["Striped Carnation"- Sorry I Can't Be with You; Wish I Could Be with You]


He raced through the corridor, cursing under his breath. He was late.

Typically, Senpai collected him from his quarters and brought him to the windowless training room, where he trained for hours under the fluorescent lights. But today, he was going outside. Not too far, admittedly- only to one of the nearby training grounds. He wasn't quite going on a real mission yet, but this was a pseudo mission.

The objective was for him to work on his chakra development at training ground 33, close enough for him to make a quick getaway if needed, but far enough away for it to make a difference. He'd been doing a lot of work on his chakra within the last year, and his control was pretty decent. But this would be the ultimate test.

Could he actually do any sort of chakra training without anyone finding out he was there? Granted, 33 wasn't the most popular of training grounds thanks to all the mud and swampiness around, but there was enough of a traffic flow in the area for him to have reason to worry.

It was exhilarating. He couldn't wait to start! ...Which made it all the worse that he was late.

"Dammit," he hissed, running as fast as he could. "Senpai's gonna kill me."

He swerved into the correct room after going through what felt like a million tunnels, feeling a bit winded.

"S-sorry, Senpai," he panted, trying to catch his breath. "I overslept."

Senpai simply nodded, keen not to waste any more time, "Understood. However, know that this is not acceptable behavior. I will expect more from you in the future."

He took the reprimand with the seriousness it was meant. He couldn't fail, not with this.

The solemn air didn't stay for long, however, as the thrill he was feeling at what he was about to experience was practically palpable. Senpai cracked a smile, before leading him through a set of basic katas.

"I'm going to assume that you're already sufficiently warmed up," they said dryly. "So I'm only going to do this with you for now. As soon as we're done, we'll be heading out."

That was the magic word. He carefully went through the rest of his stances, making sure not to rush. That would only mean he'd have to repeat them, and that definitely wasn't worth it.

"Alright," Senpai cut him off halfway through his final form, apparently just as eager as he was. "Let's get going. Do you remember what you're supposed to be doing?"

"Work on chakra control, evasion techniques, and stealth!" he recited, nearly bouncing up and down in his anticipation.

"Correct," they confirmed, sliding on their standard ROOT mask. He didn't like those very much. It was much harder to read what Senpai was thinking when they were wearing a porcelain face. "And what's the most important thing about this whole mission?"

"Don't disturb the other citizens, and don't draw attention to yourself," he answered, smart enough to know the unspoken part of those orders- basically, whatever he got done today would be fine, so long as he didn't get caught.

He thought Senpai might have smirked in response (it was hard to tell with the mask on), before turning to lead the way.

"Now, remember," they said, "I won't be staying with you for this. I'll be nearby in case anything goes wrong, but you're expected to find your way to the training ground and back. Understood?"

"Uh-huh," he said absently, too distracted to really be paying attention properly. He was going to go outside!

"Right," Senpai snorted, rolling their dark eyes. For once, they didn't have the sharingan on- probably trying to conserve energy, he mused to himself. Their ROOT mask shadowed their eyes strangely, but it didn't completely shield them. Selfishly, he was glad. Senpai had become much more emotive recently- he didn't want to lose that.

He perked up the second he noticed the faintest tendrils of natural light at the end of the corridor. Sweet, sweet freedom!

Senpai stopped him right before they reached the exit, and he had to suppress a whine at the action. What now?

They clasped his shoulder, looking at him seriously, "You need to be careful. If you mess this up, the consequences will be severe, not only for you, but for me as well. You weren't scheduled to do any kind of field work for several more months, and it took a lot to convince Danzo-sama that this would be a beneficial experience for you. Don't make me regret it."

He sobered, quickly getting his emotions under control, "Yes, I understand. I won't let you down, Senpai."

"See that you don't."

With that, they turned and made a quick series of handsigns, flaring their chakra in the correct pattern to open the door. Slowly, so slowly, the old thing smoothly sank into the concrete flooring to make way for their exit.

Senpai darted out as soon as the door was completely open, vanishing into the trees with expert ease.

He wasn't so controlled, stumbling out into the afternoon sun. He stared up at the sun in complete awe, feeling its warm rays caress his face. He took a small, hesitant step, then another, and another. Soon he was running towards the treeline, barely resisting the urge to burst out laughing, such joy he was feeling.

He arrived at the training ground in what felt like mere seconds, skidding to a stop. His hood had been blown off in the rush, but he couldn't be bothered to readjust it quite yet. He flopped down on the wet grass, his giddiness making him feel a bit drunk.

"High on life!" he muttered to himself, then burst into a fit of giggles. He had no idea where that phrase came from, but it sounded right.

After indulging himself in another moment of relaxation, he got back onto his feet, sighing heavily. Time to get to work.

/=\

He panted, pulling himself up. He'd been training for almost three hours now- the sun was starting to go down. He was sweaty, and tired, and drenched in swamp water, but it was all worth it. He was outside, he'd gotten to see the sun! Anything would be worth that.

