Chapter Fourteen

I've been unconscious for a while. Kakashi has inferred that Madara used his Tsukuyomi and has explained it to Yamato and Naruto since in their time it was only a matter of seconds before I collapsed.

I hear people talking; three male voices, and I recognize them all.

"You think she's going to wake up anytime soon, Kakashi-sensei?" I hear a young man ask.

'Naruto...' I think to myself.

"I don't know, but let's hope it's soon and that she's all right."

'Kakashi...'

"Madara must have done something intense."

'Yamato...'

I begin to slowly move my head a bit.

"She's moving!" I hear Naruto say.

I begin to turn my head to my right, groaning a bit.

"Denizu," I hear Kakashi say as I feel him lean over my face.

I open my eyes slightly and stare at the wall. Kakashi tries to turn my face toward him. I quickly close my eyes, push Kakashi away, kick the covers off of me, and crawl away into the corner of the room.

"No! Don't look into my eyes!" I warn them, remembering all that Madara told me.

"What?" Kakashi says in confusion. "What's wrong?"

"Madara activated my mutated Sharingan..." I keep my right hand over my closed eyes. "If you look into them, I'm afraid you'll black out."

"Mutated Sharingan?" Yamato says in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

"Madara explained how I was born with this mutated Sharingan," I say. "I don't know, but if you look into my eyes while it's activated, you end up blacking out, or worse..."

"I have an idea," Kakashi says. "Naruto, summon two of your Shadow Clones."

"Huh?" Naruto says. "Oh, alright."

I hear the sound of a puff of smoke.

"Now, have your clone walk over to Denizu and look into her eyes," Kakashi says. "If anything, your clone will just simply disappear."

I hear the clones walk over and kneel in front of me. One of them gently removes my hand from my face, but I still keep my eyes closed.

"Denizu, make eye contact with one of them," Kakashi says.

I nod. Kakashi looks from the side and prepares to study my eyes. After a few seconds, I open them and make eye contact with one Naruto Shadow Clone. I look into his eyes and see him freeze up with his eyes wide, and he shrieks a bit, falling on his back. I panic and quickly close my eyes again while putting both of my hands over them.

"Interesting..." Kakashi says in wonder. "You can only affect someone if you make direct eye contact with them, but you can still target more than one if you wanted to. But what's even more intriguing is the ocular design of your Sharingan. There is a design on the central pupil in the middle of the tomoe."

"Will it stay like that for long?" Yamato asks.

"I'm not sure," I reply, still keeping my hands over my closed eyes. "When I was born, I had to be blindfolded for about a month to prevent hurting anyone... I don't know if that'll still be the case, now that I'm older..."

Kakashi studies me carefully.

"Did Madara tell you about this in his Tsukuyomi?" Kakashi asks. "I know for a fact that you didn't have this when you were younger."

"He told me everything..." I say in a low tone. "This mutation of the Sharingan has never happened in the history of the Uchiha... With it, I'm granted more abilities to use with my Sharingan...I'm even able to escape someone else's Tsukuyomi without having to be related to them..."

Kakashi is surprised.

"What does that mean?" Yamato asks.

"In order to break away from Tsukuyomi," Kakashi explains. "You must carry the same blood as the one who is using it in order to cancel it out."

"So that means..." Naruto says. "Denizu-sensei will be able to do it, regardless of who the Sharingan user is?"

"Precisely," Kakashi responds.

"But how did he know about your mutated Sharingan and about it being activated when you were born?" Yamato asks.

"He told me there was a leak with the information," I answer. "And as for the information of when I was born..."

I stay quiet for a moment, clenching my hands over my closed eyes.

"He obtained the information using Tsukuyomi on my parents before killing them," I answer with a grimace.

Everyone is shocked to hear this. I feel tears escaping my eyes as I begin to tremble. Kakashi stares at me with sorrow in his eyes.

"Finding out about my mutated Sharingan..." I begin to say through my tears. "Finding out about my parents being killed because of it... About Itachi and Sasuke...My clan..."

"Denizu..." Kakashi says softly as he slowly moves closer to hug me.

"It's just too much!" I say in frustration as I push Kakashi away.

