Chapter 5: Leaf Green

The hospital in Suna nowhere near as advanced as the one in Konoha. There were fewer ninja patrolling the linoleum tiled corridors and, from the little Naruto could gather, they hadn't even heard of chakra therapy. But a hospital was a hospital and he was more than glad they had managed to rush Sakura over in time, even though she hadn't woken up yet.

The hard seated chair was extremely uncomfortable and, considering he had been sitting in it for an entire day already, it was justified for him to say that he didn't want to sit anymore. However, he couldn't bear to leave Sakura to wake up alone because he knew that feeling and the pain it wrought. He was so tired though and hadn't slept a wink since the end of the mission.

He didn't know where Sai and Kakashi were, Kakashi would come in occasionally for a few minutes whereas Sai hadn't come in at all. Sai was never one to doubt a doctor's words and if he said Sakura was going to be fine, then she was going to be fine, and there was no point in wasting time. Still, Naruto thought, it wouldn't have killed the bastard to come at least once.

As Naruto found his head drooping forwards, he decided Sakura wouldn't mind too much if he slept for a little bit. She wasn't even awake anyways and he was only sleeping for a little while…

"How is she?" Minato asked, as concerned as Naruto was.

Naruto told him tiredly, "She'll be fine. She fainted from blood loss but we managed to get her to the hospital in time."

The Fourth nodded in understanding. His relieved expression morphed into a solemn one as he questioned quietly, "How are you?"

Shuffling uncomfortably, Naruto sat down on the pale yellow. After a moment's hesitation, he settled for something that resembled a shrug. Minato walked towards him until he came to a halt in front of the blue eyed boy and silence fell over the both of them, not for the first time.

Finally, a tortured whisper. "I was…I was so scared that I wouldn't be able to regain control. I could see myself moving but I couldn't-couldn't fucking stop it."

Minato sighed silently, sitting down in front of the Kyuubi container. Naruto avoided his searching gaze and fixed his eyes on the ground somewhere to his left, hugging his knees to his chest. It was one of the very few times he felt completely and hopelessly vulnerable.

"I almost killed Kakashi-sensei. What happens if I really kill somebody on my side next time? What happens if I really kill Kakashi-sensei, or Sai, or-or Sakura?" his husky voice trembled with fear.

As Naruto's voice trembled, the entire room began to shake. At first it was a gentle, unnoticeable shaking but as time progressed and Naruto's terrified thoughts overwhelmed him a violent quaking wracked the place. Somewhere, he could hear roaring, a nonsensical string of death and destruction. He was losing control.

Minato gripped Naruto by his shoulders and forced the boy to look at him. His cerulean orbs were clouded with fear and Minato's sapphire ones fought to contrast them with an unwavering calm. As the colour and endlessness of the Hokage's eyes drew Naruto in, he subconsciously focussed on the blue. The thoughts of utmost fear slowly subsided and the trembling room eventually came to a steady halt.

"If you let your emotions rule you, the Kyuubi will take over. What happened after Sakura got hurt is what will happen if you lose control but on a much greater scale. You must not lose control," his last words were spoken with steely conviction.

Naruto's eyes flicked away once again guiltily. He had come so close to the brink of releasing the Kyuubi and it was only because of this man he had been brought back. He couldn't allow another repeat of what had happened a few days prior. He couldn't.

"…okay," he managed.

Minato's hand reached out and sat atop Naruto's head. It was getting easier, Minato found, to treat this boy like the son he really was but he was hesitant; scared of driving the last link in his tarnished chain away. The urge to tell Naruto everything was overwhelming but at the same time, unfair to him.

His sapphire eyes blinked rapidly as he glanced up at the infinite ceiling blearily. It was times like these he really wished he had lived.

White. Detached, unwelcoming white.

Her jade eyes protested against the offending sight and her mind instantly filled in the blanks. That universal colour and sterile smell could only belong to one place she had spent more time than most anyone would have liked, the hospital. She closed her eyes again, trying to piece her memories back together.

