Itachi

Itachi Uchiha had absolutely no expectation of getting a second chance. He knew his days were numbered long before the final battle with Sasuke. The disease was slowly taking its toll, increasing the number and duration of the attacks. Itachi was practically blind. But he didn't care much about any of that. He thought he deserved it all. The only thing that warmed his soul was the hope of Ototo's return to Konoha. Itachi saw Naruto's determination to help his younger brother and trusted him to protect Sasuke and the village, handing him a raven with Shisui's eye. His last conversation with Ototo after the battle with Kabuto gave him faith that Ototo would finally let go of his hatred and be able to live a happy life, for that was the only thing Itachi wished for.

When Itachi saw the light of day after the destruction of Edo-Tensei, he thought that someone had decided to use the unholy resurrection technique again, but other events disproved that assumption. Uchiha realised he had become an infant, and the white walls led him to believe he was in a hospital. Itachi was very surprised by this turn of events. He had heard of the theory of reincarnation, but it said nothing about the possibility of retaining memories of past lives. Another fact that puzzled him was the unfamiliar language. Even if he had come back to life again, why did people speak differently?

The Uchiha was taken to his room, and when the doctor left, he tried to look around but saw only babies and nothing to explain the situation. When his gut feeling passed five hours, the same doctor entered the room again with an infant in his arms. Itachi looked closer at him since he had nothing better to do anyway. The baby turned first to one side and then turned towards the Uchiha. Itachi's heart gave a little bit of a twinge. It was a replica of his little brother! The kid opened his eyes in surprise and tried to say something, but his lack of teeth made it difficult. Itachi could see that the kid was deliberately trying to say a word. Finally, the child uttered a nii. Itachi felt over the moon. It was his photo! They were together! The only thing that confused him was how he would take the fact that they were in babies' bodies in an unfamiliar place. But a toothless smile showed him that there was nothing to worry about. Sasuke was perfectly aware of everything, but it didn't make him uneasy. Deciding to question everything later, he tried to say too, but only the letter o came out. Sasuke sent him another smile, and Itachi felt a solid urge to flick him on the forehead. Watching his brother, Uchiha didn't notice how he fell asleep.

The following two years were the quietest of Itachi's life. It might have been the same when he was a toddler, but he had only a few memories of that time. At four years old, he had his first encounter with war, and at five, Nine-tailed had broken free, and a spiral of suspicion and distrust of his clan had begun to unfold. The people of Konoha thought they were responsible for what had happened, though they rarely stated it to their faces. Itachi's life was never peaceful or carefree again. Now he was given a second chance to live peacefully and quietly and enjoyed it. He and Sasuke were learning to crawl, talk, and walk again. Although being so helpless was stressful for the shinobi, he tried not to overdo it. They had plenty of time and were still waiting for them to make immediate progress. It was a refreshing feeling. In the clan, Itachi was constantly being asked to try harder, to do more, and to train harder. Now he was only required to eat his dinner completely and not wake Azumi up at night. Elementary tasks. The only thing that frustrated him was being unable to talk to Sasuke, so they both practised, trying not to draw too much attention to their behaviour. Eventually, it took a year for them to be able to talk at all.

That was when Itachi was finally able to question his brother.

- Ototo, do you know why we returned to life as infants in the new world? And why do we remember everything? I can see that you are not surprised by this situation," Itachi asked.

Sasuke hesitated, obviously choosing his words.

- When the Resurrection Technique had dissolved, I decided to resurrect the past Hokages and question them about everything. I was confused and didn't know what to do. On the one hand, you wanted to protect Konoha; on the other, the village leadership ordered the clan's destruction. Not a few coup instigators, but all of them, including the women and children... I didn't understand why you wanted to protect the villagers there. They blamed us for the Nine-tailed attack, whispered behind their backs, and rejoiced that we had been evicted to the outskirts. You saved them, but they despised you... I, however, was no better...

- I made my own decision and was aware of the consequences," Itachi said soothingly.

- I know! - Sasuke growled with a half-toothed mouth, "It's just... I know that when you made the decision, one of the reasons was to protect me. And don't tell me you could kill me! I don't believe that for a second!

Itachi faltered. It was true. No matter what danger threatened the village, his younger brother always came first. If Danzo hadn't agreed to leave Sasuke alone, he wouldn't hesitate to use the dirt he'd gathered on him and the elders. Sasuke continued:

- Anyway, when I talked to the former Hokage, I realised you wanted to protect and joined Naruto. We had already won when, out of the blue, Kaguya appeared on the battlefield.

