Sasuke wore a black kimono with the red and white fan of the Uchiha clan emblazoned on his back. Behind him, the rest of the clan mirrored his appearance. The cold had not yet relented from the night before and the air was filled with vaporous breaths and smelled damp. Dark clouds and shifting winds gave the omen of another blizzard.

It was a fitting way to capture the essence of Sasuke's heart.

His big brother's body laid on a pyre in front of him. Itachi's skin had gotten paler in death. The luster in his hair was gone and he looked more frail now than he had in life. Despite this, there was a small smile on his face in death that Sasuke rarely saw in life. And this made him cry.

An older man in white robes stood on the other side of Itachi's body. He opened a small bottle and sprinkled oil over him, the sweet aroma carrying over the wind to Sasuke's nose. He spoke as he walked around the pyre. "Mother Amaterasu, another child of fire has seen their flame snuffed out too soon. We ask that you accept them into your eternal and warm embrace so that they may rest soundly until such a time their soul returns to this cold plane once more. We commit them to the flame and vow to hold the memory of them close to our hearts." When he was finished, he looked behind Sasuke.

The young Uchiha turned his head and locked eyes with his father. Vapor steamed from Lord Fugaku's nostrils and he gave a quick, resigned nod. It was his signal.

Sasuke took in another full view of his brother. He remembered seeking him out when he was a wailing toddler, only for Itachi to scoop him into his arms as his tears dried. Another distant memory played in his head from the summer before his life had been upended by the revelation of his responsibility and Itachi hadn't been weighted down by constant foreign missions. They had camped just outside of their house, watching the summer night sky fill with distant white stars. Sasuke had claimed one as his and the other for Itachi, boldly declaring that he would one day pull them down for them to have. His brother's gentle voice replayed in his mind.

"Beautiful things do not remain that way when they're plucked, Sasuke. Only when they're nurtured."

You were beautiful, brother, Sasuke thought, tears flowing down his cheeks. A star plucked from my sky. He would make sure he shined bright. He didn't need to weave the hand seals. He didn't even need to say the name of the jutsu. His emotions allowed his chakra to swell and with his eyes, he could see the swirling colors of his own chakra as the flames engulfed Itachi's body on the pyre.

It was the largest fireball he had ever unleashed.

The entire clan knelt as the fire burned, staying on their knees until the flames finally dissipated and left nothing but ashes. Sasuke's parents stepped forward to collect them into an urn. As they passed, the boy heard restrained sobbing. He turned, seeing Izumi with her face buried into Shisui's chest. Part of him wanted to go to them and join in the grief, but after expending the heat from his heart in the form of the fireball, he felt a certain coldness clutch at him.

That went away when he peered past the members of his clan and saw six people who were distinctly not Uchiha.

Naruto was present along with his mother and a blonde man that could only be his father. A few yards away from them, Sasuke saw Hinata and her father. Along with her cousin, Neji. While this did spur him a bit, seeing Hinata well made his heart glad.

Lord Fugaku waited until most of the clan had left before he touched Sasuke on the shoulder, bidding him to walk with him. The Uchiha family first approached the Uzumaki. While his parents exchanged words with the adults, he and Naruto merely looked at each other.

There was a sadness on the usually energetic boy's face also and Sasuke recognized it immediately. He didn't know what to do, though, staying frozen in place while his parents spoke. Naruto did the same, not crossing whatever invisible barrier kept them from acknowledging each other with words. However, Sasuke could feel his sympathy and understanding. And for some reason, that was enough.

His heart fluttered when they left the Uzumaki family and approached the Lord of the Hyūga. Hinata was blushing slightly as they approached and Sasuke noticed Neji glance at her then him and scowl. Neither of the other children let that stop them from speaking.

"Hi," Hinata said quietly.

"Hey," Sasuke replied. There was a brief pause and he said, "T-thank you. For coming."