Hospital…mission…and there was sand and the missing nin…and then Naruto…Naruto!

She bolted upright. Something shifted on her blanket covered legs and she glanced down at the source. Her eyes suddenly filled with tears as she realized who it was and she began to shake his shoulder roughly.

Naruto moaned in protest and mumbled, "What is it?"

"Naruto, Naruto, Naruto-"

His name was the only thing she could say and she spoke it, over and over again, until the tears rolled down her face and she was gasping for breath amidst her sobs. Her hands reached for the sides of his face and traced every last detail to make sure he was really there, to make sure he was alive. She pressed her forehead to his and closed her eyes, biting down on her lip in an attempt to quell her crying.

Maybe it was impolite but he kept his deep blue eyes open, watching her. His voice was soft as he murmured questioningly, "Sakura?"

"I thought- I thought you were dead," her voice broke.

Something snapped in his chest. He pulled her close to him, arms wrapped securely around her waist. She pressed her ear against his chest, listening for a heartbeat and for the life she had tried so hard to save as his coarse fingers threaded through her short hair. She gripped at his shirt so tightly her nails left marks in it afterwards, as if, if she let go she would lose him forever. Her entire body trembled in his embrace and he kissed the top of her head, rocking back and forth.

"Sakura, Sakura, I'm here and I'm alive, alright? I'm not going to leave you," he told her in a soft whisper and she nodded helplessly, fingers scrabbling at his chest.

"Never," she gasped, her speech distorted by the loud ragged sobs she let out.

He kissed her forehead, feeling his own eyes begin to water. What would happen if he couldn't keep his promise? What would happen if he couldn't find a way to save the seal and he ended up dying? He couldn't leave Sakura on her own, he could never do that, but how could he not? His heart was bursting and hers was breaking; what would she do if she lost him?

That would never happen, he told himself firmly. "Never," he repeated her words, holding her all the more tightly to him.

Outside the room, a navy blue mask pulled taut as its owner smiled a small, melancholy smile. An onyx eye gazed up at the whitewashed ceiling and a calloused hand slid into a grey pocket as the jounin leaned against the pale wall. His broken arm ached dully against his chest in its sling. It seemed as though his time as Team 7's leading figure had finally ended and, the man admitted to himself reluctantly, he would miss the role. He supposed that perhaps he had long lost his role a long time ago, when a sun kissed boy returned from a three year long training session, but had never really opened his eyes to it.

As he pushed off of the wall and walked away from his two former students, he followed the green signs towards the hospital cafeteria. He came to the conclusion that he was in dire need of coffee. When the brown double doors came into sight, he pushed through them and walked over to the cashier. He ordered a coffee, spotting his third black haired team mate as he did so, and sat down in front of him.

Sai looked up at Kakashi, who was stirring his dark coffee with a thin plastic stick. The copy-nin meticulously tore open one of five sugar packets and poured the first one in, and then the second. Taking an experimental sip of his coffee, his lips curved downwards in dissatisfaction and he set to opening the third and the fourth, pouring them both in as well. He didn't even bat an eyelid as he tore the last one and instead of putting it in his coffee, poured it straight into his mouth.

Sai supposed he was feeling the emotion called shock.

The plastic stick swirled the dark coffee around, causing a tiny whirlpool in its murky brown centre. It was only after Kakashi had taken his second sip that he looked up at Sai.

"Have you been waiting in the cafeteria the whole time?" his question seemed tired and drawn out, as though he already knew the answer but was merely filling in the silence.

Glancing away, Sai said nothing. For a moment, a striking resemblance to a brooding, prideful young boy flashed in Kakashi's mind but it fled in the next instant. When the pale artist finally brought his eyes to a single onyx one, he met it unflinchingly. For the first time, the copy-nin began to believe that maybe this boy was capable of emotion. Raw pain and confusion filled his eyes but from the silence the Root member instigated, he came to the conclusion that Sai had no idea how to deal with his feelings.

