Author's Notes: All my readers are super awesome!
Chapter Eleven: Fine
Naruto's eyes snapped opened and he sat up, shaking. At first he thought he'd be in the hospital, but a quick look around proved him wrong. He wasn't in his home either… And the bed that he was in was a child's. Naruto sighed and stood. Kakashi had taken him to his house…
Naruto walked silently out into the living room. Kakashi was sitting on the couch with Obito sleeping soundly in his father's lap. Kakashi was absently rubbing the child's back between flipping the pages of the book he was reading. Kakashi didn't even look up when Naruto came. "Sleep well?" he asked quietly.
"Yeah… thanks…" Naruto didn't remember being led here or put to bed. "What time is it…?"
"Probably around four in the morning," Kakashi whispered.
"Where's Himawari…?"
"Sleeping in Rin's room," Kakashi answered.
Naruto nodded slowly. "I think I'll take her home now…"
"It's late. Have a seat…"
"No, I'm fine… I just want to go home…" Naruto muttered.
Kakashi sighed deeply and peeked at the other man over the novel. "You really shouldn't… The storm is pretty bad out there, and it might just be best if you stayed here the rest of the night…"
Naruto relented and sat down in the chair in the room. He curled up and rested his head on the arm rest. "Wha'cha reading…?" Naruto asked quietly. "It's not one of Jiraiya's old books… is it?"
Kakashi laughed. "No. It's a different novel," he answered. "It was one of my favorites as a kid… before I discovered Jiraiya's Masterpiece!"
Naruto managed a slight chuckle. "I still don't see what you saw in those books…"
"Have some respect for the dead!" Kakashi gasped in mock shock. "How dare you?"
Naruto smiled slightly at his teacher, who returned it. Kakashi stroked his son's back slowly and his smile softened. "You think Boruto will be okay…?" he asked quietly. Kakashi nodded.
"Sakura or Tsunade will figure out what's wrong with him, and then they'll fix it," he assured his student. "Don't worry…"
"I'm not… I'm fine," Naruto said quietly.
"I know…" The two lapsed into a silence that was only broken by the sound of turning pages and soft breaths. Naruto turned away from Kakashi and his son. He curled into a tighter ball.
He was waiting for me… Naruto realized as he eyes slid shut. He was waiting to make sure I didn't venture out… He listened to the silence in the house… and realized that it wasn't raining outside the house…
Naruto woke several hours later to the smell of cooking rice and miso soup. Naruto blinked and sat up. His joints creaked. They were sore and stiff from his cat-like sleeping position. He stretched with a loud yawn that ended in a huff when he was tackled by his daughter. "Morning, daddy!" Himawari said.
Naruto smiled and hugged the girl tightly. "Good morning to you! Did you and Rin have a good sleepover?"
"We did! We're cooking breakfast!" the girl announced.
"Which is good, because dad is not good in the kitchen…"
"You set the kitchen on fire once and suddenly you're blacklisted for life," Kakashi called from his bedroom.
"If it had only been once, you wouldn't have been blacklisted!" Obito called from the kitchen.
"Watch your mouth!" Kakashi snapped playfully. The air in the house helped Naruto loosen up. He was actually happy to be surrounded by a loving family again… Himawari grabbed his hand and dragged him to the table. He was forced to sit down while the girl ran to grab a small bowl of white rice, an egg and a bowl of cold miso soup.
"Wow! You three made all this?" Naruto asked.
"Well, Himawari and I did…" Rin said. "Obito was being a lazy bum and didn't help!"
"I got out the bowls!" Obito protested.
"And we're eternally grateful," Rin said, rolling her eyes. "Dad! Breakfast is ready!"
"I'll eat later…" Kakashi called.
"I've seen your face," Naruto reminded him. "It's not a secret anymore!" When Kakashi didn't answer, Naruto sighed and cracked his egg over the steaming rice. He stirred until the egg was cooked before digging into the dish. He smiled at Rin and his daughter, thanking them for the food. It felt almost normal…
The pain hit him without warning. He went to take another large bite of rice and suddenly he felt sick. He quickly placed the bite back into the bowl and grabbed his hand to hide the shaking. He wasn't sure what had triggered it… but something had. His shoulders dropped and the rest of the meal was eaten slowly and methodically. When he was finished, he put his palms together and bowed to Rin. "Thank you for the food," he said.
