[Un-Beta'd]
Word Count: 7,575 words
Finally another official update. If you were unaware, I expanded a little more on 'Intermission 3: Resolution.' I'm perhaps planning on doing a little more expanding for that chapter later on.
Anyway, my writing style has changed a bit, so please tell me if it's better or worse - cause all I can tell about it is that my style has only changed in my absence. Does it suit the story or would you like me to go back to my old writing style? That's the only thing I'd like to address to you.
Anyway, enjoy this chapter! Though, I do warn you, it's not exactly a happy chapter. Maybe that's why I had a hard time writing it? (Shrugs) I just hope you aren't depressed by it.
Strain
Eri stared at the man beyond the gate. He was well above her height, with swarthy black hair and sharp eyes. She wondered how his life was without her, the trials he had to have undergone alone.
As the Jounin pondered the "could have's" of a past long gone, Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura were anxious, shuffling behind her due to the ensuing silence. It was their first mission, making the three clueless to D-rank protocol.
As no one took any initiative to introduce themselves, the Genin continued waiting for either one of the adults to snap out of their shared trance. In retrospect, three minutes may not seem like a long wait, but the mood that was exuding from the two adults was making it unbearable.
Unable to bear the silence any longer, Naruto spoke, but despite his courage he couldn't extract the apprehensive tone that mirrored his teammates' distressed state;
"Um... Hey, sensei? can we start the mission already? You've been staring at that guy for a while now."
Sakura wanted scold the blond for his blunt disrespect, but feeling the tension, she knew that then wasn't the time. Still, she slowly relaxed thanks to his efforts – despite it being a result of his idiocy. Though, she did wonder if her sensei and their client had some history together.
Naruto's question stunned the two adults out of their trance, and drew their attention to the nervous children behind Eri. The Genin squirmed under the gaze of their sensei and patron.
Amused at their discomfort, Eri smirked before addressing the man who stood at the gates.
With a reserved tone, she spoke:
"I apologize, that was crass of me. I hope I didn't offend you in any way. You requested a Genin team about clearing some storage, and this is house eight of the bonsai district, correct?"
With narrowed eyes behind his thin rectangular specs, the young man nodded.
"Yes, that's correct. Also, from now on, try to keep you're staring to a minimum. It wouldn't do well if the client feels threatened by their hired help, now would it?"
Scowling at the man's sneer, Naruto yelled at him while Eri noticed Sasuke's glowering face and the hurt expression within Sakura's eyes.
"HEY! We're not just some 'hired help!' We're real shinobi – actual ninja, and don't you forget it!"
Annoyed, the swarthy haired man stared Naruto down before exacting the same gaze on his teammates. He huffed, aggravated, cocking a brow as he puffed out his chest.
"Oh really? So tell me, what kind of 'shinobi' cleans out a civilian's dusty old storehouse? What? Too important to be taking down someone in cold-blood? Goes to show just how much of a ninja you three are."
All three Genin glared daggers at the man.
Sasuke, in particular, clenched his fists as a flash of scenes from a gore-filled past replayed before his eyes. His blood boiled from the memories and despair, of how his once homey district had nothing but the echoes of empty houses and hollow wind.
Eri stepped in between their client and her team, trying to diffuse the situation as she noticed Sasuke's disposition dimming.
The Jounin was afraid of this. The implications of of taking on a mission from her father were already showing. She knew she could have refused this mission, but Yoshida had already promised her Genin and didn't want to fail their trust.
Reading the Jounin's body language, the man composed himself as the three pre-teens blinked at the protective stance their Jounin took.
Eri suggested for the man's cooperation, her tone signaling her displeasure:
"Sir, my students may be fresh Genin, but they'll grow into the killers you speak of with time. I'd do well not to insult your future protectors, if I were you. They'll know soon enough what it means to be a 'shinobi,' I'll make sure of it. For now, let us complete the task at hand so that we both may continue in peace, alright?"
'Be careful with your words. You insult them again and they will kill you in the near future, I'll make sure of it. Heed my warning, and let us be civil for this is purely business. That time of lost innocence will indeed come.'
Off put by the tone of her voice, the patron frowned as his eyes narrowed. He opened the gate and stepped aside to let in team seven before walking ahead with the Jounin following from behind.
Not knowing what to make of the situation, or their sensei's words, the three Genin reluctantly followed Eri a step after.
Leading the team into the backyard, the man motioned towards the wooden shed on the ninjas' right, before taking off his sandals to step onto the veranda.
Turning away from the assigned help, he curtly stated the team's task before disappearing behind the screen doors;
"As I said before, you're here to just clean out that storehouse. Take out each and every box before sweeping out the dust. Also, the numbered boxes labeled one through five – wash out the glass containers before drying them."
