AN: Thank you Rekt yourself for your review and Dunnofml for following the story.

Chapter 2: A Miracle

There was a big commotion going on at the Sannin Medical Center. Sannin Medical Center or SMC in short was the best hospital in Konoha established by a medical prodigy named Dr. Tsunade. Due to the establishment being the best hospital in the city, it was nothing uncommon for there to be an emergency situation. And the staffs and doctors were more than capable of handling any situation. That being said, not every emergency situation involved an Uchiha. At that moment, the hospital was pretty much surrounded by reporters and cameramen. The hospital security guards were having a hard time keeping them out. The ones responsible for the hospital management were contemplating calling the cops. It was after all a hospital with many patients who could do without the noise the horde outside was making.

The emergency situation involved none other than Mikoto Uchiha. Her condition was critical, to say the least. Earlier that day Mikoto had gone into labor but she appeared to be having some complications giving birth. This information was leaked somehow hence the crowd outside the hospital. Needless to say, none of those reporters really cared about Mikoto or the baby, it was the news they were after. Inside the hospital, the atmosphere was very tense. Despite being a stoic person, Fugaku looked terribly worried for his wife and unborn child. On the other hand, Madara and Izuna couldn't even put in words how they were feeling. The birth of the new baby was supposed to be a joyous event like it was when Itachi was born. No one saw this complication coming. It was all too sudden. In fact, the doctors had repeatedly said that everything was fine. That the baby was healthy and they should expect a smooth delivery. Then why? Why this was happening?

The way the Uchihas were acting due to being so worried, no one would've dared to approach them at that moment but the hospital management really needed their help. Hence a few unfortunate souls dared to go talk to them.

"Madara-sama, Izuna-sama please talk to the media outside and ask them to leave. They are causing a lot of trouble. If you don't, we'll have no other choice but to call for the police." One of them spoke up with a shaking voice. Madara literary growled at them.

"Then call the damn police. Have them open fire on those bastards for all I care." He shouted out at them.

"Brother," Izuna said calmly, putting a hand on his brother's shoulder. Asking him to calm down through that gesture.

"I apologize for the trouble," Izuna said to the hospital staff members.

"My nephew Obito will handle the media outside immediately."

"Thank you, Izuna-sama." With that, the staff left as fast as they could. Sighing out a breath of relief.

Among all the commotion and noise, Itachi Uchiha was absolutely quiet. He was standing in the corridor right outside the operation theater. There was a look on his face that didn't suit a little boy like him at all. It wasn't just worry. It was fear too. Or perhaps something more than fear. No one could tell what was going through Itachi's mind at that moment. Fugaku glanced at his son and immediately felt guilty. He should be comforting Itachi. Telling him positive words. Instead, he was completely ignoring the boy. This realization made Fugaku walk over to his son.

"Itachi." Fugaku put a hand on Itachi's shoulder as a comforting gesture.

"Father." Itachi acknowledged and looked up at him with questioning eyes.

"They will be alright father, won't they?" Itachi said. Fugaku didn't want to cause his son more distress. Hence, he nodded his head with a smile.

"Yes son, they will be fine. Everything will be alright. You will meet your little brother soon." Even though Fugaku said it, there was uncertainty in his voice which didn't go unnoticed by Itachi. The boy looked away, not looking any less worried than before. In fact, his father's uncertainty increased the fear he was experiencing. Before Fugaku could say more to Itachi, an unknown person approached the worried father.

"Fugaku-san lady Tsunade wishes to speak to you." The man informed him. Fugaku nodded his head before glancing back at Itachi.

"I'll be right back son." He said to the quiet boy.

"Don't worry uncle, I won't leave his side" said Shishui, assuring Fugaku. Shishui and Itachi were really close. As cousins and as friends as well. In fact, Shishui was Itachi's only friend so far. Often Shishui acted like a big brother to Itachi and Itachi too really looked up to Shishui.

"Thank you Shishui." Giving his thanks, Fugaku left to go and speak with the doctor. He was led to a room where Dr. Tsunade was waiting for him.

"Tsunade-sama." Fugaku bowed his head to show her appropriate respect. After all, if anyone could help Mikoto in this situation, it was her.

"Fugaku-san, please have a seat," said Dr. Tsunade. The woman possessed blonde hair and quite gifted bosoms. To say that she was a good-looking woman was an understatement. Dr. Tsunade's looks were as stunning as they were deceiving. Her appearance didn't reveal her age at all. However, her eyes were honest. There was a gleam in them that only someone with a lot of life experience could possess. Dr. Tsunade was legendary for her accomplishments. There were rumors that she never failed to save someone's life. Truth be told, her presence was the only thing that gave the Uchihas hope that everything would be alright. Fugaku took a seat like he was asked to and looked straight into Dr. Tsunade's eyes.

