Hello there, readers! I present to you chapter 8, my favorite number. Yoku and her teammates go on their first real mission and get their team photo taken. Afterwards, Yoku tries out her healing method and assesses her friendships. I apologize for my lateness, I'm juggling multiple things at the moment. This story is one of the foremost on my list though. This chapter is mostly dialogue by the way, so there may be some mistakes since I was writing so much of it. Thanks to everyone who left a fav, follow or review, your support fuels my determination!
lizy2000: Yup, their team is now official!
RadioPoisoning: That's always struck me as awkward, plus it would be hard to write with
DarkDust27: Yeah, those three are connected from now on.
Love Stories00: Don't worry, there's plenty of that in this chapter ;)
Akari-chann-Uchiha: Glad you like it!
Guest: All I can say without spoiling stuff is... that 2nd genre is there for a reason :)
Tanner Clark: It's easier to write if it sticks to canon more, plus 4 is too many people to write at once
On a different topic, I have posted the oneshot I mentioned at the beginning of chapter 5! It fleshes out the character "Dr. Katto" in this story a bit, so check it out if you want. It's rated M and is quite gory though, so I don't recommend reading it if you're squeamish.
In the Land of Water...
Two men stood in a white-grey room. It was lit, revealing a mess of crimson and mush in one area. The air was permeated with the tang of metal.
"Doctor Katto, sir?" a kiri-nin stood bowed before a man clad in a labcoat
"What is it? You know that I am busy at this hour.." replied Doctor Katto, pulling off rubber gloves dripping with red
"Sir, we have retrieved the body of the specimen we failed to capture some time ago.."
Katto froze, holding one glove half-off his left hand. He turned his head to the man before him and his steely eyes glinted
"Where is it?" the question was simple-but it's implications were grave
Akadi smirked. He got up, then waved someone in from the corridor. Kada entered the room carrying a scroll, frowning at her smug partner as she passed him. Kneeling before Katto, Kada unrolled the scroll and undid the seal. A body poofed into existence seconds after.
It was a man, wearing the uniform of a Leaf ninja. His sandy hair was matted with blood, brown eyes glazed and empty. His throat was slashed open, the blood around it still wet. It was clear he'd been killed quickly and precisely.
Kada grabbed a beaker, stirring rod and a bottle of liquid from the bag on her back, presenting them to Katto carefully. She blinked with surprise as the middle-aged man snatched them from her almost feverishly.
Katto placed the beaker down on a bench next to his operating table-it was still sticky with crimson in some spots. He poured the bottled liquid into it, then pulled out an empty syringe from his coat. Katto knelt and stuck it into the body, extracting his blood. His movements were fluid, careful, as if nothing else existed but the task at hand. Kada and Akadi watched him with silent fear and fascination as he squirted blood into the beaker and stirred it. The mixture turned orange.
"Positive..." he whispered in disbelief
The pair of kiri-nin became nervous when the doctor remained still for several seconds. Kada nudged Akadi, prompting him to speak.
"S-sir...?" Akadi wasn't usually one to stutter-but the room and the man residing in it held an unsettling aura
"You two may leave. I have much to do... yes... much to do..." Katto replied, more to himself than to his subordinates. He pulled back on his bloody gloves and set about clearing his stations
Some of Akadi's confidence returned as he relaxed "Sir, will we get a reward for-"
"Do not interrupt me. Leave, now." Katto said sharply-Akadi skittered out of the room, followed by Kada
We were finally on our first real mission. We had been tasked with escorting a group of shinobi from another village, one of them carrying a secret missive. Along with us, there were three ninja from the other village helping with the escort. Minato had warned us that fighting could break out between us, and that we were to keep safe if that was the case. I was running alongside Kakashi and Obito. Minato was in front of us, behind our escortees. We were running on a path, trees and vegetation flanking us on either side. Easy cover, unfortunately for us.
"All right! I'm gonna show my stuff and prove I can become the Hokage!" Obito said, a determined grin on his face as he ran
"It won't be that easy. Obito, were you even listening to Minato-sensei? We're not going to engage in any kind of battle." Kakashi replied
"Hmm, I don't know about that. Missions don't always go as planned..." I muttered negatively, thinking of things to come
Kakashi flicked a glance at me before continuing.
"Besides, we'd only get in Minato-sensei's way."
"Is he really that amazing?" wondered Obito with a touch of awe
"Heck yeah. Minato-sensei's probably the fastest ninja in the world at the moment. He's known as the Yellow Flash of The Leaf-the saying goes, 'Blink and you'll miss him.' " I replied-I'd somewhat idolized our sensei sometimes
"Seriously? Someone that great is teaching us? Man, I'm full of adrenaline, I wish someone would come and attack us!" Obito's eyes were bright, lighting up my own
"Obito, you're gonna jinx us! I know you want to fight, but being attacked is usually a bad thing.." I said in jest
We shared a laugh for a few moments, then Obito asked a question out of nowhere.
