Painful Obsessions ✔️

Ready: Fight!

Sasuke found Shikimaru sitting under a tree on the outskirts of town, sipping on a simple silver flask, cigarette clenched between his two fingers.

"Little early for that?" Sasuke asked with a condescending tone. "Aren't you supposed to be working and advising Naruto?"

"There is no advising that baka when it comes to you." He alternated his smoke to his other hand and took a long drag. "I'm starting to really hate you, Sasuke." He 'hmphed' letting his shoulders drop.

"That's fine." Sasuke sat next to the Nara and took his flask away, stealing a sip for himself. "So, Naruto wants to have a fight with me."

"Sucks to be you... I hope Kurama eats you."

"Tch."

"He thinks you are a threat to the leaf." Shika smirked, "You make him uncomfortable, I imagine he is going to kick your ass to make you talk."

Sasuke stared confused, "I make him uncomfortable?" A grin snuck onto his features. "Like, he has a crush on me uncomfortable?"

"When did you turn into a 15-year-old school girl, Uchiha?" Sasuke grunted in response to the observation. "I'm not slipping any notes in his locker for you."

"I haven't." He pulled his shit together, not wanting to admit that he missed his fox so badly he felt he was going to lose his mind. Definitely was already losing his cool.

"Why does fighting him worry you anyway?" Shikamaru shrugged.

Sasuke laid down on the grass, "I know you're not a skilled enough shinobi to know this..." the Nara glared, lucky for Sasuke- he was far too lazy to kick his ass for the insult, "We can't hide anything from each other. It's like our souls collide to share what we are thinking and feeling..." he closed his eyes calling back to their last emotional fight at the valley of the end. "I know Naruto's heart inside out, and he knows mine..."

"Well, isn't that a good thing? He will figure that you're not a threat to the village. We can put this all behind us. "

"True, but he will feel the love I have for him, the guilt I have for manipulating his mind, for using the Sharingan on him even though it was something I swore I would never do..." he took a deep breath, holding his hand over his eyes, "I'm not confident that the seal will hold once he sees what's there."

The Nara held his chin, trying to analyze the situation. "What would happen to Naruto if all that history flooded back?" He looked at Sasuke, "You and Naruto... there are more painful memories there than happy ones..." he looked worried. "You absolutely shattered him more than once."

"..."

"I'll try to stop the spar. I'm sure I can find something to pack his schedule with..." he threw his cigarette and got up from the ground, extending his hand to the other man still on his back. "Come on, you should get going home." He smirked, "Naruto has ANBU stationed there, so make sure not to give them anything report to the Hokage." The Uchiha rolled his eyes as he gripped the Nara's hand.

"You know, I think we would be considered friends now, Shikamaru." Sasuke laughed to himself as he brushed the grass from his pants.

"I wouldn't say that." The advisor shook his head as the two began to walk.

"Naruto would say that we are friends."

"Naruto is an idiot." The two laughed slightly before going their separate ways.

...

"Oh yeah!!" Naruto stood in front of the mirror, his shinobi headband tight securely on his forehead, his mesh t-shirt, and his pants from his ANBU days. "I am so fucking ready for this! Dattebayo!" He grinned as he felt some of his swagger return, a part of himself that had been MIA for the last few years.