AN: Not me still writing chapters and adding onto this universe. These story makes references to previous chapters/shorts, and is more Minoru centered. But can probably be read alone. Enjoy to anyone reading!

Disclaimer: Don't own

Minoru made his way to the training grounds with the intentions of asking Naruto and Sasuke if they wanted to grab a quick lunch before he had to start his shift at the mission room. But as he got closer to the training grounds, he found the two arguing. And as he got closer, he was able to make out what they were saying – no – yelling at each other. Well, no, Naruto was the only one that was borderline yelling.

" – You have no idea what you're talking about –"

"Actually, I think I do. I think I've trained with him enough times to take notice. And I'm sure you're quiet aware –"

"Just because you've trained a handful of times with him does not mean you know what you're talking about!" Naruto retorted loudly.

Minoru stood far enough where he could hear them, but maybe not close enough where they noticed him. It was either that or they were too absorbed in their argument to care.

"By all means tell me how I'm wrong," Sasuke said calmly.

"It's not that simple," Naruto said loudly, borderline yelling, and scoffed, "You always think that you're right, don't you? When in reality you fail to really understand the situation."

"The situation? The situation is clear: You're holding Minoru back. You would think that since he's your husband – "

Just as Naruto was about to give Sasuke a fist to his smug face, he suddenly found himself being held back by a firm half-gloved hand on his chest. When the dust cleared, he found Minoru giving him an equally surprised look.

Minoru stood between the two, his hands held out in an attempt to keep distance between them. He looked from his fuming husband to a rather calm Sasuke, and then back. Naruto wasn't looking at him though, his fuming gaze was on the Uchiha. "Would someone like to explain?" he asked after a moment and looked at Sasuke, "Sasuke?"

Sasuke looked from Naruto to Minoru and then back, "I think Naruto should explain. Since he seems to think that I don't understand the situation well enough." He said the last part mockingly, slipping his hands into his pockets.

Minoru looked at Naruto when he felt his chest heave against his hand, "What's going on here?" he asked gently and cerulean eyes finally looked at him. Naruto opened his mouth as if to say something but then frowned instead.

Naruto averted his gaze and forced himself to calm down before looking at Minoru, who was patiently waiting for some sort of an explanation, "Sasuke is convinced that I've held you back in your training," he said in an even tone, "I was trying to explain that he has no fucking idea what he's talking about." The last of his sentence was directed to Sasuke, his anger rising again, "He has no idea what you've gone through – all these years – even recently –"

"It doesn't change what he's capable of," Sasuke interrupted.

"And what am I capable of?" Minoru asked Sasuke, not appreciating the tone of his voice, "Or at least, what do you think I'm capable of?"

"Killing without even having to place a hand on your enemies," Sasuke said simply, meeting Minoru's gaze, "I know you're capable of doing so since you're able to withdraw by touch, it stands to reason that you should be able to do it. But Naruto says it's not a priority."

"That's right," Minoru confirmed, "And I'm well aware of that." The Uchiha narrowed his eyes at him in confusion.

"Why then? Being able to draw chakra out from your enemy from a distance is advantageous in so many ways for you."

Minoru considered the older man, "Like Naruto said, you don't understand," he said gently, "It's not that Naruto didn't train me well, or held me back. I'm well aware that I can because I have." He sighed, "On multiple occasions. Some were on purpose, and some…well…not so much."

Sasuke tilted his head slightly, "Are you able to control it?"

"Yes," Minoru answered, and shook his head, "Sasuke, it's something that I don't expect you to understand, and I honestly don't feel like I need to explain myself to you. It's nothing personal." He furrowed his brows considering, "I am curious though," he glanced back at Naruto who still looked annoyed, "What brought this on?"

Sasuke looked from Minoru to Naruto and frowned at him, "I was making conversation."

"You were not!" Naruto retorted loudly, "You were doing that thing you do!"

Sasuke looked offended, "What thing?"

