Unexpected Discoveries

Chapter 37

The evening was unusually somber. The mood was off with all Jounins leaving a curious Naruto. 'What could it be that Asuma-sensei, Kurenai-sensei and Kakashi so quiet and tired. Even bushy-brow sensei is so silent. He didn't even come to our apartment to ask Kakashi for a challenge! What's with everyone today, dattebayo?' Naruto scratched the back of his head in confusion.

Arriving at the training ground, he was hit with a sense of nostalgia. There still was that stump from when he was tied to back in his genin days. From the past probably, cause he's still a genin.

Looking to his left he could spot the memorial stone. A shock of silver hair defined who it was standing there.

"Kakashi?" Naruto walked over to his depressed lover. There was an unreadable expression in his eye.

Getting no response, Naruto looked to where Kakashi's gaze was directed to. It narrowed down to Uchiha Obito. His eye widened as realization settled on him.
"So that's why he always focused on Sasuke, with his experience with an Uchiha and having a sharingan in his left eye he was the perfect teacher to teach the last Uchiha."

"Of course, the council would love the freak eye-ed bastard..." He heard Kurama grumble in his head.

"Oh shut up. Sasuke is a teme! But only I can call him that!" The blond replied in his mind. "...Anyway,you've been in Kushina's seal during Kakashi's teenage days right? So, can you tell me what happened with obi-"

He was cut off by the almighty fox. "It's something personal to that Hatake brat so I have no intention to give you private information, kit. Just ask him yourself, are you a wimp?"

Naruto looked at his ex-sensei and mustered up his courage to ask him, Kakashi was not one to lean on others. Even with the months they've been together, Kakashi never told him of his worries and burdens.

The straw haired teen slipped his soft hands into the elder one's own warm hands. They gripped his tightly and they stood in silence. Naruto wondering about the name that was written on the stone, that name was probably why his lover visits this memorial stone so many times.

"He was an amazing shinobi."

The voice broke him out of his musing, sapphire blue eyes gazed at their joined hands, giving him a comforting squeeze.

"We were on our mission near the Iwa borders. Minato-sensei went off to fight in the other side leaving me with the other two chuunin of my team." There was a distant look in the lone Grey eye.
"Somewhere in between, our medi-nin got kidnapped. Obito wanted to go save her and abandoning the mission. I'm sure you've already found out about what happened to my father when he abandoned his mission in order to save his friend."

Naruto dropped his gaze onto the grass. He had been so shocked when he saw the name Hatake in one of the books listing as one of the strongest ninja in the third shinobi war.

He had been so excited at finding out about someone related to Kakashi. However the information he discovered left him with a sick stomach, he could not fathom what Kakashi must have thought when he saw the corpse.

"I was so scared that time, I thought of how the same fate could happen to Obito as well. But you know what he said? I quote, 'Those who disobey rules are scum but those who abandon their comrades are worse than scum.' It brought me realization and in the end we both went to save our teammate."

Naruto quirked his eye brow, so that's where he got his life philosophy.

"He even unlocked his sharingan in that mission. But as we were running out of the cave, a huge rock was about to drop on me and that idiot just had to be the hero and save me taking the blow himself." A sad chuckled broke in, "it was my first time as a Jounin you know. First mission as a Jounin and I lost my best friend. He gave me his sharingan to see the future through me."

"He would have been proud." At Kakashi's inquiring look he explained. "If he's that great of a man as you said, he'd be happy to see whom you've become now. I just know it."

Then they both stood there for a few more minutes before they went on their separate ways.

Kakashi's voice rang in Naruto's head. "Thank you." It was so heartfelt and sincere that it left him speechless. His grin stayed on his face the whole day.

                                                                  -★-

Naruto went into the Ramen stand and ordered his usual miso with pork waiting for his guest to arrive. "Hey!" He grinned as the other male took a seat near him. His raven eyes softened before he gave his usual Hn.

"So what have you been up to?" Naruto asked."It's been so long since we've last eaten and talked like this together and had some 'Brother time'."

Ordering his tomato and chicken Ramen Sasuke gave the blond a smirk. "Nothing much. It'd be nice to have a peaceful chuunin exams this time."

Naruto sighed loudly. "Yeah~ I can't wait to wipe the place with you."

"You wish." The Uchiha snorted.

"Heh." Naruto smirked. "Who is teaching you by the way?" His tone indicating his curiousity.

"Mitarashi Anko."

"What?!" Huge sapphire eyes looked at the Uchiha with amazement. 'Wow, he gets to train with Anko-nee?'

Sasuke saw the bland recognition in the straw haired teen's sapphire eyes. His interest peaked, and raised an elegant eyebrow in a questioning way. The Uchiha snorted when Naruto tried to make his face blank, getting a withering glare in return.

"She used to look after me when I was a kid." Naruto said. Then a grin bloomed on his handsome face as he laughed. "She was a sadist!"

"Yeah, no kidding about that. But she helps me improve so who am I to complain?" The raven haired shinobi shrugged.

They both called out. Naruto in an excited tone while Sasuke had a bored tone. A senere silence between the two only interrupted with the sound of slurping. Naruto rubbed his stomach happily and leaned on his arms on the table. He looked at the great amount of tomatoes in Sasuke's bowl and scowled.

How someone could like so many tomatoes, Naruto could never guess! However he had his Ramen bowl poured with too much salt and pepper last time, so he kept quiet.

"Hinata and I are together."

"You know, the usual procedure is to congratulate the flesh-bag." Kurama's voice smacked Naruto out of his surprise and he automatically replied. "He's not a flesh-bag."

A sly grin made it's way onto the tan face as he spotted the other looking nervously at his tomato ramen. Being his best friend had it's perks and he was able to know that the Uchiha was fidgeting. He kept stirring his noodles clockwise and then counter clockwise.

"Nice." Naruto commented with a small smile.

Sasuke looked up in surprise. "What? No 'treat her right' or 'What the hell' like your usual dope attitude?" Surprise colored his tone with a hint of curiousity.

The Uzumaki rolled his eyes as he swung his feet back and forth. "Yes well, I know all that. You aren't someone who would just take a fling." He muttered."With the Hyuuga Heiress nonetheless." He got a glare in return.

"Nice to know you aren't pissed." Came the sarcastic reply.

"Well, break her heart and you'll get your ass wiped at the chuunin exams or somewhere public." Naruto pushed away from the table and made his way out giving  the Uchiha apart on the back.

"As if..." Sasuke said into the empty air, sighing.

"Here's your bill, sir." His eyes widened at the sum. A tick mark came on his forehead. His eyes were shadowed as he paid and left the Ramen stand.

"Usuratonkachi!" He screamed at a certain blond that was just turning into a bend around the road.

Though he was glad to have his relationship approved by the blond, it wasn't going to stop him from hitting Naruto. That man was just infuriating as Kakashi. And it seemed that he was also gaining some of Kakashi's annoying habits.