Chapter 34:
Naruto finally sat up with a grumble, wanting to stay curled up against the warmth of Kakashi's naked skin all day but knowing it wasn't possible. Kakashi chuckled at him, "Here love, let me help clean you up." Kakashi collected a discarded shirt, dampening it with water from one of their canteens, bringing it to the young man's stomach and groin. A smirk played at the corners of the silver haired nin's lips, "Sorry love, we made a bit of a mess of you." Kissing along Kakashi's jaw, Naruto replied, "You won't hear me complaining."
They finished cleaning up, quickly getting changed and taking down camp. A simple light breakfast was enjoyed while Kakashi went over the map once more. "We are very near the northernmost border into the Land of Hot Water, we are going to cross the border and stay to the easternmost region of the country, skirting along the border into the Land of Frost. We will unfortunately be traveling through the Valley of Hell but we will not be lingering there. We are starting out a little later than intended…" Kakashi trailed off, a smirk on his lips, he passed a glance at the blonde beside him, Naruto's cheeks blazing crimson, "...so we probably won't make it to the Bamboo village today. We will set up camp somewhere along the coastline today when night starts to fall and make for Bamboo Village early tomorrow morning."
Naruto nodded, face still slightly flushed, "Sorry for the late start…" Kakashi chuckled and kissed him gently on the lips, "You won't hear me complaining… Alright let's head out."
Naruto shrugged back on his cloak and pulled on his mask with a sigh, "I hate this thing." "I'm not much of a fan of it on you either, love, but it is necessary." Naruto nodded, "I know."
Skirting back along the cliff overlooking the ocean, they made their way back to the beaten path. There were very few other travelers in this region, the land becoming more harsh as they made their way south. The area was rich in iron, warm pools of red water littered the now barren lands.
They traveled for a few hours before reaching a large canyon. "This is the Valley of Death, Naruto, many years ago the Chinoike clan were expelled from the Land of Lightning and forced to settle here. The decades of living in this harsh environment took its toll on the clan, eventually leading to inner turmoil and fighting that would wipe out their bloodline almost entirely." They picked up the pace through the canyon, wanting to be through the area as quickly as possible. The air smelled foul, thick stinking steam rising off the red pools of hot water. There were no signs of life anywhere, no animals, no plants, just barren red rock and steaming pools.
It took them the better part of an hour to make it through the canyon, Kakashi leading them off the path a ways to take a break. Naruto pulled down his mask with the intention of getting a much needed drink. The stink of the steaming pools became far worse with the removal of the cloth. He gagged at the smell, bringing his hand up to mouth and nose to cover them, "This place is awful, how did those poor people live here for so long?" Kakashi looked up from his map replying, "Sadly, they didn't have much of a choice. Either comply with their exile or death. In the end, death was all that awaited them anyways…" Kakashi trailed off, a far away look in his eyes that he quickly blinked back but not before Naruto noticed. Kakashi cleared his throat, "Alright, so I think we will travel for another couple hours until we reach the coastline and locate a safe place to sleep for the night. The further we travel south the more clear the air will become." Naruto nodded, impatient to leave this inhospitable region and its dark history, "Let's go."
They continued south, the landscape slowly changing. The barren lands were slowly starting to turn green. The pools of red water long gone, replaced with small trickling streams. Tall grass and trees slowly sprouting up around the path. The foul smelling air was replaced with the cool salty breeze of the ocean, the coastline becoming visible just to the east.
Naruto could feel his tense body slowly relaxing, not realizing he had been so on edge while traversing through the previous area.
They reached a section of the path that was fairly enclosed, a cliff face to the right of the path and a steep ledge leading to the coastline to their left. Pushing forward, they had made it about half way through the tight section before a large group of travelers coming from the other direction appeared before them. Kakashi quickly inspected the group, they were in civilian clothing but some were sporting Shinobi headbands. There were a total of ten people in the group, weapons visible on six of them. Kakashi spoke quietly, "Keep your head down and stay slightly behind me. This may be a problem, prepare yourself for a fight, Naruto." Naruto was silent, slowly slipping behind Kakashi.
