In which Fuu trains, Roshi makes demands, and Naruto meets more Uchiha.
O-O-O-O-O
Fuu was getting used to living away from the village.
Before leaving Takigakure, she had met two new people who would join in her isolation. Her new companions had been nervous at first, introducing themselves formally with bows of their heads. Fuu had greeted them respectfully if a bit warily.
The first of her new companions was a curly brown-haired boy that looked to be Utakata's age. His name was Kegon and he was very quiet. The other was a boy with short spiky black hair named Yoro. He was even quieter than Kegon if that was even possible. After introducing themselves and waiting for Takumi, they had departed. The four of them had traveled through the forests to arrive at a compound a few hours away.
Kegon and Yoro were her training partners. They had been recently promoted to jounin when Shibuki had given them the task to protect Fuu. In their own words, they were chosen because they had no other life or obligations.
Upon arriving at the compound, they had been afraid of talking to Fuu. However, their attitudes had changed after weeks of training together. Now, they greeted Fuu like a younger sister instead of as a potential attacker.
A few weeks later, an older kunoichi with dark brown hair streaked with gray named Mariko had joined them. Unlike Kegon and Yoro, her face was impassive and unimpressed when she met Fuu. Takumi had introduced her as Fuu's kunoichi arts instructor. She was just as strict and demanding as Fuu had feared. Despite her attitude, however, she was never cruel and Fuu enjoyed her lessons in deception and infiltration.
"A kunoichi's best weapon is her face," Mariko said during one of her lectures. "There are many situations in which a smile or a tear is all you need to complete your mission. Never underestimate that power."
"I won't," Fuu promised. Mariko nodded, satisfied with her answer.
While she trained with Kegon, Yoro, and Mariko daily, Takumi was still her favorite. Her teacher took care of her, preparing her food and organizing her schedule. While she liked her new teachers, Takumi would always hold a special place in her heart.
The best lessons, however, were the ones with Chomei.
Her bijuu had started to show her ways in which to combine their power. Yugito, Yagura, and B had helped, telling her about ways to mix her chakra with that of her tailed beast. Despite both of them trying to make it work, however, it was difficult to control Chomei's power.
'Start by learning how to fight using the Initial Jinchuuriki Form, Fuu,' Chomei said.
'I'm trying!' Fuu replied, concentrating as much as she could on Chomei's chakra. She knew the Initial Jinchuuriki transformation was only a tiny fraction of their complete power. Nevertheless, it still felt like trying to contain an ocean in a kitchen sink. She dreaded to think what she could do with the power of all seven tails.
Fuu gritted her teeth and moved her fingers into a ram hand seal. She tried a transformation. It was the first jutsu they learned at the Academy and one of the easiest. She called upon the now familiar chakra and transformed.
When she opened her eyes, she didn't need to check a mirror to know that she hadn't transformed into Takumi. Instead of looking down at the ground, her point of view was lower than before. She bit her fist to suppress her scream of frustration.
"Well, that was a little better than the last time, Fuu," Takumi said from a short distance away. "You actually got two eyes this time."
"I know, but it's not much better!" she whined. She had been trying to do a henge while in the Initial Jinchuuriki form for the last few days and failing.
The first transformation produced a chakra shroud that surrounded her body. While Chomei could give her as much chakra as she desired, maintaining precise control was impossible. She found herself unable to perform the most basic jutsu and breaking things with the simplest taijutsu.
Frustrated, she let go of the chakra. Her transformation gone, she collapsed on the grass and stared up at the sky. Takumi sighed and walked to her side. He sat next to her, but she refused to look at him. She turned her back to him. I'm just letting him down.
"You've been progressing really fast, Fuu," Takumi said. "You're only ten, but you already have so much potential."
"That's not good enough," she muttered.
She couldn't go back to Takigakure until she got stronger. She also couldn't help Han, Roshi, and Yagura on their mission. Until she gained complete control with Chomei, she would be trapped and unable to help anyone.
