Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. It belongs to Masashi Kishimoto and I am making no profit from this story, it is only for entertainment.

Chapter Summary: In which the days pass in Konoha Hospital


Chapter 33: 'Tis But a Scratch

Kakashi opened the door, the disinfectant burning his nose and the slow, steady beep of the monitor echoing in his ears. He stood in the doorway for a long moment, just staring at the prone form lying on the hospital bed. His genin shoved past him and Rio settled himself next to his brother immediately, grasping one of the pale hands tightly. Sasuke was more reserved but he knew the kid well enough by now to easily pick up on the distress lining every edge of his frame as he hovered on the other side of the bed. Sakura had already started crying as she stood next to Rio, wide green eyes latching onto the sleeping form. He took a few steps forward until he was standing at the foot of the bed.

He hadn't seen Naruto when he'd apparently shot through the village like a bat out of hell. He'd only heard about it after the incident, when the news reached the Tower. He couldn't leave to see him, he had to wait for his team, but the information he'd managed to pick up wasn't good.

As he lay among the stark white sheets, there was no indication of the blood and filth that had apparently covered him from head to toe. There were still bruises on his face but they were faint; the medic nin had done a great job cleaning him up. As much as Kakashi wanted to fool himself into thinking that Naruto would just spring up and beam that warm smile of his, he knew the damage went beyond what they could see.

His cheeks were more sunken than he remembered and even with the oxygen tubes attached to his nose, his breathing was shallow. Kakashi's fists tightened with every occasional rattle. He didn't think he'd ever seen the man so pale; sweat beaded on his forehead even though Kakashi was sure that his hands were cold. He didn't know who had done this to him but if he ever got his hands on them, they would regret the day they came into this world.

He had long since stopped referring to Naruto as Minato-sensei's kid in his head. He barely associated Naruto with the man, not like he did with Rio. Naruto was his friend first. It had taken so long to shake the mindset that he had to take care of the eldest Uzumaki, that as the oldest in the family it was his job to look after them. They had finally reached a place where they valued each other not for the connections they shared but for who they were as people. Whenever Kakashi needed honesty and advice, Naruto was the first to spring to his mind; he knew that anytime Naruto needed back-up, he would look to Kakashi first. They were equals.

Since Rio had become his student there had been some sort of shift. Before, he was much closer to his godson, only really seeing Naruto in relation to Rio. Now, he tried to treat his three genin equally; this position of authority he had over his godson had changed the dynamic. While Kakashi would still die for the kid, he found that the eldest Uzumaki was easier to be himself around. He didn't have to pretend like he knew what he was doing. That night on top of the Hokage Monument had gotten him through many times when he started to panic about the way he was teaching Team Seven.

What would Naruto say now? How would he make sure each of the kids got the training they needed? Was he going to be okay?

His thoughts were interrupted by the squeak of wheels and he turned to watch a couple of nurses push another bed into the room. His eye widened as he saw the occupant and Sakura rushed from Naruto's side, latching onto Kazuya's hand with a loud cry. His eye snapped to Rio and the crushing despair on his godson's face was almost enough to break him.

"Naruto! Kazuya!"

Genma burst into the room, Hana close on his heels, and stopped in the middle of the room, panting harshly. His wide brown eyes switched rapidly between the two beds. Kakashi didn't remember if he'd ever seen the man so distressed; maybe after the Kyūbi attack, but that period of time was a blur. It was startling; Genma was the most laidback of any jounin that Kakashi knew. He could always depend on Genma to be calm in a crisis. His bandana had been messily tied and even his senbon was absent. Hana's hair was a mess and her chunin vest was falling off her shoulders. They had obviously rushed here as soon as they'd heard. Genma rounded on Kakashi.

"What the fuck happened?"

Kakashi could only shrug helplessly. He heard a small noise and turned to the open door to see a head pop round the corner. The man walked into the room and Kakashi eyed his white coat and clipboard; were they finally getting some answers? He noted the 'Yakushi-sensei' from Genma. How did they know each other? The slim man surveyed the room and began to speak.

"You are the family and friends of Uzumaki Naruto and Arai Kazuya?" He said calmly.

"I'm his brother." "He's my guardian-student-best friend-" The voices overlapped each other as everyone spoke and the doctor held up a hand to silence them.

"I cannot tell you everything," he sighed. "Naruto-kun listed Kazuya-sensei as his emergency contact and vice versa but in this case I can tell you a little about his condition. If you want the whole story, you will need to speak to the boys themselves."

