He lives in you
Chapter 9
After Sasuke left, Iruka somehow found the strength to get back to his feet. He needed to see Naruto, to know that he was still fighting. Iruka had seen Naruto come through some of the worse abuse imaginable. He didn't think surviving this was going to be too hard, but then again, Iruka hadn't seen Naruto, hadn't seen the damage the extraction had caused. Iruka wasn't too clear on exactly what had happened but he figured he could have beat the truth out of Kakashi, but first things first he needed to see Naruto.
Taking a deep breath, Iruka mentally prepared himself for what he would see. He knew it wasn't going to be easy but it needed to be done. Naruto needed to know he had a reason to keep fighting.
After steeling himself for what was to come, Iruka stepped into Naruto's room, as soon Iruka's eyes landed on Naruto's still form. Iruka's stomach rolled violently and he made a dash towards the trash can in the corner. He heaved what he'd eaten that day into the receptacle. It was much worse than he had thought it would be. He had known Naruto probably wouldn't be conscious, but Naruto not even able to breathe on his own, his chest heaving as he struggled to take in air. Gave testament to the real fight Naruto was facing. Iruka wanted to murder Kakashi; he wasn't supposed to have brought Naruto back in this condition.
Tears welled in Iruka's eyes as he wiped at his mouth with a napkin that Kakashi had handed him. Taking another deep breath, Iruka crossed the room. Staring down at Naruto's unconscious form, Iruka could only face his worst nightmare. This wasn't how he'd wanted things to be for Naruto. He'd wanted so much more, he'd wanted for Naruto to get past his disabilities so that he was on the same level as his teammates. Iruka blinked back more tears before reaching out and grabbing Naruto's hand.
"Please, Naruto, just hang on!" Iruka pleaded "I know it's hard and your hurting right now, but please keep fighting, we're doing everything we can to find a way to fix this." Or is it because you're too selfish to let him go? You can plainly see he's suffering. A small voice said in Iruka's mind. he shook his head to clear that thought, if he really thought that dying was the best thing for Naruto, then he would let him go without a fight. At the time being, Iruka thought they could make him better again.
"Keep fighting for me please" Iruka repeated as he watched Naruto struggling to breath, even though he was intubated. Iruka hated seeing him like that; it wasn't like Naruto hadn't suffered enough in his twelve years as it was. He didn't deserve for this to be happening now, why couldn't people understand he was just a little boy who wanted to be loved. Iruka loved him more than life itself, but Naruto deserved to have more than just a few people care about him.
Sighing, Iruka wiped away the tears that started drifting down his face again. His heart was breaking even more the longer he sat beside the helpless boy. He hoped Naruto could once again defy the odds like he'd had so many times before.
"I should have been there then maybe this wouldn't have happened" Iruka murmured. To be honest even if he had been there he didn't think there was anything he could have done to prevent it, as much as he wished that he could have.
"Do you think Naruto can beat this?" Sakura asked after a few minutes of watching Iruka with Naruto.
"I don't know, Sakura" Iruka answered as honestly as he could. "I've never seen him this bad before." Of course, Naruto had the nine tails healing capabilities before. Without nine tails Iruka didn't think Naruto really stood a chance at making it.
He hated to doubt Naruto but he had to face the facts that stood out more starkly the longer he was in the room. Naruto was critically injured, his organs were very badly damaged, it was a miracle he was even still living at the moment. He didn't think there was a medic alive that heal the damage that had been caused by the extraction.
"Naruto's survived the worst possible abuse" Sakura said "only to die like this, it doesn't seem fair."
"I know" Iruka said "if there was a way I could take his place, I would. Konoha needs more ninja's like him." even as he spoke a thought formed in his mind. Could it be possible that there was a jutsu that would allow him to trade places with Naruto? If it was possible, Iruka would gladly take Naruto's place. He knew that Kakashi would take over the care of Naruto if Iruka wasn't around to do it. Despite the fact that Iruka blamed Kakashi for this mess they were in now, it wasn't really his fault. He hadn't expected to be ambushed by those guys.
"Even if it was possible" Sakura said softly "Naruto wouldn't want you to switch places with him."
"I know" Iruka said "he doesn't think his life is worth trade mine for, it's because of the village damaged him emotionally, and mentally making him think he wasn't worth anything. Besides I don't care I would rather that Naruto be alive and not in this condition." It hurt Iruka to watch Naruto struggling to pull in his next breath. He'd prefer watching it come and go with ease and he was going to ensure that it happened, one way or the other.
"Sakura can you promise me that no matter what you will help Naruto with his learning?" Iruka asked.
"Of course" Sakura said "but why won't you be around to do it?"
"Because I'm going to make sure he lives" Iruka answered before turning and walking out of the room.
Thanks for reading and reviewing! Liz
