The Cake Wasn't a Lie!

The Uchiha compound was calm and serene, a stark contrast to the usual hustle and bustle of a birthday celebration. Today was a special day, a day of quiet joy. Miyuki and his Itachi were turning four. The sun shone brightly, casting a warm glow through the windows. Simple decorations adorned the house, and a small banner reading "Happy Birthday Itachi and Miyuki" hung from the ceiling.

Miyuki and Itachi both looked at the decorations with a composed and serious demeanor, but contrary to Itachi's slight smile, Miyuki was trying to hide her worries.

'If I remember correctly then Itachi will be brought to the battlefield when he is four. That means that this year we will be taken to the battlefield by father' Miyuki was thinking while she and Itachi headed downstairs. 'I can't remember if Itachi was made to fight on the battlefield or just witness it. Well, I should prepare to fight just in case.'

When they arrived in the dining room the twins saw Mikoto carefully arranging the final touches on the birthday cake. It was a simple yet elegant creation, topped with four candles. Fugaku stood nearby, his usual stern expression softened by a rare smile. "Happy birthday you two."

As the family gathered around, the table was filled with a quiet sense of togetherness. Itachi and Miyuki stood side by side, looking at the chocolate cake on the table with longing expressions.

'Oh my god it's an actual cake! I can't even remember the last time I ate a cake.' Miyuki thought, staring at the delightful dessert. 'I never thought I'd get to eat cake again... especially with father being so restrictive with sweet things.'

"Here, make a wish," Mikoto whispered to them, lighting all four candles. Hearing that, Miyuki decisively closed her eyes to make a wish. Itachi however, glanced at Miyuki before making his own wish.

'I wish to be super strong! Strong enough to slam Madara in a 1v1.' Miyuki wished hopefully. 'It's best to wish for something big like that in case it actually comes true.'

Opening her eyes, Miyuki looked at Itachi who was also finishing his own wish, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

Suddenly Miyuki and Itachi blew out the candles together, and Mikoto and Fugaku clapped gently. The cake was cut, and the party continued with some games, and a peaceful meal. Itachi received a new set of kunai, which he examined with a focused expression, while Miyuki was gifted a dozen sharp shuriken, very pleased with her gift.

As the day drew to a close, the twins sat together at the table. Itachi, moving his arm around Miyuki. "You forgot to train today, Miyuki."

"So did you." She replied while eyeing the remaining cake. "Happy birthday though, Itachi," she murmured.

"Happy birthday, Miyuki," he replied softly.

As the evening settled in, the twins found themselves in their shared room, the soft glow of the moonlight filtering through the window. Itachi was meticulously arranging his new kunai, while Miyuki sat on her bed, lost in thought.

"Miyuki," Itachi's voice broke the silence, "are you lying about training with Shisui tomorrow?"

Miyuki's eyes lit up. "Nope! Shisui will really train us. I can't wait to ask him about the Uchiha Style Shuriken Technique."

Itachi nodded, a small smile playing on his lips. "He's really strong. We'll learn a lot from him."

The next morning, the twins woke up early, eager for their training session with Shisui. They headed to the Uchiha training grounds, where Shisui was already waiting for them, his usual cheerful demeanor evident.

"Good morning, Itachi, Miyuki!" Shisui greeted them with a warm smile. "Ready for some intense training?"

"Hn!" the twins replied in unison, their excitement palpable.

"Alright, you two," Shisui began, "today we'll focus on teamwork and coordination. You'll be sparring against me together. Remember it's important to communicate and strategize against an opponent stronger than yourself. Come at me with the intention to kill or this will be over quickly."

Itachi and Miyuki nodded; their faces set with determination. They took their positions, Itachi in front and Miyuki hanging slightly behind.

"Begin!" Shisui called out, and the twins sprang into action.

Itachi moved swiftly, his new kunai glinting in the sunlight as he rushed forward. Miyuki however, with her shuriken at the ready, got ready to use them to impede Shisui's movement and create an opening.

This strategy however proved fruitless as Itachi attacked too quickly too close to Shisui for her to launch any attack with peace of mind. However, upon seeing this situation, Miyuki was strangely happy. 'It seems that even geniuses like Itachi need time to understand how to coordinate attacks.'

Shisui effortlessly dodged Itachi's attacks, his movements fluid and graceful. "Good, but you're too close and are not allowing Miyuki a chance to support," he advised, deflecting a kunai with ease.

Taking Shisui's guidance to heart, Itachi realized his mistake and looked apologetically at Miyuki. While looking back Itachi saw Miyuki raise her hands in a horse seal. Understanding what was coming, Itachi jumped backwards as Miyuki prepared her seals.

Seeing that Itachi jumped away immediately Miyuki was exasperated. 'You just jumped away like that? He can clearly see me making the seals now you fool! You could've stayed there for a second longer at least.'

Giving up on her useless brother, Miyuki yelled, "Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu!" And a fireball formed quickly before flying towards Shisui. Understanding that the fireball jutsu can at most be used as a distraction, especially now that Shisui had so much time to prepare, Miyuki signaled to Itachi and began to throw shuriken covered by the fireball.

Itachi, understanding the signal prepared his own fireball jutsu for when Shisui appears again. After waiting for a moment, Itachi began looking around frantically. However, he didn't see Shisui at all and worry became apparent on his face.

"Miyuki.." Itachi turned to Miyuki to say something when suddenly Shisui appeared behind him. Not having time to react, Itachi was kicked away and fell next to Miyuki.

"You idiot!" Miyuki couldn't hold it in anymore and yelled at Itachi. "I thought you were a genius, but now you're making such dumb mistakes during a fight! Get up and get ready to fight properly!"

Listening to his sister's complaints, Itachi quickly got up embarrassedly and got ready to continue. "Sorry... I was just worried for Shisui-nii-san."

"Don't be worried for him! He's a chuunin already. We won't be able to hurt him easily." Miyuki explained while grabbing a handful of shuriken.

Soon they continued, and the sparring intensified. Shisui pushed the twins to their limits. He countered their attacks, trying to not dodge unless necessary so that they could grow in skill. With precision, he took them both down many times, but they were relentless. Itachi and Miyuki both suffered a severe beating but neither wanted to stop sparring with Shisui.

"Excellent!" Shisui praised their progress as he blocked a combined assault from both siblings. "Now, let's see how you handle this."

With a swift movement, Shisui disappeared in a blur, reappearing behind Miyuki. She reacted quickly, spinning around to block his attack, while Itachi moved to intercept from the side. Shisui smiled, feeling that they've already made great progress.

Finally, seeing the sun beginning to dip below the horizon, Shisui called for a halt. "Well done, both of you," he said, his breathing only slightly more haggard than when they started. "You've shown great improvement. Keep training like this, and you'll become great ninja."

Itachi and Miyuki smiled, feeling a sense of accomplishment. "Hn!" they said in unison before collapsing on the ground in exhaustion.

After resting for a while, they started walking back to the compound. Shisui placed a hand on each of their shoulders. "Remember, strength comes not just from individual skill, but from teamwork. You two know each other very well, use it to your advantage."

Miyuki nodded, not paying much attention. 'If Shisui can keep sparring with us like this then I can improve much quicker!' Miyuki glanced towards Itachi, 'when I'm strong enough I can save the clan and Itachi.'