Hi, everyone, I'm finally back from vacation. Lots of fun, and 6,424 miles of driving, and we're home at last.
This chapter is pretty short, and I'm sorry about that, but I wanted to get something out since it's been a while since I've updated. It's mainly more character development, but I like the way it turned out, anyway. I am on the way to getting the final chapters planned out the way I want them.
Also, this chapter is pretty hard and depressing. Re-reading it, it makes me think I'm a pretty morose individual, but yeah, I guess that's me. Things will get pretty hard-core from here on out, I'm thinking, so hang on tight. This story is not for the meek, as I like writing scathing drama, if you couldn't tell. I'm considering doing a Samurai Champloo fic after this one, just so I can go whole hog on the angst and roughness of humanity.
I'm really hoping that some of you will comment. I know people are reading this, just few people are saying whether they love it or hate it. So, if you have a moment, tell me what you think. Reviews are a valuable tool, so don't be shy, even if it's harsh criticism.
Thanks, and remember, I'm getting ready to start the next chapter, so try not to be too disappointed with this short bit.
The group awoke and broke camp early to get a quick start. Naruto gratefully accepted a hot cup of coffee from Choji and chugged it down, not caring that it was still piping hot. He slung the drippings behind him to dry the mug out a little, threw it in his pack, and helped Choji finish putting out the remaining coals where the fire had been last night.
The four teammates were off again, all of them running at a break-neck pace in order to close the time gap left by the evening's rest as best they could. This time Naruto was ahead of everyone, checking the map one last time in order to understand the location of the defunct hideout. No one tried to stop him from going ahead, they knew it would be pointless, and they couldn't keep up anyway. Naruto pushed onward, using shadow clones as scouts. He was his own team when he needed to be, and on some of his past missions, it wound up working out better that way.
Around mid-morning, Naruto came within range of the old secret base. He sent out three clones, one to walk straight to the base with no cover to draw any enemy fire, and two to secretly scout the perimeter and apprehend any of Kabuto's followers that might be hanging around still. The rest of the team caught up while the scouting patrol was deployed, and when they returned without incident, everyone went to the ruins and started working.
Choji used his expansion jutsu to enlarge his already huge hands, and he began scooping away much of the rubble, exposing the maze-like bunker underneath. The others used poles from trees they cut down to shore up the crumbling ceiling in places where it looked unstable. It was hot, hard work, and in a few hours, they all decided to break for lunch. Choji couldn't be happier, but Naruto convinced him to just suck up a few ration bars instead of making one of his signature six course meals. Ino had to laugh, when after twelve ration bars, Choji finally came up empty. He had even taken his shoes off to make sure he hadn't stashed any bars there.
After lunch, the team really got down to business. They searched from room to room, looking through every scroll and bound book they could find, searching for foreign writing and anything that looked like a book on teaching the magic incantations. They searched the walls and floors for loose bricks and false panels, finding a few, but turning up no secret stashes that included books of any kind. They destroyed every piece of furniture, looking for hidden compartments and false bottoms in drawers. Of course, there were things hidden, but nothing written, mostly just small containers of what looked like failed experiments. Many of them were disgusting to look at, and Ino had to walk away a few times in order to keep her stomach from rebelling.
At the end of the third day of searching, the team finally felt that they had exhausted every nook and cranny that could hide what they so desperately sought. They had only recovered about five books that qualified for what they were looking for, and they all worried over whether they had anything of use or not. Kabuto had made no notes or journals that mentioned anything about using magic, so they were blind to what they either did or didn't have. Naruto was doing his best not to feel frustrated, but he just couldn't kick the feeling that there was something missing, that they didn't really find it, and that what they had would yield no usable information at all.
When they were about to leave, Naruto spoke up suddenly, "You guys go on ahead. I just thought of one more thing I want to check out. Get back to Konoha as fast as you can. Don't worry, I'll probably catch up in no time, anyway." The others nodded in agreement, eager to get home with what they had found. They sped away, leaving Naruto to himself.
He made ten shadow clones and ordered, "Everyone, I need to you crawl into the ventilation system and anything you find there, bring to me. Even if it looks insignificant, I want to take it home with us. Make it quick, we're running out of time."
The group of clones scattered, and within minutes, they were all back, but only one held anything. In his hands was a locked box with a handle for carrying. The key was no where to be found, but the box was weighty, so Naruto knew there was something inside of it. "Good work, guys," he praised, and then he dispelled the group of clones and took off after his team.
Soon Naruto caught up with the other three ninja, and then convinced them to let him have the rest of the materials they confiscated and go on to Konoha. Naruto could run almost indefinitely without rest, and he couldn't bear to spend another night doing nothing. He was worried about Hinata, and he wanted the research team to get working on the discovered materials immediately. So, he went on, running for almost twenty-four hours straight. He walked into Tsunade's office, handed his findings to Shizune, gave his report, and went home as quickly as he could.
