Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ If Only You Knew ❯ Dealing ( Chapter 11 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

Chapter 10 Dealing

The next morning I was woken up by voices coming from the other room.

And just as I had almost blissfully forgotten that I was on this stupid fucking mission.

Save it gaki, was Kyuubi's dry response, get your ass moving, you're running late.

Why should I? I whined, knowing I was acting like a child. But I just couldn't help myself. It's not as though I wanted to be a shinobi in the first place. I pointed out logically as I grudgingly stripped and changed into my 'mask's' clothes.

Actually you did have a choice, Kyuubi pointed right back, And you made that choice when you helped Iruka.

I couldn't argue with this fact. The damn fox was right again.

At my lack of response Kyuubi chuckled.

Don't worry gaki, one day you'll be as smart as me.

Before I could provide a rebuttal its voice faded back into the recesses of my mind, going back to sleep as it always did during the day.

Mentally cursing about stupid foxes and their horrible senses of humor, I finished getting ready, walking to the kitchen where Sasuke, Sakura, Tazuna, and his daughter were all sitting.

Guess Kakashi's still too under the weather to move. It must suck to have such a drawback when using the sharingan.

I too, sat down at the table, pointedly ignoring the pair of dark eyes that were actively observing me. The last thing I needed to do was think about him right now.

Instead I decided to concentrate on the mission.

"Hey Tazuna?" Tazuna's head came up and looked at me in annoyance.

"What do you want, shrimp?" Evidently my 'pet name' from Tazuna was shrimp. What did he care? He was old, and no one ever cares what old people think. But I still couldn't completely suppress the surge of annoyance that shot through me at his insult.

I decided I would not let it slide.

"I just have a question old man." I took satisfaction in the fact that his eyebrow started twitching at 'old man.' "Did Kakashi sensei leave directions with you on what we're supposed to while he in incapacitated?"

"No, he didn't." Tazuna replied in surprise, shocked that such a thought had actually occurred to me.

Surprisingly enough Kakashi chose that moment to hobble into the room on a makeshift crutch.

Tazuna's daughter, of whose name I can't and really don't care to remember, shot out of her seat at the sight.

"Kakashi-sama!" she exclaimed melodramatically. "You really shouldn't be up! Let me help you back to bed!"

Oh gods, I thought in disgust, could she be any more fucking obvious? I guess she figures since Kakashi is a shinobi, and a jounin at that her troubles would over if she landed him as a lover.

Just that thought alone was enough to make me laugh out loud.

Everyone's gaze landed on me, Tazuna's daughter glaring at me as she did so. Hmm, it's amazing even here people instinctively hate me. Hmmm, it must be my amazing charisma. The others merely stared at me with a type of fascination, as if the depression the air were so, well depressing, that they couldn't imagine what was funny.

Eventually I looked down and everyone decided to go back to sulking and brooding.

Except of course the daughter, she kept on flirting with Kakashi, so inept when it came to body language, that she couldn't tell he was ignoring her.

Finally the whole spectacle of one-sided flirting grew old tiresome, the reason why I was not willing to acknowledge, so I decided to break it up.

"So Kakashi-sensei since you're on crutches does that mean you're going to train us?" I asked, plastering what I hoped was a stupid, goofy grin on my face.

Finally give an excuse to shrug out of the annoying woman's grasp, he beamed at me in thankfulness.

Trust me you moron, it wasn't for your benefit. I just dislike seeing people making fools out of themselves.

"Yes!"

Creeped out by this I asked, somewhat rudely.

"Then could we get started sometime today?"

Sakura, Tazuna, and his daughter all looked at me in shock.

I didn't care. I was impatient to get out of this house. Everyone and everything here was starting to drive me crazy. If I didn't get somewhere I could breathe and soon I would not be held responsible for my actions.

Getting over the initial rudeness of my question, Kakashi finally came back to his senses.

"All right. Sakura, Sasuke, and Naruto." he announced in a somewhat authorative voice.

"Hai" Sakura squeaked.

"Hn." Sasuke grunted.

"Yeah!" I yelped, hand in the air like I'd just won a grand prize.

"Let's go." He commanded dramatically, hobbling slowly and awkwardly out the door.

I almost burst out laughing again at the sight.

