In the cafeteria, Kiba, Shikamaru, and the others heard an alarm go off. "All SRT units to pod 5-4." an announcement said as two large doors blocked off the cafeteria from anyone leaving. Shikamaru looked around and Kiba got a worried look in his face. What ever was happening was in their pod, and the only one who was in there was Naruto at the time. Gaara caught on to this look and looked even worse. He knew Naruto had been becoming more depressed and more unstable since the day he got there.
Back in the pod, Kabuto had cut Naruto from the ceiling just as Kotetsu walked into the room. "You, wait in the commons." Kabuto growled at Kotetsu when Sakura and Ino arrived with their medical kits. "His pulse is weakening, we'll need to shock him." Ino said as she hooked up two pads to his chest and pressed a button. Naruto's entire body arched up off the floor when the shock hit him. His heart rate has returned to normal but he was breathing raggedly. Asuma walked into the room with a white shroud and placed it over Naruto as they loaded him onto the stretcher. "Kiba Inuzuka to 5 control, Kiba Inuzuka to 5 control" Sai announced over the intercom. Without the page even ending, Kiba was there as Naruto was brought by completely covered. "Kiba, we need to talk about Naruto." Kabuto said as he walked up to Kiba. It then all hit him. The person going by on the stretcher, the lock down, the page. "Oh God no!" Kiba screamed out before falling to the floor crying. "Kiba, he's still alive, we really should talk about this in private." Kabuto said as Sai opened the gate to let them behind the control desk.
They walked down the hallway into an office that had a desk, two chairs and a couch. Kiba fell down onto the couch crying harder then he thought possible. "Please, if he dies, don't process him, he doesn't want that." Kiba bawled into Kabuto's chest as Kabuto slowly stroked Kiba's hair. "Don't worry, he'll survive. They brought him back to us." Kabuto said, making Kiba take a sharp breath before crying out again, burying himself into Kabuto's chest once again. Kabuto continued to stroke Kiba's hair as his crying slowly came to a stop. "What happened?" Kiba said, taking a deep sniff. "I went in to deliver his meal and to talk to him about his violent outbursts, he wasn't anywhere to be found in the commons or the facilities. I opened the door to your room and found him hanging from the light fixture. He wrote this note before he did this and I think you should read it." Kabuto said as he passed Kiba the note. Kiba looked at it, his eyes once again watering. Kabuto watched as Kiba's tears splashed as drops of leaded sorrow on the piece of paper. Once again, Kiba started crying. "Oh god, please don't take him." Kiba cried out again before burying himself into Kabuto's chest. "Don't worry, they are taking him to the medical unit, he'll get good care, I promise." Kabuto said in a soft tone as an attempt to calm Kiba.
There was a knocking sound coming from the door. Kabuto reached around Kiba and opened the blind on the window, he noticed it was Asuma. "Come in." Kabuto called out after seeing who it was. "I have Naruto's status papers, I thought you would want to look these over. There is also a request for a stress test and mental evaluation if you want to consider that. Kiba, I am sure he'll be fine, just hang in there, not for yourself but for Naruto." Asuma said as he took a seat in a chair and looked at the two. "This is the first time I've had to deal with something like this. The training you get for a suicide attempt is one thing but when it actually happens, it's a complete different thing." Asuma said as he light a cigarette and took a deep drag. He reached over and turned on a fan to suck the smoke out of the room. "They'll send someone here once he is stabilized enough to be seen." Asuma said as he took another deep drag on his cigarette. Kiba looked around and noticed what exactly the person meant when they welcomed him to his new family. Kabuto was concerned, Asuma was concerned, the entire organization seemed to be mourning over the almost loss of a member. "When someone is processed, is this what happens?" Kiba finally asked. "Yes, normally all missions and activities are cancelled and everyone gets a few days off, they continue to pay everyone like they were at work, but it is a hard thing to deal with. The loss of anyone is something to mourn over." Asuma said from his chair.
