Disclaimer: Sadly, I do not own Naruto. That right goes to Masashi Kishimoto.
At long last, I give you all the 10th chapter of MRToD! Oh my god, this chapter is so long. Not to mention, for some reason it wouldn't upload normally so I had to copy/paste it in... But, in the end, it was necessary. Despite how long it took, I enjoyed writing this chapter a lot :D. Even when I'm on writers block, just simply reading my story seems to get me off... I guess it's just how refreshing MinaKushi is; sort of like a real couple, with all it's faults and arguments and misunderstandings, but at the same time it's also the dream couple everyone wants, with their unconditional love, trust, support, and pure happiness that's never even slightly one-sided. It's so beautiful, and it never fails to break my writer's block nowadays :).
I know it's long, but you deserve it. I've made you all wait far too long for this!
I'm also incredibly sorry that it took me multiple weeks to actually upload this. I couldn't come up with a name for the chapter, so if anyone has a better idea, feel free to give suggestions!
Anyway, here's the story! Enjoy~
Kushina pulled her raincoat's hood tighter over her head as the rain splashed into her eyes. She grumbled in annoyance, staring at the patch of plants before her with a glare strong enough to make an Uchiha cower. "This better be that damn plant Mikoto needed for her eyes -ttebane. This has got to be the fiftieth weed I've tried!,"She muttered to no one in particular, reaching out to grasp the smooth, surprisingly dry stalks. She winced as the sharp-pointed leaves of the surrounding weeds bit into her hand and scratched up her arm, before tugging with all her might.
It didn't budge.
"What the hell?!,"Kushina cursed angrily, trying again without much change. Her indigo eyes took on a passionate glow as she spread out her feet into a better stance above the stupid plant. "That's it! It's on, -ttebane!,"she hissed, putting all her weight and strength into pulling the thing out of the ground. She leaned back slightly, ignoring the rainwater pelting her now-exposed arms and dripping into her hood. "I. Won't. Be. Defeated. By. A. Stupid. PLANT!,"Kushina shouted, biting out each word one at a time. With one last sharp tug, the plant finally uprooted, sending Kushina falling backwards into the dirt.
Sopping wet mud splashed into Kushina's eyes from the plant's roots. With a loud curse, the Jinjuriki rocked herself into a sitting position, rubbing her eyes repeatedly without success. The snapping of a twig behind her, too unnaturally loud and sharp to be rain or an animal, made her pause, her body stiff with apprehension.
Before Kushina could even think of protecting herself, soaking wet arms wrapped around her from behind, hooking under her armpits and tugging her backward. Holy hell, am I going to be raped!? Kushina thought frantically; not her smartest thought, she'd admit, since this was a ninja exams, and this could easily be like any other ninja attack, but could you blame her? She was alone, in the middle of a dark forest in the rain, unable to see and being held from behind by an unnamed attacker that, if his body shape was anything to go by, was most likely a guy.
On instinct, Kushina elbowed the man behind her in the face sharply. He coughed in pain - definitely a guy - and his grip loosened enough for Kushina to spin around, her hood still covering her head - not that it really needed too anymore, since the rain was beginning to slow to a light drizzle.
She rushed forward clumsily, her eyes shut tightly against the mud covering them. He had stumbled back because of her previous hit, she realized, since he was much further away now than he had been before. She thrust her right arm forward in a punch, but it didn't make contact. It wouldn't really have done much damage anyway, since she had misjudged the distance. She could still hear his breathing coming from below her - so he had ducked, huh? - and spun her left leg around to hit him in the ribs. It made contact, and Kushina took satisfaction out of the sound of his teeth gritting together in pain. Something clasped around her outstretched leg tightly - wait, a hand? Shit! Her 'Uzumaki-fuuinjutsu-senses'(she had pointedly ignored Mikoto's insistence that it was just normal chakra sensing) told her that he had placed some sort of seal on her ankle.
