The cursed prince

{11}

"Welcome, Lord Minato; it is a privilege to have you and your family here." Fugaku said, putting on a wide phony smile. The Uchiha family came to a halt in front of the Uzumaki-Namikaze family as they walked down the stairs. Itachi gave Kurama a broad and brilliant smile as they looked into each other's eyes. The young prince Naruto, on the other hand, remained hidden behind his older brother. The palace and royal family appear to be far too upsetting for his tastes. Itachi's hand quickly moved to his younger sibling, who peered up at him with the same icy ebony eyes. The training that both young Uchiha boys had to go through on their father's orders was cruel and terrifying.

"Otouto, here is Prince Kurama, the prince I met in the Wind kingdom, and I believe this is your younger brother, Prince Naruto?" Itachi inquired, looking down at the tiny prince who was sheltering behind Kurama. As his father had instructed, Kurama clung to his younger brother as he nodded in response to Itachi's query. Itachi realizes, as he turns to face his parents, that both his and Kurama's parents are halfway up the staircase. Turning to face the two visiting princes, the fire kingdom's heir welcomed them into the palace. From behind, the young fire prince kept an eye on Naruto. He'd never seen such lovely brilliant blue eyes before.

Naruto has never been more afraid in his entire life as he ascended the stairway and entered the palace. In his eyes, the palace looks like a dungeon, and when he turned to gaze to the side, he noticed that there were eyes on him. Not just a pair of two eyes, but a slew of them. Kurama understood his smaller brother was in discomfort as he clutched onto his older brother closely. The young heir smiled down at his younger brother, quietly assuring him that he was safe as long as he was with him. Naruto sighed, grasping his brother's arm less tightly than before, as he faintly smiled at his older brother's reassuring smile.

"What's the matter, Kurama? Is Naruto uneasy at this place?" Itachi inquired, looking down at the small prince, who still had his grip on his older brother. Itachi bowed down, not waiting for an answer, and looked straight into those innocent sapphire blue eyes. Kurama instinctively hid his younger brother behind his back, denying Itachi access to his brother. Itachi raised his brow, perplexed, wondering what he had done wrong to elicit such a reaction from Kurama. Respecting the boundaries, Itachi stood back up and moved towards his younger brother, who remained still, his gaze fixed on the Wind kingdom's princes.

"The coronation isn't until late at night, so for now we'll welcome the royal families into the castle and celebrate my cousin's new duty as a Baron," Itachi explained to the princes as he bowed down and walked away towards his father's side. Kurama sighed as he watched Itachi's receding body, and as he turned to face Itachi's younger brother, Sasuke, he couldn't help but snarl quietly. In his opinion, both of these Uchiha's seem questionable. Sasuke, on the other hand, didn't feel the least bit threatened. "Let's go, Naruto," Kurama said as he approached his parents, who were having separate talks.

Fugaku and Minato maintained a peaceful and collaborative setting with bright smiles on their faces, but their eyes reflect the total opposite. Their chat was not a friendly get-together, but rather an 'investigation.' Kurama chose to drag his younger brother closer towards his mother because the stress and mood surrounding his father were unsuitable for him. Kushina was laughing brightly with her good friend Mikoto, the queen of the fire country. "Mother, Naruto is feeling a little sleepy; is there anywhere he can rest?" Kurama lied between his teeth, making both Kushina and Naruto glance at the heir puzzled. The young prince didn't seem fatigued at all, but Kushina noticed what was going on and turned to look at her friend.

Mikoto recognized the situation and knelt to reach the young prince cowering behind his bigger sibling. "Is it Naruto?" Mikoto inquired, leading Naruto to retreat even further behind his brother, clutching his older brother's clothes even tighter. Recognizing her error, the queen smiled warmly and extended an arm towards the young terrified prince. "It's okay, Naruto, I won't hurt you; I'm guessing this is your first time seeing someone outside of your palace," Mikoto soothed the young prince, who peered at the queen from behind his bigger brother, his pristine sapphire blue eyes twinkling.