The Boy in the Team

Chapter Twenty-Eight

The hospital discharged him at three in the afternoon. The moment he stepped outside, wearing the same clothes he had gone inside the hospital with —albeit cleaned of the blood and mended where the cloth had torn— he was already trying to get back inside.

"So, Shin-chan," Naruko said —albeit holding up a casual tone of voice as she spoke. "I was wondering," she looked towards Sasuke, who nodded back. "How about we head over to your place?"

"But I promised I'd take Fu-san on a tour of Konoha," he replied.

Fu nodded eagerly.

"Well, that's all right then —you aren't already trying to skive off your promise of cake, right?"

He made a strained smile. "That will take time…I can always bring one after—"

"Nu-uh!" Naruko pouted, shaking her head firmly. "I want a freshly baked cake now! Like, you have to take responsibility!"

Sasuke slammed a fist on the back of Naruko's head. "You were just dying to use that reference, weren't you, Dobe?"

"Tee-he-he," she stuck her tongue out, "I never managed with Uke-chan before."

"Oh, I want a cake too!" Fu remarked, clapping her hands happily. "Shin-kun bakes? I want to try Shin-kun's cake too then!" she fidgeted slightly, pulling one leg behind the other and holding her hands on the back, stretching to put her chest forward while placing her face sideways and glancing shyly to the side. "I never had cake before, pretty please?" she fluttered her eyes then.

Shinku stared, speechless.

"Ohi," Naruko frowned, "That's going too far," she waved her fist at Fu. "He's going to realize that you're acting if you do something like that!"

"Acting?" he asked then, only to frown as Sasuke gripped him by the shoulders and started to push him along the street.

"Nothing at all! Why don't we go to your house and start baking? We don't want to be late, right?"

"Late for what?"

"The oven's timer, I'm sure it's already running!"

"But it can't—"

Shinku stopped trying to reason with the clearly mad people he had the disgrace of having as…friends, and began to move forward of his own accord. He opened the door of his house and let them in —heck, even Hibachi hadn't been inside his house, and they had been 'desk mates'.

He awkwardly shifted towards the kitchen, hastily removing the scribbled notes.

As always, the story they spoke of was clear as the day.

Remember to warn when you go out on a mission! I left you some food in the fridge.

He crumbled the note and dropped it in the bin, before opening the cupboards one after the other. Flour, eggs and everything else he needed came out and laid neatly on the table by the time he realized only Sasuke had stayed in the kitchen.

"I'll oversee things here," he remarked dryly. "Also known as the 'I will keep Naruko out of the kitchen at the cost of my life' pledge." He tapped his chest then, a knowing nod on his face.

"Ah…well," shrugging, Shinku began to crack the eggs in the flour. "It will be ready in a few hours, you know? I mean…you don't have to keep Naruko out...I doubt she'd be able to do much damage."

Sasuke shrugged, as if the thing didn't bother him in the slightest.

"I've been thinking," Sasuke said dryly, "that there was something wrong for a while," he acquiesced. "I didn't know what it was, but there had to be something."

"Uh?" Shinku blinked. "I don't understand."

"You see, I think you're just hurting yourself."

"What?"

"I told you that if you had any problems, you could talk it over with us?"

"What are you talking about?" Shinku asked warily. "What is it this time?" he added, with a light smile on his lips. "Is this like that time with the food problem? Because I'm pretty sure there isn't anything wrong with me now."

"If that's true, then why didn't you subject yourself to the Yamanaka mind search?"

Shinku stuttered.

"You know that? Where's the patient-doctor confidentiality!?"

"You know, Naruko may look stupid but…out of us two, she's got the keener eyes for certain things," Sasuke continued. "And when we add in everything else…" the Uchiha took a deep breath.

"Are your parents abusing you?"

Shinku nearly slammed his head against the table.

"WHAT!?" he stared, wide-eyed, at his teammate.

"Are you out of your mind!?" he added. "No!" he vehemently shook his head. "What the hell is wrong with you!? I mean, come on! I'm not a problem-child! I don't have any problems! I…what the hell, really!?"

Sasuke awkwardly looked sideways.

"Where did the other two go?" Shinku asked, narrowing his eyes. "Sasuke, you better tell me or I swear I will…do something you won't like."

