In which important conversations are had.
O-O-O-O-O
Utakata held back a yawn as he listened to the Third Hokage prattle on about alliances, history, and war. To keep himself awake, he glanced over at the genin that had survived the Forest of Death.
Only three teams had advanced to the finals, including Utakata's students. Now, the nine genin stood in formation as they listened to the Hokage ramble about war and peace treaties.
Unlike Utakata, his students gave the old man their full undivided attention. Haku's face was impassive as he absorbed every word. Kasumi, half her face still covered in bandages, took mental notes, her brow furrowed in concentration. Behind both of them, Kimimaro barely blinked as he listened to the Hokage.
Well, I'm sure that if the old man says anything important, they'll tell me. He suppressed another yawn.
"The final stage will take place one month from now." The old man sounded like he was getting ready to wrap up. "We will now decide on the tournament brackets. But first, is there anyone here that would like to drop out of the competition now?"
No one moved.
Utakata resisted the urge to roll his eyes, wanting the whole thing over so his team could return to their hotel. What kind of idiot would quit when the final stage was so close at hand? Especially when they would have a month to rest and prepare?
"Yes, I would like to withdraw, sir." A boy with silver hair and large round spectacles raised his hand. "I'm exhausted and battling has never been my strong suit. Thank you very much for the opportunity."
"Kabuto, is it?" the old man stared at the boy that had spoken. "This is your first attempt at the chuunin exams. Are you certain you wish to withdraw?"
The boy smiled and nodded. "I'm sure."
The Hokage grunted. "Well, in that case, you are dismissed. Follow one of the proctors who will lead you out."
The young boy bowed his head down as a final form of respect. He pushed his glasses up his nose and turned around, leaving the other shinobi behind. None of the genin, including his own teammates, turned to watch him walk out.
Utakata frowned to himself. Well, that's one weird kid. I wonder why he really quit. He didn't look too injured and he must have been good enough to survive the forest at least.
The Hokage continued. "Is there anyone else who wishes to withdraw?" He waited a few seconds but when no one else said anything, he nodded. "In that case, we will now decide the tournament brackets. Hayate?"
A young man leaped forward to stand in front of the remaining genin.
"Hello everyone." He coughed a few times. Utakata saw Haku give the man a concerned frown. "My name's Hayate Gekko and I'll be the proctor for the final stage of the chuunin exams." He coughed again and Haku's frown deepened.
"With one withdrawal, we have exactly eight participants," he said with a cough. Utakata could tell Haku was holding himself from offering medicine to the sickly man. "Which means we have a perfect tournament. Now we will draw lots to decide the order."
At that, a proctor with deep scars adorning his face and wearing a bandana stepped forward. He held a box out in front of him. "There are balls here numbered one to eight. Your place in the tournament will be decided by the number you draw."
With that, he walked toward the genin closest to him— a girl that hid her face behind a high collar and dark sunglasses. She pulled out a ball marked with the number five.
After her, the rest of the genin took turns to draw their own ball. He saw Kimimaro take out a ball marked with eight while Haku drew a one and Kasumi a four.
"Now that you all have your numbers, take a look at your opponent," Hayate said with a cough. "You will have one month to prepare and train before the final stage begins. Good luck." With one final cough, he disappeared, leaving behind only a cloud of smoke.
Standing behind the Hokage with the two other jounin instructors, Utakata watched as his team scoped out the competition.
Haku stared impassively at his future opponent: a girl carrying three identical puppies on her head and shoulders. She raised an incredulous eyebrow when she saw how young Haku was. Kimimaro and Kasumi's opponents— two haughty-looking boys— seemed to share the same sentiment.
They're probably wondering if my kids even deserve to be here.
"Well, with that, I declare the second stage concluded," the Hokage announced. "You will have exactly one month to rest, prepare, and plan for your matches. Good luck. You are dismissed."
Everyone bowed their heads toward the old man. The Hokage gave them all an enigmatic smile before walking away and leaving the stage.
O-O-O-O-O
With an exhausted sigh, Utakata collapsed on the hotel sofa as soon as they entered. Eyes closed, he heard Haku giggle while Kasumi huffed in exasperation.
"You're so lazy, sensei!" Kasumi complained for what might have been the thousandth time. "I think you sleep more than a cat!"
Utakata had no desire to dispute her words. He suspected she might be right. "I'm just going to take a quick rest," he promised. "You three should rest, too. Maybe take a bath?"