"Hey, I wonder who's stronger, The Yellow Flash of The Leaf or The White Fang of The Leaf?"
Kakashi's head snapped to his teammate. I winced; Obito had unknowingly breached a touchy subject.
"Shhh!" I hissed, making frantic gestures to get him to stop talking about it
"The Hidden Leaf had a hero called The White Fang. But I heard he died protecting the village.. haven't you heard of him?" Obito's question was innocent, but Kakashi felt angered nonetheless
"No, I haven't." snapped our grey-haired teammate, breaking into a sprint and racing ahead of us. Obito called after him with concern.
"What's with him?" he wondered with dismay
"Obito, you need to understand something. The White Fang was someone of importance to Kakashi, who he cared for very much. When people lose someone they care about, it can change them in drastic ways. Remember that... and be careful when mentioning the subject in the future." I replied in a grave tone
Obito glanced at me, then fixed his eyes on his rival. Sadness and empathy filled them.
As we continued on, I felt a sense of apprehension. Darting my eyes around, I saw a shadow flash past in the trees to our left. I hoped it was just an illusion-but then I saw several more shadows following the first.
'We're being surrounded!'
As I thought of what to do, Minato appeared next to us.
"Everyone, listen up!"
"What is is sensei?" asked Obito
"Looks like the enemy is on our trail." Kakashi frowned, as did I. Obito reacted with excitement at the prospect of action.
"Seriously? We're gonna fight?"
"I told you you'd jinx us. We're in real danger Obito, this isn't a game!" I scolded, and Obito sweatdropped nervously
"There are quite a few of them. Obito and I will fall back and confront them. In the meantime, Kakashi and Yoku will complete the mission. It's imperative that you two escape." ordered Minato
'What? I'm supposed to go on ahead and leave Obito to be attacked?'
Trying to ignore my fears, I followed Kakashi with a "Yes, sir!"
"Come on Obito, let's go!" said Minato, slowing down
"Roger!"
As the pair ran behind us, I stole a glance and silently wished them luck.
As I ran alongside Kakashi, I tried to lift him from his grim mood.
"I want to apologize on Obito's behalf for what he said before. He didn't know it would upset you." Kakashi looked at me, but otherwise didn't respond
"He wants to understand your pain, Kakashi. Maybe one day you'll be friends as well as rivals." I continued optimistically
Kakashi frowned and dropped his gaze. Suddenly, footsteps came up from behind. Too many to be Obito or Minato.
"They've found us. Yoku, go on ahead!" ordered Kakashi
"Shit! Okay, be careful." I sped up, reluctantly leaving him behind
'I don't want to be running away! This stupid mission just had to go bad...'
The path we were on widened, running into an area with few trees. I heard the roar of water somewhere near us-the river, most likely. Up ahead I could see a thin wooden bridge which crossed a ravine.
I ran onto the bridge with the foreign ninja, hearing kunai being deflected behind me. I was itching to help Kakashi, but he'd probably be able to handle it.
Unable to resist, I stopped to look behind me-and saw one of our allies get hit by a kunai and fall off the bridge towards the water. The remaining ones looked on in shock and confusion.
I called to my teammate regarding the fallen ninja "Kakashi, we've gotta save him! Minato-sensei is still nearby, if we backtrack and let him know-"
"No! A shinobi's duty is to carry out his mission." Kakashi replied curtly, cutting me off
I tried to argue, worried about our alliance with the foreign ninja "Kakashi, this isn't the best time for-"
Kakashi cut me off again, this time with an order "Go, run! Getting away is imperative, if we get to the forest the village will be close by. They won't pursue us that far."
"Godamnit, fine!" I growled, and we continued past the bridge
We finally stopped to rest when we reached a large clearing. I didn't like being in such an open space-the only things useful for cover were a few tall rocks scattered around the area.
"We've come this far, we should be safe." Kakashi said as he glanced around
"What about Obito?" I asked, concerned
"Sensei is with him, they'll be fine." he waved me off
One of the foreign ninja approached us, in what I hoped was a friendly manner.
"Thank you. I've gotta hand it to the Yellow Flash's team. Thanks to you, the missive will be delivered safely." he complimented; I relaxed a bit
"Don't mention it." said Kakashi, unwilling to say much on the matter
"Unfortunately, one man had to be sacrificed. That could not be helped." glancing behind him, I saw the other two ninja smirk. I tensed.
"However," one began
"He won't be.." the other continued
"The only sacrifice!" both said, jumping forward and slashing the man in front of us with kunai
My eyes widened as our ally fell to the ground, and I prepared to fight.