I quickly get up and head out of the inn, tears rapidly flowing down my face. I step onto the cold snow with my bare feet as I feel the cold wind through my thin, navy blue, long sleeve shirt and black pants. I've opened my eyes, knowing that there's no one out. I suddenly feel someone pull my right arm and stop me.

"Denizu," I hear Kakashi say as he turns my body toward his.

I quickly close my eyes and place my left hand over my face as I put my head down.

"No, please, leave me alone!" I say in a weak voice as I shake my head.

"Denizu, listen to me," Kakashi pulls me into his chest, wrapping his arms around me.

I stand there, crying into his chest.

"I know that all of what Madara said is affecting you," Kakashi says. "But we don't even know if it's completely true."

"It is..." I say weakly. "Now I understand why my father broke off his close ties with Sasuke's and Itachi's father... My father must have found out Fugaku's intentions with the whole clan... It makes sense because Fugaku no longer wanted me to train Itachi or Sasuke... But we still met up in secret, not caring what our parents thought..."

Kakashi is beginning to see the connection.

"Kakashi..." I say in a weak voice. "It was my fault... I'm the reason why my parents were killed..."

Kakashi looks down at me with his eyes full of sorrow.

'She's taking in so much...' Kakashi thinks, trying his best to hold back his own tears.

"It's my fault..." I say again.

"Denizu," he holds me close. "It wasn't your fault that you were born with the mutation. You can't blame yourself for your parents' deaths..."

I continue to cry softly.

"Your parents wouldn't want you to blame yourself," Kakashi continues. "They'd want you to know that you're gifted. Knowing the type of ninja that they were, I'm sure they'd want you to use your abilities to protect the ones you love..."

Kakashi's words hit me hard.

"Thank you... Kakashi..." I whisper.

Kakashi notices I'm beginning to tremble. He takes his jonin vest off and places it over my shoulders as I cross my arms and shiver. He also notices my feet are getting red and lifts me up bridal style and begins to walk back to the inn.

"Know that I'm going to help you get through this," Kakashi whispers. "And know that I love you."

He leans his head down and kisses my forehead through his mask.

"I love you too, Kakashi," I whisper with a small smile, opening my eyes a little without looking up at him.

Kakashi begins to walk back to the inn.

"For now," he says. "We have to keep what Madara said to ourselves. We can't completely trust his words, and we can't tell anyone about what he said. The village is undergoing reconstruction; we can't afford to cause more mayhem."

"I understand..." I say.

Kakashi walks back to the inn and carefully sets me down on the mat I was laying on earlier. I sit up on the mat, keeping my eyes closed. I feel Kakashi bring some blankets over to me.

"Denizu-sensei," I hear Naruto say as he kneels next to me. "I have an extra long bandage so you can cover your eyes with it if you want."

"Thank you, Naruto," I say with a smile. "I'd really appreciate that. It'll prevent me from accidentally opening my eyes a bit and hurting you guys."

"Let me help you wrap it around," Naruto says as he gets closer to me.

I lift some of my hair up to make it easier for Naruto to wrap the bandage. He carefully wraps it around my head over my eyes. As soon as he's finished, I let my hair down over the bandages.

"Thank you, Naruto," I say with a warm smile. "I feel more secure now."

After a few seconds of silence, I feel Naruto embrace me tightly. I am surprised at this and sit still, wondering why he's embracing me.

"I know that you've learned things from Madara that are hurting you and confusing you a lot," Naruto begins to say in a calm voice. "You're capable of understanding both me and Sasuke... Know that I believe you're strong to fight the darkness that may tempt you... Like I had told Sasuke, don't take vengeance as an answer."

I sit still in complete surprise, moved by his words. I then quickly embrace him back. Kakashi and Yamato watch with looks of awe, knowing this is a bonding moment between me and Naruto.

"I know taking the path into darkness isn't the answer," I say to him. "I was raised to think better than that. No matter how far I may find myself falling into the darkness, I know I have people who will help pull me out and help me get back up on my feet again."

Naruto feels tears forming in his eyes, and then he smiles.

