Uchiha Sasuke sat outside of the Konoha Ninja Academy. His leather backpack was draped over his shoulder, the weight dragging the pack to touch the ground. His short legs were tucked Indian-style underneath him on the bench, his arms wrapped around a green dinosaur plush.

Itachi should be here soon, he thought, his fingers tracing over the dinosaur's scales and ridges. He and Buttons wouldn't wait all day for Nii-san, after all. Was Itachi still finishing his training for the day? Maybe that was why he was late. School had broke for the day at 3 p.m., and it was approaching 4.

Sasuke knew he could walk himself home, but his mother insisted that Itachi walk him back to the Uchiha compound. Nii-san was older, yes, but why did he get to walk himself home from the Academy when he was Sasuke's age? The boy huffed, his dark bangs fluttering in front of his eyes. He and Buttons would just have to wait.

Sasuke heard the gates of the school spring open, the hinges letting out a groan. He turned his head to spot another boy trudge out, covered in white powder. Oh, it was that Naruto, again.

Sasuke had watched the boy unscrew the bolts in their sensei's chair, causing the man to tumble down into a pile of chalk dust at the start of their morning class. Sasuke couldn't resist giggling with the rest of his classmates. Naruto was hauled out of class for a punishment. But before departing, the whiskered blond shot a thumbs-up to his classmates, earning rolled eyes and giggles before being shoved out of the room.

Naruto was a troublemaker, his classmates whispered. Their parents had warned them not to bother with the boy. Naruto, ignored by his classmates except when committing his boorish antics, rarely earned any attention. In fact, Sasuke only recalled the little Hyuuga girl watching the blond throughout the day.

Naruto wiped the chalk dust off of his hands, scowling at the splotches on his shirt. That was the last of his clean clothes, and he doubted he would have any soap back at home.

"Aww, man! That was the last one," he groaned. "Now what am I gonna do?"

Sasuke peered over the bench, his hands clutching the wood slats as his eyes followed the boy. Naruto paused his stride, scowling.

"Who're you looking at?" Naruto barked. Sasuke flinched, shaking his head. He supposed the boy was cranky from his punishment.

"Sorry," he called out, giving Buttons a small squeeze. The dinosaur caught the other boy's eye, his expression shifting to curiosity.

"Is that a dinosaur? What's his name?" Naruto called out. Sasuke looked around him, noting that no one was watching. He slid off the bench, dragging his backpack and plush over to the other boy.

"This is Buttons. My nii-san, Itachi, gave it to me when he got too big for him," he said. Naruto reached his hand out to touch the plush before jerking his hand back. Sasuke's eyes widened. "No, no, you can touch him."

Naruto burst into a smile, patting Buttons on the head. "Oh, he's a scary dinosaur," he said, giggling. "I betcha he likes to run through the forest!"

"He likes to chase the birds, but his arms are too short to catch any," Sasuke added.

Naruto raised his arms, bending them close to his body and posing his hands like tiny claws. "Look, I'm like Buttons! RAWR!"

Sasuke giggled, pushing Buttons out away from him to make the toy dance in mid-air. "Oh look! A dinosaur!" he shouted with a deep voice. "I want to play with it!"

Naruto crouched close to the ground, springing his feet forward. "You're going to have to catch me, ya know!" The boy took off running toward the playground. Sasuke threw his backpack down, racing behind him with Buttons clutched in his hand.

"RAWRRRR WE'RE GOING TO GET YOUUUU!" he bellowed. He pushed the gate to the playground open, watching as Naruto climbed onto the jungle gym.

"My arms are stubby, but I can still escape!" the blond squeaked. Sasuke set Buttons down on the yellow slide, climbing up after the other boy.

"Yea but I can breathe fire so I can chase you down," he said. Naruto froze, remembering the Uchiha's power. Maybe he would just let himself get caught. Sasuke lifted himself up beside the boy, the two seating themselves at the very top. Naruto knotted his fingers, his eyes cast toward the schoolyard below them.

"You're Uchiha Sasuke, right? Why are you still here? Doesn't your brother come and get you by now?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Nii-san comes whenever he wants to, really. He's just especially late today." He shifted his weight to where his legs dangled over the aluminum piping, throwing himself upside down.

"Naruto, right?" he asked, continuing once the blond boy nodded. "Why did you pick on our sensei?"

"It looked like fun," he said, earning raised eyebrows. "I dunno, I feel like if I don't do something, I'll just be ignored."

Sasuke frowned. With a brother as strong and smart as Itachi, it was pretty easy for him to be ignored. Everyone wanted him to be just like his brother, when they did acknowledge him. Only his mother seemed to recognize him for who he was.