"S-so you're the tr-traitors!" the injured man exclaimed, confirming my suspicions
"You bastards! You meant to betray us the whole time, didn't you?" I growled
"Since you were just so focused on the mission, you made our mission quite easy!" replied the skinnier one with a sinister grin
"Not even The Yellow Flash can span this distance quickly. Sorry, but you're going to have to die too." the fatter one said, prompting both to get into fighting stances
"Oh hell no!"
"Yoku, get out of here!" Kakashi said sternly, once again directing me away from conflict
I'd had enough of being pushed around; I replied defiantly "Kakashi, I'm not just gonna keep running away! Like it or not, I'm helping you."
"Then at least stay out of my way.." Kakashi sighed, performing handsigns
"Earth Style: Mud Wall!"
A huge column of earth rose before us, blocking off the pair of enemy ninja. They proceeded to jump over it, only to react with confusion when Kakashi wasn't there.
-CRASH-
Kakashi burst out of the wall of earth, slashing one of the ninja with his sword. While the other one was distracted, I prepared a jutsu to take advantage of the moment.
'Water Style: Mouth Shot!'
I shot a droplet of water from my mouth, going at a high speed. It hit the man in the face, stunning him briefly and giving Kakashi time to slash him as well. He was more resilient than his partner however, and managed to jump away.
Kakashi and I ran to our fallen ally after the fight; he lay on the ground, blood pooling from his wounds. There was a sudden flash, and Minato appeared near us along with Obito.
"Kakashi, what happened?" our sensei asked with concern, seeing the injured man
"Minato-sensei, Obito!" Kakashi exclaimed
"Kakashi? Yoku? What am I doing here?" Obito was confused at his teleportation
"Nevermind that for now. What happened here?" Minato asked again, the pair running to us
"We were betrayed." I said angrily, getting out one of my small chakra containers
I took a deep breath and prepared to try my healing technique. The foreign man was too badly wounded to move with us-it was a good opportunity to see if I could use my kekkei-genkai to help.
'Even if it doesn't work, he could still absorb my chakra.'
I placed my hand on the container, next to the man's head.
"Bite my wrist and suck out the chakra flowing into it-you'll be healed." I instructed slowly-he gave a weak nod in response
Our ally crawled forward and did so-I began absorbing chakra from the container, ignoring the gross feeling of someone biting me. I felt the familiar warmth, but this time it did not go beyond my wrist. After several seconds, the man released me and sat up a little. Kakashi was talking to Minato about the traitors.
"Thanks..." he rasped, voice still hoarse with pain
I felt my chakra-a little bit was missing, but not enough to indicate he'd sucked out much.
"Yes, it worked!" I exclaimed, doing a fist pump. My team regarded me with brief confusion.
"I'm a little better, but my wounds are too great. Here, take the missive..." the man coughed, passing a purple scroll to Minato who regarded it with a frown.
"But we can't look at it's contents.." he said hesitantly
"Don't worry about it. Please, just confirm that it's the real one!" pleaded the man, lying back onto the grass
'The real one?'
Minato closed his eyes for a second, then opened the scroll. Obito tried to peek in next to him, then gasped.
"I-it's blank..." he said with quiet shock
"What does this mean?" Minato asked the man
"My superior told me that I and one of my teammates would be handed secret missives. Only one would be real.." our ally's voice seemed to be fading, becoming quieter
"Why?!" asked Obito, befuddled
"As a diversion, most likely. Split up the enemy, throw them off the trail of the actual missive. Or as a precaution towards traitors." I answered
"So who has the real missive?" Minato pressed
"If the traitor had it, he wouldn't have attacked me. So.." the man struggled to continue his sentence
Kakashi tensed for a moment, then spoke.
"It was him." the tone of his voice made me catch on
"You mean the guy that fell?" I asked, recalling earlier events
"Fell?! Oh no, please, you must get the secret missive!" cried our ally with suprising strength, before succumbing to his injuries with a gasp
'He.. died? Dammit, I didn't use enough chakra!' I clenched my fist in anger
"Kakashi, did you leave someone to die?" asked Obito with implication, placing a hand on Kakashi's shoulder
"I only prioritized the mission. I followed the rules." Kakashi responded in a monotone
Obito's expression became one of anger.
"The rules?"
'Oh no...'
"Those who ignore the rules are scum." Kakashi recited simply
"But look at the consequences! If you hadn't turned your back on him, this wouldn't have happened!" Obito exclaimed; their eyes were locked in burning glares
I stood up, intending to end the coming argument, but Minato beat me to it.
