At the back of the Common Room was a large open area that consisted of a plush carpet, and several different seating items; beanbag chairs, normal chairs, yoga balls, and pillows of various sizes and textures. The nine individuals who had witnessed the commotion during lunch all sat on the carpet, each person having their own preference for what to sit on. Sasuke chose a black beanbag chair, liking the comforting feeling of it holding him in place.

The blonde woman that had announced this sudden group therapy sat in a regular chair at one end of the carpet, facing the group as they got comfortable. Her lips were pressed into a tight line, eyes cast down as if deep in thought. For a moment, no one spoke or moved, except for Kiba who was rocking himself forward and back on a yoga ball, hugging himself tightly.

"Alright, welcome to Group. Today is going to be a little bit different, we are going to discuss some very important things. My name is Tsunade, and I am the director of the hospital section of Konoha." The woman spoke, making eye contact with each person in front of her. Mumbled hellos came from the teenagers. Sasuke crossed his arms over his chest, not much caring at all for this therapy session.

"What are we talking about?" Lee asked, enthusiastically bouncing on the yoga ball he sat on.

"We need to all discuss Naruto and Gaara. After today, I no longer feel that it is fair to withhold information from you all. On that note, I want to make sure everyone is comfortable with them returning to be with the group for a couple of hours tomorrow." Tsunade spoke calmly, watching the reactions of the kids in front of her. Everyone exchanged looks of unease, however, Sasuke continued to stare at the director of the hospital. His black gaze unwavering, even as she glanced over at him. He may have been afraid during the whole situation, but he was calm now.

"Before you guys make a decision, let me explain about them." She sighed heavily before continuing, leaning back in her chair and crossing her legs.

"Eighteen years ago, nine demon rulers were sealed away in human vessels. These demons had previously caused complete chaos around the world, which I'm sure many of you learned about in school. The people who house these demons, called Jinchuriki, are somewhat powerless against the things that live within them. Many, if not all, of them have been seen having minor transformations, where their bodies begin to morph into the demon's form." Tsunade explained, allowing the information to sink in briefly before continuing.

"Naruto was the youngest person to become the vessel of a demon, in fact, this has been with him since his birth. Gaara was the second youngest at five years old. They have been here since their demons were sealed inside of them, and we have been going through testing to see if we can control their outbursts. However, as you all saw, it is incredibly unpredictable. However, we have found a drug that can sedate the demons." She finished speaking then, giving one final glance around the room.

"Who now feels they would like to vote on Naruto and Gaara returning tomorrow?" Tsunade asked, not expecting the response. Kiba's hand shot up in the air, immediately grabbing the woman's attention.

"I want them to come back." He said firmly, although he was still rocking.

"Oh? And why is that?" she inquired, curiosity in her eyes. Kiba put his hand down, straightening his back as if to seem more confident.

"Because it's not fair to take away their free time. And Naruto is my best friend, I don't care if he's a Chin-churr.. Jin-cho.." Kiba faltered, embarrassment on his face.

"Jinchuriki," Neji provided, chuckling softly at Kiba huffing in even deeper embarrassment.

"Know it all.. But Anyway, let them come back!" the brunette finished, crossing his arms defiantly.

"Alright, any other yes votes?" she asked. A smile tugged at her lips at the response; nine votes for allowing the boys back.

'Amazingly, the one that suffers with PTSD decided to allow them back, after what he saw. And no one disagreed. Naruto is a lucky kid.' Tsunade thought as she let the smile widen on her face.

xXxXxXxXx

The floor was cold underneath Naruto, causing his muscles to feel stiff and uncomfortable. He groaned and blinked his eyes open, a dizzy fog clouding his vision. It was quiet, he noticed, no sound coming from anything except his own body attempting to move. The blond placed his palms flat on the ground, pushing his aching body slowly to a seated position.

"Oh, you're awake. How are you feeling?" a smooth voice drifted to Naruto's ears, causing him to immediately try to stand all the way up. Something, however, hindered him enough to drag his body back to the floor. The sound of metal caught his attention, and he sat up on his knees, which was a high as he could go. Chains held his arms down, attached securely to the floor. Panic caused his heart to race, his chest hurting already from vomiting earlier.

"Gaara," he choked out, realizing painfully that his throat was raw and dry. The person who spoke chuckled, and Naruto heard footsteps drawing closer to him.

"Gaara is in your room. Today is your day, don't you remember, fox?" the man said, his voice like silk. The fog that clouded Naruto's vision was slowly clearing, enough for him to understand where he was. He was in one of the areas of the laboratory portion of Konoha. He was with Orochimaru, and it was his turn. His turn for the tests and experiments.

"I don't want to," the blond croaked out, ragged coughs ripping through his chest after. A finger under his chin sent a shiver down Naruto's spine as he was made to look up. Blue eyes met serpentine gold as Orochimaru stood over him.

"Now, now, the more cooperative you are, the sooner it will end. Today we are going to test your pain tolerance before Kurama starts to come out." Dread and fear washed over Naruto, and he began to pull against his restraints.

"No, please," he coughed, eyes pleading. Orochimaru smiled wickedly, holding an instrument in his hands that appeared to be a grey box.

"Hold still," he chided. Naruto struggled anxiously against the chains around his wrists. Suddenly, small pricked of pain littered his torso and back. He counted each one; 25 on his front and 25 on his back. They stung, but it was not the worst pain he had felt before. Opening his eyes, that he did not remember closing, he saw that 50 metal needles were sticking out of his skin, each connected to a wire, that led to the box Orochimaru was holding.

"We are going to start with 1000 volts, and you let me know when Kurama wants to come say hello, hm?" Orochimaru grinned. Using his free hand, he turned a dial that was on the top of the box. For a second, nothing happened, and then suddenly all Naruto could remember was searing pain. A scream erupted from him as his entire body convulsed. Each site that was sending electricity ricocheting throughout his body felt like a hot knife in his skin. The pain seemed endless, until it suddenly ceased. Naruto fell forward onto his hands and knees, ragged breaths trying to normalize him as his body buzzed painfully.

"I guess that wasn't enough. Let's keep going, shall we? 2000 volts." Orochimaru sad, in a mockingly sad tone. Tears welled in Naruto's eyes, but he squeezed them shut. He knew it was useless. Orochimaru would have it his way, Kurama would wait until the last minute to come out. From then on, the only sounds in the laboratory were the screams that grew more pained and more silent as time passed, and the growing sounds of electricity crackling in the air.