Envy : The Mission

He put his hand in his pocket, sighing as soon as he realized he was alone at the meeting place. It always came first, I wasn't exactly surprised. It had always been that way, even when I was at the Academy. He had always woken up earlier, didn't like to be late, and walked around the village when it was still waking up.

He looked at the landscape, thinking about the time he had been outside. So much had changed there, while he had other goals. The place had been completely rebuilt after the 4th ninja war, it hardly recognized the place where it had been born.

The situation was still strange. He had not yet adapted well to the routine in the village of Folha. Not wandering around was so strange, he felt so bored leading such an ordinary life. Their missions were all so easy that it was not even worth the effort. Capturing cats, helping ladies, zzz ... It was like being a teenager again, at the beginning of the formation of team 7, at the time when he and Naruto had a close rivalry.

Now, however, even his team was strange. It was as if he was no longer part of it. As soon as he left, they replaced him with someone else. A man named Sai, whom he had met a few days ago. His former companions chattered, whenever they met, how much he and the Uchiha were identical in their way of being, even appearances were similar.

He was offended. I didn't think he looked like you. Naruto, Sakura and Kakashi were crazy about making that kind of comparison. Apart from their black hair, they shared no other traits. Not at all. Their personalities? Insane. Was Sasuke so without feelings and expressions? Well, maybe a little, but Sai outdid himself. Sai outperformed anyone when it came to this issue, no matter how many people in the village said he had improved a lot as soon as he joined the Yamato team, the new captain of team 7.

Sasuke didn't feel as cold and indifferent as people used to say he was. I just didn't feel like talking, most of the time, and I also didn't find it funny in jokes that most people would laugh at. This did not mean that it was how people judged it.

Okay, he had tried to kill his friends several times. Naruto, then, lost count of how many times they had fought, most of them almost to the death. But he didn't regret it. He was not proud, either, but he did what needed to be done. Which seemed right at the time and, proud as it was, he would never regret his actions. He was not the type of person to admit the error of his deeds. He was the one who did what he wanted at the moment and would deal with the consequences of that later. Good or bad.

Impulsive? I didn't think so. He was just carefree, even brave, he thought. Because most of the people I knew were terrified of dealing with the consequences of what they had done. Not him. Not Sasuke Uchiha.

"How do you get there so early? You live on the other side of the village! " A voice brought him out of his daydreams, making him turn his face to see who had arrived. He knew who he was, not by his voice but by logic. It was Tenten.

After he returned to live in the village, some things had changed. With the death of Neji, a tragic loss to Konoha, team 9 had one less member on their team. With so many other losses, and so many missions piling up, they couldn't afford to have one less team. Because he had no one better and also because he was an old acquaintance, he had been relocated to the Gai team.

Of course, they didn't trust him right away. It was necessary there, for having the Sharingan and, now, the Rinnegan, in order to minimize the loss that Byakugan would make in that team as much as possible. But that didn't mean easy. Because of their fault, Lee, Tenten and Gai were forced to stay in the village, since, at first, they were only given missions within Konoha. They were in charge of all internal missions, while the other teams took care of the exterior. He was frustrated, but there was not much he could do about it. I knew I deserved it; after all he had done, it was the least.

"I like to be punctual." He had answered only. He was a man of few words and the new members of his group had no great difficulty with the fact; they were already used to Neji, who also didn't speak much.

He and Tenten always arrived on time, so he knew it was her. Lee and Gai, on the other hand, used to be late, just like Kakashi. There was not a day when the two arrived early and Sasuke honestly did not understand why they were always late. Did they sleep too much and lose time? Or did they just think they could come anytime they wanted? I didn't know, because they never made excuses. They just arrived, as if nothing had happened.

"Leaves? What is he doing here? " The brunette pointed out, suddenly, looking at something behind him. He also turned around, finding the other team's brunette walking towards them. What would you be doing there, in the place where your team would befor the next mission?

"Good Morning." Said the newcomer, greeting them without any further explanation. His expression was the same as ever, if that could be called an expression. In fact, the correct term would be lack of expression. He didn't look at anything in particular, he was just there, neither interested nor disinterested in them or in what happened around them.

"Good Morning?" Exclaimed Mitsashi, still confused by the other's presence. They had not scheduled anything with him there, the Hokage had not warned them that another team would participate in the mission with them. If it was a mission in the village, why would two teams join? He started to think, but his presence didn't make any sense.

They did not have much time to question him, as soon after a pink hair appeared on the horizon, a huge smile on his face, walking towards them. Sasuke and Tenten were not understanding anything, but the Uchiha controlled himself not to ask questions. It was not like him to question things that did not concern him. The senseis would arrive and everything would be right, explained. There was no reason to anticipate the facts.

However, Tenten was not like him. She was very curious, she could not remain silent without knowing what was happening in the place.

"Good morning ..." Sakura began cheerfully, only to be interrupted by the brunette, who had a question mark on her expression.