"Obito, stop! It was an unexpected incident. Kakashi was not to blame." he said softly, hand on Obito's shoulder
"Damn it! I'm going.." he growled, brushing off Minato's hand and walking away
"Going where?" asked Kakashi
Obito turned back to us and pointed to himself "Isn't it obvious? I'm gonna save that guy!"
'Obito...'
"But he's probably being pursued by the remaining enemies." Kakashi said, thinking logically
"Kakashi's right, it's too dangerous." Minato agreed
"Hm. Well, Obito, I'll go with you. If there's danger, I want to be there to help!" I exclaimed, Obito's determination inspiring me
He looked at me with a smile as I stood next to him, making my face redden but steeling my resolve.
"Thanks, Yoku! There's no way I'm letting us fail our first mission." he did a brief fist-pump, then continued moving
"But we didn't fail, this was an unforseen problem!" Kakashi protested, more vocally than before
Obito paused in his walking "Kakashi, for an honor student, you're pretty dumb."
'Ouch.'
The afore-mentioned honor student narrowed his eyes and replied in a cool voice "What did you say?"
"Think about it. The four guys we were supposed to guard all disappeared. Who's gonna support our claim that this was all unexpected?" Obito had a good point
"He's right. We could be accused of foul play." I added with a nod
"Yeah. If the village who requested this mission pretends to not have known about the traitors, Minato-sensei will have to take responsibility."
"Never mind me. Our mission is over, you two." said Minato sternly
"All I want to say, is.. Sensei, you can keep dragging me back to the village, but I won't give up searching for this guy." Obito replied, unwavering in his stance
"Neither will I!" I chimed in
"I'll never turn my back on a comrade!" was Obito's last line before he turned himself forward
As Obito leapt I followed him, filled with determination.
Minato came up behind us, followed by Kakashi.
"I guess it's useless to try and stop you two." sighed our sensei
"Don't worry sensei, we'll save the guy and complete the mission!" I said confidently, full of adrenaline
"Kakashi, you check downstream. Obito, check beyond that. Yoku, go with Obito." Minato instructed; we nodded
"Listen up. Report to me the minute you find him!"
With those words we dispersed, searching along the riverbanks.
Obito and I spotted him quickly, down below the bridge next to the river-but the enemy had too. Noticing they'd thrown shuriken towards the guy, Obito jumped to him and shot a fireball. After the projectiles had been blocked, I ran to stand opposite him. I took in the sheer number of enemies and began to panic.
'Damn, there's too many!'
As they leapt towards us and threw explosive tags, I got an idea.
"Obito, shoot a small fireball! I'll combine it with my water bullet jutsu and make it scalding." I spoke quicky; Obito nodded and we formed handsigns
"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"
"Water Style: Water Bullet Jutsu!"
Our attacks hit the enemy, Obito's fire being smothered but heating the water in turn. They were knocked back into the rocky wall with a smash. Kakashi jumped to land beside us.
"Are you guys alright?"
I was about to respond when more enemy ninja descended from above.
"Yoku, take him and go!" Kakashi said as he faced them; I nodded and shouldered the wounded man
"Wait! The scroll.." he said-I followed his gaze and saw it floating down the river. One of the enemies noticed and grabbed it, then retreating with the rest of them
"Shit!" I cursed
"Obito, Yoku, guard him!" Kakashi ordered
"What about you?" Obito asked
Kakashi drew his sword "I'm getting the scroll back!"
Obito burst out in protest "That's reckless! You saw how many there were!"
'Pot calling the kettle black, Obito..'
"Don't protest. If saving him is your Ninja Way, completing the mission is mine." Kakashi said with resolve, then jumped away
"Kakashi!"
I knew there'd be no stopping our teammate, so I focused on regrouping "Obito, we need to contact Minato-sensei.."
"Yeah!" Obito jumped in the air and threw a smoke-bomb kunai to act as a flare
"Obito, did you find him?" asked our sensei as he landed before us
"Kakashi went after the enemy to get the scroll back!" Obito exclaimed
"He did what?"
"He was focused on completing the mission. Sensei, you should go help him.." I said, pointing in the direction Kakashi had gone; Minato dashed away in response
Later, we stood near the village with the man we'd saved. Minato had successfully dispatched of the remaining enemies after finding Kakashi, allowing them to retrieve the missive.
"This completes the mission." said Minato, handing the scroll to the man
The man paused for a moment "Yes... Thank you for saving my life." I smiled, glad to have helped out
"The Yellow Flash of the Leaf.. I hope we meet again someday." the two adults shook hands, then Minato turned to us
"All right then, let's go everyone."
We leapt into the trees; I hung back with Minato.
"Sensei, missions can be a drag." I huffed, tired from the eventful day
"You're right about that. Things don't always go as planned."
"Still, I'm glad the missive was delivered."