"Be careful with it since they're needed as gifts for my clients. When you're done, put back the boxes where you found them. Since they're numbered it won't be too hard. Highest numbers near the door, lowest in the back. All the supplies you need are inside the shed with a water faucet running out its side. Get this done by three o'clock and we won't have a problem."
Memorizing his instructions, Eri looked back towards her students. Analyzing their faces and body language, she could tell that each of them were angry, astonished, or nervous of the man who was once there. Sighing, she motioned for them to start as they only had three hours to complete the mission.
Setting Sakura off to fill the buckets with water, Eri helped Naruto and Sasuke carry out the stacked boxes. While doing so, she let her mind wander, and her thoughts lead to the bespectacled young man.
'You're overall indifferent towards us… You're life…surely it must've been painful. Are you really that bitter…?'
A little boy, ten years of age, with short messy hair and overhanging bangs that touched the top of his dark-brown orbs appeared before her eyes.
He wore oval shaped glasses that seemed to have slid down his nose, and had a skinny build with rounded out cheeks from the remaining baby fat on his face.
The little boy had no trace of respect, and talked as if he knew the world. Capricious and random, yet strong-willed, steadfast, and whimsical. The little boy had a natural smile that had always brought life to her face.
Eri's eyes softened behind her one-way mirror.
'Just what happened, Ichirou…?'
The three hours scurried by as Eri left most of the work to her Genin, only helping out when necessary. Like for example:
When Naruto and Sasuke competed against each other; who could carry out more boxes from the shed in under five minutes, thus almost resulting in damaged private property.
Or like when Naruto and Sakura were cleaning out the glass containers, and Naruto stated something to cause an enraged Sakura to punch the blonde – equaling into some, again, almost damaged property.
Or like when the three almost flooded the shed, when filling the buckets, due to overpowering the water pressure from the metal pipe.
Eri didn't even know whether to feel impressed or aghast.
Thankfully the mission was finished, despite the close twenty-seconds to spare. Team seven's Jounin sensei however, couldn't quite acknowledge how her three little ducklings almost flooded their client's storehouse.
Massaging the bridge of her nose, Eri chalked it up as an overestimation of power when the three were filling the buckets.
After drying the containers, and the rest of the filled boxes, with a low futon jutsu, Eri went on to inquire how the three accomplished such a feat;
"Just how, exactly, did you three flood the storehouse? It couldn't possibly be the water pressure, for I'm sure that the village's water works wouldn't overpower a single pipeline. So, that leaves in question as to what YOU THREE did? Just, what did you even do?"
Feeling their teacher's exasperated gaze through her aviators, the three fidgeted under her stare – all slightly embarrassed and ashamed. They knew if it wasn't for Eri's efforts, their first mission would've been a complete and utter failure. Twice did they almost damage private property, and from the craftsmanship of the glass containers, would they not only get punishment, but also a heavy fine.
As silence reigned, Eri crossed her arms. While she didn't want to domineering over them, she did want an explenation.
"Well, what happened? Or are you three just going to leave it up to me to find out what exactly went wrong, hmm?"
Sasuke refused to meet his sensei's gaze while Naruto hung his head low. Sakura seemed to have grown smaller under the Jounin's stare, shuffling about every few seconds.
"Eri-sensei?" Sakura was the first to crack.
"Yes, Sakura? Is there something you'd like to share?"
Watching the girl nod, Eri softened her stance as the Haruno tried explaining.
"Sasuke-kun noticed that we were running low on water, so I volunteered to refill our buckets. W-When I turned on the faucet there was no water. I turned the nob more, but it wasn't until when Naruto whacked the pipe on the side did water come flowing out. By then, the water pressure was so high that i-it flooded the storehouse."
She bowed her head, "I'm sorry."
Sakura was ashamed of herself. This was her team's first mission, and she had to go and mess things up. She turned on the faucet and increased the water pressure. Naruto was able to get the faucet working, and she knew Sasuke did most of the lifting.
'I'm such a failure! I ruined everything!' Tears pooled in the corners of her eyes.
"Wait! It's not Sakura-chan's fault! I should've looked before smacking that stupid pipe! Don't blame Sakura-chan! If anything, it's my fault, Eri-sensei!"
Naruto's outburst shocked the girl out of her depressed rut. Blinking away her tears, Naruto looked back at her with a beaming smile before he went back to glaring at their sensei.
Sasuke watched as the blond's glare remained unrelenting while trying to defend their teammate. The Uchiha sighed in defeat.
"Dobe, stop acting stupid. Besides, someone should've been there to prevent you from making a dumb mistake."
As Sasuke looked away, Naruto rounded on his teammate, stunned. Well, momentarily stunned until the blond processed the Uchiha's double-meaning. By then, the jumpsuit wearing Genin was hollering curses while the most stoic member of team seven was left smirking at the Uzumaki's reaction.
Sensing no animosity, Eri let the two boys argue. Instead the she patted Sakura's head – ruffling her hair in the process.
