Welcome back to the story, ladies and gentlemen, and thank you for sticking around. Many a question was raised about the last chapter and I have taken all the suggestions I received into account. All of them are fairly possible, a few of them being quite brilliant. So I thank you all for your suggestions, they were very much appreciated and welcomed. Thanks, also, to those who pointed out a couple of mistakes I made. That'll teach me to just go ahead and throw out a chapter without proof-reading it again. That's the power of your voice and it keeps me inspired.
Yet again, I find myself on shaky grounds, as this chapter ended up getting carried away from me. But I found myself not capable of leaving any of these things out. (A/N: I don't know anything about Yamato/Tenzou's past, so what is said in this chapter is strictly me, in some parts. Those parts should be evident for those who know who Yamato is.) So finally, without any further delay, I present to you my tenth chapter.
Chapter Ten - The Aftermath part one
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"Naruto...Hinata...she's alive."
Naruto looked at Kurenai and then down to Hinata and a wave of relief washed over him. The weariness on his body from the exhausting ordeal he had just gone through settled in as he allowed himself to drift off to blissful slumber, right next to Hinata. While some might think it was cute to see his slumbering form, the others realized what it would mean. Another body for them to carry. Yamato had a quick solution to this but they would need to hustle to Konoha. Vigilance was key but so was intuition, and his intuition told him that none of them had the endurance to keep up the pace they needed to be at in order to make it to Konoha in this one day. It was already past noon and they were only maybe a hundred miles away from the village, just barely past the open fields and in the forest - although it no longer resembled a forest, the area they were in.
The once luscious and beautiful trees with their plain, yet pretty, leaves of green were gone, ravaged by the confrontation and the fearsome attacks that ensued. Uprooted trees, ruined soil, crippled layers of earth, it was all evidence of their battle. This was now a wasteland, this small area, and though many people would find it curious that it existed, they would just ignore it, not knowing the true meaning behind the horrible sight. They would never know why it would be considered a horrible sight either. This land was evidence of the struggle for life. This wasteland was proof that eight people had faced life-threatening danger. This unkempt ground was forever a haunting reminder of the terrible consequences that came with the life these individuals led. And now, as much as it was the remnants of a great battle, it was a graveyard, where individuals had died during the battle.
The loss of this life, however, did not affect their killer. Yamato, or rather Tenzou, had taken many lives in the name of his village. He had done so and though he never once complained about it, it did not mean that he always enjoyed it. Indeed, the man was raised to be a shinobi, learning one of the more difficult styles of ninjutsu. Many techniques were developed, learned, and utilized throughout his life and he had become somewhat of a weapon. The weapon did not lose his heart even through the numerous missions. When he was shown to be ready, he was employed into the ranks of ANBU, the special squad of Konoha whose members are of a different class altogether. Quickly rising through the ranks, the man known as Tenzou was seated among the elite of the squad, along with Uchiha Itachi and the Yondaime's protègé, Hatake Kakashi. After an event occurred between Kakashi and his team, however, the young man who was the captain of the ANBU squad stepped down and removed himself from that league. No one blamed him and everyone felt for him, wishing him well as he tried to cope. Tenzou was ushered into the role of captain, placing him - surprisingly, even to Tenzou himself - above Itachi. He was later informed of that purpose because of Tenzou's capabilities.
Tenzou had capabilities that allowed him to be more adept for the leadership role than Itachi, mainly because of the usefulness of the Mokuton style. If they ever had to deal with large-scale opposition, where the enemy had numbers over them, Tenzou was the one who could easily thin the numbers of their opponents. Possessing the ability to use a number of large, widespread, area-effecting techniques led to his reputation. Indeed, the man named Tenzou had claimed many lives in the name of his village.
When he was called by the Yondaime to step down as captain and out of the ANBU position, he was certainly surprised; especially when he was told that he was to be the instructor of a team of genin - the team that held the children of the 'great clans,' no less. He had struggled with the decision for many a day, racking his brain for countless hours on why he was so unsure of this move. Why would he fear to take this position? Why was this so different from the ruthless position he had been in? It was only when he scouted his team-to-be that he realized why.
He feared for them. That was the reason. His name had many angry eyes upon it and many vengeful spirits seeking him. He knew that if he were to be a good leader for his team, he would have to shed his past, the past that held so much devastation and had the blood of many a foe on his hands. He could not smear these innocents yet, they were still pure, never once having to fear the aftermath of such a lifestyle. It was to be his job to prepare them for that life and get them ready for it but he could not do it with his past so tainted. So, in an act of separation, in order to sever his link to that lifestyle, he performed suicide, burying his haunted past. No longer was he Tenzou, the weapon of ANBU and the slaughterer of Konoha's foes. Now, he was a man free of that restraint and had a new beginning.
Donning the name Yamato, he was able to accept his new role with confidence. If needed, he would bring forth the power he had learned to use and he would use it to defend his team and if needed, his village. Little too late was he to help defend his pupils. He had not been able to protect Hyuuga Hinata and he was not the one who was able to stop Vega's ruthless assault on the defenseless genin. No, it was his own pupil, the young genin, Naruto, who had managed to do so. And he still couldn't believe what he saw.
He had seen on many an occasion where the Yondaime had become serious and issued out orders in a harsh and cold tone. He was the spitting image of a leader through impression and example. He had set the example before he had become the Hokage, the stories of his presence felt during the Secret War. Uzumaki Arashi, the Yellow Flash of Konoha, was rumored to be a fighter, unparallelled by any. He was certainly a strong shinobi, no Hokage wasn't. But Arashi was said to be the strongest. A genius in many ways, Arashi learned an astounding number of techniques and developed a number more. And when his wife had given birth to a baby boy, many had great expectations for him.
But Yamato had come to understand, as he was accepting the role of instructor to Team Seven, that Naruto had shown a lack of desire to train and learn. The image of the Yondaime's child being lazy didn't seem to set right in his mind but he accepted Arashi's words. Seeing the report from the Academy instructor only backed up Arashi's statements about his child but the sheer amount of increase in the performance of Naruto during the final year had given him hope. The assessment on the first day gave him even more hope and allowed him to have no worries. What he did not expect, however, was what had occurred this day. Naruto had shown a side of him that was down-right chilling.
Naruto, despite his faults and his metaphorical hole he had dug himself into that he needed to train really hard in order to keep up with his teammates, showed a side that you would only expect from the seasoned vets of Konoha's elites. The once bright, brilliant, and cheerful eyes became dark and threatening, his presence became palpable - so intoxicating that you were frozen in awe - and his attitude, a literal mirror image of the Yondaime. What the lingering question on Yamato's mind was what happened? How did Naruto do what he did?
