Coward

AN: Not much to say. Welcome back, and enjoy.

Chapter 10:

"You have enemies? Good, that means you've stood up for something, sometime in your life." (Winston Churchill)

(Two Weeks Later)

"Come on! Move it!" Obito yelled as he watched them run the obstacle course set up for the day. Unsurprisingly, Naruto and Sasuke were ahead of the pack, a good twenty to thirty seconds ahead of everyone else, battling for that top spot. "Keep pushing it!" Another unsurprising sight, Choji and the ever lazy Shikamaru tailing behind the others at an equal gap. "It's not a jog Nara! Keep it up Akimichi!" This being a heavily cardio based routine, he didn't expect an Akimichi to do much more than what he's giving. It just wasn't their specialty.

With his clipboard in hand, he watched as each man passed him, checking them off one by one until Choji and Shikamaru finally made their round. When he signed them off, he shunshinned to the next checkpoint.

Naruto and Sasuke unintentionally stuck with each other, step for step. Neither of them wanting to be outdone in any aspect. Both giving everything they have no matter the lack of stakes. In their path this time, a wall with four holes right in its center. As they ran, they awaited the danger. Sure enough, when they were close enough, a few kunai came launching out, making them react. Naruto slid beneath them while Sasuke leaped up and over. Flawlessly, they both re-entered their stride. When they reached a considerable distance, they leapt over top, continuing on.

Landing on the other side, Obito was there to sign their names off. "Come on! Go! Go! Go!" he yelled, after them as they continued on. The further they got, he just shook his head. Those two were something else entirely. A few seconds later, Kiba and the others who were clearly giving it everything they had trying to keep up with the two of them came leaping over. These times were just around the average scores of most of the other troops that performed this course already. That's ultimately where they sat as a unit. One would think with Naruto and Sasuke blowing records out of the water they'd put the team on top… buuut sadly the two huffing and puffing their way over the wall now were just embarrassingly slow enough to even out the times… every single time.

It'd be a problem if the two didn't completely excel beyond human limits in their own respective fields. No matter who he went against, there was not a single person who could best Choji in any field of strength, and true to his families reputation, Shikamaru easily demolished anyone during their strategic exercises. Strengths and weaknesses were traits that they all had. Not a single person on this team is perfect. Not even his younger cousin.

Sasuke's a clear once in a lifetime shinobi. The conversation between himself, Kakashi, and Itachi revolved around the very real possibility of the boy one day surpassing said brother. He has the perfect balance between skill and intellect and is steadily improving in both areas every single day. Yet, with all that skill, all of that budding talent, he's far too arrogant to be as effective as he could be one day. Pride is a good thing to have as it can and commonly does replace nervousness, but arrogance is a handicap that is more likely to get you killed. That is what makes Itachi as great as he is. He is one of the strongest shinobi Konoha has ever produced without question and yet he steps into every battle with the thought that his opponent is an equal. A trick he has been trying to instill within his brothers thick head for years.

Perhaps his exact opposite in some regards, Naruto is just as talented. Of course, Obito was still a bit frustrated with his vow of clean hands, but even so, the kids got a drive unheard of. Every time he watches him, all he could see is his former sensei. The boy is a literal spitting image of the man visually, but beyond that, he held that same kindness. That same unprovoked sense of humanity towards anyone who seems to need it. The looks and the kind heart are what he got from his father, but that will power was all his mother.

He, Kakashi, and Rin got to know her very well after Minato's death. Before then, she was just someone they assumed he was dating. Finding out they were married was a rather crushing blow to their hearts thinking of their sensei hiding such a big piece of his life. They took it upon themselves to guide her through that lonesome pregnancy. Rin more so than Kakashi and him. It was a strange concept for them to deal with such a pressing situation, so they decided it best if Rin tend to her needs. Their plan was to take Minato's role upon their shoulders, being the father figures to the young blonde. Of course, that never happened.

The death of the third brought forth the need for a Kage and Kakashi was the first and truly only real candidate when they excluded Danzo the warmonger from the equation. With his leadership there's no telling the fate he would have enacted upon the villages people. The draft was as cruel an action as the higher ups were willing to take it. The stress of having to take over an entire village during the greatest war known to man was something Kakashi had to give his full attention to. Obito and Rin were caught within the hurricane of war as well. An attack on Suna would be what drastically ripped them from that part of their sensei's life seemingly for good.

