The hokage drank some more sake and was thinking about pouring some more when her office door burst open. "I-its Naruto, hokage-sama! We need you immediately." Tsunade gave Kakashi a look of despair. She jumped from her chair. "I'm coming." She said quickly. When they reached Naruto, the hokage gasped; Naruto was covered in blood. She knew healing him would only painfully prevent the inevitable, but she knew she had to try. "I need some room, here!" she snapped. Sasuke was clawing to get at the blonde. "Get him out of here!" it took four nurses to drag Sasuke out of the room. When Tsunade looked at Naruto, she didn't expect to be greeted with red eyes. "Kyuubi!"

"You have to heal him and quick. He's been coughing up what's left of his kidneys for the past three minutes and he can't hold on long!" the fox said. The hokage quickly explained the situation, including about how making an antidote was impossible. "Heal everything at the same time then. Completely cleanse his system." The hokage frowned. "Don't you think, if I had even a quarter of enough chakra, I would try that?" she snapped. The Kyuubi laughed. "That's not a problem my chakra and yours should be enough."

"You would be willing to give your life for Naruto? Because you could die you know."

"Thanks to him, I felt what love was like. The bond between the kid and the Uchiha is amazing. To feel that everyday…kind of makes me want this body for myself. So…just do it." the fox gave the hokage its chakra and Tsunade mixed it with her own and desperately tried to heal Naruto and cleanse him of whatever kabuto had injected. About ten minutes later, she stepped back panting. "It…it wasn't enough." Sasuke then burst through the door, the nurses unable to hold him back any longer. "Is he going to be alright now?" he asked worriedly. The hokage decided now would probably be the time to tell Sasuke the real situation. "Sasuke… he's not going to get better." She said quietly.

"W-what?"

"He's beyond healing now and kabuto made the injection without knowing what he put in it. Even now I doubt that he has long, because every time I heal him he deteriorates faster. I'm so sorry Sasuke." The raven felt like he was going to be sick; this has to be some kind of a joke, right? "S-so you're doing to do nothing? Just s-sit back and watch him die?"

"Believe me Sasuke, if there was anything else I could do, don't you think I would try it?" she replied. "Its not like I wouldn't t-" she trailed off and looked at Naruto. The blonde was no longer shaking or whimpering and his breathing was normal. "I don't believe it… he's completely healed!" she exclaimed. She explained to Sasuke that when Naruto woke up, he shouldn't be in any more pain and that it wouldn't take him too long to recover. "I'll go and inform kabuto of the good news." She added with a smirk.

When she told the medic-nin she had cured Naruto, he simply laughed at her. "You might laugh, but Naruto is completely fine." She snarled.

"You still believe he's cured? You have countered one effect of the serum. You really think there wont be more? You really think, that after seven years, my creation could be defeated so easily?"

"You're bluffing." She said simply. "Its obvious that nothing else can happen to Naruto. I've completely reversed whatever the fuck you did and now your going to rot away in jail for the rest of your miserable life." Kabuto just smirked.

"How you underestimate me. That will be your downfall." She simply ignored him and called the guards. "I'm finished with him. Lock him away." She said.

When the blonde opened his eyes, he braced himself for the intense pain and was surprised when it didn't come. "Sasuke…the pain's gone." He said happily.

"I know dobe, the hokage put you right." He said

"Don't call me dobe, teme!" Naruto replied. Sasuke couldn't help but smile; Naruto seemed to be getting some of his usual spark back. "When you do get out of the hospital, I'm taking you home with me." The raven declared.

"Really? Says who?" the blonde replied.

"Hokage's orders." Sasuke said proudly. He winced when he realised Tsunade was behind him. He quickly threw her an apologetic look, hoping she would go along with his plan. She leant down and whispered something Naruto couldn't hear. "You owe me. Lets just say I'm going to make you very familiar with d rank missions." She said. Sasuke nodded; as long as he had his dobe back, he didn't care. 'Whoa…I'm still here then.'

'Of course you are, stupid fox.'

'You wouldn't be saying that if you had any idea what I- oh never mind.' Naruto didn't know what the fox was talking about and Kyuubi didn't seem to be in a sharing mood, so he decided to leave it. He climbed out of the bed slowly, only to be pushed back by Sasuke.

"Don't do that yet, dobe! You almost died!" he said. Naruto simply pushed him off and stood up. "Yeah, yeah. Stop living in the past teme." he said. "Hey, can I go for ramen?" the hokage looked at him.

"You haven't eaten for a while and considering the circumstances, I don't think your digestive system would tolerate something like that so soon." She said. "I also don't think you should be out of bed just yet." She added. Sasuke threw Naruto an I-told-you-so look. "But, you can leave after one more night." She said. Naruto knew this was the best deal he was going to get and he flopped back on the bed. "Don't worry teme, I'll be kicking your ass again in no time." Sasuke just smirked at him; glad he had his normal dobe back.