Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ 11 Ways ❯ Cranky ( Chapter 8 )

Eight: Absence

 

The first time Sakura was gone for a long-term mission Kakashi was cranky.

 

She'd been assigned for a seven month jaunt that had now turned into nine and a half and they still weren't sure exactly when she would be back.

 

Not only was she out there without any of the remnants of team 7…

 

Not only was he not there to work beside her and protect her if need be…

 

Not only was she being delayed for who knew what reasons…

 

Not only had the last communication from her been over two weeks ago…

 

Not only did they not know how much longer her mission would take…

 

But...but...he missed her.

 

That did not sit well with a ninja who had practiced emotional distancing for all of his adult life.

 

The woman didn't even have the decency to be around for him to pin the blame to; at least then he would've been able to get angry at her, maybe take it out in a spar, or at the very least he could've pointedly ignored her to get the point across to all those watching that he was not attached.

 

However, with her not being there he could only get mad at himself and mentally beat himself up as he tried to convince himself over and over that what felt like missing her was actually just indigestion. A continual indigestion...that just conveniently happened to have been plaguing him for the past few months…and refused to go away from the antacids prescribed to him by the medic nins even when they couldn't find anything physically wrong with his stomach…or intestinal tract…or well, anything.

 

He was normally reticent and silent, a man-of-few-words type. The fact had not gone unnoticed by his friends that he spoke even less than normal now and that when he did speak it was typically to snap at someone. Even his trademark glares at some of the more inane antics among those around him (namely Genma) had taken on more of a lethal quality.

 

However they learned quickly that one absolute way to incite his ire was to ask him about it and show concern about the way he was acting. That was sure to involve a quick kunai to the head and each of them had to face enough enemies that they didn't want to face it on the home front too.

 

Which is why when a certain pink haired kunoichi finally arrived home - four months later than expected - no one bothered to inquire as to why his rampant `indigestion' had suddenly disappeared.