Behind The Mask
Chapter 26
While waiting for Naruto to be moved into a room, Kakashi and Iruka made their way to where they knew Itachi would be, right by Sasuke's side.
"How's Sasuke doing?" Kakashi asked from the door, taking in the boy's pale appearance.
"Very well" Itachi replied "He should be waking up soon. What are you guys doing back here?"
"Another incident with Kiba." Iruka replied and Itachi frowned.
"The little ass slammed a rock into Naruto's head, fractured his skull." Iruka informed him and Itachi scowled.
"I'm going to murder that kid." Itachi muttered, worry filling him for Naruto.
"Too late." Kakashi piped in sounding a little too cheerful about the matter. "Someone else got to him." Itachi's eyebrows shot straight up. Had the kid really been murdered?
"Don't you watch the news?" Iruka asked.
"Normally yes, but not since Sasuke's transplant surgery." Itachi replied.
"Well. Let's just say you should watch it, I don't exactly feel comfortable talking about it." Iruka said.
"Was it that bad?" Itachi wondered. Kakashi snorted.
"It was nothing less than he deserved for being such a homophobic asshole." Kakashi replied.
"How's Naruto, I'm assuming he doesn't know yet?" Itachi asked.
"They are getting him put in a room as we speak, he's probably going to be here a few days provided he doesn't have any bleeding in his brain."
"I hope he doesn't" Itachi said "it seems like as soon as he gets well enough something happens and the healing process starts all over again."
"This time it's not going to happen." Iruka replied "I'll make sure of it. He's never going to be let out of my sight again."
"In which case you will mother hen him to death." Kakashi said "he's not going to like you for not giving him his space."
"Yes, well he's a danger magnet." Iruka replied "how else do we keep him safe."
"You let me handle whatever trouble comes his way." Itachi replied "and you can be sure there won't be anymore assholes coming after him."
"Speaking of you wouldn't happen to know what happened to Naruto's mother do you?" Kakashi asked and Itachi sighed.
"I paid someone to take her out. I wasn't taking the chance that she would get off for what she done." He replied. "Personally she probably should have suffered more but what's done is done."
"Who did you pay to kill her?" Iruka asked and Itachi looked over at him curiously.
"Why? You in need of a hit man?" He asked.
"Just curious." Iruka replied, he wanted to know if Naruto's so called brother had been the one hired to take her out. He strongly suspected that it was Kurama who had killed Kiba.
"Tall, red haired man, goes by the name of Kurama." Itachi replied "but you didn't find that out from me."
"I thought so." Iruka muttered.
"Why the sudden curiosity?" Itachi asked.
"Because I suspect that he was the one that killed Kiba." Iruka replied "not that I would be turning him in or anything."
"How do you figure that?" Kakashi asked.
"Because as soon as Kiba hit Naruto with the rock. He was after Kiba like a hunting dog and a bird." Iruka replied.
"I can't say that he doesn't have his issues. But he is a good man. Although I didn't know that he was related to Naruto. He doesn't exactly talk about his past." Itachi said thoughtfully turning his attention back to Sasuke when he heard his little brother groaning and trying to open his eyes.
"Welcome back to the land of the living little monster." Itachi said as Sasuke managed to get his eyes open half way. "How do you feel?"
"Tired." Sasuke mumbled, his eyes widening when they landed on Kakashi's pink hair. "What the hell happened to you?"
"Naruto" Kakashi replied.
"Where is Naruto?" Sasuke asked. Not liking the way that Iruka avoiding meeting his eyes. "What happened."
"Kiba" was all Iruka had to say.
"Is he going to be okay?" Sasuke demanded as he tried to sit up in the bed.
"The doctors seem to think so." Iruka answered. "He has a skull fracture, he said there could be damage but we wouldn't know until he woke up."
"Where is he?" Sasuke asked "and is anyone doing anything about Kiba?"
"Kiba has effectively been dealt with." Kakashi replied "and they are getting Naruto admitted to a room as we speak."
"Talk to Tsunade and get him moved in here." Sasuke said, trying to shake of the lethargy that he was feeling. "There is no better place for him than here so that I can make sure he's doing okay."
"Um, it's not your job to make sure that he's okay." Itachi pointed out. "and I don't know that Tsunade would allow that anyways because you need to concentrate on getting better as well."
"I don't care." Sasuke replied "I want him where I can see him at all times. Apparently you idiots can't take care of him." Sasuke huffed as he settled back down into his pillows. "and what do you mean that Kiba has effectively been dealt with?"
"Meaning the kid is dead that's what." Itachi replied sighing, his brother was still as bullheaded as ever. "and I don't know that it would be good for your health to have him in here. You will only worry."
"I will worry more if he's not in here." Sasuke replied stubbornly, as he fought to keep his eyes open.
"Get some sleep." Itachi said "and I will see what can be done."
As soon as Sasuke's eyes, closed Itachi stood up and headed for the door, both Kakashi and Iruka following behind him.
"Do you really think it's good idea for them to room together?" Iruka asked "his condition could put a hold on Sasuke's recovery."
"Well, not really the way I see it, Sasuke is going to worry more if Naruto isn't there, and that will be what effects his recovery." Itachi replied as he approached the nurses desk.
