"Itachi tells me that you'll be meeting with the board members of your company soon. Are you feeling nervous?" Dr. Yamanaka eyes me cautiously over the papers he had been pretending to read while I threw a small yellow ball he had given me up in the air aimlessly. Was this supposed to relax me or something? "It's about time to meet them." Another year lost to those board members that I have yet to hear from, despite having made my preoccupations clear to Itachi shortly after he came home. School is almost over, and given that I'll be turning 15 soon enough, I think it's right about time I start looking into the business that I will be supervising within a few years. Itachi doesn't seem to agree however, and I can bet that he asked Dr. Yamanaka to ask me about it so that he can have a peak into whatever is on my mind. For some reason, he insists on letting the board members continue their reign over our legacy, he has even tried with no avail to discourage me from taking that path. I really don't understand how it is that we are brothers when we have absolutely nothing in common apart from our appearance. "Is there something in special that you want to find out while being there?" His pale blue eyes twinkle at me kindly, and suddenly I'm reminded of that starry eyed blond girl from Naruto's class that is always trying to catch my attention when I'm around, and that holds those same blue eyes that irritate me. "Do you by any chance have a daughter around Naruto's age?" He chuckles softly. "As a matter of fact, I do. Her name is Ino, and by what she's told me, you hold quite a special place in the hearts of all the girls in that class."

"I'd prefer to be kept well clear of any underage kid that wishes to force marriage on me."

"Well, who knows Sasuke," he lowers his gaze a bit, staring intently into my eyes with a shadowed smile, "Maybe one of those kids might end up being your bride." God save me from ever marrying one of those doe-eyed girls that always squeal when I'm present.

"I think we already established my sexual orientation when we began this 'therapy'" He clears his throat softly and smiles at me again. "Regardless, you're changing the topic."

"There's nothing special about wanting to learn more about my future career. I'll be entering 10th grade within a few months, and despite my advancement in all of my classes, I have very little time to better my college application."

"Sasuke, aren't you focusing too much on your future? The only worry to most teenagers your age is getting invited to the beach party some Jock-superstar planned for the weekend." And that's why most teenagers are idiots. Planning for tomorrow doesn't start tomorrow. It starts a week ahead of the planned date, if not months if possible. Victory favors preparation, and I had better be as prepared as I can be so that tomorrow doesn't surprise me. Dr. Yamanaka's mouth tugs to one side as he continues to await my answer, but I chose instead to throw the small yellow ball up in the air again. "Doctor," he raises his eyebrows slightly at me, "Is Naruto getting any better?" Another gentle smile, but his gaze lowers unto his folded hands that rest on his desk. "There are good days and there are bad days."

"Are you going to tell me?"

"Patient confidentiality. Anyways, our time is up for today. Try to focus more on having fun and less on taking on more classes." He stands and offers me his outstretched hand, which I shake despite my annoyance. Tanaka is already waiting for me outside, the small shadow of a hyperactive child moving against the window of the back seat. "Naruto said that he wanted to eat out with you tonight." He explains to me as I open the back door. "Sasuke, let's go eat ramen!" he signs at me enthusiastically. "I refuse to buy you that packaged garbage." He slaps my knee, a silent laugh escaping his lips. "No, not that. Kiba told me that there's a new stand near the hospital that makes ramen. Real ramen, not the cup things." Kiba. Of course. I wonder when those two are going to have a fight and become rivals. It would at least alleviate some of the frustration that the two are always causing me. "So if Kiba says that there's a cow jumping over the moon over at Konoha Farm, are you going to run over and see that too?"

"There's a cow jumping over the moon in Konoha Farm?" his eyes are wide, his mouth opened slightly to resemble a small o. I resist my urge to run an exasperated hand down my face. "Let's just go eat."

There are three different districts in Konoha. North, South, and the outer region where the urban city turns suburban and almost rural. Our house is posted in that outer region, bordering suburban and rural in its most pure state, far from all the streets and noise that mother always said were bothersome. She preferred the sweet sound of silence much like I do. The north district was were all the elite to middle class families live, and also was where the school was. It was safe, closely guarded by the Security Department of the Uchiha Enterprises, an area that father had always taken care of. He had always told me, while I sat next to him in front of the T.V watching the news with him even though I didn't understand yet what they spoke of, that the town's security was the outmost important thing that he as Chairman had to supervise. It was also part of how our business had grown. My father had considered himself something similar to a policeman mixed with bodyguard mixed with ninja. The south district however, was the breeding place for all the poverty stricken minorities. It was far from the guarding eye of the Security Department, who chose to margin them further rather than protect them as well, and everyone knew not to tread along those streets unless you were looking to be mugged or murdered. The shadows of Konoha as I liked to see it. One wouldn't know that that part of the city existed if they only kept to the North and Outer Region. Nonetheless, I am still reminded of that rather large part of town every time Tanaka takes me to and fro from school since the highway that leads you from the North district out into the Outer Region has a divergent path that takes you directly to the South district if you are unlucky enough to not know your way around, and when we drive past it, I remember that dark shadow that father always overlooked. It was one of the many things I had in mind for when I take my rightful place in the company.

