It turns out that being a big brother again really isn't such a bad thing.
In fact, England will go as far as to say that it is the highlight of his new life.
(Ask anyone else, and they'd say it was his obsession).
Sasuke is adorable, and decidedly not blonde-haired or blue-eyed, which also helps things. His hobbies consist of training, eating tomatoes, and following his big brother around.
The last one seems to be his favourite one of all. England loves him even more when he realises this.
Because here he has a little brother who adores him, and it's like having the best parts of America back, without the annoying "I'm a hero!" rants, and the lack of personal boundaries, and, worst of all, the demands for independence.
Sasuke Uchiha doesn't want independence. He wants to have his big brother around, all day, every day, and England is completely fine with that.
Sure, as Itachi Uchiha, he does have certain obligations. He's a prodigy after all, and the hope for the Uchiha clan (as his father likes to remind him constantly, despite how downright miserable - and, at times, horrified - the man seems to be whenever he says this). He's human now, but that doesn't mean he's going to slack off, and allow people to think he is weak. He was England, once one of the greatest empires there was, and being Itachi Uchiha doesn't hinder that need to prove himself.
But. Well. He's not a nation anymore, and that rids him of most of his obligations from his previous life. It's shocking how different you feel when you no longer embody every living being in your nation.
It means he can actually be a brother this time. For the first time since coming to this new world, England can say, wholeheartedly, that it's not so bad after all.
...
Fugaku is done. He is done.
"Itachi!"
His son glances up, from where he had been training with Sasuke. His youngest son is beaming at his eldest, adoration shining in his eyes.
It's cute and all, but that brotherly bond is seriously ruining Fugaku's plans for his sons and clan, and he needs to do something.
"You skipped another clan meeting!" he says furiously. His son seems unbothered by this, and Fugaku's anger spikes.
"Oh yes, I apologise for that," Itachi says. "Sasuke asked if he could train with me."
Sasuke stares up at Itachi with wide eyes. "I'm sorry nii-san! I didn't know you were busy!"
Itachi smiles indulgently, and shakes his head. "Don't worry about it. This is far more important."
"No it isn't!" Fugaku roars.
...
Shortly after joining ANBU, England is called to the Hokage's office, alongside a few of his fellow ANBU members.
The meeting proceeds for about five minutes, before England interrupts with a stunned, "wait, you people actually take these things seriously?"
Everyone turns to stare at him, and there are baffled and confused stares all around (except for the few ANBU members who had long since grown accustomed to Itachi Uchiha's strange habits).
"I'm just slightly confused," he says, addressing the Hokage. "You see, I was expecting more…"
He pauses, thoughtfully. Everyone stares at him.
"…screaming maybe? People trying to hit each other? Idiotic suggestions that don't actually mean anything? People discussing every topic other than the one that we are actually supposed to discuss?"
Needless to say, England is soon reminded that this place is very different from the world he left behind.
(Hiruzen Sarutobi decides that Itachi is different from any Uchiha he's ever met. He's not fully sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing yet).
...
The first time England meets Naruto Uzumaki, he is whistling cheerily to himself, and walking through the village, carrying a large container of scones. He'd made a batch yesterday, and had misjudged the amount of leftovers he'd have. Since he was not going to allow all these scones to go to waste, he'd decided to drop them off at Sasuke's school, so that his little brother could share them with his classmates.
(Sasuke, of course, would not be doing this. He may love his big brother enough to pretend to actually like his scones - Mikoto had given him numerous tips on how to do this convincingly, and the best ways to subtly avoid actually eating them - and he may find his classmates weak and annoying, but he didn't dislike them enough to kill them. Not even the annoying fangirls).
So England is dreamily thinking of his little brother's adoring stare, as he thanks him for the scones, and happily distributes them among his classmates (who all rave about how delicious they are), when he is bowled over by little ball of yellow and orange.
The container falls to the floor, and splits open, his scones scattering everywhere.
England looks up, his eyes wide. The orange-yellow-ball is actually a child. England's eyes flit over the orange jumpsuit, and focus on the blonde hair and blue eyes.
'America,' he thinks, and a pit forms in his stomach. But this is not America - other than the hair, which is actually a lot brighter than his former little brother's, and the blue eyes, there are few similarities.
"Sorry!" the kid yells. Well. He's certainly loud like America. "Iruka-sensei is going to kill me if I'm late for class again, and I can't become Hokage if I'm dead! So I'll just - ooh, what's this?"
The kid picks up a scone, and takes a large bite. England watches him, his eyes wide.
"Hey these are actually really good," the kid says, his cheeks bulging as he struggled to swallow. "Not as good as ramen obviously, but — hey, mister, are you alright?"
England stares at him. "You…like them?"
(Because sure, he likes to believe that everyone likes his scones, but...well).
"Well…yeah." The kid laughs, and rubs the back of his neck. "But I think they need something else…"
"…Tea?" England whispers.
"Hmm?" The kid's brow furrows. "Uh…maybe? Sure, yeah."
England makes a strange squeaking noise. His hands clasp together, and his eyes shine.
The kid frowns.
"Are you sure you're okay?"
From that day on, Naruto becomes England's honorary little brother. It's almost like claiming a new colony, he thinks gleefully, just without baggage that comes with being a nation. And sure, the blonde reminds him uncomfortably of America, both in appearance and personality, but England dealt with far greater challenges in the past.
...
AN:
So this is probably going to be a lot longer than the three chapters I initially planned for it. I'm having way too much fun with this.
And thanks to everyone who took the time to read this, and thank you for all your lovely comments :) Hope you enjoy this chapter!