Between Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha and Hinata Hyuga and Shikamaru Nara as siblings.
The sun rose on the Hidden Leaf Village, its gentle light creeping into the quiet chambers of the Hokage Residence. Naruto Uzumaki, now a man fully entrenched in the duties of leadership, stirred awake to the sound of birds chirping outside his window. But as awareness took hold, a sense of unease gripped him, an inexplicable feeling that something was profoundly out of place.
He sat up, rubbing his eyes, and turned to his side, expecting to see the empty space where his wife Hinata usually slept before waking early for her morning training. Instead, he found another occupant—a sight so disconcerting it quickened his heartbeat. There, sound asleep, was Sasuke Uchiha, resting peacefully as though he had always been there.
"Sasuke?!" Naruto called out, perplexed. "What are you doing here?" The words had barely left his mouth before memories surged through his mind. Memories of growing up together not just as friends, but as brothers. Of being scolded by their mother, of bickering over trivial things, of supporting one another when it mattered most. Memories that felt both intimate and alien.
Across the village, in the dignified compound of the Hyuga, Hinata awoke with a similar confusion. She looked around her room, her heart seized by pictures on the wall where she stood alongside Naruto and Sasuke, smiling as siblings do. Yet her heart ached with the tender romance she knew she shared with Naruto, now seemingly obscured by this deep, fraternal bond. A cascade of mixed emotions left her breathless, the memories of a life she had never lived battling with the reality she knew to be true.
Shikamaru Nara, advisor to the Hokage and a genius by all accounts, blinked his eyes open amidst the chaos. Unlike the others, his mind remained sharp and unaffected. He quickly realized the gravity of what had transpired overnight. With a sigh, he muttered, "This is a serious problem. Troublesome, in fact."
Gathering at the Hokage's office, the newly made 'siblings'—alongside Shikamaru—convened to address the bizarre occurrence that held the village in its inexplicable grip. They were not alone. All around the village, similar stories unfolded; friends believed they were siblings, parents thought they had different children, and chaos threatened to undermine the very fabric of their society.
As they sat together, with heavy hearts and confused minds, Hinata's voice broke the silence. "We need to act, to find out what has caused this and how we can fix it."
Naruto, still grappling with the emotional turmoil of his fragmented memories, nodded in agreement. His resolve as Hokage took hold, pushing through the fog of uncertainty. "Yeah. We have to protect the village, no matter what. That’s what a family does, right?" he said, offering a wan smile that held less conviction than usual.
The chapter closed with the four standing firmly, despite their inner conflicts. The day had begun with a mystery that threatened the very sense of connection they had always relied upon. As the village stirred awake, whispers of the wind carried the traces of confusion and the promise of a journey that would test the bounds of their reality and the depth of their bonds.