The drive, despite being a relatively average sized city, was long due to the amount of traffic that always clogged the streets during rush hour, and despite my disapproval, Itachi allowed Naruto to come along with us to this long trip to the city's center, where the board members were waiting to meet with us. "I'm sure you'll remember most of the members, very few have changed since the last time you came." Itachi flipped through the folder idly, looking almost unrecognizable with a suit on instead of the usual scrubs I sometimes see him in. I guess that he doesn't know that I had already memorized the profiles that were within that folder the night before. Naruto sits beside me uncomfortably, his shoulders shifting under the suit that I had bought for him a few days ago. "Why do we have to dress like this?" he signs at me exasperatedly, "Couldn't we have just worn a button shirt and pants?"

"No." he frowns at me and continues to shift uncomfortably, "Tanaka is always wearing a suit and he doesn't complain as much as you do." His blue eyes turn to meet Tanaka's on the rear-view mirror, smiling as Tanaka sends him a small wink. "Do you ever wear normal clothes?" he signs to the old butler when we stop at a red light. "Well, if the occasion fits."

"I bet his closet is full of suits, only his pijamas must stand out." He signs to me inconspicuously when Tanaka turns his attention back to the road, and I am forced to hold back a smile as the image of a closet filled with the same reoccurring colored suits creeps into my mind. "It's true, I've seen it." Itachi signs to us with the most serious look on his face I have ever seen him use. Naruto seems to be about to die of soundless giggles while my hand covers the laugh that almost escaped my lips.

Naruto's jaw drops when we step out of the car and come face to face with the 20 story skyscraper that belonged to us. There was a fountain with the effigies of the first three presidents of our city soaked with its ever flowing water just few meters away from the spinning door, its surroundings decorated with vivid flowers and a two cherry blossoms on either side. "They spend too much on décor." I mutter to Itachi as he climbs out behind me. He lets out a small chuckle and pokes my forehead softly. "You can never have enough flowers." Still, I liked it better when the entrance was more asphalt than green, and yellow, and white.

"Sasuke, aren't you afraid of going up there?" Naruto's eyes hold a small trace of hesitation as he looks up at the top of the building. "No, you'll be with me." He smiles softly and grabs a hold of my hand, giving it a small squeeze as I start towards the entrance. Our shoes clack loudly against the polished ceramic floor, the guards bowing to us respectfully as we pass but giving Naruto a fleeting side glance. It wasn't long before the soft murmurs of gossip over the small blond, blue eyed kit surrounded us. Naruto's hand gave me another tight squeeze as his head hung slightly, his shoulders hunching as to hide himself from the now constant stares he was receiving. I knew that this would happen, which is why I had been against letting him accompany us, but Itachi had been right, we couldn't leave him home alone, since Tanaka had to come with us too. Still, it didn't make me feel any less angry over the unwanted attention they were giving him. I was sure that after these past 3 years that Naruto has lived with us, the company had had enough to talk about. The mysterious appearance of the small blond was never truly explained and Itachi had opted to tell everyone that he was a distant relative that had decided to come live with us. But however way you see it, Naruto holds no resemblance to us, apart from the sometimes mimicked expressions he uses when he fools around trying to annoy us, or to just annoy me since Itachi would always just laugh at his failed attempt at being a mini version of us. "Hey, you're an Uchiha, don't pay attention to them." Itachi whispers gently as he ruffles Naruto's hair tenderly, who smiles halfheartedly back to him, his body inching closer to mine unconsciously. I turn my head down to him, meeting his eyes immediately and giving him a reassuring smile that causes a few of the murmurs to stop. "I'm right here with you." His grin couldn't have been brighter. He nods once and his eyes scrunch slightly as his smile widens. "I'm with Sasuke." He signs back to me, his step beginning to recover the confidence he always has at home and at school. Itachi calls the elevator down and smiles at Naruto again. "See, nothing you can't handle." Regardless, Naruto's hand tenses against mine as the elevator doors open and a tall pale man with a long wide nose resembling that of a shark steps out, his beady, dark eyes widening in surprise as he sees Itachi, who tenses instantly but smiles politely at him. "Kisame, what a surprise to see you here." The taller man grins with what I can only guess is malice, his teeth uneven and yellowed. "It's always a pleasure Itachi." Naruto trembles slightly, his feet moving him behind me slowly but freezing in place when this man, Kisame as Itachi called him, turned his beady gaze towards him. The small surprise in his eyes changed rather quickly to another smirk towards Itachi. "I see you've been busy." Itachi smiles politely again, but I notice that his hands are rolled into tight fists against his sides. "Like always, now if you'll excuse us, we're rather late." Itachi places his hand behind my back and ushers me inside the elevator door swiftly, his other hand pressing the close button as soon as Tanaka was beside me. "Pleasure seeing you here." Itachi says behind gritted teeth, his polite smile beginning to drip pure hypocrisy. "Same here…same here." Kisame grins again, his eyes turning to Naruto once more as the doors close and we begin our ascent to the presidency on the 18th floor. Naruto continues to tremble slighty against me, his face buried against my hip. I give Itachi a rather violent questioning glare, but he doesn't notice as his eyes close and he breathes heavily, trying to calm himself down. Exasperated, I turn my attention back to Naruto who doesn't stop trembling as the number 12 light up on the screen. Kneeling next to him, I cup his face in my hands and find tears in his eyes. "Are you okay?" his cerulean eyes are flooded with tears, his lips downcast in a heartbreaking frown. "Did he scare you?" he nods quickly, his hands clutching at his chest as I see Itachi's gaze finally turn to us reflect on the elevator's spotless metal doors, his own scowl resembling Naruto's. "Hey," Naruto's eyes stare into mine sadly, "I'm right here with you." I rub the tears away from his cheeks as he nods softly. "I'm with Sasuke…" Kissing his forehead soflty I pull him into a tight hug as the elevator lights up on the 16th floor. His fingers dig into the folds of my jacket, rolling into tight fists that will surely leave creases as his face buries into my shoulder. I will have to talk to Itachi about this later, as it was obvious that he knew that man I had never seen before in my life.

