"Mama, I wan' go to the Academy," three-year-old Sasuke moaned as he stood around the kitchen, watching his mother peel potatoes. "I wan' go. Why I can't go?"
"Oh, goodness, Sasuke. Baby, you're too young to attend the Academy. Besides, you only want to go because Oniichan's going. You'll be big enough in about three years, so be patient."
"But I wan' be a ninja! I'm bored. I wan' play with Oniichan. I don't have any toy!"
"Sasuke, for shame," Mikoto scolded. "After Miraku-no-baasan bought you so many nice gifts for your birthday last month! Oniichan isn't in school to play; he's learning. In school, unless you're training, you have to sit quietly, not romp and run around. Soon Mama will teach you your alphabets so you'll be ready to read when youre enrolled in school."
Sasuke seated himself at his mother's feet to complain. "I wan' go to school. Ohhh, UGGGHHH! I wan' go."
Mikoto turned, bearing a coriander of peeled potatoes, and narrowly avoided tripping over the little boy. "Sasuke! Good heavens, you're going to get us both hurt. If you can't behave for Mother instead of throwing tantrums, then you need to leave the kitchen!"
"I'm being good, Mama!" Sasuke insisted.
Mikoto's facial expression brooked no arguments. She pointed to the doorway. "Out, Sasuke! You're only getting in the way. Dinner will be ready soon. Go play with your toys."
"Aw, man." The dejected Sasuke dragged himself out of the kitchen and to his bedroom, where he plopped down on the carpet to try to think of a game to play with his dinosaur and his toy samurai.
Much to his delight, no sooner had he decided to have Izunasaurus aid his heroic master in a battle against an evil black dragon and his samurai henchmen than Sasuke heard the front door opening. Abandoning his playthings, he went flying through the kitchen and out into the living room to greet nine-year-old Itachi, his brother, who had come home from that magical, mysterious place that he referred to as the Academy.
"Oniichan!" He latched onto poor Itachi's leg before he had time to get a word out. "You finally came home. I missed you! Come on; now you can play games to me! Okay, what do you want to play first?"
"Sasuke." Mikoto cut in sternly. "You know Oniichan has Academy homework to do, so don't pester him. He can play with you when he's finished doing that."
Little Sasuke was crestfallen. "But, Mama," he protested, though he knew from experience that there was no arguing with his mother when she put her foot down. He released the hem of his brother's shirt and pouted at the floor.
Itachi spoke up, however. "It's ok, Mom. I can do my homework later. Besides, it's easy."
The sun rose on Sasuke's face. Mikoto shook her head, but had to smile in spite of herself.
"Good grief. Well, I know you wouldn't slack off when it came to your homework. Just be sure you and Sasuke are back in before duskfall, dear." She turned back to the stove.
The overjoyed little one and his kind older brother took off for the outdoors. With games of hide-and-seek, stone-skipping and "playing pretend" and bouts of tickling and roughhousing in general, the hours seemed to fly by for Sasuke. Itachi, prodigious little shinobi-in-training though he was, couldn't seem to satisfy or keep pace with his tireless little brother, and before the sun began to wane, he was forced to sit down, exhausted, while Sasuke raced around him in circles.
"Oniichan, get up! I know 'nother game we can play."
"I'm sure you do," Itachi groaned. "Sasuke, Oniichan's tired. How can you not he worn out after doing all that?"
"Mama made me take a nap," Sasuke informed him calmly. "Come on, 'Tachi, let's see who can do more cool stuff!"
" 'Cool stuff' like what, exactly?"
Sasuke skidded over and plopped down at his brother's feet. "See who can stop breathing longer and who can jump over the creek and not fall in and jump more high in the air."
"Sasuke, Oniichan doesn't want to do anything that could get you hurt. Mom and Dad would be mad."
"UGGGHHHHH! Just don't want me to be cool and get strong to be a ninja!"
Itachi was rescued from further arguing by Mikoto, who could be heard calling them from the kitchen door. "Boys! Father's home, and dinner's ready!"
"How it's time to go inside?" Sasuke groused as he rode back to the house piggyback-style. "Not even dark."
Itachi, glancing over his shoulder at the little complainer, couldn't help but to remark, "Just a moment ago, you said you weren't tired, but as soon as Mom said playtime was over, you were all out of energy and needed a ride."
Sasuke flushed. "No, I not!"
"You're a little fraud. God, you're heavy, 'touto."
"Be quiet, 'Tachi. I'm telling Papa you cheat to me when we play hide-and-seek!"
At the dinner table, with clothes changed and face and hands washed, Sasuke was as good as his word. "Papa! I was playing hide-and-seek with Oniichan today, and I almost win, but then he used a clone to trick me and run away. That's cheating!"
Fugaku didn't respond with the show of fatherly sternness that his younger son had hoped for. To the contrary, his face registered surprise.
"You've learned the Clone Jutsu, Itachi?"