"You're welcome, Uncle Naruto-sama!" the girl said.
Naruto sighed. "You ready to go, Himawari…?"
"Oh? Can't I stay here for a little while…?" the girl asked. Naruto bit his lip. He realized that the kids must be grieving too… Hinata was there sensei, after all…
"Okay… but only if you don't leave the house… Promise me?"
"Yes, daddy…" Himawari answered.
"I'll see you later, Kakashi!" Naruto called. He was quick to get out before Kakashi could even utter a single protest. Naruto shoved his hands in his pocket as he walked down the street. It wasn't early, but the storm the night before had kept most people indoors or cleaning up fallen branches, which meant the streets weren't crowded.
Naruto didn't have a destination in mind. He didn't want to go home… He didn't want to visit anyone's grave or look at his comatose child helplessly… And he wasn't hungry. The man sighed deeply, allowing his feet to take him where ever. He didn't care… It was Himawari that was keeping him grounded in some level of sanity… Anytime he felt overwhelming pain, he would just remember that he still had her… Hinata had only been gone for four days, but he already longed to have her back… There wasn't anything he could do, though… she was dead and buried.
Naruto shoved his hands deeper into his pockets and he picked up his pace. He had nowhere to go and no one to see… Eventually his feet brought him to the hospital. Naruto sighed. It was as good a place as any. At least he could lock himself in Boruto's room and get some peace and quiet. He kept his head down as he walked through the halls. He was avoiding Sakura, who harassed him every time he came, asking him how he was feeling and if he needed anything… to which he would answer "I'm fine" and "no."
Naruto stopped by the boy's room and blinked. A little shrine had been set up to the side of the door. Naruto bent down to examine the small structure and a small smile appeared on his face. Inojin… he thought. A small, ink painting had been placed inside the shrine of Boruto smiling and a small note reading "bring him home" was written beneath. Unlike his father, the child was quite good at facial expressions in his work. Naruto noticed that there were other small trinkets from other students and tears welled up in his eyes. He wouldn't have had anything like this when he was Boruto's age.
He sent a small prayer, bowing his head at the makeshift altar and then stepped into Boruto's room… where his smile faded. "Get out!" Naruto snapped.
Sasuke jumped from the chair he had been sitting in. "Naruto…?"
"Yeah. Didn't expect me to visit my son?" Naruto asked. "Get out," he repeated, but Sasuke didn't.
"You and I need to talk…" Sasuke said. "Please…"
"You want to apologize?" Naruto asked.
"I want you to understand…"
"Understand what? That you used me and my family to infiltrate the Tsuchi? I understand that, Sasuke!" Naruto snapped. "I get it! The needs of the many, right…? Is that it?"
"Yes…" Sasuke grumbled. Sasuke took a step forward. "How are you?"
"I'm fine!" Naruto hissed.
"Sakura told me…"
"Sakura needs to mind her own business!" Naruto cut him off.
"Naruto…"
"Don't!" Naruto snapped. "Don't act like you care! You know what I went through so you might have a good life? You know how many years I spent trying to save you?! And this is the thanks I get?!" He began to shake. "Sasuke… I don't know what to say to you… She's dead…"
"I know… And that's something I will have to live with the rest of my life…"
Sasuke meant it as an apology, but something inside Naruto snapped. He grabbed the Uchiha's shirt collar and threw a punch at his face before letting go, then he aimed another punch at Sasuke's gut. Sasuke took both hits without trying to defend himself. "You'll have to live with it?!" Naruto shouted. "Well, thanks! That makes me feel better that you feel guilty about it!" He shoved Sasuke into the wall. "No! I want it to eat away at you! I want you to lie awake at night and think about how you could have done it differently! I want you to toss and turn in bed, see her face and hear her scream whenever you're in a dark, and silent room!