Having had no idea where he would lead us, it was much to my pleasant surprise when we were led to a local forest. We came upon a clearing not too deep into the forest and it was there he stopped. It was obvious from his body language that this was as far as he could go in his current condition.

"So what type of training are you going to have us do Kakashi sensei?" Sakura asked after a moment, undisguised curiosity in her voice.

Kakashi went on to explain that the exercise he wanted us to perform would help with chakra control. Demonstrating he showed us that you have to manipulate just enough to chakra to your feet. The other two were wondering why he was even molding chakra to his feet, when he suddenly started to climb a tree with only his feet touching the surface...and he didn't fall off.

Somehow I managed to look as enthralled as the other two.

Kyuubi had taught me this exercise when I was five.

Once he thought we had grasped the main concept, Kakashi had us practice. Announcing that once we reached the top he would consider us as having passed this block of training.

Sasuke struggled with it, and of course so did 'I'.

Sakura, amazingly enough, had finally found something she was good at. Good now maybe she'll realize her true calling, build a nest, and never come down.

Kakashi passed Sakura, but told Sasuke and I that we were to stay keep at it until we could mark the top with a kunai.

He dismissed Sakura, telling her to go guard Tazuna at the bridge. Wishing he had left with her, I continued to 'practice.' I would have to keep this charade up until Kakashi left.

Speaking of which, had just walked up behind me.

"Need any help?" Kakashi whispered into my ear, attempting to be stealthy. I rolled my eyes. Someone should probably explain to him, the conspicuousness of his crutch, and the fact that he sucks at stealth with it.

"No." I replied, falsely sugar coating my tone. "But if you don't get away from me you're going to need help removing that crutch from your ass."

Chuckling amusedly, Kakashi let me have my way, after all, he was really in no condition to do anything to me anyway.

Eventually he left...leaving me alone with Sasuke.

Oh Gods, I thought to myself, please let the bastard just concentrate on his training for once. Beside, unlike me he actually needs it.

Luckily Sasuke was too busy actually trying to conduct the training to bother me.

Just for my own deliverance form boredom I let him think he was winning I started to 'catch up' to him little by little as I had to make it appear I was making some effort at this training.

I heard his outraged cry when he made this observation, smiling smugly, not caring if he saw.

But of course he did.

"Just what the fuck is your deal?" he screeched at me.

The amusement faded and that annoying pain that I had thought long gone suddenly flared up as he addressed me directly for the first time since our little altercation.

Knowing I wouldn't be able to keep my composure, I walked off without answering him. His eyes burning into my back the entire time.

I knew what would calm my nerves...and that was a run through the forest.

But not in my current visage.

After all that's what my other form is for.

My human form and the other that I use very rarely, which is youkai form.

I barely ever it though, the reason being it's extremely hard to shift back into human form once in it.

That is how alluring being in the other form is. Today though, I needed it. Needed to run through the forest wild and untamed to remind me of what my real purpose was and to clear my head.

Hanyous of course, cannot usually shift, but I wasn't exactly what you'd call a normal hanyou.

I conjured the image I needed in my mind and felt my tendons and bones start to crack and reshape themselves to fit the form that I wanted.

I had stripped for this. Clothes generally tend to tear when you change shape. It was always extremely painful too. We are talking about your body contorting into an entirely different shape so of course it's going to hurt.

When I am finished, I always feel more alive.

I have to be careful though, foxes that are abnormally large and golden tend to raise too many questions, as well as eyebrows. I imagine that would be especially true in these parts.

I immediately take off running, once the change is over, nowhere in mind to go, just running blindly, jumping over rotting logs, raised tree roots, and anything else that happened to be in my path.

Exhilaration fills my every pore as I do so.

This is what it means to be alive.

Thoughts of Sasuke, of everything that has been causing me strife, slip from my mind as I concentrate all of my effort into just feeling.

Something in the past that I've never been able to do.

I finally realize how late it's getting and bring my pace back to a somewhat normal gait, heading over to where I had left my clothes...only to find a smug, fucking bastard holding said garments in his hands once I arrive.

His eyes widen slightly when he sees me in my other form, but soon that familiar arrogant look is back in place.

His smirk grows, as if somehow sensing my displeasure at his being there.

"Why dobe." he drawled. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you weren't happy to see me.