Chapter 6

"Hyuuga-san will be just fine, Uzumaki-san. Her vitals are stable, she just seemed to have swooned. We'll be releasing her once the paperwork clears, which should be in a few minutes. If you would like, you can wait for her here." The nurse smiled begrudgingly and turned, walking briskly away from the orange-clad ninja who was fidgeting nervously in the hospital waiting room.

After Hinata had collapsed, twice, within a few minutes, Naruto had decided to let Sakura show Jin around the village and get to know him better, while he took Hinata to the hospital for a checkup.

"Stupid Kiba... I can't believe he refused to help me like that! Shino too... What's wrong with those assholes?" He crossed his arms and sighed, sitting back in the cold, hard chair and looking around the room.

Aside from the nurse behind the desk, there was only a few other people around; a chunin with a cast on his left leg, a mother and a very grumpy infant in her arms, and an old man with an eyepatch over his right eye. All three were studiously ignoring him, and that suited him just fine.

The door swung open beside him, and he stood to look as a tall, skinny blonde in a nurse's uniform walked in, a rush of hot summer air following her in. She swung her long hair back and looked at the orange-wearing teenager only sparingly. She took a few steps, then took a second look at him before breaking into a large grin.

"Naruto! You're back!" She threw her arms around the confused Naruto, who only remembered her name after a second of confused brain-wracking.

"Hey, Ino! Yeah, I got back early this morning." He awkwardly patted her on the back as she pulled away from him and they both took a hard look at the other.

He was taller than her now, but only by a little bit, and his new jacket hung loosely around him, giving her the idea that he was in much better shape than he had been when he left.

She had gotten a little taller since he last saw her, but little else had changed; her hair still hung down in front of her face and down her back, she still stood with confidence and poise. He did notice, with a small tinge of pride, that he was taller than her now, for the first time in his life.

"When did you start working with the hospital, Ino?" he asked, looking back at her face, blue eyes meeting blue eyes.

"About a year ago, I started training part-time under Tsunade-sama after you guys got hurt trying to bring back Sasuke." She smiled nonchalantly, then looked worriedly at him. "If this is your first day back, why are you already in the hospital?" Naruto laughed.

"I'm not the one hurt this time! Hinata fainted while she was at Ichiraku with a couple of us for lunch, and I wanted to make sure she was okay." Ino smirked and shook her head: she knew exactly what had happened.

"Hey, Naruto, when she comes out here, make sure to buy her some food somewhere nice. She'll want some dinner after an ordeal like this. I hear she really likes Sushi Kumamoto." Ino winked and, seeing Hinata, in a wheelchair being pushed through the door behind Naruto's back, turned and walked away as Naruto turned around.

"Hey, Hinata! I'm glad you're feeling okay. What's with the wheelchair, though?" Naruto grinned, and Hinata flushed scarlet. The nurse pushing Hinata's wheelchair looked at Naruto.

"She's fine to go, but we recommend that she stay in the wheelchair until at least tomorrow morning. If she faints again, bring her back and we'll run a few more tests." And with that, the nurse turned and strode briskly out of the room.

"Well, Hinata, since you didn't really get any lunch, can I buy you some?" Hinata blushed and fought her hardest to stay conscious; Naruto, on his first day back in the village, was inviting her out to lunch! It's a dream come true!

"T-that would b-be lovely, N-naruto-kun." she managed to say, smiling weakly. He grinned and walked around her, taking the handles of her wheelchair.

"How about some sushi?" He suggested, pushing her forward and out the automatic doors of the hospital. "I hear that Sushi Kumamoto is the best in the village!"

Her favorite restaurant, how did he know? The sun was setting in front of her, the air had cooled since afternoon, and everything she had ever wanted was happening to her; she must have died and gone to heaven, she concluded, smiling weakly.

Surrounded by miles of sand on all sides, two figures trudged slowly, the sunset behind them, both wearing matching sugegasa hats and long black cloaks with red clouds; they were methodically making their way through the seemingly-endless desert. One, tall and skinny, was taking long strides and swinging his arms at his sides; the other, short and round, seemed to be dragging himself along, the sleeves of his cloak hanging empty.

"Ne, Sasori no danna, we're getting close to the village, aren't we?" the taller figure asked from behind his hat. The shorter figure, hunched over and standing up to the other's chest, merely grunted.

"Good, I'm sick of this heat already. How did you manage to survive living here for as long as you did, un?"

"Deidara, you're walking on thin ice. Let's just get this thing over with and get out of here." They walked on in silence, Deidara brushing his hair out of his eyes and sighing.

"You're absolutely no fun today, Sasori no danna. Besides, we both know that stupid border scout spotted us, we should get a move on and strike now, un."

"No, it's better to take our time." Sasori explained, the sleeves of his cloak dragging in the sand. "Their high alert will fade ever-so-slightly by next sundown, and that will be a perfect time to make our attack. Besides, they're too scared right now, they'll be fortifying themselves in their little village." They trudged on in silence for a few steps, before Deidara sighed loudly and started checking out his nails, painted deep purple.

"Ne, I really think that this shade suits me, don't you Sasori no danna?"

"I really don't care, one tiny bit." Sasori replied, before stopping suddenly and tensing up.

"We're surrounded. Evasive!" But even as he shouted, the sand started swirling around them, and Deidara shoved his hands into his pockets as the sand surrounded them fully. The sand sphere morphed, splitting the two men into their own separate sand prisons.

"Good job, Gaara." A man in black jumpsuit said as he walked up closer to the spheres. "That was easier than expected."

"Too easy. Stand back." The red-haired Kazekage stated, frowning as he raised his hand higher above him. The two spheres of sand raised into the air, and as they did, the one on the left seemed to be growing white spots. "Kankuro, make sure that your puppets are ready. Isago, stand opposite me and get the seals ready."

"Yes sir!" the two jonin nodded and jumped into action; a puff of smoke surrounded Kankuro, and as it cleared three puppets sat around him, strings of chakra connecting them to their master's fingers. Isago, a tall and skinny man with a hard jaw line, sprinted around the shadows of the sand spheres and bit down on his right thumb, forming a long series of hand signs.

Gaara, meanwhile, stared at the right sphere of sand, as the white spots grew larger and began dropping to the ground beneath it. From inside the sphere, he heard a shout.

"Art is an explosion, un!"

As the sun began to set on a long day, Jin and Sakura were standing on top of the Hokage monument. Sakura stood tall, her hands on her hips, smiling and staring out over her home. Jin, meanwhile, was doubled over and panting, sweat running down his forehead like waterfalls.

"Beautiful view, I gotta say." Jin acknowledged, gesturing out over the village. "But is it always this damn hot?" Sakura cocked an eyebrow.

"This isn't hot, this is beautiful!" Jin groaned and fell onto the stone, eyes closed and hands over his face.