61The Crow
It's an unspoken rule that every clan head must go to pay their respects when a new heir of another leading house comes into the world. The rule, of course, is not limited to the small village of Konoha and much less to the shinobi world, but somehow Fugaku Uchiha always cried over his luck in situations like these, as if he was the only one forced to attend.
Being the leader not only of one of the clans of the village, but also of the most powerful of the world was a task that filled him with pride, and it was reflected (he made sure it was reflected) by his ego.
However, contrary to the thoughts of many civilians, the bosses among themselves -or rather, the houses with each other- did not maintain any friendship or fraternity. Still, he was supposed to attend and give his respects, because if there was something more important than actual friendship in this world, it was the appearance of it.
For that same reason the so-called secret formation Ino-Shika-Chö, was one of the worst (or best, who was Fugaku to judge) jokes he had heard of.
But not even the supposed camaraderie of those escaped the norm completely, since their union only began because it was considered militarily profitable for Konoha. In addition, this type of training was only allowed to the clan leaders and their first-born, so the so-called friendship -he supposed- came from the great amount of time that the shinobi of each house were forced to share with each other.
He let out a heavy growl that caught the attention of the little boy behind him, who raised his head to look at Fugaku. He accompanied him a little further back on the dirt road they had chosen to walk on. The route was longer and more rustic than the main road, but at least it would delay the time when both Uchiha would have to fake courtesies, or at least, he would have to pretend, since he doubted Itachi considered the task equally heavy.
Clan heads and firstborns, all united to celebrate the birth of a new heir.
Fugaku snorted again, not two days ago he had visited the Nara family to meet the newborn Shikamaru, and now he was going to the Yamanaka. The children had been born one day apart, which he found to be comical when dealing with two clans with a "strong" relationship.
Perhaps they had planned it in advance; the Uchiha head did not dismiss it as a possibility and laughed.
That did not change how tedious the situation is.
The shinobi world had plunged, once again, into the overwhelming peace that followed a war that lasted too long, so it wasn't really surprising that many clan leaders hadn't been sure enough to reproduce until now when the warlike conflict was behind far enough to give them some sort of… security.
As much security as their new pointed leader could bring. Which, by his standards, were scratching the bare minimum.
But then again, the Sandaime didn't make him the Hokage, which -he knew- wasn't because he lacked leadership skills or was incapable of logical thinking, or even because he wasn't strong enough.
He was one of the strongest shinobis of Konoha, but he wasn't always in the spotlight like some sort of attention-hungry Namikaze, was he?
No Uchiha would ever be a candidate for the Hokage's position.
The wind blew the hair on the back of the head of Fugaku, black strands parted to show small silver threads that had grown in the past few years that the clan head wasn't aware of, and the suddenly cold air made him move his neck against the collar of his shirt.
Fugaku growled and furrowed his eyebrows, his already serious expression turning imperceptibly more somber because, here he was, walking through a dirty path to pay respects to a new heir from a clan who was considered his equal in council meetings because the Yamanaka's ancestors were smart enough as to shield themselves under the wings of the Sarutobi; just like the Nara and the Akimichi.
Cowards.
He -his family, deserved that hat. At least once. There was so much he could do, so much he could improve if only they would give him the opportunity.
But Fugaku knew that it was too late for him, too late for his generation to be the one that changes their fate. Still, he refused to believe that his family didn't stand a chance against practically every other shinobi in Konoha when it came to aspiring to be the Hokage, refused to believe that his little boy, his prodigious little boy, couldn't dream about becoming the leader of his hometown.
Itachi coughed (clearly trying to get his attention) and Fugaku realized they had reached their destination, and that he, immersed in his own thoughts, was still walking down the road. He stopped and turned with elegance, automatically straightening his back and tensing his shoulders (showing no sign of his earlier distraction), and walked through the path of the Yamanaka compound until he reached his destination.
They arrived at the manor house and stopped just after climbing the steps, the wooden floor squeaking under the weight of their feet. He was greeted at the door by a slim, tall boy with caramel hair and pupilless green eyes who told him to please wait for just a second while sending a little girl inside to announce his arrival.
The kid disappeared then, and Fugaku was left alone with Itachi and the boy at the door.
When finally the girl returned from the inside of the house and the request of following was said, they were guided to a big room with brown wooden floor and walls. Large windows illuminated the space and allowed them to observe the interior gardens of the compound.
The inside was completely naked with the exception of four cushions: three red, one white -two already occupied and, in front of them, the other two-, and a petite table with a teapot and three cups already served.
The blonde man was sitting with his eyes closed, and beside him in the little white cushion was a small bulge covered in a blanket that he kept touching with his left hand.
