His Eighth Birthday

AN: This is for BrokenDeathAngel. Your reviews have been so kind, and I adore your art. ^^

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

Sasuke sighed, trying not to fidget in class. Itachi had promised that this time, he would spend a little time with him. His mother urged him to do something quiet, that Itachi had just returned from what she thought of as a stressful mission. Fighting to pay attention to what his instructor was saying, Sasuke leaned his elbow onto the table, chin in his hand. His niisan had been so distracted lately, he didn’t understand why Itachi no longer had even the slightest bit of time for him.

Finally the instructor dismissed them, the children around him yipping in happiness. The following day was a holiday, giving them an extra day off for the weekend. Shoving his notepad into a bag, Sasuke ran out of the class room. Silently he pleaded for Itachi to be there when he got home, repeating the mantra in his head until he arrived at his destination.

“I’m home!” Sasuke yelled, stumbling a little as he removed his shoes. The boy hurried into the house, bare feet slapping against the wood. “Niisan! Niisan, I’m home!” He almost bumped into his father as he rounded a corner, stepping back in surprise.

His father frowned, “Itachi was called away by the Hokage this morning.”

Sasuke dropped his gaze, body sagging a bit. “Oh.” It wasn’t fair, he never got to spend any time with his brother. There were always missions and meetings, times that he went off to train that his father told him not to bother Itachi. No time to spend with his younger brother, no time to teach him... “Excuse me.” Sasuke turned around and walked to his room, head bowed in defeat.

The homework he would have put off until he had his time with Itachi was pulled out of his bag and put onto the table in his room. He sat down heavily in the small chair, getting out a pencil from his blue pencil box. Pouting, Sasuke imagined his brother getting home and apologizing for not being there on time. His older brother would then beckon him closer, and flick his forehead. Sasuke smiled and touched his forehead; it was a routine, their routine, and almost as comforting as his mother’s hugs. Shaking his head lightly, Sasuke tried to concentrate on his work.

“Dinner,” his mother said softly from the doorway. “Ah, Sasuke is such a good boy. Doing your work already.” She smiled and held out her hand to him. “Plan on having it done before your birthday so you can have fun?” Sasuke put down his pencil and hopped out of the chair, taking his mother’s hand.

“I guess,” he said dejectedly.

Bending down, his mother kissed his hair. “Tomorrow is a big day, you’ll be eight. Why, you’re almost a man.” They turned and walked down the hall slowly.

“I guess.”

“Don’t be mad at your brother, Sasuke. Now that he’s made ANBU, he won’t be able to spend as much time at home as before. He’s a very important part of the village, you should be proud of him.”

Sasuke sighed, “yeah.” Important to the village, but more so to himself.

“Maybe when you’re older, you could go on missions together.” She smiled kindly, squeezing his hand. “I’m sure you’d make a great team.”

Brightening a bit at that possibility, Sasuke gave her a toothy grin. “Hai!”

He ate dinner with a bit more vigor, happier than before. Excusing himself from the table, Sasuke dumped his dishes in the sink then ran down the hall. If he wanted to go on missions with Itachi, then he would have to study more. Tip-toeing into his parent’s room, he took a few of the scrolls off of the bookcase. Studying kid stuff wouldn’t get him ahead.

Sasuke snuck the scrolls back to his room under his shirt then closed the door behind him. He set the scrolls on the table and finished his homework quickly, giving the final work a once over to make sure he had answered them correctly before setting it aside. Now to study the hard stuff; his father’s scrolls were difficult to understand, but stubbornness and determination would surely help him eventually get the terms expressed.


Itachi sat down and removed his shoes. He was used to the sharingan by now, but it would still tire him out if he used it as heavily as he did in the mission. The Uchiha didn’t let anyone else know that at the time, but his eyelids felt like lead weights were attached to them. Picking himself up he winced at the sore muscles at the back of his calves. Crouching for several hours without moving made him stiff and sore. As much as he wanted to take a warm bath, sleep was beginning to win out in his mind.

He walked down the hall quietly, not wanting to wake his family. Blinking a little, he noticed Sasuke’s light on. It was late, no time for even the soon to be birthday boy to be up. Itachi slid open the door, stepping inside. “Otouto?” He paused in the doorway, a rare smile finding its way to his lips. The boy was asleep at his desk, one arm curled under his head as a pillow. Leaning over Sasuke, his reached to turn off the desk light. He noticed the scroll, brows creasing a bit. “Trying to catch up to me, Sasuke?” The light turned off with a soft click, room flooding with darkness save for the moonlight pooling on Sasuke’s bed. Itachi gather his brother in his arms carefully, carrying him to the bed. Sasuke stirred then rubbed his cheek against Itachi’s vest, fingers curling in his sleep.

Handling Sasuke as if he were holding a fragile doll, Itachi shifted his arm so that only one held his brother. The other pulled back the sheets and adjusted the pillow for Sasuke’s comfort. He bent over the bed, putting Sasuke down gently. As he pulled back, he realized Sasuke had a vice-like grip on his vest, keeping his brother close. Itachi stroked Sasuke’s cheek then gently pried the little fingers from his clothing. When the hand was free, Sasuke pulled it closer to him, nuzzling the pillow as he settled into a deeper sleep. Itachi tucked the sheets over his brother to make sure the night’s chill wouldn’t disturb him.