Put-out by the woman's actions, Sakura turned to glare at her sensei, but was met with a warm smile. Forgetting about her sensei's grievance, the girl took in the sight of her smiling teacher.
Feeling the young Haruno's stare, Eri glanced down. Her smile grew, amused with the girl's shock. Her hand fell from the girl's head while Sakura cocked an eyebrow.
"Sensei?"
"I'd like to commend you, Sakura."
As Naruto and Sasuke continued to argue in the background, Sakura frowned – confused by the woman's praise.
"But, I didn't really do much. If anything, I messed up more than I helped. Naruto and Sasuke-kun did a better job than me."
Eri crouched meet Sakura's eye-level and placed her hands on the girl's shoulders.
"Sakura, this is only your first mission. It's better to make mistakes now than later, you'll get better with time and experience. Besides, no one is perfect."
Sakura looked away, glancing between her fighting teammates and sensei. The Jounin's words were comforting to know, but she still couldn't stop that berating voice in her head.
Eri could see the doubt in the girl's eyes.
"Sakura, have faith in yourself. True that you may seem weak now, you're slowly changing. But what's more impressive is that you're trying. There are many others who refuse to try out of fear and shame. That's why I commend you."
As Eri brought herself to stand, Sakura listened and absorbed every word.
"You spoke out and tried taking the blame for yourself, instead of placing it on your teammates. You also apologized for your actions. You're growing, Sakura. It may seem small now, but, as I said, with time they'll add up."
The Jounin ruffled the young Kuniochi's hair. Sakura stilled, surprised, before ducking while pushing the Yoshida's hand away.
The ebony-haired woman giggled under her breath, "hehe. Have more confidence in yourself, you'll get there."
When Sakura was finished taming her hair, the pink-haired Genin pouted, glaring at her sensei. The Jounin's playful smile widened, before walking away to calm the fighting between Sasuke and Naruto.
Watching the woman still the quarreling by merely placing her hands on their heads, the young Haruno contemplated her teacher's words. Looking back on her mistakes, Sakura would still blush with embarrassment, but knowing now that she was still growing... She felt assured and calm. Yes she did still have some doubts, especially some concerning her teammates, but she now knew who could help her.
Joining her team, Sakura caught wind of her sensei admonishing her teammates.
"I get that you have a healthy competition between the two of you, but we're still on a mission. We can settle this after we report in for the mission and get some lunch, alright?"
The two boys huffed as they crossed their arms, looking away in opposite directions.
Eri frowned and increased the weight on both of their heads with her hands.
The boys only hummed in reaction.
Sakura shook her head as she watched on. She had a feeling about what would happen next.
Eri's eyebrow ticked, 'stubborn, aye?'
"Fine, if you want to settle things, we can always have a spar."
Their heads slightly turned towards her while Sasuke muttered, "a spar?"
Eri smirked inwardly, 'bingo!'
Sakura deadpanned at this, she expected Naruto to fall for the obvious bait, but didn't expect for Sasuke to fall for it too.
The Jounin pocketed her hands in her brown tench coat, a smile appearing on her face.
The two boys faced their sensei, trying not to let their hope for a fight show. They never got to finish this morning's spar since Eri interrupted them. But now, their sensei was practically offering them some free time to do so – and they both were desperate for some bragging rights.
"Yes, a spar. In fact, if you both are up to it, I'll join you."
The boys stilled in fear, each remembering their encounter with the Jounin and that blazing fireball she spat towards them at the beginning of her test.
"W-What do ya mean, 'join us?'"
To late to stop Naruto's bumbling question, Sasuke felt like fleeing the scene, but his pride kept him from doing so. Add to the fact that they were still on their mission reinforced his will to stay. Though, the growing smile on his teacher's face gave him second thoughts about staying his ground.
"Why, I thought you knew what I meant when I said 'we.' By that, I mean that you and Sasuke will fight me in a two vs. one spar; pure Taijutsu. And to ensure some training and no cheating, you'll be wearing the wristbands from yesterday."
Sakura watched as the color drained from her teammates' faces. Sympathizing with them, she unconsciously rubbed her wrist, grimacing from the mere memory of their training.
"So, you still want to spar?"
Sasuke turned away while Naruto scratched the back of his head with a sheepish grin. The blond gave a nervous laugh,
"Ah, haha, ah, maybe later Erine-, I mean sensei."
Smiling sweetly, Eri nodded, "hm, alright then." The Jounin turned away, hearing the boys' relieved sighs. She smirked, "I'll ask again later."
Sakura shook her head at her team's antics, seeing the boys still in fear once again. She huffed a sigh before approaching the two. Leaning in she whispered, "you two just had to argue in front of sensei on a mission, didn't you?"
The two blushed and frowned. Sasuke hummed in response while Naruto groaned, whispering back, "it's not my fault! The Teme just can't admit that I would've won this morning's spa-"
The woman's gaze snapped back, interrupting the blond's rant, "oh! You two are up for that spar then?"
