The surrounding started to fade as a child younger than Itachi appeared with Itsuho in a training ground. The boy was pouting as the girl was ruffling his hair as the little boy shyly leaned in to the touch.
"Sister Itsuho, why my brother isn't teach me anything? Is big brother hate me? He once again ran away with that Shisui!!!!" The child asked with a pout as he was annoyed by his brother's busy days and as well as the the 'cause for that' in little kid's mind.
"Really!! Did our family's Itachi did that to our super duper adorable duck!! And that Shisui!! Both deserve punishment!! Don't worry I will steal Itachi's dango for ya! And I will not give any to Shisui!!"
The girl dramatically said as the little boy pout more. "Don't call me duck sister Itsuho!!!"
He rolled eyes, obviously knowing she was justifying her thefts of his beloved brother's dango despite being young as it is like everyday rice.
"What can I do when you look like a little duck Sasuke-chan!!! How can you be so fatally adorable. You are killing me with cuteness!!!!" The girl took him to her arms and hugged the boy tightly while ruffling his hair like crazy.
"This must be somekind of powerful ninjutsu Sasuke-chan. You really got me with it. Let's call it Kawai no jutsu!!"
Hearing that the child blushed as he shyly looked at Itsuho's smile. Seeing that his face reddened more like a tomato.
"It isn't like that Sasuke-chan. Your big brother love you more than you think. When you were this little, he was stuck in to you and you guys attach to each other like glue. He is the one who took care of you almost all the time you know"
Her gaze became more soften and she look at the lake like she seeing the distance more beyond the lake as a look of longing appeared in her face for a moment while her voice became more calm, way more different from her dramatic cheering tone.
"Really?! Brother like me that much?!" His gaze lightened up as the little boy try to looked at her face but his face was pressed on to her shirt, making it difficult by her hands.
"Yup really" she smiled as she remembered something. The sun light framed her pale features while glistened up her black soft spiky hair, making a beautiful image.
"You know he even knew that you are going to be a boy even before you were born."
"Big brother is amazing" Stars literally appeared in the little boy's eyes letting others to see how much he loved his older brother as he started to bouncing around the girl.
"Sasuke" Her voice became more calm and serious unlike the cheerful smile on her face like she is going to advise the boy like an adult.
"Yes sister Itsuho?" The boy startled at her change of tone as he looked at her curiously.
"Don't ever doubt your brother's love for you. He might never show that to you like you want to. But we can see he is a hard-core brocon" she chuckled regaining her dramatic and funny voice like a goof ball.
"Sister what is brocon mean?" Sasuke asked showing the childlike curiosity on his small immature face.
"Opps just slipped out, nevermind that part. Well it is broccoli" Itsuho scratched her head with a mock embarrassment.
"My brother isn't a broccoli and he isn't green either" Sasuke retorted immediately with another adorable pout.
"I mean he is someone who have love for you more than this lake. Like your parents." she started to show how much love they had for him.
"Like a sea then" Sasuke's eyes widened.
"Yup that much"
"Wow!!!" Sasuke exclaimed cheerfully as his eyes widened with child like innocence and happiness.
"Can you teach me how to do shurikenjutsu sister Itsuho?" He suddenly asked out of nowhere as Itsuho chuckled.
"Shurikenjutsu! Alright let's go~" she said with a cheerful pose as both of them started to laugh at her action.
The surrounding around the girl changed again. The sky started to get darken, the sun was already set as the dusk arrived in no time.
She stood up near the Naka river waterfall with an indifferent expression. But her trembling lips and the despair in her eyes betrayed that indifference as Itachi who is now thirteen years old stood beside her.
Both of their eyes directed at the figure that stood face to face with them near the edge of the cliff that the waterfall cascading from the beautiful Naka river.
It is the ground she, Shisui and Itachi always like to stay while trainning or they exchange about their small talks of daily life and experiences.
Usually it is the time she felt more relaxed and even sometimes feel little joy with those small talks and little spars.
But today the atmosphere around them is far from joy and relaxed as they looked at the figure infront of them with a look exhaustion and many more complicated emotions. Rage, despair, disappointment, betrayal and even fear is mixed with those.
This figure is none other than Shisui who is now looking disheveled and in brink of exhaustion with a little bloody appearance. His right eyes is closed as the blood dripping from the sockets letting others to see his eyes was taken out from the socket.
Itsuho try to walk towards him but he stopped her coming forward with a hand and a look of an elder brother who is demanding to stay still as she gritted teeth while looking at him with worry and terror, despair and her own helplessness making her own mind is trapped in whirlwind of thoughts and emotions.
"Big brother!!!" Her lips trembled as she try to talk to him but nothing came out.... while Itachi looked at the siblings with a concern look that came with uneasiness that he felt from the girl's expression. ".....your eyes bleeding. Come here and let me help you."