Exhausted, he walked into the house, a welcoming smell coming from the kitchen. "Hi, I'm home, Nerene'," he announced wearily.
"Oh, Uzumaki-sama, welcome home," Nerene' greeted cheerily. "You're just in time for dinner."
"Thanks," Naruto replied. "How is Hinata? Is there any change?"
Nerene' looked down, a defeated look on her face. "I hate to say this, but she is getting worse. Tsunade-sama changed her medicine to try to keep her going, but it didn't make much of an improvement. I don't know how much longer she can hang on. She just is fading away. I've been doing everything I can, but she's losing the battle. You should go to her, spend some time with her. I'll bring your dinner in to you." Naruto noticed a small tear sneaking down the nurse's cheek as she turned back to the stove.
Naruto cursed under his breath and quickly walked back to Hinata's room. His hand gripped the doorknob, and he noticed himself shaking. He was afraid to open the door, afraid of what he would see behind it. She needed him, though, and it drove him to push the door open. When he saw her, he caught his breath at the sight of her.
Hinata was laying there, as always, her eyes fixed on the wall in front of her. The only thing that had changed was that she was noticeably frailer, her face more grey and sunken, and her breathing was labored now. He knew now what Nerene' was talking about. It looked like if a good wind came up, she would blow away like a soap bubble.
He walked to the side of the bed slowly, taking in the sight of her pitiable form. His heart ached yet again from looking at her, and he fought to hold back the anguish that weighed heavily on him. He reached out and stroked her long hair, gasping back sobs that were choking the very life out of him. He scooped her fragile body from the bed and held her close to him, relishing even this one-sided contact with her. He had thought, that over time with her in this condition, that he would start to love her less. He didn't want that, of course, but without her being able to talk to him or touch him or love him backâwell, he just didn't know if even he was strong enough to endure loving her this long like this.
He cuddled her close to him, like a child with its favorite doll, and whispered, "I love you," over and over, like a mantra that he was repeating for penance. But, he meant it, it wasn't something he did out of any kind of guilt. He loved her just as much as he ever did, and his need for her only grew. After walking around with her in his arms for a few minutes, he decided to sit back on the bed with her. Her head rested on his shoulder and he talked to her about the mission to save her. He pretended that she was answering him, and though it made him feel a little crazy, at the same time, it calmed him a little. He hugged her tight again and kissed her cold cheek. That's when the realization hit him, that she was all but dead, and he was still just as powerless to help her, even though he dug through rubble and dust and spent days away from her to find the answer. What if it was all for nothing?
He looked down at her still form against him, and he bit his lower lip to stop the tears that threatened to flow from him. And that's when it happened. He openly cursed the day he fell in love with her and the fact that he couldn't just let her go, let someone else shoulder the burden, allow someone who didn't care about her decide her fate. But then he immediately loathed himself for ever thinking that way, for giving up even for a small moment. He had betrayed her, anyway, after all his vows to never do such a thing. How could he? He made a promise to her, to himself. But the fatigue of caring for someone who's condition never improves over time took its toll on even him.
Naruto put Hinata gently back in bed, left her room and walked into the back yard, where he laid back on the dewy grass, pressed his fists to his eyes, and started screaming. His mind and heart finally couldn't contain his emotions any longer and he let out all the hurt, anger, fear, anguish, bitterness, and despair from his over taxed spirit. He screamed for him and what he was enduring and he screamed for her and her torture and solitude. He screamed until the red chakra of the Kyuubi started to rise against his skin, and then out of fear of hurting anyone, he stopped, collapsing back to the soft earth. He coughed and choked from the exertion, until finally he rolled over and started gagging, his stomach trying to empty itself, too, though it was virtually empty. He wished he could say that he felt better after that, but it wasn't the case. He pushed himself up to a kneeling position, his hands covering his face.
Nerene' had watched the entire scene from the doorway to the back porch. She had come to see if he wanted dinner, not realizing what she would be walking into. The sight that she held worried her and, of course, scared her quite a bit as well. Now that he had calmed down, she looked upon him with knowing sadness in her eyes. She knew that he finally understood the situation they were in, that there just wasn't any way things were going to get any better. She felt he might finally be on the road to accepting Hinata's inevitable death. Nerene' had come to really like Naruto, and she could tell that it was almost impossible for him to comprehend that one day soon, Hinata would cease to be in his life, and that he would have to consider how he would go on without her. She wished it could be otherwise, though. Even though she didn't really 'know' Hinata, she knew that if someone like Naruto loved her this much, she must be the most special person she ever could have known. Such a tragedy, she thought. Young love so pure cut short like that.
