A/N: hi guys! this chapter had been updated and is ready for you to read! please let me know what you think!
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Naruto characters or the image shown above.
Warning: Yaoi (malexmale), crude language, shounen-ai (Boy Love)
Pairing: Obito Uchiha & Naruto Uzumaki, slight Kakashi Hatake & Naruto Uzumaki
Summary: Obito has spent all of his waking hours to go back to a time in which he could be happy. But life has a funny way of dealing him a losing hand. Or Naruto is just an anomaly in which probabilities can't calculate the extent of his unpredictability.
Paradox
Part I/X
Unbidden
The moment Kakashi had realized that they'd lost both Obito and Naruto he became panicked and restless. Panicked because for once he was frightened of losing two dimwitted comrades and restless because he was just itching to go find those two dimwits and give them both a good punch in the face. What could have possibly possessed those two to deliberately separate themselves from the formation like that? Kami-sama had better give him patience when he finally found them or else. And, by the looks of it, Minato wasn't far behind him either.
Their small, three-person cell had successfully taken down five of the eight mercenaries that had ambushed them a while back but not without sustaining injuries. Minato had a nasty gash on his bicep from blocking a stray kunai that had been headed straight for Rin.
Kakashi himself (although he hated to admit it) had taken a low-tier jutsu right to his side. It had caught him by surprise while in the midst of hand-to-hand combat with one of the lowlier ninja and had left a moderately big bruise in its wake. Needless to say, that certain mercenary didn't see what hit him when Kakashi had unoccupied himself.
His shirt was stained with blood and so was his tantō but he shook off the excess fluids from it before sheathing it once more. He turned to look at his sensei that had just done in the last ninja with a simple swipe of his hand. The custom-made, three-bladed kunai had cut swiftly through the enemy's neck and left him dead and hollow on the forest floor, a pool of blood slowly forming below his head. Kakashi nodded in approval, his impassive eyes flickering onto Rin who was staring blankly at the dead bodies surrounding them.
There was so much blood.
"I'll finish off the rest." He spoke monotonously and just as he was about to take to the treetops Minato's stern voice made him pause.
"No."
Kakashi whipped his head and glared at his sensei.
"Why not?" he demanded, a hint of anger lacing through his tone. He couldn't help it, his impatience was getting the best of him and all he wanted to do was break necks and save the lives of his dimwitted teammates.
"We'll go as a team."
Kakashi growled low in his throat.
"But I'm faster. I can find them before you an-"
"Kakashi."
He knew better than to argue with his sensei when he used that tone of voice with him. Minato was unrelenting and when he said things they were usually for the best and Kakashi trusted the man's judgment. As much as he had trusted his father's before everything.
Nodding curtly to Minato he tried his best to silently quell his exasperation. If it had not been for the cool hand that wrapped around his wrist in soothing gesture he would have never succeeded. Staring into Rin's soft, worried brown eyes he let himself relax for just a moment, if not for himself, then to reassure her that everything would be fine.
All they had to do was find them.
"Kakashi, you take the lead. Rin, the middle, and I'll bring around the back and cover you both. There's a slight chakra disturbance about two miles from here, we should start there."
Putting a firm hand on Rin's shoulder, Minato offered her a warm smile.
"Don't worry so much, we'll find them."
Rin smiled back despite her tempest of emotions raging within her while Kakashi stood there stone-faced.
But even so, they believed their sensei to the utmost fullest.
…
…
…
Everything was calm inside the forest. There had been absolutely no disturbances save for the quiet shriek Obito had unintentionally let out when a small fox had ducked into their hollow. Naruto had simply rolled his eyes at the other boy and cooed over its cuddly appeal, letting the creature lick his face and nip at his fingers.
It had been at that moment when Obito had first noticed it.
The stab wounds on Naruto's hand had completely vanished by then, the only proof of them having ever been there was the dried blood caked on the boy's skin.