"Live with it the rest of your life? No! I want you to be reminded of it every time you look at your family! Every time you make a choice for this village, I want you to remember this mistake! I want you to have sleepless nights where the nightmares make you scared to close your eyes! You should have told me!" Naruto screamed. "I would have helped you! I-"
He was cut off when hands grabbed him from behind. Naruto hadn't realized the he was holding Sasuke against the wall. "Naruto…" Sakura muttered. "Are you okay…?"
"I'm fine!" Naruto yelled. "Get out of my son's room!" Sakura quickly escorted Sasuke to the door, but he stopped before leaving.
"You're not fine…" he muttered. Sasuke turned off the light and Naruto walked over to Boruto's bed. He was glad his son hadn't been awake to hear that.
He touched Boruto's hand and looked at his pale and skinny face. "We'll be a family again…" he promised.
The cave or cavern was dimly lit… the only light was a single candle the flickered in the draft coming from the air shaft. The sound of voices could be heard, but they were either too far away or the lone person in the room simply couldn't understand them for being drugged. She tried to open her mouth, only to find that she had been gagged. A quick check of her own vitals revealed no broken bones or other outstanding injuries. The only problem was that she could not feel her chakra.
"…closer to giving in…" one of the voices said as they approached.
"Should we persuade him some more…?" a second voice asked.
"I think he'll crack under the pressure soon," the first assured the second. "There's only so much he can lose…"
"Should we go after that daughter of his? He would definitely surrender if we did that…?"
"No… He needs something to protect… We want him to surrender, not go ballistic…"
"Why? Even after watching that woman of his get murdered, he still didn't kill anyone…"
The two men stepped into the candle light. They were both in their early 30's and looked almost like brothers. "We still shouldn't risk it…" He stopped and looked at the prisoner. "Oh…? You're awake?" he asked. "Welcome back! How does it feel to be dead?"
The woman shook her head. "You wanna go home to him, don't you?" the other man asked. "Well, that might not go over well, sweetheart… You see, from our spies in your village, they already had your funeral. I don't think his little heart could take it… How ironic would that be?" The woman narrowed her eyes. The man laughed. "Are you going to glare us to death? Sorry, sweetheart… but your chakra has been blocked. You aren't going anywhere…"
"But don't worry!" his brother said. "Your precious little Naruto-kun will come here soon. There's only so much a man can take."
"He'll give us that monster fox without force. It'll eat away at him…"
"Then we'll let you go, after we have what we want!"
"Because we wouldn't want to leave your kids without parents…"
"We're not heartless, you know."
"It's all for the good of the people, you see?"
The first of the two men nodded to the woman. "We only want what's best for this world, sweetie."
"We're not evil," the second one assured her. "You may think we are… But the only way to kill a god is to have him kill himself…"
"If there was any other way, we'd do it!" the first said with a nod.
"It's not like we wanted to kill all those people!"
"We just had to start something!"
"Change is always messy…"
Both men nodded slowly. The first knelt in front of the woman. "We don't take enjoyment in doing any of this… That's why we didn't kill you… But Naruto… he has to die, so this world can live… He'll realize that soon… and when he does, and he comes here, we'll let you go."
"It's not war we want…" the other man said. "On the contrary, we want to end all war…"
Naruto sat silently in his house. It was late at night, but he couldn't sleep. He hadn't spoken to anyone since his run in with Sasuke, except Kakashi to tell him that Himawari would be staying there for a little while… until he figured out what to do.
He knew he wasn't alone in the room long before the dark-clothed ninja spoke. Naruto hadn't stopped the woman from entering his house… He honestly didn't care. "What do you want?" he asked finally.
"The Tsuchi grow tired of waiting, Uzumaki Naruto…"
"I'm not giving them the fox."
"Not even for your son?" she asked.
Naruto laughed. "You'll have to do better than that," he said.
