Happy Tuesday! I got a new job at Walgreens! That'll definitely help with finances.

School is being school. Classes are tough but I'm enjoying them. The day off for MLK Day didn't hurt either...

This one is nearly 2k words long. Le gasp. Not much happened "off-screen" per se again between this chapter and the last, though Minato and Hiruzen did have a long discussion about Naruto's guard in a timeskip over the course of this chapter.

I own nothing but my OCs. Enjoy!

Chapter 6: Recovery

October 16

Naruto got the bandages on his eyes taken off that day. He was so excited. His nurse, Heisei, gently unwrapped his eyes under the careful supervision of Tsunade. He bounced on the bed a little while the sannin grabbed the pads on each eye before they could fall. She knelt to Naruto's eye level and watched him carefully as his eyes opened. Progress was a little slow and he blinked a few times before leaving them open.

The eyes looked perfect, just as they were before the incident. Tsunade still put a medical-chakra-infused hand over his eyes just to check.

"I can't sense if anything is different, but problems could arise down the line. How do your eyes feel?"

"Moving them hurts a little, but everything is clear. I can see you, I can see mommy, I can see daddy, I can see the plants outside,-"

"Ok, bud," Tsunade chuckled. Minato and Kushina also laughed from their wheelchairs behind her.

In the few days between his waking and now, many of the machines were disconnected from Naruto. He still had his heart monitor and IV, the mask replaced with a cannula, but the others were removed. Both parents and child were happy with that. He could move easier.

October 23

Today was an exciting day. Tsunade planned for Minato and Kushina to take their first true steps. For this reason, Naruto sat on an easychair, his heart monitor gone two days ago, watching his parents be lifted to the two sets of bars. There were two in a set, separated enough for a person to walk through. They were long, straight, and about at the level of a person's hips. Naruto guessed they were to help a person walk.

Tsunade believed they were ready for this as they'd been gaining strength for nearly three months now. Their arm muscles gained a good bit of strength from wheeling themselves around and helping Naruto climb up onto their laps. And they already gained about 30 lbs each. Minato and Kushina could do this.

The sannin stood at the opposite end from where her patients stood. Two nurses flanked each patient, ready to help should one stumble.

"Alright, who wants to try this first?"

Minato looked to his feet. Then, ever so slightly, raised his right foot and slid it forward. His body shook with the exertion, even though he only managed to move his foot a few inches before setting it down. He then lifted his left foot and slid it forward. It, too, was only a few inches in front of the other but that didn't matter. Minato was walking under his own power.

"Yay! Daddy! I knew you can do it!"

Naruto's praise stirred Minato's resolve. The man continued to slowly move along the bars. Kushina's resolve also stirred with her son's words. Soon, she was slowly moving along the bars as well.

Minato chuckled bitterly in his head. Wasn't this supposed to be the other way around? Kushina and I should have been the ones encouraging Naruto to walk. Instead, he learned in an orphanage that hated him while we slept the days away. Now we have to relearn to walk with our son watching in a corner, injured because we weren't there to keep him safe. What kind of parents are we?

Minato got so lost in thought that he didn't notice he'd reached the end of the bars. A hand on his chest pulled him from his thoughts, and prevented him from face-planting.

"Ok, I think that's good for now," Tsunade announced, "You'll do one walk-down every four hours each day until you can do it in about 5 minutes. Then you'll walk down and back every four hours. The distance will keep doubling until you're able to walk down and back 80 times in 10 minutes."

Minato and Kushina nodded from where they sat in their wheelchairs. The nurses also made sure to remember. It wouldn't do to have them fall during therapy, after all.

Naruto, who had been quiet through the therapy, tried to jump excitedly from the easy chair. He hadn't moved very far before grunting in pain. He fell back into the chair as a Yasashii ran over. Naruto curled into a ball while she rubbed his back, attempting to soothe the small boy. Kushina wheeled over. She told Yasashii to put Naruto in her lap. Yasashii gently lifted the whimpering boy and set him down with his mother. She hugged him close.

December 2

Kushina smiled as she wheeled back to the recreation/physical therapy room. It was mid-afternoon and Naruto slept peacefully in his hospital bed. His mother took one last look at him before turning and wheeling through the door. She found her husband at the table writing something down. "What are you writing, dear?"

Minato's eyes moved to the window for a moment before he turned to look at Kushina. "I'm writing the announcement to all the ANBU that Naruto is ours."

Kushina furrowed her eyebrows, "But don't they already know?"

"They may know that we're alive, but only the best in the entire corps are assigned to our guard. From what I understand, those on his guard just remain outside the hospital until he leaves. No ANBU outside our guard know that he's ours. I'm going to fix that." Minato turned back to his paper.

