Watching Kakashi flee the scene, Naruto's gaze dropped to the kunai his "attacker" had left behind.
"Naruto!" Sakura's voice came out strained. "Can you put me down now?"
Naruto had grabbed her around the waist and carried her like a sack of grain. The position was deeply undignified, especially with Sasuke standing right there watching.
She should be grateful for the rescue. She was grateful. But being hauled around like luggage in front of Sasuke-kun was mortifying.
Naruto glanced down, seeming to just notice he was still holding her. "Oh, right."
He simply opened his hand.
Sakura dropped straight to the ground, landing in an undignified sprawl.
This is somehow even worse, she thought, face flaming as she scrambled upright.
Naruto ignored her embarrassment entirely, walking over to collect the abandoned kunai. He examined it carefully before tucking it into his pocket.
"Alright, Sakura's safe. Sasuke, let's head back to training." Naruto turned to leave.
"Sure," Sasuke agreed.
The two walked off together without a backward glance.
Sakura stood alone in the street, watching them disappear. A cold autumn wind picked up, making everything feel even more desolate.
Back at the farm, Sasuke headed directly to his usual training spot.
Naruto made for the kitchen, where Nine-Tails was already deep into dinner preparation. "Hey, can you make an extra bento for me? Eel over rice would be good."
"Of course, Naruto!" Nine-Tails didn't even look up from his work, spatula moving with practiced precision.
After eating his own dinner, Naruto collected the carefully prepared bento and set out for Kakashi's apartment. He'd just dislocated both of the jonin's arms. Kakashi definitely couldn't feed himself right now.
A student visiting his injured teacher with food was perfectly natural.
Not that Naruto was acknowledging their real connection. That ball was entirely in Kakashi's court.
As a lifelong bachelor, Kakashi lived modestly. His apartment was small, functional, and showed no particular care for aesthetics. He simply didn't require much.
Naruto knocked on the door. Thud, thud, thud.
"Who's there?" Kakashi's voice carried surprise. He rarely received visitors. Except for that guy who never stopped talking about youth...
Kakashi approached the door and opened it with his foot, hands still immobilized.
His visible eye widened when he saw Naruto standing in the hallway.
Naruto looked equally surprised, but for different reasons. His gaze locked on Kakashi's arms suspended from neck slings. "Kakashi-sensei! What happened to your hands?"
The genuine shock in Naruto's expression made Kakashi relax internally. Good. My disguise worked. He doesn't know it was me. He mentally gave himself a thumbs up.
"Ah, well..." Kakashi fumbled for an explanation. "I fell on my way home. It was a very specific type of fall. Unusual. Have you ever seen someone fall and dislocate both shoulders simultaneously?"
"Really?" Naruto's tone dripped with skepticism.
"Anyway," Kakashi deflected, "it's after school hours. What brings you here, Naruto?"
"Can I come in to talk, sensei?" Naruto peered past Kakashi into the apartment.
Kakashi hesitated. He's only twelve. He probably won't notice the smell. After a moment's consideration, he stepped aside. "Sure, come in."
Naruto entered carrying his bento box. He set it on the small dining table and made himself comfortable on a chair, acting like he owned the place.
Suddenly, his nose twitched. "Kakashi-sensei, what's that smell?"
Kakashi's heart jumped into his throat. "Smell? I don't smell anything." He took an exaggerated sniff through his nose.
"No, I definitely smell something." Naruto's enhanced senses had caught the faint scent immediately. "It's kind of... floral? Like heather, maybe?"
Oh no.
"Let me check where it's coming from." Naruto stood and began following the scent trail, which led directly toward Kakashi's bedroom.
"Wait, no, really there's nothing—" Kakashi rushed after him, face flushing beneath his mask. He casually positioned himself near the bed and gave a light kick, sending a wadded white item sliding under the frame. "See? Nothing at all."
"Huh." Naruto glanced around the room with apparent innocence. His gaze landed on a book beside the bed—his sharp vision automatically picking up details. The cover showed blurred, pixelated sections that suggested adult content. "Maybe I'm imagining things. I've been stressed lately. Could be olfactory hallucinations?"
"Yes!" Kakashi seized the explanation eagerly. "That must be it. Stress can do strange things to the senses." He gestured toward the living room. "So, what did you want to talk about?"
Naruto returned to the main room and settled back at the table. He pushed the bento box toward Kakashi. "Your fingers are injured, so you can't cook. I brought you dinner."
"Oh." Genuine warmth entered Kakashi's visible eye. "That's very thoughtful, Naruto. Thank you."
"Also," Naruto said, his tone shifting to something more serious, "on our way home from training, we ran into a robber. It was pretty scary."
Kakashi's expression flickered with manufactured concern. "A robber? Are you all okay?"
Naruto gestured at the bento. "Can you even eat like that, sensei?"
Kakashi looked at his immobilized arms with helpless resignation. Both hands hung useless in their slings, completely unable to function.
"Here, I'll feed you." Naruto opened the bento box, revealing perfectly grilled eel over fluffy white rice, the whole thing drizzled with rich, savory sauce.
The aroma hit Kakashi's nose immediately. His stomach responded with enthusiasm.
But hearing Naruto offer to feed him stirred complicated emotions.
"Come on, open up." Naruto scooped a spoonful of eel and rice, holding it toward Kakashi's mouth.
"Thank you, Naruto." After a moment's hesitation, Kakashi accepted the offered bite.
His eye widened instantly. "This is incredible! Did you make this yourself?"
"Yeah." Naruto's tone was carefully casual as he prepared another spoonful. "I've been alone since I was little. No one to take care of me. Had to learn to cook for myself, do my own laundry, everything really..."
Kakashi's mouth remained closed despite the approaching spoon. He'd fallen silent, lost in thought.
"Sensei?" Naruto asked, tone innocent. "Something wrong?"
"Ah, no. Nothing." Kakashi shook off a wave of guilt and opened his mouth for the next bite.
"Oh, right!" Naruto continued as he fed Kakashi. "That robber I mentioned? He grabbed Sakura and held her hostage. I had to fight him off. Ended up dislocating both his arms to make him let go."
He paused deliberately, meeting Kakashi's eye. "Now that I think about it... the injuries were exactly the same as yours, Kakashi-sensei. What a weird coincidence, right?
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