Disclaimer: Sadly, Kishi owns Naruto... Not me...
I almost forgot to upload this time round! I'm so happy I remembered, or I would have angered you guys SOOOOO much! I'm leaving to camp for two weeks, so I'll upload a bit early, just before I leave. Am I the only fan of Naruto that realized a child of Naruhina would have the rinnegan? The Hyuuga is distantly related to Uchiha, so they have the sage's 'eyes' and the Uzumaki are distantly related to the Senju, so they have the sage's 'body'! Those are the requirements to have the rinnegan! So the child of Naruhina would be the only child since the Sage of Six Paths to get the Rinnegan without injecting DNA into their body. Anyway, I'm rushing to edit this because there's only about three hours until my deadline is overdue! So don't be surprised if there are more mistakes than usual this time around! Again, I'm so sorry 'bout that! Enjoy the story!
Edit: I changed a few important things last chapter, so I had to edit this one as well before I could post it. Sorry it took so much longer than usual! Also, this will be on Hiatus until I manage to edit my other stories. Please bare with me, just that much longer! Also, keep in mind during this chapter that Minato has no medical knowledge whatsoever. He may be a genius, but he can't learn things that he doesn't try to. He won't know anything past what he learned in the Academy and what he's seen Sari do. God, this chapter is so long!
Minato flashed to the ground outside a large cave, the tug of his special kunai and urging him inside. Minato walked into a cave, freezing at what he saw, eyes wide with shock. Sari lay in a pool of her own blood, Hikaru pressing a crimson red towel into her wound desperately. Her breathing was ragged and broken, her skin far to pale to be healthy. "Minato!,"Hikaru gasped, spinning around,"Help! I can't stop the bleeding!" He pressed the towel to her side, but blood was soaking through, dying the cloth a sickeningly deep red.
"Hi...k-ka...ru...,"Sari murmured weakly, her half-lidded eyes landing on Hikaru. She lifted her shaking hand towards him, her hand trembling. Hikaru was frozen, his eyes wide with terror. His hands had gone slack at her action, the blood pushing past the thin towel much faster. She's about to bleed out if he doesn't snap out of it! Minato realized, immediately acting. He jumped forward, finally willing his legs to move. Shoving Hikaru out of the way, Minato immediately dropped to his knees beside her. He snatched the soaked-through towel from Hikaru, pressing it into the deep gash with one hand. He caught Sari's raised hand in his own firmly, feeling a lump forming in his throat as she sluggishly turned her gaze to meet his.
"M-mi...na...to,"Her voice sounded dry and airy, as though she couldn't breath clearly. Minato knew nothing of medicine, but he was certain that wasn't normal. Had a lung been broken!? "I-It's okay,"Minato forced out, though he knew she probably wouldn't understand him, in her delusional state. Her eyes began fluttering closed, and Hikaru pulled himself from the ground to her side, eyes glistening with unshed tears. "You're going to be fine!,"Hikaru promised desperately, his voice cracking,"Sari, please! Stay awake!" A shaky frown formed on her lips at his words, and tears shined at the corners of her barely-open eyes. "I... 'm... so... rry...,"She whispered, audible only to the highly-trained ears of ninja. Minato felt his heart thump loudly in his chest as he struggled to keep a calm expression. This wasn't right... This couldn't be! A single tear rolled down her cheek as her eyes shut, her hand falling limp in the blond's hand. No... No, no, no, no! Sari couldn't have! No, this wasn't... There was no way! Minato gulped back a dry sob, his teammate not bothering to hide his own.
"Hikaru, where is Sari's first-aid kit?!,"Minato snapped desperately, eyes wildly scanning the cave area for his female teammate's backpack. They landed on them almost immediately, laying haphazardly a little way away, zipper pulled open. Minato had already jumped to his feet to retrieve it when Hikaru's mournful, defeated voice stopped him.