"I understand… perhaps you would benefit more if I told you what your sacrifice will mean to the world… Perhaps it is time you learn the truth of the Tsuchi…" Naruto shrugged. He already planned on bringing her in, so he was happy to hear everything she had to say.
"Go ahead."
"Yes, sir…" The woman was behind him and he didn't turn to look. "The Tsuchi seek to bring about a new era of peace and prosperity in the world."
"That's great and all, but I think that's already been accomplished…"
"You have indeed ushered in an era of peace, Naruto-san… but you and I both know that not all the problems of the world have been solved. The Tsuchi are made up of those who, despite this era of peace, still feel as if they have nothing left in this world… We all believe in the teachings of the Tsuchi… We wish to bring the world together… not against a common threat, but under one rule and one government… A utopia…"
"I… don't follow…" Naruto said. "How do you plan on doing this?"
"We must bring the world together, like you had done all those years ago… but in order to change the world, there must be some conflict."
"So you want Kurama as a weapon?" Naruto asked.
"No, of course not!" the woman assured him. "We need him for something else… I cannot give you all the details here, Naruto-san… You must speak with our leader… But, before you make your choice, you should know that we are doing this for the good of all… the weak, the poor, the civilians and the ninja… for this generation and the next and for one hundred generations after that. We have no evil intentions. Search me if you must… You will find no malice in my heart…"
"You're asking me to die…" Naruto said.
"Yes, I am… But is death truly so bad…? Are you not simply living on borrowed time from the Sage of Six Paths…? Is it not time that you rest, Naruto-san…? Have you not suffered enough…? Are you not ready to see your parents again…? Your wife…? Your sensei…?" Naruto clenched his fists. His stomach churned and twisted. "You are tired, Naruto-san…" she whispered. "You truly have fought a long and challenging battle… It is time you have a well-deserved rest…"
"I… My kids…" Naruto defended weakly.
"They have Kakashi, correct…? And the rest of the village… You saw how well they are loved in the village… They will have a fine life and write their own stories…"
Naruto shook his head. He turned to face the woman, but in a blink of an eye, she was gone. He felt sick… but at the same time, he felt at peace… Would it all be that simple…? He didn't trust their idea of a utopia and he knew what "change" in their world meant…
He fell onto his bed. The woman's words rolled in his brain and he replayed them over and over. He was tired… Tired of fighting… tired of all this pain… tired of all this suffering… Even if they had caused it, he realized that the Hyuuga had started it all… The first attack on his family wasn't from some outside force… it was from his own people who sought to take him down and destroy all he had worked at…
Even after everything he had done, the villagers were quick to turn on him… the world was threatening to go to war even after all the damage each war had cost them. Naruto rolled over to his side. He didn't trust the Tsuchi… but, deep down, he was finding it hard to care…
The morning came too slow. Naruto hadn't slept a wink. He stood and nodded… He knew what he had to do. He got dressed and started for Kakashi's house.
"Naruto!"
Naruto stopped with a groan. "Hey, Shikamaru…"
"It's good to see you out and about… How are you?"
"I'm fine…" Naruto answered. It was practically a ritual at that point. I'm fine meant that he didn't want to talk about… it meant that he wasn't dealing with it… it meant that he was anything but…
"I heard you weren't…" Shikamaru said. "Are you sure…?"
"I'm fine," Naruto repeated. "How's Shikadai…?"
"He's worried about Boruto… we all are…"
"Yeah… It's hard," Naruto admitted. "How's Temari?"
"She's worried too… about Gaara as well..."
"Trouble in the Sand Village?" Naruto asked.
"Not really… but tensions are running high. You and Gaara are friends and none of us want to face each other in battle…"
Naruto laughed dryly. "I understand," he said.
Shikamaru looked away. "I was… going to go visit Asuma-sensei… Do you want to come with me…?"
