Itachi Is About to Be Born!

Life at the Ninja Academy was quiet and peaceful, at least for me personally.

When Uchiha Fugaku learned about my fight, his brows furrowed in apparent disapproval, though he didn't scold me, merely lecturing me with a few words.

"If you have the spare energy to fight with children, you'd be better off spending that time training to graduate early."

Thankfully, he wasn't angry... I let out a sigh of relief, bowed my head slightly, and said solemnly, "Yes, I promise it won't happen again."

With a patriarch like Uchiha Fugaku, there is no use in reasoning; if he says you are wrong, you are wrong, and all you need to do is admit your mistake.

This is all wisdom from my previous life!

Another morning, I opened my eyes on the tatami, rose after hearing a few rooster crows, and began my daily routine.

After breakfast, I paid my respects to my father, who was reading the newspaper, and my mother, who was heavily pregnant and struggling to move, then put on my shoes at the entryway and headed out with my bag.

Outside the clan head's mansion, Uchiha Aoi was already waiting at the gate. She was dressed in the standard Uchiha attire—a stiff, somewhat dowdy blue shirt and black pants, with bandages wrapped around her legs and ninja sandals on her feet—her eyes sparkling as she stared at me.

Although I still wasn't used to her enthusiasm, ever since I saved her, this little girl had been glued to me. She was inseparable from me at school, and she had even made walking to school together part of her daily schedule—

Looking at her pitiful little face, I surrendered.

Fine, fine, let her tag along! I'll just treat it as taking care of a little sister, right?

Even though Uchiha Aoi is older than me, my mental age is far greater than hers!

This morning was outdoor taijutsu and ninjutsu training; there was no way to dodge it with a Shadow Clone, so I had to participate myself. After knocking down a boy who had attacked me for no reason, I was surrounded by girls who came rushing over while screaming.

Love letters, heart-shaped gift boxes, and even hugs and kisses followed one after another—so this is what it feels like to be popular... I was wrapped in a dream of soft fragrance and jade, my head spinning, unable to resist.

Although I didn't hate it, I'd prefer if these things happened as little as possible.

At noon, I ate while coaxing an "injured" Uchiha Aoi. She had clearly beaten that whole group of boys to the ground, yet she told me her heart was hurt, blinking those pitiful eyes and insisting I stay with her. I sighed, having no way to deal with this little girl.

In the afternoon, I skipped class using a Shadow Clone to spar with Uchiha Shisui at the lake behind the mountain, with Obito joining us halfway through. The three of us trained until dusk.

"Your hand positioning is all wrong!" Obito's hand was once again wrapped into a pig's trotter by the wire, and I was so annoyed I grabbed his arm to untangle the knots bit by bit—"This is the how many-th time! You owe me for this wire!"

"Hey, hey, hey! That hurts!" Obito wailed at the sky, tears streaming down his face as he squirmed in pain.

"Stop moving!"

The boy leaned in, the distance so close that our breaths mingled. Obito's chin felt ticklish from Akatsuki's black hair, and he caught a pleasant scent from the tip of his nose. He took a long breath and asked curiously, "Akatsuki, what is that smell on you? It's strangely fragrant."

"You sound like a pervert saying that!" I moved away in disgust, focusing entirely on the wire.

As a result, while untangling it, I discovered our hands had become completely knotted together! I was so angry I gave him a headbutt—

"I told you not to move!"

I wasn't even moving... QAQ

Obito rubbed the bump on his head, wanting to cry but having no tears, thinking to himself that Rin was much gentler.

Ah~ I love Rin the most. (Dazed expression)

"What are you thinking about? Pay up! Pay me back!"

The dream shattered, and Uchiha Akatsuki's deadpan face appeared like a vengeful spirit!

"Hey, are you really that short on money! You still haven't paid me back for the dango last time!"

Under the sunset, two figures chased and played, while another boy watched them with a smile from the side until the sun dipped below the horizon.

That evening, at Obito's invitation, I took Shisui to visit Obito's grandmother, while my Shadow Clone was forced to shoulder the heavy responsibility of being sent to buy red bean dango with Uchiha Aoi.

At Obito's house, I held the miso soup in my hands and took a sip. The savory flavor went straight down my throat, a hot line traveling down my esophagus, warming my stomach with a gentle glow.

I let out a long, comfortable breath, and my entire body relaxed.

Life at the Ninja Academy is truly much better than my previous days. Every day, I just have to listen to lectures, answer questions, take exams, and handle some extracurricular combat training. Compared to my previous special training, this is nothing at all.

