AN: Oh, you guys are good at guessing! I should really work on my cliffhangers better. Here's a short one for you! Mwah! I love you guys for reading this fanfic of mine. It just warms my heart. Someday I'm going to have my own story out there in the bookstores, but of course none of you will be sure if it's me. ;) Here's to dreaming that life! I love you dear readers!

Disclaimer: All of you know I don't own Naruto.

POV: Rin

I looked down at Iruna-chans' face as she slept. She was unconscious due to chakra exhaustion and the injury she sustained. She saved the three of us from getting buried alive, and she's just a six year old. She's too young to be out here and saving those older than her.

"She won't be awake for a while." I told Kushina-san.

"Not with how much chakra she used." Kushina-san replied. "It was better that she didn't pass the chuunin exams."

It was wrong to be glad about it, but maybe it was better. If she had been promoted to a chuunin then…who knows what could have happened. Would she be dead before now? Iruna-chans' eyes were losing their light when I pressed my hands on her injury earlier. I don't think I would handle seeing her die because I wasn't good enough of a medic-nin to heal her internal injury. I wouldn't want anyone I care for die, no not just that, I wouldn't want anyone to die because I couldn't do anything to help them.

After two and a half day of travel we were back in Konoha, we went straight to the hospital to have Iruna-chan and Kakashi-kun checked. When we were about to leave we came across Shisui-kun and Itachi-kun outside the entrance.

"Rin-san!" Shisui-kun called grinning widely. Itachi-kun meanwhile had his attention on Kushina-san.

"Where's Neesama?" Itachi-kun asked.

A heavy silence fell on us, and Itachi-kuns' eyes widened a bit. Without any of us answering, he must have come to a conclusion of where his twin sister is.

"I'll bring you to her." Kushina-san said a moment later turning around and re-entering the hospital with Itachi-kun.

POV: Itachi

After visiting Neesama in the hospital and seeing her unconscious form, I wish she never became a shinobi. Why is she even one?! She… she's had a lot of close calls already. She faints because she pushes herself to train, she was close to losing her eyes because of me, and she was close to dying. I was in the sitting room, and on the side were her sealing equipments. It's because of fuinjutsu. She's always been interested in it. She always had her attention on it. Even before she met Minato-san, she already had ideas and kept it in her seal notebook. Maybe, she'll quit being a shinobi if….

POV: Iruna

I woke up to the sight of the white hospital ceiling. I groaned out, I hate ending up here. How did I…oh, yeah, I was setting up to summon them out of the cave right away, but a jonin came up from behind me and impaled me with a tanto. I heard myself scream, it was dead on painful. Kushina-san by then had come out and at the same time there was rumbling inside the cave. I had to summon them by then, I didn't expect to faint right as I saw puffs of smoke and the three of them appearing within the array I made.

The seal I handed them was close to the seal they used for the chuunin exams for the scrolls, but I needed a bit of their chakra in the seal to summon them. I had to use something else, a receptive seal that would connect them to the seal I had outside. It worked in the end.

I closed my eyes for a bit before I turned my head to the side onto a bedside table to find a vase with flowers in it. Was it mother that brought it or maybe Rin-san or Kushina-sensei? Ha, they would have my skin for attempting something like that. I nearly used up every chakra in my body. I looked to the other side, to find it was early in the morning. The sun was already out, but it was still early. I'm still tired. I closed my eyes again, it was probably seconds when I heard the door, but sleep was better right now.

POV: Rin

I came earlier to the hospital that day and check up on Iruna-chan. When I entered Itachi-kun was already there, seated on the chair next to his twins' bed. I looked over Iruna-chan, she was fine, just sleeping and her breathing was slow and rhythmic as it should.

"You're early as always, Itachi-kun." I said to him.

"Neesamas' eyes fluttered earlier when I came in." He answered softly. "She was awake earlier."

