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Take Another Breath
Very few people could read Kakashi well enough to tell when something was on his mind. Anyone that looked across would see an open book on his lap and assume he was reading. A trained would have noticed the teacher hadn't turned the page once. Guy hadn't trained alongside any ANBU sensed a change in his eternal rival. Kakashi's silence wouldn't have been unusual, but Guy was one of the few people that could sense.
"Oi, Kakashi what troubles my eternal rival on such a day?" Guy asked.
Kakashi looked up from his book waved off his comrade's concern. "Nothing, I'm just hoping Iruka will be able to handle my dogs for me. Pakun may be a small dog, but you'd be surprised how much trouble he can get into." He answered.
Tears began streaming down his rivals' face. "Your bond that you share with your dogs never stops. Don't worry my rival, your precious dogs are in safe hands." He reassured.
Kakashi went back to staring at the same page trying to find the answer to a question that had been haunting him all morning.
Finding someone to watch over his dogs at short notice hadn't been easy. Working alongside Iruka long enough to read his mannerisms, and right now the man had something on his mind. "Kakashi, I know you and Guy will be busy, but if it's possible can you keep an eye on Naruto today. You know how he can be sometimes, just don't let him push himself." He asked.
Kakashi hadn't stopped thinking about Iruka's words ever since. "Iruka's always been protective of Naruto, he's probably worried Naruto's going to work himself into the ground." The instructor told himself his plausible theory didn't lessen the man's concern. "But why ask me, there were plenty of other people Iruka could have asked?" It had been years since the ex-special forces had felt this troubled. "They were all right when they said being a teacher came with its own challenges." He recalled.
At first, Kakashi turned down the offer when Saratobi first offered him a job teaching teenagers. After weeks of gentle coaxing and Guy pestering him around the clock, Kakashi relented and agreed to a three-month trial. Kakashi soon realised couldn't shut off his feelings. But as time passed, the man started learning new skills. Every time one of his students succeed at something his chest would well up with pride. Kakashi was proud to know he'd played a part of that.
"You know today is about improving our student's teamwork," he reminded gently. "Now's the time we can kick back and relax."
When Guy turned to face Kakashi his eyes full of fire and determination. "How can I sit by with so many new people to challenge?" He asked. "Don't worry you'll always be my eternal rival," Guy promised.
Kakashi smiled warmly under his mask. While the rest of staff often mocked Guy's over-enthusiastic approach to teaching, Kakashi envied his rivals positive outlook on life. The last year hadn't been easy for his rival. Kakashi found himself thinking about one student who couldn't be here today. Early one morning while walking his pack of canines, he saw not one but two Guy's jogging side by side. Thinking he'd just imagined the sight, Kakashi did check again only to find he was not mistaken.
A second glance the person running beside his rival was a little shorter than him. Not only did Lee have the same bushy eyebrows and hairstyle but the teenager was also wearing the same hideous green jumpsuit as Guy. Lee's tragic death hit everyone hard, but it broke Guy the most. As much as Kakashi respected his rival even he wasn't sure if Guy could bounce back from such a loss. "Lee would have probably joined you," he said.
Just when Kakashi thought he'd put his foot in it Guy smiled back at him. "Kakashi, even though Lee isn't here, my student's passion still burns within me." He declared. "I'm going to try even harder today in honour of my student." He vowed as he punched the air.
"Guy, you never fail to surprise me." Kakashi smiled. The coach came to an abrupt stop signalling they'd finally arrived.
Sasuke shared his classes just as impressed by the training ground. "Kakashi wasn't kidding about this place being secretive, you could walk for miles and never find this place." The picturesque scenery stirred up a lot of old family memories often took camping trips in the summer. It had been years since he'd slept under the stars and roasted marshmallows on an open fire. While Sasuke relived some of his childhood Memories his fingers started playing with his necklace.
"Why am I thinking about that now, no matter how much it won't bring them back." Sasuke heard a loud crash behind him. When the Uchiha turned he saw Naruto on the ground. Everyone around him laughed at the teenager's spectacular fall. "Typical," Sasuke wasn't taken in by that fake smile anymore not after seeing what was underneath that orange jumpsuit. "Just how long has Naruto been self-harming, is it somehow connected to Kiba's death?" He wondered. "And why did he leave a card last night, why now when Kiba's been dead for weeks?"
Instead of finding evidence Sasuke had only found questions to answer. "Apart from the sketchbook, I haven't found any more physical evidence linking him to either of the deaths." Sasuke thought back to all the times he'd been in the bathroom trying to recall if he'd seen any blood. "If there had been any traces in there I would have seen it. Besides if Naruto was still cutting I would have noticed, they'd be signs, right?. We spent most of the day together. There's no way anyone could hide that sort of thing." He thought.