His training had been useful, too. He had gotten so used to the concrete, artificial environment of the training room at base that he'd been entirely unprepared for the varying terrain the outside world offered. But he thought he'd gotten the hang of it now.

It had been easy- suspiciously easy, really. It felt more like he was relearning things, remembering the way tall grass ticked at his thighs and the kind of firm footing he needed not to slip in the gooey swampland.

His chakra control had been improving as well. He'd managed to stay steady throughout the entire trip across the swamp, and it'd only gotten easier the more he did it. Swamp-walking, Senpai had told him, was an even better practice method than water-walking. It wasn't such a big deal if you fell into a pond or river, but no one wanted to faceplant into a swamp.

He groaned, pulling himself back onto the grassy bank. He would definitely need to take a shower or two. Or five.

He dragged his hand up lazily, bringing his chakra to the forefront. That familiar warm feeling rushed through him, like static electricity running up his arm. His fingertips began to glow a dull white, a modification of the chakra scalpel Senpai had taught him. They'd learned it from another operative, apparently, and had been more than happy to pass the knowledge on.

Absently, he began tracing his name into the dirt, carving thin lines behind it.

0...1...6...0...4...

(In the back of his mind, too faint for his tired brain to make out, something started screaming.)

"Hey, are you alright?"

He shot up, his heart hammering in his chest. Someone was approaching.

Hurriedly, he made sure his hood was in place, not a speck of his vivid white hair showing. It was too much of a tell, he had to keep it hidden if he wanted his identity to remain a secret. If someone had found him this mission was already shot, so he couldn't afford to mess up anymore.

"Hey, can you hear me?"

"I'm just fine!" he stuttered, trying not to look directly at the person. The least things they could use to identify him with, the better.

"Hey, you don't have to be scared," the voice softened, and he risked a glance up. It was a teenager with the same coloring as Senpai, and heavy scars lining his face. "I just wanted to make sure you're okay. I'm training with my teammates nearby, and one of them is a medic. Are you hurt at all? This isn't exactly the best training ground for a little kid."

Indignation welled up inside him. He wasn't a kid! He was a proud member of ROOT, and he was gonna be the best shinobi ever.

"I'm fine," he huffed, scowling at the ground. "I know what I'm doing. And besides, Kaa-san said that I'm not supposed to talk to strangers."

The lie rolled off his tongue as easy as anything. His mother had died to save his life, before he was even old enough to remember what she looked like. But it was easy to imagine how she would have been if she were still alive (almost like he'd had a mother before, one he did remember), so he knew exactly which role to play.

Petulant child powers, activate!

"Well, how about this," the Uchiha (he had to be, he looked just like Senpai) chuckled, holding out a fist. "I'll introduce myself. I'm Uchiha Obito, nice to meet you!"

Obito waited expectantly, and he eventually caved, fist-bumping the other with a huff.

"Nice to meet you too, I guess."

"Ouch," the man cringed, exaggeratedly clutching his chest. "That's cold. After I laid out my heart for you and everything."

He rolled his eyes at the other's antics, feeling very unimpressed. This guy must not have been very strong- this was not the kind of behavior a professional shinobi should be exhibiting. On the other hand... He snuck another glance, eyes tracing the thick scars accumulated on the shinobi's face. He was even wearing an eyepatch, which meant a lot to an Uchiha. He must have had some combat experience, at least.

That panic bubbled up again, however, when Obito turned and called out to his teammates, who were presumably nearby.

"Oi, Rin! Bakashi! I told you there was a kid over here!"

He fought to keep his expression under control, rapidly trying to think up an escape route.

Senpai, you said you'd be watching over me! He thought frantically. Help me out, please!

He heard an answering call of "Whatever, dead last!" and a light, feminine laugh. They sounded really close.

Shit, he was running out of time. One person was bad enough, but a whole squad? He'd never leave his room again!

Just in time, his prayers were answered.

"Tsu-kun!" a voice called out, and a young woman emerged from behind a nearby tree. She raced over, scooping him up into a tight embrace. She had short brown hair, and a plain, forgettable face.

"Oh, I was so worried," she said, hugging him with a vice grip. He hugged back instinctively, recognizing the hidden chakra as his Senpai's. "Thank you for keeping my little brother safe, Shinobi-san. I was supposed to be watching him today, but he keeps slipping away! Really, I can never thank you enough."

"Oh, it's no problem at all," Obito blushed, scratching the back of his head in a nervous gesture. "This isn't exactly the best place for a kid to be hanging out, I was only doing my duty."

"Still, thank you," Senpai said smoothly, rising back onto their feet while still clutching him in their arms. "I really hate to cut this short, but we've got to run. Kaa-san will be expecting us."

"Yeah, of course!" he laughed, seeming a bit awkward. "Well, uh... Good luck?"

"Thanks again!" Senpai grinned, before carefully leaving at a civilian speed.

