A/N: A little late. I'm sorry.

Chapter 26

His Mind is in The Darkness

Naruto had never thought the hallway to the infirmary was longer; every step echoed around him, and they only seemed to extend the path. Sakura's fingers felt warm as they twisted around his own. She was practically pulling him down the hallway, but he didn't really mind that. Jiraiya and Kakashi were leading the genin rather quickly, obviously concerned about Sasuke's condition themselves.

Naruto was also worried about Sasuke, but he couldn't help but think about other things. Like Sengi and his total freak out during his fight with Sasuke. But the more Naruto thought about it, the more it frightened him, the fact that there was another Jinchuriki in the exams besides Gaara and himself.

Sakura finally let go of his hand. He looked up with a mix of wanting and confusion. The expression on her face was somber. He turned his head and found the entryway to the Infirmary to their left; there were constant sounds and colors emitting from it. Jiraiya had already stepped inside.

"Wait here," Kakashi instructed, entering the room. There was a sudden clash, followed by heated whispering. Naruto cocked his head. What were they talking about? Finally, after another moment or two, Kakashi poked his head out. He eyed Shikamaru, Ino, and Chouji. "They're still operating," he said slowly. "But I think she'll allow you to see him if you just stay out of the way... But just Team 7." He scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "Sorry, guys."

Ino stepped forward, looking as if she was about to say something, but Shikamaru threw up his hand, stopping her before she could even begin. "It's fine," he said to Naruto more then anyone else. "Go ahead." Naruto nodded at him gratefully, and grabbing Sakura's hand again, they followed Kakashi inside.

All but one of the beds had been pushed against the walls. The one that remained sat in the middle of the room, surround by medical ninjas and equipment; Naruto didn't even recognize some of the machines. Tsunade stood in the middle of the circle of people that surrounded the bed. A bright, green glow was coming from her.

Suddenly, the bed shook violently. "Argh!" Sasuke's voice. Some of the ninjas adjusted, placing their hands on the bed to hold it steady. "Argh! Gah!"

"Calm down, Sasuke…" Tsunade said in the calmest voice she could muster. "It'll pass soon, I promise… What's wrong with that arm!?"

"Chakra displacement is falling rapidly!"

"Get some more pressure on his side… We need to elevate this arm, quickly!"

"Right!"

Naruto stared wide-eyed as all this took place. He listened to Sasuke's yells and squeezed Sakura's hand tightly. She glanced at him, unable to determine what he was thinking. Kakashi and Jiraiya moved on either side of them. "Hang in there," Jiraiya said quietly. Sakura wondered who he was talking to.

"Ma'am, his left arm is still bleeding!"

"I'm aware…! What in the hell…? More chakra displacement, we need to patch up this skin!"

"Ma'am, it's rejecting all of our chakra!"

"What? How is that…?"

"Ma'am?"

"Damn it! Out of the way!"

Sakura couldn't help it; she felt tears form in her eyes. She quickly buried her face into Naruto's shoulder. Jiraiya caught Kakashi's eye and shook his head.

Kakashi placed a hand on Sakura's shoulder. "C'mon, Sakura. Let's get a little air." She seemed a little reluctant to pull away from Naruto, but he squeezed her hand, willing her to go. She didn't need to be here right now. Kakashi ushered her out, and Naruto turned to Jiraiya.

"What's going to happen?" The brightest green glow they'd seen yet dispensed from the chakra. Tsunade's hair and clothes were blowing everywhere.

Jiraiya thought about his answer. "I can't say… But Sasuke is strong. I'm confident he'll pull through."

A sudden yell burst from the table. "Gah!...Argh!...ARGH!" The bed was beginning to shake off its legs. "Gah!...Sengi!"

"Hold him down…" Tsunade commanded. "Hold him down!" Jiraiya rushed forward, and pushed through some of the ninjas to contribute some of his strength. Within seconds, the bed was still again.

Suddenly, that name slammed through Naruto's system: SENGI. He narrowed his eyes angrily, and clenched his fists. "Sengi…" The name sounded so foreign yet so familiar.

