Itachi, sitting next to Naraku, was clearly unhappy.
He had thought these few Sealing Jutsu on his body were a unique gift from his older brother, so why did other children have them too?
The possessiveness of a child took over, causing his lips to pout so much that a teapot could hang from them.
Naraku noticed the abnormality, lowered his head, and gently asked, "Little Itachi, why are you unhappy?"
For the first time ever, Itachi covered the headband on his forehead and refused to speak to him, only letting out a sound of dissatisfaction: "Hmph... ╯ ^ ╰"
"Oh dear," Shisui had a flash of inspiration, ruffled Itachi's hair, and teased, "Could it be that Little Itachi is jealous because everyone has Naraku-senpai's Sealing Jutsu?"
Itachi, whose thoughts had been exposed, immediately became annoyed and embarrassed, his face turning bright red, his small hands continuously slapping Shisui's arm: "I am not!"
"Alright, alright, you're not, you're not..."
While the two on the opposite side were making a ruckus, Kakashi moved closer to Naraku, and just as he was about to lean against the latter and say something, he heard light footsteps behind him.
Mikoto walked into the living room with a shopping basket, and immediately saw Shisui and Itachi rolling around on the tatami, engrossed in their play, and Kakashi, who was almost pressed against Naraku.
"It's lively at home, isn't it?"
Shisui, who was visiting, dodged Itachi's wild punches and smiled, bowing to Mikoto: "Happy New Year, Madam, I've come to bother you again."
"How is it a bother? I'm hoping you'll come play with Little Itachi, preferably every day."
The harmonious interaction between the children made Mikoto more pleased than anything else, and her already joyful mood instantly improved.
She happily showed off the shopping basket: "How about we have curry rice and mushroom stew for lunch today?"
Naraku voluntarily stood up and went to take the basket: "I'll help."
"Then thank you, Naraku."
Mikoto readily agreed, turned and walked into the kitchen, put on an apron, turned on the faucet to wash her hands to prepare a meal, and suddenly heard a faint question from Naraku behind her.
"Did... Aunt Mikoto go to the Hospital today?"
Hearing this, her movements paused, and she unhurriedly wiped the water stains with her apron, turned, and placed her hands on Naraku's shoulders, smiling at his worried expression.
"Why do you ask that?"
"Your condition hasn't looked good lately, and this morning you specifically asked Kakashi and me to look after Little Itachi... and..."
To maintain his persona, Naraku appropriately showed some guilt, and after a brief struggle, he finally stammered out an admission of his mistake.
"I opened the drawer and saw that a medical card was missing from inside... I'm sorry, I shouldn't have..."
"It's fine if you looked, it's all our own stuff."
Mikoto didn't mind his actions at all; what was wrong with her own child rummaging through a drawer at home? It wasn't a big deal.
She not only smiled even more happily but also pulled Naraku into a hug and rubbed him.
"Our Naraku is truly a genius, so smart, he even guessed this."
"What exactly happened, Aunt Mikoto?... I know a lot of Medical Ninjutsu, maybe I can help..."
Naraku still hadn't received a clear answer, his tone becoming more and more urgent, eventually even showing a hint of panic: "If it's not enough, I'll go learn... or ask Tsunade-sensei to come back..."
"No, no," seeing his flustered and anxious appearance, Mikoto was both touched and pained, cupping his face and gently comforting him, "I'm not sick at all."
"Then..."
"You and Little Itachi are going to have a little brother or sister!"
Upon hearing this good news, Naraku froze in place for a long time, blinking as if waking from a dream, seemingly only then realizing that his concern had made him act rashly, causing a big misunderstanding.
The next second, his cheeks, along with his ears, turned crimson, and he lowered his head, stammering, "I'm sorry... I'm glad you're alright."
--Sure enough, Mikoto already has Sasuke now.
--The timing also matches up.
--Then Naruto's birth shouldn't be far off either, and by then... Naraku's eyelashes drooped slightly, concealing the complex emotions deep in his eyes, and he sighed silently in his heart.
"Why apologize?"
Mikoto hugged him back into her arms, her expression gentle, softly stroking his soft, long hair: "Naraku, I'm truly, truly happy that you care about me so much!"
Feeling this unreserved sincerity, Naraku raised his arms and loosely embraced Mikoto, cherishing the last bit of time they had together.
Curry rice and mushroom stew were not complicated dishes; they were freshly cooked in no time, steaming on the stovetop.
Mikoto arranged the meal with the other children, leaving Naraku alone in the kitchen to watch the last pot of miso soup come to a boil.
Even now, Itachi still looked downcast, seemingly unable to recover from the blow.
However, he had been sensible since childhood and knew he couldn't keep sulking, so he tried hard to suppress his negative emotions, helping to set the table with a troubled expression.
Mikoto supervised from the side, understood what had happened through Shisui's lip-reading, and her eyes darted as a plan came to mind; she pointed to her forehead, then gestured to Kakashi and Shisui with her fingers.
The two men stiffened, and to ensure they hadn't misunderstood, they confirmed with gestures again, then exchanged glances after receiving Mikoto's affirmative reply.
Shisui looked troubled: Are we really going to do this, Kakashi-senpai?
Kakashi was equally speechless about the idea: This is Aunt Mikoto's request, just do it.
Under duress, Shisui took the initiative to start a conversation: "Is Little Itachi still angry?... How about Shisui-niisan shows you something fun?"
"Hmm?"
Itachi still held a spoon in his hand, looking up innocently at Shisui, who was sitting opposite him.
"Actually, the Sealing Jutsu on Kazuki and the others are nothing special, very ordinary. As for the most special Sealing Jutsu, it has been implanted into someone else~"
Upon hearing this, Itachi's eyes immediately lit up, and he watched Shisui intently, waiting for him to announce that the most special person was himself.
At this point, Shisui no longer had his previous worries and anxieties, and anticipation for the outcome gradually rose in his heart.
"The person who had the special Sealing Jutsu implanted by Naraku-senpai is—"
Kakashi leaned in a little closer, and he and Shisui simultaneously lifted their headbands to show the marks on their foreheads, their eyes sparkling with the excitement of doing something mischievous: "It's us."
In an instant, a bolt from the blue struck Itachi's head, and he turned completely gray, his spoon clattering onto the table.
Immediately, he became furious, turning red, and after a long while, he shouted: "Shisui-niisan and Kakashi-niisan are both big bullies! I'm not talking to you anymore!"
Naraku had just walked out of the kitchen, intending to ask Kakashi for help carrying the pot, when he saw Itachi pattering over with his short legs and burying himself in his arms for comfort.
Suppressed laughter could still be heard from around the dining table; judging by the tone, it was most likely Mikoto.
A bewildered Naraku had no choice but to prioritize comforting the child in his confusion.
--No, buddy? Is this right?
--How did you guys manage to make Itachi break down in three minutes?
--And Mikoto, you're his birth mother!?