"You've given me more inspiration, Denizu-sensei!" he says after letting go of me.

I smile warmly at him as some of my hair falls back to the side of my face.

"Hey! You Leaf ninja! Come out here now!" someone calls from outside in anger.

"Looks like it's the owner of the inn," Yamato says with a sigh. "He's certainly not happy about the remodeling of his inn..."

"Come on, let's go talk to him," Kakashi says to Yamato.

"I'm going too," I say as I push the covers off of me.

"Oh, no, you won't," Kakashi stops me in my tracks. "You're staying in here where it's warm."

"Kakashi, please," I say. "It's not going to get any warmer with that huge hole in this inn."

Yamato points and grins at Kakashi, knowing I have a point. Kakashi sighs in defeat.

"Alright, just make sure to wear your ninja sandals and cloak to stay warm." Kakashi says as he brings them over to me. "I don't want you getting sick."

I quickly put my ninja sandals and vest on and quickly head to the hole in the inn.

"Ah, ah, ah! Not so fast. Let me help you down," Kakashi says as he grabs a hold of me. "Remember that you can't see right now."

"Kakashi, please," I say. "I survived an explosion and many other things worse than that. A fall won't hurt me that much."

"Wait — what do you mean by other things worse than that?" Kakashi looks at me in disbelief.

I scoff with a smile and quickly jump down. Kakashi twitches in a bit of panic and jumps down after me. He stands close to me and leads me next to the owner of the inn and Yamato who are talking.

"Look at what you've done!" the owner of the inn yells in frustration. "That's why I hate ninja."

"I–I'm sorry," Yamato says with an apologetic smile as he bows a bit. "I'll make sure it's repaired."

"Please, sir," I say with a pleading smile, walking over to the owner. "Please don't have any hard feelings. We're going to make sure it's repaired as soon as possible."

He gives me a surprised look as he sees that I'm blindfolded and feels bad.

"Uh, no, it's all right," the owner says in a lower and polite voice. "I apologize for making such a fuss," he says with a slight bow.

"Thank you," I say with a warm smile. "We'll get it repaired in no time. Right, Yamato?"

"Yes," Yamato says with another apologetic smile.

He then turns to the damaged inn and performs a few hand signs. Wood begins to appear and cover the hole in the roof of the inn, leaving it well repaired. The owner watches in a bit of amazement.

"You ninja are troublesome," the owner says. "But you know how to make up for it quickly."

"Thank you for understanding," I say to the owner with a bow.

"Please, do not worry, miss," the owner says with a smile. "Please do rest."

I give him a nod with a thanking smile, and he then takes his leave.

"You seem to know how to talk to men," Yamato teases. "Looks like Kakashi will have to keep a close eye on you."

"It was nothing, really," I smile with sweat drop. "He was nice because I'm a lady and blindfolded."

I chuckle while rubbing the back of my head as Yamato points and laughs at my sheepishness. Kakashi watches and smiles under his mask.

"Where's Naruto?" I then ask in curiosity.

"He's up on the rooftop, working on his nature chakra," Yamato answers as he looks up at Naruto.

"It's getting cold out," Kakashi says. "Tell him it's time to head inside."

Yamato nods and jumps on the rooftop near Naruto.

"Naruto, come inside soon," Yamato says.

We then hear the sounds of people's footsteps. I turn in the direction of the sound and so does Kakashi. He's surprised once he sees who it is.

"Who is it, Kakashi?" I ask.

"It's Sakura, Kiba with Akamaru, Lee, and Sai," Kakashi answers.

"Finally found you!" Kiba says as he rides on Akamaru.

"Sakura..." Naruto says in surprise as he turns to look at them from the rooftop. "Sai, Kiba, and even Bushy Brows?"

"Why did you all come here?" Kakashi asks.

"Naruto..." Sakura says, looking up at him. "I need to talk to you."

Naruto looks down at her in surprise and wonder. He then jumps down, along with Yamato behind him. Naruto stands in front of me, Kakashi, and Yamato, ready to listen. Sakura stands a few feet away from Naruto, facing him.

'She sounds serious...' I think to myself. 'I wonder if something's happened...'