Kushina twisted her upper body around, touching her hands down to the mud-soaked ground, wincing at the odd squelching sound it made as she leaned all her weight into them. She performed a perfect mule kick, but he had already released her leg, disappearing. She flipped herself to her feet with a disgruntled snort of annoyance before she could fall onto her stomach.
There was a whoosh of wind, and suddenly, a flat hand struck her sharply in the back of the neck. Kushina moved just in time so it failed to hit the spot that would knock her out, but she was still sent tumbling forward unceremoniously. A hand harshly grabbed both her arms in a strong lock-hold from behind before she hit the ground, and no sooner did Kushina find herself being flipped through the air over his head and falling head-first toward the ground.
No way was she falling for that trick! Kushina managed to turn herself mid-air, tugging the boy through the arms he held in his grasp, her hood flipping off her head. He wasn't sent flying, like she had intended, but it had done what she needed. His grasp loosened as he stopped helping gravity in her acceleration toward the ground, and he himself was tumbling forward with a soft gasp of surprise. Kushina landed on her back in the mud, thankful for it softening her landing, though she did not appreciate being used as a cushion for the other boy, who fell on top of her.
Very abruptly, Kushina realized the position she was now in, her face growing bright red. He had pushed himself onto his hands and knees above her, his legs entangled with her own by accident and his hands holding hers down. And now her hair was getting all muddy, splayed out across the ground around them! At least the rain had finally stopped...
"K-k-ku-kushina-s-san!?,"The boy above her stuttered out in shock, and Kushina felt herself stiffen as his hand left one of her arms and reached out to her face. That voice… Could it be? With care she didn't know was even possible, she felt soft, gentle fingers wipe across her eyes, expertly removing the mud that caked her face.
The kunoichi slowly opened her eyes, indigo meeting cerulean. Kushina felt her heart beat faster as she recognized the all-too-familiar features of the boy who stood over her, pinning her down. Her face burned bright enough to put her hair to shame as she recognized Minato's face hovering over her, only inches away from her own.
With a questioning glance at Kushina, Minato seemed to realize the position they were in, as his own face began to match the redhead's. "Kushina-san, I-,"Minato began, but a loud shout interrupted him.
Kris threw himself into the clearing from a tree above them, tackling Minato off of Kushina. He pulled her to her feet carefully, sending her an (increasingly annoying) worried glance before taking a protective stance in front of her.
Like she was the one in need of protection! And wasn't he supposed to be guarding Mikoto? Had he just left her, nearly blind in one eye, all alone?!
Across the clearing, Minato was pushing himself to his feet, caked in mud from having rolled into a puddle. Kris drew a kunai, getting ready to jump forward to attack. "I'm sorry! I didn't know it was Kushina-san!,"Minato apologized quickly, waving his hands in front of his face innocently,"I swear I wouldn't have attacked if I'd known!"
Kushina felt a spark of anger at that, pushing Kris out of her way. "What was that?!,"She hissed out, her hair rising behind her and anime-like flames burning around her body. "Am I too weak to be considered an enemy -ttebane? I think your body wouldn't agree with you!,"She added, motioning to his bruised and muddy form. Minato winced slightly.
"No, that's not what I meant at all, I just-"
"Why should we even trust you, Namikaze?,"Kris growled, moving to stand in front of Kushina again, who stepped forward to stand at his side instead. She didn't need some sort of bodyguard, dammit!
"Why wouldn't you?,"He asked in return, tilting his head in question. Kushina groaned at his obliviousness. Had he forgotten where they were?! "Because we're taking the Chunnin Exams, and you are a part of another team -ttebane! We're supposed to be fighting each other for our scrolls!" Minato grinned, straightening himself up in an attempt to look taller. "Then why aren't you? How do you know I'm out looking for scrolls? How do you even know if I have my team's scroll?"
Damn him. Why did he always have to be so witty? All thoughts of liking Minato flew out of her head, replaced by her usual hotheaded anger. She stomped forward, pulling Minato up to face her by the front of his shirt(God it felt good to be taller than another ninja for once), a sneer rolling onto her lips.