"Uchiha," Inoichi greeted them without standing, "please." He pointed to the remaining cushions.
Both black-haired men settled into their seats without speaking, and Itachi offered his father one of the teacups.
Fugaku, out of habit of expecting poison, rejected it and Itachi, following his father's example, left his own on the small table. Fugaku saw the way his son's finger contrasted remarkably against the white and bright porcelain of the cup, and it wasn't until then that he noticed the dirt on the nail of his thumb. He glanced at Itachi with a pointed look.
Blushing, the boy covered it between his robes.
"I believe that congratulations are in order." Fugaku finally said, looking straight at the face of the other leader, Inoichi's lips curled up a little bit and slowly opened his eyes.
"Yes, I believe so," the blonde answered, caressing carefully the small bulge at his left. Itachi's eyes followed the movement under the blanket. "She's sleeping."
"Ah, so it's a girl then?" He asked, not really concealing the bored tone in his voice.
"Yes." He answered, a heavy pause following, his turquoise eyes looking at him unblinking, like expecting him to laugh. "Her name is Ino." There was that pause again, and Fugaku felt slightly uncomfortable, but Inoichi glanced at Itachi then, and the feeling went away. "I'm glad to see you, Itachi," he said, acknowledging the child's presence. "Would you like to meet her?"
Itachi looked questioningly at his father with a raised eyebrow.
Fugaku nodded once.
The little boy got up and walked the short distance between his place and Inoichi's, who picked up and held the little girl in his arms.
Her face was mostly covered by the blanket but Fugaku could still see a thin blond lock that crossed her face. Ino's eyes snapped open and Itachi smiled, vaguely, sweetly, carefully.
And then, in less than a second, Itachi's expression of calmness and curiosity turned to horror, the realization of what was about to come piercing everyone's ears.
She started to scream and cry, her tiny pink hands trying to reach something that wasn't there, making every attempt to soothe her useless.
"I think she might be hungry," Fugaku said, narrowing his eyes at the rude baby while Itachi got back to his seat.
"Ah-" Inoichi started when suddenly the shöji door flew open and an old lady in a green kimono entered the room, bowing at the occupants and reaching for the baby.
"Let me take her, Inoichi-sama," the woman said, before bowing again and disappearing with Ino in her arms.
And really, how they were supposed to keep a conversation about a newborn when the newborn wasn't even there?
"I heard that your son has just started the Academy and is already on top," Inoichi continued quickly, accommodating the collar of his shirt like Ino's outburst was just a slight inconvenience and not the thing that literally ended their meeting.
"Yes." He replied shortly but decided to add something for good measure. "He's our pride."
Inoichi nodded, "I presume." He looked at Itachi, "I'm sure you will be a great ninja, Itachi."
"Thank you, sir." He answered, looking at the floor.
"Konoha is always in need of more people like you, that is, strong ones, with a strong Will of Fire." He smiled, "I'm sure you will be an amazing asset to the police force."
"Ah- I guess."
"Of course! If you are this good with only five years, I can't imagine how excellent you will be when you're old." He looked up to Fugaku then, "Konoha is getting a lot of prodigies lately."
"Mh." He conceded, blinking at the sudden topic of conversation but not surprised, after all, the Yamanaka clan wasn't particularly known for having harvested a large number of prodigies on their lines, if they ever produced any, so of course when Fü Yamanaka showed any sign of being one they were going to presume him.
"Yes," Inoichi nodded to something no one said, probably just to reassure himself.
It was a common ground, not comfortable and not something that entertained him, but it was a known topic for him, it was just a regular conversation.
Until Inoichi glanced at his son once more, his smile still the same, but his eyes were full of pity. Such a shame that look was meant to say, what a waste, it appeared to whisper on Fugaku's mind.
And for a split second, Fugaku saw red.
Uncomfortable wasn't the right word to describe that situation.
Infuriating suited more his tastes.
If Fugaku had been alone, or in a situation that did not require him to control tightly his emotions, he would have bitten his lower lip until it bleed, he would have chewed his nails like he used to do when he was little or he would have punched Inoichi's face through a wall.
Instead, he contented himself with biting the inside of his cheek.
He heard the footsteps of his firstborn behind him on the dirt road and suppressed a smile, Itachi, the pride of the Uchiha clan. A prodigy, his own son was a prodigy, which was more, so, so much more Inoichi could say about his daughter. So why was that look on his face?
Why the fuck was that look on his face?
He understood, eventually.
The tragic thing was, the understanding didn't come until the moment his beloved firstborn sliced his throat, eyes full of tears and drowning a sob, waiting for Sasuke to arrive.
And it would be all Inoichi's fault.
A special thank you to Boomvroomshroom who was my beta in this chapter.