Out of the corner of his eye, Sasuke noticed Naruto continued to fidget all the way talked. "What's gotten into that idiot today, he's even more clumsy than usual?" He wondered.
A stern voice broke Sasuke's concentration. "Alright everyone gather around, my name's captain Yamato and I'll be your teacher for today."
Yamato was everything Sasuke pictured an ANBU to look like, stern, strong and a gaze that silenced even the noisiest classmate. "We've put together a series of tasks for you all to complete..." Before he'd even finished his sentence a number of hands flew into the sky. "I'll answer any questions after but before we go any further, I want all of you to hand in any phones or jewellery." Everyone started to groan as if the man had just ordered them to cut a limb off. Unlike their instructors, Yamato only had to glare at the crowd to silence them. "You'll all be too busy to check your messages and we don't want any of them getting broken. Your possessions will be handed back to you at the end of the day," He promised.
Even though Sasuke wouldn't even dream of disobeying the ANBU captain, he reluctantly put the necklace in the back his neck already felt naked without his mother's jewellery. Yamato went over all the rules. Sasuke gave Yamato his full attention until one particular ANBU caught the teenager's eye. "Shisui!" Sasuke couldn't stop himself from calling out to the family friend.
The familiar face went from stern to smiling in seconds. "Sasuke!" Shisui walked toward him. "Itachi didn't mention you were coming today." He laughed.
The very mention of Itachi grabbed everyone's full attention. All of Sasuke's classmates started gathering around Shisui hoping to learn more about the legendary prodigy. "Itachi Uchiha really trained here?" One of the students asked. "Is it true that he still holds the record?" Most of the class gawped at Shisui's revelation.
Sasuke just as a surprise as his classmates. Itachi refused to talk about his time with ANBU. No matter how hard Sasuke tried his brother, always dodged the topic by poking him on the forehead. "Sorry Sasuke, maybe next time," he'd say. Sasuke found himself touching his forehead. "It doesn't matter where I am the very second someone mentions, Itachi and I'm forgotten." He thought darkly. "Not today, this time I'm going to shine." He vowed. "I'll beat your precious record and make everyone see I am not to be underestimated."
During any physical activity, none of his class came close to matching him, except for one student that always made him push that little harder in a race. At first, Sasuke immediately rejected the idea. "No anyone but him, we already share a room, if we're seen together any more people will start talking," he reasoned denying the real reason he didn't want to team up with Naruto. Sasuke's thought kept coming back to what he saw that night. "He's the only person here who can keep up with me. Wait...I can't let Naruto think I need him, I'll never live it down." With his mind made up Sasuke swallowed as he approached Naruto.
While the rest of his classmates looked forward to their task and bombarded Yamato with questions, Naruto desperately wanted to get back on the bus and go home. "No one mentioned anything about a lake," the orange-clad's stomach turned to ice whenever he caught a glimpse of water. A horrifying possibility occurred to the teen. "What if they want us to swim?" He panicked. Naruto jumped when someone touched his shoulder, the blond's fear turned to relief when he saw Choji's smiling face.
"Oh hey Choji, did you want to be partners?" He greeted at last.
Choji shook his head. "I'd love too but, someone already asked me," he explained. "Have you picked your partner yet?" He asked.
Days like this brought back so many memories. "Right about now Kiba would start trying to find ways to show off to the girls." The blond scratched the back of his head to hide the fact his chest was aching. "No, not yet, good thing Shikamaru isn't here he'd probably start saying what drag and find somewhere to nap and stare at clouds." He joked.
"Yeah that sounds like Shikamaru," he laughed. "Actually, I wanted to ask you something, what it's like sharing a room with Sasuke?" He asked.
Naruto was a little surprised to see Choji taking an interest. "Sasuke's not as bad as I thought, but you wouldn't believe how clean he is. I swear that neat freak inspects the bathroom every time I use it." He complained. "One morning he lectured me for an hour because he found a hair in the sink. It wasn't even mine." He protested. "Oh and he hogs the bathroom." He added.
Choji chuckled at his friend's description. "Sakura will be disappointed to hear that. You know how much she loves to look her best."
It suddenly occurred to Naruto that no one else knew that Sasuke was gay. "I wonder if... Sasuke likes anyone," Just as the blond wondered he stopped himself. "What am I thinking Sasuke probably already has someone. I wonder if he's dating Neji." The thought of Sasuke dating depressed the blond he could feel chest tightened a little. "It makes perfect sense, Neji's smart and maybe's a little handsome. He's probably a better match for him." He thought sadly.