The boys shook their heads.
Eri cocked an eyebrow, "are you sure?"
They nodded.
The Jounin shrugged, "alright, perhaps later."
As Eri walked ahead to report their progress to their client, Sasuke glared at the Uzumaki while the blond gave the Uchiha a sheepish smile. Sakura frowned, shaking her head at the two. Trailing after their sensei, she motioned for the two to follow;
"C'mon Naruto, Sasuke-kun, I think we should follow Eri-sensei. We're pretty much finished."
Catching up to their sensei, who stood before the veranda, they watched as she knocked on the wooden pillar. After three knocks, there was a short moment of silence before the three Genin heard some shuffling behind the sliding doors.
Stepping out onto the veranda wasn't the young swarthy-haired man from before, but a crotchety looking man with deep wrinkles and graying hair.
His eyes narrowed at Eri, lingering on her, before moving on towards the three Genin. His glare went through the children, and as much as the man's glare intimidated them, it felt as if he wasn't looking straight at them.
He frowned and sneered at woman, as if disgusted by her presence.
"You're here. I may have requested ninja, but I wouldn't think that man was foolish enough to enlist your help. You have no right to be here. Get out."
The three glowered at his words, but remained still. They had courtesy lessons in the academy on how to treat clients, and their pay depended on the client's review. Still, it was difficult for the three Genin to remain silent.
Eri remained indifferent with a bland tone, she handed the old man their release notice;
"We're finished with our mission. However, there was some damage done to the pipeline that connected to your shed. I promise to pay for all the damages. If you would just sign this, then me and my team shall be on our way."
He left the Jounin's hand hanging with paper in hand, and instead bared his fangs upon hearing the news. His voice, laced with anger, grew louder and louder;
"You broke my pipeline?! You idiot, you should have never returned!"
As the man continued to sling insult after insult, the three Genin couldn't stay their tongues any longer.
"Hey! Quit blaming her! And Erinee-chan is not an idiot! If anything you're the idiot, you stinkin' geezer!" The Uzumaki shouted as he pointed at the graying elder.
Sakura nodded, glad that Naruto's big mouth stilled the man's words.
"Yeah! You're threatening a Jounin team leader, and according to village law, only the client of a present or former mission can bring to court said shinobi responsible. You're not the client, so you have no right!"
Letting his teammates' banter speak for him, Sasuke let his glare bore into the man. However, despite all his rage, the Uchiha did wonder what the man meant by "returned."
The man's frown lightened as he looked back at the kids behind the Jounin. He snorted while cocking a brow, "little girl, you may be right about that stupid rule, but you clearly don't have all the facts."
'What?' Sakura and Sasuke were stumped speechless at the news. Naruto, however, only questioned further;
"What the hell do you mean we don't got all the facts?! It's not like you're the client or anything, right Eri-sensei?!"
Eri glanced down between the blond and his teammates as she placed a hand on Naruto's head.
The Uzumaki stilled, knowing what the woman's action meant. She wanted him to be calm and still, to comply and behave; this was a way for the Yoshida to admonish him without actively shouting or yelling.
He stared into the dark tinted lenses of his sensei's aviators, her chilling gaze peering straight through him. Naruto growled, and turned away. He may not like the geezer, but he knew when his Nee-chan meant business.
Still, the blond recognized that stare, it was something that he knew well since he was young. He felt his fists tighten as he wanted to protect Eri, but was being denied by said woman. However, for all of his anger, he did wonder why she was at the end of the man's stare instead of him.
Seeing that her Genin were finally calming down, whether it was forced or not, the mediator motioned to the stack of papers that were still being held out towards the man;
"I apologize for my team's behavior, they're inexperienced and have just graduated from the academy. If you would please sign this, we'll be on our way. Please expect a personal check from me shortly in the coming days. It should cover all property damages as compensation."
Glaring on last time at the Jounin and her team, the man snatched away the stack, reading over all it's contents.
Despite being disgruntled, the aged man nodded at Eri, glancing one last time at the kids she commanded. Looking back into the house, he called out while leaning against the sliding door;
"Ichirou, fetch me a pen!"
The team seven heard a confirmation being shouted from within the home before being accompanied with hurried steps.
Appearing behind the aging senior was the spectacle wearing young man from before. He glanced at the shinobi team, his eyes lingering on Eri for but a moment, before moving on towards her Genin and landing finally on the leaning elder.
"Here, Otou-san. Are they finally done?"
The father nodded with a grunt, flipping through the pages before finally signing off on every line that needed his signature.
The son hummed at this while looking out at the backyard, "good. It's better if they don't remain here any longer."
Looking over the document one final time, he nodded to himself before throwing back the stack towards Eri.
The woman caught her team's mission release forms before she gave her Genin a fixed stare, warning them to hold their tempers.