Mutters broke out in the room as more knocks came from the door. Yakushi-sensei turned and spoke through the gap in the door, closing it quietly after he finished and locking it.

"More people wishing to visit," he smiled sadly. "For now, I will only release this information to you. It is up to you what you want to share with the rest of Konoha but please keep in mind what Naruto-kun and Kazuya-sensei would want."

He tapped the clipboard as he gathered his thoughts, pushing his wireframe glasses further up his nose.

"Kazuya-sensei has been unconscious for over a week," he began. "He sustained minor injuries, which have already been healed, during an altercation but due to something in his system that we haven't been able to identify, he has not regained consciousness. We might have to intubate him soon but that's a relatively straightforward procedure."

He continued quickly before anyone could speak.

"Naruto-kun was injured in the same altercation and taken captive. He's dehydrated, starved and sleep-deprived with some wounds inflicted by blunt force trauma and kunai. There is also the matter of his chakra exhaustion and overuse of soldier pills, but we managed to pump most of the leftover pills out of his system before they could be fully absorbed." He smiled reassuringly. "While that all sounds bad, he's going to be fine. It might take him a few days to wake up, he needs to replenish his chakra supply, but after a couple weeks' observation and rest he'll even be able to go home."

Something in Kakashi's chest loosened at the doctor's final words. He knew better than most that some missions required significantly less food and sleep than would otherwise be considered healthy. It was something that he himself had experienced; while unpleasant it was not hard to recover from, especially if it had been less than a month. It probably sounded worse to the genin who had never had to go to these lengths before. Kazuya's case was more concerning, even if Naruto's was more dramatic.

"But they're going to be okay?" a small voice spoke up.

Yakushi-sensei turned to smile kindly at Rio.

"We are going to take very good care of them," he promised. "They both mean a lot to us too."

"How long has Kazu-nee been here?" The question was flat.

After a moment of silence, the doctor looked away.

"That is something I cannot answer."

With that the man left the room and it descended into a hushed quiet as they processed the new information. They were startled when Genma clapped his hands.

"They are going to be fine," he grinned and Kakashi noticed he had yet to replace his missing senbon. "Have you figured out what you are going to do for the rest of the month? Naruto would riot if he thought he was holding you back and Kazuya would not approve either."

Kakashi blinked. He hadn't even thought about that yet. His thoughts had been so consumed by Naruto's welfare he hadn't even stopped to consider that his whole team had made it to the final round. A spark of pride flashed beneath the still present concern he had for the men lying in the beds. He was grateful to Genma for trying to move them forward; he was always much better at that than Kakashi could ever hope to be.

"Mah, mah, Genma, are you offering?" he half-joked, trying to project a sense of normalcy for his genin.

"I can help," Hana spoke up, stepping forward and crossing her muscular arms. "I can train Sakura. She needs help on the physical side of things; that was my specialty on our team."

He watched his female student as she stared down into Kazuya's sleeping face. She nodded, looking up with a sense of determination he hadn't seen from her before.

"I want that," she said firmly, only a tiny wobble finding its way into her words. "I want to tell Kazuya-sensei about my wins when he wakes up. I have to make him proud; make sure he wakes up to something happy."

Hana grinned.

"Sounds like a good plan, pup."

"Kashi-sensei, you gotta help Sasuke with his Sharingan," Rio interrupted, looking as determined as his teammate. "I can go with Genma. Sakura's right; we need to make sure Nii-san and Kazu-nee wake up to good news which means we need to get way stronger. We can't let them worry about us."

Kakashi's gaze fell onto his final genin and Sasuke nodded sharply. His smile was hidden by the mask but Kakashi was proud of how far his team had come. They weren't falling apart in the face of this; instead they were growing further. Naruto and Kazuya did such a good job with them. He was glad he nominated them for the exam. He clapped his own hands, eye-smiling.

"Then let's go make them proud," he said, intending to live up to those words just as much as his genin.

Kakashi didn't know what he would do if Naruto died. He didn't think he could take losing another one of his precious people; but it was Naruto himself who helped Kakashi start to move on from the deaths of his team. He wouldn't admit it out loud, but he also treasured these genin. The least he could do was make sure the kids Naruto and Kazuya loved more than anything in the world would be strong enough to take on anything they might face.

That way he could face Naruto proudly when the younger man finally opened his eyes.


