Author's Notes:
I am
not the creator of Naruto, I do not own Naruto nor am I attempting to
portray myself who owns the copyrights/production rights to Naruto.
Chapter 8
"Youth"
Naruto realized the pain in his wrist only after he had already reached the street that would lead directly to the hospital. He was sure that Jiraiya hadn't meant to hurt him, but to slow him down. However, there was no way in hell he could just stand there. Or not stand there...or do anything.
What did he mean, Sakura was dead? This couldn't be a cruel joke. The only sort of people, that Naruto would ever attribute to playing such a vicious trick were his enemies and they were quite literally people of the lowest caliber.
So this was not a joke. This was real. This was part of being a shinobi. This was part of loss. Until now, he had been rather lucky in not having lost so much, but this was something that was daring to whip out a torrent of feelings he thought he had succeeded in suppressing.
"Sakura... please wait..." he yelled within his own mind at this hospital as if he was sure that he would have a storybook ending, that if Sakura was going to die here and now, he could at least speak to her one last time and let her know that while he knows now he wasn't truly in love with her, he did think the world of her and that she was a very special person to him. He also wanted to know so badly, if that even meant anything to her. "Please wait..."
Jiraiya
was hauling ass, as well - trying desperately to keep up with the
young ninja through the rooftops, balconies, side-street and main
thoroughfares zigzagging the city, that would lead to the Konoha
Hospital entrance.
He was almost shocked to find Naruto standing
in a silent and simple freeze on the rooftop of the
hospital.
Approaching from the side he addressed the blonde,
worried his pupil had just regressed 3 years.
"Naruto..."
But Naruto did not answer. Rather, a scene on the street below just outside the hospital doors had his full attention. And at the moment of becoming aware to it, Jiraiya was also focused intently on the fuss below.
"AND FOR WHAT? How DARE you address me like this NOW, Hatake Kakashi! You are SORRY! You dare to apologize? As if your minimal words can possibly compare to the glow of my daughter?"
Kakashi was solid, slow and dark staring at the face of his accuser. Words continued their onslaught of blame as he stood there helpless to do anything.
"You take full
responsibility for this mission's failure! I COULD GIVE A DAMN ABOUT
THE MISSION OR THIS VILLAGE! MY DAUGHTER LIES DEAD NOW BECAUSE OF
YOU! You can take your full responsibility and throw it off a cliff
along with yourself!"
And with those killing words, Sakura's
mother was lead away by others in mourning, including Ino and
Lee.
"Sensei... I.." Naruto looked at Jiraiya directly, "I.. don't know how to react to this situation... Kakashi.. is clearly... chikusho! This is too much!" he blurted out as he slunk down onto the ground, drowning in the acceptance of Sakura's death and the guilty pity that overwhelmed him as he watched Kakashi below go through the worst possible conclusion to any team's missions.
Kakashi stared at the ground, his conscious berating him with the guilt ridden accusations while his subconscious blared through the world around searching for some hope of comfort, racing through the mountains, through the forest, through the gates of Konoha, past the houses and their rooftops, his subconscious almost slamming into the darkness on top of the roof behind him.
"This.. is.." Kakashi's eyes snapped up. "I know you.." His mind confirmed as he whipped around to find the source of familiarity coming from the rooftop above.
"Jiraiya-sennin" he said aloud as his uncovered eye met the face of the legendary ninja.
Jiraiya looked down at Kakashi offering him a smile in one split of the moment and in the other split of the moment curved his glance down to the ninja slumped down on the roof at his feet, indicating to Kakashi he was not up there alone.
Naruto felt a scanning emotion run over him and with a flick of his hands Jiraiya saw a cloud of smoke replace the space where his student sat a second ago.
Hearing the all too familiar FOOF of smoke down below, the sennin looked down to the street to see Naruto standing face to face with Kakashi.
"He has gotten a lot taller.. that's for sure" Jiraiya noted, wondering what sort of scene was about to play out in front of him.
