Chapter 6: Not Going to Die

Feeling the odd tremor wreck through her body as Naruto used her sensei for support, the sound of the soft footsteps on the tree branches before them abruptly paused. Standing just before the tree tops broke apart from the sheer destruction done, she could feel the strong chakra in the air with the smell of blood.

Reaching the new edge of this forest, Naruto felt her jaw drop in relief and hope.

"That's Susanoo, technique of the Mangekyou Sharingan. Sasuke and Itachi must still be battling it out," the cyclops explained to the group.

"N-not for l-long," Hinata Hyuuga spoke quietly. Doujutsu activated as she stared in the direction of the two chakra giants, she slowly shook her head. "Their ch-chakra l-levels are ex-extremely l-low. B-based on t-the blood that w-we c-can smell i-in t-the air a-a-alone, when t-they p-pass out from ch-chakra exhaustion, t-they'll both quickly d-d-die of b-blood l-loss if n-no one h-heals t-them."

"Sakura -" Kakashi began.

"Already on it." Staring determined at the battle, Naruto's pink haired teammate had her fingers ready to perform the mystic technique that would heal their wounds. Silently wishing she could do more than be weakened by some missing nin's 'power', she tried to shove those feelings deep down.

The plan was to bring Sasuke back and to make him stay now that one part of his life goal was completed. Itachi didn't have to live if Sakura couldn't get to him in time, but if he lived then they could always bring him back for more information about the Akatsuki.

Shifting her weight off her sensei now that her stomach stopped churning, Naruto watched a inhumane creature that reminded her so much of Sasuke's curse mark shoot itself towards the massive chakra creature - only for the screams of pain to reach the groups ears as that creature fell completely untouched. Listening for Hinata's approval to go on ahead, Susanoo slowly eased itself forward only to begin coming undone. Holding her breath, the Uzumaki clenched her fists and felt a nervous shudder wreck her body.

"Now," the usually meek Hyuuga demanded.

Shooting to the brothers with everyone, the blonde's eyes only focused on the two, witnessing the taller bloody figure touch her best friend and rival's forehead, his body clearly shaking from their distance as he collapsed.

Staring off into space as his own knees shook, the blonde kicked off with a chakra jump only to catch Sasuke's body in time before it hit the ground. Sakura only took a few more seconds longer than her to begin the signature medical technique that almost completely coated their missing teammates body.

Ignoring Yamato, Kakashi, and Sai observing and raiding Itachi's own body and injuries, Yamato's tone caught everyone's attention, full of questions with a demanding edge of urgency.

"Don't waste all your chakra healing Sasuke, stabilize him and then come here."

"But Yamato-taichou!"

Kakashi answered her and it left Naruto sick to her stomach once more, though this time it wasn't an after effect of the older Uchiha. "Sasuke didn't land a killing blow. He's been dying an illness, I'm guessing for years." In his gloved hand, the cyclops closely observed an orange pill bottle.

Her medic teammate quickly took a glance at the label of the bottle before her expression furrowed into a conflicting emotion as she began quickly healing the criminal. Explaining to the group slowly while keeping focus, the Uzumaki was only able to tighten her hold on the passed out brother in her arms. "That's a highly illegal medicine, forbidden in a majority of the elemental countries. It forces the takers body to consume chakra at a constant pace to temporarily speed up the regeneration process of deteriorating cells, a common side effect being enlarged blood vessels that can cause aneurysms." Only the blood drying remained as a majority of his wounds were healed, yet small glowing hands never stopped glowing. "Based on his diagnosis, I think he may have been suffering from microscopic polyangiitis, where his blood vessels are becoming too narrow from inflammation. He has been taking these pills for years, as his chakra network is automatically consuming any his body tries to naturally produce right now."

Watching the med-nin pull out a pack of chakra pills, she easily crunched it into powder and with her water canteen, forced him to consume it.

"So what, he's been keeping himself alive for years just to die by this bastard's hand?" Kiba asked, face screwed up into confusion.

"Best bet right now, yes." Kakashi confirmed quietly.

It was a suicide, Naruto realized with unsettling horror. She couldn't imagine or figure out a reason on why, but the silent looks and nods between her two squad leaders left her feeling numb.

It was immediately decided that one group would return to Konoha with Sasuke to be taken care of properly and detained so he couldn't run off once again. The second group would escort Itachi to Konoha's hidden high-risked prison faculty that was more than use to taking care of injured inmates. The name rang a bell, before the Uzumaki remembered that it was where Orochimaru's spies and experimented on lackey's were typically sent to, like Mizuki.

Having never been there, only knowing the experiments doctors will attempt to return those originally innocent people back to normal brought chills down her spine. Broken out of once, security had amped to insane measures into one of Konoha's worse.

Nobody had a say on what the two new groups were and nobody really disagreed.

Of the original eight man squad, the original Team 8 with Naruto would escort Sasuke to the village. Using Shino's special bugs to keep Sasuke's chakra drained, Hinata on the lookout for anyone that may be following or watching, Kiba's companion Akamaru would be carrying Sasuke. Naruto was to be sent away from the direction of any Akatsuki members, as they normally traveled in pairs and may take the chance to take the Kyuubi if she came along. She didn't mind the team splitting up, it only meant she'd get to be there to prevent her rival from running away again once he woke up.

