〰️➰〰️
❝Knowing what it feels like to be in pain is exactly why we try to be kind to others.❞ ㅡ Jiraiya
〰️➿〰️
Yuma walked down the main road of Konoha, a look of pure and unfettered embarrassment spread across his face.
'I can't believe I fainted in front of mister Danzo! So embarrassing!' Yuma thought to himself, cracking his neck as it was riddled with discomfort.
And what was with that bed he put me on! The mattress was almost as hard as rock! But still...' Yuma began to smile.
'If he didn't care about me, then why make sure I had a place to sleep? He could've just left me on the floor, But he didn't, which means...'
Yuma was snapped out of his train of thought by a familiar voice calling him from down the street.
"Yo Yuma! Over here!" The boisterous sound of Naruko's voice carried over the crowd, everyone getting into a frenzy upon seeing the village hero and her mother so early in the morning.
Yuma's face became even more red, as the stares of bystanders looked between him and Naruko in confusion. Yuma quickly ran past all them over to Naruko.
"Do you have a volume button!? Can I turn you off!? Where's that off switch you loud mouth!?" Yuma berated Naruko in embarrassment.
"Hey! What is that supposed to mean!?" Naruko argued back with a pout.
"It means your too goddamned loud!" Yuma yelled back.
"Well excuse me! I was just trying to get the attention of a grumpy friend of mine!" Naruko yelled back.
"Who said I was your friend!?" Yuma yelled back.
"Now why do you get to act like that!?" Naruko snapped.
As they bickered back and forth, the sound of motherly laughter reached Yuma's ears. Yuma looked to Naruko's side, his eyes widening in surprise, before quickly narrowing.
"Oi, don't stare down my mom like that!" Naruko yelled, smacking Yuma on the back of his head.
"Ow! Your such a-!?"
"So you must be this Yuma I've been hearing about." Kushina, Naruko's mother, butted in.
Yuma ceased his squabble with Naruko, turning to the red headed mother of Naruko.
"Y-Yeah, that's me." Yuma said, but with a lower volume, him not knowing how I should talk to the mother of his teammate.
"Naruko never stops talking about you, and how she has been trying her hardest to be your friend." Kushina said, Naruko immediately reddening up at that statement.
"H-Hey mom! Stop, don't tell him that!" Naruko screeched.
"And why not? Its the truth isn't it?" Kushina said with a chuckle.
"That's true, but still...jeez mom." Naruko pouted.
Yuma's eyes widened at that, a faint blush appearing on his face.
'That's cute.'
He thought, before becoming flushed at the mere thought of him thinking of Naruko in that way.
'What the hell is up with me these days...' Yuma grumbled in his head.
"Enough of that, how is that pest Yumito doing?" Naruko asked Yuma, trying to change the subject.
"Oh, he's-"
"I'm doing fine, why do you ask?" Yumito suddenly said, the golden orbs coming to life beneath his arm bandages.
"Oh my!" Kushina said in surprise.
"Who is the red head?" Yumito asked.
"Naruko's mother." Yuma responded.
"Neato." Yumito responded back in annoyance.
"Um, Yuma, what is that thing?" Kushina asked, poking at his arm.
"I am no thing, I am Yumito." Yumito grumbled.
"Its a parasite!" Naruko proclaimed.
"And your an idiot." Yumito said back.
"Its too long to explain, the long and short of it is that somehow Yumito was born from my will, and is able to manifest itself by living within my shadow." Yuma said.
"But its in your arm." Kushina said back, confused.
"Yeah, my arms made of shadow." Yuma responded back, the bandage unfurling to reveal his black mist like appendage with Yumito's golden orbs on his forearm, much to the shock of Kushina.
"That's so weird..." Kushina marveled, sticking her fingers through his mist like arm.
"I know right!" Naruko said, joining in on the poking through of Yuma's arm, much to his dismay.
"Has it always been like this?" Kushina asked.
"No, I lost my arms in the wave mission, and as a replacement, Yumito manifested this arm thingy. I can freely control its shape." Yuma said, demonstrating his statement by shaping his arm into that of a long blade made of shadow.
"But how is it useful if it can't be solid?" Kushina asked, still marveling at this new development.
"Well, take your finger out first." Yuma said.
Kushina removed her finger from within his arm, allowing Yuma to turn it solid.
"There, as long as I have chakra, I can pour it in, thus solidifying my arm." Yuma said, as Kushina poked at the now solid mass resembling a long sword.