"That thing – ugh! It doesn't matter!" Naruto groaned in frustration and had to turn around to walk a few feet away. He took in a deep calming breath before turning back around and met the Uchiha's gaze, "Don't ever question or doubt my loyalty to Minoru." He took a menacing step forward, "And don't ever insult my marriage again."

Sasuke clenched his jaw.

Minoru looked from Naruto to Sasuke when his ears caught something, "What did you say?"

Sasuke sighed, "I'm sorry," he repeated louder this time, "You're right," he said to Naruto, "I don't understand the situation. I was only trying to…understand in order to maybe help."

"And I appreciate that, Sasuke," Minoru offered the older man a smile, "But next time, don't go about it the way you did. Who knows what would have happened if I wasn't here to stop him."

"Yeah, I forget how protective he can get."

Minoru smiled and looked at Naruto who still had a bothered look on his face, "Yeah, that's something that I love about him."

Naruto blushed despite himself and quirked an eyebrow when something occurred to him, "Wait – why did you come out here?"

Minoru's brows shot up, "Oh shoot! I was going to ask if you two wanted to grab lunch, but now I think I might late to my shift." His hand went through quick seals and he was gone in a puff of smoke.

Sasuke and Naruto were left standing across from each other. A long moment passed before Naruto sighed and crossed his arms.

"One of the reasons that Minoru hasn't fully pursued that technique…" Naruto sighed again and looked at Sasuke, "Is because…when we were younger, back when we first started his training and learning his ability, he accidentally did it to me." Sasuke's eyes widened a fraction. "And I may or may not have ended up in the hospital."

Sasuke gaped, "How – how did you –"

Naruto shrugged and chuckled, "You see - and I told Minoru this too - Kakashi entrusted me with him for a lot of reasons. One of them being that it takes a lot to hurt me. After a couple of days, I was good as new!" Naruto said with a grin which softened to a smile, "But after that accident, Minoru was reluctant to continue his training." He moved his gaze to the open field, "It took a lot of convincing, and one of the deals we made was that he would learn how to control it…But…he wanted to learn how to control it because he didn't want that sort of thing to happen again, not because of what he could do with it." He looked back at Sasuke, "See, I respected his decision. He learned how to control it. He's capable of using it. He chooses not to."

Sasuke furrowed his brow, "I don't understand why…"

Naruto shook his head with a smile on his lips, "That's what I – we – meant. You wouldn't understand because your reasoning and pursuit of power is completely different than that of Minoru's." He looked back to the open field, "And if Minoru ever wants to share his past with you, he will. So, that's as much as I'm sharing with you." He slipped his hands into his pockets and fully turned to face the other man, "You only know what you know, Sasuke."

Sasuke looked from Naruto to the open field, "Did you want to grab lunch?"

Naruto chuckled, thrown off a bit by the sudden change of topic, but grateful for it, "Sure."

Minoru left the mission room when the sun was starting to set. He was grateful that his shift ended up being rather busy, having to do a lot of sorting and filing. A smile tugged on his lips when he found Naruto sitting on a bench under a tree, an ankle crossed over knee, "What a pleasant surprise."

Naruto chuckled and stood from where he sat, "I owe you a dinner."

Minoru laughed, "Do you mean lunch?"

"I owe you a meal. Let's make it two. Two meals."

"That sounds divine," he said with a smile, his eyes drifting closed as Naruto leaned in and gave him a tender kiss.

They made their way to one of their favorite restaurants that served a variety of sushi, bentos and noodles. They were both grateful that it was rather empty given the time. Once seated, the waitress made her way to their table with two glasses of iced water and gingerly placed it in front of them.

"The usual?" she ventured with a smile, "Miso ramen with extra chasu pork, Gyudon with kimchi, and two hot green teas?"

Minoru nodded with a smile, "Can we add an order of pork buns as well?"

"Of course!"

"Thank you so much!"

As the waitress walked away Minoru seemed to have deflated, "I'm so freaking hungry."

Naruto smiled apologetically, "I'm sorry about earlier."

Minoru shook his head and took a drink of his water, "No need to apologize. How did it go with Sasuke after I left?"