- Goddess Rabbit?!

Sasuke laughed. It was the first time he'd ever seen Itachi lose his poker face like that.

- Yeah. Turns out that Zetsu, who you remember was helping Madara with his plan, wanted to free her from the start. Naruto and I managed to defeat her during the battle, but I was mortally wounded. I thought I would die and finally be able to talk to you, but suddenly Rikudo appeared and...

- Rikudo too?!

Itachi's eye began to twitch.

- He told me that in return for helping me defeat Kaguya," Sasuke continued as if nothing had happened, "he could send me to the other world, keep my memories and grant me one wish. I wanted you to be here with me so that you could remember too. That's how we ended up here.

- If you could wish for anything, why did you choose me? - Itachi asked quietly, "You could have chosen, for example, your parents, or you could have wished to keep the Sharingan...

- Silly nii-san," Sasuke shook his head.

The younger brother approached, the older one and flicked him on the forehead.

- You are far more important to me than any dojutsu. I chose you to allow you to live a quiet life. A life where you don't have to fight and take responsibility for many people from childhood. A life where you decide what you want to do. As for your parents, it's not worth disturbing their peace.

They sat in silence for a few minutes. Before, the memory of his parents had been harrowing. Often he dreamt about killing them. Itachi never slept again afterwards, constantly making him have bags under his eyes.

- You know, Sasuke, I have a memory problem. Things that used to be important to me are losing their meaning. Is something like that happening to you?

- Yeah, that's Rikudo's job. He said I could get a second chance but promised to keep the memories. That's his way of helping us start a new life.

Itachi smiled. He was glad that Sasuke had decided to help the village after all, even though he was saddened by the outcome. Now thanks to him, the brothers could start a new life, and Itachi wasn't about to lose that chance. His beloved Ototo was with him again, which meant things would get better. Itachi was the youngest captain of the NSAU for a reason, wasn't he?

After Itachi's first magical outburst, the brothers learned the new energy. Once they had managed to learn how to change the colour of objects around them, Itachi suggested that Otto show his abilities to Azumi. He wanted to know how children with magical powers develop. The twins already knew that they would receive further training at Hogwarts School, but Itachi wondered if the children were being tutored at home before that. In the clan, the movement began at the age of four. By the time they entered the Academy, the children already possessed a certain amount of knowledge, which allowed Itachi to graduate much earlier. It was clear from Azumi's exclamations that they should have started doing their first magic by age four and that conscious, controlled use of it before Hogwarts was only a dream. Apparently, this was due to a child's perception of the world and the very nature of the new energy. Unlike chakra, the use of which had to be studied hard, even for such a simple task as sticking a leaf to one's forehead, magic could act independently, obeying only the wizard's will. And while judging by Azumi's actions, a stick was necessary for the more severe charms; this made it advantageously different from chakra, for the child could instinctively use it for protection in case of danger. Another difference was the need for the chakra's focus and the channels through which it moved. In their place, the Uchi had a magical core that beat like a heart and was located in the chest. Magical outbursts, the brothers discovered, were due to the children growing up, and with them, the core, which underwent changes and strong emotions, caused it to "emit" magic. The difficulty in learning to control magic was that it required not only concentration but also a strong emotional message. Children could not concentrate on something for a long time but could desire it very much, which led to magical outbursts. Of course, conscious and controlled use of it came so late was negative, but in Itachi's opinion, many child deaths could have been avoided if only eleven had been taught how to use the chakra.

As the days passed, Itachi became quite comfortable in his new surroundings. The war within Magical Enlightenment was tense for the Robinsons. Still, they knew they could leave for another country if necessary, and their new mother did not intend to drag the Robinsons into it. The brothers were initially amazed; in their home country, their children had been trained to fight and defend their country from childhood. Fugaku had no idea that his children would be anything other than shinobi. Itachi and Sasuke's new mother had a different point of view and believed that children should not fight in any way. Voldemort's death took the burden off Itachi's shoulders, for he did not want to be involved in another war (judging by her nature, it could affect his new family), and his conscience would not allow him to stay away.

Thus was the peaceful life of the brothers when they were informed of Azumi's death. This death reminded them of the shortness of life, which significantly threw Itachi off balance, but Sasuke's presence helped him come to his senses.