"Hey earth to Naruto, you were spaced out so long I ate a bag of chips." Choji boasted.
Naruto smiled back at Choji nervously, "My bad, I was so excited about today I couldn't sleep." He lied.
"Speaking of dreaming, I got a nice photo of you two together." The grin never left Choji's face.
It took Naruto awhile to understand the meaning behind Choji's words. Then the realisation hit the teen like a bolt of lightning. "Erm, Choji, please tell me you didn't take a picture of me sleeping earlier." The blond hoped and prayed that his friend had forgotten to bring his phone with him.
One look at Choji and Naruto knew his worst fears were confirmed. "I wonder what Sakura will say when I show her you cosying up to her future husband." Choji teased. "The last time we talked, she'd already picked out baby names for their kids."
Naruto knew Choji wouldn't upload the photo, his friend was far too kind-hearted to do that. It would only take one person to see the incriminating photo. This time every fangirl would be after the blond's blood. "No you wouldn't dare, please Choji you can never show that picture to anyone. It took months for everyone to forget the kiss. I'll buy you all the barbeque in the world just please delete the photo." He begged.
Only to see Sasuke standing behind him. "Could today get any worse?" The blond asked himself.
"Do you want to be my partner?" Sasuke asked.
Naruto stared at his roommate wondering if he'd heard correctly. "Wait...what's happening is Sasuke actually asking me to work with him?" A flock of butterflies had made themselves at home inside Naruto's stomach started flapping their wings at once. "Yeah...sure...I'll team up with you." Before they set off, Naruto wanted to say one last thing. "Oh about last night, I'm sorry I ruined dinner." He apologized.
"Forget about it, just go pick up the supplies while I get the map and then we can get ready to leave," Sasuke said walking off to collect his things.
"Sure I'll see you in a minute. Thanks, Choji, good luck today." He said hurrying off to get his things, along the way, Naruto frantically tried to recall anything that could help him. "I'm sure Kakashi told about survival training once or was that Iruka's class?" The frustrated teen cursed at himself for not paying attention in class. "Damn it I can't choke now, I won't look stupid in front of Sasuke again."
Choji stared at his friend in disbelief. There was no hiding that smile and flushed cheeks. "Could it be...oh Shikamaru why did you have to go to a family reunion?" he asked himself.
Once everyone had picked a partner and collected their things the teams set off. While some of them sprinted off, other teams argued which way they were supposed to go. Even though they were way ahead of the other teams, Sasuke refused to stop for anything. As frustrating as this could be at times, Naruto was a little impressed by his rivals determination. "I've never seen Sasuke so fired up before. Looks like he really wants to win this race." Naruto couldn't stop himself from smiling. "I may not be able to win his heart but I can help him win this race." the teen vowed.
As the duo pushed on Naruto occasionally checked to see if any of the other teams had caught up with them. Each time the blond couldn't see a single person behind them. When half an hour passed without seeing any of their classmates Naruto grew suspicious. "Are you sure you're reading that map right?" He questioned when the stopped again. Naruto tried to sneak a peak of the map but Sasuke he put it away again before he could see anything. "We should have seen someone by now." He pointed out.
"What's the matter, don't tell me you're tired already?" Sasuke accused.
"What no way!" Naruto annoyed with himself for falling for such an obvious taunt. "Are you sure you're ok, you haven't taken a break since we set off?" When he looked back only to see Sasuke was already walking down the hill. "It's weird seeing Sasuke wearing clothes like that, he looks so normal and handsome," he blushed a little. "Focus, there's no time to be thinking about him now." He told himself.
Until Naruto heard a sound, it was quiet at first, but as they followed the path towards the source of the sound it got louder. A small waterfall with a bridge with a river flowing underneath it. "Sasuke, let's pick a different path," Naruto suggested hoping Sasuke wouldn't be able to detect the fear in his voice. Sasuke grabbed his wrist and started pulling the reluctant blond towards the wooden structure. The reason for his heart rate increasing had nothing to do with his roommate's warm hand. "You know I'm getting thirsty we could stop and rest for a bit." He offered as they got closer.
"If we stop now we'll have to cover lost ground," Sasuke explained.
They were inches from stepping onto the first wooden plank when at last Naruto pulled his arm free. "No there's no way I'm crossing that thing!" He declared backing away until his back hit a tree.
Sasuke's cold look stopped Naruto in his tracks. Naruto believed Sasuke only possessed two emotions; ignorance and smart. Sometimes Naruto couldn't be sure what his roommate was thinking, but as he looked into Sasuke's onyx eyes was unmistakable. "He's really angry this time."
