Konichiwa everyone! Finally, I've returned with the next chapter! I won't bore you with he details of why I haven't updated in awhile (I'll spare you that much at least!). Anyways, at the moment this story is moving very slowly, and I'm struggling to find inspiration at the moment, but I'm posting this anyway. Maybe one day I'll come back and revise the whole thing, but for now, you'll just have to put up with my bad writing if you can! Sorry!
Thanks to:
Chocobaby: I know! Iruka's always been one of my favorite characters, and I though it would be nice of Naruto to be the one to break the bad news to him, because they're almost like family really! Anyway, thanks for reviewing! Its very much appreciated!
Ladiee yami: Don't worry, I don't think I'll be killing either one of them off, so you don't need to stress! And rest assured that there will be a lot more angst and sasu/naru action in the later chapters (not too far off now!Yay!) Thanks for reviewing!
Itzamez: Hehe! Glad you're enjoying the story so far! I won't let anything (too) bad happen to Genma and Kakashi, but they won't be coming into the story for a few chapters yet, so you're going to have to wait awhile! (I'm evil aren't I? Sorry!) Please keep reading, and I hope you keep enjoying it too!
Hotohori's Empress: Sorry for the delayed update! I haven't had the motivation to type lately, but I'm back now! Forgive me! I should warn you that Orochimaru will be coming into the story line in the (near?) future, and he does play a fairly major role, but he won't meet a nice ending, so I hope you'll be happy with that! Thanks for your review!
Ichigo-dattebayo: New readers are always welcome! I'm so relieved that you've enjoyed it so far! I have that case of thinking my own work is all a load of crap, but I think many people have the yea? Hehe! Anyway, sorry about the spelling/grammatical errors, I'll try proof read better from now on! Forgive me? Thanks for your review!
Disclaimer: Neither the characters nor the concepts belong to me, but this storyline does!
Warnings: implied violence and death, angst, but not much else for this chappy!
Important AN: This chappy jumps forward about seven months. I don't want to write every single detail of the war out, so I'll be giving a brief overview of the whole thing. Hope this doesn't upset those fans who want lots of blood and gore….rest assured that this will come later! Now…Enjoy!
Chapter Ten: All the rivers run red
War had broken out and it looked as if it wasn't going to end anytime soon. Bloody conflicts and vicious attacks had been occurring repeated throughout the past seven months in an almost endless cycle. All fragments of peace had crumbled under the daunting shadows of the Akatsuki's forces. The death tolls were rising higher by the day and injuries were horrific; many of the wounds had forced countless nin to face the bleak reality of never being about o fight again. Refugees were finding shelter in any place they could. Countless innocents were slaughtered by the Akatsuki's force of missing nin, and there was little anyone could do to stop the mindless killing. Their forces were too strong, and their numbers growing. They showed no mercy, and if they had any weaknesses, they were hiding them well.
The Hidden Village of Mist had fallen, and been razed to the ground. The survivors had taken refuge in other villages and proved to be of little use to the allied forces. The Hidden Village of Earth was drastically weakened and would undoubtedly fall any day now. There was not much that could be done for the poor souls who were remaining.
Alliances were weakened as the villages struggled to remain standing. Sand and Fire were the only ones who were holding out under the pressure and they showed no signs of being defeated just yet. But the tables could turn at any time, and the effects of the war were taking a heavy toll on everyone. The hospitals were almost completely full and supplies were barely covering the growing needs of the injured. Trade had slowed to a trickle and the villagers of Konoha were scared. The fighting had not breached Konoha's borders yet, but it would and soon.
Naruto had watched people around him fall. Almost every day he looked around, a few more faces disappeared as more comrades fell victim to the enemy. Ninja's he had known and respected killed in the most horrific ways imaginable, and he hadn't seen a battlefield often. He was still bound under his oath to Tsunade. No matter how bad things got out there, she still refused to send him and his team out to assist the struggling defenses.
Instead, she put him in control of intelligence, and organizing undercover missions. The Anbu were holding out, and they hadn't lost too many of their members yet, which as something to be thankful for, but they were stretched thin.
