The Anachronism

Chapter 11

For the rest of that afternoon, Tatsu stayed there, monitoring his brother's training and trying to build the confidence to ask Kakashi about becoming roommates. He knew it could go three ways, he could get rejected because Kakashi would rather not have him there, he could be rejected because his father died in that home and Kakashi hadn't let that go yet, or Kakashi could agree to let Tatsu move in.

In all honesty, Tatsu truly believed that his relationship with Kakashi would be enough to convince the older man not to turn him away, but deep within his mind, he held fear that he simply wasn't wanted there. No matter how much he pushed it away, that feeling kept coming back, the only person who offered him a true sense of belonging without a trace of negativity was Obito.

The same man who stayed alive, hidden within the shadows of the world, haunting his dreams and poisoning his nights, though he couldn't blame it on the one-eyed man.

"Tatsu?" The current holder of Obito's missing eye called out.

"Yes?" The male in question answered.

"Would you care to join us for lunch?"

"I'd love to Kakashi." With that, the two Jōnin and the three Genin made their way to the nearest restaurant.

Upon their arrival, a look of disapproval flashed across the duckbutt's face as he noticed both teams 8 and 10 were already there and seated together, with enough space for the five of them to join. When Tatsu noticed, he subtly rearranged his hair and his entire manner for both the purpose of looking better than a certain kunoichi and impressing a certain someone.

Though Tatsu was simply following Kakashi's lead, it was clear to him that they would be seated with the other teams. Taking a seat beside his standoffish brother, it became clear that none of the fellow genins fit into the category of friend for his brother.

"Sasuke, why don't you introduce me to your friends?" The older brother inquired.

"I have none." The boy with a dormant Sharingan replied.

"You have Naruto."

"He is not my friend."

"Itachi said he came by to pick you up for practice and to check on you while I was away on my mission in Kirigakure."

"That does not make us friends nii-chan, what would you know about it anyway, your only friend is someone you ignore every day."

"I have plenty of friends otouto, several are at this table."

"Excuse me, but is your name Tatsu, my tou-san talks about you a lot he said you created the perfect medicine for his headaches." The little Nara butted into the conversation.

"Is that the same Tatsu that Neji-nii always mentions during training?" The shy Hyuga girl questioned.

"Tatsu-san, my tou-san talked about your food for weeks after he had a mission with you a couple of months ago." A chubby Akamichi stated as he removed his meat from the grill.

"Yes, I am the same Tatsu you're speaking of, it's a pleasure to meet you all formally." The older male said, a gentle smile gracing his face.

"Tatsu, I'm glad you could join us today." The older kunoichi spoke putting on a smile for the younger male, having no idea he was after the one she loved.

"Tatsu, you have to sit in on our training sometime, I think your strength would push these three to be more aggressive during combat," Asuma spoke motioning towards his genin team.

"Asuma, not everyone has an aggressive personality. From what Chōza said, Choji is a gentle spirit so you can't push him too much without someone actually getting hurt. Ino's technique must have a setup and planned precision, so playing passive is her best option for now. Shikamaru, well he's just like his father, but if I'm correct slightly amplified. Either way, I'm sure when push comes to shove they know what they'll have to do in order to survive." The younger male stated carefully eyeing his grilling meat.

Once reaching perfection, Tatsu removed the meat from the grill placing it on top of both his and Sasuke's rice, the others eyeing as Tatsu went through careful steps to prepare a delicious meal for both himself and his brother.

While eating Asuma pointed out how Tatsu possessed the skills that most housewives lacked and that he'd make an amazing one. Of course, the younger male blushed at the compliment, while everyone else assumed it was from embarrassment, the blushing male's younger brother knew all too well that it was because of who the compliment came from.

Later on in the day as the two brothers walked back home, Tatsu could sense a familiar chakra tailing them, given that they were near the Uchiha compound he wrote it off as Shisui at first. But when Shisui did show his face he could still feel the other chakra following them. He could've activated his Byakugan to spot the being, but he didn't want to cause a scene, so he let it be.

Anyone willing to make a move on his life was either extremely brave or extremely idiotic. Let's hope this one wasn't either.

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A/N: Teasing teasing, it's what I do. You know the usual, correction and things, oh and suggestions because that helps with my future creativity.