Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto
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I wasn't really that fond of the old chapter, so here is the new, rewritten one. I'm very sorry for that piece of s*** that I posted lol. Hope you guys enjoy! And keep those reviews coming! Thank you in advance!
After receiving and reading the note from Tsunade, both Hinata and Naruto were doused in uncomfortable silence. They were trying to figure out ways as to how the Hokage knew about this chaotic love affair and as to what she was going to do.
Or rather, what she was already doing.
They figured that Tsunade didn't do anything against the Hyuuga yet because if there had been an explosion from the Hyuuga Mansion, they would've heard it. Tsunade wasn't the type to keep things discreet especially if it's unleashing her very infamous temper. And they couldn't really think of another way as to how the Hokage would take revenge against the Hyuuga, because her punch is enough to make any ninja, normal or not, cower in fear.
Fifteen minutes had passed and Hinata let out an intentional cough to break the ice, however, it was Naruto who decided to speak first.
"Screwed. We're screwed." Naruto grumbled while plopping himself back onto the wooden chair, before Hinata gave him a reassuring squeeze on the shoulder. He returned the loving gesture by placing his right hand atop hers. "I have no idea what that grandma is thinking…and if she knows or not."
Hinata had to agree, but kept silent nonetheless. Both of them were feeling the scary sense of ambiguity crawling through their veins...that fearsome, unwelcoming feeling of doubt and uncertainty. To be honest, this shouldn't a big deal in the first place, but the one they are dealing with was the epitome of woman power in the entire ninja world... their Hokage. And as much as they loathed Neji and Tenten at the moment, they didn't want them to end up on the other side of Tsunade's fist.
No one would.
"But we can't leave now. Sakura-chan's still sleeping." He urged on with an annoyed tone and ran his free hand through his forever tousled blonde hair.
Hinata perfectly understood Naruto's sentiments, for she too, did not want to interrupt Sakura's (recuperative) slumber. But is waking her up and making her attend the meeting the only way out?
They were contemplating about other possible solutions when Naruto suddenly jumped off of his seat along with a loud aggravating gasp, surprising Hinata in the process.
"Na-Naruto-kun?"
"Why are we even afraid of granny anyway?" Naruto sighed for the umpteenth time as he turned to gaze at Hinata, a lopsided grin gracing his handsome features. Hinata's smile turned from polite to shaky.
'The only person who can insult Tsunade-sama is you, Naruto-kun. To us, she is a formidable leader that should be treated both with respect and admiration.' She thought solemnly but was caught off guard when he suddenly grabbed her.
"Let's just go okay?" Naruto quickly took Hinata's hand in his, but stopped when he realized that his lover did not budge. He looked back at her and gave her a questioning look. "What? What's wrong?"
"Let's?" Hinata repeated while raising an eyebrow at him. "But Naruto-kun, I wasn't summoned."
But somehow, by the time that his grin grew wider Hinata felt a knot tightening across her stomach.
A long (complete) line of curses could be heard within the walls of the massive but desolate Uchiha mansion as the current and only master of the house, Sasuke, stomped towards the exit. He was planning to keep himself cooped up in his man cave and/or train, but noooo the Hokage had to summon him again for some reason.
When he had received the note, he immediately thought about his slapdash attack against Hyuuga Neji. But if ever the Hokage would demand an explanation (that is, if it's the actual reason for the summoning), Sasuke swore to himself that he would keep his mouth shut. He wasn't planning on explaining himself or saying anything especially if it's about the Sakura-Neji tiff, practically because after that ordeal, he felt like he already had let out a whole month's supply of words.
'Whatever. Let's just get this thing over with.' He rolled his eyes and slammed the door shut behind him, before jumping off to a nearby roof.
Sasuke was able to reach the tower in a mere three minutes and once he got there, he realized that he was the only one lacking from the group. The atmosphere in the office was clouded with tension and insecurity, and truth be told, it was a little bit awkward too.
Okay, not a little bit.
It was awkward as hell.
With an inaudible sigh, Sasuke entered the office and made his footsteps heavier than usual to announce his arrival. Sure enough, he was able to catch everyone's attention, including the Hokage's. However, nobody bothered to turn around to look at him, figuring that they were already too tense to do so. Sasuke didn't mind, practically because he was already way too preoccupied with the blonde woman's stare.
"Uchiha." She acknowledged with a venomous voice and a heated glare, making no reservations to let him know that she was not in the mood…at all. Hell, he could even see a sullen Shizune in the background with an apprehensive looking pi—Tonton in her arms. With those expressions alone, Sasuke could tell that they already know about Neji's 'adventurous' stunt.
