Sorry Hee-Ho King - next Chapter. Promise!
Recovery
It was if they'd all lost the ability to move or speak as they watched two different colored flames ravish Naruto's body. The red flames came from him and the black flames from the men who'd set out to kill him.
Kurenai raced over the hill and while shocked by what she saw, the sight of Hinata lying in a pool of her own blood, had her running to the girl. The world returned with her movement. Neji joined Kurenai in trying to stem the blood flow from Hinata's head. She was alive.
Genin were torn. Go to Hinata or watch Naruto's body be burned alive. In the end Sasuke, Sakura, Shikamaru and Lee were faithful to Naruto and the rest went to Hinata's side.
Kakashi stood by the man he'd killed and waited. It was still too soon to approach Naruto because neither flames nor fumes had receded. The touch of Guy's hand on his shoulder was barely felt as he watched Naruto burn. The only thing Kakashi did was lower his headband to cover his Sharingan.
"Don't just stand there! Catch the rest of the Shin-Takeo!" Ibiki yelled at the other Chunin and Jonin. "Help the wounded! Let's do this and go home!" He spared a glance at the burning body, but there was nothing he could do so resolutely he turned away from Naruto.
The wounded were removed from the battlefield and moved to the Shin-Takeo village which was closer than Konoha. People were moved, bodies gathered and the clean-up began, still five people did nothing but watch flames. Two hours went by and still there was no cessation of the flames.
Sakura's tears never stopped. She couldn't believe that she'd lost Naruto after finally learning what it was like to have him as a friend. Beside her was Sasuke still on his knees staring at Naruto. He appeared to be in shock and all she could do was grip his shoulder letting him know he wasn't alone.
They were the only ones left now everyone having retreated either to Shin-Takeo, Konoha or back to the capital. Insects could be heard again and curious birds flew overhead. The forest despite the damage was returning to normal but nothing was normal for the friends of Hinata and Naruto, not normal at all.
An earthquake shook the ground and had everyone stumbling. They looked around cautiously waiting for the next shockwave and were surprised to see a large toad with a man seemingly growing from its head.
"Kakashi! What the hell happened here?! I felt some serious chakra coming from this direction and…! Dammit is that Naruto?! Stupid kid!" It was Master Jiraiya, the Toad Sage. Long white hair flying in the breeze, he jumped down from the toad's back and ran to Naruto's side all the while pulling out a blank scroll.
"Wait! The fumes!" Kakashi called out as the Sannin ran by him.
"No problem for me! Stay where you are!" He wrote something on the scroll then looked back at Kakashi. "How long? How long has he been this way?" This is bad even for Naruto! Damn, I hope I'm not too late!
"Almost three hours now." Kakashi said his heart speeding up. He was glad to see the Sannin for he wasn't sure how much longer Naruto could survive the black flames. As soon as the boy had fallen to the earth, his Sharingan had searched for signs of life and he'd known Naruto was alive but the flames had shown no signs of dying out. He'd begun to fear that they really would lose him but Jiraiya was here now.
"THREE HOURS! He's strong but three hours against this stuff – Naruto's going to be badly hurt." Jiraiya went to work sealing away the flame.
"He's alive?!" Sakura and Lee asked incredulous.
"Naruto." Shikamaru sighed, dropped his head and put one hand on his chest. He'd hoped that was the case. When Kakashi-sensei continued to watch with anticipation, well he'd figured Naruto was still alive; they'd just been waiting for the fire to go out.
Alive? He's alive? Naruto…are you still here – with me? Sasuke struggled to his feet and stumbled forward only to have Sakura and Shikamaru pull him back.
"Wait man; let Master Jiraiya get rid of the flames first." Shikamaru could feel the trembling in Sasuke's muscles. He'd been concentrating on Naruto all this time so he hadn't looked at Sasuke. The guy looked awful, almost green though there was a glint of hope in his eye as he watched the Sannin work. Guess he really does care about Naruto. I wonder what he'll do when he learns how Naruto managed to survive.
As they watched, the flames moved from Naruto and the surrounding ground onto the scroll. Master Jiraiya performed a few hand signals and fumes dissipated. The San-ken's jutsu was gone but the red flame-chakra persisted.
"Naruto! Snap out of it Naruto! You're safe now!" Jiraiya yelled at the teen and attempted to touch him but the red chakra wouldn't allow him to. "Damn! Kakashi, you guys – tell him it's safe, talk to him." Jiraiya backed away as Kakashi took his place.
"Naurto, wake up now! The mission isn't over yet! We need you!" Kakashi got as close as he could but no response. He could just see Naruto beneath the red chakra but not well. The chakra was covering him so completely that Naruto's features were blured and distorted. "Sasuke, Sakura – help me!"
"Na-Naruto, wake up! Umm, Hinata's waiting on you! Hinata – the woman you love needs you!" Sakura said and was rewarded by seeing his eyes twitch and his mouth move.
"H-hey-hey idiot!" Sasuke leaned forward trying to see Naruto. "If you – if you don't wake up – it only proves I'm stronger than you." Sasuke said the words but they were quiet and disbelieving that Naruto could still be alive and if he was, how?
