Legacy [ Naruto Reader-Insert ]

勢い - Ikioi - Momentum

You halt in your tracks right in front of the bathroom door. The beige bathroom mat at the corner of your vision. The scroll almost un-sticks itself from your skin but you keep the chakra even on your forehead. A smooth spread of peanut butter. Smooth spread. Filling in all the cracks, keeping all of them together.

So many questions. An endless amount only to be shelved for later. You'd deal with them one by one.

A deep breath.

"Ittekimasu." You say loudly over the rush of water, clutching the bundle of your clothes closer to your chest. Your heart starts slamming against your rib cage and your vision starts to spin.

Another deep breath.

You're about to continue walking away when the water abruptly stops. The knob of the shower creaks shut with a loud squeak.

"Itterashai." A quiet voice comes from within the bathroom.

You had to do a double take. What? Did he just?

The knob squeaks back on and the water comes out full force, pattering against the tiles. The gold chain around your neck is cool against the curve of your bone. You're wearing the Uchiha mon, a brand, the crest of a dead clan. You can't decide whether to feel conflicted by the shackles or be pleased that he's basically opening his doors to you.

Getting gifted another clan's crest is something special. It means being accepted into their threshold, their fold, their flock. Into their company. A token that they've accepted you within their ranks.

You can't hide the smile that's starting to spread across your lips as you descend the stairs and enter the kitchen on your left. Dumping the clothes somewhere else, you help yourself to searching the cupboards for the containers of tea that he keeps away. Sasuke's such a dork.

He doesn't drink genmaicha at all. He hates it.

That's your favorite whenever you came over, only because Itachi kept serving that to you and- yeah. Yeah. It also doesn't help that Mikoto-san kept cooking ebi tempura for lunch which made the genmaicha even more crucial for the wellbeing of your stomach.

You find the metal tins with the loose leaves on the upper right shelf. The expiration date on the top of the container informs you that he's bought this specific tin just this month. Was he expecting you to visit for the scroll? Heh. He knows you well. He knew for sure you'd come back for the scroll.

You run your fingertips over the top of the tin, tapping noisily as you let out a breath that sounds like half a scoff and half a laugh.

You put the tin back and place the kettle on the stove top, clicking the stove on. Then you search the tins for a particular type of tea that you know Sasuke actually drinks. Aha, found it. Gyokuro leaves. The most expensive type of tea leaves in the market. You twist the container around to examine it. This tiny little bottle costs more than all of your belongings combined, granted you don't own much.