"Yes," he answered. His usually velvety voice seemed rough and frayed at the edges, as if he hadn't used it in a long while. He cleared his throat quietly and, sighing inwardly, Kakashi drank from his coffee cup deeply.

"So…you mean to tell me that you've been waiting out here for three days straight?" he pressed.

With a hesitant nod, the copy-nin's question was answered. Kakashi told him, "Sakura's awake now. She's fine."

So what if he was lying a little bit? It wasn't as if Sai would know any better and, as the ANBU member's shoulders relaxed visibly, the copy-nin had a feeling he had actually said something right for once. Although the pale artist tried to force down his relief, it escaped through a small, genuine smile that he tried to hide with the palm of his hand.

"And...Naruto?" Sai ventured tentatively.

Angry, terrifying images flashed in their minds for the briefest of moments. Sai's dark brown eyes lingered on Kakashi broken arm for longer than was comfortable. Kakashi remained unfazed and took another long sip of coffee before answering.

"He's fine. He's in control now," He said seriously.

Somehow, it was getting harder for Sai to speak. He couldn't find the right words to say and it was frustrating him. He began awkwardly, "He…Naruto- there were five tails and he…"

The cup clinked as a rough hand set it down gently. Kakashi began, "Naruto's seal is breaking. I'm not sure if he knows yet, but I'll tell Jiraiya when we get back. He's the one who knows how to deal with these sort of things."

Sai nodded and swallowed with some difficulty. A long, pregnant silence filled the air and a pair of dark eyes burned with the insatiable need to speak. Being in ANBU however, meant that he was able to hold in his words for as long as possible.

"If you have something to say, say it," Kakashi stated in a monotone, stirring the coffee around again simply for the sake of doing so.

Crimson eyes, burning like forest fires, crimson chakra, growing like five tails, and the blood splattered the ground like red rain-

Again, Sai looked like he was struggling for words. He managed, "I thought he was a monster."

-there was a ninja, rising from the sand like a god, but a flash of golden, a terrifying blur tore him down effortlessly-

The silence that followed was different, tinged with shame and intrigue. Sai continued, "Naruto just…just ripped open that man and pulled out his heart and he wasn't even dead yet."

-and the screaming, the screaming, but he never stopped and suddenly something was beating in his wet, red hand-

Kakashi watched Sai, stirring his coffee absentmindedly. He thought he could see the painter's hands tremble for the fleetest of moments but when he looked again they were still.

-bloodlust, twisting his face into something monstrous, and Sai swore he would never forget the way those eyes lit up with sadistic delight-

Sai felt like he was going to be sick but held back his bile. His gaze flickered up to the ceiling and then back down again in frustration because he didn't know what he was feeling. He knew he never wanted to feel it again.

-then it bled, with claws sinking into the flesh, and a silver saviour stepped in; only to be thrown against a wall like a rag doll-

Kakashi's broken arm moved uncomfortably and jarred painfully as he knocked it against the table on accident. He hid his wince however, and drank from his coffee cup again.

-then the screaming stopped. It sent shivers up his spine, paralyzing him to the ground with an emotion that blinded as the golden monster turned to him, and somehow, somehow, he knew he was next-

What would Sakura have done if she had seen Naruto lose control? Kakashi mused. He knew she had seen it before but never on that scale. Thinking about it now, Kakashi was quite relieved she hadn't seen the Kyuubi take control for those few terrifying seconds.

-but his bloodstained enemy fell, fell like lead to his knees and a hoarse sound burst from his mouth as he yelled for it to stop, for the torture to end. A flash of silver and a paper slip of rescue and as the blonde fell forwards in a faint, Sai swore he had never been more relieved.

"What would have happened if you couldn't get Naruto under control?" Sai asked.

The empty bottom of the coffee cup glared up at the both of them.