Turning away from team seven, the old man muttered, "better if they weren't here at all," knowing full well that everyone could hear him.
Watching his father disappear from the team of shinobi, Ichirou only gave the team this final comment before sliding the door close on them;
"You heard him. You already know the way out, so I won't escort you off the property. I heard about the pipeline; reimbursement is expected within the next few days."
Eri nodded, "of course. I wish you a pleasant afternoon."
Leading the team off the property and onto the street, Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke followed the woman – unaware of their clients' connection to their sensei.
After returning to the mission office and handing in the official copy to Hokage, Eri sent the rest of her team off for lunch – stating that they had the rest of the day off due to the experiences from their first mission.
Encouraging them to spend the rest of their free time together, she waved off their concerns;
"Sometimes your clients won't be the most friendly. I'm fine," her thoughts added a 'will be' to that sentence.
"Why don't you three just discuss what happened during your mission as you eat lunch together. I need to write up the report. So, I'll see you three tomorrow."
She handed the three some ryo, stating it was on her. With money and their mission pay envelope in hand, the three Genin shuffled out of the office, closing the door behind them.
Eri heaved a sigh, her shoulders sagging with relief and exhaustion.
"I take it that the mission didn't go as planned."
Turning to the Hokage, Eri nodded, "that's putting it lightly, Hokage-sama. My father didn't take kindly to my presence, and you are already are aware of his stance towards Genin, let alone shinobi in general."
While puffing out smoke from his pipe, Sarutobi hummed and nodded as he listened to the Yoshida's recount.
He stilled his smoking to speak when the Jounin was finished;
"I'm sorry if this mission has caused you pain, but, personally, it would be best that this familial conflict be solved as soon as possible. Feelings aside, I expect a full mission report in the next few days. And about the damaged pipeline,"
Eri nodded, "I'll pay it and deliver it myself, and also give my team a justified punishment."
He nodded and dismissed the Yoshida, watching a frown tug down the ends of her mouth as she exited the room.
Looking out towards the village, he wondered if it was right to gamble team seven on such an emotionally vulnerable shinobi.
He sighed while puffing on his pipe, 'I need some saké.'
Glowering at the floor, Naruto seethed with rage. He vented to his, just as upset, teammates.
"Just who the hell were those guys?! Treating us like that; especially Eri-nee…!"
It was after lunch that the three Genin returned to training ground seven. Sakura sat at the base of the tree next to Sasuke, who leaned against it's trunk. Naruto was the only one who wasn't under the shade, too angry to remain still.
Sakura was still emotionally sore from the experience. She has never experienced such open hate from someone. The only other time was when she was bullied during the academy, but even then it was never as intense.
As Naruto continued to vent, the girl nodded – adding her own two cents;
"Yeah, it was as if they not only hated us, but they were disgusted, especially with sensei. Yet, she it was like she wasn't even bothered by the man's insults."
"Yeah, Sakura-chan! It's like she's indistill!"
Thrown off by the word, Sakura cocked a brow, "Indistill? What do you mean?"
"Hmm? Oh, y'know, like... um, not being bothered or somethin. C'mon Sakura-chan, you're smart. I think you know what indistill means."
Her brow twitched as she finally knew what the blond meant;
"You mean 'indifferent,' you dope."
Remembering the word, he scratched the back of his head with a sheepish smile, "oh yeah! Hehe, sorry!"
Barely containing the added irritation, Sakura only glared at the blond, opting to not defaulting back into smacking the Uzumaki with a fist;
She tried her hand at deadpanning, remembering how effective her sensei used it,"'indistill' isn't even a word, Naruto."
Said boy, anxiously laughed while apologizing; taking a step away from her.
Sasuke rolled his eyes as he watched the exchange. Getting his teammates back on track, the raven haired Genin spoke;
"It's odd that she didn't even try to defend herself, but what's more was that the man said something about her 'returning.'"
Peering towards Sasuke, Naruto and Sakura remembered the old man's words.
The Haruno nodded at this as she thought aloud, "that's right, he did say that. In fact, by the way they were acting, they were at least familiar with sensei. They-."
Sakura stilled realizing something.
Questioning the girl, Naruto voiced his concern while Sasuke maintained a watchful stare, "they what? What's wrong, Sakura-chan?"
She nodded, and despite her doubting tone, she voiced what felt like a major piece to the puzzle,"did we even get their names?"
Naruto frowned in thought,"their names? No, but why should we even bother? They're just assholes, anyway. Why should we even know their names after the way they treated us?"
Frowning in thought, Sasuke could only recall the name of the son, but even then it wasn't the man's full name.
Sakura acknowledged that her team's clients weren't the best, but she tried explaining her point;
"True, but from what we learned in the academy during mission protocol and courtesy classes, it's important to learn the name of the client and anyone else who's related to the client or mission. We learned that in class Naruto."