I smiled, even if it was merely a flutter, it meant Iruna-chan was getting better. Itachi-kun has been coming here, right on the dot of the start of visiting hours. Mikoto-san would arrive later on in the day. It's already been a week since we came back we have time off from shinobi duty. I haven't seen Kakashi or Obito in that week.

"Why are you a shinobi, Rin-san?" Itachi-kun asked me.

"I wanted to be like my uncle, he had been a shinobi."

"You're also a medic-nin."

"That's because I want to be like Tsunade-sama. She's the greatest medic-nin, and I want to be like her someday. I also want to save others. She had saved a lot of her comrades."

"But not everyone" Itachi-kun added.

"Yeah" I replied sadly.

That was the sad part of it. It was the truth you couldn't save everyone, some just slips away. Iruna-chan was close, she almost slipped away.

POV: Kakashi

I groaned as I opened my remaining eye. I stared at the ceiling of my, wait no, this isn't my apartment. I could smell the scent of garlic and onions, ever since we came back, Minato-sensei and Kushina-san had forced me to live with them. They said it was to have me under watch while I was getting used to having one eye. While I had to retrain and get used to it, I'm handicapped, but I'm still a shinobi. Obito was my sparring partner, so I could get used to taijutsu and sometimes it was Guy. When Minato-sensei left the village, Kushina-san would substitute for him.

Rin hadn't been around since we came back. She spent her days in the hospital helping the medics. Me, Obito and Guy sometimes went there to visit Iruna. Itachi would always be there keeping his sleeping Neesama company.

It was in the middle of the day when Kushina-san called us to stop and have lunch. Sometimes she would have boxed lunches in a storage scroll for us, or we would stop by Ichiraku Ramen to eat there or in one of the Akimichi restaurants.

"Cyclops" I heard from Obito, it had become his nickname from me with the way I keep my other eye covered with my hitaite. "Want to visit Iruna-chan at the hospital?"

"Kakashi! Obito!" I heard Kurenai and Asuma approached us.

"You really have one eye left" Asuma whistled, and Kurenai had nudged him with her elbow.

"We heard about Iruna-san." Kurenai said.

"Dad said her seal saved you guys, he didn't mention the details but she's impressive. Accomplishing a feat like that." Asuma said.

Me and Obito knew the story well, Minato-sensei had been the one to tell us what happened. She had been fatally injured and she still managed to use her seal using every bit of chakra she had in her. Why she and Kushina-san was even there, I don't know. We were lucky or else, Obito would have died and it was because of me.

"Yeah" Obito smiled sadly "She's impressive and reckless, she can be a bit of a nightmare."

Asuma and Kurenai took that one as a joke, chuckling, but I don't think Obito was joking. Iruna wasn't a bit of a nightmare but is, in the sense that you'd fear for her instead of her fearing for herself. She's younger than all of us, and she manages to pull the rug underneath all of us by saving us.

POV: Iruna

I woke up again, this time it was already night time. I pushed myself up to a sitting position, and looked around the empty white room. I wondered what time the medics come and check up on the patients. I sat there for a while looking out the window. For how long, I didn't know eventually the door opened, there was a gasp and I turned to the medic with brown hair and eyes.

"You're awake!" He said smiling as he went over to check the clipboard at the end of the bed. "How do you feel?"

"Groggy" I said my voice raspy, he went over and poured me a glass of water to drink. I swallowed it in one go. "How long have I been asleep?"

"A week and four days" He answered. "Are you hungry?"

I didn't have to reply, my stomach got ahead of me with the rumbling he heard. He laughed.

"Alright, I'll be sure to send you a tray of food, a late dinner."

After eating hospital food, I felt sleepy right away, I wondered if there was any sleeping concoction in the food I just ate. When I woke up again, Itachi was there staring at me. I pushed myself up to sit up.

"Hi Itachi" I said smiling, but he didn't smile back and scowled at me.

"Do you like ending up here Neesama?" He asked.

"Of course not this place is dreadful and boring. I have nothing to do." I replied.

"You wouldn't have ended up here if you didn't leave when you already returned." He answered sullen.

