Watch out for the possible The Link: Heart of Fire, third and last of The Link series. Thanks very much!
The Link
Chapter XIII: Fox's Tears
Naruto's sharp eyes registered the faint glittering lights of Hokage castle ahead, and his heart gave an excited leap in his chest. He had no idea how long he had been struggling to navigate and travel through the incessant rain, and pain racked him from all sides but he pushed it down. Now the sight of his home – fair, glittering Konoha – gave him renewed strength.
"We're almost there, Orochimaru-sensei!" Naruto cried. "I can see the city's lights now! Hold on!"
Orochimaru did not move nor reply.
"Sensei, sensei wake up! Look! Konoha – it's just ahead of us now! Come and see! Sensei, wake up!"
Coming to the conclusion that his mentor was too far into a deep slumber to be disturbed, Naruto pushed on, until Konoha's walls loomed over him in the darkness of the storm. Naruto stopped just before the great walls, taking great hungry gulps of air as he let his reddened eyes measure the structure. He could expect the walls to be slippery. Tightening his grip around Orochimaru, Naruto gave one big jump as he scaled the walls.
"Hyaa!"
Chakra pulsating red by his feet, Naruto ran on the walls as if they were ordinary street, and upon reaching the top, prepared to jump – until a sudden explosion from the western side of the city very nearly made him lose his balance and fall back to the lethal drop behind him.
"Whoah! Whoa- eek!"
The fox flailed his right arm wildly as he teetered dangerously over the edge, and it seemed he was going to fall, if not for the gloved hand that appeared out of nowhere and pulled him back to safety. Blinking in the rain, Naruto was surprised to see the kitty mask of an ANBU greet him.
"Neji!" Naruto exclaimed. "What happened – what was that explosion -?"
"Akatsuki." Neji replied. "Sasuke and Itachi are fighting Kisame and Deidara."
Naruto could feel his jaws gaping. "W-what? Sasuke and...Itachi?"
Neji nodded. "We will do the explaining later. In the meantime..." the ANBU gave a gasp. "Naruto! Isn't that Orochimaru?"
"He's really sick right now, Neji!" Naruto pleaded. "Please take me to Tsunade-baachan!"
"But Naruto..." Neji swallowed. He could not break rules – no, not with his whole squad watching. "There's been an order that upon sight of Orochimaru we would kill him, I can't..."
Naruto's eyes flashed. "Kill him? Kill him when you manage to kill me, Neji! You're my friend, I value you as much as anyone, but if you stand in my way at this moment, I will not hesitate to kill you with my own hands!" the fox shouted.
An ANBU sporting a female kabuki mask appeared, but Neji raised his right hand to stall her.
"Come with us, Naruto, we will take you to Godaime-sama." Neji said.
Naruto's red eyes made way for sunny blue. "Thank you, Neji!"
It was Neji who led the way toward the Hokage castle, Naruto closely following him. ANBUs circled them in a standard escorting formation as they leapt from one roof to the other. In the meantime there was another explosion from the same area of the city, and Naruto thought he saw the distinct light of Chidori...
"What's been going on?" Naruto asked.
"Long story, I don't believe it myself." Neji replied. "Godaime-sama decided that we should leave the Uchihas to finish the battle. The civilians from that side of the city have all been successfully evacuated. Jiraiya and Kakashi are with Godaime-sama right now."
Naruto nodded. He grunted as he sought to contain Orochimaru's weight against his body. Was he just imagining it, or did the Serpent grow heavier?
Neji led him straight to the makeshift emergency room in the first floor of the Hokage castle. Like what the ANBU had reported, Tsunade, Sakura, Jiraiya and Kakashi were all there, deep in conversation as they entered. Tsunade's eyes immediately widened as she saw Naruto's bedraggled form, the fox's hair standing on this and that end as he positively dripped.
"Naruto! When did you – what happened to you?" Tsunade asked at once.
Naruto stepped back from her glowing hands, shaking his head. "Not me! It's sensei, here, he's so sick..."
And he quickly went to the nearest stretcher he could find and deposited Orochimaru onto it. The silence in the room came as a shock. Naruto eyed Jiraiya and Tsunade with something close to despair in his eyes.
"Please, please heal him!" Naruto begged. "I don't know what happened – it all started when he took this weird blue pill – he contracted a fever; I couldn't do anything to make it go down. And then he started vomiting blood and asked to be taken to you, Tsunade-baachan. Please heal my sensei!"
"Tsunade!" said Jiraiya suddenly. An uncharacteristic look of worry surfaced for the first time on the hermit's face as he stepped closer to his fallen comrade.
Tsunade took slow, hesitant steps toward Orochimaru's side. He looked bad – he was dreadfully soaked as Naruto and she wouldn't be surprised if he had a fever or something. She stared hard at his face. And then she reached with her right hand and touched his forehead.
The Hokage's reaction was not something Naruto expected. Tsunade gasped, and her left hand flew to her open mouth. And then her shoulders shook, and she started to cry. Jiraiya, frowning heavily, went near and placed his ear against Orochimaru's chest. The toad hermit drew back and bowed his head. Naruto could not understand a single thing.
