A/N: Welcome to all the new favs/followers. Thank you to those still following along! Happy reading :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of its characters. They belong to Masashi Kishimoto. This story is purely a work of fanfiction.

Nina- is my original character (I do own her)


Chapter 105


Kakashi abruptly forgot everything bar one person. Nina.

Messages took time to be delivered and it was possible he would arrive to find not a victim whom was being treated but a death.

Uncharacteristically, clippings of regrets started to flood his mind. He'd never had that conversation with Asuma. Sure, they'd touched on the subject a few times, however it was never the full truth.

Propelling himself off another branch Kakashi grappled with his negligence. He should and did know better, just how fickle a life in the shinobi world was. Opening up to his not just comrades but friends, was somewhat of a learned behaviour for him. He'd closed himself off to everyone for such a long time that certain behaviours that were considered normal had been lost to his regimented detachment. Because Nina and he had failed to have a proper conversation he'd opted to not say too much when conversing with her sibling.

Asuma had asked him to watch over and protect his little sister. This time, Kakashi's doubt started to set in.

That dark, gloomy pit of despair that he'd found himself in after losing his loved ones in quick succession had been something he wouldn't wish upon his worst enemy, let alone …

It'd not gone unnoticed to the copy-nin. He and she were alike in many ways. But their stark difference, the one that he had determined to be his favourite, was hanging on a kunai's edge.

It hadn't been the first time in his life that Kakashi felt useless. Here he was rushing to be at Nina's side with little to nothing to offer but himself. He'd posed a question to Sakura during their Chunin exams. His young student had gone to rush to be at her comrade's side but she presented nothing that would have helped the situation.

He'd been summoned; not specifically for Nina's cause. That assumption had been from his heart. Perhaps they needed him for the interrogation or for some other part of the investigation? Or maybe they had a lead that he would be required to follow? The request was probably not even related to Nina. It was just a matter of coincidence. Maybe.

Kakashi's mind revisited the predicament Nina was now in. The nine year old had caused cracks to appear in Nina that had never been evident before. The sixth victim, whose life was reliant on Nina and the rest of the medic-team to survive, wasn't just a civilian or comrade; Asuma Sarutobi was her big brother.

The demons and ghosts of Kakashi's past resurfaced and began weaving around and distorting images of Nina. Shinobi were still humans and there were a number of ways that an individual dealt with trauma. His father had taken his own life, Rin had chosen death too, and Obito, Minato-Sensei and Kushina had chosen to sacrifice their lives for someone else. Then there was himself. How had he responded? Complete shutdown. Living for nothing but the next mission, sometimes requesting the most dangerous missions. Bounded by the shinobi rules and no emotional attachment.

A jumble of images of Nina invaded his mind.

No, that wasn't going to be the life for her. He believed in her.

This time he didn't feel as nonsensical. Kakashi prayed to whoever would listen, as his feet continued to hit the branches only briefly on his return to Konoha.


Nina flung her mask off as soon as she entered the door. She'd exposed herself to god knows how many people at this point, nonetheless her priorities laid elsewhere.

"His kidneys have already…" Shit.

Nina assisted Sakura as they rolled Asuma on his side to prevent him from choking on the gargles of blood, vomit and other fluids. Swiftly, Nina rolled him over as the restraints were attached to his wrists and ankles.

Leaning into his ear she whispered. "I'm going to save you."

Asuma choked and spluttered as Nina took command of the room, delegating medics (Lady Tsunade included) at the necessary organs. She chose to work on the liver and instead set Tsunade and Sakura on his kidneys.

Normally, Nina would simply carry out her duties however, it wasn't inadmissible that their patient was her brother. Seeing him writhe under the unforgiving effects of the poison was worse than the interrogation she had experienced from Ibiki; worse than everything. Asuma was counting on her. No. She looked around at the faces as she gathered up the liquid from the bowl beside her with one hand and pushed it into his body. They were all relying on her. If she faltered for even a second…

"Nina."

"Quiet now."

She ignored his pleas; knowing that the pain he was already enduring was about to be increased tenfold.

"Nina. Aahh!"


The restraints clanked and clonked as the teams simultaneously worked on victim six. Tsunade noted the minimal amounts of poison that were being extracted from all three points.

"Nina, what's next?"

The method was crude; extremely painful and by all observations …

"Lungs, Mellady."

Tsunade left her post and took over from Nina who sidestepped so that she was closer to assess his lungs. There was still time. Asuma had been the only victim to arrive this early in the chain of events. Regardless of the fact Nina had possibly saved their sixth victim's life she was still going to have serious consequences. She'd undoubtedly added to them since Ibiki had graced her office a short while ago.

She chanced a look at Nina's face as she'd not heard her give an update upon moving on to the lungs. She almost wished she hadn't.


Nina moved her hands around over the top of his lungs, looked at the machines for his vitals, and around at the Fifth and Sakura. Fuck.

She knew Asuma condition wasn't improving. Hell, it wasn't even stabilising. They were running out of time and the poison had progressed to his lungs. This was the final stage.

Before her eyes and under her own command she was losing him. She was failing her own flesh and blood. Logically, normally, clinically this would be the point Nina, and even, yes, even her superior would silently convey the message to the team around them that it was now just a matter of making the patient comfortable. However, this was Asuma. It was her brother and Nina wasn't about to let that fly. She wasn't going to give up. She'd give her last ounce of chakra to save…

"Nina. The king." He spluttered; blood marking his face in large globules.

Fuck the King.


He was old enough to know his own body. He knew even without looking at Nina's face. Although, now that he was able to, his mind was filled with an amassment of words. Things he wanted and needed to tell her.

"Nina, the King. We…" he grit his teeth, the pain was intolerable. He'd endured many injuries; none on this level. None that were even comparable. "Protect the King."

Her eyes quivered as they locked onto his. He knew she understood who the King was. There was something else though, something much more important he wanted to tell his little sister. He must tell her. He'd held off intervening any further following their very short café conversation. And he would have let it be that way until they worked it out for themselves but circumstances were different now. He was…


"Be quiet you fool." She watched as he closed his eyes, a smirk spreading across his face before it contorted in pain.

"Mellady, we have only one option." She looked Tsunade square in the eyes. Demanding, pleading…


She knew what Nina was requesting of her; of them. That jutsu. Reviewing Asuma's condition, the bowls of bare minimum amounts of the poison that had been extracted.

"He said." Nina was struggling with the words. She was concentrating on the task at hand, however it was evident her mettle was at its limits. "He said there's no cure. We took an oath. We have a duty. Please Lady Tsunade. We have to try."

Using her vast reserves of chakra with that jutsu was a last ditch effort. Whilst they had all the things Nina had mentioned it was blaringly obvious. In the shinobi world you are faced with life and death. Tsunade completely stopped what she was doing and took two steps back.

Nina once again snapped her head up in her direction. Her eyes searching for the sign; a sign. Tsunade's eyes flickered to Asuma. She interpreted his wish from his expression without a single word being spoken.

She sighed, noting the small flex from Nina indicating her assumption was that of hope.

"No. As the Fifth Hokage and the superior in this room, cease responsive treatment immediately. Commence end of life."