"Dammit!" The brunette snapped, cradling his now limp arm. "Why can't I get it right!?"
"You'll get there, Sasuke." His teacher said calmly. The boy scowled, his frustration obvious.
"I don't want to just get there! I need to be there, now!" He kicked the ground and swore again, his anger at his current situation not helped at all by the fact that his arm was most likely broken and causing the lone Uchiha survivor far more pain than he would show. He glared at his sensei through dark eyes, surrounded by equally dark circles, a clear display of the boy's lack of sleep.
Kakashi sighed. "You won't go anywhere without patience, Sasuke. A ninja waits, and strikes when the time is right."
"I won't be ready when the time is right at this rate!" Sasuke insisted, voice rising slightly. Something about Kakashi had always infuriated him. The calm demeanor that, despite his greatest efforts, Sasuke could never seem to achieve only grated on his nerves all the worse. There was a pause; the two only stared at each other, black on grey, eyes met. One pair defiant and determined and the other baring a seemingly endless well of patience.
"..I think we're done for today." Kakashi said finally. Sasuke's jaw dropped ever-so-slightly, before he could catch himself and stop the show of obvious emotion.
"What?! No! We don't have time for that, it's barely evening!" The Uchiha snapped in reply. Kakashi nodded.
"True, but you're obviously in no condition for training today." He explained, approaching the boy calmly and taking hold of his arm.
"I'm fine, Kakashi-sensei!" Sasuke snapped, attempting to withdraw the damaged limb from Kakashi's hold. Kakashi's eyes lost their soft and patient demeanor for a moment, and it was replaced with a harsh look as he tightened his grip on the tender flesh, causing the younger boy to give a small cry of pain, before biting down hard on his lip to stop himself.
"Hm, that didn't seem like a sound that someone who's fine makes." Kakashi pointed out. Sasuke glared in response, cursing the way his eyes watered.
"Sasuke, you can't train with a broken arm."
The lithe boy swore under his breath, but knew his sensei was right. He grudgingly accepted defeat and allowed his arm to be lowered back to his side, hating how condescending Kakashi seemed to be as he led them back to the cabin they'd been staying in over the month for training. He'd had cuts and bruises everywhere, but he hadn't let them slow him down. Unfortunately a broken arm made it impossible to produce seals, which did, in fact, make both his nin and genjustu worthless.
As the two entered the small building, Kakashi hoisted his student onto the counter and left to find his medical supplies. Sasuke glared at the floor in his sensei's absence.
'Why? Why aren't I as strong as him? Itachi... he could've mastered this damn move long before now. Why am I so WEAK!?' He demanded of himself mentally. By the time Kakashi returned, he could tell exactly what the boy'd been thinking, it was obvious by the tired, frustrated expression on his face. The expression that showed the desire to quit, to breakdown, to cry, but would never be allowed to.
"Show me your arm." He ordered quietly, Sasuke merely looked up at him. He wanted to comply, but he could no longer summon movement from the swollen arm.
Kakashi sighed and took hold of the boy's wrist, shaking his head a little as he observed the forearm, which had swollen to almost twice it's original state. "We need to ice this before I can set it, or you'll be in miserable pain."
"I can take it. Just do it already." Sasuke responded darkly. Kakashi frowned and poked the arm, hard. Sasuke let out a surprised and pained yelp. "OW! What the hell was that for?"
Kakashi clicked his tongue at the other in an all-knowing fashion. "Clearly you can't take it." He said simply, placing Sasuke's arm back down. Sasuke felt a blush burn his cheeks as he watched Kakashi fishing through the medical kit on the counter for a cold compress. 'Damn you, Kakashi..' He thought angrily. Kakashi looked back up at him and couldn't resist a laugh, the boy could be so cute when he pouted like that. "Do I need to use this on your face, instead?" He joked, which only caused the young Uchiha's face to turn another shade of scarlet.
"N-No!" He managed, cursing himself for not being able to speak straight. Kakashi let out a low chuckle.
"I was only joking, Sasuke..."