The brothers were sent to an orphanage. They quickly garnered the staff's affection due to their good looks and the compliments they "casually" said to the team. Soon all the orphanage staff were enamoured of them, and the brothers switched to children. Itachi and Sasuke also gained prestige among their peers due to their intelligence and cleverness, and soon the little ones followed them around. As they grew older, Itachi began to teach them how to read. Sasuke, though he showed reluctance to interact with the little ones, one incident made him change his mind.

The orphanage had its own group of bullies, and one of them, a nine-year-old boy named Jim, often picked on those younger and weaker than him. One day, one of his students named Max didn't show up for a class with Itachi, and he asked Sasuke to look for him, as Max's roommates said he was healthy. Heading to Max's room, Sasuke noticed Jim threatening to beat the kid up if he didn't give him his brownie. With a swift punch, Sasuke forced Jim back against the opposite wall and threatened that he wouldn't stop at one bruise if the incident happened again. Admiring Sasuke's strength, Max asked him to train him. They were soon joined by a few more guys. Thus Sasuke formed his own group of students. After breakfast, Sasuke would hold a class with them and then practice with his brother. Itachi couldn't hold back a smile as he watched the kids run after his photo, and he wrinkled his nose in frustration, though it was evident that such admiration flattered him. The brothers had to conduct their lessons with magic while everyone was still awake so no one would see anything. As for wizarding school, they decided to ask about the possibility of studying by correspondence since they did not know what subjects would be at Hogwarts and did not want to lose the opportunity to settle down in the non-wizarding world.

Severus Snape appeared on the orphanage's doorstep one summer before the brothers' seventh birthday. The brothers were really looking forward to meeting their new father, and they looked him over with curiosity. Snape was a man in his mid-twenties; his hair and eyes were black like all members of the Uchiha clan, which made Itachi feel guilty and nostalgic. As he looked at his brother, he realised that Sasuke had also noticed the resemblance, and his whole gaze said that he wanted to talk to the man and see if there were any other similarities to their clan members. As Snape approached them, Itachi noted that his skin was yellowish, most likely from lack of light, and there were circles under his eyes. He looked like someone who had been through a lot, which had hardened his character and made him relatively private.

Further interaction confirmed Itachi's opinion. Severus Snape was strict, demanding and sarcastic. He did not tolerate disobedience or disrespect. His spy career had left its mark on him. He was naturally reserved and not talkative; he became closed off due to his life experience, and his movements when entering unfamiliar surroundings betrayed combat training. At the same time, his brothers could see that he genuinely cared about them and wanted to take care of them. His behaviour was so similar to Uchiha's that, at times, the brothers felt a sense of deja vu. His sense of kinship helped the twins quickly develop a liking for him and fall in love with him as their father. Realising that being a double agent was not conducive to trust and openness, Itachi agreed with Sasuke to wait until he was ready to tell them about his spy activities and not press him with questions.

The squabble between the Slytherins and the Gryffendors, spilling out into a confrontation between Muggleborns and members of the ancient clans, reminded the brothers of the situation with clansmen and clanless shinobi. Talking to the Malfoys confirmed their opinion. They turned out to be quite lovely people, by the way, and they even managed to become friends with Draco afterwards, though they had to make him reconsider his views, and their first meeting was the impetus for that.

- My name is Draco Malfoy," the boy said gravely, which, given his age, looked a little funny.

- Nice to meet you, Heir Malfoy," the brothers replied.

- Why didn't Uncle Sev, I mean Severus," the boy corrected himself embarrassed, "say anything about you?

- He just didn't know about us. Our mother didn't tell him, and she died two and a half years after we were born," Itachi answered.

- Where did you live then?

- In a Muggle orphanage," Sasuke answered.

- You lived with those plebs? It's not worthy of wizards," the boy corrected quickly, clearly afraid of losing his new friends.

- Hmm. Why do you think so? - Itachi asked.

- 'Daddy says they are inferior to wizards because we can do magic.

- Pfft. But they have the technology, like computers, planes and telephones.

- And what is that? - Draco asked in surprise.

Sasuke explained to the boy the meaning of the new words and added:

- And then there are more of them with military technology. They can, for example, drop huge bombs from the air - these are things that create a big explosion, and after some of them, like atomic or chemical, you can't live in the places they drop for a long time unless you want to die, of course.

Draco's eyes rounded in amazement. The boys told him at length about the new Muggle technology, and he told them about the magical world. When Draco got to the point of talking about Quidditch and his favourite teams, the adults returned, and the children had to go home. The next day, the brothers enjoyed flying with Malfoy on the children's brooms. Seeing their speed and agility, Draco wondered how the twins managed to achieve this, and they shared their set of exercises with their new friend.