"It's working, I saw his arm jerk." Jiraiya said. "More!"
"If you don't open your eyes, I'm going to tell Lady Tsundae and Iruka what a failure you are! They'll be so disappointed in you Naruto! You don't want to loose them do you?" Kakashi yelled hoping this would definitely wake him up.
"Sensei?" Sakura gasped and frowned at him. "That's harsh!" Even cruel considering the shape he was in.
"Maybe but look, he's coming out of it!" Shikamaru's voice got excited and he couldn't wait to see Naruto's smiling face. He and Lee shared a smile.
The chakra shell that had protected Naruto fluctuated several times then receded seemingly into his stomach. The horrified silence was so deep that Naruto's words couldn't be missed. He didn't open his eyes but moaned and mumbled, "Not…fail…I…don't l-leave…m-me…" Naruto tried to reach out with one hand but the pain had him screaming and passing out completely.
Sakura screamed as well and hid her face in Lee's shoulder. That first sight of Naruto was too much to bear. She marveled that he could move that arm at all - it was a miracle. Sakura's heart hurt thinking not only of the pain Naruto was feeling but of the torment Kakashi's harsh words was probably causing him.
"What – what has happened to Naruto?!" Lee held Sakura close as he started down at his friend.
He'd been right, talking about his mom and dad had broken the chakra shell, now he could heal. "Sorry Naruto but now you'll – NO! Master Jiraiya – what's happening?" Kakashi stood up in horror and backed away.
"N-Naruto!" Sasuke's dark eyes widened and he wavered between stepping forward to help or backing as far away as possible.
The chakra had protected Naruto from the deadly jutsu but since it had been so powerful and doubled, his chakra hadn't been able to protect him from the incredible force of the forbidden jutsu. That jutsu could dent the earth and so it had shattered and broken Naruto's left arm and leg. His arm was a mass of blood and bones and tissue. His leg was turned one way with bones sticking out the other side.
The fox's chakra had been protecting him from the flames so it couldn't heal him. Once it receded back inside him, it began the healing process but it was healing him wrong!
"He's worn out. Too long – under that attack too long." Jiraiya grimaced as Naruto's bones malformed and scars appeared where the skin was being patched together.
"Did I do this?! Did my words…?! Naruto! I didn't mean it! Lady Tsunade and Iruka love you! They love you Naruto!" Kakashi was at the teen's side again dying to touch him but feared making things worse.
Jiraiya was a little confused as to what Kakashi was talking about but moved to reassure the Jonin. "It's nothing you said. It was that damned forbidden jutsu! Kakashi, it wasn't you!" He gripped the man's shoulder surprised at how upset Kakashi was. "Move now." Jiraiya knelt on Naruto's right side.
"I'm sorry Naruto." He whispered before gently picking the boy up. Everybody winced as even unconscious Naruto began to cry in pain. "I'm taking him to Tsunade, she'll be able to fix him up don't worry." Carefully he carried Naruto to the waiting toad.
"But won't that hurt him? He should be carried on a litter!" Sakura finally spoke up. She couldn't bear to think of how much pain he would have to endure being jostled by the toad – it could make things worse. "We can take him – can't we?" She looked from Shikamaru to Lee who nodded.
"You want to leave him this way for two days when I can get him back in two hours?!" Jiraiya spun around and showed her Naruto's mangled body again. "It will hurt him – right now lying still will hurt him but Naruto's tough, he'll make it." He leaped onto the toad. "We'll see you back in Konoha." The toad jumped and was miles away before he landed again.
Sasuke watched for moment before looking down at the blood stained ground. He knelt and touched the earth. He stroked it then with both hands dug into that bloody dirt. Sasuke's breath was coming hard and fast. "Naruto. Naruto. Naruto." Just that name left his mouth as he covered his hands in the dirt, held Naruto's blood in his hands. Don't die on me! By God don't you dare die! Especially not before telling me what the hell you are! Sasuke pounded the ground as two lone tears escaped his eyes.
The mission was a success. The terrorist plan to take over the Land of Fire had been foiled and all the Genin of Konoha would be promoted to Chunin but no one cared. They'd stayed in Shin-Takeo for two full days caring for the injured and tearing the place down. Hinata and a few others had been sent on ahead with the medical ninja for special treatment but everyone able stayed behind.
The idea of being Chunin would flash in their minds as they worked but then they would realize that neither Hinata nor Naruto was there and the pride of achieving their goal to become Chunin would slide away. It seemed Hinata would recover but of Naruto's fate… On the morning of the third day they set off for home. Time seemed to crawl as they traveled but they moved quickly and got home as the sun was starting to dip in the sky. They were met at the gate by Izumo.
"Welcome home and congratulations!" Izumo tried to sound upbeat but there were no responding smiles.
"How are they?" Kakashi asked bluntly. Sasuke stood in front of him and Sakura was at his side.
Izumo straightened up. "They're doing okay. Hinata's still unconscious but that's mostly because she's exhausted. She was sent home to recuperate. Naruto…Naruto's in intensive care. Lady Tsunade…well there was a lot of damage to his body and there's still much to be done for him but he's out of the woods. No! Wait!" Izumo stopped Sasuke physically with his hands on the teen's shoulders.
