Izuna (Naruto Fanfiction)

Chapter Three

"Itachi-nii!" The five year old turned back to his brother, raising a hand to wipe the sweat off his forehead. Izuna, three, nearly four, years old ran through the training ground faster than a child his age should have. "Kaa-san is having the baby now!"

Itachi's fatigue immediately disappeared and he ran over to his toddler brother, grabbing a hand and half dragging him back in the direction he came.

They sat on the edge of the house, legs dangling over the garden in silence. Sounds of the midwife and medic nin talking broke the silence occasionally.

Itachi looked over at Izuna. There was an odd look on his face.

"Itachi-nii," Izuna began, "I just want you to know, no matter what, you are my big brother." Itachi smiled at him. He didn't chalk it up to Izuna thinking he was going to be jealous of the new baby or anything, no. Izuna was far more water then he let on and Itachi knew he wasn't the only one to pick up on it. Instead he filed it away as one of those moments Izuna seemed to be somewhere else. "I will always stand by your side," with that the cries of a newborn broke through the air and they both turned to look towards the room their parents and youngest sibling were in. Itachi jumped to his feet without hesitation and jogged over to the room, only pausing when he noticed Izuna was still sat, watching him.

He extended a hand towards him and Izuna caught up, holding Itachi's hand tightly as the older knocked on the frame near the sliding door. Fugaku opened it. Itachi nodded at him respectfully before pulling himself and Izuna into the room. Izuna didn't spare him a glance.

Seeing the baby was odd for Izuna. He's never gotten close with his younger siblings in his last life seeing as they usually passed away pretty early. That was probably the reason he was so attached to Madara, and well he supposed that translated over to Itachi as well. It might have been wrong of him but he couldn't feel it in himself to see the baby in his mother's arms as anything more than that, a baby. Not his baby brother, just.. a baby.

There was a coolness that lingered in his hand as Itachi pulled his own away to kneel beside Mikoto to carefully hold the baby. Izuna watched as Itachi smiled down at it, the baby's cries still strong. It slowly quietened as Mikoto chuckled and Itachi's cautious rocking.

"Come over here, Izuna" She smiled weakly at him, "Come meet Sasuke." His feet made no sound as he walked over and knelt down beside Itachi. He stared but no feelings rose in his chest. He could see Mikoto's smile falter slightly at his response out of the corner of his eye. Maybe it was because he was already an adult in his mind, well as much of an adult as his underdeveloped mind would let him be but he doubted it. His heart was closed off. Even though it'd been decades since his passing, it only felt like three years ago to him. His attitude to attachment and emotions was still that of a young shinobi grown cold to the world around him, raised by war.