"They went to look for proofs," Sasuke said, holding his hands up. "I know, I know it might seem like defending them is the right thing to do —they're your parents, after all— but abuse is not right. It never is. You should not…"

Shinku snorted, before chuckling.

Really?

That was what they believed?

"Fine," Shinku sighed. "I'll return to baking the cake. If you don't eat it though, I'll make sure the next one has a special something known as laxative."

He continued to work in quiet silence. So…talking with the Yamanaka was a no-way then, if Sasuke could know about what they said between them, then…

You can trust me.

I know, I know.

Humming to himself, Shinku whistled as he cleaned the table. It hadn't even taken him much time, and once the oven was warm enough —which was soon— he'd plop the cake in the oven and everything would be fine.

Really…had he added the sugar to begin with?

Yes, we did.

Good.

The kitchen clean, he went towards the fridge. "Want something to drink? I think there's juice in the fridge…"

"Water," Sasuke remarked in a soft murmur. "And…well, I'm sorry about this, but Naruko couldn't help it," Shinku just hummed.

"She roped me and Fu in," the Uchiha added, slightly ashamed. "She did bring good arguments though: why weren't your parents there?"

"They didn't know I was in the hospital," Shinku replied calmly. "It's not that difficult."

"But why?" Sasuke pressed on.

"Let's say the hospital calls the Haruno household, to tell them their son is in the hospital," he states plainly. "My parents stop working at ten in the night, they come back home at ten thirty, and wake up at four in the morning before leaving once more —with my father waking up sometimes at three o'clock depending on the amount of orders," slowly, Shinku poured the water in the glasses.

"So the hospital phones at noon, which is the lunch hour. They phone at dinner time too, and then they phone in the morning at seven…but there's no one in the house at those times," he smiled bitterly. "So, as you can see, my parents couldn't know. They thought I simply was out doing a mission when I didn't reply to one of their messages on the table, and thus there's nothing else to add."

"Ah," awkwardly, Sasuke shifted on his feet.

"Ah indeed," Shinku replied calmly. "I appreciate the sentiment," he stated, with his voice barely a murmur, "but it was unneeded and uncalled for."

"You're part of team," Sasuke retorted. "You showed it by saving the Dobe, and now that she accepts that…you really have no idea, right?"

"No idea on what?" Shinku asked, raising his right eyebrow.

"Naruko has a very simple way of reasoning…you're either her friend or you aren't. There isn't a 'I know that guy' or 'I'm friendly with him but I don't consider him a friend' thing. Either you are her friend or you aren't. And by 'friend' I mean that if she had to take a kunai for you, or pluck her eyes out to get you out of a bind…she would." Sasuke stressed out.

"That's what I'm talking about. If, let's say…I went on a rampage and burned down Konoha, killing hundreds…she would stop me, tie me up, and then make sure I got the lightest possible sentence or even the full pardon, before repeatedly trying to get out the reason I did it. Then she'd try to make me change. That's what I'm talking about," Sasuke grabbed the glass offered and drank it.

"So she thought I was abused at home and decided to investigate the matter?"

"No, she actually thought we needed to work on your meek and shy attitude, and then when she realized your parents hadn't even come to visit you once in two days she became incensed over it. Let's just say…I might have added fuel to the fire by suggesting a possible reason?"

"Really," Shinku deadpanned. "Abused of all things, really?"

"I spent most of my childhood reading police reports," Sasuke retorted. "I mean, the skinny look and the meekness all pointed to that. When you started to hesitate on bringing us here you just worsened the situation."

"There was the off-chance they were at home," Shinku muttered. "I…I don't know why I thought that —I should know better than to think it but…"

"Why?" this time, it was Sasuke's turn to be perplexed about something, which was a refreshing change, for once.

"Because I didn't tell them who I was in the team with," he acquiesced. "I just told them the number of the team, and nothing more."

"Why not?"

"Because then I would have to admit I was the dead last of the class to them," he chuckled grimly. "The only thing I didn't want to be and ended up being," shaking his head, he gripped on the sides of the table. "I don't envy you, or Naruko, for what you are or what you can do…I don't care if tomorrow you'll tell me you can shoot explosive tags out of your eyes or Naruko starts going faster than the light…but at least, I want my normal, average life. I want my chuunin flak jacket, and I want my boring desk job somewhere in the middle of the Hokage tower or in the library. There are people who are born to become legends, and then there are the guys like me…who are born to be average, to be the thousands of thousands…"

He sighed. "I'm not special, and I'm fine like that. I don't have a tragic past or a secret skill…so, please, next time Naruko puts her head in the gutter…take it out."