Sasuke gave her a curt nod in return before he situated himself between Naruto and the wall. He didn't want to be in any way near Neji and Tenten, so he opted to stand beside his blonde friend. And speaking of him, why is he tagging his girlfriend along? As far as he could remember, she wasn't summoned.
And of course, Sakura was absent too.
And the way Hinata and Naruto were gripping each other made him raise an eyebrow. He began to wonder if Hinata still had enough blood circulation in her hand, since it had turned from pale white to well, deathly white.(A.N.: L-R it's Neji, Tenten, Hinata, Naruto and Sasuke).
"Where is Sakura?" Tsunade's sharp voice cut the silence in the room but no one answered her. They were waiting for someone…anyone who had enough valor to answer her question.
Two seconds later, they heard Hinata clearing her throat. "She's currently doing an operation, Tsunade-sama, so I am afraid Sakura-san cannot attend this meeting. In relation to this, I came here as her sent representative."
She was able to lie so effortlessly that Sasuke was taken aback. The stuttering and awkward Hinata was completely gone, replaced by this confident albeit silent woman. For a moment or two Sasuke wondered what had initiated such a drastic change, but later on blamed it on puberty and maturity.
And of course, Tsunade looked skeptical and Sasuke wasn't surprised. Even if she was able to lie without batting an eyelash, he could still tell that she was not telling the truth.
Hmm…maybe that was the reason why he was tagged by Naruto as a 'moving lie detector'.
The Hokage spent a full five seconds just staring at Hinata and the atmosphere grew even tenser. With the state that everything was in, it felt like they were walking on radioactive, highly flammable egg shells. And the fact that it was only because of a love problem irked Sasuke a lot.
"I am disappointed." She started then stood up, but did not break her gaze. "Since when did you learn to lie, Hinata?"
Unfortunately enough, Hinata wasn't planning to go down without a fight. "I'm sorry, Tsunade-sama?" She questioned innocently, arousing curiosity and bewilderment from the other couple (aka Neji and Tenten).
'What is she doing?' Tenten thought but wisely kept her mouth shut.
"I am not in the mood to repeat myself, Hinata." Tsunade replied in a beat, her voice even but cautious. "Where is my student?" She asked again, enunciating each and every word to make her point.
Point taken.
In his peripheral vision, Sasuke saw Naruto slightly tugging Hinata's hand then began to exchange meaningful glances. If he had known better, he would've thought that Naruto and Hinata were actually conversing using just their eyes and pursed lips.
"She's resting, granny." Spoke Naruto to save his girlfriend from a possible wrath. "She's tired."
"Overworked, again?" Shizune murmured in the background, but was loud enough for everyone in the office to hear. "Where is she?"
"In her apartment, Shizune-san." Hinata replied solemnly then turned to gaze at the wooden floor boards underneath their feet.
"I presume it was chakra depletion again?" Tsunade interjected as she straightened up and placed her hands behind her, before she turned to look at the Konoha scenery through the massive glass divider that occupied the whole back portion of the office.
When the couple didn't respond, Tsunade took it as a 'yes'.
"Aa… doing it again." The Hokage mused and to Sasuke, her calmness wasn't anticipated. Neji and Tenten however, were too busy trying to look unaffected by the matter but deep inside their heart felt like it was going to rip out from their chest. "That idiot."
Sasuke was beginning to get irritated. So they called all of them out just to pry on Sakura's condition and whereabouts?
But it was as though the Hokage could read his mind.
"Anyway, I'm calling you here for a mission." She sighed but did not bother looking at them.
"Already?" whined Naruto, but she chose to ignore it…for now. Even though he somewhat was expecting for the reason to be like this, Sasuke still had to bite back a groan. He was so not in the mood for one, but he knew that he wasn't in any position to complain. The Hokage was already cutting him some slack by not executing him after that traitorous stint of his. Besides, on the upside maybe he can start fulfilling probationary requirements that the elders had put on him.
"The Kazekage asked for our help. Well, specifically Naruto's help." Tsunade rolled her eyes and the title Kazekage perked Naruto up. It has been a long while since he had last seen Gaara so catching up with him would be nice. "People began to disappear in their village…without a trace. And oddly enough, all of their investigations led to a dead end…
Silence.
…at the same time try and fix this damn situation of yours. And I'm referring to both of you, Hyuuga and Tenten."
Their eyes widened to the size of saucers.
