Discoveries

SORRY!

I would like to apologise for taking so long to get this chapter up! Things have happened in the past fortnight, which had sapped my energy and time. But things are now sorted out, and I hope to be able to update with Chapter 6 this week.

Thank you very much to everyone for all your reviews and support - it is very much appreciated!

Author's Note: Naruto and all related characters/trademarks belong to Masashi Kishimoto – however, this story is my own work, and continues from the latest Naruto manga developments (up to 224).

Speech in bold and italic is Kyuubi's voice.

Ouch... Damn it... I hurt all over...

"...Hey, Naruto-kun is waking up!"

What? Sakura-chan? I'm waking up..?

"Hmm? That was quick."

Kakashi-sensei? Am I really waking up?

"Welcome back to the real world, boy."

Naruto's eyelids flitted open, the light temporarily blinding him. His head hurt so much. Everything hurt so much. His skin felt raw, scorched. He squeezed his eyes shut once more, grimacing with pain, a slight groan escaping from his throat. His throat felt so parched. Each time he swallowed, it felt as if there was a spiky ball inside his throat, ripping it up. The pain almost made Naruto want to return to his peaceful sleep. But he wouldn't sleep. He had to see Sakura-chan, Kakashi-sensei, all of his friends. He wanted to see them, especially Sakura. Nothing was going to stop him.

Naruto forced his eyes open, his retinal nerves silently screaming in protest at the light. The world started to sharpen in focus. There was so much white.

"Hey, hey, Naruto!" Jiraiya's face snapped into focus, the Sannin's face only three inches from Naruto's own. The Sannin's face was split in two by an idiotic grin stretching from ear to ear.

"AIIIEEEIIIEEERRRGGGGHHH!"

Naruto's left hand smacked into Jiraiya's head with a resounding thwack. Jiraiya crashed into the ground and collapsed into a messy heap, arms and legs sticking out at all angles. His face was frozen in a blissfully unconscious expression, a thin stream of blood trickling down from his nose. Upon his temple was an imprint of the Leaf symbol.

Naruto looked at his left hand. Within its grasp was his forehead protector, the shine of the metal surface dulled where it had hit Jiraiya. The boy stared dumbly at the protector, wondering how it had got into his hand.

"Well, it looks like you've made a good recovery, Naruto."

Kakashi's voice snapped Naruto out of his dreamlike state. Ignoring the protesting scream of his muscles, Naruto slowly pushed himself up into a sitting position. His head sluggishly turned to face Kakashi. The Jounin's face was covered with his mask as always, but his exposed eye showed Naruto how happy the silver-haired man was.

"Nice hit," Kakashi chuckled, "and welcome back, Naruto. It's good to see you back." Kakashi's hand ruffled Naruto's hair, a parental act of affection. Naruto's face slightly lit up with a weak grin.

Then Naruto spotted Sakura sitting besides Kakashi. Naruto's smile dropped, and his mouth slightly opened and shut, not knowing what to say. Finally, Naruto croaked the words out:

"I'm sorry, Sakura-chan. I..."

Before he could finish his sentence, Sakura wordlessly leapt at Naruto, enveloping him with her arms, her cheek against his. "It's okay, Naruto-kun," Sakura whispered, her eyes closed.

Naruto's sore body was screaming from the pain of being held by Sakura. But he said nothing, merely biting his lip. Bittersweet feelings surged throughout Naruto. On the one hand, he was glad Sakura cared for him. On the other, he felt ashamed he could not bring Sasuke back for the pink-haired kunoichi. Sighing, Naruto's eyes looked at Sakura's pink hair, a fragrance of watermelon wafting into his nostrils. Wordlessly, Naruto wrapped his arms around Sakura, his right hand brushing across her back while his left still held his forehead protector. She didn't resist. Naruto could not help but feel sad, his mouth pulling into a trembling frown. He had always wanted to hug Sakura, and it was a welcome, soothing, soft feeling. But Naruto had never wanted his first hug with Sakura to be such a sad one.