"What was that, pretty boy? If a fight's what you want, I'll give one to ya! Stop using fancy words and use your fists, -ttebane! And if you're not after scrolls, then why are you out here?,"The kunoichi hissed. A light blush crossed over Minato's cheeks at the proximity of their faces, bringing up Kushina's memories of how they had landed moments before, making her own face burn red as she backed away from him just a little bit.
"W-well -ttebane?,"She stuttered out, willfully trying to force her blush down. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted Kris walking up beside her, concern written on his face as he got closer, inspecting her as though looking for injuries. Kushina was starting to feel faint again, which was odd. Surely, her chakra would have recovered by now…
Minato averted his eyes from her own, lowering them down to where her fists were clenched into the fabric of his collar. As they landed on the long stems and soft leaves of the herb Kushina had just collected, they widened in shock and surprise. Before Kushina could so much as utter a gasp, Minato had maneuvered himself out of her grip, reaching for the leaves in her hand desperately. Kushina jerked them away from him as fast as she could, just barely avoiding having them snatched from her grasp.
"Hey!,"Kushina yelped, stepping back once again as Minato made another grab for them Kris jumped forward in a second, pulling the younger boy away from Kushina with a murderous expression. "Get off her, bastard!,"He growled protectively, which was… oddly uncharacteristic of the usually shy boy. Kushina pushed back the twinge of annoyance at being protected yet again, focusing on the current situation more seriously. The blond finally stopped struggling, seeming to realize what he was doing.
"Sorry,"he apologized, yet again, though his eyes never left the stalks in Kushina's hands. "I just really, really need that plant. I'm sorry I didn't explain myself earlier, and I will, just let me have that plant!" What? Why was Minato suddenly so desperate?
"W-why should I?,"Kushina asked, still shaken from the blond's sudden shift in disposition. Minato glanced up at Kris pointedly, meeting the dirty-blonde's glare with unwavering eyes. When neither moved after a few moments, Kushina let out a long sigh, waving Kris dismissively.
"Let him go and get back to Mikoto, Kris. I got this,"Kushina added. She didn't want her best friend to be alone in her injured state for very long. Kris held on to the blond for a moment longer, before tossing him forward roughly and stepping back to stand beside Kushina once again. Kushina glared at him for a moment for not heading back to Mikoto, but gave up when he showed no signs of noticing, though his cheeks were turning a slight red. Had he really been that mad with Minato?
Turning her indigo gaze back to Minato, Kushina frowned. "Are you going to tell us why you need this plant or not, blondie -ttebane?" Where the butterflies in her stomach had gone, she may never know. She was relieved, though; now she could hold her strong reputation again, her stuttering having become minimum once again.
Minato nodded, straightening himself out and brushing away some of the mud that had splashed across his shirt and pants. "Sari got badly hurt, and she went into shock from blood loss. If she stays like that for much longer, I'm worried that she could… Anyway, that herb you're holding is thyme, which Sari's medical book says helps with shock. Please, I need that plant!,"Minato added after fading off silently, nearly begging, his eyes wide with hope.
Kushina frowned, glancing at the herb in her hand once again. "Mikoto needs this for her eye…,"she whispered to herself, but the blond still seemed to hear, tilting his head curiously. "That's odd. The book said nothing about thyme being good for eye injuries. In fact, the juices of the black and blue berries that grow all around here would be a lot better for something like that, if I'm remembering correctly,"Minato explained, gesturing to a rather large bush covered in the berries he had just described.
Kushina felt her face burn in embarrassment. So she had had the wrong herb again? Stupid plants, all looking alike!* She shoved her hand filled with stems forward, pushing them into Minato's chest.
"Fine -ttebane! Take them. I don't need them, anyway…,"the kunoichi muttered. "But if you're wrong, I'll make it my personal job to find you when this is all over, understand?,"she added. The obvious threat hung over her words ominously(Pah! Who threatens anymore? That's a promise, blondie!)