"Her bag wasn't completely closed when we left... It fell out somewhere... When I was running away,"Hikaru hissed bitterly, his fingers clenched so tightly his palms were beginning to bleed. Minato stared at him for a moment, his head turning around the room, desperately finding a way to save Sari. Nothing... His legs giving out beneath him. His pant legs were already died a blood red. What isn't? Minato thought cynically, staring at the endless crimson, his hand tightening around Sari's.
Minato pressed Sari's cold hand to his forehead, leaning over her body in mourning, the towel abandoned over her bleeding wound. He could feel his blood rushing through his veins in beat with his aching heart. His head spun and pounded, the world falling silent around him. All that existed was the rhythm of the pounding of his headache and the soft sobs of his teammate beside him. Ba-bump... Ba-bump... Ba-bump... Wait...
Minato gasped, pressing his ear against his teammate's chest, his hair splaying into the bloody pool from the fast movement. There was no time for decency, and she was in no position to mind anyway. The heartbeat was still there, though weak and uneven. It was there! Without pause, Minato immediately pulled back and pressed the blood-soaked towel into her wound in an attempt to stop the bleeding. He wiped his eyes with one hand, blood, dirt, and puss smearing across it in a reddish-brown lump of gunk. It wasn't helping; the towel did nothing to absorb the blood now, and all Minato could do was use it to put pressure on the wound to prevent her from bleeding out completely. He needed fresh towels, but... If he stopped pressing the towel again, he hand no doubt that she would bleed out immediately. He couldn't let this happen! He refused to allow this to happen! Sari would not die! He needed help-
The blond snapped his head to face his teammate, who stared at him with puffy, red eyes wide with desperation. "Minato, she's dead! We can't do anyth-,"Hikaru began, but Minato interrupted sharply. "We can, and we will!,"He hissed, glaring at him,"As long as her heart continues pumping, we can save her! I won't give up!" Minato folded the towel into halves tightly to hold back more blood. "Go back to the river and wash the other two towels you used off! Get some water, too! We can't let this get infected,"Minato ordered snappishly. Hikaru obeyed without complaint, collecting the other towels and the canteens before jumping away. Immediately, Minato regretted not going himself; they didn't have much time, and they needed to be quick if they were going to save her. No! Minato thought. Not if. We are going to save you, Sari, I swear!
A gurgling noise caught Minato's trained ear. He shot a startled glance at Sari, concern growing stronger as a short line of blood dripped from her chin. W-wha- Minato began thinking, only to cut himself off as Sari's mouth opened ever so slightly. Her mouth was filled with blood, bubbling slightly as though air was struggling to escape. Her face was starting to turn a light purple from lack of air. That's why she hasn't been breathing!
With ninja-like precision, Minato switched hands holding the towel against her wound, frantically tugging his weapon pouch off his leg. He struggled to push it under her head to prop it up, failing badly. The blond growled in frustration, twisting himself into a straddling position above her for more leverage. With one hand pressed against the towel, Minato shifted his weight backwards onto his heels for balance while he used his free arm to hook around Sari's back and lift her up. Blood poured from her mouth down her chin immediately, and after a few moments, her chest seized unexpectedly, almost making the blond lose his grip on the towel over her wound. With a harsh, strangled cough, blood splattered from Sari's mouth into the large pool around them. The smallest amount of color was returning to her face as air rushed into her lungs.
With a relieved sigh, Minato lowered his teammate back to the ground slowly, using the ends of his fingers to adjust his weapon's pouch under her head to keep her head raised, twisting her head sideways to allow any extra blood to slid from her lips easily. He rocked his weight to one side, moving back to kneel beside Sari. He glanced down at her wound, wincing at the blood that continued to flow. He couldn't do anything for that until Hikaru returned...
Sari's breathing had grown heavy and broken. Sweat poured down her skin heavily, and the little color that had returned to her cheeks had been replaced by a soft red hue. Minato felt her forehead worriedly, wincing at the strong temperature he was met with, much different from the icy cold feel of the rest of her. What was going on?! Kami, he wished he hadn't been so distracted during the Academy lessons on first aid. He knew one thing, though: that fever was going to be a problem. Was she getting an infection?
