What's in this story: Spoilers on later chapters of Naruto, lack of main characters(zomg so sorry Naruto!!), not-so-fight-ish fight scenes, and brotherly love. :D

What's NOT in this story: Pairings. (cuz I sux at them...T.T)

Summary: So what if Sasuke was the eldest son instead of Itachi? Same history, same people...with a slight difference.

Note: The age gap is the same, whereas they're about 5 to 5.5 years apart. Itachi's eight in this chapter, thus Sasuke is about 13 to 13.5 years old.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything!! D: D:

Small Game

The sun was casting through the leaves as templates for light, Sasuke shielded his eyes as he looked up.

'Looks like three in the afternoon,' He thought, treading with weary footsteps as he picked up his kunais. It was his daily routine to oblige into a series of training exercises after some Chunnin's missions in the morning. The forest near the Uchiha compound was best known for kunai and shuriken practices, and he'd put it to good use.

Usually the young Uchiha wouldn't step his foot outside of this training area until the evening. Every time he'd make himself collapsed on the ground, feeling the throb coming over his arms and legs, and waited with the wind until his limbs were ready to carry him home again.

There was a definite reason for his diligence. He was a member of the elite ninjas, the Uchihas, and he was widely acknowledged as been ingenious, a quick-learner of all sorts of techniques shoved in his face. Not that he was complaining, because he knew of what he was capable of, and his family wouldn't take things otherwise.

For he was the eldest son of the head of the entire clan, Uchiha Fugaku.

With a swift motion he pulled another set of kunais between his fingers, and aimed towards the many targets propped on the trees. Crimson bled into his eyes as they formed into Sharingan, and they turned slowly as he focused onward.

A thrust and a twirl, he threw four kunais horizontally and diagonally, and plunged himself mid-air before firing the rest of the set.

He landed perfectly arching on his back, and he tilted to see the results. Four bull's-eyes, two missing by a few centimeters, and the last two were missing by...

Sasuke frowned at the distance between the center and the remaining two. They were certainly not up to his standards, not even close to what he'd imagined. He let out a frustrating grunt and rubbed his palms.

Just what in the world was wrong with the way he threw his kunais? He was never the best at them, but he'd like to think himself as above decency when compared with his peers.

He was so absorbed in his brooding that he only heard the rustling of the shrubs when it was too late for a counter. If it was an enemy, he wouldn't be leaving without a gash of wound.

Thankfully nothing of the sort happened, but he didn't think it was possible for someone to sneak behind him while he had the Sharingan opened.

Either he was really off-guarded, or it was someone of his kind, he thought. In today's case, someone of his own kin, someone of his own family.

Sasuke sighed wearily. "Itachi, what is it?"

Stepping away from the bush was a younger boy in the tender age of eight at best, staring at Sasuke's red eyes with onyx ones.

"Niisan, can you teach me how to throw like that?"

Sasuke arched an eyebrow. "Like how I just did?"

The child Uchiha nodded eagerly, but kept his small smile tugged at the corner of his lips. Sasuke flipped his hair and brushed his bangs back. He paused a while before facing his brother with a matching grin.

"If you're up to the task," Sasuke hoist up a kunai and tossed it to Itachi, the latter caught it easily with his hand.

"Why don't you try aiming at a single target first," Sasuke pointed at the mark straight beyond the horizon. "Don't overwhelm yourself, you'll get hurt."

Quietly Itachi glanced back, small sparks in his eyes. "I won't."

Sasuke scowled, that wasn't the answer he was expecting. And when his younger brother said something other than 'yes' or 'no' to his suggestions, it usually meant he was going to do the exact things he was warned about. Today was no exception.

"Oh no you don't!" Sasuke lunged forward to grab at the rest of the kunais on the ground to prevent the younger Uchiha from having them, but he was a bit too late seeing as there were already two in-between Itachi's fingers.

"Hey! You shouldn't push yoursel-"

A high jump and two shots were fired, landing square on the red markings. Sasuke stared wide-eyed as Itachi came back down with a thud.

He wasn't staring at the perfectly aimed kunais, he was more aware of the rotating dots existing in his brother's orbs. They were Sharingans.

"Itachi, how did you..."

Two blinks, and the redness dimmed. Itachi gave his brother an innocent look of a lost puppy.

"I don't know, I just opened them days ago."

Sasuke's brows creased and he clutched his arms unconsciously. Sharingans opened at the age of eight, full two years earlier than he did. Sasuke never had problems admitting his little brother's brightness, and as an Uchiha, he should be proud to have a sibling like such.