A familiar rhythmic beeping slowly pushed its way through the fog and Naruto struggled to remember where he'd heard it before. He wasn't sure what he'd been doing before this; he wasn't even sure he cared. He was so tired.

The beeping persisted and Naruto frowned, feeling something in his nose that wasn't supposed to be there. The sensation was out of place enough that he tried to see what was going on, despite how heavy his eyelids felt. The bright white light seared his eyes and he squeezed them shut tightly; the feeling started to come back to other parts of his body and he knew he wasn't going back to sleep this time.

"Naruto?"

He opened his eyes a tiny bit, trying to adjust to the light. Gradually, the room faded into a more acceptable brightness and he could start to make out his surroundings. The itchiness of stiff sheets rubbed against his skin and when he moved his fingers experimentally, he could feel something stuck beneath his skin. He directed his gaze to the voice and saw an exhausted Shikaku. The man was on the edge of his seat, worry lining the contours of his worn expression.

Naruto opened his mouth to speak but no sound came out, the sharp dryness in his throat resulting in a cough that jolted him out of position, hunching over the bunched up, white sheets. He felt a warm hand on his back and a glass of water appeared in front of him. He sucked greedily on the straw and almost sighed at the relief as the burning sensation faded from his throat.

He slumped back against the pillows, panting slightly. Lifting a leaden arm he finally saw the thing stuck into his arm; an IV line. Reaching up slowly to touch the thing in his nose, the words 'oxygen tube' came to him. He was in the hospital. Why was he in the hospital?

"Sasuke is fine, Naruto," he looked over to the Nara. "Orochimaru can't get his hands on him. Everything is okay. I've called the doctor. You're going to be okay."

Naruto stared blankly back at the man. Why wouldn't Sasuke be okay? He felt something in the back of his mind, telling him something, but he was so tired. He couldn't think right now; he just wanted to go back to sleep.

So he did.


The beeping returned but this time, the fog had faded away and he had no issues opening his eyes, cautious of the bright light. He turned his head and sure enough, Shikaku was sitting next to his bed, reading something in his lap, his chakra a familiar comfort.

"Shikaku?" He said hoarsely.

The Nara jumped, the book falling to the floor as he turned wide eyes on him.

"Naruto?"

"Sasuke…" he continued. "Where is…?"

"He's okay," Shikaku reassured a bit too quickly to be mistaken for the man's usual sense of lethargy. "You drove Orochimaru out of the village and an ANBU team has been following him since. Everyone's okay."

Naruto nodded, finally starting to really look at the room around him. His eyes widened as the assault of colour caught him off guard. There were flowers everywhere. All different kinds and colours and vases spread across the room in a way that was both random and made perfect sense. Baskets full of other things, he could see kunai in one of them, were shoved into the corner just opposite his own bed and he turned to look at Shikaku, confusion painted across his face.

"You're a popular man," Shikaku chuckled, finally settling back into the chair proper. "I'm pretty sure half the village has left something for you two; Yamanaka Flowers is sold out."

Naruto looked over to the other signature he had sensed and bolted up in his seat as he saw the sleeping face of his best friend. He got away; he was supposed to be okay. Why was he here?

"They can't find the cause," Shikaku said quietly. "It's some kind of poison."

Naruto knew better than trying to stand right now but the distress rolled over him in waves. Kazuya had to be okay. He snapped his head back to the Nara, wincing slightly at the sharp movement. A cough rose up and he shoved his face into his elbow, trying to control it. It finally subsided and he could ask his question.

"What happened?"

"Kazuya was found about a week before you appeared; we estimate you were missing about eight days." the man rubbed his temples. "We've had ANBU teams searching everywhere for you. We found Kazuya and nineteen bodies in another clearing which we had to assume was your doing."

"They ambushed us," Naruto interjected quietly. "Oto overwhelmed me with numbers."

"We figured that to be the case. They didn't have hitai-ate so we didn't know Otogakure was responsible until you turned up. We arrested the genin team in the forest but they didn't know anything. They were just instructed to test Sasuke by ambushing his team. Their jounin-sensei fled about the same time as Orochimaru. That's pretty much all we have so you're going to have to fill in the gaps in your report."

Naruto nodded, looking back at Kazuya.

"The doctor is on his way," Shikaku said somberly. "He'll be able to tell you more about Kazuya's condition."

Naruto sighed, closing his eyes as he tried to dampen the initial panic. He would find out what was wrong with his best friend. Until then, he had to find something to distract him.

"Where are Team Seven?"