"What are you two doing here?" Haruno raised his eyebrows, offended by the interruption.

"How, what are we doing here? We will find our team for a mission, of course! "

"We are going to meet our mission team here. Could they not score another point? "

"Look, Tenten, Yamato-sensei just told us to find him here that we were going on a new mission. I didn't know this was your place. "

"Well, no ..." The chocolate-eyed woman felt a little embarrassed by her attack, thinking about it, there was no need for it all. That was not their place, not really, even if they were there every day before they went on missions. He never thought about the possibility of another team meeting with teammates in the same place. "Sorry, I'm just curious. I didn't mean to be rude. "

"Okay, I didn't really take offense. Good morning everyone." Of course she was offended, Sasuke thought, hiding a smile with a yawn. Sakura was offended by anything anyone said, she was very sensitive. They were comrades before, they needed to be together on all missions, so I knew her well. Much more than I would like, by the way. He didn't like to have relationships very much, he was reserved, but he knew every detail of her personality, Naruto and Kakashi. Not that I wanted to, obviously.

However, I didn't think I knew them that much anymore. Some features were still present in them, others were not. But that was not the real problem. From the contact they had, he realized that Sakura and Naruto no longer felt so comfortable around him. I understood, I needed to understand. He had done things to them that they both considered horrible, he never thought he would return and everything would be a thousand flowers.

But that was not what bothered him. What irritated him most was the way they treated their new teammate, Sai. They were so comfortable around him, they treated him like their best friend, they treated him like they used to treat Sasuke. Sakura was all smiles around him and Naruto always challenged him, for anything. He felt betrayed, replaced, he felt bad. He missed his companions. I wanted to be in the other's place, although I would never admit it.

Not that he didn't like being around Tenten, Lee and Gai. They were really fun. Rock Lee still teased him for whatever reason, never seeming to forget the feud they had when they were young. They were not as close as he and Naruto, but they learned to live with each other, with the right to, even, moments of fun.

Tenten was just Tenten. She was a simple girl, with a pure heart, very sincere and curious. She didn't spare words for anything, if she didn't like something it was immediately clear. She had welcomed him very well, acting as if he had never left or caused anyone any suffering. But the best part was that she wasn't in love with him, so you didn't have to worry about her around you all the time.

And Gai, ah Gai. It had been so hard to get used to the new sensei's personality. That's because they were so different. He was very excited, very full of life, he liked to talk and hug and all that, while Sasuke was the opposite. Never out of a thousand smiles out there and not in contact with people. Little by little, however, he and the sensei were getting closer and creating bonds, talking more, understanding each other. Today he could say that he liked his companions, of course, his way.

"Didn't you also receive any information?" He asked Sakura and Sai, who were on the other team. He himself had not been informed that they would meet with any team at the same meeting point as theirs. I really didn't know what to think, wanting everyone to arrive soon so that the situation could be clarified.

"No, Sasuke. They just sent us to meet here at that time, we just know that we are leaving for a new mission. " He remembered very well that Haruno used to walk on his feet, saying Sasuke-kun over here, Sasuke-kun over there. It was soothing and irritating at the same time. He felt free because it showed that she was no longer in love with him. He couldn't respond to the woman's feelings, anyway, and he was happy that she finally realized that. On the other hand, simply calling him Sasuke only reinforced how much their relationship was changed, in a way that he didn't want to happen.

"Hey, guys!" A high-pitched voice appeared in the distance and everyone turned to receive Naruto, who was arriving breathless. He seemed to have run, as if he knew he was late. Well, no more than Lee and Gai. They managed to beat the record. Tenten and Sasuke have already waited more than an hour for both of them!

Sai rolled his eyes, still expressionless. Inside, he thought he was showing irritation, but the truth was, he didn't know how to deal with it very well. With feeling and stuff. He had been created to not show what he felt, or rather, he had been created to feel nothing. So I had a little difficulty with those things, although everyone told him that it had improved a lot.

Late as always. " He commented, crossing his arms. Naruto blew out a breath, pretending to ignore his teammate. He always took his foot for the most diverse reasons, even if he was not the last to arrive. He was late, of course, but if Yamato-sensei was not there, it was obvious that they would wait for him to arrive before they could leave.

Sasuke watched the interaction between the two, his eyes moving between them in a way he couldn't control. It was he who should be there, making that kind of comment to Uzumaki, pestering him about his constant delays. It was his role, his function. No longer. Someone had already occupied it.

The blonde only seemed to notice the presence of the two from the other team as soon as he took a deep breath to catch his breath.

"Sasuke, Tenten-chan, what are you doing here? Are we going on a mission together? " They shrugged, the two brunettes on the same team at the same time. They had no information, but it was Tenten who broke the news.

"I don't know, Naruto. Gai-sensei agreed with us here, but he didn't tell us anything. Probably not, since we are only doing missions within the village. " Mitsashi didn't say that out of malice, just because it was the facts, but still a strange silence settled between them. Everyone knew why the Gai team still continued to do only internal missions.

