Age 2/Year 2

[Name: Sasuke Uchiha

Age: 6 months old

Stats

(1) Strength

(1) Dexterity

(2) Agility

(8) Charisma

(6) Cunning

(4) Luck

(6) Soul

Abilities:

??? (Obsidian Crystal Gift): It's calm, almost as if there's nothing to it.]

What. The. Fuck.

Is... is this a joke? I  knew the small little thing in the corner of my eye was weird, but after spending months trying to learn more about it, all I got was a slight bit more understanding about how it worked!

Still, the fact that I somehow have an RPG menu absolutely makes me simultaneously happy and terrified. The assumptions I made about the world and how it works had me shuddering in fear. Will I instantly die if I jumped from too high a ledge? What about water? Is it an instant death zone? So many frightening questions that I'd rather not answer with first-hand experience.

After fiddling around with it, I found my 'status.' Aside from my STR and DEX being a 1, I'm not really sure if those other numbers are all that high.

There's no EXP bar or the like, which I've honestly become so accustomed to that it's surprising not seeing one.

A quick look reveals that I also don't have any skills, though, there is a skills tab. Carefully opening it up, I'm greeted with a simple menu.

[SKILL POINTS AVAILABLE: 1

AVAILABLE FOUNDATION SKILLS: NINJUTSU, TAIJUTSU, GENJUTSU, RANGED WEAPONS, MELEE WEAPONS, SHARINGAN, CHAKRA.]

Overall, I found it to be a very weird interface, but its purpose was clear. Very carefully, I opened up each one and read the small description underneath. Essentially, these were 'major' skills that were apparently affected by your stats. Some use multiple, while others only used one. From these major skills, I could branch out and learn 'minor' skills, such as the use of katanas, bows, shuriken, and such.

.....

After careful consideration, I hover my index finger over the chakra button and press the small cross. A confirmation message appears, which I agreed to, hoping that the changes don't feel too weird or sudden. Well, I really shouldn't have expected that.

The instant I accepted the changes, the world spun and I fell to one knee, pain flaring everywhere in my body. My lungs felt like we're on fire, my brain turning to mush, and my heart was about to explode! Thankfully, the extreme discomfort vanished a second later and I felt bigger. Not in a physical sense, but spiritually.

Taking deep, calming breaths, I used my little hands to prompt myself up and sit down on my bum. Opening the menu back up, I found that my 'Soul' stat had gone up by 2 and there was now a new little tab.

'Traits' it read.

Opening it up, I read my newest addition and smiled, even as phantom pains still assaulted me. Whether I'd actually use this menu again was an issue i'll deal with when the time came, but for now, everything worked out quite well. Still, is it just levelling up Soul that hurt so badly? Would my muscles rip and then heal if I had chosen strength? What if I decided to learn a skill? Would I get horrible headaches as knowledge flooded into my mind?

...

This strange game-like ability had its ups, but it also had its painful downs. All I hope is that it gets more convenient and less painful with every use.

[Reward: Gained +2 Soul! | Gained Trait: Enduring Soul]

=========

"You're so cute, you know that?" my mother, Mikoto says with a smile. Her soft finger gently poke my nose, making me involuntarily giggle. Maybe it's because I'm a baby and my brain isn't developed, but I find that too be so funny!

Letting out a small chuckle, Mikito picks me up. "Come one, let's go take a stroll around town. Maybe you'll feel better with some fresh air?" Finally, my wish was going to be granted! I've been stuck in the house for so long! Everything is making me super agitated! The stressful shits I've been taking because of it all have been really annoying. Still, if they did one good thing, it's the fact that they made my mom want to take me out.

"Let me just grab a few things first." No! Don't go! Come back! Who knows what little thing will distract you enough to make you change your mind! Come back!

And she left. Damn. Well, I'll just busy myself counting the tiles in my room for the 7th thousandth time. Honestly, if I don't turn out to be some crazed serial killer by the time I turn 6, I'll be beyond shocked!

...

Please come back soon!

=========

Konoha or, 'The Village Hidden In The Leaves" was full of surprisingly adaptive individuals. Just a year ago, the whole village was almost destroyed by the nine-tailed fox. As a child, I only saw a small portion of it, most was still damaged, but the reconstruction efforts were clear as day. Everyone was working together, though, there seemed to be very few individuals that gave my mother warry looks. It wasn't anything major, just sidelong glances. Considering how the Kyuby was controlled by a Sharingan user, I'm not all that surprised. Maybe someone saw its eyes, but there's no evidence that anyone from 'my' clan did that. They would have to be stupid to attack the village, after all, it's not like the Uchiha compound was spared from its wrath. Losses were light, but quite a few people from the Uchiha were killed.