Takumi said nothing. Instead, he collapsed on the grass next to her. They lay in silence. Even Chomei was quiet, letting her stew in her misery. Fuu knew she should try again, but failure was her only option.
"Fuu," Takumi eventually interrupted. "You need to try again."
"What's the point? I'll just mess it up," Fuu whined. To her annoyance, she felt tears beginning to form. She wiped her eyes angrily with a forearm.
Takumi hummed thoughtfully. He sat up and brushed her bangs away from her forehead. He smiled down at her, but she only pouted in return.
"I believe you can figure it out, Fuu," he said. "You are stronger than you think you are. Don't you remember one of the sayings of the sage?"
'I think he's talking about my father,' Chomei said.
'The Sage of the Six Paths?'
'That's the one.'
"What saying?" Fuu asked, turning her attention back to Takumi.
"Our greatest glory is not in never failing, but in rising every time we fail," Takumi said. "It's impossible to never fail at things, Fuu. The important part is to keep trying, no matter how hard it seems."
He smiled at her. For a moment, Fuu wondered if that was what a father was supposed to do. She looked away and stared at the grass.
"You're mean, Takumi-sensei," she muttered.
"Huh? How am I mean?" His voice sounded perplexed.
"You're mean because you're right!" she yelled.
With a sigh, she stood back up. She stretched her arms over her head and bent back to release some of the tension in her body.
'Try again, Fuu,' Chomei said. 'It'll take a while but you're getting better and better.'
'I will.'
"Are you going to try again?" Takumi asked with a grin.
Fuu pouted but nodded her head. Takumi moved back to his observation point, but not before beaming at her in encouragement. Fuu forced herself to breathe deeply and relax. She let herself be heavy, feeling her own chakra supply coursing throughout her body.
'Let's do it, Chomei.'
At once, she felt Chomei's chakra. It was overwhelming and made her feel tiny. She pulled on it, trying to combine it with her own chakra. She breathed out as she settled her hands back into the ram hand seal. As before, she prepared herself to use Chomei's power for the transformation. However, before she molded the chakra, she came to a realization.
'Wait, why am I trying to use all this chakra for one transformation? A henge doesn't require that much power to use.'
Experimentally, she held onto a tiny portion of Chomei's borrowed chakra instead of trying to wrestle with its entirety. Well, I've got nothing to lose by trying. She closed her eyes and prayed for the best as she molded the chakra.
When she opened her eyes, her viewpoint was higher than before. In front of her, she saw Takumi's strong hands instead of her own. To her relief, there were exactly ten fingers. She giggled in triumph and Takumi's voice came out instead.
'I think you did it, Fuu!' Chomei said, sounding absolutely delighted.
'I think I did!' For confirmation, she turned toward her teacher.
"Takumi-sensei!" she shouted. "Did I do it right? Is my henge correct?"
Takumi nodded and clapped his hands together. "Yes," he said. "It's a perfect transformation. Very handsome if I do say so myself."
Fuu cheered, clapping her hands together in excitement.
Not only had she succeeded at using the transformation jutsu, but Chomei's chakra shroud remained. It covered her body, both protecting her and boosting her strength. She let go of the chakra, returning to her normal form.
'I knew you could do it.'
'Thanks, Chomei.' Fuu giggled as Takumi patted the top of her head in congratulations.
'Once you master this initial form, you can start practicing with the One-Tailed chakra shroud version,' Chomei continued. 'After that, only six more tails and we can start on Version Two and partial transformations.'
Fuu's heart skipped a beat and her smile froze on her face. 'You mean there are more transformations?!'
'Yup!' Chomei answered cheerfully. 'It took you a couple of weeks to learn how to do a henge while using the Initial Jinchuuriki transformation. I don't know how long it will take to master this initial form, but at the rate so far, we should gain full control in five or six years. Give or take.'
Fuu shouted in frustration. Her celebration already felt premature. Takumi took a step back, perplexed. I should have known it wasn't going to be that easy!
