Tadashi made a soft noise of distress as he held the tiny humans arms length away from his body. He was five now and had been rewarded with a sibling, a little brother that shared his eyes the same eyes as their mother. Where Tadashi had the same dark hair of his father the little bundle in his hands had the same golden strands of their mother.

"Stop that" Tadashi mumbles as his brother continues to babble nonsense. The little bundle was only a few weeks old and had taken a instant liking towards his big brother.

Eiji babbles making grabby hands towards his brother who reluctantly sighs and brings the infant to his chest to cradle. He let's out a soft whimper of pain as Eiji's hands latch on to Tadashi's black hair, tugging on the strands that framed his face. "Ouch. Bad Eiji. Let go" Tadashi grumbles holding his brother with one arm as he tries to pry the infants fingers off his hair.

Laughter makes him look up to find his mother standing in the doorway. "I see that Eiji is causing trouble for you Tadashi" Akemi giggles walking towards her sons and taking the infant out of Tadashi's arms. Seeing his mother Eiji babbles and switches his grip from Tadashi's hair to his mothers.

The kid had a thing for hair apparently.

||

Tadashi yawns as he stumbles down the hallway towards the kitchen. He had spent close to a hour luring his now five month old baby brother to sleep before he himself passed out from exhaustion. Ever since his brother was born Tadashi rotated between babysitting Eiji and helping his mother. Since his father was a Ninja he was on frequent missions that typically lasted a few days. Tadashi didn't mind really since he kept track of how his father was doing by watching the soul wounds that appeared on his mother. He had been doing it since he was a child watching the wounds appear on his parents with fascination.

Tadashi didn't feel anything through the soul bound he supposedly had with his soulmate, which meant that his soulmate wasn't born yet or didn't get hurt. He felt sorry for his soulmate though, with the amount of times his hair had been pulled by Eiji; he honestly wouldn't be surprised if his soulmate had constant headaches. After all it was only phantom pains until you met your soulmate, then it was physical soul wounds.

Tadashi grunts as he walks into the kitchen door. He was so distracted by his thoughts that he forgot to watch where he was walking. Grumbling the five year old rubs his forehead opening the door as quietly as possible, his brother and mother where asleep after all. In a half wake state Tadashi poors himself a glass of water. He was about to drink when his entire body freezes as a massive amount of chakra is suddenly released.

The glass falls from his hand and shatters on the ground.

That chakra it was so powerful! It was like a weight was in the air pushing against him, trying to force him to the ground. It was such a powerful force that Tadashi forgot to breathe. Then the explosion happened and then screaming and the panic.

Eiji!

His urgency to protect his brother somehow gives Tadashi the strength to move. He stumbles forward his breath coming out in pants. He was leaning heavily against the wall using it to keep himself up as he stumbles towards Eiji's room. "T-Tadashi" a strangled voice calls to him and his head turns to find his mother leaning against her bedroom door. "Mother..." Tadashi mumbles reaching out to her, practically falling against her once his fingers got ahold of her nightgown. "Wha...is this?" It was hard to speak, like his tongue was to big for his mouth.

"It's killing intent..." Akemi could talk easier than her eldest son but she was struggling just as much as Tadashi. "It's so strong....it's...it's pure.."

Hatred. Evil. It was the chakra of a monster.

Together mother and son stumble down the walkway to the youngest of the Yamamoto family. Once they got inside panic grips Tadashi's heart at the tiny unmoving form lying in the crib. His mother let's out a cry of terror and is at Eiji's crib in seconds pulling the infant to her chest and whispering to the young boy. At the sound of his mothers voice Eiji let's out a wail and big crocodile tears poor down his small face. Tadashi sighs in relief knowing his brother was alright and stumble to his mothers side. The family stay huddled in the room, curdled up against each other as what sounded like a war raged on outside.

When the chakra presence suddenly disappears Tadashi found himself coughing at the sudden difference in the air. His mother rubs his back as she too pants from the sudden diffrence. It wasn't long after that did Dai find them, rushing in a panic. Almost instantly he had his family in his arms tears forming in his eyes. They where safe, his wife and children where safe.

"What happened?" Akemi asked letting Dai help her to stand, Eiji still cradled to her chest. The infant was still crying Tadashi used to find the sound annoying now it was reassuring. It proved that Eiji was alive.

"The Kyuubi......Lord Hokage..." Dai says his eyes closing as his breath hitches. "The Hokage is dead".

||

It took a while for the village to recover after the Kyuubi attack but eventually everyone recovered and moved on. Tadashi had felt so scared that night, the terror that had gripped his heart that night. The sight of his brother laying motionless. Tadashi never wanted to feel that again so he decided he wanted to be a ninja like his father, that way he could protect Eiji. He wondered if his soulmate felt the fear he felt then. He was starting to think that he didn't have one considering he felt no phantom pains.

"Tadashi!"

Tadashi stops walking as a small force crashes into his legs. Looking down he finds his now five year old brother clinging to his waist, staring up at him with wide eyes. "Do you have to go?" Eiji wines staring up at Tadashi with Tadashi's eyes. The now nine year old sighs softly before crouching down to Eiji's height. This was a regular thing for the brothers, Tadashi would leave to go to the academy and Eiji would try and stop him from leaving. The toddler could be rather dramatic when he wanted something.

"Eiji, we go through this most days. I have to go to the academy if I want to be a ninja" Tadashi had tried to sneak out his house without his brother noticing but the little brat had been waiting at the door to ambush him.

"Why?"

"To get strong"

"Why?"

"So I can protect the village"

"Why?"

Tadashi could feel his eye twitch. "Because protecting the village is the best way for me to protect you, and Mother and Father"

His little brother thinks before nodding and letting go of Tadashi. "Fine..." The young Yamamoto mumbles stepping back from his brother. Tadashi chuckles softly and ruffles Eiji's hair before he starts running towards the academy.

Later that night during dinner with his family was when Tadashi felt the first phantom pain coming from his soul mate. It was unexpected, one second he was about to bite into a bit of meat the next he was on the floor screaming.

Pain was exploding from his forehead, his hands where clawing at the spot the pain was coming from. He was faintly aware of his father pinning his hands down and his mother cradling his head. He could hear the panicked cries of Eiji as the young toddler watched his older brother screaming in pain. The pain didn't last long probably only a few seconds but to Tadashi it felt like hours. Just what exactly happened to his soulmate?

"Tadashi?" Akemi asks brushing his shoulder length hair out his eyes. Tadashi pants looking up at his mother's worried face. "Mum..." The eldest son mumbles his mind foggy from the pain. For years he had gone without feeling any pain from his soulmate to suddenly feeling this intense pain on his forehead. "I'm here" his mother says leaning down and kissing his forehead. His father let's his hands go and the next second Eiji was crying into his chest.

"I'm okay...it was my soulmate's pain..."