Picking up the fragments of his question-filled mind, he returned his attention to the situation around them and began an assessment of what they needed to do. Kurenai was currently over by Sakura, checking on her to see how injured she was. He overheard Sakura's weak and laboured voice tell Kurenai that she felt as if her ribs were broken but that she would be fine. Kurenai, just to be safe, performed a diagnostic check on her to see if there was anything else. After concluding the test, she found that there was massive bruising along her abdominal musculature and that, indeed, there were a few broken ribs. Nothing too life threatening as long the bruising didn't swell too much. Kurenai said she would keep track of her condition as they made their way back to Konoha. Then checking up on Kiba and his dog, who Kiba said was fine, she moved to Shino, who said he was okay as well. Moving to Sasuke, he said that he too was fine and it was confirmed. She had already done a check on Naruto as soon as he passed out to be sure nothing was terribly wrong with the boy and diagnosed it as extreme fatigue and chakra exhaustion. It wasn't on a dangerous level but it also wasn't safe. They needed to avoid any more confrontations. When Kurenai walked over to Yamato to inspect the wound on his arm from the technique he had used on Garrett (but the man had just sent it back at him,) she had determined that the damage was more severe than it appeared. Apparently, the attack had done more than just pierce his skin and make him bleed. It had also ripped up muscle tissue in the process. She worried that if the wound wasn't properly tended to, then atrophy might set in and make his arm useless.
Yamato just shrugged off her worry, effectively pissing her off on the way he was treating his injury so casually when he obviously should not, but then explained his reasoning. "Kurenai-san, my chakra has the affinity for wood and, therefore, it is not a matter of if my injury doesn't get treated but how." She looked at him dumbly until he grabbed a twig and stood up. He looked as if he were pondering something and suddenly came up with a good idea as he started to draw a circle around himself. After doing that, he drew a diamond inside of the circle and made lines follow from the corners of the diamond to the center of the design. Then he performed a few one-handed seals and pointed a finger from his good hand down to the ground and touched the earth, right in the middle of his design. Light shined around the design and a small vine emerged from the ground with a few leaves sprouting from the sides. Looking at Kurenai, who was a bit confused on his actions - as were the rest of the genin who had huddled together close to Naruto and Hinata, but were now looking at Yamato for a purpose to his actions, he smiled lightly and asked "You do have some training in the medical field right?"
Kurenai's eyes bulged that he would know that but nodded. "Yes, I do. Why do you want to know?"
"Because I need to fuel this process. I have no way of knowing what to do from here, I just know how to make the design. Will you use your healing chakra to make this work?" Kurenai digested what he said and was amazed and impressed. Since he asked her to use her 'healing chakra,' that meant that this design was the same design the medic nins use to patch up wounds from an injured shinobi. If she was correct, he was going to use that little plant he had grown as the medium in a medical process. The medium of these procedures could range from anything but only if it was safe to use it, and that medium would be the thing to patch up the wound. She nodded her head again, began gathering chakra to her hands - which were beginning to glow green - and she touched the design. The lines drawn in the ground absorbed her chakra, the green glow flowing across the design and making it's way to the center. The plant glowed green after absorbing the chakra and it squirmed it's way to Yamato's injury - the said man having laid down in the design with his wound exposed and close to the center. It creeped it's way into his flesh, repulsing the few genin still conscious, and started to layer itself out, filling out the hole and making grotesque and disturbing noises as it continued venturing into the wound. After another minute, the plant stopped, glowed green, then white, and then the glow faded, leaving nothing but his naturally colored flesh. No wound, no sign of an injury.
Yamato stood up, dusting himself off and flexed and rotated his arm and shoulder to test it out. "Not bad. Thank you, Kurenai-san. I appreciate your assistance." She beamed at him, blushing slightly, but then dropped the face when she realized the situation they were in. Hinata and Naruto were both unconscious, with Hinata unlikely to wake up for a day or so - possibly longer, and Naruto was thoroughly whipped, the diagnostic test and her analysis not doing it justice. Fractured bones in his left hand and slight fractures in his ulnar forearm bone, and chakra exhaustion on a large level. Like she had said, it wasn't life threatening, but it wasn't exactly safe either. Sakura would not be able to move on her own yet and it was at this point that she had truly wished she continued to study the medical arts for ninjas. They were hard-pressed to get them to a hospital where they could receive treatment, but she did not know of any hospital in Fire Country, close by, that could handle these types of injuries. They needed a hospital with experience in injured shinobi and that left Konoha.
"Alright, everyone. Listen up. I know we have just gone through a great ordeal and you may feel that this is rushing things a bit but we need to get back to Konoha." The remaining conscious ninjas looked at him in understanding. "Alright, we have a seriously injured, unconscious ninja, an unconscious, fatigued ninja, and a conscious, injured ninja. Since you are the least injured of us, Sasuke, I will have you carry Sakura." Kiba flashed a mischievous grin at Sasuke upon hearing that.
Sasuke glared at the Inuzuka with more anger than was necessary. "If you say anything, mongrel, I will burn your puppy's fur a permanent red."
Akamaru barked angrily, but upon seeing Sasuke's returned glare, whimpered and jumped into Kiba's coat, squirming till his face was barely visible at the top of his master's shirt. "Hey, don't get all pissed off at me or Akamaru. We all have to pull our weight, you are no different, pretty boy." They continued to glare at each other until they heard Yamato clearing his throat.
"Do you mind, we ARE on a time schedule here." Sasuke averted his eyes, a little ashamed of himself for bickering when they were in this position. His fellow teammates were in bad condition but he was barely bruised. He could have done so much more but...
"Yes sir, Yamato-sensei." Sasuke walked over to Sakura and knelt down to her, causing her to blush slightly. "Umm...well...er...I don't know how I should pick you up. I don't want to do something...you know...inappropriate." Kiba began howling with laughter, earning a deeper blush from Sakura and another glare from Sasuke.
"You're just carrying her to the village, not taking her on a first date." Sasuke was about to lash out verbally but Sakura spoke up this time.
"Kiba...I swear...if my ribs didn't hurt so much...you would be needing someone to carry YOU back to the village." Kiba shivered in fright, knowing how strong Sakura struck you if you pissed her off enough. She was probably right too. "Sasuke-kun...just let me ride on your back. Problem solved."
Sasuke chuckled at how simple she made that sound and it was. Why was he so nervous all of a sudden anyway? True, Naruto telling him to try and be friendly with her did affect him in a way but why this much? Shaking his head, he looked to her and nodded. "Come on, everyone's almost ready."
She leaned in a little and wrapped her arms around his neck, choking him for a moment, but it passed after he assisted her with getting situated on his back. Moving his head so that he could see her out of the corner of his eyes, he almost laughed again at how she was blushing. It was a tad embarrassing but they could deal with it. They were technically grown-up by ninja standards and whatever childish thoughts you had when on a mission were to be discarded in favor of completing it to the best of your abilities.
Now focusing on the rest of the group, Sasuke saw that they, indeed, were ready. Yamato had gone ahead and decided that he would carry Naruto, the blonde boy slung over one of his shoulders. Kurenai had scooped up Hinata in bridal-style, doing so in order to prevent her head from bouncing around as they moved. There was no sign of neck damage, as far as the vertebral column was concerned. But as far as the muscles in her neck were concerned, they were strained and probably suffered from whiplash. Any sudden movement would only aggravate the condition more. Yamato looked over everyone, making sure they were set.
