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In one of the Uchiha clan's houses, a boy stood before a mirror, waging a furious battle with the blue sash of his sky-blue yukata, embroidered with golden fish. His fringe kept falling stubbornly into his eyes, and he huffed with irritation as he wrestled with the unruly fabric. This was the first time he had decided to put on a yukata by himself, without his mother's help. Pride would not let him give up, even though the sash seemed to have a mind of its own, flatly refusing to cooperate.
"So it's a Hyuga?" asked Itachi, his older brother, sitting on the tatami with a book in hand. His voice was calm, but carried a faint note of amusement.
"Yeah," Sasuke muttered, not looking up. He was too absorbed in his struggle with the sash to catch the edge in his brother's tone.
Itachi raised an eyebrow and closed the book. His dark eyes followed his younger brother carefully. "Out of every girl in the world, you had to go and fall for her?"
If their father ever found out, he wouldn't be particularly thrilled about his younger son catching feelings for the daughter of the Hyuga clan head.
"Tch, I didn't choose to fall for her!" the boy snapped, his face flushing more from irritation than anything else. That sash was driving him absolutely mad. "It just happened!"
His words came out sounding like an excuse, and he immediately regretted ever telling Itachi about his feelings. Sasuke usually shared everything with his brother without a second thought, but right now that had clearly been a mistake. He glanced at himself in the mirror, hoping the redness in his cheeks wasn't too obvious.
Itachi had just opened his mouth to say something when the door flew open with a bang, and Shisui, their cousin, burst into the room like a human hurricane charged with pure energy. His dark hair was slightly tousled, and his eyes danced with mischievous sparks that promised nothing good.
"Sasuke-kun is in love?" he cooed with exaggerated innocence, batting his lashes in mock astonishment. His grin was wide enough to show all his teeth, and his voice rang with undisguised delight at the chance to tease his younger relative.
The boy's left eye twitched. Of all the people — Shisui. This was the last thing he needed right now.
"Eavesdropping is rude," Itachi remarked dryly, throwing his cousin a reproachful look.
"Hey, don't paint me as the villain!" The older Uchiha theatrically puffed out his lips, pressing a hand to his chest as though mortally wounded. "By the way, Izumi-chan was looking for you."
Itachi frowned, his usual composure cracking just slightly. "Izumi?" He glanced at the clock and moved toward the door. "We weren't supposed to meet for another half hour."
Shisui shrugged, watching Itachi go. The moment his older brother disappeared through the door, he turned to Sasuke, who had finally conquered the sash and was now straightening his yukata with studied confidence.
"So, Sasuke," Shisui said, leaning against the wall and folding his arms, "are you and the Hyuga girl together yet?"
Judging by the way the boy's face turned scarlet, Shisui concluded the answer was no.
"I... I haven't even told her I like her yet," Sasuke added quietly, dropping his head.
"And why not?" Shisui asked, genuinely curious. The Uchiha were known for being popular with girls — their confessions almost always met with an enthusiastic response. Well. Almost always.
"She likes someone else." The boy kept his gaze turned away from his cousin.
"And who's the lucky guy?"
"Uzumaki... Naruto," Sasuke said through gritted teeth, as though spitting out something bitter. Of all the guys in the world — that idiot, Hinata?
Shisui stared at him for a few seconds, then burst out laughing — loud enough to make Sasuke's face go even redder. Everyone in Konoha knew about the rivalry between Sasuke and Naruto, from their classroom arguments to their competitions at the academy.
"Why am I not surprised?" Shisui managed between gasps, wiping a tear from the corner of his eye.
"It has nothing to do with him!" the boy shot back, clenching his fists. "She's just the only one who doesn't annoy me."
Oh, that was true enough. From the very first day of school, Sasuke had been plagued by the attention of female classmates. Their shrieking voices and constant pursuit gave him migraines. But Hinata... She was different. Quiet, refined, with a grace that showed in her every movement, she stood out like a rare flower among weeds. Sasuke had known her since childhood, when she used to hide behind her father Hiashi's back. Her understated elegance and natural poise captivated him. And she made incredible onigiri — though that was beside the point.
But there was one enormous problem — Naruto. Why, of all the boys, had Hinata set her sights on this loud, endlessly troublemaking blonde whose grades made teachers reach for their headache tablets? Sasuke was his complete opposite: sharp, composed, and — not to put too fine a point on it — rather good-looking. Yet no matter how hard he tried to get her attention, it was all for nothing. And Sasuke had been perfectly friendly, always going out of his way to help her.