"We've almost got it!" Tsunade suddenly said. She was shifting around the table. "Keep that arm elevated! The cells are almost repaired; let's focus are attention to this wound now!"

A sudden gushing sound made Naruto jump.

"Ma'am, his arm!"

"Are you serious?! Quickly, I need an extra pair of hands over here!" Ninjas moved, shifted, and refocused. "Good, try to straighten out his bone a bit, and I'll contain the blood."

It continued like that for some time. Tsunade called out orders, the team followed them skillfully, and Jiraiya helped where he could. Sasuke would still yell in pain every now and then. Neither Sakura nor Kakashi had come back yet. That was fine with Naruto, though; he wanted to be alone for a bit, wanted to think.

At first, he thought he could really trust Sengi, after all, he had helped them during the Second Exam, and it had appeared he had wanted to become friends. So why? Why did he want to suddenly hurt people? What changed him? What did he want? And why? Thinking about Sengi, Naruto realized how little he really knew about him. Was that his fault, though? It could be. Could the fact that Sasuke was like this be his fault too? Why wouldn't it?

The movement in the room finally stopped. Naruto focused his attention back to the scene in front of him. Many of the ninjas looked out of breath, but happy. They were straightening their backs, popping their necks, just generally relaxing. Tsunade slouched where she stood, staring down at the bed; she seemed to be focused on something. Jiraiya stood beside her, and the two exchanged whispers that Naruto couldn't make out.

"Kakashi!" she suddenly called. A second later, the jonin walked in through the door. Naruto waited, but there was no sign of Sakura. "She still needs a minute," he remarked as he passed him. Naruto frowned, but followed behind his sensei. The medical team dispersed as the two of them drew near, finally revealing Sasuke.

His clothes were still ripped, but he looked a lot better. Their were patches and bandages wrapped on various parts of his body. His legs, his sides, and there were even bandages wrapped around his forehead. Dried blood was still visible on his skin here and there. Perhaps the strangest thing, though, was his left arm. Elevated, it rested in a four pronged sling that extended from the side of the bed. Out of everything, it was the most heavily wrapped, the only visible parts being his fingertips. It looked almost limp. Sasuke laid peacefully, his eyes closed, and his breathing regular.

Kakashi gave out a long sigh. "It's way better then I thought…" He looked up at Tsunade. "So he's gonna' be fine?"

Tsunade shifted her weight nervously. "Normally, yes…"

Kakashi raised his visible eyebrow in confusion. "Normally…?"

Tsunade cleared her throat. "Well that's the thing… You see, his left arm…" She paused. "It refuses to accept any type of chakra."

Kakashi frowned behind his mask. "What does that mean?"

"His left arm was broken in four places…several muscle tares throughout the skin…scarred tissue…some of the skin was actually burned off from the blast…" She took a moment. "My point is his left arm took some serious damage."

Naruto blurted, "But it's nothing you can't fix, right?"

Tsunade glanced at him. "Normally, yes… But that's the problem. No matter how much chakra we displaced through the arm, we could only repair some of the skin cells, and even then, we had to really push for that." She looked down at Sasuke. "It's as if his arm is rejecting the chakra."

Kakashi didn't respond.

Tsunade continued. "And if his arm won't accept our chakra…we have to assume it won't accept his own either."

Kakashi suddenly raised his head. "But that means…"

Tsunade nodded solemnly. "That's right. With that much damage to his arm, and it unable to receive any kind of chakra, then…"

"…He'll never be able to use it again…" Kakashi finished.

Naruto almost choked out of surprise. What? Never!?

Tsunade nodded again. "I believe his Limit is the cause of this. During his final attack, he tried to force the upmost power from his Limit, but his body couldn't take it, forcing the Limit to break. It caused a complete displacement, a shift in the chakra points and nervous system in his arm, and as a result, he can't receive chakra properly." Naruto was confused; that didn't sound so bad. "Parts of the body that have become accustomed to chakra flow, such as the arms or legs, become so used to chakra that if they are suddenly deprived of it, they shut down…cease to work." Naruto tensed at that. She cleared her throat.

