Uchiha Itachi raced along with Zongyan on his back, his short legs pumping as though he had wheels of wind and fire under his feet. Before long, he reached the midwife's home.
He knocked urgently and heavily, making the entire door shake.
"Granny Chiyo! Open up!"
After he knocked for a while, the door was pulled open from inside, and a kindly old woman with snowy-white hair leaned halfway out.
Seeing Uchiha Itachi, then Zongyan on his back, she paused. "Young clan heir? What's the rush?"
"My mother's having her baby! It's urgent!"
Uchiha Itachi spoke like a machine gun, his little face full of anxiety. "Please come right away!"
Granny Chiyo's expression immediately turned serious at the news. This was no small matter. She turned, grabbed her delivery tools, and headed outside.
"Let's go, hurry!"
When they hurried back to the delivery room, Fugaku was pacing outside the door.
His normally ice-cold face was now filled with anxiety he could no longer contain. The moment he saw Granny Chiyo, some of the tension in his eyes finally eased.
"Chiyo, thank you for coming."
"Don't worry, Clan Head. I've spent most of my life delivering babies. Nothing will go wrong."
Without wasting any more words, Granny Chiyo pushed open the door and entered the delivery room.
The moment the door closed, everything outside fell silent.
Only Mikoto's occasional muffled moans of pain escaped from within, each one making their hearts tighten.
Uchiha Itachi tightly gripped Zongyan's little hand, his palm drenched in sweat.
He crouched and drew Zongyan closer, lowering his voice, though he could not hide his unease.
"Mother will be all right, won't she, Zongyan?"
Zongyan looked up at his brother's little face, which practically said, "I'm really panicking, but I'm trying not to show it," and nodded gently. "Yes, Mother will definitely be all right," he said softly.
Of course she'll be all right. After all, Mother lived until the night of the clan massacre in the original story.
That one sentence was enough to steady Uchiha Itachi.
He murmured an agreement and loosened his grip on Zongyan's hand a little, but did not let go.
Standing by the door, Fugaku caught sight of the two children huddled together, encouraging each other. The heavy weight of anxiety in his heart lightened just a little.
There was no telling how much time passed-perhaps a long while, perhaps only a moment.
A clear, piercing cry suddenly came from the delivery room, slicing through all the tension hanging over the courtyard like a little knife.
The tightly closed door swung open.
Granny Chiyo emerged with a snugly wrapped bundle in her arms, her face wreathed in smiles.
"Clan Head! Congratulations! Another healthy boy! Your wife is safe and sound!"
Fugaku visibly relaxed, the breath in his chest finally settling deep into his belly. At last, a genuine smile broke through his cold expression.
"That's wonderful... Thank you for your hard work."
Uchiha Itachi's eyes lit up. He released Zongyan's hand and rushed over to Granny Chiyo, rising onto his tiptoes and straining to see into the bundle.
"Is this... my little brother?"
"That's right."
Smiling, Granny Chiyo tilted the bundle slightly so he could see better.
"Now you have two little brothers to protect, young clan heir."
Zongyan walked over at an unhurried pace, stood on tiptoe, and peeked into the bundle.
Then he froze.
The little thing inside had wrinkled skin and a bright-red face. His eyes were squeezed shut, a trace of unidentified liquid clung to the corner of his mouth, and his whole face was scrunched up like a little old man's.
...This is Sasuke?
Staring at that wrinkled little face, Zongyan laughed so hard inside that he practically snorted.
Hahaha! Sasuke Uchiha, one of the best-looking characters in the original story... actually looked like this when he was born?
He silently watched Sasuke for a long time, feeling more cheated the longer he looked.
Isn't the difference between this and his grown-up face a bit too big? I'd believe you if you said they were two different people.
Uchiha Itachi, however, clearly had none of his looks-obsessed concerns.
The boy leaned over the bundle, staring unblinkingly at the baby inside with rapt interest. He could not suppress the smile curling his lips, his expression practically saying, "How can anything in this world be so beautiful?"
Looking at him, Zongyan silently swallowed his snark.
Fine, as long as you're happy.
After watching for a while, Uchiha Itachi suddenly looked up at Fugaku, his eyes full of anticipation. "Father, does our little brother have a name?"
Fugaku was in an excellent mood.
He had gained two sons in succession. Together with Uchiha Itachi, that made three boys.
It was a rare cause for celebration in the troubled Uchiha Clan Compound.
He considered it, his gaze moving from Uchiha Itachi to Zongyan before returning to the wrinkled little face in the bundle, and pondered for a moment.
"Sasuke. Sasuke Uchiha. That is your little brother's name."
"Sasuke..."
Uchiha Itachi repeated the name quietly several times, his eyes growing brighter with each repetition.
He looked down at the wrinkled little face in the bundle, then turned to glance at Zongyan beside him. His childish voice suddenly became especially earnest. "From now on, I'll protect both of you."
Standing beside him, Zongyan watched his solemn expression, and something he could not quite describe suddenly welled up inside him.
The decisive, ruthless Uchiha Itachi who had shouldered everything in Zongyan's previous life seemed an entirely different person from this little kid, holding his brother with shining eyes and solemnly promising to protect everyone.
