When Itachi became a bully to his own temporary team.


"What is the answer, I wonder?" Tezuka murmured while turning the scroll every which way. The code remained. "Itachi, would you help?"

The young boy, the genius of the Uchiha clan, the boy who had it all staked in his favour glanced at the scroll and announced.

"The answer is no."

"What?" Tezuka asked, outraged. "This is for a mission! We need to be a team!"

Itachi frowned. "The answer is no."

"You brat," she swore under her breath. "Tarō-kun, do you think you could help?"

Their last teammate, a tall fourteen year old boy with spiky white hair, laughed awkwardly. "You know I'm not good with cyphers. What do you think, Itachi-kun?" He said in a friendly tone.

The eight year old had a mutinous expression. "As I said before," the kid enunciated through gritted teeth, eyes briefly flashing red, "my answer is no."

"Leave him, Tarō-kun, he's an unhelpful little brat," Tezuka said dismissively. "We'll just give him zero points for cooperation."

Itachi, finally proving his own age, stomped away, lips trembling.

"Now, let's try again," Tezuka proposed. Nobody answered.

When she glanced up from the paper, her cousin was also nowhere to be seen. Tarō-kun must have gone after that little hellion and tried to make nice with him. She harrumphed. She had little brothers of herself and they needed a good shaking once in a while. The nerve of that kid!


Mikoto's sharp ears picked up the sound of the front door opening with a bit more force than necessary. She smiled as she finished arranging Itachi's favourite okazu on their plates. He must be bursting with enthusiasm after meeting his new teammates.

Despite being a quiet, reserved child, Itachi genuinely liked being with people and never looked down on anybody. She fondly remembered the trepidation and excitement on his face as he went out that morning, two hours earlier than the appointed time.

Then Itachi entered the room with an unenthusiastic tadaima and tried to skulk to his room.

"Welcome back," Mikoto said warmly. "How was the mission?"

Itachi's shoulders slumped as he finally raised his gaze to hers, eyes glistening with unshed tears. "We failed the mission," he said, voice wobbly. Her perfectionist son looked crestfallen.

"Was it very hard?" Mikoto asked Itachi as she hugged him.

Itachi buried his face in her shoulder. "No," he mumbled. "But my teammates hate me and they refused to cooperate while accusing me of it."

"I will go through the proper channels," Mikoto swore.

When she stormed into the Hokage's office (a perk of being a clan leader), eldest son in tow, she found out that her son's teammates had anticipated the move and were already there.

"Hokage-sama," she said briskly as Sarutobi greeted both,

"Uchiha-dono, Itachi-kun. You have come just in time," he said while Mikoto bristled. "It seems there was a misunderstanding."

"There was no misunderstanding," the green eyed girl said offendedly, while the boy tried to calm her down. "The sno-, the youngest team member refused to cooperate. Moreover, while I agree this is to be an equal relationship regardless of age, he behaved as if we were old chums. Were he my little brother I would have tanned his hide for that, make no mistake!"

"My son reported that his teammates sabotaged his attempts to help and moreover bullied him," Mikoto replied incensed. "Shame on you. You are two times his age."

"Ha!" The girl shouted hotly, spots of red colouring her cheeks. "I should have known that little shiiinobi would twist it to his advantage. The little weasel."

"Weasels are smart!" Itachi said indignantly. "And I tried to tell you the answer many times but you did not listen and mocked me when I tried to help!"

"Oh really!" Thundered the girl, long braid swinging with her steps. Hands on her hips she bent down to his level, braid swinging like a black pendulum between them. "Do tell the answer."

"The answer is no!" Itachi shouted.

"See?" The girl fumed as she pointed, pointed at her son.

"It. Is. Noh!" Itachi shouted in an uncharacteristic show of emotion. "The theatre!"

"Noh?" The girl asked, voice subdued for once.

"Yes!" Itachi replied. "I kept saying Noh. How can you mistake the difference in pronunciation? I tried not to correct you two, because you are older and I wanted to be polite, but you just shut me down and went away!" Itachi exclaimed. Mikoto did not know whether to be happy or concerned.

The girl laughed awkwardly. "Well, I'm sorry, I just thought you tried to say it obnoxiously." She made to ruffle his hair, hesitated, then went on with it anyway. "I'm sorry," she said, bending her knees so she was on eye level with Itachi. "Friends?" She smiled at him.

Itachi made an apology bow. "I also deeply apologise," he started very politely, "as I have made a hasty judgement without taking your perspective into account and how I might come across as. I shall endeavour to correct this, if you would allow me, Te- Kuroda-san."

"You can call me Tezuka-chan," the girl grinned. "Itachi-kun."

"I'm also sorry, Itachi-kun," Tarō, the boy said. He fidgeted. "Welcome to the team?" He said with a small self-deprecating laugh.

Itachi smiled up at them.

The Hokage coughed. "Unfortunately, due to your earlier insistence, Itachi-kun has been moved to another team, effective now."

The children's smiles fell.

"You will have another Uchiha on your team," the Hokage said benevolently. "Why, he's a friend of Itachi's, even. You will meet him tomorrow at your training field. Uchiha Shisui, who has already climbed up to chūnin."

"A superior officer?" Tarō asked, eyes wide.

"A younger superior officer?" Tezuka groaned.

The Hokage smiled and Mikoto felt vindicated. Itachi looked disappointed.