"Tsunade-sama please tell me the truth. How serious is it?" Fugaku asked even though he feared the answer. Still, he didn't want anything else but the plain truth. No words of false hope. Dr. Tsunade closed her eyes for a second and inhaled a deep breath first.

"I'll be frank with you Fugaku-san because I need you to make a decision and fast. The complication that has occurred is quite unexpected and at this point, we can either save the mother or the child. You need to make a decision and tell us who to save. And also complete all the formalities as soon as possible." Just like Fugaku had asked, Dr. Tsunade didn't beat around the bush at all. In fact, she would've been straightforward even if Fugaku wasn't prepared for the truth. A very important decision needed to be made and there was no time to waste. In all actuality, Fugaku wasn't ready to make such a decision. Because no matter the decision it was gonna cause them great grief. For a moment, Fugaku felt like going to Madara and asking him to make a decision. Have him feel the burden of choosing. Make him suffer the guilt. The idea was indeed tempting. But then again, it was his wife and his child. Fugaku needed to take responsibility, no one else. Fugaku Uchiha was no coward. Even if the guilt of choosing one over the other crushed him, he'd still do it. It seemed like forever when in reality it was only a few minutes before the man spoke up again. He had already made the decision. There was no going back.

"Save Mikoto. Save my wife. I know she will never forgive me for this but- we need her." By we, Fugaku meant not only himself and Itachi but the entire Uchiha family. God knew Madara and Izuna wouldn't be able to handle anything happening to their dear little sister. Tsunade simply nodded her head.

"If that's your decision please fill out these forms." She handed some paperwork to Fugaku while at the same time she picked up the receiver of the phone and called someone.

"Shizune, start the operation." She gave some more instructions to the person on the other end of the line. Meanwhile, Fugaku sighed heavily. Guilt and sadness were evident on his face. He was already grieving his son who would never be born now.

"I'll go to the operation theater now and oversee everything myself," Tsunade informed Fugaku as soon as she put down the phone. Fugaku merely nodded his head. However, just as Dr. Tsunade stood up to leave, he spoke up again.

"I know the chances are minimal but please I beg of you, try to save them both." When it came to loved ones, even Uchihas could beg.

"You don't have to tell me that Fugaku-san. I'll try my best. The rest is in god's hand." With that, the doctor left.

As soon as Fugaku came back, he was confronted by Madara and Izuna. "What did the doctor say?" Madara asked anxiously.

With a pained expression, Fugaku shook his head. "They can only save one. I told them to save Mikoto."

"No, that cannot be." Izuna gasped out sounding horrified.

"Losing the baby will destroy Mikoto."

"Would you rather I had picked the baby and let Mikoto die?" Fugaku snapped at Izuna.

"I am too losing my son here."

"We are not blaming you Fugaku." It was Madara who said that.

"We know it was the hardest decision for you to make. All we can do now is be there for Mikoto." While the adults were worrying over Mikoto, they completely forgot about the other person who would not be able to handle the baby's death.

"Father, what are you saying?" Fugaku looked up to find his son standing there. It was clear that Itachi had heard everything. And the look on his face worried not only his father but his uncles as well. Fugaku attempted to approach his son.

"Itachi, everything will be-"

"DON'T LIE TO ME!" Itachi yelled, successfully stopping Fugaku from approaching him. The father was shocked, to say the least. After all, Itachi never yelled like this before. Hell, the boy hardly ever showed any emotion. And whenever he did, it was always very lightly. To have Itachi react like this; explode like this was really very unexpected.

"Don't say everything will be alright when you just said my brother will die." Was that anger Itachi showing? It definitely was. Actually, it was more than anger. It was a blinding rage. One that made Itachi see red. Fugaku sighed out in resignation. There was no point in hiding anything from Itachi now. He had to accept this tragedy sooner or later.

"I am sorry Itachi. Please try to understand. The doctor said they can only save one of them. I chose your mother. I know how much you wanted a little brother but there's nothing we can do here son." Fugaku reached out his hand towards Itachi, probably to pat his head but the boy stepped away from the hand as he glared at his father. It was as if he was Itachi's worst enemy. How a child could master such a glare was beyond anyone's understanding. But then again, Itachi was after all an Uchiha. There was a moment when Itachi's eyes even flashed red as he glared at his father. The boy looked dangerous, to say the least. It had everyone taken aback. Even Madara Uchiha. Though that red flash in the eyes was something he was quite familiar with. It was after all an Uchiha thing.