Naruto shook his head. "I'm busy, actually…"
"Oh…" Shikamaru smiled. "Don't work too hard, Naruto…"
"Yeah… you too…"
The two looked at each other for another moment or two. Naruto wasn't sure what else to do. Should he thank Shikamaru for his concern, or should he just leave? The awkward moment ended when Shikamaru bowed before departing. Naruto hurried on his way, desperate to get away before anyone else stopped him. When he made it to Kakashi's house, he snuck in. Kakashi wasn't there, but Naruto knew his daughter was. He slipped into Rin's room to find Himawari sleeping on a cot. Naruto bent down and lifted the child in his arms, rocking her gently as he quickly slipped out of the house.
He made his way to the hospital… that was the only place he wanted to be. He made sure no one saw him slip into Boruto's room. He placed Himawari on the cot in the room and then knelt beside Boruto's bed. "Hey…" he whispered to the boy, grabbing his hand. He swallowed. "Daddy… has to go away for a while…" Naruto rubbed the child's hand slowly. "But… don't worry, okay…? You'll be fine…"
He bit the inside of his cheek. "It'll hurt… when you wake up, Boruto… a lot has changed… It… won't be easy, okay? It will be hard… you have to be the adult here… You're going to miss me and mom… and you might hate us both, Boruto… But, don't hate Hinata… If you must hate someone, hate me… Resent me, but try not to hate too much… People are good, Boruto… People are kind… You have to understand that… Don't… give Konohamaru anymore trouble, okay? He's going to miss me too, you know…"
Naruto turned away. "Don't hate Sarada either… you'll probably learn what Sasuke did… but don't blame Sarada for her father's actions…" Tears fell from his eyes as he spoke and his voice cracked. "You… you have to take care of Himawari… she won't understand… I know it's all going to be confusing when you wake up, but try… try to be positive… Boruto, you can rise above this… succeed where I failed, Boruto… protect your sister…" Naruto stood. "There is good in the world, Boruto… please… find it…"
And with that, he was gone…
Sakura sighed as she placed another chart on the nurses' desk. She looked up when she spotted Sasuke coming towards her. "Hey, Sakura… Have you seen Naruto…?"
"Nice to see you too…" Sakura grumbled, but her joke stopped when she noticed that Sasuke looked worried. "No… I haven't seen him today… Has something happened?"
"Kakashi came back from the store and Himawari was gone…"
Sakura blinked. If anything happened to that girl, they would lose Naruto for good. "He's probably in Boruto's room…!" She said. Sasuke nodded and the two hurried up the stairs to the long-term stay wing where the young Uzumaki had been resting for weeks.
"I need Sakura-san!" a little girl was saying. Sakura ran faster until they entered the hallway. "Sakura!" Himawari gasped. "Uncle Sasuke! It's Boruto-kun!" the girl cried.
Sakura's heart sunk. She ran after Himawari with Sasuke on her heels. He must have had a seizure! She thought, already preparing her chakra to help the child. Don't die, Boruto-kun!
She swung the door open and gasped at what she saw. Instead of a seizing child or things going entirely haywire, the boy was sitting up in the bed, looking around, confused. Sakura hurried to him. "Do you know who you are?" she asked as she checked his reflexes.
"Boruto… Uzumaki Boruto…" the boy answered.
"Good! Do you know where you are…?" Sakura asked.
"Umm... It looks like the hospital…" Boruto said. He reached up to touch his bandaged eye. "What… what happened…?" he asked. "Where's mom and dad?"
Sakura bit her lip. "We'll get Naruto-kun for you! He'll be so happy to see you!"
"But… where's mom?" Boruto protested.
"We'll tell you later… Right now you need to go for testing…"
"Sakura…" Sasuke muttered. He was holding a single piece of paper in his hands and he was as pale as a ghost. He even looked a little sick.
"Sasuke-kun…?" Sakura asked. Sasuke handed her the paper. There were four words sprawled on the paper and tear stains spotted the white form. The four words turned Sakura's blood to ice. She knew the handwriting… The words were definitely written by a shaky hand and their meaning was unmistakable. She looked up at Sasuke, pale and shaking. On the paper, the words that were written carefully and painfully were:
I am not fine…
Author's Note: Yay… For stuff! XD Just to let you know, I didn't change my mind. This was the direction I was going! Hope you're all okay with it!