In the evening, the returning father, whom the brothers did not immediately recognise due to his changed appearance, told them their great-grandfather wanted to meet them. Sasuke and Itachi were surprised that he was still alive since not many shinobi lived to be thirty-five, people over forty were rare, and most of them sat on the council of elders. Severus explained that in the magical world, health and longevity depended, for the most part, on magical potential, and the reserve of a supernatural lord could not, by definition, be small, for he had to endure generic magic. The brothers were interested in this aspect of magic, and they decided to investigate the matter further in the future.

The meeting with the great-grandfather went very well. He, too, had Uchiha looks and personality, and his stories interested the children. Their hearts sank when Sasuke and Itachi learned that there was also the Uchiha clan in this world. Would they really find their relatives in this world? The news of the death of the last head of the line brought them down to earth, but they decided not to be upset as they now had a family, even if it was only four people.

Their conversation earlier that evening about the Sharingan was not unexpected. They had run through several scenarios beforehand about how and what they would tell, so they quietly talked about some of the specifics of their kekkei genii. The brothers had decided not to speak about Mangekyo for the time being because they had only recently been able to turn it on for the first time in their new lives and, afterwards, had been lying around all day with exhaustion. Good thing it was a day off, and the caretakers at the orphanage were too busy, so they ignored their absence.

The news that they were moving into Prince Manor didn't take Itachi by surprise. They were surprised that their father's house was in such an unsightly place while their great-grandfather lived in the manor. The brothers assumed that their grandmother Eileen had fought with their father and left home, and now the great-grandfather was trying to mend fences. Itachi had two explanations for why it was now that Arnold Prince remembered his grandson. First, Lord Prince may have had other heirs, Eileen's brothers or sisters who had recently died childless, and now their great-grandfather had turned to the only remaining family. The second option is that the great-grandfather found out that his grandson had sons and he had no other male heirs besides them, so he called them to "see" them to see if they were worthy of the title and inheritance. However, with the second option, a question arose, how did the great-grandfather know of their existence because his father said that he had been informed about it only in the morning. The brothers were curious about their great-grandfather and looked forward to meeting him.

They liked Arnold Prince. He seemed to see right through you the first time they met, which made people lose track of him, and he wanted to end the conversation as quickly as possible, but this did not frighten the twins. The Uchiha, with his invariably expressionless face and piercing gaze, was often the setting for various horror stories, so the brothers endured his eye. The Lord Prince was pleased and began to question them vividly about their hobbies. Itachi was very interested in his enchanted paintings. Izumi had introduced him to painting in his previous life. He even took a couple of lessons from her back then, thinking that he could have been an artist if he had been born into a simple family, though soon after that, he passed his chunin exams and no longer had time to paint. Now he wanted to fill the gap and fulfil his dream.

On the other hand, Sasuke was interested in the menagerie, namely the hippogriff. He wanted to ride it and told his father about it in the evening. Noticing his reaction to Ototo's "puppy dog eyes", Itachi almost laughed. He couldn't say no to his brother when he looked at him like that.

After the great-grandchildren had moved to Prince Manor, Arnold had taken on the task of educating them and hiring teachers. They now attended Muggle school in the mornings, and in the afternoons, they studied Etiquette and the History of the Wizarding World and then the basics of the magical sciences. Their father taught them potions, and the brothers quickly fell in love with this science. In the evening, they would do physical exercises and then move on to their homework. The brothers enjoyed learning something new, although being surrounded by little kids at school did depress Sasuke. "The Great Avenger" was annoyed that, unlike their father, great-grandfather or Malfoys, the teachers treated them as clueless children, so after enduring a year, the twins decided to take their exams for first and second grade at once. The teachers were somewhat shocked but complied with their request. Of course, the brothers answered all the questions correctly. The children were immediately labelled geniuses and offered to try to pass the third-grade exams at once, but the Princes refused. After talking to their father and great-grandfather, they decided that they had had enough attention and switched to homeschooling, appearing in school only once a year to pass the examinations for two classes. It was agreed that when the children went off to Hogwarts when they returned home, they would continue their Muggle studies by correspondence and come to take their exams.

Continuing their physical training, the twins joined Draco and later their father. Severus was initially reluctant, but his grandfather supported the children, saying that with him being in the lab or the dungeons all the time, he just needed the occasional distraction, getting out into the fresh air and exercising.

So four years passed. Itachi and Sasuke's eleventh birthday and their entry into Hogwarts were approaching.