Something Precious

Chapter Twenty Four

The darkness that pressed around Naruto was paralyzing. It bore down on him, seeming to gain more mass by the second, making him kneel to the ground in hopes to bare it. It crushed the air from his lungs until he couldn't move, so he couldn't breath and the sharp feeling of panic began to set in. He couldn't stay here though. They needed him. They were dying. He had to get to them. His hands caught him as he was forced closer to the dirt. He could feel the pain in his bones and joints as his muscles strain to push him upwards. His arms gave out as the pressure kept increasing and his face was pushed into the dust.

Suddenly he felt a sharp pain in his side. The unbearable pressure keeping him pinned was suddenly released but there was another assault put on his ribs, almost as if someone was attacking him. On instinct he shot his arm out and grabbed the assailant by the ankle and yanked it from under them causing them to fall to the ground with a surprised grunt, before his eyes even had time to adjust he had a kunai to their throat, his chest still heaving with panic. Naruto's vision focused as he blinked the darkness from his eyes and he saw his one and only future sensei looking at him with wide and slightly fearful eyes. Naruto processed this for a second, when it finally computed that this person was not a threat he was quick to scramble off of him and offer Kakashi a sheepish hand up, which was rudely ignored by the way.

"You have got to stop kicking people Little Man, I could have killed you." Naruto warned jokingly, but there was also something in the way he said it that hinted there was truth to that. It was a more of a humorous warning if it were to be properly defined.

Kakashi huffed out in agitation. "Stop calling me Little Man." he grumbled, crossing his arms in an uncharacteristic show of immaturity.

Naruto got a amused glint in his blue eyes. "Oh?" he asked and he leaned closer. "Would you rather be called 'Little Boy' then?"

Kakashi leaned away, trying to get the man outside of his bubble. "Tch, whatever." and he walked away, sending a glare to his three teammates who sat near by with expressions of amusement they couldn't be bothered to hide.

Naruto tried to shake of the slight adrenaline that still pulsed through him as he rolled up his bed roll and stuffed it in its place amongst his other supplied and he was ready to go.

|¤|Ω|¤|

"Finally!" Obito exclaimed. "I never want to walk that far again." he groaned while looking at his feet as if pitying them. Naruto smiled to him as he reminisced of time when he had the same childish attitude.

"Be quiet Obito. Remember why we are here, we don't need an idiot like you drawing attention to us with your constant complaints." Kakashi scolded in a somewhat snobby tone that made the Uchiha want to punch him. Naruto also remembered a point that Sasuke would've been just like Kakashi was now. It was hard to connect this stiff kid with the laid back Kakashi he knew and loved, he was so opposite, this Kakashi is always a minimum of fifteen minutes early while future Kakashi was always at least three hours late. This Kakashi preached about rules and regulations while future Kakashi just did his own thing. It was something to get used to for sure.

"Tch. What do you know?" Obito grumbled in response even though he knew his teammate was right, but his pride would never let him admit it.

"Obito, Kakashi may have been a bit harsh about it," Naruto sent said boy a glare. "But he was right, you need to be quiet as to not draw so much attention." he finished. They were now entering the town where the rumors said the Cloud ninja were setting up base.

Obito hung hid head. "Yes Naruto. . . what are we supposed to call you?" he realized.

Naruto furrowed his brows at the young Uchiha. "What do you mean?" he asked.