Wrong Again
Chapter 6
And…here's chapter 6, finally! Sorry for the wait guys, I've just been really not inspired at all to write anything. This chapter was deleted and re-written from a blank sheet because I didn't like the way Naruto and Sasuke met. This is slightly better than the first draft but still not up to par. Please read on anyways!
"So what does it look like? Is it orange?" Naruto asked excitedly on the way to Obito's apartment. The older man had picked him up from the Hokage tower where he had been spending time with his father for the past few days. He had fallen easily into the routine of son and father with Obito acting as an uncle.
He hadn't seen the loud funny man since the day before. The man's excuse had been that he had gotten lost and came across a stray that he just had to pick up; hence the day's delay at seeing his favorite brat. Naruto had protested loudly that he was lying and the antics began from there until Minato threw them out for being too loud.
"Don't get into any trouble!" he yelled after them before the door closed. Obito snorted something along the lines of 'course we won't'. Naruto promptly began asking questions as to how the stray looked like and what it was.
"No, it's not orange…it's got black…hair," he didn't exactly want to call the little brat a fur ball despite its feisty attitude. The kid had eaten regularly and was gaining some weight but his demeanor was distant and aloof. Any time that he had tried to loosen the kid up had ended with silence and a glare. The boy was only six yet he had already perfected the trademark Uchiha glare. He must have gotten it from his father because Itachi sure as hell didn't glare like that.
Speaking of that weasel, he should be coming back sometime tonight. He'd have to remind himself to stop by and get some information from him about what the hell was going on. Just because he wasn't part of the clan anymore didn't mean he couldn't stick his nose in their business.
"Black hair? Isn't it a cat?" Naruto's face scrunched up in confusion, "What the hell did you pick up?" His words brought Obito back to his situation.
"Watch your mouth kid! Your dad's gonna fry me alive if he even thinks that you get your language from me," he chastised but continued, "It's not a cat."
"What is it then? Can I play with it? You said that I could play with it!" Naruto blabbered on. This was so much fun pestering Obito. Not only could he say whatever he wanted, he was a kid and he could damn well act like one! Of course, his choice of vocabulary could be more innocent but Obito got the heat on that and it was hilarious watching his dad loom over the other cowering man. He never thought he had a sadistic streak in him but apparently he did.
"You'll see when we get there, jeeze!" he mumbled. It was another four blocks to his apartment and while he didn't mind Naruto at all, he needed to get this over with so he could go corner the stray's brother.
"Come on Naruto," he bent over and scooped the boy up onto his back. Several people glanced at them, some with distaste, others just curious; they had gotten used to the Uchiha black sheep hanging out with the demon brat. He sped off with Naruto screaming and laughing happily on his back.
"I beat you!" Naruto shouted as he threw open the door. Obito had indeed been beaten as he came up the stairs with a scowl. The kid had tricked him and sent him running all over the freaking village. How all this had happened in three blocks he wasn't sure but it sure as hell wasn't going to happen again! It had started off with a boast from Naruto that he could outrun the man. Obito was never one to turn down a challenge and the race was on.
"No fair!" He was so not going to argue with a kid. Then again, who said he couldn't? "You lied!" Naruto rolled his eyes but the huge grin on his face couldn't be denied as he jumped through the door way and slammed the door shut in Obito's face.
He laughed loudly and obnoxiously as he stepped back and turned right into something.
The insults and loud shouting were getting closer. It sounded like it was right outside the door. But what was more was that it sounded really familiar.
"I beat you!" and the door flew open nearly knocking his face off. He would have stepped out of the way but the sight before him froze him.
In front of him in the flesh including that ugly orange jumpsuit, was none other than Naruto.
Naruto.
The other boy was grinning and laughing, completely unaware of his frozen presence behind him. He had been waiting for the blond to show up but to actually have him there came as a shock. He couldn't bring himself to say that simple word that longed to bust from him that would confirm that this really was Naruto.
He was moving now, Obito had said something but whatever he said had gone in one ear and out the other. His attention was focused only on the boy before him. The blond laughed and slammed the door shut only to turn and slam into him.
Instinct took over as Naruto jumped back and reached for a pouch that wasn't there. He had jumped back as well but his hands stayed clenched at his sides.