"Yes.."
I jumped forward a little, catching up to my teammates.
"I'm glad we completed the mission!" exclaimed Obito triumphantly
"Probably..." said Kakashi quietly
"'Probably'? What do you mean?" I piped up
"Back there, what that guy said.. If the mission was successful, he would be more concerned about the missive and not his life."
"What do you mean?" asked Obito, lost
"The missive he carried was also a fake." Obito and I gasped
"Mission-ception, eh? I guess we were just a diversion while another team delivered the real one. That's a good strategy." I said with a nod
"That's the real reason they requested Minato-sensei for a C-Rank mission. With someone that powerful guarding it, it makes it look like it's the real thing." finished Kakashi
"When did you guys figure that out?" wondered Obito
"I considered it back when we discovered the first fake." I said, flashing back to earlier
"So did I." Kakashi agreed
"Then why did you risk your life going after a fake missive?" Obito asked impatiently
"That was the mission. Completing the mission is my Ninja Way." Kakashi said resolutely-we fell silent
'I hope our other missions aren't this finicky..'
Kakashi, Minato and I stood waiting in the photographer's room. After our first mission, we were told to get our team photo taken. The other teams went through this process as well, marking the new milestone in their lives. I was unsurprised by this, since I could somewhat recall Team 7's photo.
Unfortunately for our new team, our milestone was delayed. We had been standing waiting for thirty minutes and the photographer was getting angry.
"Where is he? I don't have all day!" growled the man
"I beg your pardon, he should be here soon.." said Minato in an attempt to calm him down
"As usual, he's late." said Kakashi, arms folded in annoyance
"Don't worry, Obito'll be here." I said patiently
Kakashi shook his head "You're too easy on him, Yoku.."
A creak sounded and we turned our heads to see the sliding door open. It was Obito, puffing from exertion. I noticed he had something in his mouth.
"Obito, are you eating a lollipop?" I asked with bewilderment
"Uh.."
"You're late! And you can't get your photo taken with that thing in your mouth. It's always like this.." sighed Kakashi with exasperation, giving Obito a thumbs down
"What did you say?!"
Minato, sensing the oncoming argument, moved between his students.
"Whoa, everybody calm down! Mr Genzo is tired of waiting, hurry and get into position." he said, nudging us onto a brown mat in front of the photographer
As we faced the camera, Minato pulled us into position-Kakashi and Obito were flanking him while I was in front of the three.
"Don't worry about the lollipop stick Obito-you could probably get it to look cool!" I whispered, upon noticing it was still in his mouth
"Yeah, good idea!" he responded with a smile; I blushed
'Crap, I can't be blushing in the photo!'
I tried to focus instead on my pose for the photo-the photographer prompted us.
"Now, look this way.."
Obito and Kakashi turned their heads to the side, looking away from each other grumpily. Minato noticed this.
"It's a commemorative photo, look at the lens!" our sensei placed a hand on each of their heads, turning them to face the camera
I smiled at their antics and went with something basic-a simple peace sign and a wink. The camera flashed, and the moment was preserved.
Later, at home, I had a good look at our team photo. Each of us had been given a copy of it in a photo frame, which I'd placed on my bedside table. Turning a critical eye to myself, I observed for a moment-then slapped my hand to my face.
"Uuugh... I was blushing in the photo!" I moaned in dismay
Ignoring my embarrassment, I looked at the others. Kakashi was staring straight at the camera with a somewhat annoyed look. Minato had a "What-can-you-do?" look, probably due to the boy's arguing. Obito's head was tilted to the side a bit, a look of determination on his face. He actually had managed to make the lollipop stick look cool-it stuck out of the side of his mouth casually.
Mirroring my photo-self, I blushed. Then groaned at how easy it was for it to happen.
'I was hoping this crush would go away, but it only seems to be getting worse.'
I was walking around the village, looking for Obito. After trying my healing method and having it semi-work, I wanted try it more carefully. I'd decided to confess the nature of the Chakra Leech Jutsu to Obito as well, thinking he shouldn't be kept in the dark if I used it in the future.
Eventually I saw him, carrying a hissing brown cat towards a small house. I watched as he handed it to an old woman, causing it to calm down. After he'd said goodbye to her, I waved to catch his attention. As he walked over, I winced at a large scratch on his cheek.
"Heya, Yoku! What's up?" I blushed automatically-I had discovered it was unavoidable by that point
"Nothin' much. Actually, I want to show you something-follow me." I said quietly- Obito did so
After moving through several streets we came to our destination, my house. As we entered, I noticed Obito shiver slightly.
