The Great Medic (discontinued?)

20: Step Onto the Path

"There you are!" Yoshino called out the moment Naruto stepped through the front door, slipping his shoes off quietly. The older woman stood up hastily from the dinner table before making her way toward him, concern on her face. "Are you alright?" She checked him for anything wrong.

He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, "I'm really sorry about being so late, Yoshino-san. My sensei was, um... he was a little tardy."

"You're three hours late!" She huffed, ushering him towards the kitchen, "Gah! I might just have to give that sensei of yours a piece of my mind! Doesn't he know that you're still recovering from chakra poisoning?!"

Shikamaru turned around in his seat, mouth completely stuffed with dumplings. He tried to smile around the mouthful, grateful to see his best friend had returned home safely, but he nearly choked. He finished chewing his food thoroughly before finally trying to speak, "So? How was your team?"

Yoshino moved the blond-haired genin until he was seated beside her son. Naruto practically shuddered at the thought of his team, "I, um... they're... okay?"

"Just okay?" Shikaku snorted, motioning for the boy to help himself to the food on the table, "Nothing extraordinary? Nothing odd?" There was a knowing smirk on his face,

"Odd doesn't even begin to describe them." The blond-haired medic-in-training huffed out an exasperated laugh, Shikamaru scooting his chair towards him, "Well, between an extremely tardy sensei and a teammate who's obsessed with my other teammate who wants to seek revenge out on someone... I don't know what other words I would use to describe them. I mean, at least they seemed... honest?"

"And how 'honest' was Kakashi Hatake?" The older Nara clan leader raised an eyebrow, sipping at the jasmine tea his wife had provided him with earlier.

"I mean, he didn't lie, but he didn't tell the truth either. He gave us nothing but his name! I mean, how does that benefit anyone?!" Naruto's hands jumped in the air just as Shikamaru passed over a small dumpling with his chopsticks, "Oh, thank you." He leaned forward, taking a large bite out of the vegetable dumpling. He chewed carefully, smiling slightly as he looked over at Yoshino, "These are really good!"

"Thank you." She smiled.

"But, as I was saying," He began again, "So, I didn't get to learn anything about Kakashi-sensei and Sasuke didn't say much other than the thing about revenge. Among all my teammates, Sakura was the most animated, at least, when she was talking about Sasuke... and I guess she likes reading, too. Still, though, not much to go with."

"Hm, that reminds me of my ninja days." Yoshino shook her head, a hand pressed against her cheek in remembrance, "Gah, I couldn't stand my genin team. By the time the chunin exams were coming around, I knew I couldn't spend one more day with my teammates." She turned to her son, a woeful face being displayed. She wagged a finger at him, "And then your father just had to win our preliminary match, ruining my chance of getting away from my team." Yoshino turned her head to look at the Nara clan leader, flicking a piece of rice at him, pouting slightly.

Shikaku laughed heartily, shaking his head in exasperation. He leaned over to press a chaste kiss to the older woman's temple, "I only meant for you to fall in love with me, not fall into my trap."

"Ugh!" Yoshino barked out a laugh, lightly slapping him on the shoulder.

Naruto watched with a large grin on his face as his best friend fed him another dumpling. There was always something so comforting about sitting at a table full of people all laughing and telling stories. "I wonder if Iruka-sensei is eating alone right now..." His eyes dulled at the thought, fidgeting anxiously in his seat, "Maybe after I'm cleared by Dr. Teruya in a few days, I'll invite him out for some ramen... No, he must be tired of ramen. He liked that furikake dish I brought him for lunch once. Maybe I'll just make him a dinner..."