Anyways, my walk around town was quite short. Mikoto took me around the compound, to the market, buying a few things for dinner. However, there was one specific place she stopped at.

"Ok, little Sasuke, pick one out!" She told me, a brilliant smile on her face. "Any toy's fine."

My tiny eyes looked over the merchant's goods. The large, friendly smile on his face had me smiling in return.

"Quite a handsome boy you have there, mam." Winking, the man sent my mother a knowing look.

Giving him a small nod, she took out her wallet and waited for me to look at the toy I wanted.

I've never been one to really play with toys, but there's just something about the small little horse in my hand that's so fun! There's definitely something wrong with my head, and I'm sure it's the fact that I'm a baby. It's either that or I went insane from basically being unable to do anything!

"You really like the little horsie, huh, Sasuke?" Mikoto says, gently rubbing my head. I want to correct her, but in the end, all I do is pout.

"Such a cute little boy." She continues, picking me up and giving me a tight hug. "Don't worry... I'll make sure you grow up nice and strong."

Her warm breath hits my cheek, filling me with a sense of comfort. As she holds me against her chest, a heavy drowsiness slams into me. Damn... this small body of mine gets tired so easily. Just with this, I already want to fall sleep.

"Come on, little crybaby-Sauske. We'll put you in bed with your new toy."

...

I hate living as a little kid. All I do every day is shit, eat, and sleep. Time, please go by quicker!

=========

Fugaku, my father, is a silent, serious man. However, underneath those stern and stonelike walls is a caring, loving father. He doesn't show it all that often, but there are times, like right now, where he does.

"Sasuke, remember, never trust a salesman further than you can through him." He sighs, throwing the strange scroll in his hand away. I catch a glimpse of its contents, but the unusual characters are beyond my understanding. I have no idea how to read, and that sucks.

Grumbling, he shakes his head, standing up and removing you from his lap.

"I'll have to change you the normal way." He sighs and takes me to my room. It's not like I  like him looking at your junk. It's honestly really disturbing, but there's nothing I can do about it. Mikoto isn't here, and neither is Itachi. So, it's either that or sit around covered in my own excrement. If he's willing to do this for me, then that just shows that he does care.

"Fireball Jutsu!" He's even showing me some of the advanced techniques by burning my diaper! Fugaku is wise beyond his years.

Stepping away from the lake, he motions for the clone holding me to walk closer.

"See, Sasuke, that is our clan's signature move." Nodding seriously, he repeats the signs and motions required to perform the jutsu. Unfortunately, I forget them in a minute or two. Why is he showing me this now, when I could barely talk?

Both Fugaku's stare at me, a distant, sage-like look in their eyes. On cue, those obsidian orbs shift to a scarlet colour, spinning round and round.

"And this is the Sharingan." With eyes of blood, he picks me up form the clone. "One day, you'll have these eyes as well. I pray that you have no need for them."

Turning around, he stares out toward the lake, longing expression on his face.

"You must be strong, Sasuke. We all need to be strong and endure."

With those foreboding words, he turns around and returns to his room, starting up some paperwork. The life of a clan head is full of timewasting activities, it seems. Obviously, I got bored. Eyes roving over the neat and organized space, I eventually find a few things of note.

Curiosity gets the better of me, and before Fugaku can react, I squirm out of his grasp and pull out a certain book hidden under his table. While I couldn't  read, I've still got a good set of working eyes.

I hold back a laugh, staring at my 'father' with as smug of an expression as possible. His eyes narrow and his right brow twitches in annoyance. Still, my face must have looked more 'cute' than smug.

"I suppose you're already on the way to being a proper ninja." He chuckles, taking the book from my hands. I stare at the large, colourful bear and them small, soft bunny on its cover. Fugaku picks me up and places me on his lap, a hesitant smile on his features. "But, Remember, Sasuke; Knowledge can be dangerous, so any good ninja knows when to turn away."