“Aniki.”

Itachi glanced down at him, blinking as he saw that Sasuke was still asleep. He touched his hand to Sasuke’s slightly plump cheek again. “I’m sorry I’m late, otouto,” he whispered before pulling his hand away. Leaving Sasuke’s room, he began to strip, deciding to give in and sleep.


Sasuke turned over, pulling the sheets up around him. The sunlight had warmed his cheeks, bright enough to wake him. Screwing his face up in a grimace, he tried to fall back asleep. “Oh!” Sasuke sat up as the realization that he was in bed dawned on him, sheet falling from his chest. The last thing he remembered was reading that scroll at his desk. Sighing, he supposed his mother had found him and put him to bed. Falling asleep while studying, how weak of him. Sasuke vowed to train extra hard to make up for his childish transgression. He quickly pulled off his clothes, changing into something fresher smelling. Sasuke froze at his door, torn between seeing if Itachi was home, and the need to prove himself. The need to see his brother won out.

The boy tried to be as quiet as he could, peeking into the elder Uchiha’s room. Itachi was asleep, face as peaceful as Sasuke had ever seen it. Smiling, he shut his brother’s door. He was awake before Itachi, that had to mean something good. Sasuke waited until he was further down the hall to run into the kitchen, making himself something simple. His brother used the training grounds in the forest, Sasuke would borrow them today. From following Itachi as often as he did, Sasuke knew the way by heart.

Sasuke ducked back into his room to grab a bag and fill it with practice kunai, much duller than what his brother used. They clanked noisily together in the bag, making Sasuke wince. He hoped he hadn’t woken anyone. The little Uchiha moved slowly down the hall, holding the bag as still as he could make it.

“Sasuke?” His mother rubbed her eyes sleepily, yawning a little as she leaned out of her room. “Are you okay?”

“Yes’m. I’ll be back by lunch, Kaasan.”

“Alright,” she said before returning to her room, crawling back into bed.

Sasuke smiled and left the hall, only pausing long enough to put his shoes on before he opened the door. The just rising sun was bright to his still adjusting eyes, blinking a little against the harshness of it. Sasuke ran from his home, waving at the few members of his family he saw that were up already. The newly turned eight year old made his way through the forest, familiar enough with his surroundings to not trip.

A little out of breath, Sasuke panted as he finally reached the training ground. He set the bag down and pulled out two kunai, throwing them at one of the many targets. Much to his annoyance, they landed just off the black bulls eye mark. He remembered that warming up was important to training, so he did the few warm ups he knew, hoping they would better his aim. Sasuke grabbed another kunai then lobbed it at the target. It sunk in deeper than the others, but still not on the mark.

By the time the sun was almost directly over him, Sasuke’s arms ached, body covered in a sheen of sweat. His aim was improving at least. Not as good as Itachi, but improving. His arms felt like rubber as he picked up the bag and walked toward the target. As he did so many times during the morning, he yanked the kunai out of the target and tossed them back into the bag, retreating to his throwing spot when all were taken out. Sasuke tried again, grunting as he threw it. This one completely missed the target, ricocheting off of a tree and landing in a bush.

“Nicely done.” Sasuke spun and winced, seeing his brother smirking at him. “I’m sure that bush had it coming.”

He half glared and half pouted; of all the times for his brother to appear, why now? The only time he missed so poorly, and it was in front of his brother. Tears welled up in his eyes, the boy staunchly fighting them off. Sasuke wasn’t a baby, he shouldn’t cry. “I made the others,” he grumbled.

“I know, I’ve been here for awhile.” Sasuke’s face lighted up at that, body relaxing. “Don’t over do it, otouto.”

“I’m not...” well he was sore, but not horribly so.

“I was sent to get you, its lunch time.”

“Oh,” Sasuke ran to get the errant kunai, wincing as the bush scraped his arms. It was just out of his reach; Sasuke leaned in further, branch digging into his cheek. “Ah!” His fingers finally curled around the hilt, pulling away from the bush.

“Tch,” Itachi sighed, kneeling next to Sasuke. The boy had not seen him approach, wrapped up in retrieving his kunai. “How do you manage to hurt yourself every time you’re here?” Sasuke blinked at him owlishly, not noticing the small scratches on his arm and cheek. Pulling up Sasuke’s damp shirt, Itachi dabbed at his cheek. “My poor accident prone brother.”

Sasuke’s cheeks flushed, flinching away from his brother’s touch. “I’m not accident prone.”

“Of course not.” Itachi said quietly, rising. “Come on, lets go make sure those are cleaned properly.”

“Okay,” Sasuke sighed, hanging his head in shame. His brother thought he was accident prone, no one would bring an accident prone ninja on a mission.

“Sasuke?”

“Mm?” He looked up a little then screwed his eyes shut, seeing his brother’s hand come toward him. Teasing, then a flick to his forehead; somehow the latter half of the gesture wasn’t quite as comforting as it usually was. When no flick came, Sasuke bravely opened one eye. Itachi’s hand hovered close to his face, small package in the palm of his hand. Relaxing further, Sasuke looked up at his brother in wonder. “Huh?”

“Happy birthday, otouto. I’m sorry I’m late. I bought you an extra present to make up for it, from the village I visited while on my last mission.” His brother threw his arms around Itachi’s waist, burrowing his face against his shirt.

“Thank you niisan.”