"Naruto…" he said cautiously, narrowing his eyes at the unmarred flesh of the boy's arm. Naruto had long since discarded his plain, black jacket and casted it off to the side where the fox was currently nesting. Obito had no idea how the hell it even fit in there with them but he supposed that since Naruto's body was so intimately pressed up against him the other boy had made it his responsibility to make room.
Obito didn't mind now though, being too wrapped up in raking his eyes wherever Naruto's flesh was most exposed to see if the peculiar phenomena appeared anywhere else.
"Yeah?" the other responded slowly, tilting his head slightly to look directly at Obito. Their noses were only inches apart, their spiky hair practically meshing together.
"Where are your wounds?" he questioned suspiciously. Naruto blinked, bewildered at the sudden inquiry.
"Where I'm from my clan was known for their fast healing. Something to do with our blood." he shrugged nonchalantly, trying to play it as cool as he could.
Naruto could only imagine what would happen once his secrets were revealed sooner or later. He wondered if they would still trust him if they were to ever discover what he carried inside him.
Gulping down the sudden lump that had formed in his throat, Naruto sat up and looked anywhere but at Obito's gaze.
"I think it's safe to head out now." He concurred, quietly slipping his legs underneath his body and crouching down low to lean over Obito and peek his head out. Once he deemed that the coast was indeed clear Naruto shuffled on outside, dragging his backpack along with him with Obito following suit.
They stretched their stiff muscles and practically moaned in pleasure when the kinks in their bodies unknotted. It felt absolutely wonderful to be out in the open with slight breeze fanning over their heated skin. Just how long had they been in there?
"Aren't ya gonna get your jacket?"
Naruto shook his head and casually waved his hand.
"Nah, let the little critter have it. It's got blood all over it anyway."
Obito grimaced at the remembrance of Naruto soaking up the blood from his hand and from the forest floor with his jacket.
"Sorry…" he apologized softly. Naruto shot him a smile and shrugged.
"It's alright, I never liked it anyway. Orange is more my style."
Obito swore he'd just fallen slightly in love with the other boy right then but he'd never admit that to anyone else. Finally, someone who understood the ingenuity of the color orange!
"We should hurry up and find the others." Naruto said, already walking toward where they'd last seen their team.
It proved to be a grave mistake on his part. He had not given a second thought about his surroundings and had not felt the masked ominous chakra signature looming above them hiding in the trees. There was a spike of energy and Naruto was too slow to move away, his blue eyes wide with surprise and kunai sloppily poised in front of him.
There was a familiar clash of metal on metal as the falling ninja used his entire weight to his advantage. Naruto's kunai slipped and nicked the other man in the shoulder but the enemy ninja's position was far more substantial, Naruto realized, as he felt the man's kunai dig into his shoulder, ripping at his flesh and sinking into the muscle and tissue of his body.
"Arrghh!"
Naruto's pained scream echoed through the forest, effectively snapping Obito out of his stunned reverie. His body was in shock as he watched the knife sink into Naruto's body, blood squirting forth and sloshing onto the ground, staining the enemy's clothes.
There was a thud as both bodies fell to the forest floor, followed by a yell that Obito soon realized didn't come from either him or Naruto.
Before he barely even had time to react a silver blur had successfully knocked the enemy ninja off of Naruto and smoothly eliminated him a few feet away from where Naruto lay injured on the ground. Minato had already taken out the other two some ways behind.
Kakashi seemed to be the epitome of calm and collected but he was raging on the inside. His blood was boiling and he wanted nothing more than to cause harm on the bastard who'd managed to hurt his teammates. But despite his whirlwind of confusing emotions about a boy he barely even knew, he remained still, head turned slightly to watch Rin gently remove the kunai still imbedded in Naruto's shoulder.
Her breath was harsh against Naruto's cringed face as she shakily ripped open his shirt. Blood was rapidly pouring out of his wound and she winced at the torn skin and ripped tendons that greeted her. Pain-stricken blue eyes were peering up at her and all she could do was smile, but only slightly.
Obito watched her as she began to heal Naruto with clenched fists at his sides, nails digging into his palm and breaking the skin. His throat felt thick and heavy as he tore his gaze away from the incident he could have very well prevented.