"I would have killed him."

The water was turning pink but he no longer cared. He was so dirty, so filthy, so impure but no matter how many times he tried to wash the blood off it felt like it was never enough. He could feel it, trickling down his face and over his fingers, and he could taste it in his mouth; a sickening metallic taste that made him retch.

He began to rub at his skin harder with the ragged cloth as the water beat against his back. For a moment, he could have sworn the water was red but when he blinked again it was clear as crystal. The smoke filled the entire bathroom, fogging the mirrors and windows, he was using too much hot water. His skin was red and blistered but he kept rubbing, his cerulean eyes glazed over and dead.

There was a knock at the door that barely registered in his mind. A muted, feminine voice asked, "Naruto, are you alright? You've been in there for more than an hour already."

He tried to open his mouth to speak but his throat had closed suddenly. He reached for the soap and ignored the stinging pain it wrought as it seeped into now open wounds. He rubbed with his wet cloth, and then rubbed harder. He wanted to call out her name but he couldn't, trapped in an eternal nightmare.

There was a second knock. "Naruto?"

He couldn't move. An image flashed in his mind of a still beating heart seeping blood and he swore he could still feel it in his hand, wet and pulsating. He had held life in his hand and had taken it away effortlessly. It made him sick to his stomach and pain ripped through him as if he were being burned alive, pain that brought him to his knees with a loud thud. He dry heaved loudly but he was suddenly shivering even though it was so hot…

"Naruto? Naruto, I'm coming in," her voice was rushed with worry.

The bathroom door opened and she was assaulted by a wave of obscuring steam. She could hear the shower running but apart from that it was so silent. Her jade eyes could faintly make out the shape of the shower cubicle and she made her way towards it, pulling the sliding door open.

"Naruto?" she whispered, her words tinged with disbelief.

His haunted blue eyes met hers. Her heart was suddenly so full of agony and she felt her breath catch in the back of her throat as she took in the scene. His knees were pulled tightly to his chest and he was trembling in the corner of the cubicle, like a vulnerable child.

She watched his mouth open and close like that of a fish; trying desperately to speak but unable to find the words or strength. He rose to his feet shakily and leaned against the dark shower wall for support, his eyes watching hers all the time. There was a silent plead for help in their depths, one she longed to satisfy but she didn't know what to do; she didn't know what was wrong.

Then she was pulled into the shower with him and into a desperate, needy embrace. Her clothes were now wet and clung to her body like a second skin, her last change of clean clothes. His face was buried in the crook of her neck and she could feel him trembling against her body. She moved her arms, placing them around his torso and pulling him closer to her to provide him with the comfort he needed.

He swallowed painfully and the palms of his hands cupped the sides of her face, meeting her beautiful green eyes. What happened if he lost control again? He might kill her, kill her like he had that rogue nin, and he wouldn't be able to stop it until it was over. The next heart he ripped out with his bare hands could be hers but he told himself he would sooner kill himself first. Sakura meant everything to him.

Time had stopped for the both of them as he looked deep into her eyes, as if looking for an answer to all of his questions. She leaned into his hands and placed one of her own atop his left one gently. Her jade eyes closed and she very softly squeezed his fingers but he took her hand and kissed the inside of her wrist, slowly and never tearing his eyes away from hers.

She placed her arms around his neck and pulled him into a deep kiss as the tears flowed down her face. A thousand emotions and feelings were poured into it, none of which she could name but knew somewhere in the back of her mind. He returned the kiss and held her tightly to him, desperately hanging onto her because the only thing that scared him was losing her.

She needed this.

He needed this.

As Naruto dropped to his knees in front of him, his head touching the floor in an expression of utmost respect, the Fourth found himself extremely surprised.

Naruto's voice was thick with emotion as he said, "Hokage-sama, please help me with the Kyuubi."