"Lady Tsunade asks that you go home and rest then visit Naruto tomorrow. Because of Naruto's condition, your reports can wait a while." He saw that all of them really wanted to go visit their friends. "I'm sure Lord Hiashi will let you visit Hinata as soon as she wakes and Naruto is under constant care – it's best just to wait until tomorrow. Please." Izumo let go of Sasuke since the teen was glaring so hard at him.
"Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura's voice was hesitant.
Kakashi scratched his head and sighed. "We should at least clean up before we visit him. Go home and rest and we'll see him first thing okay? Sasuke?"
His very nerves were telling him to go to Naruto but Sasuke gave a short nod before disappearing in the direction of his home. The others followed suit, all but Shikamaru.
"You can't tell them." He said when just the Jonin were left. "Not now. You have to wait until Naruto's…himself again."
"Why Shikamaru? They all suspect something now after witnessing what he could do." Kurenai said.
"Because he deserves a chance to defend himself! How's he supposed to do that if he's knocked out cold in the hospital! If they fear him now, just think what they'll feel seeing his body all bent out shape! They'll never go near him again! Just leave it until he get's better." It was on the tip of his tongue to beg but he was a Chunin, had been for a while and he'd made a request of his superiors. They had to treat him with respect.
Kakashi went to him and held out his hand. "You're a good man Shikamaru. You never once treated him any differently after you learned of the fox. How come?"
Shikamaru was glad to shake his hand. "Because he's still Naruto." He shrugged. "That didn't change because I finally learned his secret."
"No it didn't. Well Naruto wanted to tell Sasuke himself and probably Sakura too." Kakashi told him. "So it's these guys you have to convince." He waved a hand at the other three Jonin.
"It's fine with me too after hearing what happened to him." Guy shook his head. "No need to make things worse."
"I don't know. They're all supposed to learn the truth after the mission is over. What do you think Asuma?" Kurenai asked the man at her side.
"I don't think what I say matters but what he says does." Asuma pointed as Lord Hiashi approached them.
"Kurenai – a moment of your time please?" Lord Hiashi bowed to them all.
Sasuke did go home. He showered, ate even lay down but his mind wouldn't let him rest. Naruto was close by and he just couldn't wait till morning! Sasuke jumped up and hurried to the door, slipped on his shoes and took off. Naruto was in intensive care so there was no problem finding his room but as he as he turned the corner Iruka-sensei came out of the room. Sasuke found himself stepping back out of sight then peering around at the man.
Iruka stood with his head and hands pressed against the wall. A shuddering breath went through him and Sasuke wondered if he was crying. A second later the door opened again and Lady Tsunade emerged from the room. For once she looked old. There were bags under her eyes and she looked pale. She went to Iruka and they hugged each other.
"You're sure he's going to be okay? You had to do so much. You shouldn't have! He's ours…you shouldn't have…" Iruka whispered.
"It did hurt me to cause him even more pain but how could I not help him, do what I'm best at and save him? Shizune did what I couldn't and I trust her. He's going to be fine! He promised me! At least now they'll recognize him tomorrow. Go home Iruka, I'll stay with him."
Iruka let out a dry chuckle. "As if I'll sleep at home. I'm staying too, that's what parents do right? Stay by their child's side? Come on, I want to be here if – when he wakes up." Arm around her shoulder, he escorted Lady Tsunade back into Naruto's room.
Sasuke looked down at the floor. So that's why they didn't want us to see him! They were fixing his bones. A shiver traveled his spine as he remembered what Naruto had looked like. He still wanted to see Naruto but he wouldn't intrude on their time with him but he couldn't leave either.
Quietly he moved down the hall and stood before the door. Opening the door ever so slightly, Sasuke peered in and saw Iruka-sensei and Lady Tsunade seated on either side of Naruto's bed and just the top of Naruto's blond head. He could hear heavy breathing coming from the bed and was somewhat reassured. Sasuke closed the door and sighed. Moving backwards, Sasuke only stopped when his back touched the wall. He slid down it. He would wait here. Sasuke dropped his head to his knees and dozed.
Iruka opened the door and was surprised for all of one second then he smiled. Sasuke, Kakashi and Sakura were all asleep on floor outside of Naruto's room. They must have spent the night.
Tsunade shook her head. "Let them sleep a little longer. Give me time to make him presentable. Order up some breakfast for us. They can give their report while they're here too." There was just a hint of anger in her voice that his squad hadn't done enough to protect Naruto but she lost it quickly. It wasn't their fault and the people responsible were dead.
They both were able to shower, change and have breakfast before Kakashi stirred. The three of them were obviously tired to be able to sleep on the cold hospital floor. He jerked upright startling Sakura who lay on his arm and Sasuke who lay next to him, jumped to his feet ready to fend off an attack.
"Morning. Hungry? We can order some food for you. Come on in." Iruka had gone to the door as soon as he'd heard movement.
"Kakashi? Sakura?" Sasuke's mind was still fuzzy with sleep but he knew he'd been alone when he'd drifted off.
