NARUTO SI: A Burdened Soul (Elder Brother to Itachi SI)

Chapter 2

MIKOTO UCHIHA

Mikoto Uchiha had never thought that she would retire before the war came to an end before she had exacted her revenge on Kumogakure for the death of her parents. But life had a different plan for her, and now she had sat in the safety of her home for years even as the war around her had dragged on with no sign of ending.

She had been very nervous when she had born her first child, for it had come out of nowhere and then within months she was married to the now clan head, Fugaku Uchiha. They had not spent much time together because of the war, but they had both been aware of the eventual match for years, and so it was not all a surprise for them.

And as soon as the clan had learned of her pregnancy, she was retired from active duty and made to stay home to bring up the next generation of the Uchiha, of which there were now two.

Her first child had come as a surprise. Izuna Uchiha came to the world with a quiet cry and even quieter disposition. Named for the younger brother of the infamous Madara Uchiha, he was a quiet child with unbound curiosity, even though he had a penchant for experimenting rather than asking questions.

And then, a few years after he had come to Itachi, and this time, she was better prepared. Her second son was just as special as her first, both of them shared their quiet nature, and had grown up with the eyes of the whole village trained at their backs.

Because of the war it was rare for Fugaku to be back home, he had been deployed at the Norther front holding back Kumo's advance, but today he was back from his mission for a short respite, and so the whole family had gathered for a dinner, and that made her nervous.

"I plan to take Itachi to the battlefield in tomorrow," and as soon as those words left Fugaku's mouth, the atmosphere at the dinner table shifted as Izuna's eyes shifted from the food and landed on Fugaku.

As much as she doted on her eldest, she was not blind to the tension between him and Fugaku, for some reason both of them had never seen eye to eye, and all this had not been helped by her eldest's refusal to take up his expected place in the Police Force upon his graduation.

That would have been fine, had he decided to enlist in the forces or even the ANBU, but no. Izuna Uchiha had defied all expectations and had betrayed both the clan, and the talent he had been blessed with by choosing fuinjutsu and iryo-ninjutsu, disciplines thought to be useless by both the clan and the rest of the village.

But not by her. Never by her.

"He is only four," Izuna's retort was met with silence as both father and son stared each other in the eye.

"He must see the reality of the world for himself, see its cruelty," Fugaku answered. Those words broke her heart as she saw her eldest's grip on his utensils harden.

"...lest he make the same mistakes as you," Fugaku's taunt made her still.

"Is it really necessary, Izuna is right. He is only four. Let him join the academy befo..."

"I have made up my mind," Fugaku cut in, making her quiet down, and Mikoto had learned enough of Fugaku to know that he could be rather stubborn her husband could be, and though she did disagree with his decision of exposing their son to the cruelty of this world, she knew it was his own way of trying to prepare them for what awaited them.

"He is still four, and you wish to take him to the battlefield," Izuna pleaded once more. Her eldest unlike her was just as stubborn as Fugaku.

"From what I recall, I did the same for you," Fugaku added, and her eldest ground his teeth as he put down his chopsticks.

"It was different for me," Izuna retorted, but Fugaku's mind was already made. Both father and son glared at each other, and little Itachi looked between them.

"Tch," Izuna clicked his tongue as he put down his bowl and made to stand up.

"Excuse me, I just remembered that I have something to do at the hospital," and with that he rose up as Mikoto called after her son.

"Izuna," she called out, and he looked back at her but did not stop as he left the room, leaving her alone with Fugaku and Itachi.

"Why is brother going back to the hospital? He just came back," Itachi complaint innocently, and before she could answer it was Fugaku answered.

"Because he has a mission there. Your brother is going there to save lives, you must not bother him so much," Fugaku answered his tone much softer than it had ever been with their eldest.

"Noe, eat your food quickly, and then I will mentor you in your shuriken jutsu," he added as Itachi's eyes lit up, and he began to eat his meal with renewed vigor as she smiled warmly at him and ate away, Izuna's place lay empty.

There was a time when her eldest had smiled just as warmly as Itachi, his eyes had been filled with the same light that now dwelled in his brother. He was the pride of their clan and family, having broken through several of the academy's records in a single year, becoming the youngest since Kakashi Hatake to graduate from the academy.