"A bath?" Kimimaro spoke up. His voice sounded wistful.
Utakata grunted. "Yeah. A bath." He closed his eyes to sleep when a sudden thought occurred to him. He sighed to himself. "But first let's make sure we're all on the same page on a few things." With a groan, he sat up and gestured for the children to join him in the living area.
Kimimaro sat on the sofa next to him while Haku and Kasumi pulled over two chairs from the dining table.
"What would you like to talk about, sensei?" Haku asked, eyes focused entirely on Utakata. His serious expression, copied on the faces of his teammates, told Utakata they expected bad news.
"A few things," Utakata began. "But let's get the most important thing out of the way first." He frowned and crossed his arms in front of his chest.
At once, his three students tensed, expecting the worst.
Utakata focused his attention on Haku. "Happy birthday, Haku." He smiled. "Though it's more like a belated happy birthday," he mumbled to himself. "Considering how you were in the Forest of Death for the actual day."
"That's right! I forgot! Happy birthday, Haku-kun!" Kasumi jumped up from her chair and wrapped her arms around Haku's neck.
Kimimaro followed her lead. He stood up and walked toward Haku. He hesitated for a second before placing one hand on the other boy's shoulder. "Happy birthday," he muttered, an unsure frown on his face.
Haku blinked at his teammates before turning his attention to his lap, face flushed. "Th-thank you, sensei." His hands began to fidget over his lap. "I had forgotten it."
"To be honest, I forgot too," Utakata admitted. Hoping that the boy survived the Forest of Death had overshadowed thoughts of birthday celebrations. "But now that we're together again, we can find time to celebrate. Is there anything you want to do?"
His eyes still focused on his lap, Haku hummed to himself. "I can't really think of anything," he admitted. "I kind of just want to relax for a while. I'm still a bit tired from the second stage."
Utakata let out a breath of relief. Trying to organize a last-minute birthday party sounded one step away from torture. "Well, with that out of the way, there are a few other things we need to talk about." He lounged back on the sofa, arms cradling the back of his head.
Seeing him relax, Kimimaro returned to his place next to Utakata while Kasumi sat back down in her chair.
"What else do we need to talk about, sensei?" Kasumi asked. "Is it about the final stage?"
Utakata nodded. "You already know who you will be fighting, right?"
"Kioshi Ito," Kimimaro said. Utakata got a vague memory of a brown-haired boy with a sword sheath hanging from his waist. Considering the number of hours Kimimaro spent sparring with Kasumi, he doubted the boy would struggle in a kenjutsu match.
"Takanome Hyuuga," Kasumi continued with a huff as she crossed her arms in front of her chest. "He didn't look so tough though. But if he has the doujutsu that Ao-san has..." A worried frown formed on her face.
"I'm fighting against a girl named Hana Inuzuka." Haku grimaced to himself. "I think she specializes in fighting with dogs since she had three puppies with her."
Well, I'm glad they remember their names. I couldn't be bothered.
"Prepare yourself to fight them," Utakata ordered. "You can try some intel gathering to find out more, but I suspect it's unnecessary." He shrugged. "I think you three are strong enough to deal with anything that comes your way." And if you're not, I'll jump in before things get bad.
Kasumi giggled. "Thank you, sensei." She gave him a smile that reminded him of Yagura.
Utakata cleared his throat. "Anyway, you're lucky that none of you will be fighting each other for the first round," he continued. "However, chances are that sooner or later, you will end up on opposite sides of the field."
"Oh, right. I guess I hadn't thought about it much." Nervous, Haku swallowed before glancing at his two teammates.
Utakata understood his hesitation. Haku disliked fighting his teammates, even in friendly spars. While he was willing to do what was necessary on a mission, he never liked to hurt others.
Sensing Haku's inner turmoil, Kasumi leaned forward and placed a hand on his knee.
"We'll be fine, Haku-kun," she said with a comforting smile. "I know you won't do anything to really hurt me and I won't either. Doesn't mean I'll take it easy on you, though!" She threw Haku a smirk.
"Right, Kimimaro-kun?" She spun around to look at the boy sitting next to Utakata.
Startled to be called so suddenly, Kimimaro's eyes widened. "R-right." He swallowed and began to fidget with the sleeve of his yukata. "I... I won't hurt either of you. But..." His hands became steady over his lap. "I won't go easy on you either."