"It's normally not a problem, in fact, it even rarely occurs… But the Limit is complicating things. It's upset his chakra points to the point where they can't do anything at all. If his arm can't adapt to chakra again, and repair its nervous system, we're looking at a rehabilitation that could take months, even years…"

Kakashi hung his head low. Naruto looked from him to Tsunade. "But," he said, "you said you were able to repair some of his cells with chakra!"

Tsunade shook her head. "Repairing cells isn't the same as trying to mend a whole arm… And even then, it wasn't enough." She looked back at Kakashi. "Sorry, Kakashi…"

"…this is all my fault…"

"…but his days as a Konoha shinobi are over."

"No!" Kakashi cried. "This isn't right! This wouldn't have happened if it hadn't been for his Limit!"

Naruto thought back to the bright blue chakra that had surrounded Sasuke. His mind flashed to his final Chidori. The raw power that was emitting from it then… And how bright and loud it had been. Come to think of it… Naruto suddenly thought, looking at Sasuke's elevated arm. Sasuke uses Chidori with his left hand doesn't he…?

Jiraiya took a step toward Kakashi. "No, Kakashi, this isn't your fault. While breaking his Limit probably is the cause of this, it didn't break on accident, you know. Sasuke's pride got in the way of his judgment; his body just couldn't take it. That's why his arm's like this! It has nothing to do with you!"

"No…" Kakashi said quietly. "I should have stopped the match. If I'd only stopped the match…"

Jiraiya sighed. "Sasuke didn't want you to. He wouldn't have forgiven you either way!"

Kakashi was silent for a long moment. It was the first time Naruto had seen him almost…broken. "You're right…" His voice had half-returned to its calm authority; it was still a little shaky. He must have settled himself down a bit. "Still though, how am I supposed to tell him about this?"

"You won't," Tsunade replied. "I will."

Naruto looked down at Sasuke's face. It looked so calm, so oblivious to what was going on around him. If only I had been picked to fight Sengi instead, Naruto thought. Maybe this could have been avoided…

"I swear I'm gonna' get stronger... I know I'm gonna' get stronger, and when I do, you better watch out cause we haven't had a real match yet."

"I'm going to kill the person who did this to Naruto."

"God…you loser!"

"What's the matter, Naruto? Getting' a little nervous?"

"Our last fight was interrupted. I'd like to have one where that doesn't happen."

"Naruto! Naruto, what happened?!"

"Just eat it. You need your strength back. It's good, trust me."

"We both just have to win one more fight, and then we can battle for real."

"I guess…a little of you rubbed on me…"

"Then I guess… This'll be as far as I was meant to go…"

The name slammed through his system again: SENGI. Naruto narrowed his eyes as a swell of chakra motioned inside of him. He was mad. No, more then that; he was furious. He felt his eyes become sharper, the Kyuubi's prescience unmistakable.

You want to help your friend.

…I do.

You want to avenge him. He's just lost the use of his left arm, and you're angry.

What…should I do?

An evil, humorous laugh echoed around his skull. What do you think?

Naruto suddenly spun around, heading for the door. Jiraiya elbowed Kakashi, motioning toward Naruto's retreating back.

"Naruto!" Kakashi called, quickly overtaking him. Naruto stopped, Kakashi blocking the door. "Where are you going?" He saw it, too. The look in Naruto's eyes, there was no doubt...

Naruto frowned. "Where do you think?" He glanced back at Sasuke. "I'm going to make things right."

Kakashi raised an eyebrow, sensing something wrong. "With who?" Jiraiya asked from behind him.

"With Sengi." He spat the name.

Tsunade shook her head. "Look, Naruto, you need to go home. You just had a long battle, and you're just tired is all. Go home, get some-"

"NO!" Naruto yelled, cutting her off. "Shut up! I'm going to find Sengi, and make him pay!"

Kakashi put a hand on Naruto's shoulder. "Naruto…"

Naruto took a step back, shrugging him off. "No! He took one of Sasuke's arms!" He was breathing deeply. The Kyuubi growled in the back of his head. "So I'm gonna' take both of his!" Kakashi frowned, and made brief contact with Jiraiya. They both nodded.

