Truth Well Hidden

Sasuke's Obsession

Itachi clapped his hands as the boy pulled off the blindfold and threw it at him.

"Happy now?" the boy asked.

Itachi nodded his head.

"Say hello to Sasuke here, Naruto-kun. He's your age!" Itachi said cheerfully.

"Why should I?" Naruto asked in confusion, cocking his head to the side.

"How dare you?!" Sasuke growled as he charged at Naruto.

"Whoa there," Naruto said as he disarmed the boy, snatching the kunai from mid-air and tossing it back to Itachi.

Itachi caught it with an amused smile.

"Sasuke. You're supposed to practice with blunted kunai and shuriken. You may hurt yourself if you use my really sharp weapons," Itachi chided Sasuke as he poked him in the forehead.

"Itte! Then why does Naruto get to use them?" Sasuke whined.

"Naruto's different!" Itachi told his foolish little brother as he pinched the bridge of his nose.

"I'll be going now. Have fun with Sasu-chan, Ita-nii!" Naruto called out as he walked in the direction of the trees before vanishing halfway.

"I guess I can spare some time to correct your throwing technique and teach you a jutsu," Itachi sighed in resignation.

"Yay! Nii-san is the best!" Sasuke cheered as he hopped from foot to foot, drawing a kunai from his weapons pouch as Itachi rearranged the targets.

"Now hold it like you normally do," Itachi instructed.

Sasuke did so obediently.

Itachi sighed as he pulled Sasuke's legs further apart as they were too close together, causing him to sway slightly because of the tenseness in his legs. Itachi proceeded to shift Sasuke's fingers so that instead of gripping it in a vice-like grip, he clutched it between his fingers in a throwing position.

Itachi made Sasuke stand like that for a while before telling him to sit down.

"Now stand up and go back into position," Itachi instructed once Sasuke was comfortably seated.

Sasuke groaned a bit but still did as he was told, now only needing to be corrected on minor things like the angle. Itachi nodded at him, instructing him to throw as he observed Sasuke's muscle movement.

Sasuke was way too stiff and had only thrown it a short distance away as he was unable to snap his wrist properly. Itachi clicked his tongue in annoyance as he ordered his little brother to relax his wrist. He did not seem to blame Sasuke for his lack of skill, but watching how nervous Sasuke behaved before his respected older brother did irk him somewhat. He knew that it was his fault -- Itachi was the one who distanced himself from his family, but that did not diminish the feeling.

Itachi nodded at Sasuke to throw it again and observed once more. Sasuke was able to hit the edge of the target this time. Itachi smiled in encouragement, giving Sasuke the confidence to try again.

Sasuke focused on perfecting his aim for the next two hours while Itachi read a book and looked up to give him advice every once in a while. When Sasuke finally managed to hit a bulls-eye, Itachi made him do it a few more times to make sure it was not just a fluke.

Sasuke hit it the next few times, missing it only once when he was distracted by a bunny running past the training ground. Even then, he still hit the inner rings.

Itachi then made him start on shuriken-throwing, once again correcting his stance. Itachi deftly adjusted his brother's grip on the weapon, his posture and made him shift one leg further back before nodding at his younger brother. Sasuke only looked back in confusion.