If only he had just been more aware of his surroundings, if only he wasn't so goddamn weak, if only he was strong enough to activate his sharingan then maybe Naruto wouldn't have gotten injured. How many times did he have to prove to people that he was useless? Couldn't there just be a time where he could prove them all wrong? Why couldn't it have been just this once when someone actually needed him?
His eyes started to sting and he cursed at himself for being so emotional. So weak and useless and em-
"Oh my!" he heard Rin exclaim, effectively pulling him out of his thoughts. She began to back away from Naruto's prone form in surprise. Minato walked up behind her, eyebrows knitted together as they watched the torn muscles and tissues begin to seemingly regenerate.
But it wasn't only thing that had caught his attention. It was the swirling, intricate seal that appeared out of nowhere around Naruto's navel. If he'd gathered anything during his intense studies of seals then that meant that Naruto was undoubtedly a-
"Nnngh..." Naruto moaned in pain, his labored breathing soon beginning to even as his tanned skin wove together. His once ago tattered flesh now lay taut across his shoulder, unblemished. As if a kunai had not just slashed threw his body moments before.
Tan eyelids fluttered open revealing hazy cerulean orbs. Panic struck through Naruto once he realized what had happened and sat up, grasping at his tattered clothing and trying desperately to hide his exposed body. He looked at the bewildered faces of his teammates, fear striking his heart when his eyes locked with Minato's.
"I-I can explain." He stuttered, making a move to stand up.
Oh Kami, Naruto thought, he knows!
There was a realization in Minato's eyes that made it obvious that he knew exactly what Naruto was and what he contained.
And Naruto couldn't help but drop to his knees and bow his head well onto the ground when Minato took a step forward.
"I'm sorry! Don't hurt me!"
Minato watched Naruto quiver with incredulous eyes. He had only heard rumors of the treatment jinchuuriki often received, but he had never known that it was to this extent. What could they (whoever they were) have possibly done to this boy of only fourteen years that made him flinch so violently at the very prospect of someone knowing what he harbored deep within him?
Minato took a mental step back: had his intentions seemed malicious? How could one even approach a boy so petrified of the people surrounding him?
He was so full of questions and possibilities that it took him awhile to realize that Naruto's shaking had stopped when unforeseen and surprisingly gentle arms wrapped around him in a consoling half-embrace.
"It's okay, Naruto." The voice spoke calmly, soothing the frightened teen and coaxing him to look up despite his overwhelming fear.
Kakashi watched on, dumbfounded that Obito of all people was the one who chose to calm the boy down.
…
…
…
It didn't take long to coax Naruto out of his frightened position on the ground. He was all but ready to head out and completely avoid talking about the incident back in the forest. The rest of the team didn't feel the desire to revert him back into whatever hopeless state he had been in before.
Minato, as expected from a progressing fūinjutsu-user, was itching to ask him a million questions about the seal, but knew better than to bring up the subject again for fear of scaring Naruto off. Their mission was finally beginning to make sense, the scattered pieces of the puzzle coming together one by one and by the looks of it, Kakashi wasn't far from reaching the same conclusion.
They walked in silence for the remainder of their travel, save for the few glances Rin and Obito would throw at Naruto.
"We'll be reaching the Land of Noodles soon." Minato called out.
"If I'm not mistaken we'll be reaching it before evening. Cargo ships only run every three days." Rin put a finger to her lips as she thought about it in her head. Minato smiled at her from over his shoulder.
"That's right. We'll be spending a day in one of the villages nearby until a cargo ship arrives and hopefully won't mind us hitching a ride."
So far much of the land they'd come across was nothing but farming land used to make the noodles they exported. From where they were now they could finally see the outskirts of the bustling villages that acted as main border paths. Even further in the distance was the vast, sparkling blue sea which looked like something directly out of a painting.
As they got nearer and nearer their team began to walk closer together with Minato leading them in the front.