"Naruto," Jiraiya said firmly, stepping forward, and grabbing Naruto's arm. "Come with me. We're going for a walk." Naruto didn't move. "Come on," Jiraiya repeated.

Naruto tried to shrug himself free from Jiraiya's grasp, but to no avail; Jiraiya had a firm grip around his arm. He looked to the window, to Kakashi, then up to Jiraiya's tired face. He frowned defeated. "Fine!"

Kakashi moved to the side immediately, allowing Jiraiya to pull Naruto past him and into the hallway. They came into contact with Sakura, Shikamaru, Ino and Chouji. Sakura was no longer crying, but Naruto knew when she heard the news about Sasuke that would change. She seemed surprised to find him being drug out of the room.

"Naruto?" she questioned.

Jiraiya didn't even slow down. Naruto tried to say something, but Jiraiya tugged on his arm, forcing his mouth closed. A mix of confusion and worry passed over Sakura's face. She tossed a look toward Shikamaru before starting off down the hallway after them.

"Stay where you are!" Jiraiya suddenly yelled. Sakura stopped in her tracks instantly; she had never heard Jiraiya speak that forcefully before. She looked almost hurt.

Naruto spat angrily. "Don't you dare yell at her!" He tried desperately to force himself free of Jiraiya's grip, but Jiraiya held on tight; he wasn't going anywhere. He turned around and gave Sakura sympathetic smile before they turned down a different hallway. Sakura didn't know what to make of the whole situation.

Kakashi stepped out. "All right, you four. You can come see him."

-

"Let me go! God, you perv, let me go!"

"Not until we get your head straight."

"What's that supposed to mean?

"You know exactly what it means."

They exited the stadium through the back, and were now heading through the back part of Konoha. Naruto had given up trying break out of Jiraiya's grip, instead he just went along with it, not really sure of what else to do; Jiraiya was intent on showing him something.

They walked for a while longer before finally stopping on a bridge over one of the many streams running through Konoha. Jiraiya finally let him go, and he immediately thought about taking off, but decided against it. Jiraiya was looking into the stream, staring his reflection right in the face.

"Come here, Naruto," he finally said. Naruto stepped beside Jiraiya, looking up at him. Suddenly, Jiraiya grabbed the back of his neck, and pushed it down, forcing Naruto to stare at his reflection. "There. What do you see?"

Naruto glanced at his reflection. "What kind of dumbass question is that?! I see myself."

Jiraiya pushed his neck down further. "Look again! What do you really see?"

Naruto stared at his reflection. His eyes were a mix of blue and red, his pupils slit like a cat's. The features on his face were a lot more rough then they should be, giving him a sort of menacing look. Looking down at his hands, he saw his fingernails had turned into small, sharp claws. He took three deep breaths.

"I…see the Kyuubi."

Jiraiya pulled him upward, and stared down at him. "You have got to learn to calm yourself down. The Kyuubi feeds off your confusion, your anger. Sengi's Bijuu has completely locked him away; it is in control because Sengi can't be. Do you want that to happen? Do you want to be at the mercy of your demon?" He paused, taking a breath. Naruto had almost completely reverted back to normal. "Sengi's mind is in the darkness, and I believe…that you're the only person who can save him."

-

Jiraiya had said he had somewhere to be, so Naruto trudged back to the Infirmary by himself. He walked slowly, glancing at every face that passed by him on the street. A familiar scent suddenly filled his nostrils. He looked to his left and found that he had wondered onto the street that Ichiraku Ramen was located without even realizing it. He paused for a second before strolling over to it; he couldn't help himself.

The shack smelled even better on the inside.

"Ah, Naruto!" Teuchi said excitedly. In no time at all, he placed a bowl of Naruto's usual in front of him as he sat. "First one's on the house! These Chunin Exams have brought some real business around." He laughed.

Naruto snapped his chopsticks apart. "Thanks," he said.

Teuchi went into the back, and left Naruto alone. Naruto ate his ramen almost mindlessly. He was to busy thinking about Sengi. Had Jiraiya been right? Was he really the only one who could help Sengi? No, that couldn't be right. It just didn't make any sense.

