Kakashi could tell that Naruto was upset about something, despite his continuously happy exterior. Normally, the boy seemed honestly, genuinely happy, but since Haku had died during their fight with Zabuza on the bridge, something had definitely been off.
And if possible, Naruto and Sasuke hated each other even more. They had been fighting absolutely non-stop since the fight. You would think that Sasuke nearly dying for Naruto would have improved the terms they were on. It hadn't. Instead, they were at each other's throats.
That was why Kakashi sent Naruto to train alone in the woods while Sakura and Sasuke were given the task of keeping an eye on the bridge-builder. The bridge was almost complete, and there was a very slim chance of something happening to the bridge-builder, but they were there to protect him anyways.
Normally, Sasuke would have been the one that Kakashi sent to train alone. There was no doubt the boy liked it better than any group training they ever did. But that wasn't the case this time. He wanted to talk to Naruto. Really talk to him. And he couldn't even try that if he wasn't alone with the boy.
Kakashi wasn't surprised to find Naruto doing something other than training. After all, he needed constant guidance. But he was once again shocked to catch Naruto smoking. Only this time, he called him on it.
"Just what do you think you're doing?"
Naruto jumped about a mile into the air and dropped his cigarette. "Sensei! Hi! How are you?" He tried to inconspicuously step on the cigarette and smile at Kakashi at the same time. He failed miserably at both.
"Don't "Hi! How are you?" me! You're supposed to be training? And why are you smoking."
The smile dripped off of Naruto's face, and he shoved his hands in his pockets. "I'm sorry. I'll get back to training."
Kakashi crossed his arms. "Not until we talk about some things. And you still haven't answered my question."
"What question?"
Kakashi sighed. "Damnit Naruto. I'm being serious. Why were you smoking?"
Naruto shrugged. "Why is it such a big deal?"
"Because you're twelve! You don't need to be smoking! It isn't healthy!"
"I'm almost thirteen!" Naruto snapped back. "Unfortunately."
Kakashi was taken aback by the moroseness of Naruto's voice. He frowned.
"Naruto, what's bothering you? It isn't like you to be so bitter."
Naruto sighed and sat down on the ground. "It's nothing."
Kakashi sat down next to him. "It doesn't sound like nothing."
Naruto sighed again. "I just have a lot of things to think about right now."
"As opposed to having nothing to think about?"
Naruto shot his sensei a dirty look. "Yeah. Something like that."
"Is this about Haku?" Kakashi pried.
Naruto nodded. "Some of it."
Kakashi frowned. "Let me guess. Most of it is Sasuke?"
Naruto tensed slightly. "Stupid bastard. I hate him!"
Sasuke was jumping through the trees in search of Kakashi. The bridge-builder had gone home to eat lunch, and he had left Sakura there with him.
Sakura had been annoying the shit out of him all day. She wouldn't stop worrying over him. Honestly? Did he look like someone that needed to be worried about?
Okay, so maybe he was still pretty beat up from his fight with Haku, but he was fine! It was only needles! And the cuts were all scabbed up!
But no, Sakura had to spend every second of the day telling him that he should be resting and should put the bandages back on. He wasn't a fucking porcelain doll!
He landed in a tree and stopped, looking down at where Naruto and Kakashi were sitting on the ground. They were apparently having a private conversation. For a moment he considered interrupting, but then heard his own name.
"Let me guess. Most of it is Sasuke?" Kakashi met his gaze, and gave him a look that very clearly stated "don't interrupt" before turning back and listening to Naruto's reply.
"Stupid Bastard. I hate him!"
Sasuke sneered. That ungrateful little dick!
"You know, Naruto, he saved your life."
Naruto glared at Kakashi. "Yeah! And I wish he would have died instead of Haku!"
"Naruto!" Kakashi scolded.
"What? Do you want me to lie? It's not my fault the bastard jumped in front of those needles for me! He didn't have to! I didn't ask him to!" Naruto spat.
Kakashi shook his head. "Sometimes you don't have to ask. Being a team means-"
"Being a team had nothing to do with it! He was doing the most dickhead thing he could think of! We were gonna die and all he did was die in the most noble, arrogant way he could think of! Then, he would be the hero and I would just be the loser who died anyways despite all his efforts to save me!"
Sasuke had to force himself to not jump down and beat the little bastard to a bloody pulp.
Kakashi stared at Naruto, and was speechless for a moment. "I don't think that has anything to do with it, Naruto."
Sasuke nodded to himself. In truth, he had no clue why he had felt the need to jump in front of Haku's attack, but he was sure that wasn't the reason.
"Oh really?" Naruto demanded, fidgeting with something in his pocket. He pulled out another cigarette and lit it. "Why did he do it then, huh?"
Kakashi calmly took the cigarette out of Naruto's mouth and crushed it on the ground. "Maybe it has something to do with the fact that you were friends." He held up his hand to silence Naruto's argument. "Don't try to tell me you weren't. Shiroi told me that you two were inseparable."
Naruto scowled. "Well he was lying! Who the hell is Shiroi anyways?"
Kakashi rolled his eyes. "He was you're foster father. You weren't that young, Naruto. You should be able to remember that much at least."
Naruto froze, and frantically pulled out another cigarette. His hands were shaking as he lit it. "That had nothing to do with why Sasuke saved me. NOTHING! He's too much of a bastard to be so sentimental!"
