Wheeew, what great feed-back people!
Seriously, thanks you everyone who reviewed and to everyone else who took the time to read this story. I admit, I wasn't expecting too much of a reaction from brining out a second chapter, but I guess people over-looked this because it was 'just a one-shot' at first. Originally, it was, but I've grown to like what I'm doing here now and it warms my heart a little bit to know that everyone else enjoys this as well. Anyway, still no beta-reader but I think I'll be alright; just let me know if you see something I've missed and I'll make the necessary adjustments.
Now, enough talk, time for the good stuff. I present to you chapter three of Three Strings of a Shamisen!
UPDATED AS OF 3/7/2015
I don't own Naruto: If I did, Yugito would still be alive and fornicating with Naruto by now...
Home; what was a home?
Was a home a place that had a roof above your head, a place where you slept, ate, and relaxed? Well, in many ways, yes that was precisely how many would associate the word. There was never any real reason to put forth more thought on the matter of that word, no reason to ponder the deeper meaning behind the term. To the majority, the term was used loosely and widely to a point that some could call several different locations their 'home away from home'. Of course, there was the minority that didn't classify a mere building as 'their home'; rather they are referring to the deeper meaning behind the term.
The shinobi of Konoha did this frequently, along with any other shinobi village for that matter, and it is understandable with all things being considered. Shinobi are often away from their respected villages, performing tasks both within and beyond the borders of their nations; some of the less fortunate are gone for exceedingly long portions of time. Weeks, months, sometimes even years, and as that time passes the place they refer to as 'home' is not directly referring to something as simple as a household.
They missed the people that they left behind, the friends that they may or may not ever see again, the old lady who gave them a discount at her stall for being a frequent customer, even their respected spouses or lovers. To a shinobi, home was not a building, but their village, their country; that was what they viewed as home and understood the symbolic message which a home represented.
Home was where the heart lies and the people who make it worth going back to.
To that end, Naruto missed the home of his own that he just recently began to cherish; that old ass apartment complex that he now wished more than ever to go back to.
It hadn't been long after Team Seven's latest mission to retrieve Sasuke that Kakashi proposed to him the means to grow stronger. Supposedly, the training was a means for him to surpass his own sensei in terms of power, something which both surprised and excited him all at the same time. Admittedly the training that he was undertaking now had not been exactly what he was expected to receive, but he couldn't deny that the results were there. Kage Bunshin now had a more meaningful purpose to him outside of what he commonly used it for and gave him a new level appreciation for the technique, one that made him understand why it had such a high ranking in the first place.
Now that he could gain knowledge gathered by his clones' in addition with some useful experience as well, it practically doubled in overall usefulness outside of using them to create an endless wave of cannon fodder soldiers.
Though this meant that certain sensations could also be felt in the process of this, it was still a nice trick to a technique he had been using for the majority of his shinobi career; one which he planned to further exploit in the future. In addition to gaining this new awareness about his clone's unique trait, he was also receiving the means to learn about element control; something he was honestly looking forward to doing after seeing all the sweet Futton-based techniques that Temari had used in the past.
Mind you, even with all this new information and the Kage Bunshin helping him with the element control training, the shit was still difficult to do.
The first portion of the training had sucked; having noted that one of his clones had cut a leaf further than he —the original— could was downright insulting. Still, the ever zealous blonde continued without abandon until, within the same week that this training began, he could cut through the leaf without any effort at all. His feeling of accomplishment was soon after tarnished to pieces when his sensei explained to him the second portion of the training; which had left him a gawking mess for a few seconds upon hearing, and witnessing, what he would be forced to cut with nothing but wind natured chakra.
Even as he performed the instruction, he couldn't believe that he was even attempting to do this; frankly he wouldn't have believed it to be possible had anyone else had told him. But Kakashi was his sensei and, despite all his quirks and habits, Naruto knew better than to believe that his sensei would demand the impossible from him. Unless it involved him eating less ramen and more fruits and vegetables, because the world would freeze over before that ever became a reality.
But, even with all that being said, how in the actual fuck does one cut a waterfall in half using just wind chakra!?
Yes, a fucking waterfall.
Let it not be said that he didn't try, because by whatever deity was watching him he was trying. But by the same deity this task seemed less like a challenge and more like an impossible feat than anything else. The falling water that was coming down from where he and his clones were positioned was practically freezing, drenching them all as they made a very poor but noticeable 'cut' in the water's surface. Yet no matter how hard he and his clone's worked, or how much chakra they were drawing out, it just wasn't enough to stop the water's flow entirely.
Yeah, even with several clones helping him perform this training, the process was not picking up speed anytime soon and was leaving him wet and exhausted almost every day. And for him to openly admit that he was exhausted from training was a clear display of its difficulty. It was reasonable he supposed, since each Jounin at least mastered different two elements prior to becoming one, which was why they were revered as the best of the best. But if craziness like this were to be expected of him just to master another element then there was going to be a problem.
At least this wasn't a fruitless effort; as the benefits, from what Kakashi had told him, would supposedly be worth all the effort he was putting into this.
They damn well better be otherwise there was going to be a very pissed off Uzumaki when this was all said and done.
Even still, with all this training, all this effort he was putting into growing stronger, the nights he spent here were much less comforting than was growing used to back at the apartment. Between Kakashi and Yamato, there was very little to talk about, and he was far too tired to try and strike up a conversation with them most of the time anyway. Even if he had the energy talk, he could not find much to say to either of them, at least nothing of any real interest to him. During those nights, during those times when slumber eluded him, his mind would wonder back to that old apartment complex along with the woman who he had left there alone.
That part was something that was honestly eating away at him more than he realized, having found himself thinking about it instead of concentrating on the impossible task of cutting a damn waterfall. The funny thing about it all was that he had no idea why his thoughts were lingering around that particular place and person. In the beginning, all he could think about was Sasuke and becoming stronger to bring him back. Yet those thoughts had distilled a bit since he started this training and in their place his thoughts had been more centered on the person he was supposed to be taking care of.
