Satoru sat at the table, enjoying his cake with gusto, but Sasuke, still puzzled by the strange taste of the cake, tentatively took a bite. His face twisted with confusion as he chewed.
*What's going on?* Sasuke thought, his mind racing. *This cake looks perfectly normal, but...*
The taste—despite the obvious addition of green mustard and other strange ingredients—was surprisingly good. Sasuke glanced at the others, and saw that they were eating the cake without hesitation.
Meanwhile, Fugaku, who was sitting across from Mikoto, took a bite of the cake Mikoto had made. "How's it taste?" Mikoto asked with a smile.
"Not bad," Fugaku said, nodding approvingly. It was the highest praise he was likely to give.
Mikoto's eyes sparkled with delight. "Really? That's the best I've heard from you today!" she said, smiling as she poured him another glass of tea.
Meanwhile, Mai Trin, watching the interactions, smiled as she cut the remaining cake into portions. "Taste my craft, too," she said, offering a piece to Shisui.
Shisui, ever the good-natured friend, took the slice from Mikoto's hand with a smile. As he tasted it, however, his expression changed. He quickly swallowed the cake, fighting to suppress his reaction, but his face was anything but calm. *Is this... the same cake that the patriarch's been eating?* His eyes widened as he tried to smile, his throat constricting at the unexpected taste.
Swallowing hard, he tried to keep his composure. *This... is a test, isn't it? The patriarch must be made of iron to handle this.*
Uchiha Itachi, ever perceptive, noticed Shisui's discomfort. He tasted his own slice and, like Shisui, showed no change in his expression, though his eyes betrayed a slight, knowing flicker. *I wonder what they've put in this...*
Satoru, noticing the change in mood, leaned back in his chair, putting his own cake down beside him instead of eating it. The cake had been made to perfection, but it had been modified—slightly. Just enough to leave its mark on those who ate it.
Sasuke, now almost certain that something was amiss, eyed his second brother cautiously as he took another piece of cake, his suspicions growing. He hesitated for a moment before deciding to just eat it, but as soon as he did, his face twisted in distaste.
"Ahem... ahem…" Sasuke coughed, the strong taste of mustard filling his mouth. *Why does it taste like this?*
Then it hit him. *Could it be that this is the cake that was *really* made by Satoru?*
The realization was like a slap in the face. *Why would they do this?* Sasuke thought, staring at the others with a mixture of disbelief and frustration.
The moment Sasuke's words hit the air, the entire table froze, and a brief silence fell over the room. Then, Mikoto, who had been oblivious until now, pieced together the puzzle. A knowing glint crossed her eyes as she looked at Satoru. "So," she said slowly, her voice laced with a proud tone, "you replaced the cake with your own creation, huh?"
Satoru, realizing the jig was up, smiled sheepishly, but there was no hiding the smugness in his expression. "It's a birthday party, everyone should be happy, right?" he said, trying to defuse the tension with a laugh.
Uchiha Itachi gave him a knowing look, his lips curving into a small, amused smile. "Well, I suppose this was inevitable," he said dryly.
Shisui, shaking his head with a wry grin, added, "You've really got to hand it to your brother, Itachi. He certainly knows how to make a statement."
The atmosphere had lightened somewhat, but not everyone was as pleased. Mikoto gave Satoru a pointed look, clearly proud of her son's ingenuity, but also slightly exasperated by his antics. "Satoru Uchiha," she said in a solemn tone. "What a clever little trickster you are."
But there was a certain pride in her eyes. Mikoto had already figured out that Satoru had used the hidden scrolls and seals to make sure no one would catch on. The fact that he'd even taken the time to break through all those seals impressed her—despite the mischief.
"I'm not angry, but seriously," Mikoto said, smiling softly as she spoke. "You're really going to have to stop pulling these pranks."
Satoru grinned widely, unphased by the reprimands. "I can't help it. It's a birthday party, after all. Everyone deserves a little surprise, right?"
---
The lighthearted atmosphere didn't last long, though. Suddenly, the lights in the room flickered and then went completely dark. Before anyone could react, shuriken whizzed through the air and struck the switch. In the blink of an eye, the kitchen was plunged into darkness.
"What the—" Sasuke's voice was cut off as the sounds of shuriken clattering and people scrambling to their feet filled the air. A rapid, chaotic scramble began, and the sound of laughter echoed in the shadows.
A cake war had begun.
When the lights flickered back on, the damage was clear. The cake, which had once been beautifully presented, now adorned the faces of almost everyone in the room—especially Uchiha Fugaku, who was the most displeased of them all.
Uchiha Shisui, who had been on the receiving end of several splatters of cake, looked completely confused. "Wait, didn't everyone just go for that kid?" he asked, blinking in surprise.
Satoru, standing calmly in the middle of the chaos, smiled mysteriously. He had anticipated this. *Well, a birthday party wouldn't be complete without a little bit of a mess.*
Mikoto, now caught in the hilariously messy situation, looked around and couldn't help but laugh. "Well, I suppose I should have seen this coming," she said, wiping some cake off her cheek.
Fugaku, who had been caught in the crossfire, let out a soft sigh. "I suppose this is the price of having such lively children," he said dryly, glancing at Satoru and Mikoto.
"I think it's time to clean up," he added, his tone still light despite the mess.
Satoru, standing proudly in the middle of the room, smiled with satisfaction. "Yep, guess I did it again," he murmured under his breath.
As everyone began to clean up, the sound of laughter filled the air. Though there was certainly chaos, there was also warmth, family, and the feeling that, no matter what, the bonds between them would remain unbreakable.
Satoru's smile never faded. After all, what was a family celebration without a little bit of fun, chaos, and cake fights?
>>>>>
Up to Chapter 70 available on Patreon.com/c/GGFanfiction :)
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