"I had a feeling I'd find you here."

Naruto spun around in his seat and found Sakura standing inside the entryway. She was holding her arms behind her back nervously, and was staring at him sadly. To Naruto, she was as pretty as ever.

"Well, you found me," he finally said.

She gave him a smile, taking the seat next to him. They were silent for a while, Naruto just eating his ramen. Finally, Sakura said, "Sasuke's in pretty bad shape…"

Naruto tensed. "…I know."

She suddenly looked him in the eye. "Look, I know Master Jiraiya dragged you off like that because you got upset! Kakashi told me so! But… you have to fight Sengi tomorrow, and I just…" Tears were beginning to fill her eyes. "I don't want you to get…carried away tomorrow and end up like Sasuke!" They were streaming down her face now. "I don't know what I'd do…!" She leaned over, pushing her face into Naruto's sleeve. "Promise me, Naruto. Promise me you'll be careful."

Naruto relaxed, taking a deep breath. Sakura's sobs filled the shack. He picked her chin up, and looked down at her. Their faces were only inches apart. "If I promise, will you stop?" He grinned, wiping tears away with his thumb. "I hate it when you cry."

Then, over a bowl of unfinished ramen, he kissed her.

-

The Raikage stared out the window silently, eyes fixated on the now dark stadium. Night had descended upon Konoha, the village's lights blazed in every direction. Slowly, he bit his fingernail. Again.

The door behind him opened, and heavy footsteps thudded into the room. The Raikage didn't even have to guess if it was Sado or not.

"Lord Raikage," he greeted.

The Raikage didn't turn away from the window. "Hello, Sado. I assume your match went well."

"I blew it, if that's what you mean."

The Raikage smiled, continuing to stare out the window. "Excellent. Phase One is almost complete."

"I know." There was a muffled thud as Sado dropped his hospital bag to the floor. "Where's Sengi?"

"He's in his room, sleeping. He's already been examined and patched up by our medical ninjas."

"Good, he's going to need to be well rested for Naruto."

"So he's strong?"

"More so then we anticipated. We might have to resort to Plan B."

"I was planning to. I can handle Kakashi and Tsunade, but Jiraiya poses a serious problem."

"Any news from Orochimaru?"

"He checked in with me today, yes. He says his men are in position. He's been informed of Plan B."

"But what about the other Konoha Jonin? With Plan B, they'll surely try to interfere."

The Raikage laughed. "That's why Orochimaru supplied me with this." He held up a small scroll. "Trust me, Sado. Everything has been accounted for. You and Rin will just have to be in position. You'll have Sound Ninja to back you up."

Sado glanced around. "Speaking of Rin, where is she?"

"I sent her on a little reconnaissance. She should be back shortly."

"What's she gathering information on?"

Through the reflection of the window, Sado saw the Raikage smile. "Uzumaki Naruto."

A sudden rapping came from the door. It was stiff and quick.

"Rin," the Raikage mumbled. "Enter!"

The door cracked slightly, Rin slipped through swiftly. She closed it before striding next to Sado.

"Lord Raikage," she said.

"I trust you were successful."

She grinned triumphantly. "Of course I was!"

Sado snorted. "Successful at what?" he said mockingly. She shot him a mean glare. The Raikage still had not turned from the window.

"I found Naruto's weakness." She said more to Sado then the Raikage.

Sado laughed. "Ha! I fought him, Rin! The only weakness that kid has is that he's to powerful for his own good."

Rin put her hands on her hips and tossed her ponytail from side to side. "First of all, I didn't see you fight more then I saw you get your ass kicked." Sado narrowed his eyes at her. "Second of all, he does have a weakness, for your information. I've been watching him ever since his match!"

"Enough bickering," the Raikage said. "Just spit it out, Rin."

Rin smiled. "Well you see, here's the beauty of it, because it kind of goes along with Plan B, if you get what I'm saying…"

Sado threw his arms in the air. "Just say it already!"

The Raikage had finally turned away from the window, and Rin smiled at the two of them.

"Sakura Haruno."

End of Chapter.

Next Chapter:

An Eye for an Eye,
And an Arm for an Arm.