Fuu sighed again, taking a step away from Takumi. "I've gotta keep practicing, Takumi-sensei," she said. "Chomei says there are a lot more transformations I need to learn and it's going to take five or six years, give or take, to master them all."
"Years?" Takumi asked, shocked. "How many kinds of transformations are there?"
"Too many to count," Fuu muttered.
Takumi patted her head one last time. He squeezed her shoulder and stepped back to give her space to practice. Fuu put her hands into the ram hand seal as Chomei let her borrow their chakra again.
Well, I might as well master this initial form first.
O-O-O-O-O
For the past few days, Roshi, Han, and Yagura had been getting to know one another. At first, they spent their days wandering, relaxing, and talking. After years of stress and missions, it was nice to have nothing to do.
However, Roshi knew that wouldn't last long. To his dismay, Yagura was flightier than expected and seemed to have no plan in place. While Roshi didn't care much about that- no one had any idea what to do anyway- he did care about one thing.
"Yagura, please," Roshi begged for the twentieth time as they set up camp for the night. "I'm asking as a friend. Change your face."
"I thought you wanted me to be your daddy," Yagura said with a smirk. Roshi forced himself not to hurl as he pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Why must you make me suffer?" Roshi asked.
"Hey, I was able to find out they were looking for you two because of this disguise," Yagura argued.
"Is it really that difficult to make a face?" Han asked, cool and collected as usual. "That disguise might have worked while you were alone. But now that we're together, it will be suspicious to have two people with the same face."
Yagura opened his mouth to speak before Roshi interrupted.
"If anyone who knows me saw you, they would automatically know you were not my father!" Roshi yelled. "My biological father died before I even got my bijuu. You trying to pose as him will only be suspicious, especially when Iwa tries to track us down."
Yagura sighed. He seemed to consider Roshi's words because he looked up at the sky, deep in thought. Roshi felt a spark of hope that he would no longer see his own face staring back at him and calling him a son.
"I suppose," Yagura conceded. "Although you have to admit my disguise was useful for something at least."
"Sure," Roshi agreed, if only in hope of getting him to change his face.
"Fine," Yagura said with a deep sigh.
He sat down cross-legged on the ground, leaning on a tree. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply, his hands formed into the ram seal. A few seconds later, the face rearranged itself and a stranger's appeared.
Yagura's new features were harsher. His cheekbones were high and sharp. A scar ran down one of the eyes like a tear. His hair remained gray while the eyes were a dark magenta color.
Yagura opened his eyes. "Happy now?" he asked, raising an eyebrow up.
"Yes," Roshi answered testily. "Thank you. But if it was so easy, why didn't you do it from the beginning?"
Yagura rolled his eyes. "Because it's easier to use a face I already know. I have to actually think about it if I have to make my own."
"Stop being lazy!" Roshi shouted, exasperated. Yagura only rolled his eyes again.
Han laughed. Roshi threw him a betrayed glare, but Han appeared more amused by their argument than anything. Traitor.
"So you have a new face," Han said. "What's next?"
"I've been thinking about it," Yagura said, lounging back against the tree trunk. Roshi and Han joined him in a semi-circle. Yagura stared up at the sky in silence. Time slowed down to a crawl.
"What have you been thinking?" Roshi finally asked, tired of waiting. "If you're going to say that you can be my daddy again, I might try to kill you."
Yagura shook his head. "No," he said. "I think you two should make your debut."
"Our... debut?" Han asked, a frown on his face.
"Yup," Yagura answered.
"What do you mean by 'debut'?" Roshi asked.
"Exactly what I said," he answered. "If you want to be infamous as mercenaries, you need a big and flashy mission to announce yourselves. The easiest way would be to defeat and take the bounty of an S-rank missing-nin."
"S-rank?" Roshi repeated skeptically. He wasn't sure how easy he could defeat such a ninja, even with Han's help.