Seeing how mature Uchiha Itachi was, Fugaku's eyes filled with warm approval. He gently placed the swaddled Sasuke in Uchiha Itachi's arms and softly instructed, "Take good care of your little brother."
Then he turned and pushed open the delivery room door-Mikoto had just given birth and was lying there weakly. He needed to see her.
Uchiha Itachi carefully accepted the bundle, his movements terribly awkward. He supported it with both hands, afraid of dropping it, but took the task every bit as seriously as an adult.
He stared down at Sasuke in his arms, his lips moving before he called softly once more, "Sasuke..."
Zongyan stood nearby, watching this heartwarming scene. Even his melancholy over the approaching major events seemed to fade a little.
Just then, a clear, hearty female voice rang out from far beyond the courtyard, calling before she even arrived.
"Mikoto! I heard you had your baby! Is it a boy or a girl?"
Her voice was so loud that the whole courtyard seemed to shake.
Uchiha Itachi looked up at the sound and quietly told Zongyan, "That's Aunt Kushina... and Hokage Minato."
Zongyan followed his gaze and, sure enough, saw two figures entering through the courtyard gate.
Kushina walked a little awkwardly with her big, round belly, but her pace was anything but slow. Her entire face said, "I want to see the baby."
Beside her, Minato Namikaze wore his Hokage uniform and carefully supported her arm the whole way, his steps slow and steady for fear she might fall.
As they drew near, Minato spoke first, his voice gentle and unhurried. "Uchiha Itachi, did your mother's delivery go smoothly? Is she well?"
Uchiha Itachi nodded obediently, cradling Sasuke with smiling eyes. "Yes, Mother is safe. Granny Chiyo said everything went smoothly."
No sooner had he spoken than Kushina came over.
Without waiting for anyone to react, she reached out and took the bundle from Uchiha Itachi's arms. It was hard to say whether her movements were gentle, but at least she had the baby in her arms.
Then she looked down into the bundle, and her eyes instantly lit up. "Oh! He's so tiny! And wrinkly!"
Minato Namikaze froze on the spot. He reached out, wanting to help support the baby but not daring to, yet afraid Kushina might lose her grip if he did not. He looked utterly at a loss.
Fugaku was just coming out of the delivery room. Seeing this, he hurried forward a couple of steps, inviting Minato to sit in the front hall while discreetly taking Sasuke from Kushina.
...Holding this baby is like holding a bomb.
Zongyan saw it clearly from the side: the moment Fugaku took Sasuke, his shoulders visibly relaxed.
Kushina could hardly miss what Fugaku was thinking, but she was not the least bit angry. With a cheerful laugh, she turned and headed straight into the delivery room.
"Mikoto! I'm here to see you!"
Watching her disappear inside, Minato finally let out a long, quiet breath.
Fugaku handed Sasuke to the wet nurse nearby and got him settled, then turned to Minato and courteously gestured for him to go ahead.
"Lord Fourth, shall we talk in the front hall?"
Minato nodded and followed him toward the front hall.
Uchiha Itachi had intended to stay and watch over Sasuke, but suddenly felt a tug on his sleeve.
Looking down, he found Zongyan gazing up at him, his eyes sparkling.
"Brother, shall we go listen too?"
Uchiha Itachi paused, then nodded and obediently followed as Zongyan pulled him along.
Zongyan had plans of his own.
The Fourth Hokage-Minato Namikaze-was the only member of Konoha High Command who held no prejudice against the Uchiha.
He usually stayed in the Hokage building, while Zongyan was too young to leave the clan compound. Opportunities to see this "Yellow Flash" up close were few and far between.
Now that he had finally run into him, he simply had to hear what Minato and Fugaku discussed in private.
Yet after they quietly followed them and settled into a corner of the front hall, Zongyan's expectations gradually deflated as he listened.
He could not tell whether Minato simply avoided discussing official business outside his office or was holding back because the two little kids were present, but the entire conversation was dull enough to put him to sleep.
Their exchanges were nothing but pleasantries-one said, "You lead your clan well," and the other replied, "Lord Fourth, you've accomplished so much at such a young age." They politely talked in circles without saying anything of substance.
Standing in the corner, Zongyan listened to all the "Mm-hm," "Certainly," and "You're too kind," his eyelids growing unbearably heavy.
...So this is the man who became Hokage? He rambles even more than my boss did in meetings in my previous life.
He silently rolled his eyes. Just as he was drifting off, footsteps came from the direction of the delivery room.
Kushina had come out, presumably having finished talking with Mikoto, and was walking out with a cheerful smile and her big belly.
Minato immediately rose at the sight, exchanged a few pleasantries with Fugaku, and took his leave.
Before departing, he offered the customary warm, courteous remark, "There's much to attend to in the village, so I won't trouble you any longer." Fugaku just as courteously saw them out.
Once the Fourth Hokage and his wife had left, the courtyard fell quiet again.
Uchiha Itachi ran back to see Sasuke. Zongyan stood beneath the covered walkway, watching Minato slowly recede into the distance as he supported Kushina, and a thought quietly surfaced in his mind.
Next comes the Nine-Tails...
Before you continue