So it was Itachi who called me then, but if I didn't leave Obito would be dead.

"Are Obito-nii and Kaka-nii, alright?"

"They're fine. Kakashi-san lost his eye." He replied not meeting my eyes.

"That's good they're alive." I said.

"Why aren't you more worried about yourself?"

"I don't understand what you mean by that Itachi."

"How can you worry for others right now instead of yourself? They're not the ones in the hospital and have been unconscious."

"They could have lost their lives." I replied.

"What about yours?"

"I'm alive aren't I? It all ends up okay."

"It doesn't." Itachi said heatedly.

"Wha—"

"NEESAMA SHOULD JUST QUIT BEING A SHINOBI!" He shouted before he ran out of the room.

What? "Itachi!"

I threw the sheets off me to chase him only to be successful in planting my face on the floor. I groaned pushing myself to my feet. I stayed in bed too long I feel like my legs were made of jelly. I got myself to stand for a while before I sat on the bed.

I stared at the floor for a while before the door opened and Kushina-sensei came in wearing her casual clothes. She had a wry smile on her face as she approached me and sat down on the chair vacated by Itachi.

"Good to see you awake, Iruna-chan." She said smiling.

"Yeah." I replied.

"Everyone's doing fine." Sensei said "Rin-chan has been checking up on you. Obito-kun has been helping Kakashi-kun with his little handicap. Those two sometimes visit you as well as Guy. He said 'Iruna-san must join me again once she has recovered'." Kushina-sensei chuckled at the end and there was a bit of sadness on her face.

Silence fell on us and it was a bit tense.

"Sensei?"

"What the hell were you thinking?!" She exploded on me. "I told you to hide!"

"I…"

I tried to explain myself, but the look on her face made me trail off and I felt guilty. There was worry and anger in her eyes, they were shiny from the unshed tears she had. I was hidden by genjutsu, but it didn't hide the other end of the seal that would pull them out of the cave. That gave my position away. It was a risk I had to take.

"I'm sorry, but I had to." I whispered lowering my head.

"Did you even think?"

Did I? I don't know, that's for sure, I was close to losing consciousness all I could think was activating the seal even when I felt the cold blade pulled out from me.

"We'll be meeting the Hokage once you're discharged from the Hospital." She said before standing and leaving the room.

It felt like a cold bucket of water was poured all over me.

"No, please sensei. Let me tell you before the Hokage." I begged.

ooo

Itachi hasn't come by ever since he shouted for me to quit being a shinobi and ran off. Mother came everyday in the afternoon, but there was always a concerned and sad look on her. Guy came together with Obito-nii and Kaka-nii.

"Iruna-san! How is your recovery going?" Guy said in his ever loud and energetic self.

I learned that Obito-nii started to call Kaka-nii 'Cyclops' I chuckled and Kaka-nii narrowed his only eye at me then. Guy and Kaka-nii left the room, and Obito-nii stayed a bit longer.

"Thanks, Iruna-chan. If it weren't for you, I would be under a large rock and dead." Obito-nii said. "Oh, and I already told your mother I activated my sharingan. Your mother offered to teach me in the afternoon but I have to help Kakashi with his handicap. I'm still working it out on what days I can come over at your house."

"Maybe when I'm out I can spar with Kaka-nii, then you can work on your sharingan." I smiled.

"Yeah." He smiled back then he looked serious then. "Iruna-chan, don't save us to leave yourself to die. I would hate myself if you died to save me. You shouldn't be throwing away your life like it's nothing. You still have a lot ahead of you."

I wasn't throwing away my life like it was nothing.

"I should go. Bye, Iruna-chan." Obito-nii left the room, and I felt worst than when Kushina-sensei looked ready to cry.

I did that to save them, how come it feels like I'm in the wrong?

