Marriage

Their wedding was a simple affair, tasteful but mainly restricted to family and friends. Itachi, never one to enjoy spectacle and excess, found himself pleasantly surprised.

So, naturally, his foolish little brother had to try and ruin everything. He disapproved of Itachi's ways, or rather, the changes brought about in Naruko because of him. Sasuke preferred, it seemed, loud, brash, and masculine-looking women. Itachi dreaded to think of his future sister-in-law.

"This fruit has been ripe for a long time, brother. If you disapprove it so, perhaps, you should have plucked her yourself."

And there it was, all Itachi had to say. Because Sasuke was given every chance, every opportunity one could reasonably expect to claim this beautiful prize for himself. He'd had the famed Uzumaki heiress, attractive, lonely, and available, assigned to the same team as himself for many, many years...

...and yet did nothing.

It seriously made Itachi question if his little brother was even a man at all. Not as a matter of desire, naturally. Sasuke obviously lusted for her, it was plain in his face, but as a question of, and here Itachi regretted even having such crude thoughts, not 'having the balls' to take the girl before someone else swept her off her feet.

'And tonight,' Itachi smirked to himself in thought. 'I'll be plucking that fruit.'