A/N's will be at the bottom

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of its characters

Naruto woke to the sound of beeping. Loud and constant, the rhythm of the sound slowly forced his crystal blue eyes open. It was then that he was met with streams of bright shining white. Involuntary he groaned guttural and low, his head pounded and he felt dizzy. Trying to recall his last memory he found himself unable to.

Worried now that he was unsure of where he was the boy lied still. Fingers twitching where they lay Naruto let his eyes roam. A ninja always learned how to assess an area for threats after all. Even Naruto knew that.

He inhaled deeply and nearly gagged. Sitting up violently he glared at the walls of his prison. He knew where he was. The stench of sterile medicine and death was always familiar to him. White plastered walls and beeping machines Naruto nodded to himself.

'Hospital… definitely a hospital.' He thought bitterly. What other place that he knew would smell so much of old?

Naruto sighed. Memories fuzzy he chose to try and forget everything for a moment. Running his tanned hands through his hair he closed his eyes unhappily.

He never did have a good experience with hospitals as a kid. To many pointy needles and unnecessary mean bastards terrified of the Kyuubi, Naruto had decided early on in his life that hospitals weren't to be trusted.

To make it worse though they didn't even have any taste of color! Always white this and white that. He smiled mischievously in his bed. If they had it his way the whole place would be painted orange. Then again if he had it his way the whole village would be orange.

'But really who doesn't love the color orange?' Naruto mused quietly.

Finally getting focused Naruto began to quickly check himself over. He noticed that he was covered literally from head to toe in bandages. Moving his arms and legs in small slow movements he found that his body was sore. More sore than it had probably ever been.

Most noticeable though to his eyes was the large red stain on the right side of his shoulder. It seemed as if the injury had bled right through all the bandages.

"I probably shouldn't be moving huh?" Naruto asked himself. "Then again Kyuubi will begin to heal me sooner or later."

The genin was surprised that no nurses had entered his room yet. In the past the horrible thing about hospitals were that the nurses always seemed to know when Naruto got up. Laughing he realized that they always ended up thwarting any of his plans in leaving the hospital.

It didn't matter though. He had never been one to care about a single misstep. Eventually Naruto always got his way and more importantly he always got away.

Finally recalling the event before he had passed out he realized exactly why he was here. Sasuke. Vaguely he was curious as to where the nurses had placed the other boy. A part of him had seemed to think that they would be placed in the same room. They were to stick together through thick and thin. That's what teammates were supposed to do for each other.

Shaking his head he realized that was foolish. He figured in the end they were placed in two separate rooms for their safety. After all he and Sasuke did tend to get testy with each other.

Grimacing Naruto realized even the last time they were in a hospital they ended up fighting each other on the roof. Remembering how that battle ended and what transpired only a day after that Naruto could only think on how that it wasn't one of his greatest memories.

Deciding that he didn't have to think about the past right now he slowly got up. He groaned as his body vehemently protested. Still Naruto disregarded it. Spotting his favorite orange and black jumpsuit in the corner of the room he smiled deviously.

"If the nurses don't want to come in for an early checkup then a guess there's no harm in an early leave right?" Grinning like a fox he slowly made his way over to his jumpsuit. Hand over his chest the wrapped wound constricted painfully.

Reaching his jacket slowly he attempted to get changed only to find the clothing torn to shreds. Disappointed he muttered an apology to his old jacket before discarding it.

Checking over his other clothes Naruto was happy to find that someone had washed them. Shrugging into his black shirt that he usually wore underneath his jacket he was glad it no longer smelled of blood. His orange pants were next and they clung loosely to his frame as well.

Grabbing the last item he picked up his headband. In the clear steel his blue eyes stared back at him and he traced the symbol of Konoha with his finger.

Smiling gently placed the item on his forehead before tightly wrapped the cloth. It wasn't until he was creeping out the window that his stomach growled loudly.