"Alright, here is the plan. We are gonna try and make it as far as we can in the condition we are in. We still need to be wary of other possible attackers. Kiba, you will lead, your sense of smell will be more valuable than anything right now. We need to move fast, we don't have as much daylight as we did yesterday for the distance that remains." They all nodded their understanding, even Kurenai, knowing that this man was in a better position right now to be a leader than she was. Her head still hurt a bit but she felt that it wouldn't hinder her too much. They all got in position, and when Yamato gave the signal, they started on their journey back.
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It was nearing that time of night where a particular man with a particularly large mop of unruly blonde hair was supposed to finish up his business for the day and call it quits, spending the rest of the evening in the company of his family. But because of certain...awkward events that occurred this morning, he had arrived late and therefore, didn't get started till late. So, in consequence, he was planning on staying longer than necessary. He heard a disgruntled moan come from a man with white hair, who was sitting across him.
"You know...Kakashi's team needs to hurry themselves back. This is getting boring. I could be doing such lovely research right now. But noooooo...I have to babysit the Hokage, the strongest ninja in Konoha. You know, despite all the great things about this village, it sure as hell has some stupid customs." Jiraiya spoke in such an agitated tone that it was comical just to look at the man as he spoke. His jaw muscles so tense from sheer displeasure with his position that he gave off the impression of a regal lord.
"But Ero-sennin, you were the one who accepted this role." he said so teasingly to his tutor that it made him laugh.
"Well, I didn't know that it would be this boring at that time. This is just ridiculous. Hurry up already." He leaned back in his chair, hands behind his head, and doing his best to look miserable in hopes of invoking some sympathy from Arashi and would decide to pack things up. As soon as that thought crossed his mind, though, it was quickly erased by the knowledge that that wouldn't happen. Arashi was very stubborn and would do what he set out to do, no matter what.
Arashi peered at his sensei and just shook his head disappointedly. Then a thought came to mind and he decided to ask Jiraiya what he felt about it. "Say, ero-sennin, do you believe in omens?"
Jiraiya was about to jump on him for using that nickname again but pushed that thought away in favor of considering the question. "Well yeah, if it is truly ominous. I'm not a superstitious man but-"
"Neither am I. But this morning, numerous, weird things happened and it just made me wonder..." Jiraiya knew what Arashi was thinking about too. It was what every parent thinks when their child is sent off to war (or in this case, possible conflict). The fear that they may not come back.
"Well, I don't think you should take it to heart. If anything was truly wrong then you would have had knowledge of that fact." Arashi was appreciative for the words of encouragement but wasn't convinced. Something just didn't seem to sit right.
Setting down his pen, he stretched and yawned, taking a look at the clock on the wall and seeing that it was a bit past nine. Jiraiya noticed this too and looked at Arashi expectantly. "Yes, Jiraiya, yes. Let me just gather a few documents to take home with me and we can leave." Jiraiya looked like he was a teenager again, becoming as giddy as he did. He watched Arashi as he sorted out through a stack of papers and grabbed specific ones as he went through. When he finally grabbed the ones he wanted, he shoved the stack away and stood up, stretching again - his bones creaking and joints popping.
"Finally, when we get back to your house I'm drinking some of your wife's sake. That will take the edge off." They both laughed amusedly at Jiraiya's over-exaggerated exhaustion. Although, Arashi had to admit a glass of his wife's sake would taste divine this evening. It was the first time they would have the house without many others in the household with them and he could probably get Jiraiya to give them some peace this evening. Maybe something good did come out of Naruto's absence.
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Sasuke kept poking the fire with a stick every now and then in order to keep it stoked pretty good. He looked into the fire, seeing it's wild flickering and ablaze passion, reminding him of Naruto. He had felt superior to many a person while in the academy but didn't really flaunt it as much as one might think he would. The reason for doing so - though he would never admit it out loud - was Naruto. Something about him made those who were less confident, more confident when around him. And if you felt superior to him, he had this way of making you feel small just with a look. When they were placed on the team together, he had been incredulous but only because of the grades in the previous years. Naruto had proven though, throughout the days they trained together, that he adapted and progressed at a remarkable rate. But nothing had ever given Sasuke the idea that Naruto was capable of something like what he had done earlier that day.
He turned and looked upon the sleeping form of his fellow teammates, both in a deep sleep, not having stirred at all. Naruto tended to mumble a bit but it was all incoherent and just considered to be sleep talk, if anything. As he gazed at them, he was reminded of what Naruto had said to the gargantuan man who had inflicted the damage to Hinata when he was questioned about his sudden change in strength.
'It's because I have someone to protect.' It echoed in his head many times on their way back, helping to keep him distracted as his fatigue was starting to set in. Sakura, who had stayed relatively close to him, not wanting to get him mad at her, but feeling safer when around him, had seen him stare at the unconscious forms of Naruto and Hinata.
"Are you worried about them?" she asked in a quiet but sweet and sincere voice. He jerked his head to look at her, surprised that he had gone off like that and processed what she asked him.
"They're strong. They'll get through it." His voice was cold but it had tinges of sincerity in it.
"Aren't you at all concerned?" she continued to ask him. It seemed unnatural that Sasuke wouldn't be a little concerned about them, they were his teammates after all.
"I...guess I would be lying if I said no." He hung his head, hating himself immediately for saying that. That was what a weak person would say. That was what a weak person would do. Worry over their teammates. His father had told him that if you survive and your teammates do not, do not give them the time of day for your thoughts. Only the strong survive. But Sasuke...he was different than that. He wanted to be strong but he also didn't want to be cold and distant.
"You know, you don't have to make it sound like it is such a big deal to worry about your comrades. I may not be friends with them but I still am worried about them." spoke Kiba, no longer having that jacket on. On his lap lay the little white dog who was sleeping soundly as Kiba stroked it's back. "Compassion isn't some kind of weakness that you need to fear. It only shows that you are still human."
Sakura smiled approvingly of Kiba's words, not really finding any way to put it better than how he did. She looked at Sasuke, expecting to see him showing a whole new side of himself and letting his emotions run out like a stream...but she must have bumped her head and nobody knew about it if she thought that that would be the outcome. An emotionally-expressive Sasuke was an oxymoron. Plastered across his face was the same emotionless look though his eyes did seem to hold a sadder haze in them.
"It's not that I think it is a weakness...it's just...that's my way of being hopeful." Sasuke, after saying that, refused to look around, afraid that he would see people making fun of him or jeering him for sounding so unlike him. But nothing of the sort occurred.
"hmph...if that's the case, then go ahead and do what you gotta do. I'm in no place to judge you." Kiba looked at Sasuke to judge if he truly was being sincere but just couldn't get a solid read on him. So instead, he went back to rubbing his dog.
With no one really paying attention to anything in particular anymore, Sakura decided that this was the time for her to get some rest. Her abdomen still hurt like hell and it might only get worse tomorrow. She gingerly stood up to make her way to her sleeping bag, since they didn't have any tents. The reason, as it was explained when they stopped to make camp for the night, was because they did not think they would be sleeping outside with Vule in their company. The plan for the evening situation was that they would get rooms in an inn at a town. So now that that idea was shot, they were forced to make due with their sleeping bags.
