Naruto awoke as always happy and ready for a new day. He quickly threw on his clothes and headed outside to go to his favorite training grounds. As soon as he opened his door and saw the buildings around him, the events of the last few days caught up with his groggy mind. The leader of Akatsuki, an organization that was trying to capture the nine tailed beasts, Pein had attacked Konoha while Naruto was away training to become a sage. Pein nearly destroyed the entire village in his crazed search for the Nine Tails Jinchuriki. Naruto arrived in time to save the village from total annihilation but had caused severe damage himself when he turned into the Kyuubi during the fight.

He was still unsure as to how the Kyuubi had gained control...he had spent so long training to suppress his emotions to allow himself as much control as possible. He was somewhat glad however, because during the final stage of the transformation a seal that had been placed inside of him by the Fourth Hokage, Yondaime Minato, had activated. A vision of the Fourth appeared to Naruto and helped Naruto to gain control. He told Naruto that he was his father and that his mother was the previous host for the Nine Tails. He gave Naruto the courage and strength to regain control and defeat Pein without the aid of the Kyuubi.

Because of the enhanced chakra levels the Nine Tails gave to Naruto his wounds were already healed, so he decided to head to go see how his friends were. He changed direction and began heading towards the Konoha Hospital. Upon entering the doors his eyes filled with tears. There were people everywhere, all injured to some extent lying on the floor, tables, counters, any empty space that would accommodate a body. Those who were less injured started cheering his name, but instead of making him feel good about defeating Pein as the cheering had made him feel yesterday, he felt sick to his stomach.

If only I had come back sooner perhaps Konoha wouldn't be in utter devastation, perhaps so many people wouldn't be here right now fighting for their lives, he thought. he was about to turn and flee from the scene when he saw Sakura walking up to him looking tired but triumphant.

"Naruto I'm so glad you're here," she said. "We've had quite a hard time stabilizing everyone but it seems like everyone should be OK, although Tsunade is still stuck in a coma. The Medics say she should recover soon enough though, so I'm not too worried," she said. The look of concern on her face betrayed her strong voice. "Come this way most of the gang is in Kakashis' room, he got hit pretty bad, but he's stable. I kinda wish we could harness some of the Kyuubi's healing power," she laughed.

Upon entering Kakashis' room Naruto sighed with relief. Kakashi was sitting propped up by pillows in a bed surrounded by flowers and people. Bandages covered his body, an IV was connected to his arm, his face was covered by his mask, and his forehead protector covered his left eye which hid his sharingan as usual. His right eye however was bright and filled with laughter. Around the bed Naruto saw Lee with a bandage on his head, Kiba (Minus Akamaru for once), Shino, Chouji, and Ino all seemingly unscathed other than a few scrapes and cuts.

"Naruto come in, come in!" yelled Kakashi warmly upon seeing the young man. Everyone stepped aside as Naruto approached the bed.

"Kakashi I am so sorry I didn't get here soone-" Naruto began but was interrupted when Kakashi drew him into a hug.

"Naruto...you're a true hero. You saved us all, you have nothing to apologize for" Kakashi said.

"But so many people got hurt, if only I had trained harder I could have gotten back sooner and maybe none of this would have ever happened" Naruto insisted.

Kakashi replied, "What you did, no one in Konoha was able to do. In fact all of Konoha working as one was unable to truly face Pein...yet you defeated him singlehandedly! You were off training to do something only Lord Jiraiya has ever truly mastered and were not supposed to be back for almost another month, the fact that you were able to get back in time at all is a miracle for which we are all grateful. So stop fussing...the Medics say I shouldn't get overly stressed and that sour face you are wearing would stress anyone out! I'm alive if not well...Konoha can be rebuilt, and the Will of Fire has only strengthened for us all." Naruto allowed a small grin to spread across his face and began talking to his friends, asking them what had happened while he was away training.

He was in the middle of a conversation with Kiba when he heard Ino ask Sakura how Hinata's condition was. "What happened to Hinata?" he asked concerned.

"You, you don't remember?" asked Sakura.

"The last thing that I remember," he said, "was being pinned to the ground by Pein's chakra transmitters. Then everything goes blank after that until I had regained control.

"Oh...well...Hinata tried to protect you when you were pinned to the ground. Pein very nearly killed her, she's in pretty bad shape," Sakura replied refusing to meet his eyes.

Naruto could tell there was something she wasn't telling him but instead of pursuing the issue he simply asked, "Where is she?"

"She's in room 74 but it's in ICU you can't go...there," she said to his back as it disappeared out the door.

