Let's Fix This

As Blunt As a Hammer

"So, what did you do with Naomi these last weeks?" Shisui asked popping down next to him.

"We sparred. She's good." Itachi decided to tell him about their Sharingan awakenings only when they were away from prying ears of the clan. He didn't want Naomi to be treated like another prodigy to be sent for early graduation.

"Yeah. She is too hard on herself while training, though." her brother said.

"What goal is she working towards?"

Shisui held a long suffering sigh. " She wants to conquer Kumo."

Itachi tried to digest that. "Why?" He asked after a minute of silence.

"Well, you know tou-chan died of heart block, right? And Kamiwari now kuni is known for medicines to treat that. We couldn't get those because of the war. Now she's angry that tou-chan could be alive and he isn't. She's trying to lash out." He sighed. "She used to be such a happy kid before that, you know."

The next day Itachi sought out Naomi while she was training.

"Shisui told me you wish to conquer Kumo." He said.

She turned sharply towards him, halting her kata. "You think I can't do it?"

"You could, but why do you want to? There would be long war and lots of deaths because of it."

"There's always war."

"There doesn't have to be." he said softly.

"What do you mean?" She looked confused.

Itachi had never revealed his dream to anyone, but felt it was the right thing to do at the moment. "I wish to stop all wars. That is my dream, to become Hokage and bring peace to the Elemental Nations."

He waited for her to scoff and ridicule his dream. She studied him for a long time as if this was the first time she was truly seeing him.

"You have to be good at diplomacy and making friends to do that. I can easily say that you are crap at it." she proclaimed.

This was not the reaction Itachi had expected. He frowned at her.

"From what I've seen, you are not very good at it either." he shot back childishly.

"Oh! I'm plenty good at making friends. I just find you annoying."

Itachi took a deep breath and refrained from sticking his tongue out at her. "Why do you find me annoying."

"Because you look down on me."

"I don't.."

"You do. You're only a year older than me and you just pop up claiming to take care of me, even when nii-san just told you to check up on me. It's like you think everyone else is inferior to you or something. It's not your fault really, you've been told all your life how brilliant you you are, that you are a prodigy. Well, guess what, no matter how brilliant you are there would always be someone who is better than you at something. You're not some kami-chosen messiah who has come to give salvation to us lesser beings. You're just a kid."

Itachi stood stunned followed her tirade. He mentally recalled his behavior with his classmates and Naomi, and winced.

"You're right. I've been acting condenscendingly towards you. I don't have any excuse. Please forgive me." He bowed at ninety degrees, showing his shame.

"I don't really like these formalities, so... Just stand up, allright?" Naomi replied, sounding flustered. "And don't worry about learning diplomacy for after you make Hokage. You can make me your chief diplomat, I'll take care of everything."

Itachi straightened up. "I don't know. I wouldn't want to start the fourth shinobi war."

Naomi snorted. " So, you do have a sense of humor, somewhere deep, deep, deep down. Good to know. As your friend, I have the responsibility of preventing it from dieing a premature death."

Itachi didn't know when during their conversation he had made friends with Naomi. He didn't mind though.