Gently, Naruto pushed Sakura away. He looked into her sad eyes. It pained him to see Sakura's sorrowful expression. "Sakura-chan, I still promise that I will find Sasuke and bring him back. That's my promise of a lifetime," Naruto said.

Sakura, meanwhile, was unsure what to think. She still missed Sasuke and felt she loved him. But she didn't want to see Naruto killed. She felt numb, unable to draw coherent feelings from herself. Part of her wanted to scream:

No, Naruto, forget it! I don't know who Sasuke is anymore! You've always been here for me, and I don't want to you get killed!

Yet Sakura could not say anything. She didn't know what to say, what to believe. Then Naruto's voice snapped her out of her inner conflict.

"Did everyone else make it back OK, Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto looked at the Jounin, anxiety in his voice. His cerulean eyes showed a lot of worry, and he started to nibble on his lower lip.

Kakashi, meanwhile, sighed. Sakura sat upon the side of Naruto's bed, and her head now hung, sadly looking at the floor. "Naruto," Kakashi said, gently and slowly, "Shikamaru and Lee are fine, and Kiba will be discharged later today. Neji, however, will remain in hospital for the foreseeable future while his wounds heal." Kakashi then shut his eye, pausing.

"Unfortunately, Chouji was unable to survive. He died after he had defeated one of the Sound ninja."

Naruto gasped. It felt like a cold hand had reached within him and pulled his heart out. He screwed his eyes shut, his hand gripping his forehead protector tightly. Pain burned through his hand as his grip tightened. He gritted his teeth in anger and sorrow.

"Dammit..." Naruto whispered.

He felt bad. He had hoped to see Chouji later so he could apologise for putting him down at the start of the mission. Now it was too late. He would never have the chance.

"You and Neji were close to death. It was a good thing that Hokage-sama sent three Sand shinobi to provide support to you guys. Gaara saved you, Naruto," Kakashi said.

"Gaara..?" Naruto's eyes widened in shock, and his mouth hung open. Some seconds later, a slight lop-sided smile crept across his lips.

Heh, I never thought that racoon guy would be the one to save my life. I wonder if he's changed... Naruto pondered, slight hope springing up within his chest.

Just then, the door clicked open. Two female shinobi stepped inside, one blond with deep brown eyes, the other dark-haired with dark grey and hazel eyes. Kakashi and Sakura stood up to face them and bowed respectfully, while Jiraiya still remained an unconscious, tangled heap on the floor. The blonde lady smiled, her eyes softening at Naruto.

"It's good to see you up, Naruto," Tsunade said, her voice showing relief. Shizune smiled gently at the blonde genin, expressing her relief as well.

"Hey, oba-chan," Naruto responded cheekily, a fox-like grin plastering itself across his face.

Sakura tensed. She could not believe what Naruto had just called Tsunade. Her urge to slap Naruto silly was only restrained by two things; Naruto was injured, and it would not do for Sakura to look foolish in the presence of the Godaime Hokage. Sakura's emerald eyes nervously watched Tsunade walk over slowly to Naruto, not sure what would happen next. What she saw next surprised her greatly.

Tsunade grinned, and bent down to kiss Naruto's forehead. A blush crept onto Naruto's cheeks, and his fox grin seemed to become wider than his head. The Hokage then lovingly ruffled Naruto's hair before making sure that his necklace was unblemished. The girl's frustration at Naruto's apparent disrespect for Tsunade melted away into astoundment.

What..? Sakura thought, her eyes blinking in amazement, They're behaving like family... It feels like I've found out a lot more about Naruto-kun in the past three days than I ever did in the past three years... Sakura's mind mused. She looked curiously at Naruto's necklace. She had never seen it before Naruto had been hospitalised - it was a thing of beauty, and its green jewel seemed to glow slightly. It was something Sakura had never seen before - it was nothing like any of the regular green gems she had seen in jewellery shops. While those gems reflected and shone in the light, Naruto's gem seemed to glow from within.

"Damn you, Naruto..." Tsunade smirked. As she checked Naruto over, her eyes occasionally glancing towards the clipboard she now held in her right hand. "You're a tough one, aren't you? You might be ready to go home tomorrow," the Hokage said, placing her left hand on Naruto's shoulder, giving it a little rub. Naruto, meanwhile, smiled gently at the news, scratching the back of his head. A question darted through Sakura's mind.

