A Grain of Sand Among the Leaves (Naruto Fanfic)

Jinchuriki Living Here Among Us

 The sun peeked through the wax paper adorning the traditional doors of the small room, making the dust motes appear in the morning air. The dark eyes of the six-year-old blinked before pushing himself out of his futon. Itachi's feet made a sound when he first hurried off, but his training kicked in as he snuck into the kitchen where his mother, Mikoto was speaking to one of their neighbors and family members.

Next to his mother was a blanket where his six-month-old brother lay on his back chewing on his foot. A smile spread across Itachi's face, and Mikoto lets out a soft laugh as he knelt down next to the blanket, his eyes glued to the small infant. "Good morning Sasuke."

Out of the infant's mouth came a string of babbling which made no sense, the arms and feet kicking out in excitement. Itachi watched as the infant began to move, attempting to roll over. The family member who lived next door spoke in a light tone. "The Hokage got back with his wife sometime last night. The guards mentioned something."

"Oh." Mikoto's eyes sparkled. "I'd love to see Kushina again. Maybe she'll visit today."

Sasuke rolled over onto his stomach after a bit of effort and pushed himself up in a rather precarious manner. The other member of the Uchiha clan frowned. "But should they have been back from that diplomatic meeting so soon?"

Itachi frowned, the news hitting rather hard. His mother's mouth twisted into a frown, so the fourth Hokage returning that early must not be a good thing. He let out a sigh, looking down to see Sasuke crawling towards him, rocking as he did so, starting off by moving the wrong way. Soon his little brother was in his lap, attempting to pull himself up using Itachi's clothing, standing on his two legs in a rather shaky manner.

Outside they could hear the bustle of people starting their day to day business, and a sigh escaped his lips. At the age of only six, the young Uchiha already knew too well how irritating politics could get. One hand reached to steady Sasuke's back, preventing the infant from falling over backward. A shout came from outside as another member of the Uchiha clan hurried forward, her face flushed with excitement. If he recollected carefully, this member of the family was around twelve.

"Lady Kushina is coming to visit you Mikoto."

"Well, she normally does when she returns from a trip. She normally visits me every day unless there is something wrong."

"Kakashi Hatake's with her." The girl's hands leaped to her mouth, a squeal escaping her lips. "Lady Kushina's also got a baby with her."

'What?" Mikoto's eyes blinked a couple of times, indicating something confused her. The young female hurried back out of the home, making Itachi stare in confusion.

"Oh dear. Is she more excited about the young man she wants her first kiss from showing up here, or that Lady Kushina has some unknown infant with her?"

"Eww..." Itachi's nose wrinkled up, his hands gently wrapping around his younger brothers back.

His mother laughed, reaching out to ruffle his hair. "You won't think so when you get older. Mother knows this kind of thing."

The other woman stood up. "I'd best leave so you can have your tea."

The six-year-old Uchiha felt his mouth twist up, before looking up at his mother. "Was Aunt Kushina expecting a baby? How come we didn't know?"

Mikoto's eyes sparkled with mirth, ruffling his hair again. "Lady Kushina isn't able to have children, so perhaps she and the fourth decided to adopt a little one?"

"Does this mean Sasuke will have a friend his age?" Itachi's head tilted, wondering what kind of baby Lady Kushina found. A thought popped into his head of Kushina finding a wolf club and claiming the animal as a baby, sending a shudder through the small frame of the six-year-old.