After a few minutes, there was another knock. "Enter." Asuma called out in a rough tone, putting out his fifth cigarette in just as many minutes. Sakura walked in with a folder. "He's been sedated and had to have a trachea tube put in because of possible damage to his wind pipe. Other then that he's stabilized and can now have visitors." she said before turning and motioning for them to follow her. They followed her out of the office and to the elevator. Kiba looked down and saw a small spot of blood on the floor and looked back up at Kabuto. Kabuto nodded his head, confirming that in fact it was Naruto's. they stepped off the elevator at the 10th floor. "Hi, I'm Dr. Ayume Ichiraku, the doctor in charge of the medical unit, I can say that Naruto gave us a run for our money, we thought we would have to ship him out to an external hospital. He's still sleeping, the sedative should wear off in an hour and we wanted for Kiba to be here when he wakes up since he is Naruto's registered partner." the blond haired woman said as they walked into a treatment room with a single bed.
Kiba noticed the ventilator attached to Naruto and started crying once again. The slow rhythmic raise and fall of Naruto's chest was only met by the raise and fall of the bag on the ventilator. He noticed the IV bag hanging next to him and the line running to his hand. The rope burn on Naruto's neck and the dressing on one side that was stained red. He couldn't take any more, with a gasping scream he passed out. Kabuto was quick to catch Kiba and lower him to the floor. He would have done the same if he saw his lover in this condition. "I think he'll be fine in a few minutes, let's just put him in the recliner and give him some time to recover." Kabuto said. Dr. Ichiraku and Sakura both nodded their heads in agreement and helped Kabuto move Kiba into the chair.
Kiba slowly opened his eyes and was met by a sight he though he had seen in a nightmare. He was sitting in a treatment room. The soft wheezing sound of the ventilator drew his attention back to Naruto. He slid a chair over and took the hand that didn't have the IV set in it in his hand and slowly rubbed his thumb on the back of Naruto's hand. He watched as Naruto slowly breathed in and out. Finally there was some movement under Naruto's eye lids. The eye closest to Kiba opened and a gurgling sound came out of Naruto. "Shhh, don't try to talk, okay?" Kiba said as Naruto nodded his head. Sakura walked in and noticed Naruto's eyes were open. "Glad to see you're back with us. Don't try to talk, we have a tube helping you breath." she said as she walked closer and looked Naruto over.
Naruto made a motion like he was writing. Sakura handed him a dry erase board and a marker. "When is it going to be taken out?" Naruto wrote on the board before passing it back to Sakura. "They'll take it out shortly, once we are sure you can breath on your own." she said, Naruto smiled at her reply. He looked over at Kiba and mouthed two words, "Forgive me.". Kiba started to get tears in his eyes before replying. "I'll always forgive you." he said as he kissed the back of Naruto's hand. Naruto also started to tear up and motioned for Kiba to hug him. Kiba leaned over Naruto's body and took him into a soft hug. "Careful you don't move his neck, the x-rays haven't been read so we don't know if it's stable." Ayume said as she walked into the room. "I'm glad to see you're awake again, Naruto." she said as she shined a light in his eye to gauge pupil reaction. "Kiba, could you please step out?" she said as Sakura walked in with a trey. She injected a little more sedative into the IV on Naruto and he fell back asleep. Kiba walked out into the hallway, shutting the door behind him.
Ino walked up behind Kiba and rested a hand on his shoulder. Kiba leaned his face onto the hand, wanting comfort from where ever he could get it from at this point. "The x-rays showed no damage so they are going to take him off the ventilator." she said. Kiba looked at her and smiled. "Thanks." Kiba said in an almost silent tone. "Kiba, you may come back in." Sakura said as she walked out of the room with a small red box. He walked in and noticed that Naruto was sleeping again. "He'll wake up in a little bit, I'll call the other pod members if you want me to." Ayume said. "Ya, that would be nice if you would call our family." Kiba said with a smile. Ayume nodded her head and dialed the number for the control desk. "Pod 4 please." she said. A few seconds later, Kiba heard Kankuro's voice. "Kiba is requesting his and Narutos' family to be here with him." she said before hanging up. "They'll be up here shortly." she said before walking out of the room.
