Chapter Text
Inuzuka Akira is annoying and Nara Masako is troublesome. These are facts, Aki knows. He thinks Hyuuga-sensei knows this, too.
They are a support team. Akira and her ninken protect, they're the bruisers. Masako, Aki, and Hyuuga throw genjutsu after genjutsu at enemies. Masako prefers the big ones, the tortuous ones used with high chakra. Aki likes the subtle off-sets, the ones that are harder to sense. Together, their styles bring out the best in the team.
They work well together on the field. Off the field, it’s another story. Akira is hot and cold, and where Aki would have expected to find an ally in Nara Masako, he finds another annoyance. Masako is as loud as his jutsu. Hyuuga-sensei is, unfortunately, a hands-off teacher when it comes to team dynamics.
Masako is almost a friend, but something seems off about him. Aki can’t quite pinpoint it. He spends his days off training with Masako, and they get dinner together afterwards. It’s a routine, and Aki doesn’t disrupt it by asking questions. They’ve fallen into this routine without even trying, and Aki is thankful. In the shinobi world, routines are precious.
They train together for months on and off missions. Akira joins them sometimes, but it’s always a little awkward, and it’s not that she’s a girl, or at least Aki doesn’t think that that’s it.
So when Masako disappears after a solo mission, Aki is concerned. They aren’t friends, not really, but they are teammates so that counts for something. Hyuuga-sensei is tight-lipped, and Akira is all cold. It’s a crushing frigid sensation.
Aki goes to the only person he could - his sister.
“He’s either been chosen for a long-term infiltration mission, or he’s dead. Either way, act like he’s dead,” she tells him, not coldly, but factually.
This, Aki understands. Act like he’s dead. He can do that.
Standing over the memorial stones, void of Masako’s name, Aki doesn’t know what to think. He acts, instead. He places down some flowers bought at the Yamanaka’s. He kneels down. He doesn’t think, he just looks. He looks at the faded gravestones. He doesn’t think about Masako. Masako is dead, so Aki gets up and goes home.
Training without Masako is different. Akira is harsher, more prone to insults.
“He’s an Uchiha,” she spits, like this means anything. It means everything. Akira expects results, expects him to know something. He doesn’t know anything. He never has.
Hyuuga-sensei watches with hollow eyes as she leaves in a huff. “Uchiha,” he acknowledges with a nod as he leaves after her.
Aki walks home alone with an empty stomach. He does not think about how Masako called him Aki. He does not think, he acts.
Getting close to Nara Shikaku was easier than he expected it to be. Where Masako was all emotions, Shikaku is logic. He slots in well with Aki’s indecision, taking things slow.
Aki wonders one too many times if Shikaku had a similar idea getting close to him, but he discards it. Shikaku tells him Masako’s dead, shows him the mission details. For that, Shikaku earns himself a lifetime friend. Shikaku laughs and tells him he’s too easy. Aki thinks about how Shikaku didn’t need anything but his company to be a friend, and ignores his opinion on being “too easy”.
Yoshino is another can of worms entirely.
“He’s an Uchiha!” she exclaims when Shikaku brings him to dinner. Shikaku raises his eyebrow, as if saying, ”So what?” They have an entirely silent conversation Aki is not privy to.
By the end of it, Yoshino sends one last glare at Shikaku, and turns to face Aki. She welcomes him to their home with a fake smile. Aki likes that she’s obvious about her dislike. He shows her the same honest respect, except he likes her. He likes them both a little too much.
Dinner with them is wonderful. Yoshino is spirited and alive, and she brings out the same in Shikaku. Aki basks in their presence, and by the end of it he can tell he has won over Yoshino.
Mikoto can tell that he’s enamored after one dinner. She smiles softly when he talks about his outing with them. She takes his hands in hers. “Hold onto them,” she says. The smile doesn’t quite reach her eyes. He wants to ask if she loves Fugaku, but he holds his tongue. He always does.
The next day during the team’s scheduled training, Hyuuga-sensei takes them to the Hokage. He’s promoted unceremoniously to chunin, alongside Akira and a handful of other genin.
He won’t miss Hyuuga-sensei’s personality, but he’ll miss his mentorship and expertise. He won’t miss Akira, but he might miss what they could have been. He tries not to think about how much he still misses Masako.