It was okay though. No one complained, not even Sakura. She didn't want a tent and probably no one else wanted one either. Consider it being spooked and very uneasy after the events from earlier today. They wanted the security of knowing that everyone else could easily see each other and watch out for everyone.
As Sakura started to get comfortable in her sleeping bag, she looked upon the back of Sasuke, seeing his posture slumped and wishing that she could do something to help him get out of his funk. Worrying about it, though, would get her nowhere. She didn't know him enough to help. She could only try and be a good friend and just give him some comfort. Accepting that thought, she snuggled into her bag for a well-deserved rest.
"Good night, everyone." she said sleepily as she yawned. Everyone responded with a good night of their own, but not with as much warmth as you would hope from your friends. 'Hmph...guess it's the thought that counts.' She then whispered something she hoped only Sasuke could hear. "Good night, Sasuke, and thank you."
He jerked his head slightly at her words and looked slightly behind him to her, seeing her turned the other way. 'Thanks for what? But I didn't do anything special, I just carried her like I was told to.' He kept racking his head but couldn't come up with a reasonable theory as to why she thanked him except that she was kind-natured (boy, he doesn't know Sakura then). Turning his head back towards the front, he responded to her in a voice that was barely above a whisper. "You're welcome."
Unbeknownst to him, she had heard him and smiled in satisfaction. Maybe there was hope, if only for friendship, but it was still something.
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He was warm...and quite comfortable too. He felt material over his form that was helping keep him cozy, but so was the person next to him. Oh Kami, how he loved her. Last night had been wonderful, despite the lack of over-exuberant energy that seemed to flood the household when his son was there. They had been able to convince Jiraiya to go out on the town and enjoy himself late into the evening so they could have some 'alone' time. Jiraiya agreed, but not before flashing that all-too-infamous perverted grin of his.
So here he lay, snuggled up to the woman who he was still madly in love with, enjoying the feeling of her smooth skin and hypnotizingly rhythmic breathing, wanting nothing more than to go back to sleep. Why was he awake anyway? What had woken him up? He shifted himself on the bed and looked around for a clock, seeing that it was just a little past eight a.m. 'What the...THE ALARM DIDN'T GO OFF! I'M LATE!'
He slung the covers off himself in a not-so-gentle manner, forgetting that his wife was still sleeping next to him. He hustled to his wardrobe closet and grabbed another one of his ceremonial robes. He sped towards the bathroom so he could get changed, grabbing some comfortable clothes he could wear underneath the robe. After taking a very quick shower, he got dressed and stormed out of the bathroom towards the kitchen to prepare himself something quickly.
When he reached the kitchen, he saw a bowl of ramen waiting for him with steam billowing from it as if it were freshly made. Hearing the sound of water running in the sink, he looked towards that direction and saw Collette scrubbing a pan. She layed it down, shut off the water, grabbed a hand towel to dry her hands and turned to see Arashi, smiling at her. Such an infectious smile too, that she couldn't help but smile back.
He sat down, breaking apart his sticks, spoke the traditional 'Itadakimasu,' and dove into his ramen. Each time he brought his chopsticks back up, he brought a great number of noodles with it, slurping them into his mouth happily, and making exaggerated moans of delight. Finishing off the noodles, he drank the broth, the warmth and delicious taste feeling wonderful in his mouth and throat. Handing the bowl to Collette, who was standing there patiently waiting for him to finish, he said the same corny thing he always did.
"Ahh...Collette, your cooking is exquisite, as always. It is only surpassed by your radiant beauty." Arashi made sure to coat his words with as much a royal tone as possible. Giggling, she rinsed the bowl and scrubbed it with a soapy sponge.
"And you always say the corniest things, you goof. But thank you, Arashi-dear." She had no idea how much she would regret not specifying what her thanks were for.
"For what? The compliment?" When he stopped, the question hung in the air as if begging to be answered and yet was desiring not to be answered. "Or for last night?" he finished his original statement, the words spoken slowly...sensually.
She tensed and blushed, despite no one being around to hear their conversation. It just seemed...weird. She felt his arms wrap around her waist as he hugged her from behind. He kissed her neck and turned her around so that he could kiss her on the lips. They stayed like that for a few moments before Collette forced him to stop by reminding him of why he was in such a hurry this morning.
"D-Don't you need to be somewhere?" She smiled victoriously when she saw him look panicked and then pout at her.
"Awww...just when it was getting to the good part." He flashed a mischievious grin at her, which caused her to giggle. Kissing him again on the lips, she broke it and shoved him playfully away.
"Better hurry up before the village burns down." Arashi laughed at her joke and went to leave, wishing her a good day, and she doing the same for him, until they both heard a knock coming from the door. It wasn't one of those courteous knocks either. It was frantic. Arashi didn't pay it much mind, thinking that it was just one of the shinobi stationed at the Hokage's Tower checking in on him to see if he was on his way or not.
Opening the door, he saw a stern, yet worried look on the face of Kotetsu. "Good morning, Kotetsu. I understand that I am a bit late." Before Kotetsu could speak when Arashi had finished, he spoke up again just as quickly. "Good bye, Collette. See you when I get home." He heard her call out her own good bye before he closed the door to his house. Kotetsu tried to speak again but was cut off as the Yondaime just sped past him, moving at a vigorous pace towards the tower. He was about to use his 'body flicker' technique when Kotetsu finally shouted to him for his attention.
"YONDAIME SIR!" Arashi halted in his steps and turned to look at him, a bit surprised by the forceful call.
"What is it, Kotetsu. I'm late enough as it is." Arashi crossed his arms across his chest and started tapping one of his fingers against the other arm's bicep.
"Forgive me, Hokage-sama, but I have brought news that has been sent from the main gate's squad. Apparently, Team's Seven and Eight arrived back just a few minutes ago." Kotetsu was catching his breath and about to continue when, to his annoyance, Arashi started speaking again, cutting Kotetsu off.
"Splendid, have them come to my office in the tower for the report. I wish to hear about how their progress was." It was a bit shocking that they were back already. That meant they moved at a pretty fast pace. He didn't think Lord Vule could keep up that pace unless someone carried him but that would be un-lord-like.
"Sir...about that. It was also reported that there were injuries sustained during the mission. Two shinobi were still unconscious while another was conscious but needed assistance. They are already-" but before he could even finish, Arashi formed - at a furious speed - the handseals required for his technique and shouted "Shunshin," disappearing in a burst of chakra, "at...the...hospital" Kotetsu said, finishing his statement to nothing but air. The Yondaime truly was a unique individual. Kotetsu looked at the door to Arashi's home and decided that maybe his wife might want to know so he went to the door and knocked.
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A hospital was meant to be a place where people could feel warm and safe and secure in a peaceful, sterile environment. So why was it that these ninjas persisted in ruining that atmosphere on more than one occasion this day?
In the middle of the waiting room, a sudden burst of wind caught everyone by surprise; especially when the Yondaime himself seemed to appear out of nowhere. People began to murmur and whisper amongst themselves, while others were awed in silence.