She got up to follow but Kakashi stopped her saying, "Let him go. I think this will be something he needs to do alone, especially since you didn't tell him the whole truth."

Naruto moved quickly down the hall barely noticing the door numbers as he went...40, 43, 52, 55. He stopped when he came in front of two medical ninja standing guard in front of a door labled Intensive Care Unit. "Excuse me, I need to get through here please if room 74 is back there," Naruto said.

"We're sorry Naruto, as much as we would like to let you go through, we can not allow anyone to pass beyond these doors but medically trained ninja and family members." replied one of the ninja. Naruto's heart dropped, although he didn't know Hinata very well, she was one of his precious friends, someone who accepted him. All he knew was that she was injured, in pain because of him, and he was going to get past this door to go see her.

He started to advance upon the first door guard when a familiar voice cut him like a whip, "Naruto! Come with me I need your help to perform a healing jutsu, you've got enough chakra to sustain the jutsu for me." He turned and saw Shizune walking towards him. "Move guards, I don't have time for nonesense he's with me."

Naruto grinned and followed Shizune through the doors. "Thank you Shizune I thought I was going to have to knock them out to get in here so I could see Hinata" he laughed.

She smacked him across the face and said with a stern look, "Naruto Uzumaki just because you think you're a hero now doesn't give you the right to go wherever you want whenever you want, the only reason I helped you get back here is because I know Hinata is back in room 74 and I assume that's where you wanted to go. Knock before you enter, she is probably asleep, and she may already have company. "

Naruto rubbed his cheek as he said, "Thank's Shizune," and began walking away.

He got to room 74 and stopped to take a breath. He knocked and waited for a reply but none came. He assumed she was sleeping, so he decided to enter the room to see how bad her condition was. He had only take a step into the door when something hard collided with the side of his head sending him tumbling over to the side.

He looked up to see Neji Hyuuga standing over him seething. "What are you doing here, haven't you caused Hinata enough pain?" he asked. Naruto could only stare at him dumbfounded. "What gives you the right to play with her emotions for years, then actually physically injure her, and then come here today to play with her emotions some more! Answer me!" Neji shouted as he began to advance on Naruto who had now regained a standing position.

"Neji-san, I really don't know what you're talking about, Sakura said Hinata was injured by Pein, but I don't remember any of it. I just came to see how she was doing...what are you talking about?" Naruto asked.

Neji stopped advancing on Naruto and looked at him closely. "Your really don't remember do you?" Naruto shook his head. Neji sat down with a look of disgust on his face. "It must be nice not remembering what happens to you when the Kyuubi takes control. Hinata intervened in your fight with Pein. It was looking rather grim and seemed you would be defeated. You told her to run away, but, but...she said, ugggh, for some reason she said she loved you! She said she admired you and looked up to you, and for that stupid reason she put herself in between you and that monster Pein! She was stabbed multiple times by those cruel chakra transmitters while you sat by and watched. That's when the Kyuubi began to take over and the chakra leaks from the Kyuubi mangled her body even more. She's in critical condition, all thanks to the one everyone is calling a hero...pathetic. It should be you in that bed, not my cousin. You're worthle- what are you doing!" Neji yelled and jumped up from his seat.

Naruto had listened to Neji's speech, but the biggest thing that caught his attention was when Neji said the word, love. Everything flooded back into his memory and he remembered Hinata jumping in to save his life. He remembered her confessing her love for him, and he remembered the feeling he had then that he was having now. Someone loved him, him! The Nine Tails Jinchuriki, someone most people feared or simply didn't understand. He knew he had to do something for her, knew he had to try and save her. He walked up to the IV's and grabbed the connecting needle and jammed it into his arm. "What are you doing!" Neji repeated.

"Because of the Kyuubi, my blood has healing properties, that's why I look like I don't have any injuries today. I am hoping my blood might help to heal her," Naruto said without looking away from her face.

"That's the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard get away from her before I call the guards in and have you arre-" Neji stopped talking as he saw red chakra start to swell around Hinata's body. The cuts and bruises she was covered in looked as though time were turned back on them as they began to seal themselves up and return to normal color. The gaping holes in her flesh where Pein has pierced her body with his chakra receivers began to grow new flesh before his eyes and completely seal shut. Her breathing became slow and steady and his eyes filled with tears. He felt a soft breeze and looked up to see Naruto gone and the window open.

Two weeks passed, and repairs in Konoha were hard underway. Naruto was busy at work hammering boards together at the Command and Deployment Center, when he saw Hinata walking by.