And then tragedy struck. His fame had made him many enemies even before he had stepped out of the village. And as soon as he did, they pounced on him, taking away from her son, his team, and his hope.

Hours later, when she sat alone with her beloved in their room, she decided to do what she should have done earlier.

"Why must you be so hard on Izuna?" she asked softly. She saw Fugaku look at her.

"You know more than everyone else what he has been through," she elaborated. Most veterans would have killed themselves or retired if they had gone through that, let alone a fresh out of the academy seven-year-old genin.

To be held hostage and then watch your whole team get slaughtered, all because of their association with you. It was a tragedy that she would not wish on anyone, and yet her son had survived through that. Through all that, he still fought, if not at the front lines, then in the hospital in his own ways.

"I am just trying to prepare him for what he will face everyday if he continues down this path," Fugaku added with a sigh.

"The clan is becoming restless with him; the elders especially are not satisfied with his behavior," and she grit her teeth at that. Those old bastards did not even have an idea of what Izuna had been through, and yet they were pushing him back into the field.

"And I agree with them. He is the clan heir. What happened to him was a tragedy indeed, but he cannot just sit there and do nothing. That is not the Uchiha way, already we lost on of our most promising prospects due to that, and now he decided to become an iryo-nin, it is not the right behavior for a clan heir," Fugaku added.

"It has only been months," she pleaded, but Fugaku shook his head.

"It is what it is. There are calls within the clan to have him replaced as heir; many think that if he does not change his way, Itachi would make for a suitable heir," and she perked up at those words.

"Fugaku!" she gasped, distraught at the idea.

"I have rubbished such calls for the time being, but if things continue to move in the current direction, I may not be able to rubbish them for much longer," he added, and she could do little but look down helplessly.

"They all once hailed him as the pride of the clan and the village," she scoffed, remembering the times from just a year ago.

"And as soon as he stumbles, they come after him like vultures feeding on a carcass," she comments, and Fugaku could only listen silently.

"I will leave with Itachi earlier. Even if not to be their heir, he must be prepared for the realities of this world," and with that, Fugaku put up the blanket and closed his eyes, leaving behind a contemplative Mikoto who could only pray to the sons.

Deep into the forest of Uchiha, near the Naka river, a young shinobi trained rigorously. The ground there cracked under his feet, as craters covered the whole area, and a small shinobi stood there huffing for breath as blood dripped down his face.

"Not enough," he whispered.

"Not enough," he shouted as his fists balled up before he glanced up and noticed the darkness that had come and enveloped the area.

"It's quite late now," and with that, the young Izuna closed his eyes as he pushed his chakra into them before suddenly the wounds, scars, and blemishes covering his skin vanished as he climbed out of the valley and walked towards a certain decrepit house in the Uchiha district.

He gave a small knock on the door as his hair shifted, and he entered the house and gave a cheerful greeting.

"I am home," he greeted and got no reply as he walked through the wooden halls only to reach a single bedroom where an older woman lay on the bed, her body thin, showing merely bones and skin, as she turned to face him, she smiled warmly.

"It is good to have you back Shisui-kun...."

And the words seemed to still the boy for a second before his smile widened as he began.

"It is good to be back. Tell me what you want to eat, mother."

0000

Hours later, in the leaf hospital, a young shinobi walked into the emergency room, which was filled to the brim with iryo-nin rushing from one bed o another.

"Izuna-san," the cryo-nin in charge greeted the young ninja with reverence and surprise.

"You just left a few hours ago. Why are you back?" he asked, and the young nin's eyes scanned the room.

"I heard you were busy and decided to come back," he said as he looked the older man in the eye.

"You should stay in the ward as I am a bit low on chakra, but I will take over the surgeries," he said, and despite their difference in age, the older nin listened and sighed in relief.

"Of course, as you wish," and with that, the young ninja walked towards the sterile room as he mounted the steps beside the table, and his eyes shifted from their regular black to those damning red eyes of his as he added in a voice drained of emotion.

"Scalpel..."

0000

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