Naruto : Venom

Hours Later, Kakashi’s Apartment

Kakashi is sitting in the dark on a chair in his living room. He’s not moving a millimeter, in fact even his eyes aren’t wandering at all. They’re staring at a seemingly innocent envelope on the table before him. He’s been like this for hours, not moving, not acting, simply staring.

With a great deal of uncertainty he slowly reaches for the letter, but stops halfway there. His arm is just hanging in the air showing how truly terrified and eager he is at the same time.

What could possibly be in this letter? Is it Alvarcus’s reasons for why he’s a bad sensei? Perhaps it is his motive for leaving, did Kakashi have a hand in it? Or is it simply a hello? He doesn’t know, and he’s not sure he wants to find out.

Finally, he takes hold of the letter and tenderly opens it.

Sensei,

It is not your fault.

If you only get one thing out of my letter, know that it isn’t your fault. I chose to leave, but I also chose to not abandon my home or my friends. I’m playing spy. I’m working to bring down the enemy from the inside.

Since I know you, you probably don’t truly believe that you didn’t partly drive me away. So, I’m going to tell you why I left. I left for my teammate. He was going to go whether I did or not and someone has to look out for him. I couldn’t abandon him, I couldn’t let him face these perils alone. Even with all of his strength, he’s surprisingly fragile. He’s like a blank canvas and I’m not going to let him be molded into something dark, something twisted.

I can’t speak for my teammate, but I want you to know that you are the best sensei I could have gotten. Even if we weren’t student and teacher for that long I know that I wouldn’t be half as good without you. You’re awesome.

Except for when you decide to use unconventional taijutsu moves against me. I’m still mad about that. Tell ya what, you let the puppet thing finally go and we’ll call it even?

Now get up off your ass, take a damn shower, eat an actual meal and make Konoha proud!

Your Favorite Student

PS

Tell Pakkun I said hi will you?

”You’re still mad? I’m still mad!” Kakashi whispers as he tenderly sets the letter back down on the table. ”Thank you Alvarcus. I thought I failed again. Thank you.”

...

The Next Morning, Sound Base, Alvarcus’s Room

”Summoning Jutsu!” I slam my hand to the ground.

POOF

Once the smoke clears I can see Shirokumo sitting on a ridiculous pile of clothing that wasn’t there before. ”Shirokumo? When you said the weavers might go overboard, you really underplayed how overboard they would go. There has to be twenty five sets of everything! I could maybe understand the shirts, pants and underwear having that many, but bed sheets? Why would I need twenty five sets of bed sheets?” I grab a handful of them. ”Hold on. Are these different materials and everything?”

Bashfully, Shirokumo replies. ”Yes? You didn’t specify what kind you wanted, so they made a few of the most popular cloths. Everything from wool to our own silk was used.”

”I.. uh... wow. I’m impressed. Pass that along will you? I’ll use them all eventually. Or most of them. Half?” There are a lot of clothes on my floor now. Ugh, I’ll have to put them away.

I start on the new project: Putting away my clothes. Shirokumo idly sits on my bed while I go about the room putting them in their place.

”Your friend, Tsunade, is crazy by the way.” I turn to Shirokumo, of all the things he could have said I never expected that. ”She almost killed me until I practically threw your letter at her. Screaming about paperwork the entire time.”

I laugh at him. ”Yep, that’s Tsunade. Glad to know she got it.” I shove some pants into a dresser drawer. I leave out a very nice pair of dull black silk pants, I’m going to wear very nice clothes today training be damned! I’ll find a shirt next.

Shirokumo walks up the wall to the corner above my bed. He starts to make his own web there. ”She asks that you get in touch quicker next time, and then ranted about how irresponsible you are.”

”Definitely Tsunade. I’ll have something for her by the end of the week. I’ll need to compose it better than an informal letter so it’ll take some time. I’m going to try to send her something once a week at least. That way she gets constant information. That won’t be a problem for you, will it?” No need to over use my messenger if he has things that require his attention.

He screeches out laughter while making his new web. ”I can take five minutes out of my week to run letters for you, it isn’t a problem. If anything Arachne is glad to have me out of the Nest for a bit, says it builds character.”

I grab up all of the shirts. ”Glad to hear it! Say, do you think the dark blue or the dark green shirt for today?” I hold up the two shirts in question.

”Green.” Shirokumo doesn’t even look away from his task.

”That’s what I was thinking too. Blue just isn’t my color.” Plus Sasuke always wears dark blue shirts, it must be an Uchiha color thing. I try on my new clothes, they fit exceptionally well and the material is a very high quality silk. The Spiders really know how to make some damn good clothes.