The blond shrugged, "eh, really? Honestly, that stuff is just boring."
The Haruno forwned as she deadpanned, "typical, of course you'd find it boring," while Inner-Sakura raged within her mind.
Sasuke hummed, getting his teammates attention, "hn. We only learned the son's name, but even that wasn't a full name. Like Sakura said, they were familiar with her, and it's unusual that we never even learned their surnames."
Naruto closed his eyes and folded his arms, lowering his head in thought, "you'd think that Erinee-chan would've at least told us their names. I mean, she had the stinken' mission papers all along."
When the Uzumaki looked up, he found himself pinned with blank stares from both his teammates. Growing more anxious by the second, the blond stuttered while asking what's wrong;
"H-Hey, what? Was it something I said?"
Sasuke and Sakura shared a glance before sighing. They shook their heads as Sakura spoke for the both of them, "no nothing, just – just forget it, Naruto."
They both wondered how the Uzumaki can be so smart, and so dense at the same time. Sakura briefly wondered if it ran in the family. Sasuke didn't want to think deeper on the subject, he already had to deal with someone of the like at home.
"Hey, Suke-chan, so this is where your team meets!"
Sasuke stilled in shock, 'that voice!'
Speak of the devil...
Obito Uchiha walked towards his nephew with an infectious grin, Kakashi and Rin trailed behind the elder Uchiha.
And he shall appear...
Naruto chortled at the nickname while Sakura's inner commented on how cute the nickname was, her inner also didn't fail to notice how good-looking the man was.
They both watched as the elder Uchiha ruffled Sasuke's hair, the boy failing to escape the head pat.
The raven-haired Genin scowled as he tried to fix his hair when Obito released him.
Meanwhile, the clan head turned towards his nephew's teammates. He smiled at them, introducing himself;
"Hi, I'm Uchiha Obito! It's nice to finally meet Suke-chan's teammates. As I'm sure you're already aware, Sasuke can be very private, so please don't be offended if he ignores you. It's just how he is sometimes."
As his Naruto and Sakura introduced themselves, Sasuke growled a warning,"Ojī-san." He respects his uncle, but that didn't make Obito any less embarrassing. And now, here he was, making a scene in front of his teammates.
Naruto wore an impish grin as he glanced at Sasuke, "Heh, 'Suke-chan,'huh?"
Glaring at the blond, the young Uchiha snarled, "shut it, dobe," before turning towards his uncle.
"Ojī-san, what are you, Kakashi, and Rin-san, doing here?"
Kakashi opted to remain silent as he nodded hello to the three Genin. Obito only smiled as Rin stepped forward, answering Sasuke's question;
"Well, your ojī-san was catching up with me and Kakashi, since he was away on a mission. It was only after lunch did we pass your sensei, as she told us where we could find you."
Obito nodded with a grin on his face, as he followed up with a question of his own, "yup, Eri-chan mentioned that your team were let off for the rest of the day since you just had your first mission. So, how was your first D-rank?"
The mood fell immediately as soon as the Uchiha finished his question. Naruto's playful grin was replaced with a scowl. Sasuke's exasperation changed to silent anger. Sakura's lighthearted expression morphed into a troubled visage.
The three Jounin were surprised, wondering what could've brought on such a countenance. Obito was especially concerned. He was only hoping to hear some complaints about 'lousy D-ranks' while he picked on them for fun.
'Something is seriously wrong here,' he thought. Although, recalling the Yoshida's solemn expression when they passed her in the Market district, he had a boding feeling that this could be related to Eri.
Exchanging a glance with his Genin teammates, the elder Uchiha knew they came to the same result.
Rin was careful to keep her tone polite and steady as she tried to coax the details out of them, "if I may ask, would you mind telling what happened? There's something obviously bothering you three. Please, if this is truly bothering you, it would be best to relieve it by speaking about it to us."
Sasuke only looked away into the distance, maintaining his silence.
Naruto gave out more of a response; he clenched his fists, lowly growling out, "those assholes!" But the information provided wasn't very useful.
Obito frowned at this while Kakashi cocked a brow, almost getting a hint to who 'those assholes,' could be. Rin's face remained open and impassive, hoping that Sasuke's female teammate would be more open to sharing team seven's first mission experience.
Sakura glanced at Naruto and Sasuke before peering at the group of adults that Sasuke, apparently knows. She knew that Naruto was too angry to actually explain anything coherently. And Sasuke seemed like more of the type of person to quietly stew in his own emotion before letting anyone in.
The young Kunoichi sighed before stepping up to the plate. It seemed that she was the only one who could explain.
Hearing her sigh, the three Jounin turned to the young pink-haired shinobi. They listened with rapt attention, hoping to gleam a clue as to who 'those assholes' were.