"Fine suit yourself." Sasuke turned his back and started walking away.
Each step Sasuke took made Naruto more uneasy, by the time his rival got to the halfway point his heart was beating so hard Naruto thought his chest was going to burst. "No, what is Sasuke doing, doesn't he know it's not safe?" He fretted. Before the blond could think about it his legs started moving all on their own. As soon as Naruto got close enough he wrapped his arms around Sasuke's waist.
When Sasuke felt a pair of strong arms wrapped around his waist he wasn't sure how to react at first. "What is this idiot playing at?" Sasuke the Uchiha asked himself. As he tried to understand he heard Naruto mumble under his breath.
"Sorry Sasuke, but I can't let you do this." His voice sounded a little muffled. Before Sasuke could question Naruto started roughly dragging back in the opposite direction. Sasuke didn't care about the record anymore underestimated just how strong his classmate was. began to panic. "Get off me!" Sasuke demanded. The pair froze when they heard a sicking crack beneath their feet. Naruto stopped pulling him back, seconds later they were falling before both teenagers plunged into the water.
Natural Instincts kicked Sasuke surface, the strong current had already carried him a few meters from the bridge. The Uchiha started to swim for the shoreline. The strong current made it feel like he'd been swimming for miles when at last his feet found the riverbed and he could pull himself out of the water. Once he was safely on dry land, Sasuke panted heavily his limbs ached much more than should they should be. "I've allowed my body to weaken since I haven't been keeping up with my fitness." He realized. "We wouldn't even be in this situation if Naruto hadn't tried to pull me back in the first place. Just what was that idiot's goal anyway?" He wondered.
As the teen tried to make sense of everything the sound of splashing broke Sasuke out of his stupor, looked up and saw Naruto floundering in the water. Despite the cold water seeping into his skin, Sasuke couldn't help but mock Naruto's atrocious technique. "What is that idiot up to now?" Sasuke ignored his roommate and turned his attention to his waterlogged clothes. When he checked on Naruto again, his teammate still hadn't made any headway, a couple of things caught Sasuke's attention.
Firstly, Naruto wasn't using his legs, he looked as though he was trying to climb a ladder and lastly his struggles were getting weaker. Another few seconds passed before the awful realization hit the Uchiha. "Oh god, he's drowning," Sasuke realized. The teenager frantically looked for something he could throw the blond. "Damn it what do I do? If I go out there he'll probably drag me down too." As Sasuke assessed the situation Naruto starting to sink.
"There's not enough time, I need to do something fast." With time running out Sasuke threw off his jacket and shoes all he could see was his yellow hair. "Oi, don't you dare give up, I'm coming!" Sasuke hoped his voice would reach his rival. Just as the teen went to dive in, Kakashi came running down the path towards them. His teacher didn't even bother removing any of his clothing before he jumped into the river.
Before Sasuke could follow his instructor into the water a strong force dragged him away. "No, stay here you'll only get in Kakashi's way." Sasuke stopped struggling when he heard the ANBU captain's harsh voice.
Yamato pulled him back up the riverbank Sasuke flashed Yamato a fierce glare. "How can he just stand here?" He asked himself. When Sasuke looked back into the water he saw Kakashi had already reached Naruto just as the blond went under. Kakashi lifted Naruto's head above the water and with one arm swam on his back.
It had taken nearly all of Sasuke's strength to just get to shore, but Kakashi made it look effortless.
Yamato refused to loosen his grip until Kakashi was within reach Sasuke ready to help Kakashi only for Yamato to once again push him aside.
The teen froze when he saw Naruto's pale skin and blue lips. "He...he...looks awful." Sasuke kept his distance while both instructors rolled Naruto into the recovery position. As soon as he was rolled on to his side, Naruto broke into a violent coughing fit. The raven felt completely helpless while he watched both the ANBU captain and his teacher focused all their attention on the ill teenager. Kakashi gently rubbed Naruto's back until the coughing subsided.
"Shhh, it's ok Naruto, just breathe." Kakashi soothed.
Yamato seemed satisfied that Kakashi had everything under control. "I'll call an ambulance, keep Naruto talking," Yamato ordered walking away.
All eyes were on Naruto when he tried to speak. His voice a far cry from his usual loud tone. Sasuke needed to strain his ears so he could make out what Naruto was saying. "Sasu...where's Sasu?" Naruto rasped.
Sasuke and Kakashi weren't the only ones surprised by Naruto's calls. Yamato pulled the phone away from his ear his face became almost as white Naruto's. "Was there someone else in the water with you?" The ANBU captain frantically scanned the river searching for any signs of a third person.
