For Naruto, the days and weeks melted together.<\/p>\n
Every morning he would watch Sasuke disappear down the long, damp hall with Kabuto, then trudge off in the opposite direction for solitary training.<\/p>\n
Sometimes he would encounter the white-haired medic, busily delivering trays of medicine to and fro down the corridors. With that fawning smile, Kabuto would politely remind him that the door was always open\u2026.<\/p>\n
\u201cNaruto-kun, a training regimen like Sasuke-kun\u2019s would greatly accelerate your skill\u2014\u201c<\/p>\n
Naruto never let him finish. Instead he\u2019d shove past him without a word, leaving Kabuto still smiling under the lamplight.<\/p>\n
He wanted no part of Kabuto\u2019s \u2018training regimen.\u2019 Pumping drugs into your veins was no training.<\/p>\n
Sometimes Orochimaru was with the medic. He was courteous as well, but he never pushed the way Kabuto did. He was more reserved\u2026but always watching.<\/p>\n
Naruto couldn\u2019t decide which man he hated more.<\/p>\n
If it weren\u2019t for Sasuke, he knew he would never have come here. But lately he had even begun to question that.<\/p>\n
It felt like Sasuke didn\u2019t need his help after all. And he didn\u2019t like the way that felt.<\/p>\n
Stretching back on his pallet one night, staring up at the chinked stones and moss that made up his world now, Naruto knew something had to give.<\/p>\n
He and Sasuke no longer spoke at night. He had nothing to share, and Sasuke was concealing more and more about his days. Naruto didn\u2019t know if it was because Sasuke knew he didn\u2019t approve of the meds\u2026or because he was moving so far ahead in his training. And Naruto just wasn\u2019t.<\/p>\n
Naruto grit his teeth. He really didn\u2019t know what the hell he was doing here.<\/p>\n
Sasuke scraped the door open, clearly exhausted, and threw himself on his bed with a great sigh. Naruto blew out a low breath and turned on his side to face the wall.<\/p>\n
After several minutes of oppressive silence, Sasuke shifted on his bedding and rallied himself to speak instead of passing immediately out.<\/p>\n
\u201cH-Hey Naruto?\u201d There was a note of uncertainty in his tired voice. \u201cAre you doing okay? I mean, I know it\u2019s not exactly how we thought it would be, but\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n
Naruto shoulder jerked with a half-hearted shrug.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo I\u2019ve been thinking\u2026these guys I\u2019ve been up against. They\u2019re bigger, stronger than any of the Konoha nins I ever knew\u2014\u201c Naruto seemed to sink even deeper into the bedding. Sasuke quickly rephrased. \u201cI mean, they\u2019re different from any<\/em> nins I\u2019ve met. So I don\u2019t have to hold back. I can go as far as I want.\u201d<\/p>\n Sasuke watched Naruto\u2019s unmoving back for a moment before continuing. \u201cAnd\u2026I was thinking you should be doing that too. Going up against anybody you can. I know you don\u2019t want to take the meds\u2026and you don\u2019t have to,\u201d he added in a rush, \u201cbut that doesn\u2019t mean your training should come to a halt.\u201d<\/p>\n Naruto shrugged carelessly again, but something tight in his chest was unwinding at Sasuke\u2019s words. He realized he\u2019d been afraid Sasuke had forgotten about him.<\/p>\n A ragged sigh escaped. \u201cYeah, I guess,\u201d he said quietly.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll talk to them in the morning,\u201d Sasuke said firmly. \u201cThat taijutsu\u2019s got to be driving you crazy.\u201d<\/p>\n Naruto snorted. Sasuke laughed, clearly relieved to be finally getting some kind of reaction.<\/p>\n \u201cIf I\u2019m learning new stuff, you need to be learning new stuff too. We\u2019re still in this together, right?\u201d Sasuke\u2019s coaxing smile colored his voice. \u201cTogether, right?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah\u2026. Together.\u201d Naruto flopped back on the pallet and dared a glance at Sasuke. In that moment, any distance\u00a0 in their friendship, real or imagined, faded away. Sasuke smiled \u2014 a rare thing, they both knew \u2014 and Naruto remembered why he\u2019d left with Sasuke in the first place. They were partners now.<\/p>\n A corner of Naruto\u2019s mouth tugged up. He stretched back on his pallet quickly before his face broke into a high-wattage beam. Sasuke laughed, reading his mind, and bedded down, but Naruto clasped his hands behind his head and grinned up into the darkness.<\/p>\n And wasn\u2019t this proof that they were partners? Knowing what was troubling him and finding a way to fix it? That must be a sign of a true<\/em> bond between them. Naruto closed his eyes, feeling better than he had in weeks.<\/p>\n The next morning, Sasuke was true to his words. Instead of sitting obediently in the lab chair while Kabuto pulled out the tray of prepared injections, Sasuke remained standing instead.<\/p>\n Orochimaru looked up a chart and tipped his head thoughtfully at Sasuke.<\/p>\n \u201cSomething on your mind, Sasuke-kun?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNaruto,\u201d he said firmly. \u201cHe is unhappy. And his training is insufficient,\u201d he declared.<\/p>\n \u201cAh,\u201d Orochimaru said with a tight smile and laid the clipboard on the table. \u201cThat doesn\u2019t surprise me. I believe he was under Jiraiya\u2019s tutelage for a little while?