Yukikaze

Author - Kiba

Summary: Uchiha came close to understanding the reason behind Naruto's strength, and now he wants a share of it. But will everything be the same?

Rating: М

Pairings: SasuNaru

Feedback: Reviews are greatly appreciated

Author's notes: Guys, I beg you sorry, for not updating too long. It's just took me a while to start my routine back home again after coming back from Les Pays Bas. By the way, I wrote this part long time ago during my studying hours, throughout the lectures and so on. It just needed to be put into PC. And sorry, if this chapter would seem too gloomy, I can't help it. I feel like that.

Disclaimer: I do not own anything. Everything belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.

Chapter 7

Naruto didn't know where he was heading to, he was just flowing in emptiness, feeling nothing, hearing nothing, seeing nothing. Kyuubi was paralyzed as well, Naruto didn't respond to his calling. The cage was silent, and it felt totally wrong.

After watching Naruto collapsed in front of him, Sasuke got really scared. He run towards him and grabbing him by the waist rushed into Hokage's office, thought about illegally abandoning his post never crossing his mind.

"Godaime, Naruto is…" he started speaking, but failed to complete his sentence. The look of unconscious blond with blood dripping down his legs pushed Tsunade into panic. She instantly took Naruto away from Sasuke and closed the door right in front of the stunned teen.

"Shizune, please take care of the office, I need to get him to the hospital' she shouted at her assistant. Seeing her favorite blond like this sent the powerful Sannin into frenzy.

"What's happening here?" asked Sakura bursting into the office, though she was expected to be there much earlier. Tsunade didn't even spare a glance towards her student, and making quick hand seals while holding pale boy close disappeared with flash.

"Naruto got badly injured and Tsunade-sama went off to heal him" told her Shizune, still shocked by the way fallen shinobi looked like.

Sakura shook her head, her long bright pink locks flying all the way: "Oh really! That's strange, why then nine-tailed beast didn't heal him as always. No matter how badly Naruto was beaten, he's always being recovered" Was it just imagination or Sakura sounded envious? At least she never mentioned Kyuubi's existence before, being perfectly aware how it hurt Naruto everytime someone referred to him.

Shizune was silent, to her view Sakura never really cared of her ex-teammate.

Tsunade stood over the blond after whole two hours of healing session and still no Naruto alive and kicking, no traces of recovering. She closed all his wounds, ceased bleeding and checked all his life supporting processes. Everything seemed normal. He breathed but Naruto still hasn't regained his consciousness and that wasn't normal, no it was not normal at all.

She stared at the sleeping boy and gently brushed his long blond locks from the face. A thin layer of sweat covered his pale body. Something was happening in his dreams she assumed. Naruto's hands were trembling, the breathing was heavy and eyelids randomly moved. She's done more than enough, now it was completely up to him. If the kid won't struggle as he always did…

Meantime Sasuke was pacing back and forth in the hospital, where he turned up as soon as he heard about Naruto's condition. His duties as Konoha guard were washed off his mind. He has more important things at hand right now, than to care about village's security.

Sasuke has never seen his long-time rival in such vulnerable state. While waiting, though he couldn't tell for how long he wondered if the feelings inside him, the things he felt towards his friend were wrong.

Tsunade, utterly disturbed by his presence and equally surprised by his reaction, let him inside the room. That allowed him to see Naruto peacefully sleeping on the bed, wrapped in crispy white bondages. Sasuke sat at his side, noticing how small and agonizingly painful the blond looked, all of a sudden he wanted to embrace him. That was unusual, to say the least weird feeling – warm and gentle, as if he was looking at sleeping sun. "Naruto is so beautiful, he always was, it's just no one ever bothered to notice" thought Sasuke to himself, quite distracted.

Naruto didn't want to wake up. He felt so tired and helpless, no illusions of the past could reach him now. He used to be so strong and pushy, loud and obnoxious, no enemy could stop him.

But now, something seemed wrong. Maybe he exceeded his limits, overstepped his level. He couldn't care less than that. Naruto was sinking lower and lower, even the cage bars he put inside himself unwillingly to control the Fox were slowly crambling. Even Kyuubi's screaming couldn't change anything.

Why it was happening? Has someone finally managed to break him to the point of no return, or it was just the way Naruto could put an end. Reaching his highest dreams to become Hokage appeared useless. What for? Was there any worthy reason behind his ambitions other than his pride and arrogance? His only best friend betrayed him, and he still after so many years of numerous efforts to be recognized had no one to rely upon. If only…