Kiba looked down the hallway towards the elevator and saw Shikamaru walk out. "Where are the others?" Kiba asked. "They'll be here soon." Shikamaru said as he walked into the room. "Wow, he doesn't look too good." Shikamaru said before he looked behind him and noticed Kiba looking pale. "I am sure he'll make it." he finished, hoping to make Kiba feel a little better. "Ya, he was hooked up to a ventilator earlier, I guess he can breath on his own now." Kiba said as Ino walked past him, pushing the large machine out of the room. "Ya, he's making some good progress." Ayume said from behind the two. She walked over to Naruto's IV and pulled out a syringe filled with a green fluid. Kiba let out a loud growl before advancing. "It's a reversal for the sedative." was all Ayume said in a calm tone before injecting the fluid in the IV.
Naruto's eyes fluttered open and he moaned loudly. Kiba about broke down in tears again as he noticed Naruto's pain. "He'll feel better once his throat gets some moisture in it." Sakura said as she walked past the two with a glass of water and some swabs. She slowly began to swab the inside of Naruto's mouth. After a few minutes, she walked out of the room. "He's able to talk again. It's really horse and almost like a whisper so give him some time." she said before walking back to the nurses station. Kiba walked in and took a seat next to Naruto. His breathing was more normal and Naruto was looking around, trying to move his head with little success. "Kiba, I'm so sorry for getting you involved with all of this." Naruto whispered out before letting out a cry that resembled a mouse squeaking. "Naruto, don't say that. If you didn't get me involved, I'd be dead now." Kiba said as he leaned close to Naruto's ear. "And I'll forgive you this one time." he finished whispering into Naruto's ear. His eyes began to water again as he closed his eyes in a slow blink. When his eyes went completely closed, the tears ran streaks of sorrow down his face.
Shikamaru walked into the room and leaned up against a wall. Naruto looked across at the room and smiled towards Shikamaru. He returned the smile before walking closer to Naruto. "You gave us all a scare, what the hell possessed you to do this?" Shikamaru asked as he took a seat next to Kiba. "I just wanted to be with my parents so bad, I could almost smell them again." Naruto said as more tears started to slide down his face. Gaara ran into the room and stopped dead in his tracks. Naruto looked the worst he had ever seen him. "It's okay, he's fine Gaara." Kiba said, motioning for Gaara to come closer. The next person to enter the room surprised them the most. Naruto's eyes widened towards the door. Kiba looked over and pressed the call light, growling at the same time. Kotetsu was walking into the room with a small box. "Kiba, he's here for a different reason." Kankuro said as he entered the room. "I am here to say that I am sorry." was all Kotetsu said. "For what?" Shikamaru asked. "Almost 18 years ago, I was a front line agent on a mission. That mission was to stop the research being done by Minato Namikaze about the organization and the processing plant. Before I knew what was going on, I was being confronted by the person I was trying to stop. After a short altercation, I put him in a head lock and twisted a little with the intent of making him pass out. I twisted too far and snapped his neck. I heard a sharp scream from behind me and turned around to find Kushina Uzumaki, his girlfriend, watching the whole thing. I went into instincts and took her out. What I didn't know is that she was with child and that I had killed her as well. After hearing of that detail, I went into hiding within the organization and became a processing agent to hide my identity. But now, I guess it's time I lived up to my mistake. Naruto, I am sorry for killing your parents and for almost killing you." Kotetsu said as he hung his head. Everyone's jaws hit the floor. Kiba looked more pissed then ever. Kotetsu walked up to Naruto and pulled a small tool out of his pocket. "Kiba, I am not going to hurt anyone, Asuma asked me to reveal these. Because this all happened on my ninth mission, he was given the label of "Kyuubi", his mother was brought here before they processed her and Naruto was removed from her. He survived the attack and had six marks placed on his cheeks to identify him." Kotetsu said. Naruto looked over at him and scratched under his right eye. Slowly the rubber like material was removed and revealed the three whisker markings on his right side. Kiba looked at him and gasped. Kotetsu did the same thing to the left side, revealing the marks.
