The Harsh Truth

Chapter 11

The rain seemed to be following them over their heads since their arrival, near the border of Amegakure's land. The land of rain wasn't called that because of nothing, after all.

Yet, out of all of them, only one seemed unfazed by the events that were currently unfolding.

Naruto Senju stood as dry as he could possibly be, in the middle of the downpour. The camp that had been hastily made for a much needed short break was now the center of a strange tension, one that Naruto had no need to be in.

Shishui Uchiha, the other Anbu, hadn't been one for much talk, until Itachi had mentioned to Ibiki if he was fine with the death of his younger brother. Itachi wanted to warn Ibiki of the risks of the missions, to tell him that it might as well end badly, and, in the case of Idate actually being a traitor, of the consequences. Ibiki, on the other hand, had clearly stated he'd do the right thing. Meaning that Shishui, on his own righteous belief, had claimed that if Morino was going to be a liability, then he should outright be killed right there.

Itachi had refuted that option.

Shishui had insisted on the risks.

Ibiki had said his own piece.

Naruto, on his own, a bit away from camp, was looking to the horizon, letting the rain fall on him would be stupid, and probably cold-inducing, but he enjoyed looking it fall.

It felt familiar.

The rain, the thunder looming on the horizon, the flashes of light of the storms, all of them were there, familiar yet distant.

Something was slipping his grasp, but he couldn't understand what it was.

After a while, Itachi stood up, Naruto felt the movement of the water as the Uchiha moved closer to him, and then stood silently next to him.

"Are you going to let me get wet?" Itachi queried, with a small chuckle.

A hand sign later, and Itachi too now knew how to keep the water away from his body.

"It's a chakra control exercise, right?" The Uchiha queried, standing right next to the grey-haired boy, "The more control you have, the wider the area around you that you can keep dry," he added.

"Small chakra threads burst from skin pores to deflect water drops, that's the ultimate form of the control," Naruto muttered, "the basic form is to simply let the chakra deflect the raindrops on one's own person, letting them fall to the side."

"How have you been? Sasuke giving you trouble?" Itachi queried, with a small smirk on his face.

"He told you of the first day?" Naruto replied, a chuckle coming out of his throat.

"That he did…" Itachi sighed, shaking his head slightly, "I'm torn between being prideful that Sasuke holds me in such high esteems, and saddened, that he actually thinks I'm stronger than you."

"You are stronger than me, Itachi," Naruto replied, looking with a puzzled expression at the Uchiha heir.

"Tell me, Naruto…had Tsunade-san actually been in favor of you entering Anbu…would you have donned the mask?" at the question, a silence followed for a while, for a moment that seemed an eternity, as the downpour kept releasing its torrent of water on the earth.

"No," Naruto replied, as a thunder bolt struck in the distance, "I wouldn't have," he whispered, "I suppose you didn't have a choice?"

"I had…I was just…too weak to refuse," Itachi muttered, his gaze diverting to the ground, "I suppose all children want their father's pride to be their own," as soon as he added that, he suddenly jolted upwards, hastily saying, "I didn't mean to…"
"No offense taken, Itachi," Naruto replied, dismissing the issue with a hand wave, "I have no father, only a mother…maybe I should find Kaa-san a husband?" he pondered on it for a moment, "Maybe Uncle Jiraiya? If I ever see him again, that is…" the grey haired boy sighed.