"Or A-rank," Yagura conceded. "We need to form a team. We might even get our own underlings over time! You two use your real names, but I need to use a fake name. Any ideas?"
"Asshole," Roshi muttered.
"Riku," Han suggested.
"Kaito it is," Yagura decided. "Now, the question is... what is my role going to be? I can't show off my complete strength or the world might find out I'm not actually dead."
Their group fell into silence as they considered their options.
"I can be your bed warmer," Yagura said jokingly.
"That sounds like a fine idea," Han said. He shared a glance with Roshi. The only way to deal with this man is to take his words at face value.
"I'm married though," Yagura said. "But... if you insist..." He smirked, daring either Han or Roshi to accept as he crawled forward.
I'll never win against this guy. Roshi sighed and Han shook his head. Yagura laughed as he lounged back on the tree.
"Yagura, please be serious," Han demanded. "What's your plan?"
"You guys are no fun," Yagura grumbled. "But sure. I'll tell you."
He cleared his throat before speaking again. "I'm going to be a chuunin missing-nin from Kirigakure. I escaped from the village two years ago. I have a son and a daughter who stayed behind. My wife never wants to see my face ever again. I found you two while looking for a target to hunt. We became friends and started a mercenary company together."
"You seem to have a good backstory," Roshi commented, an eyebrow raised. Why didn't you tell us earlier?
Yagura shrugged. "The best backstories have at least an element of truth in them." Roshi wondered which parts of his introduction were lies.
"Well, we have our identities covered," Han said. "Now what do you plan to do for our debut?"
"Well, there is one thing that is even more important than that," Yagura said.
"What's that?" Roshi asked.
Yagura smirked. "You have to obtain full control over your bijuu," he said. "Not stealing its power. Not suppressing it. But real and true control over it and their many possible forms."
Roshi snorted. The Yonbi was an unreasonable creature whose only use was for taking its chakra. Trying to work with that... monster... was at the top of the list of bad ideas.
"Is... is that possible?" Han asked incredulously. "I've had the Gobi for decades and while we can work together when necessary, it requires pleading on my part. I think it's impossible to do as you say."
"Oh please, like you don't have Killer B, Yugito, Fuu, and I to show you that it can be done," Yagura said, rolling his eyes. "Even the angriest, meanest, and most hard-headed bijuu can be tamed. You only need to realize that they are not monsters."
"Mine is," Roshi muttered.
A second later, he winced as Yagura leaned forward and flicked him on the forehead. By instinct, he rubbed at his face, staring incredulously at Yagura, who wore a self-satisfied smirk. Did you really just flick my forehead like an entitled child?
"See, this is why you can't work with the Four-Tails so well," Yagura scolded. "Calling them monsters is a big no-no. They are creatures created by the Sage of Six Paths himself. They have their own feelings, wants, and needs. Calling them 'monsters' is too easy."
"The village sees us as monsters too, Roshi," Han added. "It's very clear we're not."
"You wouldn't be saying that if you met the Four-Tails," Roshi complained.
Yagura snorted. "I don't need to know the Four-Tails personally to know that you are being unreasonable. Can't you at least try to get along?"
"We must, Roshi," Han added, staring down at him. "If the person who brainwashed Yagura tries to capture us, we need their full power at our disposal."
Roshi felt a shiver run down his back. I don't like this. I don't need the Four-Tails for anything except as a power supply. However, he thought about the other jinchuuriki who had already obtained control. They did it, why can't I?
Reluctantly, he nodded his head.
O-O-O-O-O
After that first training session, Naruto went to the Uchiha compound every day. Like clockwork, he and Sasuke trained in the morning before breaking for lunch.
To his bewilderment, Sasuke's mother had only been kind and respectful to him. He could count the number of adults outside of the jinchuuriki who treated him with kindness on one hand. That list began and ended with Teuchi.
