Hello again, and thanks to the reviewers who shared their location with me in their review. How exciting to see people from the US, Australia and Germany all reading my story. Thanks again for your reviews. Now on with the story.
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Six Days from Konoha
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The next morning once again had the group wrestling Naruto to eat food. Anko had woken during the night to administer treatment to Naruto with the help of Itachi, but he was still getting noticeably worse.
However the group was relieved to see he still remained in good spirits.
Whilst mostly uneventful, the trip was marred when Naruto developed a persistent cough.
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After a brief stop around midday, Anko pulled each of the men aside to quietly update on Naruto's condition.
The cough was the result of the poison beginning to penetrate his lungs. They could see faint spiderwebbing green spreading down his chest. Unfortunately without the eyes of a Hyuuga they couldn't tell how deep the taint had spread, which is what had Anko most on edge.
She subtly probed Naruto with questions about how his chest felt, and deduced by his answers that his heart was yet to be affected.
But the group still wasted no time heading back on the road.
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Despite the new development, the group were pleased that the journey seemed quicker today.
The weather was pleasant and the wind was behind them, and briefly before nightfall they had happened across a group of wild birds which they happily speared to keep for dinner that night.
They reached a shaded, secluded section of forest on a river bend that was an ideal spot for camping, and settled down to cook.
During long missions, cooked and fresh food was a delicacy, as there often wasn't time to hunt. The group gratefully ate the cooked meat, the juicy bites tasting heavenly after days of stale or ration food.
"Bath time!" Anko exclaimed loudly, stepping her feet into the river. As she took off her ANBU cloak, she exposed her usual... revealing mesh bodysuit, drawing a few pairs of tinted cheeks. She started to make quick work of that, too, and Itachi returned his attention to the fire, watching Naruto swing his feet back and forth obliviously.
Out of the corner of his eye, he watched Genma's impassive face redden as his eyes lingered reluctantly on the naked woman.
Itachi smirked, still facing away from the other man.
"So, when are you going to mention to her that you fancy her?"
Genma twitched slightly, cursing the Sharingan. "You're Uchiha eyes aren't seeing right, Itachi. I wouldn't fancy Anko if she were the last living woman in all of Konoha."
He tried to remain neutral, but his tone still came off as defensive.
The younger boy shrugged, smirk widening. It wasn't often he expressed so much emotion, but he did love drawing reaction from his almost equally stoic teammate. He swore he caught a smile on the Naruto's lips as well, despite still seeming to be unaware of what was going on.
Well, you'd have to expect that a boy who made ANBU captain would have pretty good observation skills.
"Ahh, the waters' great!" Exclaimed Anko, as he climbed back onto the bank, only a towel hiding her body. Genma grunted, eyes fixed on the fire.
Itachi stretched his back. None of them had bathed in almost a week, not having the chance since they were on a mission that required instant reaction times. But he was feeling uncomfortable in his clothes…
He stood up, gesturing to Naruto. "Coming for a bath, Naruto?" The boy looked up at him, and nodded, smiling.
"And you, Genma?" He asked as he hoisted Naruto onto his hip, quirking an eyebrow. Alone time with Anko's clean body... he wondered which he'd pick..
"Nah, I'm a bit hungry, I think i'll have some more food." He shrugged, reaching for his bowl.
Itachi smirked, nodding, turning to move a modest distance away from the group before undressing – he wasn't Anko, after all.
He waded into the water with a stripped-off Naruto, gently guiding the boy under the arms when the water got too deep for him.
The young boy doggy paddled around, unaware of how cute he looked splashing the water.
He sat himself on a flat underwater rock, only a few metres off shore, and watched Naruto dunk his sunny hair under water, smiling as he rubbed dirt away.
It was past midnight again, but the moon was bright and sky cloudless, making visibility easy even without his Sharingan.
He sat contentedly as Naruto splashed around and inspected the river floor marine life, relaxing in the cool water. The day had been warm, and the water was still heated from the suns rays.
Naruto climbed onto Itachi's lap, showing him a small freshwater crab that skittered along his palm. He smiled, running a hand through the boys hair, which eventually turned to him washing any remaining dirt from it.
It was a while before Itachi realized that Naruto, leaning against his chest, was fast asleep, the crab long since released out into the water as his hand floated beside him.
Itachi ignored the green-tinted skin, opting to observe the sleeping boys' face.
smiled, rinsing dirt off the whiskered cheeks. He loved Naruto. He reminded him so much of Sasuke, and yet was completely different. Same age, similar sweet disposition, and yet... Itachi knew that if given the same sort of life as Naruto, Sasuke wouldn't be able to retain such youthful innocence.
He frowned at the thought of a corrupted Sasuke, silently cursing his family for their strict and hierarchical teachings.
It was strange, how he simultaneously looked to Naruto for guidance as a leader, wise beyond his years, and yet at the same time checked to make sure he was alright.
So small and fragile, yet so powerful and knowledgeable. It was an unnerving combination sometimes, especially when Naruto sprouted off a topic like tactical placement on the battlefield or successful methods of executing Genjuutsu users, all with an adorable pout.
As a cool breeze started to blow, Itachi decided that it was time to leave the water. Allowing Naruto to float along in his arms, he waded to shore. He shook the boy lightly awake, and Naruto stood sleepily as he allowed Itachi to dry him off. As soon as they were both dressed, Naruto was back contentedly in Itachi's arms, asleep again.
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:POLL:
Do we want Anko and Genma's relationship to take off? Or remain as Genma's secret crush?
Yes?
No?
Leave your thoughts in a review!
Anyway, little shorter chapter this time. Sorry about that.