"Naruto," she says. "I'm in love with you."

We're surprised at her words. Naruto stares at her in surprise and wonder.

"W–What did you just say, Sakura?" Naruto asks in confusion. "I think I heard wrong. Could you say that again?"

"I said..." Sakura begins to say with a slight blush. "I...love you, Naruto."

Naruto is completely surprised at her words.

"I said Sasuke doesn't mean anything to me anymore," Sakura says. "I must have been crazy to carry a torch for him for so long. Listen carefully when someone confesses her feelings for you!"

Naruto continues to stare at her in confusion and surprise. His gaze then turns into a stern one.

"But why? What for?!" Naruto asks in a serious tone. "This isn't the place to be joking around! It's not funny, Sakura! What's going on?"

"Nothing, really!" Sakura says, shaking her head. "I just woke up. Why should I love a rogue ninja who's a criminal? I'm not a child anymore; I can face reality. So Naruto, you can forget about that promise you made to me. You can stop chasing after Sasuke, alright?"

"What's going on?" Yamato says, about to step in, but Kakashi stops him.

"Sakura, did something happen?" Naruto asks. "This is all so sudden."

"Nothing happened!" Sakura begins to walk toward Naruto. "It's obvious why I fell in love with you."

She then slowly embraces him. Everyone stares in thought.

"Sasuke keeps getting farther and farther away from me," Sakura says. "But Naruto, you've always stuck by my side and cheered me up. Naruto, I finally realized...your true self. Even that time with Pain... You returned when you were needed most – the hero who protected the village. Today, everyone in the village admires you. And I'm simply one of them now... You used to be a prank-loving loser... But now you've become a wonderful person. And I've witnessed it all, first-hand. Meanwhile, Sasuke keeps adding to his crimes, and breaking my heart...always becoming more of a stranger... But you Naruto, I'm able to be close to you like this. You comfort me. I care about you, from the bottom of my heart..."

"Cut it out, Sakura!" Naruto exclaims while putting his hands on her shoulders and pushing her back. "This joke isn't funny at all!"

Sakura stares at him in surprise.

"Why are you so upset?" Sakura asks. "I'm just telling you that I like you now instead of Sasuke. You know the saying, 'women are as fickle as the autumn weather'."

"I hate people who lie to themselves..." Naruto seriously says, staring sternly at Sakura.

Sakura looks at him with wide eyes.

"I'm lying to myself?" she is now upset, pushing Naruto's hands off her shoulders. "I'm the one who decides how I feel! If you hate me, just come out and say so! Don't just make up a convenient excuse."

"But it doesn't make sense!" Naruto says. "You came all the way out here just to tell me that?"

"Just to tell you?" Sakura says in an upset tone. "Just? You don't think it's a big deal for a girl to profess her love?! I came 'all the way out here'? Of course I'd come all the way out here! Sasuke, Sasuke, Sasuke! That's all you think about! Going after Sasuke and putting yourself in danger! You're the Nine-Tails' Jinchuriki and the Akatsuki are after you! Worry about yourself for a change. I'm saying that it's not necessary to endanger yourself just to chase after Sasuke! I want you to move back to the village now, that's why I'm here. That's all!"

Naruto stares at her with wide eyes. He then lowers his gaze.

"I think it just sounds like a painful excuse," Naruto says sternly. "I know you pretty well, Sakura."

"Then why don't you understand?" she says. "I don't care about Sasuke now that he's a criminal. So the promise between us doesn't matter anymore."

"It's not just about the promise," Naruto closes his eyes and lowers his head. "I kind of understand more now, about why Sasuke has become obsessed with revenge and is causing so much damage..."

Naruto gazes down in sorrow at the snow covered ground.

"Sasuke loved his family and his clan," Naruto continues. "Because his love was so deep, it's hard for him to forgive..."

I clench my right hand a bit, trying to hold in my emotions. I then feel Kakashi take a hold of it.

"If he were so devoted," Kiba steps in. "Why would he join the Akatsuki after defeating the unforgivable Itachi?"

"That's not how it went down..." Naruto says in a low voice. "What really happened..."

"Naruto!" Kakashi says sternly.

