Bratva: Some things never change

Chapter 3: Family

Izaku slowly opened his eyes, finding the same ceiling he had stared at the day before. Even though he could speak some words, he chose not to, much to his parents' confusion and disappointment.

Izaku had forgotten how infants react and behave, even at what age they start speaking. To avoid suspicion, he decided not to push his luck until he was at least one year old. As part of a potential Shinobi clan, any display of extraordinary intelligence might lead them to nurture him into a weapon, thus deciding his fate.

Izaku had always been very protective of his freedom and liberty. While it brought more responsibility over his actions, it was the essence of his way of life.

Hungry and thirsty, he decided to crawl downstairs. It was unusual; normally, his parents were already in his room before he woke up, but today, they seemed preoccupied.

As he was about to enter the guest room, he heard an outsider speaking.

"...and we think that they are planning to take action in the next three years."

'Take action? A battle plan?' thought Izaku as he overheard the stranger's words. 'Great, I might really be in the Warring States period. Shit, Must've been planning to attack the Senju or maybe their ancestors if my guess about changed names is right.'

"And I suggest we withdraw our spies in the other great nations to make them think twice before they start." Hearing that, Izaku's eyes widened, his heart pounding and sweat forming on his brow. He couldn't understand what was meant by "great nations." He hadn't considered the possibility of their existence during the Warring States period, or maybe he was wrong about the lore of Naruto before the Warring States, like the Kusagakure thing with the black box.

"I will think about it, but we need to gather more information about the whereabouts of other nations. If we withdraw them now, we could miss some crucial information because this would blow their cover." Izaku became confused, questioning if this was some kind of twisted joke, a different dimension he had been thrown into, or hypothesizing that the timeline was after Boruto and Sasuke and they were some sort of great-great-great ancestors.

"Thank you, Takahisa-sama, for reserving me time, but I would like to ask you, why is your child spying on us?" Izaku perked up, taken off guard. He didn't understand the choice of words when the stranger said "spying" rather than "waiting for his father." He thought maybe he had made some noise behind the door or the person had great listening abilities, but what came next made him realize more about the reality of his situation. "And from his chakra peak, I would guess he understood everything we were discussing," continued the stranger.

'Ah yes, chakra signatures and all that bollocks. Shinobi world. I really need to make my bloody brain understand that I am not in the 'normal' world anymore,' thought Izaku, annoyed by his ignorance and carelessness.

Takahisa looked at the door and smirked. "You can come in, Izaku. Don't worry, I am not mad. You are dismissed, Gokaku-san. We can discuss this matter another time." Gokaku stood up and bowed slightly before walking to the door. As he opened it, he saw the baby who had been spying on the conversation with an indifferent gaze and then left the mansion.

Izaku couldn't help but feel uneasy about Gokaku. But it wasn't the time to dwell on it; he needed to get to his father.

Izaku always kept his happy façade. It might be useless now because of what happened, but he decided to proceed with it anyway. He found it rather impressive how naturally it came. Maybe it was because the emotions in this body were multiplied due to him being a toddler, or perhaps the Uchiha blood gave a perk of heightened emotions.

Takahisa stood up from his seat, wearing the same blissful smile as Izaku, walking straight to him and lifting him up into a hug. "Come here, lil' shit, spying on people, ey?" Izaku laughed at his giggles. Despite being a grown-up, he sometimes liked the feeling of being a toddler again. "Oh yeah, you like peeking on people. Come on, we're heading out. Must've been boring staying here like a princess, wanna go out luv'?" Izaku hugged his father tighter while the other laughed.