"Who the hell?!" Naruto exclaimed in surprise but immediately went silent and slack as recognition settled in. His blue eyes rounded in surprise and disbelief as his jaw slackened with inability to form words.
He couldn't say that he wasn't doing the same thing but seeing his friend in person was something else. The fight came back to him full force and he fought not to bend down with the weight of his actions. His left arm could still feel the blood and gore from that amplified chidori.
Naruto was having difficulty breathing. There he stood in front of him alive and in one piece. The first thought that bombarded him was that Sasuke really was alive. Fate and chance hadn't killed him in this time like it did with Kakashi.
He looked different from the last time he had saw him. Younger obviously but he lacked that aged appearance that vengeance had given him. There wasn't anything dark looming over him that he could see.
The next thought was that he was here in Obito's apartment. For some reason that thought was prominent and it forced it's way to the front of his mind.
"Sasuke?" he asked tentatively, afraid that if this was genjutsu, hoping that it wasn't, he didn't want it to disappear.
Having Naruto call his name pulled him back from that devastating act. He saw now the young Naruto before him and not the young man that he had become, could become because of him. Like a switch his brain started to function again and he could talk.
That one word burst from his lips with the calm of an Uchiha.
"Dobe."
Just like that, Naruto's face went from shock to disbelief to instant offense.
"Teme! Don't call me that!" and he lunged at the pale boy. The wrestled and fought, laughed and cried until they had no more energy to move. Only when they were both lying still on the floor catching their breath that they felt the drying tears on their faces.
Each tried discretely to wipe them off even as they eyed each other. Naruto broke into a smile first which Sasuke slowly followed. It was good to see the other again. Neither questioned why they acted the way they did. Too overwhelmed just to see each other they forgot that they're not suppose to know each other at all. They sat there not moving, simply staring until Naruto's gaze darted to Sasuke's mussed up hair.
"Your hair's black," he said puzzled. Wondering if he was onto something Sasuke gave a slow nod.
"You're the stray!!" Naruto pointed a finger at Sasuke in accusation while the young Uchiha looked back incredulously.
"Idiot!" he scolded, "What the hell are you talking about?" Naruto immediately dropped from his epiphany of finally figuring Obito out. Sasuke rolled his eyes; to think that he had been about to take the blond seriously for once.
Outside the window Obito rolled his eyes as well. Had he ever been that dumb as a kid? Minato would probably say so. He shook it off and leapt away. They were getting along; hell, it looked like they were best friends and hadn't seen each other in years! He'd ask Itachi about that as well. He didn't think Sasuke had ever left the village compound yet, nor was Naruto ever let in to the best of his knowledge.
Maybe there really was something to the Uchiha's drastic actions.
A week had gone by since they had been reunited. The two had chosen to simply enjoy their childhood like they never had the chance to before and not bring up their past circumstances. Despite the unknown and unspoken choices they each decided that some things couldn't be left up to chance.
Sasuke debated if he should tell Naruto about himself. The blond hadn't asked him once why he wasn't with his family. He hadn't asked Naruto about his family either so the shock of seeing the Fourth come strolling into the room and having Naruto run up to him calling him 'dad' nearly did him in.
That was just the way it was; one surprise after another. His mom had sent him a letter the other day saying that he should still stay put and that she loved him and missed him. Even with everything happening and not happening, there was still Naruto, the only constant.
They stayed together like glue and where one was, the other could be found. If they wanted to go out, Obito had to disguise Sasuke. The man had too much fun trying different things on the boy much to his chagrin. It didn't help that Naruto's ideas were worse. He wanted to dress Sasuke up as girl!
A punch to the face was his answer to that. Naruto complained as Obito went about getting the original disguise in place.
With the disguise in place they had gone to visit Minato in the tower. The Hokage had taken a look at the boy with his son and greeted him with open arms. A hug and a hair ruffle later, the two were back to messing around.
Minato confided quietly to Obito that the disguise may have worked once so long as he was with Naruto but sharper eyes would soon see through it.
"I've got a solution but I'll do it later tonight," Minato spoke quietly. Obito nodded and glanced at the two who were now wrestling around on the floor. Sasuke had managed to get the upper hand but sneaky Naruto had slipped his arms past Sasuke's and started tickling him.
A forced peal of laughter escaped before Sasuke gritted his teeth and began his counter attack as best he could while trying to get away from Naruto at the same time. It was Naruto who conceded defeat but only after they were a breathless heap on the floor.
