Naruto's Secret

Chapter 3

When Naruto woke up next, he found Gaara and Temari whispering by the doorway, a worried frown on Gaara's face.

"Hey, guys." Naruto mumbled, wincing at the soreness in his hip. "Have you heard anything yet?" why else would the both of them look so worried if the news wasn't bad?

"No, they are still running tests." Gaara answered, turning towards Naruto. "Temari was just telling me that some Konoha Nin were here asking about you."

"Who?" Naruto asked, swallowing hard if it was Sasuke, he was in trouble because he wouldn't stop looking for Naruto until he had found him.

"I don't know who it is." Gaara said. "But I do know that it wasn't your teammate." Naruto frowned it had only been a few days since he had abandoned his teammates. Who else would have known that he was gone, aside from the Hokage, whom Naruto was sure that Sasuke would have sent his hawk to inform her of the situation. Which meant that she would have sent the Anbu out in search of him by now. How long would Naruto be able to hide in Suna before he was found and taken back?

"Maybe I should go somewhere else." Naruto said. "I don't want Lady Tsunade to get mad at you guys since you've done nothing wrong."

"You'll stay put until the results of the tests are in." Gaara said firmly. "I'll just remind your Hokage that she shouldn't be sending her Nin's where they don't belong."

"That will only make her more suspicious." Naruto pointed out. "She doesn't like being lied to."

"Maybe she should be more considerate of how her Nin are feeling before sending them on dangerous missions." Gaara stated. "Even I look after my own better than that. Nin are more than a means to make money for a village."

"I'm sure she understands that on some level, but this is a little different." Naruto murmured. "I probably should have chosen another mission to leave on."

"Maybe so, but could your health have handled it?" Gaara asked. "According to Temari you looked like you were on the verge of collapse. Your health should come before any mission. She could have sent someone else in your place."

"Not on this one she couldn't." Naruto disagreed. "she wanted only the best she had to go after her little brother's murderer. She knew how dangerous this person was, which kind of makes me feel bad for leaving my teammates to deal with him."

"They wouldn't have become Anbu if they weren't capable of retrieving him." Temari said. "And I'm sure your Hokage knows that."

"You make it sound like she planned the whole thing." Naruto grumbled. "Like she was expecting me to try and leave on that mission."

"What would be the point in doing that? She didn't try to stop him." Gaara said. "besides she really isn't that manipulative, she doesn't do anything without a good reason." Naruto sighed he didn't really even like thinking about his village right now.

"I really wish they would tell me something." he grumbled feeling more than a little impatient. "I don't like waiting around so much."

"I'm sure they'll know something soon." Temari told him, trying to sound reassuring. "Then you'll be able to fix this mess that you've made."

"I don't think that that's going to be so easy, especially with my teammates." Naruto said, looking up when he heard the doctor enter the room. Naruto didn't like the grim look on the man's face. Whatever the news, it wasn't good.

"What is it Doc?" Naruto asked quietly, while trying to steel up his nerves to hear whatever the man had to say.

"I'm afraid its cancer." The doctor answered him. "And to be more specific, an aggressive form of advanced leukemia."

"What can be done for him?" Gaara asked, taking note of the glazed look in Naruto's eyes. "What are his treatment options."

"How bad is it?" Naruto asked, having barely heard Gaara's question to the doctor.

"It's pretty advanced because it's gone so long without treatment." The doctor replied. "I'm afraid there's not much that we can do." Tears filled Naruto's eyes at the doctors words.

"So I'm dying?" Naruto asked and the doctor nodded.

"I've never seen anyone as advanced as you are and still be alive." The doctor said ignoring Gaara's and his sibling's glares. They might not have liked the news but they would have to deal with it.

"I don't want to hear that." Gaara snarled at the doctor, enraged by the man's careless words. "And you will find him a treatment."

"Even the most aggressive chemo won't be much good with his cancer. It will only serve to make him sick and miserable, at this point why make him suffer?" the doctor asked.

"I don't care. You will start him on the chemo immediately and you will treat this case like he stands a chance at survival." Gaara said. "Unless you want to end up in the desert where you won't ever be found again.

"Treating him would be a waste of time, and medicine that could be used to treat someone else, successfully I might add." the doctor protested.

