Dangerous Bond

Part 49

Naruto felt his hair shuffle as someone tried to wake him.

He tried to swat the hand away but it just ended swatting him away before continuing to ruffle his hair.

The blonde groaned softly before finally opening his eyes to the bright light of the sun and the silhouette of his pink-haired teammate.

Naruto sighed before slowly sitting up and looking around. He realized they were all still in the vicinity of the old cottage.

'I guess we fell asleep' The blonde thought as he glanced at Sasuke, who was perched against his tree, but Naruto could see the faint blots of sleep still in his eyes.

The chuunin glanced over to his sensei and wasn't surprised to see him reading quietly. He could bet Sakura hadn't slept and, instead, joined their sensei in reading as well.

Naruto wondered what the big deal about reading was. The real world was much more interesting in his opinion - not that he'd ever share that with the two bookworms. It'd probably break their hearts.

Rolling his eyes, Naruto got up and stretched.

"We should head back" he muttered while walking into the dimming sunlight and breathing in the fresh air.

"I suppose so" Kakashi voiced. The Jounin surprisingly found himself enjoying the calm and silent company if his charges and hoped they'd come back and do it again.

But If wishes were horses...

Kakashi snapped his book closed and got up from his seated position. He glanced around the dark forest and then to the faint sunlight speaking in on their spot.

"Let's get some training in first" Kakashi announced, gaining the attention of the Uchiha and Jinjuuriki immediately.

He glanced over to Sakura, who was still deeply buried into her book, before sighing.

Walking over, the Jounin snatched the book out of her hands, snapped it closed and handed it back with a sickly sweet smile that was meant as a warning to listen when he spoke.

Sakura sheepishly smiled and rubbed the back of her neck "Gomen, sensei" she muttered before hiding away the book.

"Now then" Kakashi straightened and eyed the chuunin "how about a friendly spar with your sensei?"

What he said surprised the trio, they'd been up against him many times but in informal settings and ambushes. Here he was, openly challenging them to attack him.

They couldn't be happier as they prepared themselves and Kakashi smirked.

___

"Hn" Sasuke grunted as he got up from his bed. His body ached from the spar with Kakashi but he smirked as he remembered the number of times they had gotten a hit on him.

They were improving and fast but Sasuke knew his time in the leaf was about to come to an end. They'd completed their T&I training and it was now time to go separate ways.

The young Uchiha sighed as he glanced around his room. It felt like months since he'd last slept in his bed and it'd be years before he'd see it again after leaving...Maybe even never.

Getting dressed, the raven-haired chuunin made his way downstairs to see his teammates already eating and chatting happily about the hits they got on their sensei too.

"Ke" Sakura smiled in greeting whilst Naruto grinned mischievously. Sasuke eyed the blonde with suspicion before giving a nod to his pink-haired teammate.

"I've been thinking" Sasuke muttered as he sat on a nearby chair by the kitchen table. This caught the attention of the other two chuunin.

"About what?"