The man walked to the front counter, commanding the attention of almost everyone who's attention was available. The nurse at the front desk was nervous in his presence but kept a cheerful demeanor, trying to remain as calm as possible.
"Can I help you, Hokage-sama?" she asked him, barely managing to get that statement out without a stutter.
"Yes, I was told a group of eight or so ninjas just reported to the hospital. I must meet with them, if you will give me their location in the building." When he finished, he looked a bit dismayed, hoping that it wouldn't result to him demanding them tell him the location of the teams.
"Y-Yessir, they are all on the sixth floor, getting checked up." He turned to run towards the stairway when she called out to him before he was out of earshot. "Please be quiet up there sir, that is the intensive care sector of our hospital." She didn't know why she told him that, though, as he went into the stairwell, nodding in acknowledgement. This was his town, he probably knew the layouts of every single building.
In truth, the only reason he actually did know that the sixth floor was the critical care unit's floor was because of his wife, since she did work here. He bounded up the stairs three at a time, narrowly avoiding other people in the stairway on his way up. Jerking the door open on the sixth floor, he stuck his head out and looked both ways to see if he could see any sign of the two teams there. Down the left side of the hallway, he noticed Uchiha Sasuke getting checked up by a nurse in the hallway. Why he wasn't in a room doing that, he didn't have a clue, but Arashi wasn't going to complain.
Stalking down the hallway, it was as if he was in the middle of a graceful dance the way he avoided the numerous nurses, doctors, medical carts, and stretchers. Once he reached Sasuke, he could hear the boy beginning to hiss at the young woman who was trying take his blood pressure.
"My blood pressure? It's only gonna get higher if you keep disturbing me. I told you I'm fine and I mean that. Go away!" The poor woman, who was on the receiving end of the verbal assault, dropped her jaw in shock and backed away, honestly hurt.
"I try my best to help the people who come here. If you don't want my help, fine. Hope you keel over 'cause of a stroke." She then turned around, almost frightened when she saw that Arashi had been there and heard what she said. She turned around to the boy, bowed to him, and kept muttering 'gomen.' Before she left though, he whispered that she was in no trouble so she didn't have to worry. She immediately relaxed and walked away, a bit more relieved than she was just a few moments ago.
"Just because you woke up on the wrong side of the bed does not mean you have the right to belligerently scold those who are just doing their jobs, Sasuke." The boy being spoken to just hung his head a bit more with the arrival of the Hokage. He was the last person Sasuke wanted to see right now. And without Yamato or Kurenai around, that left him with the task of informing the hokage of what occurred.
"Gomen, Hokage-sama. I'm just...a little bit stressed from things." Sasuke's tone took on more of a tone as if he were pleading for Arashi to see his reasoning.
"What happened? Where is everybody else?" he asked the boy, kneeling down so that he could look him in the eyes.
"I believe I'll handle that, if you don't mind, Sasuke." Yamato's voice broke through both men's focused nature. Arashi looked at Yamato and the Yondaime could already tell that he would not like what he was about to be told.
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The clouds in the sky floated lazily away, against, and into each other, teasing the poor, tortured boy.
Well, he wasn't exactly tortured, to say, but he sure as hell felt that he was a prisoner. No one should be forced to be doing what he was doing right now while the sky was so beautiful. Why, oh kami, why...did he have to endure the hardship of training?
"Yo, Shikamaru, why do you think he is so late, huh?" the high-pitched voice of his blonde, female teammate asked, not really knowing just how loud she was. "He's been late a couple times but never like this."
"What do you want me to do about it, huh? Go form a search party or something?" And why, oh kami, why...was he cursed with such an attitude that he couldn't seem to keep his mouth shut around this girl? Everytime he opened his mouth to say something, anything, it always ended up in some sarcastic, satirical slang that pissed her off.
"Oh wait, I'm sorry. I totally forgot. That would be too 'troublesome' for you, wouldn't it? You're such an asshole, you know that?" Ino's anger kept rising and rising, Nara Shikamaru never failed to rouse her ire on many an occasion.
"Chill guys, chill. The least we can do is not kill each other before he gets here." Chouji was desperate for some help. He had hoped that throughout all this time being around Ino that Shikamaru would be a bit more friendly in these situations. But noooooo...Shikamaru didn't try to climb out of the ditch he dug a long time ago when he first pissed Ino off, no. Shikamaru proceeded to bury himself deeper and deeper into a hole so huge that nothing the boy could do at this point would ever make up for it. And everytime Chouji would calm the raging seas between his two other teammates, Shikamaru would open his mouth...and proceed to insert his own foot into his mouth. Honestly, how could they ever hope to co-exist as a team if all they ever did was bicker with each other.
Ino stomped her foot in annoyance, pissed off for a good reason. She honestly wanted his opinion yet Shikamaru succumbed to his never-ending jackass-ery. Really, did it hurt to just give a simple 'I don't know?' You'd think she did ask him to form a search party. But this was getting her nowhere. It was only making her more angry. And worse, her other teammate, Akimichi Chouji, was Shikamaru's best friend. All HE ever did was sit around, eat chips and barbeque, and didn't show any signs of worrying about his weight. Also, when he tried to be the peace-maker, he made it seem like she was also at fault sometimes. She was really getting perturbed with her thoughts swirling the way they were and probably would have exploded if Asuma didn't show up right when he did.
"Yo." They all turned to him and he realized if he didn't say something rather quickly, Ino was going to erupt. It wasn't that he was afraid of her but she had managed to get back at him ONCE when she slipped into his mind and made him...(shiver) He really didn't like recalling it. "Uhh...sorry for being late but I was held up by one of my buddies who told me something interesting."
"Oh boy, and what could that be?" asked Ino with sarcasm, not realizing that Asuma was being sincere.
"Well, I bet they would be offended if they found out you weren't excited to hear of their return." Upon the confused look from Ino, he continued. "Yeah, Team's Seven and Eight returned not but thrity or so minutes ago."
"Alright! Finally, I can go visit my Sasuke-kun" said Ino, practically swooning already. Honestly, did she even realize that Sasuke practically gave her a death glare every time she was close enough to touch him?
"Well...about that...apparently they were roughed up a bit. They're in the hospital so..." but he trailed off at the end when he saw Shikamaru stand up and start walking off. Asuma recognized the direction too and it was the hospital.
"Hey, Shikamaru-teme, where do you think you are going!" Ino was really getting fed up with his attitude. Not only did he have the nerve to provoke her and just be an utter ass, but he also had the gall to just turn and walk away from their sensei.
He stopped, turning his head so that he could look at them while his back was to them. His eyes showed something that Ino hadn't seen out of him...ever. It was actually an emotion other than annoyance. Could it be worry? "I'm going to the hospital. I hope you don't mind, but I have friends on those teams." He then turned back around and kept going.
Chouji made his way to Shikamaru, with Ino following close, but choosing to stop at Asuma's side so she could speak with him real quick. "Are you okay with this, sensei?" He looked at her as if she were amusing.