"I bet they have really good ramen." Naruto practically moaned, sniffing the air and drinking in the delicious aroma that travelled with the sea breeze.
Their stomachs growled simultaneously and Rin was the only one that had the decency to blush. Minato laughed at them and relented.
"Yeah, yeah, I hear you guys loud and clear. Let's get some food before we scope out our room and board." he waved at them to hurry along and they did. Kakashi simply trailed behind them, taking a much more languid pace.
The village was buzzing with vendors of all kinds, the majority of them noodle stands (for obvious reasons) but there were some others who sold odd knick knacks for tourists to take back home with them (again, mostly noodles).
Naruto looked like he was floating solely with the power of his nose. He would go to one stand, look at their food and then walk away with dejection clear on his face.
"Are you looking for something in particular?" Minato finally asked after the fifth attempt and Naruto shook his head.
"Ramen." he bemoaned while rubbing his stomach. Minato chuckled and ruffled his hair.
"In that case, I know just the place!" he led them along with a bounce in his step.
"Have you been here before, Minato-sensei?" Rin quipped from the back. They were near the ports by now and, save for some fisherman boats and several vendors it looked mostly empty, not at all like they expected but it added to the urban culture of the village.
Minato veered right and ducked under the red rice-paper flaps of a nearby stand.
"I've been here once, actually." he answered as he took a seat on one of the stools. "It was for a mission and the man that runs Kushina's favorite ramen stand in Konoha - Teuchi-san is what I think his name is - told us he used to work for the man that owns this place. So she made me promise to eat the food here and report back my findings." he chuckled at the memory, remembering the way her eyes had sparkled when he'd returned from that particular mission after having sent one of his summons to deliver her two bowls of her favorite flavored ramen ahead of him: one miso and one pork.
The affection he'd gotten had been well worth it and he couldn't help the smile that naturally curved along his lips.
Beside him, Rin sighed dreamily.
"Ohh? Teuchi-san you say? It's been awhile since I've heard that name…" the old man behind the bar rubbed his chin.
He looked to be about fifty years old but the ease of his movements could make anyone doubt it. Naruto, who had paused his droolings enough to listen in, watched him as he began to prepare the noodles. His hair was white and receding, the skin around his face loose with age but wrinkled with years of happiness. It made him grin.
"Oi, ojii-san, one miso and one pork, please!" he shouted. The man peaked an eye open at him and instead of scolding him like Rin though he would, he simply threw his head back and laughed.
"You sure are rowdy, kid." he said while placing the noodles into their bowls.
"I'll have one miso." Obito piped up with a cheesy smile in place. He stuffed in the corner with Naruto to his left.
"Shio ramen." Kakashi grumbled from his seat beside Rin.
"Hmmm, can I try the shoyu ramen?"
The man smiled down at her. "Of course you can little lady! Dealing with these boys all day must be wearing you out."
"Oh like you wouldn't believe." Rin laughed while Obito and Naruto vehemently denied being any sort of hassle.
"One tonkotsu for me." Minato supplied and before long they had their meals placed before them, steaming hot and deliciously decorated with fresh toppings.
"Itadakimasu!" they chorused and while the rest of Team Minato generously blew the heat off their noodles Naruto was burning his mouth all the while crying tears of joy, a continuous stream of snot dripping from his nose.
"This is the most delicious thing I've ever tasted." he cried and Obito chuckled nervously, inching closer to the wall as he fearfully watched Naruto practically vacuum up all two bowls of ramen in a matter of minutes.
The old man was bellowing with laughter at that point.
"You sure know how to make a man feel proud of his work, kid!"
Naruto's eyes were alight as he nodded eagerly. "This tastes better than the one back at home! Iruka-sensei used to treat me to it all the time if I-" his mouth shut with the audible clank of his teeth.
"U-Uh I mean- it was a long time ago. Before he- uh- before he left." he sobered up, sinking into his seat and Obito watched him just as intently as his other teammates were. The old man said nothing, reading the atmosphere for what it was and went about cooking up another bowl.
He placed it in front of Naruto when he was finished.
