Chapter 17
Kabuto was shivering under the many layers he was wearing. Kumogakure's weather was cold and windy in the winter, making travel there just pure suffering in his opinion.
He adjusted the new glasses he had gotten for this mission. They were brown and rectangular, matching the shorter brown wig he had on.
His scalp was itching, and the bridge of his nose was bruised by this new frame. Yeah, he hated every little part of this useless mission.
He had only one day left, and the thought of writing a report on it was even more annoying. Partly because nothing meaningless had happened for him to report on, and also because the person he had to look out for was an Uchiha bastard.
He recently started to despise the Uchiha clan even more than he already had.
His report could be summarized in one sentence:
"The blonde Uchiha bastard in Kumo still hasn't developed Sharingan, and is still the bodyguard of the Raikage."
He sighed.
As far as reports went, he'd have to stretch it out to at least half a page long…
Orochimaru was a genius in many ways, but in so many other things he was really a tradition-stuck old man, no matter how much he tried to hide it.
Kabuto felt chakra signatures making their way to his hiding spot at the bottom of the cloudy mountains surrounding the village.
He got up and dusted himself before making his way to the entertainment district. It was filled with restaurants, bars, and questionable shops Kabuto avoided, though it was a good hiding spot from the onlooker shinobis.
He was just walking past several prostitutes when he heard a familiar voice, and every muscle in his body became tense.
"Ero-sennin! I'm hungry! Can we eat before you wander away again?"
It was loud on the busy street, yet Naruto's voice was as clear to him as if he were standing right next to the blond.
Shit.
Fuck.
This was bad! He had to get out of there, and fast.
But if he used chakra now, they would feel him right away. Well, Naruto would, but the Sannin…
He'd just have to walk past them, like a normal person would.
Okay.
He took a deep breath in and slowly let it out.
Naruto's intelligence isn't famous for being sharp, he wouldn't recognise him.
Naruto's complaints were still in his ears long after Kabuto passed them, and was standing in the scroll shop. His special order was there, and the shop owner seemed to know not to ask questions and looked down at his shoes the whole time.
Kabuto was itching to review the new information he had acquired about Tsuande's fighting and healing techniques, but he had to wait until he was back at the hideout.
He was in his hotel room when all the weight of the mission and the constant stress started to push him down, so much that he chose that moment to open up the pack of cigarettes he occasionally brought with him.
He was already 16, and although he knew perfectly well what smoking would do to his body and health, at that moment he chose to not care about it and inhaled his first ever cigarette.
The feeling was underwhelming to say the least.
He was on his balcony, sitting on the ground, looking out at the busy street while the disgusting smell of tobacco started to surround him.
It was still cold, and small pecks of snow fell down from the sky.
He focused his gaze at a more far away building with pink lights. Their reflection made the falling snow look like cherry blossom petals…
His relative peace was disturbed again by two people from the balcony above him.
Oh, for fucks sake! Was he really this unlucky?
"Ero-sennin!" Naruto's voice echoed in his ears.
At least he was still wearing his disguise…
"Teach me somethin' before going to those ladies again!" demanded the blonde.
"One day you'll understand it," the sannin shot back drunkenly. "There was that little mousey girl who watched you leave. I bet when you get back, she's gonna be a beauty."
There was a silence for a couple of seconds.
"What's the matter?" asked Jiraiya.
"It just was weird that I didn't see Sakura-chan when I left…" Naruto replied, and at the mention of Sakura's name, Kabuto became more tense.
So Naruto really didn't know what happened to her.
At least this information was useful.
"Did you like that girl?" the sanin asked, sounding more sober.
"I did...but when Sasuke-teme woke up in the hospital...I dunno, felt like I was intruding or somethin'."
Hospital?
What happened at the hospital between Sasuke and Sakura?
One of the things Kabuto hated, he hated not knowing the most.
After that exchange, the traveling pair went back to the hotel room, leaving Kabuto behind with his thoughts.
Hospital…
The next day, he was in the city for a last walkthrough before he headed back, looking around one last time to see if he needed anything.
That's when he stumbled upon an old man who was selling jewelry and hair accessories. For some unknown reason Kabuto started to look at the items on the table, registering that it was just cheap Kumo style fake silver and gold necklaces and bracelets.
He turned to leave, but at the last moment he saw something.
It was a pastel blue ribbon with a small bell on the left side.
He had made Sakura burn the fabric of her hitai-ate, and her hair had been a mess to keep out of her face…
He probably paid double for it, since the shop owner could clearly see how much he wanted to buy it, but the grey haired teen didn't care.
The only thought left in his mind was the upcoming spring on his way back that filled his nose with flowers.