Sasuke woke up sore and busted, wincing as he sat up in the boy’s guest room of their current protectee’s home. His eyes immediately searched the area for any possible dangers or signs of anything moved.
There was nothing and no one but him and Naruto sleeping side by side in their individual mats. Well, not really side by side. Since Naruto liked to fail around while he slept Sasuke usually took it upon himself to drag his mat to a corner somewhere whenever they were forced to sleep in the same room together.
The blond-haired boy several meters away from him snorted in his wide-eagled position on top of his mat, smirking at something in his dreams. A snot bubble grew to the size of a rubber ball from one nostril before giving a wet pop. Naruto must have felt the tickle because he laughed a little.
Sasuke rolled his eyes, silently calling him a dimwit, and forced his muscles to move.
While the team took some downtime during their mission to protect a bridge builder and his family, Kakashi had them training to control their chakra. Putting enough chakra under their feet, the team was supposed to walk the tree to the top. If they lose control on the tree before they fell they had to mark the place on its bark that they managed to reach.
Easier said than done.
Like him, Naruto was banged up with scratches and bruises from the climb up his individual tree. He remembered how much the idiot had kept up trying to beat him with the highest mark on its bark. Neither would stop, trying to gain the top point before the other. It was nightfall when Sasuke dragged both of them back to Inari’s home. Unlike them, however, Sakura was the only one who got to the top of her tree that first day.
Sasuke smirked to himself when he thought of the twinge of jealousy he felt when their eyes met and he turned away from her. Annoying… he’d thought when she called his name and waved down at him, then looked saddened when he gave no reaction.
Naruto wouldn’t even tell him what Sakura whispered in his ear then, not that it mattered anyway. He finally made it to the top that night, but it was hard won.
Side by Side
Published
SasuSaku Month 