Bending down and sitting on the floor in front of Naruto, the Fourth studied his son contemplatively. He touched the back of the blonde's head with a slender, calloused hand gently and Naruto raised his eyes ever so slightly to meet Minato's gaze. A small, sad smile stretched over Minato's face.

"There's no need for you to bow to me. I'm no longer the Hokage and I'd much rather you call me Minato," he told the naïve boy with the patience of a wise sage.

"Minato-san," Naruto rephrased the man's title and slight happiness filled the depths of Minato's melancholy blue eyes.

"I was going to help you with the Kyuubi from the very beginning, Naruto, so there's no need to ask me for my help. How far away from Konoha are you right now?" The Fourth asked, acting as though nothing had happened a few moments prior.

"We just came in an hour ago," Naruto answered, sitting up self consciously.

Nodding in acknowledgment, Minato inquired, "How tired are you?"

Naruto's brow creased at the strange question but he still replied, "Not too tired."

"Alright. Go to the training fields and use as much of the fox's chakra as you can," he instructed Naruto and slowly, Naruto nodded.

He gasped for breath and staggered against a tree for support as his knees gave way. The training field was a battlefield of deep, circular holes and fallen trees; not a single trace of the healthy green grass that had been there previously remained. The entire area reeked of evil and corruption, as though it had been threaded into the foliage before anyone had noticed. Naruto shut his tired cerulean eyes for a moment and then they flashed open with determination as he forced himself to his feet.

Roaring, Naruto formed a glowing red Rasengan in his right hand and slammed it into the already tortured ground. As it rotated rapidly, the dirt flew up and around him like fireworks and marred his already grimy face. He hoped the Kyuubi's chakra was being depleted because he wasn't so sure how much longer his body would be able to take the physical strain.

His body had never felt so heavy, he thought. It was all he could to do drag himself along and running was out of the question. His blue eyes were half lidded with fatigue and if he had taken time to notice, his entire body was trembling with the slightest of shivers. An image of vibrant green eyes and a flash of pink was what kept him going.

A second, smaller Rasengan formed in his large hand, spinning at a painfully slow speed. He squinted in concentration and forced as much chakra into it as possible. For a moment, it grew to its usual size but as time passed it grew smaller and smaller until it was the size of a ping pong ball. The Rasengan disappeared with a hiss.

Then suddenly, he no longer had any chakra.

They were the most terrifying moments of his entire life. Something ominous, something dark chilled his blood and the fine hairs on the back of his neck prickled malevolently. His breath caught in his frozen throat and suddenly his heartbeat was too loud, beating, beating, beating…

He could still sense the Kyuubi's chakra in the depths of his seal but it was though he couldn't reach it anymore, as though…as though he had been cut off-

Minato's scream filled his head, "NO!"

Realization dawned on Naruto's face but it was seconds too late. His entire body pulsated and suddenly he was burning, burning from the inside out. A sickening smell reached his nose and his skin started to bubble and burst, bubble and burst in a twisted never ending cycle. He could feel the fangs starting to grow inside of his mouth and they pierced the thin skin of his lip as he tried to keep himself from screaming out in agony. His knees hit the ground heavily and his hands clenched into tight fists.

"Let me free! I will destroy Konoha! I'll crush it, crush it until not even the smallest child lives and then what will you do, Minato?! Minato!" The hysterical, animalistic screaming deafened him.

Naruto scrabbled to find Minato's presence in the back of his seal but the door was locked and bolted. He couldn't get in and was becoming desperate; Naruto needed Minato's help. Minato knew what to do, Naruto was sure of it, and his mind was in a frenzy as he pounded on Minato's door.

He could feel the power overwhelming him and he couldn't breathe. Blood trickled from the side of his mouth, sizzling as it came into contact with his skin and he could only see in shivering black and whites. His fingernails – his claws that ached for blood - dug deep into the flesh of his palms as he tried to force back the Kyuubi's chakra. He was losing himself slowly and becoming the Kyuubi – as his tails swished behind him powerfully – and the name Uzumaki Naruto began to fade into the recesses of his mind.