Was he guilty about leaving her alone? Possibly, considering he had just up and left the apartment without as much as saying goodbye. To be frank, that thought alone made him feel terrible, almost sick to his stomach now, at how casually he tossed aside Yugito in favor of his own goals. There was no rationalizing that, no justification for it, he just left and didn't come back; he abandoned her and now it was just tearing him apart bit by bit.
She was in good hands, he knew that much as Tsunade assured him that she would be looked after before he and Kakashi had set out to this barren area to train undisturbed. But, upon reflection, being 'looked after' didn't precisely translate to 'having company' whilst he was away doing this. He had stayed behind with her countless times, denying countless invitations to be out with his peers, so that she wouldn't be left alone in the apartment. Yet, the very second he's offered training to grow stronger he didn't even hesitate for a second to leave her.
Thoughts such as those made him reflect on the reason why Sasuke had left the village in the first place. Perhaps, in some ways, he and Sasuke weren't so different in that moment; as the Uchiha left to gain the strength he needed to pursue his own goals.
Did that make him a hypocrite then? In doing this training, in carelessly abandoning his charge, was he doing exactly what Sasuke had done to achieve strength? If so, then maybe it was hypocritical of him to be pursuing the rogue teammate? Sasuke had forfeited everything he had in Konoha to gain the strength he needed for his own reasons. What was the point of stopping the Uchiha if he himself was willing to do the very same thing just to catch up?
"Naruto!"
Said blond's startled jump all but ruined his concentration; thus making the still semi-shallow cut he had created to vanish and the water fall freely without being hindered in the slightest. Sapphire orbs shifted towards the man below, who's single visible eye was staring up at him with the same monotonous expression that seemed to always be present. He couldn't hear it, but he could tell that the man had let out a sigh due to the way his head shifted and the brief rise and fall of his chest. With a dismissive hand gesture, Naruto's shoulder's sagged downwards slightly as he complied with the non-verbal sign to stop; wordlessly dispelling his clones.
A sense of mild disappointment washed over him like the very water's behind him. With a simple leap off the platform Yamato created for him and his clones, he found himself standing in front of his sensei, his disappointment veiled by irritation as he stared back at his sensei.
"What's up, why'd you call for a break all of a sudden? Something going on that I should know about or what?"
"I could ask you the same thing Naruto." Was the choice response Kakashi provided whilst his exposed eye gazed at the boy with the same leveled look he usually gave to his students when they had done something foolish. It was a look which the blonde was all too familiar with and one he would often avoid returning when guilty. "You've been distracted as of late and it's beginning to concern me. You're losing focus, I understand that this task is difficult, but if you're serious about doing this then I need you to get your head back in the right place."
Naruto, in response to these words, couldn't help but avert his gaze elsewhere, eventually landing on Yamato who was looking at him just as flatly as Kakashi was. He wanted to save face here, try and show them that they were wrong and that he was focused. But no amount of good would come from that and he knew it; knew it well enough for it to show on his features and posture. These two were Jounin, experts on reading people and emotions, and he was just a teen who wore his heart on his sleeve. There wasn't a thing he could hide from them and if they wanted to know what was on his mind they would find out one way or another.
The fact that they weren't pressing him for an explanation showed that they were at least considerate enough to not invade on his privacy. But those matters needed to be left at the gate, not out here during the most important training of his career.
Despite how long the silence had felt to him, it really wasn't that long at all before Kakashi's posture returned to its normal negligent state.
"Well, it is mid-day, and we haven't been back to the village in a good while." Slipping a hand into his pouch, Kakashi's mood went back to its usual state when not on duty, complete with his favorite choice of literature in front of his face. "I suppose a good day's worth of rest wouldn't hurt too much."
"Huh—wai— what do you mean a full day!" By the sound of his tone, it was painfully obvious that Naruto was thoroughly against this particular suggestion. "Oi, hold on a sec, I can still keep going! I just need an hour, no wait two tops, and I can cut that stupid waterfall! We don't need to spend a whole day without training you know!"
"Yeah, yeah," Was the retort the lazy Jounin chose to respond with; his back already facing the blonde as he began moving in the direction of the village. "You can cut it tomorrow, you just need to relax a bit; this is pretty advanced training mind you. Tiring yourself out day-after-day isn't gonna get us results any faster than it would if you took a day off."
"He has a point, Naruto." Quipped in Yamato, clapping a hand onto the boy's shoulder; his gesture and reassuring expression providing a great deal of help in keeping the lad's mood from becoming too sullen. "We're already rushing this a great deal by having you use your clones. You've made great progress since we started this, so some well deserved rest will do you some good. We're just concerned is all, the last thing we need right now is for you to be distracted."
"But I'm not distracted!"
A blatant lie and one that caused Yamato to stare back at him, his reassuring gaze now replaced with a more knowing expression; something which made Naruto glare defiantly back at him for. Even if it was true that his mind was elsewhere, it didn't mean he couldn't shake it off and concentrate on the matter at hand. He could and he would if he had to for the matter at hand. This wasn't, after-all, the first time he had done this; pushing away his troubled thoughts for the sake of training had been something that he could do quite easily if the motivation was great enough.
Becoming stronger was motivating enough, doing so to bring back his friend was even more motivating than that. So he knew he could cast away his troubles for this; it would be no problem for him at all. Unfortunately, neither of his sensei's believed that, a fact which honestly annoyed him a great deal.
"Listen, Naruto, I know you don't like it but this is something that we need you on board the entire way through." Though he spoke in a tone of reassurance, his expression did not match it in the slightest. "Take the day off, clear your head a little bit, and I'm fairly certain that your claims at completing this task will be more credible then than they are now."
With that said, and disregarding any further complaints that the blonde may have made, he too followed after Kakashi; leaving Naruto to stare at the ground below his feet. He didn't move for a few moments, both hands clenched tightly by his sides as he stood rigid out of pure frustration. He hated this crap, hated how he couldn't keep himself focused on this task, this downright impossible training that he was going through. What was with him having all these conflicting thoughts swimming around in his mind recently anyway? There should have been no room for any other conceivable thought outside the task at hand, nothing should be breaking his concentration, but there was.