"Hey, it's okay. Nobody lives here except me.." I said to calm his nerves
"Wait.. you live alone?" his question was tinged with concern
"Yeah. My parents are gone, so it's just me. My aunt Kushina visits sometimes though." I ignored the thoughts these words brought and swerved into my room
Obito sat down on the mat at the foot of my bed, while I approached a wooden shelf near it with several drawers.
I decided to lift the depressing mood and turned my head to him "I'm not really alone though. I've still got friends like you.."
That was a lie; he wasn't like my other friends. I was reminded of this when his familiar smile set my insides aglow.
"Okay, what I'm about to show you Obito... please, you must promise not to tell anybody." I said gravely-he replied with a firm nod
"I promise."
I turned back to the shelf and opened the drawer where I kept the chakra jugs. I didn't need to inspect Obito for wounds-the scratches on his face were apparent enough.
"Remember on our mission, when I healed that guy?" I said as I rifled through some old bric-a-brac
"Yeah, I was wondering about that.."
After pulling out some old fabric, I uncovered the jugs and grabbed one carefully. I closed the drawer and sat down in front of Obito, proceeding to explain my kekkei-genkai a bit.
"Well, basically, I have this.. ability, which lets me absorb chakra from things and use it to heal myself. I can also heal others with my own chakra if they bite me and suck it out. But if I did that, my chakra would run out fast and possibly kill me."
I held up my right hand, showing the faded bite mark on the wrist.
"So I got the idea to combine these two things. When the injured guy bit around the hand I was absorbing chakra from, he sucked out the chakra I was absorbing instead of my own. I think I can use this to help our team, since none of us know medical ninjutsu. Remember when I got that idea, back at the Academy? Well, that was this. I-I can show you.. if you want.."
I held the jug nervously, hoping I didn't sound crazy.
"Oh, sure! I was just gonna bandage my cheek anyway."
"Okay, um.. just, uh, bite onto my wrist. I'll start absorbing the chakra from this container, then you can suck it out." I held up my arm with the jug, attempting to remain calm
Obito moved his head next to my wrist and opened his mouth, but hesitated "Won't it hurt?"
I waved him off "Ehh, I'll get used to it.."
I flinched slightly when my wrist was bit into, then began absorbing the container's chakra. I found it harder to focus than usual since Obito was so close to me.
'Close your eyes, you smitten moron!'
After a couple of seconds I felt my wrist be released and I stopped the flow of chakra. Obito sat up and sure enough, his cheek was healed. He brought his hand up to his face, his eyes widening.
"Whoa.. it's gone! That's cool!" he exclaimed, looking at me with awe
This made me shy, but I pushed on "I'm just glad it worked properly this time. Before I start using it with our team though, I gotta tell you something else about it." I took a deep breath, steeling my nerves
"You remember when I accidentally killed that cat?" Obito's face creased in a frown
"My ability doesn't just let me absorb chakra from objects, Obito. I can.. do it to living things too. Suck em' dry, just like the cat..." my voice quieted-I brought a hand to my face and shook my head
"I didn't mean to, I swear. That was the first time I used it, and I didn't even know what I was doing. I'm just scared. Scared that someday I'm gonna end up killing one of my friends without even noticing.." I was now down to almost a whisper, at last revealing some of my inner turmoil
I continued to shake my head, nightmare after nightmare conjuring in my brain.
'He's probably gonna leave. I wouldn't blame him.'
I was surprised when Obito moved over and pulled me into a hug. Before this, it'd been me who'd hugged him-having it reversed felt... different. But not in a bad way.
The giddy feeling was gradual, spreading out from my chest to engulf my entire being. Just being there with him, it was an endless moment of tranquility. I knew something then-what I felt for this person before me wasn't a crush anymore. It was infinitely more complex-and so, infinitely more painful.
"Thank you." I whispered after several seconds, making myself draw away reluctantly
When I bid him goodbye at the door, Obito finally noticed that I was as red as a tomato and asked if I was well.
"Are you feeling okay? You look flushed."
"Y-yep! Just a fever, I think. Should go away in a couple days.." my old nervousness returned, the stammering along with it
"Alright. See you later!"
After watching the Uchiha as he ran and turned a corner, I shut the door and slid down it with a depressed sigh.
'I'm in love with him.'
I was on my way to meet up with Kakashi and Minato, Obito alongside me. It had been a few months since our first big mission together and we'd gone on a number of others since then. They were mostly small things, though we got in a few scrapes-Like when we had to deliver a package to an old man far from the village. We ended up being chased by strange chef-ninja, who attacked us and tried to steal the package. When we eventually got to the old man, we discovered what was in the package-a preserved bowl of ramen. It was one of the strangest missions I've ever been on-crazy chefs going after us and willing to die just for one bowl of ramen was weird.