"The reason your kids aren't glued to your side is because they're training for the final part of the Chunin Exams," Shikaku's expression softened. "We have a kind of unspoken rotation going so there would be someone here when you woke up. They all come at least once a day. I gathered that they were determined to show you their progress when you woke up. It's been about a week since you fell unconscious so you haven't missed the matches."

Naruto smiled. He was so glad; the last thing he would have wanted was for them to waste their time sitting around waiting for him to wake up.

"Who's training them?" He asked curiously, settling back into the pillows even as he sent glances Kazuya's way.

"Kakashi has Sasuke, Hana took Sakura and Genma has Rio."

"Genma with Rio?" Naruto repeated. The pairing surprised him slightly; while they knew each other pretty well it wasn't a training combination Naruto had ever considered. They had very different styles. "That'll be an experience for him."

"Indeed." Shikaku chuckled, some of the tension finally leaving his frame.

Naruto's gaze was drawn to the window as a signature hovered briefly outside of it. It vanished as quickly as it came.

"Why are the ANBU hanging around outside?" He said slowly, raising an eyebrow at Shikaku. "Orochimaru isn't even in the village and he's not after me."

Shikaku stared at him for a long moment before he chuckled, shaking his head with a grin. Naruto wasn't sure what he'd said but he was glad to erase some of the stress lines on the man's face. Shikaku was supposed to be the relaxed, borderline lazy one of their team of two; he didn't suit stress.

"They've been hovering around outside since you arrived," the Nara replied amusedly. "I'm pretty sure they have a rotation of their own going. They're worried about you."

"I was under the impression that ANBU as a whole didn't like me very much," Naruto frowned. "They're always annoyed at me."

"Because they can't hide from you," Shikaku explained. "They respect you a great deal; I would even go so far as to say they got attached to you. You're the only shinobi I know who is able to find an ANBU that's trying not to be found; certainly the only one who would spark up random conversations with them as if they were part of the regular forces."

Naruto blushed, as his eyes scanned the baskets and flowers spread across the room. He did know the majority of the village, having worked with most of them, but he didn't think he'd left enough of an impression to warrant this. His gaze finally landed on the largest basket and a snort escaped him. Shikaku looked over and grinned.

"That one is from the team at the Mission Assignment Desk."

"They know me a little too well," Naruto sniggered, taking in the large pile of instant ramen cups in the beautifully woven basket.

Another cough forced its way from his lungs and Naruto bowed over, trying to move the obstruction he could feel in his throat. He finally managed to move it and he grabbed a cup from the side, spitting out the large chunk of green mucus streaked with red. He grimaced; looked like another chest infection.

He looked towards the door just before it opened, allowing Yakushi-sensei into the room. He would finally get answers about his friend; there had to be some way to help him.


Jiraiya walked down the sterile, white hallway, attempting to rehearse what he was going to say. He hadn't seen his godson in over nine years; he was almost sixteen now, a long way from the determined little six-year-old Jiraiya remembered. He wondered how much Naruto had changed.

He had meant to come back sooner. Instead, he'd allowed himself to be swallowed by his information network; he kept telling himself that the time was wrong, that it wasn't the right opportunity to go back. He knew he was running away from his responsibility. The thought of Minato's reaction if he was alive and found out Jiraiya left his young sons to fend for themselves kept him up at night.

Sarutobi-sensei had called him back to help deal with Orochimaru and Jiraiya knew he couldn't run anymore. He had left it long enough. He knew the boy was strong though; his Bingo book entry spoke for itself and the addition of fūinjutsu had been a surprise. He wasn't sure how far the boy could have gotten without a teacher but he was curious to find out what he was capable of. He could potentially pass on some of his own fūinjutsu knowledge; maybe finally step up as his godfather in some way. He'd left the kid with one-handed seals to keep him going, but he knew that was a pitiful offering.

He finally came to the door and he took a deep breath. He then promptly shoved the door open, grinning widely and striking a pose.

"The Great Jiraiya-sama has arrived!" He announced. "Feel free to bow and sing my praises!"

He maintained the pose for a moment but as the silence dragged on, he looked over to the figure sitting on the bed. His eyes widened; that couldn't be Naruto.

