Orders of the Enlisted
Author's Note: Please note this is a fictional story based off real war events and journals. None of the characters portrayed in the story are based off of real people.
This short story is dedicated to all the men and women who serve in the military. Because of their service, we never have to face the dangers that threaten the peace. We will never forget those who lost their lives and further more those who still suffer everyday from physical and emotional wounds.
(Please note actual Combat Rescue Officers have to be Second Lieutenant or of higher rank. Not all of the information is technicality correct in the United States military.) Special thanks to my editor, Love Is Only A Word.
Orders of the Enlisted
He sat awkwardly, his right leg crossed over his left as he leaned further back into his seat. He wore his army combat uniform, his camouflage crisp and clean from great care. His long fingers tapped the arm rest noisily while he rested his head on his other hand. He glanced at the clock over head that ticked loudly due to the eerie quiet atmosphere that surrounded the room. His eyes roamed the room until they landed on the window in the office. The trees swayed outside from the summer breeze as soldiers walked around about the base. Sighing, the man ran a hand through his blonde hair and stared at the door hoping it would open soon and it was ironic when it did.
"Sorry I'm late, Naruto." An older brunette headed man remarked, walking in and closing the door behind him.
"Yea, yea. Now can you tell me why you called me in Captain Yamato?" The blonde asked tiredly.
If this were any other man, Naruto would have never addressed an officer in the manner that he did. But being the fact he had known Yamato nearly his whole career, they were very informal when not around others.
"Yes, well, of course. It would seem we have another mission." He told the younger soldier sitting down on the edge of his desk facing Naruto.
"Already?" Naruto asked.
Yamato chuckled. "You haven't had one in a week."
"Yes, and? That's still too soon." He wore a serious expression before smiling at the Captain. "I assume you want me to assemble the squad..?"
"Yes." He answered but stopped Naruto when the blonde started to raise to his feet. "The entire squad plus one."
"Who else besides Sakura and Sasuke?" Naruto asked confused.
"Corporal Sai will also be joining us." He said.
Naruto scoffed holding back a laugh. "What kind of name is Sai?"
Captain Yamato ignored his question and continued. "He will becoming a permanent member due to us losing one."
Naruto became serious and picked his head up off his hand. "What do you mean?"
Yamato sighed and pushed himself off the desk and walked to a corner of the room. "Sergeant Uchiha is being reassigned."
"What!" Naruto practically yelled.
"This is the real reason I asked you here. Sasuke is being moved to Bravo Company. This will be his last mission with Echo Squad." Yamato informed him.
Echo Squad, aka Team Seven. They were the seventh team to be assembled but they didn't care too much for a number name. So Yamato let Sakura, Sasuke, and him pick a code name for the team. It was a long story of how they picked the word, "echo." But explaining it would be boring to anyone listening. Naruto was more concerned with some high and mighty official ripping his team apart.
"They can't do that. We've been together too long." Naruto said angrily.
Yamato sighed, rubbing his temples before turning back to face the blonde. "That's the problem. Command didn't do it. Sasuke requested a transfer."
Naruto stared at the older man, dumbfounded. Yamato, Sasuke, Sakura, and him have been a team for almost two years now. Granted their old team leader used to be Captain Hatake but that was before he retired with an honorable discharge. Sasuke's leaving felt like mutiny and that his raven haired friend had personally stabbed him behind his back.
Naruto gripped the armrests. "That son-of-a-b-!" Yamato interrupted him.
"Now, now. Naruto I'm sure he has his reasons." Yamato told him as Naruto rolled his eyes.
The Captain shook his head at Naruto's childish behavior. "Just go get Sergeant Uchiha, Sergeant Haruno, and Corporal Sai." Yamato said at last. "Meet me in the debriefing room at twelve hundred."
Naruto rose to his feet. "Yes, sir." He saluted for the hell of it and made his way out of Captain Yamato's office.
His eyes narrowed just thinking about Sasuke. How could he? Does that bastard think he's too good for us?Naruto walked past people quickly barely avoiding hitting them. He pushed open the door that lead out of the officer's headquarters. The sun beat down angrily on the soldiers who were out and about. He walked by a couple of new recruits and he dipped his head at them when they saluted. He didn't really know who he was going to get first but being so angry with his old friend, his feet lead him straight to the Sergeant's door.
He knocked loudly. "Sasuke! You in there?"
No answer. Naruto knocked harder using his fist instead of his knuckles.
A low voice answered. "Yes. What do you want?"
Rather than answer, Naruto just pushed open the door and closed it loudly behind him and as he turned to glare at the man laying down on a small bed in front of him. He had his arms behind his head staring at the ceiling. He was in his combat uniform, boots and all. He must have just come back from training or something.
"What the hell is your problem?" Sasuke asked smirking at him.
"You." Naruto answered before sitting roughly on his bed that sat the opposite of Sasuke's.
"When am I ever not?" He asked looking at the blonde.
"So, why didn't you tell me you requested a transfer?" Naruto asked as he watched for any change of emotion in the Sergeant's face.
With his usual poker face, he answered. "What's it to you?"
Naruto picked a pillow up and chucked it at him. Sasuke feebly put one of his hands up to block it as the pillow fell to the ground.
"We have been a team for two years. I think I have the right to know." Naruto informed him.
"Fine. You hardheaded, idiot. I want to be on the front lines. You know? That's where my father died, fighting on the front lines." He said simply.
"But-!" Naruto started but Sasuke cut him off.
"Don't say 'but you are already are'. Because you know thats not what we do. We are a Combat Rescue Team, Naruto. We just go into the front lines pick up a wounded soldier and air lift him back to base for medical treatment." He pointed out.
"So you are saying you rather be the one shot then the one helping the one that was shot." Naruto asked lamely.
"Dude. No. Are you purposely being dense? I want to fight with my weapon and push the enemy back. It's why I joined the military and you know that. I just picked this type so it would train and prepare me for what I really what to do." Sasuke explained.