The environment has a huge impact on a person. Facing chattering children every day, facing Uchiha Aoi's starry eyes, and facing teachers driven to frustration by their students, I can feel myself slowly relaxing.

I don't know if this is a good thing, but life right now is undoubtedly happy. My once-taut nerves, under the influence of everything around me, are slowly returning to a normal state and becoming resilient again.

I am also starting to become like a normal child.

"No picky eating." Uchiha Shisui picked the seaweed out of his bowl and put it back into mine, his cunning eyes staring down at me with immense pressure.

Damn it—

I frowned, suppressed the bellyful of complaints, picked up the last two pieces, chewed them fiercely, and swallowed.

Seaweed, I hate seaweed!

Obito was still chattering on about what happened during his mission, gesturing wildly with his eyebrows dancing, laughing out loud from time to time. He spoke so fast that neither Shisui nor I could get a word in, leaving us to watch his one-man show.

When the sky began to darken, I poked Shisui and signaled with my eyes that it was time for us to go.

Uchiha Shisui, who usually catches on to things at the slightest hint, was playing dumb this time. He cast a light glance at me, turned his head back, and maintained his posture for a long chat, occasionally chiming in to support Obito. He kept Grandmother very happy, constantly sparking new rounds of enthusiastic discussion.

That little Uchiha rascal! He was definitely doing it on purpose!

Unable to rely on him, I had to bite the bullet and interrupt Obito.

"Obito, it's getting late. Mother is waiting for me to return, so I won't disturb you any longer." I forced my way into the conversation. Obito finally realized the time, stood up to see us out, and started running around the room looking for his shoes.

"Young Master Akatsuki, Shisui-kun, you must come by often. Although this child Obito doesn't say it, I can tell he is very fond of you both." Grandmother saw us to the door. The street lamps were already lit, and two dim lanterns hung by the side of the door, casting a faint candlelight over the three of us.

"I am already old, but Obito is still young." She smiled warmly and reached out to take my hand. "I only hope the Clan Head will look after this child. As for me, I still want to see my great-grandson soon."

Obito rushed over just in time to hear the last sentence and immediately bristled with shyness. "Grandmother, what are you saying! Ahhh!!"

I lingered on this moment of warmth, watching them bicker with a grin. It wasn't until Obito quieted down that I reached into my ninja tool pouch, pulled something out, and handed it to him.

"Obito, these are my notes on practicing ninjutsu and wire manipulation. I hand-copied a set for you." I felt a bit embarrassed and said to Grandmother, "I came in such a rush that I didn't prepare any other gifts. I'm truly sorry."

Although I was young, by leaning on the great tree that was Fugaku and drawing from the experiences of my past life, my reservoir of knowledge and insights was absolutely the cream of the crop. I had been wanting to give him this gift for a long time.

I hope you read this carefully, grow strong as soon as possible, and protect everything you hold dear.

Obito took it and flipped through the pages, which were filled with dense, elegant handwriting that clearly showed how much heart had been put into it.

"...This, this is specifically for me..." His hands trembled as he looked up to ask me, looking as if he were about to cry again.

"It's just a few humble opinions; I hope they'll be useful!" I smiled. "It's too late, so I won't disturb you further. Grandmother, Obito, see you next time!"

I dragged Shisui away in a hurry, not knowing what I was afraid of or what I was trying to dodge. It wasn't until we had walked quite a distance that I realized Uchiha Shisui had been letting me drag him along without a single word. I looked at him and was instantly met with a pair of dark, heavy eyes, which gave me a sudden fright.

"Why are you looking at me!"

"Sorry, I startled you." Shisui seemed to have just snapped out of his thoughts. He smiled calmly, took my hand in his, and led me forward as we strolled along.

I frowned, looking at him suspiciously. "What were you thinking about just now?" Trying to tease me again, were you?

He glanced at me, turned his head back, and suddenly said, "You seem to care a lot about Obito."

Had I been found out? My heart tightened, and I blurted out an excuse without thinking: "Father told me to help the Uchiha clansmen more, especially—"

"War orphans." Shisui finished the second half of my sentence for me.

"Right—yes, exactly!"

Once those words were spoken, silence returned.

The Uchiha streets at night were very quiet.

I looked down at our two shadows cast under the lights, moving slowly.

One big, one small, following each other, harmonious and warm, walking side by side.

After walking slowly for a long time, I began to feel uneasy. It was too quiet, so quiet that the atmosphere felt a bit strange.

My gaze fell upon our clasped hands, and my heart skipped a beat; for a moment, I didn't know what to feel.

When did my relationship with Shisui get to this point?

Two boys holding hands... that should... still be considered normal, right?