He knew why the people of Konoha hated him so much and he didn't understand why Sasuke's mother was an exception. She always made enough food not only for Sasuke and herself but for Naruto too. As they ate, she sometimes shared stories about her life and her friends. Naruto thought that her friends must have died long ago because her eyes always glazed over whenever she talked about them.
When they finished eating, she always invited him to stay for dinner, but Naruto always declined, sometimes lying about why. They continued that routine for two weeks until Sasuke's mother finally got her way.
"Please stay for dinner, Naruto-kun," Sasuke's mother said as Naruto put his shoes back on at the entrance. "My husband would like to meet you."
Naruto squirmed. He had been rejecting every invitation so far.
"That's okay, Uchiha-san," he responded, shaking his head and pasting a grin on his face. "My clothes are dirty after training, so I don't wanna stay like that, ya know?" He scratched the back of his neck in embarrassment.
"Oh, don't worry about that," she said, a grin on her face. "You can always wash up here. I'm sure Sasuke wouldn't mind if you borrowed his clothes for a day."
Naruto chanced a glance at Sasuke, who was standing behind his mother. As expected, Sasuke did not look happy at the offer on his behalf. He glared at Naruto, daring him to agree.
"Oh, I don't think we're the same size, Uchiha-san," Naruto lied. He chuckled. "Sasuke is a little taller than me, ya know."
"A little?" Sasuke muttered under his breath. Naruto glared at him.
"Well, if not today, how about tomorrow?" she asked, smiling. "I'm sure my husband and Itachi would love to talk to you. Sasuke talks about you a lot when you're not here and they're curious."
"No, I don't!" Sasuke protested, face reddening in indignation.
Sasuke's mother ignored him again and she looked down at Naruto, meeting his eyes.
"T-tomorrow?" Naruto had hoped to avoid dinner with Sasuke's family for the rest of his life if possible. Lunch was weird enough with just Sasuke and his mom. He dreaded to imagine what dinner with the rest of his family would be like.
She nodded. "Yes. If you don't want to borrow from Sasuke, you can bring a change of clothes tomorrow," she said. "You can wash up here and be ready for dinner with us. If you can't tomorrow, we can always set up a specific day that works for you. Or I can ask my husband to take a break from work and meet us for lunch."
Is she really going to do all this work just for me? Naruto felt trapped. He had no more excuses to deny the invitation beyond thinking that it would be weird.
"N-no, that's okay," Naruto said, forcing a grin on his face. "I think I can stay tomorrow. I just don't want to be annoying, ya know."
"You're always annoying," Sasuke muttered under his breath. They ignored him.
"You won't be a bother, Naruto-kun," she continued. "What do you say, will you stay over tomorrow for dinner?"
Naruto turned his gaze between Sasuke and his mother as he thought about the question. Her eyes were bright and optimistic as she awaited his answer. Meanwhile, Sasuke seemed completely uninterested in whether or not Naruto would accept. It was Sasuke's complete disinterest that sealed the decision for him. Well, if Sasuke doesn't care...
"I guess I can stay tomorrow for dinner." Naruto looked down at his feet.
"Oh, good!" she clapped her hands together and her smile widened. "I will make sure to prepare something you like."
"Oh, uh, you don't have to," Naruto said. "Your food is always really good, Uchiha-san."
She chuckled. "Oh, you flatter me, Naruto-kun."
"It's the truth," Sasuke said.
"It is," Naruto agreed.
She chuckled again before she bent forward and placed a hand on top of his head. Naruto flinched at the sudden contact. Her touch was more gentle than anything he had experienced in person before. He felt a strange fluttering in his stomach.
"We will see you tomorrow, Naruto-kun," she said, brushing his bangs out of his forehead. "Don't worry about being a bother. We are always happy to have you here, aren't we, Sasuke?"
Sasuke raised an eyebrow at the mention of his name but the rest of his face remained impassive.
"I guess you're not the worst person to have around," Sasuke said. Naruto rolled his eyes. I like spending time with you too, asshole.