The man sat cross-legged in the middle of the bed, the white sheets crumpled beneath him. The top half of his vibrant red hair was tied up into a topknot while the rest hung over his shoulders in soft waves. Jiraiya could barely see the scar that had marred the kid's face when he'd last seen him; a thin silver line was all that was left. Dressed in loose black shinobi trousers and a short, sleeveless robe tied loosely around his waist, Jiraiya could see the seals he'd had tattooed onto the kid's arm although there were modifications there that he had definitely not added. Further seals peeked out from behind his white hospital robe but Jiraiya couldn't determine what they were from this angle.

He was surrounded by at least a dozen scrolls and books open to seemingly random pages and he had a messy notebook in his hands. He could only see a couple of words but they seemed to be about poisons. An IV line was attached to his non-tattooed arm and an oxygen line was in his nose, the tubes tucked behind his ears. Blue eyes identical to Minato's stared at him from an angular face; he'd lost all his baby fat. It was hard to tell when he was sitting but he looked like he'd be tall; his slim figure was almost pure muscle.

The redhead tilted his head.

"Jiraiya?"

"Gaki?"

Naruto scowled.

"I think I've grown out of that nickname, don't you think?"

Jiraiya paused. His godson didn't sound happy to see him.

"It's nice to see you've finally learned some respect, eh?" He tried to joke. "No more Ero-sennin, huh?"

Naruto raised a single red eyebrow.

"I don't think we're familiar enough to be using nicknames."

Jiraiya floundered as Naruto dropped his gaze back to his notebook. While he hadn't been expecting the same six-year-old he'd left, he wasn't prepared for outright hostility either.

"What are you doing here, Jiraiya?" Naruto didn't even glance up at him. "You wouldn't return to Konoha on a whim."

"Maybe I heard my godson was injured and rushed back?"

That response seemed to make things worse as Naruto's gaze turned cold, finally looking back up at him.

"I've been hospitalized several times since I was six. You're going to have to do better than that."

Jiraiya tried not to let the rising panic show on his face as Naruto scrutinized him. There was nothing left of that six-year-old. What happened? Something clicked in Naruto's blue eyes and Jiraiya had to swallow a large lump in his throat. That was the same look Minato used to get when he figured something out.

"Hokage-sama called you to deal with Orochimaru, didn't he?" Naruto narrowed his eyes. "That's the only reason I can think of; he's worried that Orochimaru hadn't given up quite yet. If anyone would know it'd be his old teacher and if there was anyone better equipped to deal with him, it'd be his teammate."

"What happened to 'Jiji'?" Jiraiya couldn't help but ask.

Naruto scoffed and harshly shoved some of his hair back over his shoulder.

"Things have changed in the past ten years, Jiraiya," he scoffed. "I know you don't actually care but it may surprise you to know that people change so stop looking at me like I've killed your godson and taken his place."

"Naruto…"

"No!" Naruto slammed his notebook closed. "You don't get to come back after abandoning me and Rio for ten years and pretend everything is okay. We are not close, we are not friends, we are not family! I don't need you and you have nothing to offer me that could possibly make up for turning your back on us."

Jiraiya could only open and close his mouth silently as Naruto continued, the rage burning in his eyes and his frame shaking.

"Do you know what I've been through? I had to get through the academy, at a disadvantage to everyone else, while making sure the villagers didn't hurt Rio. I had to raise that kid from the day he was born and from the age of seven, I had to do it on my own. No Orphan Fund, no back-up plan, no nothing; just Kazuya and I desperately trying to do enough D-ranks to keep a roof over our heads. Then I adopted Sasuke and then Sakura and I got promoted and I have to supply everyone with seals while feeling like utter shit and there were so many days I felt like I couldn't breathe!"

Naruto's breathing was becoming haggard.

"I had to be my own parent, guardian and fūinjutsu teacher. I have to make sure the kids are eating, Momo is being walked, the Desk is running correctly, the barrier around the village is holding, the peace is kept between the departments, that no one enters the village that is not supposed to, that the ANBU are being trained in stealth. I grew up, Jiraiya, because I didn't have a choice. There was nobody that could give me the freedom to be a kid. That opportunity died when my parents did."

He harshly swiped away some errant tears.

"I wouldn't have even asked for much. Maybe watch Rio when the Inuzuka couldn't, maybe some tips for learning fūinjutsu; hell, I would've taken just someone to talk to that knew my parents! Kakashi fucked up as Rio's godfather too but you know what? He's trying; he's been making up for that for almost five years. He was there; I can trust him now. You haven't even sent a letter!"

Jiraiya's mouth was dry. It was so much worse than he'd ever imagined. What the fuck had happened? Naruto wasn't supposed to have struggled this much; where was his support system in the village?

