Itachi Is About to Be Born!

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

After learning that I'd gotten into a fight, Lord Fugaku furrowed his brow, seeming somewhat displeased, but he didn't scold me. He only lectured me briefly.

"If you've got time to fight with other kids, spend it training instead. Try to graduate early."

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

There was no point trying to reason with a family patriarch like Uchiha Fugaku. If he said you were wrong, you were wrong. All you had to do was admit your mistake.

That was all wisdom from my previous life!

One morning, I opened my eyes on the tatami. After hearing the rooster crow a few times, I got up and began my daily routine.

After breakfast, I greeted my father, who was reading the newspaper, and my mother, who was nearing her due date and had trouble getting around. Then I changed my shoes in the entryway, grabbed my bag, and headed out.

Uchiha Aoi was already waiting outside the Clan Head Mansion. She wore the standard little fan outfit too: a proper, slightly dowdy blue top and black pants, bandages wrapped around her feet, and shinobi sandals on. Her bright eyes were fixed on me.

I still wasn't used to all her enthusiasm, but ever since I'd saved her last time, the little girl had stuck to me like glue. At school, she was practically inseparable from me, and even walking to school together had become part of her daily routine—

Looking at her pitiful little face, I gave in.

Fine, fine, she could hold my hand! I'd just think of it as looking after a little sister, right?

Uchiha Aoi was older than me, but my mental age was way beyond hers!

We had outdoor Taijutsu and ninjutsu training that morning, so I couldn't use a Shadow Clone to get out of it. I had to take part myself. After knocking down yet another boy who'd inexplicably charged at me, I was surrounded by girls who came running over, screaming.

Love letters, gift boxes wrapped in hearts, even hugs and kisses came one after another—so this was what it felt like to be popular... Wrapped in a dreamy cloud of warmth and softness, I felt a little dazed and had trouble resisting.

I didn't dislike it, but the less of this sort of thing, the better.

At lunch, I ate while coaxing the injured Uchiha Aoi. She'd knocked the whole group flat, but told me she was hurt emotionally, blinking those big, miserable eyes and insisting that I stay with her. I sighed. I still couldn't bring myself to say no to the little girl.

In the afternoon, I skipped class with a Shadow Clone and went to fight Uchiha Shisui by the big lake in the back hills. Obito joined us partway through, and the three of us trained until dusk.

"Your hand position's wrong!" Obito's hand had been wrapped into a pig's trotter by the steel wire yet again. I grabbed his arm and carefully worked at the knots. "How many strands is that now? You're paying for my wire!"

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

"Stop moving!"

The boy leaned closer. We were so close that our breaths mingled, and Obito's chin itched where it brushed against Akatsuki's black hair. He caught a pleasant scent with the tip of his nose and took a long breath. "Akatsuki, what's that smell? It's really nice."

"That makes you sound like a creep!" I moved away in disgust and focused on the wire.

But as I worked at it, I realized our hands had gotten tangled together. We couldn't get them apart at all! I was so mad I gave him a headbutt—

"I told you to stop moving!"

But I wasn't moving... QAQ

Obito rubbed the bump on his head, on the verge of tears, and thought that Rin really was gentler.

Ah~ I love Rin the most. (Vacant stare)

"What are you thinking about? Pay up! You owe me!"

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 those dumplings last time!"

Beneath the setting sun, two figures chased and teased each other, while another boy watched with a smile, until the sun sank below the horizon.

That evening, at Obito's invitation, I brought Shisui along to visit Obito's grandmother. My Shadow Clone was forced to shoulder an important task: going with Uchiha Aoi to buy red bean dumplings.

At Obito's house, I cradled the miso soup in my hands and took a sip. Its savory flavor slid down my throat in a warm stream, soothing my stomach.

I let out a long, satisfied breath and relaxed all over.

Life at the Ninja Academy was so much easier than my days before. All I had to do was listen to lessons, answer questions, take tests, and manage the occasional practical training outside class. Compared with the training I'd gone through before, it was nothing.

Our surroundings had a huge effect on us. Every day, I was surrounded by chattering children, Uchiha Aoi with her starry eyes, and teachers driven up the wall by their students. I could feel myself slowly relaxing.

