AN: hey, just thought you'd like to know what the grave symbol is. It's the traditional rounded tombstone with a few curved lines at the bottom for grass. If I get reviews of people who don't understand I'll try and post a pic of it somewhere and give the link.
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Chapter 3: Pain of a Kunai
"Sakura!" was the last thing she heard before the kunai struck, but not the last thing she felt. An arm grabbed her around her waist and pulled her back and down. When she opened her eyes she was on all fours, facing Sai's body. The arm let go of her waist and she realized someone was crouching over her.
"Now that you're here, I think Sai could use your help," said Naruto in her ear.
Sakura turn her head to see that it was Naruto that grabbed her and pulled her back. "Naruto…" she started.
"I'm fine, but I don't think Sai's breathing," said Naruto getting up, he was slouching forward greatly.
Sakura kept staring at him, watching as he straitened up and cringed. Then Naruto turned around and the tears Sakura managed to force back started sneaking out, eight or nine kunai were sticking out of Naruto's back. "Oh, Naruto," she said.
"I'm fine, help Sai. I'll take it from here," Naruto said taking a step forward.
"I must commend you for standing in your condition, though, a smarter man would've stayed down," said the man as Naruto continued to walk towards him.
Sakura was bending over Sai, healing his wounds, trying to bring him back. She was focused on him, but every few seconds she would steal a glance at Naruto.
"I don't know who you are, and I don't really care, you attacked my friends, and now you're gunna have to deal with me," said Naruto, still walking slowly towards the two.
"Hear that Fraya, now we have to deal with him. Do you mind if I deal with him?" the man asked.
"By all means, you called dibs on the group when we attacked," Fraya said waving a hand.
The man grinned and flung two kunai at Naruto. He didn't have time to react and was struck by both in the abdomen. Naruto stumbled backwards and fell to his knees, his head on the ground.
Slowly he started to get up, his arms and head hanging limply, and his body hunched forward again. As Naruto's legs straightened he swayed a bit, then his body straightened up and he looked at the man.
Naruto grabbed one of the kunai in his stomach, "you friend is right," he yanked the kunai out, "your aim sucks," he switched the kunai to his right hand, "mine however," he threw the kunai at the man and it struck him in the cut Sai gave him in his right forearm, digging deep, "is dead on."
The man grabbed the kunai with his left hand and was staring at the wound, teeth grinding. He didn't see Naruto take the other kunai out of his gut, or see him cross him arms over his chest and pull them back and apart quickly, causing the kunai in his back to pop out and land a few feet behind him.
All he saw was Naruto, with his right hand pulled back. He pulled the kunai out of his right arm, and clenched his right fist. Then he ran for Naruto, ready to hit him dead in the face.
But as the man got closer Naruto brought forward his right hand, holding the Rasengan. The two collided, the fist and the charka sphere. On contact the skin, muscle, and bones of the man's right hand started flying everywhere as the Rasengan shredded his hand. But it didn't stop at the hand, the man's momentum kept his arm moving forward, it didn't stop until the Rasengan reached the elbow.
The man gritted his teeth in pain and swung his left hand towards Naruto's chest, kunai in hand. But Naruto beat him to the punch, and stabbed the man in the chest with his kunai.
The man fell to the ground and Naruto stepped over him, Rasengan still in his hand as he approached Fraya.
Naruto ran at her, and she fell to her knees, hands together above her head, "please I surrender."
Naruto froze, the Rasengan vanished, "what?"
"Take me prisoner, you win, I'm your captive, just please don't kill me," she said, pleading.
Naruto was shocked still for a moment, then he took out rope and started tying Fraya up, cringing at almost every one of his movements. As they walked past Naruto checked the man, he was dead, Naruto stopped in front of Sai and Sakura and fell to his knees.
At that moment Kakashi walked out of the cave, "well, this one's clear," then he saw the others, "what the hell happened?" he asked walking up to them.
"We got attacked. How's Sai?" Naruto asked.
"He's barely alive, I can't do anymore here, we need to get him back," said Sakura.
