A/N : Hey guys, Iwant to say a huge thank you to those who sent amazing reviews my way! They were really appreciated and gave me a kick to update this story. Now here's the new chapter! Enjoy!

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A cold breeze blew into the leaves, making a sinister melody linger into the atmosphere. Kakashi shivered as he saw his student's eyes turn to face him - his skin pearly white - before he stumbled on invisible resistance. Luckily, the jounin was fast enough to catch the kid before he hit the ground and hurt himself more. The silver-haired ninja lowered the limp body to the ground and turned him over to face him.

"Naruto? Naruto!" he called, nervously patting the youngster's cheek. His two other students looked up from their spots to see what caused the racket. Their eyes stopped on their sensei kneeling next to a fallen form that had once been their friend's.

"Naruto, wake up! Answer me!" Kakashi begged, still taping the kid's cheek. Sasuke quickly arrived at his sides, followed closely by Sakura. They looked nervously at their sick-looking teammate.

"What happened?" Sasuke asked on a monotone, though a slight hint of worry – only noticeable for someone who could read him through – pierced his voice. Sakura looked over the scene, her worry meter skyrocketing. Her hands shook nervously and she had to whip them on her uniform since her palms were getting sweaty with her increasingly racing heartbeat.

"He passed out" Kakashi replied firmly, hiding his nervousness away. He was still patting the kid all over to try to find what was causing this situation. Tomo slowly made his way to where the others were gathered.

"Why, what's wrong with him?" Sakura cried out, her nerves breaking and the worry-ball that was gathering in her throat finally exploding. Kakashi shook his head while touching the burning skin on the blonde's face. "I honestly don't know. He's been off for a while, from what I've noticed" he admitted. Sasuke frowned, kneeling next to his sensei.

"He's complained about headaches earlier" he confessed, his tone still stoic, as he tried to keep is composure in front of people. Kakashi looked at him with his one visible eye. "Why didn't you say anything about it?" he inquired, disappointment readable in his voice. Sasuke shrugged, but felt a dark cloud of responsibility wash over him.

"I didn't think it meant anything up until now" he replied shyly. They fell silent as they all stared at the fallen teen who still hadn't given any sign of awareness. Tomo cleared his throat and spoke for the first time.

"He must be either sick or injured" he proposed. Kakashi spun around to face him.

"Naruto is hardly ever sick and I didn't see him get injured in the rumble. He slept half-way through it!" he exclaimed, panic somehow starting to stain his speech. Sasuke saw the shadow of a memory cross his mind but he chased it away. They all jumped in excitation when they heard a muffled groan. Kakashi turned to the stirring blonde with wide eyes.

"Naruto?" he asked softly. For a moment, the kid seemed lost and confused. It took some time for Naruto to see clearly through the blur and when he did, he noticed all eyes scanning him down. "Wh…What?" he stuttered but didn't find the strength in himself to finish his sentence. Kakashi placed both hands on his shoulders to ensure him security and stability.

"Naruto, you just passed out. Do you know what happened?" the jounin asked. Naruto stared at him with dazed eyes. "Don't know but… head hurts" he panted, clutching his forehead with a weak hand. Kakashi frowned and seemed thoughtful for a second.

"Maybe we should get you back to Konoha so you can get checked by a doctor" Kakashi announced. A pout appeared on the kid's face. He started moving, trying to pull himself up and ready to defend his point. Naruto hated hospitals and he wasn't going to let someone go before the mission was over. In the name of shinobi, he was going to finish this, good health or not.

"I'm fine! Just a bit dizzy, that's all…" he complained. He then went to sit up but failed miserably as his sensei pulled him down to rest on the cool forest floor. The boy wanted to protest but his muscles gave away and he was laid limply to the ground.

"Naruto, you look awful! You should really go back to Konoha" Sasuke pressed, trying to show some authority towards his friend but Kakashi felt it was more out of concern that the Uchiha was doing it. Naruto shook his head violently but stopped when his vision blurred and his stomach threatened to give away. He grabbed his spinning head and tried to stop the motion before he got sick.