"Of course. I–"

"We didn't have much of a choice," Neji answered, folding his arms.

The Uchiha boy ignored him. Before he could say anything else to Hinata, the adults' conversation included them.

"This is my nephew, Neji. For now, he is serving as the bodyguard to Lady Hinata," Lord Hiashi said. There was an odd look of pride in his eyes that he put great effort into hiding, but Sasuke saw through it and hoped his father did too.

Lord Fugaku looked down at the boy and Neji returned the eye contact before dipping his head and body in a respectful bow.

"It is an honor to meet you, Lord Hokage," he said in a tone completely different from the disdain he'd shown Sasuke. "You have our prayers and condolences for your family and clan's loss."

His father let out a small grunt in acknowledgment of his words but said nothing else. He and Hiashi exchanged a few more words quietly. Sasuke tried to eavesdrop some but returned his attention to Hinata. He remembered finding her in the snow as he tried to find his way back to the village, retracing the steps they had taken from home. She had been shivering with a thousand yard stare and fingers that had turned a midnight blue from the cold. None of those signs were on her now and she looked more lively than she had before.

The Hyūga have good healers, he thought.

After the two clan leaders had finished their conversation, Hiashi silently motioned for the children to follow him. Before she left, Hinata slipped a piece of cloth into his hand and said, "I'll see you at school." There was something hard wrapped in the fabric and Sasuke tucked it into the belt of his kimono as he watched them walk away.

As they disappeared, Lord Fugaku sighed softly and said, "Come. Let's go home."

It was rare that Itachi was home when he was alive. Even still, his absence in death was felt when Sasuke walked past his room. Everything was neat and perfectly put together. His ANBU uniform hung on his wall. The boy briefly imagined himself wearing one of his own before setting it aside. He wanted to step into his brother's room and see if there was anything left that he could take for his own. But, he couldn't bring himself to do so.

He turned away from it and walked back to his room. The past few days, he'd followed the same pattern of coming home, going to his room to change, and immediately leaving to head to the spot that Itachi and Shisui often—used to—train. He only wore a pullover hooded sweatshirt in lieu of a coat. He liked to feel the cold and felt the intrinsic need to grow accustomed to the uncomfortable conditions of the winter. He loaded his pouch with shinobi tools and tied it around his hip.

As he rounded the corner out of his room to go outside, he heard his mother call after him. "Sasuke, come here, please," she said.

He ignored her request and kept going to the door. "I'm going to train, Mom. I'll be back later."

"Sasuke." He froze in his tracks. It was his father's voice. He turned on his heels to see Lord Fugaku standing in the hall with his arms folded. That was enough. The boy dropped his eyes and walked past his father into the kitchen. His father followed him and sat down at the table. His eyes ordered Sasuke to do the same.

Sighing, the boy said, "I'm sorry, Mother."

Mikoto Uchiha nodded and licked her lips as she traded a look with his father. Fugaku dipped his head and Sasuke's mother spoke. "Sasuke, we know this has been extremely difficult for you. It's been a very hard time for all of us. Losing your brother was…" she paused as tears began to well in her eyes. She gathered herself and continued, "We want you to know that we are here for you as we are for each other."

"And," his father added, "we are here to prepare you for what comes next."

Sasuke blinked. "What do you mean?"

"As your older brother, Itachi was my heir. He was meant to lead the Uchiha clan after my passing, but, now that he's gone, that responsibility rests on you. It isn't just about being strong. You will also need to know how our clan functions, what each of its members needs, and how to meet those needs within reason and sometimes, outside of it," Fugaku said.

"Yes, sir," Sasuke answered solemnly. He thought of Hinata and what Itachi told him before he died. He felt the pull to ask the question. "How does that change our clan's relationship with the Hyūga?"

Shock crossed his parents' faces. It seemed that realization touched his father before his mother. "That remains to be seen," Fugaku replied. His eyes measured Sasuke for a moment before he asked, "How much do you know?"