"Minato!,"Hikaru's voice almost sent his jittery form jumping, but he refrained from the action as best he could, looking up toward his teammate. Hikaru tossed him one of his two slightly damp - but clean - towels with urgency, not taking the time to reach him first. Minato caught it in his free hand, hesitantly hovering it over the other for a moment. How was he going to do this without letting her bleed to death? Hikaru placed a full water container beside him, kneeling down wearily. The blond stared at his male teammate for a moment, before an idea struck. "Hikaru, can you hold the towel for me,"Minato requested hastily. Hikaru opened his mouth the answer, but seemed to think better of it, simply nodding instead.
Hikaru placed his hands over Minato's, wincing as the crimson stained into his hands. His body trembled beside his friend, but his hands remained firm, his face setting sharply. Minato removed his hands carefully, grabbing the clean towel as fast as his sharp reflexes would allow. The slight shift in pressure had moved the towel enough to allow more blood flow - something Sari could not afford now. Minato had to move fast. He lifted Sari's back, wrapping the towel under her. He wrapped it around her chest as tightly as he dared without obstructing her breathing. With a nod from the other genin, Hikaru carefully removed the bloodied, useless towel from the wound, allowing Minato to 'bandage' the wound as best he could, tying it just below Sari's arm.
For a single, heart-stopping moment, Minato and Hikaru leaned back, watching to see if the crude bandaging would work. The area above the wound blotched a deep crimson, but the blood was no longer escaping. Both boys let out a relieved sigh, their muscles, stiff from tension and stress, relaxing slightly. Hikaru looked at Minato with a grim expression. "How bad is it?,"He asked the younger boy. Minato flinched slightly, but held the gaze firmly.
"She's freezing cold, and she's sweating way to much. I think she also had a fever, and that could mean she got an infection from the wound. She could have hurt a lung, because she almost chocked on blood, but I doubt it, since there hasn't been any more and she's breathing a lot clearer. With the wound bandaged, I'm much more worried about the other... symptoms... I don't know what they mean...,"Minato trailed off softly. As a protege, even if he was often very humble about it, it hurt to not know something. He felt useless, and he hated feeling useless.
"She's going into shock!,"Hikaru gasped, immediately dashing to Sari's head and pulling the bloodied weapons' pouch from under her head carefully. He turned to Minato in surprise. "Don't you know you can't lift someone's head if they go into shock?,"He asked, shocked. Minato looked down, ashamed of himself. What if that had cost Sari her life?! Hikaru seemed to understand, because his eyes softened gently. "It's okay. I know you can't know everything, Minato. You may be a genius compared to me, but you didn't exactly have as much time as us to study. Anyway, you need to get her warm and cool down her forehead, if you can,"Hikaru advised. It felt almost... odd, to Minato, for Hikaru to take charge like that. They had always looked to him for leadership, as though they had forgotten how much younger he was than them - not that he minded much.
Minato shook himself from his surprise, nodded in response to Hikaru's orders. Hikaru, his silly, usually dim-witted friend, picked up the useless, bloody towel, heading toward the cave entrance. "Don't move Sari, if you can. If she stops breathing, use CPR, okay? I'll be back as soon as I can; I'm going to search for the first aid kit and clean this towel up. Use the other towel I brought if you need it!" Minato nodded, thanking his friend and wishing him good luck.
Hikaru jumped away, disappearing from the clearing outside the cave. Minato pulled Sari's blanket from her backpack, thankful that the puddle of blood beneath her had finally soaking into the sandy flooring of their shelter as he laid it on top of her. He didn't think he would ever fully wash the blood off his hands. The blond folded up the second towel Hikaru had brought, emptying half the water bottle on it. He wrung it out, waving it dry for a moment before laying on Sari's forehead. He reached out, gripping her freezing hand tightly. She didn't so much as stir. The only signs of life were the weak rise and fall of her blood-stained chest, beneath her makeshift bandages, and the soft, fever-induced blush across her cheeks.