"Cool..." Kushina said, still marveling at the strange ability Yuma possessed.
"Are we done here?" Yumito said, annoyed at the poking and prodding.
"O-Oh yes, sorry for bugging you, uh..."
"Yumito."
"Ah yes, Yumito! I knew that!" Kushina said.
"Whatever, goodbye, wake me up whenever your in trouble Yuma." Yumito said, his golden orbs fading away.
"Well, that's that I guess, see ya later Naruko." Yuma said, attempting to leave.
"Wait, Yuma! Hold up! I had something I...Something I wanted to ask you!" Naruko said meekly, a rarity for her that certainly caught Yuma's notice.
"Yeah, what is it?" Yuma said, looking back at her.
"You see um, well, uh...D-Do you wanna come over to our place tonight for dinner!" Naruko blurted out, much to Yuma's surprise.
"W-Where did this come from! Do you mean like a, you know..." Yuma asked, a blush forming on his face.
"Not like that! Sasuke will be there too!" Naruko said back, becoming as red as a tomato.
"O-Oh y-yeah, o-of course, well um...If Sasuke will be there also, then I don't see why not." Yuma answered her request, a huge smile now taking place on Naruko's face.
"Yes! Your gonna love it, I promise ya!" Naruko said, giving one of her trademarked eyes closed and teeth showing smiles.
"Honey, your blushing." Kushina said with a knowing smile.
"S-Shut up mom, whatever! See ya later Yuma!" Naruko blurted out in embarrassment, dragging her mother with her as she ran off.
Yuma smiled faintly, watching as the loud mouthed and energetic blonde ran off. He sighed to himself, realizing that a lot has happened since joining Team Seven. A lot has happened since that fateful day five months ago. He thought back on how he used to hate there guts, and now he found himself becoming they're friends. Although, he now realized that he was back to square one.
"So, what am I gonna do now before I go to dinner at Naruko's place tonight?" He thought aloud, catching the attention of a certain glasses wearing passerby.
"Well if your schedule is free, why not come with me? After all, I did promise to give you medical ninjutsu lessons right?" A familiar voice called out to Yuma, catching him by surprise.
"Kabuto, its you!" Yuma said in shock, not having expected to bump into him.
"Hey Yuma, you healed up okay?" Kabuto said with a smile, walking up to Yuma.
"Yeah! How have you been?" Yuma asked, quickly being swept up into Kabuto's endearing aura.
"I've been doing fine, just bored as of recently. I heard you saying you had nothing to do right? Seems like the perfect time for me to teach you some of what I promised, right?" Kabuto said, much to Yuma's delight.
"Really? That would be great! medical ninjutsu could come in handy a lot." Yuma said, smiling slightly.
"I see, that's good, lets get started then. I know just the place to teach you." Kabuto said, leading the way as Yuma followed behind.
'Easy.'
With that thought and a smirk on his face, he led Yuma to the west district of Konoha, and into the training fields. Yuma followed him, unaware that this lesson of his was more then it appeared to be.
〰️➿〰️
Naruko finally stopped dragging her mother down the road, pouting profusely. Kushina laughed at her daughter's bashfulness.
"Jeez mom! Why did you have to point that out! Yuma probably thinks i'm a weirdo now!" Naruko complained with a stomp of her foot.
"You seem to worry an awful lot on what that boy thinks of you~." Kushina giggled, as Naruko's cheeks became as red as tomato's.
"S-Shut up! It's not like that at all!" Naruko proclaimed.
"Oh, like what?" Kushina responded with a knowing grin.
"Ugh, ya know..." Naruko said, pointing her nose up to the sky in annoyance.
"But seriously...i'm glad your talking to other kids your age besides Sasuke." Kushina said, patting Naruko on the head.
"What do you mean? I've talked with others besides them!" Naruko said.
"Yes, but i'm not talking about being talkative with others, i'm talking about being friends with others. I realize that although your quite social, its hard for you to make friends." Kushina explained.
"Well that's because its hard to tell if people want to be my friend because they like me or if they're just interested in my title, 'hero of the leaf.' Glad to see I don't have to worry about that when it comes to Sasuke and Yuma. Sasuke because, well, he's Sasuke. And Yuma because, well..." Naruko said, her voice trailing off near the end.
"Because what?" Kushina asked, confused as to why she got quiet.
Naruko turned to her mother with a sheepish grin.
"Well, when he first was put onto our team I noticed he was always putting on a fake smile to make us thinks he was buddy-buddy with us. Turns out he hated mine and Sasuke's stinkin' guts!" Naruko proclaimed.