"You knew?" Naruto blurted out and Tsunade shot him a glare.
"Of course, don't expect me to stay in the dark especially after Sasuke's attack on Neji. The ANBU reported to me."
Sasuke inwardly cursed for he had completely forgotten about the ANBU. And that would explain why he wasn't thrown into jail for attacking someone, especially since he's under probation. Tsunade liked his attack against the Hyuuga genius.
"Huh." Naruto huffed, but was inwardly relieved. Neji and Tenten however tried to sport monotonous gazes, but every inch of muscle in their body was tightly coiled…ready to spring just in case the Hokage decides to punch them or throw something...heavy.
"Anyway, before you head out drop by the station to get the file regarding this mission." Tsunade droned on in a tedious voice before making a 'shoo' hand gesture. "Now get out of my office before I'm enticed to actually throw something heavy. And mind you, I still consider this table to be very light."
With her warning, the group scurried out of the office in a hurry.
"Shizune." Tsunade called out to her assistant, who turned to look at her. "Tell Hinata that I'm giving her the responsibility of watching over Sakura…and if you have time, drop by the apartment too. The old grunts won't let me go for the meantime so I'm unable to visit her."
"Hai Tsunade-sama." Shizune nodded.
Tsunade let out a loud groan and impatiently tapped her fingers.
"And sake. Bring me lots and lots of sake. And don't even think of bringing up the paperwork topic, I was actually serious on my threat. Unless you want to buy me a new table."
"Sake, okay." Her assistant hurriedly nodded and went out of the office, Tonton still in her arms. "I'll be back, so don't throw anything!"
Once they exited the office, Neji and Tenten wisely decided to take another direction and when they bid their adieus, no one bothered to reply. Not even Hinata, which was already saying something.
In all honesty, Naruto was somewhat disheartened that Tsunade didn't attack Neji and also disheartened that they had to take care of this 'issue' of theirs while doing a mission at the same time. Missions are already complicated as it is, so having something else mixed onto it is an entirely different thing. But he knew he cannot do anything against it, because he wasn't the Hokage and he wasn't stupid enough to flare out his anger against the woman. He wasn't that stupid...to make Tsunade angrier than she already was is similar to having a death wish. She may hold a soft spot for him, but there are still limitations. And Naruto is fully aware of that.
And never ever anger a Sannin. He knew about that from his former mentor, Jiraiya, the hard way.
Bless the perverted sannin's soul, wherever he may be.
"Naruto-kun." Hinata's voice snapped him out of his trail of thoughts and immediately turned his blue orbs towards her. "Do you want to come with me to Sakura-chan's apartment? I have to feed her by six."
"Yeah, sure." Naruto quickly replied with no signs of hesitation at all. Flexing his neck a bit, he turned to gaze at his brooding raven haired friend. "Teme, wanna come with us?"
"No." Sasuke spat back in a beat, inwardly wondering why Naruto still bothered to ask him that question.
"Eh, suit yourself."
The once red and orange painted sky was now completely covered in shades of blue and black, with winter snowflakes continuously pouring from up above. By the time that they had exited the tower, Konoha had already turned into a winter wonderland.
Sasuke was still with Hinata and Naruto, for one can pass by Sakura's apartment on the way to the Uchiha compound. But he was careful to maintain a certain distance from the couple, who seem to be unconsciously exuding an aura that they needed some, well, space.
While walking, Sasuke watched Naruto and Hinata (still holding hands, mind you) engaging in idle chitchat, marveling at the surroundings or just gazing at each other, in no particular order. Watching them made Sasuke wonder how it would actually be like if he had a normal upbringing, with his family still alive and all. Hell, he would probably have a girlfriend already. He would be like Naruto and Hinata now, smiling and holding 'her' hand as if he cared of nothing else in this world.
But Sasuke quickly shook off and shut out those thoughts. 'Now's not the time to think about that.' He scolded himself. Even though he wanted to rebuild his clan, rebuilding his mansion and maybe the compound came first. Or maybe the probation, he really wasn't sure.
"Bye teme." Naruto's voice brought him back to reality and Sasuke looked up. He didn't notice that they were already in the destined intersection.
"Please excuse us Sasuke-san." Hinata said in her timid voice and a smile. Sasuke however returned their bids with a nod then quietly continued his walk with his hands on his pockets.
He was around five to ten meters away from the intersection when Sasuke heard something that perked up his interest.