Before anyone else could enter the water, Kakashi went to calm his former comrade. "It's alright Yamato, I think I know who Naruto's calling for," the instructor went back to comforting his anxious student. "Shhh, it's ok, Sasuke's alright, he's standing right here." The instructor reassured.
Kakashi's explanation left Sasuke even more baffled. "That doesn't make any sense," As Sasuke tried to find another find another explanation, the teen recalled he'd heard Naruto say that odd name before. "That night when I had that dream, he said it back then too." Back then, Sasuke had been too tired to care. Sasuke completely forgot Naruto was still searching for him. "Yeah, I'm here usuratonkachi." He said bending down next to the Orange-clad.
Life seemed to pour back into those azure eyes. Naruto's smile faltered a little. "Blood," he whispered reaching up to touch Sasuke's cheek his fingers came away red.
Sasuke looked down he saw tiny red dots on the forest floor. "Please no," Sasuke could already taste the bile in his mouth. The Uchiha's hand trembled as he touched the back of his head. Sasuke didn't have time to do his breathing exercises face down on the forest floor. Sasuke was able to stay awake just long enough to hear Kakashi's alarmed voice before his world went dark.
With Guy eagerly volunteered to teach the ANBU some hand to hand combat. The laid-back instructor considered sneaking away to a quiet place to read his book. Yamato offered to show Kakashi some of their old haunts decided to take his former partner on his offer. Whether it was luck or fate that brought Kakashi to that specific area, the ex-ANBU captain was thankful he'd agreed to join his friend, otherwise, today could've ended very differently.
Every so often Kakashi would glance at the bed next to him. Weeks could pass by when Kakashi didn't hear Sasuke say a word in class. But this was different. The teenager didn't even flinch when the nurse stitched his gash and continued to stare blankly ahead. Another few minutes passed until Sasuke formed a sentence. "Where did they take Naruto?" He asked, his student's voice seemed to tremble.
"I don't know, Sasuke," Kakashi answered truthfully. he'd followed the medics down the maze of corridors, even when the doctors prevented him from going any further Kakashi didn't take his eye off his student until the heavy doors swung shut. After that, the instructor vaguely recalled his comrade guiding him to a ward. Unlike Sasuke, Naruto only seemed to deteriorate during the journey to meet with the ambulance.
"What's taking them so long, the water wasn't that cold?" Sasuke pointed out impatiently.
Kakashi snapped his book shut at Sasuke's comment his classmate ANBU training. "Drowning is very serious, Sasuke," he said sternly. The laid-back instructor couldn't remember last time he'd raised his voice like this. "Hypothermia isn't the only danger. It's very possible Naruto swallowed water, there's a chance some of that fluid found its way into his lungs. If that's the case, then the doctors will need to stabilize his oxygen levels before they can thoroughly examine him." Kakashi could see his words had left their mark.
"If you're that concerned then why are you lying around with me, shouldn't you be with Naruto?" Sasuke demanded.
Kakashi studied his student for a moment trying to gage Sasuke's intentions. "Believe me, if it wasn't for my worry wort of a comrade I'd be with Naruto now." Yamato had all but handcuffed him to the bed. Sasuke went back to staring at the wall again and he returned to reading his novel. By now the adrenaline had worn off Kakashi began to feel the cold. He'd changed into a fresh pair of clothes, "Maybe Tenzo had a point after all." Kakashi was never going to admit that to his comrade.
The two males sat in silence until Sasuke's soft voice broke. "Why didn't he call out for help,?" The teenager asked.
Kakashi diverted his attention from his precious book to answer his student's question. "Drowning isn't like the movies," Kakashi began, keeping his tone softer this time. "When the body is struggling like that more effort is put into breathing than shouting." He explained. "Still it'a miracle Naruto was able to stay afloat as long as he did." Kakashi didn't plan on sharing that detail with Sasuke.
Just when the instructor found his place a loud familiar voice caught his attention. "Excuse me, I'm looking for Sasuke Uchiha I was told he'd been brought to this ward. I'm his brother." The voice sounded frantic. Itachi didn't even wait for the nurse to reply and raced towards Sasuke. Sasuke barely sat up before his brother pulled him into a bone-crushing hug. "Thank god you're alright." He heard.
Sasuke tried to free himself from his brothers' embrace, but the older sibling refused to let go struggling teen. "What are you doing here?" He demanded as he tried to pull himself out of Itachi's tight grip.