"Stop trying to be so proud and listen to Sasuke-kun for once" Sakura snarled, looking at her grimacing friend. When is vision got back to something acceptable, Naruto shot Sakura a look of hurt that she wished she hadn't seen coming from the lousy but bubbly kid of Konoha.

"You're teammates are right, if you need medical attention, you should rush home instead of staying around for me. You saved my life once, letting you go is the least I can do!" Tomo said, trying to be brave and to convince the kid to get some help. Naruto sighed and desperately looked down at his hands, considering the proposition. It took him some time where he seemed to be thinking this through.

"What are you guys going to do?" he finally asked. Kakashi looked at all his team members before he ultimately replied. "I'll get you back to Konoha tonight while Sasuke and Sakura stay here to guard our protégé" he explained. The two teenagers looked at each other uncertainly. Naruto seemed hesitant. "What if they get attacked and you are not there to help them?" he asked. Sakura gulped imagining another scene like the previous afternoon but without Kakashi and Naruto to help them. Sasuke wasn't even thinking about himself, all he saw was that his friend needed help as soon as possible.

"What if we keep you here and your state worsens over the night? What if we let you go on your own and find something happened to you on our way back home? It's a risk we need to take" Sasuke blurted out. Naruto was shocked to feel that Sasuke somehow cared about him enough to risk being attacked just to get him safe. He finally gave up and accepted to be brought back home. He said his goodbyes to Tomo-san and promised to take care of himself to Sasuke and Sakura. He and Kakashi then left to head home.

Only running a couple of miles left Naruto panting. Kakashi offered a hand but the blonde shinobi, stubborn as he was, insisted that he could walk himself home. His sensei didn't push the matter but he kept a close eye on his pupil.

Naruto tried to focus on the road to stop his vision from dancing in front of his eyes. He could hardly make out his surroundings. They were turning into halos of light and he was getting so dizzy that he thought gravity was just waiting to drag him down. As Kakashi watched him from afar, he did his best to stay up straight but his muscles gave away and he tripped on a root. The jounin was fast to catch him and steady him up.

"You don't have to push yourself, Naruto. You've done enough already! You don't need to prove anything to me" he said on a new tone, one calm and reassuring. Naruto shrugged in surrender and let Kakashi take him on his back, slumping like a boneless heap. They started back on their way home. Every once in a while, the silver-haired man peeked over his shoulder to keep track on his student's state. Naruto's head lolled on his carrier's shoulder. His eyes were half-closed and Kakashi could feel the weight on his back pile up as his student slumped more with every second. The jounin lent an ear to the boy's breathings only to realize they were mild and shallow. He turned his head to a sleeping form. Once again, Naruto had given into the darkness.

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Sasuke thought he heard a cracking noise in the distance. He activated his sharingan only to find that he was the only living soul outside the tent. Sakura and Tomo were asleep inside while he took the first round of guard. Dozing off, he started thinking back on what happened during the day. He remembered the way Naruto looked odd and kept clutching his forehead with a distant look. He knew it wasn't like the hyperactive kid he knew to fall asleep on the battlefield. The blonde he got to know would've jumped right into the fight and hit before thinking. Obviously, his teammate had learnt something since the beginning of their genin training. Even though he didn't want to admit it to himself, his friend had become strong. As much as he tried to hide it, Sasuke was worried about Naruto and he couldn't stop thinking about the possibilities if anything went wrong.

He snapped out of his thoughts when cool fingers brushed his arm. He turned to face Sakura, all dressed up in her night gown. "Do you mind if I join you?" she asked gently. Sasuke shook his head lightly. The kunoichi sat next to him with a sigh.

"With what happened, there is no way I could sleep" she finally let out. Sasuke turned to study her. He noticed her deep features as if she was beating herself up over something. She seemed tensed but he did not wonder any further for he felt the same way. They stayed silent for a moment.