"Well, I-"

"SASUKE! Time to go home."

The boys jerked their heads back toward the ground. A dark-haired boy, much older, stood at the playground gate. His long dark hair was bound by a tie and his forehead was covered by a Hidden Leaf headband. Naruto's head tilted to the side, recognizing the older Uchiha.

"Is that your brother?" he whispered. Sasuke nodded, unable to resist smiling at his role model.

"Nii-san! It took you long enough," he called. Itachi had Sasuke's backpack looped over his shoulder and Buttons in hand. He looked like a giant Sasuke, Naruto thought, except for those bags under his eyes. Maybe the older Uchiha boy didn't get as much sleep.

"I'm here now. Let's go home," Itachi said. He turned to the boy, his hand gesturing a "shoo, shoo." "Shouldn't you be headed home soon too, Naruto?"

Naruto leapt in surprise, losing his balance on the jungle gym. He flailed to resume his grip, tumbling down and through the winding yellow slide. He cried out as he bumped into the plastic walls, tumbling until he landed on his head. The elder Uchiha stood at the base of the slide, shaking his head with a faint smile at the whiskered boy.

"Silly Naruto," he muttered, helping the child out of the slide. He handed the boy his black backpack, much to the child's surprise. Naruto frowned. It felt heavier.

"Say goodbye now, Sasuke," Itachi instructed. Sasuke bounded toward Naruto, his eyes shining as he took his brother's hand.

"Bye now!" he squeaked before being tugged along. Naruto waved, his face flushed from their game.

"Bye, Sasuke! See ya tomorrow!" he called.

Itachi frowned. If their father found out that Sasuke was playing with Naruto, it would punishment for both of them. He lifted his tiny brother from the ground, tossing the boy on his shoulders.

"Oh, I'm tall! I'm tall, Nii-san!" Sasuke crowed, his hands placed on his brother's head to steady himself. Itachi smiled, holding the child by the ankles.

"Oh yes, taller than me," he said. Maybe one day even greater than me. "Sasuke, we need to have a chat."

Sasuke stared at the clouds, raising a hand to trace their wispy outlines. "What is it, Nii-san?"

"You can't play with Naruto anymore, Sasuke," Itachi said. Sasuke narrowed his eyebrows, dropping his hand to his side.

"What? Why?"

Itachi bit his lip. He didn't want to deprieve his brother of happiness, but he would face pain if any Uchiha spotted the two children together.

"I'm afraid it's against the rules," he said. "Otousan wants to you focus on your training. We have little time for friends now, and he would be very disappointed to find out you weren't focused."

Sasuke sniffled, running a hand through his spiky hair. It wasn't fair. He did want to prove himself to his father. He wasn't going to cry, but it just didn't feel right to ignore his new friend. "That's stupid."

Itachi sighed. He hated to lie, but their father was the only means of persuasion for anyone in the family. The head of the clan wanted little to do with the fox spirit and the child who possessed it.

Itachi leaned over the dining room table, long after the bowls had been cleared. His parents had tucked little Sasuke into bed, leaving him to the dishes. He swept the table with a cloth, gathering remaining rice grains.

"Oh, Itachi, you didn't need to do all of that," a soft voice called. Itachi paused in his work, gazing at his face was flushed, likely from the nightly tickle and bedtime story session with Sasuke.

"It's no trouble, Okaasan," he said. Mikoto took the cloth from his hand before gesturing for him to seat himself. Her son lowered himself to the cushion nearby, his eyes narrowed.

"Did you manage to refill Naruto-kun's pack?" she asked. Itachi nodded. While the fox-child was in detention, he had snuck into the blond's cubby and filled his backpack with the new clothing and bag of rice balls. Itachi knew that Naruto would quickly grow suspicious, and he needed to find another way to deliver the treats.

"Don't you think Otousan will grow angry when he finds out what you're doing?" he asked. "He told us all not to interfere. I caught Sasuke playing with him today on the playground."

The woman sighed, running her fingers through the tips of her raven hair. She knew Fugaku only had the best intentions, but it was a struggle for her to watch her best friend's son suffer.

"Please, Itachi," Mikoto whispered. "Do this for me."

Itachi's hand engulfed her soft one from her lap. He watched her make extra batches of dumplings to be tucked into paper bags, slide extra money to grocers after their own bill was paid, and sew clothing without the Uchiha crest.

"I will, Okaasan," he said, squeezing her soft hand. "As long as I can."

Before her death, Uchiha Mikoto left a portion of the clan's fortune to the fox-child, the son of her Kushina. Naruto's "Gama-chan" would never empty, nor would the quiet love Uchiha matriarch for her lost friend.