"Well that settles it," Naruto looked out to Konoha eyes set ahead to where he knew his destination would be, "Ichiraku Ramen here I come!" He declared determinedly.

His feet already moving Naruto ran to his favorite restaurant. Taking to the rooftops the blonde tried to travel but fell in exhaustion. Sweat beaded down his forehead and he coughed violently. His hand clutched his chest.

"Damn it!" Naruto cursed. "What's taking so long you dumb fox?" Naruto breathed slowly trying to control his pain. Grabbing a soldier pill from his pocket he popped it into his mouth and chewed. He didn't like to have to resort to using things like these too dull the pain, but Naruto was sick of feeling weak.

He tried to reason a little bit as he swallowed the vile pill. Figuring that after Naruto had used Sage mode synchronized with kyubi chakra while Sasuke had used his skeletal Susanoo and he had worn the Kyuubi out. The Susanoo was tough to beat. It was only fair that he gave the fox a little more time to fix him up.

Nonetheless it was nerve wracking not having Kyuubi heal him the minute he was hurt. Maybe he had become a little too dependent on the fox.

'I'll just start training even harder when I'm healed. I won't rely on the fox.' He resigned that he couldn't do anything now so he continued forward.

Dropping to the ground he walked into the crowds of civilians. He could take the long way to Ichiraku. It didn't really matter to him so long as he got there. Walking at a steady and slower pace than normal Naruto put his hands atop his head.

It came to mind as he was strolling he didn't know how long he had been out. It couldn't have been long maybe a day or so. Yet even as he was thinking Naruto couldn't help but notice the nasty glares some of the civilians were sending his way.

'Well that's odd…' Naruto had gotten a few occasional mutters but nowadays he barely had gotten any especially after the Pein attack. He thought he had gained the people's respect and their trust. Frowning Naruto began feeling a little more self-conscious than before.

Lowering his hands he tried to play it off as just one of those days. His hands found their way deep into his pockets; he knew he shouldn't let things like this get to him. He opted to try and ignore it like he used to.

Break?

Ichiraku finally in sight Naruto glimpsed the familiar sight neon pink hair he knew only belonged to one person. Despite the odd actions of the villagers he couldn't help but feel a smile tug at his face. He was always happy when he was around Sakura. It was just a fact.

It didn't help that he wanted couldn't wait to tell her about Sasuke. She probably already even knew, but then again he would probably tell her again anyway. It was Sakura he just couldn't help, but get nervous.

'Maybe I could even get her to go on that date with me now…' He was always hopeful that one day she would say yes. He knew it had been a long time since they were a genin team together, yet still his love and care for Sakura had stayed.

He wanted her to be happy and more than anything he wanted to be the one to make her happy. And after all this time and failing to keep the promise of bringing back Sasuke he hadn't felt worthy to ask her, but now things were different. Sasuke was back and he had kept his promise. Naruto finally felt as if he had some worth.

His mouth started moving before he even realized it, "Hey Sakura-chan!" She hadn't heard him. He walked towards her. His pace increased. He smiled brighter. He called out again. "Sakura-chan!" He could always ask her to eat Ichiraku with him. That was a good idea. He thought it didn't even have to be a date. Being around Sakura was better than not being by her at all.

One more time he called out to her, "Sakura-chan!" Much closer to her he finally saw that she had heard him. He watched the pink haired girl turn to look for the speaker. He noticed that next to her Ino Yamanaka and that girl Tenten from Bushy-Brow's team were there too.

He smiled. He would ask them to. The more the merrier had always been Naruto's motto.

Emerald green eyes finally settled on to Naruto as he stopped directly in front of her. Oblivious to anything but his own plans the blonde never noticed how Sakura's eyes had narrowed, never noticed the tense positions of Ino and Tenten watching their friend.

"Sakura-chan long time no see huh?" Naruto chirped happily. His thoughts run amuck with asking the girl of his dreams to Ichiraku with him and talking about their once wayward teammate. He had built up the courage and he was determined to ask her.