"I don't need you, Jiraiya," Naruto said quietly and it cut deeper than the loud anger from only a moment ago. "I have people that care about me; people that I can actually count on to turn up. Fuck, look around, I have a whole village!"

Jiraiya took in the assortments of bright flowers covering every surface before his attention was brought back to the redhead.

"I respect you as a shinobi of Konoha and I won't ever try to make your life more difficult than it needs to be," Naruto sighed. "But you will not treat me like a godson, or any sort of family. You will not visit me and you will not go near my kids. Do you understand? We're done."

Jiraiya nodded quickly and backed out of the room, slamming the door shut behind him. His large frame sagged against the wood as his throat tightened. He had failed, completely and utterly. He would never be able to face Minato or Kushina in the afterlife. He didn't know what he expected. Sarutobi-sensei always treated him the same way no matter how long he was away from the village; that didn't automatically apply to his godson. He had royally fucked it.

He was going to offer Naruto the Toad Summoning Contract but he knew the redhead wouldn't take it, not from him. He was going to offer the redhead some fūinjutsu advice, maybe even teach him a few things. He was finally going to be able to get to know Norio. All that had crashed and burned around him.

He picked himself up and started his way down the hospital corridor. Sarutobi-sensei might have some answers about what had happened to Naruto; even with him out of the village, there was no reason his godson should have had to take on that much responsibility at such a young age. He could salvage something from this; the kid wasn't lost to him forever.

He couldn't be.


Naruto tapped the pages of the textbook in his lap impatiently. He was supposed to be discharged any day now but Yakushi-sensei was taking his sweet damn time. Every time he asked, the man said 'just a few more days'; Naruto had grown to hate those words. He knew better than to check out against medical advice, at least eight people would be ready to escort him back immediately, so he was just stuck here.

He'd been asleep for about a week and he'd been stuck here for a further two and a half. The chest infection had been pretty bad but he'd conquered that last week. He would even go so far as to say he'd never felt better. It had been a while since the coughing had subsided like that. He'd also managed to ditch the IV line and oxygen tube around the same time. Yakushi-sensei had been happy to announce that this incident wouldn't lead to any long-term effects either.

He had a lot of visitors when staved off the insanity for a short while. He got daily updates on his kids' training and Hana snuck in Momo at least twice a day to see him. He was pretty sure the nurses were actively ignoring the dog because there was no way they didn't know; he was grateful either way. Shikaku had finally managed to get him to an acceptable level of shogi and Shikamaru came in to test him occasionally, Chouji accompanying him with snacks he always offered to him. Rio and Sasuke had finally stopped looking at him like he was about to drop any second. At least one person from the Desk came in to update him; Shikaku had found out last week and promptly banned them all from visiting.

Apparently, he was in a 'no work zone'. Yakushi-sensei and the Nara Head had ganged up on him so he was only allowed to wonder about the pile of work waiting for him.

He was happy to receive all these visitors even as he hated being seen in such a vulnerable position. There was something different in the eyes of the people who knew about his condition; although he was recovering from the kidnapping, he knew they were seeing something else when they looked at him. He really hated it. The sooner he got out of here and back to normal, the better.

He looked over to Kazuya; even if he were discharged he would probably still spend most of his time here. The only difference was that he could get his own library books. Being stuck here at least gave him the opportunity to watch over his teammate.

The door to their room opened and Naruto's stomach dropped at the thought of Jiraiya coming back. He hadn't meant to go off at the Sannin like that but it had all burst out of him at once. He had meant every word but he didn't like yelling at people, no matter who they were. It made him feel like a hypocrite after all his talks with Rio about the same thing.

A wide grin spread across his face as Gaara walked into the room, closely followed by his two siblings.

"Gaara!" He greeted him happily. "You look great! How are you?"

The fellow redhead really did look much better. The black rings were still prominent around his eyes but there was no tension in his face; he gave off a calm, content aura and Naruto was delighted to see it. It looked like he'd been sleeping even. A massive gourd was attached to his back and he was dressed similarly to when they'd met in Suna.

"I am well, Naruto-san," the boy said quietly, his voice even. "I believe we should be more worried about you."

"Please Gaara, drop the 'san'," he waved his hand dismissively. "We've known each other long enough. I refuse to respond to it from now on."

He grinned as Gaara huffed slightly. He had managed to get to know the kid a bit from their monthly letters. While the kid was one of few words, he was clever and thoughtful; when he did speak or write, the words were chosen carefully and were all selected for a reason. There was nothing wasted with Gaara. It was quite different from Naruto's rambling style. He had developed a more concise version for work but at heart, he loved to talk.