Hiruzen walked quietly into the room just then. He closed the door softly behind him and took a seat at the table.

"Hello, Kushina."

"Good afternoon, sandaime-sama."

"How is Naurto's recovery progressing?"

"He's doing well. Tsunade-sama hopes to have him out within two weeks."

Hiruzen nodded thoughtfully, "And your own?"

"We've been walking a little over a week now but are still having some trouble keeping upright."

"I see."

A soft whimpering from the other room cut off their conversation. Kushina sighed sadly, "He's been having nightmares of the attack ever since waking up. They were especially bad when his eyes were still wrapped."

Hiruzen hummed in understanding, "Go comfort your son, I have matters to discuss with Minato anyway."

Kushina nodded before wheeling out of the room and to Naruto's bedside. Hiruzen turned to Minato.

"Almost done?"

"Almost." Minato put down his pen as he set his head in his hands and closed his eyes. "Naruto is my child and I can't keep him safe. He watches his mother and I relearn to walk from that easy chair over there, encouraging us to keep going. That should have been the other way around. Instead, he's wanted dead by many in the village. His injuries are proof of that." Minato sighed. "At least with this, they can't get close enough to actually hurt him."

"Minato, Naruto will be okay. He'll be out of here within two weeks."

"Yes, but what about his guard?" Minato dropped his hands and leveled a dead stare at his predecesser, "If they keep going the way they have been, he'll just end up here over and over."

"I have the feeling that won't happen once the announcement is made to the ANBU."

Minato stopped for a moment, realizing Hiruzen was right.

"Besides, the changes to Naruto's guard assignment will ensure his safety."

Minato relaxed a little. A small smile crept up the man's face before agreeing with his fellow Hokage. He looked over the paper in front of him, writing a few more words and signing it. Hiruzen took a quick look over it, smiling and nodding when he finished. "I'll make sure this gets to every ANBU we have."

Minato nodded and Hiruzen left. The twenty-nine-year-old wheeled himself to the other room to check on Naruto and Kushina. The boy was cradled in his mother's arms, eyes red from tears. Minato parked himself in Naruto's line of sight and reached to ruffle his hair. Minato's child gave a small smile and snuggled closer to his mother.

December 13

Naruto got released that day. He was so excited. Now, he was sad that he couldn't be with his parents constantly anymore, but he was happy because he would start at the academy in a few weeks. Kushina adjusted his vest for the hundredth time while telling him about different things at school. Naruto listened intently, he wanted to know as much as possible beforehand.

Across the room, Minato had his own bout of fussing. Only over the pair of ANBU assigned to walk Naruto to his apartment, Bird and Boar. Minato talked extensively with Sandaime about increasing Naruto's guard, or change the situations to interfere at least. They eventually agreed upon having two ANBU on him at all times in a rotating schedule and they would only interfere if conflict escalated beyond regular bullying. At the first sign of a weapon or jutsu, ANBU would grab him and take him to either his apartment, the Hokage tower, or Minato and Kushina's hospital room, whichever was closest. This incident would never be repeated.

Minato made sure their orders were clear. One was to watch the walk home from the shadows while the other held Naruto's hand and walked with him the entire way. The one who was physically next to Naruto was to make sure Naruto got into the apartment fine, everything was in order, then disappear into the shadows with the other. They nodded, for the fiftieth time. They were getting tired of listening to the same thing over and over. However, they understood that Minato was just being an overprotective dad who almost lost his child. Once Naruto's status as the Yondaime's son was revealed to the ANBU corps, most felt awful for slacking when assigned to his guard. They'd let their hero's son suffer. It wouldn't happen again.

Tsunade walked in. "Alright, ready to go, Naruto?"

Naruto turned. "Yep!"

Tsunade held out her hand and Naruto walked over to take it. Minato said some final words to the two ANBU. Boar walked to Naruto's side while Bird disappeared from sight. Naruto made sure to say bye to his parents before leaving the room with Tsunade and Boar. The three walked down the hall until they reached the door to the rest of the hospital. The doctor bid the other two farewell before turning back to the ward. Boar took Naruto's hand and continued to walk through and out of the hospital. They received a few questioning glances, but both ignored them. The walk through the streets got them more glances. Thankfully, no one stopped them. They made it to the apartment and Boar got Naruto inside safely.

Review Time!

KatoGS123 Youtuber-Well, I don't want to spoil a lot of the encounter but please remember that Minato is the Hokage. The leader of the village. He needs the acknowledgement and trust of his villagers. Killing one of his own out of anger wouldn't help, even if it is justified.

DxGRAYxMAN-I'm glad you love it so far. I'm excited to have this going.