Finding a Bit of Trust

Title: Finding a Bit of Trust

Fandom: Naruto

Chapter: 16

Pairing: Ibiki/Naruto

Word count: 873

AN: Yay for filler! Or something. Yes, just a fluffy filler chapter for you guys. Next chapter…well, I’m going to not say anything about that chapter. Yet.

 

*~*~*~*~*~*

 

Heading through the woods, the two rarely talking as they hiked, Ibiki and Naruto enjoyed the rare quiet time that they found themselves in.

 

“Are we almost there?” Naruto asked curiously, the two pausing as Naruto clipped a few herbs that Tsunade wanted to test when ever they found some.

 

“Almost. We just need to get through these woods,” Ibiki drawled, pointing to several tall wheat like stalks.

 

“Tsunade-baa-chan uses those in some of her remedies. They’re very useful if annoying in the fact that they grow anywhere they seed,” Naruto hummed, feeling rather proud of himself at having remembered that fact. Ibiki smiled and nodded as he led the smaller male through the plants before them.

 

“I also use them in a few of my own concoctions. With the right ingredients, the resulting paste creating a slow heating feeling. It doesn’t physically damage a person, but it does burn,” the large man said, looking over his shoulder, getting a wide eyed look.

 

“It sounds as if there’s a lot more to interrogation then just pain,” Naruto said, a smile dancing on Ibikis lips at that.

 

“That’s correct. It’s also part psychological. If you want, I can find some books on the subject for you,” he offered.

”Yes, please. Psychological warfare is something I’ve been interested in but I just never really got around to learning about it,” Naruto replied, his voice bright with interest as they stepped into a large grassy area, drawing blue eyes to the simplistic beauty of the area. Green grass melded with wheat colored stalks, creating a very interesting effect for the eyes as wild flowers added sets of bright bursts of color. “Wow. How have you kept this to yourself for so long?” the blond asked, voice breathless.

 

“I bought the land the moment I became part of ANBU, just for this beautiful bit of peace,” Ibiki admitted. Looking up at the other male, Naruto smiled brightly and patted his arm. “Come on, let’s lay out the blanket and eat dinner.”

 

“Sounds like a plan to me,” Naruto hummed, taking the basket from Ibiki and hunting for a proper spot to set up for their dinner. Finding the right spot, he set the basket down and pulled out the blanket, laying it out under Ibikis watchful eyes. The large man had to smile as he watched all of the tension slowly leech out of Naruto with every passing minute. It was looking as if Sparrow had been right that the small blond would need to be dragged away from his work to be able to relax fully.

 

He would have to do something nice for the ANBU.

 

“Com on, Ibiki, I want to eat,” Naruto called from his spot. Laughing lowly, the large man walked over to where his companion was waiting for him and slipped off his jacket, leaving him in a pair of pants, books and long sleeved shirt. Naruto blushed at just how tight the clothes were and sat on the ground with a sigh of pleasure, blond hair ruffling in the breeze around him. His companion sat next to him and helped him unload the basket, spreading out the food.

 

Once that was done, Ibiki settled in with his rice ball as Naruto hummed happily over his own plate of food. The two continued to enjoy their meal, eyes closed over the tastes that slid over their taste buds before Ibiki decided to break their silence.

 

“How are your friends taking you being the way you are now?” he asked, getting a curious blink from the smaller man. “I know that you’ve been working with Hinata-san and Sasuke-san, but outside of that information…” he trailed off. Naruto grinned at the use of  his closest friends names, having tried to get Ibiki to use them before but he had never been quite successful.

 

“As far as I know, they’re still good with it. They’ve been training and doing missions just like I have lately, at least the training part since I’m still doing desk missions mostly,” Naruto drawled, getting a smirk from his companion. “Though, Neji-kun is moving in with his lovers.” Ibiki nodded a bit, Naruto counting to see how long it would take the other man to react to the news.

”Wait, lovers?”

 

Ten seconds, give or take a few nano seconds.

 

Ibiki was feeling thrown off by the news, Naruto looking smug about being able to throw the man and enjoying the gob smacked look on his face. Getting rid of the look, the large man wondered how he had missed Neji getting not with just one person but two, especially since he came from such a ridged clan.

 

“So who is he with?” eh finally asked, wondering if he should break into the sake bottles that he had brought along with them.

 

“Kakashi and Iruka,” Naruto chirped happily. Ibiki groaned and pulled out the sake bottle after all. The blond laughed as the man opened the bottle before finding a cup for himself, downing the drink in one swig, muttering about surprises and being to damn old for them. “But Ibiki-san, you’re only 28,” Naruto teased, getting a dry look from his companion, sending him into another round of laughter.