"You weren't the only one who couldn't stay away." Kakashi said standing and helping Sakura to her feet. He moved forward slowly to stand before Iruka. "I'm sorry." He bowed before his friend.
Iruka stared down at Kakashi's silver hair. He wanted to be mad at him. He wanted to blame them for Naruto's state but his son was a shinobi and responsible for himself. "Forget it. Come on in." He reached out a hand and patted the man's shoulder.
Kakashi stared into his eyes and nodded. He turned to Sasuke and gestured for the teen to go first.
Iruka led the way to the bed then stood at the foot of it. Lady Tsunade was at a table by the window, work piled up on it. "I'm keeping him sedated to help his body heal. It will be a while, a long while before he opens his eyes." She said quietly watching them closely.
He looks dead. So pale. Sasuke inched forward. Naruto's face had a couple of bandages on it but it was his body that that was covered in them. His left arm, chest and leg were swaddled in bandages. Not only that but both appendages hung in the air from some apparatus.
"We…we had to re-break his bones – several times before they could be set properly. Some of his nerves and muscles needed to be reattached as well. The easiest part was the skin - once we got it back in place." Tsunade watched as Sakura's eyes overflowed with tears. The girl went to Naruto – his good side and gently kissed his forehead.
"I'll be here for you Naruto. I'll help you get better – I promise." Sakura leaned back and looked at her friend. "I can't stay! I want to see your eyes Naruto!" She spun around and bowed to Lady Tsunade. "I'll be back later!" She rushed out of the room. It had been too much to see him like that. Sakura just wanted a little time to get her emotions under control but she would go back because Naruto is her friend.
Sasuke only glanced at her briefly as she left the room running. He took her place at Naruto's bedside. Naruto's hand lay still and unmoving on the bed. Sasuke's hand found itself just touching the long fingers. There wasn't a mark on the hand and he remembered Hinata covering his hands with her ointment. "Stupid! Loser! Idiot! You should have covered yourself in Hinata's cream – then you wouldn't have gotten so hurt!"
The three adults watched quietly as Sasuke's stiff body moved closer until the boys were face to face. One pale and pained, the other pale and seeming expressionless. "You owe me Naruto. You've got things to tell me. You damn well better get up out this bed and tell me what the hell's going on!" Sasuke closed his eyes. He'd gotten loud and hadn't meant to. When he opened them again, Naruto's face filled his vision. There was so much emotion running through him – hope, anger, desperation and loneliness. Sasuke joined their hands for a brief moment. "I'm waiting Naruto." He squeezed the cool hand then left without another word.
"He's a complicated kid, always has been." Kakashi said with a sigh. This time he went to Naruto's side. "It's weird that he's this still, this quiet. I don't like it." Kakashi sat on the bed, one hand on Naruto then faced Lady Tsunade and Iruka. "If my hair wasn't already gray – this little episode would have turned it so. Okay, here's what happened," Kakashi didn't get any further because the door opened to admit Jiraiya and Ibiki.
"Wait, let me give my report first then you can tell them what happened to Uzumaki here." Ibiki went to stand by the bed. With a tender touch he took the boy's good hand. "Get better kid, you did a damned good job out there." He turned abruptly to face Lady Tsunade. "I think you'll find this interesting."
The terrorists were actually several different groups of rogue ninjas that were either criminals or for some other offense had been excommunicated from their villages. They had somehow all ended up forming a small village calling themselves the Shin-Takeo or the true warriors. Combining their skills, they improved and were thinking of giving up being criminals and maybe becoming a legitimate village when the brothers found them. It turned out that at some point in their past they had been disciples of Orochimaru's. That man had christened them the San-ken, for even though they were three different men, they acted as one or the same.
The San-ken had seen a village of rogues as the way to power and to impress their old mentor. Foolishly the Shin-Takeo listen to them and seeing a quick way to riches and glory, tried to take down the Land of Fire only to have their homes and lives burnt down and torn apart.
"So Orochimaru spawned more scum to litter our world." Jiraiya said from Naruto's bed. He sat with one leg up on the bed staring down at the teen. Occasionally he'd reached out and tried to smooth the frown on Naruto's brow but it never left for any amount of time. It seemed his pain was never ending.
"Yes, I'm afraid that until we find a way to get rid of him; we'll always have people like the San-ken to deal with." Tsunade sighed and shook her head.
"Well then, I'll be on my way." Ibiki got to the door then looked back at Naruto. "He did you proud Iruka, Lady Tsunade. I'll check on him later." With a wave of his gloved hand Ibiki departed.
"Alright, your turn Kakashi. I've had much to do to fix his body. Exactly what the hell happened to my boy?" Tsunade got up and began to pace as Kakashi explained what happened to Naruto.
"So it was Hinata being hurt that released the fox's chakra? Figures. It may be a good idea to keep their missions separate in the future." Iruka said standing to stretch. He was bone tired. Even though he couldn't help Naruto medically, he'd been there at the hospital the whole time supporting him and Tsunade.