I didn't know whether that was a good thing, but there was no doubt that life was enjoyable right now. The tension that had kept my nerves wound tight was slowly easing under the influence of everything around me, and they were beginning to regain their elasticity.

I was starting to become a normal child, too.

"Don't be picky." Uchiha Shisui put the seaweed back in my bowl. His shrewd eyes looked down at me, full of pressure.

Damn it—

I frowned, suppressing the complaints churning inside me. I picked up the last two slices, chewed them a couple of times, and swallowed.

Seaweed. I hated seaweed!

Obito was still chattering away about what had happened on a mission, gesturing wildly, his eyebrows dancing as he burst into laughter now and then. He spoke so fast that Shisui and I couldn't get a word in. We could only watch him put on a one-man show.

When it started getting dark, I nudged Shisui and signaled with my eyes that we should leave.

Uchiha Shisui, who usually caught on at once, pretended to be clueless this time. He gave me a casual glance, then turned back, still sitting as if ready for a long chat. He chimed in now and then, making Obito's grandmother laugh and setting off another lively discussion.

What a little Uchiha rascal! He was definitely doing it on purpose!

Since I couldn't count on him, I had to steel myself and interrupt Obito.

"Obito, it's getting late. My mother's waiting for me to come home, so I shouldn't keep you any longer." I forced my way into the conversation. Only then did Obito realize how late it was. He got up to see us out, running around the house looking for his shoes.

"Master Akatsuki, Shisui, come visit us often," Grandma said as she walked us to the door. The streetlights were on, and two dim yellow lanterns burned beside the doorway, their faint glow falling over the three of us.

"I'm getting old, but Obito's still so young." She smiled warmly and came over to take my hand. "I only hope Lord Fugaku will look after the boy. I'd like to meet my great-grandchild while I still can."

Obito rushed over just in time to hear the last sentence. He immediately turned red with embarrassment. "Grandma, what are you talking about?!"

I lingered in the warmth of the moment, grinning as I watched them bicker. When Obito finally quieted down, I pulled something from my ninja pouch and handed it to him.

"Obito, these are my notes on training in ninjutsu and using steel wire. I copied them out by hand for you." I felt a little embarrassed and said to Grandma, "I came in such a hurry that I didn't prepare another gift. I'm sorry."

I might have been young, but with Fugaku as my backing and all the experience I'd accumulated in my previous life, my knowledge and insights were absolutely top-notch. I'd been meaning to give him these notes for a long time.

I hoped he'd read them carefully and grow stronger soon, so he could protect everything he held dear.

Obito took the notes and turned through them page by page. They were covered in neat handwriting, packed close together. It was clear how much effort I'd put into them.

"...You, you made these just for me..." His hands trembled as he looked up at me, as if he were about to get all teary again.

"They're just some of my humble thoughts. I figured they might come in handy!" I smiled. "It's late, so I shouldn't keep you any longer. Grandma, Obito, see you next time!"

I grabbed Shisui and hurried away, though I wasn't sure what I was afraid of, or what I was trying to avoid. We'd gone quite a distance before I realized that Uchiha Shisui had silently let me drag him along. I looked over at him and immediately met a pair of dark eyes, which made my hair stand on end.

"Why are you looking at me?"

"Sorry, I scared you." Shisui seemed to come back to himself too. He smiled calmly, then turned my hand in his and took it, walking beside me.

I frowned suspiciously. "What were you thinking about just now?" Was he planning to mess with me again?

He glanced at me, then turned his head away. Suddenly, he said, "You seem to care a lot about Obito."

Had he figured it out...? My heart tightened, and I blurted out an excuse without thinking. "Father told me to help my fellow Uchiha, especially—"

"War orphans." Shisui finished the sentence for me.

"Right—right, exactly!"

After that, silence fell again.

The Uchiha streets were quiet at night.

I looked down at our shadows cast beneath the streetlights, moving slowly.

One tall, one small, side by side, close and warm as they walked together.

After walking in silence for a long while, I started to feel uncomfortable. It was so quiet that the atmosphere had turned a little strange.

My eyes fell on our clasped hands, and my heart gave a jolt. For a moment, I didn't know what I was feeling.

When had Shisui and I gotten so close?

Two boys holding hands... That was... still normal, right?