He cringed, curling up to bury his face in his knees. This was definitely going to be on his report.

/=\

Obito frowned, staring after the two. Something about this was giving him a bad feeling.

"Done with your good deed for the day?" Kakashi drawled, coming up behind him and sticking his hands in his pockets in an attempt to look cool. Jokes on him though- Obito already knew he wasn't cool.

"I guess," he shrugged, still feeling a bit weird about the whole thing. "Hey, it's a bit strange for a kid to be running around in here, right? And by the look of him, he'd been roaming around for a while."

"Didn't his sister say that he likes to run off all the time?" Rin interjected, coming to stand next to the two. "Maybe he's just a curious kid. We get civilian children like that all the time at the hospital."

"I suppose," he said reluctantly. "It's just..."

"What is it?" Kakashi interrupted, single visible eye sharpening as he leaned forward. Obito almost smiled at that, excited as ever to see that his teammate had finally begun to trust his instincts. But his mind was consumed by something else.

"He wouldn't look at me," Obito burst out, frustration rising in spite of his momentary good mood. "I was only trying to help, and he wouldn't even look at me-" he cut himself off, cursing his break in composure.

Almost without his control, his hand moved to trace the heavy scarring on his face.

"Oh, Obito," Rin said sadly, eyes filled with compassion. He couldn't bear to see it, so he turned to Kakashi instead. His other teammate's hands were clenched in helpless fury, and Obito was selfishly glad.

"Whatever, it doesn't matter. Just me being a dumbass, as usual," Obito dismissed, trying to lighten the mood. It was still bothering him, though. Not only the kid, but the sister too. Her expressions were too flat, her voice inundated with obviously false cheer. And her chakra felt just a bit too refined to be a typical civilian's...

"You're not dumb," Kakashi said, though it seemed to be through gritted teeth, as if expressing positive emotion was a bit too much for him. Obito had no idea where he got that trait from. His dad was possibly the nicest person he'd ever met- the man put up with Orochimaru on a regular basis, enough said, "You're the dead last, but you're not a dumbass."

"Of course not!" Rin chimed in, gently resting a hand on his arm. "You're an excellent shinobi Obito, but in cases like this I worry if that won't be your downfall!"

Obito lit up, laughing sheepishly. "Well, if you guys say so, it must be true!"

Maybe Rin was right. Perhaps he was getting a bit too paranoid. Even if that kid's eyes seemed very familiar...

/=\

He prostrated himself, kneeling with his forehead on the cold, concrete floor. Danzo loomed over him, his disapproving expression pulling harshly at the scars decorating his face.

"You failed," he announced without any preamble, and the soldier couldn't resist cringing. "Do you know what the punishment is for failure?"

"Yes, Danzo-sama," he whispered, voice hoarse. He was still disgustingly dirty, and swamp water was dripping into his eyes. That's why his eyes were watering, not because he was crying or anything.

Right next to Danzo with their mask still on, Senpai stood at attention. He couldn't bear to look at them. His stupid mistake was going to get both of them in trouble, just like Senpai warned him that it could.

At this pathetic showing, the elder seemed to soften.

"Two weeks," he said finally.

The soldier dared to look up, "Sir...?"

"Two weeks of solo training," Danzo clarified, his features still set with a disappointment that made him want to shy away. "No contact, not with me or Izumi. You will dine and train alone. I expect sufficient progress to result because of this, understand?"

"Yes," he said fervently. Even though this was indeed a punishment, at least he was being given a chance to improve himself. He wasn't been thrown away, he was still useful. "Danzo-sama, I swear that I won't fail you!"

"I know," Danzo said, allowing himself a smile. He reached down and rested a hand on his soldier's head. "I have faith in you. In your potential. That's why I've chosen, despite this mistake, to have you take your first mission next month."

The soldier looked up in shock, even as Senpai whipped their head around in alarm.

"Thank you Danzo-sama!" he accepted gratefully, fighting to keep his expression under control.

Senpai didn't seem nearly as happy, shifting in place slightly, "Sir, after that disaster today I really don't think that-"

"Is that your professional opinion, Izumi?" Danzo interrupted, staring at the older operative steely. "Or your personal one?"

Senpai fell silent, and he noticed them clenching their fists behind their back.

"You felt that he was ready for field work, even if it wasn't high stakes. He proved that he can play a role assigned to him, and you have reported that his combat skills are 'prodigious'. I'm simply giving him a chance to prove you right."

"I will, Senpai!" he exclaimed, beaming up at his superior. "I'll make you proud."

Senpai didn't answer, stiffly bowing to Danzo before fleeing. He looked up, curiously.

Danzo sighed, ruffling his hair, "Izumi is too emotional. It's a trait all Uchiha share, I'm afraid."

"I understand, Danzo-sama," he replied, eager to make up for his misstep. Danzo smirked down at him, gripping his hair tighter, to the point where it was just that side of painful.

"I know you do, 01604."