He was going to ask her. So caught up in his own musings he never realized Sakura had never responded to him. Still the girl had opted to just glare at the dazed blond.

"Sakura-san?" Tenten started quietly. Still no response. Ino next to her shifted uncomfortably. Staring at Naruto the blond girl pleaded silently. It wasn't his fault, but it really wasn't a good time right now.

'Please don't let that blond knucklehead say anything to set her off…' For once Ino didn't want to partake in any sort of drama that she felt was about to brew.

"Ne Sakura-chan…" Naruto started hesitantly. While the boy was confident he wanted to ask, he still couldn't help but feel nervous. "I was wondering ya know that maybe you wanted to go get something to eat with me?" He shifted from foot to foot looking abashed.

He never saw how Sakura tensed at his words. Fist shaking and eyes flashing his old teammate stood completely still.

"I just got back ya know and maybe you already knew but…" His confidence growing he looked up hoping to see some reaction from his crush. His blue eyes shone with both a soulful pride and a vast nervousness. "I finally brought Sasuke back and we cou—"

He never finished the sentence as Sakura's fist was now being acquainted with his face. Sailing through the air flew into a nearby wall of the market area. When he landed the wall was destroyed leaving only a crater with a body inside. Everyone passing by had stopped to watch this new development.

"Sakura what the hell!" Naruto could hear Ino's voice from his spot in the wall.

"Naruto-san!" He even heard the Tenten girl yell his name. Was there a hint of worry there? Naruto didn't really know. Nor did he even think he cared. All he felt was pain. He looked up to see Sakura trembling. He hadn't meant to make her angry. Did he say something wrong?

His left hand clutched his shoulder and for once he was grateful he was wearing black. The material of the shirt was soaked through with what he knew to be blood. Any other color and the red stain would have shown clear through. Even with the bandages tightly wrapped underneath the wound bled on.

The fox still wasn't healing him. Trying to hide the small amount of hurt in his eyes he looked up at Sakura sheepishly. Using his free hand he lifted himself off the ground. He found that when he stood he had to lean against the wall for support. He could barely stand with his own two feet.

Naruto laughed. Humorlessly and hurt, but the boy laughed as if nothing had happened. Trying to smile he attempted to suggest something else for them to do.

"Ok I guess no eating then huh?" Naruto joked.

Tenten still over in the crowds looked pleadingly over at the boy. 'Naruto please stop'

Ino who was next to Sakura was trying to calm the fuming girl down while Tenten was unsure of how to continue with the situation. Weren't they supposed to be teammates?

"Well then maybe we could just go see the teme? It would be like a Team 7 reunion!" Naruto exclaimed halfheartedly." We could even get Kakashi-sensei to come ya know?" Trying his best to ignore the pain Naruto gently pushed himself off the wall to walk towards Sakura.

"Stop!" Sakura's high-pitched voice rang clear through the next to silent area. "Don't you get anywhere near me you demon!" She continued screeching. Naruto froze cold.

Blues eyes wide in shock and hurt, he felt a pain much more intense than anything he had ever felt. This time it wasn't the flesh wound Sasuke had parted on him either.

She hadn't meant it. He knew she didn't mean it. She couldn't have meant it. Not Sakura. The crowd around taking a much larger interest in them than before closed in on the scene. Forming a prison in the shape of a ring it was as if a wall surrounded the young group.

Ino and Tenten looked on more confused than ever though. Yet they both knew this was escalating into something far more serious than it ever should have gotten.

"When I asked you to bring Sasuke back I didn't mean for you to bring him back half dead!" Shouting Sakura pushed Ino off her.

"I didn't mean to Saku—" Naruto tried to say.

"I bet that was your whole plan! To kill my Sasuke-kun, right demon? You were always jealous of him! Always! You couldn't stand that he was better than you!" The crowd roared in approval becoming more menacing by the second.

"He hurt the Uchiha kid" They whispered. "Tried to kill him that monster did" They shouted. "He should rot in hell! Poor Sasuke would have never hurt a fly!" And now they roared. The voices amassing into waves of anger and hate.