Itachi paused to catch his breath back before he answered his brother's question. "Shisui phoned me an hour ago. He told me that you and another student were taken to the hospital. He couldn't tell me which one of you was in a bad way." Once Itachi finished explaining the older brother quickly regained his composer. "What happened are you alright?" He asked his voice returning to its soft tone.
From his hospital bed, Kakashi quietly observed the pair. When Kakashi first laid eyes on Itachi he too questioned ANBU's decision to recruit a nineteen-year-old. Any doubts his team shared quickly melted away, prodigies as myths and exaggerations. He never actually thought such a person could exist. In no time at all Itachi became captain of his own team. In all that time they'd worked together, Kakashi never once saw the Uchiha shaken, until that fateful night. That day Kakashi witnessed Itachi's devotion to his little brother. "It's nice to know some things haven't changed." He smiled.
Even with his brother by his bedside Sasuke still seemed dazed. "Yeah I'm fine, I just needed a few stitches, I don't have a concussion so I can go home later." The teenager's voice still shook a little.
When his student deliberately left out the part where he fainted. Kakashi quietly observed as Itachi studied his younger brother closely. "Looks like Sasuke isn't immune to Itachi's intuition. It doesn't matter how long it takes, sooner or later Itachi will drag the truth out of him." He thought to himself.
"That's a relief, I'm glad you're safe Sasuke. What about the other boy, is he alright?" Itachi sounded genuinely concerned for his student's welfare.
Kakashi decided to speak up. "We're not sure at the moment. I think the doctors are still examining Naruto," Kakashi guessed.
Itachi racked his brains trying to remember why that name sounded so familiar. "Naruto, that name sounds familiar?" When at last Itachi remembered. "Wait, don't tell me that's the same boy who stayed with you in the ambulance." If it wasn't possible but Itachi looked even more concerned.
Sasuke nodded slowly. "Yeah, he...well." Kakashi decided to save his student from reliving the ordeal.
"Naruto got into difficulty when he fell into a river. Thankfully Yamato and I were able to rescue him in time just as Sasuke was about to jump in himself." He added. The emotion in Itachi's eyes lasted for a second. Kakashi knew exactly what was going through his friend's mind. "He's thankful Sasuke didn't go into the water, that's understandable considering what happened to his family." He thought.
"I see, well I'm glad you're alright Kakashi," Itachi's warm smile hid any fear. "Do you need me to contact anybody for you?"
Itachi's offer reminded the ex-ANBU something important. "Now that you mention it there is something, can I borrow your phone I need to contact Saratobi and update him?" He requested.
"There's no need, Saratobi-Sama already knows and he's contacted Jiraya." All three heads turned to see Iruka standing beside Kakashi. It might have been the trick of the light, but Kakashi swore he saw Iruka briefly glare in Sasuke's direction. "Naruto's stable, the doctors are just waiting for the results of his chest x-ray." He explained. "Captain Yamato's already filled me in. What I want to know is what were you two doing so far off the trail?" He questioned, no mistaking the wrath in his colleges' voice.
Itachi seemed confused. "Off the trail, I thought you said Naruto fell into a river?" No one seemed to hear the older brother's question.
With Naruto in no condition to answer questions and Sasuke still in shock, Kakashi hadn't planned on questioning his student just yet, but his subordinate's odd behaviour piqued Kakashi's curiosity. The very same sick feeling he'd experienced that morning returned with a vengeance. "I thought Iruka was just being overprotective, but now I'm beginning to think Iruka knows something," Kakashi reasoned, for the instructor decided to close his book.
Everyone turned their attention to Sasuke who looked like a child that had been dragged into the headmaster's office. A few minutes passed until the teenager broke his silence. "When Shisui gave us our maps, I took a different route so I'd get to the finish line faster. At first, Naruto refused to cross the bridge so I went on my own. He started pulling me back. We struggled and the wood gave way and we fell into the water." He revealed. "I didn't know the backpack was that heavy."
Some of the harshnesses left the instructors eyes. "I doubt that would have made any difference," All three men anxiously waited for Iruka to explain further. "Naruto can't swim," Iruka revealed at last.
Iruka's revelation caught Kakashi completely off guard. "How can that be?" he exclaimed not bothering to hide the disbelief in his voice. From the moment Naruto stepped off the bus the sharp-eyed teacher noticed his usually hyper student fidgeting and jumpy. But he never thought for a second the two things were connected. "Of course, How on earth didn't I realize this sooner." Kakashi suspected Iruka would hold him responsible. "Iruka-sensei if I'd known I would have never let Naruto out of my sight." He explained.
"You're not the one that should be apologizing Kakashi-San," Iruka reassured glaring at Sasuke.