Everyone was tired. The stress and strain the war was putting on everyone was written plainly on their faces. Smiles were rare, and laughter was unheard of. It was a sound that was unfamiliar to Naruto these days, and truth be told he missed it dearly. Tempers were frayed and short, resulting in heated arguments. Naruto and Neji had broken up countless fights, and even they had begun to feel as if they were at the end of their tethers.
Although Naruto wouldn't admit it to anyone but himself, he was barely in control. He was feeling the strain as much as anyone was. Several friends of his had died, and he had yet to mourn them properly. The most he had been able to do was murmur a few words of blessing before rushing off the attend to some urgent duty. He barely had time to think of them throughout the day- in fact, he barely thought about anything other than what he had to do next these days. He didn't have the time or the energy to.
Gaara's brother Kankuro had died a few months ago, and although he hadn't been particularly close to the man, he still was upset. He couldn't begin to imagine how Gaara or Temari felt. Naruto hadn't seen much of the red- headed shinobi over the past few months. The current Kaze-kage had been seriously wounded, and Gaara had been forced into taking care of some of his duties as well as his own. It was a safe bet to say that Gaara was in a worse state then he himself was.
Kankuro wasn't the only one to go. Ten-ten, Neji's former teammate had died in one of the first battles of the war. He was still recovering from the loss and Naruto knew that he was blaming himself for not being there to protect her. This made Naruto feel guilty in turn, although Neji assured him that none of it was his fault. Of course, that didn't stop Naruto's feelings of guilt, and did little to appease his feelings.
Assuma had been killed also, along with several other Jounins, numerous Chuunins and a few genins. At the moment, Tsunade was keeping the Genin's away from the battle fronts as much as possible. All in all, Konoha hadn't suffered as many losses as the other villagers, and had most of the nin that Naruto had grown up around had survived so far. Whether this was because of their skills, or raw luck he was yet to decide. But several of his friends had been seriously wounded, and would be out of action for quite awhile. Choiji had been forbidden to fight. He could barely move, let alone o any form of fighting. Over use of his techniques had caused heavy damage to his muscles and had resulted in temporary paralysis. Ino was unconscious, having had her mind switching technique backfire against her when facing a particularly strong opponent. Sakura was unable to fight due to her budding pregnancy, but she was still helping at the hospital. There were so many injuries which needed tending to that the medic nins' were always short handed, and Sakura was one of the best and most widely learned of them all. Shizune and Tsunade were perhaps the exception of this. As for the rest of his friends, he had no idea where they were and what they were doing, but he tried to check up on them as much as he could, and make sure they were okay. It was difficult thought, and he was distressed when he didn't know if they were still alive or not. He had spent so much of his life alone with no body who cared for him, and now that he finally did, he tried his best to care for them and make sure they were safe. He didn't want to lose any more of his precious people….
Food and rest was scarce for everyone, and they were both taken whenever they were available. Naruto had barely sat down in almost two days straight, and he had Neji and the rest of his team running around almost non-stop. He had no choice in the matter. There was just so much to do. When he wasn't organizing the Anbu, he was carrying out missions within konoha, or guarding Tsunade when she was moving around Konoha. He didn't have the time or energy to worry about himself at the moment.
As of yet there had been no attacks on Naruto himself. He was vaguely surprised by this but had never gotten around to considering why this way. He was certainly well protected. His team surrounded him at all times. Wherever he went, they were always beside him. He was alternately grateful and frustrated by this. Neji and his team was his support network. They kept each other strong and watched each other's backs to ward off danger.
But this also frustrated him because he knew that other teams needed replacement members having lost team mates to injury and death. Tsunade had refused his request for them to be re-assigned elsewhere. He felt he was being baby sat, and although he knew that the explanation was perfectly reasonable and logical, he couldn't help feeling like it was also slightly patronizing in a way. It was as if they felt he couldn't protect himself and the demon that he carried, and he knew he could. He had done it countless times before, and had even escaped the Akatsuki's grasp before. If he could do it seven years ago, why couldn't he now, when he was at least two times as strong as he had been back then?
Naruto turned his mind from these resentful thought almost immediately. They were just looking out for them, he knew.
But how much of it was because of the demon, and how much of it was because they actually cared about his safety and well being?