Naruto calms down enough to at least pretend calmness as the doors open and we are greeted by another security guard that stood beside the main door. Tanaka walks ahead of us and informs the secretary of our presence as Itachi turns away from me towards the nearest full length window. It was obvious that he was trying to avoid my interrogative glare, and that only made my annoyance grow. Naruto was clearly shaken up by that man, and I would have been too had I met such an unsightly creature at his age. Despite being in school and being in contact with various people, my blond cherub still wasn't comfortable meeting new people, special not one that showed such animosity towards him. Tanaka smiles at us from the desk, his feigned calmness matching mine. "Mr. Uchiha and Young Sasuke, it's always a pleasure to see such magnanimous beings grace these monotonous halls." Itachi turns to greet Orochimaru, one of the company's partners who was president of a pharmaceutical company in another city, with an outstretched hand. Orochimaru, with his pale face and snake-like eyes, always showed a little too much interest in Itachi and myself. Ever since I was little, he would always shower us with compliments and unwanted attention. It constantly served to make me completely uncomfortable, though Itachi had grown indifferent to it now. Over the years, he had let his hair grow, and now I could tell that it was longer than Itachi's despite the ponytail he pulled it into for work. On more than one occasion I had had the ill-fated luck to see him outside of the office, and he has the bad habit of letting his hair down whenever he wasn't wearing a suit, and it made him even more unpleasant to look at than usual. Still, Orochimaru had many connections with different authorities in and out of Konoha, so his presence in the company was indispensable, and that only meant that I would have to learn to cope with him until he finally retires, which, technically, should be soon despite the overall juvenile appearance he held. I bet that it had something to do with his research on rejuvenating medicines that has been his focus for the past years. "President Orochimaru, what a pleasant surprise. I hope that you have been well treated since your arrival." Itachi seems tense again, which I can only guess is due to the many unexpected visitors we have had up until now. "All forgiven now that you two are here. Speaking of, when will you come and work for me Itachi? I could use a good doctor like you in my team."

"I'm sorry to say that I'm more of a practical person than an investigator."

"Nonesense, the research you abandoned just a few years ago was truly groundbreaking. You were made to be an investigator! Your talent is truly wasted…" Itachi lead him away from us when I sent him yet another glare. Why was it that today I knew less about Itachi than usual? Naruto finally calmed down as his natural knack for curiosity takes over and he's pulled towards the windows. He inches close to the windows slowly, his head stretching to see over the edge before pulling back instinctively. "Sasuke, we're so high up!" his hand reaches out for mine as he tries once again to see over the edge without getting close to the window. "The windows won't break if you touch them" he shakes his head quickly but presses his fingers against them anyways. Once reassuring himself that they won't open or crack, he presses harder, his arms flexing as he starts to push with his whole weight. Satisfied, he lets go of my hand and presses against the window and peers down at the moving city beneath us that continued silently without our presence. "They look like ants!" he signs at me gleefully, his eyes no longer holding any bit of that fear from before. He presses his face against the pane as he tries to look closer at the people that walked hurriedly to and fro. I can only imagine the face that he's making with his features plastered against the window and I push back a laugh as Tanaka walks over to us. "The board table is ready young master. Shall I call Master Itachi?" I glance over to where Itachi is still being held captive by Orochimaru and shake my head decisively. "I'm fine going alone. Please stay with Naruto and don't let anyone get close to him." Tanaka nods in consent, his gaze falling over Naruto affectionately. As I turn the corner to walk towards the meeting room, I'm nearly bumped into by a nervous looking man with glasses, his hands almost dropping the files he held against his chest. "I-I'm so sorry." He stammers as he pushes his askew glasses back to the bridge of his nose with his middle finger. I send him a side glare as I continue on my way, looking back over my shoulder as I grab a hold of the doorknob to see him hurry over to where Orochimaru was standing. A new assistant I guess, though he seems too skittish to be any good, it seems more of a way to fulfill any weird taste Orochimaru might have. Itachi notices me and shakes his head slightly, trying to convey his disapproval without Orochimaru noticing. I smirk at him, sending small salute over my shoulder as I turn back around before opening the door and stepping infront of the board table.