Sasuke breathed in deeply once, before nodding. "Yeah, I suppose I should have done that, rather than give in to her insistence. Best we go and stop them then…I don't know what they'd do if left unattended for too long."

Shinku chuckled. "Probably burn down the house."

Then he paled. "They wouldn't…"

"I hope not," Sasuke snorted as they hurried out of the kitchen.

They didn't have to go far. The two girls hadn't gone further than a single room ahead, and they were holding in their hands…

"Oh no," Shinku turned white as a bone. "No, no, no, not that…"

The photo album.

"Look! How cute!" Fu giggled. "He's pouting…awww…and here he's playing with the rubber ball…coochie coochie coo…"

Shinku shuddered, his face turning red as Naruko giggled next.

"Shin-chan was so adorable when young! Look at him! Just…look! Here he's got a spoon in his mouth…look at how chubby he was…muuuhhh why couldn't he keep those puffy cheeks?"

"I'm going to die now," Shinku stated plainly.

Sasuke snorted. "Welcome to the club…she," he pointed at Naruko, "asked my mother about my own photo album after her mother showed me hers…" he shuddered. "I'll bring you hers one day —what's fair is fair after all."

Naruko's ears perked up, and she slammed the photo album to a close sharply. "UH! Oh…well, we were just goofing around!" she sniffed the air, "Oh! I can smell cake!"

"Yes," Shinku drawled out. "You don't get any however," he added calmly, "Unless you put that thing back where it belongs."

Ashamed, Naruko quickly did so. "So!" she clapped her hands, "Any table games we can play while waiting?"

"I should have a deck of cards somewhere," Shinku replied.

There was a knock at the door after half an hour, which Shinku ended up getting because he lost the poker hand —like everyone else, since Naruko kept on winning at the first hand. He understood 'being lucky' and 'cheating' but always having the royal flush?

That was borderline impossible.

He opened the door to stare blearily at his sensei's smiling face. "Hi!" he waved his hand, "I heard there's cake."

Next to him was a woman wearing a long black suit with another flak jacket —albeit of a darker colour than Kakashi's. "She's my observer," he added then, "She'd like some cake too."

"Hatake-san, this is improper behaviour."

"It's…all right;" Shinku said, letting them both in and closing the door behind them.

"Kakashi-Nii!" Naruko exclaimed, gazing up as the Jounin entered the —now starting to get small for Shinku's tastes— living room. "What are you doing here?"

"I wanted some cake," Kakashi shrugged. "And I wanted to tell you we have a mission tomorrow. A beautiful D-rank joint mission with a man known as Maito Gai," he smiled brightly. "One which you could do with your eyes closed and without any need of my superior teaching skills, but which I will unfortunately have to participate in…"

"Who's the woman?" Naruko asked suddenly, narrowing her eyes towards the purple-haired kunoichi next to Kakashi. "You finally found a girlfriend who isn't put off by your porn-reading?"

"I am Uzuki Yugao," the woman said crisply, presenting herself. "I will be Hatake-san's observer and supporting teacher, as per the Hokage's orders."

"Aren't you glad?" Kakashi eye-smiled, "Our team is growing up! We have Fu-chan and now even Yu-cha—" a katana's blade came an inch away from Kakashi's neck.

"Hatake-san, please refer to me with a proper name. I am Yugao-sensei to the students and Uzuki-san to you."

"Mah, mah, of course," Kakashi replied, slowly pushing the blade away from his neck with his two fingers.

The katana disappeared in a flash back into its sheathe on the back of the woman, who then politely turned to gaze at Shinku.

"Do you need a hand with bringing the plates over, Haruno-kun?"

Shinku blinked. "Ah, no, no…I've got everything handled."

He moved towards the kitchen, getting down on one knee to check the cake in the oven. If someone had told him he'd have as guests two Jounin, the two 'stars' of the class and a foreign kunoichi who also was a Jinchuuriki…he'd have run away from the clearly mad person.

Furthermore, his teammates actually worried about him. In a whacky way of course, but they did worry.

"Still a few minutes," he muttered, before opening the oven to pluck holes in the cake. It still had a little to go…he closed the oven and returned in the living room.