Wait... But Naruto-kun almost died yesterday. How can he heal so fast and be home tomorrow?

"But," Tsunade said, shaking Sakura's attention back to the real world, "I'm going to take you off active duty for the rest of this week, Naruto. You need to rest up. And no training either!" She wagged a finger at Naruto. The genin looked as if he was about to burst into tears.

"But... but..." Naruto stuttered, his face becoming determined. "I need to train and get Sasuke back! I promised!"

Sakura again felt lost, torn. But this time, she was closer to screaming at Naruto to tell him to stop.

Tsunade's face became quite serious. "Naruto," she began, her tone hard, "Sasuke is now a missing-nin. He has defected to the Sound. How do you expect to raid their village and drag him back?" Naruto looked down at his bedsheets, his hands gripping the sheets, a lost expression on his face as he mumbled. The Hokage sat on the bed besides Naruto, and leant in. "I know you made a promise," she whispered, her eyes glaring at Naruto, "but you won't be able to keep it if you go off and get killed. Besides, we cannot be sure that Sasuke will be willing to side with the Leaf once again. I'm not even sure if any of us can trust him now."

Tsunade glanced at Sakura, Kakashi and the still unconscious Jiraiya. Then she placed a hand on Naruto's hand and squeezed it gently. "Right now, your friends need you. They don't want to lose you as well as Sasuke," Tsunade said.

Sakura sat down on the opposite side of the bed, her eyes on the brink of tears. She and Naruto looked at each other, and Sakura smiled sadly. "Naruto-kun, Hokage-sama is right. I know you promised me, but I really don't want you to get yourself killed," Sakura sighed, her voice breaking. "I-If I lost you as well, I don't think I could take it any more, Naruto-kun." Naruto's cerulean eyes glanced downwards, sadness washing over his face.

"Okay, Sakura-chan," Naruto mumbled, resignation creeping into his voice. "But... I-I've never gone back on a promise, and I don't want to..."

"Then promise me this," Sakura said, her voice determined, her emerald eyes upon Naruto's face in a steely gaze. "Don't rush off and get killed. Yeah, it's hard not having Sasuke here, but what good is trying to keep a promise if it will only get you killed? I really don't want to lose a good friend like you as well."

Naruto looked at Sakura's eyes and blinked. He hadn't expected that. Not only had Sakura not used the "kun" suffix for Sasuke, she was also pleading with Naruto to stay. And... Sakura sounded so... strong. Surprised, Naruto could only nod dumbly in agreement.

Kakashi secretly smiled under his mask. Naruto and Sakura have grown a lot. Especially Sakura... she seems to be coping, Kakashi thought, his relief evident. While he would never say it, he had secretly feared that the failed mission would drive a wedge between Naruto and Sakura. However, Kakashi made a mental note to ask Tsunade to ensure Naruto was placed under ANBU surveillance for a week or two. He knew that Naruto had a legendary stubbornness, something that Kakashi admired, but also something that he feared could easily get Naruto killed. He also wanted to make doubly sure Naruto didn't try to train - having him jumping about within the same week of almost dying would just bring too many questions from the kids. That was one reason why Tsunade forbade the training.

Tsunade smiled at Sakura, nodding her approval. "Well, I should go and check on Neji," Tsunade said, excusing herself. She looked at the dazed Jiraiya and sighed with irritation. "Kakashi, could you please take Jiraiya back to his lodgings? I hate to impose this upon you, but I really don't want him bleeding all over the hospital floor," Tsunade finished with a wry grin. Shizune bit her lip in an attempt to hide her amusement.

"Hai..." Kakashi chuckled nervously, scratching the back of his head. The Hokage and Shizune then made their leave, the dark-haired kunoichi flashing a smile at Kakashi over her shoulder as she left. The silver-haired man blinked a little at the retreating form of Shizune. Shaking his head, he bent down and draped one of Jiraiya's arms around his shoulders. As Kakashi stood, struggling a little under Jiraiya's limp bulk, he turned his eye at Naruto and Sakura.