"Yeah maybe but," Kakashi spoke. "They're a good team. She fights defensively and of course Naruto fights offensively. And they've only been a couple for a few months but they work so well together that you'd think they'd been on the same team from the start." Kakashi hated to think they wouldn't be allowed to work together after this. They were on separate teams but occasionally they helped each other out. If Lady Tsunade forbade this, it could cause problems later on.
"We'll see." Lady Tsunade said as she stopped to look at Naruto. "Let him rest Jiraiya!" She said harshly as his hand reached once more for the boy's face.
"Sorry, it's just…I can't stand his expression! When he's up and being annoying, I love making him look like this but now…" He got off the bed and went to Tsunade. "I'm studying that black fire and Kakashi here told me the signs they used. I'll fill you in on it when I know more." Jiraiya sighed feeling old. "I'm going get out of here – it's too damned depressing in hospitals."
"Wait!" Tsunade stopped him. She moved forward, stood on tip-toe and gave Jiraiya a quick hug. "Thanks for bringing him back to us. You got him home just in time." Her voice was a little watery.
The Sannin's cheeks got red and he patted Tsunade on the head. "Y-yeah, sure, no problem." He chuckled like a satisfied male.
Tsunade's eyes flashed at the laugh and when she raised her head there was an evil glint in her eye. "And that reminds me – I've got something else to thank you for don't I Kakashi? Iruka?" She heard two loud gulps from said men.
"I did something else for you? What? I just got back into town." Jiraiya looked up at the ceiling wondering what she was talking about. He didn't see Iruka and Kakashi go hide behind the injured Naruto.
Quick as a snake she grabbed his long ponytail and turned them around so that his back was to the window.
"Hey! What are you doing woman?!" Jiraiya's head was tilted to one side as Tsunade painfully pulled on his hair.
"Naruto needed to be told the facts of life so I had these two talk to him before things got too heated with Hinata." She jerked her head at the men on the other side of Naruto. They waved weakly at them. "Those idiots saw fit to share your book with Naruto!"
Even with the man bent over side ways, they could see Jiraiya's eyes light up. "Yeah? Did he like it? Has he tried anything with Hinata? Hee, hee, hee – he'll get lucky for sure if he follows my book!" He laughed some. "Go get her Naruto – well when you're feeling better of course!"
"Oh no." Iruka said covering his eyes.
"Yeah, that was pretty stupid." Kakashi said leaning forward to see better.
A growl from Tsunade had Jiraiya freezing in place. "I'm surrounded by perverted jerks! You deserve more but I don't want to rebuild the hospital so, here's your punishment you idiot!" Still using his hair to hold him in place, Tsunade made a fist then jammed it into his stomach. She let go of his hair at the last minute to prolong his pain. Satisfied, she watched Jiraiya sail out the open window.
Jiraiya couldn't breath and blacked out for a few seconds. When he came to he was flying in the air! Buildings rushed by him – a bird pooped on him! His ass suddenly began to tilt towards the ground and arms windmilling, he dropped down into a large, dirty puddle. He was covered in mud and slime when he heard an oink.
Shizune and Tonton looked down at him. "Hmph, you got off easy. Lady Tsunade had some really good punishments planned for you. She's just too worried about Naruto to care about you right now but I'd watch my back if I was you!" She smiled sweetly at him. "Come on Tonton, you don't want to get dirty by getting too close to him! Later Master Jiraiya!" Laughing, Shizune walked away from the dirty old man.
"Oink-oink!" The pig lifted her head in disdain and followed Shizune.
"The pig is clean and I'm in the mud?! Crazy strong-as-an-ox woman!" Jiraiya yelled and tried to get up but slipped and fell face forward in the muck. With his ass up in the air, all he could do was groan as people laughed and pointed at him.
Neji stood in Hinata's doorway. She'd yet to wake fully after three days. He didn't like it. Lady Tsunade said she was just exhausted and her wounds needed to heal but she was so – quiet. Yes she'd been quiet before, before Naruto but lately she laughed and talked quite a bit and he realized he missed her laugh. He'd come to count on her talking to him and sharing things with him. This silence was nerve wracking.
Occasionally she'd mumble and turn in her sleep. She'd even responded to Lord Hiashi's voice but she hadn't woken up. Neji's heart had nearly stopped when he'd seen her lying in a pool of blood. He'd said several thankful prayers that his pin-point accuracy had stopped the flow of blood until she could be seen by a medic. He'd lost his father and he did not now want to lose someone else precious to him.
"Hmmm…" The sound had him jerking up right. Was she coming out of it? Bare feet took him to her bed and she turned to face him. Neji waited but nothing else happened. Sighing he brushed her hair behind her ears.
"Rest little sister." Neji turned to leave but she spoke.
"Sis-sister?" A soft giggle. "I-I caught y-you! Y-you lo-ve me!" Hinata smiled, eyes still closed.
"Hinata?! Are you awake? Hinata!" Neji framed her body with his arms. "Hinata…are you awake?" He gasped when her lavender eyes slowly blinked open.
"Bright…and…loud…shh!" She tried to move and moaned at the ache in her head and pains in her joints. "What happened to me?"