Shunshinning to the final checkpoint, Obito waited for just a few moments before Sasuke and Naruto came into view, sprinting with every last inch of their will to gain the lead. Eventually they both crossed the line huffing and puffing, hunched over, wheezing, whatever they could do to catch their breath. "Nice job Sasuke." He said, giving him a nod. "Think a bit smarter on your evasive maneuvers Namikaze." He said giving him no explanation for what he meant.

Regardless Naruto shrugged the comment off, very much expecting it. He stood up and placed his hands on his hips, still sucking for air. He glanced over to Sasuke to see him doing the same. He was mentally praising him for such a challenging go at the course. The Uchiha's gaze was on him for a fraction of a second before he shook his head and turned away. It would seem he was not receiving the same unspoken sentiment. He chuckled beneath his breath, his heavy breathing masking it completely. He was about to look away before his eyes landed on something on his form as he spun around. Lodged into the back of his left shoulder, Sasuke had a shuriken protruding out, fairly deeply imbedded.

"Hey." He called out between his still choppy breathing. Sasuke and Obito both turned towards him, the former of the two with an unwarranted scowl. "You're injured." He said nodding to the wound.

Sasuke followed his eyes as far as he could but could only see the tip of it. With the visual and the lack of adrenaline, he finally began to notice that latent little pain that slowly grew. Regardless, he's an Uchiha and they don't show weakness. Reaching back with his right hand, he realized he couldn't reach it, so he instead opted for his left. It was a bit of a task, but he got his fingers onto the blade and ripped it out without hesitation. It clearly hurt with the way he grunted at its removal.

Not missing a beat, Naruto made to help him. "Here, I ca-.."

"Don't touch me." Sasuke quickly said, facing him in a rather protective way.

The blonde stopped in his tracks, a bit shocked at the tone. His eyes locking onto Sasuke coal blacks that seemed to just exude pure malice towards him. It was again a bit daunting, but he's injured. "t-That looked pretty deep. I c-.."

"I don't need your help." He spit out harshly, not budging in his arrogance.

Naruto wanted to persist, but Obito defused the situation before it became any more stressful. "Don't worry about it. It's just a scratch." Before Naruto could argue against that claim, the others began showing up. "Come on! You all are years behind these two! Step it up!" he yelled out.

Despite his yearning sense of duty screaming at him to help his hardheaded teammate, Naruto let the matter drop, shaking his head as he stepped away from him. Sasuke watched him walk away with that cold glare of his. When he melded into the crowd of returning solders seemingly to get to the other side of the sea of bodies, he looked away as well. When he was sure no eyes were on him, he rolled that shoulder slightly but quickly had to grimace at the pain it caused. He definitely felt it now.

Well after the others, Choji and Shikamaru came trotting back. "There they are!" Obito said in clearly sarcastic praise. "For punishment for being last, there will be no break for you two. Everyone line up! Naruto, Sasuke, front and center! You know the drill."

They all quickly scrambled to get in position. It was the four-mile run. The ending activity for every day of training. For most other groups it is usually just a cooldown jog, but with the duo who always led them, it's more like an all out frantic sprint trying to keep up. It's to a point where they aren't even expected to keep up with them. Slowly, but surely, they all end up being left behind by the two anyways, so Obito just doesn't even concern himself with the specifics of the drill.

Naruto got to the right of Sasuke, facing the direction they were ready to begin their journey. As the others fell in behind them, he snuck very discrete glances towards him and could just tell he was in pain. He was trying to mask it, but it wasn't all that hard to tell. From as deep as the shuriken was imbedded within him, he could probably take a guess and say any sort of movement of that arm would cause pain. That included this activity right here. Usually they try to outdo each other, going back and forth seeing who can take the lead, but the Uchiha shouldn't be doing anything let alone going all out. Knowing him, he's too stubborn to admit he's in pain and far too arrogant to dropout of their little unspoken competition. Maybe if he doesn't push it, Sasuke will let up as well.

Kiba, being directly behind the Uchiha noticed the sizably growing blood stain forming on Sasuke's back. "Hey, Uchiha. You're bleeding." He informed him in his annoyingly loud tone of speech which drew the attention of the other men around them.

"Shut up." He ordered sharply. "I'm fine."

"What's the hold up? Take em around!" Obito said as he looked down at his clipboard. "I'll be here when you get back."