"How are you, Temari, Kankuro?" He turned the older pair. "Keeping out of trouble?"

"More than you, apparently," Temari crossed her arms. "We were expecting a welcome; instead we find out you've been hospitalized this whole time."

"Yeah, I'm sorry I couldn't give you the welcome I promised," he apologized, hoping Gaara understood. "I absolutely promise next time you come to Konoha you'll stay with me and we'll have a big feast. The works."

Gaara nodded and Naruto relaxed.

"What're you reading?" Kankuro spoke gruffly, peering over Temari's shoulder.

He seemed more awkward than his siblings but Naruto was sure that it was just the unfamiliarity. He'd been exchanging letters with Gaara and Temari had taught him fūton. He hadn't had many chances in Suna to talk to the middle sibling but he hoped that would change one day.

"Some poison textbook." He lifted the book to show them the cover. "I don't get most of it but Kaz isn't waking up. We need to find the poison soon so it's all hands on deck."

He nodded towards the prone form of his best friend. He's spent most of his waking hours trapped in his hospital bed reading up on poisons. There had been so much; he didn't know how his friends managed to know so much about them. His initial idea had been a seal that attached to the skin and changed colours depending on the poison, but there had been too many possibilities for that to be feasible. He had then tried to narrow it down by only identifying the base of poison, like the plant of origin, but that wouldn't work either. So he'd just ended up going through all the textbooks he could convince people to bring him and trying to match Kazuya's symptoms to what he found.

He didn't have to be a medic nin to know that it wasn't good for someone to be in a poison-induced coma; it'd already been over a month. Everything Naruto had read said that was not good, just in unnecessarily complex jargon.

"What're his symptoms?" Kankuro replied, moving away to stand next to Kazuya's bedside.

"Mainly the coma," Naruto replied, subdued as he gazed at the face of his best friend. "They said something about his electrolyte balance last time they checked on him and that his liver wasn't producing enzymes like it was supposed to. That's thickening his blood so they've got him on blood thinners but that's interfering with his spleen. Yakushi-sensei described it as a slow, multi-system failure."

The similarity of that diagnosis to his own condition hadn't escaped him.

"Has his blood changed colour?"

Naruto sat up straighter.

"Last time they drew blood, three days ago, Katsumi swore that it was turning green. She told me it was something to do with sulphur in his blood but I didn't really get it," he replied quickly. "How did you know?"

Kankuro kept his brown eyes on Kazuya for a moment longer before he looked back at Naruto, the purple face paint obscuring most of his expression.

"I recognize it," he said. "You won't find it in any of the textbooks; you wouldn't even hear about it outside of Suna. Knowledge of it is passed on word-of-mouth to a select few poison experts in the village. I only heard about it when I became a genin. I don't even know how Kazuya could have gotten infected with it. Not even the hospital in Suna keeps samples on file; it's so rare."

For the first time since he'd woken up in the hospital, hope began to bloom in Naruto's chest.

"Can you cure him?"

A tense silence fell over the room.

"We have the antidote on file but there's only one dose," Kankuro admitted. "It takes about a year to make with some rare ingredients. If Kazuya gets it, then if anyone gets infected in the next year, they won't make it."

"I don't care what it takes," Naruto hopped off the bed as stared down into Kankuro's eyes. "I will give anything for him to be okay. He's my brother; I can't lose him."

"I don't have the power to make that decision," Kankuro replied, and Naruto could hear the helplessness in his voice.

"If I ask, they'll send it." He turned desperate eyes to Gaara. "I'll send a hawk."

"Consider our debt repaid with this," Temari spoke up, a glint in her eyes. "You helped Gaara, so we'll help Kazuya. We can cover for you, Kankuro, when we get back."

Naruto felt the tears at the edge of his eyes and he grabbed the pair, pulling them into a tight hug. He looked over his shoulder and grabbed the puppeteer, pulling the Sand Siblings to his chest.

"Thank you," he whispered.

He wasn't going to lose his first friend. Kazuya was finally going to be okay. Everything would finally be okay.


Kazuya groaned as the beeping of his alarm clock pulsated through his head. He did not need this; he was exhausted. He could at least have a lie-in every now and again. He reached out to switch it off but his arm wouldn't move. He frowned; all his limbs felt like lead. His body just wouldn't obey him.