"Whatever. We can discuss this later. You still have one more mission with this team." Naruto told him, rising to his feet and beckoning Sasuke to do the same. "Debriefing at twelve hundred."
Sasuke glanced at his watch before standing up besides Naruto. "You already get Sakura?"
"Nope." Naruto said opening the door.
Sasuke sighed in annoyance. "Well, Staff Sergeant, it looks like we are going to be late." He told Naruto following him to the female barracks.
It was not a long walk over there. Well, it usually was but with a asshole at your heels, you tend to walk faster. Sasuke had his hands stuffed in his pockets as he followed behind Naruto.
"Did I ever tell you that you walk like you have something stuck up your ass?" Naruto asked innocently.
Sasuke glanced at him. "Did I ever tell you that your mental age is six years old?" He hissed under his breath.
"Oh, nice comeback." Naruto smirked edging Sasuke into a fight.
Sasuke didn't take the bait and merely shrugged his shoulders as the approached Sakura's door.
"I wish it was cold out here." Sasuke mutter sighing and rubbing some sweat off his neck.
"Well, that would require the weather to be just like your heart." Naruto remarked and caught a hateful glare from Sasuke.
Sakura's door opened. "I thought I heard my team arguing at my doorstep." She stepped out and looked between both of them. "Well, you both do it every time you come to get me so why should I even be surprised." She stopped and turned to Naruto. "Briefing?"
He nodded smiling lopsided at her then frowned and glared at the raven haired man on his right.
"Last mission together." He told her, expecting her outraged reaction, wanting so bad for her to punch some sense into their teammate.
"Huh?" She asked then glanced at him before heading toward the debriefing hall. "Oh, I know." She said simply.
"What?" Naruto yelled running beside her as Sasuke laughed quietly from behind him. "How do you know?"
She stopped and stared at him and said as if he was slow in the head. "Well, someone walked up and told me." She nodded her head pretending to act as if he didn't understand.
"Hateful as always." He grumbled. "What I meant was who told you?"
"Who else but the man himself." She replied pointing at Sasuke.
"And you didn't try to stop him?" Naruto asked disbelief in his voice.
She smiled slightly at Naruto. "Well, yea, at first. But he just said-"
"Bite me." Sasuke finished for her smirking at both of them.
"Then what happened?" Naruto asked.
"I did." Sakura said with a poker face.
The three soldiers said nothing as they looked at each other one by one. Their expressions serious before they all doubled over with laughter at their blank and stoic expressions. Naruto was practically on his knees from laughing as he glanced up at them.
"Holy crap! Is Sasuke laughing?" Naruto yelled seeing the Sergeant chuckle lightly. "Someone get my camera!"
Sasuke's light smile quickly turned in a deep scowl directed toward Naruto. Naruto smiled even wider, challenging his complete opposite.
"Alright guys. Enough." Sakura said pulling herself together. "We have to make it to debriefing."
She took a step forward towards the tent before Naruto called out in remembrance.
"Oh. Yea. I almost forgot we have to pick up Sergeant Uchiha's replacement." Naruto informed them.
"What's his name?" Sasuke asked glancing at Naruto through his eye lashes.
"Jealous?" Naruto asked a smile playing along his lips.
Sasuke scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Heck no. I just want to warn the poor guy about you."
"Hey!" Naruto yelled out, pretending to sound hurt.
Sakura intervened, stepping between her two teammates. "His name?"
"Corporal Sai."
"What kind of name is that?" Sasuke scoffed.
"That's what I said." Naruto agreed. "But you guys have any idea where I might find him?"
"Right in front of you, sir." A cool, calm voice answered.
Naruto turned around to face a man his height. You could tell by his eyebrows he had black hair. His eyes were cold and distant almost like Sasuke's. He was extremely pale which made no sense because of the heat surrounding the base. But what made him so off was his expression. It was blank. As if he has never felt any emotion. Ever.
"You are Staff Sergeant Uzumaki, am I right?" The calm soldier asked.
"Yes. This is Sergeants Haruno and Uchiha." Naruto said pointing to his teammates on his sides. "Welcome to Echo Team."
He nodded his head seemingly bored at meeting his new team. "I'm replacing that sinister looking man." He said pointing to Sasuke making it sound more like a statement than a question.
"Soldier, I'd watch what you say." Sakura told the Corporal harshly, but he ignored her and stared at Sasuke.
Sasuke looked up and locked eyes with Sai. They both stared at one another not saying a word. Sasuke was glaring at him and Sai stared back with a blank expression. Naruto looked between them feeling the situation getting awkward.
"Ok. It looks like we're late already. Let's head over to the debriefing." Naruto said slowly trying to break up the stare down.
Sasuke was the first to break his gaze as he nodded his head and marched towards the tent where Captain Yamato was waiting. Naruto glanced over at Sakura, who just shrugged her shoulders and followed after him. Naruto glanced at the Corporal before following Sakura. Naruto briefly wondered if Sasuke was pissed about being replaced, but what did he expect? Them to be without a fourth member? The world wasn't going to end with him gone, or maybe it did. After that mission, it was the last he saw of his former comrade and friend.
During
Naruto glanced at Sakura as they sat in their full uniform waiting for a call. They were complete head to toe in their combat uniform and the protective vest and pockets that went over it. Each combat rescue soldier had a medical pack with them, but some more than others, such as Sakura. Naruto's and everyone, but Sakura, jobs were mainly to protect the medic and cover as they extract the wounded soldier.
It had been a complete year since they had last seen Sasuke and Naruto hated to admit it but every time he tried he could never remember what Sasuke looked like. It was almost like his memory was fading away and it depressed him. Since his transfer they had successfully completed forty-three missions without him. However, twenty-five percent of those missions had a fatality. He wished he could say every mission they went on they saved the wounded soldier they had to pick up. But chances were slim even with a very experienced medic.