"Naruto, your markings have become revealed to everyone, how do you feel?" Asuma asked as he walked into the room with Itichi following him closely. "I guess it's something I need to live with for the rest of my life now." Naruto said in a loud whisper. Itachi smiled. "You know, through out the years, I never thought that the Kyuubi would give himself up this easily, or even join at his own will." Itachi said as Naruto looked around the room. They knew his history but suppressed it. "Why did this get hidden for so long?" Naruto asked, his voice slowly returning to normal. "Because, many people in the city heard about how the Kyuubi was an omen to death and disaster. If it had been known, you would have been looked down on even harder. There were only a few people who knew, your uncle being one of them." Itachi said. Kiba looked at Naruto and nodded his head. "Well, that explains why he reacted to you coming out the way he did." Kiba said. "Sadly, if we tag someone with an operational name and they come out of the closet, we will try our best to get them to join, but most times that results in disaster." Itachi said. "Once I heard that you were seeking admissions, I jumped on it in a heart beat. You see, after you were born, we injected a genetic agent into your blood. This agent gave you the power to not only recover quickly from injury but also to be able to focus your life energy into being able to transport people without physically moving them. You can also cause people to pass out and if you train hard enough there is a slight chance that you could even create illusions that the other people will see as real but you won't." Itachi said. "The only thing that is left is for you to come to the decision on whether or not to activate it." he finished with a long drag. "Naruto, in this box is the activating agent for the serum in your blood, after it is injected it will give you the powers we had desired for you to have. The choice is yours and yours alone to make." Kotetsu said as he pulled out a syringe filled with a blood red fluid.
With that being said, Kotetsu walked out of the room and handed the box to Ayume. Ayume smiled and placed the box in her pocket before going to the nurses station. Shikamaru heard a locker come open then close, assuming they were locking the syringe up so that Naruto wouldn't be forced into making any decisions against his will. This made Shikamaru smile, but the fact that Naruto had this decision to make made Kiba worry for his lover. "If Naruto decided not to go with this, what'll happen?" Kiba finally asked. "Well, if he does indeed decide not to complete the transformation, the serum will be destroyed and he won't have to think about it again." Asuma said. Naruto looked around the room. He looked directly at Asuma then looked at the others. "Could I please have a word alone with Master Saritobi." Naruto said. The others nodded their heads and slowly walked out. Kiba was the last one to leave the room. "Kiba, please close the door behind you." Naruto said in a soft tone.
Naruto waited until he heard the click of the door. "Asuma, I am wondering what the side effects are." Naruto said. "Well, not really much, just migraines and some reproductive problems." Asuma said, making Naruto raise an eye brow. "Like what kind of problems? Underproduction or sterility?" Naruto asked. "Well, the exact opposite. It'll make you be able to produce more and will actually enhance fertility." Asuma said. Naruto smiled at the though of this and thought for a while. Asuma looked on as Naruto was thinking and got up. "I'll give you some time to think it over, just turn your call light on when you are ready." Asuma said before closing the door.
Kiba saw Asuma walk out of the room and ran up to him. "Well, did he make a decision?" Kiba asked in a hurried tone. "He's still thinking about it." Asuma said as he took a seat next to Kabuto and Kankuro. "I told him the advantages and disadvantages to having the conversion completed but he wanted a little time to himself to think about it." Asuma said as the call light came on. Sakura walked in then walked out after a while.
Asuma walked into the room and noticed that Naruto looked as if he was ready to take on anything. "I'll do it." he said with a smile.