With a very quick glance from the group leaders, they took off at their usual start up pace which truly was a jog. Instantly, Sasuke's shoulder began to hurt as he swung his arm. In fact, every step he took that caused his body to bounce hurt like hell. Regardless he had to keep going. By that, he really meant he has to keep up. Slowly, he began increasing his speed until he was a solid two steps up on the blonde. He ignored the moans and groans of the guys behind him who knew that meant it was time to speed up, but after a good ten to fifteen steps of running with no one passing him, he grew a bit curious and turned his head enough to see Naruto and his group of men still in that base jog.

Their eyes met for a moment before a wrong step caused Sasuke's injury to flare up with a vengeance. He quickly looked forward and grimaced while he gradually began to slow his pace, the guys behind him wondering what was going on. None of them questioned it, all far too exhausted to care they were going slower. It was a welcomed experience. Eventually they fell back in step with the right side. Sasuke didn't look over to Naruto, nor did the blonde do so either. It was understood that they were going to keep it here for today. For Naruto, it was a small victory. He may not let him help him directly, but lessening his pain is a step towards trust. Something he's been trying to win back from all of them. He just needs his chance.

Standing at the starting point which was a measured mile around the barracks, Obito continued to look down the road in wonder. They weren't here yet? Naruto and Sasuke should have passed by long ago. It's been four minutes and still no sign of them. He was looking around, peering between the gaps of the tents to see if he could get a look at them. Sure enough, he did catch sight of a few of them just about to make the turn towards this final straight away. The top two came into view, surprisingly with the others still step for step with them.

This has to be the strangest sight he's seen since being with this barrack. He's seen the two of them full on sprinting in a heated one on one race no matter what. Even back when they were still trying to get Naruto to quit and made him run extra before every session. Back when he was damn near comatose from exhaustion. Rain, snow, unbearable heat it didn't matter to those two. They were always at it. So, why the change of pace? As they drew closer, he inspected the two of them specifically, trying to decipher that question himself. He was hiding it well, but with as long as he's been in service, Obito could tell that injury was very much apparent on his younger kin. In truth, he was still giving the blonde the cold shoulder in hopes that he'd get the hint he's not particularly wanted here before they go and serve. That's why he wrote his concern of Sasuke's injury off, but if he's truly hurt it can't go left unchecked.

Just before they made it to him, he called out. "Sasuke, step out! Kiba take point!" The order was carried out without question as Sasuke hopped out towards his left side, Kiba speeding up to fall in step with Naruto. The others were all very much aware of why as they glanced at his nearly blood soaked back as they ran by. The ones caught looking were unintentionally falling behind, unaware they were slowing their pace to get a look.

"Don't worry about him! He's fine! Just keep running." Obito ordered, making them tune back into their task, leaving Sasuke there standing exhausted at attention. He was clearly trying to hide his grimace beneath that cold scowl of his. Obito gave him a glance before making up his mind. "Go see the camp medic and get that patched up. After that you've got free training." He ordered. Sasuke looked a second away from arguing but shut his mouth and did as he was told.

Walking towards the medical tent, Sasuke held his rather perpetual scowl in place as he tried his hardest to not move his left arm. A sharp pain was very much apparent and for a moment he truly did regret not letting that idiot take a look at it back then. If he's going to be here mooching off the benefits of the forces, at least he can be useful. No. He refused to let that coward even touch him. He's clearly no good as a shinobi so what made him think he'd be good as a medic? It wasn't something he was willing to chance. There are much more trustworthy doctors here for these types of injuries anyways. Field medics only know the basics, namely how to lessen the pain of those dying or stop bleeding. He was doing a lot of that right now. It was thankfully dripping down into his own shirt at the moment.

As he walked, he regretfully noticed someone he would very much not like to see at the moment. Itachi came walking in the opposite direction next to a Jonin. He was holding a clipboard, apparently looking something over. The Jonin seemed to catch sight of him much to his regret and quickly pointed him out. Sasuke outwardly did not react, but a rather lengthy drawn out sigh was sounding off within his head. He and his brother weren't really on speaking terms. He was still a bit irked he seemed so willing to defend Naruto for whatever reason. It pissed him off because he should know how toxic a coward like that is to the functioning of a team.

The closer they got, the more he thought on it. It pissed him off more and more, but he refused to show it. Especially around here. He's a soldier first and his brother is a high ranking officer. Respect is due to those who earn it, and no one has earned it more than Itachi. Disrespecting him in front of anyone is something he would not due.