As they neared the group Kakashi picked up on their hushed whispers, his hands clenched into fists. Two in the group made a show of pulling out their kunai, Kakashi met their eyes unable to hold back the venomous rage from his eyes. The two quickly charged at them, Kakashi's fist instantly crackling with lightning driving his hand through the chest of the man as he closed in on him. Naruto dodged around the other attacker, driving a Rasengan into his back. More of the men attacked, each cut down quickly. Kakashi kept a close eye on Naruto, impressed with how well the young man was performing in battle. His stance was clean, his attacks calculated and his chakra control was immaculate. Kakashi couldn't help the smile that found his lips as he caught the eye of the blonde. Naruto was calm and fierce, winking quickly at Kakashi when he caught his eyes.
They were surrounded by the last four attackers. Kakashi and Naruto standing back to back, both dropping into their defensive stances. Kakashi glanced back over his shoulder regarding Naruto carefully, the young man looked deadly, rage flaring in his eyes. Kakashi surveyed the last of their enemies, quick to notice the purple glistening tip of the kunai of the attacker sprinting toward Naruto. Fear twisted sharply in his gut, he jumped in front of the blonde pulling him close to his body. Kakashi Body Flickering them to the top of the rocky ledge, his shoulder catching a passing slash from the enemy's kunai before they disappeared. Kakashi sets Naruto down hastily, Body Flickering himself back into the fray, Naruto screaming in rage at him as he disappears. Kakashi dealt with the remaining enemy Shinobis swiftly, taking out the last one as Naruto managed to scramble his way back down to him. "What the FUCK, Kakashi?" Naruto was fuming, his face contorted with anger. Kakashi knew time wasn't on his side so he responded, "Follow me, hurry." Kakashi started sprinting, frantically searching for some place to hide. A short while later he came across a hollowed out tree trunk tucked deep in the woods. He quickly ducked inside and waited for Naruto to join him. "What the hell was that Kakashi, why did you pull me out of there?" Kakashi reached into his medkit, digging through it frantically until he found a small vial of pills. He popped one into his shaking hand and hastily swallowed it back with a chug of water from his canteen, face grimacing at the foul taste. "Your attacker's kunai was tipped with poison, Naruto…" Kakashi watched the blonde carefully as his eyes widened and flicked from Kakashi face to the fresh slash on his shoulder. "...I removed you from the situation so you would not run the risk of being cut and poisoned. If you had been cut you would already be dead. My body has built up a resistance to poison over the years, I have been poisoned many times. Now, all that being said, I need you to listen to me carefully." Kakashi adjusted his positioning, feeling the poison slowly working its way through his body. He brought a hand up to Naruto's face before continuing, "I am probably going to be knocked out for a bit, I promise you I will be fine, you don't need to be scared. I want you to stay hidden, no fires, you understand?" Naruto's eyes were brimming with tears, nodding. "I promise I will come back to you, stay safe. I love you, Naruto." Kakashi pulled him in for a quick kiss, his head swimming uncomfortably. He met Naruto's eyes one last time, "I'm counting on you, Kurama." Kakashi's eyes drifted closed, slumping forward into Naruto's chest.