Minato frowned as he glanced as Sari's face. He needed to clean the wound as soon as possible, or an infecton could set in. He couldn't risk it yet, though; her wound had been bleeding too heavily to do anything until it had slowed down or - better yet - stopped completely. At the very least, it hadn't soaking through the bandages this time. Maybe, if he had the proper supplies... Some disinfectant, or antibiotic cream that his mother used on his scratches when he had been a small child... He would definitely need proper bandages, if nothing else...
Hikaru's heavy, excited footing sounded from the entrance of the cave. Minato could make out a large grin he hadn't expected to see on his friend's face so soon after the battle, and his heart soared with hope. "Minato, she's going to be okay! I found it! I found her medical kit! She's going to be okay!,"He shouted repeatedly, like a mantra that could solve everything. And maybe it could. Minato mused. The towel he carried was still bloodied, most of the sticky liquid beginning to dry into a horrible russet color; he probably hadn't had time to clean it yet.
Minato almost screamed in joy. They would be able to bandage her wound properly, now! "I'll patch her up myself,"Minato decided firmly, wanting to be useful,"You just clean that towel and get the one on her forehead damp again." Hikaru nodded, dropping the white, plastic box at Minato's feet and snatching the dry towel meant for Sari's fever before running out of the cave once again.
Minato undid the latches holding the first-aid kit shut, tugging it open like a briefcase. He scanned the supplies inside the case, a grin spreading across his skin. Everything he would need was in here, and much, much more. Thank god for Sari's habit to over pack! It might have just saved her life! Minato instantly sobered at that thought. His friend had so close to dying, and still wasn't out of the woods. He would need to replace that towel with real bandages as soon as possible.
Minato looked at Sari, his face flushing a bright red as he realized he would have to bandage under her shirt this time for a more permanent treatment. He shook those thoughts from his (poor, innocent) mind, taking out the supplies he would need and laying them out beside his friend. He knew he shouldn't move Sari, since she was in shock, but this would be the fastest way to get her better, so Minato set his features pulling the blanket off his friend.
Swiftly, the protege untied the towel, letting it fall to the ground, trapped beneath the dark-haired kunoichi. A wave of relief washed over him when he realized the blood flow had grown much slower, but he did not let himself pause to take it in for even a moment, lifting his teammate's shirt just enough to allow himself sight of the wound. He winced as he inspected it closer, thankful for the way the cloth folded over his teammate's body and kept her modest. (Still, the blond couldn't keep back a bright blush as he worked) The skin around the wound was red and inflamed, and the wound itself dripped of pus and blood. Muscle and fat tore cleanly downward in a diagonal pattern. Minato gulped, shaking his head.
Using the edge of the towel, Minato whipped away what he could of the horrible pus and blood. He quickly dabbed an antiseptic-doused cotton swab into her wound, cleaning the gash with hesitation. For the first time since her supposed 'Death', Sari made a soft noise. A whimper escaped her lips as the medicine touched her open skin. Minato flinched away, gulping as he saw her weakened face screw up on itself. Finally, he finished his painfully slow task, placing the bloodied cotton swab to the side. He unscrewed the lid the bottle of antibiotics and took a large glob of the sticky cream on his fingers, smearing it across the wound messily. After closing the bottle, Minato finally moved on to the bandages. Carefully, he wrapped them around his teammate's midsection. He lifted the crook of her back off the ground ever so slightly to slide the bandages beneath her, worried that the shock could get worse, somehow. As soon as he finished, the blond tied a tight knot to the side and lowered Sari to the ground. He tugged her shirt back down with a sigh of relief, taking the towel out from under her. Finally, they could breath easier, knowing their friend was on the road to recovery.
Minato wrapped the blanket tightly around his friend. Her bleeding wasn't soaking through this time, which was certainly a good thing. Hikaru appeared soon after with the water and fresh towels. Minato rinsed off the towel they had used for makeshift bandages with them with some of their water, hanging it on a tree root that had burrowed it's way into the cave. "Her bleeding stopped, but I don't know what to do about that shock...,"Minato murmured worriedly. "She survived, though...,"Hikaru insisted, his cheerful appearance much different from only a few hours earlier,"And that's the good thing."
