Chapter 25: Awakening

"What the heck were you thinking? Do you know what that's called? Do you know what would happen if she was awake and she found you doing that?" Tsunade's loud voice boomed, covering Pervy Sage's continual laughter.

"Taking a page out of my book, eh?" was all he was able to say before he collapsed in another fit of laughter.

Naruto was blushing madly, trying not to move. He would star as still as possible if it meant that the old hag wouldn't hit him anymore. It hurt like crap! There was a faint distinction of steam from the crater that he had been laying in for the past hour, a fuming soon-to-be Hokage ranting above him about the meaning of privacy and 'You should be ashamed of yourself' and 'You should have known better, how could you!' Naruto grumbled incoherent words, deciding now was a good time as any to sit up.

He looked over at Mizuki's sleeping figure, sighing in relief. He didn't know what he would do with himself if she woke up with Lady Tsunade rambling on and on about discipline and self-restraint. Naruto ran a hand through his hair, feeling like since Mizuki had fallen ill, he's been acting differently. Naruto looked at the old hag – screaming about the fact that he was a stupid pervert and turning into a smaller form of Pervy Sage – and then Pervy Sage – patting him on the back and laughing like a hyena – to find himself feeling alone, no matter how surrounded he really was.

"I'm sorry, okay?" Naruto exclaimed after a while of this, throwing his hands in the air in defeat. "I wasn't trying to see anything other than the bruise on her leg and you should believe me! I know what she would do to me if she figured out," Naruto paused to shudder, "so I don't need a lecture from you! Anyways, I'm going to train. It's already beginning the third day so I don't have much time left."

Tsunade stopped yelling and stared at him for a moment before nodding, waving him off with an angry flick of her wrist. Naruto quickly jumped up, running out of the door. He let out a sigh in relief, only for a lamp to come into contact with his head.

"And don't ever do that again!"

{The next day}

Orochimaru's P.O.V.

Drip, drip, drip, drip.

Water leaked from the ceiling, making uneven pattering sounds on the floor as is splattered. Orochimaru was leaning against the wall, his shake-like yellow eyes staring straight at the figure lying down on the operating bed. His pale skin contrasted harshly with the dark wall, so it was easy to see when his fists tightened and his lips covered his white teeth in a scowl. He swept his long black hair behind him and pushed off the wall, walking over to what seemed like a corpse of his plan.

"Will he live, Kabuto? I want a straight answer." Orochimaru's sharp voice said oh so quietly.

It was almost as if he didn't say anything at all.

Kabuto looked up from his vigorous work, wiping away beats of sweat that had gathered on his brow. He had been working nonstop trying to bring this beast of a man back to its normal form and it hadn't gone as smoothly and quickly as they had planned. Kabuto took a deep breath and furrowed his eyebrows, his mind working as fast as humanly possible.

"I would say that there's a 50-50 shot, but the favors are leading in success. His vital signs are leveling and its body is working well with the new skin I've added. If we just had more time I cou-" Kabuto was cut off by Orochimaru's hissing.

"We have no more time, Kabuto. As soon as we get my hands healed were going straight into action. You already know that so don't ask." Eyes narrowing dangerously, Orochimaru growled out his words, each one laced with venom.

"Y-yes, my Lord." Kabuto replied, shivering in fear.

That, of course, brought a sick smirk to Orochimaru's pale lips. "Good." He spoke again, his eyes now trailing on the body below him once again. Instead of looking like the rabid animal it had looked like before surgery, it actually looked the way it was supposed to. Orochimaru chuckled, making Kabuto look up again.

"M-my Lord?" he questioned, fearing for his safety.

Mizuki's P.O.V.

Mizuki shivered, her lips a light blue. Her fingers and toes were numb, yet she could feel tingles lingering there from the fire. Her eyes were long closed; she couldn't maintain the strength so that she could keep them open. Though she was happy that this was the last half hour or so of the third stage, she didn't know why it was taking this long. Surely she had been here for over a week?

She knew that was wrong. There was no way that she would be there longer than expected. Coughing slightly, Mizuki felt her toes begin to tingle faster. Gasping out in shock, she squeezed her eye lids shut, feeling it pass through her whole body in a millisecond. Her fingers began to lose that cold, numb feeling, and best of all, she was regaining control. Wiggling her fingers, she laughed in happiness. Now caring that the fourth stage hadn't happened yet, she smiled. It was going to be over soon.

Mizuki, soon enough, could control her whole body. Breaking her restraints easily, she stood up, stretching. Then, all of a sudden, it hit her. She was up and ready to go, but she wasn't opening her eyes? Strange. Feeling slightly unnerved, Mizuki walked forward, not expecting the ground underneath her feet to fall apart, leaving her with nothing to stand on. Air whooshed upwards, making her hair sly up off her shoulders as she fell downwards. As her eyes widened, she reached out with her hands, trying to see if she could find some type of sturdy solid thing she could grasp on to. Finding nothing, however, she was forced to just fall, not knowing if she would hit a concrete floor or just wake up as everything being a dream.

