Chapter Text
I first regained my consciousness the day my brother was born.
My mother was screaming, the newborn Madara was screaming, and then I started screaming, not because of the birth, but because I dropped a kunai on my foot.
I was no longer allowed to handle sharp pointy things. It's shocking a two year old could do so in the first place, but also, my father's parenting remains slightly above subpar so I'll take it. He had initially tried to raise me as though I was his son, having me fumble my way through kata and handsigns, but unfortunately for him, he was on many levels a socially awkward bumbling fool who was utterly whipped by my mother, and so stopped somewhere around the time I started making flower crowns for the people helping around the house. He did attempt to dote on me in his own way though, I think, but I'm pretty sure he was disappointed to have a daughter in a reasonably patriarchal clan. I mean, there had literally never been a female clan head, but this was more due to the fact that there had never been a female firstborn so the elders had no idea what to do in this situation, other than wait and maybe kill me off to let a brother become clan head instead.
But anyways, back to Madara. I half held the baby in my arms (with much support from my father) and he stared up at me. If he were any older, I was certain he'd be eating my hair by now so I'll take the current floppy child. It was a bit strange to think of the wriggly little blighter Madara as the Madara Uchiha who would go nuts and defect someday when he started drooling over himself, but if you squinted enough he did look like a slightly deformed potato, which did wonders in endearing him to me.
I was unfortunately and irrevocably attached. Which naturally meant that I would have to stop him from going crazy.
I would soon learn that this was easier said than done, because apparently this child was born slightly insane.
"ANEEEEEEUEEEEEE," a fluffy haired hellion screeched as he barreled down the hall.
"Madara, I need to get to my lessons." Over the last year, I'd started learning etiquette properly, as well as begun my studies into politics and the intricacies of running a clan.
Usually the clan heirs were introduced to the material at around 5-6 considering the need to have basic combat skills first, but I'd made the bad mistake of wanting to learn the language and showing off a little with no real understanding of how quickly I should progress֫. Also, I was a girl. Which was continuing to be a bit of an uphill battle, but at least I didn't have to participate in actual battle considering my deep rooted pacifistic views. Technically women were allowed to become shinobi, it was simply preferred that they do not so that more people are available in the clan compound to work on agriculture, and the production of goods, as the clan was -for the most part- self sufficient.
And now Madara was hanging onto my leg like a stubborn limpet. I would've tried to shake him off, but also, he was one and I didn't want him to get hurt. Even if he was already better at all the shinobi stuff than I had ever been.
"Madara, aneue has lots of work to do," I gave him a faux-sharp glare, and he pouted.
"But aneE-" he screeched as I started walking with him still attached to my limb.
"My work is very, very boring. In fact, why don't you go see Himatsu-baa and she'll show you some cool fire things, ok?"
"But I want to spend time with you!"
I sighed, "how about you go see Okaa-sama? Your new sibling should be arriving very, very soon," especially considering the fact that she'd been pregnant for the better part of almost 10 months.
He huffed, got up and pouted aggressively before running off to find our mother.
I felt bad, but also, he would understand why I had to study so much when he was older. I knew that someday, we'd need to create an entire village. I'd studied anthropology, political science and international relations to a degree, but I needed to improve my knowledge of this world before I start building a democratic system. Assuming that would even be acceptable by current standards, as it looked like the closest we could get was having clan elders. Though I did vaguely remember something about a civilian council in Konoha so I'd keep my hopes up for the future.
I walked into my classroom, where elder Joraku-sama sat in perfect seiza, which I mirrored almost perfectly despite my annoyingly stubby limbs.
"Not terrible, Hime. You will continue to sit in seiza for 2 hours a day while doing your calligraphy."
"Yep."
"I believe you mean yes, Joraku-sensei."
..."Yes, Joraku-sensei."
"Better. Turn to page 394 of your history textbook, and we shall begin."
---A Few Hours Later---
I perked up at the rapid knocking at the door, pausing long enough for the ink on my brush to bleed slightly, before I hurriedly moved it away from the paper.
"You may enter," called out Joraku sensei, who was smoking a pipe of what I assume was some form of psychedelic despite the fact that he said it was an unusual blend of tea leaves.
Madara popped his head through the door. Thankfully not literally, as I had seen my father accidentally do once.
"Madara, what are you doing here?" I stared at him blankly, praying that he left quickly so he wouldn't get affected by my allegedly not doped up teacher.
"The baby is coming."
Joraku giggled, "you may leave. This is an auspicious occasion. And I ran out of seeds for my pipe."
I stand corrected, probably just your run of the mill opium addiction.
Madara stared at me cautiously, as I sighed. "Well, let's go then."
I held onto his hand, dragging him away from the fumes as he grinned up at me. I looked down at him calmly. Good, I'd gotten him out of range of the old dope man. Who knows, maybe he's our village's old dope peddler. Spreading joy wherever he goes. Every evening you will find him around our neighborhood, after all.
I couldn't hold back a slight glare at the reminder that this man was doing illicit substances in front of a child, but at least the windows were always open.
I walked quietly as Madara chattered beside me until we made it to my mother's bedside. Time for all of this again.
"His name is... Korujo."
Korujo died a month later from an infection. I cried. My mother cried. My father cried alone in the kitchen when he thought nobody would notice. Madara had no object permanence and so didn't really notice, because he was barely even one at the time.
And eleven months later, we had another sibling.
"Meet your new brother, Keisoru."
And two months later, I think my mother miscarried. I heard her distress and my father's failed attempts at comfort.
Then 14 months after the birth of Keisoru...
"What would you like to name him?"
By this point, I was getting slightly annoyed with babysitting Madara and more recently Keisoru along with all of my work while I let my mother deal with her mental health. I felt bad, but also, I had kids crying constantly. So I accidentally let out some of my irritation.
"Name him Your Mum."
"Alright, we can call him Yorumun."
I felt bad, but also, Madara had been teething on sharp things so I had few hecks to give.
And last but not least, another nine months later, it was time for the other brat I knew was coming. Madara was a happy little three year old with no life skills out of battle, and was no longer teething and slept through the night without bothering me, so I was in a better mood when I first met Izuna, the other sibling I had who wasn't going to die.
"This is Izuna, please look after him."
I had honestly expected my mother to have died after giving birth, but no, she lived. So it looked like a few fanon theories were incorrect. My mother took over looking after Keisoru, Izuna, Yorumun and Madara, as well as myself to a degree, though I had already managed to become almost independent for the most part. I still ended up the kids babysitting from time to time though, but usually it was just making sure they didnt eat dirt while I did my homework, though I would occasionally practice tea ceremonies with Madara which he seemed to love.
Somehow I had turned this kid into a fellow tea addict, and I was here for it.
Life was going pretty well, as far as I was concerned, I had four younger brothers, a gradually increasing workload from 6am kata to 8pm bedtime (I protested, but my parents insisted on a minimum of 9 hours of sleep. Little did they know I secretly read books for another hour after being put to bed, but my secrets were my own and for the good of us all, after all, it was important that I understood how to source food and jobs, as well as the history of the world, as far as we understood.
Even if Madara did insist on sneaking into my room when he wasn't playing with the boys at night, and asking me questions. I once ended up explaining what the heat-death of the universe was to a literal child, but he seemed to enjoy this as well, so I guess he was just a closet nerd with a lack of a healthy ability to feel fear or something in canon.