"Sasuke." Itachi said with a slight nod as they stopped before him.

Without hesitation, Sasuke bowed as best he could, the injury making it a much more awkward movement than he meant it to be. "Itachi." He replied before raising back up.

With the motion, the two older men got a look at his injury. "You are injured." Itachi stated as if he didn't already know.

Sasuke nodded and explained the situation. "Yes. It was a mistake during training. I am going to the medical tent now to get it treated."

His brothers icy stare bore into him as if examining him intently for a few seconds. When his inspection was complete, he questioned him further. "A mistake of the course? Or a mistake on your part?"

Why did it matter? "A mistake on my part. It was an unnoticed kunai during our obstacle course. I thought I dodged them all. I didn't notice the injury until we were already finished."

No discernable reaction came from the older Uchiha. He merely stated in reply. "You were careless."

Sasuke held back his frustration at the statement and answered as professionally as he was expected to. "I was unable to use any amount of chakra during the duration of the assignment. With my Sharingan I would have easily avoided it." He summarized to which the Jonin next to his brother shrugged at, seeming to agree with him.

Itachi, however, did not. "The Sharingan is an extension of the user. A tool. It is not the backbone of a Shinobi. If you rely on it too heavily, it can become a hinderance when you don't have access to it. Train without it from now on. I will inform your sensei." He said as he continued on his way, the Jonin following along.

Sasuke was left there with a rather frustrated look brewing on his face. He shook his head and continued on. What the hell did that mean? Train without it? Why would he train without it? He's an Uchiha, it's what makes them elite. If he can't train with it, how's he going to learn how to use it effectively in battle? That's like telling a swordsman to train without a blade. Tch. His brother was always doing things like that. Always determined to make things harder on him. With a final sigh, he continued on.

The white tent of the camp medics came into view much to his relief. The pain was starting to truly throb with the fairly strong breeze blowing through the camp. It was just a straight path leading to his salvation. The tent was placed along the path of the open training fields which is where he usually spent his free training period. As he walked, his eyes traveled to his right. Quite a ways down through the trees, he could see an opening to a clearing with a single tree residing in its center. That's where Naruto trains. He knew because he was usually out there hanging from the bottom of that branch until he spots the rest of them heading back. Likely working on chakra control. Laughably at that. The tree hanging technique is as basic as it gets. That's what his brother taught him when he was younger working on the same thing.

There are much more advanced techniques that could completely dwarf such a rudimentary tactic. Namely working on a chakra affinity. It pushes your coils to the absolute limit when you're starting out. His control improved by leaps and bounds when he began working on his lightning affinity. Just goes to show the idiot really doesn't belong here if he doesn't even know how to properly train. With a scoff at the thought, he continued on.

As he made it to the tent, he was a step away from entering before the flap flew open without his doing. Stepping out was a man donning a white uniform, a red cross plastered on the forehead of his headdress. When his eyes landed on Sasuke, he stopped him. "Oh, how can I help you, young man?" he questioned.

Sasuke mentally scoffed at the ridiculous inquiry. Why else would he be coming to a medical tent? "I have an injury." He replied simply.

The man seemed to adopt a rather remorseful look. "Shh, oh. Well we actually have no doctors here at the moment. A distress call came in from a nearby post and all of the Camp Medics were deployed this morning. They won't be back until tomorrow."

Sasuke seemed rather confused and a bit irritated. He wasn't staying like this until tomorrow. "I need medical attention now." He demanded. "What's wrong with you?"

"Oh, I'm actually not a medic. I'm a trainee. I haven't actually learned anything yet. I'm uh.. still working on the basics." He informed him with a chuckle.

Sasuke squint his eyes. The guy was older than him, how could he be just starting? He questioned that. "How old are you?"

The man seemed to know what he was getting at and quickly explained. "Oh, well, I'm 24. I am switching duties to help a bit more directly with the forces. I was a factory worker, but it didn't really feel too fulfilling you know?"

"I need medical attention." He restated rather forcefully.

The man seemed to shy away from the threatening tone. "i-I'm sorry, sir. I c-could take a look at it if you'd like, but if it's something more than a.. bruise or a scratch or something, I can't really help you." Sasuke seemed to grow a bit more irritated before he just shook his head and removed his shirt, clearly painfully. When he turned around, the man looked rather surprised. "o-Oh my. That's rather deep." He muttered as he looked at it. "… uh… I don't… really know what to do for that, but… i-I guess I could… bandage it up for you for now. That will hold you till the morning."