"We were assigned to clean some glass vases for a man who owned a company. At first we thought the client was a young man wearing glasses with black, slightly curly hair, but we later found out it was his father instead. The elder had deep wrinkles and graying hair instead of... I think he used to have dark brown hair."
Sakura frowned, but continued on with her explanation, "While we were cleaning up the glass vases, we accidentally broke the pipeline that's connected to the shed that holds all the vases. It was only thanks to sensei that we were able to finish the mission since she was able to stop the water from flooding the shed."
While the three Jounin wondered how these three Genin could've broken a pipeline, the waited for more info. However, Kakashi was starting to suspect who exactly who 'those assholes' that the Uzumaki was raging about were.
"After we dried the shed and all the vases, we put them back in the shed. Eri-sensei scolded us a little before knocking on the houses wooden post. That was when the elder appeared. He... he was..."
Sakura's voice weakened as her expression fell.
Rin tried to get the girl to continue, still keeping that careful tone, "yes, Sakura-chan? He was what?"
"He was an asshole, that's what! The both of them are," Naruto exploded into a rant, unable to continue his rage any longer. Sakura's recount only re-lit the blond's bitter anger.
"That bastard was insulting Erinee-chan the entire time, and was blaming her for the broken pipeline! He wasn't even paying any attention to us! He only kept yelling at her, and she was just taking it! And that other guy, he was pretty much ignoring us! He wasn't even stopping the old geezer!"
Sakura tried to calm the blond by placing a hand on his shoulder. He looked back to see her sympathetic visage. Remembering that he wasn't the only one, Naruto looked towards Sasuke – seeing the stormy expression the young Uchiha took on. They shared the glance before peering towards their female teammate. She shook her head at them, and in result their shoulders sagged with exhaustion.
The Jounin watched this exchange with fascination. Despite how angry and hurt the three Genin felt from this disastrous D-rank, it brought them closer. There was hope for this team yet.
Seeing that the three were now calmed, Kakashi dared to ask a question of his own.
"That 'other guy?' You mean the son...Does he have a name?" Kakashi was curious who this young man was. He found it odd that the son of the client would be so indifferent to the team while his father was such a vehement man.
As Naruto shook his head. The boy frowned with his head hung low, trying to make sense of his emotions. He was angry, confused, hurt, but also curious. He never felt so mixed up since the time when Mizuki revealed that he was the Kyūbi Jinchūriki.
It was here that Sasuke chose to speak, knowing that he was the only one who caught the son's name, "we didn't catch his surname, but the son's name is Ichirou. The mission also took place in the Bonsai district of one of the civilian resident sectors."
Obito frowned, familiar with the area, but hoping – for all intents and purposes, that the people team seven were talking about weren't 'them.'
"Sasuke, do you remember the address?"
Startled by how serious his uncle was, the young Uchiha remained silent for a moment – wondering what could've brought this on, before giving out a reply;
"It was house eight of the Bonsai District."
The clan head frowned at the news, seeing Rin and Kakashi wearing the same expression.
Cautious, but irritated with the lack of info, Sasuke glared at the group of adults.
"What is it? You know who those people were? If you do, then tell us why our sensei refused to tell us anything about the mission?"
Obito huffed a sigh, familiar with his nephew's behavior. He knew who they were, but he didn't know if it was his place to tell. Scratching the back of his head, the Uchiha sighed again. 'Although, knowing Eri-chan, it's not like she would ever tell them unless they asked. And even then, it's still a sore subject, and that explains why she never told them anything.'
Rin glanced at her disgruntled teammate, "Obito... We should."
Kakashi nodded. "Hm, she may not like it, but it's better if we tell them than have them learn later on."
Sagging his shoulders, the clan head nodded, "yeah, yeah; I know. Still, we should be ready for the backlash when it happens. You know how she is."
The two hummed, agreeing, before staring down the three Genin.
Team seven waited for an answer, curious just what they were talking about and how it related to their mission and sensei.
After taking a moment to breath, Obito spoke;
"The reason why your Sensei refused to tell you anything was because she didn't want you to know about her family."
Sasuke stilled, instantly making the connection.
Sakura was hoping for more info as she didn't want to jump to conclusions. But as the elder Uchiha only looked on in silence, she realized that her initial assumption was correct.
Naruto, however, only titled his head in confusion, "huh? Eri-nee's family? What do they have to do with our mission."
"Naruto, those people we met on our mission, the ones who yelled at sensei, they... they're..." Sakura couldn't find the will to voice it.
"They're her family, dobe." Sasuke, however, did.
The blond stilled, unable to process the news, "y-you mean."
The clan head nodded at the shocked Uzumaki, "that's right Naruto, you and your teammates had just met Eri's father and younger brother."
The blond hung his head low, utterly confused as to why his Nee-chan was treated so badly, by her family no less. Frowning, he looked up and tried to reason with the Jounin, hoping that they were wrong;
"But, isn't family supposed to love each other?! Like all lovey-dovey and be nice, and that stuff?! I thought that's what families do?! They should treasure and love each other, not all that crap they pulled during our mission!"