Everyone looks surprised. Naruto is then surprised at himself, almost revealing what Madara had said.

"Naruto..." I softly say.

"It doesn't matter, even if there's no promise between us anymore," Sakura says.

"I personally want to save Sasuke," Naruto says.

Sakura stares at him sternly. Kiba then walks up to her and whispers something in her ear. She then suddenly steps on Kiba's foot and begins to walk away, leaving Kiba yelping in a bit of pain.

"Forget it! I'm going back..." Sakura says, continuing to walk away. "Let's go, Kiba, Lee, Sai!"

"Sakura..." Lee says as he stares after her.

"Let's go..." Kiba says as he begins to follow Sakura.

They begin to walk away. Naruto stands there, still in confusion and disbelief. It then becomes quiet between us.

'There's clearly something wrong...' I think to myself.

"Come on," Kakashi says. "Let's head inside."

Kakashi puts a hand on my lower back and begins to lead me to the door of our inn. Naruto opens the sliding door and is about to step in, but we then hear someone approaching.

"Sai? What are you doing here?" Naruto asks.

"It's a clone," Kakashi states.

"I'm going to tell you what Sakura really wanted to say earlier, but couldn't," Sai's clone says.

"'Really wanted to say'?" Naruto says in confusion.

We stand there, waiting for Sai's clone to continue.

"What do you mean, Sai?" I ask.

"Sakura didn't come to confess her love for you," Sai's clone says to Naruto. "The Hidden Leaf Ninja have come to a consensus, I'm here to inform you."

"I thought it was strange..." Naruto says. "So she was hiding something after all."

"I've come to understand her feelings," Sai continues. "Why Sakura couldn't bring herself to tell you."

"Tell me, Sai..." Naruto says. "About the consensus."

We await him to answer.

"The Hidden Leaf will deal with Sasuke," Sai finally says. "Every one of your comrades is committed to that and will act accordingly."

We're all completely shocked.

"W–What?" I say in a tone of disbelief.

"Did Sakura...Did Sakura really agree to that?" Naruto asks. "Sakura loves Sasuke so much! And yet... How could she?!"

"After Akatsuki's attack on our village," Sai says. "The Hidden Leaf Ninja can no longer recognize Sasuke as one of their own, not after he supported the Akatsuki... Sakura is not a fool. She's not a child who wouldn't understand the difficulty of the situation. That's why we came here in person to try to explain it to you."

Kakashi shakes his head in disapproval. I turn my head slightly to him, noticing his reaction.

"Then why didn't she just come out and tell me the truth?" Naruto says in frustration.

"It wasn't that simple; you know that," Sai answers. "She understood how hurt you would feel."

"But still..."

"By telling you she's given up on Sasuke and declaring her love for you," Sai continues. "She was freeing you from the burden of that promise you made. And still, you insisted on rescuing Sasuke. I believe that's why she couldn't tell you the truth... Because she was thinking about your feelings. In fact, she probably expected you to say that. To be honest, Sakura made us promise not to tell you the truth. She said she would tell you somehow... She said it was her duty to do so."

"But if she was expecting Naruto's reaction," I step in. "She never intended to tell him the truth, right?"

"What is Sakura planning to do?" Yamato asks.

"This is just an assumption on my part," Sai answers. "But I believe Sakura..."

"She intends to kill Sasuke herself," Kakashi says.

"Is that true, Sai?!" I ask in surprise.

"Sakura smiled and told everyone she would cooperate," Sai answers. "But this time. I saw through her fake smile."

"No way...Sakura wouldn't do such a thing..." Naruto says in disbelief. "She's crazy about Sasuke—"

"It's because she loves him so much that she can't bear to watch Sasuke turn more and more evil."

Naruto looks at him in surprise, and I do as well.

"It's because she loves him so much that she wants to save Sasuke from this path of evil," Sai continues. "Even if that means killing the one she loves with her own hands. That's how committed she is to her love for Sasuke. And in doing so, Naruto...she's prepared to accept your hatred. It's her way of atoning for the lifelong burden she placed on you... Until now, Sakura relied on you too much. This time, she intends to resolve everything alone."