Sasuke frowned, looking anywhere but at the expression of the Yamato team members; I didn't want to see pity on their faces. He was paying for the consequences of his actions and was not ashamed of it, he knew it was necessary. So it was by no means worthy of pity for the former comrades.

It was Naruto who broke the bad weather, with one of his typical laughs.

"Well, I'm not the only one behind here. The two eyebrows didn't arrive either. " He had a superior expression, as if he somehow was not wrong just because the others were more wrong than he was. But, he hadn't even finished celebrating his victory when they both came running, a clear dispute between sensei andstudent.

"Won! I finally won! " Exclaimed Lee, not even breathing irregularly when he got close to his companions. Gai had a winning smile on his face, despite not winning the race.

"Well done, Lee! Let's keep our youth fire alive! 1000 push-ups for me. " He was about to start paying his punishment when Tenten interrupted, holding his arm.

"Good morning," said the woman, with an unpleasant expression. The two swallowed, knowing that nothing good could come when their teammate had that countenance. "I think it's good that they didn't take long to be in this stupid competition again."

"Tenten-chan ..." I meant the companion of his age, but a look from her silenced him almost immediately. She knew when her friend was not playing games. This time she was serious and looked very stressed.

"Lee and I decided to go around the village 100 times before going on a mission. It is part of our training to… "Even the sensei fell silent as he contemplated how red his student was.

On the other side, Tenten was furious. I could forgive them for being late if they had overslept and forgotten about the mission, but never for leaving them there, in anticipation, together with the Yamato team. If it were 200 laps, how long would you still wait?

"Okay, Tenten. They're here now, aren't they? There is no reason to be stressed. " Sasuke decided to intervene, because if he didn't, the situation would be bad, and fast. The companion was so expressive, often acted as their mother. Not that it was a bad thing, it meant that he cared enough.

She looked with the same expression that she had looked at the other two, but he didn't even move. He was an Uchiha, he had already been face to face with much worse eyes and he didn't even hesitate. They stared at each other for a few seconds, until the brunette took a long breath, as if she had lost a war.

"They can't just keep doing these kinds of things just on a whim. It's disrespectful to both of us, you know. " The brunette nodded in agreement, of course she was right. He was on her side, he also hated waiting. But I didn't want any trouble just before starting a mission, as ridiculous as it probably would be.

"I understand you, you are right."

"Thank you, Sasuke. It's great to not be alone again. " She whispered, her head down, memories of Neji invading her mind. It was always her and Hyuuga against Lee and Gai. The former always waited for the other two, together. That was how they had gotten so close, had so much time to talk while they didn't start training or left for some other village. "You two, we'll understand each other later."

Both shook their heads without hesitation, they did not want to irritate Mitsashi because they were afraid of her reaction and what they could do with them. Gai quickly recovered, assuming the position of that mission's sensei.

"Good morning, team Yamato. Forgive me for the delay. The Gai team is officially on a mission out of the village and you will be accompanying us. Captain Yamato will not be among us, he will stay in the village to help Hokage-sama. Are we going on a mission to Kumogakure (Hidden Cloud Village), any objections? "

Sasuke had several. The main one was that they didn't need a team to accompany them, wasn't the Hokage really aware of the potential of the Gai team? But of course, he knew that Team 7 would not accompany them for simple staffing reasons. It was more than clear to him that they would be watching him, because of course there was still suspicion that he might betray the village again. He wanted to roll his eyes at the situation, but in all those hours he remembered that he deserved it, that he had caused what was happening now. Actions, consequences. That was the law of life.

The worst was knowing that I couldn't blame them. They were just being careful. He was not the only one, of course, Orochimaru was also being watched since he had technically "returned" to the village of Folha. He sighed, throwing out, along with the air, all his irritation at the matter.

"Sasuke-kun?" Asked his sensei, who had felt anguish on the part of the student. She looked at him, waiting for him to speak, but the Uchiha just shook his head. If he didn't want to talk, that's fine. I was going to respect his space. "Very well. Sai, you are responsible for your team, since your sensei will be absent. "

"Why is he responsible? I want to be responsible! " Objected Naruto, arms crossed as he pouted, sulking.

"Because I'm smarter and more capable, of course." Sai replied, ignoring the other's tantrum. It was always like that, I was used to it. Naruto always wanted the things that were given to him, out of pure envy.

"Nothing to see. I also have capacity, a lot of capacity. But they always underestimate me, Sasuke was always put in front of things. "

The owner of the Sharingan and Rinnegan shook his head when all eyes were on him, raising his hand in sign of performance.

"I have nothing to do with it." Withdrawing from the situation, of course. I didn't want to be compared to the pale, black-eyed man. It was much better than that, for sure. He was beginning to be deeply irritated by the comparison made whenever they met. People always managed to relate the two to the same things, which, for him, was totally pointless. He stamped his foot, they were not alike. They never would be.