Naruto sighed and leaned forward on the table, "Well, I kind of explained the why to him, and he seemed to have understood that much."

Minoru nodded and frowned slightly, "I understand his…concern? But I didn't appreciate what he was insinuating."

Naruto noticed the flicker in the dark eyes, "Yeah, and I probably didn't handle that well either."

Minoru shook his head, "No, he shouldn't have said what he did," he frowned, "You have done so much for me over the past years – so much – that he has no idea about. He doesn't know the whole story."

Naruto nodded in agreement, "I did mention that, that you will share your past with him if you want to. He only knows what he knows."

Minoru looked at the waitress as she brought over their hot teas, giving her a smile and a "thank you". He took a sip from the mug and sighed at the comforting warmth. He looked at the older man across from him as he did the same. "For the record," he said with a smile, cerulean eyes meeting his, "I never once thought or felt that you were 'holding me back'," he shook his head ruefully, "If anything I held myself back. You always pushed and encouraged me. You were always so patient with me."

Naruto smiled fondly at his husband, memories of their past experiences coming to mind, "You have always impressed me, Minoru. Every step of the way, even when you became frustrated, and felt defeated. You were always ready to step outside of your comfort zone. And to this day, you continue to do so." He smiled at the light blush that colored the pale cheeks. He looked over at the waitress as she came back to their table with dishes on a serving tray. She gingerly placed the bowls in front of them, and the order of buns in the center of the table.

"Enjoy!"

A comfortable silence fell over them as they ate. Naruto couldn't help the amused smile that pulled on his lips when Minoru bit into a bun and found that it was indeed still too hot.

As they finished their meals, Naruto let out a satisfied sigh and leaned his chin on a hand, "I can't wait to get home. Today has been so long." The suggestive wiggle of dark brows made chuckle vibrate through his frame and a blush colored his cheeks.

One week later…

Minoru sat on a rock as drew in his pocket-sized sketchpad while he waited for Sasuke to join him at the training grounds. He slowly looked up to find the Uchiha standing about six feet away from him. He kept his expression stoic but vaguely wondered just how long he was standing there. "How are you?"

Sasuke shrugged, "I'm alright. How have you been?"

Minoru smiled and put away his sketchbook, "I was thinking. Maybe…it would be helpful to you if you asked me anything you've been curious about." He made a gesture with his hand, "And I'll try to be as transparent as I feel comfortable."

Sasuke furrowed a brow and hesitated, "Why? I mean, you don't have to…"

"I know," Minoru thought of his words, "But…I do consider you a friend. And, I do also find it unfair that I know so much about you and your history, while you hardly know anything about mine."

Sasuke slipped his hands into his pockets and considered the younger man, "Well, from what I already know…you're the last of your bloodline, you triggered your ability while on a mission with Naruto, Gai and Lee, and – correct me if I'm wrong – your ability is connected to your emotions." Minoru nodded. "You're able to withdraw, absorb, cancel out or reserve chakra that isn't yours, you've mastered a jutsu you've created that involves drawings on paper to materialize them into 3D objects all while being able to control their scale…am I missing anything?"

Minoru crossed his arms, somewhat uncomfortable with everything that Sasuke knew. Not necessarily because it was Sasuke, it was a general feeling he has towards anyone and everyone. It went in hand with the discomfort of others being able to read him when his eyes would give him away, "That sounds about right." Sasuke didn't need to know about the link that inadvertently formed between him and Naruto when they learned he needed transfusions. He cleared his throat and looked out to the open training grounds, "Nearly everything I know and learned was due to trial and error. We were working somewhat blind since we didn't know much – if anything at all – about my bloodline. The ins and out of how were unknown to us. Learning how to cancel out chakra was probably one of the harder techniques to learn."

Sasuke tilted his head curiously, "I have to admit that it's rather curious. The things you are capable of…" he trailed off, "Including your jutsu. What gave you that idea?"

