I hear a small grunt escape Naruto's lips has he looks up, leaning on his arms. He see's Haku first.
"N-Naruto... Are you... ok?..." I stutter.
He sits up, excited.
"Kanami! You did-" He cuts off when he see's the needles sticking out of me, the blood driping from my cuts and soaking through my jacket slightly. My heavy breathing is also something to take account of.
Blood drips quietly onto the concrete beneath me as I am doubled over, blood trickling from my mouth to my chin.
I turn my head so I can see him.
"I said... are you... ok..." I mutter.
Naruto sits up, his eyebrows turned upward in worry.
"Why?!" He exclaims. "You protected me..."
I send him a withering smile, my eyebrows turned uoward.
"I... won't let anyone... mess with... important people... important friends..." I say, still having trouble breathing.
"Or... the..." My eyes begin to dull slightly. "N-Next Hokage..." I murmur. Naruto freezes. I feel my body begin to fall backwards and suddenly Naruto is beneath me, holding me in his arms.
"Kanami!" He shouts, his wide blue eyes frightened and sad, even a hint of anger behind them.
"N-Naruto... take care of Sasuke f-for me..." I say so quiet, Naruto has to lean closer to hear me.
"Make s-sure he... he doesn't bec-come conumed... with v-vengance... for that man..." I continue. I see Naruto's eyes become glossy.
"And... make sure... th-that... Team 7 stays... safe..." Naruto's eyes begin to tear up as I give him another sad smile. I raise my shaking hand up to his face.
"You... don't die... you or... your dream..." I murmur. Naruto's eyes widen as my hand goes limp and falls to my side, my eyes closing. My head falls into his hand, my black hair mangled and dull.
But I don't pass out... I don't die... What?
Naruto pulls me closer to him and I feel a tear land on my cheek.
He's... crying? But... I don't think I've ever seen him cry...
Suddenly all sound becomes distant, and I hear only mumbling.
There is a rapid increase in tempurature and I am tempted to open my eyes, but I can't seem to. My muscles want me to stay like this. There is a bright red light and I open my eyes by a fraction of an inch, I would show some sign of reaction, but my body is just not responding right.
Red Chakara swirls around Naruto, coiling until it reaches high above the mirror cage. Steam rises from the ground as the Chakara cuts into the concrete of the bridge.
T-The Nine-Tails!
I am layed gently aside, my hand floping onto the concrete with a dull thunk. Nartuo bows his head, I can't see his face.
"I'll..." He murmurs.
When he looks up, his eyes are a bright red and his pupils have turned to slits. His hair is scruffier and his nails and teeth have elongated.
"I'll kill you!" He shouts.
Rocks fly into the air around us as the Nine-Tails' Chakara leaks out, his control greatening.
The last thing I see is a foxes head formed by the red Chakara.
Then everything is black. Just like last time. Except, it doesn't feel as long before I am awoken.
I feel a heavy weight on my chest, something wet making its way through my jacket. There is a loud wail and something clutches at my jacket.
I open my eyes a fraction of an inch and see Sakura weeping on my stomach. Sasuke sits opposite her, tears welling up in his closed eyes. I see one fall and another loud wail escapes from Sakura's mouth.
I open my eyes a little more.
"Sakura. Your hurting me..." I grunt. Sakura and Sasuke's heads snap up and look at mine. I take a strangled breath as Sakura smothers me again and Sasuke tries to help treat me.
Tasuna just smiles, happy to know that I wasn't dead.
Sasuke helps me pull the senbon out of my clothing and skin and Sakura sits up, rubbing her eyes.
"Naruto! Kakashi-Sensei!" She calls. I shift my gaze slightly and see Naruto, perfectly fine, no signs of battle and Kakashi next to him.
"She's ok!" Sakura calls. Sasuke helps me sit up and I send them a weak smile and stick my hand up.
Naruto's face brightens greatly and I notices Kakashi's eyes soften with relief.
Saksuke holds my shoulder with his arm to keep me steady.
"Why?" He asks me quietly, so Sakura doesn't hear. "Why did you push me out of the way?" He says, his dark eyes fixed to the ground. " I thought I lost you..."