"What do you think is wrong with Naruto?" Sakura finally asked, breaking the silence. Sasuke looked at his feet and shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know" he mumbled. Her eyes met the ground and they fell silent again.

Xxxxx

The area was dark and damp. A nauseous stench filled the thin space. His heavy feet grazed the bottom of what felt like a pond. But he wasn't out in the open. He was caved in. The walls reeked of decay. A burning heat brought salty water to his dried skin.

The more he went forward, the more he suffocated in the thick atmosphere. Echoes of a dark laughter rang through his ears. He couldn't make out his surroundings, only the sickening smell of sewers. Water splashed his burning body as he stumbled forward to try and find his way. The laughter still echoed loudly in his head, making him clutch it and bend forward towards the ground.

Kakashi flung the limp body hardly fast enough to avoid the flood. Naruto curled up on himself and started heaving. Kakashi sat next to him and patted his back until he was done emptying his stomach. In the mean time, he held him tight so the kid wouldn't fall right into his own mess. When he was sure the blonde wasn't going to be sick again, he pulled his torso closer to his own chest and held him.

"Hey, Naruto, what's wrong?" Kakashi asked, not even bothering to hide the worry in his tone. Naruto hardly flinched. His eyes barely turned towards the man who spoke to him. He seemed to be in another space completely.

"Naruto, can you hear me?" the silver-haired pushed. The kid softly nodded and turned towards him before his face cringed in pain.

"…Hurts…" he breathed. Kakashi checked him all over to see if he had any wounds but didn't find any. "Where does it hurt, Naruto?" he pressed. Naruto closed his eyes, his breath ragged with pain.

"Every...where" he stuttered. Kakashi pulled him closer to soothe the shivering that had taken place in the tinny body he was holding. "Listen Naruto, I will get you some medical help as soon as I can. Meanwhile, I need you to do one thing for me!" he explained. Naruto looked up to his sensei before this one last spoke : "Please Naruto, stay awake for me!" he begged. The kid gave him a faint nod and that was Kakashi's cue to grab his student and run again.

Xxxx

Sasuke and Sakura were still sitting up in silence when some shuffling noise came out from the tent. Finally, Tomo came out with small eyes that told the teenagers he hadn't been able to sleep either. "Can I join you two?" he asked shyly. Sakura nodded softly and the old man gave her her nod back to thank her through the gesture. He sat down near the little fire they had put up shortly after Kakashi left with Naruto. Tomo stretched his hands out to get some heat. He rubbed his palms together and turned to the kids.

"How long have you guys been fighting together?" he wondered. Sasuke and Sakura looked at each other sadly. Sakura looked up and Sasuke stared at the fire blankly.

"We were first put in the same team right after we graduated from the academy. We've been together ever since" she replied. Tomo could hear from her tired voice that many things had happened in that short period of time. The old man considered and finally asked questions he wanted answers to.

"Are you and Naruto close?" he asked to the two, not one in particular. Sakura swallowed hard and Sasuke didn't bother to look up. Sakura seemed to be the one who was going to reply but words were missing.

"Well…" she said, "…Naruto and I are different. He can be so annoying, it's difficult sometimes" she confessed. Sasuke kept looking down, paying no attention to the two others.

"Why is he that different? Why does it make it difficult to stand around him?" Tomo asked. Sakura thought for a second of all the things that annoyed her in Naruto.

"Naruto always needs to be the center of attention. The way he dresses is an eyesore and he always has to be loud and to have the last word. It's like he needs to prove that he is good when, in fact, all he does is screw up the plans because he is too impulsive. He doesn't ever think!" she explained. For once, she realized she didn't scream any of Naruto's flaws out and it didn't make her angry. She just wished he wasn't like that all the time. Tomo nodded to every statement without flinching.

