Something Precious

Chapter Fourty Five

"Alright, this is where we split off." Minato said as he came to a halt. All of Team Seven stopped with him. Even though he knew his assigned mission, and his loyalty to the Leaf was absolute, Naruto still hesitated to do as he was ordered to.

He watched silently as Minato said his goodbyes to his students. "Alright. After the battle we will all meet up here in case any of us get lost." he instucted, receiving two nods and a grunt of probably agreement(time to guess again), in return. "I believe in you. You come back alive, all of you." Minato demanded sternly.

If only Naruto could find the words to tell him that one of them wouldn't, but again he felt as if his secret was one that couldn't be told outright with words, the future Kage would have to figure it out himself. As for Obito. . . .

He knew what would happen, or what was supposed to. It made his belly crawl with creatures of uncertainty and guilt. He couldn't part from them without saying goodbye.

He first said bye to Rin because somehow, she was the easiest. "I need you do something for me okay?" he asked. She bobbed her head in agreement of whatever it was. "Keep these knuckle-headed teammates of yours in check, make sure they don't end up killing eachother instead of the enemy." he gave the most genuine smile he could muster. Rin giggled and agreed whole heartedly. He gave her an affectionate pat on the head. He didn't worry for her as he did for the others, the time for that would come, and Naruto would face it with a certainty that he lacked now.

Now he closed his eyes to harden his face and further pull up his mask as he turned to Obito. A sickening feeling filled him and he only hoped it didn't show in his expressive eyes. "Obito. You're stronger than you think, don't let the enemy get the upper hand. Kick their ass for me alright?" he was just able to keep his voice from wavering.

Obito beamed at the blonde jounin. "Will do!" he said determinedly, giving an enthusiastic thumbs up and a smile that must have hurt his cheeks because it spread so wide across his face. Naruto almost winced.

Just one left. Somehow, though he wasn't the one in peril,  Kakashi was the hardest to say goodbye to.

"And you." he barely managed to turn his gaze on Kakashi. He almost couldn't speak to him, knowing how much this mission would haunt the Hatake until the day he died. "You're the Captain of this mission now." he reminded. "The mission is important, you know that. But so are they." he motioned to the two chunnin Kakashi would be left in charge of. "Be wise Little Man." he ruffled his hair, not bothering to offer a smile he knew would be ingenuine. Maybe if Kakashi would just listen, Naruto wouldn't have to decide at all. Naruto knew that was only an excuse though, a way to delay having to make the choice.

All too soon the younger shinobi were leaving one way and Minato was going another, beckoning him to follow. Time slid by, stretched from a second to a minute and everything was slow. Naruto's body followed Minato while his mind raced else where. The calm he normally felt while in battle eluded him now when he needed it most. His breath quickened and his heart gave heavy beats, like it was trying to break a whole in his chest. He wanted to save Obito Uchiha but he almost felt as if he couldn't. Doubt gripped him and held him back. What if he couldn't? What if he got there and stopped one disaster, only to have another take it's place?

No. He was Naruto Uzumaki, the Seventh Hokage and Commander of the Allied Shinobi Forces. After all that had happened, all that he had lost, he couldn't forget that, or what that meant. He couldn't forget all the people who put their trust in him because of what he stood for.  He never went back on his word and he promised himself that he would protect them, all of them, even Obito Uchiha.

He stumbled to a stop in the middle of an open meadow. They had traveling for close to an hour, all the while he was trapped in his own head.

Minato stopped with him a few meters ahead. "Why are you stopping?" he wondered. "We're almost there." Naruto didn't respond as he thought of what to tell him. He wasn't going to lie to him when he was already abandoning him on such a risky mission. But he also couldn't think of a way to tell the man without revealing the whole truth, so he was left to stand there in his hesitation. "Are you nervous?" Minato doubted it but he had to ask, though Naruto didn't seem one to scare at the prospect of battle.