"Huh!? How does that make it easier for you to be his friend!" Kushina asked in shock.
"Because I knew he wouldn't use us for anything, he's too prideful for that. Not to mention I like challenges. Him being stubborn and refusing to be our friend makes me want to get him to call us besties even more!" Naruko said with glee.
Kushina smiled at her daughter's enthusiasm and smiled widely. She rubbed her daughter's head with a chuckle, before slamming her hand onto Naruko's back.
"That's my girl!" Kushina said with a shit eating grin, much to her daughter's dismay.
"Oww, mom! You suck!" Naruko complained with a yelp, rubbing the sides of her now sore back.
And with that, the two women of the Namikaze household and those holding the bloodlines of the Uzumaki continued their morning shopping in good spirits.
〰️➿〰️
Minato was doing paper work when Obito barged in with a grimace, letting Minato theorize that whatever Obito had to tell him, it most likely wasn't good news.
"Akatsuki members have infiltrated the village." Obito said with a deep frown.
Minato's hand, which was in the middle of signing documents, froze in the air.
"Where are they?" Minato asked, his tone dead serious.
"Don't know, we don't even know how many have invaded."
"How do you not know their numbers, but are aware of their appearance?" Minato asked, his voice ice cold.
"The red cloud cloaks have been found near the outside perimeter of the village walls, we suspect they disrobed before entry, to blend in." Obito explained.
Minato sighed in frustration.
"Do we delay the Chunin Exams?" Obito asked.
"No, the date has already been finalized for next week. Not to mention the participants from the other village have already gathered here. Its far too late to postpone." Minato explained.
"Damn it." Obito cursed beneath his breath.
"We need intel, go out there and gather trusted individuals of your choosing to scope out anyone who appears suspicous, and remain vigilant. In the meantime, i'll-!?" Minato, in the middle of giving Obito his orders, was caught off by the door creeping open.
"I got rid of two of them. The man who is most worrisome is a ninja by the name of Deidara." Danzo said, walking in suddenly, interjecting much to Obito's displeasure.
"Danzo, why are you here." Obito said with a snarl, prompting Minato to reign him in.
"Obito, be quiet." Minato ordered.
"Tch, fine Sensei." Obito relented, while still glaring daggers at Danzo.
"Continue Danzo." Minato said.
"Yesterday, two individuals entered the village under the guise of attending a wedding, which immediately raised my suspicion. After all, no weddings were scheduled that day."
"How do you know that for sure?" Obito asked in annoyance.
"Nothing in this village goes on without my knowledge." Danzo said, not even sparing Obito a glance.
"Creep." Obito said underneath his breath, earning him a pointed look from Minato that made him go silent.
Danzo continued, completely ignoring the master and disciple's exchange.
"After finding the same robes you spoke of, my agents of ROOT came to me with the findings. I then questioned those pitiful guards you have stationed at the gate on the two individuals' appearance. With that my agents of ROOT were able to quickly locate the individuals. After a few minutes I got them to talk, they told me of the other one, likely their superior. His name is Deidara, and after some study, I have learned that he is an S-Rank traitor of the village hidden in the stone. AKA, your greatest enemy, Iwagakure." Danzo reported.
"I see, that is troubling news, and of the two others?" Minato inquired.
"I took care of them." Danzo replied without an ounce of sympathy or care.
"I see...I assume you didn't give me this information for free." Minato said.
"You are quite correct, I wish to give Yuma an entire weekend of training before the Chunin Exams begins this upcoming Monday." Danzo revealed, a dark glint forming in his eyes.
"I see...that shouldn't be too bad." Minato relented.
"No, you seem to misunderstand me, when I mean training, I don't mean the standard curriculum you have allotted me, I mean train him in the way I train my agents of ROOT." Danzo stated.
"You piece of shit! He is just a kid!" Obito flipped out, finally being unable to stay silent.
"OBITO! BE QUIET!" Minato ordered with a thundering voice filled qith authority, silencing him in an instant.
Minato turned to Danzo, his eyes filled with an unwavering flame.
"Danzo. Do you even know what that would do to a boy like Yuma? He isn't like my daughter or Sasuke, he can not and should not be subjected to training at that high of a degree." Minato said in a cold, deadpan voice.
"He knows of who I am. He asked this of me personally." Danzo said.
"Why? Why Yuma? Why someone like him?" Minato asked
"Because, he is like me." Danzo stated, much to Minato's shock.