"I know that you became Hokage because you made an alliance with the Hyūga clan. And because of that, Hinata and me are supposed to get married when we get older," Sasuke replied.

Lord Fugaku's eyebrow slightly furrowed. "Go on."

Sasuke gulped. That was all Itachi had told him, but he had uncovered more information while joining Hinata for dinner. Neji was the secret heir of the Hyūga but that was information he promised Hinata he wouldn't share. Secrecy is a shinobi's greatest weapon, he remembered his mother saying. It seemed to be ages ago when she had. But, under his father's gaze, he didn't think he could lie or withhold information. Instead, he would do something else. He'd play the child for once.

"If Hinata is the heir of the Hyūga and I'm the Uchiha's heir…what happens to our clans? We have an alliance, but that doesn't mean we're joined together," he said.

His father pursed his lips slightly before his face rested again. "That is something that I need to discuss with Lord Hiashi. What matters now is continuing to foster a strong relationship with Lady Hinata as you've already done naturally. Leave the other details of this arrangement to me."

Sasuke nodded and fought the urge to smile. "Yes, sir."

Lord Fugaku looked at Mikoto and she regarded him with a stern glare. "Now, I know that you want to get some training in, but it is very cold outside. I want you back here before dark. Understood?"

Under the gaze of both of his parents, Sasuke felt like the child he was. "Yes, ma'am," he replied. With that, his father nodded his head towards the door.

His home became small behind him as he walked through the village. Admittedly, it was colder than he thought it was, but that was good. Once he started going through his routine and pushing himself, he'd warm up quickly. Outside of some of the houses, chochin lanterns were lit, marking Itachi's death. Some older members of the clan dipped their heads to him when they saw him while others offered sorrowful glances.

Sasuke didn't like the looks of pity. He tried to hold his head high. These would be the same people that looked to him to lead them one day. They had already seen their future lord cry once. He wouldn't do so in the streets.

The elm trees were winter bare when he finally started down the path into the forest. The branches above rattled from a small gust of wind and the snow crunched beneath his feet. As he got deeper into the forest, he saw another set of footprints heading down toward the lake. Curious and annoyed that he may not have the bank to himself, Sasuke picked up the pace.

At the edge of the clearing, he saw Shisui. He turned slowly as if he were expecting him. He hid his sadness behind a smile. "Figured you'd be on your way here," he said.

"I come here all the time," Sasuke replied.

Shisui looked around, his eyes flickering from one of the circular targets to another. "I can see that. You're starting to strike true. Do you mind showing me?"

"I do," Sasuke said. "I didn't plan on working on my shurikenjutsu today."

"Humor me," Shisui said, shrugging.

Sasuke furrowed his brow, but relented. It would be a nice warm-up. He pulled shuriken and kunai from his pouch and placed himself in the center of the targets. Closing his eyes, he retreated into his mind, remembering every move that Itachi used to do when he completed this particular exercise. The thought of his brother caused a swell of chakra and when he opened his eyes again, the world was alive with colors and details. He could see the furthest target with absolute clarity, down to the nicks on the edges where he'd missed a throw. He saw a small mound of snow fall from a branch before it even began its transition.

Go.

He took in a breath and jumped into the air, throwing a few shuriken and kunai directly at the targets. The tools that remained weren't loosed until some of the shuriken and kunai began their descent. He launched them and metal clanged against metal as the shinobi tools ricocheted off each other. Finally, he kicked one kunai towards the target behind a rock.

As he landed, he lamented how sloppy he had been. All of his throws hadn't landed perfectly, but they had at least made it to the target. Inwardly, he sucked his teeth. But, Shisui looked down at him and smiled.

"You even managed to hit the one behind the boulder," he said. "That's pretty good."

"I don't want to be 'pretty good'," Sasuke replied, going to gather his tools. "I need to be the best."

"Why?"