That fact alone frustrated him, while another veered down a different road. It was disappointment; discontent in himself for allowing his thoughts run rampant and costing both him and both his sensei's the time that they didn't have to spare. They said they were rushing it as it was, it was only out of luck that Naruto knew Kage Bunshin that allowed him to use clones to assist him in this exercise. Otherwise it would have been impossible to reach where he was currently in less than half a month. He could believe that, given how difficult the leaf cutting exercise was to accomplish even with clones.
Sure, his whole career was built on doing the impossible; not just once but a number of times. Hell, him learning and utilizing the Rasengan in a single month was proof in itself that he was capable of making the impossible possible. But, with all that had transpired since his last mission, he was beginning to wonder if his streak of good luck and performing the impossible was starting to reach the end of its course.
"...some time to clear my head huh?"
That was a nice sentiment, one he could agree with now that it was clear objections were not going to get him anywhere. He could train by himself, continue with it anyway despite Kakashi and Yamato's words, but that wouldn't help much. His mind was in such a jumbled mess right now that he'd probably end up exhausting himself pointlessly and still get nowhere close to reaching any results. Perhaps some time back home would help him regain that drive he had before; along with a not-so-few bowls of ramen to fill himself up with.
At the thought of his most cherished and loved choice of sustenance, his stomach proceeded to make it's boldness known and growl loud enough for the blonde to hear. With that, the blonde's expression lightened noticeably, the once clenched hands soon relaxed, and the small grin that usually adored his features returned back to life as he jogged over towards his clothes to get dressed.
One day couldn't hurt right?
Why was she here?
Seriously, what in god's name was Yugito doing in a place like this?
This was not, and would not, be the first nor last time the woman asked herself this question as she sat on the stool, both elbows propped onto the counter whilst one of her hands fiddled with the chop-sticks that had yet to be broken apart. Across from her was the back of the cook and owner of the stall with his attention focused on the task in front of him as he worked. Aside from herself, no other patrons occupied the stools on either side, leaving only her and the chief present here.
Oddly enough that by itself bothered her a bit when she first arrived here as she had hardly ventured in here with the intention of eating without the presence of a whisker-faced blonde by her side. But as time passed while her order was being prepared such unease had left her and her demeanor shifted into a rather disinterested state. Tenchu, she recalled his name being, had tried to conduct a conversation with her as she waited patiently for her meal, but she lacked the desire to truly pursue it and thus, settled into a mildly forced silence between the two.
It was nothing personal to the man, as she had found him and his daughter to be quite kindhearted individuals, but it just didn't feel right to associate herself with them when the person they really held interest towards was her caretaker. That much was common knowledge since Naruto spent a majority of his mealtimes here rather than anywhere else. She supposed that this place was sacred to him in some way of sorts, or perhaps it was just his favored place that served his preferred choice of nourishment; if it could called that. Maybe there was a deeper meaning to this place than that, but she didn't really feel the need to delve into that matter. If there was one at all, then he would more than likely tell her at some point in time if she ever bothered to ask him about it.
Regardless, despite whatever Naruto himself had to say about it, the woman herself couldn't truly tell what was so great about this place. Nothing really stuck out much besides the ramen, to which Yugito would allow herself to admit was pretty good. Outside of that, nothing really struck her as something that would warrant frequent visits to the establishment every day of the week. The stall was simple, nothing fancy about it, no real décor but that was to be expected given the place's size. The prices were reasonable, so that was another possible reason as to why Naruto would come here so often, but she suspected there was more to it than that.
As far as she gathered, aside from quality and price, the only real reason she assumed that the place ran so well was due in part largely because of the cook's daughter, Ayame. A cute thing the girl was, eye-candy for the males and a contributor to the sharing of gossip with the females if she had to suspect. But none of that really mattered much at this point; for she was still pondering the reason as to why she was here in the first place.
Yugito had no reason to be here, she had long since given up asking the man if Naruto had made an appearance here after several attempts; all of which ending negatively. Tenchu had already given his word that, should the blonde show up, he would let him know she was looking for him. Given how frequent his visits to this stall were, Yugito doubted the man would fail to do as he claimed. An extra bit reassurance which Yugito couldn't help but appreciate and another positive trait that the woman could acknowledge. Positive traits aside and with no updates to be had, it still left her questioning the reason as to why she was here.
She wasn't all that hungry to begin with, she had food at the apartment after doing her own grocery shopping a few days ago, and the possibilities of her blonde friend showing up here were slim to none. So again, what purpose did she have being here exactly?
She still didn't know, nor did she understand why her mind was so wrapped up around Naruto as of late. Sure, she had been worried about his emotional state since he had left to train. Her troubles had, for the most part, been put to rest when she finally spoke to the Hokage personally regarding that matter. She wasn't told much, which she understood, but was assured that Naruto was fine. Yugito could have argued that statement if she desired, but if anyone was able to make an assessment out of someone's well-being, it was that woman.
To be brutally honest, the Slug Sannin was someone that made her feel inconceivably tiny when their skills in observation and interpretation were compared. It was to be expected though, she was the Hokage after all, and undeniably revered as the best medical expert in the world. So yes, if she believed Naruto was fine then by all accounts she was inclined to believe her. Yet all that lost its credibility if woman's mood was in a poor state or if she was shitfaced drunk. Not that Tsunade herself was aware, but Yugito had quickly become aware of the woman's drinking addiction by a certain blonde who couldn't keep his mouth shut.
Upon reflection of their first meeting, both with Tsunade and her caretaker, Yugito barely stifled a laugh as a smile tugged at her lips.
"A good memory I suppose?"
Tenchu's voice abruptly shattered her train of thought as he placed her order down in front of her, startling her somewhat. Nevertheless, he continued to smile politely at the foreign woman as his ever-squinted eyes somehow showcasing his own amusement. It must have been contagious, because shortly after she found herself returning the gesture to a lesser degree as a bit of amusement returned to her lips.