Kasumi laughed. "That's what I wanna hear!"
Utakata cleared his throat again and his students turned their attention back to him. "I'll step in if anything starts to go wrong," he promised. "But for now, you will have a month to prepare and train. Since you will have to face each other eventually, I think it's best that we cease team drills and exercises for now."
"No more team drills and exercises?" Kimimaro repeated, a betrayed frown on his face.
"Just for a month," Utakata answered. "I'll spend an hour with each of you individually every day instead. We'll use those sessions to practice anything you want. How does that sound?"
To his surprise, he was met with shocked expressions.
"Are you sure you can handle three hours of work in one day, sensei?" Kasumi's voice was full of mock concern. "I think the exertion might kill you."
While Haku and Kimimaro said nothing, their eyes told Utakata they agreed with her assessment.
Cheeky little... Is this what I get for making fun of Yagura so often?
Utakata resisted the urge to pout by nodding. "Our individual training sessions will be private and personalized," he continued. "I'll keep any secret techniques confidential from your other teammates. I won't compare your progress or tell you how to defeat each other either. You will have to come up with those strategies yourselves."
"I see." Haku nodded. "So we can discuss anything new we're developing and you won't tell anyone?"
Utakata shook his head. "Not a soul. At least, not until the exams are finished and we return to Kirigakure."
"Thank you, sensei," Kasumi said, her smile sincere. "I appreciate it."
"Thank you, sensei." Haku and Kimimaro echoed her words, nodding at him in acknowledgment.
Well, at least they're grateful. "Of course, I recommend you train and practice on your own as well," he continued. "But not too much. See more of the village. Go to the hot springs. Eat barbecue. Talk to people. I'm sure there's a lot of stuff to do here."
"Wait, can we get ramen, sensei?" Kasumi asked. "I wanted to try it but you made us get shabu-shabu instead."
Utakata nodded, his heart beating faster as he thought of the plan he had made with Naruto to meet up. I didn't even have to make the suggestion myself.
"Sure. Later. Tonight. Anyway, let's rest for now. We can go get ramen for dinner." Utakata collapsed back on the sofa. "Go take a bath. A real one."
"A bath?" Kimimaro's voice sounded wistful once more.
"Yeah." Utakata closed his eyes and waved at his students to disperse. "I'm gonna take a nap for now. Wake me up when you finish."
"Yes, sensei!" He heard the sounds of his students walking away.
"Just leave some hot water for me," he ordered as they left.
"Yes, sensei!" Kasumi shouted as the students entered their bedroom and shut the door behind them.
Alone in the living room, Utakata let out a deep breath full of relief.
With Utakata and his students safe once again in the village, the time had come for him to meet Naruto.
Since learning about Utakata's plan to meet in Konoha, the boy had been vibrating in excitement. They had spent hours rehearsing how they were going to react, with Fuu and Gaara acting as Naruto's friend Sasuke or as Utakata's students.
After all that practice, Utakata was sure the boy was ready. Or at least, he hoped so. I guess there's only one way to find out.
O-O-O-O-O
Sasuke was starting to think that Naruto was going crazy.
For the past two days, the other boy had been vibrating in excitement. But whenever Sasuke asked about it, Naruto had refused to give a compelling reason as to why.
Instead, the other boy had rambled about the newest episode of The Steel Samurai and about the transformation jutsu. Sasuke thought neither of those two things was worth the excitement.
"Let's go to Ichiraku Ramen tonight for dinner!" Naruto declared as soon as they arrived at the training grounds with Hinata. "It's Friday and we gotta celebrate the weekend, ya know!"
"You're already thinking about dinner, loser?" Sasuke grumbled. He started to do a few stretching exercises against a wooden post. "We just got out of school."
Naruto huffed and pointed an accusatory finger in Sasuke's direction. "That's just 'cause you're too boring to decide what we eat!"
Sasuke rolled his eyes but said nothing. While he always grumbled about their weekly trips to Ichiraku, he liked going to the restaurant. The owner Teuchi and his daughter Ayame were the only people other than Hinata that he actually liked. They treated Naruto and Sasuke as any other customers— no hateful glares at Naruto or pitying glances at Sasuke. The fact that the food tasted good was a nice bonus.
"I wish I could go with you two," Hinata said, a small frown on her face. "But Father doesn't like for me to be outside of the compound after dark. He says it's dangerous."