"Of course I am, I was going to suggest it if Shikamaru hadn't done it anyway. Go ahead." Ino nodded and went to catch up with her teammates, even if they still bugged the crap out of her.
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"And that's everything? Nothing is being left out that I might need to know?" He just wasn't sure how this could have been possible. He looked at Yamato and then to Kurenai, and when he saw that neither of them showed any signs of wanting to respond, he knew for sure and it disgusted him.
He had been fooled. No, he was outsmarted. To think that Vega could've done something this elaborate and thoroughly planned and he had no idea of it happening. It would forever be a sign of his weakness.
"Were there any remains left? A body that we can pick up to confirm they are indeed dead?"
Yamato shook his head. "No sir. I made sure of that." Arashi just had to take one look in Yamato's eyes to know what he was talking about. It wasn't a matter of the bodies not being found might mean they are alive, it was a matter of IF you could find the bodies at all. "On the note of your son, his exploits in the battle seem to be the only reason he hasn't woken up yet. They said it was just an overload on his psyche. He has an acute fracture of the ulnar bone in his left arm and his body is just exhausted, but they said he will wake up either by the end of this day or sometime tomorrow. Hinata, however, they are unsure of."
"Hmm...I suppose someone should tell Hiashi about this." He gripped his wife's hand when she clenched it on his robe. He started to stand so that he could leave, choosing to do it himself, but Kurenai cleared her throat, rising up as well.
"I think I might be a better person to send to deliver this news to him. If you don't mind, hokage-sama." Kurenai bowed her head slightly but not so much that she couldn't look at him in his eyes. He rubbed his chin thoughtfully before agreeing. She straightened her posture and nodded, saying a quick farewell to everyone there for a few minutes till she could return with Hyuuga Hiashi. She disappeared in a poof of red petals, leaving the fragrance of roses in the air.
Arashi looked over to the bed of his son, seeing him sleeping peacefully, the rhythmic rising and dropping of his chest proving that he was alive, in case the heart monitor he was hooked up to didn't give him enough of an indication. If Naruto had done exactly what Yamato had told him he did, then this would be very intriguing indeed. As far as he was concerned, he had no knowledge that Naruto was trying to learn THAT technique. However, Yamato said he had used a 'spinning orb composed of his chakra.'
He then looked upon the form of Hyuuga Hinata, the girl who he thought of as a daughter while he watched her grow up along with his son. He owed her his gratitude for her selfless act of heroism. But at what price did that act come with? Not even the doctors knew 'exactly' what could be wrong, other than a severe concussion. His thoughts were jerked away as he heard the familiar sound of someone appearing from a teleporting technique. Turning, he saw Hyuuga Hiashi, along with Hyuuga Hizashi - his brother, Hanabi - his younger daughter, and Neji - his brother's son. The eyes they possessed seemed to be staring in judgment of everything around them, from the people gathered in the room, to the color of the paint on the walls. Arashi wondered, in amusement, if the paint might peel away in response to some of the harsher looks the Hyuugas could give.
Hiashi looked at each person, lingering on Arashi - giving him a respectful nod, as he did with Collette - and looked upon the unconscious form of Naruto and then traveled his gaze to his daughter. Moving to her bed's side, he took a seat in the chair placed there and held her hand, his face softening. Even the stoic head of the Hyuuga family had his tender side and in the face of this grim circumstance, Arashi could not blame him. He watched as Hizashi accompanied the Hyuuga head's side, placing his hand on the shoulder of his slightly older brother in a friendly gesture. Hanabi slowly crept her way over to the bed side, as if afraid of looking at Hinata while she was unconscious. Neji, however, stayed back...completely. He apparently would've preferred not doing this completely if not for his father. Hizashi waved for him to come to the bed side of Hinata but when Neji rolled his eyes, Hizashi sent a glare that could've frozen lava. The boy quickly made his way to the bed and did his best to look remorseful, but it was very apparent in his body language that he would've been happier staying home rather than even coming to the same hospital as his cousin.
Hiashi then turned to look at Collette, which surprised her a bit. "Excuse me, but if I may, can I be told of the extent of my daughter's injuries?" His voice held a respectful tone, hoping he would indeed get answers. But he did not have to go to such trouble in his pursuit for answers. She was more than willing to disclose that information, as long as it was to family.
"Yes. Well, her right shoulder joint is mush, the impact she made with the ground shattering the bones. We performed a procedure that took those fragments that were in her body and put them back together. This leads to a series of miniature fractures in her joint that will probably take a while to completely heal. With the injury to the shoulder joint comes, what we call, the fallout of such an injury. The impact was felt right on the joint and it sent a shockwave down her humerus and along her scapula, fracture lines taking place there. All in all, it should take about two-three weeks for the arm to become useable. The injury to her head is just as threatening as the injury to her arm was. A high level concussion was sustained and the swelling was actually rather severe. We were able to stop the swelling and the bleeding, the swelling will probably reduce by tomorrow to a safe level and make way for her to possibly wake up, but we just don't know when. It's a waiting game from this point, Hiashi-sama. But your daughter is strong, we believe she will recover quickly."
Neji refrained from making a comment, choosing to instead chuckle in amusement inwardly. He did not contain a smile that broke on his face, being noticeable to Hiashi and his father, but he didn't seem to notice. 'Hinata' and 'strong' in the same sentence just didn't sound right without an 'is not.'
Hiashi forced himself to calm down, resisting the dark urge to activate the seal on his nephew's head. He had made a sworn oath to change some 'things' ever since that incident. But there was also the issue of knowing one's place. Finally calming down, he turned to look upon Naruto. "And...how is your son, hokage-sama?" He didn't want to seem indecent and rude, only thinking about his daughter when others were injured.
"Well, Naruto is okay. The attack that caused the injury of your daughter did not harm Naruto in the same way. That was because, from what Yamato has told us, your daughter moved him out of the way of the main force. The injuries he sustained are a fractured arm, a strain on his chakra coils, and exhaustion - chakra, as well as physical. He should wake up within a day, we believe."
Hiashi took a serious look upon his face but it faded, becoming a smile, meaning for it to signify that he was happy that Naruto wasn't severely injured, but the smile was also revealed for another reason. He was proud of his daughter for what she did. Her selfless act showed that she was becoming quite a young woman, worthy of praise. His smile turned upon his daughter, his face showing that of a proud father, and a relieved parent. 'Get well soon, Hinata.'
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He felt...awful.
That was putting it lightly, to say the truth. Very lightly. He was miserable. He wanted nothing more than to keep his eyes closed and continue basking in the darkness of slumber but that was what had woken him.
Images flashed through his mind as he slept. Strange ones. Odd ones. Ones that showed events he could not grasp or recall. He felt as if he were watching an eerie film that felt strangely familiar to him...but it wasn't about him.
'God my head hurts' he thought to himself. It didn't help that there was mumbling and fervent whispers being passed about around him. He heard voices, but couldn't place the right voices with the right people. They all sounded so familiar too.
"...so she pushed him out of the way and took the brunt of the blow herself-" whispered one voice, but was cut off by a louder and more obnoxious voice.