"More or less, it's an amusing one if nothing else."
"Glad to hear it, you've been looking pretty down lately, so it's good to see you still smiling every so often."
With his peace said and with little else left to add, the chef went back to his duties leaving the blonde return to her original train of thought. Dark sphere's glanced down at the bowl in front of her, taking in the aroma the fried shrimp and numerous vegetables provided. Looking at it, however, did not bring about a change in her appetite; honestly this seemed more like wasteful purchase. As stated before, she wasn't hungry, she wasn't overly fond of the place in general, and she was alone. What point was there in coming here, what kind of mindset was she in that made her subconsciously come to this stall?
She could ask herself this question a thousand times and still not get a step closer to finding an answer anytime soon. Thus she decided it was better to mull the thought over at a later time and indulge herself for now. With an agitated sigh and a faint 'Ittadakimas' she broke apart the chop-sticks and proceeded to dig in. While she indeed wasn't hungry, she could at least get her money's worth out of it; at least now she would be sated for a few hours and not have to worry about cooking tonight.
"Yo, old man, start me off with a bowl of miso ramen please!"
The noodles didn't even reach her lips before that distinct shout from an easily identifiable voice caused all thoughts of eating to vanish in an instant. He wasn't even in the stall when he made his order, yet Tenchu didn't waste a moment and immediately went to work without missing a beat. His back was still facing her, focused on his work, but based on his posture and how quick his response was it was evident that the chef had become much livelier than a few moments prior.
Such observations were fleeting though, annotations that were discarded as quickly as they had been noted. She was too busy adjusting her position on the stool to face the person whom she hadn't seen in weeks. She wasn't disappointed when the orange clad Genin parted curtains at the entrance to the stall and strolled. He was practically beaming with excitement, eyes squinted shut as he lightly chuckled to himself at the thought of devouring his favored meal for the first time in weeks. The expression, however, quickly adjust itself upon hearing the creak of a nearby stool, signifying that someone else was here.
That knowledge itself didn't surprise him, civilians and shinobi alike ate here pretty often, but what did surprise him was the person he found seated in the counter when he opened his eyes.
"Yugito-chan?" It was amazing at how quickly his emotions changed from carefree to astonishment, then finally settling with excitement laced with a bit of relief in the span of time less than a few seconds. "Wow, this is great! Now I don't have to go looking for yah and I get a bite to eat! "
It was ironic that the woman who had been troubling his mind would coincidently be the first person he would meet up when he just got back. He'd admit he was a little surprised to find her here of all places, but that brief moment of shock died away as quickly as it surfaced. For a while, he wasn't sure where she would be since being stuck at his apartment all day would probably be a dull experience without anyone around to keep her company. It didn't stop her before, but he had been gone for a pretty long time so it wouldn't have been hard for him to believe that she would have found something to preoccupy herself outdoors.
While he initially intended to go straight home, making a quick stop Ichiraku's was just too tempting especially when he was running on an empty stomach. Had she not been home, his next best guess regarding her whereabouts would have been with Kirabi to check up on how he was doing. The friendly face would have done her some good since she didn't really associate herself with any of his friends even when he was around. Outside of that, the only other thing he could think of that she would be doing around this time was training. Had that been the case then the task of finding her would have been that much harder since he would have had no idea where to start looking.
On an offhanded note, Naruto still couldn't wrap his head around why Yugito didn't hang out with any of the girl's he knew; but ultimately chalked it up to her being a bit different from those girls. It must've been the age difference that kept her away, as it probably made her feel awkward to associate herself with a younger crowd.
But that was a thought for a different time.
As far as things went now, her presence here at Ichiraku's did serve as a good sign to him. Not only were his hunger problems solved, but it also solved the problem of locating the very person he was to be taking care of.
If that wasn't an overwhelming case of win; he didn't know what was.
Unfortunately, Yugito didn't seem to share his excitement; something she made pretty clear once the initial surprise of his return settled in. If Naruto were to try and think of a set of term to use for what he was seeing, he would have likely gone with 'calm burn' rather than 'raging inferno of fury and anger'.
It was…actually an astute metaphor; coming from him at least.
Narrow eyes peered at him with a sense of animosity that could not properly be described in the simple terms he was prone to using. Her legs were crossed, her eyes never left his form, and the only movement she performed was the repetitive tapping of her thumb on the countertop. The noise generated by this action grew progressively louder each time the side of the digit connected with the hard wood, its pace consistent in a manner similar to the ticking of a clock. The blonde herself probably wasn't even aware she was doing it, even if she did she probably wouldn't have ceased the action anyway; far too focused on maintaining her gaze on the fellow blonde in front of her.
This visage could not have been a better indication of 'anger' unless it had been spelled out to the lad. While she was indeed glad to finally see the teen after several weeks of his absence, her irritation overshadowed her relief by leaps and bounds. She would have been hard pressed not to feel agitated when the teen's priorities were as backwards as they seemed at the moment. Clearly he was more focused on self-indulgence rather than the person who he was charged to care for. An irksome thought, one that many could sympathize with and would place the orange clad teen in the wrong for being so self-centered.
Never mind the fact that she was in the stall herself, the fact that she had been here at all was just coincidence and an action done on a whim for her part.
"Um…Yugito-chan?"
With one final thump of her finger the actions of her thumb had ceased; which admittedly did not ease the young man's worries in the slightest. Nor did it ease the glare from behind the narrowed eyelids of the blonde adjacent to him; from which Naruto concluded that, for reasons she had yet to divulge, she was upset with him.
"Hm, ah, I'm sorry but I need to step away for a bit. Looks like those slacking part-timers forgot to restock ingredients up here after their shift was over." A believable, yet still obvious, lie if the two shinobi present were to have paid it much mind. As far as facts stood, though, Tenchu himself needed very little motivation to prompt him into vacating his post for the time being. "I'm sorry for the inconvenience, but I'll get to work on your order in just a second Naruto-kun."