Kakashi frowned and snatched the cigarette away, snuffing it out on the ground. "You need to stop doing that. You are way to young to be smoking. I don't know why Sasuke saved you. But you need to stop thinking so badly of him. That's half the problem between you two."
Naruto scowled and stood up. His hands were still shaking. He suddenly chucked the lighter at Kakashi's head. "I'm not going to talk to you if you're going to judge me! I know why Sasuke did it! He did it out of spite!" The blonde stormed off, stopping only long enough to pull out another cigarette and lighter. He lit up and took off, leaving Kakashi staring after him, a mildly confused expression on his face.
When Naruto was gone, Sasuke jumped down out of the tree and approached his sensei. The frown on his face was much deeper than normal.
"I take it you heard all of that." It wasn't a question.
Sasuke nodded.
"Where did your bandages go?"
It was Sasuke's turn to scowl at the older man. "I ripped them off. I don't need them."
Kakashi sighed. "I don't suppose you're going to talk to me either?"
Sasuke stood in silence for a minute, then sat down facing Kakashi. "What do you want to talk about?"
Kakashi rolled his eyes. "The weather."
Sasuke repressed his snort and glared at the man.
"I want to talk about you and Naruto." Kakashi said simply.
"What about us?"
"I don't know. You tell me." Kakashi said seriously. "What is this unadulterated hatred between you? Where did it come from?"
Sasuke didn't answer.
"Is there anything you WILL tell me?"
Sasuke looked up at his teacher. "It's personal. Just drop it." He stood up. "Is there anything else?"
Kakashi sighed. "Why did you save him, if you hate him so much?"
Sasuke was silent for another minute. "I don't know." He turned and walked away.
Kakashi shook his head. At least this time he had gotten a little bit of information. He now knew that Naruto and Sasuke's mutual hatred was personal. He made a mental note to go and talk to Shiroi again when they got back to Konoha.
4 Years Earlier
"What are we doing, 'Tachi?" Sasuke asked his older brother. He had just spent the day with Naruto, and had just dropped him off at his house. But instead of taking him home, Itachi had taken him to the market.
"Tomorrow is Naruto's birthday." Itachi said, looking around at the stores. "I thought you might like to get him something."
Sasuke beamed. "Really! How old is he gonna be?"
"He's going to be nine." Itachi led the way into a toy store. "What do you think he'd like?"
Sasuke looked around, his brow furrowed in deep thought. He darted off, running through the rows and rows of toys. Itachi smiled, making a few nearby girls swoon. Uchiha Itachi was the talk of the town. He had skill, looks, and attitude, and to witness him smiling for any reason was like to that of seeing the Hailey's comet. It was extremely rare.
Sasuke skidded to a halt in front of a shelf of stuffed animals. He was smiling widely, and started jumping to reach a stuffed frog. Itachi came up behind him and brought it down off the shelf. He looked at it. The thing looked ridiculous.
"You want to give this to Naruto?" He asked skeptically. Sasuke nodded, taking it out of Itachi's hands and hugging it. "He likes frogs!"
Itachi smirked. That was true enough. Naruto was always the one that came running up clutching a bullfrog in his hands whenever they went swimming. The kid had no fear of frogs, newts, snakes, or any amphibious or reptilian creature. Bugs, however, were a far different story.
Itachi took Sasuke to the checkout, and paid for the stuffed abomination. Sasuke was beaming and practically danced the whole way home.
Naruto was at the door within a second of it being knocked on. He smiled up at Itachi, throwing his arms around his waist in a tight hug. Itachi smiled and patted Naruto's head lovingly, before unwrapping the blonde's arms from his waist and leading him away from the house and to the park that him and Sasuke practically lived in.
"Where's Sasuke?" Naruto asked, looking around as if expecting his friend to appear out of the bushes.
Itachi smiled. "He's waiting at the park. He's got a surprise for you."
"Oh!" Naruto laughed excitedly. "Really? What kind of surprise."
"You'll just have to wait and see."
Naruto pouted. Then, he laughed and started running to the park. Itachi followed at a more leisurely pace.
Sasuke had been waiting impatiently for Itachi to bring Naruto. He had stayed at the park to guard Naruto's present and the cake that Itachi had picked up that morning. It was chocolate, with orange icing, and it had taken every ounce of Sasuke's self control to not start eating it.
"Sasuke!" Sasuke looked up and saw Naruto running towards him. He jumped up and ran towards the blond. They met in a crashing hug that sent them crashing to the ground and laughing loudly.
"I've got a present for you!" Sasuke exclaimed, pushing himself off the ground and pulling Naruto to his feet.
Naruto's eyes went wide. "For me? Why?"
Sasuke giggled. "Because it's your birthday, silly! Itachi told me!"
Naruto looked mildly confused, but followed Sasuke over to the table with the cake and the wrapped up present none-the-less.
"Happy Birthday!" Sasuke said, handing him the badly wrapped present. He had insisted on wrapping it himself.
Naruto took the present, smiling widely. "What is it?"
"Open it!"
Itachi approached the excited boys, grinning. Naruto carefully tore the wrapping paper off and he squealed when he saw the stuffed frog.
"Wow! I love it!" He threw his arms around Sasuke and hugged him tight, kissing him on the cheek. Sasuke smiled, looking very pleased with himself and kissed Naruto's cheek.
"We have cake!"
Itachi, knowing that he would soon regret giving the already hyper boys more sugar, opened the box that contained the cake and carefully cut a piece for both of them.