"-and then he went psycho and beat them both up?" asked the voice, finishing the earlier statement.
"Yeah, well, he didn't defeat Vega but he had a part in it. Seriously, I didn't think the guy had it in him. But after it was all over, before we could ask anything, he passed out." This voice was almost as obnoxious as the previous voice, but it was masculine, the former being feminine. A shushing noise was then heard and the voices died down, barely even noticeable.
He decided to open his eyes, much to his discomfort, but he knew he wouldn't be able to sleep anymore. He was surprised to see that he was no longer in the forest where he was last at. Instead, there were dimmed fluorescent lights on a white roof, with curtain railings designed into it. His vision was still a bit hazy and his head was a good bit groggy but he forced himself to try and sit up, resulting in desperate pleas from his body to cease this action. 'Damn I feel so stiff.'
"Finally awake, are you?" He looked towards the owner of the voice, surprised to see only one person in the room with him - and he thought he heard a number of voices, too. They must've been coming from outside the room, because he saw the door on the far side of the room cracked slightly. He then looked back in the direction of the earlier voice's owner, to see the familiar pale-skinned, gel-styled hair, and onyx eyes of his teammate, Uchiha Sasuke.
"Oh...it's only you." Sasuke literally face-faulted right there with a vein throbbing on his head.
"What do you mean, it's only me! You know I've been in this morbid room for over three hours, so show a little consideration." 'Gah, the nerve of him. He wakes up and doesn't miss a step. So much for showing him any compassion.'
Naruto's eyes shined and sparkled, making Sasuke sweat from embarrassment, since he pretty much knew what Naruto was about to say. "Awwww...that's so sweet. I didn't know you cared so much, Sasuke-kun."
"Baka!" He then clamped his hands over his mouth and looked to Naruto's right to see if he disturbed something. Naruto followed his gaze...and a lump caught in his throat. He could only mutter out "Hinata."
She was lying in the bed, two pillows under her head and the familiar, sterilized white sheets of the hospital pulled over her, topped with numerous blankets. Seriously, did any hospital realize that all that covering was excessive? Numerous wires were tucked around her skin, an I.V. was in her left arm and the bag it was connected to dripped a clear liquid into the tube every five or so seconds. A beeping noise was heard coming from the heart monitor, the pulse being a little weaker than normal for a resting person. Bandages were wrapped around her head, from the middle of her face's right side to the top of her face's left side, and it looked as if her right arm was in a cast of some kind.
"You really care about her, huh?" Naruto jerked his head, much to his discomfort, to the sound of the voice. There, looking timid, was Sakura, carefully slipping in through the door. "Sorry. It's just I thought I heard voices so I checked to see and..." Naruto slowly lifted his right hand and waved dismissively towards her, taking note to be careful since his body was still stiff.
"Don't worry about it." He then flashed as big a grin as he could in his condition.
"Oh...okay then. Well...ummm...there are visitors here...alot of 'em actually. Do you wanna..." She trailed off, leaving the option in the air and totally up to him. He turned and looked Hinata again and then back to Sakura.
"I wouldn't mind, but what about her? We might wake her up." Sakura was actually grateful that someone was courteous to Hinata being asleep.
"Don't worry, I overheard your mom saying that she was given a heavy dosage of medicine to help with pain. She'll probably be out for another day, at least. And as long as we keep relatively quiet, we won't disturb her and we can have people in here." Sakura then waited patiently while Naruto thought about her words. He looked up to her and nodded. She then stepped outside the door for just a few moments and then came back in, followed by Kiba, Shino, Ino, Chouji, and Shikamaru.
Ino skipped over to his bed side and tried to hug him, but he stopped her, pointing to his left arm, which was wrapped up pretty tightly. She halted slightly, choosing instead to rub his head playfully while giggling. "Well, the hero finally awakens." She waited for him to acknowledge the compliment but when she didn't receive one, she looked at his face to see that he was confused.
"What do you mean?" he asked, thinking he heard her right but his head still in enough pain to cloud his judgment.
"What do you mean, what do I mean?" She was confused now, his question being a bit vague.
"I mean, what do you mean by 'the hero'?"
"Heh...I mean you, you goof." But he continued to look like he didn't understand, very confused, and almost scared. Shikamaru could sense the shifting mood of Naruto and decided to step in before things got odd.
"Naruto, what's the last thing you remember before you passed out." Everyone looked at him when he spoke up then to Naruto to await his response. He rubbed his chin thoughtfully with his good hand, trying to gather all of his thoughts from what happened.
"Well, I remember that huge guy, Garrett, making that attack that chased me and Hinata. Then...she moved me out of the way and herself into the way of the attack." He spoke the last part with pain and guilt, everyone feeling it. "Then...I just remember seeing her hit the ground and things started to get fuzzy from there. The last thing I remember is hearing Yamato's voice call out 'Watch out!' and holding Hinata...then...a blank." The images of what happened before he blanked were flooding him and he was feeling the same way he did back then. Shaking his head, he looked back up to see what the others thought of his words. He saw the eyes of those that were on the mission with him - except for Shino's, whose eyes were constantly hidden from view by those shades of his - and they all looked bewildered.
"Wait a minute, so you're telling me you don't remember a thing after that?" asked Kiba, his jaw hanging open, as if begging for someone to close it...or use it as target practice.
"No, I don't. I do remember Kurenai saying that Hinata was alive and then everything just got cloudy and I guess I fell asleep. But whatever must have happened in between that I've forgotten. Why, what happened?" Naruto's question was met with a mix of reactions, ranging from nervous inhibitance to bored annoyance.
"Figures...the one time this guy shows he can kick some ass and he forgets it." Kiba's statement was more directed, in a joking way, towards the rest of the group but it was also said in a way to make Naruto jealous that he couldn't remember his apparent exploits.
"Yeah...I guess. Well Naruto, to put it bluntly, you defeated Garrett. Whatever that technique was that you used, it did a number on him. He couldn't get up from it." Sasuke's statement, if you payed close enough attention to it, held a tinge of envy in it. The fact that Naruto couldn't remember how he did it was making it worse.
So they stayed there, for roughly an hour, before Arashi and Collette walked in, gaining a confusing look on Naruto's face. The reason it was confusing was because you couldn't tell whether he was scared, shocked, happy, sad, or anything else inbetween. It was sort of blank and yet it wasn't. Arashi walked to his bedside and ruffled his hair while his mother kissed him on the forehead, earning a blush from Naruto - and he glared at the rest of the people in the room, his glare being intended as a silent threat promising injury if they said anything. Kiba had to contain himself but he knew he would get a lot of mileage out of that in the future.
His mom told him about the extent of his injuries, saying that a few more days of relaxing and his body would recover but his arm would need an extra week after that - and that was only if he didn't do anything to strain it. The cast wrapped around his arm radiated a warmth that he was told was healing chakra that had been put into the material and it's design. The normal fracture of an arm bone would take a normal individual six to eight weeks to fully recover, so of course a ninja's time of recovery was a lot shorter. But it would still be another two to three weeks for it to be healed; therefore, the wonder of medic nins.