"You shouldn't have done that." Itachi fumes as we climb into the car. "Done what?" I smirk again, Naruto climbing in beside me happily as Tanaka closes the door behind him. "Can we go eat ramen over at Ichiraku's?" Naruto signs at me with a wide grin. Ever since we first ate there, we had become regular clients, given that Naruto loved the food, which actually wasn't half-bad, and it was a rather short drive from home. Itachi gave me another unsatisfied glare before consenting to Naruto's request and turning his glare to the window. Despite Itachi's concern, I had handled the table pretty well. I knew more about the business than Itachi likes to admit, or even knows. It was something I have been preparing myself to face ever since the accident. All that wit I had inherited from our parents wasn't wasted on the petty teenage garbage that Dr. Yamanaka insists that I focus on, and if Itachi holds no importance for that matter, then it's my job to prepare myself further so that we are not lost in our own legacy. My hands move instinctively to Naruto's tie as he tries without success to untie it, my fingers moving skillfully to pull it over his head in seconds. "I don't want to wear that thing ever again." Naruto signs as he makes a disgusted scowl at the blue tie I now held in my hand. He continues to undo his buttons and breathes happily once his shirt is open to reveal the white tank-top he had worn underneath. I take note of the small gut he's growing and feel my mouth curl to one side. "You can only eat one bowl of ramen." His eyes widen towards me and I ignore the whine he signs at me. I will not allow him to become an overweight child. "One bowl."

Of course, there just had to be a king-sized ramen at Ichiraku's that I had neglected to notice before. My "one bowl" rule was deemed useless and Itachi couldn't hide the look of satisfaction in his face. "You can't always win." He smirks at me as Naruto begins to down that gigantic bowl before him, surprising everyone else in the stand around him. "When he gets a stomach ache, you'll be the one to look after him then." He glares at me faintly before a smile spreads across his face. "You really still are my cute little brother, despite the headaches you give me." It was me who glared back this time. I was in no way "cute" or frustrating.

As we arrive home, Naruto jumps off the car to run to meet Kurama, who had grown to be considerably large, and I was told that he was still growing last time I took him to the vet with Naruto. "Expect him to be around your size when on his hind legs." Dr. Inuzuka had warned. Overfeeding. Naruto's fault, of course. His original red-fur had shed and become a golden-orange color, his bushy tail tipped with white. Despite having been me who saved him, Kurama had grown attached to Naruto. When small, he had ran behind the hyperactive blond, tailing after him whenever he was home. He even had had the habit of burying into the two feet snow when winter passed and disappearing from view only to reappear trying to jump over the gaps our feet left towards us, completely coated with white. The frog pillow had been placed on the floor to make way for the once small dog that now claimed the entire foot of the bed, making me curl up uncomfortably whenever it was bed time so as to not kick him unwillingly. Protective as he was, Kurama didn't allow Naruto to climb too high up the trees in the forest whenever they were outside, always barking desperately when he noted that Naruto was going over the allowed height. He was even proud, often becoming angry with my blondie and ignoring him for the entire day whenever he disobeyed and climbed to the top again. Still, Kurama was a rather handsome dog. The small shivering creature with the broken leg could never be related to this tall and majestic dog that served as pillow whenever Naruto laid on the floor. Often, when my gaze would cross with his blue eyed one, I could swear I could see a bit of understanding between the two of us. A silent agreement, as he had his special way of letting me know whenever Naruto was up to his usual shenanigans.

Seeing Naruto run barefoot under the warm, setting sun, still in the dark dress pants that were now dirty, with Kurama panting ahead of him, I feel that Dr. Yamanaka is wrong. I do have fun. But my fun isn't out there with parties and alcohol like most teenagers in my school. My fun is right here, witnessing how Naruto grows and spending my last few high school years beside him.

Who knows, maybe Suigetsu was right. I really might have become a mother hen.