here's the new chapter! Next chapter will be a very revealing, explanatory and important part of the story!
Ch. 11
*Naruto's POV*
"Guys? Hello?" I slowly stood from the couch, rubbing my eyes. I groaned as I twisted around, popping my back harshly, and walked slowly into the kitchen to see my dad placing a small plastic bag on the counter.
"What are you doing home, un?" Deidara came into the kitchen, sluggish and staggering. Itachi was close behind, holding onto Dei's shoulders to keep him steady.
"I…well, I brought some things over, and I wanted to show you them. And I was hoping to speak to you two…" Dad looked at me, sighing. I nodded, my jaw clenching and unclenching.
"What…what did you want to show us?" I asked, leaning onto the counter.
"Oh. Some pictures, and videos…" Deidara sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. I eyed the bag, seeing brightly colored bags along with a few packets with pictures and discs inside.
"Dad, what else is in the bag?" Dad's head leaned to the left, and his cheeks pinkened slightly.
"What…what do you mean? The pictures and-"
"What else? You didn't come here just to show some pictures off, Dad. Fess up." Dad sighed, looking down, and pulling four bags of candy out, and a handful of giant rainbow-swirl lollipops.
"I splurged on candy, and if I don't eat it all before tonight, Fugaku will kill me." I choked a little, staring at him.
My thirty-year-old father, splurged on candy.
"Dad." I moved to face him, as he guiltily stared at me.
"W-what?"
"What the hell? That's something I would do!" I shoved him lightly, shaking my head and laughing.
He slowly smiled, putting his hand on my shoulder. I smiled slightly in return, patting his back.
"Well, you guys going to help me or not? I don't want to get sick again…" Deidara burst out laughing, loud enough to create an echo throughout the rest of the house. (And make Itachi flinch in response, moving away as he clutched his ear.)
"Okay, Deidara. It wasn't that funny." Dad deadpanned.
"It was, un! You puked everywhere! And you still kept eating the sugar, un!" I grabbed the plastic bag, and three lollipops, and went back to the couch, chuckling at the memory of our sugar-high father.
Itachi followed me, holding a bag of saltwater taffy candies. We sat down on opposite ends of the couch, and I put the bag on the cushion between us.
"There's a lot of pictures here…" I nodded at Itachi's words, pulling out all four large packets packed full of pictures. I tossed the few discs onto the coffee table, and opened one packet. It was labeled 'Middle School'.
There were a lot of pictures here of my dad when he was about 12 or 13. There were also a lot of pictures of Fugaku- though he looked a little bit...older.
"Hey…Itachi? How old is your dad, anyway?"
"Forty-one. Why?" I nearly choked, coughing lightly.
"What?!" I stood up, stomping back into the kitchen, holding a picture of a probably twenty-something Fugaku, and roughly 12 year old dad. Deidara smiled when I came in, but stopped as he saw my expression.
"Dad, exactly how long ago did you meet this bastard?" I held up the picture.
Dad just sighed, sitting down on a bar stool by the counter, and motioning for me to come over to him.
"We met twenty years ago…why are you so freaked out ab-"
"TWENTY YEARS?! Dad! Are you kidding me?!" I choked, slamming the picture onto the counter. Deidara immediately picked up the picture, curiously staring at it.
"Y-yes. He practiced kendo with me while I was still in junior high..."
"Dad! You were ten! And he…he was freaking twenty-one years old! Ew!" I stomped a little at the end, my fists clenching, thinking of some Uchiha-bastard messing with my ten year old dad.
"Hey! I-It wasn't like that back then! We weren't…together, until I got into my final year of high school." Deidara rolled his eyes, sliding off of the stool he'd taken up.
"Why don't you just tell us your story from the start?" I jumped, not knowing Itachi had come into the kitchen until he had spoken.