He knew Tsunade cared. But he also knew that other shinobi and the majority of the villagers were resentful towards the tight protection network Tsunade had placed around him. They couldn't understand why he was so special, and why they should bother to waste time on protecting a demon vessel. What they didn't understand was that if the Akatsuki got their hands on him. Things would get ten times as bad for them as they were now, and it would result in a blood bath. No matter how much they hurt him with their words and looks, he didn't want that. They didn't deserve such a fate. They were only concerned about their own safety, and that of their families and friends.
People were still suffering and dying. All he saw on people's faces when he looked around was grief, sorrow and fear.
The older generations tried to shield and protect the young from the horrors and wars, but more often than not it was a lost cause. The dead were buried, and then people returned to their duties and concentrated on the simple act of surviving. There was no time for mourning. At least, not yet.
None of his close friends had been killed. But the reality was that it was only a matter of time before he lost some of them to death. If he lost any of his precious people, he didn't know what he would do. They were the only strength he had now. He relied on their support and the friendship too much to lose them. He physically ached when he thought of losing a single one of them.
Neji…Shikamaru…Sakura, lee, Hinata, Kiba……Iruka.
His guardian was currently in charge of protecting the children, and had therefore seen little battle. But he heard the stories. Many of the children had lost parents, siblings, or friends to the war, and it was usually Iruka who had to break the news to them, who had to be the one to comfort the confused and sobbing children. This, in Naruto's opinion, had to one of the worst jobs. Naruto knew that Iruka wasn't sleeping well. The man was tired, and lonely. Kakashi had eventually been located in the Hidden Earth Village, and had remained there to aid in their crumbling defenses. He had not been home since the beginning of the war, and Iruka was missing him terrible, and was scared and worried. There was little he could do.
Naruto felt so powerless. There was little he could do to prevent the suffering he was surrounded by. Everyday, he felt a little more worn, a little more jaded, and he felt the weight resting on his shoulders steadily increase. His hands were bloodied with the deaths of faceless enemies. He was covered in sin and there was nothing he could do to make it all go away. Although he hadn't seen much frontline action, he had seen some other action, and had also contributed, indirectly, to several deaths. He had been involved in interrogations and torture. Tsunade didn't usually approve of torture as a method of interrogation, but it was necessary in these times. And he was always there, feeling life seep through his fingers as the prisoners died. Death was a part of life, no matter how it may be delivered. That was the way of ninja, and that was reality.
Yes, he was covered in sin. But that wasn't anything unusual.
He raised his hand and knocked on the Hokages door before entering.
"Tsunade. The report from the western border," he said, unable to keep his weariness from his voice.
Tsunade looked no better than he. Naruto was glad he wasn't in her shoes, despite feeling sorry for her.
"Thank you Captain." She accepted it and set it down without looking through it.
"Captain, you and your team take the night off. You've been working non-stop like dogs for the last three days, and things have died down for a bit. There's nothing pressing that you need to take care of at the moment. Take advantage of it."
Naruto didn't like the idea of taking the offered break. He knew there was things that needed to be done, and things he could help with, and he didn't feel right taking free time when others were still working. Tsunade seemed to guess his thoughts though and she glared at him.
"Naruto, this is an order. You've been working twice as hard as any one else, and you need the rest."
He bowed at last.
"Of course, Hokage-sama."
He followed Neji towards the door, but stopped when Tsunade called out to him.
"Lee was injured today. I believe he's been treated and is at home now. Perhaps Sakura could use your support for awhile." Tsunade suggested.
Naruto forced himself not to panic as worry coursed through him, and he knew Neji felt the same; the creases around his pale eyes betrayed his otherwise calm exterior.
Together, after exiting the Hokage tower, they raced without a word to Sakura's apartment and pounded half frantically on the door.
After a few agonising moments, a serene Sakura answered the door.
"Lee?" They blurted out breathlessly.
She smiled reassuringly at them and they breathed a little easier. If she was smiling, things couldn't be all that bad right?
"He's okay. Just sleeping at the moment." She informed them as she let them in.
They breathed simultaneous sighs of relief and collapsed bonelessly on the couch.
Sakura joined them and rubbed her protruding stomach gently.