Sakura glanced at the blond, feeling heartbroken as he went on – trying to deny the truth. It hurt even more knowing the kind of background he came from.
The young Kunoichi wanted to deny the truth too, but it all made too much sense given what she knew about her sensei so far. The Haruno figured early on that her sensei was a private person, but she didn't know that Eri-sensei was this private. However, given how her father reacted to the woman's appearance, Sakura wouldn't want anyone to meet her family too, especially if they acted how they did during her D-rank.
Gaining a new perspective on his sensei, Sasuke glanced towards his uncle. He felt lucky that he had such a kind and light-hearted family member to live with. If he could chose one person, other than his father and mother, to survive from the massacre, it would be Ojī-Obito.
Aware of Naruto's situation, and how lonely it feels, it reminded the Uchiha of the time before he was with Obito – where he was alone in the hospital after waking from a Genjutsu induced coma. Never again would he want to return to those days. Never.
Obito looked forlornly at the brokenhearted blond. He wanted to make things better, but he was never good with words, that was either Rin or Eri. Instead, the Uchiha settled on the truth;
"I'm sorry, Naruto. But, not all families are perfect or alike. They have their own problems to deal with and they handle their problems in different ways. That's just how people are."
The boy hung his head, filled with sorrow. "But, Erinee-chan didn't even fight back. She just took it like it was nothing. That isn't fair. She even wished them a good day. That isn't fair."
The clan head nodded. "Yeah, it isn't fair for bad things to happen to people, but your sensei is strong. Just try and help your sensei if she doesn't seem fine, the next time you see her. It'll really help her, trust me."
Sakura was at a lost on how to approach the problem, "but, what do we do?"
Obito sighed before he looked out towards the village, knowing full well what was happening to his childhood friend.
"Just don't leave her alone."
The blinds were closed shut and the door was locked. No one was visiting and Hekear was out hunting. Eri preferred it to be this way.
All was quiet in the apartment except for the occasional sniffling of a runny nose that was heard from the bedroom.
Lying in her bed under the covers, wearing nothing but a t-shirt and shorts, Eri tried to cry as silently as possible. She let the tears roll down the sides of her face while throwing another crumpled up tissue into the waste bin.
The can was almost overflowing with white crumpled clouds filled with snot.
If someone were to hear the woman's muttering from beyond the bedroom door they would hear a smattering of curses and apologies mixed together with an occasional plea to 'just make it stop.'
She knew she sounded mad. However, what was playing across her eyes justified her crazed sound murmurings.
A little girl of the age of six, with tan skin and black hair quivered under her father's glare and vicious words. He threatened to kick her out. He insulted her intelligence. He made her doubt herself, stating that she would die in the streets without him. He did this daily...
A young girl of the age of seven was locked outside her home on the door's front-step. She shook the doorknob, pleading and crying, desperate to get back in. Her mother opened the door. The father still continued to rant, rave, and insult her.
A girl of the age of eight rushed to her bedroom, pulling away the black trash-bag that her father held, preventing him from throwing away her clothes and drawings. He yelled at her to move. She held her ground. He belittled her as he stalked away, throwing the trash bag to the floor. She was left to pick up the pieces.
Eri shook her head, wiping the tears from cheeks.
'Calm down, that's all in the past. Besides, that was my first father. How he treated me does not apply to the father I have now. You know he didn't mean it. He's frustrated.'
She sighed, realizing that her body was shaking. Crying always took a lot out of her. Wiping away the last of her tears, Eri walked down the hall and into the kitchen. Stuffing her mouth with some bread and water, the shaking slowly stopped.
However, as she sat at the dinning table, the woman couldn't stop herself from tearing up at the mere memory of her first father. What happened during the mission was, for her, re-living of a bitter past – one she didn't want to go back to.
Gritting her teeth, Eri felt the tears ready to fall. She clenched her fist till it began to hurt. 'Dang it! Stop it!' The tears slowly disappeared as she increased the pain.
Opening her fist, she saw the slightly bloody indents in the palm of her hand. Her fingernails were lightly dusted with specks of blood. Sighing, she sagged in her chair while looking away from the self-inflicted injury. 'Just make it stop...'
She remained seated like that until Hekear returned home, she was then no longer alone.
Chapter 7 End
Well, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! If you're feeling sad, I did warn you.
So, did my writing style change for the better? Or for the worse? Again, I can't really tell.
Anyway, I encourage you to read the expanded version of the last intermission. I'd like to have your opinion on whether I should expand on it more.
I'd also like to thank you all for reading my story, whether you were long awaiting for this or had just stumbled on my story; thank you so much! If you have any questions or comments, don't be afraid to leave it in a review or private message! Hope you have a great day! ^_^