"Sakura, Naruto, I'll see you guys later," Kakashi said. "And Sakura..." Sakura focused on Kakashi, her attention fully upon him. "Make sure Naruto doesn't try to run away from this room," Kakashi ordered, a smirk forming under his mask. Naruto could only grin sheepishly, his right hand scratching the whiskers on his cheek. Sakura turned her eyes upon Naruto, her lips curving upwards into a smile. Naruto grew nervous at that smile. It felt somewhat threatening, as if Sakura was thinking; If you try to run away, my dear Naruto-kun, I will break both of your legs.

"Well then, I'll be off," Kakashi said, his wolfish grin hidden by his mask. His eye, however, glinted dangerously at Naruto, which made the blond cower a little. With a puff of smoke, both Kakashi and Jiraiya disappeared.

-------------------

Naruto was sitting up in his bed, his back supported by a few large pillows. He watched Sakura as she peeled and sliced the apples on her plate. His face had a faraway expression upon it as he remembered what had happened between Sasuke and Sakura the last time they were in the hospital.

::::Flashback::::

Naruto looked upon the scene with shock. Apple slices were scattered all over the floor, some crushed underfoot. Sakura stood in silence, her back turned towards Naruto. Even though he could not see her face, he could easily sense she was upset. And frightened.

Sasuke's eyes darted to where Naruto stood. The Uchiha's dark eyes coldly glared at him. Naruto flinched in shock and confusion.

"Wha... What?!" Naruto stuttered. He looked at Sasuke's expression of hatred with confusion in his blue eyes. He shifted uneasily, a drop of sweat trickling from his temple.

This doesn't look good... Sasuke feels different... Naruto thought, worriedly.

Sakura flinched and turned to face Naruto, now aware of his presence. She gasped slightly.

"W-Why are you staring at me like that..?" Naruto slowly asked, confusion still evident in his voice. Sakura's emerald eyes widened with fear as they darted between Sasuke and Naruto. Naruto could feel the tension building up in the air. He could even taste it. Something was seriously wrong.

"Hey... Naruto," Sasuke spoke, his voice cold and hard.

"Fight me. Now!" The dark-haired boy spat out those words.

Naruto looked at Sakura, who gasped. He could see the fear in her eyes.

"What are you babbling about!? You're still recovering..." Naruto stammered. He could not understand why Sasuke was behaving like that. It didn't feel like Sasuke at all.

"Shut up and fight me!" Sasuke screamed at Naruto. Red flooded into his eyes as Sasuke activated the Sharingan bloodline. His face was distorted with anger, hate.

Naruto heard Sakura gasp. She sounded so frightened. He was so confused. Even scared.

::::End Flashback::::

If I had known about the curse seal back then... would things have been different? Naruto mused. He kept repeating the thought over and over in his mind. Would things have turned out different? Would he and Sakura have been able to stop Sasuke? Would Sasuke have snapped out of his madness?

The boy sighed deeply, closing his eyes.

Sakura glanced at Naruto. She could tell he was feeling very down - his grinning mask having slipped. Sakura correctly suspected that Naruto was thinking about Sasuke, wishing that things had turned out differently. Turning her eyes back to the plate, Sakura deftly sliced the last of the apple up. Training with kunais would make any ninja very capable of preparing food. She gently placed the knife down on the bedside table and inspected her work, which nestled on her lap.

It feels a little strange I'm doing this for Naruto-kun... But I feel I owe him a lot, Sakura thought. Her mind cast back to the time Naruto had left with Shikamaru and his team to get Sasuke back.

Sakura-chan, you really like Sasuke, huh? Naruto's voice sounded in Sakura's head. I know how much pain you're in because of Sasuke. I can understand.

I can understand.

Those three words replayed themselves again, and again in Sakura's head.

Naruto-kun has always helped me, protected me, made me feel better... and what have I ever done for him? Sakura thought sadly. She felt utter guilt at having pushed Naruto away so many times during the early days of Team 7. Yes, she had started to care for Naruto, cheered him on, worried for him since around the time of the Chuunin exam. But she had always slighted him in her endless pursuit of Sasuke.