"Neji? She's awake?" Lord Hiashi entered the room a relieved smile on his face. He'd heard Neji's cry and hurried to them. "Daughter." He smiled down into her precious face.
"Father…" Hinata coughed because her throat was dry.
Neji moved aside so his uncle could sit and help his daughter to drink some water. The man held her tenderly as she rested against his chest.
"Thank you." Hinata closed her eyes and listened to her father's heartbeat for a few moments. She was tempted to let sleep take her again but she couldn't remember what happened to her. Laying a hand against her father's chest, she looked up him. "What happened to me?"
Lord Hiashi and Neji shared a look. They'd been told that she may have some memory loss and to try not to make her remember. "You were hurt on a mission. You hit your head on a rock." Very gently he brushed the back of her head and she winced at the sore spot.
"A mission?" Hinata frowned then she noticed that Neji had some scratches on his face and arms. "We had a mission together?"
"Yes, we worked well together." Neji smiled at her.
"But I got hurt anyway." Hinata sighed. Why do I always fail at missions? "Sorry Father, I tried to do better – I'm sure I did. Naruto will be so disappointed in me." Hinata gasped as a memory flashed in her mind.
"What is it? Pain?" Lord Hiashi held her by her shoulders looking down into her eyes.
Hinata blinked at him. "Where's Naruto? I – our mission - Chunins!" She held onto her Father as it all came back to her. "I was fighting a ninja – so strong. He hit me. Naruto was…beside me. Is he alright? Did he have to fight both men?" She looked to Neji for the answers.
"He did, yes. And you did fine Hinata – those were Chunin or Jonin the two of you were fighting and they were desperate to escape. If you hadn't tripped over some guy, you would have defeated him. Your Gentle Fist was excellent." Neji veered away from the topic of Naruto.
A pleased smile appeared on her face from his compliment. "And Naruto did he get hurt? I told Lady Tsunade I would protect him." Hinata waited but Neji would not meet her eyes.
"Umm, Naruto? He's a surprising one isn't he? He took those men on all by himself." Neji looked to Lord Hiashi for advice on what to say. They figured she wouldn't remember everything the first time she woke up and Neji didn't really know what or how to explain about Naruto.
Hinata noticed the look. "Naruto was hurt wasn't he? How bad?" She looked around trying to figure out the day. "How long have I been back? Has he been here? Neji answer me. Father!" She was beginning to sweat and shake but she pulled away so she could see his face better.
"I figured you'd be this way." Hiashi let himself smile for a moment before solemnly saying, "You've been unconscious for almost four days and for that entire time Naruto has been in the hospital. Forbidden jutsu was used on him and Lady Tsunade has had him under constant care the entire time. She is currently working out of the hospital to be near him. Hey, hush now," Hinata had covered her mouth and tears flowed from her eyes. "Naruto will live but he'll be in the hospital for a while." Carefully he brought Hinata back to his chest.
Naruto is hurt! He's in the hospital! A forbidden jutsu? How did he survive? I must see him! Hinata pushed away from him again. "Take me to him."
"But you just woke up! He's being kept sedated Hinata! Rest first then…" Neji tried but he could see that Hinata's mind was made up.
"Father? Please Father." The two shared a long look before he leaned down and kissed her forehead. "I'll get your sister to help you dress and we'll go, all right?"
"Thank you Father." She pressed close to him once more before sitting up completely.
"Of course baby." Lord Hiashi stared at her as she swung her legs over the side of the bed. She's not a baby anymore. My Hinata needs to be with Naruto – the man she loves. Her own health and pain means nothing, all she can think of is him. He gave in, reached out a hand to stroke her fragile face then left the room to seek Hanabi.
Iruka was informed that Lord Hiashi was in the hospital so he went down to escort him up. He was surprised to see Hinata held in his arms. "Is she all right? I can call Tsunade back! I finally got her to go home and sleep but -!"
"I'm fine Iruka-sensei." Hinata said quietly finally opening her eyes.
"She is. The doctors just checked her out. My daughter is just tired and determined to see Naruto. May we?" Lord Hiashi saw the concerned look on Iruka's face.
"Neji told me what happened and I've warned Hinata that it's bad but she's insisting. I'm afraid she won't rest until she sees him for herself."
"Lord Hiashi…are you sure?" Iruka rubbed his neck. It had been hard for him and Tsunade seeing him bloody and ripped apart and it wasn't much better with all the bandages.
"I'm sure Iruka-sensei."Hinata held a hand to him. "Please let me see him. Please."
Large lavender eyes begged and Iruka took her hand and patted it. "Sure, sure. Sorry Hinata, I'm not trying to keep you from him…it's just hard to see him so still. Come on, this way." Iruka breathed deeply and hoped they wouldn't have to call a doctor for her once she saw Naruto.
Hinata's muscles were already shaky from disuse and now they tensed in dread. Everyone was concerned how she would act so she had to try not to overreact or they wouldn't let her be with him. Naruto was hurt – badly by all accounts and there was nothing in this world that would keep her from his side.
She saw Iruka enter a room and took a deep breath as her father carried her inside. Her gasp filled the room. One half of his body was in bandages. Hinata gripped her father's shirt. "Take me to him!" She looked to Iruka. "May I lie beside him?" Hinata only wanted to hold him but not if it would hurt him. "I'll be careful."