I sneaked a glance at him. Uchiha Shisui's profile was shadowed by the lamplight. His gentle eyes were half shrouded in darkness, while the dim yellow light picked out his straight nose and sharp jawline. With his high-collared black clothes and strapped-on sword, he looked a little cold and stern.

Good grief, he was handsome.

My heart gave a little flutter, and a ticklish feeling spread through me as it began to race.

The Uchiha really did have good genes. Even a little kid could be this handsome!

I sneaked a few more glances and noticed that Shisui seemed different from usual today. There was less mischief and humor in him, and more coolness and sincerity.

He was even more captivating like this—

My palm started to sweat. Sometimes I felt like I was gripping his hand too tightly; the next moment, I'd loosen my hold as if I were about to let it slip away. I spent ages working up the nerve before finally managing to ask, "Do you want to walk me home first?"

"Mm," he replied softly. "I'll take you home first. I'm in no hurry."

"You're not in a hurry? What about your family—"

I was about to say more, but suddenly stopped in my tracks, staring at Uchiha Shisui.

After all this time, I'd only just realized...

Wasn't Uchiha Shisui an orphan in the original story?

"What's wrong, Akatsuki?"

Shisui seemed puzzled by my sudden stop. He looked at me as he always did, his eyes emerging from the darkness. The lamplight softened his whole face.

Uchiha Shisui... Uchiha Shisui...

No wonder you were always on your own. No wonder you never talked about your parents. No wonder you didn't want to leave Obito's house. No wonder you always walked me home first...

You didn't have any family at all.

A breath caught in my chest. Suddenly, I was so sad that I couldn't say a word.

"What's wrong? You don't want to go home?" He bent down toward me, and the concern in his voice made me feel even worse.

A sudden impulse seized me. I grabbed Shisui by the arm and said with such resolve that it was almost an order, "Shisui! I'm coming to your house tonight!"

Shisui's brows lifted slightly. After a pause, he asked in a very, very soft voice, "You're coming to my house?"

My heart leaped wildly. I felt a little embarrassed, but I didn't waver. I nodded and was about to answer when a servant-looking man suddenly darted around the corner and rushed toward me, his face full of worry.

"Young Master Akatsuki!" He'd clearly come looking for me. The moment he saw me, he lit up with excitement.

"What's wrong?" A bad feeling suddenly came over me.

"Lady Mikoto is going into labor! The clan head sent me to tell you to go to Konoha Hospital with him!"

"What? Mother, she's going to..." My heart pounded, and panic surged through me!

Itachi was about to be born!

At that moment, I felt the hands of fate point to a certain crossroads. Some things were beginning to converge, and some events were starting to unfold—

And the thirteen-year countdown... began right then.

I'd always had complicated feelings about Itachi: affection and resistance.

The second feeling had grown stronger and stronger as the time of his birth drew near.

My affection came from what I'd learned about him in my previous life. I admired the man who protected Konoha from the shadows, the one who silently shouldered everything. I felt for him and couldn't help but pity him.

My resistance came from the fact that, one day in the future, if the massacre still happened, he might kill me without hesitation.

Nobody wanted to die.

So, by instinct, I resisted Uchiha Itachi's birth. I'd already grown fond of life as it was now, of this carefree existence—

If I could, I'd become an excellent shinobi. I'd have a teacher, comrades, and friends. I might go to war, fight other people, get hurt, or even die. But I'd stand shoulder to shoulder with Shisui and the others.

My mother and clan were behind me. I lived in the shinobi world, and all of that was what I was meant to face. I was willing to accept it.

But Itachi's arrival would shatter all of that.

It was like fate: he'd arrived with a story that couldn't be changed. I was afraid that nothing in the future would change! The Uchiha would be massacred, my mother would die, Shisui would die, and I would die too...

A soft thump. Pain spread across my forehead, bringing me back to my senses.

Uchiha Shisui withdrew his finger with a faint smile. "What are you thinking about, Akatsuki? You're going to be a big brother."

I stared blankly at him and touched my reddened forehead, my mind a muddle.

What, did Uchiha's forehead-poking run in the family?

Shisui gave me a glance, then waved casually as he left, tossing one last sentence over his shoulder—

"Go be with your mother."

As I hurried after the servant, I couldn't help glancing back. I saw Shisui's solitary figure gradually disappearing into the darkness.

What about you?

Uchiha Shisui, where were you going?