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It was one of the rare times that team seven went on an out of village mission. After Wave, the team had been particularly anxious and avoidant, not that Sasuke could blame them.
It was a simple courier mission, transporting some classified scroll to a spymaster in Kusa. Sasuke could only hope this out of village mission wouldn’t end up a clusterfuck like the last.
It was his and Kakashi‘s watch, the latter insisting he stay awake with Sasuke, but the younger boy knew this was Kakashi‘s way of keeping an eye on him. A thinly veiled threat, letting Sasuke know that Kakashi didn’t quite trust him.
Sasuke poked the campfire with a stick and couldn’t help but shoot a glance towards the sleeping Naruto, who was huddling up to Sakura in his sleep.
“You know, this team reminds me a lot of the team seven I was on as a kid,” Kakashi spoke up, not even looking up from Icha Icha. “Sometimes I believe the Hokage did it intentionally.”
Sasuke regarded him, and when he did not respond, Kakashi continued. “When I look at Naruto, sometimes all I see is Obito, all bright smiles and big dreams, hopelessly in love with Rin. He used to follow her around like a lost puppy.
Then, Rin. Civilian, weak but optimistic, falling over her feet for a boy who won’t— can’t look in her direction.”
Kakashi put his book down then, looking Sasuke directly in the eye, and the younger couldn’t help but feel they’d reached the heart of the matter — the reason why they had began this pointless one-sided discussion in the first place.
“I was closed off from my team, I’d lost a lot, had no family. In a way, team seven was my family. I was too young then, too stupid to notice—“ Kakashi’s voice descended into almost a whisper. “to notice how much I truly loved Obito.”
Sasuke’s breath hitched. It was supposed to be a confession, but it felt like an accusation.
He’d had no time to consider, to even acknowledge the complicated feelings that swarmed his head when it came to Naruto. Whenever he thought of Naruto, he couldn’t help but think of a future that he couldn’t allow himself to have— a future that Itachi had stolen from him.
“I know it’s difficult to understand, I’ve been there myself. But you’re not as alone as you think you are.” Kakashi then tapped Sakura on the shoulder to rouse her from sleep. “Go to sleep, Sasuke.”