Prodigy's Burden

The kunai hit the target with a satisfying thunk, dead center. Again. I sighed, running a hand through my hair. This whole "maintaining a normal profile" thing was turning out to be a lot harder than I'd anticipated.

"Excellent shot, Kiba-kun!" Iruka beamed. "Your accuracy is improving rapidly."

I forced a grin, scratching Akamaru behind the ears. "Thanks, sensei. Just lucky, I guess."

Lucky. Right. More like the result of countless hours of secret training and the muscle memory of an adult mind trapped in a kid's body. But hey, who's counting?

As we headed back inside, I caught snippets of whispered conversations.

"Did you see that? He never misses." "I heard he's already mastered advanced clan techniques." "No way a normal kid is that good."

I hunched my shoulders, trying to make myself smaller. So much for blending in. At this rate, I'd have ANBU tailing me before I hit puberty.

The pressure was coming from all sides. The clan elders watched my every move, hungry for the next prodigy to boost the Inuzuka name. My classmates alternated between awe and resentment. And Tsume... well, let's just say her idea of "encouragement" involved a lot of surprise attacks and impromptu training sessions.

Something had to give.

That afternoon, deep in the forest behind the Inuzuka compound, I faced my greatest challenge yet.

"Okay, Akamaru," I said, kneeling down to eye level with my furry partner. "We're gonna try something new today. Remember how I can make clones of myself? Well, you're gonna learn to make a clone of me too."

Akamaru cocked his head, ears perked in curiosity.

I took a deep breath, channeling chakra to my hands. "It's all about visualization, boy. Feel my chakra, picture my form, and then..." With a puff of smoke, an exact replica of Akamaru appeared beside me. "Like this!"

For the next hour, we practiced. Akamaru's first attempts were... interesting. A blob vaguely shaped like me. A perfect clone, but only from the waist up. A replica that looked great but smelled like wet dog.

Finally, with a determined bark, Akamaru gave it one last shot. The smoke cleared, and I found myself staring at... well, me.

"Holy shit," I breathed. "You did it, boy!"

Akamaru-me grinned, then with a pop, turned back into a very pleased-looking ninken.

As we headed home, covered in dirt and chakra exhaustion, I made a decision. The facade had to drop, at least a little. I couldn't keep pretending to be average when every instinct, every fiber of my being, was pushing me to excel. It was time to let the prodigy shine through, consequences be damned.

Of course, the universe has a way of testing your resolve at the worst possible moments.

We were cutting through the market when I saw him. Tall, imposing, with stress lines etched deep into his young face. Itachi Uchiha.

My heart nearly stopped. This was the man – no, still practically a boy – who would slaughter his entire clan. Who would traumatize Sasuke for life. Who would set in motion a chain of events that would shape the entire ninja world.

And he looked... tired. So, so tired.

Before I could stop myself, I was moving towards him. Akamaru whined in confusion, but followed.

"Excuse me," I said, my voice surprisingly steady. "You're Sasuke's brother, right?"

Itachi turned, his dark eyes finding mine. For a moment, I forgot how to breathe. The weight of his gaze was palpable, years of pain and secrets and terrible burdens reflected in those obsidian depths.

"I am," he said softly. "And you're the Inuzuka prodigy I've heard about. Kiba, isn't it?"

I nodded, suddenly unsure of what to say. What could I say? 'Hey, please don't murder your family'? 'Have you considered therapy instead of genocide'?

In the end, I went with something simpler. "Sasuke talks about you a lot. He really looks up to you."

Edgy boy is a fan, eh?

Anyways, something flickered in Itachi's eyes. Pain? Regret? It was gone too quickly to tell.

"I see," he murmured. "And what do you think of my foolish little brother?"

I swallowed hard. This was it. My chance to maybe, just maybe, change things.

"I think..." I chose my words carefully. "I think he's lucky. To have someone he cares about so much. Bonds like that... they're more important than any power or skill, you know?"

Itachi's eyes widened fractionally. For a long moment, he just stared at me, as if trying to see into my soul.

Then, to my utter shock, he smiled. It was small, barely there, but genuine. "You're very wise for your age, Kiba-kun. I hope you and Sasuke remain friends for a long time."

With a final nod, he was gone, melting into the crowd like a shadow.

I stood there, heart pounding, wondering if I'd just changed everything or nothing at all.

.....

....

...

That night, the nightmares came. I saw Sasuke, older, consumed by hatred and revenge. I saw Naruto, alone and scorned. I saw Konoha in flames, the Akatsuki rising, a moon turned red with the Infinite Tsukuyomi.

We failed.

I failed.

And through it all, a voice whispered: "You can't save them. You'll only make things worse."

I woke up gasping, drenched in sweat. Akamaru whined, pressing his warm body against mine.