"Naruto grew up without parents and friends. He's always been all alone" Sasuke said in a murmur. His eyes had turned into mirrors of his past. Just like me, he thought with a sudden sense of sympathy for his friend. Tomo nodded with that same sense of sympathy, although he wasn't trying to hide it, unlike Sasuke.

"Naruto seems to have never had anyone who cared for him" Tomo resumed. "He wants attention and approval because he needs to feel accepted for once in his life. Have you guys ever thought of that?" the man asked the two ninjas. "…and don't you guys think that, of all the people, you two are the ones he would want the attention from! You guys are probably the best friends he can hope to have. The only ones he has in fact. Don't you think he wouldn't put up that whole show if he only got a little bit of what he dreams of?" Tomo asked, still very calm but the two kids felt the criticism behind it.

"I doubted him at first but he proved me to be a brave young man who cares about the people around him. I only wish that he'd get some of it back sometimes…" the man added with a sigh. Sasuke never looked up from the ground and Sakura stared blankly at the realisation that she had been a terrible person all this time. Tomo finally smiled. "Hold on Naruto" he whispered softly in the wind of the night.

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The wind slapped his face from the speed. Sharingan activated, Kakashi jumped from a tree to the other as fast as he could to get his pupil to safety. He had to stop a couple of times on the way for Naruto to be sick on solid ground. Although he visibly weakened, he still kept his promise and fought to stay awake. Sometimes Kakashi would talk to him to make sure he was still there. Naruto would talk a little but it was nothing of his normal ranting self. He would say a couple of words and stop to catch his breath.

"Naruto, are you still with me?" Kakashi checked for another time now. Naruto nodded so softly that if Kakashi hadn't turned his head to see, he would've missed it. The boy's eyes were so dim, it scared his teacher. Baby blues had gone dark grey. The jounin shivered at the sight.

"Naruto can you say anything? Just talk to me okay?" Kakashi pleaded.

"A cold bedroom…" he panted. Kakashi had to slow down to hear his voice so much its volume had decreased. "What…?" he asked but the kid didn't even seem to see him. He was far into his thoughts.

"A woman… pretty…" Naruto breathed, completely disconnected. Kakashi stopped running on a huge tree branch and sat Naruto against the trunk. He looked into his eyes while the kid kept talking about some delirious images he seemed to see.

"…gone…" he whispered. Tears slid down his paled cheeks. Kakashi shook him. "Naruto what are you talking about?" the jounin asked in pure concern. Naruto cried silently for a moment. "Sorry…" he finally muttered. Kakashi shook his head for a second before regaining his composure, ignoring the growing fear.

A cracking noise came up to Kakashi's fine ears. He activated his sharingan and felt some powerful chakra getting closer to his position. The jounin washed the feeling away for a second. He turned to Naruto again, not letting down his guard.

"Why are you sorry, Naruto?" he asked as the feeling was too powerful. He turned and saw the bushes open on rogue ninjas. Five of them to be precise. They slowly walked into the clearing he and Naruto were hiding in. Kakashi started panicking. He turned back to Naruto who smiled sadly.

"I always keep my promises, that's my ninja way…" he whispered with a proud smile. Kakashi shook his head. "I know that, but what about it?" he snapped, aware of the danger they were in. Naruto's smile faded quickly and his eyes dimmed, if possible.

"I don't think I can keep my promise this time, sensei" he admitted. A lone tear rolled down his cold cheek. "Why not?" Kakashi shouted, all is emotions taking over him. Naruto's eyes were almost closed all the way down. "…so tired…" he breathed. "Naruto don't!" Kakashi ordered but the kid was already gone. The sensei's blood froze in his veins.

"We know you're there Hatake! We're taking you down" a cold voice called out. Kakashi closed his eyes and turned to his opponents.

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That's it for now people! I had started writing this chapter a long time ago and realized I had never finished it so here it is now! I hope that made up for the long wait and I can't wait to hear what you thought of it! Press the button and make me happy! Hehe!

See you soon!

- THwriter