"The D-rank is actually out of Konoha? Really?" Naruko groaned. "Why? D-ranks are never out of Konoha!"

"No, they are generally not out of Konoha, but this is a high-pay D-rank, which requires two teams of shinobi," Kakashi hummed. "Think about what you'll be spending the money on."

"How much?" Sasuke retorted. "We are a six-man team, by the look of things," Sasuke looked around. "If your friend's team is in there too…then we're a ten man unit. What is there that needs three Jounin and seven Genin?"

"Construction work!" Kakashi was actually clapping his hands —it made everyone uncomfortable. "Simply construction work with the most sparkling bright green individual ever to exist, who will challenge you hour after hour to stupid senseless duels on just about anything you can imagine," Kakashi then growled —which actually eased everyone.

"The mission Hatake-san refuses to explain more keenly," Yugao said then, "Is a mere delivery of extra construction materials that the land of waves paid for in advance and could not transport. The sealing scrolls have already been prepared, and we will depart tomorrow."

Shinku would have liked to point out that he hadn't been in Konoha for a full day yet —barring being in a coma or in the hospital. He would have, if Naruko hadn't done so first.

"Hey! What about Shin-chan and Uke-chan!? Don't they get some downtime too!?"

"It is unfortunate," Yugao acquiesced, "Which is why I hope they will enjoy today to its fullest."

"Furthermore we aren't just 'us'," Kakashi brightly added, "No, that would still be fine if a bit of overkill…there's yet one more team! One who was originally sent there to protect the place from bandit attacks."

His eye turned murderous.

"It will be four Jounin and ten Genin…four Jounin of which two are Ex-Anbu and ten Genin of which two are Jinchuuriki. It will be complete, utter, total waste of shinobi forces in a single area as if it were a powder keg ready to explode and…"

Kakashi clapped his hands, "Nothing of strange is supposed to happen at all! Sensei just loves to punish me like this, right? He," Kakashi chuckled, scaring everyone else around him —he did appear to have snapped— "He has a great sense of humour, doesn't he?"

"So…we're going on an outright cakewalk mission?" Sasuke deadpanned.

"Yes," Kakashi exhaled finally. "One where I would simply sleep from morning until night, but where I won't because I'll be under scrutiny…meaning I will have to do something…meaning I will have to work at the construction…meaning I…argh…I'll just cry a bit more…" Kakashi hung his head. "When's the cake coming?"

"Kakashi-Nii," Naruko said softly, bringing a hand up to 'tap' gently on the back of his right hand. Her eyes sparkled lightly in understanding as she gazed at him, before saying abruptly.

"You deserved to have your porn burned and buried," she smiled brightly, even cheerfully as if nothing was wrong, "Which is why I told my mom where you hid your stash."

Kakashi emitted froth from his mouth and fell face first on the table with a loud thunk.

Yugao turned her head sharply towards Shinku, before stating plainly.

"I think the cake is ready to be served."

Shinku warily nodded. "Yes…I think so too."

Naruko just flashed him a smile, an innocent little smile that simply told him that, no matter the circumstances, he was not to have any porn in his house ever.

Because it would be used as a hostage of war…and executed depending on circumstances.

Still, the D-rank…D-ranks were naturally easy, with a maximum pay of fifty-thousand ryos.

They were going as a three Jounin and seven Genin team. The pay would be of Five thousand ryos each. With five thousand ryos…he could…

Really, was that 'high pay'? How was he even going to reimburse the cost of his lost equipment, if that was the pay-out?

Thankfully, the hospital had given him back everything he had on him at the moment of entering. Meaning…

Yes.

He now had a Jounin-rank flak jacket staying comfortably in a plastic bag in the corner of his kitchen.

There was no way he would separate from that life-saviour of his —busted or not, in shreds or not— it was his, and he was going to wear that jacket no matter what, even on a D-rank.

He had a bad feeling after all.

Author's notes

Someone said…Wave.

I say…

It won't be Wave.

Remember, if Obito died actually…nobody controls Yagura.

No bloodline purges.

damn, I made a simple change (Obito is dead), I didn't expect my 'logic' to reach certain conclusions.

By the way…

You know Kishi could have avoided the entire final arch?

Obito goes with Rinnegan to Edo-Tensei Rin. He brings Rin back to life.

End of story.

No need for infinite Tsukuyomi.