Sai's massive ink birds would be able to transport the second group to the prison high in the air, Sakura coming to keep the criminal stable, Kakashi and Yamato going to keep the group safe from any Akatsuki members that wanted their comrade back. Giving Sakura and Kakashi a relieved look though, the jinchuurki couldn't help but feel pleased that she finally accomplished the goal of bringing her wayward teammate back, it being against his will not being taken into account of course.

The now not-so-hidden fortress of the Uchiha Clan wasn't too far of a run from the village as within two hours they were nodding to the flabbergasted gate guards who waved them in.

Word spread quickly and it was the first time Naruto had ever seen the ANBU base. She also hoped it'd be the last time, even though she knew it wouldn't be as Sasuke was quickly arranged to get his own specified cell.

Tsunade though, her favorite granny and the Fifth Hokage, had dropped everything and gave her own check up of the young man.

"His curse mark from Orochimaru, it's gone." She announced full of shock.

"What?"

Standing in the doorway with interrogator Anko Mitarashi as silent seal masters and ANBU med-nin's prepared the makeshift hospital room, it was the snake technique mistress that hissed in surprise. Speaking up, she felt the pressure under Anko's glare.

"There was this technique Itachi was using.. Susanoo? When Sasuke was using the seal, Itachi did something that made him scream and sent him flying.." Uncertain as the two other women stared at her, the Hokage only nodded stiffly.

"You said Kakashi and the rest took him to Yangshun Prison?"

"Uh huh."

"Good. Anko, you and I will personally interrogating Sasuke. I will handle Itachi alone, however. Naruto, you'll be able to visit Sasuke as soon as he wakes up, but only that one visit until we figure everything else out." Holding a hand up in preparation for an expected interruption, her honey brown eyes became sharp sickles made of that honey. "He's still a missing ninja who conspired with one of our most dangerous enemies, but at least he killed him as well. If he's cooperative or if we think he might cooperate more with you, we may be able to positively spin a lot of this around to keep him inside the village, though he may not be apart of Team Kakashi for awhile."

She couldn't complain at that, but with a tilt of her pigtails, she couldn't help but ask.

"What will you do about Itachi?"

With a heavy sigh, the last Senju looked away from her.

"I'll get everything he knows about the Akatsuki out of him. But since he'll be a high-risk, S-Rank prisoner of Konoha that's ill.." trailing off with a far away look in her eyes, the woman frowned to herself. "There may be a few more things that he can do for the future of this village."

"What do you mean?" Naruto blurted out.

Anko, with all her inappropriate and yet legal knowledge while she lacked a lot of morals and in Naruto's opinion common sense, answered the question despite her obvious disgust. "Who knows, we might be able to get some sperm out of him and can cut out the middle man of crappy unstable missing nin to restart the Uchiha Clan or he can be tested on and be our little guinea pig with that illness of his so other actual good people don't die or suffer too much of it. Up to the council and Hokage to decide, and up to whoever wants to get all their hands dirty with that shit."

Disgusted and yet explained that it was completely legal, as several of his human rights were stripped of him as an international criminal, the Fifth Hokage pointed out that she must see the benefits of it if she wanted to be a successful Hokage herself. It left Naruto standing there conflicted with dread and unease, questioning on if she should care that any of that could happen to a man who killed his entire clan and left his youngest sibling to suffer. He had harmed so many people, being the real monster that she used to be accused of just for holding a prisoner in her stomach.

For the time being, the Uzumaki was left to remain in the village for her safety and to help with the dealings of Sasuke when needed after he woke up. She had a good idea on how boring it would be, but the aspect of more training and practicing of her wind affinity sounded wonderful. Rereading the book Asuma: Master of Kindness again, she came with even more ideas based on him and his enemies.

With some digging on the book and how old it was, she could only figure that Asuma Sarutobi was named after him. It was like a little circle she was running in, she'd laugh to herself about.

She truly knew that Kagami would be impressed with her training and the jutsu she had created based off the one of few books she enjoyed though.

While Sakura was uncomfortable with answering her questions about crush, love, and virginity, the Uzumaki pretended that she never caught the long side glances that began afterwards.

Sure, Jiraiya somewhat knew about him and Sakura knew that she had met someone, but they didn't meet him or speak to him. He was her secret, in a way. Having grown up as the scapegoat of what happened during the Kyuubi attack, even though she wanted the village's approval and to become their Hokage, he was something that the village could not touch or speak about in any manner. Nobody could ruin what she thought of him or felt for him when they had spent their limited time together.

She was hurt, of course. Still hurting.

She ached to go back in time, to fix whatever she did to scare him off. Despite being far away from her village where the negative stigma and reputation followed her, he still disappeared on her when she was willing to put in the effort to see him again.

He wasn't like Sasuke, where she could hunt him down and make him see reason, because what reason was there? Not everyone will fall in love with you just because you fell for them, and the jinchuurki knew that for a fact. Though she was sure she didn't love Sakura like that at the end of the day, the rejection over the years had shown the exact downside of it not being returned even though they were now friends.

Summoning her clones, she finally decided on the name of her new jutsu.

"Wind embrace!"

Posted: 03/09/2019