Though he may have neglected to mention that by "friendly" he meant: Sit next to me! And by "always going out of his way to help her" he meant: Don't look at Uzumaki — you'll catch his stupidity. He genuinely could not understand why Hinata kept avoiding him.
Shisui studied Sasuke closely, and somewhere in his mind, an idea lit up — worthy of the most devious scheme imaginable. Tonight promised to be legendary, and Sasuke, completely unaware, had just become the star of the show.
"So what, you're just going to stand there and watch someone else walk off with the girl you like?" Shisui asked, eyes narrowing with sly intent.
"Of course not!" Sasuke straightened up, a flicker of determination crossing his face. He knew Naruto was too oblivious to notice Hinata's feelings, and she was too shy to say anything. Still, a quiet unease gnawed at him — and Shisui noticed.
"Then tell her," Shisui suggested, watching the boy's reaction carefully.
"Pointless," Sasuke sighed, his shoulders dropping. "She's started avoiding me."
"Mm. I can tell you have absolutely zero experience with girls." Catching a flicker of interest in the younger boy's eyes, Shisui went on: "I call it 'the cat and mouse game.' The harder you chase, the faster she runs."
Sasuke looked at his cousin skeptically. "And what do you suggest? Ignoring her so she can be friend Naruto even faster? It's not like you have a girlfriend yourself."
Shisui smiled, unbothered. "Coaches don't play, Sasuke. And no, I'm not suggesting you ignore her."
"Then what am I supposed to do?" the boy asked impatiently.
Shisui let the dramatic pause stretch to its fullest, then looked Sasuke dead in the eyes and said: "Kiss her."
"On the cheek?" Sasuke asked, thrown off, already feeling the warmth creeping back into his face.
"On the lips."
Sasuke went still. His eyes went wide. He searched Shisui's face for any hint of a joke, but the older boy looked completely serious. A kiss on the lips? For a twelve-year-old, that was... a lot. His imagination had never ventured further than nervously holding her hand — but a kiss? He was already turning to leave, ready to put an end to this ridiculous conversation, when Shisui pulled out the one thing that could stop him.
"You know, Itachi had his first kiss at thirteen," he mentioned casually.
Sasuke stopped halfway to the door. His heart skipped a beat. "How do you even know—"
"You'd have a chance to beat your brother to something," Shisui cut in, his voice full of quiet confidence.
Sasuke turned that over in his mind. A chance to actually be ahead of Itachi — in at least one thing.
"Girls tend to like it when a guy is bold enough to go for it," Shisui added as a parting thought, leaving his younger cousin alone with his thoughts. Perfect. The seed had been planted. Now all he had to do was wait.
***
The warm evening wrapped Konoha in the soft glow of paper lanterns, the air thick with the sweet scent of fried takoyaki and blooming cherry blossoms. The summer festival — the year's most anticipated event — had turned the village into a bubbling cauldron of celebration. The streets filled with laughter, the bright calls of vendors, and the strains of shamisen drifting out from tent after tent. Vivid yukatas dotted the crowd like flowers in a garden, and fireworks kept bursting overhead, lighting up the joyful faces below. Children squealed as they dashed between stalls; adults strolled at a leisurely pace, savoring a rare moment of pure, uncomplicated happiness.
The Hyuga family made their way slowly through the crowd. Hiashi, head of the clan, walked with the air of a man who believed the festival had been organized in his personal honor. His dark yukata with silver patterns was imposing enough that passersby instinctively pressed themselves against the walls. His daughters, Hinata and Hanabi, walked just ahead of him. Hinata wore a soft lavender yukata with floral patterns; Hanabi, a bright orange one with rabbit motifs. Hiashi rarely left his study, but tonight he had allowed himself to unwind — though his gaze still missed nothing when it came to his daughters.
Hanabi, the younger one, was tugging at her sister's hand with wide, sparkling eyes that reflected the festival lights.
"Hanabi!" Hinata said, gently but firmly. "Don't run off like that — you'll get lost!"
"Come on, nee-sama, or we won't get to try everything!" Hanabi only sped up, pulling Hinata along with her.
Hinata sighed, but a small smile found its way to her lips regardless. Days like these were rare — only at the festival could they simply be sisters, instead of Hyuga heirs.
Meanwhile, the Uchiha family was also enjoying the festivities. Fugaku walked beside Mikoto, carrying himself as though he were in charge here, too. His reserved gray yukata with black pattern and her soft blue one with lily motifs complemented each other like an official portrait for the family album. Sasuke walked ahead, his gaze drifting across the crowd as though searching for someone.