"Sakura stop it! Leave him alone will you!" Ino yelled at her longtime friend. Yet her voice was lost under the rage of so many.

"No!" Naruto pleaded. "I didn't mean to! Teme tried to kill me I swear! I had to don't you understand?" He couldn't kill Sasuke. Not ever. And even still he hadn't hurt Sasuke half as bad as his friend had done to him. Didn't they see that?

"Liar!" She screamed approaching Naruto. "You wanted him dead admit it. I bet you cheated because there is no way Sasuke would lose to the likes of you!" Naruto felt something breaking inside of him.

She didn't mean it he told himself. She was just a little angry. He would have to just give her some space. He could do that! Then they could sort this whole mess out together.

"Sakura-chan please…" Naruto begged. Stopping in front of the poor boy she cocked her fist back and let it fly. Once again Naruto went flying through walls crashing to the ground.

"Don't you dare ever call me that demon! And never come near me again! I want you out of my life do you hear me?" Sakura yelled. Naruto didn't answer. Still on the ground this time he lay unmoving.

Sakura watching with triumph smirked while Ino and Tenten looked on horrified. What had she done? Leaving, she first walked by Naruto to spit at his unmoving form before the crowd let her exit from where she came from. Her friends left completely forgotten.

Around the remaining teenagers the crowd began to get more unruly than they already were. Chanting over and over they cursed Naruto screaming profanities that didn't befit the still blonde boy. Noticing that they were closing in on him Tenten and Ino finally took action brandishing their kunai.

"Attacking a shinobi of the village means death or severe punishments to any violator." Ino yelled out. The crowd wasn't deterred in the least.

"And under the shinobi handbook any fellow comrade being attacked may be defended by any means seen fit. So if any of you assholes come near us don't think we won't fight back." Tenten sneered viciously.

Ino continuing with what Tenten started said, "I don't think a couple of civilians would match up against two chunin at all. It'd be some easy pickings right there…" She let the statement hang glaring hatefully at all those near them.

It was here that the crowd seemed to finally stop and think to the two girls' relief. It wouldn't have been any good trying to get the boy with the ninja protecting him. The crowd figured that not only would they undoubtedly face punishment, but they were also severely outclassed.

Cutting their losses many people began to disperse with angry mutters not wishing for a bigger fiasco that would not end pleasantly for them. It was only the more stubborn ones that decided to stay and throw rocks and rotten food at them. Yet a few kunai and fake explosives soon cleared that up as well and eventually everyone dispersed.

The villagers simply cut their losses waiting for another chance to get the demon boy later when he was without protection. It would so much easier then. Yet it was an older man of the village definitely having lived through the Kyuubi attack that left with some parting words.

"We know you two young shinobi don't know of that things condition, but if you did you sure as hell wouldn't be protecting a monster like that." Sharing a look of confusion Ino and Tenten still stood their ground until they were sure no one was left in the area but them.

Thinking about the man's parting words though they knew Naruto to be a little irritable and annoying sometimes, but how could they hold it against him like this? It was Naruto! It was just who the boy was.

The two girls silently decided together that they would take this up with the Hokage later. She obviously would know something and she needed to hear about what had transpired today as well. There were so many questions and too little answers.

Pocketing their weapons they turned to Naruto with sympathetic and apologetic eyes. He had sat there unmoving the whole entire time. When he finally looked up the girls were unnerved. They found only dead eyes staring back. Nothing like how they usually were so full of life and joy and hope. They had always admired that about the boy who never lost hope.

Tenten walked over and held out her hand to Naruto. "Are you okay?" She asked gently. Naruto didn't take her hand opting again to use the wall near him for support in standing.

Ino on the other hand stood worriedly watching on at the blonde boy she used to know in the academy. It was so odd seeing him silent. It was even odder not seeing him smile. She froze when she saw Naruto fall into a fit of bloody coughs. He fell from the overexertion back to the ground none to pleasant.