Yet what would father do when he found out? Fugaku wasn't the most impressed with his eldest son's current performances in skills...what would he do when he discovered the potential of his younger one?

"Niisan? Are you okay?" Itachi was standing just in front of him now, and Sasuke almost jumped with his sudden presence.

"Yeah, never mind," He knelt down at his brother's level. "That was quite impressive, Itachi."

The child smiled brightly instead of giving a verbal reply. Sasuke always predicted his little brother wasn't going to become a man of many words. Not like he was any better himself, so he gave no further encouragement beyond the point of a comprehensible conversation.

"Niisan?"

"Yeah?" Sasuke was greeted with a poke in the cheek.

"Father wants you back early today, something he needs to discuss with you," Itachi explained, his small smile never left his composure.

Sasuke considered this for a brief moment. "Alright...I guess I could use a half-day off," But I'll make it up by staying late tomorrow. "Can you grab those for me, Itachi?"

Itachi nodded and headed towards the kunais at the far end, Sasuke picking up his pouch and collecting the rest of the arsenals back into a bag at the side. Just squinting from the corner of his eyes, he thought he saw his brother limping. When it got to his attention, he turned fully around to observe the child.

When Itachi caught the stare, he immediately put his foot down and knelt, avoiding Sasuke's eyes at the same time.

Sasuke almost stifled a laughter. Stubborn, stubborn kid.

Throwing the bag over his shoulder and onto his side, Sasuke walked over and took the kunais from Itachi, eyes never left his brother's.

"Did you sprang your ankle?"

A quick shook of head, and Itachi gave him the negative. Sasuke examined as Itachi recoiled a step too-carefully.

"Let me see."

"I'm fine, niisan."

"Just let me see for a second," With that, Sasuke bent down and forcefully grabbed at Itachi's left foot. He felt a swelling lump against the sandal. Sasuke made a disgruntled noise. Itachi wasn't used to Sharingans yet, this wasn't surprising.

"I told you not to push yourself. You'll need some ice on that."

"Sorry I-" Before Itachi could finish, he was pulled towards the back of his older brother. "I can walk on my own, niisan!"

Itachi resisted by grabbing onto the branch behind him with his free hand, and planting his right foot on the ground like he was never going to remove it.

"Don't struggle, just get on." If Sasuke sounded frustrated, he really wasn't. It just that he found his brother more willing to cope when he pretended to be mad, and with time, that became the natural tone when he was forcing Itachi into doing something.

Sometimes, though, the anger was real. Like for this instance, Sasuke couldn't imagine why someone wouldn't take advantage of their wound in this kind of situation. Had he had an elder sibling, he'd probably fake an injury just to get a free ride.

With a bit more force, Sasuke plucked his brother from the earth and rested him on his back. He could feel Itachi's uncomfortable eyes burning onto his back. A victorious smirk crept onto his lips. He started walking like nothing had happened, towards the exit of the training ground.

They were silent all this while, but it was a comfortable silence. Neither of them were talkative, so the quietness was much more appreciated than what outsiders might assumed.

"What's wrong for me to carry you?" Sasuke broke the silence, and he felt Itachi stirred behind his back.

"Nothing." It was barely audible. "I thought I could still walk."

"No, you'd be limping back home and that foot would swell like-"

Sasuke stopped talking when he felt the listener was distracted by something in the background. They were getting close to the Uchiha compound, and what they passed by was the police department of Konoha, standing tall and mighty with the Uchiha crest embedded on it.

"That's where father works," Sasuke mentioned. "As the police of Konoha village."

"Will you be working there too?" Small eyes trailed down to Sasuke. The latter replied with a 'humph.'

"I will, supposedly."

'Supposedly I failed the entrance exam to become an ANBU,' Sasuke mentally corrected. Fugaku had been mentioning him to become an ANBU for a while now, and although he wasn't received the fullest detail on why this was such an urgent matter, apparently it meant a lot to his father.

It also happened that Sasuke noticed the lack of attention from his father these days. Usually, Fugaku would personally assist his son's training on most of his day-offs, and compliment him whenever he had finished a complex mission. The past two weeks felt like Fugaku was letting Sasuke on the loose, making him supervising himself while perking up only when they were in a clan meeting.

"Niisan?"

Once again Itachi pulled him back from his brooding, something he'd gotten quite good at the older he gets.

"What?"

"I wasn't showing off."

Sasuke blinked. That was an abrupt change of subject. Hearing no words and reaction, Itachi quickly added. "My Sharingans, I mean."

Oh, that. If Sasuke knew his brother at all, it was because Itachi tend to share new things with him easily. He remembered sharing the first birthday card with him, the first festival charms, even the first dangos he'd ever bought.