Naruto looked at Kakashi's face, Kakashi's covered eye caught off guard at the eyes in front of him, two dark tranquil blue eyes accented by a scar not too unlike his own but clearly off center and running the length of Naruto's face.
Unwillingly Kakashi was slightly shaking his head back and forth on the verge of finding words when Naruto's eye blaringly commanded his attention with a locking stare.
"Nar..Naruto.." Kakashi began to move through the words when suddenly he found himself unable to move.
Naruto wrapped his arms around Kakashi and held him strong, hugging him in such a way that translated to the copy ninja as someone trying desperately to force comfort into his body.
"I am sorry, Kakashi-sensei.. I am sorry." And he hugged him. Just a simple, silent yet world shattering hug. Kakashi found himself lost in a whirlwind of comfort and grief, but he did not feel the despair any longer. Just who was this that was embracing him now?
"Not Naruto.. not.. not this calm.. doesn't he know Sakura is…" he began to wonder.
Naruto pulled back from the embrace and looked eye to eye with his former mentor, nodding he confirmed, "I do know..I know she's gone and.. it's okay."
Naruto looked up at the rooftop calling, "Sensei.. will you come with us for something to drink? I'd like to get away from here for a little while.."
With a quick leap the three stood together, the sennin nodding in agreement with Naruto as he realized Kakashi was taking in a full stare of Naruto in front of him.
"Fourth..? How.." Kakashi muttered looking Naruto over.
A raging blush overcame the whisker-like scarred cheeks as Naruto realized how he must look right now.
"Oh, heh, yeah… Sensei brought me some clothes. Heh, amazingly.. nothing at my house seemed to fit anymore" Naruto giggled as he finished.
"The resemblance.. uncanny. But Naruto, what happened to your eye?" Kakashi feared to ask.
Naruto took in Jiraiya's face, hoping not to see the look of regret overtake him again as he took a moment and answered, "Youth, Kakashi-sensei. Youth."
"Come. Let's go have something refreshing to drink. We have much to talk about. And Kakashi, if possible for you right now - could you tell us what happened on that mission?" Jiraiya requested.
"..Ah"
)))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))MEANWHILE ))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))
Kabuto remained fastened to the tree limb, running his brain through different scenarios- trying to come up with a solution for the loss that placed more distance between the two of them with every passing moment.
His mind tempted a thought of running away as well when he realized the full extent of what would happen should he fail to bring Sasuke back.
"Everyone wants Sasuke back. I say have him, disrespectful child."
Kabuto sighed as he took into consideration his current situation and the options he had for getting out of it.
Any other time the task would have been easy. But to have his hands secured between him and the wires was certainly a level of cleverness to be expected from a genius like Sasuke.
"Or it could have been just dumb luck, Kabuto. Don't give him too much credit." he though to himself.
Thinking each escape idea through he couldn't come up with a solution that would cut the wires or the tree without cutting himself.
If he dared to pull his stomach muscles up he'd make the knot tighter and if he used his chakra blade to cut through it, he'd only wind up cutting himself in the process.
Kabuto's eyes snapped close and he practically gut laughed out loud.
"Am I going insane? Am I not of a medical background?"
Shaking his head he laughed at himself for temporarily forgetting his own basics.
"Why am I letting a little cut worry me?" he spat at himself for not thinking of any of this earlier.
Kabuto quickly gathered chakra to his back, initiating regeneration of the cells by boosting proteins in muscles in his back. Now he was ready to heal as he cut, blasting chakra through his right hand, easily splitting the melted wires.
Able to lean forward, and what could only be described as down, Kabuto reached towards his feet, cutting the wires there as well, letting gravity then play its part in pulling him to the ground.
A quick flip and instinctual mold of chakra directed to his feet and Kabuto landed effortlessly on the solid earth as he reached into the familiarity of his side bag.
Popping a food pill into his mouth he took a moment for the effects to play and then with a fiery run that seemed to be fueled by the devil itself, Kabuto resumed his pursuit of the precious one his master commanded be returned.