"Sai..." Naruto says in a low voice. "Why are you telling me all this?"

"It wasn't my intention," Sai answers. "But I'm partly to blame for provoking Sakura. That's why I told you. I couldn't ignore what Sakura is doing... And besides, I belong to Team 7."

"I see..." Naruto says, gazing down in sorrow.

Naruto then places his hand on his face, clearly upset after hearing what Sai has said. I know the pain he's going through right now, and I walk up to him, knowing that he's just a few feet in front of me.

"Naruto..." I say softly, putting a hand on his shoulder.

We then hear someone arrive. We turn and see three Sand Ninja.

"There is something you must hear immediately," the young woman with dark blonde hair in two small ponytails says. "We will tell you everything that happened at the Five Kage Summit."

"Who are they?" I whisper to Kakashi.

"It's Gaara, the Kazekage of the Sand and his two siblings, Temari and Kankuro," Kakashi answers me.

"What's happened?" Yamato asks them.

"Madara Uchiha and the Akatsuki attacked the Five Kage Summit," Temari answers. "There was a great struggle trying to stop the Akatsuki, even with all the five Kage present."

"Danzo, the Leaf's current Hokage, also ran off," Kankuro adds.

We are all surprised.

"I see..." Yamato says, crossing his arms. "Who would have thought the meeting would become so intense. I guess with Danzo... Well, Kakashi was also nominated for the position of the Hokage at the meeting."

I am surprised to hear this.

"I'm not too eager about becoming the Hokage," Kakashi says. "And even if the situation requires me to accept...I'll have to the return to Hidden Leaf Village first and hear what the others say."

"Madara has declared war on us!" Temari says. "There's no time to deliberate."

"I'm sure everyone will approve," Yamato looks at Kakashi. "We should have them proceed on the premise that you are the Hokage, Kakashi. If our response is delayed, and the Akatsuki and Madara take the advantage, that would be even worse."

"I guess you're right," Kakashi turns his head to Yamato with a slight tilt. "Thanks..."

'Kakashi...Hokage?' I think to myself in wonder.

Naruto stands there, staring at the snowy ground in silence.

"And Sasuke..." Yamato says. "For him to attack the summit..."

"Naruto, this is a battle to protect the Eight Tails and the Nine Tails, namely you," Gaara says. "And it's also for the ninja world. As the Kazekage, I would give my life to protect you... If Sasuke Uchiha confronts the Allied Shinobi Forces as a member of the Akatsuki, I will show no mercy."

Everyone stares at Naruto.

"Sasuke doesn't care about you," Gaara continues to tell Naruto. "All he wants is darkness."

Naruto looks up at Gaara in surprise.

"Naruto, you told me, 'I am going to be the Hokage,'" Gaara says. "I have become the Kazekage."

Gaara then walks over to Naruto and puts a hand on Naruto's shoulder.

"If you are prepared to bear the burden of being a Kage," Gaara continues. "Then do what's right as Sasuke's friend."

Naruto stares at him for a bit, then slowly looks down and bumps Gaara's arm away from him. Everyone stares in a bit of astonishment. Gaara just gazes at Naruto, who is staring down at the ground.

"We've said everything we needed to say," Temari says. "Let's go, Gaara. We will return to our village. Kakashi Hatake... With the understanding that you will be Hokage, the Sand will take action. As allied nations, I pray that there will be no conflicting intel between us."

I then remember all that Madara had explained.

"Understood..." Kakashi says.

I lower my head to the ground after hearing Kakashi. He then takes a gentle hold of my forearm, a gesture of comfort and apology. Gaara, Temari, and Kankuro then begin to take their leave, but Gaara stops after a few steps.

"I consider you my friend," Gaara says to Naruto.

Naruto looks up at him in surprise.

"In the past, 'friend' was merely a word to me," Gaara continues. "Nothing more, nothing less... But after meeting you, you made me realize that the meaning of that word is what's important... What does it mean? What can you do for Sasuke? Think hard about that."

Naruto stares at him in wonder.

"Let's go," Gaara says.

With that, Gaara and his siblings take their leave. Naruto stands there, beginning to think about what Gaara said.

