Kitsune no Akuryō

What does it Mean to Endure?

Kon'nichiwa minna! So I was planning on getting onto the bridge this chapter, but I had a tinsy problem: Inari, and I did want to flesh everything out with him. This chapter is dedicated to that. After this hopefully, we'll get to the climax of this mission...It's weird to see that this mission is taking at least five chapters to get through. Whew... Naruto has just faced off against the formidable anger seal...of his own making. He has escaped thanks to a certain Fox, but who knows what that fox will do or where it might go.

Sasuke Uchiha's P.O.V.

    I was awake when Kakashi-sensei walked into Team 7's quarters. I couldn't really sleep and hadn't seen the sensei around at all. I had heard the door creak, sitting up alert, and saw the sensei, he was carrying a bundle in his arms. Was that the dobe that he was carrying? I perked up when Kakashi-sensei passed by, but he was intent on his destination and didn't even glance my way. I watched as he set the idiot down and settled down a little off from there and closed his eyes. I sat up then. Did he seriously just do that? He was a ninja right? He couldn't keep his eyes open a minute longer after carrying the brat some place?

     I stood up and quietly moved to the door, staring into the night. The night sounds kept me up as I looked this way and that, listening for an intruder. I would not be taken by surprise again. 

    I immediately reached for a kunai in my holster when I felt something brush my shoulder. I looked to found Kakashi-sensei smiling at me, his hand resting on my shoulder. My kunai was against his throat.

     "Morning."

     I grunted, retrieving the kunai and replacing it in my holster.

     I got up as the others were moving to prepare breakfast. The idiot was still sleeping, and Sakura took the time kick him awake before being told off by Kakashi-sensei. I thought that she should have kicked him again just as punishment for sleeping while the rest of us were working.

    The idiot groaned and rolled over in his sleep. Sakura was moving to kick him again when he jerked up and reached under his blanket, looking around with wide eyes. He was breathing quickly. Something was off about his features, but I couldn't place it as the moment passed. He looked like the regular old, dobe Naruto that had jumped into the Academy as a last minute chance at being a shinobi. He had no right. He was nothing like the rest of us, lazier than Shikamaru and scared of every little thing.

     He got up and grinned at us, wide and close-eyed and waved us over to the breakfast table as if we had been the lazy bums. I remained impassive. I wouldn't care. I didn't need him, and he would drop out once things got too hard.

     Breakfast was quiet. Sakura was glaring at Naruto. Kakashi-sensei was talking to Tazuna softly about preparations for the bridge. The quiet was broken by Inari who came bumbling into the kitchen glaring at the lot of us. I glared at him. I knew what he was about to say, and I hated it. The only thing that eased my conscience was that at the moment he was directing his remarks at the idiot, "So you're going to try playing the hero again today?"

    Silence greeted him.

    "Well," Inari was short, clearly irritated, "it's not going to help anything or anyone. You should just stop trying to save everyone."

    The idiot looked hard at his food, locked in position, his lips pressed into a thin line.

    Inari looked sideways at the idiot, "You look tired already. It's not like it'll make much difference if you keep trying."

    "Inari," Tazuna spoke, "eat your breakfast."

    Inari glared at the three of us before setting to his food.