As time drew on, though, Mizuki began to lose hope. It seemed like the space between her and whatever was at the bottom would never end, and it was practically killing her. Just as she thought that, she heard a low growl. What the heck? She thought. She flipped over so it was like she was diving downwards, squinting into the blackness. She wanted to see whatever was sown there ready to attack.

Just as she prepared to see if she was able to make hand seals, a burst of really bright light shined from below. Mizuki squinted, blinded by the sudden light. Closing her eyes, she brought her hands together over her face. But that's when everything changed for the worst.

Naruto's P.O.V.

Naruto sighed and looked up at the sun, his hands behind his head. His half-lidded eyes and his tired body were ready to go home and sleep, but he hadn't completely perfected the Rasengan yet. As he waited for inspiration to hit him, he saw a large group of people – about the size of how many people should be in the village – walking. Cocking his head to the side, he wondered what was going on. Only then did he realize that there was a party thing or whatever that was traditional. Rolling his eyes, he stood up, knowing that he wouldn't be able to train when everyone was loud and whatever.

He walked back to the hotel, finding it strange that it would be completely deserted except for him and Mizuki. As he reached the hotel and walked in Naruto's eyes widened in shock, noticing screaming from downstairs. The hotel was deserted, but he knew that scream anyways. He could detect it from anywhere. Bolting forwards, Naruto raced up the steps, ignoring the elevator completely. It probably would have been slower anyways.

Once he reached the room Mizuki and he shared, he grabbed the doorknob, shaking it frantically. The door was locked; however, the screams were louder here. Naruto growled his heart beating fast. He just hoped that Mizuki was okay. Bringing his foot backwards a bit, he grunted and kicked forwards as hard as he could, his foot coming into contact with the door. A creaking sound filled his ears and to his relief the door had come clean off of its hinges and fell to the ground with a loud thud.

Naruto rushed inside, expecting to see someone over Mizuki, hurting her. But no, that wasn't the case. Mizuki was just plain screaming, her back arched. It was so arched that her torso lifted well off the ground, writhing in pain. Naruto gasped and rushed to her side, sliding on the bed to get to her. He grabbed her torso at first gently, but harder when she began to squirm in his arms.

He didn't know anything he could do but to hold her and keep her from moving so much. Was the stage she was going through that stressful? Is this the part that Lady Tsunade predicted could make her die? Shaking the last thought away, Naruto placed a hand on the back of her head, pulling it to the crook of his neck. It seemed like her spasms were slowing down, but he refused to let her go.

He began to rock her when all she was doing was shaking. Naruto shook his head, trying to get his wet hair out of his face. His headband was on the nightstand but he didn't feel like putting it on. He had discarded his jacket during training - he hoped that Pervy Sage would get it on his way back - so he was cool and the headband would just make it worse.

Naruto sat there for a while, feeling strange. Like something was... Off. After staring blankly for a while, he tearfully realized what it was.

Mizuki had stopped moving.

Looking down, Mizuki had indeed stopped shaking. Turning her over in his arms, he saw that her eyes were open and white, weird writing starting to make its way down her body. He gasped, wondering what this was.

"Mizuki!" he yelled, shaking her.

As he shook her, though, he was pushed away by a sudden force, ramming into a wall. While he slid down it, two figures appeared by the door, two he knew as Pervy Sage and Lady Tsunade. In Pervy Sage's hands were indeed his jacket, but it was quickly discarded onto a seat nearby. They both reached his side in a couple of bounds, simultaneously grabbing one of his arms and lifting him up.

"What happened?" Lady Tsunade's voice asked.

She was looking at Mizuki with – what was it – recognition in her eyes? Naruto shook his head to clear it and shrugged. "I don't know! I was training and saw that the traditional mumbo jumbo whatever thing was starting so I came back here. I heard screaming and new it was Mizuki so I… kicked down the door and saw her screaming and writhing in pain. I tried to help her but then she just starting glowing like a flashlight or something and I got pushed away. In the meantime those weird letters or whatever they are got encrypted on her body." He said, explaining the best that he could.

Lady Tsunade frowned. "Well, I think all we can do is fix this door and wait it out. There's nothing we can do."

Just as she said that Mizuki's body returned to normal, the weird stuff on her body retreating back until it was gone. Naruto rushed to her side and lifted her up in his arms again, looking down at her through the bangs that continually fell in his face. Sighing he pushed them out, only for them to fall back again. And that's why my headband is here. He thought, sighing. Mizuki shifted and Naruto gasped silently. Wake up, wake up, wake up! He thought over and over again.

"Mmmm. Naruto?" an voice said.

Eyes widened.

Naruto looked down and…!

Author-chan: Cliffhangah? Don't cha know it! lmao