Naruto clicked the safety on and off as they waited. Captain Yamato, Sakura, and Sai were waiting as well along with two other combat rescue teams. Konoha has been in war for two years now with Amegakure. News would always come that this day the war would end but it was always wrong. The war effort was strong but the enemy was stronger. It was for that very reason they sat fully dressed. A major battle was playing out right this moment at Tanzuka Gai. It was rumored to be the turning point of the war if Konoha carried it out successfully. Naruto didn't know the specifics but he did know two whole battalions were attacking. Air Force was going to cover the ground units and combat rescue teams were on stand-by. He glanced at his watch, two minutes until V-Day (Victory Day.)
"It's going to be a busy day boys." Captain Asuma told the squads, taking in a puff of his cigarette.
Naruto averted his eyes to the ground. In other words, Asuma meant a lot of casualties, a lot of wounded, and not a lot of rescue teams. Like always Naruto silently prayed in his mind that he and his team would return alive back to base. Combat rescue was just as dangerous as the fighting on the front lines. They drop you off under fire and you have to find the wounded soldier. Upon finding him, you have to provide first aid. Once the soldier is wrapped up and able to be moved, they call the chopper back and load him up. The wounded soldier is under their care from there until they land. It seems so easy when they explain it to you like that. However, in reality, nothing ever goes according to plan.
"You nervous..?" Naruto asked Sakura, asking himself more and than her.
"We've been doing this awhile so I guess not." She answered.
"This is rumored to be one of the bloodiest battle in the war though." Naruto reminded her.
"It's all bloody wherever we go." She said emotionlessly.
"Point taken."
An piercing alarm went off bouncing off the walls. Everyone's head snapped up as Naruto clicked the safety on his gun.
"Echo Squad, let's go!" Naruto heard Captain Yamato yell over the alarm.
Naruto turned and gazed at Sakura. She nodded towards him and clipped her helmet's chin strap around in place. He helped her up to her feet and their hands stayed clasped.
"Bravo Team. We're moving out!" A man called but his voice was soon blocked out.
It was tradition. Sakura and him did this hand shake before and after each mission. It gave them hope for the tough times ahead. He dipped his head and smiled slightly.
"That others may live." He told her the combat rescue's motto before they followed Captain Yamato and Corporal Sai towards the helicopters.
Shouting filled the take off area as soldiers rushed to the helicopters. Yamato ran ahead waving his team towards a Blackhawk heli that was starting up. The soldier who was manning the machine gun on the side helped the Captain in and Naruto followed suit. Sai pulled himself in followed by Sakura.
"All in!" Yamato yelled over to the pilot who nodded.
Naruto sat down and buckled the harness over his body as he placed his assault rifle between his legs. He sat next to Yamato facing Sakura and Sai. The helicopter began to vibrate as the wings started to spin. The chopper started to lift up off the ground as the pilot maneuvered it towards the right. The two other choppers behind them followed suit and formed a triangle as they flew.
Yamato pulled a set of head phones on so he could talk to the pilot without having to yell. Naruto let out a breath trying to calm his already jumpy nerves. His loose strap from his helmet hit his face as the wind blew through the open space in the chopper. Naruto brought his hand up and slowly grabbed it clicking it back into place. Sakura, who sat across from him, pulled her sleeve back up checking the time. Noticing his eyes on her, she gave him a sly smile before leaning back in the seat and closing her eyes.
Yamato pulled his head phones off and yelled over the whistle of the wind. "We will be at the drop zone in five minutes!" He shouted and took a breath to yell again. "The LZ is hot, we will rappel in and the chopper will circle in order to draw their fire!" He swallowed and yelled again. "The soldier we are picking up is not too close to all the fighting but he is seriously wounded. They left a unit with him to defend until we get there!" He nodded then leaned back into his seat.
Sai moved around clipping his rappelling harness into place and Sakura followed suit. The chopper shook as smoke filled the air where they flew by. Naruto glanced down at the ground where trees were on fire and smoke covered the landscape. It was the tell-tell sign that they were crossing over into the war zone.
The chopper shook again as the pilot yelled. "Hang on! We are taking fire!"
The chopper shook from the impact of bullets slamming into the metal surface. He heard the high pitch scream of groaning metal as the bullets bounced off. Sparks flew up as a bullet hit the side of the chopper by Sakura's leg. It ricocheted off into the air as she looked down at where it hit. She looked back up at Naruto with a blank expression. He already knew. If it was an inch higher, it would have hit her.
The chopper shook violently as the bullets hit the under belly. The machine gunner was firing down back at them. The empty shells of his bullets spraying all inside the chopper.
"Dammit." He heard the pilot curse. "This was supposed to be cleared out."
"Holy shit!" Naruto turned to where the machine gunner had yelled.
He turned just in time to see one of the combat rescue team's helicopter smoking and spiraling towards the ground. Even from here he could hear the screams as the chopper fell. But before the chopper even touched the ground, it exploded. The flaming chunk of metal slamming into the ground as they flew over it.
"Angel Two is down!" The pilot yelled into his microphone. "I repeat, Angel Two is down."
"Dear God.." Naruto said slowly.
The other helicopter that was flying next to them turned off heading toward their target. Naruto prayed that they would make it back and not meet the same fate as Angel Two.
"Hook up! The LZ is coming up!" Captain Yamato shouted, leaning to clip his rope to the loop on the floor of the chopper.
"Uh, sir.." Sai started, his eyes wide. "What LZ..?"
"What are you talking about, Corporal?" Yamato yelled.
Sai said nothing and picked his hand up pointing out towards the landscape. Naruto leaned out to follow his line of sight and struggled to hold in his gasp of shock. The landing zone or what was left of it was smoking. The green grass and trees were black and covered with ash. Bits of fire sprinkled throughout the entire area. The chopper decreased in speed and hovered above the wreckage.
"Sir, we're too late. This place got the shit bombed out of it." The machine gunner told Yamato.
The pilot brought the helicopter around the ashes looking for any survivors. Nothing. Nothing but ashes.