"This one's on the house, kid." he winked at him with his aging eyes and Naruto beamed.
"Thanks, jiji!"
Minato paid and they stood from their seats, waving bye at the old man who bid them a farewell.
"I'll be back soon! You better believe it!" Naruto shouted behind him and ran off to catch up to his team. Obito had lagged behind so they could walk together as per protocol.
"Jeez, I bet you could have made that guy a fortune if we let you stay there any longer." Obito cringed. Naruto clapped him on the back with a loud smack, making him lurch forward and barely catch his footing.
"Watch it, idiot!" he shouted.
"You're just jealous I got a free bowl." Naruto leered, mouth set in a triumphant smirk. Obito rolled his eyes and crossed his arms in front of his chest.
"As if. That ramen was alright at best." his words were empty and a means to rile up his teammate.
And it worked.
"Hey! You take that back!" he cried while jostling Obito's side.
"Nyah!" Obito, while not one of his proudest moments, stuck his tongue out, finger drawing the bottom of his eye down in an attempt to mock the other.
"Seriously, Obito?" Rin gave him a weary look. She was walking next to Kakashi who was giving them a look so wry that it made Naruto snicker unconditionally.
Kakashi hadn't really changed much.
"Rin-chan, wait-" Obito called out, hand outstretched. She simply turned back around and he withered.
"Ya know, you're real smooth, Obito-baka."
He growled at the other boy. "Shut it! What would you know about girls! You kiss guys, remember?"
Naruto sputtered, face cherry red.
Up ahead and silently leading the team, Minato felt the edges of his lips turn upward just the slightest.
Of course he'd had his suspicions. The boy had appeared out of the blue one day, his body haggard and lying atop one of Jiraiya's toad summons and almost the spitting image of what he looked like once upon a time at fourteen years of age.
Hiruzen had been in that hospital room when he'd been summoned there and had promptly walked out without even so much as a word about what was going on. He'd left it all up to Jiraiya and even then the information had been nothing but vague.
Everything was still up in the air but one thing he knew without a doubt: Naruto was no personal threat to them.
However, whether the intention was there or not was completely different. The threat wasn't the boy, but whatever he was harboring away, hidden in the darkest of recesses, certainly was.
The hairs on the back of his neck prickled. He felt eyes on him and he glanced to his right. Kakashi's muted gaze was on him, a facade of disinterest on his countenance but his pewter eyes were roiled with intrigue, like he was connecting the clues of a puzzle.
"I think we should set up here for the night." he finally said after half an hour of wandering around.
"Ano….sensei?" Rin timidly called him after he'd finished booking their rooms.
"Hm?"
She shifted uncomfortably and it was only by looking at the empty space around her did something click.
"I think we lost them in the section with all those vendors…"
There was a doink of Kakashi slamming his head against the wall and Minato let out a heavy sigh. He'd been so caught up in wondering what Kakashi had managed to puzzle together that he'd stopped sensing his team by relying only on his sight.
"Honestly, those two knuckleheads." he shifted his pack around on his shoulders and made to go back into the crowd but stopped when Kakashi placed a hand on his wrist.
"I'll go find them." he said simply and Minato acquiesced, his curiosity winning over.
"Alright. I expect to have all three of you in your rooms in half an hour alright?"
"Roger." Kakashi nodded and disappeared into the streets.
Rin pouted as they watched him go. "Why do the boys get to have all the fun?" she let her fists rest at her hips. Minato chuckled.
"You think so? I presume you won't be using the onsen, then?"
Her face brightened instantly.
"Thank yooouu, senseeeiii!" she threw her arms around him and scurried off, leaving him in the dust.
Women are all the same, he thought as he shook his head and headed toward his quarters.
…
…
...
Meanwhile, Kakashi was admittedly struggling to find his missing teammates. He'd been walking for ten minutes with no sign of bright blonde hair or orange goggles anywhere and he was starting to get more annoyed by the minute.