\u201d Sasuke nodded. Orochimaru\u2019s smile turned to a grimace. \u201cYes the boy is just like him,\u201d he said with distaste. \u201cImpatient and hard-headed. Only learns through physical means. You two are so very different\u2026.\u201d His voice turned silken. \u201cI\u2019m surprised you\u2019re so fond of him, Sasuke-kun\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n Orochimaru let a finger glide down the edge of the table and fixed him with a penetrating gaze.<\/p>\n Sasuke glared thunderously back. \u201cI don\u2019t know what the hell you are talking about, but he\u2019s my teammate, and if you\u2019re not going to help him too, then\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh don\u2019t worry on that account, Sasuke-kun.\u201d Orochimaru\u2019s coy smile returned. \u201cI told you I understand about Konoha teammates. Jiraiya was very much the same as Naruto. Just as loyal\u2026and just as stubborn.\u201d<\/p>\n Orochimaru crossed the room to a large rack of scrolls. His fingers floated over the alphabetically organized shelves, stopping at the \u201cJ,\u201d then pulled out a scroll that was thicker than the rest.<\/p>\n \u201cKabuto had hoped he would come around,\u201d Orochimaru spoke while perusing the scroll, \u201caccept the enhancements and then be able to spar with you. But I had my doubts.\u201d He smiled once. \u201cNaruto-kun is like Jiraiya after all. And no shortcuts will do\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n He read more, opening the scroll farther. \u201cBut I think he<\/em> will do nicely\u2026.\u201d Orochimaru nodded to himself. \u201cYes, vast reserves of power. Some untapped<\/em> talents, shall we say\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n Sasuke looked skeptical. \u201cNaruto is very strong, he shouldn\u2019t be put up against just anyone\u2014\u201c<\/p>\n \u201cOh don\u2019t worry. I think our Naruto-kun will find this one an even match. He\u2019s pleasant enough,\u201d Orochimaru\u2019s eyes glittered, \u201cbut he hides a dark secret.\u201d<\/p>\n Sasuke frowned, but kept any reservations to himself. Naruto would just have to withstand whatever Orochimaru had in store for him.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd now that he\u2019s<\/em> sufficiently entertained, let\u2019s get back to you<\/em> Sasuke-kun,\u201d he drawled, holding his arm out for Sasuke to take a seat.<\/p>\n Sasuke slowly did as he was told. Orochimaru passed the scroll back to Kabuto. Kabuto\u2019s eyebrows hitched up., but he nodded approvingly at the choice.<\/p>\n \u201cOh, and be sure to separate him from Kimmimaro a few hours before they spar.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHai,\u201d Kabuto said, tucking the scroll in his pocket.<\/p>\n Orochimaru smiled down at Sasuke and patted him on the shoulder. \u201cNow then, where were we\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n Kabuto stepped around to Sasuke\u2019s exposed arm and primed the injection. Silver fluids dribbled out the end of the needle.<\/p>\n He smoothed back Sasuke\u2019s pale skin, thumbing down the flesh until he found a fat blue vein, and re-gripped the end of the shot. His silver glasses flashed.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019ll feel a slight pinch,\u201d he said with the ghost of a smile. Then he pushed the needle in.<\/p>\n Sasuke grit his teeth, hating Kabuto for his stupid joke. He closed his eyes as the liquid fire burned through his veins.<\/p>\n Orochimaru watched him with hungry interest.<\/p>\n Finished, Kabuto pulled out the needle, turned back to the clipboard and jotted down a few notes. Then he rolled the paper into a scroll and returned it to the empty spot on the shelf marked \u201cS.\u201d<\/p>\n For Naruto, the days and weeks melted together. Every morning he would watch Sasuke disappear down the long, damp hall with Kabuto, then trudge off in the opposite direction for solitary training. Sometimes he would encounter the white-haired medic, busily delivering trays of medicine to and fro down the corridors. With that fawning smile, Kabuto […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[19],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-931","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-a-single-step","has-post-title","has-post-date","has-post-category","has-post-tag","has-post-comment","has-post-author"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p5hctF-f1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/swirlingpetals.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/931","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/swirlingpetals.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/swirlingpetals.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swirlingpetals.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swirlingpetals.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=931"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/swirlingpetals.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/931\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3183,"href":"https:\/\/swirlingpetals.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/931\/revisions\/3183"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/swirlingpetals.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=931"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swirlingpetals.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=931"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swirlingpetals.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=931"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}