"Poor bastards.." The Captain muttered. "Alright." He turned to the pilot. "Let's get the hell out of here."
The chopper rose back up and away from the ash covered landing zone. He turned his course back for the base. Sakura sighed out in a slight relief still staring at the graveyard of unknown soldiers.
"Well, that was a waste of fuel." Corporal Sai commented emotionlessly.
"Shut the hell up, you emotionless bastard." Naruto told him angry with his non caring attitude.
Naruto watched the pilot turn to Yamato. "Sir, Angel Three is down and command wants Echo Team to recover their target."
Angel Two and Three down? Jesus. Then what hope did they have if the helicopters couldn't even drop their loads off?
Yamato nodded as the helicopter turned back towards the firefight. "What is his condition?"
The pilot spoke into his microphone quickly so Naruto couldn't read his lips. Yamato was listening intently and his expression soon turned pissed.
"They want us to recover and rescue their men and yet they can't keep the fire off the rescue teams." He remarked angrily before facing Echo Team.
"Alright, new mission!" He yelled over the machine gunner's fire. "The front line has been moved back."
Moved back? Naruto wiped the sweat from his forehead that was forming under his helmet. Great, that meant our forces were retreating.
"An unidentified soldier was shot and left behind! He is now a mile in enemy lines." Yamato told them.
"You're kidding me right..?" Corporal Sai asked. "We are to retrieve a soldier, who let me remind you they don't even know who he is, and is behind the enemy, by himself?"
"Corporal.." The Captain started before shaking his head. "Why did you even join combat rescue..?" He asked not even really wanting an answer.
"It just seems really stupid, sir." Sai said through his teeth.
"Whichever. We are going. Hook up. We are passing over the current front line." He said just as the helicopter began to shake.
Naruto clicked the safety off his weapon and kept his head facing forward. He didn't want to see the fighting or lean his head out and risk getting his brains blown out. Bullets were impacting the side of the chopper as they bounced off. Naruto closed his eyes trying to drown out the noise of lethal metal hitting the side of a not very thick chopper.
A shout of surprise caused his eyes to fly open as he looked around for the cause of it.
"Shit. The gunner is down." Captain Yamato remarked looking at the gunner who was leaned over on the machine gun blood dripping on the floor of the chopper.
The Captain, not having to get up, reached over and pulled the soldier off the weapon that was supporting his dead weight and laid him down on his back. He bent down and pressed two fingers to his neck. Holding them there for a second he rose back into his seat.
Yamato didn't have to tell them. They all knew. Naruto stared at the dead soldier whose face seemed more relaxed and at peace. Without his hard look, Naruto saw just how young the gunner really was. Would I end up that way? His brain asked him. Heading home in a body bag?
"Almost there, Echo Team. Get ready. I'm only hovering for a few seconds!" The pilot called back to his passengers. "I can't get you straight to the wounded soldier but I can you close." He looked at his fuel gauge and turned back to look at Yamato. "You have fifteen minutes to get him back to the LZ or else I have to leave without Echo Team."
Naruto stared at the pilot for a few seconds before nodding his head. Sai clicked his safety off and glanced over at Naruto, his eyes as emotionless as always. Naruto was really beginning to wonder if something happened and made him that way. He wanted to ask but now was not the time. Naruto leaned back and placed his hand on top of his helmet pushing it down right over his eyes.
"Echo Squad, stand up!" Captain Yamato yelled to the crew as he stood up holding onto the metal of the helicopter for support.
Naruto stood up as the others copied. The helicopter shook lightly as Naruto grabbed ahold of the top of the chopper so he wouldn't fall out.
"Everyone hooked up?" Yamato asked looking down at their feet seeing if the cable was hooked up.
The helicopter began to descend. "Five seconds!" The pilot reminded them.
The chopper lowered until it was above a flat section of land. "Go, go, go!" The Captain yelled.
Naruto picked up his assault rifle and slung it around his shoulder. Grabbing ahold of the cable, he leaned over the side of the chopper, his back sticking out. Taking a breath, he leaped out of the helicopter. The rope fell as he jumped. He wrapped his legs around the cable as he slid down. He felt the air as bullets cut the air past his ear. But before he could even panic his feet touched the ground as he landed. Dropping to one knee, he pulled his rifle up to cover the rest of Echo Team. He put an enemy soldier in his sights that was shooting up at the helicopter. Two bullets went straight threw his chest as he doubled over. Naruto swung his weapon around to fire at a soldier running towards them. He heard the thump as the rest of his team landed on the grassland ground. The grass swayed back and forth violently as the rotor wings began to lift off and away from the landing zone.
"Captain, we're sitting ducks out here! Can we move to the tree line?" Naruto shouted as he fired another round at a enemy soldier.
"Echo Squad!" Yamato called out. "Head to the tree line on the left! Our wounded soldier is only a click away!"
"Yes, sir." Naruto answered before pushing off his leg and sprinting for the tree line.
Not aiming at all, he fired at the direction in which the soldiers were coming. He wasn't trying to hit any of them, just keep them from firing back as they made it to the cover of the forest. Naruto jumped behind the first tree he saw and held his gun up aiming down at the enemy. Sakura ran past him, further into the woods. An enemy soldier pulled his gun up and fired at Sai as he ran. Dust and dirt flew up into the air as the bullets hit near his feet. Naruto put the soldier who was shooting at Sai in his sights and pulled the trigger.
"Shit!" He cursed, when the rifle didn't fire.
He unloaded the empty magazine and tossed it onto the forest floor. Pulling back the velcro on his uniform, he pulled out another magazine. Naruto jammed it into his gun and aimed back at the man. He fired three rounds as the first missed and the next two hit dead on. The enemy soldier crumbled to the ground as he heard Sai run past behind him.
Naruto pulled his weapon up and followed after them. "You're welcome, Corporal!" He yelled, chasing after them.
