Somewhere in between the almost kidnapping and the second fair, Itachi graduated from the academy.
It wasn't as big of a deal as it was in canon, due to the events said above, but it was still a big deal. The stick-up-the-ass elders and some of the more pompous Uchiha were doing the Uchiha version of shouting from the roof tops basically.
She could feel Itachi curl in on himself like a roly poly. Clan members would come up to him and congratulate him, saying "You are doing the clan proud." But never asking how he was doing. Then they turned and started a conversation with each other right in front of Itachi-like he wasn't there! The topic of said conversation being Itachi! It was like they didn't even think he was a person, like he was some super-human being or a tool or something.
But he wasn't that.
He was her brother.
While she and Sasuke didn't share a room, they shared just about everything else-including their own secret language(English)! So they plotted, whispering 'nonsense' and grinning when their plan came together.
The next day Itachi was allowed one of his rare few breaks. Their parents where away on another meeting, and all the other clan kids were busy. The time was ripe. She sent Sasuke forward, who then started to complain loudly about being bored.
"-All my frewnds are busy!" He whined.
She dramatically tripped and fell and started to sniffle. Loudly. Itachi ran over and her wails increased.
"Are you okay?"
She blinked.
"D-do I kno-w-w you?"
...
"...I'm your Nii-san."
"O-oh." She moved her leg where a red spot was showing, and immediately started wailing louder.
"Is there anything I can do to make it better?"
"Wanna play." She pouted. Sasuke joined in, worrying over her.
"Okay, lets go in the yard-"
"NO!" She screamed in his ear.
"Park! Play park!"
Sasuke chipped in. "Make Mo feel beyer!" Itachi was still overprotective due to the kidnapping, so naturally he caved.
A flustered Itachi got them all ready, carried her in one arm and held Sasuke's hand with the other and carried them to the park. Behind Itachi's back they winked at each other. And so, they went to the park. But not just any park.
The biggest and most frequented in all of Konoha. Everyone at some point went there, which made their little foray and demand less suspicious.
He let them go and sat on a bench. She started crying and Sasuke hopped from foot to foot. People were started to look at them.
"But Aniki! What if mo get hurt again?!" Sasuke worried. Unable to say no for various reasons, Itachi did something he hadn't done in years.
He started to play. With them.
The people who were watching, made O's with their mouths when they saw the symbol on his back, before it turned into smiles. Konoha nin and civilians were all watching them, and when Miko invited some of the other kids to play, their parents did too.
Most of the eyes were on Itachi and she could see some of his hair stand on end-though he gave no other sign of discomfort. By this time, the news had swept all of Konoha about the Uchiha prodigy so he was easily recognizable even among the non-ninja. See him here and playing with his younger siblings and other children probably wasn't what they were expecting from him. It change him in their eyes.
It-
...
...It humanized him.
Not a weapon. Not a tool.
But Itachi, the big brother.
By the next day, news of the Uchiha prodigy-yes, that one-had swept Konoha. News about how he was just as good with kids as he was with kunai.