Naruto: Faint Smile - CH 88

[Arata Takeshi - POV.]

I didn’t like the fact that I had to go, but I understood why, Jiraiya was the only one, outside Teresa that could help me with my situation, I needed to learn more about my power, just as much as I needed to become stronger, only then I would be able to avoid that from happening again.

Calmly, I stood at the Uchiha compound, watching Itachi and Shisui talking quietly off to the side. Lady Mikoto and Lord Fugaku were nearby, keeping an eye on Sasuke and Mito. I would miss the compound… I didn’t particularly care for the Uchiha, but I cared for the ones here, they were the only family I had left.

My backpack was slung over one shoulder, with Tsuki, my cat, nestled comfortably inside. The little princess seemed perfectly content with the arrangement, poking her head out every now and then to look around before settling back down. Calm, happy and purring, just like always.

I took a deep breath and stepped forward to where Itachi and Shisui stood, breaking up their conversation with a small wave. "Time for me to go..." I said, keeping my voice light.

Itachi gave a slow nod, a soft smile on his face. "Take care of yourself, if you die and make Mito cry, I will kill you."

"That seems like a reasonable response to the little princess crying," I replied, giving him a faint smile. That little girl had most of the clan, and the village wrapped around her fingers, I really pity anyone who is dumb enough to try and harm her.

Shisui clapped me on the back, a grin on his face. "Make sure you learn some cool tricks while you're out with Jiraiya. Maybe by the time you get back, you’ll be able to make me work for a victory."

"Ah, if there’s a good side to this trip is that is completely Shisui-free," I replied, smiling at him.

Shisui gasped, clutching his chest dramatically. "Ah, Takeshi, your words wound me! How am I to bear such heartache while you're away?"

“Shisui-free you say?” Itachi smiled. “Is there a chance I could come with you?”

Shisui pouted, crossing his arms and throwing an accusing glare at Itachi and me. "And to think I've been considering you two like my brothers all this time. You don’t appreciate my awesomeness."

I chuckled lightly at that. “It’s an acquired taste.”

Shisui’s grinned at me, but there was something else in his eyes—concern, maybe? He wasn’t one to show it, but I knew he was worried about me. I appreciated it, even if we didn’t need to say it out loud.

"Make sure you both stay out of trouble," I added, looking between them. "And don’t die."

Itachi gave a rare, small smile, while Shisui just laughed. "We will do our best."

I turned to Lady Mikoto and Lord Fugaku, both standing with a certain quiet grace that only the head of the Uchiha family could carry. Mikoto stepped forward, her expression warm as she pulled me into a brief, motherly hug.

"Be safe, Takeshi," she said softly, hugging me tightly. "And remember, you’ll always have a place here. Write to us, won’t you?"

"I will, Lady Mikoto," I replied, feeling a strange mix of comfort and sadness. She had always been kind to me, treating me like one of her own. I would miss her.

Lord Fugaku on the other hand, remained stoic, nodding in my direction. "Good luck. Train hard. Make the village proud."

"Thank you, Lord Fugaku," I said, bowing slightly in respect. He had always been distant, there wasn’t much room for sentimentality within him, but I knew he cared about me.

Just as I was about to turn and leave, a small tug on my sleeve made me pause. I looked down to see little Mito, Itachi’s younger sister, gazing up at me with wide eyes. She couldn’t have been more than three or four years old, but she had this way of looking at you that made you feel like you were the most important person in the world.

"Big brother, are you leaving?" she said in her soft, sweet voice.

I knelt down to her level, giving her a reassuring smile. "Yeah, I am. But I’ll be back, little princess."

Her tiny hands reached out to grab my wrist, her grip surprisingly strong. "You promise?" she asked, her eyes searching mine for assurance.

"I promise," I said, ruffling her hair gently. "I’ll write you lots of letters, okay?"

She nodded, her eyes lighting up. "You better! Or I will never forgive you!"

"I will," I promised again, smiling as she wrapped her small arms around my neck in a tight hug. I would miss her as well.

I gently pried her off, standing back up. "Take care of your brother, alright?" I said, half-jokingly, as I glanced at Itachi. “And Shisui too… we geniuses are very stupid sometimes, so keep an eye out for them.”

Mito nodded enthusiastically. "I will!"

And then there was Sasuke. He was just a baby, barely more than a year old, but even at that age, he had made his opinions of me clear. He stared at me from his mother’s arms, his tiny brows furrowed in what I could only describe as baby-level disapproval.

I won’t miss you, you little shit. But, be well. “Goodbye, Sasuke.”

He scrunched up his face and turned his head away, refusing to even look at me. I chuckled softly. "Still don’t like me, huh?"

Mikoto laughed lightly, bouncing Sasuke in her arms. "He’ll warm up to you… eventually."

"Maybe," I said, though I doubted it. Sasuke only loved four people, his parents, his brother and his sister. Everyone else, received the baby glare.

With my goodbyes said, I took a deep breath and adjusted my backpack, making sure Tsuki was secure inside. The cat purred softly, content with the arrangement, as usual.

"I’ll write," I said, giving them all one last look. "I promise."

Itachi and Shisui both nodded, and Lady Mikoto smiled warmly. Mito waved enthusiastically, while Lord Fugaku gave a final nod of approval. Even Sasuke, in his baby way, acknowledged my departure with another frown.