With those ominous words, he opens the book and begins reading it to me. Honestly, it's probably the most boring story I've ever been told. Yet... I couldn't help but feel bad, not reacting in the slightest to my 'father's' nervous attempt to bond. Even if I've only known him for a short time, I'm  not an asshole. In a way, it's like seeing an old grandpa trying to have fun with his spoiled grandson that ignores him.

I begin to smile, giggle, and laugh as Fugaku reads the story, often reaching out and touching the pictures. It might all be fake, but it still makes him smile. This isn't about the book or the strange characters in it. This is a rare moment, one where Fugaku is actually trying his best to have some 'father-son' time. I won't be the one responsible for ruining it.

...

Huh. Was he like this with Itachi, I wondered?

=========

It had been hard, but after so long, I finally started being able to control tongue tongue enough to actually speak. I practiced alone when no one was looking or listening. It was difficult, but the noises that left my lips slowly, but surely started to shape themselves into letters, then syllables, and finally words. Honestly, I think I was a bit slower than normal children when it came to speaking. To that, I'll say that normal toddlers didn't have to worry about going insane! I had more than enough to worry about already!

In any case, with my new linguistic skills, I thought long and hard about what to do. There was an option to tell everyone the truth; it would take time, as even though I  could talk, I wasn't the fastest speaker as a 1 and a half-year-old. There were advantages and disadvantages to doing that. If they believed me and then didn't instantly lock me up as a security risk, I'd probably be able to live a very cushy lifestyle. My knowledge of future events would be helpful, but with those events being so far off, it would take some time to actually prove my claims. Untill then, I'd basically be watched 24/7. After some deliberation, I decided not to do that. Aside from hurting my parents, it was far too big of a gamble. For all you knew, the Hokage might just have one of their mind ninjas dissect my brain. What were they called again, Yamanaka? It's only been a year and a half, but I'm already forgetting the little details. That's no good.

Since I was obviously not going to reveal the truth, that left one other option, namely, saying something that would make my 'family' happier. If I said mom, dad, or brother, the one in question would be overjoyed. While, personally, I think babies are ugly, most people can't get enough of their cute and adorable faces. It might be a shrewd and opportunistic approach, but my first words are a tool that can easily manipulate others, giving them a memory they won't forget. Of crouse, all of this relies on the fact that they already care a lot about me.

Decisions, decisions....

====================================

No one is impervious to the flow of time, and soon enough, I found myself turning two years old. For the first time in your new life, I could walk around on my own. Freedom!

====================================

"Ichi!" I shout, making sure to be as 'baby-like' as possible. My brother freezes in place, his eyes going wide and stared at me in shock.

"W-What?" Her asks himself, unsure of what he just heard. His name was my first word, so it must come as a huge surprise.

"Itachi!" I repeat his name, standing up on shaky feet and latching onto his leg. "Itachi!"

Every time I said it, his lip raised slightly higher. An elated smile tugs on his usually neutral features.

"Itachi! Itachi! Itachi!" I giggle and laugh, putting on the perfect act of a little brother.

"I... Sasuke." He's at a loss for words, only being able to bend over and look me in the eye.

"Itachi!" I reach up and wrapped my little hand around his neck, giving the best and most heartfelt hug I possibly can.

Stoic as your brother is, his mask shatters and breaks. For the first time in my short life, I saw a truly emotional Itachi. He's strong and a prodigy, but at the same time, he's only about 5 years old. A single tear slides down his face and he strangles me with love. His hands pull me into his chest, and while he doesn't sob, I can feel the pure affection blossoming in his heart. He truly loves me like no other.

"Sasuke..." He whispers my name, carefully breaking off the hug and standing up. Wiping away the tears in his eyes, he stared at me lovingly. "I'm glad you were born, cowardly little bother." He chuckles, reaching out and carefully pulling one of my ears. Hopefully, this doesn't become a common occurrence.

Before I can say anything, Mikoto practically bursts into the room.

"I head Sasuke say something!" Her eyes are wide, instantly locking onto me, then my brother. Like a tiger on the prowl, she barrages Itachi with questions.

I grin, mouth opening wide.

"Itachi!" It's so heartwarming that I felt my teeth start to rot. God... I'm so embarrassed.

"His first word!" The trained ninja all but squeals, swiftly picking me up into her arms and showing off her humongous grin. "Can you say 'mama' now?" she's often reserved, but no longer. Right now, she's a woman on a mission.