Minato's eyes widened in surprise, and a grin spread across his face. Kushina felt her face heat up at his glowing smile. Dammit, there the butterflies were again! She averted her eyes to the ground as he gently took the plant from her hand, his warm skin brushing against her own ever so slightly making her heart flutter.
"I can come with you to make sure you put the berries in correctly, if you want,"Minato suggested after a moment of standing there in an awkward silence,"I-it's the least I could do, after you let me use your own herbs, even though I'm from another team!"
"Don't believe him, Kushina,"Kris hissed silently in her ear,"It could be a poisonous berry or something!" Kushina thought about it for a moment, but couldn't bring herself to believe that Minato would do something like that. Not as she watched him so carefully wrap the stalks of thyme that could save his friend's - her friend's! - life in a cloth, slipping it into his pocket gently. No, she was going to trust him.
"Okay, fine. Come on, Kris, let's show him the way,"Kushina added to her teammate as she trudged up to the berry bush and tugged a few berries from the branches into her palm. "But-,"Kris began, but Kushina cut him off with a sharp glare. "He could help Mikoto,"she insisted,"We need to trust him -ttebane!"
Sighing, Kris moved forward, placing his hand lightly on Kushina's shoulder. Minato was quiet behind them, but the redhead could feel his scrutinizing gaze scanning them silently. "Fine, but at least let me carry those berries. I don't want you getting a rash or something if they turn out to be deadly."
Kushina nodded slowly, turning to look at her teammate blurrily. H...uh? Wh...why were there… three of him…? Was… the world spinning faster around her or somethin', or was that just her? Wha… The kunoichi felt her vision blacken slightly at the edges as her legs seemed to disappear from under her, the berries falling from her hand and splattering on the muddy ground.
Kushina kept her eyes closed for a few more moments, until the world had stopped spinning around her. Blinking slowly to get her bearings back, the redhead realized she was in Kris' arms, Minato hovering a few feet away from her worriedly. He didn't say anything (Something Kushina was grateful for; she'd had enough babying from her male teammate to last a lifetime), though he kept glancing at Kris rather oddly. Why had her chakra suddenly dropped like that? It seemed to be depleting still, though at a much slower rate. Was she actually sick, for the first time since she'd been given the damned Kyuubi?
"Careful, Kushina!,"Kris warned cautiously,"You probably haven't recovered all your chakra from the fight yet. I can carry you back for now; you shouldn't be on your feet if you're just going to fall over. I'm sure Minato would be okay with carrying the berries for us." He added the last bit with a pointed tone, glancing at Minato and motioning with his head towards the bush.
Minato bit his lip, before smiling kindly - if forcefully - at them. "Sure! I don't mind at all!,"He agreed, beginning to strip fresh berries into his hands. Kushina wanted to argue with the arrangements - she wasn't some helpless princess dammit! - but when she tried to stand up and force her way away from Kris, she felt another wave of dizziness washing over her once again, falling back into the older boy's pale arms.
Kris took this chance to lift his redheaded teammate off the ground completely, resting her bridal style in his arms. Kushina pouted in annoyance, sticking her tongue out rather childishly at her teammate, who sent her a sheepish smile as he started off through the forest, Minato not far behind.
The kunoichi cast a blurry glance at Minato, surprise flashing across her face when she caught sight of the deadly glare the boy was burning into her teammate's back. When he noticed she was staring, he turned his sky blue eyes to meet her's, any signs of anger vanishing into dust. He smiled slightly - tiredly - and mouthed 'thank you' quietly, gesturing toward the herbs in his pocket.
Kushina felt her heart skip a beat at his expression, forcefully shaking her head and mouthing back 'no problem'. She immediately regretted the movement, as a wave of nausea washed over her. The kunoichi rested her head against Kris' chest subconsciously, struggling to stabilize herself once again.