Sasuke this time visibly expressed his irritation in the form of small, but noticeable, chuckle of disbelief. "And what about the pain?"

The man seemed at a loss of words as he shrugged. "I… I'm not sure… if I'm not mistaken, every field medic has some sort of knowledge on pain relief techniques… I'd advise asking yours for assistance."

The Uchiha audibly scoffed at that and shook his head. "Just bandage it up. Stop wasting my time." He downright ordered. The man was of course a bit off put by his tone of choice and rather rude statement, but he did as he was asked-.. well, ordered to do.

Staring over at the tree a solid thirty feet away, Naruto kept his eyes locked onto the kunai imbedded into its side. He could feel the pull fairly strong. It was far more noticeable than it has ever been at this distance. A great sign that truly paid a testament to his improvement. Chakra control, chakra control, chakra control. He's been working nonstop on nothing else and it clearly shows. He's shaved off a few milliseconds from the travel, but even so its not fast enough. His fathers notes expressed how essential it is to have better than great control, but it really shed some light on just how amazing the man was.

He could jump for miles and it was still as fast as if he jumped an inch. Again, his mother's heavy chakra likely slowed the tunnel, but it was something he would have to overcome. There were things her chakra was useful for. Of course, nothing he truly knew at the moment, but when he was younger, he always remembered her making those chakra chains. It's been a technique he and Jiraiya were working on figuring out soon after he got his father's technique down. With that one, they had a slue of his father's notes to sort of guide them in the right direction. His mother on the other hand had no such thing. So, all they had to go off of was theory.

From the sheer looks of it, making solid chakra as hard as steel was something that Jiraiya had not seen in his many years of travel. There are those who can control metal itself, those who funnel their chakra into liquified metal making it harden, but there is no other person he's ever met make a solid tool out of chakra alone. A true explanation for why her chakra was so thick. Every now and then, they entertained the idea that it could be a bloodline limit. It was plausible seeing as no other person has been able to do it, but again, there was no way to be sure. It would definitely be useful if he could do it.

Taking a few steadying breaths, he continued to stare at the distant kunai. This would be the last go at it today as it was already passed sundown. With a final inhale, he flashed away, landing on the side of the tree. Immediately, he flashed away again.. and again.. and again. On his fifth flash, his footing slipped on the side of the tree, nearly making him fly passed it, but he quickly right himself and flashed once more. He made it to the kunai in a nose dive straight for the ground. Tucking his head, he rolled with it before lying flat out on his back, breathing rather intensely. "Six…" he said with a heavy exhale. "Six times… thirty feet."

From his position there, he stared straight up into the night sky covered of course by the grey clouds of war. Maybe clouds or possibly even ash. He didn't even know anymore. Regardless, every now and then, those darkened poofs would split just enough, giving him a glimpse at the star filled sky behind the mess. It made him smile a bit. Regardless of how cloudy it seemed, the ugliness and the pain of war could never take away the shine of those beautiful stars. And if that were true, there's no way it could take away the radiance of the sun. Not a chance.

Hearing chatter, he picked his head up enough to see through the thick of the trees separating him from the road leading on to the other much more suited training areas. The others were on their way back, meaning its almost curfew. With a sigh, he turned his head back up to the sky. Mentally remarking on how tired he is. With another obnoxious sigh, he rolled over, getting to his hands and knees so that he could push himself up.

When he made it to his feet, he walked forward, plucking his Kunai from the ground below. Stashing it away into his pouch, he continued on towards the tree. On his way, he turned back to see if there was anyone else on their way back still. That's when he saw him.

Sasuke trailed a considerable distance behind the rest of them. His eyes also discretely watching the blonde from the distance. When he saw him turn towards him, he turned forward, mentally scoffing for no real reason.

Naruto noticed him look away and did the same… for a moment, before he looked back once more. The Uchiha was now walking away, giving him a good look at his back. Even from this distance, he could very much see the dark spot on his shirt that led down into his pants. He also noticed the awkward posture. He had his right hand shoved in his pocket, but his left was left hanging rather stiffly at his side. It would seem he didn't get it fixed. Tch, is he so arrogant he won't even let the camp medics take a look at it? Naruto wouldn't put it passed him. In his thinking, he didn't even realize he had stopped walking. Turning back towards his objective the tree was there, a good five steps in front of him. He took those, and plucked his other marker out of the bark, shoving it in his pouch. With that done, he turned back ready to head to the barrack.