Captain Yamato was already running past Sakura leading them the way where the wounded soldier was left. They didn't stop running. This whole area was surrounded and covered with tangos. The best way to survive was to get in and get out.
"The old front line is just up ahead!" Captain Yamato yelled as he jumped over a fallen branch.
He didn't have to tell Naruto. Naruto could see it. Trees were blown apart from bombs and bodies of different color uniforms littered the ground. He could hear the distant sound of gunfire from the current front line as he pushed his legs faster to the edge of the tree line. Trenches and ditches were beginning to come in sight. Abandoned machine guns and smoking tanks. It truly was a devastating sight.
"Keep your eyes open for our target!" Yamato called out, sliding down into one of the trenches.
Naruto watched him slide down and jumped over the trench to look else where. Bodies covered the old front line. And not whole bodies, this was no clean fight. Some were missing limbs, others had their intestines strewn about on the blood covered ground. In fact most of the bodies were of the enemy. How strange. Why would Konoha retreat? That was one pro in this hell hole, however. Since the dead were not dead for long there was no rotten smell. Just the faint whiff of gun powder, burning wood, and the metallic smell of blood.
He saw a Konoha soldier who was motionless behind a machine gun. Empty shells surrounded his body and his eyes were closed. Naruto slid down next to the Konoha soldier and placed his fingers against his pulmonary artery. No pulse. He stood back up and looked around in all directions. Dammit. This could take forever. He thought as his eyes gazed over at the fallen soldiers. Any one of these dead soldiers could be the still alive one.
"Uhhh..." Naruto whipped his head up and looked around.
It was the sound of a man moaning. Naruto looked around his eyes just seeing bodies after bodies. Naruto listened hard, not making any movement. After a few seconds of no other sound, he began to wonder if it was all in his imagination. That was until he heard it again. His head jerked to the side where he thought he heard the noise.
"Echo." He called out in a hushed whisper.
It was quiet except for the distant gunfire. Naruto pulled his rifle up, his finger hovering above the trigger. His trained instincts reminded him this moan of a man may not be a friendly.
"Echo." He tried again, looking all around him.
"Echo...". A voice respond lowly in pain.
Naruto whirled to look behind him. Out of all the bodies of soldiers he saw a black boot move. The boot was against an incline of the ditch, no doubt a hard place to find if you didn't look directly for it. Naruto rose to his feet and jogged over to the the boot. He knelt by a man who was propped up against the inside of the ditch. His right hand clutched his pistol tightly, but made no move to raise it at Naruto. Finding the man of no threat because of the color of his uniform, Naruto checked for signs of life. Blood covered his Konoha camouflaged pant leg. Naruto looked closer and saw the blood was seeping out from a hole in his pant leg on his left thigh. His eyes traveled up to look at the soldier's face but the man's head was down resting on his chest. Naruto place his fingers to his neck making sure this was where the voice came. There was a pulse.
"Medic!" Naruto called to Sakura wherever she was.
He then bent down to look at the man. "What's your name soldier?"
"Serg...Sergeant." He was able to make out his rank.
The wounded soldier slowly picked his head up. His face covered in dust and dirt. Dried blood ran along his neck and bits of metal was embedded in the right side of his face. The man leaned his head back locking eyes with Naruto. Dark, blackish eyes. The man slowly smiled, his white teeth out of place with the rest of his appearance. It was as if this man was seeing an old friend again. Naruto stated back at him wondering why the soldier was looking at him that way.
"You were right... Staff Sergeant." The man said before letting out a labored breath. "I did get myself shot."
Familiar voice. Same eyes. How could he have ever disappeared from Naruto's memory. After all this time he still remembered.
"Jesus Christ, Sasuke." Naruto said to him placing his hands over his old friend's bleeding leg.
"They got me good." He muttered watching Naruto his eyes distant. "They were everywhere. We didn't know- they came out of nowhere. And Inuzuka he didn't even see it.." Sasuke trailed off his mind else where but here.
"Medic! God dammit! Medic!" Naruto yelled out into the air.
"Nara and...Inuzuka stayed with me." He paused for a moment as if confused. "Where...are they?"
Grabbing ahold of Sasuke's uniform pant leg, he ripped the material revealing the bullet wound. Pulling his canteen from one of the pockets on his uniform, Naruto poured water over the wound trying to see just how messy it was. The clear liquid washed away the blood but new, fresh blood replaced it. Sasuke was going to bleed out if he didn't stop the flow.
"Sasuke are you hit anywhere else?" Naruto asked him having trouble with getting him to focus. "Here." Naruto pulled a half burnt ammunition box up next to his leg.
With great care, Naruto lifted Sasuke's leg on top of it. He remembered you had to elevate a wound to keep the blood from flowing. Sasuke didn't even filch when his leg was moved, which meant he was far off in the worse stages.
"Bomb went off. Got my whole right side." Sasuke said slowly. "I got back up, ran for cover, and was shot through my leg.." He stared at Naruto his eyes unfocused. "They left me..."
"Sasuke I'm not going to leave you. You're safe now, ok?" Naruto told him as he responded with a moan of pain.
"Whole company...gone. Nara..where is he? He'd know. He always knows." Sasuke rambled on, not making any sense.
The running of boots caught his attention as Naruto reached for his weapon and pulled it up. The owner of the noise slid down the ditch and faced Naruto. The soldier frowned at the muzzle of the rifle in their face.
"Relax. It's me." Sakura complained.
Naruto dropped the gun and put pressure back on Sasuke's leg. "It's Sasuke. The wounded soldier is Sasuke." He told her.
Without a word, she rushed to his side. She grab ahold of his chin and tilted his head upwards looking into his eyes. She pulled out a small flashlight and shined it through his retinas. After she slowly put his head down, she ran her eyes down his neck until she stopped at his leg. He could just imagine all the medical training racking through her head as she bit her lip in concentration.
"Can you save him?" Naruto asked his voice strained.
She pulled a small knife from her uniform and faced Sasuke. "I can try."
