Naruto : Uchiha : Chapter 92

She didn't show it, but she truly was shocked. Letting her fingernails scratch his scalp soothingly, she let him pour out all that he was hiding from her.

But one question remained nagging her - how had she not seen it?

...

The boy truly had done a marvelous job to hide these things from her, if what Tobirama was saying was, in fact, actually true.

"Trust me on this one Mito…" the woman did pay full attention to him, "If I've learned one thing over the years I've seen him grow - it's to never push Naruto to where he doesn't want to go.

He takes after his grandfather way too much in those regards." her whole body stiffened hearing that.

The 'Ghost of the Uchiha' was as much of a menace on the battlefield as he was off of it, there were tales pertaining to the legendary shinobi where he had outright snapped people's necks if someone were to push him over the edge on his evening strolls.

And unlike Naruto, who had a really high boiling point if she had 'never' seen him go over the edge…Madara had been much, much more volatile. It did ease her worries a bit, worries that shouldn't have been there in the first place.

But still…

"Surely you're over exaggerating Tobirama…" she said, a small hesitant laugh escaping her lips involuntarily. "I mean how can my adorable little thing be so-" she said, before stopping abruptly seeing his eyes looking at her furiously.

Tobirama, due to his ever stoic nature, didn't show it but he was seething on the inside. To think she was taking this as a joke, the woman actually had the gall to laugh at his warning!

"You think of this as some sort of joke?" he hissed, she blinked hearing him so angry. Mito clearly hadn't meant it, not that Tobirama was in any mood for her excuses. "Remember this?" slapping her hand over his chest, rubbing it forcefully over a spot where she could feel the uneven bulges; Mito nodded.

She did remember that. It was one of Tobirama's worst injuries to date, she herself had treated approximately five years ago. Not even his last battle's scars were anything to the condition he had walked in that day.

The Uzumaki heiress had almost suffered cardiac arrest seeing the ever strong Tobirama, scorched like a burnt coal, walking in her house, bleeding to death!

The man had a gaping hole scissoring right through his left lung. But that had been merely a training accident from what she remembered, a new forbidden technique that had backfired. What did it have to do with;

"This was my mark from Naruto."

His words cut her heart like a knife, splitting it in two. Violet eyes turning wide, she jarred at him in shock, "T-That can't b-be…" whispering more so to herself, her mind couldn't fathom it. "H-He was only eight then, and even if he could Naruto would never attack you-"

"That…" interrupting her in half, in a moment of surprise Tobirama laughed, "is where you're wrong Mito." he chuckled, seeing her in such a messed state he couldn't help but laugh.

Laughing at her misery, had he fallen so low? But seeing the ever regal and uncaring heiress so bewildered, it just wasn't possible to stay calm.

"There is only one…" Mito's eyes followed his finger swinging, each stroke it made left and right in a scolding manner made her heart race, "one person in this whole world who Naruto won't attack, even if she pushes him way too far. He just won't, that is his limit." he told her in a knowing tone.

Everything clicked in Mito's mind, she could guess who it was. She knew the boy like the back of her hand, there was only one person who Naruto looked at with such adoration that it almost made her almost envy it. If only ever so slightly…

"Tsunade…" his finger poked her nose with an informed nod, and she sat; just sat. The grandmother of two still couldn't fathom his words from prior, Naruto would never raise a hand against her - or would he?!

"But why her?" her question wasn't lost to Tobirama, he knew she'd ask that. "He loves me, hell he loves you! There's just no way." she argued fiercely. The way she said it did appall him a bit, not the referral to Tsunade part; but the 'hell he loves you part'.

What the hell was he - unlovable or something?

Surely not.

As if.

Maybe…

Seeing her eyes looking at him for an answer he shook his head off idle thoughts, "This isn't the time for that Mito…" he said. Realization washed over her face like glacial waters, her stomach coiling like a snake.

The Meeting!

Throwing his comforters aside, "That's why I have to go-" he urged.

She cut him off with a snarl, "No, absolutely not!" Mito hissed.

Her shout did surprise him, hadn't he made his point clear enough, "I'll go." she told him. Raising a slender eyebrow, he hummed in thought. What she said did have merit, the woman did know how to manipulate people if she could manipulate even him, "Are you sure you'll handle it efficiently?" he asked.

Looking at him as if he had somehow scandalized her, Mito's eyebrow's knitted together in utter irritation.

"Who the hell do you think you're talking to?" raising his hands up in defeat, he knew he had crossed an unspoken boundary. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.