"You don't seem to realize that your constant coddling of the boy will only lead to him viewing you with contempt. The one thing Yuma detests more then being thought of as weak, is people giving him pity. He hates being weaker then his teammates and he wishes to one day stand as their equal. Who are we to deny him the right to improve." Danzo said.
Danzo walked up to the desk, and slammed his hands onto the top. Obito immeadiatly stepped forward, only to be grabbed by Minato before he could do anything rash. Danzo loomed over the desk, staring directly into Minato's determined gaze.
"Give me one weekend to train the boy in any way I see fit. One little weekend, and I assure you, he will become so much more then he is now. To say no would not only betray the goodwill I have shown you, but would also be a huge disservice to young Yuma's wish to prove himself. Make the right choice, Minato." Danzo said with a deadly gaze.
All was quiet for a good few seconds, both men of the leaf not moving a single muscle as Obito glared at the elder with contempt. Minato closed his eyes, and sighed, breaking the long standing silence.
"Fine, do as you wish." Minato relented.
"Sensei! You can not be serious! If it were anyone else it would be fine, but this guy!" Obito yelled, pointing at Danzo with a glare.
"This man is...he's just..." Obito forced out through clenched teeth, trying to hold himself back from going any further.
"Pure fucking evil." Obito said, a glare being levied at the root of the ninja shadow world.
"Obito, it has been decided, discussion is over." Minato said without admonishing Obito.
Danzo bowed, beginnig his trek out of the room. Once he got to the door, he stopped.
"Try to teach your dog better manners next time Minato, those who bark most are often the most foolish." Danzo remarked, walking out of the room without even sparing the now seething Obito a glance.
Obito's hands began sparking, as if he were at the very edge of snapping.
"Obito."
"...What."
"Calm yourself, now." Minato ordered.
Obito turned his head to glare at the Hokage, only to be caught off guard by a hug.
"I know how much you hate Danzo, more then anyone, but you must remain calm." Minato said soothingly.
"...Its not fair Sensei, if it weren't for him, then Rin would still be...would still be..." Obito began to whimper, his eyes growing watery.
"I know, I know..." Minato said, calming down his student as he wept.
And so, under the setting sun, teacher and student let out all of their sorrows, as they dreamed of a time long past. A time where the former Team Seven was still whole.
〰️➿〰️
Yuma sat, looking at the green aura surrounding his hands in pure fascination. It quickly went out however, much to Yuma's mild disappointment. The sound of clapping could be heard from across the stump Yuma sat upon. Kabuto grinned at Yuma, providing him with a sense of accomplishment.
"Only a couple hours and you have already mastered low level medical ninjutsu, that's quite something!" Kabuto said, showering Yuma with praise.
"R-really, its not that big of a deal." Yuma said, rubbing the back of his neck, trying to hide his feeling of accomplishment.
"It is alright to feel accomplishment you know, don't worry about it. Gloat all you want." Kabuto said with a smile.
"Oh geez, T-Thanks." Yuma said, a small smile forming on his face.
"Still though, I wonder how fast Naruko or Sasuke would've learned this? I mean they are prodigies after all." Kabuto said, sparing Yuma a side ways glance to gauge his reaction.
He was now frowning.
'Bingo.'
"I mean, I've heard that Naruko Namikaze has mastrered the Rasengan, a move only known by the Hokage and the Jiraya. I heard she learned it in two days! Is that true Yuma?" Kabuto asked.
"Haha, I don't know..." Yuma said, faking a smile.
"If it is true, she probably could've learned this in only one hour, or even less then that! Man, so incredible. Then there is Sasuke Uchiha, I've heard he awakened his Sharingan at a very young age and people are calling him the next Itachi! Man, must be nice to be surrounded by such incredible people!" Kabuto said, pretending to gush.
"Y-Yeah...it sure is great." Yuma said, his smile now more noticeably false, but Kabuto continued to push anyway.
"Man, the two elite of the hidden leaf, people love them, they're talented beyond reason, and there futures couldn't be any brighter, I wish I were them!" Kabuto said.
"I mean, with people like that on your team, you won't have to worry about being kidnapped by enemy forces, and your set for the easy road to success, how I envy you." Kabuto said, hearing a branch stem snap as Yuma stood up from the stump, brushing off his knees.
"Were are you going?" Kabuto asked, feigning ignorance and confusion.
"Sorry, I remembered I have to go to a family dinner at Naruko's place, see ya later Kabuto..." Yuma said, his voice low and now downtrodden.
