An Eye For A Heart (Naruto Reader-Insert)

Friend (Part 1)

        The morning after your chuunin promotion is the first time you've ever laughed out loud in front of your brothers to the point you're close to throwing up.

"I-I can't b-breathe– h-help!" You wheeze, clutching your stomach and kneeling on the living room floor, while Sasuke shyly holds a paper close to his chest. "Please!"

You're laughing so hard, you're crying.

"Is... Is my drawing really that bad?" Five-year-old Sasuke asks Itachi forlornly, eyes shining with unshed tears of embarrassment.

Oh sweet baby brother of mine, your drawing would've become a meme where I was from, you think hysterically, but wisely kept that opinion to yourself. That, and you just can't really talk as you're too busy using your air to just continue laughing.

Lord help you for demolishing a five-year-old's self-esteem towards his artistic skills like this.

"No, Sasuke, Kama is just really..." Itachi gives you an unamused look, before trying to spare his little brother's feelings. "Happy."

"The drawing is for you, though," Sasuke tells him, confused but no longer upset, as he trusts Itachi with all his tiny heart.

However, Itachi's explanation only made you laugh harder, due to the fact that he's looking like he's resisting the temptation to face heavenward to pray to his imaginary god.

"Yes," your dear younger brother exhales tiredly from his nose, before deadpanning, "... Kama is happy for me."

God bless Itachi's eternal patience.

"Oh..." The boy says, oblivious.

You start coughing on the floor, gasping, but it doesn't wipe off the huge grin on your face.

"I'll be drawing him one too anyway," Sasuke thinks aloud, sparing you a glance before looking back at Itachi with an eager smile. "That way, you can both be happy!"

You can practically hear the obvious adoration in your twin's voice, when he says,

"I would like that."

(And you ponder over how much excruciating pain Itachi subjected Sasuke to for him to even doubt Itachi's love.)

You finally stop laughing.

~*~*~

Later that afternoon, stuffed in your wallet is a carefully folded paper that holds a five-year-old's (badly drawn) impression of your performance from the chuunin exams.

In your humble opinion, Sasuke's drawing of Itachi is a lot funnier.

... But you'll admit, it's impressive for a five-year-old.

Maybe Sasuke can finally have a hobby other than training to vie for Fugaku's attention, or trailing after you or Itachi like a lost duckling.

(One change at a time that changes something yet nothing at all.)

~*~*~

There's something to be said about a suspicious old man approaching a lone child in an empty forest, late at night; especially when he has a small army placed around, hidden within the surrounding trees' shadows.

Something that starts with 'Pedo' and ends with '-phile'. Or maybe it has something to do with the words 'human' and 'trafficking'.

... Hmm, you just can't seem to put a finger on it.