"Itachi-" Before the man could say anything, Itachi spoke up.

"My otouto is not going to die." Declaring that loud and clear, the boy started running away. He ran from his father and uncles. Fugaku tried to stop Itachi but failed to do so.

"Don't worry I'm going after him," said Izuna.

"You must stay here. Mikoto will need you when she gains consciousness. You will have to be strong for her." Saying that to Fugaku, Izuna looked at his own son.

"Shishui come with me." The boy nodded and took off with his father.

"I have never seen Itachi act like this before," Fugaku said more to himself than to Madara who was standing with him.

"He has always been a calm and mature child."

"Perhaps the thought of his brother's death was too much for him. He's still a kid after all. Not to mention, Itachi's been looking forward to this child's birth the most."

"I didn't want Itachi to find out about it like this. Mikoto would've handled the situation much better" said Fugaku. He was feeling utterly useless and helpless at that moment. He couldn't do anything to help anyone, could he? Not Mikoto, not Itachi, and certainly not his unborn child. Madara let out a heavy sigh.

"I don't think so. She will fall apart as soon as she learns about the baby. Mikoto won't be able to do anything to make Itachi feel better."

"There's nothing much we can do other than help Mikoto and Itachi overcome this terrible loss. And for that, you have to stay very strong Fugaku."

While the two men conversed, the doctors and nurses of SMC dealt with a very sensitive and critical situation with their patient Mikoto Uchiha. She was unconscious due to anesthesia. Dr. Tsunade herself was performing C-section on her. Everyone was being extra careful. Even for an expert surgeon like Tsunade, bringing out the baby was proving to be a very difficult task. More so because she had every intention of trying her best to save the baby. To her, it didn't matter that the family had already made a choice and that she'd be in no trouble if she didn't succeed. Once the baby was out, Dr. Tsunade quickly gave it to Shizune. It was indeed a boy. Itachi had been right all along about having a baby brother. It was a real tragedy that the baby didn't appear to have any life left. He wasn't breathing and Shizune didn't find a pulse or a heartbeat either. The baby had stayed inside for too long. Perhaps if she could get him out a little earlier... Tsunade thought to herself regretfully.

Despite knowing there was no hope, Tsunade decided to take one more attempt to save the baby. All she needed was a spark of life in the infant. The umbilical cord was already severed. Tsunade tried many things for quite a long time but it was just no use. The baby had died even before birth. That was the bitter truth. Everyone in the room felt sad about it. The baby was so beautiful. He would've been a real eye candy had he lived and grown-up. Even as a lifeless corpse, the baby had everyone mesmerized. Since nothing else was there to do anymore, Dr. Tsunade sighed heavily with a sad and defeated expression on her face. It was time to give up and accept her failure.

"Remove the cables Shizune. There's nothing more we can do." Tsunade said dejectedly to her assistant.

"Yes, my lady," said Shizune. She felt grief for the boy as well. It was clearly evident in her voice. No death is more tragic than the death of a baby.

However, like a true miracle the moment Shizune was about to pull off all the cables and take away the life support from the baby, the straight line in the heart monitor flickered a little. At first, Shizune thought, her eyes just played a trick on her. But it happened again. And then again. More strongly this time.

"Lady Tsunade!" Shizune exclaimed out loudly while pointing at the heart monitor. A look of complete and utter disbelief was marring her face. When Tsunade looked, the line moved again. It was a heartbeat. And at this point, a heartbeat meant hope. It meant the difference between life and death. It was the spark of life Tsunade was wishing for. The atmosphere of that room changed rapidly. Within mere seconds actually. The presence of life in the baby gave everyone renewed determination to save him. The air itself was energized. Tsunade immediately got into action again. The members present in the room got divided into two groups. One group took care of Mikoto, while the other one devoted their skills to saving the baby. No one could tell exactly how long it took. It could've been hours before finally a loud cry pierced through the air. A cry that should've been heard as soon as the baby was born. But it didn't matter anymore. The baby was alive. That's what was most important. Everyone felt happy, relieved and truth to be told, completely shocked.

"It's a miracle. A real miracle" said one of the doctors. And everyone wholeheartedly agreed with him. The baby indeed won one hell of a battle with death.

No one would ever know though that this miracle happened because someone out there, really really wanted to be a big brother. After all, when there's such a strong will to achieve something, a miracle is bound to happen. No matter the odds.