Necessary Evils
By Silver Dragonfly
It had happened again. The dreams he had not had in years mixed with memories that he now recognized were not his own. He sighed quietly as he slid open his apartment window and then slipped up the wall and onto the roof. He glanced up, his gaze falling on the old familiar stone faces, briefly noting that construction had started on the sixth. He turned away, a twist in his heart and a wrench deep in his center at the sudden reminder. He turned away from the place that he had so often sought comfort from and instead headed toward the edges of the village.
He landed softly, eyes focused on the flames of the monument as they circled round and chased through the scrolling seals across the stonework. He paused and turned, blinking in surprise. "Baa-chan?"
The older woman smirked as she raised the familiar looking sake bottle to her lips, swallowing once before lowering it once more. "Hey, Gaki, take a seat."
The blonde fidgeted for a moment, but as the older woman narrowed her eyes at him he slouched and then moved to sit beside her, facing both stone memorials that rested in the clearing.
"Nightmares?" She asked quietly.
The blonde tensed, but then nodded and slouched once more, "Not of the War though."
The older woman raised an eyebrow in question, but did not press.
Naruto fidgeted, but kept his gaze on the ever-moving flames. "They called him the 'Son of a Demon'."
Tsunade snorted. "You know better."
Naruto smiled gently, "Yeah… it just… old memories."
Tsunade nodded. "That fire is something else, you know. They wouldn't let me see it in the hospital, but Kakashi came and told me about it today after you finished this."
"You snuck out, didn't you?" Naruto asked.
She swung a fist, hitting his shoulder and huffed as he grunted at the impact. "I can look after myself."
Naruto smirked, "Of course, Baa-chan. I see you managed to get the sake I brought from Sakura-chan."
The older woman scoffed. "The day my apprentices can keep sake away from me is the day I give up gambling."
Naruto's eyes widened at her statement but decided to not question it; she could still flatten him with a single punch, of that he had no doubt.
"It feeds and renews itself constantly." Tsunade then stated, her gaze focused once more on the flickering tongues of fire. "I've never seen anything like it."
Naruto frowned. "I couldn't control it, not really anyways. I could only sort of guide it, and well, it seemed to really like sticking to me."
Tsunade hummed in thought. "I don't like it. You were feeding that boy's ability with your chakra during the surgery. I saw it."
Naruto nodded. "Kurama said I had to if I wanted to try and keep him alive."
"Do you think it could be a sentient living piece of that boy?" Tsunade asked after a few moments.
Naruto frowned and focused his attention on the flame, instinctively stilling to gather nature chakra to enhance his senses. After several long moments he shook his head. "No. I saw his fire when he fought before he took that hit; this is different."
"So it's likely from the surgery then, when your chakra was so melded with that man's ability." She stated, obviously not really pleased about it. "And you said there are people who have these abilities all over their world?"
Naruto scratched the back of his head as he considered what he knew personally, and what Shanks and his crew had told him. "They are kind of like a bloodline… everyone knows they exist… but that doesn't mean you'll ever meet someone with one, at least for the average person. Just like living in a shinobi village pretty much means you'll run into someone with a bloodline ability, living in the area of the world known as the Grand Line makes it much more likely. From what I've been told, each one is unique and there are no duplicates."
Tsunade frowned. "Naruto, has there been anything different about the chakra in that world? Or that you have noticed with your own?"
Naruto shrugged, "Not really… well except the Nature chakra, that stuff is intense there. I think there might be something special about the Grand Line itself as well, but I haven't traveled outside of it while there yet."
Tsunade's eyes opened wide as she turned to look at the blonde teen fully. "Naruto… how much have you used Sage Mode there?"
The blonde shrugged. "Not a lot, but often enough, I guess. Shanks-oji is crazy strong and we were testing out my different forms of chakra manipulation against the different forms of energy manipulation that they call Haki."
Tsunade's hand reached for his and clenched tightly as she met the teen's gaze, her focus intense.
"Baa-ch—"
"See Sakura before you leave. I want her to run a full diagnostic on you." The older woman said firmly.
Naruto frowned, "But I'm fine. Why—"
"We don't know what kind of side effects this world jumping could have on you!" Tsunade said quickly, the concern and worry now evident. "This fire only proves that something has had an effect! I won't have you dying because we weren't careful. "
Naruto fidgeted.
"Promise me you'll see Sakura at the hospital for this before you leave."
Naruto looked down at where his hand was clutched in hers. "I don't think…"
"But you don't know. Please, Naruto."
The teen sighed, but raised his gaze to the woman who was as close to a mother and grandmother as he had ever had. "Fine, if it will make you feel better." he conceded begrudgingly.
He yelped as her hand connected with the back of his head.
"What was that for?" he muttered while rubbing the back of his head.
"Do it for your own good too, idiot." The older woman admonished. "I'll make sure Sakura knows to expect you."
The teen slumped.
Tsunade's expression softened. "I'm sure it's nothing… but things happen around you, Gaki. I don't want to gamble with your life."
Naruto raised his gaze to focus on the flickering flames once more, the weight of her last statement settling over them both. "I understand, Baa-chan."
"Good." The woman admonished then smiled once more. "It feels a bit like you, you know."
Naruto turned to her, confused. "Feels like me?"
She hummed an affirmative. "Reminds me a little bit of your chakra, particularly when blended with Kurama's chakra."
Naruto looked back at the flame. "Is that good or bad?"
The older woman smiled sadly and then ruffled his hair before leaning back on one hand while she took another long drink from the waiting bottle. "I don't know, Naruto, but… it's comforting."
Naruto relaxed at that and smiled. "I'm glad."