Using the knife she cut into the front of his uniform pulling back the cloth. He knew what she was doing. She had noticed the scrap metal in his neck and needed to see how bad it was under the uniform. She pulled the fabric carefully down his right arm. Blood covered his skin and bits of metal poked out of his flesh. Skin was melted off like hot wax in some places. Infection was already setting in by the sight red swelling on his arm. Luckily, his wounds were not as bad some of the other soldiers they rescued after they were hit by a bomb.
More running reached his ears as he saw Captain Yamato slide down into the ditch followed by Sai.
"Over twenty tangos heading this way." Captain Yamato said before stopping and looking down at Sasuke. "Is that..?"
"Yes." Naruto answered for him. "How much time until our flight leaves without us?"
Yamato pulled back his sleeve and looked at his watch. "Six minutes. Ok. We have to move, now! Or we are not going to make it." He turned to Sakura. "Sergeant, is he stable enough to move?"
"If we had a gurney, yea." She said sarcastically her hands bloody from Sasuke's blood.
Yamato was about to answer her before Sai shouted. "Contact! West! Two'o'clock!"
Gunfire erupted as both sides unloaded round after round. He heard the shouting of the enemy soldiers as he turned to Sakura.
"We are going to have to move him. There is no other way." He told her.
"I know." She said sounding frustrated, then turned to Sasuke. "We're moving."
He nodded his head slowly before pushing himself further in a sitting position, no longer leaning against the ditch.
"Can you carry him?" Naruto asked picking his gun up.
"This is no time to be sexist, Naruto." She sighed, annoyed.
A bullet hit the side of the ditch, near Naruto's head. He stared at the spot before pulling a grenade off his pack and pulling the pin and throwing it behind him. Naruto turned back around his back leaning against the incline of the ditch.
"I'm tired of being fucking shot at!" Naruto screamed as the grenade went off and soldiers hit by it screamed.
"We have a tank coming at us! Three'o'clock!" Sai shouted.
"Staff Sergeant!" Captain Yamato yelled over the hail of bullets. "We are moving towards the right of the tr-!" He cried out before he was thrown backwards from the impact of two bullets to his chest.
"No!" Naruto yelled rushing to his side, keeping his head down from the shower of bullets.
Yamato was on his back his weapon thrown meters away from where his body now laid. Blood was sweeping out of his uniform as his right hand covered one of the bullet holes. Blood was coming from his mouth as the Captain struggled to look at the damage done to him. Naruto leaned over him and placed both his hands over his wound.
"Stay with me!" He ordered looking down at his long time leader and friend.
Yamato eyes were wide with fear, something Naruto never saw in his expression before. He tried to speak but the blood in his throat was blocking the words from coming out. It was just a horrible gurgling, coughing noise. A sound that would haunt him for the rest of his life. Naruto bit into his lip trying to keep pressure on his wound as Yamato struggled. It did no good. Blood flowed through his fingers like squishing a sponge that was full of water.
"Medic!" He yelled his eyes never leaving the older man's. "Medic! He's drowning in his own blood!" Naruto called out in pain watching Yamato struggle to breath as his own blood blocked his airway.
It was not soon after he called out to Sakura when Yamato slowly stopped struggling as blood ran from his mouth and on to the dirt. He no longer tried to watch his wounds as his head slowly lowered to the ground. With one last twitch of his head, Yamato went limp and his body relaxed. Naruto watched the light fade from his eyes and he removed his hands from Yamato's chest. Naruto brought his hand up to wipe his brow before slamming fist on the ground in anger.
"No.." He murmured. "No, God dammit!" He shouted, unclipping his nuisance of a helmet and slamming it on the ground as it rolled away. "They won't even give us a chance!"
He was overreacting and flipping out over the situation. But he couldn't help it. Yes, they had lost soldiers before but none of them were ones they knew personally and now, in less than a second, he had lost Captain Yamato.
A head gripped his shoulder firmly. "Staff Sergeant, we have to go! This area is crawling with tangos!" Corporal Sai informed him.
"No!" Naruto shoved his hand off, his eyes never leaving Yamato's body. "I can't! You go." He told the soldier behind him, his pain clouding his better judgement.
He couldn't leave his body here surround by this hell. God knew what those Amegakure soldiers would do to it.
Sai grabbed the collar of Naruto's uniform and shoved him onto the ground. "I really don't give a fuck what your problem is." He said very calmly, which was eerie because his words were angry. "But wether you like it or not, you are now the commanding officer." He pulled Naruto up onto his knees. "And you will get us home."
Naruto glared at the soldier in front of him as Sai slowly let go of Naruto's uniform. Sai turned around to reach back up and pick up his assault rifle.
"You emotionless bastard." Naruto muttered.
"I may be, but it keeps my head clear when I need to be calm the most." Sai countered as he turned back to the incline of the ditch.
Sadly, Naruto hated to admit Sai was right. The Captain was dead and he was now the next highest ranking member. He was concerned with the dead and not concentrating on the alive. Here he was wallowing in his own self pity, when others needed him. Not only was his life on the line but now he was in charge of three others. And dear God, he wasn't ready. Naruto was no officer. Hell, he'd never thought he'd make it that far and now they were in an extremely dangerous situation that even experienced officers would have trouble with.
"Grenade!" Someone shouted as a oval chunk of metal rolled near Naruto's feet.
"Shit!" He cursed and picked it up and quickly threw it back over towards the enemy.
The grenade went off just as the metal flew a couple of yards away. Naruto was thrown backwards from the force of it. Dirt slashing into his eyes and small metal pieces piercing him. He was on his back as a horrible ringing filled his ears, deafening everything else around him. His eyes slowly looked over at where Sai was shooting trying to cover the group as the enemy soldiers closed in. He turned to Naruto and shouted at him but Naruto didn't hear him. Everything around him seemed to go into slow motion. Sakura was over Sasuke tearing a piece of gauze from her mouth to wrap it around his leg. A bullet hit near the dirt where her helmet was poking out. She didn't even filch, just merely brought her hand up to touch her helmet to see if she was ok. Finding nothing she continued her work. Two times she cheated death. It will adventally catch up to her, he thought sadly. Naruto watched the empty shells of Sai's rifle fly out of the chamber as he fired back. A grenade went off near him as he ducked his head and was showered with dirt. He looked back up and yelled at Naruto his voice still mute. But the more Naruto watched, his hearing came back little by little.