Minato smiled and shook his head fondly at the two's antics. According to Obito, they had never met before; he'd gotten this from Itachi himself. Yet here they were just like brothers, like they've known each other all their life.
His own investigations into the case of Sasuke being a fraud were stinted. The clan had yet to come to him regarding their missing member so any digging from his side would only lead them straight to Sasuke. If he was Sasuke that is.
At the moment there wasn't any reason to doubt him. He acted like a child but most of all, he made Naruto happy and no one was going to change that. Obito was poking around but there wasn't much to go by at this point. They'd have to wait and see; even Itachi hadn't been allowed in the interrogation room while the boy had been imprisoned.
Obito hadn't asked Sasuke but his mother had implied that he probably wouldn't know himself. Maybe she knew something and wasn't saying anything to protect her son. You could never tell with a woman with something to lose.
With no reason to act just yet, Minato continued to watch his son with his friend. Looking at that blond hair and blue eyes there wasn't any doubt about the resemblance to him but as far as he knew, he didn't have a son. Naruto had been picked from the hospital; the medic had promised him that it was an orphan. He wasn't able to ask any parent to sacrifice their child for such a thing.
His thoughts wandered to Kushina and what they had had before everything fell apart. Naruto sure did have her spirit and her streak for pranks. He imagined that this would be their son if she had still been alive and he had made it up to her for being a stupid idiot.
Her free spirit had been wild and she hadn't given a damn as to what people thought of her. Being born to happy parents had only made the lost keener when most of the Whirlpool shinobi had been wiped out. She grew up in harsh conditions but she did like to whine somewhat harmlessly though.
She had been a tough kunoichi, one of the best that he had ever had the privilege of meeting. Times had been rough; he was still new at being Hokage and he had just lost Kakashi as well; his prized pupil. He had been lost in his own grief while he struggled to maintain order with a certain faction causing him to push her away.
He never saw her after that. When he finally did remember it was only to hear her name listed with the rest of the dead when Kyuubi attacked. There was just so much going on but he regretted not shoving papers down someone's throat and punching somebody else aside so that he could go after her. He probably would always regret it.
In the mean time Obito stood by quietly. Minato hadn't responded to his inquiry; he saw that his former teacher had turned inward and was now lost among his memories. Judging by the look on his face and the fact that he was staring at Naruto Obito could guess who he was thinking about.
He liked Kushina. She was always up for a prank with him and they always went against Kakashi. More often than not they lost but they sure did have a lot of fun. He liked to believe that even Kakashi had a little bit of fun too. Now there was one soul that he didn't save in time.
Held to a dead family honor, he had never realized why Kakashi was the way he was until after his death. Everyone had their regrets but he just wished like everyone else that he could have seen underneath the cold stares and the dislike of physical touch. What he had taken for arrogance was simply the only way the other had known to act with others not his teacher.
He had been envious once, he still was actually, of how relaxed and open Kakashi had been with Minato. It had always made his cold demeanor more pronounced when he had tried to do the same only to be rebuffed. Maybe if he had kept trying, it would have made a difference and they wouldn't have been fighting with each other and…
He blinked when an object flew toward his face. He dodged at the last second much like Minato. The two unsupervised boys were grinning as they prepared to throw their other sandals at the adults. Pretty soon the office was turned into a chaotic chase as the nimble kids darted and raced around each other to get away from certain punishment.
Those outside who could hear the shouting and the laughter either rolled their eyes or smiled along, long used to this kind of activity from their Hokage when Naruto was around.
The days passed suspiciously without word from the Uchiha clan yet with no incidents, Naruto and Sasuke began to forget about what had happened that hadn't happened but could still happen. It wasn't until a day where a series of underhanded schemes came to blossom that they were forcibly reminded that this wasn't how things had been for them.
A/N:
Well, that was a cheesy ending to the chapter, but I wanted to show that they're forgetting their older selves and I also wanted to introduce a little bit of Kushina and Kakashi. Yes they are dead and they're not coming back to life but there's more to their stories that I'll get to later when the whole plot is revealed to Naruto and Sasuke. And let me clarify, the story's not over; this is just a time skip. I just didn't want to write them as they grow up; the story would drone on and on.
Anyway, thanks for reading, if I missed explaining something let me know.