"I don't care." Gaara snarled. "You will give him the treatment and you will act like he stands a chance."

"No, I won't." the doctor stated facing the blonde boy. "He doesn't stand a chance at beating this disease and I won't treat him if he's nothing but a hopeless case."

"Fine." Gaara stated. "Then consider your medical license revoked and you be sure that you will be dealt with. For now get the hell out of my sight." The doctor wouldn't like dealing with Gaara, but he would make sure the man got what he deserved for refusing to treat Naruto. As far as Gaara was concerned, it was the doctors job to give the patient hope even if the odds were against the patient. If Naruto didn't believe that he could beat this disease then what chance did he really stand of beating it? Gaara wanted to strangle the doctor for putting that doubt in Naruto's mind.

"Don't listen to that quack." Gaara told Naruto. "I will make sure that you get treated."

"But he said that it wouldn't do any good." Naruto said softly, not meeting Gaara's eyes.

"Don't you know that doctors aren't always right?" Gaara asked, smirking. "This one just happens to be wrong. Dead wrong."

"Oh boy." Temari muttered. "That's not going to end well for that doctor."

"It's what he deserves." Gaara replied stiffly. "It's not okay for him to refuse treatment just because he doesn't think that Naruto has very good odds."

"I don't disagree with you." Temari said. "He should have found a better way to tell Naruto. Which I guess with that diagnosis that means Naruto will be here longer."

"If that's what he wants to do." Gaara said, looking back the shell shocked blonde. "It's up to him if he even wants to go through treatment."

"There isn't much chance of it working according to him." Naruto mumbled. "Why bother trying?"

"Because you have people who love you and want you to live." Gaara replied. "They wouldn't want you to just give up and quit. They would want you to at least try and fight this."

"Even if it only leads to a grave?" Naruto asked.

"Even then." Gaara answered. "They love you and want you to live." Naruto sighed, he didn't want to just quit but from what he understood treatment was a waste of time.

"Looks like Tsunade won't have to worry about a harsh enough punishment." Naruto said. "if treatments fails though I want to be buried in Konoha."

"I'll make sure it happens." Gaara promised. "But it won't come to that because the chemo will work." Naruto gave his friend a weak smile that didn't reach his eyes.

"I hope your right." Naruto said. "When will the chemo need to start anyways?"

"As soon as possible." A dark haired doctor, who looked to be in her late thirties said as she entered the room, Naruto's case folder in one hand and an IV bag in the other. "Your cancer is pretty advanced but it's not without hope. There is always a reason to hope, no matter how dark the situation. By the way I'm Dr. Hope." She said smiling at the blonde boy in the bed.

"That's fitting." Naruto murmured. "your attitude seems to match your name."

"That's because I prefer to look at the bright side." She informed him.

"Does that mean that the other doctor was wrong about the diagnosis?" Gaara asked.

"No, but I believe that he was wrong in saying that Mr. Uzumaki didn't have any chance of surviving. Who knows the chemo could work and he could end up beating the cancer." Dr. Hope said.

"You think so?" Naruto asked. "Even though it's so advanced?"

"He's a secret." Dr. Hope said smiling at Naruto. "Doctors don't know everything, miracles happen everyday."

"I guess we can try." Naruto murmured. "I do want to meet my little brother."

"Good. I don't like to see people give up before they have even tried. I don't like seeing people give up when they still have a breath of life to fight for."

"Is that the chemo?" Naruto asked looking at the IV bag in her hand.

"I figured we could go on and start now." Dr. Hope said. "The sooner you start the better the chances of the chemo actually doing some good. Is that okay?" Naruto nodded and watched as the doctor proceeded to insert the IV line into the crook of his elbow.

"When will the side effects start?" Naruto asked. He knew enough about chemo to know that he would likely get extremely sick from the chemicals.

"It varies from patient to patient." Dr. Hope explained as she hung Naruto's IV bag onto a pole next to his bed. "Some get sick during chemo, some after and some not at all." Naruto nodded, he liked this doctor much better than the other one. She was kinder and much more optimistic. In fact she kind of reminded him of Tsunade's assistant Shizune. Frowning at the thought Naruto wondered if Tsunade would go easy on him once she heard about his diagnosis, surely cancer was punishment enough.