She made a note of saying that she regretted having to do what she was about to do, but it was protocol. Having said that, she informed everyone that they had to leave for the evening, the time being past six o'clock. They all understood and were not about to argue any point pertaining to the matters of the hospital with one of the head nurses. Saying their farewells for this day, they all headed out the door, making sure they informed Naruto that they would visit him tomorrow. Smiling warmly at their sign of commoraderie, he wished them all a good night.
Left with only his mother, his father, and Hinata, who was still unconscious, Naruto's mind lingered on the words of his friends, their departure only allowing the comments made as they discussed the events of the mission to sink in. Naruto was still red in the face, the details of one of the events he could not recall embarrassing him. He could not comprehend how well Sakura and Kiba's personalities fit together in a neat little package that spelled doom for those unfortunate enough to be caught in the midst of their most mischievous of moments. Naruto had been the victim this time around and he couldn't help but feel that it might only get worse over time.
Arashi carefully eyed his son, seeing the boy lose focus and go into a thought-filled mindframe. Whatever was being thought by Naruto at this point was only meant for his mind, but Arashi was still curious and anxious. He wanted to know how Naruto knew how to do the things he did, but maybe that would come in time. He saw that his wife was becoming slightly agitated while looking at him. Arashi smiled at her and nodded his head in understanding.
Collette was a woman of protocols and standards. When something was known as a rule or a law, she expected everyone to obey that rule or law while in her presence. Assuming that it was a result of her training at the temple, he accepted it. Standing up and stretching, he yawned loudly, jerking Naruto out of his thoughts and looking up at him in surprise.
"Well Naruto. Guess this is good night. Hope you sleep good. I'll be by tomorrow to visit with Jiraiya alright? And then we can have a little...talk about some things. Okay?" He looked down at his son with a reassuring smile, trying to keep his spirits up.
"Mmhmm, and I'm gonna stick around and do a quick check up on you and Hinata before I leave for the evening." She then turned to look at Arashi. "See you when I get home." They quickly kissed and then he turned to leave but was stopped by Naruto.
"Good night, dad." Naruto looked up at him and flashed him the biggest smile he could muster. Arashi only wished it could be genuine, the smile his son was using was anything but that. Because when Naruto's eyes opened to look at him, Arashi could see the smile did not reach his eyes. It wasn't because of sadness, he could tell that. It was something else. Something was troubling him and his mind.
"Good night, Naruto. See you tomorrow." Walking out of the room, he looked back just once, to see Naruto go back to thinking deeply.
With Arashi no longer in the room, Collette set about with her usual tasks as one of the head nurses. She checked up on the pulse, blood pressure, I.V. bags, etc., etc. She went from Naruto on to Hinata and checked on the same things but also gave her a small injection. She explained it was for the pain and it would also help her stay asleep.
"How long till she wakes up?" he asked her with hope.
"Well, since all trained ninjas tend to recover quickly, I'd say maybe tomorrow or the day after but I can't be too sure. Just be patient, it'll all work out in the end. You, however, need to let your medicine take effect and get some sleep." She then injected the same medicine into his I.V. tubes, the strange color of the liquid making Naruto feel sick to his stomach. After his medicine was injected into the tubes which would lead to it spreading throughout his bloodstream, he looked over one more time at Hinata.
"I hope it is soon. I need to ask her something. And it's driving me crazy." His last sentence was said with frustration and through gritted teeth. His eyes were starting to get heavy and he was understanding why Sakura said that the medicine Hinata was being given was keeping her asleep. It worked fast and hard, sending him to a slumber filled with the strange dreams again.
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Arashi and Jiraiya were sitting across from each other, sipping from a couple of small cups filled with sake, with hopes that it would alleviate the stress of the day. Arashi had been recalling the events of the mission that had been told to him by Yamato and passing on every detail to Jiraiya and he was now letting it all sink in.
Jiraiya didn't know that Naruto was that far along. Back when Naruto first learned how to walk on water and he taught him the new chakra control exercise, he intended for it to tease him. The chakra control technique and the way you were meant to go about learning it was not meant to be step-by-step instructions of how to use the rasengan. But if that was what happened, then it happened. It wouldn't be the first time that Naruto had surprised him.
Turning his thoughts to the opponents the teams faced, he found something nagging at him. It kept nagging at him and nagging at him, threatening to interfere with his thoughts until he figured this out. 'That name...Garrett. Why does it sound so...familiar...' He then jerked his head up, his attention fully on Arashi and hoping to get the same result out of him. "Arashi, we may have a problem. I think I just thought of something...something you may want to be aware of."
"What is it Jiraiya?" Arashi did not like the tone in his voice. That tone was usually reserved for bad news and he hated bad news.
"Tell me, Arashi. What do you, yourself, know about the man known as Garrett?"
"Well, I heard he was a loose cannon who killed his own team mates, he's committed many crimes, and he's-" but he was cut off by Jiraiya, who laughed at him. Arashi thought that that was quite rude, laughing at someone when they were being serious.
"Come on, Arashi. Tell me something you know outside of his 'Bingo Book' information." He looked his pupil in the eyes, waiting for an intelligent answer.
"Well, I'm not sure what you are trying to get at. If you want to say something, say it, because quite frankly, I'm in no mood for riddles or anything of the sort." He wasn't angry or anything like that, but he was annoyed.
"Well, I'll tell you something that I know of outside of his bingo book info. His title as 'Stonebear' was passed on to him by people who had seen his size and knew of his abilities, but they did not know of his personality. I have heard of some rumors though during my travels. His personality was of an untameable spirit. He was aggressive and longed for competition and hunted for confrontation. Trouble wouldn't find him, he would find it, on purpose. His personality does not reflect a bear but a different animal, one more associated with Rock Country than a bear." Jiraiya finished and then took a sip of his sake and waited. His pupil was smart and he should figure the rest out on his own, if Jiraiya was correct.
Arashi was already processing the information and did not like it one bit. The last part was the thing he desperately did not want to hear but apparently could not avoid at this point. As was the case of Fire Country and the infamous demon fox, known as Kyuubi, Rock Country had their own creature...a bull.
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Well, that certainly was long, now wasn't it. As you probably noticed, I named this chapter part one, so yes, that means there will be a part two, it will be the next chapter and it will continue where this left off. It's just that this chapter would probably end up being beyong 20,000 words or so if I did not find a good stopping point. So I decided to end on as best a cliffie as possible. Hope you don't run because the next chapter will have many things told, explained, and revealed. For suspense and plot fans, you'll definitely love the next chapter. For those of you who like character growth and some fluff, you'll like the next chapter as well. It might not be for another week though. So I hope you stick around till then. Once again, thank you all.
Now onto the preview:
In light of recent events, Arashi takes a stand and makes a huge decision. The other shinobi continue to visit Naruto and Hinata. And in the shadows, amidst all the happenings of Konoha and Fire Country, a figure stands back and waits for his moment. A cloud of crimson hangs in the air, casting a foreboding shadow.