"There is no clan that feels deeper love than the Uchiha."
Kiyoshi was Itachi's favorite aunt. In fact, she was his only aunt.
Older sister of his father, Itachi failed to see a resemblance between the two.
Fugaku had trouble expressing his feelings and interacting with children. A constant stoic expression with a rare smile. Getting a nod of approval was considered a treat, and his father, while outwardly aloof, loved him and Sasuke dearly. And even with his actions regarding the coup d'état, he genuinely wanted to preserve peace in Konoha, going along with the relocation after the Kyuubi attack despite the Uchiha's protests to not let the situation worsen.
Kiyoshi was the sunshine of the Uchiha clan. Bright and caring, the only reason why she wasn't a mother was because of an accident that caused her to be unable to carry. A social butterfly, Kiyoshi practically knew everyone in the clan, but recently she had started to shut herself in her house. Rarely venturing outside, she only seemed to open her door to only him and Shisui.
Her visual prowess was renowned throughout the ninja world. They called her Otohime, the goddess of dragons because of her unrivaled fire breathing and ferocity on the battlefield. Her Mangekyō Sharingan's famous technique was Toyotama, the Dragon's Breath. Her iron war fans were beautiful tools of desolation, a deadly combination of wind and fire chakra.
Imagining his gentle aunt as a fearsome kunoichi was hard to wrap his head around. Imagining his gentle aunt as an S-rank, flee on sight kunoichi was even harder to wrap his head around.
Kiyoshi, who constantly drank jasmine tea, who played Pai Sho as much as a Nara played shogi, who felt the same pain as he did when it came to war. She, besides Shisui, seemed to always know of his inner conflict.
His loving aunt who understood that he, if given the choice, wouldn't have ever wanted to a shinobi. A shinobi kills to serve the village, but there are other ways to serve one's village.
He could have been anything, had his father not been clan head, had he not been born an Uchiha, had the shinobi system ceased the exist.
He was good with children, especially babies. Something about him seemed naturally calming, a presence he constantly felt with Kiyoshi.
As far back as he could remember, she had been his caretaker. When his mother was busy with her duties as matriarch of the clan, Kiyoshi was there. Singing softly as she made breakfast in the mornings and asking if he slept well. Bandaging his wounds and always being there for him.
His first game with her at Pai Sho was when he could comprehend the importance of the tiles, the positions, and the goal to win. Her use of the white lotus tile never escaped him.
Symbolizing the quiet life, Kiyoshi gave him a constant what if.
She had softened over her years of inactivity. Black hair cut along her jawline made her look younger, less worn down. Her tear troughs were deeply etched though not quite as long as his. Her hands were lightly scarred, and she seemed to glow every time he saw her.
She was like him. Though slightly sharper than the average kunai, she had high expectations as a child due to being the clan head's first born. Gender didn't matter nowadays, so she was treated like any other son. Attending the academy early, graduating early, awakening the Sharingan early, and finally retiring early which has not happened to him. Yet.
Itachi knew that she saw that accident as a misplaced blessing. She no longer had to stain her hands anymore red than they were, and was able to focus on raising him as if he were her own child. It came at a great cost, but she met one of her goals.
A quiet life. A domestic life was all she ever wanted. And that's he wanted too.
She talked about wanting to open a tea shop. The Jasmine Dragon was an unachieved dream of hers and an old friend.
"I got the name from him," she had once told him. "You would have liked him. Iroh would have liked you."
"What was he like?"
She laughed. "A fearsome war general, but also a father and uncle. His son passed away in the war, and now he only has his nephew. I picked up a few of his mannerisms from the time we spent together."
He once told her that he wanted to be a teacher at the Academy.
She told him to go for it.
"Your move."
He jolted out of his reminiscing train of thought.
Kiyoshi smiled playfully, tucking a strand of her hair away from her face. "I see that you have gotten better, my nephew."
There was a sharp click as she made her piece two spaces on the board.
"It seems as though you have come to value the white lotus tile the most. It suits you."
"Thank you, Aunt."
Hesitantly, Itachi dared to ask, "I suppose that there's no turning back."
She sighed at his implications. "If it were up to me, you would have not even gone to the Academy. I know you are a pacifist at heart, and it is a shame that your parents did not acknowledge your happiness."
"We can't change the past," Itachi made his next move.
"You are right. The only thing we can do is make the decisions we feel are right and hope for the best." Her expression saddened. "I am afraid that this chapter of our clan is over. It is up to you and Sasuke to rebuild and guide our future."
Itachi stiffened.
"I know that this will be our last game. Pai Sho is awfully good at revealing the turmoil within oneself."
"Aunt, I—"
She cut him off with a shake of her head. Her silver ringed necklace glimmered in the moonlight. Her black eyes held resolved finality.
"A last gift I need to give you." She clasped it around his neck so that it sat comfortably on his collarbone.
Kiyoshi did not falter as she said something the chilled his blood.
"I want you to take my eyes."
Your eyes are your life was taught to every Uchiha when they awakened the Sharingan. An Uchiha is not an Uchiha without the Sharingan. To willingly give another one's eyes was greatly considered a high regard of love and respect. To an outsider, it was another weapon. To a clansman, it was the deepest honor an Uchiha could ever give.
"I have forever thought of you as the son I never had," her hand stroked his tear stained cheek tenderly. "Regardless of what happens tonight, I want you to know that no matter what, I will love you always."
One slash was all it took.
After he was finished, Itachi gave a special storage scroll to a particular crow, one with a four-point pinwheel.
Omake/AU
(Call it what you will)
He never expected to have children especially after the massacre. He did have the clan's future to think about, but that should be up to Sasuke. No one would accept the child of a mass murderer, a criminal, a rouge.
But here she was cradled in his arms, a little bundle of new life that he once held in the form of his little brother. And he felt a sensation that he had only felt twice before. Deep love and the need to protect a new kind of precious.
His daughter.
And her name was Kiyoshi.
AN/ This is set on the night of the Uchiha massacre if you didn't figure it out. I literally thought of this one night and just started writing up a storm. This is the result. I drew some inspiration for Kiyoshi from Avatar: the Last Airbender, especially from the character Iroh and Avatar Kiyoshi in name and weaponry. I got some ideas from CannibalisticApple's Echoes of Light. It is a well written story where Sasuke isn't alone and the last Uchiha. I liked the idea of someone who could relate to Itachi because they went through the same thing that he did. That last bit was the thought if Itachi lived and had a daughter of his own. I may or may not expand on this (it is meant it be a one shot) with Kiyoshi's past, interactions with other characters, and a slightly possible reappearance through the Edo Tensei. It depends on how this is received or if anyone one wants more. I hope you enjoyed it. Thank you for reading!
~Elise142
PS, It's June 9th, Itachi's Birthday!
PPS, Did anyone catch that one Star Wars reference? I can't believe that I just compared the Sharingan to a lightsaber.
PPPS, If the formatting looks weird, it's because the text didn't align where I wanted. Also there might be random bold or italicized text. I tried to fix it.