"That's fine." Shizune said as she entered the room. "Lady Tsunade figured you'd want to when you woke up. She's got him supported well enough and it's a large bed. Go ahead Lord Hiashi."
"Thank you, thank you." Hinata's heart threatened to escape her body as she was gently placed on the bed. She scooted close until she could kiss his face. There was stubble on his jaw and she rubbed her cheek against it. "I'm here Naruto. I'm here." She stroked his face and waited for his eyes to open but they didn't. A sob tried to force itself out of her throat but she held it in.
The adults watched as she gently lay her head on his good shoulder and place her hand over his heart. "You'll be fine, just fine." She closed her eyes and let the tears flow but shortly she was sleeping totally exhausted.
"Look!" Iruka pointed. Naruto's head turned in Hinata's direction and the constant furrow between his brows indicating the pain he could feel despite the drugs had disappeared. He breathed in deeply and seemed to settle into a more restful sleep.
Shizune hugged herself. "Love is always the best medicine. Maybe you could let her stay awhile? Seems like they're both resting well." She looked to Lord Hiashi.
"Yes, of course. These two – there's something about them that just fits don't you think?" They all shared a smile then Lord Hiashi went to them and kissed them both on the forehead. "Let's let them be alone for awhile. Come Iruka, I'm sure you could use a break from this place. How about some ramen?"
Iruka blinked then laughed heartily, his first since before Naruto came home injured. "It sounds good but I'll wait and share a bowl with my son."
"I understand. Some sake?" Again they shared a smiled and left Shizune to close the door on the sleeping couple.
Every day for two weeks Hinata went to the hospital to be with Naruto. Those first couple of days, her father had to carry her there but she was soon on her feet and had various escorts when she went to visit Naruto. Sakura was often with her in the mornings and Sasuke would stop by several times a day not saying much but staring at Naruto with impatience.
Shino, Kiba and Akamaru would sit with her for hours and they filled her in on what had actually happened to Naruto. They studied her face wondering if she could explain Naruto's strange powers.
"It happened once before during the first Chunin exams. Naruto suddenly got stronger and Neji couldn't keep up with him. His speed and strength had increased tenfold." Shino said quietly as he stared at Naruto's still body.
Four pairs of eyes looked at Naruto. He was still bandaged and limbs hung in the air but he was resting comfortably. He looked harmless in sleep but he'd been a wild animal the last time they'd seen him.
"Naruto?" Hinata frowned. She'd missed his and Neji's fight and what happened between Naruto and the San-ken. Hinata reached for his hand. "Maybe it was just adrenaline? He was trying to protect me and it just surprised you that's all." She blinked and tried to make sense of their words. Without having seen Naruto's reaction for herself she didn't know what to think or say.
"Huh! Not likely. Naruto tore into them like a demon!" Kiba got loud prepared to argue with her but when Shino grabbed his arm and he saw how upset Hinata was, he backed down. "Well, anything could have happened. It was pretty bad there for a moment." He said weakly. Seeing that they'd upset her, they left soon after.
As their other friends came to visit, Hinata asked them what happened. She wanted to know if they'd all seen what Kiba had but the responses were vague and told her nothing. Something had happened out there and no one would tell her what. Lady Tsunade and Iruka-sensei were due to come in that evening to have dinner with Naruto. They were still doing the family dinners although Naruto was unable to join in. Hinata decided to stay and get some answers.
"Hello Hinata." Tsuande said as she entered the room followed by some nurses carrying trays. She immediately went to Naruto and checked his vitals. Satisfied she cupped his face then kissed his cheek. "You're doing fine."
"May I stay and have dinner with you my lady?" Hinata asked as the woman turned to face her.
"Why of course!" Tsunade smiled at her. "Bring another tray please." She asked of one of the nurses. "It's nothing fancy but we'll be glad to share a meal with you."
"Indeed!" Iruka said entering the room. He too went immediately to Naruto. "Hey son." He ruffled the boy's hair then checked his jaw. "Looks like I'm going have to shave you tomorrow. You're starting to look scruffy."
"I'm going to reduce his meds tomorrow." Tsunade looked excited. "He's doing so much better. I think his body can endure the pain now. He could wake up in a few days."
Iruka laughed and went to hug her then hugged Hinata too. "This is great news! I can't wait to tell Kakashi and Sasuke!"
Hinata momentarily forgot her quest for answers with this good news. Over dinner they talked about Naruto and all the things he would want to do when he woke up and how hard it was going to be to make him take things slow and what types of coercion they would use to make him behave. Seeing how happy they were, she decide to save her questions for later besides she didn't want to focus on anything other than seeing Naruto awake and happy either.
Quiet. It was so quiet but then birds began to sing outside his window. Morning. It must be morning. Naruto breathed in. I don't want to get up. It feels so good to just lie here. He tried to turn over away from the sound of the birds greeting the morning. "Aahhh!" Naruto yelled out as pain flowed through the left side of his body. Tears slid from his still closed eyes. He vaguely heard running footsteps and voices but he'd already retreated deep within himself to escape the pain.