With those parting words, the older gentleman had wisely, and conveniently enough, stepped out from the kitchen and into the back of the stall. He was wise enough to know when an argument was about to happen, and the last place he wanted to be was here when the fireworks went off. In the back of his mind, though, Naruto couldn't help but scream the word 'Traitor!' in octaves so high his lungs would have found it impossible to reach. Yugito didn't even register the man's parting statement, her gaze so dead set on him that even the slightest twitch would have been noted.
Credit was long overdue for Tenchu-san, as he was indeed a much smarter man than our unfortunate blonde was.
"Naruto…" That was no greeting; that was the acknowledgement of his presence here and nothing more. "I am going to ask you this once and only once. Where exactly have you been and why have you come here of all places?"
This was the clipped and straightforward professionalism which Yugito was well known to expressing, not the slightly informal tone which Naruto had the privilege of hearing on a daily basis. Her gaze may have remained as sharp as any blade known to man, but her tone portrayed only a miniscule portion of actual anger. Truly it was a task in itself to maintain her sense of calm with the sudden abundance of anger tearing away at the seams of her consciousness, yet she somehow managed. Though she was admittedly at a loss as to why she was so upset to this degree, she didn't reflect much on the matter for very long as the object of her frustration was currently adjacent to her.
Under normal circumstances, she most likely would have been more lenient in regards to this matter; this was his home and he did have other duties and responsibilities he needed to address. Training needed to be applied, missions needed to be carried out, experience needed to be attained; these were just common factors that every shinobi was required to undertake in order to be successful in this line of work. Despite how he seemed, despite the oddity that was Uzumaki Naruto, he was by no means an exception to these things. If he needed to train, if he needed to grow stronger, then she could understand that and even if she didn't it wasn't like she had any say in the matter.
So why was she so upset, so frustrated, with his sudden appearance here of all times? Yugito didn't have an immediate answer, nor was there an urgent desire to seek one out at the present time. All that mattered was that Naruto, at this time and place, was right here and would stay here until she got a god-damned explanation.
The silence that had stained the atmosphere in this otherwise cozy ramen stall might as well have had a physical weight to it. Unsurprisingly, Naruto was for the most part silent; his expression showcasing his guilt as a hand rose to rub the back of neck awkwardly. A nervous chuckle somehow found its way out from his lips, but otherwise no verbal response was given in regards to her question. In retrospect, he should have seen this coming; the fact that he didn't only further demonstrated his lack foresight with matters such as these.
What was there for him to say here? The truth most likely, but he was hoping to get around to doing that under better circumstances then this. He was supposed to sit down with her, go over the motions of what he was doing in an exaggerated fashion, then tell her how fucking impossible his current task was. That was how it played out normally, how he planned to explain himself a bit, and then eventually work towards an apology for leaving the way he did. But this aggressive welcome after his return home really threw off his game plan on how he intended to approach this.
Again, he should have known better than to expect a warm welcome after he just left her and everyone else without saying where he was going or what he was doing.
Fuck you hindsight!
"Uzumaki, do not make me repeat myself."
Naruto, by this point, could only let out a dejected sigh escape from him as he moved to take a seat at the counter; gloom being the dominant emotion on his features even with a grin on his features.
"I've been on the outskirts of the village, moving around a bit as my training goes to different stages." Was the honest to god answer he responded with and probably the only thing keeping the woman's temper in check. "The training I'm doing right now is pretty advanced stuff, so I needed to keep myself away from here to avoid distractions. That's what Kakashi-sensei told me when I asked him; I didn't get it either at first but I guess it makes sense now."
It took him a while, but he eventually learned that it was much easier to just be honest when it came to dealing with the opposite sex. Seven times out of ten it didn't work when he applied it with Sakura or any of the other girls he was familiar with. But again Yugito was different from them in many ways, as she wasn't prone to hitting him for any stupid action or statement he may perform or mention. There were some doubts, however, about whether that would remain true by the end of this conversation. Frankly speaking, he was expecting at least a few blows to come his way at some point; but he was just being optimistic.
Surely he was going to turn him into a smear on the pavement by the time this was all over and done with.
Despite his honesty, Naruto neglected to face the woman who had proposed the question; too busy staring at the kitchen area behind the counter than looking at her in that moment. Having been the subject of prejudice all his life, one could understand how hard it was to look someone face-to-face during any sort of touchy subject; even if he was being truthful in his words. Regardless of if it was true or not, facing someone hardly did him any favors in the past. Everyone always just assumed he always lied, regardless of he looked them in the eye or not, so the possibility of it working in his favor now was not likely.
This couldn't have been any less true, but that knowledge was not known to him so he couldn't have entirely been at fault for that. Yugito did believe him, truly she did as Sakura and Tsunade both had given her proof to back up his claims. So, on those grounds, she believed him unconditionally; which pegged the question as to why she still appeared so angry. Was it the fact that he still refused to look at her or was there something else at work here that she couldn't quite place? Either way, those particular thoughts were quick to be brushed aside for now; perhaps later she would mull on the true reason behind her current ire.
"I take your…unanticipated return is a result of your training coming to its conclusion?"
The corners of his lips twitched downward a bit when she emphasized that particular word. Each syllable she uttered served as a reminder of how different this person was from the one he had met four months ago. He didn't like that woman, not in the slightest bit, and he made no efforts in hiding his disliking of her back then. But that woman had changed a lot since then, he still didn't know what induced it, but he was nevertheless grateful for it. With that change came the opportunity to truly get to know his charge, see beyond the calm, direct, and concise Jounin of Kumogakure.
And with that transformation came a new bond that he wouldn't trade for the world. They had their arguments, their little debates and squabbles just like everyone else from time to time; most of which were nothing too serious. Yet those things were petty instances and were often times resolved or amended in such a narrow span of time that they were easily forgotten by the time the day was done. This instance, however, wasn't like those times; this time she was truly upset with him and he would not deny that she had every reason to be.
He kinda deserved it for how he basically deserted her.