Just as the redhead was beginning to regain herself, the sound of an explosion met her ears, coming from the direction they had left Mikoto in. "Kris, hurry up! I think Mikoto's being attacked!,"Kushina cried out, struggling to run on her own to get to her best friend faster, but Kris only tightened his grip around her.
"You can't fight like this, Kushina!,"he insisted,"Just hold on to me, I'll get us there as fast as I can and-" Before he could finish his sentence, Minato had already raced past them. "That won't be fast enough! Just catch up to me as soon as you can,"the blond ninja shouted, tossing an odd kunai through the trees, watching as it disappeared into the foliage for only a moment, before disappearing in a flash of yellow light.
Kushina stared in awe for as moment, before snapping out of her thoughts at the sound of a second explosion. She reached out, pinching Kris' arm between her nail, eliciting a sharp yelp from him as he was pulled from his own shock.
"Mikoto's in danger, remember?! We have to hurry and get to her, -ttebane!,"Kushina hissed, wrapping her arms around Kris' neck tightly. Kris blushed slightly, before his face set in determination. He nodded, pushing off of the ground into the trees. The jerking motion hurt Kushina's bruised, sore body, but it meant nothing to her. Her best friend was fighting blind for Kami's sake! She had to get to her as fast as possible
Thankfully, they hadn't been too far away from their campsite. It only took a few minutes to get to the battlefield, but by the time they got there, Minato was already in the thick of the battle, Mikoto pressed against a tree behind him, panting heavily with a new coating of blood around her eyes. The blackish berries Minato had collected, Kushina noticed, were set carefully to the side.
Kris jumped down from their tree branch to the ground, and Kushina finally managed to force her way from his arms as they neared Mikoto. The Uchiha's substitute bandages, made from a few strips of her towel, had been torn away from her eye, forcing her to cover the still-fresh wound with her hand. Kushina dropped down beside her friend, hugging the trembling girl close. Kris knelt down beside her, shy concern still written across his features.
"Mikoto, are you okay -ttebane? We're here now. Minato came with us and is fighting for us. We're gonna be fine. You're gonna be fine. I swear -ttebane! Look, we even got something for your eyes, so just sit back and relax!,"Kushina added, trying desperately to calm her shaken friend. Mikoto took a deep breath, her arms wrapping around Kushina tighter for a moment before releasing her completely.
"I-i'm fine now… Just a little shocked from not having my sight during battle, ya know?,"Mikoto insisted. Kushina laughed slightly at the mocking version of her own verbal tic her friend implemented. Turning her attention back to the battle, Kushina felt her lavender eyes widen in awe.
Minato's movements were graceful, clean, and swift. He used his lithe form to his advantage, ducking around attacks and swerving in and out of the older enemy's line of sight. His blows were fast, nearly invisible to the untrained eye, and always hit perfectly on target. With a simple flick of his wrist, he would fling his special kunai out to deflect a weapon or toss it into the air to dodge a ninjutsu attack. It was like some sort of elegant, deadly dance, and Minato's own partners didn't know how to follow his lead.
Minato defeated the enemy team, sending them bounding out of the clearing in terror, tossing their scroll behind them in a peace offering of sorts. Minato caught it with a delicate smile crossing his lips. Kushina gaped as her eyes landed on the symbol written across the label. She had totally forgotten they needed another scroll!
And… that was the one they needed…
Kushina made to ask for the scroll from the blonde, but stopped herself mid-word, cursing herself quietly. How had she forgotten that Minato was still their enemy? Just because they had traded a bit of information didn't mean… But, at the same time, it could… Shaking slightly to clear her head, the kunoichi sent a longing glance towards the scroll. With how late in the exams it was, she probably wouldn't find another…
Ahh, what the heck? What could it hurt?
"Hey, Minato, can I-,"Kushina began, but Minato had already started talking himself, having spun around to face her properly, cutting her off accidentally. "Would you-,"He paused, realizing he had interrupted her. A light blush dusted both of their cheeks, coloring their faces a light pink.
