Title: Obsession
By: Seravy
NOTES:
Ramen – Japanese noodle
Dango – small sweet dumplings
Sensei – doctor or teacher
An enveloping silence overtook the commotion. No one knew what happened except that it did. Iruka and Kakashi, being the boy's closest thing to a guardian, were the first notified and by the time they arrived, their student was already in the operation room. None of them were medical experts and for once, wished that they were. Sakura looked to her genin mentor pleadingly, tears on their brink of cascading down. She and Sasuke had witnessed the event.
"How's Naruto?" panted Iruka in exhaustion. He had abandoned his class and rushed here at full speed.
Sakura shook her head, unable to produce a single coherent sentence. Sasuke continued to stare intently at the wall before him, elbows propped on his lap, hands covering his now moving lips.
"I don't know. He just suddenly doubled over in pain," he exclaimed, curtly.
"Just suddenly? What happened?"
"I don't know."
Just then, a man burst through the doors of the operation room and Iruka grabbed his arm impulsively.
"How is he? Uzumaki Naruto! He's my student! The boy with blonde hair! How is he?!!"
The man was clearly annoyed, wanting to shrug the chuunin off but Iruka only tightened his hold.
"If anything, that boy is suicidal. He's had it coming," gritted the man and proceeded to push himself out of Iruka's now limp grip, hurrying to his original task.
No one knew how to disgust and express that piece of information.
Unsatisfied, Iruka rushed towards the door to the operation room. Kakashi easily caught up and stepped into his way.
"Get out of the way, Kakashi!" exclaimed Iruka. With anger and confusion surging through his mind, the academy teacher threw a reckless punch, easily caught by the experienced jounin. There was no doubt that he can't possibly defeat this man but at the moment, logic did not matter.
"Calm down, Iruka. It's not like we can do anything."
Iruka knew it was true and allowed this to sink in before taking a seat beside Sasuke.
"Just that… it's not possible. Naruto… Naruto is strong! He'd never do something like that! Surely he is reckless but he won't…"
He couldn't even bring himself into saying it. All sorts of questions floated into their minds, silently reeking guilt into their conscious. The unusually poor performance of their student, the lack of concentration and pale appearance during the last couple of days, the signs were all there. Tears now ran freely down Sakura's cheeks, sobbing Naruto's name and her negligence towards the boy. Even with his emotions hidden behind his stoic face, regret floated amidst Sasuke's cobalt eyes.
Finally, the doors swung open and a sedated Naruto was wheeled out. Iruka and Sakura crowded around for answers.
"How he is?!" exclaimed Iruka, his voice louder than he had expected.
The medical nin calmly replied as he removed his face mask.
"He's fine. He just had his stomach pumped."
"What was it? Sleeping pills? Poison? Drugs? Over dosage? Will there be any permanent damage?!" questioned the academy teacher, almost physically wringing answers out.
The man in charge of Naruto procedure really wished that he had left his mask on. He was used to dealing with anxious friends and family, but the spittle that came flying from this persistent one was not pleasant.
"Ramen." Replied the med nin.
An awkward pause withheld all activities, rewinding the dread that polluted the air just moments ago.
"Ramen?" they all asked in unison.
"Ramen," Affirmed the pale man, "A case of digestion blockage, leading to intestinal spasm and pain."
Finding himself out of Iruka grip, the med nin took the chance to wipe himself clean of spittle.
"Sensei, another one is coming in. Same type," called his assistant from the side. The doctor, swept into the wave of the next patient, was back into the emergency room.
The next day
Naruto was already awake by the time they arrived. He still looked a little pale but a smile now painted his face, propped up by two large fluffy pillows. Iruka was the first to express his relief.
"You had me so worried, Naruto!" sobbed Iruka, pulling his former student into his chest. The boy struggled in the chuunin's arms, although quite touched by his concern.
"Don't worry, Iruka-sensei! I've never felt better."
Naruto's smiled smugly which immediately earned him a straight knuckle into the skull by his teammate.
"What was that for, Sakura-chan?"
"You deserve it," gritted the girl. That was for her wasted tears.
"You truly are an idiot," murmured Sasuke, "Who in this world would just eat ramen as their only sustenance."
"I can't help it. Ramen is just too good!!"
"Naruto," sighed Kakashi. It was rare for him to lecture but he should have guessed that his student's love for ramen would mean entirely relying on it. That was the type of single-minded boy Naruto was.
"A shinobi must consume a variety of food groups in order to maximize their energy output. You can't be a great ninja if you can't even take care of your diet."
"How naïve!"
The interrupting voice boomed seemingly out of nowhere as smoke enveloped the area. Something zoomed towards Naruto but by the time he realized it, it was too late. The boy could only close his eyes and await his destiny. The haze dissipated to reveal a woman standing proudly on the bedpost, her introduction "Anko-sama has arrived!" drawn by a series of long needles imbedded on the wall behind Naruto.
"You don't know what you're talking about, Kakashi!! A shinobi needs to pursue their passion without hesitation! Become one with their obsession!"
Anko boasted a laugh which was deftly interrupted by the new presence that followed her in.
"Oh. What a rare occasion," said Kakashi ,"What brings you here, Kurenai?"
"Dango," replied the reticent jounin. That was all that was needed for a mutual understanding, switching their gaze between patient #1 (Naruto) and patient #2 (Anko) for obsessive compulsive consumption.
"This is Anko's fifth visit. She just never learns," sighed Kurenai, shaking her head.
"Shut up! To die by dango, I have no regrets!" declared Anko.
"Well said! Ramen for me though!" supported Naruto, exchanging thumbs-up with the special jounin.
"Great, the three stooges are all here," grunted Sasuke.
"Anyways, I'm hungry!" exclaimed Naruto. "Iruka-sensei! Treat me to ramen!"
"Kurenai, I want dango!"
It's an endless cycle.
END.
Quick one-shot. Just seems to me that Naruto only ever eats ramen. And there was an article some time ago about some dude who only lived on ramen and died. His intestines were all stuck together from the wax in that stuff. As for Anko… she did have enough dango to complete a konoha mark during the chuunin exam arc