"Naruto..." Yamato begins to walk over but is then stopped by Kakashi.

"Let him find the answer himself," Kakashi says to Yamato.

Naruto continues to gaze down at the ground with an upset and frustrated face. There's a brief silence between us. I too stare down at the ground, hurt at the news of Sasuke. Kakashi notices how I am feeling and stares at me in a bit of worry.

"So? What do we do now?" Yamato asks. "In any case, I think we should return to the Hidden Leaf and report what happened at the summit. And also about Sakura."

"The real me is accompanying Sakura," Sai's clone says. "She won't be allowed to get near Sasuke; you can count on that."

"But it would be better to go in person and talk her out of it," Kakashi says.

Kakashi lifts his head up a bit, sighs, and then looks sternly ahead.

"Alright," he says. "Yamato, take Naruto and head back to the village. I'll bring Sakura back; she's no match for Sasuke. It would be like she's going there to die."

"I'm coming too," I step forward a bit.

"No, Denizu," Kakashi holds me back. "You're clearly in no condition to be wandering about, especially at a risky moment to run into some trouble. I don't want to risk getting you into any fighting."

"But Kakashi—" I begin to say.

"No! You're staying and going back to the Leaf Village with Yamato and Naruto," Kakashi says sternly, keeping a firm grip on my shoulders.

I turn my head away from him, clearly upset. He looks at me with a serious face, knowing he's gotten me mad.

"Promise me you won't do anything reckless in your condition," Kakashi says to me in a softer voice.

I don't answer him and lower my head. Kakashi then lets go of me and turns to his side.

"I'll dispatch the Ninja Hounds with a report about the summit since it's urgent," Kakashi says.

"Understood," Yamato answers.

"Sai, take me to Sakura," Kakashi turns to Sai's clone.

"Yes," he answers.

We then suddenly hear Naruto beginning to breathe loudly. He puts a hand on his chest and begins to heave heavily.

"Naruto, is something wrong?" Kakashi asks.

Naruto suddenly drops to his knees on the snow and falls to his side.

"Naruto!" I say in worry as I quickly head over to him.

I kneel next to him and put my hand on his arm. He continues to breathe quickly. Kakashi, Yamato, and Sai's clone walk over too.

"Calm down, Naruto!" I say to him in panic and worry.

"He's hyperventilating," Yamato says.

"Breathe slowly," I say to Naruto.

"Naruto!" Kakashi calls out to him in worry. "Naruto, can you hear me?"

There's no response from Naruto, and he passes out. Kakashi then kneels down, picks up Naruto, and begins to head inside the inn.

"Yamato, please help Denizu inside," Kakashi says as he walks through the door of the inn.

Yamato nods and takes a hold of my arm. He leads me inside the inn while Kakashi walks into a room and sets Naruto down on a mat on the floor. He covers Naruto up with a light blanket and stands up.

"Stay here until Naruto wakes up," Kakashi says to Yamato. "Once he feels better, head back to the village with him and Denizu."

"Yes," Yamato nods.

Kakashi then walks over to me and puts his hands on my shoulders.

"Denizu," he begins. "Please don't do anything reckless, alright?" Kakashi says in a low pleading tone.

I lower my head before slowly nodding. He puts a hand on my cheek and caresses it quickly before heading to the door.

"Let's go, Sai," Kakashi heads out the door.

Sai nods and follows him, closing the sliding door behind them. I stand there with my head still lowered.

"I'll be keeping an eye on Naruto," Yamato walks over to me. "It's been a long day for you too; go get some rest."

He leads me into one of the rooms and to the mat on the floor. I kneel down and sit as Yamato lets go of me, making sure I am careful.

"Thank you, Yamato," I say to him with a smile.

"No problem," he says.

He then walks out of the room and closes the door behind him. I then crawl under the sleeping mat and lay down, turning my body to my left side. There's complete silence in the room as I face the falling snow outside of my window.

'I have to find a way to control this Sharingan...' I think to myself. 'But how?'

I feel very drowsy.

'If only you guys were here to help me out...mom and dad...' I think to myself as I drift off into sleep.