"Sorry, would you like to-,"Minato moved to apologize, but, this time, Kushina accidently interrupted. "No, it's my fault, why don't you-" "No, really, you go ahead-" They stopped, realizing they were getting no where.
Indigo met cerulean for just a moment, before both children broke out into fits of laughter. Minato was the first to quiet himself down, a delicate smile crossing his face. He held out the scroll he had just collected invitingly.
"Do you need a scroll? My team already has both of ours, so I don't need another,"He insisted, taking a few steps closer so Kushina could take hold of it. Kushina stopped her laughing, her eyes wide with shock. Why was he so willing to help the enemy? She voiced her question aloud, cautiously taking the scroll from his hand.
Minato tilted his head to think about the question for a moment, going back to collect the berries he'd left a little ways away as he did so. He returned, crouching down beside Kushina, Kris, and Mikoto, finally speaking.
"We're all from Konoha, right?" A blinding grin spread across his face as he continued, focusing all his attention to Kushina instead. "Let's show those other villages what we can do!" Kushina felt her face burn brightly, her heart skipping a beat. How could he say that so…. so…. ugh, this was so confusing!
Minato calmly explained the situation to Mikoto, who allowed herself to relax and let the blond squeeze the berry juices into her cut - though she winced slightly as the juices dripped into her wound - before bandaging it firmly. Throughout the entire thing, Kushina stayed silent, her mind far off and cloudy. Minato finished, turning around to head back to his team.
Kushina hadn't realized she was staring until Mikoto elbowed her in the side, a sly smirk resting on her lips. The redhead snapped out of her trance and stared at her friend in embarrassment and slight amazement. How had her best friend even noticed she'd been staring, with her eyes bandaged shut like that?!
Before Kushina could question what her friend was doing, Mikoto spun around to face the blond, who was just about ready to leave. "Hey! Minato! Why don't we go with you and help you with Sari? Both of us have our scrolls already, so we don't really need to fight each other! We might as well help one another get the rest of the way to the tower, right?,"The raven suggested helpfully. "Mikoto, you shouldn't…,"Kris began silently; so he was back to his soft-spoken self again, huh?
Minato turned around and smiled sheepishly, shaking his head. "No, it's okay. You really don't have to-" Mikoto cut him off yet again. "Oh, come on! After you helped Kushina find the right herbs, treated my eyes, and got us our own scroll? I have a bit of medical experience myself, because of my private tutors back home, so I'm sure I could be of some help to Sari!" Kushina nodded in agreement; her best friend made a good point. Minato had helped them quite a bit, and they needed to return the favor!
Minato thought for a moment. Kushina swore his eyes traveled over to her for a second, before they snapped back to Mikoto. The blond nodded with a smile. "Sure, why not?,"He agreed, relenting to the Uchiha's suggestion. "Just follow me, 'kay?" Kris sighed silently in the back.
Mikoto used the tree beside her to guide herself as she stood up. Kushina copied her example, jumping to her feet enthusiastically. "Kushina, wait, you-,"Kris began to exclaim, but it was too late.
The redhead passed out.
Again.
Stupid dizziness. Stupid fox, not giving me more chakra. Stupid might-possibly-be-draining-my-chakra sickness. Kris and Minato both seemed to have moved to catch her, since, although the blond had been the one to do so, her teammate stood just a foot or so short, his arms outstretched. He blushed slightly, dropping his arms to his side and pulling the green bandana he wore around his neck up to hide his burning face.
Kushina wished she had one herself right now, what with being held bridal style in Minato's arms! Mikoto looked around in confusion, oblivious to what had gone on. "Hey, Kushina, are you okay? What happened?"
Kushina shrugged nonchalantly, trying to ignore the way Minato's arms felt so warm and safe wrapped around her, just like the night she had been kidnapped, and- DANG IT I WASN'T SUPPOSED TO THINK ABOUT IT! "Nothing, Mikoto. Just… Got a little dizzy from chakra loss is all -ttebane. I'm fine now. Really,"Kushina insisted, though she caught Mikoto's concerned expression. Her best friend knew how impossible chakra loss was for her, after all.