I snuck a look at him. Uchiha Shisui's profile cast a shadow under the light, his gentle eyes half-shrouded in darkness. The dim light highlighted his straight nose and the sharp, chiseled angles extending down to his chin. Paired with his high-collared black outfit and the katana strapped to his back, he looked quite cold and stern.

Oh my, he's so handsome.

My heart was lightly scratched, itching and racing.

The Uchiha genes really are good; even a little brat can be this handsome!

I snuck a few more glances and found that Shisui was different today—less cunning and witty, and more cold and authentic.

Looking at him like this made him even more charming—

My hand was slightly sweaty; one moment I felt I was gripping his right hand too tightly, the next I felt it slipping away. I brewed over it in my heart for a long time before I managed to squeeze out: "Are you going to take me home first?"

"Mm," he replied softly. "I'll take you back first. I'm not in a hurry."

"You're not in a hurry? Your family—"

I wanted to say more, but I suddenly stopped in my tracks, my eyes staring blankly at Uchiha Shisui.

It's been so long, yet I only realized today...

It seems that in the original story, Uchiha Shisui... was an orphan, right?

"What's wrong, Akatsuki?"

Shisui was puzzled by my pause. He looked at me as he usually did, his eyes emerging from the darkness, and his whole demeanor softened under the light.

Uchiha Shisui... Uchiha Shisui...

No wonder you were always alone, no wonder you never mentioned your parents, no wonder you didn't want to leave Obito's house, no wonder you always insisted on taking me home first...

So, you have no family at all.

A lump formed in my throat, and I was suddenly so sad that I couldn't say a single word.

"What's wrong? Don't want to go home?" He leaned down toward me, his tone of concern making me feel even sadder than before.

A sudden impulse surged within me, and I grabbed Uchiha Shisui's arm, my voice firm as if I were issuing a command: "Shisui! I'm coming to your place tonight!"

Uchiha Shisui's brows arched slightly. He paused, then asked in a very soft, quiet voice, "To my place?"

My heart leaped into my throat. I felt a bit embarrassed, yet I did not waver. Just as I nodded to answer him, a servant-like figure suddenly darted out from around the corner and rushed up to me, his face full of anxiety.

"Young Master Akatsuki!" He was clearly looking for me; seeing me, he became visibly excited.

"What is it?" I suddenly had an ominous premonition.

"Lady Mikoto is going into labor! The Clan Head has ordered me to notify you to head to Konoha Hospital immediately!"

"What? Mother, she is...?" My heart began to pound, and a wave of panic washed over me!

Itachi was about to be born!

In this moment, I felt the clock hand of fate pointing toward a certain intersection. Some things were converging, and certain events were beginning to be set in motion—

And that thirteen-year countdown... had also begun from this very moment.

I always had an inexplicable feeling toward Itachi; one part was affection, the other was resistance.

And this second emotion had grown increasingly intense during the days leading up to his birth.

The affection naturally stemmed from my understanding of him in my past life. I liked this man who guarded Konoha from the shadows, liked this man who silently shouldered everything; I felt a deep heartache and pity for him.

As for the resistance, it was because, in some future day, if the day of the clan massacre truly arrived, he might also strike me down without mercy.

No one wants to die.

Therefore, I instinctively resisted the birth of Uchiha Itachi, because I had grown to love my current life—this life that was still, in its own way, carefree.

If possible, I wanted to become an excellent ninja, to have a master, comrades, and friends. I might go to the battlefield, fight others, get injured, or even die. But I would be fighting side by side with Shisui and the others.

Behind me were my mother and my clan. Living in the ninja world, these were things I should experience, and I was willing to face them.

But the arrival of Uchiha Itachi would shatter all of this.

It was like fatalism; he was arriving with an irresistible plot, and I was terrified that nothing in the future would change! The Uchiha would be massacred, Mother would die, Shisui would die, and I would die too...

With a soft thud, a sharp pain bloomed on my forehead, yet it brought back a sliver of clarity.

Uchiha Shisui chuckled as he withdrew his finger, saying to me, "What are you thinking about, Akatsuki? You're about to become a big brother."

I stared at him blankly, my fingers touching my reddened forehead, my heart filled with confusion.

How is it that the Uchiha family's forehead-poke is a hereditary trait?

Uchiha Shisui glanced at me once, waved his hand, and walked away with a carefree air, leaving me with one final sentence—

"Go quickly and be with your mother."

As I hurried to keep pace with the servant, I couldn't help but look back, only to see Uchiha Shisui's solitary figure gradually fading into the darkness.

What about you?

Uchiha Shisui, where are you going?