Chapter 222: Fruit Salad
After shouting upstairs for Mikoto to come watch the show, Fugaku waved at one of his Shadow Clones to fetch her.
The clone accepted the task and walked off without complaint.
A moment later, someone returned — but not Mikoto.
Fugaku raised an eyebrow.
"What happened? Where's your mother?"
"She's making a late-night snack," the Shadow Clone answered. "She said it'll be ready soon."
"A late-night snack? It's barely eight o'clock…"
A question mark practically appeared on Fugaku's forehead.
Still, if Mikoto wanted to cook, he wouldn't interfere.
And, truthfully, he was starting to feel a little hungry himself.
Dinner had been around six; two hours later, he had digested most of it.
Uchiha Itachi, Naruto, and Sasuke were also noticeably hungry — understandable, considering they had spent the evening training.
On the TV, the stylish opening sequence faded out, and Breaking the Sky officially began.
The story opened with the Uchiha Clan's annual chakra assessment for six-year-old children.
For authenticity in the shinobi world, the adaptation had adjusted the testing age to six.
In this world, even five-year-olds could step onto a battlefield wielding kunai.
Whether they could survive was another matter.
During the Third Shinobi World War, when Hiruzen Sarutobi rushed young children into Genin ranks and threw them onto the front lines, countless promising seedlings died before they ever had a chance to grow.
It was one of many reasons Fugaku found Hiruzen's leadership incompetent — even unforgivable — though he had to admit: he hadn't lived through that era himself, so he didn't dwell on it.
Half an hour later, the first episode concluded.
Fugaku, who had already previewed it before airing, simply nodded in satisfaction.
But Sasuke and Naruto were glued to the screen, practically vibrating with excitement.
Naruto's eyes sparkled as he eagerly dissected the plot, pointing out his favorite parts to Sasuke.
Surprisingly, Sasuke didn't argue with him — instead, he joined the discussion with equal enthusiasm.
Itachi watched the rare harmony between his two younger brothers with a faint smile.
Moments like this were precious.
…Of course, the peace didn't last long.
Within minutes, Naruto and Sasuke started arguing again — this time over different interpretations of the plot.
Itachi sighed helplessly.
At that moment, he noticed movement from the corner of his eye.
His mother, Mikoto, entered the living room carrying a plate of something fragrant.
Itachi immediately stood to help, but Mikoto shook her head.
"No need. There are more bowls in the kitchen — go bring them out."
"Okay."
Itachi stepped aside to let her pass, then walked into the kitchen, where three more bowls of unfamiliar, pleasantly aromatic food were waiting.
After studying them for a moment, he carefully carried the bowls back to the living room.
Before he could speak, Sasuke — faster than him — blurted out:
"Kaa-san, what is this?"
Mikoto smiled proudly.
"I bought these from a vendor today. He said they're a specialty fruit from the Land of Demons. Try it — it's a fruit salad. Tell me how it tastes."
Fugaku leaned forward and examined the fruit.
It was blue, shaped vaguely like a star fruit, but rounder and with more plump flesh.
He picked up a toothpick, speared a slice, and popped it into his mouth.
At the first bite, a fragrant sweetness spread across his tongue.
The texture was soft and smooth — almost unfairly good.
"Mmm. That's delicious," Fugaku said with a nod.
"Really? Then I'm trying it!" Naruto declared.
He immediately reached for the bowl with his hand, only for Mikoto to grab his wrist mid-air.
"Toothpick," she reminded gently.
Naruto laughed sheepishly, grabbed a toothpick, and shoved a piece into his mouth.
The moment he bit down, his eyes went wide.
Juice burst across his tongue, sweet and refreshing.
He inhaled the rest in a single breath.
"Is it that good?" Sasuke muttered.
Naruto's exaggerated reaction piqued his curiosity, so he picked up a smaller slice to try.
The moment it hit his tongue, Sasuke froze in surprise — it was unbelievably refreshing, the juice overflowing with every bite.
He immediately grabbed another.
"Crunch crunch… Mama, is there more?" Sasuke asked, eyes bright.
"Two more servings," Mikoto replied. "You and Naruto may share them. Tomorrow I'll go see if the vendor is still there. He had plenty of fruit earlier."
Naruto sprinted into the kitchen instantly.
Sasuke darted after him — he knew Naruto would try to steal extra pieces if he wasn't fast.
Naruto, seeing Sasuke arrive, quickly changed tactics.
"Sasuke! Why are you here? I was going to bring yours over for you!" he said dramatically, hand hovering suspiciously near the bowls.
Sasuke scoffed, completely unfooled, and grabbed his portion without a word.
Naruto sighed internally — if only Sasuke had been a little slower, he could've nabbed a few more pieces.
The fruit really was divine; Naruto's mouth watered just thinking about it.
He shoved another slice into his mouth—
"Naruto, the second episode is starting," Itachi called.
"Coming!"
Naruto grabbed his bowl and raced back to the living room, sliding onto the sofa just as the theme music began.
They watched episode two with full focus.
When it ended, Naruto immediately asked:
"Is there more? Is there more?!"
Fugaku shook his head.
"That's all for today."
Breaking the Sky aired two episodes a night.
Originally, the production team wanted to release two episodes per week.
Fugaku vetoed that instantly.
Two per week was far too slow.
Two per day was much more reasonable — fourteen episodes per week.
The entire season would finish in about a month, and then filming for season two could begin immediately.
He wasn't short on funds.
And in the Land of Fire, his word was absolute.
If a TV station dared to object, he would simply replace the director.
People were easier to find than one-legged frogs.
"Ehhh? Only two?" Naruto groaned.
These two episodes ended right at the mini-climax — Uchiha Yan's test — and the villain was just about to appear.
Naruto desperately wanted to see the protagonist wipe the floor with him.
Sasuke's expression also dimmed slightly, though he recovered quickly.
He turned to his older brother.
"Ni-san, are we still going to the training ground tonight?"
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If you like the story please give it some power stones and reviews. And if you want to read 40+ advance chapters or just want to support me please join my patreon at [email protected]/Translatingfanfics