"Kashi….. KAKASHI?!" Naruto was frantically shaking the older Shinobi screaming his name repeatedly, tears streaming down his face. "Kit… KIT! I need you to calm down. You are being too loud." Naruto's body was shaking uncontrollably, clutching Kakashi's limp frame tightly. Sobs racking his body. "Kit, calm down, he is going to be okay. Get a hold of yourself. Why don't you tend to his wounds, you aren't doing him any good by strangling him like that." Naruto carefully laid Kakashi down, heeding the advice of the nine-tails. He sucked in a few calming breaths, rubbing the back of his hands harshly against his eyes. Retrieving Kakashi's medkit, Naruto quickly looked over the shoulder wound. The cut was shallow, not much more than a graze, but it was deep enough for the poison to enter Kakashi's body. He carefully cleaned and disinfected the cut wrapping a bandage around it. Naruto turned his attention to Kakashi's arm. He had used his Chidori on a few of the enemies. Naruto wiped the blood from his forearm, carefully picking out any bone splinters he found. He disinfected the scratches and wounds littering the silver haired nin's arm before bandaging it as well. He cut back the bandage on his palm, applying burn ointment before rewrapping it. Darkness was falling fast outside. Naruto dug through his rucksack for their blanket, crawling next to Kakashi and laying down, pulling the blanket over the both of them. Silent tears were falling from his eyes again, his head resting on Kakashi's chest. "Go to sleep Kit, I'll keep watch. If anything happens I will wake you." "Thank you, Kurama."
Naruto slept fitfully through the night, the sunlight of dawn waking him up. He quickly checked Kakashi's pulse, it was slightly elevated but steady. There was a sheen of sweat across Kakashi's brow. Naruto felt his forehead, Kakashi was burning up. He quickly threw the blankets off him, dragging him free from his clothing. Naruto scrambled to find their cookpot with the intention of collecting cold water from the creek he had noticed on their mad dash here the night before. "Kit, stop! I know what you intend to do but just listen to me for a second." Naruto hesitated but stopped to listen to the kitsune. "Send a clone in your place, that way if they run into someone they can lead them away from here." Naruto nodded and quickly made the hand signs "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu." A clone popped up in front of him, grabbed the pot from him and dashed out of the tree. The clone returned a short while later, the pot brimming with cold creek water. He didn't encounter anyone on his quick journey. Naruto dispersed the clone and set the pot next to Kakashi's head. He dug through their packs finally locating a wash cloth. He dipped the cloth into the cold water, wiping Kakashi's body down. He dipped the cloth back in the pot once more, ringing it out and draping it over Kakashi's forehead. Naruto pulled his knees up to his chest, hugging himself tightly. Kakashi's brow was slightly furrowed, a pained expression on his face. Naruto's gut twisted in fear, his body started to convulse in panic, tears streaming down his face again. Naruto was having trouble breathing, sharp intakes of breath were all he could manage as panic gripped tightly at his throat. "Kit, calm down. He's going to be fine. Breath." "But what if he's not, Kurama, what if he's not going to be fine." "He is, just calm …." "BUT WHAT IF HE'S NOT KURAMA… I CAN'T BE ALONE AGAIN, I CAN'T LOSE HIM!" Naruto's vision was starting to blur, his heart beating hard in his chest. "He promised you he would come back to you, Naruto, he wouldn't lie to you..." Naruto pressed his head to his knees, sucking in harsh breaths, trying to regain control of himself. Kurama was right, Kakashi had promised.
A short while later Naruto had calmed down a bit, his hands still shaking violently. "You should eat something, Kit." Naruto just shook his head, "I'm not hungry." Naruto could hear the nine-tails scoffing at him in the back of his mind. Naruto stayed stalk still, only moving to collect the wash cloth from Kakashi's head, dipping it back in the cool water and ringing it out and placing its back on his forehead. Hours dragged by slowly, Naruto watching over Kakashi carefully. As night started to fall once more, Kakashi's fever broke, his body shivering against the cold. Naruto quickly bathed him once more before redressing him in clean clothes. Naruto carefully curled up next to the silver haired nin, dragging their blanket over them. Kakashi's body slowly stopped shaking in Naruto's warm embrace. "Please wake up, Kashi…" Naruto whispered into the darkness, hugging Kakashi tight to him. Sleep quickly claimed him, the stress of the past few days exhausting his mind and body.