Before he could though, the ground of darkened grass around him suddenly lit up as if someone were pulling a curtain back. It shocked him for a moment until he looked up into the sky to see the moon being uncovered. It was a full moon and gosh was it beautiful. A lot smaller than he had remembered it. It lit the ground around him the way it used to. As quick as it came, it was swallowed by another darkened glob of fluff, leaving him once again in the usual darkness. What a beautiful moment. One he just imagined sharing with Ino one day. With that thought, he smiled and walked on.

Stepping out of the bathroom in a fresh pair of pants and a new white shirt, Naruto pretty much ignored the sounds of the other men chattering about. Turning to his left, his bed, as well as the two on either side of him, were empty. Nothing new. Kiba and his other neighbor tend to wander off away from him during these last few free moments to talk to their friends. Or to just get away from him which is probably the more likely case. Regardless, it didn't really matter. He still had a good five minutes or so before lights out, so he sat down at the head of his bed, leaning against the wall, to read his book. As soon as he did so, he thought of his injured teammate.

As discretely as he could, his eyes peeked over to his bed. Much to his surprise, Sasuke seemed to be heading in his direction, or at least down the aisle. By the way he was positioned it looked as though he were going towards him with the way he seemed to be slowly drifting towards the left side. When they made contact, that seemed to change almost instantly as the Uchiha scowled and continued walking until he entered the bathroom. Naruto looked away when he did as well but looked back towards him just as he was passing. He was wearing only his pants giving Naruto a look at the bandage that was mostly pink yet very much red towards its center. Again, he seemed rather stiff. It must truly be painful.

His eyes turned towards the blob of others who were all far too invested in their own conversations or games to notice anything else around them. Scratching his chin in thought, he looked back down to his book. His eyes were skimming the words, but he wasn't really reading them. Instead, he was contemplating on whether or not he wanted to go and offer his help. It wasn't the necessary curriculum he was supposed to learn, but he was very much proficient in closing wounds like that. Not that the Uchiha cared to listen to him back then. He ultimately decided to just let the matter drop. There was no way in hell he'd accept his kindness. If the pain was so unbearable, he'd have bitten down that pride of his and asked him for help long ago.

Within the bathroom, Sasuke was absolutely cringing at the ringing pain shooting through his arm. It was far passed the limit of unbearable. It was downright deathly from the feel of it. He's been injured before, but never to such magnitude. He was even stabbed with a shuriken before. That was during a mishap in his training when he was younger. He was stabbed right through his abdomen, but that was healed and dealt with within an hour. Having a wound like this just sitting and festering this long truly made him appreciate a good medic a bit more. But, at this point he was willing to take any help he could get. Even that coward.

He was just about to approach him about it, but for some reason, seeing him just made him change course. In the moment, he was determined to get this pain dealt with. When he turned towards him, it kicked him from that pain induced action. Just as it did when they were training. On those days where he was just dead tired and beaten. Exhausted beyond belief. He turns towards that idiot… and just seeing him ready to continue just sparks a new light in himself. He will not be outdone by this coward. In anything. Not even this. He can last till morning. Without a doubt. Maybe if he falls asleep, it won't hurt as bad.

'Alright boys! Light's out!' Obito's muffled voice came yelling out, followed by more vigorous chatter and movement as they scrambled towards their spot while trying to wrap up their conversation. Sasuke sighed and berated himself for getting hurt in the first place for the thousandth time that day. Shaking his head, he quickly adopted his look of indifference and slumped out of the bathroom.

Naruto stashed his book beneath his pillow, his eyes regretfully meeting the Uchiha's for yet another fraction of a second before he awkwardly averted his gaze. Turning over, he laid his head down on the pillow, his eyes still following him with a confused expression on his face. He watched as he got into bed as quickly as he could, clearly trying to seem normal about it. But, as soon as he hit his back, he rolled over to his right side unnaturally fast. His left arm was still awkwardly stiff, but he seemed as though he were ever so slowly trying to lay it down against his body in a comfortable position. It didn't seem like he found it before the light cut off, cutting Naruto's view of the stubborn man. With a sigh, he shut his eyes. It was his problem.