"Something's wrong Hinata-chan." Naruto's voice echoed throughout the deserted street and Sasuke stopped dead in his tracks. The way that caution was lacing his voice made Sasuke uneasy and for a moment thought if there was an attack or something. "Sakura-chan…"
"Let's go." Came Hinata's quick reply followed by a thud, which indicated that they had jumped off.
A mental debate began brewing up in Sasuke's head while he stood there, frozen on the spot. 'It isn't my business anymore.' He tried to persuade himself and repeated it like a mantra, but alas, even after all those efforts of convincing himself it seems like his legs had a mind of his own. Before he knew it, he was already making his way to Sakura's apartment.
Looking up, Sasuke saw that there were three lit windows in the building, including Sakura's. The sliding door that led to her bedroom was also open, so he figured that Naruto and Hinata had gone through that route instead. When he was near enough he could already hear their voices.
"Sakura-chan!" Naruto called out repeatedly and his brows began to furrow. "Wake up!"
'Wake up? Is she dead?'
"Please stop Naruto-kun!" Hinata's voice rang out. "Please! You're hurting her!"
Sasuke gritted his teeth and jumped up, before he gracefully and quietly landed on the terrace. That was when he caught sight of the couple behind the thin white curtain that was flowing along with the cold winter wind. Even if they were former teammates and friends, Sasuke had never been able to step inside Sakura's bedroom for obvious reasons. The area was about half the size of his bedroom and it consisted of a full length mirror, a bed, a slightly large closet and a table.
"What happened?" He demanded and his baritone voice caught them off guard. Sasuke entered the bedroom and slid the door shut before letting his onyx orbs land on the sleeping woman on the bed.
"What are you doing here?" Naruto asked, an unconscious Sakura on his arms. He was holding her up so she was practically leaning on his strength, her head a little bit hung back and her arms limp. When he was near enough to her he finally realized why Naruto was freaking out so much.
Her chakra was moving so languidly that one would think that she was at the brink of dying.
"Hospital." Was the only word that came out of his mouth.
Naruto and Hinata couldn't help but agree.
The trio made their way to the hospital and was able to reach their destination in two full minutes. After bursting through the emergency room, the medical team was quick to respond and quickly whisked Sakura from Naruto's arms to transfer her to an available stretcher.
"What happened Naruto-dono?" A medic, a man in his late thirties asked while he hurriedly was assembling a new chart.
"Severe chakra depletion, coma." Was Hinata's alert reply and for the next few minutes the two began talking to each other in a fast pace. So much medical jargon was used until such time that the only words that Naruto could understand were so, and, body, chakra and coma.
So instead of giving himself a headache, Naruto preoccupied himself by craning his neck, clearly attempting to get a glimpse of his best friend.
"Even if you break your neck." Sasuke commented idly with a sigh. "You won't see her. The curtain's drawn baka."
True enough, the medics had already closed in the curtains around the stretcher so all they could see were silhouettes. But at least they could also hear their voices and the sounds of their work, which made it easier to imagine what was actually happening behind those green sheets.
Naruto frowned. "Snappy bastard." He grumbled under his breath then began walking towards the nearby bench which was propped up against the wall and beside the hospital entrance. For a moment or two he looked like a sulking kid. Sasuke followed suit, minus the intentional heavy dropping of himself and the childish pout.
"But she was able to awaken before, because Sasuke-san had allocated her some of his chakra so her conservation alarm was a little bit delayed… right Sasuke-san?" Hinata asked and Sasuke looked up. He saw both Hinata and the medic gazing at his direction, but he was too immersed in his thoughts to even hear the actual question.
"I'm sorry what?" He blurted out, surprised.
"You gave her some chakra?" She repeated and Sasuke slowly returned a nod.
The medic gazed at Sasuke, who in turn stared back. Even if giving Sakura was highly uncharacteristic of him, he knew full well that Hinata wasn't going to joke around with matters like these. And Sakura's life was on the line, so it really wasn't the ideal time to lie or make jokes about it either.
"We'll do our best. For the meantime, can you please head to the nurse's station Hinata-dono? You need to fill up some forms." The medic said and Hinata nodded. She turned to Naruto, who nodded back to her before she proceeded to the nearby nurse's station. The medic however went the opposite direction to lend a helping hand to the team that was looking after Sakura. Now, they can overhear other team members blurting out 'call Tsunade-sama' a few times.
Naruto leaned onto his chair and ignored the giggles of the onlookers, more specifically the female medics. He closed his eyes and let out a long, deep sigh.
"I didn't know Sakura-chan had suicidal tendencies." He remarked with a snort. "This is…ridiculous."