Sasuke found Iruka's gaze impossible to avoid. No doubt his young student
"I expect you'll be wanting to see Naruto Iruka." Kakashi
Iruka blinked in surprise shifted uncomfortably. "Actually, I came to make sure you were alright and to thank you for saving Naruto," he admitted. "If you hadn't been there I don't t know what would have happened."
This show of gratitude took Kakashi by surprise, he wasn't sure how to respond to his comrade. "You know how much I hate paperwork," he said expecting Iruka to scold him for his inappropriate remark, but Iruka surprised Kakashi again when he laughed. The man tried to change the subject before Iruka noticed his rosy cheeks. "Since you're here, how are my dogs?" Kakashi asked.
The teacher breathed a sigh of relief when Iruka snorted. "You didn't tell me Pakkun was so much trouble. I never imagined I'd be outsmarted by a small pug. I swear that dog knew exactly what he was doing." He mumbled. "Guy volunteered to look after them so I could come check on you, I hope that's not a problem."
Kakashi rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, out of all his dogs Pakkun was the smartest and at times the alpha of the group. "Sorry about him he can be a handful, I'm sorry my dogs gave you too much trouble. I'll hire a pet sitter next time." He apologized. "I better call Guy before he walks my poor dogs into the ground." Out of habit, Kakashi reached into his pocket before remembering his phone had been ruined by the water. "Erm, I don't suppose I could borrow your phone for a second?" He asked sheepishly.
When Kakashi turned to Sasuke he saw Itachi giving him a knowing look. "Curse you Itachi and your perceptiveness."
Beep...beep...beep
Without opening his eyes, Naruto silently cursed at his enemy. "I can lie here for a few more minutes, besides Kakashi takes an hour to turn up." He reasoned shifting under his warm blanket. Naruto the strong smell of disinfectant assaulting his nostrils preventing him from returning to his dream. "Doesn't that germophobe give up?." As the teenager tried to ignore the odour he vowed to hide Sasuke's bleach supply.
When the beeping still hadn't stopped, Naruto let out a groan as he lazily reached for his bedside table to throw the wretched machine at the wall. Instead of touching wood his hand grabbed thin air. "Wait, where am I?" The noise got faster the more he panicked. The Orange-clad's eyes flew open to see a white room he didn't recognise and a plastic thing in his nose. Naruto went to pull the object out of his nose until a firm hand grabbed his wrist.
"Don't even think about taking that off," a stern voice commanded a strong hand gently forced Naruto back to bed.
When Naruto slowly turned his head he saw a tall man with long white hair sitting an uncomfortable looking chair. "Pervy sage?" breathing slowed down and Naruto could piece together what was going on. A quick observation told him he was in a hospital which answered most of his questions. Next Naruto tried work out why he was there. "We had a trip," he recalled. "Sasuke walked out on a bridge, then we..." Everything came flooding back to the teen. "How long have you been sitting there?" He asked, his dry throat couldn't produce anything louder than a whisper.
Jiraya stretched out his stiff back. "Hiruzen called me yesterday afternoon, you've been asleep since I got here," he explained. His godfather crossed his arms. "I don't know why I bothered to rush here, you rarely call me these days." Jiraiya pointed out, it was meant to sound irritated, but Naruto could tell his guardian wasn't being serious.
"Sorry, I've been getting a lot of homework lately," he apologised. Naruto checked the rest of the beds searching for any sign of his roommate. He remembered Sasuke passing out next to him. Almost too afraid to ask his guardian. "Do you know if Sasuke and Kakashi-Sensei are ok?" Naruto asked nervously.
"Oh, your roommate and teacher, are fine. Kakashi came by last night and asked how you were while you were asleep. Sasuke's got a few stitches, but nothing serious they discharged him last night. That's nothing compared to what Iruka would have done if he'd got his hands on him." Jiraiya's tone alone was enough to tip Naruto off his godparent knew something.
No words were exchanged and yet both of them knew what the other was thinking. "From that look on your face, you really didn't know. That particular area of the forest was off limits because of the heavy rainfall. Sasuke admitted to changing the map so he could win a race." He explained, "They'll be a meeting today to discuss Sasuke's punishment, I wouldn't want to be in his shoes that's for sure." His godfather finished.
Naruto stared at the ground while everything sank in. "What's wrong with me? I should feel like punching Sasuke in the face for putting me through all that, but I don't," By now the teenager had given up trying to understand his feelings. Instead, Naruto thought back to Sasuke's behaviour yesterday. "That explains why Sasuke kept the hold of the map. Why didn't you just tell me?" He thought miserably. As much as Naruto sympathised with Sasuke he also understood why his guardian and Iruka were angry. "I never told Sasuke couldn't swim. When I thought I was going to sink I heard Sasuke's voice. He was coming back for me." Naruto defended. "They won't expel him will they?" He asked.