Once Yuma was out of range or ear shot, Kabuto let out a laugh and a smirk.
"Sow seeds of jealousy and contempt and let the other pieces take care of the rest, your quite cruel, master Orochimaru." Kabuto called out, a snake falling from a tree in response.
The snake began to tremble, curling up before its mouth unhinged. The snakes body grew large and from it what could be described as a person came out from within the snakes body. Orochimaru stood onto his feet, a smirk forming on his face as he cracked his stiff neck.
"We may not be able to do anything to the Leaf Village, but we don't have to worry about that, the Akatsuki will take care of that for us. I'm more interested in how my dear young Yuma will grow." Orochimaru explained with a sultry dark tone.
Kabuto smiled in response.
"Keep on sowing the seeds of ill will into Yuma, I want to see him develop more, I ahve high expectations for the boy after all. In the meantime, I shall keep a low profile and watch things from behind the scenes. After all..." Orochimaru looked at a tree, a small white spider like creature scurrying away from Orochimaru's field of vision as he grinned darkly.
"Whether we intervene or not, it doesn't matter. This village will burn, all we need do is watch and wait, and of course..."
He chuckled aloud. The wind ceasing all around them as Orochimaru gazed at the setting sun with a psychopathic grin.
"Enjoy the show the Akatsuki will grant us."
〰️➿〰️
Naruko paced back in forth in the large living room as her mother giggled aloud at her. She turned to her mother with a glare, but the blush on her face as she did so only served to increase the intensity of her mothers laughter.
"Oh Naruko, getting so worried over a simple dinner, it will be fine honey!" Kushina said, wiping a tear of laughter from her eye.
"B-But what if he doesn't like the food! O-Or he is offput by the large table! And what about the plates!" Naruko said with worry, much to Kushina's amusement.
"You never act this way when Sasuke comes over. Also the plates? Your worrying too much honey." Kushina said.
"Because I've known Sasuke forever, what are you even getting at!" Naruko replied with a blush.
"Come on now dear, stop messing with Naruko." Minato said descending down the stairwell with a grin.
"Oh fine!" Kushina said with a giggle.
"Besides, Naruko doesn't wanna be blushing when Yuma comes, otherwise he'll think less of her!" Minato said, winking at his daughter who now resembled a tomato once more.
"Not you too dad! Its not like that all ya know!" Naruko whined in dismay.
"Sure, sure, whatever you say. Is the food ready Kushina?" Minato asked.
"Yep! Now all we have to wait for is the guests." Kushina said.
As if in response to Kushina's words, the door bell rung, bringing out an excited smile from Naruko as she ran for the front door.
"Coming!" She shouted as she bounded for the door, flinging it open with a huge smile.
"Welcome to my lovely abode Yu- oh, its just you. Come in Sasuke." Naruko said with a hint of disappointment.
"First of all, rude. Second of all, he's right behind me." Sasuke said with a snort, pointing behind himself to the silent Yuma who was looking very uncomfortable and out of his element.
"H-Hey Naruko, so uh, i'm here haha..." Yuma said awkwardly.
'Way to be redundant idiot.' Yuma thought, scolding himself over his lack of social skills.
"Hey Yuma! I'm glad you made it! Come on in!" Naruko said with a blinding smile.
"I exist..." Sasuke deadpanned.
"Yeah, yeah okay. Anyways come on Yuma!" Naruko said ignoring Sasuke and grabbing Yuma by the hand, dragging him into her mansion.
Yuma marveled at the extravagant setup of the Hokage manor, green envy shining in his eyes. He was so enthralled in the mansion, that he hadn't even noticed he was essentially holding hands with Naruko. While being dragged around by Naruko, an audible cough was heard, as if someone where trying to garner his and Naruko's attention.
"Naruko, I know your excited to have your teammates over for dinner, but if you would please stop dragging poor Yuma around like a rag doll, then it would be most appreciated." Minato said, as Naruko reddened in the face quickly.
"Oh my! Already holding hands!" Kushina chirped from inside the kitchen.
"N-No! I was just showing him around! Its not like that! Right Yuma?" Naruko yelled, turning to Yuma for back up.
He was no longer beside, as he was pulled aside by Minato. Naruko saw her dad whisper something into Yuma's ear that made his eyes light up with excitement.
"Really! This weekend!" Yuma asked Minato with an expression that said he couldn't wait.
Minato nodded with a smile.
"Yes!" Yuma proclaimed, much to Naruko's confusion.