"Nah, my training's not done yet; I'm getting there but not as fast as I'd like it to." This bit of truth only served to feed his current melancholy as his shoulder's sagged and his lips went flat. "Kakashi-sensei and Yamato-sensei said I needed to clear my head a bit; something 'bout how I'm losing my focus or somethin'. So they gave me a break for the day so I can relax which kinda pisses me off, but whatever; I've been dying to eat some ramen for a while anyways."
He wasn't looking at her, too busy fiddling with chopsticks and gazing at nothing but the cooking stations beyond the counter. Not like he needed to look at her, he could feel her gaze lingering on him even from her seat a stool away. Only when he saw movement from the edge of his vision did he spare her a glance, which allowed him to see that she had adjusted her arm to prop her head up.
"And what precisely has you so distracted that your instructors feel it necessary to postpone your training for an entire day?"
The crestfallen chuckle she received almost made her wish she hadn't asked; key word being almost.
"Man you really are like sensei, you know that? I keep forgetting that you're a Jounin Yugito-chan."
"Do not derail the subject with flattery Uzumaki; explain yourself or do not speak at all."
It was here that Naruto stopped toying with chopsticks, a frown now clearly forming on his face as the more troublesome thoughts on his mind starting flooding in. Once more his eyes shifted over towards the fellow blonde and Jinchuuriki, taking in her displeased expression for all that it was worth. He deserved it, he knew he did, and he was perfectly fine with it although it didn't do any favors in improving his mood. Yugito wouldn't admit it openly, but she could clearly see that those eyes of his still lacked that vibrant spark which made them shine so brightly when she peered into them.
That little observation only confirmed her belief that, emotionally, something was indeed very wrong with the orange clad youth.
Yet, just as she parted her lips to speak, her caretaker beat her to the punch.
"I've been thinking a lot about what I've been doing lately, you know?" Began the lad, his body straightening up a bit as his head dipped backwards to the point of where his eyes were perpendicular to the ceiling above. "I'm training hard to get stronger, that's the whole reason for training in the first place. Get stronger so I can be better than I was last time, so that when I find Sasuke again maybe I could finally bring him home like I promised."
There was a pause here, not a silent pause mind you as a bitter chuckle escaped from his lips. His eyes had closed here as well, as if imagining the scenario in his mind and to some degree it brought a brief but genuine smile to his face. That lasted all but a second before his eyelids opened up and the grim reality that is life brushed away the world of pretend he wished was real at that moment.
"But then I started thinking about what I did, something that I've been beating myself up about for a while now. It reminded me a lot of what Sasuke did to us and I just didn't like how it felt."
"By that are you implying how you left without hesitation?" This inquiry had been quick to draw the spiky blonde's complete attention as Yugito kept her sight on him, the glare removed but her penetrating gaze still holding strong. "Your teammate had done the same, did he not? Having departed without notice or known motive and as a result left you feeling responsible when you failed to retrieve him."
"How did you—"
"Haruno-san informed me of the specifics she recalled at that particular time."
"Huh..." Just as quickly as puzzlement surfaced on his features, it had been lost and replaced by a look of understanding. "Well, yeah, that sounds about right."
That thoughtful express soon gave way to a small stained grin that was more than foretelling in how glad he was to hear that bit of information. Even if he was in a slump right now, it did him some good to know that his charge at least spoke to his teammate without him having to be in her company to do so. Quite the imitative since all other attempts to get her to socialize with his friends typically ended in failure. He did make a mental note though to ask one of the ladies what the two had talked about besides his rogue teammate.
He would regret that idea when the time came, but that was a story for another time.
"And how exactly does what transpired in the past transition into where we currently stand in the present?" By this point, Yugito had foregone her original seat and opted instead to taking the one directly beside the fellow blonde. With the gap created by the seating arrangements now diminished, Naruto was fully exposed to the woman's inquisitive stare that bore the signs of concern. "Naruto, tell me honestly, what is troubling you so much about this?"
During the entire course of this conversation, Yugito had done nothing but observe him each time he spoke. It was an action she performed subconsciously out of habit and taking in every subtle action he performed. Yes, he was troubled, that much was obvious from the get-go and it was almost shameful how easy it had been to see that. But as the conversation dragged on, she could see in the subtle motions of his body that there was something more at work here. There was something that he wanted to say—no, he needed to say—that was becoming progressively harder as the conversation progressed.
Her analysis was not wrong, for there was indeed something that he wanted to address. He knew it, hell they both knew it at this point so denying it now was pointless. The problem that stood now was that, as much as he wanted to, he found it was much harder to come out and say it opposed to what he had originally believed. Parts of it sounded stupid to him, the whole thing itself probably could have been described as such. But it still worried him, made him wonder, and a part of him really didn't want those very real concerns of his to be viewed as just him pointlessly fretting over nothing.
He didn't want to waste someone's time over his own inner troubles. Just because he believed it was important didn't necessarily mean that everyone else would think so. Thinking about it was easy, planning out how to say it wasn't as easy but still possible for him to do in his mind. Talking to someone about it face to face, regardless of who the person was, turned out to be a pretty fucking hard task to do.
"Naruto?"
Now with her interest and concern peaked, there was no chance in hell of her letting him casually brush this off and claim it as being nothing. He had carelessly done that to her once already, so she had every right to know what was really eating at him; he owed her that much. So, with an inaudible sigh, he did what had always worked when faced with adversity; dove in head first and hoped for the best. Forget planning things out, screw wasting brain cells on a precise method of approach. Uzumaki Naruto relied on his gut for just about everything and situations like these were of no exception.
And right now the boy's gut was telling him quit pussyfooting around and act like a fucking man!
"Mah, well, I guess it goes back to how I left you behind when I was told about this training. At first I didn't think much about it, too busy with what was going on and still bummed out about what happened on that mission. All I was really thinking about was how I wanted to get stronger as quickly as I could to bring him back. But, after a while, I started thinking about some other stuff, like how I just left you here and didn't say anything about what I was doing or where I was going. I mean, I could've at least left a note, asked Sakura to pass the message on, or something. But I didn't…I didn't do any of those things…I just left."