"That really sucks, Hinata-chan!" Naruto began to jump up and down in place. "At least you can train with us, ya know!"
Hinata smiled. "Yeah, at least."
"Enough talking," Sasuke said. "Let's fight."
He hadn't finished stretching when Naruto threw the first punch.
O-O-O-O-O
"Ramen! Ramen! Ramen!" Naruto ran toward the ramen stand, pushing past the curtain and sitting at one of the stools.
Sasuke followed after him with a fraction of the enthusiasm.
"We come here at least once a week," Sasuke mumbled as he sat on the stool on Naruto's side.
"But something special is gonna happen this time!" Naruto said, eyes shining with excitement as he bounced on his stool. "I can feel it!"
Sasuke sighed and rolled his eyes. Knowing Naruto, something special could be as minor as getting an extra narutomaki in his ramen or as major as a surprise attack on the village.
"Just order your food, loser." Sasuke leaned on his elbows, placing his chin on top of his interlocked fingers.
Sasuke caught Naruto rolling his eyes out of the corner of his own eye. Despite his annoyance with Sasuke, Naruto got ready to order.
"Teuchi-san! Teuchi-san!" he shouted, waving back and forth with more excitement than Sasuke could remember. "I want one bowl of chashu pork ramen, please!" He turned toward Sasuke. "And what do you want, jerk?"
"Miso."
"And one bowl of miso ramen!"
"Of course!" The man smiled at both of them before returning to his work behind the counter. "Coming right up!"
Giggling to himself, Naruto began to bounce in his seat. For some inexplicable reason, his eyes began to wander, as if searching for something or someone.
"What are you looking for, loser?" Sasuke asked. "If you're looking for your brain, I think it's been gone for a while."
Naruto pouted. Annoyed, he stopped looking around and spun to glare at Sasuke instead. "Shut up, jerk! As if you're that smart!"
Sasuke scoffed. "Then stop looking around! You've been acting like an over-excited puppy these last two days. It's weird."
"I haven't been acting weird!"
"You have!"
"I haven't!"
"You have!"
"Nuh-uh!"
"Yeah-huh!"
Naruto scowled, getting ready to continue his denials when someone sat at the stool next to him. Sasuke stopped the argument to frown at the person that had joined them at the counter. No one ever sat next to Naruto.
"I heard good things about this place," a young man wearing a standard shinobi uniform and sporting an unfamiliar hitai-ate said. He was tall and thin, with pale golden eyes and dark hair that obscured part of his left eye.
The stranger glanced at Naruto and Sasuke before turning his attention to the menu on the wall. "I think I'll have the chashu pork ramen. What do you three want?"
At that, Sasuke turned his attention to the people that the stranger had been talking to. Three children, two boys and one girl, sat on the remaining seats at the counter. Like the man, they sported the same hitai-ate, the two boys over their foreheads and the girl over her waist.
"I don't know, sensei," the girl said, squinting up at the menu, one eye covered behind bandages. "Everything looks good."
"I would like a bowl of miso," the boy with dark hair said.
"Same for me," the white-haired boy added. "But without meat, please."
Sasuke turned his attention back to his blond friend. Naruto was frozen, eyes wide open. Without saying anything, he slowly turned to look behind him. Still silent, he gaped up at the man sitting with them at the counter.
The man with the unfamiliar hitai-ate noticed Naruto and Sasuke staring at him. Raising an eyebrow, he turned to look at them. "Good evening," he said, his voice cool and polite.
Why is someone from a different village talking to us? Does he want something?
Sasuke frowned. "Evening."
Unable to say anything, Naruto stared at the man in awe, as if he would disappear at any moment. From behind the man, Sasuke saw the three children staring at the awkward moment taking place. Still, no one broke the silence.
After a few seconds, the man frowned. "Cat got your tongue, kid?" he asked. "You're just staring at me."
The question took Naruto out of his stupor and he shook his head. "G-good evening," he managed to stutter. "It's just..." he swallowed. "I've never seen someone wearing a hitai-ate like that before, ya know."
"Hm. I suppose you wouldn't." The man broke eye contact with Naruto to wave over Teuchi from behind the counter. "Kirigakure only signed a peace treaty with Konoha last year."
Kirigakure? Sasuke glared at the four Kirigakure shinobi, one hand wandering down to his weapon pouch.
