A month later the sun hung low in the sky, casting a warm, golden hue over the bustling streets of Konoha. Young Miyuki Uchiha, just three and a half years old, walked hand-in-hand with her twin brother, Itachi. The twins were enjoying a rare moment of peace, away from the constant training they always threw themselves into.
"Itachi, there!" Miyuki pointed towards a small stall selling colorful dango. Her eyes, immediately having been drawn to the succulent sweet.
Itachi smiled softly, nodding. "Hn" he said, following along.
As they approached the stall however, Miyuki couldn't shake off the feeling of being watched. Even at such a young age, her instincts were sharp, having been trained vigorously after Itachi ate her snacks.
Taking a quick glance around Miyuki leaned towards Itachi. "We're being watched. Get a kunai ready to defend." She whispered as they continued towards the dango shop.
Itachi's eyes widened slightly but he quickly adjusted his posture to more readily draw a kunai from his pouch if needed.
Miyuki started negotiating with the vendor while Itachi's eyes silently scanned the crowd. Turning his gaze towards the alleys nearby, Itachi spotted two suspicious figures silently conversing and then he quickly looked away.
"I see two in the alley, 7 O-clock," Itachi whispered, his voice tense. Miyuki's eyes narrowed, her hand slowly inching towards her weapons pouch. She turned around after buying the dango, and took a quick glance at the alley. However, when she did, she accidently locked eyes with one of the men.
Knowing they were seen the figures drew closer, their intentions clear. Miyuki's mind raced, but she knew they were too young to fight off proper ninja. "Walk fast to a crowd and find a village ninja." she commanded, pulling Itachi towards the bustling street.
Miyuki didn't hesitate. Her eyes were cold and focused as her pace quickened down the street, her small legs moving with surprising speed. Itachi followed; she could faintly hear his heart pounding in his chest.
The assassins were right behind them, their footsteps growing closer. Miyuki could hear them distinctly even in the crowded street. "We should hide," Itachi panted, spotting a roadside stall.
Miyuki quickly denied that idea. "Are you stupid? They must be ninja. They could easily find us and hiding will only make us easier targets."
"Then we should scream for help at least" Itachi spoke again trying to find a way out of the situation.
"We can't do that either. If we scream, they'll get impatient and try to kill us immediately." Miyuki sighed at their fate as she dragged Itachi along further down the street.
"Look! There's someone from the security team! Hurry up Itachi." Miyuki spoke quickly as she began to sprint towards the Uchiha security team member.
Hearing that, Itachi sprinted too and passed Miyuki on her way to the security team.
Miyuki and Itachi sprinted towards the Uchiha security team member, their hearts pounding in their chests. As they reached him, the twins skidded to a halt, breathless and wide-eyed.
"Help! We're being followed!" Miyuki exclaimed, pointing back towards the street.
The security team member, a stern-looking man with a scar across his cheek, glanced over their shoulders. He raised an eyebrow, then looked back at the twins with a calm expression. "Are you sure?" he asked, his tone measured.
Itachi nodded vigorously. "Yes, we saw them! Two people in an alley!"
The man sighed and knelt down to their level. "You two have sharp eyes," he said, a hint of a smile playing at the corners of his mouth. "But I'm also an assassin."
Itachi's eyes widened in fear. "Wha..what?" He stammered as he looked at the security team member.
Miyuki too had an expression of fear on her face, but there was also a trace of doubt.
Miyuki's eyes widened in confusion. "What do you mean?"
Seeing their expressions the security team member laughed. "Hahaha I'm just kidding you two brats. I'm Hiroshi, sorry for scaring you like that, but it's not every day I get to tease the patriarch's children."
At that moment, a figure stepped out from the crowd. Holding up hand signs the figure's appearance quickly changed back into Fugaku Uchiha, their father. He approached with a stern but proud look on his face. "You did well," he said, his voice carrying a note of approval.
Itachi and Miyuki exchanged bewildered glances. "Father?" Itachi asked, his voice trembling slightly.
Fugaku nodded. "This was a test. I wanted to see how you would react under pressure. You both showed great awareness and teamwork."
Miyuki's expression hardened. "So, there were no assassins?"
Fugaku shook his head. "No, there weren't. But you handled the situation well. You stayed calm, assessed the threat, and took appropriate action. These are important skills for a ninja."
Miyuki looked at her father and suddenly felt a great desire to curse. 'What kind of a father puts his children into a situation where they fear for their lives on the one day they're supposed to take a break from training?' Miyuki put on a disgusted expression. "So, on our one day off from training you thought to make us scared for our lives?"
"Umm well I'm just trying to prepare you for the world outside." Fugaku replied somewhat embarrassedly.
Itachi let out a sigh of relief, his shoulders relaxing. "So, we passed?"
Fugaku's stern expression softened slightly. "Yes, you passed. But remember, the world outside our village is dangerous. You must always be prepared."
Miyuki nodded, her eyes suddenly becoming cold. "We will be, Father. You should be careful too though. After all I'm telling mother about this."
Fugaku suddenly placed a hand on each of their shoulders. "Haha so do you want dango? How about some extra pocket money?" He said as sweat began to form on his forehead imagining the scene of Miyuki telling Mikoto what happened today.
"1400ryo each and I'll conveniently forget to tell her." Miyuki stated casually while a smirk played at her lips.
"Deal." Fugaku replied nearly instantly as he took out his wallet.