POV: Obito

Iruna-chan was finally out of the hospital, and I was at their house with Mikoto-san teaching me how to use my sharingan. It was in the middle of the afternoon, and I smelled traces of smoke somewhere nearby. We stopped for a while to investigate where it came from, it was very close. It turned out Itachi was burning something in their backyard. I wondered what it was looking at the ashes there.

"Itachi, what are you burning?" Mikoto-san asked.

"Junk" Itachi-kun answered.

Mikoto-san looked confused, and decided to brush it off. She told Itachi-kun to clean it up before we went back to their dojo. Later that evening, Mikoto-san invited me to stay for dinner. Iruna-chan had arrived while I was helping their mother with dinner. She had gone off somewhere in their house, then she went back into the kitchen.

"Mother, where's my sealing equipment?" She asked.

"In the sitting room where you left it" Mikoto-san answered. "We didn't touch it."

"It wasn't there."

"Are you sure?" Mikoto-san turned to Iruna-chan. "Itachi had been in the sitting room earlier, why don't you ask him?"

Iruna-chan left and went off in search of Itachi-kun it was seconds later did we hear a shout.

"YOU WHAT?!"

We rushed off to where Iruna-chan and Itachi were. Iruna-chan had her sharingan on and she gripped her hands into fist as she glared at Itachi, his face blank of any emotion.

"Iruna!" Mikoto-san said. "What are you shouting about and cancel your sharingan."

"Itachi burned my sealing tools!" Iruna-chan shouted in outrage her sharingan eyes on us.

It clicked what Itachi was burning earlier had been her sealing tools. Why did Itachi do that?! He knows his sister loves to work on seals!

Mikoto-san gasped. "Itachi! Why did you do that?"

"Neesama should quit being a shinobi."

"That's not your decision to make." Iruna-chan said glaring at Itachi.

"That doesn't explain why you burned her sealing tools, Itachi." Mikoto-san said.

"It's because of fuinjutsu that she's even one." Itachi answered blankly.

"So you burned everything?" Iruna-chan said bowing her head.

"Yes."

"Even if you burned my sealing tools I'll still be a shinobi." She whispered. "I thought you knew what I got myself into. I thought you understood. I thought you supported me, Itachi." She looked up at Itachi, angry tears in her eyes. "Mother and Father are somehow against me being a shinobi. You were the only one who seemed to back me up, Itachi. I thought…I thought you were there for me, am I wrong?"

Itachi didn't answer, but he looked away. Irunas' face fell before she turned away from us, hiding her face.

"I'm staying with Kushina-sensei, Mother." She said before she left.

She was already gone when Itachi said her name.

POV: Kakashi

I was helping Kushina-san set the table when there was a knock on the door. I turned to Kushina-san and she did the same, Minato-sensei wouldn't knock, this was their house.

"Kakashi, could you get that?" Kushina-san said.

I went towards the door and opened it, and had an armful of Iruna. She sobbed on me and I tried to push her at arm's length, but she clutched onto the front of my clothes. I looked over my shoulder and at Kushina-san. Asking for help, I didn't know how to comfort someone.

She left the pot she was holding on the counter and went towards us dropping onto her knees.

"Iruna" Kushina-san said her name in a soft gentle voice touching the Uchihas' arm.

It was instantaneous; she turned away from me and fell into the waiting arms of her sensei. She cried louder, Kushina-san hushed her and rubbed her back soothing her.

Iruna fell asleep crying and she slept in the guest room I had been using as my room. I was left to the couch they had. I didn't mind, camping was rougher than sleeping on the couch. I stared at the ceiling above me as Kushina-san had gone to bed. The way Iruna cried squeezed my insides, it wasn't the cries I hear from children who didn't get what they wanted, but a cry of anguish.

AN: That's it for now. Wouldn't you also cry if you're work was burned even though you can recreate them again, but it was burned by none other than your sibling. I feel like I'm hurting Iruna too much, oh well, she'll get better as all do (if they want to that is).

A great big thank for reading! And a review every now and then would be nice, I need it, it's like my boost or energy pill to get even more motivated! So once again THANK YOU! I await your creative feedback.