Minoru smiled and looked at Sasuke, "I've always liked to draw, ever since I was in the orphanage. I would draw and paint all the time – still do. The idea of the jutsu came to mind when I was trying to make this ability…mine." He looked off to the side as he thought of his words, "It was hard. Of course, I needed to learn how to control it, learn what exactly I was capable of, but…I needed to make it mine. I felt…disconnected from myself," he frowned, "I don't know if I'm making any sense."

Sasuke nodded, "You are. The jutsu made it uniquely yours. It combined the ideas of you and your ability into one," he smiled, "You combined it with a passion. You made it yours."

Minoru nodded with a smile, "Once I was able to master it and experiment with it, I found myself being able to actually enjoy what I could do with it." He shifted his weight from where he sat, taking out his sketchbook and flipping to a page with tiny kunai drawn all over it, "And I found it very advantageous," he stood and effortlessly pulsed chakra into the page and the tiny kunai popped out, "For example, I can easily carry twenty kunai in my hand," he picked one up and it seemingly took the size of a regular kunai, "And no one would even know."

Sasuke smirked, "If I remember correctly, you're also able to do it with living forms." He remembered the instance in the art store when Minoru made a bird materialize out of book.

Minoru nodded, "I have, mainly for diversions. Or when I need a second pair of eyes."

"Since it's connected to your emotions, do you find it hard being able to control that part of it?"

Minoru smiled at the genuine question, "No," he chuckled, "Remember who my dad is."

Sasuke chuckled, "That's very true," he looked at Minoru, "This might sound strange, but I see Kakashi-san and Iruka-sensei a lot in you. In many different ways."

Minoru couldn't help but smile wider, "Thank you. That's a very high compliment."

There was a long moment of silence where it seemed that Sasuke was processing everything Minoru had told him. And if he had any questions, he didn't make it known. But knowing him, Minoru wouldn't be surprised if he later came to him with them.

"Thank you," Sasuke said after a moment, earning him a quirk of a dark brow, "You didn't have to tell me all of this. But I'm glad that you did."

Minoru nodded with a smile, "Honestly, I was hesitant, but I can tell that the other day that you were actually trying to help."

Another comfortable silence fell over them and Minoru let out a slow sigh.

Kakashi half sat on his desk as he watched his son pace in his office. Minoru stopped and let out a slow breath before turning to him.

"I'm only going to say this because you are my dad," Minoru said carefully, "Are you freaking kidding me?!"

"And I'm only going to completely honest with you because you are my son," Kakashi met Minoru's gaze, "I would have preferred to send you and Naruto on this assignment, the bond you two have is strong both in and out of the field. And frankly you and Naruto are two of the strongest shinobi I have right now," he smiled at the flicker of chakra in the dark eyes at what he said, "But Naruto is off on another assignment and this can't wait until he returns. So…I have to send you with an alternate." Minoru pinched the bridge of his nose. Kakashi always found the gesture to remind him of Iruka.

Kakashi crossed his arms, "Sasuke is also very strong, but he just doesn't work very well with a team. I'm hoping that since you two have been training together and a sort of friendship has been created that it will help in the field."

Minoru sighed in understanding and looked at his dad, "What is the assignment?"

"S-rank retrieval," Kakashi started, "As you know, we have an alliance with Kusagakure. They have found themselves in a conflict with Takigakure. They've reached out for our immediate assistance in retrieving information that was unlawfully obtained." He handed Minoru a scroll, "Ideally, we don't want Takigakure to have any sort of idea of our assistance or involvement. Kasugakure has asked to have this retrieval done with the outmost stealth, but of course, I know things happen," Kakashi studied his son moment, dark eyes moved from the scroll back to him, "No witnesses." Minoru nodded in understanding. "I'll debrief Sasuke shortly, and I expect the two of to leave before nightfall."

Minoru nodded again, and tucked away the scroll, "Understood."

The sun was beginning to set when Minoru and Sasuke met at the front gates. They nodded at each other before they took off into the forest that lined the village.

Kakashi stood leaning on the railing at the Hokage tower and let out a slow sigh.