(Naruto x Reader)- My nendo, my ninja way

Chapter 21

A/N: Things start to get ✨spicy✨ in todays chapter, is there some more romance on the horizon? Also enjoy Uchi's character btw, I love him sm ❤️

Uchi, as it turns out, is surprisingly resourceful. The first night we make camp, he starts making a lean-to fort outside, but I offer for him to stay in my tent, since there's extra space. Sasuke looks disappointed, which makes me happy. Once the tents are set up, most everyone goes and sits by the fire, except Uchi, who does some reading.
I take a seat by the fire, but since Kakashi, Kabuto, and Sakura are already having a conversation, I'm left with no one to talk to except Sasuke. I decide I'll make him feel even more jealous than he already does.
"Uchi is so hot." I say dreamily.
"So... your type is dark hair and eyes?" Sasuke says hopefully, and I slap him. "BAKA!" I storm off to Uchi. I hate Sasuke!!
I stomp up to him before regaining my composure, and then I realise I don't know if he wants company. Luckily he sees me and looks up. "Ah, Y/n. Care to join me?" He offers, and I sit.
"The moon is so beautiful at night, isn't it?"
"It is." My gaze shifts from the milky moon to Uchi. I was just trying to make Sasuke jealous earlier, but Uchi is really attractive. His dark orbs are lined with perfect lashes, and his hair looks super silky and smooth.
I resist the urge to touch it, it just looks so soft. "So... why aren't you sitting by the fire?" I ask, and Uchi shrugs. "I could ask you the same thing. Well, I just don't think I really... fit in with your group."
"I know what you mean. I'm close to them, but I feel like... I don't exactly belong with them sometimes. Is that weird? It's probably really weird to be telling you this." I blush a little.
Uchi laughs. "No, it's fine."
I shiver a little as the night air is chilled.
Uchi takes off his Kimono, and I can now see that he's wearing a tightly fitted white shirt underneath with a tight collar on the neck. I can now see the definition of his muscles.
He tosses the kimono around my shoulders, and I blush more.
"Here, you look cold." he says kindly.
I look down, hoping he doesn't see my flushed face. "Thank you."
He continues reading, and I hold his Kimono over me, now no longer cold. I can't believe this hot stranger is making me feel- almost like Sakura does. I look back and see her by the fire, she's saying something and smiling. Could I possibly- have feelings for someone that isn't her? No, that would be crazy, right? Right?
I notice Kabuto walking over from the fire, and he comes over. "Hey Y/n, how are your injuries doing?" He asks, and I hope Uchi didn't hear, I don't want to seem weak in front of him.
"Oh, yeah, fine."
"Well, I can check to see if we can take your bandages off yet, if you're okay with that."
I sigh and get up. Oh well, I guess my time with Uchi is over for now. I hand him back his shirt, and thank him again. I follow Kabuto to his tent, and he motions for me to sit on a blanket on the ground.
He prepares some bandages. "Can you take off your shirt? I need to check the bandages."
I blush. "O-oh, of course."
I oblige, a little embarrassed. Kabuto comes up and takes off the bandaging, and checks the bruising underneath. He pokes a little hard at one point, and I flinch.
"Sorry," He says, and I shake my head. "No, it's okay."
"I think we should keep the bandages on a little longer, just to be safe." I nod and he rewraps my ribs. His hands are gentle and soft. I put my shirt back on after he's done, feeling a little awkward.
"So, it might be none of my business, but you seem to be having troubles with Sasuke."
I'm about to say something, but he puts a hand up. "You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to. I just want you to know that you can always talk to me if you need."
I nod. "Thank you." I realise I'm seeing Kabuto in a bit of a new light. His glasses are sort of cute, and his hair is nice and fluffy. He seems to be pretty smart too, I get a sort of intuitive feeling that he knows more than he lets on. I feel a sort of attraction to him like a moth drawn to a flame, but I'm not sure why I get that feeling. "Um, yeah. Well, see you." I awkwardly get up and leave, going back to my tent.
I'm unsure why I'm suddenly realising these feelings, but my stomach turns with butterflies as I lay down in bed, and Akamaru snuggles with me, falling asleep almost instantly.
Uchi enters the tent quietly a little later, and sets up his own bed. His back is turned to me, and the light of a lamp illuminates him. He takes off the kimono, but leaves on the undershirt and mask. He unties his hair from the ponytail, and it falls down a little over his shoulders. It almost reminds me of Orochimaru, and I wonder if Uchi is as handsome as the devilish snake man, or maybe even better.
Uchi turns, and I close my eyes, pretending to be asleep. He blows out the flame, and we both drift off into sleep.
My mind, unfortunately, has other plans than a peaceful sleep. As soon as my consciousness drifts, I'm in a dark room. There is silence surrounding me, and I can't see anything. I stumble around in the dark, I try to make noise, but nothing happens.
Something appears in the dark and strikes me, somehow I know it's snakes, several of them, striking at me from somewhere I can't see. I put my arms up in front of me, crossed in a protective X shape, but the snakes continue to strike, sharp pains in my arms and legs. I can feel the poison from the snakes leaching into my body. It makes my movements slow and sluggish. I try desperately to keep my arms up to protect myself, but I'm starting to lose feeling in them as the snakes strike them over and over. My arms are too heavy, and they drop to my sides.
I pant, exhausted. I can tell the snakes are going in for their kill strikes, but there's nothing I can do. I fall to my knees, and then forward onto my face. I expect the cold hard floor to meet me, it would be almost a welcome feeling now, but it doesn't. I fall through the floor, and keep falling. In a panic, I flail my arms, which are now working again. I know it's just a dream, logically, but for some reason I just can't make myself believe it. I'm falling, falling in darkness. Orochimaru's words come back to me, echoing around the dark space. "You'll need my power. And I'll be there when you do. You can't live without the power to protect others, or yourself."
I scream at the darkness, but my words are lost.
"You'll need me. Find me when you're ready to accept that."
I yell again, this fueled by both fear and anger. "NO! I DON'T NEED YOU!!!" I fall still, and Orochimaru's laughter echoes, louder and louder. I scream to drown it out, the volume is deafening. I curl into a ball and shut my eyes tightly as I scream. Let me go. Let me wake up. I have to wake up.
Just like that, I find myself awake back at the camp. I'm sitting up in bed, sweat dripping off of me, breathing hard. I take a second to regain my breath. I must not have screamed aloud, as I hear no other noise. In the dark of the tent, I can't tell if Uchi is awake, but I decide to sneak out of the tent. I slip out quietly, and take a seat by the now dead fire. I curl up. It's cold, but I'm still hot from my nightmare.
It still feels too real, more real than a dream should. I felt like I was really losing control, like I couldn't do anything about it, I was trapped. I shiver, but not because of the cold.
"Can't sleep?"
I look over my shoulder, Uchi is behind me. I turn back around. "It's nothing, just a nightmare. You should go back to sleep."
"What if I have nightmares of my own?" He asks, and I look at him again.
"Do you want me to say something deep about how we all have inner demons or something?" I ask sarcastically, and he laughs quietly, covering his masked mouth with a manicured hand.
"No." He gestures to the ground beside me. "May I?"
I nod, and he sits.
"On a more serious note though, you sounded like you were having a really bad dream."
I look away. "Yeah. I've been having more and more of those recently." I turn back to face him. "Sorry, I sound like an idiot."
Uchi looks at the charcoal remains of the fire. "We all have our nightmares."
We sit in silence for a while, a strange sort of understanding passing through us.
I'm not sure when, but at some point I fall asleep again.