Hey Guys

Well, I said it'd be a fast update but I didn't think it would be this fast. It only about 3K words but I felt you deserved it because of that A/N.

Big change this chap. Read on to find out.

Enjoy.


Disclaimer: I own little to nothing.

She rolled over with a groan, the soreness at the back of her head not completely understood. Through the small amount of cerebral throbbing she managed to crack open her eyes. The brunette was temporarily blinded by the light the reflected off of the clean ceiling. When her eyes finally adjusted to the brightness of the room she allowed her gaze pass around it. Everything was white including the bed sheet she was so firmly tucked into. She could only guess that the staff wanted her to remain comfortable and in one place at the same time.

Tenten attempted to sit up a little straighter. She immediately regretted the action when her ribs protested. When the pain ebbed away a few minutes later she attempted to sit up again, albeit a little slower this time. Tenten put a hand to her head to try to recollect her thoughts about what had landed her in this state. She and Lee leaving for the mission. Finding Neji and Choji. Going on without the medic team. Telling Lee to go on ahead. Finding Sasuke and Naruto at the waterfall. The sharingan wielder over her, his wings spinning. Red chakra appearing in front of her along with Naruto's form. The ball in his hand smashing into Sasuke's wing, twisting and turning the skin. The chidori in Sasuke's hand making it's way toward...

"Naruto!"

Her call was answered by no one. Tenten considered jumping out of bed but knew she wasn't in any condition to do so. Besides, the bed's sheets held her firmly in place. She reached for the call button on the railing. Tenten's frustration rose when no one came in the first few seconds and she began mashing the button with all her strength. About three minutes later a breathless nurse entered the room, clipboard and pen in hand. In the first few seconds she busied herself with scribbling on the paper, much to the annoyance of the brunette laying in the bed.

"How are you feeling?" She asked.

"That doesn't matter. Where are the others?"

The nurse didn't give any indication that she had even heard Tenten. She continued scribbling, either ignoring the audible growling coming from the bed or choosing not to care. It was only when Tenten tried to climb out of the bed that she spoke.

"If you move you'll only tear your bandages. Tsunade-sama told me to report to her once you awoke and I checked your condition. So how do you feel?" She pressed.

Tenten took notice of the bandages that adorned her torso. She grumbled. "Sore, but fine. Now where's-" She didn't get a chance to finish as the nurse walked out the door. At that moment, if Tenten had a kunai she would have run outside and forced the answers out of her. Instead she was forced to wait silently in the bed for an additional ten minutes before Tsunade made her way into the room. She was clearly disappointed when she met the brunette's gaze.

"Tsunade-sama, where-"

"How are you feeling, Tenten?"

The brunette swallowed. "I-I'm fine."

"Would you mind telling me why you separated from the medic teams I assigned you to?"

"W-Well an Oto nin-"

"Don't lie to me Tenten. The autopsy confirmed that he was long dead before you arrived."

Tenten lowered her head in shame. "Neji was badly injured. Lee and I decided that we had to go after them just in case they were still fighting. We couldn't just leave them out there." The volume of her voice increased every word.

Tsunade remained indifferent. "I suppose it was a good thing you did. From what Lee's told me, he was the reason Naruto had been able to pursue Sasuke."

"What happened to...the others?"

Tsunade sighed. "Choji and Neji weren't in the best condition but they've been stabilized. Kiba, Shikamaru, and Lee didn't sustain any heavy injuries so they'll be fine as well."

Tenten waited. Tsunade didn't say anything else. The smirk she was wearing made the brunette blush for some reason. "What about Naruto?"

"I was waiting for you to ask. He sustained severe injuries but...he'll live. There also something I need to discuss with you." The Godaime's sudden serious expression made the brunette a little uneasy.

"Hai?"

Tsunade took a deep breath. "What did you see when you arrived at The Valley of the End?"

"How did you know-"

"Kakashi was the who came across you. He's the reason you're back in Konoha."

Tenten eyes met her the bed sheet she was laying in. "It looked like they were about to kill each other. Sasuke had wings and his skin tone was darker. Naruto...he was covered in this red chakra. It felt so...evil. It wasn't normal chakra but...he still protected me after Sasuke attacked. I passed out after Sasuke hit Naruto with the chidori. Are you sure he's okay?"

Tsunade smiled. "He's fine. I already told you, he's too stubborn to die."

"But what about that chakra?"

She sighed. "Naruto is...different from all the other genin in your age group. I can't tell you why. Not unless he gives me permission to first."

"Can I see him?"

That same smirk was back on the Godaime's features. "What about the others? Don't you want to check if they're okay too?"

Tenten blushed again. "I-I do but you already told me they were fine."

"I told you Naruto was fine too," Tsunade pointed out.

Tenten brought her hands up to her face to hide the embarrassment she was certain was visible to the Godaime. "I was there when he was injured though. I saw the chidori...go through him. I just want to make sure...Tsunade-sama."