Anyway, back to the present. We were walking through one of the quieter paths, towards a bridge. On our way to meet up, we bumped into Rin, Guy and Genma. They each held flyers of some sort.
"H-hi Rin!" stuttered Obito, waving nervously to his crush
As he and Rin proceeded to catch up, for once I didn't get sad-I got mad. Just watching them made my blood boil, the new feeling disturbing me a little.
'Calm, calm. Rin is my friend, Rin is my friend, Rin is-'
"What's with the look, flat-chest?" called my nemesis as he spotted me
I retorted with more venom than usual "Shut up, dickweed. I'm not in the mood." my fists clenched and shook; I was trying not to throttle him or Rin
"What?!"
'Distraction, distraction..'
As I frantically looked for a way out, my eyes landed on Guy. I decided it was time to do something that nobody would've thought I'd do
"My eternal rival, I challenge you to a spar!" I yelled, mimicking my green-clad friend-I even posed for extra effect
The others made confused exclamations. Guy became emotional.
"Oh... I have been waiting for this day to come! I gladly accept your challenge, let us fight here and now!" he replied excitedly
'Thank god for you, Guy. If I don't hit something I'm gonna explode.'
Obito spoke up "But Yoku, you'll be late for-"
I cut him off "Nevermind that, I'll catch up with you soon!"
I came at Guy with ferocity. Though it wasn't him I was angry at, I nonetheless used frustration to fuel my fighting. I threw kicks and punches, even slashing with a kunai. While I did get in quite a few impacts, I was sloppy and too angry to perform ninjutsu.
After some bouts of taijutsu, I was defeated by a well-timed kick. Guy had not escaped unscathed however-he was bruised and had a bleeding nose.
I rubbed my cheek as I got up with a groan. I noticed that Obito was still there, talking with Rin. Genma was smirking, no doubt because of my loss. Despite both of these things, my rage didn't reignite-Guy's kick had knocked the wind and feeling out of me. I approached him sheepishly after I got up, apologizing for my aggressiveness.
"Nice job, Guy. Sorry for attacking you out of the blue like that."
Guy gave me a thumbs-up "No worries, I relish any chance to test my youth!"
We bumped fists as a farewell, wincing slightly at the impact of bruised flesh. With a sigh I walked to Obito and Rin, trying to ignore Genma's taunts.
"Cmon' Obito, we've gotta go." I said curtly, practically pulling the blushing boy away with me
"O-okay. Uh, bye Rin!" he called; I waved to her quickly as well
When we were close to the bridge, my mind was silently stewing in the emotion that still confounded me-jealousy.
'Why'd it have to be her? I feel like I'm being betrayed. Ah, but it's not her fault. I don't have a right to complain when I've never even told anybody about this..'
"Why don't I tell you?" one of my thoughts slipped out through my mouth
"Huh? Tell me what?" Obito wondered, no longer being dragged but walking beside me
Realizing what I'd said, I froze and looked for an escape. Remembering where we were going, I quickly conjured up a ridiculous but effective distraction.
"Look! It's Kakashi, and he's not wearing his mask!" I cried, pointing off to my right
Obito's head snapped where I'd pointed, surprised "What, really?!"
Using the precious moment of diversion, I dashed away from Obito and made it to the bridge. Kakashi was there, staring at me with a raised eyebrow as I proceeded to thud my head onto one of the bridge's wooden pillars.
"...what are you doing?"
"Trying to kill my idiocy."
Some minutes later, I stood waiting with a sore forehead and my teammates. For once, our sensei was the late one.
"What the heck? Minato-sensei tells us to assemble and he's the one who's late! Give me a break.." sighed Obito, leaning on a rail
"You're one to talk!" retorted Kakashi sharply
"What did you say?!"
I held up my hands readily, used to the pair's bickering.
"Calm down you guys.." I started-but they weren't listening
"You want to go right now?" Obito said as he glared, fist held in front of himself
Kakashi just shrugged it off with amusement. Naturally, Obito reacted with growing fury. I was getting worried that words would start turning into punches, if you get my drift.
"Hey! did you just scoff at me?"
"What of it?"
Spotting a flash of color, I saw Minato appear on top of the bridge's archway and thankfully end the fight.
"Sorry to keep you waiting. You're all here, I see." he said as he landed in front of us
"Minato-sensei! Did we get a new mission?" asked Obito-he was always eager for action
"Not today.."
Minato pulled out three pieces of paper from his pocket. I realized they were the flyers Rin, Guy and Genma had been carrying.
"What're those for?" I asked
"They're applications. I've recommended you three for promotion to chunin!" he replied cheerfully, handing one to each of us; I skimmed over mine nervously
'But we've not been genin for that long. Plus, don't we have to pass a really hard exam first?'