Just to humour her, and to stop saying the same thing over and over, I do just that.

"Moma!" This time, she does squeal like a little girl.

"You're so adorable!" Suffice to say, the rest of my day is spent being carried around by Mikoto. She constantly asks me to say different things, which I do. The most common word was definitely 'mom' though.

When Fugaku returns, she shows off my impressive linguistic skills, and just to be fair, I call him 'papa' as well. His reaction consists of a small, proud smile and a nod.

"Good job, Sasuke."

Overall, everyone was really happy!

==========

I did my best to follow Itachi around, even going so far as to wait for him to get out of the bathroom. The plan was simple, keep following him untill he took me somewhere!

It was pure genius, at least to my small, childish mind. Strangely enough, it actually worked! My big brother put me on his back, and after making sure no one was following the two of us, he scurried away! Of course, he left a note behind so they wouldn't think I'd been kidnaped.

Anyways, with my brother a fair distance away, he let me down and proceded to walk me around town. Konoha, even after all the damage it sustained, was still a beautiful city.

"Here, Sasuke." I smile, taking the frozen treat from my brother's hand. Honestly, his total disregard of our parent's rules is what really surprised me. He basically ignored what they told him and ran off to town with me. One thing was for certain, he'll be getting an earful when we return, so I'd best prepare the most adorable face I could!

...

Are they going to strike my bum? God... that would be beyond embarrassing.

"Sasuke... where do you want to go next?" Itachi looks down at me, waiting for my to point in a direction.

When I said 'Hokage,' Itachi's eyes grew wide.

"Where'd you hear that from?" He was unsure if it was our mother or father that taught me the word, but it wasn't that suspicious.

A conflicted, hesitant look crossed his face. Already, I knew why he was feeling like that. Even if he's a prodigy, I'm sure it's going to be incredibly hard to meet with the leader of this military focused city. Actually... I still have no idea if it's a dictatorship or something like that here. Did Konoha have a council or something? My memory tells me  yes, but who's to say the real world is like the story.

"The Hokage, huh?" Again, Itachi hums to himself, thinking over my request. "Alright. The very least I can do is give it a shot, for you." His neutral expression shifts into a tiny smile, and before I knew it, he's picked me up and put me on his shoulders.

"Let's go." I smiled, nodding and then start to use my new height to look around. No one cares about two children playing around, especially when they have more important things to do. Konoha is a beautiful city.

========

"You... want to see the Hokage?" The secretary standing guard asks, brow raised questioningly. Honestly, she looks meek and unassuming, which is probably why she's secretly an assassin or something. Seriously, she's working for the one person with presumably absolute authority. As someone once read, look beneath the underneath... or something. Drat! What the hell was Kakashi's quote again?

"Yes." Itachi replies, taking me off his shoulder and putting me on the ground. He looks to the secretary and then to me. "I know it's unlikely that he'll say yes, but my little brother would like to meet him."

She hums, reaching for her clipboard and then proceeds to give it a look over. I'm ready to leave, because why would she say yes?! The equivalent would be Itachi bringing me to the White House and then asking to see the president. Anything but being kicked out would be incredibly suspicious.

"Give me a second. He's actually free at the moment."

Bullshit! Impossible! This has to be somekind of set up or Uchiha privilege!

"Thank you." My brother replies, giving the young woman a small bow and pulling me over to a nearby seat. He takes out my toy and gives it to me to play around with.

Actually, thinking about it, this might be a good move for PR reasons. It's no secret that a few people are wary of the Uchiha due to the recent Nine-Tailed Fox attack, so meeting with their children might help out both sides. It shows the Uchiha that he trusts them while also gives the impression that they are trustworthy.

As I now expected, the secretary returns, giving the ok.

"He's ready, so you can go in."

The Hokage is a shrewd, calculating man indeed.

=======

"Welcome." The old man's face is wrinkled and soft, his eyes staring at the two of me like a grandfather would their nephews. I see absolutely no hint of deception in his kind demeanour, which is what puts me on edge. This man is supposedly a legend among his peers and no doubt has a great deal of experience in faking emotions. I'll have no idea if he's being genuine or masquerading behind a kind face. No leader gets to their position by 'being nice.'

Why the hell did I want to see him again?

"I've head good things, Itachi. You're doing Konoha proud." Taking a small puff from his pipe, he reaches out and gently rubs my bother's head. "I'm sure your mother and father as just as proud as I am."

