Title: - The Philosophy of Sun-ripened Tomatoes.
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Central Characters: - Uchiha Sasuke; Uzumaki Naruto
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Summery: - "Y'know, Sasuke, I never understood why you like tomatoes so much. I mean, they have tough skin, but there's a certain point you can reach just before they fall apart 'n' turn to mush, y'know?"
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Disclaimer: - I'm poor so, all rights to this series and its characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto and/or whoever else has those rights.
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The two took up their usual positions on the roof of the academy, where Naruto would happily be on the lookout for the other half of team 7, and where Sasuke could find some peace before they arrived. "Y'know, Sasuke," the blond began again as he sat up, squinting under the glare of the hot sun. "I never understood why you like tomatoes so much." Popping yet another slice of the small red fruit into his mouth, the young Uchiha replied, not missing a beat. "And I've never understood why you like miso ramen so much. Or why you constantly feel the need to be so unnecessarily loud. Or why- "
"I get it, ya bastard." Sasuke smirked at the growling tone in his teammate's voice, and took yet another mouthful of tomato. He glanced at Naruto as he raised himself up. The sudden shadow graced Sasuke's face and protected it from the sun. "But really. What about them do you like so much?"
"They taste good, and they're healthy." He replied lazily. "Happy?" Naruto sat down again, allowing himself to slide until he got to the gutter. "I mean," he continued, seemingly ignoring the response of dark haired boy next to him, "I mean, yeah, they're good when they're raw, a great snack when they're whole I'll give 'em that-" Naruto demonstrated with a loose fist-"but when you have to prepare 'em for a meal or something-" he moved his hands to mime cutting- "they tend to fall apart. I mean, they have tough skin, but there's a certain point you can reach just before they fall apart 'n' turn to mush, y'know?" He pumped his hands in a crude groping gesture to illustrate his point. Though amused at this, Uchiha Sasuke was far from prepared to show it. With deliberate movements, he turned to his bag.
"If you know how to prepare them, you'd have no problem." He took out a small tomato and a kunai for the demonstration. "It depends on the technique you use." Positioning himself carefully and comfortably, he began, with Naruto giving him his full attention. "Hold the tomato firmly but not too tight. You don't want it getting bruised under the pressure of your hand. Then carefully cut it. Don't use a dull knife, the blade won't be able to cut the skin smoothly, and the results, quite bluntly put-" he glanced at Naruto slyly, in a subtle taunt. "-will be crappy." He sighed, satisfied, as he cleaned and returned the small knife in its rightful place. "And don't bother about wasting any part of it. The good thing is the whole fruit can be enjoyed." And he began to eat the freshly cut slices, even going as far as allowing his companion to share in the spoils.
"Meh. I still don't get it." The blond lay down, enjoying the warmth of the sun. It contrasted in a lovely way with the coolness of the tomatoes. Sasuke scoffed, and joined his teammate. The two remained silent before Naruto spoke again, quite unexpectedly.
"Tomatoes- they're a lot like you, huh?" This observation remained ignored, or rather, unconfirmed, with the sound of Sakura's voice breaking into the little bubble they had formed. Naruto had found it necessary to jump off the roof, and had caught his foot in the gutter, before screaming for help. Sasuke ignored him, but followed suit, pushing the flailing boy down. He landed with grace next to Sakura, while Naruto landed unceremoniously on his back.
"Careful you get stuck, Dead Last." But the boy's resulting anger at this was appeased, as Sakura- somewhat begrudgingly- helped him to his feet. As Naruto led the group to the appointed training ground, Sasuke kept his eye on him. Who knew that Uzumaki Naruto would be the philosophical type? Sometimes that boy would surprise you.
"Who's Dead Last now, Uchiha! Hurry it up already!" Muttering something about the blond's loudmouthed eagerness, Sasuke complied, if only to hear less of Uzumaki's griping.