Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.
Summary: Naruto has only two years left to live and decides to make a list with everything he wants to do before he dies.
AN: I saw this movie about a guy who only had a year to live. Can't remember the title of the movie though, but it was a good one. This is also mixed with the theme of 'the Bucket List'. I hope this fanfic will turn out alright, let me know by reviewing! :grin:
Prologue
He was cursing under his breath, muttering sentences to himself. He had been in the freaking hospital for over a week and he still had no idea what was wrong with him; he had recovered from his injuries, felt as great as ever and was needed by his fellow shinobi. He couldn't afford being out for so long, the village needed him after all! Cursing again, he squeezed one of the apples Sakura had brought him so tightly that it was crushed, leaving bits and pieces of the apple on his sheets, his hair and his clothes. This made him curse even louder.
"Geez, Naruto, this is a hospital, you shouldn't be having such a potty-mouth over here," a voice said. Naruto, startled and feeling a little dumb for not sensing someone's presence earlier, looked towards the door.
"Well, excuse me for being mad at having to stay over here for so long!" he retorted, sticking his tongue out childishly at Kiba. The man shook his head, grinning lightly as he took a seat next to Naruto's bed. He immediately stuck his hand in the basket of apples, grabbed the biggest and juiciest one and took a large bite out of it. Naruto scowled. "Those are the apples Sakura-chan brought! Mine, damn it!" Kiba shrugged.
"It's not like you're gonna eat 'em," he replied. "So, have they told you anything yet?" Kiba asked, taking another bite of the fruit. The blond man, who had thrown the apple-covered sheets off the bed shook his head.
"No, it's pretty annoying. The old hag did some tests on me yesterday, but she hasn't told me what the hell's going on yet. You know how I hate lying in bed like this!" Kiba shrugged.
"Well, maybe it's better this way for now though. I mean, at least like this you get a little vacation away from risking your life in battle." Naruto shot a glare at Kiba, narrowing his eyes slightly.
"If you had been in this bed and I had been in that chair, you would've said the exact same thing. And it's so freaking boring too! I mean, Sakura-chan, Sai and Kakashi-sensei are out on a mission, without me," he added, slightly irritated. Kiba barked a laugh.
"Don't sweat it man, at least you're lucky enough to have my company!" Naruto snorted. "Anyway, I gotta go, I was asked to go on a mission as well. It's been pretty busy lately, so be sure to get better soon," he continued, shooting a grin at Naruto. He got one in return and a thumb's up. "Great, see ya when I get back then." Kiba gave him a little wave, throwing the remains of his apple in the trashcan near the exit of the room before leaving.
Naruto sighed and ran a hand through his hair. Honestly, how long was it going to take? He knew that he had shocked a lot of people when his body was dragged into Konoha by Kakashi after one of the toughest missions he had ever had, but still, his injuries had healed really fast—as usual—so he felt completely ready to leave the hospital. Actually, he had felt that way after one night, but they wouldn't listen. "Tsunade-sama told us to keep you here until further notice. You are not to leave the hospital until she says so. She also told me to say 'that's an order, brat'."
The blond snorted again. Tsunade knew him too well—he would've sneaked out in no time.
The door to his room opened up once again, revealing the Hokage herself, holding a big folder Naruto supposed was his medical file. He had been in and out of the hospital a lot of times, but seeing his complete file and how thick it was, was kind of impressing. How many times did he get injured anyway? Was it that way for every ninja?
"Hey, hag!" Naruto said, waving at her. He blinked when there was no 'who are you calling a hag, brat?' or 'don't make me put you on D-rank missions for the rest of the year' in return. Instead, there was a grim look on her face and her eyes had dark rings around them, as if she hadn't been sleeping for days. He gulped, somehow feeling guilty that she looked so tired, worried and even scared. Though it was really cold in the room, she was sweating, slowly opening his file as she sat down on the chair Kiba had been sitting on moments ago. "What's wrong?" he demanded after a long, uncomfortable pause. She hadn't made eye contact since she had entered the room, but those two words woke her up and she looked at him, shocking the blond a little more.
"Naruto," she said, her voice a little hoarse. Had she been crying? "How much have you been using Kyuubi's chakra?" Naruto blinked, before he scratched the back of his head. How could he know? He had been using it since he was thirteen, though back then only on occasions. From his travelling with Jiraiya, he had learned how to control the demon's chakra a little better, enabling him to tap into it a little more. He didn't use it during training, but during missions—very often. "Ever since you returned to Konoha, we've been monitoring the amount of chakra you've been using," she explained, noticing the slightly lost expression on his face. "You never noticed it, because the procedure is very short, but these charts show that you've been using Kyuubi's energy a lot over the last year. I never expected it to go this fast," she muttered. Naruto blinked.
"What's going fast?" he asked her, not at all understanding what she was talking about. She sighed.
"I—I don't know how to say this. I've been looking at all the possibilities over and over again, the council is bothering me about my paperwork, haven't slept in days…there's no way this can be reversed." She stopped again, her eyes locking with his again.
"What can't be reversed?" he now more demanded than asked, feeling his heart beat erratically in his throat. He swallowed, trying to make the feeling go away, but his heart stayed there.
"Though the Kyuubi's chakra gives you an imaginable amount of chakra, it can also mess with your lifespan. When you use Kyuubi's energy, it fuels everything your body creates. You have no limits, when you get injured, you're healed. When it's physically impossible to keep on fighting or even moving, the chakra Kyuubi gives you keeps you going. We knew this and monitored it. Up until now, it was reasonably stable, but after your last injuries…you pretty much almost died that time. One week ago, no amount of surgery or medication would've been able to save you. Almost every organ in your body had been damaged beyond repair, broken bones, too much blood loss, the list goes on. Kyuubi healed you, giving you a little more time," she paused here and bit her lip. She couldn't say it.
"A little more time?" he repeated. "What, you mean like, another forty years right? I mean, it can't be that bad, right?" he asked her, looking hopeful. This couldn't be happening…he still had so much stuff to do. Sasuke was still out there somewhere, still waiting to get the crap beaten out of him for being such an idiot. He still had to fight Konohamaru for Hokage. He still had to kick ass being a member of the ANBU. He still had to master all sorts of jutsu, still had to fight so many people.
"Naruto," she breathed, her eyes suspiciously watery. Naruto's hope sunk like the Titanic. "You only have two years left."
His eyes widened in shock.