Minato nodded in agreement, though his eyes didn't leave Sari. Her cheeks were flushed with fever and her breathing had speed up and grown more ragged. Minato took the blanket from his bag and pulled it over her own carefully. "That team had an Earth scroll,"Minato informed his friend as he did so,"I got it from her." Hikaru stared at him in disbelief, before a grin spread across his face.
"That means we can follow the stream straight to the tower when Sari gets better!,"Hikaru exclaimed enthusiastically. The blond nodded in agreement with a smile, only for it to drop a moment later as realization struck. "Didn't you see that wound?,"Minato cut in, frustrated at himself for not noticing earlier,"There's no way she'll be good enough to travel any time soon." Hikaru frowned, glancing at Sari. "We can't just leave her here, though..."
"Calm down; you know neither of us would ever agree to do that, even if it meant dropping out of the Exams. I can't carry her and you with my jutsu, since it could open up her wound. You both took a bit of a beating when I carried you, even when you were completely healthy, remember? Let's not forget she's gone into shock, so she could easily die from all that movement!" Hikaru sucked in a breath, and Minato instantly felt guilty; it was too soon after Sari had been injured so badly to think about her dying again.
Hikaru sent Sari a grim look. "We're already on our second day, and not even making very good progress. I want a watch at all times with Sari. If she isn't in shock anymore by tomorrow, we start walking. It'll be slow-going, but we have to be careful,"Minato ordered,"Take the first watch, okay? I'll refill our water supply and hunt down some food. If I see any weaker teams, I'll try to take them out - the less competition the better."
The protege stood up and began walking toward the cave entrance. "Be careful,"Hikaru called just as Minato reached the exit, his voice once again filled with determination. Minato paused, lifting one hand into a thumbs up without turning to face his teammate. With a flash, he was gone into the trees. The wind seemed to move out of the way for him, carrying his body through the air. The speed was welcome: the wind whistling through his hair, the soft rustling of his jacket as it flew out behind him, the surreal feeling that pumped through his body, making him light-headed but not clouding his mind. His frustration could be released through his feet, and through the chakra he sent out to sent him farther with each step.
After refilling the water containers, the young protege (Heh, like that means anything. The one time his team truly needs him, and he can't even remember how to treat shock) focused his thought process on hunting, trying to force down the renewed feeling of uselessness that began welling up inside him. Dammit all! Didn't he swear to himself that he would never feel like this again?! If he had been faster... If he had been smarter... If he had paid more attention... This was all his fault! The scene of Ren, her sword driving its way though Sari's skin, drilled into his head, repeating again and again. Again, and again, and again.
He pressed his finger to the leafy ground, concentrating as much as he could on any vibration or sound. His vibrant blue eyes shut briefly, closing off one of his senses to allow his others to become sharper. The sound of dried leaves - barely audibly beneath the melody of wind through the trees or the echoing songs of birds - under a bush to his left. Minato shot a kunai out in the direction of the animal, wincing at the all-to-familiar sound of metal hitting flesh. Retrieving the unnaturally large lizard, Minato finished his hunting trip and headed back. All along, his muscles pulled themselves taunt and tense, ready for an attack at any moment.
Minato got back quickly without sighting any other chunnin-hopefuls, sighing in relief as he finally landed beside the cave entrance. He dodged an incoming attack by a hairsbreadth, eyes wide in shock at the thought of leading an enemy straight to his friends. However, the shock was quickly replaced by exasperation as his eyes landed on his attacker. "Minato!,"Hikaru gasped guiltily, sliding his kunai back into his weapons pouch and dropping his offensive stance.
"Sorry! I thought you were someone else!" Minato shook his head with a laugh, thankful for the break in his tense thoughts. He followed his teammate back into the cave, supplies rested in his arms. "I replaced the towel on her forehead, Minato. She was getting really warm, and the towel was almost dry,"Hikaru informed the blond. Minato scanned over Sari worriedly. The blush on her cheeks had become brighter, and her breathing more ragged and heavy; however, her hands skin wasn't as cold to the touch, and her heartbeat had steadied itself. Her bandages would have to be replaced, but that could come later.
