*~~*
Kakashi and the other jounin entered Tigerdragon's mansion at top speed. The copy-nin was determined to get this resolved, now.
Behind them, Fennec followed warily. While she was fully aware of Kakashi's smexiness, she was conscious of their deadly skill as well.
Finally, the jounin arrived at Tigerdragon's throne room and knocked heavily at the door.
*~~*
Naruto whistled contentedly as he walked down the hallway, Hinata trailing behind him. Ever since he'd woken her back up, she'd been even more taciturn, not even blushing or stuttering in his direction.
Still, Naruto had gotten his missions approved, and he was carrying the fifteen-plus scrolls in his pack right now.
Down the hall, a flash of color caught his eye. Curious, he turned down the hallway to the left, and saw Squirrel and Lee ducking into the infirmary. Farther down the hallway, Sakura and Husky were walking toward the infirmary, Sakura looking like Hell.
The kunoichi's hair was sticking out in all directions, her legs looked swollen from the weights, and her arms were covered in bruises. Naruto opened his mouth in askance, and Sakura withered him with a glare.
"Don't…you…dare…" she hissed, cutting in front of him and sliding into the infirmary. Worried, Naruto stepped into the infirmary, Hinata behind him.
The two young nurses, one with long, white hair, and the other with short, black hair, ran around the room in a hurry.
On one bed sat Lee, his shirt ripped completely open in the back. Next to him sat an anxious Squirrel, three children crowding around her lap and staring worriedly at Lee.
On the other bed sat Sakura, death in her eyes. Husky sat on the visitor's stool nearby.
Struck by the nurses' plight and her helpful soul, Hinata acted without thinking, removing her healing cream from her pocket and walking over to Sakura. Gently she spread on the girl's bruises. Behind her, the nurse with the black hair smiled and moved to help her fix Sakura.
On the other side of the room, the white-haired girl began the painful process of removing sharp debris from Lee's wound. When the long, sharp piece of sheeting was removed from his shoulder, Lee slumped gently in relief.
Seeing Lee's as a greater plight, Naruto walked over to the older, injured boy.
"You okay?" Naruto asked with concern. "What happened?"
"Information leak," Squirrel informed him. "They knew we were coming. They told us where to go, so that they could eliminate us. They had kids trapped in the building, and he saved them."
For the first time, Naruto looked down at the children. One girl and two boys. The girl had long, curly blonde hair, and the two boys were twins, and their short, black hair shined brightly in the light.
"Uh, oh. We'd better get them home, soon." Naruto looked over at the white-haired nurse.
"Hey, Dolphin. Fuzzy gonna be okay?"
Dolphin pulled a face. "He'll need a few days to recover, but he should be fine. The wound wasn't superficial, but it didn't harm anything major. Mostly, it just broke skin and stuck deep."
Naruto turned to the black-haired nurse. "Puma?"
"She'll be fine. She's just exhausted. Bed rest tomorrow, and let her relax at the festival in two days. She'll be fine." The girl gave Hinata a grateful pat on the back and turned back to her clipboard.
"Festival?" Sakura and Hinata echoed. Lee looked up in askance as Dolphin put a poultice on his wound and dressed it.
"Yeah, two days from now, there's a festival," Naruto explained. "We'll set it all up tomorrow, and we celebrate the day after."
"What festival is it?" Lee asked from his cot. Squirrel and the children were beaming at the recovered boy.
"The Zodiac Festival," Dolphin informed him as she cut the bandage and made sure it was secure. "We only hold it here in the Guild section."
"We dress up like animals, and at the end, we celebrate our leaders, past, present, and future," Puma added.
"I didn't tell you guys, yet, did I?" Naruto asked sheepishly. Sakura sent him a second withering glare as Lee and Hinata shook their heads. "Oops. I'll tell everyone tomorrow. But first," he turned to the children, "these three have to get home, now. Their parents will be worried."
Gently, Naruto coaxed the three off Lee's cot, and Lee promised he'd visit them soon. The children nodded and followed Naruto out the door.
Inside the infirmary, Sakura was groaning. "I can't even do a basic check-up, now," she complained, "without it taking twice as long. I miss my chakra. At least if I'd had more practice doing things normally, I wouldn't feel so bad."
"We could teach you," Dolphin offered as she sent Lee and Squirrel back home.
"Yeah, we've got time," Puma agreed.
"You should accept their offer," Husky told Sakura sternly. "They're Tigerdragon-sama's daughters. They know what they're doing." Sakura gaped. The girls tittered.
"You could come practice after training," Dolphin gestured at Husky. Sakura nodded dumbly and left, promising to return for practice. Splitting with Husky at the door, she headed back to her room across from Ino's, hoping she would be able to get some sleep.
*~~*
The jounin were admitted into Tigerdragon's room quickly, and Kakashi quickly approached the dais. The leader of Guild, the only man present, gave a devilish smile.
"Where is he?" Kakashi demanded.
"Who?" Tigerdragon's smile widened.
"Naruto," Kakashi answered. Tigerdragon frowned.
"You should address your betters with more respect," Tigerdragon said with disapproval.
"Tigerdragon-sama," Kurenai pleaded, "please tell us where Naruto is." At that moment, Fennec entered the room, but the jounin didn't notice.
"He's at home, resting. He hasn't got any sleep today, I imagine." The leader chuckled.
"What about the demon?" Kakashi asked, wondering how the leader would answer.
"He's already taken care of it, I assure you. He has a device that works wonders for his little problem," Tigerdragon chuckled again. The jounin frowned.
"What do you mean, sir?" Gai asked.
"He has a device that allows him to suppress the fox," Tigerdragon told them. "We made it specially for him."
"This happened before?" Asuma was surprised and angry.
"Several times. It is not worth your concern. Fennec, please see them out." The jounin turned in surprise. Fennec bowed and led them out, locking the door behind her. The jounin stood silently, contemplating their choices.
"There is nothing we can do today," Gai tried to speak sense to his rival. "Talk to him about it tomorrow." Kakashi nodded and stared at Fennec.
"Did you know about this?" he asked the girl. She nodded seriously, her arms folded, as she rested against the far wall.
"We've known for a long time. Since he was little. He's got it under control," unsure of what else to say, Fennec walked away, heading back home to get some sleep.
In her head, she was chiding herself. She'd wasted a lot of the day, and she hadn't gotten to tease loser-sama or go on a mission.
This crush stuff was really gonna cut in on her fun.
The jounin sighed as the violent girl walked away. "Should we just go back home?" Asuma suggested. Kurenai nodded wearily, and the two walked away, Gai and Kakashi behind them.
*~~*
Hinata smiled from behind Naruto as he led the three children home. At the first house, he deposited the little girl into her mother's loving arms. The woman shrieked in delight, thanking Naruto a hundred different ways.
At the second house, Naruto was beaten to the door by the two incorrigible children.
"Momma, Momma!" they cheered. A woman answered the door, and her husband followed her out.
The woman had long, black hair, and round, black eyes. With a cry of joy, she scooped up the two boys. The man behind her grinned widely.
"Oh, Roku Deshi, Roku Keshi! Where have you two been?! You worried your mother out of her wits!" the woman smiled brightly, her teeth glistening in the sun. The woman, Naruto noticed, had very large muscles.
"Thank you, so much! You have rescued my children in the prime of their youth! Please, allow me to thank you!" the woman reached out and gave Naruto an enormous squeeze. Hinata giggled gently in the background.
Yep, big muscles, Naruto thought queasily. Faintly, Naruto realized that she reminded him of someone.
Suddenly, the children joined her in the bone-crushing hug, and Naruto's thoughts fled in fear.
*~~*