Eventide was beginning to settle and while some shops were closing for the day many of them set out lanterns and lamps to brighten up their stands. The nightlife was interesting to say the least and Kakashi saw the appeal. Of course, for the two dimwits who'd gotten themselves left behind that is.
"Yatta! I got one!"
Speak of the devil...
Kakashi rounded a corner and found himself in one of the shinier parts of the inland port. There were several stands all dedicated to all sorts of entertainment. Flashy artwork, shiny knick knacks from the sea, colorful games, interesting characters - all compelling enough to distract the dumbest of patrons.
With a roll of his eyes he made his way toward the excited shouting which wasn't hard as many travelers were curiously looking at the lively display of boyish enthusiasm. The stand owners, many of them reaching into what seemed like their fifties, were peering at them, eyes glinting fondly as if reminiscing.
Kakashi was closing in, swiftly moving around the people with practiced ease with hands stuffed in his pockets. One couple politely stepped out of his way, revealing both Obito and Naruto on the ground, ogling something in their hands. The stand owner was watching them with amusement and from what Kakashi could make out there were little tiny goldfish squirming about in a tub next to the pair.
"Of course you idiots would be here." he intoned and they looked up with dubious expressions of excitement and confusion.
"Oh, hey Bakashi." Naruto replied and Kakashi felt his eye twitch.
"Oh? You learned so quickly!" Obito had the audacity to look surprised. "I taught him that." he turned to Kakashi with a shit-eating grin.
"Let's go already you asshats. Sensei is waiting for us." he turned to leave.
"Yosh!" they stood up and ran to catch up.
"What should we name him, Obito?"
Obito's eyes furrowed and he brought a hand to rub at his chin in contemplation.
"What about sashimi?"
Naruto blanched. "No way! That's so mean!" he held the plastic bag up to the sky and watched the little orange goldfish swim around.
It kept searching for an escape and finding nothing but confinement. He felt something inside him viscerally shift. There was a surge and the bag popped.
"Aw man! What'd you do that for?" Obito scooped the fish from the ground.
A few steps ahead Kakashi had a hand poised on the handle of his tantō. But Naruto wasn't paying attention to anything, his eyes an empty void as he stared into nothingness.
"Huh? Naruto?" Obito called, waving a hand in front of his face. It managed to snap him out of whatever reverie he was in and Kakashi relaxed his stance.
Some bystanders were looking at them, some curiously and others in fear. The space around them and the civilians grew.
Kakashi tsk-ed in annoyance. They didn't have the time to dwell unless they wanted more unwanted attention. He grabbed Naruto by the wrist and all but dragged him out of the street.
"Let's go." he barked and Obito hurriedly followed behind them but not before stealthily dropping the goldfish in some guy's glass of water with a subtle bloop.
"What the-"
Obito snickered into his hand as he went to walk beside Naruto once again.
"I guess it's for the best." he found himself reassuring the other. It earned him a sad grin but it was better than nothing.
"Yeah, you're probably right. I've never taken care of anything other than plants."
Naruto stared at the back of Kakashi's head, remembering the plant he'd called Mr. Ukki and given to his Kakashi-sensei. The thought made him grin, impish and unreserved despite the cold sweat that had broke out along his forehead. He ignored the slight trembling of his hands.
Obito couldn't help but openly stare at him.
He's so bright, he thought without warning.
He looked away with a blush, heart palpitating and palms sweaty. He stuffed his hands in his pockets as if he'd been caught doing something he wasn't supposed to.
The small amount of time he'd known Naruto for made him feel anxious. There was certainly a strong pull to be around him constantly now without really thinking about a reason why. Sure they'd gotten off to a sour start and he couldn't really explain why he'd reacted so….uncool, but by just having laid his eyes on him he knew he was different.
Different in a way that he didn't know how to explain with words, only expression. When he looked at Naruto it felt as though he was looking into a mirror.
It reminded him of the sensation he felt when he looked at Kakashi. He sensed what lay underneath in rumbling darkness, festering and waiting to break free.
It made him shudder, not really knowing if it made him feel uneasy or excited.
Beta'd by: DireDiamonds