Neither one said a word; it was almost odd, Minato realized, for Hikaru to stay silent for so long. He was always the one to break the tension, like he had moments before, but he stayed quiet, his hazel eyes staring into space with an unreadable emotion burning in them. Sari's injury must have affected him more than the protege had realized. A fire was set, and they ate their food quickly, making sure to leave some for Sari when she woke up. It would be bad to feed her or give her water if she was still in shock, and neither were willing to take that risk.
"I'll take first watch,"Minato finally said, breaking the seemingly never-ending silence. Hikaru nodded, but did not close his eyes or lay down as Minato turned to face the entrance, shifting into the shadows. It broke his heart to see one of his best friends so depressed and so... unlike himself. With a sigh, Minato glanced at his friend from the corner of his eye.
"It wasn't your fault, you know-,"Minato whispered to his teammate, biting his tongue to keep himself from saying his next words. -it was mine. Those words echoed and amplified in his mind, to the point he almost didn't hear Hikaru's reply. "Hypocrite..." Minato flinched. "Don't lie,"Hikaru continued, his voice rising to the point he was almost shouting,"Don't you dare lie and say you aren't blaming yourself, too, Minato! I know you! I know you, Minato, and I know how hard you are on yourself! You're only ten, Minato, and you can't do everything!"
The blond's eyes grew wide in shock, his mouth flapping open and closed in a desperate attempt to come up with something to say.
"Rely on us for once, Minato... Rely on your big bro and sis to watch over you, just once, okay? Your a ninja and a genius, and you're so many things, but you can't know everything. With everything you are, you're still a kid...,"Hikaru seemed to almost beg, his voice growing into a whisper. Minato felt his eyes grow moist with tears, and he struggled to resist the childish urge to pull his knees to his chest and cry. His struggles were in vain, however, as tears spilled down his cheeks and splashed into the ground below. No one... no one had ever told him to be a kid, instead of acting like an adult...
Because no matter how many things Minato was, he would still be just a little kid.
Arms wrapped around him tightly, pulling him into a warm embrace. Blue eyes snapped open, staring up at his friend in shock. Hikaru grinned at him, ruffling his hair affectionately. The expression seemed out of place on Hikaru's face, with puffy, red eyes and tear tracks from crying over Sari contrasting greatly with the large grin and bright, comforting gleam in his hazel orbs. Minato couldn't keep himself from leaning against the older boy, sobs shaking his body. "It's okay to be sad, Minato. It's okay to cry. But let me take first watch. It's been a long day for us both, and I didn't even help you fight that Genin team,"Hikaru added when he noticed Minato opening his mouth to decline,"This is the least I could do."
Hikaru held Minato for a while longer, until the blond's sobs finally subsided into soft hiccups. He left his teammate's side after laying him down beside Sari, where it was the warmest. All the blankets were needed to keep Sari warm and none could be spared, so this would have to do. As Minato's eyes slowly slid shut, he watched his friend - brother - walk back to the blond's abandoned spot in the cave entrance. The heartbeats of his teammates all around him seemed to mix into one and fade away, and the cricket chirps and wind intermingled into a single, drawn out melody - a symphony of lullabies dragging him to into the oblivion of sleep.
Everything was silent. Minato was alone again.
No. Minato corrected himself. I have my brother and sister beside me.
Because Minato is a lot of things, but he's just a little kid in a grown-up world... Remember Hikaru's words here; they may become important later on! ;D
Amazing quote of the day that will most likely end up in another fanfiction of mine if I ever make it: "Someone once said being a shinobi is the hardest job in our world. Obviously that man was never a parent"
You know the drill by now! Please follow/favorite my account to join the Sacred Army! Review, follow, or favorite my story! THAT IS AN ORDER MY MINIONS! :D MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH! Ok, I'm done! Bye, see you next chapter!