Chapter 67 – A Brother's Weight
The night in Konoha was quiet. Lanterns flickered faintly, painting the streets in warm orange as Akira walked alone toward his home. His steps were light—almost bouncing.
I'm going to be a big brother.
The thought filled him with a joy he hadn't felt in years. His heart swelled as he pictured a small child with Mikoto's gentle smile or Fugaku's stern eyes tugging at his sleeve. The idea of someone looking up to him, relying on him—it made his chest tighten with warmth.
Akira flopped onto his bed but couldn't sleep. He turned, stared at the ceiling, and let the thought roll again and again in his mind.
Tomorrow… Itachi will be born.
But then—like a shadow crossing the moon—his joy faltered. His Byakugan dimmed as dark memories of the story he once knew bled into the present.
Itachi, a prodigy burdened too soon.
Itachi, forced into an impossible choice—village or clan.
Itachi, who should have been a hero, but became a ghost.
And Sasuke, his own brother, burning with hatred until their final clash, where Itachi fell with a smile of regret and love.
Akira clenched his fists. The warmth of becoming a brother was drowned by a cold, suffocating dread.
Not this time. Not in this world. I won't let him carry that weight alone.
His golden Byakugan glowed faintly in the dark room, reflecting the turmoil inside him. He whispered into the night, voice steady despite the ache in his chest.
"Itachi… Sasuke… your story won't end in blood and regret. Not while I'm here."
Sleep finally came to him, not with peace, but with a heavy promise—an oath carved into his very soul.
Tomorrow, joy would bloom. But Akira knew that beneath it, a storm waited.