He remembered Shisui talking about the brutality of Kirigakure shinobi once. According to Shisui, they took babies from their mothers and sacrificed them to their strange gods. They sharpened their own teeth in order to bite people's throats and drink their blood. They survived off of human flesh and lay with beasts, although Sasuke wasn't sure what the last thing meant.
However, seeing the four Kirigakure shinobi ordering ramen, he started to suspect that Shisui had lied to him. They don't look like cannibals to me. Their teeth aren't even sharp.
"My name is Utakata," the man said once he finished telling his order to the man behind the counter. "We're here for the chuunin exams."
"Chuunin exams?" Sasuke thought he had heard about it before, though he could not remember where.
The man hummed and nodded. "Just so you don't think we're here to attack your village or anything." He sighed and placed his elbows on the counter. "Anyway, these are my students: Kimimaro." The white-haired boy sitting next to Utakata nodded, his face betraying nothing. "Haku." The dark-haired boy smiled. "And Kasumi."
At the end of the counter, the dark-haired girl grinned and waved a hand. "Nice to meet you."
"My name is Naruto. Nice to meet you, too," Naruto introduced himself, still gaping in awe at the man next to him.
"Sasuke." He kept one hand resting on his weapon's pouch.
"Anyway, we heard the ramen here was good, so we had to give it a try," Utakata said. "I don't suppose you can vouch for this place?"
Like a switch, Naruto perked up and he grinned. Sasuke groaned, getting ready for yet another lecture on ramen. Getting Naruto to talk about his favorite food was the most direct method to get his friend to open up.
"Yeah! The ramen here is great, ya know!" he began to ramble in excitement. "I like the chashu pork ramen the best, but the miso ramen is great, too! Oh, now that it's winter you should ask Teuchi-san to add a little corn and butter to your ramen. Makes it taste way better."
"Butter? In ramen?" the girl at the end of the counter asked. "Who puts butter in ramen?"
"Hey! Don't knock it till you try it! It's better than it sounds! Especially in the winter!"
"I mean, corn I get, but butter?" the girl continued, raising a skeptical eyebrow.
"The butter makes the broth rich, ya know!" He clenched one hand into a passionate fist.
Sasuke sighed. Once Naruto got started, he could spend hours talking about his favorite dish.
To Sasuke's great relief, the rest of Naruto's speech was cut off when Teuchi placed two hot bowls of ramen in front of them. Naruto could do a lot of things, but arguing while he chewed was not one of them. Together, they thanked the man for the meal and dug in.
"I'm guessing you two are looking to become shinobi yourselves," the man said, his full attention focused on Naruto.
Sasuke gave the man a sharp nod, blowing on his hot noodles. Still wary, he kept his peripheral vision focused on the Kirigakure shinobi, one hand close to his weapon pouch. It was the first time he had ever seen any foreign ninja and Shisui's words couldn't stop bouncing around his head. Yet...
They did not seem any different from other shinobi apart from their hitai-ate. Their teeth looked normal and everything. Sasuke turned his attention toward his meal, a ball of disappointment in his stomach.Shisui was a liar then.
Naruto chewed furiously before swallowing. "Yeah! And I'm gonna become Hokage one day, ya know!"
The man hummed to himself. Unlike every adult Sasuke knew, he did not scoff at Naruto's declaration. Instead, he seemed to be giving Naruto's dream some consideration.
"It's a long road ahead of you," Utakata said. "It's a thankless job with long hours. Are you sure you can handle it?"
Naruto huffed. "I can do it!"
"If you say so." Utakata's reply sounded more encouraging than disparaging. Sasuke's opinion on the man skyrocketed and he took his hand away from his weapon pouch.
Sasuke was about to say something when bowls of ramen were placed in front of the man and the three children. As one, they turned their attention to the meal in front of them.
"Thank you for the meal." The Kiri shinobi thanked Teuchi before taking their chopsticks and digging in.
"Oh, sensei! That weird lady was right! The ramen here really is good!" The girl at the end said after taking the first bite. Content, she took a long slurp of noodles.
Naruto scoffed. "Of course! Teuchi-san makes the best ramen in the world, ya know!" He glanced behind the counter to look at the chef, who was washing his chopping block. "Isn't that right, Teuchi-san?"
The ramen chef laughed. "If you say, Naruto-kun."
"Isn't that right, Sasuke?" Naruto turned his attention back to Sasuke, eyes shining expectantly.