Before they could start moving again, Kris whispered something to Minato. The blond's face turned a light pink, and he quickly passed Kushina into Kris' own arms. The kunoichi tried to ignore the slight squeeze of regret at leaving the warmth his arms summoned in her, instead directing Mikoto over to them so Kris could guide the raven while he carried her. The Uchiha placed her palm on Kris' arm, and with that, they were off, Minato leading the group of four through the forest to his campsite.
It wasn't long before they broke out of the thick foliage into a small clearing, the gaping opening of a cave taking up most of it; apparently, Minato's team hadn't been very far from their own. The moment they pushed themselves out of the last bush, Kushina blurrily caught sight of a shape jumping down from a tree branch far above them. The redhead didn't have time to shout a warning before the figure plowed straight into Kris, sending him toppling over. Kushina was dropped to the ground, sharp rocks and twigs leaving small, light scratches all across her body as she rolled away. Mikoto had tripped backwards when she had heard the figure coming, barely dodging Kris's body that fell right where she had been standing, the figure nailing him down.
"Hikaru, wait! They're friends!,"Minato called from somewhere nearby; Kushina couldn't really pinpoint his voice anymore, her eyes closed once again to stop the nauseous feeling of weakness that spread through her body like a drug. Had the figure really been Hikaru? She must have been really out of it not to even recognize Minato's teammate.
Kushina cracked her eyes open slightly to see that Hikaru had lifted himself off of Kris, sheepishly rubbing the back of his head as he helped Mikoto and him back to their feet. He chuckled slightly, sending a glance back to his blond teammate, who, Kushina found, was hovering just above her.
"So, not that I don't trust you or something, but why'd you bring these guys back with you? Weren't you just looking for those herbs for Sari?,"He questioned, scanning each of them individually. He paused as his eyes landed on Kushina, and a sly grin spread across his face. He sauntered up to Minato, throwing his arm around the younger's shoulders and laughing. "Nevermind, bro. You don't need to tell me; I think I figured it out for myself,"He added a little eyebrow wiggle at the last bit.
Kushina felt her face burn a hot red and saw Minato's own take on a bright pink tint. "N-no, Hikaru, that's not-! I mean-,"Minato broke his stuttering off, taking a deep, calming breath before continuing. "They helped me get some thyme for Sari, so I helped them treat Mikoto's eyes. Since we both already have the scrolls we needed, they suggested helping each other get to the tower. I thought it was a pretty good idea, so I agreed,"He explained calmly, though his blush hadn't receded completely.
Hikaru let out a loud laugh, slapping Minato's back playfully. "I'm just pulling your leg, Minato! Loosen up a bit, will ya?,"he added with a loud laugh. Kushina fixed him with a harsh glare, though softened by her chakra-depletion-induced dizziness, forcing her blush to recede as best she could.
She soon switched the target of her glare when Mikoto joined his laughter. What kind of best friend was she, joining the dark side like that to make fun of her embarrassment?! "You guys are that team made of two strong girls and one sissy boy instead of one girl and two boys, right?,"Hikaru questioned nonchalantly, making Kushina forget her anger. She covered her mouth in an attempt to block the loud snort of laughter that ensued from his comment, trembling slightly as she pushed herself into a sitting position. Kris blushed, trying to hide in his bandana once again.
"Hikaru, right?,"Mikoto questioned calmly when she had stopped laughing, her demeanor switching instantly. When the older boy nodded, she continued, "Sari is hurt, correct? We brought some thyme with us that could treat her shock, if you'd like to give it to her." Hikaru's eyes widened in hope and he grinned happily.
As soon as Minato had taken the leafy stalks from his pocket, Hikaru snatched them from his grasp, bounding into the cave hurriedly, excitement glowing in his eyes. Minato jogged in soon after, guiding Mikoto along the way. Kushina and Kris followed much slower, Kushina leaning against her lanky male teammate for support. At least he wasn't carrying her again, though he definitely looked tempted to do so…
By the time the redhead had managed to reach the ragtag group, Hikaru had already finished giving the thyme to Sari, under Mikoto's watchful eye - no pun intended.