Sasuke's mother sighed exasperatedly. She stepped back, ruffling Naruto's hair one more time. "Have a good day, Naruto-kun," she said. "Make sure to bring a change of clothes tomorrow."
"Will do, Uchiha-san!" Naruto said as he finished putting his shoes back on. He grinned and waved before leaving. He heard both Sasuke and his mother calling out their goodbyes. He headed back home, worried.
O-O-O-O-O
"Oh, Father is home," Sasuke said when they heard the sound of a door closing. His eyes brightened as he put down his book and ran to the entrance. Naruto followed behind him reluctantly.
After their now-typical training and lunch session, Naruto had stayed at Sasuke's house. He had used his bathroom to clean up, changing into the best clothes he owned, which was not saying much. From there, he had spent the rest of the afternoon with Sasuke in his bedroom.
To Naruto's amazement, Sasuke had a huge collection of books ranging in all sorts of topics. They had sat reading together mostly in silence until Sasuke's father arrived.
"Is your father really that strict?" Naruto whispered as they walked down the hall.
Sasuke nodded his head. "He never smiles. You'll be fine as long as you don't do anything stupid."
Naruto gulped. They arrived at the end of the hall. A tall man sat at the entrance, taking off his shoes. He glanced behind his shoulder to look at Naruto and Sasuke.
"Good evening, Sasuke," he said.
"Good evening, Father," Sasuke answered, much more formal than when with his mother. Naruto felt his stomach turn over itself. If Sasuke is this formal with his own father, what about me?
"Good evening, Uchiha-sama," Naruto said, bowing his head down. He felt a bead of sweat rolling down his back. "My name is Naruto Uzumaki. I'm very pleased to meet you."
Sasuke's father was silent for a few seconds before answering. "The pleasure is all mine," he said. "No need to be so formal, Naruto-kun. My name is Fugaku Uchiha."
"Th-thank you, Uchiha-san." He looked down at his feet, head bowed down. Naruto hoped his face was not as red as it felt. He chanced a glance at Sasuke, who rolled his eyes. Naruto glared at him. You made me nervous, jerk!
Without saying anything else, Sasuke's father stepped inside and walked toward the dining room. Sasuke followed at his heels and Naruto fell behind him.
"Fugaku, you arrived a little early," Sasuke's mother said as she stirred something at the stove. "I haven't even finished the meal yet!"
"That's fine," he replied as he sat down at the low table. "I can talk to Naruto and Sasuke in the meantime."
Sasuke followed his father's lead and sat down, Naruto at his side. Naruto felt the remains of his confidence fading away. Why does he want to talk to me too? What does he want me to say anyway? He kept his eyes focused on the table to avoid looking at Sasuke's father.
"Would you like some tea?" Sasuke's mother asked.
"I'm fine," the man answered. "How about you two boys?"
"I'm fine, Father," Sasuke said. "It's too bitter."
Naruto shook his head desperately. They're so generous!
"What did you do today, Sasuke?" his father asked.
Sasuke shifted, almost imperceptibly, before answering. Naruto wished he had the same level of self-control.
"Naruto and I trained in the morning," Sasuke said. "After lunch, we cleaned up and spent the rest of the afternoon reading and studying."
"What kind of training did you do today?" he asked.
At once, Sasuke listed and described the different things they had been doing during their mornings in full detail. Naruto listened, afraid to add anything. He wasn't sure he could have the same degree of eloquence as Sasuke anyway. Sasuke's father said nothing while his son talked. When Sasuke finished, he stared up at his father, waiting for feedback.
"I see," the man said. "Your training seems adequate for now."
Naruto saw Sasuke's shoulders tense up. A flash of disappointment crossed his eyes before disappearing. I guess Sasuke wanted him to say more.
Naruto looked up from the table. To his horror, Sasuke's father was staring at Naruto, gaze stern and critical. Despite his earlier promise to himself to be polite, he shifted uneasily. He probably already hates me, ya know.
