It had been four months since the failed mission. Tsunande and kakashi have been working on a way to break the Sharingan seal on Naruto but haven't had much luck. Naruto has reverted to a child like persona and is closely monitored in the long term psychiatric ward of the hospital. At first he was unstable but now he's easier to work with. When I'm not doing missions I spend my time with him. I find it fascinating that someone who's emotions are easily read can hide so much. His dependence on kyuubi is perplexing but it seems to be of a mother son relationship from what he's described. Tsunande says she's having a hard time getting him open up, maybe she's just taking the wrong approach, I haven't had a problem.
"Good afternoon Naruto, how have you been?"
"Hi Sai, I miss mommy. Can you make her come back?
"Tsunande is working very hard on bringing Kyuubi back, you just have to wait a little longer."
Naruto nodded and went back to drawing pictures of Kyuubi. His normally white room is filled with his crayon sketches of what are supposed to be foxes. recently he's had me draw some, which are posted by his bed. He used to chew his arms and paint with his blood but after he became stable enough I got him his art kit.
"Look Sai, isn't it pretty?" Naruto showed me his newest masterpiece, Kyuubi chewing on what I assume is Itachi's leg with Naruto stabbing out his eyes.
"Ah this is your revenge?"
"Yeah when mommy comes back we'll make that Uchiha pay for hurting me." Naruto had a devious look, he'd been planning this for some time. Although there isn't much else for him to do.
"Assuming Hokage-sama can even break the curse, if you weren't locked away for being so dangerous and unstable we could form another retrieval squad to bring Itachi in. Or the very least make him remove the curse."
"So that's why I'm here? They think I'm dangerous?" Naruto said with a calculating look on his face.
"Well yes, you're behavior is dangerous to yourself and others. You can't let your emotions control you, in Root they forced us to remove all emotion. If you can take control and prove you're fit for missions then you can free Kyuubi yourself."
Naruto seemed to perk up after hearing this, I could tell he was planning something.
"So if I do what the old hag says then can get out of here?"
"Eventually, yes."
"And if I do good on my missions then I can rescue mommy?"
"Perhaps, we'd have to track down Itachi first."
"Okay, I'll do anything to get mommy back!"
"If you really want out of here you need be yourself again. You've been very aggressive towards everyone and keep having these fits. You're unstable. I think everyone just wants the old you back."
"WELL I WANT MY KYUUBI BACK!" Naruto was shouting with tears streaming down his face. He then started ripping up all his pictures of the fox. He's throwing a fit just like a child.
"Acting like a child won't bring Kyuubi back. You're going have to take control and free her yourself."
"I CAN'T! I'm not strong enough." He seemed to calm down a bit and sat on the floor pouting.
"You have never backed down from a challenge before and this is just another obstacle that you need to overcome to be just one step closer to freeing Kyuubi and becoming Hokage."
He then looked up at me like I was something amazing, like something he'd forgotten but only just discovered again. Was it something I said?
"Sai can you make more pictures for me? Mine broke."
"Of course."
He kept to himself after that, only asking me to draw more foxes from time to time. I had to leave after a few hours, I had a patrol mission the next day. I let Naruto know I'd be gone for a couple weeks. My walk home was uneventful, I spent the time trying to solve the enigma that is Naruto. I seemed to have grown quite attached to him. In my process of trying to help him heal it seems he's helping me heal as well. It's strange, I feel more and more human as Naruto continues to slip into madness. I feel sad? It's hard to describe the burning in my chest that appears after each visit with him.
...
These pictures haunt me, just a reminder of what is no longer here. Sai might have been right, I'm not really accomplishing anything by being here. I had to get out. I need to bring her back. It will take some time but I have to save her. She deserves more than me, I'm just acting selfish.
The nurse comes in and gives me my nightly meds, she's not happy to be here. I did freak out and almost kill one but it wasn't her. I guess I have come off as dangerous.
I retreat to my mind once more trying to find Kyuubi. She's protected me my whole life, I feel so vulnerable now that she's gone. Everything's so cold, I can't feel the elements anymore, my senses seem so dull. My whole world has changed. It this how everyone else sees things?
Its so empty here, this place used to be a beautiful field but now it's a dark sewer. I head down the corridor where she lives, its still blocked. The black swirling pattern with red fog blocks me. Its just an endless mist, I could wander for days and still not find her. Is this a test? She used to tell me of a day when she wouldn't be around, I didn't think it would ever happen.
Leaving my mindscape I look around my room. The pictures are no longer comforting. Sai's words have me seeing things differently. I start to take down all my drawings, I wouldn't need them anymore. The sooner I "recover" the sooner I can see her again. Tomorrow is Friday, that's when the old hag visits. She'll be surprised. She might even believe me. My plan should work, all I have to do is think; what would Kyuubi do?
Author's note
Happy Christmas, so would you all believe me if I told you I had forgotten that I posted this story? I don't remember where I was planning on going with this. I'll try to continue but I don't know if I will update regularly. I have college and a full time job so life comes first. I'll warn you now, I'm using my phone to write the chapters now so I kinda have a bad sense of how long to make the paragraphs and I suck at typing in general. So let me know if you want me continue this.