In spite of the new seating arrangements, Naruto did not once look over at the girl beside him. His chin currently rested on his arms which were folded on the countertop with his eyes remained focused on nothing. Clearly these thoughts had been the predominant feelings for a while now, so enthralled by his own musings that he failed to register anything that transpired around him.
"Heck, I was thinking about it earlier today too; though I dunno when it really started poppin' up in my head. Whatever, sometime this month I started to wonder if what I did to you made me the same as when Sasuke left. Like, if the chance to get stronger meant me leaving everyone for good, would I—"
"Stop."
The ferocity in which that solitary word was uttered with was more than enough to draw him out from his dazed ramblings. Whatever else he had to say was silenced for the time being as he finally turned his head to fully face the woman. Flattering as it was of him to think about her all this time, that bit of knowledge did not alter her expression in the slightest. Yet her eyes clearly told the boy that the Yugito he had come to care about as a friend was not completely buried at the moment.
There was warmth in those dark eyes of hers, opposed to the intense heat of fiery anger present at the beginning of all this.
"Some of what I am about to say is not, by any means, to be mistaken for flattery; do you understand?" Bewilderment aside, the orange clad genin nodded in understanding; which acted as a sign for the woman to continue her train of thought. "Very well then, let me begin by making this clear; you and your defected teammate are two vastly different people. The distinction is evident even to someone as ignorant as me in regards to the full circumstances behind your comrade's defection. All of that which I know is based on second hand sources, not reinforced by actual facts; yet even if those details are unclear to me, what is clear is the definitive trait which I believe you have and the Uchiha lacked."
"And what's that, me…you know, being a—"
"Tenacity, Naruto, tenacity." Clarified the woman, knowing where his mind was going and promptly stomped the thought out before it could even gain momentum. "You remained loyal to this village, its inhabitance, and your comrades when you otherwise had every right to abandon them. In spite of all the hardships you endured, you prevailed and have since dispelled the doubts of those who may have regarded you with contempt. Your devotion and resolve to protect those who are precious to you, those bonds you cherish so much, are the source of your strength. Overcoming adversity time and again with an unyielding will is not a trait that is gained from what you—what we—contain within us, rather it stems from who you are as both an individual and as a shinobi."
Her voice was stern, but not harsh, as she expressed her sincerest beliefs regarding the boy who currently acted as her caretaker. There was no mistaking her intentions; this was a pep-talk of sorts that she deemed to have long been overdue. True enough as that was the young lady would not deny that there was an ulterior motive behind all of this encouragement. Nothing of ill-intent of course, it was still something for the betterment of her caretaker and friend, but all the same something he would probably be highly against doing.
"Your comrade, Uchiha Sasuke, lacked that tenacity, deemed for himself that he could not achieve the strength he desired in this place and abandoned everything as a result. The cause was not due to insufficient skill or improper training; but a lack of obstinacy and patience."
What she wanted to achieve here was to allow him to see that the man-hunt for the Uchiha was not worth the grief it caused him. He needed to get away from this, needed a better reason aside from the traitor to better himself, to improve and grow not just as a shinobi but as an adult. Difficult as it was, letting go of the past and moving forward was a much better way to live than to constantly grieve over something that could never be changed. It was fine to have a goal to chase after, to motivate one into improving themselves; but was that goal really worth chasing if all it did was slowly tear you apart?
She didn't think so and that was the reason behind her words and actions.
"Uchiha-san had the means to improve, yet lacked the patience necessary to allow growth at a pace his development allowed. As a Genin like yourself, from what I can assume, he grew envious—or perhaps intimidated—by the rapid development you had demonstrated at that time. He could not accept that you were able go beyond your own limitations at a more rapid pace than he could. Fact of the matter is, in life, that sort of occurrence happens regularly; even so he could not accept that and thus made his choice to leave. That had been his decision, regardless of what you may believe, and for better or for worse you must understand that you could not have changed that."
Yugito didn't know when she had found her hand overlapping the boy's own during the course of this conversation. Neither had Naruto for that matter, although neither of which particularly minded since the subject itself was more important than some petty physical contact. It did, however, serve its purpose as a sign of reassurance, to show him that her words were meant to help, regardless of how brutal the truth was. Displeasure was clear in expression and posture, that much she had come to expect given how much he disliked it when people tarnished his friend's name.
People had long since forfeited their faith in the notion of the Uchiha seeing the error of his ways and coming back home. Naruto was just being blinded by his own optimism, his hope in getting through to his former teammate and proving to everyone that his friend wasn't a lost cause. But a true friend wouldn't lie to him, wouldn't tell that it was okay to keep making the same mistake over and over again. No matter how harsh it was of her to do it in this manner, he needed to realize that not everything in life would play out the way he so desperately wished it would.
If she was to be the friend he saw her as, how she viewed herself to be, then it was high-time she started acting like it.
"Yes, he is stronger now, you did fail once again, and you did forego your duties as my caretaker to pursue your own ambitions; what of it? Do not let these things discourage you; you have a duty to uphold, a village to protect, and people who are willing to stand beside you when the time comes. Do not place abandoning me in the same vein as abandoning your home; you are still here whereas the traitor is not. That is the fundamental difference between you and him; for as long as your loyalties lie in this place, in these people, then it will forever serve as the source of your strength."
Having wrapped up all that she wished to say, all that she could do at this point was wait and observe the young man beside her. She had no delusions of that some of the things she had said may have rubbed him the wrong way. Honesty could be harsh a, even hurtful, thing to be subjected to; which was exactly the reason why it needed to be applied for instances like these. It carried the point home and showed the ugly truth that a person often refused to acknowledge.
And by the maker did her words hit home; as evident by the balling of the boy's fingers.