I turn to him and smile.
"Well, then I'd be in the same situation you were in wouldn't I?" I say. Sasuke looks up at me.
"I didn't want to see you get hurt. I know you can handle yourself, but your my cousin." I say. I look back over to my team mate, who trots over joyfully.
"Same with Naruto." I say simply. Naruto kneels down next to me and engulfs me in a hug.
"We all thought you were dead!" He exclaims. I chuckle.
"Yeah, well. I thought we both were. What... even happened? The last thing I remember..." I trail off, looking at my legs with confused eyes as Kakashi approaches us. Sakura and Sasuke help me stand and I lean on Sakura for support.
We hobble back to Tasuna's house, where Inari greats us with a smile and his mother treats us worriedly.
About a day later, we're off to Konoha.
" I can't wait to be home." I say, putting my hands behind my head as we walk through the woods.
"That was more of a 'B' -Heck, even an 'A'-ranking misson, depending on how you look at it." I continue. Kakashi nods, glancing back at us.
"Though that may be true, I'm glad we all made it out in one piece." He says, smiling. He is generaly refering to me, having taken the most damage from that misson.
Kakashi came out with few injuries, Sasuke had a few scratches, Sakura was unscathed.
Then there was Naruto. How had he healed so quickly? Was it because of the Ninie-Tails?
Where as a day ago, I had looked like a walking role of toilet tissue.
I know Haku and Zabusa had died, but I didn't know how. We had buried them the day before.
I still stumble slightly as I walk, the senbon Haku had thrown into my knee had grazed a tendon so I had a slight limp. I stumble, almost falling on the ground. I feel a hand catch me and suddenly I am up in the air.
"Ack! Wha-" I look down and see Naruto holding onto my knee's me perched on his shoulders. A light rosy blush crosses my face.
"Naruto! What the hell?!" I ask him. He gives me a cheeky grin.
"Well if you cant walk straight," I huff, crossing my arms. "Might as well be caried till your leg heals." I peer down at him and ruffle his hair.
"Alright fine. Your lucky I don't hit you for taking me by surprise though." I say, putting my hands on his head.
Sakura chuckles and Sasuke just sighs, frowning. I smirk, looking up at the clouds.
We walk for a while, stopping every now and then to eat from our backpacks, until we see the village gate.
I smile.
"Home!" I shout. I point at the gate.
"Onward my trusty team mate!" I shout. Naruto speeds up, running past the others. I laugh, happy to be home. I get off of Naruto at the gate and wrap my arms around a concrete pillar that connects to the wall.
"I missed you Leaf Village." I say, rubbing my cheek against the concrete lightly.
The others catch up to us and Kakashi leaves to report to the Hokage.
I limp along with Sakura, the boys having dispersed already. We chat quietly when suddenly I bump into something.
I look up.
"S-Sorry. I wasn't looking where I was looking." I say. Kiba smirks down at me.
"Its cool." he says. Hinata walks up next to her team mate.
"K-Kanami-chan, why are you limping? Are y-you ok?" She asks me quietly. I nod while Kiba kneels to inspect the bandages on my knee.
"Yeah. I'm fine, Hinata-san. We got into a fight on our mission is all." I say, turning to Sakura as Shino walks up to Hinata.
"On a 'C-rank' mission?" He questions.
I nod.
"Yeaah. Lets just say... the submission was incorrect and we ran into some... skilled trouble." I say, glancing at Sakura again.
Kiba stands and peers at the scratches on my face, getting rather close and making me blush slightly.
"Senbon scratches? And their all over you..." He mutters leaning back. Hinata walks over and holds up a small black cylinder.
"H-Here. It's ointment..." She says. I smile, tking the container from her.
"Thanks Hinata." I say. Shino turns to Sakura.
"How come your unscathed?" He asks. I turn to Sakura.
"I guess we should just tell them, huh?" I say. Sighs and nods, looking back up at Team 8.
"Follow me." She says, beckoning them and walking past them. I limp after her, Kiba raising an eyebrow.