In an instant Sai was in Kakashi's arms, "I'll take him immediately, you two follow with the prisoner," he said before vanishing.
"Naruto, let me see your wounds," Sakura said moving closer to him, Fraya watching the two.
Naruto took off his jacket and shirt and Sakura started to heal his back and abdomen, all the while he didn't take his eyes off Fraya.
"You know, if you would have said that you were jounin we would have left right away, both of us," Fraya said.
"Well, that'd be a lie, we're not jounin," said Sakura.
"What then, ANBU, highly advanced Chuunin?" she asked.
"We're not ANBU either," Sakura said as she finished and Naruto put his shirt and jacket back on.
"You though, you have to be jounin at least," said Fraya staring at Naruto.
"Sorry, I'm just a genin," Naruto said.
"WHAT?" yelled Fraya.
"Yeah," Sakura smiled, "and he graduated dead last too," she said.
"That's not possible, you must be jounin level," Fraya said as they started walking.
"Nope, I wish I was, but I'm just a genin," Naruto said with a smile.
"I'd hate to see a jounin form the leaf, if you're just a genin," Fraya said.
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"Tsunade! Kakashi and Sai have returned, but there's no sign of Naruto or Sakura," said Shizune bursting into the Hokage's office.
"What? Where the hell are they?" demanded Tsunade rising to her feet.
"The hospital," was all Shizune managed to say before Tsunade blew past her and out the door.
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Kakashi was sitting on a bench outside emergency room 12, waiting for word on Sai.
"Kakashi, what the hell happened, and where are Naruto and Sakura?" demanded Tsunade running up to him.
"I'm not sure what happened, aside from us being attacked, but Sai is in there, and Naruto and Sakura are on there way. I rushed ahead with Sai because of the condition he was in, they should be here in a few hours with their prisoner," said Kakashi.
"Prisoner? So someone was there?" asked Tsunade sitting down.
"No, we only got to check one place and it was deserted, had been for years. Sai and Sakura were keeping watch while me and Naruto went it, we hear a scream, Naruto fearing the worst for Sakura rushed out, I finished searching the cave, when I came out Sai was down, Sakura trying to heal him, Naruto had one person dead and another tied up," said Kakashi.
Tsunade nodded, "tell them to give the Prisoner to Ibiki, see if there was any reason behind the attack, or if thy know anything about Akatsuki," said Tsunade standing up.
"What are you going to do Tsunade?" asked Shizune.
"What I can for Sai," said Tsunade walking into the emergency room.
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Hours later Sakura and Naruto walked up to Kakashi who was still outside the emergency room.
"Kakashi-sensei, how's he doing?" asked Sakura.
"I don't know, but Tsunade is in there working on him. Where's the prisoner?" he asked.
"One of the gate guards took her to be interrogated," said Naruto.
"What happed back there?" Kakashi asked.
Naruto and Sakura began telling him what happened. When they finally finished the light above the door went off and Tsunade walked out.
"Granny, how is he?" asked Naruto.
Tsunade didn't show the smallest hint of anger at the name, "he didn't make it, the wound on his back did irreversible damage to the nervous system. At best he would've been paralyzed. But some of the cuts were too high up," she said.
"What do you mean too high up?" asked Naruto.
"Nerves that sent messages to the heart and lungs were damaged too, that's why he wasn't breathing when you looked at him," said Sakura.
"I'll need to know what happened," Tsunade said.
"It's all my fault," said Naruto.
"What? No it's not, you were in the cave," said Sakura.
"I watched them fight, I saw when he got the cuts on his chest and arm, and then on his back, if I had jumped out sooner," said Naruto.
"Or, if you had listened to my order, both of them could've died, you gave Sai a fighting chance, and potentially saved Sakura," said Kakashi.
Naruto looked at him; he knew he was trying to cheer him up, so he let him, "thanks Kakashi-sensei."
"After the funeral I want you three to head out again and check the other three locations. I'll find a temporary fourth member for the mission," said Tsunade and the three nodded.