Chapter 4: Formalities
Naruto woke up to the feeling of a large hand shaking his leg. "Hmm?" He yawned and tried to rub the sleep from his eyes. His vision blurred but then came into focus on the Jounin who's warm hand rested on the blonde's hip. A light tinge of pink dusted Naruto's cheeks.
"Time to get up. Would you mind packing my tent for me while I wake the others?" Kakashi always had the last watch.
"Sure.." Naruto managed to squeak out and Kakashi tossed him his storage scroll and then exited the tent.
What's wrong Kit?
'Nothing, just nervous I guess. I don't know how to act around him.' Naruto folded the blanket and stored it neatly along with the pillows into the scroll before moving on to taking apart the tent itself.
Is it because you're 16 and still a lowly Genin, while your teammates are Chunin, and he a Jounin?
Naruto was not amused by the Fox's teasing. Him still being ranked a Genin was a sore spot for him. He would have been a Chunin by now if the Council hadn't put Tsunade in a rough spot. Their fear of the 'demon' holding a higher rank and power was the reason behind why he had yet to be promoted.
The blonde took both the Chunin and Jounin exams and passed with flying colors, yet he still sits here, a Genin. It was a topic he was teased for among his peers as well. He would always be dead-last to them.
'I guess that's part of it.' He took apart the legs of the tent so he could fold it in on itself, 'I mean, Kakashi will always be our sensei and all, but quite literally he is still mine. To the other's he's just a fellow ninja, and he may be the leader of our team, but since I'm still a Genin, I'm obligated to obey his orders.'
It does sound like an unusual situation for your age. You are an adult now by human standards are you not?
'Yeah..Ninjas legally become adults as soon as they get their headbands. They can smoke, drink and have sex once they are recognized as a shinobi, but it still isn't looked on favorably depending on your age.' Naruto tucked the tent into the scroll carefully, praying that it somehow doesn't spring up after it's put into the scroll.
'However, for normal civilians, men are deemed adults and can marry at 14 and for women it's 16.' He could feel Kurama's deep humming reverberate through his skull.
"It just feels weird being an adult and still calling him Sensei."
"I mean, you can call me by my name if you want, Naruto," The Jounin chuckled at the outburst that the blonde hadn't intended to speak aloud.
Smooth one Kit.
'Whyyy does this keep happening to meeee.'
Because you can't differentiate between your mental and verbal states half the time. Remember how the old woman next door reacted when she saw you talking to yourself?
'Yeah, the Anbu kept watch over me for a week cuz she filed a damn grievance' Naruto's blood boiled at the memory of that.
'Couldn't wipe my own ass without being paranoid that I was being watched.' He huffed. But back to the matter at hand.
"Oh, um...thank you Hatake-san.."
"Just Kakashi is fine," The Jounin eye-smiled as he hid any evidence of their camping. Wouldn't want rogue nin to track them, ne?
"Kakashi-san then, hehe" Naruto rubbed the back of his head, grinning to hide his embarrassment. This was going to be a long day.
The rain really had it out for them. Only minutes after they set off for Suna the sky began to pour abruptly. It was entirely out of nowhere, the sky hadn't even been dark or cloudy. Just their luck.
"Sensei, can we PLEASE wait out the storm first?" Sakura asked with a dejected tone. She didn't want to look like a drowned sewer rat in front of Sasuke.
"We've waited long enough." The raven cut in. "We're already two hours behind schedule."
"Maa, we're just fashionably late~" Kakashi added, "We do have to keep going though, we don't have much time left to waste."
They kept conversation to a minimum after that. It made the sound of the rain seem so much louder. The cold wind and icy rain felt like razor blades against their skin. Not very surprising for September weather but still an inconvenience in situations such as these.
Naruto's eyes burned and watered due to the harsh wind. He struggled to keep them open but he powered through. 'Just keep running.' He repeated as a mantra. 'Just gotta power through now and we can sleep in warm beds later.'
Sakura began to slow down but didn't fall far behind. She cursed repeatedly under her breath.
"You okay?" Naruto feigned concern.
She glared, "No, I'm not okay! I'm tired because of a certain SOMEONE, because I was forced to keep watch all damn night!" The blonde was startled and confused by her outburst.
"And it's been raining for hours! My clothes feel heavy and my legs are sore!" Naruto could see where this was going. "I could help carry some stuff for you..?" He muttered softly, a bit ashamed for giving into her.
A conniving grin was painted on her face when she threw her entire bag at Naruto. She spat out a petty sounding thanks and sped off to go bother her Sasuke-kun yet again, leaving the blonde as if he were her pack mule.
'Why do I bother being nice to her?' Naruto kept silent and hoped they would arrive at their next rest point soon.
They ran for a good 10 hours with tiny bathroom breaks and breathers every now and again, and it was now night time. 8pm give or take. They only had about half a day's journey left until they would reach Suna, and if they left a little earlier in the morning they'd make it there right on schedule.
'At least the rain stopped.' Well, it didn't entirely stop, all that's left of the storm is a mere sprinkle. The wind seemed to become a soft breeze as well.
Sasuke lit a fire with a simple jutsu and they all huddled around it. It was getting pretty cold at night now. It would be freezing in the morning and night but be decent during mid-day.
Naruto shook off Sakura's bag and laid it on the ground next to her before sitting in between his rival and sensei. They all kept to themselves as they ate their rations. Naruto pulled half a granola bar out of his pocket and ate slowly, hoping to fool his body into thinking he was eating more than he actually was.