Obito on the other hand, was ecstatic. So much so that he leapt forward and hugged Minato with an excited exclamation.
"Minato-sensei, you're awesome!"
Minato spoke up at Obito's over-eagerness "Hey, don't jump the gun."
"Huh?"
"You have to take the Chunin Exam first."
Obito's grin turned into a look of disbelief, and I merely sighed.
"Damn. Knew it.."
"There are three parts to the exam, and each one is quite difficult." said Minato, holding up three fingers
"Double damn." my teammates flicked looks of confusion my way as they often did
"Oh, come on. Are you kidding me?" Obito groaned as he stepped out of the hug, his enthusiasm deflated
"Hey, don't sweat it Obito. You've got the drive for it at least." I said, because it was true-he certainly had more than I
"You'll never pass since you can't even make it to the rendezvous on time.." Kakashi muttered, earning another angry yell from Obito
"Kakashi, you're even more of a pessimist than I am.." I sighed with a shake of my head
Minato broke the argument by clearing his throat "Anyway, you've worked together for a while and earned the right to take the Chunin Exam. That's why I recommended you. However, it's not compulsory. Whether you take it or not is entirely up to you."
Obito was the first to respond to this ultimatum with enthusiasm "There's no way I'm gonna miss it!"
Kakashi responded right after him "..I'll take it."
"What the heck, you two will be at each other's throats if I don't come with you." I said, stepping between them with a smile
Minato smiled at us as he saw us for what we were-a team united.
Finally having decided to confide in someone about my feelings for Obito, I approached the somewhat familiar house with apprehension. Taking a deep breath, I knocked on the sturdy door twice. My aunt opened it.
"Oh, it's you Yoku. Did something happen?" she asked with mild concern upon seeing me
"No, no. Well... yes, sorta, but-um..." I cleared my throat "can I just talk to you about something?" I whispered, my courage already dissolving
"Sure, come on in.." she gestured, opening the door wider
I entered the house, which was a little bigger than mine. We entered into a corridor that branched off in three directions; to the left was the bathroom, to the right were a pair of bedrooms, and in front of me was a living room that had an entrance to a kitchen. The walls were simple cream, unlike the wooden look of my house. We entered the living room, Kushina gesturing for me to sit at a circular table. As I did, she grabbed something from the fridge-a plate of small, round shortbread biscuits. She placed it onto the table and sat down opposite me, already grabbing one of the biscuits. I was unable to resist the temptation either-sometimes our table manners were less than stellar.
After munching the soft shortbread nervously, I was ready to talk.
"So, aunty Kushina.. you know about love right? You and Minato are engaged now.." I began, referring to what'd happened a month earlier
Kushina swallowed a biscuit she was chewing, eyebrows shooting up in surprise "Whoa, I wasn't expecting that. Knowing about love... well, people can't exactly know love. Love just... is. But if you're looking for advice, I can help."
"Well, I am, kinda.." I was already beginning to redden
"So, who's the lucky guy?" asked Kushina with a cheeky grin
"H-hey! I'm not telling you that..." I said guardedly, my face darkening further
My aunt held her hands up in surrender "Alright, alright. But at least tell me how you feel."
"Well, I noticed I had a crush on him some time ago. We'd known each other for a long time, so I guess I should have seen it coming. It just sort of happened. Then.. it got worse. I got really happy and nervous around him, I wanted to be around him and all that mushy stuff..." I was fidgeting nervously by this point
Kushina's grin widened to Cheshire cat levels "You really do like him, huh?"
"W-well.. yeah. But, I haven't told him. It's because he.. likes somebody else." the last part was a grumble. My frustration from the day previous had not left me yet
Kushina's expression softened a bit "Hmm.. well, I guess the best thing to do for now is see what happens. Minato and I, well, if we didn't talk to each other about how we felt we'd probably not be together. My advice is to tell him how you feel, then you'll at least have closure if he doesn't feel the same."
"Okay... yeah. Just gotta... say it. Someday." I rested my cheek on my hand with a sigh
"Don't worry too much about it. Just be patient, eventually something will happen. Have another cookie, it usually cheers me up." finished my aunt, already following her own advice
"Thanks, aunty Kushina.." I smiled a bit, leaning forward and dutifully grabbing another round pastry delight
Longest chapter so far, over 7000 words! My neck hurts from hunching over this keyboard so much. Next chapter sees Team Minato going on another mission, this time to retrieve and bring something back to the village. I'm glad to see you guys liking the team, so I hope you liked this chapter where they developed a bit. Also, as a heads up, chapters will probably be posted slower for a while. I'm getting burned out and tired from managing this as well as other things, so I will try to take it slow. I won't leave you guys hanging forever though. Leave a fav, follow or review if you want and see you next chapter!