(an hour later)

The barrack was filled with obnoxious snoring and nothing else. Sasuke was wide awake trying to hold his arm at a comfortable position. Everything he did made it hurt worse, and every time he hurt it, it would throb for at least ten to twenty minutes. It was a literal hell, and he honestly couldn't take it anymore. He was just seconds away from rolling out of bed and waking the coward up and demanding he do something. It wasn't about asking for help. He's a coward, he wouldn't dare deny a request from a clear superior.

He mentally chuckled at that ridiculous thought. He may be a coward, but he is in no way inferior to anyone in this barrack. Maybe that's what really ticked him off about the blonde. If he were a fighter, he could be one of the strongest. One of the best alongside himself. That's all he hears everywhere he goes, from every soldier his father ever speaks to. They just remark on how promising he is. 'He's gonna be just like his brother'. 'He's like a little Itachi'. 'One of the best rookies in years'. Sasuke's heard it all. So, of course he knew he was one of the best up and comers.

Yet, on the flipside, the things he hears about Naruto are nothing short of disgraceful. 'What a disappointment'. 'He's nothing like his father was'. 'The kid's gonna get killed out there'.

They say all of this stuff, and yet, as soon as they are presented with any challenge what so ever, he's right there with him. Step for step every inch of the journey. No matter what he does, this coward who refuses to fight is always there. He just can't seem to shake him. How can someone so adept at the Shinobi life be so… weak-minded. Killing is something they were all expected to do from a young age. If it were years back, they would already be out on the front lines spilling blood. Back then, you were battle ready from the age of thirteen, and if you weren't you were shit out of luck.

Things are different now. Being on the losing side, it becomes more about quality than quantity. That's why they have longer to train. In Iwa and Kumo, there are kids far younger than them facing disastrous shinobi like Might Gai, Kurenai Yuhi, Asuma Sarutobi, and… his brother. They've all spilled the blood of children. Children very much ready to butcher them without a second thought. That's what it means to be a shinobi. Kindness is something left for those of your own village. So, to see someone like Naruto so determined to kill the enemy with kindness is… confusing… mindboggling even.

As he thought on that, his ears perked up as he heard something. It was just beneath the sounds of those aggressive snorers in the group. Masterfully silent, but not completely so, there were footsteps coming down the aisle. He didn't turn over. No one would be stupid enough to attack a base with so many high-ranking members, namely his brother residing there. They're deep in fire country, so he was certain it wasn't an enemy. If he had to guess from where they got up, and possible motive, it could only be that blonde headed idiot.

True to his thought, Naruto silently crept over to the arrogant man's bed. He just could not sleep with a free conscious knowing one of his friends is in pain. He's been tossing and turning non-stop for the past hour trying to get to sleep. But, he just couldn't. Making it to his bedside, he looked at the bandage. Without peaking over to see if he was awake, he went to remove it. As soon as his finger touched his back, he could feel him flinch ever so slightly. There was no question he was awake, but if he let him do it, there was no reason to speak. He'd heal him and get to bed, simple as that.

Peeling the bandage off, he got a good look at the gash. It was pretty deep, but nothing he couldn't handle. He's done it on a fish before. How hard could this be? That's when a thought hit him. This is actually his first human patient. Ironically, it just happens to be someone who hates his guts. Life sure is funny. Ok, first things first, the mending process is rather painful in itself, so it'd be better for him to numb the pain beforehand. Going through handsigns, his right hand adopted a blue tint. He put his palm over the injury and watched as Sasuke timidly dropped his arm down to his side, meaning it worked. With that done, he placed his other hand there as well, and began the mending process.

The Uchiha refused to turn around. This didn't change a thing, but God the relief that shot through his body at the pain disappearing. Despite that, his mind was working over time trying to understand this. He humiliated this kid in front of everyone. Ripped his book. Essentially disregarded him completely and expressed his hatred for him with little hesitation and yet, he gets up in the middle of the night to heal his injury… what is wrong with him? He refused to feel any amount of guilt for what he did. He was justified completely. But, even so…

AN: Here we are. Shifting tides and kind gestures. Beautiful friendships come from very dark places. Thanks for those of you being patient with this slow building tale. It is still in the backseat in regards to my other story, but it will be something I see all the way through. Fav/Follow/Review. Thanks for reading.