"So there's a chance that I won't get sick?" Naruto asked, hope filling his voice.

"It's possible but it's very very rare for that to happen." Dr. Hope told him. "It doesn't happen very often."

"Like you said miracles happen everyday." Naruto said.

"Just keep believing that and you'll be okay." Dr. Hope said before checking the IV line one more time.

Once the doctor was gone, Naruto looked over at Gaara who was quietly whispering with Temari. The conversation ended a few minutes later with Gaara exiting the room.

"Where is he going?" Naruto asked, curious as to where his friend was going.

"There is a certain doctor that needs to be dealt with." Temari answered. "And Gaara wants to deal with him, himself."

"He's not going to do anything crazy is he?" Naruto asked. He didn't want Gaara to kill the guy. The doctor had only stated his opinion, in a cruel way, but it was his medical opinion.

"He won't be a doctor anymore." Temari said, "and as for the rest you don't need to worry about." Naruto frowned and said nothing as he turned his attention to the bag that was slowly dropping poison into his veins. Would this chemical end up saving his life or would it all just be a waste of time? Naruto desperately hoped that it would do him some good, he didn't care if it made him sick he just wanted to live. Until he was given the news that he was dying he hadn't realized how much the wanted to truly live.

"Are you going to be okay if I leave?" Temari asked suddenly, she didn't want to leave Naruto along during his first chemo treatment but she had to make sure that Gaara wasn't actually going to kill the doctor for refusing to treat Naruto.

"I'll be okay." Naruto said smiling at her. "I don't expect you to stay

with me. I know that you have things to do."

"Maybe so but I don't want to leave you alone if you're going to be sick." Temari told him.

"I feel okay right now." Naruto assured her. "Besides I think I can handle a little sickness."

"If your sure." Temari said. "Gaara will kill me if your not fine."

"We can't have that can we?" Naruto said a teasing tone to his voice. Despite his reassurances that he was going to be okay, he still felt fear at the thought of being alone when he was sick. This whole situation was beyond terrifying, and not knowing the outcome was perhaps the scariest thing of all.

"Are you sure your okay?" Temari repeated. "I can stay if you need me too."

"Go. I'll be fine, I'll probably just end up going to sleep anyways." Naruto told her. "I'm still tired as hell."

"If you insist." Temari said as she turned and headed towards the door. She didn't know why but she had the feeling that something was going to happen that no one was going to like. She just hoped that it didn't suddenly end with them taking Naruto's body back to Konoha to be buried.

"I do insist." Naruto said yawning widely for affect. He wanted to make sure she left, he didn't want her to get in trouble for not doing her job.

"I'll be back in a little while." Temari told him, and Naruto nodded and yawned again. His exhaustion really wasn't faked and he did want to sleep, but he also wanted to be able to deal with his fears and feelings about his diagnosis privately. He didn't need anyone around for his break down, he wanted Gaara and his siblings to see him as someone that was strong and not weak and unable to handle his current situation.

Once Temari was gone, Naruto allowed the tears to fall from his eyes. He didn't want to have to deal with this mess. He wanted to be around to teach his little brother jutsu's and how to protect himself. If this chemo didn't work Naruto would likely die before his little brother was even born. Maybe it would have been better if he had stayed in Konoha after all Tsunade was one hell of a doctor maybe she could have figured something out, found another treatment.

Bile rose in Naruto's threat and leaned over the bed railing and heaved until he thought that he couldn't puke anymore. Would this be how his other treatments went? If it was Naruto was going to be absolutely miserable. Just when he thought that he didn't have anything left to throw up again, when he finished he looked up to find an angry Sasuke standing front of his bed.

"They're dead." Sasuke snarled. "They're dead because you abandoned your mission."

"It's not for the reasons that you think." Naruto said, panic filling him at the thought of being taken back to Konoha. He wasn't ready and probably wouldn't be ready for a long time. Still Sasuke glared down at him, clearly past being able to think reasonably.

"And who is dead?" Naruto asked, dreading the answer.

"Sakura and my baby." Sasuke hissed "And it's your fault."

Thanks for reading and reviewing! Does anyone like this story or am I wasting my time posting it here? Liz