"Is Tsunade here?" he asked the dark haired nurse that was sitting there, filing some paperwork.
"She isn't here yet." the nurse told him "but she will be in a few minutes."
"Is it possible to have Naruto Uzumaki put in the same room as Sasuke Uchiha?" Itachi asked and the nurse frowned.
"I don't know that its a good idea, your brother has a long recovery ahead of him." she told Itachi.
"Those boys don't like being separated" Itachi explained "and Sasuke will worry more if Naruto isn't there."
"Don't worry about it Itachi." Tsunade said from behind him. "I'll make sure that Naruto gets put in the same room with him." turning to Iruka and Kakashi she frowned.
"Someone want to tell me why the brat is back?" she asked.
"Does anyone watch the news?" Iruka wondered irritably. "the kid that is currently on the news is the reason why he's here."
"Don't get so grumpy." Kakashi said reaching over and pinching Iruka's butt making the man reach out and slug him in the arm.
"I am not grumpy." Iruka huffed and Kakashi smiled.
"Of course you are but I love you anyways." he told the other man.
"None of that tells me what's going on?" Tsunade said impatiently.
"Kiba attacked Naruto" Kakashi said "and hit his head with a rock. The Er doctor said that Naruto had a skull fracture, and that there was a chance of brain damage."
"Did he bother doing a CT scan?" Tsunade asked "because that's the next best way to see effected parts of the brain."
"I don't know what was done." Kakashi said "he didn't tell us very much at all."
"I'll be changing that." Tsunade said "and you guys can go wait with Sasuke for the time being." Itachi nodded and returned to his sleeping brother's bedside. He was grateful that Sasuke had pulled through the surgery well, now all they had to do was make sure that he didn't reject the heart.
Sitting down beside Sasuke, Itachi talked with the other two men as they waited for Naruto to be brought in. When Naruto was rolled into the room half an hour later the first think Iruka noticed was that Naruto was conscious, but the pained expression on Naruto's face, deterred Iruka from saying anything.
Once Naruto had been settled into bed, Tsunade inserted some pain medication into his IV, before squeezing his hand gently.
"The pain dull in a few minutes." she said softly before turning her attention back to Iruka and Kakashi and nodding towards the hall.
"I done a CT scan," she told them "it doesn't look like he has any brain damage, but he may suffer migraines for the rest of his life because of the fracture." Iruka nodded.
"That's better than what I was thinking." Iruka said "what about the bleed in his brain?"
"It looks like that has already stopped as well, there won't be any need for brain surgery today." Tsunade said. Iruka and Kakashi both nodded and looked in at the now sleeping Naruto.
"He's going to be in some pain for a little while" Tsunade said "so if you have to talk to him, talk to him quietly." Iruka nodded and disappeared back into the room to sit with Naruto.
"He's going to end up mother henning that kid to death, and Naruto's not going to like it." she told Kakashi.
"Well, there has been a ton of shit that's happened." he replied "you can't exactly blame him for that."
"I suppose not" Tsunade said softly. "if the pain medication wears off and he's in a lot of pain, just come find me, I'll find something for him." Kakashi nodded and watched as Tsunade disappeared down the hall, before returning to Naruto's bedside. The kid looked terrible, his face was sickly pale, and he had a bandage wrapped around his head.
"Now that Kiba's gone, do you think we can get some peace?" Iruka whispered to Kakashi.
"I sure hope so." He replied "At this point I'm not sure what else could go wrong."
"I can think of plenty" Itachi spoke up, looking up from Sasuke's bedside. "But I don't think you want me to mention it here."
"You better not!" Iruka hissed. "I'm surprised 'kashi didn't jinx Sasuke already with his comment."
"I don't believe in jinxing anything." Kakashi replied "Either it happens or it doesn't."
"Is Naruto here?" Sasuke's voice filled the room and the group moved away from Naruto's bed so that Sasuke could see him. "He looks like shit." he commented.
"I imagine that he's a in a lot of pain too." Iruka said "that doesn't help his color any."
"He's going to be okay though?" Sasuke asked.
"Yes, aside from a lot of pain and migraines for the rest of his life. He's going to be okay. Tsunade said there wasn't any signs of damage on the scan." Iruka told him.
"That doesn't mean you can jump him as soon as you get out of here." Itachi said "He needs time to rest as well."
"Who said I wanted to do that right away?" Sasuke muttered.
"Because you're a teenage boy." Itachi replied "and I know what you think about just as much as you do."
"Whatever, asshole." Sasuke muttered and Itachi smiled. His brother was going to be just fine, he was back to his grumpy antics again. From that point on Sasuke recovered quickly, Tsunade had him up on his feet only a few days after surgery, and while Naruto slept in a medicated daze for the first few days, he recovered quickly as well, and soon both boys were home and looking forward to never spending any more time in a hospital. They did however spend a lot of time at each others houses, driving either Itachi or Kakashi and Iruka crazy with their pranks.
Thinking about ending it here, although there might be one more chapter. I do have a sequel planned though. So what do you think should I do a certain kind of SasuNaru scene? Or end it here? Thanks for reading and reviewing.