Sasuke smiled a bit. "I know you weren't."

Then the silence came back, albeit lasting shorter than the previous one.

"Niisan, let's play a game."

Sasuke turned a little, quite curious. "Game?"

Itachi was never the sort of child that bounced around energetically playing tag with his peers, or clinging onto his father for another round of hide-and-seek like how Sasuke used to. He enjoyed playing checks-and-checkers, board games, and puzzles. Sometimes, even little games he'd invented himself, and the older Uchiha would always be the first one he'd share with. Sasuke actually thought it amusing to play along, so he always did.

Some would probably say Itachi was a little capricious at the very least, but Sasuke had decided that his little brother was just been subtle.

Subtle almost about everything.

"Yeah," The child sounded like a bird chirping on a tree. "Like this."

Sasuke was met with complete darkness. Itachi had covered his eyes from behind.

"I can't see like this," Sasuke stopped on his track. A quiet giggle from the back.

"I know, but I still can."

"Ah," Sasuke caught on instantly. He took a moment to feel his surroundings.

A ninja was taught to sense the environment, in a situation where they couldn't use their eyes. To feel the motion, the scent, the voice emitted from everything around them, they'd be able to move decently around before the light came back.

Problem was, Sasuke wasn't the best with this assignment. He wasn't expecting otherwise, however, because he was an Uchiha.

And Uchihas fight with their eyes.

"Then," Sasuke picked up his steps again. "Tell me what you see, Itachi."

Walking down the darkness, Sasuke felt people brushing pass by his shoulders, people chattering just ahead, and all sorts of commotions from the sides of the road.

"Niisan, be careful of your left side."

"Turn right just here."

Itachi makes a surprisingly good guide, and for the first minute Sasuke was unsure of his own ability, he soon realized that it was easier just to follow Itachi's directions.

"Uh-oh, steps," Itachi paused. "Lots of them."

Sasuke chuckled a little. "The steps just before our district?"

Running back and forth on these steps everyday for training, for missions, or just for exercise, made it seemed like the back of Sasuke's hand. He even knew the exact number to it.

They began climbing slowly, counting each step as they did. When it came to sixty-five, Itachi let out a small laugh indicating they were safe aboard.

Continuing with their journey in the darkness, they finally arrived in front of their own house.

"Sasuke."

The said person removed his brother's hands promptly. "Father."

"Come, there's something I want to discuss with you," With a glance to his younger son, he turned. "Itachi can come too." Fugaku also happened to be a man of few words, but there was a certain aura about him that made him looked solemn, unapproachable. Being the leader of the clan just makes it the icing on the cake.

The two brothers looked at each other before Itachi slipped down, and followed his family members into the meeting room.

"Sasuke, as you know I won't be attending the meeting tomorrow," Fugaku crossed his arms. "I expect you to act up in my will in leading it. You know how important it is for you."

Sasuke nodded. "I will, father."

"As for you, Itachi," Fugaku gave the child a way-ward smile. "I'll be attending your academy's entrance ceremony with you tomorrow."

It's only then did Sasuke remembered about his brother's first academic year that was starting tomorrow. He felt a tinge of guilt for forgetting about it, but caught Itachi's eyes looking up at him. That usual small smile on his face, all the same.

Sasuke couldn't resist a smirk, and that's all there was to it. Acknowledging with each other's accomplishments with exchange of smiles. It was all they needed.

After they were dismissed, the two walked back to their rooms that were at the separate ends of the household.

"Itachi, don't forget about the ice," Sasuke called out just before they separate on the crossing corridors.

"I won't," Itachi answered, still limping with his hand on the wall for support. Sasuke watched as his brother started to move again. Something in his chest was forming, like something was twisting up together.

"Itachi."

The youngster stopped.

"Did father know about your Sharingan?" Sasuke could hardly believe he was actually saying it out loud. Why was he even thinking about this?

Itachi stared briefly before shaking his head. "No."

The knots untied. "Oh. Take care of your foot, don't run around too much tomorrow."

After that, he walked on. Itachi eyed his brother's back, expression unreadable.

He couldn't deny the feeling that, for a split second, Sasuke was slipping out of his vision.

Note 2: Niisan -- Big brother ( I decide to use niisan instead of big brother because it sounds more...suitable? Or maybe I'm just lazy at typing two words)

Dango -- A Japanese snack/desert. (Quite yummy! Usually with red bean paste and such.)

A/N: Eyah, I can't believe I actually turned this into a multi-chap! :'D But I'm never really confident in multi-chaps (don't have enough motivation T.T), so this will probably just be a short story. Eh, that's it! Thanks for reading! :D