"But this isn't the first time." Sasuke commented with his eyes closed.
"I know, I heard Tsunade-sama. Hinata-chan told me about it too…but isn't this going way too far?" Naruto rolled his eyes. "I want to kill Neji."
"He may be the trigger." Sasuke said half a second later. "But right now, this is Sakura's fault."
Naruto was quick to react. "What the hell teme? Why're you siding with him?" He barked, looking offended with his angry cerulean eyes fully trained on him.
"I don't mean it that way." Sasuke defended instantaneously but kept himself as cool as a cucumber. "What I am trying to say is that it was Sakura's decision to go on a chakra spree. She should've chosen a more, healthier way of venting out her emotions."
And there goes a two months supply of words. Fortunately for him, Naruto shut his mouth and decided to brood over his statement instead.
But the blissful silence did not last long.
"Stop fidgeting dammit!" He suddenly yelled out, surprising Sasuke with his outburst. "It's contagious!"
Sasuke made a face. "What the hell is wrong with you?"
"You're damn fidgeting! Stay still!" Naruto spat back and their flare-up caught a new group of onlookers, but they ignored them of course.
"I'm—"He was about to defend himself again when a medic's voice cut him mid sentence.
"We're transferring the patient to the ICU!" He said aloud and both he and Naruto looked up. After that, the curtains were drawn back in a snap and the sight that welcomed them pushed Naruto to the brink of tears.
Tubes, machines, oxygen masks, IV fluids… it was indeed a frightening sight.
"Sakura-chan." The kyuubi container desperately called out as he began to stand. Sasuke however didn't seem to have the energy to move and continued to sit, still as a ghost in the bench.
But as soon as Naruto took a step forward, Hinata made her appearance, chart in tow. The medics rolled out the stretcher and turned on a corner, eventually disappearing from view. That was when the blonde turned his attention to his girlfriend.
"Why is she being transferred to the ICU Hinata-chan? Is it that bad?" Naruto asked and Hinata spared Sasuke a glance, before looking back to the person in front of her.
"Since this is the second time that her chakra was almost completely depleted, her body is having a hard time recuperating. Her chakra level as of now is five percent."
Naruto's jaw dropped.
'Five.' The Uchiha survivor repeated in his head. So how in the world is she still alive and breathing?
"Out of my way!" A new voice sounded throughout the hospital and they turned to look at the speaker. An angry Tsunade was hastily making her way through the hallway with Shizune following behind her. Once the duo reached them Hinata wordlessly handed the chart and the Hokage, who ignored the two men completely, began flipping through the pages like a madman.
"Five. ICU." Hinata suddenly voiced out and Sasuke heard the blonde woman swear under her breath. She reeked of alcohol, so he presumed that she had drowned herself in sake after the meeting.
Tsunade tossed the chart to Shizune who flawlessly caught it then faced Hinata. "Let's go, we have lots of work to do you. You two (points at Naruto and Sasuke) I'll let Hinata inform you when you're going to visit. So you may leave now."
"Baachan, is she going to be okay?" Naruto asked worriedly.
"To be honest Naruto." Tsunade's back was facing them and gave a sideways glance towards him. "I'm not sure, but I'll try my best to save that one hell of a stubborn idiot."
With that, the three went off (Hinata politely excused herself though).
"Oh God." Naruto said gruffly as he plopped himself next to Sasuke again before crouching over to bury his face into his hands.
Sasuke looked calm and composed, but deep inside he was desperately trying to find his voice.
"I'm leaving." Were the first two words that came out of his mouth and Naruto's head whipped up.
"What?" He asked in a hiss, daring for Sasuke to say it again. Sasuke stood up but Naruto did not tear his eyes away from him. "NOW?"
"Yes, Naruto, now. Problem?" He questioned in a droning voice then slid his hands in his pockets again.
"But where?"
"House." Sasuke replied as though it was the most obvious thing in the world. With his answer, he turned on his heel and began walking away only to be stopped again by Naruto's whimper.
"But what about Sakura-chan?"
Sasuke pursed his lips and flexed his neck as though his mother had just told him to do something for the 100th time.
"You heard the Hokage." He replied coldly and shot him a glare. ".leave."
Naruto tried to call out his name again a few times but Sasuke did not bother stopping or looking back. When he was fully out of the hospital and out of view, Naruto let out a cry of despair and dropped himself back at the bench for the umpteenth time.
"What the hell is wrong with everybody?"
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Ethereal Infernia