Kakashi slowly regained consciousness, he felt terrible, the early morning light making his eyes burn. His head was pounding, his throat parched and his body ached all over. Naruto was pressed tight to his body, the blonde's face was dirty, the dirt marred by clean little trails he could only assume came from shed tears. Kakashi lifted a weak hand to stroke the blonde's hair, raising his head slightly so he could breathe in his scent. Naruto stirred, jolting awake, eyes wide and searching. "Kashi? Kashi! Thank Kami, you're awake." Naruto crushed into him hard, squeezing him relentlessly, his body shaking as small sobs escaped him. Kakashi grunted in pain but hugged the young man weakly in return. Naruto pulled back, realizing he was hurting him. "Shit. I'm sorry, what do you need… what can I do?" Kakashi croaked out weakly in reply, "..water.." Naruto quickly located a canteen and carefully brought it to Kakashi's lips. Kakashi swallowed back the water greedily, the initial few gulps feeling like sandpaper in his throat. He sputtered and coughed, Naruto pulling the canteen back from his mouth. "Thank you. Can you find my medkit?" Naruto nodded and retrieved it, waiting for further directions. "I need you to dig me out a pain pill and one of the small blue pills." Naruto searched through the pill vial and showed Kakashi the ones he collected, "These ones?" Kakashi nodded weakly, opening his mouth. Naruto placed the pills in his mouth and brought the canteen back to his mouth, helping him lift his head to swallow. Kakashi swallowed back more water, his throat slowly starting to return to normal. "I need a bit more sleep, but I am fine Naruto, you don't need to be afraid. When I wake up we will be moving out, can you make sure everything is packed up and ready to go?" Naruto nodded a shimmer of fear still in his beautiful blue eyes. "I promise, I'm okay Naruto. Kiss me, love." Naruto gently placed his lips to Kakashi's mouth, Kakashi hummed happily before falling back to sleep.
Naruto let out a sigh of relief, finally bringing himself to his feet. He stripped himself of his soiled clothing, quickly washing himself with the remaining water in the pot. He dressed in fresh clothes for the first time in days, almost feeling normal again. He collected and packed their gear, placing it near the tree trunks opening. His stomach growled, he clutched at it painfully, he hadn't eaten properly in days either. He quickly put together something to eat, making extra for Kakashi for when he woke up. He ate in relative silence, quickly looking over the area to make sure he wasn't forgetting anything. Kakashi was still laid out on his back, his chest rising and falling steadily with his breathing. Naruto smiled, relief washing over him. "I told you he would be fine, Kit." "I know, Kurama, I'm sorry. Thank you for taking care of me like usual." The nine-tails huffed at him pulling back into the recesses of his mind. Naruto waited patiently for Kakashi to wake up near the trunks entrance, watching the sun slowly climb its way higher into the sky.
It was midday by the time Kakashi woke up again. He sat up to take stock of himself, his body still felt weak but his overall pain had mostly subsided. Naruto was quickly at his side, offering him water, "How are you feeling, Kashi?" Kakashi swallowed back the water greedily, groaning as the coolness rushed down his parched throat. Naruto handed him a plate of food, Kakashi's stomach growling loudly. "I feel much better, the poison has left my body a little weak but in another day or so I should be back to normal." Kakashi was struggling to eat, his hands shaking. "Here let me help you." Naruto fed him slowly, a pinch of worry in his eyes. "Thank you love, I promise I'm fine. It will just take a little bit for my body to recover." Naruto nodded, "I was so worried Kakashi, I don't know what I would do if I were to lose you." Kakashi watched as the blondes' eyes started to swell with tears, noticing his beautiful blue eyes were terribly bloodshot. Kakashi took Naruto by the wrists, "I'm not going anywhere love. Please don't cry. I'm sorry I worried you." He leaned forward, placing a warm kiss on Naruto's lips. "I love you, little fox." "I love you too, Kashi." Naruto scrubbed the back of his hands against his eyes, trying to clear his damp vision. "We are still a few hours from the Bamboo Village, we will stay off the path as much as possible, sticking to the woods. It will take us a bit longer this way but it will be safer, I am not in the best shape if we were to run into more trouble."