Someone knocks on my door, and then immediately enters without waiting for a response. Its Tayuya. Why is it always her? ”UP AND AT- Whoa. You’re awake! That never happens, you always sleep until someone drags you out of the bed.”

I roll my eyes. ”I wake up exactly when I want to. I felt like being awake early today, I had some things to do.”

”Like sort through your massive pile of new clothes.” Shirokumo happily chimes in from the ceiling. He’s finished making his web, he’s lazily relaxing in it now.

Tayuya’s face turns a ghastly white. ”Alvarcus. There is a giant talking spider in your room.” She pulls out her flute and raises it to her lips. ”Want me to kill it?”

Shirokumo tenses. I lazily swat at Tayuya’s flute, she moves it out of the way. ”There will be no need for that. I’m the Spider Summoner remember? He’s one of my summons.”

A small amount of color returns to her face. ”Still, you’re completely okay with a giant spider making a web over your bed?”

I laugh in amusement. ”Tayuya, Shirokumo is one of the smaller ones. The biggest one I’ve personally seen is as large as a full grown horse.”

Tayuya shivers in fright. ”That is pure nightmare fuel. How can you stand to be around that?”

I roll my eyes at her. ”How can you stand to be around the rest of the Sound Four? Simple, you trust them.” I see skeptical comprehension on her face. ”It helps that they promised me free clothes for life.”

”Free clothes?” Tayuya sounds excited. Did that change her opinion of the Spiders? How shallow.

”Yeah, I’m wearing some right now. I have way too much, I’ve filled up all of my dresser and closet.” I should get another dresser, then I can sort through my new clothes better. I can organize them by material, then by color. That’s a project for another day.

I feel a hand run down my back. I suppress the urge to attack, I know only Tayuya and Shirokumo are in the room. Since Shirokumo doesn’t have hands, I know it is Tayuya feeling up my back. Which is very worrisome in its own regard.

”Oh that is a very nice material.” Tayuya purrs into my ear. She drapes herself over my back and tenderly wraps her arms around me. ”What would it take to get some of those for myself?”

”First: let go of me.” I grip her wrists in my hands and pull her arms apart. She doesn’t fight. When I turn to face her I can see a cute pout on her face. She even crosses her arms to sell the picture. ”Second: ask him.” I wave a hand at Shirokumo. ”He’s the one who got me everything.”

Tayuya gets a mad gleam in her eye. ”Oh Mister Spider!” She merrily skips over to my bed and climbs on it to be closer to Shirokumo. ”Mister Spider!”

Shirokumo backs up as far as he can into his web. ”Would you look at the time! I must be going right this instant. Al, it was nice seeing you do keep in touch. Toodles!”

POOF

Shirokumo flees in a puff of smoke. Interestingly his webbing stayed behind, I’ll have to remember that. I could have him restrain unconscious opponents and then send him back. I wonder how strong the web is?

I’m yanked out of that thought by Tayuya yanking on my arm. ”Alvarcus, summon him back here.”

”No can do, he said he has to go. I don’t know when I’ll summon him next. Now, let go of my arm!” She is stroking the sleeve of my new dark green shirt lovingly.

”But it is so soft! I must have it!” She tightens her hold on me with envy in her eyes. Very sweetly she asks, ”You’ll get me some clothes of this material, won’t you? Pretty please?” Tayuya is hugging my arm to her chest tightly.

Ignoring how nice the feeling actually is, I drag us over to my closet. She wouldn’t let go of me. I reach in and pull out a random shirt. It is a bright yellow t-shirt made of the same silk as what I’m wearing. I thrust it towards her. ”Here. Take it and let me go.”

Instantly I’m released. Tayuya is clutching the yellow shirt to her like it is going to run away. ”You mean it? I can have this one?” She rubs her face on the shirt with pure elation etched on her features.

”Yeah, whatever.” I dismissively wave at her. It isn’t like I can’t get more, and the color is atrocious. Bright yellow? I’d never be caught dead wearing that.

”Squee!” Tayuya squeaks out while happily hopping in place. She really wants that shirt. I swear she’s crazy, yeah the material is super comfortable but to be dancing in happiness over a shirt that isn’t even your size? Gotta be crazy.

”Ahem.” I interrupt her victory dance. ”I’m assuming you came in here for a reason? Every other time you’ve woken me up we go somewhere.”

”Oh shit you’re right.” She stuffs the yellow shirt into her hip pouch. I’m surprised it fit in there, hip pouches aren’t that big. ”Orochimaru wants you at the training field.” She’s all business now. Good, she was being super weird earlier.

”We better not keep him waiting any longer.” I gather everything I’ll need for a rigorous training session. ”Lead the way.”

We walk out of my room. This has been a very strange morning.

...

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