Something Precious

Chapter Sixty Six

(A/n) sorry for not updating last week. I have no excuses. Again, this chapter is pretty bad. I'm haven't been feeling particularly. . . motivated lately so sorry if the next few chapters are a little fast paced and just horribly written.

Kakashi glared at the back of Naruto's blonde head. The man had plucked him from his apartment where he had been peacefully reading, saying that they - Minato and himself - needed him for mission. He made it clear that it was optional so Kakashi could have refused, but come on, that was unlikely. The boy wasn't really mad so much about that, more so that they were almost six hours into said mission and he still didn't know what exactly it entailed. Something about a friend? Kakashi went through the list of all his friends - which didn't take long because he only had like, two if he reluctantly counted Gai - and one of them was in the village while the other one was accompanying him, and he was pretty sure they didn't need his help just then. But here he was, off to who knows where to do who knows what. He asked Rin but she didn't know what was going on. He asked Minato, but his kind, informative sensei just smirked ruefully and said that since it was Naruto who dragged him along, Naruto can be the one to explain. Naruto glared at him for that and pelted him with a rock.

Kakashi didn't want to get pelted with a rock so he stayed quiet and tried wait patiently for Naruto to tell him on his own. It wasn't working. Kakashi was becoming insufferably impatient and Naruto could tell from the hole he was sure was forming on the back of his head.

Minato called camp an hour early just to make sure Naruto would have plenty of time to explain, in detail, the mission and why they were only just finding out that their beloved comrade was still alive. He was once again pelted by a precisely aimed pebble. Kakashi noted oddly how the two seemed closer and more relaxed around eachother than when he had last seen them. Particularly Naruto, who had always been so reserved.

After camp was all set up and a fire was going and the beds were made, Kakashi and Rin (and Minato) looked expectantly at Naruto who was picking hangnails from his fingers.

"Hemhmm." Kakashi cleared his throat pointedly making Naruto acknowledge them. "What are we doing here?" he asked harshly, staring through his one eye like he was going to rip the answers from Naruto's soul. Okay, maybe that's a little dramatic, but you get the idea.

Rin nodded along to Kakashi's question. "Yeah Naruto-Sensei, what is this mission supposed to be?"

Naruto cleared his throat before he spoke but the words still sounded a bit strained, like they wanted to clump together in his throat. "Well you see," he looked at Minato who left him hanging. Naruto sighed. "You know how Obito was crushed to death by a ton of rocks?" he asked bluntly, the two small shinobi looked like they just got slapped. Flinching at his crudeness, he rushed on before they caught their bearings and could actually say anything. "Well he wasn't actually. He was. . . rescued in a way and now he is being held in a cave so we are going to save him." he said it all in a single breath which he held when he was finished.

Rin choked and started viciously coughing. Kakashi just stared emotionlessly. "Is this some kind of sick joke?" he asked. "Because if so then you should know that it's not funny."

Naruto didn't look surprised at his reaction, on the contrary, he seemed to have expected it. He looked at Kakashi with empathy shining in his eyes. "It's not."

Kakashi looked at Minato who just nodded. He stood. He felt fury and betrayal and hurt flood through him. All this time Obito had been alive? And Naruto knew at didn't tell him? "If that's true than why are you only telling me this now?! Do you know how many sleepless nights I've had because of this?! How many nightmares?! And all for nothing huh? I can't believe you!" he said, uncharacteristically loud.
Again Naruto's eyes only reveal empathy, as if Kakashi's pain was his own. "How much worse would it have been if I had told you and you had to sit there all those nights knowing that he was alive but that you couldn't do anything? I didn't want to tell you until I had a solid course of action planned out so that we could know for sure that we had a chance." he said calmly.