A Minor Inconvenience

"I do not fear death. I had been dead for billions and billions of years before I was born, and had not suffered the slightest inconvenience from it."

~Mark Twain

.12

Minato is giving her a concerned look.. Or at least she thinks he, she's pretty sure he's boring a hole in her back with how hard he's staring. Maybe that's the blood loss talking. Why was she losing blood again… Oh yeah that's right they had been scooting for a few herbs in the surrounding forest when they'd been attacked by some wayward Kusa nins. She'd closed the wound but that didn't replace the blood she'd lost. No she needed blood replenishing pills for which they were out of, hence the herbs.

She needed the herbs to make more pills.

Her head really hurt. There was also some spinning, she must have hit her head too. Gods Nawaki was going to kill her. Although she hadn't made any promises so he'd have to get over it.

"How the fuck did this happen?! You aren't supposed to be seeing combat." Comes a very elegant retort from what appears to be a rather disgruntled Shikaku. Tsuyuko unfortunately doesn't appreciate the yelling due to the ringing in her head.

But at least they'd made it back to camp.

"Shhh Kaku, too loud." She mumbles clutching at the side of her head. Fuck her head hurt.

"We were ambushed by some Kusa shinobi, they're taken care of now but Tsuyuko sustained an injury and lost a lot of blood. I think she may also have a concussion." Astute deduction. Concussion sounds about right to her. She definitely had a concussion.

"I just need to rest for a minute then I'll be fine, it was a minor flesh wound." But her brian is not functioning the way it should, she feels a bit loopy. Has to be the blood loss.

It's fine.

"She looks like she's about to pass out." Cool she felt like she was too. Oh look black spots in her vision obscure the view she has on Shikaku's face. How timely. The ground under her seemed to swallow her up, she reached forward as her feet buckled.

"I don't feel too good…."

She fell.

…

Shikaku wanted to hit someone. Specifically Minato, even though it was his fault. But still. He did not like seeing the auburn haired girl hurt. Tsuyuko was resting now, she'd be fine, but she was not in a good state when she'd returned back to camp. Neither was Minato, he had half treated injuries as well. Which was mostly why Shikaku hadn't smacked him yet.

Obari-san, the other medic, a girl in the same age group as them walks over to where he and the other were. She looks like she takes her job very seriously, takes herself very seriously, which Tsuyuko never had. "Tsuyuko-sensei's injuries are worse than previously believed, she is bleeding internally. Namikaze-san tells me that it was a hell of a fight, that she had been thrown into the side of a ravine where she had been scavenging for herbs. We have patched the internal injuries as best that we can but only time will tell." Obari is straight to the point. Which he appreciated.

He did not particularly like the news that they'd just been given. Inoichi takes a deep breath and Choza sets down his plate. Solemn looks take over all of their faces he's sure. Orochimaru had been switched out to another border post the week previously as had Jiraiya and a few of the Ame shinobi. Now that the red headed teen could walk thanks to Tsuyuko, Ame needed it's leaders back so they could work the Iwa border. This border post didn't see a lot of action for the most part, just random squads here and there, it was mostly a redirection post for the incoming aid from Suna.

Their allies were few right now. Ame, Suna, and the small forces from Rivers. Kiri was in the midst of its own civil war so no one had seen a hair tail of them in months. A fact many in the Lead were very thankful for. Kiri's level of violence was quite frankly not needed right now.

"How is Minato?" Choza questions. Obari offers no change of disposition.

"Namikaze-san is faring better, his injuries while serious are not as severe. He'll be up and about in no time. Tsuyuko-sensei I assumed focused more on him than she did herself following their battle." Which sounded a lot like her. Shikaku shook his head.

So typical.

"Thank you for letting us know Obari-san. Will we be able to visit our teammates soon?" Inoichi speaks when Shikaku cannot find the words. The woman frowns at them but nods.

"When Namikaze-san wakes up you'll be able to see him."

"And Tsuyuko." Shikaku's mouth feels dry. The words don't settle well with him. The air is tense. His heart races anxiously inside his chest.