"What kind of training did you do, Naruto-kun?" he asked, looking directly into his eyes. Naruto had a sudden desire to run away.
"M-me?" he stuttered. Panicked he glanced at Sasuke, but his face was impassive. He turned to look back at Sasuke's father. "Um... I guess... I've mostly been doing the same thing as Sasuke, ya know."
"You can keep up with my son's training routine?" the man asked, a small frown on his face.
"Uh... yeah?" Naruto answered nervously. Silence fell inside the room. Naruto shifted in his seat on the floor cushion. The silence stretched on awkwardly.
"I win most of the spars," Sasuke said once the silence had stretched on for uncomfortably long.
"No, you don't!" Naruto snapped, broken out of his nervousness as he pulled on Sasuke's collar. "I win at least half of our matches, ya know!"
"Hn, when you get lucky," Sasuke muttered.
"Nuh-uh! I won the first bout today!"
Sasuke snorted. "Yeah, but I still won the majority."
Naruto felt his blood boil. He got ready to argue more with Sasuke when he heard a deep voice clearing his throat. Immediately, the blood drained from his face and he looked up at the Uchiha patriarch in fear.
To his relief, the man did not appear angry about their argument and instead looked mostly amused. Naruto breathed a sigh of relief.
"Dinner is ready," Sasuke's mother interrupted. "Now, where is Itachi? He said he would-"
Her statement was interrupted by a flurry of wind and smoke as someone entered the kitchen with a body flicker.
"I'm here, Mother, Father," a deep voice said.
Naruto blinked. When the smoke dissipated, a tall teenager stood at the center of the room. Sasuke's brother.
Unlike when Naruto first met him, he appeared worn down. He had bags under his eyes that could rival Roshi's. His face was more serious than before, with not even a trace of a smile. Naruto wondered how he could have changed so much since the last time he saw him.
"Ah! Itachi! You're here!" Sasuke's mother said, taking his sudden appearance in stride. "Help me serve dinner."
Obediently, Itachi accompanied his mother to the kitchen, but not before shooting Naruto a quick glance. Naruto forced himself not to shiver. Sasuke's brother is scarier than his father.
A minute later, they returned, holding plates and bowls of food which they set down on the table. To Naruto's relief, it was not fancier than what they usually enjoyed at lunchtime.
"Thank you for the meal," Sasuke's father said as he grabbed a pair of chopsticks. The rest of the table followed his lead as they dug into their food.
Compared to lunch with Sasuke's mother, everyone was serious as they are in silence. Naruto focused on the meal in front of him. He wanted to run away, but he knew that it would've been rude. At least the food is good.
"What special training are you doing, Naruto-kun?" Sasuke's father eventually asked, breaking the silence.
Naruto chewed and swallowed. "I focus on taijutsu right now," he answered. "My endurance is... good, so it's good for me."
"Unfortunately true," Sasuke complained. "You never get tired."
"You're just jealous because I don't get out of breath after the third match!"
"And you're jealous that my accuracy with shuriken is better!"
Naruto dug an elbow into Sasuke's ribs. "At least I know how to ask for help when I need it."
Sasuke huffed and turned his attention back to his meal. Naruto chanced a glance up at Sasuke's father, afraid of disappointment. To his surprise, the man looked amused again.
"You should focus on your strengths," he said with a nod. "You two will learn how to mold chakra soon. You can figure out your own techniques and fighting style later."
From there, the tension in the dining room lessened as conversation erupted. Sasuke's mother told them a story while his father asked questions about their training. Only Itachi remained completely silent, eating while observing their conversation.
Naruto answered as honestly as he could. Over time, his initial awkwardness dissipated and he became less afraid to look at Sasuke's father in the eye. He felt like he had received some sort of silent approval.
When dinner ended, Sasuke's father left while Naruto, Sasuke, and Itachi stayed behind to help clean up. Naruto offered to wash the dishes.
"Don't worry about it, Naruto-kun," she said with a smile. "I can take care of it."