"You're not going to give him anything?" Iruka asked doubtfully noticing the pained frown once again on Naruto's face.
"No, it's time for him to wake up." Tsunade's voice tight for she didn't want to cause Naruto anymore pain but if he was to truly heal, he had to be weaned off the drugs so the fox inside him could finally do its job properly. These last few weeks, as Naruto slept – so did the fox. Body rested and on the mend, it was time to release him from the drugged sleep. The Nine-Tailed would then wake and heal Naruto as it always had.
"We have to let him feel the pain Iruka." Inside the large private room, it was fairly crowded. When the night nurse had called, Tsunade had rushed to Naruto's side hoping he would finally wake but the shock of pain had knocked him cold again. Over the course of a few hours, his friends had found out that Naruto was close to waking up.
Tsunade had contacted Iruka, Hinata and Kakashi herself but now there was Lord Hiashi, Jiraiya, Sasuke, Sakura, Shikamaru and even Ibiki. She'd been asked several times if it was okay for him to be frowning like he was. He hadn't done that since those first few days in the hospital. Hinata had been able to chase the frown away but now it was back.
"Look, I know what I'm doing alright! If you people can't be quiet and leave me alone then you can all leave!" Tsunade shouted her nerves on end. She desperately wanted to see Naruto smile at her.
"I'm sorry, sorry." Iruka sighed and took her hand. He looked around at all the worried faces. "I know why don't we talk about Naruto? Everybody tell something stupid he did. He hates that." Iruka finally smiled. "Maybe he'll wake up just to defend himself!"
"Ha, good one Iruka! Sure let's talk about the little fool." Jiraiya settled into the window.
"Watch it you old fool! I could tell some stories about you too!" Tsunade said and got requests for those stories too making Jiraiya huff and fold his arms.
Talking. Laughter. Who? Wasn't it Iruka? No, Grandma T. Now it was Hinata! Naruto turned his head trying to hear what they were saying. They seemed to be having a good time and he wanted in on the fun. Hinata. Iruka. Naruto realized that he hadn't said their names out loud and tried to speak but nothing. He tried to lift his eye lids but they wouldn't open! He was starting to get scared. Moving his head, he once again tried to speak and felt a flash of pain. As a gasp left his lips and the voices disappeared. Had he been dreaming of them?
The gasp had been low almost too quiet to compete with their talking but Jiraiya, closest to the bed had stood suddenly. "Tsunade!"
She flew to his side followed by Iruka and Hinata. Cupping his jaw, she turned his face towards her. "Naruto? Come on baby, wake up!" A huge smile lit her face to see him frown and his lips move. "It's time to wake up." She looked over her shoulder at Iruka. "Iruka's – you're dad's here. Open your eyes Naruto."
"Naruto fight it! Fight the pain and look at me!" Iruka demanded.
"Naruto, I'm here too! Please Naruto, wake up!" Hinata said.
Sasuke was there too standing next to his injured arm. "Dammit Naruto, don't keep us waiting anymore! You were always such a loser! You can't even wake up like a normal person!" Sasuke leaned close and yelled in his ear.
"J-erk." Naruto forced out the word and was confused to hear happy laughter. Somebody, no it was Tsunade, he knew her smell – hugged his neck and he felt tears on his face. Curiosity overruled the pain and lethargy to help him open his eyes. Another gasp at the pain of light.
"It's okay! Take your time." Tsunade had seen a flash of blue when she'd pulled back. "Here sip this." She held a straw to his lips and still smiling watched him drink.
Naruto could sense there were many pairs of eyes watching him and wondered what the hell was going on. Before they'd been talking loudly and now they were whispering. Sasuke was here and Hinata too. Obviously he'd been hurt but why were they all here? Again and again he tried to open his eyes. The light was bright and it hurt but after what seemed like hours he was able to leave them open and received more joyous laughter. It was several more minutes before he could focus and actually see.
Tsunade, Iruka, Hinata, Lord Hiashi, Kakashi-sensei, Sakura, Pervy Sage, Shikamaru, Ibiki and Sasuke all stood around his bed. "What?" Naruto was getting tired of them laughing and him not knowing why. "What?!"
Ibiki laughed deeply. The kid always made him laugh and he didn't even have to try. "Okay, I'm out of here. Welcome back to the land of the living Chunin Uzumaki." He saluted Naruto then sauntered out of the room.
"Huh? Chunin Uzumaki?" There was a serious frown and several blinks of his eyes then Naruto smiled and the room fell silent. "I did it. I DID IT! YEAH!" Of course his joy was replaced with pain as he jostled his suspended limbs and he looked down in confusion at his bandaged body.
Sasuke had a half smile on his face as Lady Tsunade chided him. He looked at Sakura's happy face to Kakashi's pleased expression. A sense of relief washed through him as Naruto complained to Lady Tsunade about what she'd done to him. "Yeah, he's back. He's back!" Then he surprised everyone by laughing.
Naruto looked over at him pain still flowing through him then seeing how happy Sasuke looked, laughed with him. The two touched fists – a bond unbroken.