Author: New Dragon Rider
Title: Prodigy
Warnings: MAJOR plot spoilers, this gives away stuff all the way through the latest chapter released in English (As of 3-16-08). This is also something of a memoir for our dear, departed Itachi. sigh All the hot guys go away eventually. You will be with us in spirit, Uchiha Itachi.
Disclaimer: If I owned Naruto, Sasuke, Itachi, and Kakashi would be my man-slaves, and there'd be NaruSasu goodness everywhere. Therefore, I do not own.
I am not a prodigy
Like my family believes
I am not a genius
Able to excel on my own
I can still remember when
I first met him
I was only four years old
Not even in the Academy yet
Then I was nothing special
Not a prodigy
Not a genius
Just Itachi
He called me his precious descendant
His protégé
The only one he would train
Because I was just me, Just Itachi
Every day for a year I trained under him
I watched as my mother grew fatter
As I watched my otouto be born, I worried
Was I still the only precious descendant?
I entered school and stood above the rest
That was when I was first called a genius
My daily training continued
Until I graduated at seven
My training was increased,
Now I worked day and night
One night when I was eight, he tried to kill me
My Sharingan awoke
Mow my name was prodigy
Just Itachi was not longer enough
My mentor pushed me and
My family pulled. And my brother grew.
Ranks flew past me
Chuunin, Jonin, ANBU
Like a blur
And my otouto was pushed aside
Still he grew strong
He was the one to push himself
He was pulled by fate itself
He was becoming a little nin before my swirling eyes
Daily he would ask me to train him
Help him to grow like I was helped
I always said 'Forgive me' and 'Later'
He will grow strong on his own strength
My master demands my assistance on
A very important mission
My heart rends, clean in two
Sasuke, forgive me
Even the moon seems red tonight
My clansmen dead at my feet
My master long gone. I know well
That I will never be forgiven
I was supposed to leave once the
Job was done, but this I must do
Sasuke runs, tears in his eyes as
I give him a reason to exist
I tell me sensei it is for his eyes
But in truth it is my greatest test
Can my otouto under his own pull match
My power under my master?
I am afraid of the results of this test
So long have I been the prodigy
What will be left if that was all a lie?
Can I go back to Just Itachi?
The battle is fierce
But my victory seems assured
I look gloating into my otouto's black eyes
And barely blink as my life slips away
I fall to the ground
Choking on my own blood
I realize that this is the
First test I've ever failed
Their swirling eyes hold me
As I join them in the abyss
My victims of years past
I can still feel their blood on my hands
I was not a prodigy
Like my family believed
I was not a genius
Able to excel on my own.
A/N: Hey! I've finally moved into my favorite fandom, Naruto!
I really feel that Itachi was pushed to hard by his family, and that broke him. I also think he fears Sasuke in a way, for if Sasuke can match, or even beat him, was he ever truly a prodigy? I think that being the prodigy defined him as much as it twisted him, and now he doesn't know what to do if he isn't naturally the best. That was my inspiration for writing this poem. All reviews are welcome, and I thank you for your time.