"I was the one who fine tuned you in the art of diplomatic affairs Tobirama, you better learn your place." her finger tapped his forehead intimidatingly before the woman was up and about to head over to the meeting chambers.

Tobirama sat in silence, there was absolutely nothing to say. She could handle it;

Ripping off the needles from his arms and chest he stood up to put on a casual shirt, it didn't mean he shouldn't see the show after all.

Being safer than sorry was always the way to go. And this, oh this;

It would certainly be amusing to say the least.

...

Meanwhile

Hatake Households

"I've heard of the accomplishment you and your team achieved during your last mission.." the voice of the speaker was gruff, almost to the point of sounding strict; as if he was born with it. The man who had said it, in question, was a diligently tall man.

His body buff enough to make most, if not all men a bit nervous just by standing in the cover of his shadow. Eyes a rare shade of brown, lacking so much as a hint of emotion in their recesses drilled into the person he had currently engaged in a conversation.

A conversation that one could dare argue for a confrontation.

But it was just an opinion, nothing concrete.

"Yes, Father." the polite response was dutiful, sounding almost strained and forced to anyone else but the man whom it had been addressed to, "Your teammate ran in to help while you stayed behind, correct me if I am wrong." he asked, and once more there wasn't any warmth in the man's voice, or any sense of doubt for that matter.

Clearly he knew that he wasn't wrong, it was just an intimidation tactic being imposed on the opposing party he was conversing with to get his point across.

"No, you're right father." as brief and curt as he could be, Sakumo inclined his head down as a sign of respect. The man in front of him, recognized now as his father, crossed his arms over his chest while silence mulled over the darkly lit room for a few tense moments.

The candles around the room, the only current source of light in these barely lit chambers, flickered each passing second while the large man's eyes almost tried to burn a hole down the boy sitting formally on his knees; right in front of him.

A small, almost non existent twitch of the lips flashed on the man's lips - the man being Masumoto Hatake; the Tranquil Assassin of the Leaf and the current head of the Hatake family. Putting his large hand on top of Sakumo's head, he playfully ruffled his child's hair in a rare but pleasant show of emotion. Sakumo himself sat surprised at the sudden change of mood in his father's heart.

Not that he was complaining, he felt like he was almost going to burst out a joyful smile when he heard the next words that came out of his father's mouth.

"I'm proud of you." it was the first time his father had praised him, and Sakumo couldn't help but look down to hide the embarrassed smile that broke out on his face.

Giving a meek nod, he rubbed his legs together in nervousness.

This was definitely new, but he liked this.

A lot.

"You remembered everything I taught you…" Masumoto continued on his praise. "…never engage an opponent of whom you know nothing about; and never fight any opponent you know you can't defeat. Those are the laws I trained you with."

It didn't sound like praise to anyone, but for Sakumo, who had rarely ever heard his father speak more than a sentence than what was absolutely necessary, it meant the world to him.

"Live by these rules my son, for the way of the assassin is to blend in the shadows until you know that your opponent is dead even before you make a move." determination flashed in

Sakumo's eyes and he nodded joyfully.

"Hai!" pulling back his hand, Masumoto crossed his arms again and delved deep into thought. There was still one thing that was bothering him, a little too much for his liking…

"Your teammate…" looking up, Sakumo tilted his head in confusion. "…Naruto Uchiha, he was the one who rushed in, correct?" giving a timid nod, Sakumo squirmed slightly when his father narrowed his eyes on him. The piercing gaze was as intimidating to him as was a tiger's for his fallen prey's.

"Stay away from him. He's trouble…" Sakumo almost spoke up to protest on instincts alone, but his father raised his hand to shut him up with a subtle shake of his head. "…he's reckless." Sakumo bit his lip nervously. His father was right, Naruto was indeed reckless when it came to making tough decisions.

"His kind, the kind who live and breathe through the moment like mavericks die an early death thinking they can take on the world on ideals alone.

I don't want him influencing you to do something reckless and bringing shame to me. His reputation already isn't the best and his actions don't help it any, I've spoken Sakumo, you will abide."

Sakumo nodded halfheartedly. However reckless he may be, Naruto was still his trusted comrade. But more so than that he was his rival; he was a friend.

His best friend.

Seeing his face face not holding the firmness that it should in his nod, Masumoto decided to emphasize his point a bit more, "You WILL stay away from HIM. AM I CLEAR?" he commanded. The way he had said it, left no room for arguments.

His father had never liked Naruto in the first place, but had never invaded his personal life seeing he was progressing as per the man's expectations each-day everyday.

But today was an exception.

...

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