How could I have treated him like that? Sakura sighed slightly, I have so much to make up for, before I can really regard myself as a friend for Naruto-kun... He's always been so good to me.

It took a mission that nearly resulted in his death for me to really see him. How could I have been so damned stupid? I did him wrong.

"Sakura-chan? Are you all right?"

Naruto's voice brought Sakura back to reality. It was then that Sakura suddenly realised she had been crying, her thoughts having stirred strong emotions within her. Quickly, Sakura wiped her tears away and smiled at Naruto. Gently grasping the plate of apple slices, Sakura stood up from her chair and sat down on Naruto's bed.

"Here, Naruto-kun. Help yourself," Sakura said brightly, as she offered the apple slices to Naruto. Seconds passed as Naruto studied Sakura's face. Sakura started to wonder if Naruto had completely seen through her act, her forced smile. But if he had, Naruto did not reveal it for he gave her a warm foxy smile and took a slice.

"Thanks, Sakura-chan, that was really nice of you," Naruto said gratefully before slowly eating the apple slice. Sakura's lip then curled up into a slight, genuine smile. Then a voice sounded in her mind.

Tell him now, Sakura. Tell him.

"Naruto-kun..." Sakura started. Naruto gulped down the last part of his slice, and gave her his undivided attention, his cerulean eyes shining brightly at her. "I want to say thank you, and I -"

Sakura was cut short as Naruto slowly placed a hand on her shoulder. His movement was careful, cautious, as if he was afraid of springing a trap.

"I know. I heard you while I was sleeping, Sakura-chan," Naruto said gently. His eyes smiled, his lips curving up into a warm smile. Sakura blinked with surprise. At first, she wasn't sure if she would believe Naruto's words, but there was something about his expression that chased away those doubts. He felt so honest, so open.

"Okay," Sakura simply said, nodding. A smile crept onto her lips once more. Without thinking, she gave Naruto a quick kiss on his forehead. "Thank you, Naruto-kun," Sakura said. Pulling away, she could see Naruto's cheeks had gone beetroot red with blushing. The girl was very surprised at that reaction, since she had seen Tsunade kiss Naruto - and it had only been a slight blush then.

Sakura found herself smirking with amusement. "Don't get any ideas, Naruto-kun," she said, offering the plate of apples towards him once more. Naruto chuckled nervously, it was obvious he was still affected by the shock of having Sakura kiss him anywhere. "Aaa, sorry, Sakura-chan. First time I've been kissed by a girl..." Naruto apologised, his hand rubbing the spot where Sakura had kissed him. He took another apple slice, thanking Sakura again.

"Doesn't Hokage-sama count?" Sakura smirked, raising an eyebrow at Naruto.

"Hey, oba-chan is too old! She's 50!" Naruto retorted, before cramming the slice into his mouth.

Sakura laughed lightly. Catching herself, she felt so surprised that she could feel so much better with Naruto. It had been so easy to forget everything that happened recently.

Naruto noticed Sakura sigh sadly. "Hey... Sakura-chan. Want to talk?" he asked, the concern evident in his eyes. Sakura's eyes met Naruto's. Her face looked sad, worried. They looked at each other in silence for some seconds. Sakura had rarely seen this side of Naruto. But then, she had rarely paid attention to Naruto in the past.

"It's okay, Naruto-kun," Sakura said, giving a weak, sad smile. "It's just going to take a lot of time for me to understand things."

Naruto nodded silently. "Yeah... I know what you mean," he said. "A lot of things have changed, Sakura-chan. Sasuke..."

The very mention of Sasuke drove a pain through Sakura's heart. She had accepted that Sasuke only cared for her as family ever since he had left her that night. But it was still so hard to let him go, even after what he had done to Naruto. She had chased Sasuke for so long, and now he was no longer there.

"Sasuke's changed," Naruto continued, "and I'm scared."

Sakura suddenly blinked at Naruto. She had never heard those words from him.

I'm scared.