"You know I just can't understand you sometimes, before all this happened you were always complaining about your classmate, now you're defending him." He mentioned. "What's going on?" His godfather accused.
Naruto knew his godfather wasn't going to leave until he got an explanation. "A few nights ago I saw someone put something into Sasuke's drink. When I finally caught up with them they'd already started beating Sasuke. I couldn't just stand by and watch while they rap..." Even weeks after the incident Naruto still, couldn't bring himself to say the word.
Jiaraya hadn't said a word while Naruto relived that night, the long silence was making Naruto anxious. Jiraiya let out a long sigh. "Stop being hard on yourself, if you hadn't been there that night who knows what could've happened. If you're worried about the meeting don't be, when I the old man won't be too harsh on him." He reassured gentle and didn't sound disappointed. "Now that I've had peace and quiet I've finally finished my latest novel, I was about to start my new book tour. But with you in this condition, I'll just postpone it." He said.
Naruto sat up and pulled his oxygen mask off. "You can't-do that, you've worked too hard to finish that pervy novel of yours. Besides I'm fine, they'll discharge me soon and I'll just go back to campus." His guardian's smile from before faded.
"Do I look like was born yesterday?" He asked. "If I left you to your own devices second you'd just go back to school the second my back was turned. Unfortunately for you, Saratobi-Sama wants you to take it easy for a few days." Jiraiya smirked at his godson's horrified reaction.
Naruto shook his head at the idea. "No, if I lie stay off too long I'll fall behind." He went to jump out of bed but his actions set off another coughing attack. While he gasped for breath Jiraiya started rubbing his back until the coughing fit subsided, before gently pushing him back into bed.
"Think again, you're staying put until the doctor tells me you're well enough to leave. After that, I'm taking you home to look after you. If you behave maybe I can smuggle you in some ramen later." Jiraiya promised.
"No, if you don't go on this book tour your fans will riot." Naruto noticed a slight break in his godfather's mask. "I'm not a little kid anymore, I can manage. Just think of all the single ladies you'll get to meet on the way." If this couldn't tempt Jiaraya to leave nothing would. Just when Naruto thought the man had reconsidered his godfather smirked.
"Now that you mention it it's been awhile since I spent time with my target audience." His eyes hardened once again. "Fine, but before I go, I'm going to give Iruka and Kakashi my contact details. If you get into any trouble I'm coming straight home." He promised.
After an awkward hug and goodbye, his godfather left. Naruto couldn't risk escaping just yet, "That old pervert's probably standing outside the door." The blond agonising wait clock when thirty minutes passed he put his plan into action. Firstly the teenager removed the irritating oxygen mask. "I don't need bed rest, all I need is some fresh air." Next Naruto didn't even wince as he carefully pulled out his IV in his arm. Once changed into a fresh pair of clothes, Naruto stumbled towards the front desk and demanded to be discharged.
After a long night shift the tried nurse searched through his notes on the computer she gave him a sympathetic smile. "Sir, you should really reconsider leaving. You've got fluid in your lungs, there's a chance you could get a chest infection and the doctors want to talk to you." She said the last part very carefully.
Naruto rolled his eyes at the woman's warnings. "Just give me some antibiotics and I'll be fine." The orange-clad immediately regretted snapping at the kind nurse, the smell of disinfectant and illness was making the teen feel sick. "I need to get to that meeting, maybe they won't be so hard on Sasuke if I explain that he tried to save me." He hoped.
"Yes, we can do that for you, but the doctor still wants to speak with you." She repeated.
For a moment Naruto couldn't see why a doctor would need to speak to him about a chest infection. "The cuts, they must have seen them," the teenager realised. No doubt they'd start asking questions. "Please, I don't need to talk to the doctors, I just want to go home." He pleaded.
The nurse sighed heavily in defeat. "Alright, I can't stop you from leaving, however, there's still a chance your condition could worsen." She insisted. "Is there anyone that can stay with you?" The woman asked.
Naruto thought about it he remembered his godfather's words and realised he couldn't go back to campus. Just as Naruto coming up with a lie a familiar voice called to him. "He can stay with me."
Even though part of his head was covered in white bandages there was no mistaking those piercing eyes and pale skin.
Thank you, everyone, for reading the new chapter hope you all enjoy. I am so sorry this chapter took so long, my laptop broke for a while.