.:o:.
Naruto frowned as he studied the open window amidst the hundreds that covered the hospital's exterior walls. Her office window was open, that meant she had talked to Tsunade, and that she was expecting him. He sighed and leapt from his tree branch perch to land on the vertical building wall before strolling across the wall and closer to the open window. He peeked inside cautiously and breathed out a quite sigh of relief when he didn't see any sign of red or pink, his teammate's signature colors. He slipped inside the open window and quietly stepped down onto the room floor before glancing around at the office itself. It had been a while since had been in here.
Blue eyes brightened as he spotted familiar photos hanging on the walls. He pulled his gaze away before being too engrossed in the memories to take note of the rest of the room: a few plants, scroll shelves and other knick-knacks. He glanced to the clock on the wall and grimaced. He supposed it was a good thing she hadn't been here waiting for him, or he'd be in for an earful about wasting her time and how busy she was.
The window clicked shut and he whirled, eyes opening wide.
"Sa—Sakura-chan! When did you get here? I didn't see you come in—"
"You still suck at genjutsu, Naruto."
"Ah well, if you are busy I can always come back later—" He began.
"Don't even think about it." She cut him off and then pointed to one of the two doors in the adjacent walls.
"Why the genjutsu, then?" He asked sulking.
"Because I knew you would find an excuse to leave, or not show up if you thought I was too busy." She snapped. "Exam room, now."
Naruto gulped and headed in the pointed direction.
"And would it kill you to use a door? Just because Kakashi-sensei doesn't and Jiraiya-sama didn't does not mean you can pick up that habit." She chastised.
"But I like using the window…" Naruto muttered. He'd taken an aversion to doorways as soon as he could get away with it. There were always nosey secretaries trying to keep him from the people he was trying to see; the window bypassed them very nicely.
Sakura poked him hard in the middle of the back causing him to stumble forward.
Naruto sighed and eyed the waiting exam bed warily.
"Oh sit down, it's not going to bite you." Sakura admonished as she moved toward the nearby sink to wash her hands.
"But I feel fine." Naruto stated, though he sat down on the waiting bed anyways.
"Jacket and shirt off, now." Sakura ordered without turning around.
Naruto pouted.
"Don't make me remove them for you if you want them in one piece."
Naruto grumbled but began to unzip his jacket. He had just pulled off his shirt when he stilled, turning to face his teammate. He noted her sad green eyes, and was she about to cry? "Sakura-chan, what—"
"You promised to let me take care of you." She said quietly. "Naruto, how could you not tell me! What if something had gone seriously wrong! What if the nature energy there changes you and you suddenly can't ever come back!"
Naruto smiled softly. "Sakura," She glanced away and then finished drying her hands.
"Tsunade-shishou is right you know." She stated after a moment, her voice regaining her usual strength and personality. "I studied that fire quite a bit while it had the Critical Care Ward blocked off. It did, well does, remind me of your chakra. Now hold still." She ordered as she laid a faintly green glowing hand on his chest over his heart.
"You take so many unnecessary risks with yourself and make everyone else worry about you." She continued, her eyes closed in concentration.
Naruto sighed, they had had this conversation before… several times actually.
"Don't sigh and roll your eyes at me." The pink haired young woman stated flatly. "This may feel odd, try to not let Kurama's energy interfere."
Naruto muttered but did as she asked. Closing his own eyes, he focused on the feeling of chakra not his own, yet so very familiar, pass through him and let himself fall into a meditative trance, relaxing into the feeling.
It wasn't until he felt her chakra withdraw that he realized he had unconsciously began collecting nature chakra.
"That wasn't on purpose, was it?" Sakura asked quietly.
Naruto considered his answer, before finally just nodding.
"Something has changed." She said after several moments of silence. "I can't tell what, and I want to do full bloodwork, but Naruto—"
The blonde met her gaze steadily.
"I'm not so sure you should use Sage Mode while in that world. Tsunade-shishou told me you said the chakra there was different somehow. If it is, it could be the cause behind this."
"But I wasn't using it when…"
"Changes may have already started." Sakura interrupted him.
Naruto frowned. "But I don't feel any different."
"And that both worries and reassures me." Sakura answered. "Just… can you get Shima-san and Fuka-saku-san's advice on it? They know more about Nature Chakra and Sage Mode than anyone else, if they say it's okay, then fine, but…"
Naruto frowned. "There are incredibly strong people there, Sakura."
"That doesn't make me feel any better about it!" She yelled at him, whirling from where she had begun to gather several vials and the needles and tubing necessary for taking blood samples.
"Just… please," She met his blue gaze steadily, her own emerald orbs pleading. "Don't take unnecessary risks."
Naruto sighed. "All right, I'll not use Sage Mode except for an emergency until I talk about it with Shima-baa-san and Fukasaku–ojisan."
"Good, now can you let me draw blood before letting go of Sage Mode, and then again afterward?" She asked.
Naruto blanched. "So how long is this going to take?" He asked, resigning himself to being his teammates lab subject for a while.
"As long as I deem necessary." Sakura answered flatly, "Now, hold still and try to not heal this before I finish. I swear, I don't know how you even manage enough blood for a summoning, let alone some of your seal work, without a cut that would cause a normal person to need stiches."
Naruto sighed again as he did as asked, then frowned, suddenly feeling like he was forgetting something very important.
Thank you for reading. A special thank you for over 1000 reviews, and over 1500 favorites and follows.
One Piece and all its characters © Eiichiro Oda
Naruto and all its characters © Masashi Kishimoto
Special Thanks to my beta readers (and sounding boards): Blue Melodie & Aria Ino.