To placate his friend, Sasuke nodded before taking another bite of noodles. He had yet to try every single ramen in the world, but he doubted they could find anything better than Ichiraku. "It's good."
Naruto giggled. "See! Even Sasuke says it's good."
"I believe you, Naruto-kun," Utakata said as he took a bite of pork and swallowed. "It's the best ramen I've had at least. What do you think, Kimimaro, Haku, Kasumi?"
The girl grinned while the dark-haired boy hummed his affirmation. The white-haired boy only nodded his agreement, face impassive.
Naruto's face became pink and he grinned in satisfaction before returning his attention back to his bowl. He kicked his legs under the counter as he slurped his noodles.
"So how long are you gonna stay in Konoha, nii-san?" Naruto asked after he finished chewing.
Sasuke saw a small frown form on the white-haired boy's forehead. Neither Naruto nor Utakata seemed to notice.
"We will stay here until the chuunin exam finals," Utakata answered. "I assume you're going to watch them?"
"Chuunin exam finals?" Sasuke spoke up, curious despite himself. "What are those?"
Utakata focused his attention on Sasuke for the first time. "It's a tournament. Genin fight each other to demonstrate their skills. The ones that are able to prove their abilities are promoted to chuunin at the end. All three of my students will be. I'm sure of it."
"I see." Sasuke studied the man's three students down the counter. They looked young, three years older than Naruto and Sasuke at the most. Then again, Ita— Shisui had become a jounin at ten. A lot of things were possible.
"Course we'll watch, nii-san!" Naruto shouted, gripping his chopsticks tight in his hands. The white-haired boy frowned again. "Where is it?"
"It's gonna be at the stadium in the center of the village," Utakata answered. "The Hokage and the Mizukage will be there, as well as a bunch of other important people. A lot of rich people with too much time on their hands like to watch."
"Wow! That sounds fun, nii-san!" Naruto giggled.
Sasuke could have sworn he saw the white-haired boy's grip on his chopsticks tighten.
"We're fighting against genin from Konoha," the girl added before slurping some noodles from her bowl. "Probably won't be getting cheers from the audience, to be honest," she mumbled, her mouth half-full with noodles.
The dark-haired boy chuckled. "Yes. Although Zabuza-sama will probably be here." His eyes brightened and he took a small and polite bite from his meal.
Who's Zabuza? Sasuke almost wanted to ask, but he suspected it wasn't important.
The white-haired boy still said nothing, his eyes focused on his bowl as he slurped more of his noodles.
With not much else to say, they continued to eat. A few times, Naruto turned to talk with Utakata, but since they said nothing important, Sasuke ignored them. Sasuke had already heard everything he needed to know about ramen from Naruto. He needed no reminders.
"I'm done, sensei." The white-haired boy spoke a few minutes later. He pushed his empty bowl off to the side, staring at the counter without blinking. "May we return to the hotel soon? I'm tired."
"Oh, already?" Utakata asked. He stared down at his bowl, which was almost empty except for the broth, and shrugged. "Sure, we should get some rest. Are you two done, Haku, Kasumi?"
"Almost, sensei!" The girl shoved the last of her noodles in her mouth and drank the broth. She let out a satisfied sigh when her bowl was empty.
The dark-haired boy said nothing, but he shoved the last of the ramen into his mouth, making it look more graceful than it should have been possible. He chewed slowly, a picture of politeness. "I am finished, sensei," he answered, dabbing at his mouth with a napkin.
The man hummed to himself, looking at each of his students in the eye. "Well, in that case, I guess it's time for us to go." He turned his attention back to Naruto and Sasuke. "It was nice to meet you two. Hopefully, we'll bump into each other again soon." He dug into his pockets and pulled out some coins, placing them on the counter for Teuchi.
"Oh!" Naruto gulped, fidgeting with his chopsticks. "I guess I'll see you later, nii-san."
"Of course, Naruto-kun, Sasuke-kun." He smiled and placed an elbow on the counter and his cheek in the palm of his hand. "I'm sure we'll see each other again."
"Promise?" Naruto tensed, his hands clasping onto his chopsticks.
Utakata nodded. "Promise."
It was at that moment that Teuchi arrived with the man's change. After giving the chef his thanks, Utakata placed the change in his pocket and motioned for the three children to follow him.
"We'll see you around," the Kirigakure man said. He stood up and pulled back part of the curtain.
"Y-yeah! See ya!" Sasuke could tell that Naruto's voice was full of forced cheer.