"That damned curse seal changed Sasuke. Damn Orochimaru... Damn Itachi." Naruto snarled. His cerulean eyes seemed to darken with anger. For a fleeting moment, Sakura could have sworn she saw a few strands of red creep into those blue eyes. But she dismissed it, thinking she was just seeing things.

Naruto exhaled sharply, banishing his anger in that single breath.

"I'm sorry, Sakura-chan," Naruto apologised, bowing his head. "Don't be sorry, Naruto-kun," Sakura responded, offering the apples once more. Naruto smiled weakly and took two slices.

"I'm scared too," Sakura admitted, edging slightly closer to Naruto. She swung her legs up onto the bed, and sat on her knees.

"Naruto-kun." Sakura's words made Naruto look at her, still chewing the first apple slice.

"I saw Gaara here earlier," Sakura spoke. Naruto's eyes widened, and his ears pricked up. He swallowed his apple slice. "He told me he owed you a debt, and that you had a common pain," Sakura continued, her eyes gazing intently at Naruto. "What did he mean by that?"

Naruto's eyes flitted downwards. He had already told Sasuke when he fought Gaara, so he may as well tell Sakura. She was important to him, and he did not want to push her away.

"The pain of growing up alone," Naruto said simply. Sakura's shoulders drooped and her lips parted slightly. He looked so pained to her.

"In our childhoods, Gaara and I grew up, alone, hated. Each day was a hell for each of us." Those words carried a lot of pain. Naruto's eyes looked so sad, tears seemingly always on the brink, never falling. Sakura sat in silence, not knowing what to say. She had never, ever seen that side of Naruto. The Naruto behind the foxy grin.

"I was rescued from that hell when I graduated. Iruka-sensei was the first to acknowledge me. Then I found friends like Kakashi-sensei, Sasuke, and... you, Sakura-chan." A smile glimmered on Naruto's face. Sakura was frozen, sorrow for Naruto welling up within her. Naruto's smile faded away. "But, Gaara never had anyone like that. He was stuck in his hell, and I thought he was strong because he always fought for himself - because he survived that solitude. I thought I was nothing compared to him," Naruto said, his voice a whisper.

"But then..." The boy's voice rose slightly, an edge of strength creeping into it. "I remembered Haku's words all that time ago. That when you have people who are precious to you, when you have something special that you want to protect... you can become truly strong." Naruto's turned towards Sakura, and he smiled. Sakura was speechless, and she wanted to cry. To cry for having misjudged Naruto so badly in the past. For not truly seeing how he had suffered in the past.

"That alone gave me the strength to beat Gaara and save you and Sasuke." The pain seemed to wash away from Naruto's face, and he smiled warmly once again.

Sakura leant into Naruto and gave him a hug, wrapping him tightly in her arms. "I'm so sorry, Naruto-kun... I never realised how much it hurt... to be alone," Sakura whispered, tears trickling down her cheeks. "Aaa, Sakura-chan," Naruto replied brightly, "I'm not alone any more." Sakura smiled at those words. "Yeah, you're not alone any more, Naruto-kun. And you never will be again," Sakura whispered.

I swear I will never, ever mistreat Naruto-kun EVER again, Sakura silently swore, binding herself to that silent oath.

"Naruto-kun..?" Sakura asked, "why does everyone hate you so much?" Naruto flinched slightly, and he gently broke Sakura's hug. The pink-haired girl looked confusedly at Naruto, unsure why he had reacted like that. Naruto, meanwhile, smiled sadly at Sakura.

"Sakura-chan... I'm sorry, but..." Naruto said, "I'm not ready to tell you yet. I promise I will tell you someday, but I'm just not ready." Despite his smile, Sakura could see there was a lot of pain. She wanted to protest, to push Naruto, but her better half told her not to.

Just what could be so painful for Naruto-kun, and make everyone who doesn't know him hate him? Sakura thought. She brought her hands to rest on her knees, and reluctantly nodded at Naruto.

"Okay," Sakura whispered, "I understand."

The two shinobi sat in silence for some time after, comforted by each other's presence. Things would never be the same again for Naruto and Sakura. Especially for Sakura.