"Why?" Sasuke asked incredulously. He stared at Shisui and the elder Uchiha blinked at him. "I have to take Itachi's place. I'm his replacement so it just makes sense that I be as good as he was. That's what our clan needs me to be."

Shisui shook his head and chuckled.

This jerk is laughing at me? Sasuke thought. The boys in the forest had laughed at him too, saying repeatedly that he would never live up to his brother. Is that what Shisui thought too? Sasuke balled his fist and felt his anger rising.

"What's so funny?!" he demanded.

Shisui raised his hands defensively. "Whoa," he said calmly, his unfaltering smile still on his face. "I was just thinking how similar you are to him now. Both of you put so much pressure on yourselves to be strong when you'd barely begun to live your life." The elder Uchiha sighed. "Strength and talent are in your blood, Sasuke. But, those things alone don't make a shinobi. What will you do if you face someone stronger and more talented than you?"

"The point of becoming the strongest is that I won't," Sasuke said.

Shisui let out a louder laugh this time. "Touché, I guess. All I'm saying is, you need something to fight for. An ideal."

Sasuke tried to understand what Shisui was saying, but all he could do was frown. He didn't want to talk. He didn't want to think about anything. He just wanted to be left alone. His emotions must have been plain on his face.

Itachi's best friend sighed softly. "I guess it's too soon." Rubbing the back of his neck, he said, "Itachi was better at this than me. I'm just…"

Sasuke had had enough. "I don't need a babysitter. If you want to help me train and learn new jutsu, fine. But, right now…" He let out an irritated puff of air. "I don't want to talk."

Shisui seemed to consider that for a moment then nodded. "I see." He unzipped the coat he had on and tossed it into the trees. "We don't need to."

Sasuke accepted the unspoken invitation and darted towards the older Uchiha. Shisui disappeared in a blur, reappearing behind him to deliver a solid kick in the boy's back. Sasuke fell into the snow but quickly regained his balance. He wiped his face clean and glowered at the shinobi.

Shisui beckoned him forward and this time, Sasuke feinted low with a sweep before altering at the last second for a shot at his stomach. Experience won and Shisui didn't bother to bite at the move.

He again flashed behind the boy but this time, Sasuke's eyes saw him. He turned on his heels quickly to throw a punch. Shisui grabbed his fist, eyes widening in slight surprise as he looked down at him.

"Looks like you're acclimating to your Sharingan pretty well," he said. Sasuke waited for the inevitable comparison to Itachi that never came. "We can keep going unless you're tired."

Sasuke frowned. "I'm not."

Lavender and orange spread across the sky as the sun set. Snot was dripping from the boy's nose and in the cold, his bruises stung a bit more than his ego would allow him to admit. Shisui was untouched, save for a drop of water from when Sasuke had thrown a snowball as a feint.

The man glanced up at the sky. "Let's call it a day, kid," he said. "If you'd like, we can meet here tomorrow at dawn."

Sasuke wiped his nose and fixed his jacket. "Fine," he said. "Just don't be late."

Shisui chuckled. "Don't worry, my lord. I won't."

The light of the setting sun had not yet acquiesced to darkness when Sasuke returned home. With his adrenaline fading, he could feel the pain from his falls and ill-fated attempts to hit Shisui. But, even as his mother rushed to check on his wounds, the boy felt a satisfying sense of pride. He might not have been able to touch the master of the Body Flicker today. But, he knew that one day, he would be.

After he'd washed up, he returned to the kitchen to find that his mother had prepared a small spread for. A small tray held pork gyoza, tightly folded with lightly fried golden brown dough. On the left, two triangular onigiri sat next to a small bowl of soy sauce. Finally on the right, stir-fried vegetables simmered on a plate.

Everything was gone within a few minutes. Voracious and eager to replenish the chakra he spent, he went to the stove for another serving.

"Sasuke," his mother said. "You have to save some for—" She paused and Sasuke caught her take a deep breath before she smiled sadly. "Nevermind. How much do you want?"