"What was that about Yuma?" Naruko asked with a cute tilt of her head, as Yuma had walked back to her and Sasuke.
"O-Oh! Nothing much! don't worry about it..." Yuma said, brushing her off.
Naruko frowned at that.
"Anyways, lets go eat. I'm pretty sure Yuma and you will clear most of the table..." Sasuke said with a sigh.
"Oh? I know our Naruko is a hefty eater, but how is Yuma gonna clear the table?" Kushina asked as they all took their seats at the dining table.
"Lets just say between the two of them, I don't know who's worse." Sasuke said with a smirk that irked Yuma in a way.
"Be careful Sasuke, your arrogance is showing." Yuma joked.
"Haha, how comical. Are you a comedian, because if not, you should really become a comedian." Sasuke joked back in a deadpan tone.
Minato laughed heartily catching everyone's attention. Yuma looked at him, slightly spooked by seeing the arguably strongest kage in the world laugh in such a kind and gentle way.
'I wonder how many people he has killed with those hands of his?' Yuma thought darkly, as he sat down.
He turned his head to see what was on the table. His eyes widened and his mouth immediately became wet as he ogled all of the delicious looking dishes set on the table. Naruko saw this, and giggled.
"You must be hungry huh Yuma?" Naruko asked with a smile that caught Yuma off guard.
"Huh? Oh, yeah. I was training for most of the day so-."
"Training? With who?" Minato interjected.
"Oh, with Kabuto. He is a medical ninja we met on our mission to the wave. When we were there he had promised me to teach me medical ninjutsu." Yuma explained.
Minato sighed in relief.
"I see, medical ninjutsu huh? So, do you want to be a medical ninja? They're quite helpful to the village." Minato asked Yuma with a kind smile.
"O-Oh, I don't know what I want be per-say..." Yuma responded somewhat quietly, his conversation with Kabuto concerning Naruko and Sasuke coming back to him.
"I think that would be perfect for you Yuma! Then you could be safe and leave the fighting to me and Sasuke!" Naruko said.
Yuma did not like the implications behind that statement one bit.
"W-Well I can fight with you guys too..." Yuma said, trying to smile.
"Yeah, but it would still be nice to keep you out of harms way." Naruko said back.
'What am I? A baby in need of protecting?' Yuma thought, becoming irritated.
"I agree, besides, its safer for you that way." Sasuke said with a nod of his head.
"...okay." Yuma said, an air of annoyance in his tone that did not go unnoticed.
"O-Of course we still can count on you to help us when we need ya, so you won't always have to be on the sidelines you know!"
"..." Yuma stayed silent.
"U-Um...lets eat!" Naruko said, trying to keep the mood up.
"Yeah!" Kushina said in agreement, trying to aid her daughter.
The entire dinner was amazing, they ate and joked around for around in hours as they scarfed down food. Everyone was having fun, enjoying the happy mood and eating at the table with one another as if they were one big happy family.
Everyone except Yuma that is.
Once the dinner was over Sasuke bid the Namikaze family goodbye, heading back to his home in the Uchiha district for some much deserved rest. Naruko bid him farewell, as she walked outside with Yuma, trying to bring back his good spirits.
"Isn't the moon pretty tonight?" Naruko said walking alongside Yuma down the street.
"...Sure."
"Man, that was a great dinner right! Why don't you come again next month!" Naruko said, trying once more to get more then a one letter response from Yuma.
"...I'm good."
"Ahaha...You okay?" Naruko finally asked as she laughed nervously, realizing nothing she was saying was getting through to him.
Yuma remained silent.
"L-Look, if this is about what we said in the house, then I'm sorry. I just thought that-!?"
Yuma finally snapped.
"That what? I'm a baby who needs your protection? That I'm a weakling who is only good for support? Oh poor pathetic weak Yuma! Stay behind and let us do all the work! Your only gonna get in the way! Is that it?" Yuma said through clenched teeth, unable to yell as he was too mentally tired out.
"N-No, that's not what I meant at a-!?"
"And stop following me! I can walk home by myself!" Yuma said in a huff, running off before Naruko could finish her sentence.
Naruko stood underneath the light of the street corner, dumb founded over what had just happened. She looked down at the sidewalk floor with a sad frown, walking back to her home. While she walked down the sidewalk, she huffed in an irritated way.
"That's not what I meant ya know..."
And thus ended the Tuesday night dinner at the Hokage Mansion, a soft breeze carrying through the street as the down trodden Naruko walked home in weak spirits.