Obari sighs deeply.

"Tsuyuko-sensei's injuries require more healing than any of us can provide. I have already sent word to the border post Tsunade-sama is stationed at, for the moment we are doing our best just to keep her stable."

"Is the internal damage that bad?"

"Yes."

That was not what any of them wanted to hear. Not in the slightest.

…

' Tsunade-sama,

We request your aid urgently. Medic Raida Tsuyuko has sustained serious injuries that we are unable to heal fully. There is internal bleeding that we cannot get to stop all the way. We are doing our best to keep her stable.

Please use the Sparrow to reverse summon yourself to use. Raida is at risk for going septic, there isn't enough time.

Obari Kae'

The urgent message comes via the Obari clans summons, a sparrow who cannot speak, Tsunade grits her teeth. Pushing the worry down that builds in her heart. "Tsunade-sama are you alright, all the color has drained from your face." She looks up when Dan's concerned voice reaches her ears.

"I'm being summoned to the Ame border." She tells him quickly, gathering her things as fast as she can. His brow furs together.

"I thought Tsuyuko-san was at the Ame border." Tsunade has to take a deep breath. Her nerves are shot. She forces her hands to stop shaking.

"Tsuyuko has sustained serious injuries." It takes her a moment to get the words out. Dan draws in a breath, he is at loss.

He liked that kid. Regardless if she didn't seem to like him. Tsunade had told him the reason though, the kid was a medical genius and he had treated her like a child. 'She has talent that rivals my own, one day she'll surpass me based on pure intellect alone' Dan remembers the conversation like it had happened yesterday. He'd been an ass and had never apologized for it. He may not get to now words he chooses not to voice.

"How serious?" Because he also knew that if something happened to that kid it would devastate Tsunade. He didn't want to see that happen.

"She's bleeding internally and they cannot localize where it's coming from. I need to go now before she turns septic. Can you hold down the front here?" She asks again, urgency in her voice, Dan nods.

"Go, I got it. We have enough medics here anyway. I know the Ame border has less, they need you. She needs you." Tsunade nods, turning to look at the sparrow who was waiting patiently for her by the table.

"Take me to Tsuyuko."

…

Maybe she was dead. That would explain why she couldn't wake up. She wanted to wake up, there was too much shit to do to be sleeping. Maybe she had died...again.. Fuck that would suck. Would she get reincarnated again.. Tsuyuko didn't want to think about that. She shut that train of thought down quickly.

She didn't want to be dead. Gods she hoped she wasn't dead.

"That's good to hear." A voice speaks into her subconscious. Or at least she thinks it is, Inoichi would know more than she would about this aspect of the brain.

"I know you." She decided after a moment. The other voice comes into view. Yes Tsuyuko did know this person. Although she hadn't remembered what they looked like before.

"I would hope so… since I died so you could live." It was her from before, before she became Tsuyuko.

"Wonderful deduction sherlock, would you like a cookie." Tsuyuko smirked at the other. AT least her humor has remained mostly the same. Sarcasm was a hard trait to let go of it seemed.

"No thanks. I don't think there is anything more you can give to me now." The other smiled softly. A pleased expression upon their face.

"Not at all." Tsuyuko snorts at the short response. She almost had expected as much.

"Then why are you here, this is overkill. Feels very mary-sue to me." The other chuckles, shaking their head.

"Oh I didn't come here, you did. But I think it's time you go back. Bye bye." The other vanishes from is alone. A flash of light then followed by utter darkness.

Senju Tsunade arrives at the Ame border. The sky weeps. She makes her way to the medic tent as fast as she can. No one questions her sudden arrival, they know why she's here. Inside the tent lies a much loved medic hooked up to the border's only mobile heart monitor. Tsunade steps into the tent, rhythmic beeping suddenly screeches to a halt. An alarm goes off.

Tsuyuko flatlines.

XOXOX

So I'm just going to leave this here for now…

Thanks for reading! Thank you for all the support:)

~LaRae