To Be Lost On The Road Of Life (Continuation)

Chapter 23 - Red and black

Chapter 23 - Red and Black

Something was wrong.

Something had happened half a year ago to Obito, and she simply didn't know what. She didn't mind not knowing; if he wished to tell her then fine, if he wished to keep his secrets, she could accept it. She wanted to know, though, considering the shocking darkness that had taken residence in him after the Incident-and even now, she could still remember how panicked Minato had been when he relayed the events to her.

Outwardly he had been calm, as though speaking about the weather, but she could feel the agitation and worry ever-present.

Kushina frowned, glaring down at her half-finished seal. After a moment of contemplation, she set aside her brush and stood up, stretching out the kinks in her back with a relieved sigh. She headed out of her room, planning on getting some fresh air as she stewed in her thoughts.

The darkness in the Uchiha's eyes had never abated completely ever since the Incident half a year ago. She had been more than ecstatic when Minato suggested Obito move in with them, even if was only out of duty (since the boy no longer had an apartment, and due to the nature of what occurred it was highly likely landlords across Konoha would refuse him for a good while).

Kushina had never been a morning person, but after moving in with Minato, she had found a true joy in waking up with the sun. The feeling only increased when Obito moved in, for each morning she would see the boy (the shadows, the haunted, absent but unguarded gaze she would see as he shook off the last vestiges of sleep) she would also be privy to his changes. The way his eyes naturally brightened, his spirits seemed to lift whenever he saw Kushina and Minato setting up for breakfast, the way his shoulders would relax from their strain as though the weight of grief lifted with each interaction. The same could be said for dinner, and though the red-head hadn't cooked so religiously before, she had made a point to provide the boy with home-cooked meals at least four out of the seven days of the week whenever she was available, if just to see the light return to his eyes.

This set routine started changing, however, when Minato had decided it would be prudent to have her leave the house with him more often.

(And she had been beyond angry, utterly furious and wondering why, why he wanted to distance himself from his own student. Minato had only shook his head, fueling her ire, until she saw his eyes. The look he had-the haunted, sorrowful look that made her question why both her husband and Obito looked like that-prevented her from questioning further, and she had reluctantly acquiesced without another complaint.)

The red-head let out an aggrieved sigh as she walked out of the apartment, brow furrowing in pensive concentration. And then... More recently, that conversation.

Kushina was not a sensor. And yet, (while she was certain he hadn't even realized it) Minato had been releasing chakra waves of distress, and she had ultimately activated the privacy seals within their homely abode to keep from being disturbed. She had been more than a little shocked over her husband's worries, and though he hadn't overtly revealed anything major, she had learned much more in the span of thirty minutes then she had in half a year.

Minato felt like he had failed Obito. Something drastic had happened during their supposedly simple C-Rank, and for whatever reason, Minato was suspecting the young boy.