"Staff Sergeant! We have to-" His words were cut off as dirt showered over him again. "Staff Sergeant!"
The ringing still in his ears, Naruto pushed himself from the ground. He picked up his fallen helmet and rifle as he slammed his back against the ditch besides Sai.
"Corporal, I'm going to pop smoke. You are to retreat back into the tree line and cover Sakura as she carries Sasuke. I will follow afterwards. Do not stop until you reach the LZ! Do you understand me? Do not stop for anything!" Naruto yelled, command in his words.
Like a switch, the inner leader took control. He didn't know where he got the courage. Or maybe he always had it.
"Yes, sir!" Sai told him, running over to the rest of Echo Team.
With his back still against the ditch, Naruto pulled his helmet over his head and laid his gun down. Naruto pulled open a pocket on his uniform and pulled out a small can looking similar to a grenade.
"Smoke, out!" He called pulling the pin and throwing the can behind him.
A few seconds and then there was a pop as the can sprayed smoke where it landed. Naruto reached back into his pocket and pulled out another. He pulled the pin and threw the can behind him like the first. Picking up his assault rifle, he pointed at Sai.
"Move now! I'll cover you!" He yelled as the Corporal nodded and stood up firing in the direction of the Amegakure soldiers.
Sakura stood up behind him, Sasuke draped over her shoulder. Using great caution she stepped out of the ditch and into the smoke filled battlefield. Naruto stood up, his assault rifle raised as he followed close behind her. Her run was slow due to Sasuke's weight but the smoke was doing it's job. A tango ran right past them and didn't even notice their presence. Naruto aimed at him but he had already disappeared in the white smoke.
He didn't know what happened next. One minute he was running after Sakura, the next dirt flew up into his face in front of him as Sakura fell to the forest floor with Sasuke on top of her.
"Sakura!" He yelled dropping to her side.
She was trying to push Sasuke off her legs as she looked up at him. "I'm not hit. I'm not hit." She repeated over and over to herself.
"Fuck." Naruto heard Sasuke curse. "We can't catch a damn break." He said angrily which was pathetic because his voice was so weak.
Naruto reached down and pulled Sasuke off Sakura. Using his arm and leg, Naruto threw his raven haired friend over his shoulder and handed Sakura his gun.
"I'll be faster. Let's move. The smokes clearing." He told her, jogging towards the tree line.
"Where the hell is Sai? I thought he was supposed to be covering our asses!" Sakura shouted enraged, jumping over the body of a fallen soldier.
"Hell if I know!" Naruto yelled back as they approached the tree line.
The smoke had cleared by now and he listened to the shouting as the enemy soldiers pursued them. A popping sound sent fear through his body as they raced through the trees. An eruption, lashing pain hit the back of his knee as his leg crumbled. Trying to keep from falling down, Naruto's knee slammed into the ground as he kneeled.
"Naruto!" Sakura called out rushing to his side.
"I'm fine." He said through clenched teeth, as he forced himself off the ground.
"Bullet went through the back of your knee, you are not fine!" She pointed out, helping pull him up.
"It can't be helped. We have to get to the LZ!" He told her continuing his jog but was limping.
As they cleared the forest, Naruto saw Sai standing out in the middle of the clearing his gun raised. Naruto limped over to him and set Sasuke down on his back. Sakura followed behind them and handed Naruto's gun back to him.
"Where the hell did you go, Corporal?" Naruto asked, reloading his assault rifle.
He did say to Sai not to stop for anything, but surely he didn't take that completely seriously.
"Covering you." He replied nocholontly.
"What do you...?" Naruto trailed off, looking at the device in Sai's hand.
It was a detonator. A device used to trigger explosives from a distance. Sai's fingers was pulling the button down in the back as his pointer finger hovered above the red button in the middle. Just as the tangos started to appear out of the tree line, he pressed the button. The trees seemed to jump out of the ground as they exploded into pieces. He heard the screaming of soldiers as their bodies were engulfed in flames. Some of the soldier on fire just fell over as the flame ate up their bodies.
"How much time?" Sakura asked watching the entire scene.
"We're out of time." Naruto said looking down at his watch. "The heli should be here."
"What if it's down? You saw how easy Angel Two and Three fell." Sakura pointed out looking up at the sky.
"It has to be here." Naruto said mostly trying to convince himself.
The sky was empty besides the smoke rising from various locations. Gunfire erupted from the distance as more soldiers were heading towards the clearing.
"We're going to be surrounded, Staff Sergeant." Corporal Sai commented, dropping the detonator and picking up his weapon.
"Maybe if we head towards the current front line, we can get across to our troops." Sakura offered, her hand over Sasuke's head.
"We'll never make it in time." Naruto sighed, moving his hand to clutch the back of his knee.
"What's your decision, Staff Sergeant?" Sasuke coughed, speaking for the first time, his head seemly more clear.
Naruto let go of his leg and placed his hand back on the top of his rifle. "We're staying here. This is where we are supposed to meet. We'll die defending this place if we have to."
"Yes, sir." They replied, no emotion in their voice.
Sai pulled out the magazine in his rifle and looked at his ammunition. He stared at it for a bit before jamming it back into his gun.
"I got seven rounds left." He said, leaning back on his heel.
Naruto checked his, noticing he had a full round left. He placed the magazine back in and pulled his helmet off scratching his head. No one wanted to admit it or show any trace of fear. But they knew it was the end. They would never make it with two wounded to the front line. They couldn't stay and defend in an open valley and with no ammunition. To their enemy it would be like shooting fish in a barrel. Naruto only wished Yamato was here. He'd know what to do.