Yugito was right though, he wasn't like Sasuke was by leaving her here simply because he had the full intention of coming back. To some degree or another, this talk had given him a bit of insight as to how Sasuke may have felt when he left in the first place. Sasuke had his own goals, his own ambitions that he wanted to pursue, and to achieve that he needed power. To attain the power necessary to kill his brother, he needed to have no distractions, nothing that would impede on his progress. But even with that mindset, despite the words they shared that day in that valley years ago, Naruto knew that some form of guilt or regret remained in his being.
If he truly felt nothing at that time, if he didn't feel anything from leaving them that day, then why was Sakura still alive right now?
Hell, why was he still alive right now?
The confrontation not long ago, however, showed that he had long since overcome whatever guilt he may have harbored and embraced his choice. That had been the underlining reason for his troubles; if he could carelessly leave behind his friends like he had with Yugito, then to what extent would he go to gain strength? Thoughts such as those, however, slowly dissolved the more his mind replayed the words spoken to him just now. Yes he left her here in the pursuit of his own goals, but he was not abandoning her, his home, or his precious people over a chance to grow stronger.
Because, no matter where he was or what he was doing, he would always come back to this place and fight to the last breathe to protect it and the people important to him. This was his home after all, the place where both his heart and loyalties would forever lie.
"Thanks Yugito-chan." Earnest gratitude laced those simple words as his hands relaxed and his usual grin found itself back onto his features. To which the woman returned with the faintest of smiles as her gaze grew softer. "I really needed tha—aaAAHH!"
Whatever signs of content that surfaced in the atmosphere vanished just as quickly as it had arrived. Intense pain now replaced the once exuberant expression as agony surged up from his hand and up his arm. The cause of this pain was none other than the hand which Yugito had placed over top of his earlier and now had in a tight grip. Just with grip alone, the orange clad shinobi could swear one or two bones in his hand were starting to crack; his efforts to free himself proving to be futile. Add to the fact that her thumb nail was digging harshly into the side of his wrist and you have a very excruciating experience.
So focused was he on prying his hand out of her hold that he missed how her expression went flat and the sharp edge returned to her eyes. After several moments had passed she released him, whether or not she was satisfied with his pain or just tired of hearing him yell was anyone's guess. In releasing him, due to the amount of effort he was putting into tearing his hand away, the boy lost his balance and promptly fell out of his seat; leaving him on his back.
"Ow, ow, ow—shit that hurt!" Hissed the lad whilst rubbing the sore appendage, taking note of the purple mark where woman's nail had been pressing into his skin. "Oi, Yugito-chan, what the hell was that all about!?"
"Do not raise your voice at me, boy." Regret of raising his voice at her immediately surfaced as she stood up, casting him in her shadow as she stood over him with her arms crossed and her features stern. "Or have you forgotten that I am still not in the most pleasant of moods."
And he thought Sakura's freakish strength was scary.
"…Itwon'thappenagain, I'm sorry!"
Say what you will about Sakura, but Yugito was in a whole other league when it came down to the intimidation department. Shit, she didn't have half the pinkette's strength and yet she looked and sounded downright terrifying!
"It had better not, but for now I will accept the apology. But do not mistake me for the forgiving type; I am still displeased with you as I do not take kindly to careless abandonment. Since your training is still incomplete and I do not wish to impede on that, this minor reprimand will have to suffice for the time being. Once your training is complete, however, I would advise you to prepare for the more fitting punishment that will be provided upon your return."
With that final message spoken and nothing else left to say, the kunoichi and Jinchuuriki of Kumogakure no Sato took that as her cue to leave. Without as much as a backwards glance, the young woman parted the curtains and stepped out into the open streets of Konoha; leaving a floored blonde in her wake. As the gap between her and the stall gradually increased, the proud Jinchuuriki's couldn't help herself as her true emotions became more pronounced on her visage. Dark spheres that were once sharp were now filled with a degree of warmth that had not been shown during the course of time she had spent in the lad's presence. Beginnings of a content smile also made itself home on her features, further adding to the deeper emotions regarding how she truly felt about the boy's return.
She would be the first to confess that she had slipped up near the end of their discussion. For what it was worth, it was a task in itself not to share at least a portion of his happiness or relief in that moment. It didn't matter all that much in this situation as there was little reason for it to matter; it wasn't like she was on duty or anything, so who cared if she got a little bit careless and lost some of her composure? Naruto surely didn't, she didn't, and with nobody else around to give a shit she reasoned it was perfectly fine.
She wasn't lying though, she was still upset with him, but most of that anger had dissipated once she attained some awareness of the situation. What had transpired at the end there was indeed retribution for leaving her concerned and bored this entire month. Everything after that, however, had been a lie to give the blonde a little scare, something that would undoubtedly prevent such carelessness from occurring again in the future. While she may not be nearly as sociable as some others, she had her moments where she could mess with people in her own way.
Besides, let's be honest, if she really wanted to hurt him, she would have done much worse than just give his hand a little squeeze.
"YUGITO!"
Was it mentioned that she neglected to pay for her nearly untouched meal?
"Oops."
Well, at least she got some amusement out of it; if her laughter was of any indication.
Yes, this is the end of the chapter. In spite of the fact that I could have dragged this chapter out considerably longer, doing so was not something I wished to do. I had a quota, I met it, passed it, and knew I didn't want to go too far over that quota. Besides, the night-life between these two isn't something even I could drag out, and even if I tried I wouldn't want to bore you all with it. So any and all complaints regarding the cut-off point will be mind-numbingly noted and dumped into the vast empty space known as the back of my mind.
But I will say this much; music works wonders for righting these chapters. To those who actually read these things, you would be aware that the first chapter was heavily inspired by the song The Way I Are. The second chapter, well, didn't really need any inspiration considering my fingers moved on their own for that one. So if you think you have any suggestions for romance songs or just songs in general for these things, go ahead and leave some suggestions with your review.
Having said that, we're at the part where your supposed to type something in that nice little text box at the bottom.
You know its there now, but I'm gonna keep doing this anyway to spite you.
Yeah, you know you wanna; so do it.
Go on, do it.
Click it.