big brother shina: reborn in the Uchiha clan

It started as a normal day in the Uchiha compound. Shina was sprawled out in the shade of a tree, lazily flipping through an old book on ninjutsu. Itachi, ever the diligent little brother, was practicing nearby, his shuriken whizzing through the air with pinpoint accuracy.

"You know, Itachi," Shina said without looking up, "you're going to scare off all the sparring partners if you keep being perfect."

Itachi paused mid-throw and glanced at him. "Perfection is the goal, isn't it?"

Shina chuckled. "Not when it makes you predictable. The trick is to make people think they know what you'll do... and then do the opposite."

Before Itachi could respond, a commotion erupted at the edge of the compound. A group of rogue shinobi had slipped past the guards, their intent clear—they were after one of the Uchiha's prized scrolls.

"Shina!" Fugaku's voice boomed across the compound as he and other clan members rushed to the scene. "Protect your brother and stay out of the way!"

Shina sighed, closing his book. "Stay out of the way, huh? Classic Dad."

Itachi tugged at his sleeve. "Shina-nii, shouldn't we help?"

Shina stood, stretching lazily. "Help? Sure. But not before they make a mess. Can't steal the spotlight too early, right?"

---

By the time Shina and Itachi arrived at the scene, the rogues had already overpowered a few guards and were heading straight for the main hall. Fugaku and the other adults were preoccupied, battling the stronger members of the group, leaving the two brothers face-to-face with one of the intruders.

The rogue sneered. "Well, what do we have here? A couple of kids? This'll be easy."

Shina yawned. "Yeah, yeah, let's get this over with."

The rogue lunged at them, kunai in hand, but before he could get close, Shina moved.

It happened in an instant. One second, Shina was standing casually with his hands in his pockets. The next, the rogue was on the ground, immobilized by a genjutsu so powerful that even Itachi's Sharingan hadn't seen it coming.

Itachi stared, wide-eyed. "What... what did you do?"

Shina smirked. "A little trick I picked up from all those naps. Turns out, if you spend enough time doing nothing, you get really good at catching people off guard."

The rogue trembled on the ground, mumbling incoherently. The genjutsu had been so vivid and overwhelming that his will to fight had evaporated completely.

By the time the other Uchiha arrived, the battle was already over. Fugaku took one look at the unconscious rogue at Shina's feet and frowned.

"Shina... did you do this?" he asked, suspicion lacing his tone.

Shina scratched his head. "What can I say, Dad? Even a slacker like me has his moments."

Fugaku stared at him for a long moment, then sighed. "You're insufferable."

---

That night, Itachi approached Shina while he was back in his usual spot under the tree.

"Shina-nii," Itachi began, sitting beside him, "you're stronger than you let on. Why don't you take training more seriously?"

Shina looked up at the stars, his expression unusually thoughtful. "Because strength isn't everything, Itachi. If you rely on it too much, you forget why you're fighting in the first place."

Itachi tilted his head. "And why do you fight?"

Shina ruffled his little brother's hair. "To protect what matters most. Like you."

For the first time, Itachi saw his older brother in a new light—not as the lazy genius, but as someone who truly understood the weight of power.