She woke up in the hospital, Naruto sleeping on a chair on her right, Kakashi sleeping, his book on his face, on another chair on her left. She smiled softly, sitting up, but a sharp, aching pain in her head made her flinch, putting a hand to her forehead. She saw Kakashi lift the book from his eyes, giving her a relieved look before hugging her tight. "Hey, dad…sorry about the scare…" "I'm just glad you're okay…"
She nodded, but she thought she saw guilt flash in his visible eye as he said, "Naruto has something to tell you…when he wakes up…" she nodded, confused, when she saw Naruto stir out of the corner of her eye. "Naru-kun!" her happy voice woke Naruto up, and he hugged her tight, happiness evident on his face. When he remembered his message, he seemed guilty, and gave Kakashi a meaningful look, making him nod and leave silently. "Michi-chan…Jiraiya said he'd train me…"
"That's great!" the look of sadness on his face made her own smile vanish. "But I need to leave with him for a couple years…and I can't stay in contact with anyone…" it felt like a blow to the heart, and she hugged him tight. "I know this should be a good thing…" she tried to smile reassuringly, though it wasn't very strong. "So I'm behind you…every step of the way…"
She put a hand on the necklace he still wore around his neck. "I'll wait for you…I promise…it'll be like I'm with you…" she kissed him softly, whispering, "We're strong…we'll be together for a long time…"