"Now, we just have to wait for her to recover some, and we can head out,"Mikoto finished as Hikaru backed away from his injured teammate. The older boy nodded affirmatively, sitting down crosslegged beside his friend. Minato made himself comfortable against the rock wall a little ways away, while Kushina pulled herself - rather forcefully - away from Kris, stumbling dizzily to the nearest wall and sliding down it's rough surface.
The kunoichi let out a sigh of relief as she felt her chakra slowly returning to her, though much too slowly for her liking. It really wasn't healthy for a Jinjurriki to be this low on chakra for so long, she knew… She'd need to talk to the Hokage about this when this was all over. Her raven-haired friend blindly shuffled up to her, taking a seat beside her, Kris plopping himself down a few feet away from them.
It was hours before Mikoto finally told them Sari was good enough to travel. By then, the air had already begun to cool, and the sky darkened into the misty, gray-blue of evening. However, all of them knew they couldn't wait for morning… Tomorrow was going to be the fifth and final day of the exams, and they were way too far out to finish the journey with injured in one day.
Kushina grimaced at the realization, slapping herself mentally. She should have been faster, dammit! Then, they wouldn't even be in this situation! Mikoto could have already had her eye treated, and she wouldn't be stumbling around weakly out of chakra exhaustion, which was supposed to be near-impossible for her! Then, she wouldn't keep finding herself silently watching Minato from the corner of her eye as they waited in the dim light of the cave, despite knowing he could never like her in return…
Kushina shook her head to clear her thoughts, pushing herself to her feet tiredly as they got ready to travel through the night. Mikoto and Kris caught her as another annoying wave of dizziness sent her tumbling over. Dammit, she felt so damn weak right now! She couldn't even walk properly!
In the end, Kris pulled his redheaded teammate onto his back, while Minato let Mikoto crawl onto his own. Hikaru carried Sari himself, gently setting her into place, careful not to disturb her wounds as the moved. Each boy set a bag of supplies on backwards, and, without a single sound, they disappeared into the leaves, only slightly scuffled mud left behind to indicate where they had once been.
*Just so you know, these two plants look nothing alike. At all.
I really, really, really enjoyed writing Kushina's point of view in an actual fight. I'm well aware that she was more serious in previous fights, but more things were at stake then, not to mention at this point she was annoyed, tired, bored out of her mind, and soaking wet. It was kinda funny to write from her rather warped point of view, especially blind, though I know it may be a bit difficult to follow. If this helps, at the part nearer to the end of the fight when Minato flips Kushina, basically he grabbed her from behind and flipped her over his head while holding her hands. She could have slammed on her face and gotten seriously injured by that if she let him keep accelerating her toward the ground, so she pulled herself from his grip using her own momentum and messed up his balance in the process. At least, that's the theory of it XD.
Before anyone asks, I didn't even realize I seemed to be picking on the girls a bit until I finished reading the entire story. After all, every single girl in these two teams is badly incapacitated - even Kushina, who is my literal favorite female character, maybe even character overall(not including Itachi) - and the boys are left carrying them. Please note, this is not supposed to be sexist and was completely planned out for other reasons. Sari getting injured was important because she was the medical ninja, and I needed her out of the way to get this chapter's plot. Mikoto was injured because I needed to incapacitate her Sharingan for later. Kushina is out because of reasons. Plot-filled reasons. The only reason the guys were left uninjured is because they didn't need to be just yet, and I'm gonna need Minato on his feet for what I'm planning for him.
Anyway, Kris is becoming annoyingly protective of Kushina, it seems, and I don't think Minato is very happy about that. Kushina isn't, either, because she's feeling it's undermining her ability to fight. Wish the cinnamon rolls good luck for the future. They're gonna need it!
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