As I walked, Tsuki poked her head out of my bag again, her eyes scanning the world outside the backpack. "You ready for this?" I asked her, scratching behind his ears. She purred in response, clearly unconcerned with the details of the trip, just happy she was part of it.

And, as the Uchiha compound disappeared behind me, I couldn’t help but feel a strange sense of calm. I had a feeling… this was the start of something great, as cliche as it sounded.

———————————————————————————————————

[Jiraiya - POV.]

The sun was just beginning to rise as Takeshi and I left the village, the morning air still cool against my skin. It was peaceful, quiet. A perfect start to the journey ahead. Well, except for one minor issue. This kid needed culture!

At his age, I had already stolen two hundred panties, and seen fifty women naked. And it pained my heart to know, this kid hadn’t even seen another pair of breasts that those of his mother!

“Here,” I said, tossing one of my prized books at Takeshi as we walked. “Might as well get some culture while we’re on the road.”

Takeshi caught it easily, looking down at the cover for a moment. His expression didn’t change as he flipped through the first few pages. I watched him out of the corner of my eye, waiting for a reaction, a show of appreciation for my high level writing. However, after a minute of silence, he stopped flipping, looked up at me, and deadpanned, “This is porn.”

I almost tripped over my own feet. “Excuse me?”

He stared at me with that same calm, unreadable expression, as if he hadn’t just insulted a masterpiece. “It’s porn, Jiraiya-sensei.”

The nerve of this kid! I felt a vein throbbing at the side of my head, but I forced myself to stay calm. “That’s a VERY reductive way of putting it,” I said, trying not to sound too insulted. “This is not, porn, It’s literature! It’s art! You need to appreciate the story, the emotions, the subtext, you know?”

He raised an eyebrow, looking at the book and then back at me. “Is there a reason you’re giving porn to a minor? Should I be concerned?”

I yanked the book out of his hands, my face burning red. “You—! You just don’t understand! You need to learn to appreciate the finer things in life, kid. I’m trying to teach you!”

Takeshi didn’t miss a beat, remaining as calm as ever. “You’re trying to teach me with porn?”

“God damn it! It’s not porn!” I snapped, though even I had to admit I wasn’t winning this argument. I stuffed the book back into my pack, grumbling to myself. “One day, you’ll learn. But until then, I’ll keep my masterpieces to myself.”

Takeshi simply shrugged, clearly unbothered. It was impossible to get a rise out of this kid. If anything, his complete lack of reaction made it worse. He just didn’t get it.

“Where are we going, anyway?” he asked, as if our little exchange hadn’t even happened.

I crossed my arms, still annoyed by the complete disrespect for my literary prowess. “We’re going to the hot springs. I have some research I need to complete.”

“Hot springs?” He looked at me, his tone innocent as ever. “To spy on women?”

I stopped walking, my head snapping toward him so fast I almost gave myself whiplash. “What did you just say?”

Takeshi blinked, his face still utterly calm and unaffected. “You said we’re going to the hot springs to do ‘research.’ And based on your reputation, and my short time knowing, I am almost sure that your idea of ‘research’ is spying on women, am I wrong on my assessment, sensei?”

I could feel the vein on my forehead pulsing now. I was going to lose it.

“It’s not spying,” I growled, trying to maintain my dignity. “It’s gathering inspiration. There’s a difference.”

Takeshi tilted his head slightly, like he was genuinely trying to understand. “So, being a pervert is considered research now?”

I clenched my fists, taking a deep breath. He was calm. I was not. This wasn’t good. “Kid,” I began, my voice strained, “it’s not about being a pervert. It’s about observation. To write a good story, you need to understand people, their emotions, their behavior. It’s... artistic inspiration.”

Takeshi didn’t respond right away. He just stared at me for a few seconds, then nodded slowly. “So, pervert research.”

I couldn’t take it anymore. I grabbed my hair with both hands, groaning in frustration. “Why is it that no one ever appreciates the art of what I’m trying to do?!”

“Maybe because it’s porn?” Takeshi offered, with that same innocent tone that made me want to tear my hair out.

“It’s not—” I stopped myself, forcing a smile. “Never mind. Forget I said anything.”

He shrugged again, clearly unbothered, and continued walking. I followed after him, still grumbling under my breath. I had traveled with a lot of people in my time, but Takeshi might be the most frustrating one yet. Not because he was difficult—no, that would be too easy. It was because he wasn’t difficult at all. He was calm, collected, and completely unaffected by anything I did. And somehow, that made it worse.

“Alright,” I said, breaking the silence. “Enough about my research. Let’s talk about your training.”

Takeshi glanced at me. “What about it?”

“Well, for starters, you’re going to have to forget everything you think you know,” I said, trying to sound as wise and mysterious as possible. “Training with me isn’t like anything you’ve done before. It’s going to be tough. Grueling. You’ll be pushed to your limits and beyond.”

He didn’t react, just kept walking. “Understood.”

I narrowed my eyes at him. “I’m serious. This isn’t going to be easy.”

“I didn’t think it would be,” he said, glancing at me with that same faint smile. “That’s why you’re here, right?”

I blinked, caught off guard. “Well... yeah, but...”

Takeshi nodded. “Good. Then let’s do it.”

I stared at him for a moment, then shook my head. “Has anyone ever told you… that you are annoying?”

“A lot of people,” Takeshi replied, a faint smile on his face.