaki's tone hardened. "Has he awakened the Sharingan already?"
Renji gave a slight nod. "He has. But… he can't use it yet."
Nawaki's eyes widened. "What?! A Sharingan at his age… incredible. Don't worry, Renji. If something happens to you, I'll protect him like you do."
Renji looked down at his hands, then back up with a solemn gaze. "I hope… we both live through this damned war."
Nawaki's jaw tightened. "This war is too cruel. If another one breaks out in the future, even academy kids will be thrown into battle…"
The room fell into grim silence.
---
POV: Indra
Indra's eyes wandered around Tsunade's home, taking in the details. Then, a flicker of color caught his attention—red strands of hair peeking around a corner.
"Hm? Sister Tsunade, does someone else live here?" Indra asked innocently.
"Yes," Tsunade smiled knowingly. "You've already seen her, haven't you?" She raised her voice. "Kushina!"
Kushina stepped forward reluctantly, eyes locking onto Indra.
"Indra Uchiha?!"
"Oh… so you two already know each other." Tsunade chuckled, heading toward another room. "Then I'll leave you kids to it. Have fun!"
The door slammed shut behind her.
Indra raised his hands defensively. "I promise I didn't say anything bad about your hair."
Kushina's sharp eyes gleamed as she leaned closer, testing him. Indra instinctively stepped back. What the hell is she doing?! his mind screamed, though he kept his face calm.
Noticing his retreat, Kushina quickly pulled back too, flustered. "W-wanna play shōgi?"
Indra shook his head. "How about Uno?"
"Uno?" Kushina tilted her head, confused.
Indra facepalmed. "Nevermind…"
"Wait, tell me!" she demanded, but Indra already sighed. "Forget it. I'll just train."
He slipped into a side room that opened into a small backyard.
"Hey—!" Kushina's eyelid twitched in irritation as she stormed after him.
A sudden instinct made Indra leap upward—too high. He landed squarely on the roof, smirking down at Kushina as she shook her fist.
"Ignoring me like that?!" she yelled, throwing a punch toward him, though of course, he was out of reach.
Indra grinned, amused by her fiery outburst—until his foot slipped. He toppled from the roof, grabbing instinctively at Kushina's hand.
Thud!
They crashed to the ground, Indra sprawled on top of her. Kushina's face turned bright crimson as Indra blinked, stunned.
A moment later—Smack!
Another goose-egg-sized lump swelled on his head as Indra groaned in pain.
"I… Uchiha Indra… will avenge this…"
Kushina huffed, crossing her arms, but the corners of her lips twitched despite herself.
...
—— Authors corner ↓
Hello everyone, I am a newbie to this and just doing it out of pure excitement. I'll promise to give you all a perfect fanfic this time.
And some people are saying Why the tragic background?
Simple, it's because there won't be any attachments left to earth if I did that.
But if there wasn't any tragic thing, my story wouldn't feel realistic and I would likely drop it feeling the MC became colder the characters not in sync with their feelings.
It would just feel raw and no one wants that.
So, please bare with it. And yeah! Don't forget to drop a few suggestions.
You naughty baka's don't drop any comments but sure do give power stones.
★Still reading? Why not drop a few POWERRRR stones...?★