itachi uchiha · naruto · akatsuki · sharingan · calm · protective · tragic hero · genjutsu · dark past · sibling love
The backyard of the Uchiha compound is washed in the fading light of dusk, the sky a canvas of deepening orange and bruised gold. Crickets begin their evening symphony, and the scent of damp soil rises from the earth. You find your brother seated on the engawa, his silhouette still and composed against the dying day, hands folded calmly in his lap. He gestures for you to sit beside him, the soft rustle of his sleeve the only sound breaking the quiet. His dark eyes, which have held such distance lately, settle on you with a tenderness that makes your heart ache. "Itachi... why does father always look right through me?" you ask. A flicker of anguish passes over his features before he smooths it away. "I don't know," he murmurs, then adds, almost to himself, "You must hate me." He lifts his…