"Where's Itachi?" Fugaku asked, noticing his older son's absence.
"With Izumi," Mikoto answered with a light smile. "He'll join us soon."
Fugaku nodded, but his attention shifted to Sasuke, who kept craning his neck. "Looking for someone, Sasuke?"
"Itachi-nii said we could go on the rides," Sasuke replied vaguely, making no mention of the one person his eyes were actually searching for.
At that moment, Itachi, Izumi, and Shisui spotted them first and began making their way over.
"You ruined our date," Itachi murmured — just loud enough for his cousin to hear.
"Izumi-chan said it was fine," Shisui dismissed him, grinning. "Besides, I have a feeling something interesting is about to happen."
Itachi didn't answer, but he caught the gleam of anticipation in Shisui's eyes. What exactly was he planning?
Just then, Sasuke froze. His gaze had found Hinata — she was crouched beside a goldfish-catching stall, brow furrowed in concentration as she tried to scoop one up with her net. Bingo.
"Mama, Papa, I'm going to look at the fish," he announced without turning back, and made a beeline for the stall. Mikoto started to say something, but Sasuke had already disappeared into the crowd.
"Hyuga," he said, coming to stand beside her, his tone suggesting she'd somehow stolen his favorite toy.
Hinata startled and looked up. Her moonlit eyes, faintly tinted with lavender, met Sasuke's dark ones — deep as the night sky. She immediately stood and looked away, a faint blush rising in her cheeks.
"H-hello, Sasuke-kun," she said quietly, stepping back. Beside her, Hanabi watched the boy with unabashed curiosity.
"Can we talk in private?" Sasuke asked, moving a step closer.
"I d-don't think that's a very good idea," Hinata replied, her voice wavering slightly. She glanced toward her father, who stood not far away, and her heart picked up its pace. Hiashi would definitely not be pleased to see her with an Uchiha.
Sasuke was about to push back — when a loud voice rang out from the crowd.
"Hey, guys!" Naruto came barreling toward them, arms windmilling like a pinwheel, his bright yellow yukata blazing like a second sun.
Sasuke's jaw tightened. Hinata flushed even deeper at the sight of Naruto — and that did not go unnoticed. He understood at once that time was short. Shisui had been right — if he didn't do something decisive right now, that loud, obnoxious idiot would ruin everything. A kiss? He hadn't wanted it to come to this, especially with half the festival as witnesses. But there was no other option.
Turning to Hinata in one sharp motion, Sasuke gripped her shoulders and pulled her toward him. Her startled eyes met his — resolute, a little intense. Something shifted in her chest; her breath caught. Before she had even a fraction of a second to gather herself, he leaned in and pressed his lips to hers.
It was brief, almost abrupt — but in that instant, Sasuke felt an unexpected softness. The warmth of her breath brushed his skin, and for a heartbeat, time seemed to stop entirely. A single thought tore through his mind: So that's what it's like. Surprisingly, he liked it — far more than he was ready to admit. He even wanted to linger, to lean in further, to feel it again.
When he finally pulled back, Hinata stood with her face burning — her cheeks could have competed with the tomatoes on the stall next door. She was still catching her breath, her gaze darting around, unable to bring itself to meet his again.
"I like you," he stated plainly — and caught her reflexively as she began to faint.
Only now did Sasuke look around. His parents' faces had gone pale with shock at their son's actions. Itachi and Izumi stood frozen — clearly not having anticipated anything remotely like this. Hanabi watched the scene unfold with eyes blazing with fascination, as though witnessing the most thrilling performance of her life. Naruto stood stunned and baffled, still not entirely sure what had just happened. And Hiashi — Hiashi's face was incandescent with fury. His gaze crackled like lightning, his fists clenched and trembling at his sides, as though one more second stood between Sasuke and a very personal apocalypse.
"UCHIHA!" The roar of the Hyuga clan head rolled over the festival like thunder, sending passersby flinching and spinning around.
And Shisui — lazily propped against the nearest stall, wearing the grin of a Cheshire cat, eating popcorn. His eyes shimmered with barely contained laughter. Like the conductor of some magnificent chaos, he was savoring every single moment of this spectacle. Tonight would without question become a Konoha legend — and Shisui was already looking forward to retelling it at every family dinner for years to come, adding new colors to his masterpiece with each telling.