Sasuke didn't miss the fact that this news had impressed and pleased their father. He was reminded that Papa loved to see his sons accomplish things. It seemed that Oniichan was always accomplishing things, hitting milestones that were still so very far out of Sasuke's reach.
This thought didn't discourage Sasuke for long, however. His face brightened. "Papa, I bet I can learn Clone Jutsu, too!"
A calloused brown hand came to rest on Sasukes head. Fugaku gave his hair a brief combing with his fingers before drawing away. "You will learn when you're old enough for the Academy, son."
"I wan' learn now. Oniichan, after dinner, maybe you can show me how to do it!"
Mikoto quashed the notion instantly. "Homework, boys!"
Not for the first time that day, Sasuke deflated.
Itachi, moving closer to him, startled Sasuke with a two-fingered poke to the brow. The regret was so apparent in his face and in his sad smile that Sasuke couldn't fail to be mollified.
"Sorry, 'touto. Maybe some other time."
The years passed. In Sasuke's memory, they went by as swiftly as the hours of that one golden afternoon they'd spent playing hide-and-seek had. Oniichan had attained the rank of genin not long after that day. When Sasuke, at six years old, was at last old enough to be enrolled in the Academy, Itachi's strength and skill had secured him a position in the ANBU Black Ops. The afternoon before Sasuke's first day of school and Itachi's first day on the job as an ANBU agent was another one of those afternoons that began with Sasuke dragging Itachi outdoors to play and train, but ended all too soon. This time, it was Itachi himself, not their mother, who, after retrieving the shuriken they'd fired from their target, abruptly cut their outing short.
"All right, Sasuke. It's time to go."
Sasuke was scandalized by the unfairness of it all. "Time to go?! Older Brother, it's not even dark, and you said you'd teach me a taijutsu move before you started your new job!"
"I know. But I've been busy. I have to attend a meeting to orientate me for my new job. I must prepare."
Sasuke's fists clenched. "You're breaking your promises again. You're such a big fat liar!"
Itachi only smiled, much to Sasuke's irritation. He beckoned him closer, however, piquing his curiosity, and Sasuke, expecting a hug or a whispered secret. hurried forward. His hopes were dashed when one of those two-fingered pokes to the forehead stopped him in his tracks and caused him to stumble backwards.
"I'm sorry, 'touto. Maybe some other time."
Sasuke's disappointment turned into anger. He erupted. "Stop doing that! I hate it when you do that! Why won't you talk to me anymore, Older Brother? We used to be friends, but now all you do is tell lies and keep secrets from me. Is it because you think you're too grown-up and cool for me now?"
Sasuke could see in Itachi's eyes that his words had found some mark or another, and the pained expression on his brother's face afforded him a moment's satisfaction. Then the anger and vindictiveness abandoned him. He had actually saddened Big Brother. He cast his eyes down just before they began to dampen.
"Sasuke." Unexpectedly, Itachi crouched down, and Sasuke found himself staring directly into his face. "Come here. I guess it IS time I talked to you …about some things."
They had their little talk during walk home, with Sasuke, who was almost, but not quite, ashamed because he was a big boy of six years old, being carried piggyback-style as he had when he had been a preschooler.
"Oniichan wants to spend time with you, and I know you want to be with me. But starting tomorrow, we'll both be busier than before. I start my job as an ANBU agent, and you'll be learning to become a strong shinobi. So we won't see as much of eachother as we did before."
"I want to be a strong shinobi," Sasuke admitted. "I - I wish I could be as strong as you so I could be an ANBU ninja, too. But instead, we have to be apart for hours every single day, and sometimes I don't even get to see you before I have to go to bed." He then asked the question that he'd never mustered enough courage to ask their parents for fear of sounding foolish. "Older Brother…why's it such a big deal for us to get strong, anyway? What's so important about it when we have to spend so much time doing it that we hardly ever get to have fun together?"
As he walked, Itachi reached up to stroke one of the little hands that hugged his neck. " 'touto, the duty of a shinobi is to protect and defend his family members, his comrades and, most importantly, his village, especially the weak and the innocent who live within it. To that end, a shinobi has to make sacrifices sometimes." His steps slowed, and his voice became soft. "I know it's difficult to understand. But I believe it won't be long before you're old enough to serve the village alongside Oniichan. By then, you'll understand."
Few things irritated Sasuke more than the phrase, "You'll understand when you're older," in any of its variations. But he forgot that in his wonder and delight at the thought that he'd be ready to fight alongside his powerful older brother anytime soon.
"Older Brother…you really think so?"
"I do." Sasuke could hear the smile in Itachi's voice. "But you'll have to listen to Mom, Dad and Oniichan and study hard in order to do that. Don't be reckless and try to become a shinobi overnight."
A ribbon of pink crossed Sasuke's nose. Older Brother really did believe in him. He'd train diligently and study hard until the day came when he would get to stand beside his brother as a comrade, as a true shinobi, and see the looks in Itachi's, Mom's and Dad's eyes.
"Okay, I will. And …I guess it's ok if we're busy, then - you with your job and me with my training…just so long as you still spend time with me every once in a while."