He ate more until his stomach was full and his eyes were low. He brought his dishes from the table to the sink. When he set them down, he looked up at his mother. "Mom," he said.

"Hm?"

"Thank you for dinner," the boy said. Then, he felt his cheeks grow hot. "I-I love you." He gave her a quick peck on the cheek.

She stared at him, dumbfounded. "I love you too," she answered finally.

Sasuke walked back to his room. He began preparing for the morning and reloaded his pouch with fresh shinobi tools for his session with Shisui. Afterward, he began to put his pencils and pens in his backpack for school tomorrow. When he passed by his desk, he knocked one of his notebooks down. One of them fell, sprawled open and a pencil rolled from inside it. As he knelt to get it, Sasuke noticed that there was writing inside and the penmanship was not his.

He recognized it instantly.

It was a note—no—a letter from Itachi.

Gulping, Sasuke began to read it.

To my little brother…

I'm sorry that I ended up telling you this way, but I don't think I had the courage to see your tears. I'm sick. Extremely sick. Unfortunately, it isn't something that I'd be willing to fight or live with. Soon, this illness might claim my life. I've already told Father and Mother. You don't need to worry about that. I do want you to know something though.

Ever since you were born, I've had a single desire and that was to keep you safe. I didn't want you to grow up with the same experiences of war and conflict that I had to, but I fear that it was foolish of me to believe that I could change the way the world was simply by desiring to.

As a shinobi, you will face a lot of difficulties and hard decisions. I've told you that you should value your comrades for a reason. If there ever comes a time where you question why you fight, all you'll need to do is think of your friends and your family. Think of the world that will exist when you're finally able to cause the fighting to cease.

That was the dream I had. And I pass it on to you. If you must fight, do so to keep others from having to. And when you love, do so with fullness and clarity. Love is the key to our power. My love for you was why I lasted as long as I did.

But, even if you don't heed my advice, even if you reject my vision for the world, even if you decide not to follow my dream, know this: no force on heaven above, the earth we tread, or Hell below could ever quench the love that I have for you. Even in death, I will always love you.

Be strong, little brother. The fate of Konoha and the Uchiha…

I leave it to you.

Sasuke wept.

He gently tore the pages from his notebook, folded them, and put them in his desk. When he laid down, he thought of his brother. His rare smile, his gentle voice, and the serenity that he wore on his face. I will honor you, Big Brother, Sasuke thought as he drifted off to sleep. I'll make your dream of a peaceful world come true.

But, when he dreamed, he did not dream of his brother or a peaceful world.

Bodies were littered in front of him. A man's head rolled at his feet. Smoke filled the air and choked him when he attempted to breathe. He heard someone screaming loudly for mercy before the metallic scraping of a blade against bone silenced them. An enormous cloud of fire barreled towards him and Sasuke stood frozen in shock as it engulfed him. When finally could force his body to do something, he shut his eyes tight and raised his hands. He did not feel the heat, nor did he burn. When he found the courage to look, he saw a shadow in the flame. A shadow cloaked in old, metal armor.

It turned as if it noticed his presence.

A blood red light glimmered where their left eye would have been.

"Peace?" it said. It was a familiar voice, a man's voice. Deep, confident, and full of power. The shadow motioned to the dead bodies at his and Sasuke's feet and the fires that blazed. "No. You are a shinobi. Child of fire." Sasuke felt a chill down his spine that cooled even the flames that engulfed him. The shadow was looming over him. His Sharingan locked onto Sasuke, the tomoe beginning to spin. He pointed and the boy turned.

He saw himself. Older with cold, apathetic eyes. Lightning crackled around his body and he wielded a bloodied sword. His older reflection looked back at him. Indifference was followed by sorrow. And the shadow's voice crawled into Sasuke's ear, mixed with the voice of his older self.

"This is your reality. Now, wake up."

And he did.