4: "Niisan's Otouto" Itachi: 7 Sasuke: 1

Itachi was on his way home from a boring and eventless day at the Academy, with training and study. He was very good at it, but it was hard to always have so many requirements on him.

But there was something that gave joy to his life, which caused him to hurry home with anticipation in his heart and a brighter look on his face.

To see his little otouto, the little child who gave his life meaning. Sasuke made him feel loved and needed. Be greeted by his cheerful chirping and cries: Nii-san! Nii-san! was so wonderful.

Itachi came home, and was immediately met by his beloved little otouto, who came eagerly crawling towards him. His big black eyes shone bright with joy. "Nii-san! Nii! Nii-san! "

Itachi bent down and picked him up in his arms. Little Sasuke smiled at him, chattering happily about everything, and said the word "nii-san" in every sentence. It was the first word that Sasuke learned to say, and Itachi felt proud and happy about it.

"Hello Itachi, how was your day?" their mother greeted, who came in from the kitchen. "Sasuke has been waiting for you all day, I could barely get him to sleep," she smiled.

"It was good, kaa-san." Itachi sat down with Sasuke and started to play his favorite game with him, to build words and names with letter blocks. Sasuke laughed excitedly, and began to form a specific word, that he almost had learned now.

It was, of course, niisan. The one-and-a-half-year old child had already learned to recognize the right letters, though he had some problems to put them in the correct order. Itachi smiled at his beloved little brother; he was so clever and talented, though he was so young! He had tried to show their father how skilled Sasuke was, but Fugaku had just snorted.

"Look here, Sasuke," Itachi said and formed the word otouto with the blocks. Sasuke took the letter o in his tiny mouth, tried to bite into it. Itachi laughed at the sight and carefully took the block from his brother's hand, so he would not get hurt by the slightly sharp edges on the block. Sasuke looked a bit annoyed, in a cute way. He was so adorable.

Itachi used to think that he was rarely fortunate that he had a younger brother like Sasuke. Sasuke had, from the first time he saw his nii-san, always been so happy to see him, always made him smile when he felt depressed. Itachi loved Sasuke infinitely, and put his needs before anything else.

It was hard to believe that Sasuke, only a year old, could have Itachi's heart so fully. Shisui would tease Itachi now and then, saying that he had become a softie since Sasuke was born. But Shisui could almost understand why his best friend was so obsessed with his little brother, Sasuke was incredibly adorable. Itachi loved to spend time with his baby brother. The little happy, confident being filled his heart with tenderness.

Sasuke lay on his stomach and picked with different blocks, and together they formed the words: Itachi & Sasuke. Then Mikoto called: "Itachi! It's time for Sasuke to eat now, and you aren't forgetting your homework, are you? "

It was actually unnecessary. Itachi was the best student in the ninja academy, he never forgot his duty. "No, Kaa-san."

"Come on, Sasuke," he said, picked up his brother and carried him to the kitchen.

"Thank you, Itachi," Mikoto smiled. She rejoiced at the affection and protection Itachi always showed towards his younger brother, and how Sasuke seemed to like his brother more than anyone else.

Itachi went to do his homework; it was boring and simple but needed to be done. He stopped abruptly when he heard Mikoto's exclamation from the kitchen.

"Sasuke!"

Immediately worried, Itachi hurried there to find his brother who was unsteadily trying to stand up. His eyes widened in surprise and amazement.

"Look, he's trying to take his first steps!" their mother said happily.

Itachi kneeled a few feet away from Sasuke, held out his arms.

"Come, otouto," he said softly. "Come to me." Sasuke took a tentative step towards him, swaying as if he were to fall.

But Itachi's encouraging words led him to take another step, with unsteady legs, then another, a little safer. Then he lost balance, but his big brother's arms were there to catch him. "Well done, otouto", Itachi praised happily, hugging him. Sasuke giggled and murmured: "Nii-san", again.