"See you later, Naruto-kun, Sasuke-kun!" The girl waved at them with a grin. "It was nice talking to you! Maybe I'll try ramen with butter the next time we come here."
"You should!" Naruto crossed his arms in front of his chest. "It's really good in winter, ya know!"
The girl laughed. "If you say." She grinned again. "Make sure to watch us at the finals! We'll blow you away!"
Naruto giggled. "We will," he promised.
The girl gave them all one last grin before walking past the curtain Utakata was holding. The two boys followed after her. The dark-haired boy bowed in their direction before leaving, a kind smile on his face. In contrast, the white-haired boy said nothing, following behind his teammates without a single glance back.
"Well, I'll see you around, Naruto-kun, Sasuke-kun." Utakata nodded before walking out.
"See you later, nii-san!" Naruto called out, giving the man a final wave.
"Good night," Sasuke said out of politeness. Anyone who was willing to talk to Naruto like any other person was worthy of respect.
Sasuke turned his attention back to his bowl and picked out the remaining toppings and noodles. He waited for Naruto to start talking about nonsense. Except...
Naruto said nothing.
Concerned by the silence, Sasuke glanced at Naruto. The other boy had stopped eating. Instead, he moved his chopsticks through what remained of his meal, staring into the broth. It was the quietest he had seen Naruto outside of their visits to the cemetery.
"Naruto?" Sasuke asked.
Naruto refused to react, instead staring with a blank expression at the half-empty bowl in front of him.
"Naruto?" Sasuke asked again, louder than before.
His friend snapped to attention, a pout on his face as he turned to Sasuke. "What is it, jerk?"
Sasuke frowned. What's with him?
"Nothing." He shook his head. "I'm almost done. What are you gonna order next?"
"Next?" Naruto blinked at him, seeming perplexed by the question.
Sasuke rolled his eyes. "You always get at least two bowls. What are you gonna order next?"
Naruto's frown deepened and he glared at the bowl in front of him. After a few seconds of consideration, he shook his head. "Nah, I don't think I want another bowl. I'm not hungry, ya know."
"You're... full?" Sasuke almost wanted to fall over in shock. While sometimes Naruto said he was full, that never happened until at least three bowls of ramen. Eating less than one full bowl was unthinkable.
Unaware of Sasuke's amazement, Naruto only nodded. "Yeah, I think I'm done. And you?"
Sasuke frowned down at his bowl. Only the broth remained. Still frowning, he nodded. "I guess. Should we... go then?"
Naruto grunted in assent, his eyes still staring off into space. "Yeah, let's go."
Unsure of what to say, Sasuke dug into his pockets for cash. Together with Naruto, he placed his money on the top counter and waited for Teuchi to bring back their change. Still, Naruto said nothing.
Why isn't he talking? He's always talking! Uncomfortable, Sasuke shifted in his seat.
"Here's your change, boys," Teuchi said, placing a few coins in front of them. "Are you going home now?"
Naruto nodded, his expression full of uncertainty as he stared into space. "Yes, Teuchi-san. See you later."
A small frown formed on the older man's forehead, but he said nothing of Naruto's uncharacteristic mood. "See you later, boys. Have a good night. Sleep well."
"Thank you, Teuchi-san." Sasuke nodded politely at the man, keeping an eye focused on his blond friend.
"Thank you," Naruto mumbled.
Frowning, Sasuke stood up and pulled back the curtain to leave the stall. Naruto followed after him in silence. He stared down at his toes, seeming unaware of everything going on around him. Side by side, they began to walk toward Sasuke's apartment, neither of them talking.
"Are we really going to see the chuunin exam finals?" Sasuke asked after a few minutes of walking, trying to break the strange tension in his friend.
Naruto shrugged, not meeting Sasuke's eyes. "I guess."
"We can see how real shinobi fight," Sasuke continued, trying to get Naruto to speak up. "It's probably different than the sparring we do."
Naruto hummed, eyes fixed upon his feet as he walked.
Sasuke felt his stomach twist over itself in worry. Naruto's never like this. What's wrong with him?
"That man, Utakata, seemed to like you."
At that, Naruto turned to look at Sasuke, eyes open in panic. "How do you— Oh... right." He gulped and looked back at the ground. "I guess he does."
What do I say now? Sasuke had nothing to say; it was Naruto who always took the lead in the conversation. He frowned to himself as he tried to understand what was wrong. They said nothing else as they climbed up the stairs to Sasuke's apartment.
