In Their Shadow

Chapter 24

"Contrary to your belief, Yuma, I have many duties to this village that take priority over your training. I assure you Sai will make for a suitable replacement, I shall return in three hours for our sparring matches." Danzo remarked.

"W-Wait, three hours!? You expect me to master my elemental chakra natures in three hours!?" Yuma said, his eyes wide in shock.

"Exactly. Why do you find that so hard to believe?" Danzo asked.

"I-I'm not like my teammates, how in the hell do you expect me to master chakra natures in three hours!?" Yuma asked.

Danzo finally turned to Yuma with a small smile that did not fit on his cold professional face. Yuma stood frozen as Danzo tilted his head and closed his eyes, the smile growing larger.

"You should have more faith in your own abilities Yuma, I expect great things from you after all."

Yuma's world stopped, as he stood with his mouth agape. Danzo walked out of the room, the door shutting behind him with a loud click. Yuma fell onto his knees, still reeling from the shock he had received from Danzo's seemingly kind words. Sai looked at Yuma with a blank stair, unsure if he should say anything. Sai was about to break the silence, when Yuma began to speak.

"That was the first time...the first time anyone has ever...said that they have faith in me..." Yuma said, his tone low and quite.

Sai's eyes widened, a weird thump beating in his cold heart at Yuma's words. All was quite for a good minute before Yuma finally stood up. He turned to Sai with a determined fire blazing within his eyes. Sai's breath became caught in his throat, emotions he did not realize he still had resurfacing to the forefront of his beating heart.

'This must be what others call, anticipation.' Sai thought to himself.

"Teach me all you know, and I swear I will master it within the next three hours, Sai-Sensei!"

〰️➿〰️

Sasuke woke up to the blinding sun shining through his windows, as well as the loud banging on his door. With a groan he crawled out of his bed and walked to his bedroom door in a daze. Blue eyes met charcoal as the blond haired Naruko stood behind the door with a large smile. Sasuke wiped at his eyes in irritation, releasing a heavy and annoyed sigh.

"What?" Sasuke asked.

"I need your help!" Naruko responded brightly.

"With what exactly?" Sasuke asked, rubbing his head.

"With thinking up ways to become Yuma's friends obviously!" Naruko said.

"...Fine, just let me get ready real quick." Sasuke said with a sigh.

And so began Sasuke's day.

Naruko and Sasuke sat at the Uchiha table, eating with the rest of the main Uchiha household. Fugaku remained stone faced as his wife smiled and talked with Naruko about random happenings. Itachi ate silently, standing from his seat and leaving without a word upon finishing his breakfast. Fugaku left the table shortly after his eldest son did so.

"Sorry if everything is too quiet here Naruko. The boys can be quite stony!" Mikoto, Sasuke's mother said, eliciting a snort from Sasuke.

"She needs some quiet in her life, trust me." He said snarkily, his mother shaking her head at him.

"So, what is it your doing here so early? I mean your always welcome, but I was still surprised. Are the two of you going to hang out today?" Mikoto asked.

Naruko finished wolfing down her breakfast, patting her belly in satisfaction before responding.

"Yep! Him and me are trying to think of ways to get our other team mate to quit being such a stick in the mud!" Naruko proclaimed.