Itachi nods, not showing an eek of emotion. It seems I'm the only exception to that.

"As for you, young Sasuke-" He bends down, smiling and staring into your eyes. "I hear you wanted to see me?"

Calmly, I nod and look into his eyes.

What's the best way to conquer your fears? Some might say slowly facing them and working your way up to bigger and bigger challenges. Honestly, that's something I'd  like to do, but considering how hard it should be to meet up with the Hokage, I decide to go with the much faster method. Charging straight into my fear and kicking it in the face works just as good, even if I might piss myself in the process. Of course, I'm replacing the 'kicking' portion with something more comforting.

The Hokage stills for a moment as my hands wrap around his neck and back, and for a second, I think he's going to attack me. It's only now, after I've done it, that I realized exactly what this looks like. Essentially, I reached for his neck. Considering he's a highly trained ninja, and being an assassin like that comes with insane levels of paranoia, I'm surprised he didn't see it as an attack.

"My, my, you're certainly affectionate." Chuckling, he returns the hug without a hint of hesitation. If I didn't know he was trained to kill people since birth, I'd think he was just a friendly old man. Still, just because I couldn't  see him getting ready to snap my neck at a moments notice doesn't mean he isn't doing so.

"I'm sorry," Itachi says, bowing slightly and calling me over to his side. As I sheepishly walk back, the Hokage lets out a small laugh.

"It's quite alright." His steely eyes pierce my own, and even though I see the warmth in his orbs, I know there's more to it than that. "I can see the will of fire burning deep within him."

Right... that was a thing. It's supposed to be the desire to protect Konoha and its people, even when facing death, right? Honestly, it sounds more like some indoctrination thing to make people give their lives for a cause. Then again, being a ninja here is no different than being a soldier back in my previous world, so it's almost expected that people are going to die for the 'army' or 'village.'

"Thank you for the compliment, sir." Itachi bows once more, and as the old man laughs again, he gives my head a small pat. "You'll make a good ninja. I can see it in your eyes."

His words are slightly unnerving, and perhaps picking up on this, Itachi grabs me and starts to leave. He gives the Hokage a small nod and wishes him a good day. I, of course, give a small wave goodbye. As much as I'm scared of him, giving a bad impression is a bad idea.

========

"Itachi! I cannot believe you would do something like this." To say our parents were pissed at my brother would be an understatement. I got off with only a slight bum lashing, but my brother isn't as lucky.

"Did you think what could have happened to your brother?!"

Itachi takes a small breath and tries to defend himself.

"I thought myself reasonably competent to-"

"You're seven years old, Itachi. Yes, you're older than him, but that doesn't change the fact that you are also a child."

Unable to keep watching, especially since it was my idea to go meet the Hokage, I waddled on over and attach myself to Itachi's front.

"No!" I shout with as much air as my little lungs can take. Our mother and father's expression's falter for a second. "Sasuke dear, please step aside. Your big brother did something bad, so he has to be punished."

"No!" I shout again, turning my head even as my arms tighten around Itachi's body.

Fugaku sighs and steps up.

"Sasu-"

"No!" I shout again. If he's going to get punished, then so are I!

Our parents look at one another, a complex series of emotions, but eventually relent.

"Both of you are grounded," Fugaku says.

"For a month." Mikoto nods and crosses her arms.

"Just don't do something so foolish again." our father grumbles and starts to walk away, giving our mom a second to talk.

"He's right. Please, try not to worry us so much." She leans down and gives both of us a small peck on the cheek. "If anything happened to the two of you, we'd be heartbroken."

Itachi reaches out and gently grabs her cheek, an apologetic look on his face.

"I'm sorry." He says.

I couldn't help but speak my mind as well. Again, it's my  fault that they're angry.

"Sorry!" I shout, turning the closeness between the three of us into a warm hug.

Suffice to say, the month that followed was very boring. Still, I had my brother to speak to and play with. He even showed me his training weapons and things from school. Now, I'm not a lover of knives, but there's a certain weight to a kunai that feel right in my hand. I'd be turning three years old soon, and then a year after that, I would start school. Already, I was getting better at talking, able to hold childish conversations with other people.

Either way, one thing's for certain. With my improved communication ability, I could finally talk to people! Maybe I should try and convince my parents to let me get a pet? Dog's are supposedly very good companions.