"Last fight, Echo Team." Naruto told them, cocking his weapon, replacing his helmet back over his head.
"So others may live.." Sakura said mournfully.
At that moment it was like a movie. Where the action hits its most suspense filled point. Naruto had no idea why his mind would make that comparison. He just brushed it off and repeated Sakura's words in his head as he raised his assault rifle towards the tree line.
"Why others...? If we can live ourselves?" Sasuke coughed, pointing to the sky, a smile in his voice.
A Blackhawk helicopter was a small dot as it was slowly heading towards them. Like a light at the end of a dark tunnel, getting brighter and brighter each second.
"Hell yea!" Naruto found himself yelling.
"Popping a flare, Staff Sergeant." Sai said emotionlessly breaking a stick looking object and throwing it beside them as it smoked green.
The chopper was on them in seconds. Instead of hovering like last time, the helicopter landed on the ground it's rotor wings still moving.
"Need a ride, Echo Team?" The pilot called out behind him.
Naruto walked over to the edge of the open helicopter. A man stepped out and offered him his hand. Taking the man's hand, Naruto realized this helicopter was not Angel One. The gunner stepped out and helped Sakura get Sasuke in the chopper.
"Where is Angel One?" Naruto asked the pilot, leaning over his seat.
"Ran out of fuel on the way back to base to drop the gunner off. The chopper made a crash landing. The pilot is ok, but he made sure that there was another heli sent to get ya'll." The pilot commented.
"Everyone's loaded." The gunner commented as the pilot pulled up on the control.
The Amegakure soldiers were just appearing as the rotor wings spun rapidly. The helicopter rose up off the ground as the appeared fully. They never did fire at the chopper though. From the looks of it the reason was faulty communication throughout the ranks. Naruto slowly walked back to sit down in the seat facing Sakura. She took her helmet off and placed it in her lap, her hands folding over it softly.
"What now?" She asked, her eyes tired.
Naruto smiled as the chopper flew over the battlefield where the front was last said to be. His smile got even wider when no bullets impaled the metal hull.
"We go home." He responded.
"Ain't that the truth." Sasuke moaned laying his head back down on the floor of the chopper where he was strapped in.
Sakura laughed, closing her eyes and leaning her head back against the seat. Naruto pushed his helmet further up on his head as he leaned back finally relaxing. In order to keep one, they had to lose one, Naruto thought looking over at the empty seat beside him. So close he had almost died, he thought moving his hand down to the wound on the back of his knee. It wasn't bleeding as bad, which meant the bullet might have grazed his flesh. But his well being was the last thing on his mind. He wondered what would become of Echo Team and their return home.
"Don't dwell on it." Sakura's voice interrupted his thoughts.
"Evading my privacy?" He questioned, raising an eyebrow at her.
"Depends." She answered. "How do you define privacy?" Her horrible attempt at a joke made him smile.
And at that moment it didn't matter what happened from this point on. They didn't have control of fate or where their lives take them. They just can control how it impacts them and how they make the best out of it. Even though the burden they carry is heavy, he knows that he is never alone and there are others like him that will help him through the everlasting struggle. Naruto placed his hands around the back of his head, letting all the emotional and physical pain fade into nothingness. Hell, he was just along for the ride..
Aftermath
Upon their return to base in Konoha, Echo Team's record was kept on file. Their lives were recorded so others may learn and know of their sacrifice.
Cpl. Inuzuka and SFC. Nara, Sasuke's friend's bodies were never found. Command deemed them KIA during the bombing.
Cpt. Yamato was recovered from the fallen front line, shortly after the battle. He received the Army Distinguished Service Cross for his bravery. It was the second most honorable metal besides the Medal of Honor. He was buried at Konoha National Cemetary with full military honors.
Cpl. Sai stayed in Echo Team for the rest of his career. He is now currently the leader and still known as "the emotionless bastard."
Sgt. Uchica, Sasuke left the military with a medical discharge. He received a Purple Heart for being wounded in Tanzuka Gai. Medical records show he suffered a bullet to the upper thigh which limited his movement permeantly. Along with the bullet wound, he had second and third degree burns on his right side. He was placed on extensive medication upon his return to civilian life.
Unfortunately, two years later after his return, he succumbed to his wounds he gained from Tanzuka Gai. Both Naruto and Sakura were present at his funeral. Later tests showed the bomb he was hit by at war gave him high levels of radiation without him even knowing it, he had died of cancer.
Sgt. Hunaro, Sakura stayed with Echo Team for another year before retiring with an honorable discharge. She wanted to continue her medical practice when she returned home. She now works as a civilian flight nurse. A year later, she met up with her old teammate, Naruto, randomly at a Memorial Day Parade.
SSg. Uzumaki, Naruto retired from the military and Echo Team shortly after their return back to base from Tanzuka Gai. Soon after, he was awarded a Purple Heart and the Medal of Honor for his actions in Tanzuka Gai. The official reason for receiving the Medal of Honor was for going above and beyond the call of duty to save a fellow soldier behind enemy lines when his commanding officer was down. He was happily married to his former teammate and best friend, Sakura Hunaro. He then began his campaign into a political office, for he did not want any soldier or civilian to go through what he had to. A Peace Treaty was signed with Amegakure because of his motions for a truce. The truce has remained in place for twenty years and there has been no record of fighting between the two nations anymore. Many years later, on May fifteenth, Naruto passed away of unknown causes. One theory believed it was because of the death of his wife a month earlier while the medical reason they thought up was his wounds from his military career. However, no autopsy was performed. He was buried in Konoha National Cemetery along with many other soldiers who died in Tanzuka Gai. Till this day his head stone stands as a reminder and memory to those who gave their lives for a cause in which they believed. His headstone reads the following:
SSg. Uzumaki Naruto.
"So Others May Live."