The blond Hokage shrugged. "Let me conduct quick a diagnostic jutsu on you. Both of you ribs have already been fixed and the minor concussion you had has been taken care of. You should be sore for a few days but you'll be fine after." She said this all while running a green hand over Tenten's frame. The brunette laid still during the entire process so that she would be certain nothing else was wrong with her. Tsunade pulled back with a smile on her face.

"I couldn't find anything else wrong with you but take it easy. I may be sending you on another mission in a week or two."

Tenten nodded. She made another futile attempt attempt to escape from the confines of her bed but the sheets held fast. Tsunade gave her a strange look. Tenten knew her face had to be the color of a tomato because of the embarrassment of not being able to free herself from a few blankets. The Godaime's laughter only caused her face to heat up more.

"Need some help?" She offered.

Tenten's nod was hardly noticeable. Tsunade made her way to the bedside and took a firm grasp on the covers. The pieces of cloth were yanked from the bed and Tenten could of sworn the wheel rose a little bit off of the ground as the sound of ripping filled the air. Tsunade looked what remained of the covers with indifference. Her eyes turned to Tenten''s face, which had admiration written all over it.

"Can you teach me how to do that?"

"I'll think about it."


Naruto stared out the window at the approaching sunset. The chirping birds sounded the exact opposite of how he felt. He woke up about half an hour earlier, still covered in bandages. Nothing really hurt anymore but the memory of the chidori tearing into his flesh remained in his mind. Before Tenten had arrived, he wasn't completely sure if he could hit Sasuke with the rasengan because he feared killing or seriously hurting the Uchiha. If Sasuke had died as a result of the spinning orb it would have been he who broke the bond that he was so determined to keep. Naruto knew he couldn't live and deal with that everyday.

He couldn't protect Tenten either. It took all his willpower to force his body to chase after his ex-teammate and even then he had been too late to prevent the brunette from getting hurt. It was only after she was knocked through the tree that his body sped up enough to catch Sasuke's next attack. That in itself was a mystery the blond had yet to solve. When preparing for the rasengan he did it one handed because his other was damaged. However, when he reached the sharingan user and stopped his attack, he had used the exact arm that had been immobilized. Somehow it obeyed his command regardless of the injury.

He could attribute this to the fox healing his arm faster than usual, but the chakra that surrounded him was also damaging his skin. Could the kyuubi heal him at a faster pace than the chakra damaged him? Naruto made a mental note to visit his tenant soon and get some answers.

"It looks like you received quite the beating."

Naruto nearly fell out of his hospital bed. His eyes went to the outside of he window where the Toad sannin was grinning. "Ero-sennin! What are you doing here?"

Jiraiya hopped in through the opening. He leaned against the wall, judging Naruto's injuries. "What happened?"

"Tsunade-baa-chan didn't tell you?"

"I know what the mission was about. What I'm concerned about is how your fight against Sasuke went."

Naruto sighed. He relayed the information about the fight to the toad sannin and sat back for his evaluation.

Jiraiya rubbed his temples. "So if I have this right, it was about even until you felt kyuubi's chakra enter your system. After that he was getting beat to a pulp, then all of a sudden he could detect your movements?"

Naruto nodded. "Then Sasuke-teme used this amazing katon jutsu. I think it was Ryuuka no Jutsu. It was stronger than I've ever seen him do it before."

Jiraiya raised and eyebrow but let him continue.

"After it happened...he was surprised just like me. He was acting like the real Sasuke," Naruto's eyes lowered.

"Then he smashed your head into the ground," Jiraiya interrupted.

"...Hai. He used this weird seal on his neck and changed his body after kyuubi took over. Then Tenten came."

Jiraiya pushed off the window and sat up. He seemed to have something on his mind. "Naruto, if it weren't for the kyuubi I doubt you'd be alive right now."

The blond's eyes became downcast. He knew that the toad sannin was telling the truth. "I already know that."

The older male sighed. Just when he opened his mouth to say something Tsunade walked in, a limping girl by her side. The blanket separating beds blocked Naruto from view so Jiraiya was the only one to receive a glare from the younger girl and a questioning look from his old teammate.

"Who are you?" Tenten asked. Naruto jumped a little at hearing her voice. This did not go unnoticed by the toad sannin who was all to happy for the bait to introduce himself. He was interrupted, however, when Tsunade chose to introduce him herself.

"His name is Jiraiya. What are you doing here?"

He grinned. "Just having a word with the gaki. I need to discuss something with you as well Tsunade-hime." He waggled his eyebrows. Tenten's mouth was agape as she realized there was only one Jiraiya to come out of Konoha. He had to be the sannin from the way he addressed Tsunade. Said woman was shaking in attempt to control her anger at the ridiculously lame come on.

"Is it important?" The blond kunoichi questioned.

The toad sannin's face suddenly lost all or it's previous playful nature. His only answer was a subtle nod. Tsunade motioned for him to follow her. Jiraiya carefully made his way around Tenten.