"Why are you so calm?" Naruto asked suspiciously.
"Because he'll be out of the combat zones for awhile. No fighting, no danger."
"At least he'll get some rest and replenish his chakra supplies." Neji commented.
Sakura gave them a sympathetic smile when she saw how tired they were.
"I wish I could help you guys somehow. I just feel so…useless." She said.
Naruto cut her off before she said anything else.
"Be glad you're not out there, Sakura. Its bad."
She didn't comment, but nodded towards Neji. Naruto followed her nod.
Neji had fallen asleep where he sat, still dressed in his Anbu clothes and his armor. While on duty, Neji wore his hair tied up in a tight pony tail. Naruto let it out now, and gently removed all his armor and outer layers of sweat and dirt soaked clothing. He pushed the exhausted man into a lying position and covered him with the blanket that Sakura handed to him.
"What about you? You need to rest too." She whispered to him.
"Not yet Sakura. I want to talk with you for awhile."
He didn't need to say that he craved some normal conversation. He needed something to distract him and remind him that there was something besides fighting and death.
He followed her soundlessly as she padded into the kitchen, and helped her to make tea. She let him, knowing what he needed.
"How are you Sakura?" he asked as they sat together on the balcony a few moments later.
She gave his hand a light squeeze before sipping her tea and rubbing her belly again.
"Tired. Being pregnant makes me tired and sucks all my energy."
"And all that hospital work.."
"Isn't hard," she cut in. "They put me on the lightest duties, so I still have plenty of chakra for me and the baby. Don't worry about me so much Naruto. Concentrate on yourself, for once. Concentrate on surviving this war"
He couldn't even manage to smile, or pretend that he was okay right now.
"I don't know if I can. What am I supposed to do when all of this is over? I can never forget any of this. What I've done….or him."
There was a brief flash of pain, but nothing else. He was too tired for this….too tired to even feel anything anymore. He was not even lonely at the moment. All he felt was this overwhelming, consuming exhaustion.
He had not thought of him is weeks.
"What else is there?" he asked, not really expecting an answer.
She took him hands in her own warms ones, jolting him out the half daze he had fallen into.
"You shouldn't forget. Not ever. But don't give up hope now, Naruto. There are people who need you. I need you." She placed one of her hands on her hot, hard belly.
"I want you to be this baby's godfather. If anything should happen to us, we want you to protect it. To give it all it needs. Can you do that for me?" she asked gently, her eyes searching his face intently.
Naruto nodded dumbly, not sure what to feel at ths particular moment.
"I'd be honored."
His eyes widened suddenly when he felt movement beneath his hand.
"It moved!" he whispered in amazement. "Can you feel that?"
She chuckled at his astonishment, and was relieved to see some emotion in him at last.
"Of course. I feel everything that he does."
"He? It's a boy?"
"Yes, it's a little boy. I've known since the first few weeks but lee didn't want to know."
"How can you tell?" he asked curiously, his hand searching for more movement.
"Male and female chakra is different. Didn't you know that?" she asked raising her eyebrows.
"I never really noticed before, but now that you mention it….."
She sighed and shook her head.
"Figures." It was said with affection and not malice.
"How long till you're due?" he asked, ignoring her muttered comment.
"A few weeks. Lee will still be around, so I'm happy."
"I wish I could be there." He sighed wistfully. "I've never seen a newborn baby before. Never held a any baby before really."
"Never?" Sakura asked incredulously.
He shook his head, a corner of his mouth lifting in a small smile.
"As if the villagers would let me near one. They're afraid I would corrupt it or something."
Sakura hugged him wordlessly, awkward over her large stomach.
"You can hold my son. I want you to be the first to hold him."
Naruto held her back and smiled as he savored the feel of warm arms around him. It felt nice to be held by someone for once.
"Thanks," he whispered, closing his eyes.
So that's it for now! There is much more planned, and I hope there is not too many mistakes in this! If there is anything which is really bugging you about grammar or spelling, let me know and I'll fix it for you! But hopefully, you weren't too aggravated by anything!
So...REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW! They're squealed over, glomped and adored! So please?
Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter, and I hope you enjoyed! Until next time, then!