"W-what's going on?" Naruto demanded. "Why aren't you healing him? I told you he's so sick and he asked to be taken here specially! Heal him now! Why aren't you doing anything? Hey!"
But Tsunade only cried and cried, and then she dropped to her knees and started sobbing her heart out on Orochimaru's chest. Jiraiya shook his head sadly. Kakashi, Sakura and Neji got the point even before Naruto did.
"Oh my god..." Sakura said softly. "Oh my god...oh Naruto, I'm so sorry..."
Neji removed his mask and bowed while Kakashi immediately positioned himself behind Naruto. Meanwhile, the fox's temper ticked off.
"What is going on here?" Naruto shouted, fear making his voice shrill. "Why aren't you all doing something?" He turned to Sakura and grabbed her by the shoulders, shaking her rather violently. "You're a medic too, right! Heal him now! He's going to die if you don't do anything!"
"Naruto, you're hurting me! Let me go!" Sakura said in great distress as the first teardrops appeared around her startling green orbs.
Naruto let her go as if he had been scalded. He turned to Tsunade and Jiraiya in confusion. Tsunade had risen and was wiping her eyes.
"Hey! Heal him! He's going to die if you continue doing nothing!" Naruto shouted.
Tsunade turned her face toward him. "Naruto...I can't...I can't heal someone who's already dead." Beside her, Jiraiya clenched his hands into fists. "Orochimaru's gone. He's dead."
It was as if she had hit him hard. Naruto reeled, fatigue and fever finally gaining control, his knees suddenly refusing to support his weight. Kakashi instantly caught him from behind.
"He...he can't be dead!" Naruto said faintly at first, but his voice gained in magnitude as he went on, unnoticing his own tears as they rushed out of his eyes. "He isn't dead! I promised him I'd let him return to Konoha! He's not dead! YOU'RE ALL LYING! HE'S NOT DEAD! HE'S NOT DEAD!" he shouted so loud his throat started to ache. He struggled against Kakashi's nelson. "LET ME GO! HE'S NOT DEAD! HE'S NOT DEAD! LET ME GO!" Naruto kicked and struggled but Kakashi kept his firm grip.
"Naruto, stop it." Kakashi said calmly. "You won't be able to change anything now. Orochimaru is dead, and you can't bring him back."
"He's not dead!" Naruto cried as he became limp against Kakashi. "He wouldn't...he wouldn't leave me! He promised me! He won't die before I let him return to Konoha! He's not dead...he's not dead..."
Sakura knelt beside him and pulled him into a tight embrace. "You just cry, Naruto! You just cry and I'll cry with you!"
For a moment only Naruto's heartrending sobs could be heard as he cried and cried in Sakura's arms. Tsunade had returned to Orochimaru's side, silently and lovingly stroking the Serpent's wet black hair. Tsunade had to admit that she had never ever seen him look as peaceful as this. There was even a small, contented smile on his lips! He had never been so beautiful and so peaceful in life. And then her hands found his cheek, and she bent low, planting a dainty kiss on his lips.
"There is nothing to cry about, Naruto." Jiraiya spoke. "Come here and take a look."
Slowly Naruto eased himself out of Sakura's arms and approached Tsunade's side. Jiraiya's hand gripped him firmly on the left shoulder.
"We have never seen him looking as happy as that, Naruto." Jiraiya whispered. "You should not blame yourself. Orochimaru knows full well how hard you tried to bring him here. Don't you see, Naruto? You still kept your promise. You brought him back here to Konoha – to us. He would not be smiling like that if you've failed him."
Naruto could not stop weeping. "It's...it's hard to realize...that he won't talk to me ever again...I don't...I can't believe this...I promised him a lot...he was changing for the good – he was changing, I knew it! And this!"
Red chakra burst around the fox, transforming him again. Naruto was trembling with grief and rage. "It's him! He did this to Orochimaru-sensei! I'll kill him with my own hands!"
"Who did this, Naruto?" Tsunade asked in a hushed voice.
"Kabuto."
Jiraiya and Tsunade turned to him, their faces blank.
"Orochimaru-sensei told me that he released Fushi Tensei. He was on his stabilization stage, and it involved a lot of pain...and he kept drinking those weird blue pills...made by Kabuto. And then...and then..." Naruto shut his eyes as more tears came. "I arrived too late. If only I didn't lose my way in the forest...if only it didn't rain, if only I moved quickly enough..."
The red chakra dissipated and Naruto was once more racked by sobs. Tsunade had resumed stroking Orochimaru's hair – and then she noticed her grandfather's necklace beneath the sodden folds of the fallen Sannin's kimono. Gingerly she took the necklace off, pain eating her raw as she realized that it once again claimed the life of someone she held dear.
"Naruto, take this. I am sure Orochimaru would have wanted you to have it back."
Naruto looked up, surprised, but grief surfaced again on his face as he took the necklace and clutched it close. Sakura embraced him again and laid her head on his shoulder.
Sensei...one way or another, I will avenge you. I will not stop until I have seen your justice. I will find your scroll and keep it. Rest now, sensei, I know you've been through a lot. You will always be remembered.
"He looks like he's just sleeping." Tsunade whispered before giving way to her tears once more.