It was only after Sasuke had let them in and taken off his shoes, that Naruto burst into tears.
"N-Naruto?" Sasuke asked, keys still in his hand.
Naruto covered his face with the palms of his hands and sobbed harder at the mention of his name. He ran toward the sofa, where he collapsed face-down, weeping into the couch cushions.
"Naruto?" Sasuke repeated, placing the keys on the key hanger before walking toward Naruto. "What's wrong?"
Naruto didn't answer, shaking his head as he buried his face deeper into the cushions.
Sasuke gulped, forcing himself to take a step closer. Naruto never cried without a reason.
"What's wrong?" he asked again, sitting on the sofa's armrest. He hesitated for a second before placing one hand on Naruto's shoulder.
Naruto shuddered at the physical contact but he didn't move away or say anything. He continued to sob into the sofa cushions, his face hidden away. Concerned, Sasuke patted him awkwardly.
He waited.
After what felt like hours, Naruto's sobs turned into sniffling and he stopped crying. Yet, despite calming down, he kept his face buried into the cushions.
Sasuke patted Naruto's shoulder again, unsure of what else to do. What did Mom use to do whenever I cried?
"Do you want some water?" Sasuke asked, squeezing Naruto's shoulder.
Naruto nodded into the cushion.
"Hn." Sasuke headed to the kitchen and filled up a glass with water before walking back to Naruto's side. "Here you go."
Naruto sniffled one more time. Avoiding looking at Sasuke, he sat up. With a muttered thanks, he accepted the glass of water and took a small sip. Still avoiding Sasuke's gaze, he placed the glass on the coffee table in front of them.
With a frown, Sasuke sat next to Naruto on the sofa. Naruto turned his face away, staring at the wall with his back to Sasuke.
"Naruto?" Sasuke began.
Naruto pulled his legs up close to his body, his face turned away. He grunted in acknowledgment but said nothing.
"What was that about?" Sasuke asked. "Is something wrong?"
At the question, Naruto hugged his legs and hid his face inside his crossed arms. He shook his head but remained silent. What little was visible of his face was pink— in sadness or mortification, Sasuke couldn't tell.
Sasuke swallowed. "Is it about the man from Kirigakure?" he guessed.
Naruto hesitated for a second before nodding into his crossed arms.
"What's the deal with him?"
He waited, watching as Naruto considered his question. After a few seconds, he lifted his head up from his crossed arms. He still refused to meet Sasuke's eyes, biting his lip and looking away.
"He... he was really nice to me," Naruto mumbled. "That doesn't happen a lot. And when he said goodbye... I felt like..." he swallowed. "I felt like I'd never see him again, ya know."
Sasuke frowned. "What do you mean? Didn't you two say you would talk later?"
Naruto shook his head. "I know but even so. It felt like if we said goodbye, it would be the last time we saw each other."
"Last... time?" Sasuke frowned, understanding nothing of what Naruto said. "Why would you care about someone you only just met?"
Naruto shrugged. "I guess cause he was nice to me," he mumbled. "Not a lot of people are nice to me, ya know."
Sasuke got the impression Naruto was making up excuses but he had no desire to call Naruto out. Unsure what else to do, he tried to comfort Naruto again, placing a hesitant hand on his shoulder. Naruto leaned into the comfort, scooting closer to Sasuke.
Sasuke squeezed Naruto's shoulder. "I'm sure you'll see him again," he said. "He'll be in Konoha for a while longer, right?"
"Right." Naruto sniffled again before leaning forward and taking the glass of water in his hands. "It's not forever." He took a sip of water. "Yeah... not forever."
Sasuke swallowed unsure what to say. There was something he was missing. Something he didn't understand. Something special. He squeezed Naruto's shoulder again.
For the first time he could remember, he didn't understand Naruto at all.
O-O-O-O-O
A/N: I wish I could say I was busy or doing something important and that's why the chapter took so long. The truth is that I was doing a lot of side quests in The Witcher 3. Oops.
If you wish to contact me, I'm available on Tumblr at waffledogwrites.
Thank you Morket for being super nice and a great beta reader.
I borrowed the characters of Takanome Hyuuga from "Bird's Eye View" by DarkUnicorn6666 and Kioshi Ito from "aphelion" by uchiwan.
Next chapter: talks over drinks.