Fire and Ice / SasuSaku

A Brother's Inquiry

"Hello Naruto," Itachi said as he strolled over to Naruto's desk. The office was awfully quiet, and it happened to be Naruto's birthday. It had been a strange day since his interaction with his brother the day before. Itachi couldn't figure out why his brother had seemed so flustered, as if he had caught him doing something unusual.

Earlier that week, Shisui had revealed something surprising to him. The three of them had always been close, especially Itachi and Shisui, who were close in age. After their parents and Shisui's passed away, the three only had each other.

It wasn't until Sasuke became good friends with Naruto that Itachi felt relieved, knowing that Sasuke had someone he could confide in. But he doubted his brother had shared much. Itachi was always the romantic brother and never indulged in player gestures like Sasuke did. Their views on women were very different. Itachi had married his high school sweetheart, Izumi, after college. They were already even expecting a baby.

So when Shisui mentioned Sasuke's desire for information about a specific 'girl', it caught Itachi off guard. His brother was never the type to waste time on anyone, especially a woman. He had heard stories of women throwing themselves at Sasuke, only for him to break their hearts in the end.

Itachi didn't know if it was a defense mechanism. After their parents had passed away, Sasuke was never the same. Itachi assumed it was because he had lost them as a child, while Itachi was already finishing high school.

As Naruto finished up his ramen, he looked up and said, "Brother Itachi! It's odd seeing you here at this time. What's up?" Indeed, it was unusual. Itachi didn't usually involve himself in Sasuke's work, as Itachi was already a captain at the Konoha police.

Itachi smiled warmly and replied, "Just visiting. Happy birthday, by the way."

Naruto gestured for Itachi to sit down in one of his office chairs. "Thanks! You're coming to the party, right? Hinata and I only invited a few people, so it's not going to be too crazy."

Since Sasuke and Naruto became friends, Itachi had come to consider Naruto like an honorary little brother. He had grown quite fond of the blond man in front of him.

"Yeah, Naruto, thanks for inviting us. I don't think Izumi can make it because of the pregnancy, but I'll make sure Shisui and Sasuke go for sure."

Naruto nodded and asked, "So what brings you here?"

The reason Itachi found himself in Naruto's office was to gather information about their 'new business partner.' Sasuke had mentioned that it was Naruto's idea, so Itachi figured he could get more details from the cheerful blonde. After talking to Shisui, it seemed that Naruto knew the Sakura Haruno who had prompted his brother to request her personal records.

Itachi cleared his throat, "I wanted to talk about your new business partner. You've only been working with her for about two months, right?"

Naruto's face lit up at the mention of their new business partner, "Sakura? Oh yeah, she's amazing, right? Did you know she's only 24 and already started her own pharmaceutical company?"

Itachi's eyes widened. Only 24 and already achieved all that? Despite his brother Sasuke starting Uchiha Corp right after university, it was largely due to their renowned family name. It wasn't like the media or the business world didn't know about them.

"So, about Sakura, can you tell me more about her?" Itachi was genuinely curious. He wanted to understand the woman who had captured his brother's attention.

Naruto shifted in his chair, "We've known each other since we were kids. Sakura's parents worked closely with mine, but we drifted apart for a few years. We reconnected when she was finishing up medical school. I mentioned Uchiha Corp and that we were looking to partner up with different companies. Plus, she's also good friends with Hinata. She might be at the dinner later today; I can introduce her to you if you want."