"Oh... uh... if you're sure, Uchiha-san." Naruto fidgeted. "Thank you very much for inviting me to dinner."
She chuckled. "The pleasure is all mine. Fugaku has been curious about you for a while." She took the dirty dishes and dumped them in the sink before turning around to look at Naruto in the eye.
"Now, Naruto-kun," she continued. "I have one little question for you."
"Oh? What's that, Uchiha-san?" he asked.
"Would you like to stay the night?" she asked, looking unfortunately sincere about the invitation.
Naruto felt his face heat up. Why are they so nice to me? It's weird! He shook his head.
"I-it's okay, Uchiha-san," he stuttered. "I've already stayed here too long, ya know?"
She shook her head. "You haven't. Besides, isn't it a little late for you to go home alone? It's pretty dark outside."
"Oh... uh... thank you, but I'll be fine," Naruto said. He looked down at his feet in embarrassment.
She stared quietly at him for a few seconds. Finally, she sighed. "Fine, if you say, Naruto-kun. But I insist that Itachi take you home. It's not safe to travel through the village at night, even in these times of peace."
Itachi? Naruto glanced at Sasuke's brother. He was drinking a cup of tea at the kitchen table with a calm expression on his face. Sasuke sat at his side, sipping from his own cup and trying not to cringe at the bitterness.
"I can," Itachi said as he set his cup down. He hadn't heard Itachi say anything since he arrived, although Sasuke kept staring at him in admiration.
"Um... sure?" Naruto said.
"Can I go too, Itachi?" Sasuke asked excitedly. To Naruto's surprise, Itachi poked his forehead and pushed him back.
"Next time, Sasuke," he said. Sasuke rubbed at his forehead with a frustrated pout. The room fell into silence.
"I-I'll go get my things," Naruto said to break the awkwardness. Sasuke looked down at his cup of tea.
Naruto ran back to Sasuke's bedroom, grabbed his backpack, and ran back to the kitchen. Already, Itachi stood at the exit, waiting for him in silence.
"I'm ready to go," Naruto said unnecessarily. Itachi only nodded while Sasuke sulked at the table and his mother cleaned up. He said goodbye before they left the Uchiha compound.
The walk to Naruto's apartment was awkward. Itachi said nothing and Naruto had no idea how to break the silence. He wondered why Itachi would rather spend time with Naruto over his own brother. Sasuke could have come with us too, ya know!
Itachi was only a year or two older than Fuu but already seemed more tired and world-weary than Roshi. He could understand why Sasuke admired him so much, but at the same time, he seemed so distant.
"Are you friends with Sasuke?" Itachi asked once they reached Naruto's apartment, breaking the awkwardness. Naruto dropped his keys. Itachi had been quiet for so long that his question startled him.
"Huh?" he asked, spinning around to look up at Itachi.
"Would you consider Sasuke your friend?" he asked again.
Naruto shrugged. "I'm not sure," he said. "He'd never say it and I never will either. We're rivals, ya know!"
Itachi raised an eyebrow. Naruto gulped and fidgeted with the keys in his hands.
"But... We spend too much time together not hating or fighting each other," he admitted. "I guess he's not just a rival."
To Naruto's surprise, Itachi chuckled. It was the first time he had seen Itachi express real and genuine joy. It changed his face completely and Naruto almost dropped his keys again.
Itachi hummed thoughtfully. "I think Sasuke feels the same way."
"Oh... uh... okay," Naruto answered, lost for words. Are Sasuke and I friends?
"Have a good night, Naruto-kun," Itachi said, nodding his head.
"Good night, Itachi-san," Naruto replied, returning the gesture.
He opened his front door and stepped inside. When he turned around to say a final farewell, Itachi was already gone.
O-O-O-O-O
A/N: As someone predicted, Han just sees Yagura and Roshi interactions as a free source of comedy.
If you still use Tumblr, my account is waffledogwrites.
Next chapter: Roshi gets drunk.