He opened his eyes and blinked harshly as the white light seared his eyes. He didn't remember his room getting this much daylight. His window was too small for that. Was he in someone else's bed? That did happen often enough to make sense. The beeping continued and he groaned, trying to open his eyes again. It was blurry but he could begin to make out some shapes. He was definitely in a bed of some kind; he recognized it too but he wasn't sure he'd ever seen it from this angle.

He turned towards the beeping but even such a small head movement was a struggle. He had to take a moment to adjust to the abrupt loss of energy before he could inspect what was not in fact an alarm clock. It was a heart monitor. Why would someone have a heart monitor in their room? He felt he was missing something big but his brain was still so foggy. It was hard to stay on one single thought. He thought he heard something and he adjusted his head to face the other way, almost immediately regretting it as he closed his eyes. What was wrong with him today?

There was that sound again.

What was it? It sounded so familiar.

"Kaz…"

He opened his eyes to see a redhead standing over him, frantic blue eyes much closer to him than he expected. Why was Naruto here? What were they doing before this?

"Kazuya!"

Kazuya opened his mouth to tell his friend that he was fine but even as he opened his mouth, nothing came out. His throat was too dry; even more than that, it felt hard to move. It was like it was rusty but how could that have happened overnight? It was sore too, as if something had been shoved down it.

"It's okay, you don't need to talk," Naruto smiled down at him as he slumped back into his seat. "What matters is that you're awake."

Kazuya tried his best to convey 'duh' across to his teammate despite his limited capacity. Why wouldn't he wake up? Did this have something to do with whatever happened before? The memories felt like they were just out of reach.

"Kazuya-sensei."

Kazuya turned his eyes to Yakushi-sensei who stood just behind Naruto's shoulder. The man looked more tired than normal which was a feat in itself. He blinked as the man shone a light into his eyes and he blinked, annoyed even as he remained silent.

"Kazuya-sensei, can you understand me?" Yakushi-sensei asked slowly. "Do you know where you are?"

Kazuya nodded even as his eyes roamed the room. He was in the hospital. He would recognize this place anywhere. The fog was lifting but it was so slow. Everything right now felt slow. He followed the doctor's instructions; he followed the pen with his eyes, he managed to weakly squeeze his hand. He was used to giving this routine, not being the one to complete it. It was to assess cognizance, especially in those who had been unconscious for an extended period of time.

"Kazuya-sensei, I am going to explain your condition at this point in time and the plan going forward," Yakushi-sensei said calmly. "I know you cannot speak yet but we're going to include you in the treatment as much as we can so there's no rush, okay? Please do not stress over things right now; you have a long journey ahead of you."

Kazuya didn't like the sound of that.

"You were brought to the hospital after you and Naruto-kun were ambushed by Oto nin on your way back to Konoha," he began and the memories started to come back to Kazuya. "You were unconscious with minor injuries but once we healed them, you remained in a coma. We managed to narrow it down to poison but it took a long time to find the exact one."

Kazuya wondered what expert they used since he was apparently out of it.

"You were unconscious for five weeks," Kazuya's eyes bulged at that tidbit of information. "The poison broke down your body systems at a slow pace so there won't be any long-term damage. However, due to the nature of the poison and how long you were unconscious, it will take you some time to fully recover. I suspect you'll be able to talk in as soon as a couple of days; we had to intubate you so your throat is going to be a little sore. The physical therapy to get you moving might take you a bit longer but we've projected that you'll be back to your normal capacity in as little as two to three months."

Kazuya ran that information over and over in his head. That was a lot to deal with. Five weeks…how much had he missed in five weeks? And physical therapy? That was going to be a nightmare. He hadn't ever really thought about the enemies he had poisoned before; if this is what they went through he felt a little bad about it now.

"Everything's okay now," Naruto spoke up. "Orochimaru was behind the whole thing; he wanted me out of the village so I couldn't sense him infiltrating the Chunin Exams. The third stage is tomorrow so I'll cheer for the both of us."

So it hadn't been Naruto's outlandish conspiracy theories then?

"We'll leave you to rest, Kazuya-sensei," Yakushi-sensei smiled softly. "There are going to be a lot of happy people now you're awake."

They left the room and Kazuya was left alone with his thoughts. Things were becoming foggy again. Yakushi-sensei's words were fading in importance as he felt the blanket of sleep wrap around him. He could think it over properly tomorrow. He just wanted sleep…


Thanks for reading!