"I'll be coming for you tomorrow morning, Naruto." He and Tsunade left.

Tenten slowly shuffled around to the other side of the blanket. Naruto was in the bed with bandages all over his body. The gut wound he received from the mission seemed to have never been placed there. His eyes were a little dull, no doubt because of the mission failure. Tsunade hadn't spoken about it the entire way to the hospital room which struck the brunette as odd. Maybe she didn't want to add insult to injury so early. She made her way, slowly, to the stool at his bedside.

"You look terrible," Tenten said while sitting down. Naruto chuckled.

"You don't look that great either. Are you feeling alright?"

"Better. Still sore though." Tenten rubbed her torso gingerly. "What about you? I thought you...I was worried."

"I'll be okay. I heal fast."

"So I see."

The brunette's hand ran over the area that she assumed the chidori had pierced through. It was smooth; There were no signs that anything had ever happened. She was still curious about this and the red chakra, but Naruto was probably too tired to answer any questions. She looked back up at him; His face was a little red. Tenten saw why when she noticed her hand was still stroking his abdomen.

"Gomen." She pulled her hand away but left it on the bed.

Naruto rubbed the back of his head. "It's okay. Are Neji and-"

"They're fine. Tsunade-sama told me that they'll be healthy enough to walk in a few days." She laid her head down on bed.

Naruto allowed a little bit of happiness on his features at hearing this. At least the others had survived. "That's good to hear." He sighed. "Tenten?"

The brunette rose her head. "Hm?"

"I...I don't regret staying. I wish I could have stopped him but I'm not sad I stayed. It was fun."

Tenten's smile was unseen because her head was turned the other way. She moved the hand that she wasn't resting on into his, grasping it gently. "Arigatou. That's good to hear."

Naruto other hand came up to stroke her hair softly. He swore he could hear Tenten purr contently. The thought made him chuckle despite that fact that her weight was beginning to take away the feeling in his leg. Minutes later light snoring began coming from the brunette. He began laughing silently until he realized he was in fact tired too. The blond leaned back into his hospital bed and was soon in a slumber as well.

He woke up a few hours later to Tenten's shivering. She kept maneuvering around in what he guessed was an attempt to get some warmth. He gently shook her until her head gradually lifted. He found the half-asleep look in her eyes and the disarray of her hair to be oddly cute. She shivered again when her gaze met his and began climbing into the hospital bed. He didn't miss the hiss of pain as she climbed over his body and he made her way to the other side of the bed while tucking into his side. Naruto thought about protesting but that thought was quickly cast out when he felt her warm body against his. He awkwardly pulled her under the covers, a blush on his cheeks.

"Uh...Tenten..."

"Shh...talk about...morning."

Naruto chose to say nothing else and turned over. His thoughts refused to acknowledge anything except the warm body at his side as he fell asleep once again.

The sunlight slowly made it's way through the window. This was not what woke the two in the bed, however. The door opening was what actually forced the two to wake up. Tenten's head was hidden underneath the covers because she was lying lower than he was. It took a minute for her to notice her position. Bandages, a hospital gown, and Naruto's hand in hers. Her cheeks turned red as the memory of what she did last night came back to her. She could also tell Naruto was awake if his heartbeat speeding up was any indication. She felt his other arm tighten around her.

Naruto's arm loosened when he saw who came around the other side of the curtain. Sakura cautiously made her way to his bed. She smiled when she noticed he was awake and staring at her. For his part, Naruto didn't want to see her because of the promise he had broken. It was the first.

"Morning, Sakura-chan..." His voice was a little hoarse.

Sakura only smiled back at him, making her way slowly over to the bed. She must not have noticed the other lump under the covers or misinterpreted it as bunched up covers. Sakura enveloped him in a hug, something that startled both him Tenten, who felt him stiffen. The closeness between them was starting to make the blond a little uncomfortable. He was relieved when she pulled back, only to leave a kiss on his cheek when she was far away enough. Naruto's mouth was open in a silent 'O' of surprise as Sakura smiled at him. His eyes widened more with the next sentence she spoke.

"Arigatou Naruto, for bringing Sasuke-kun back. For everything."

The surprise on Naruto's face was nothing compared to the shock on Sakura's as Tenten threw back the covers and sat straight up, the soreness in her ribs ignored.

"What!"


Surprise!

Well then, this is my attempt at diverging from the usual storyline. Please understand, I did not change this as a result of Lame End's review. Okey Dokey was actually the one who convinced me to change it, albeit it won't be by too much. I realized something that happens when I write. I do in fact revert back to cannon only because I think I can't pull of creative work. Honestly, I'm not too sure where this is going, but I'm going to try. This will still be Humor/Romance with not too much action, seeing as I'm not the best at it. Maybe it will change. One thing I don't want, though, is to have this as a super powered fic because there are so little Naru/Ten's that focus solely or mostly on romance.

Review/Critique