When his fit finally stopped his face was considerably paler than before and drops of blood scattered the ground and the edges of his lips. Tenten again almost forced herself onto him trying to help, but he still disregarded it.

When he was finally standing again she noticed that his hands were literally almost dripping with the sticky red substance. Blood? His coughing fit hadn't exactly been pretty, but that was an ungodly amount to come from there. It was just too much her mind thought.

She tried to remember than where the blood had come from then. It hit her like a ton of bricks after that. Naruto had just come back with Sasuke and had been in the hospital for 6 days under serious condition and watch. She'd been told he had flatlined at least 4 times. They hadn't been sure if he was going to make it through.

All of that and Sakura had just punched him through a wall. Twice. The medic side of her had seen Naruto immediately grasp his right shoulder. She felt her blood run cold.

'Shit! Please don't tell me we reopened something.' Ino moved towards Naruto with only a grace that she possessed. Before Naruto could even respond she placed her hands on his shoulder feeling for anything that might be an indication of a wound.

Almost as soon as she touched the fabric her hand became sticky and wet. Pulling it back his blood stuck to her fingers like sap. She tried not to recoil at the smell.

"Holy shit Naruto we need to get you to the hospital!" Ino moved frantically trying to pull Naruto towards the correct path. Her voice carried to Tenten telling her she needed help.

The slap resonated through the area. Ino's hands were no longer on the boy and Naruto's hair covered his eyes making them completely unreadable.

"Don't touch me." Ino and Tenten flinched at the tone of his voice. It wasn't even angry it was just so sad. It was as if he had already resigned himself.

"Naruto please…" Maybe if they reasoned with him they could get him to come thought Tenten.

"Just leave me the hell alone." Naruto slowly with one hand against the wall supporting himself began to walk away down the street.

"Damn it you knucklehead! You need medical attention, you need a hospital! Don't you get that we're trying to help you?" Ino yelled at his retreating figure unsure what to do. She didn't think he would try to fight them about this.

Stopping Naruto looked back so he could answer. "You have never wanted to help me before so don't you dare start acting as if you give a damn now!" He stated icily. It was a tone they had never heard from the blonde before and they had the decency to look away.

It wasn't as if he wasn't right. They hadn't cared for his well-being before. He had always been that loudmouth that had just gotten lucky. It had been just recently after the Pein invasion that they had figured maybe they had been wrong.

Continuing walking his figure disappeared around the corner. Tenten looked over at Ino. "You can't really think we can just let him walk away like that do you? We need to get him somewhere for treatment right now." She said worriedly.

"You don't think I know that?" Ino replied more sternly than she wanted to. Softening her tone she continued, "The way he is at this moment I think we would have to fight him the whole way to the hospital. It would cause too much of a scene and that wouldn't look so good to the village ya know?" She finished kind of lamely.

Tenten while looking a little wary of her statement nodded her head slowly to its truth. "Then we at least need to inform Shizune-sama about this. She can at least be more of help to him than we can." The bun haired girl said solemnly.

Nodding her head in agreement the pair headed off to the hospital to look for help. Silently each of them promised to get to the bottom of this mess. Someone was hiding something.

Yet even more so they promised themselves that they would be better friends to Naruto. He deserved at least that much from people who were supposed to be his friends.

A/N - And done! It's a little longer than last chapter so tell me what ya think. Any advice and critiques would be pretty helpful, I want to be a better writer and you guys want a good story so it should be a win-win situation.

Going along with the chapter I know the whole Sakura thing is pretty well-used but really she is a damn good catalyst character for Naruto and is really easy to manipulate. I won't be doing something like this bashing thing to much so don't get to used to it.

Looking forward on with the story hopefully the next chapter or at the most two will end Naruto's stay in Konoha and then we have the big timeskip. Once this happens the story is going to start moving along much faster so bare with me a little longer please.

Thanks!

NoMan4u