'Just need to save money for a little longer and I can have some good food.'
You could always hunt for your food Kit.
'Yeah, but plain, unseasoned deer or rabbit meat doesn't sound that great to me.'
Picky humans.
Naruto smiled softly to himself at that, feeling the playful affection of the Fox rubbing off on him.
He scrummaged around in his bag for a bottle a water but felt nothing. He inwardly cursed. It must have fallen out at some point, but how? He always made sure to secure his belongings.
"Here Sasuke-kun," Sakura said sickenly sweet while she handed the raven one of Naruto's water bottles. The blonde recognized it as his because he was the only one of the group who would buy the generic spring water because he couldn't afford the extra two dollars for name brand. Why was water, of all things, so expensive anyways?
Sasuke took it without a word and took a swig before handing the bottle back to Sakura and she swooned. 'CHA! INDIRECT KISS!' She may as well have had hearts in her eyes.
Naruto then rose to his feet and took off into the trees to search for a good vantage point, saying he'd take first watch again, thoughts of klepto Sakura leaving his mind to obsess over other things.
His skin had that familiar itching sensation he always got whenever he needed his 'release'. He didn't want to risk his team seeing him do such a thing though, so he bared with it. Once they made it to Suna he'd tear himself to shreads all he wanted. Gaara always made sure that Naruto had his own room when he came to town.
Gaara didn't know of the issues Naruto was having as of late, he just wanted to spoil the blonde and his team by covering the expenses of their missions. He held brotherly affection for the other boy and couldn't have him sleeping in a motel.
Naruto started to feel nauseous which was usual for him. He never got sick. Maybe the granola bar he ate was expired? Kurama always made sure he didn't fall ill.
Trying to ignore his urge to vomit, he gazed up at the stars, counting as many as he could, trying to distract himself from his discomfort. He heard the sound of leaves crunch behind him, drawing himself away from the beautiful scenery. He pulled out a kunai but stilled at the familiar voice of his sensei.
"Yo~"
"Ah, hello Kakashi-san," He put away his kunai. "Can't sleep?"
The Jounin shrugged, "Just thought I'd read and keep you company."
There were those butterflies again. Naruto looked away with a shy smile as Kakashi climbed up and sat beside him. "Sakura still giving you a hard time?" Kakashi's silky, deep voice relaxed Naruto despite the uncomfortable topic.
"Ahh, yeah..."
"I noticed you didn't eat much for dinner," Naruto's stomach constricted, feeling even more nauseous than before. So much for relaxing.
"Yeah, I forgot to pack more to eat, hehe," The blonde tried to laugh it off. Kakashi hummed in contemplation. He pulled out his blue book and Naruto hoped that was the end of that.
The blonde's ears tuned into the bug's chirping and the occasional songs of nocturnal avians. He let out the heavy breath he hadn't realized he had been holding.
"Did you forget to pack water too?" Kakashi's steel-like gaze met Naruto's nervous blue.
"U-Uhh..." The blonde started, unsure of how to respond, "I didn't know Sakura drank other brands than KesshÅ." Naruto's blood ran cold at that. He really didn't want any issues, no matter how good natured his sensei was trying to be.
"Hehe, I'm not sure, I don't pay attention to small things like that." Kakashi continued to eye the blonde in silence, dropping the topic, but not before saying in the softest tone he had ever heard the Copy Nin utter, "It's okay to be selfish sometimes, you know?"
The blonde didn't know why but he felt tears prickling at his eyes from that comment. He almost yelped when his sensei's head found it's way to his lap.
"Be my pillow for a bit."
Nothing else was said and they took comfort in each other's company.
Kakashi closed his book in a huff. He didn't like the ending at all! How could Hiro choose Mina over Rukia? It just didn't make sense! Rukia had a beautiful innocence to her despite her horrible childhood, and she had wonderful chemistry with Hiro! What did Mina have to offer? Her big breasts? That's it? Definitely not one of Jiraiya's best works.
'Maybe I'll annoy my cute, little student to make me feel better.' He looked up to see said student fast asleep and chuckled. He knew the boy was more tired than he let on.
He sat up and shook Naruto's shoulder in attempt to wake the blonde to no avail. He scooped the boy into his arms and was surprised by how light he was. Not that anyone could see it, but he frowned at this. 'I'll have to keep an eye on him.'
With the blonde tucked safely in his arms, he jumped down gracefully, barely making a sound. He walked back to camp at a leisurely pace and made eye contact with Sasuke who was still awake, sitting around the fire. The raven sat with his elbows on his knees with his fingers laced together, covering his mouth in the usual Uchiha fashion. Always had to make things seem more dramatic.
"You talk to Sakura?" The Jounin asked. A minute had passed before he received a reply.
"Yeah. Didn't take it well as expected."
The pinkette was curled up in her tent, crying even in her sleep. The raven had been as blunt as possible to get through her head that he wasn't in the slightest bit interested and that she needed to get her shit together. He didn't appreciate her making missions more difficult than they had to be.
"Maa, she'll come around." Kakashi adjusted his grip on Naruto and the blonde whimpered softly before snuggling up to the Copy Nin's chest. Kakashi smiled at this and went to his tent knowing that Sasuke intended on keeping watch all night after what Sakura pulled the night prior. Always making things more annoying.
Kakashi laid the blonde down gently once in his tent. He covered the boy in a blanket and made sure he wouldn't stir before making himself comfortable. He felt a small hand grip the back of his shirt and he chuckled. Naruto was just too cute.