Itachi Uchiha did not have any possessive familial relationship (whether imagined or not…) with Naruto Uzumaki, per se. He supposed that since his mother, Mikoto Uchiha, was best friends with Naruto's mother, Kushina Uzumaki, and that since Kushina had been named his godmother, he could make a reliable case for being Naruto's godbrother. Of course, Kushina had died when Itachi was young and Mikoto proceeded to ignore the fact that her friend's son ever existed (though he had caught her sending the blonde concerned looks every now and then which probably meant that the Uchiha Elders had been the ones to ignore Kushina's very existence), so Itachi never really formed a relationship with his godbrother.

He hadn't been particularly interested in doing so either, except that the blonde had started becoming an adept prankster and there was a rumor going around that the ANBU training barracks were his next target. Since any messes the kid made would be cleaned up by the rookies- which Itachi was perpetually consigned to being, at least until he properly hit puberty-the Uchiha had chosen to drop by and nip any plans in the bud by disposing of any prankster equipment.

He had chosen an inopportune time to sneak into Naruto's apartment though (the ANBU guards were in happy-time-sleepy-land by way of genjutsu) since the young boy had woken up to use the bathroom.

"Oh, hi there!" the kid chirped, quite cheerfully for one who had found a stranger pausing, stunned, in the middle of a heist, "Do you want some tea?"

Itachi would have normally refused, but… He took one look at that open, kind, and contagious Uzumaki grin and- like his mother before him- Itachi was hooked.

"His teeth are sparkling in the dim light," Itachi marveled silently, as he nodded and followed the blonde into his kitchen. The manners that his mother had so painstakingly beaten into him were in employ as Itachi reluctantly drew out his customary box of dango (as a side dish to his customary ten boxes of pocky) and offered it to the blonde without a word. The surprised but happy grin he got in response instantly made Itachi feel better, as he realized one short but distinctly important point.

This kid was just like his otouto.

Instantly, Itachi's ingrained big brother reflex clicked on.

"Let me make that tea," the older boy interrupted, all but snatching the pot from Naruto's unresisting hands and shooing the boy into the kitchen and on the couch, "On second thought, tea would make you hyper in the middle of the night. Would you like a nice, warm cup of milk instead?"

Naruto blushed. "Don't have any milk," he muttered quietly, "I'm only allowed a gallon every month and I already finished it. 'M sorry."

Itachi's expression froze. "I see," he said, neutrally, "Well, there's no need to apologize then. Would you like me to bring you some milk tomorrow? Children seem to be fond of it; my little brother certainly likes it enough."

Naruto's blush deepened. "You don't have to do that," he said, looking up defiantly, "I don't want to be a bother. Milk doesn't even taste very good anyway. Ramen is so much better."

"It's no bother at all, I assure you," Itachi saw that his clipped tone was making the younger boy tense, and attempted to soften it, "I'll simply drop it by on my way to work. You won't even notice that I'm here. Perhaps some onigiri as well… my mother makes excellent onigiri."

"Thanks," Naruto said, wistfully, "I wish my mom would be around to make me onigiri too."

"I'm sure that she wishes that as well," Itachi said, somewhat awkwardly. He did not have any experience in comforting a child in the face of death; few people- even his own family- expected him to assert the warmth and empathy necessary to comfort anyone, and Sasuke only needed a few consoling words after a failed training attempt or a skinned knee.

"Kakashi-nii said that too," Naruto replied, his smile becoming a little larger, "Eh, nii-san, are you a shinobi?"

"Kakashi-sempai was here?" Itachi thought, with surprise, before focusing on Naruto's question, "Yes, I am. Why do you ask."

"Well..." the child drawled, clearly having practiced as he leaned forward and appealed to the older boy with wide, bright blue eyes, "I thought that you could maybe… teach me a jutsu?"

Itachi was thankful for Sasuke's equally endearing begging, since that had led him to develop a tolerance against all things adorable and cuddly, "Do you know what jutsu's are created with?"

"Aw, but why not- eh, what did you say?" the boy cut himself off halfway as he realized that it wasn't his usual direct refusal. He looked up with a small amount of hope, "Um… the hand signs?"

"The hand signs merely form the shape and type of the jutsu," Itachi corrected, "Chakra is what makes up a jutsu. Do you know what chakra is?"

"Ch'kra?" Naruto asked, confused, "Ah… no."

"Chakra," Itachi corrected, "It's the combination of physical and spiritual energy that a person builds up as he grows and gains experience and knowledge of life. Jutsus are powered by strong, matured chakra, that exist as an existing expression of the wielder's will laid down into the real world. As a child, your chakra is too small and undeveloped to form any jutsu."

"So, I can't even do any jutsus?" Naruto sighed, "That sucks."

"Indeed," the Uchiha agreed, "However, I have been told that you are adept at pulling pranks. Would you like me to give you some tips on that hobby of yours?"

Naruto looked stunned. "YOU'RE a PRANKSTER?"

"I feel that I should be offended by your vehement disbelief," Itachi said, mildly, "But for an answer, no, I am not a prankster. Pranks aren't much different from traps though, and I am very skilled in those." Naruto looked up at the older boy with the type of awe he usually only received from Sasuke, and Itachi felt a little warmer inside.

"Teach me!"

So Itachi ended up disregarding his initial self-delegated mission in favor of assisting with the very habit that he had been attempting to hinder beforehand. And yes, Naruto's next target actually was the ANBU training barracks.

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