"I'll start with your child, I'll rip his throat open and cut his heart out!"

A scream erupted from Naruto's throat as he fought to keep control. His body pulsated again painfully and a wave of corrupted chakra covered the entire area. The trees shook in the surrounding area and evil spread through the city like a disease. Only a few people knew that chakra and instantly, four people raced towards the training field.

- I would die for Konoha Minato's eyes were dark with determination and suddenly jealousy raced throughout him as he flexed his claws and his chakra spiked -

Suddenly, an insatiable need to kill flooded through him and everything around him began to fuel the hatred growing in the bottom of his heart and he needed to destroy, destroy Konoha- NO!

"Naruto, Naruto, listen to me," He could hear Minato's voice in the back of his head but as he grit his teeth and tried to keep a hold of his slipping control, he found it difficult to concentrate on anything else.

"You have to remember who you are, you're Namikaze Naruto. You are not the Kyuubi, remember Naruto, remember."

Throwing his head upwards, Naruto's eyes morphed from a bloody red to a vibrant blue, from a bloody red to a vibrant blue in a painful struggle. His gaze rushed to everything around him but only one colour seemed to register in his mind and that was the deep green of the leaves. As he watched, the green morphed into something paler and into a pair of captivating, smiling eyes.

- everyone, this time get a good luck at my back she had looked like a goddess as her eyes lit with determination and then in that moment he knew he loved her –

- I'm sorry I wasn't there on the mission then he knew he never wanted her to suffer like that again; sadness never suited her and she always looked her best when she was happy -

- never never never and her jade green eyes filled with tears and suddenly his heart was bursting because he knew that he might not be able to keep that promise -

And he remembered.

Deafening silence pressed against his ears. The ground rushed towards him and he fell with an exhausted thump, his body bleeding and skin charred black. His chest rose at an unhealthy, unsteady pace and he could hear himself wheezing. Pain coursed through every last nerve but he was just so relieved because he was Naruto, he was Uzumaki Naruto not anyone else.

Next Chapter Preview : Father

Betrayed blue eyes glittered and Naruto repeated in the same pained whisper, "Why didn't you tell me that I'm your son?"

A/N:
Hooeey! Next chapter, Naruto finds out about Minato's true identity! It's actually a little difficult to write and I'm thinking about doing a longass character study on Minato. We don't know enough about him and it really pisses me off because how the hell would Minato act if Naruto asked him that question? Would he pretend he had no idea what was going on or would he be honourable and admit the truth? Ahh! It's frustrating! I'm actually really proud of the last scene. I felt the leadup was cool. I can't write, my fingers are frozen damn it.

Why didn't Naruto realize that Minato had called him Namikaze Naruto?
Well, when you're in pain you don't tend to notice these little things see. Minato slipped because damn it man, when your son is about to die you don't think 'Oh, wait, what happens if he finds out my real identity?' It's not going to matter if your son's dead! I love Minato, I really do. :)

How come Naruto remembers what happened to him when he lost control? In the anime and manga he has no recollection.
As the seal breaks and the Kyuubi has more control over Naruto. He can pin Naruto's conscious in one place and force him to watch everything the Kyuubi does. He can do almost anything he wants to Naruto at this point, and if one day Naruto gives up then all of Konoha is screwed.

Wouldn't Sakura have freaked out if a naked man hugged her?
Yeah, that was running through my head too. I'm just hoping you guys sort of overlook that, because if I was Sakura I would jump his bones faster than you could say ramen. I didn't want to put that Naruto was naked in there since that would ruin the mood. If I was reading something like that, I'd be giggling.

I thought Sai was an emotionless bastard?
Then doesn't that mean that Naruto losing control must have been really terrifying if it could worry an ANBU member?

Selandora (the sickeningly emotional undeniably sexy one you all must fear)