Author Note: Thanks to those lovely people that reviewed last chapter! Great news, folks! The story is getting better, and you'll find that out near the end of this chapter. Heeee. Between working, typing out a novel like mad, doing multiple tests at school, and playing Final Fantasy XII, I managed to get this up. Hurray! It took about five days to type up this time, which is odd, but anyways... enjoy the chapter and don't forget to review!
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Darkside
Wake up, Naruto
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Exactly three days had passed. Naruto, much to everyone's disappointment, showed little signs of making a full recovery. He hadn't changed one bit. Word had leaked around Konohagakure of Kyuubi's possession over Naruto, stirring worry and unhappiness within the hearts of many. Those who knew the blond well, having either befriended him or fought alongside him, became Naruto's only defense against the ever-growing amount of upset villagers.
Ruler of Konohagakure with immense strength, the Hokage stood up occasionally for Naruto, despite what others said. Like promised, she spent large periods of time working to come up with a solution that would help Naruto, and things seemed to be working out quite well in her favor.
Free from a silly (and horrible) burden known as paperwork, Tsunade studied a thin piece of paper that was caught between her thumb and index finger. Light from a small lamp placed beside her was the only thing bright enough to see by in Tsunade's personal room that was located in Konoha's Hospital. A steel door, used regularly, opened quickly to reveal Shizune and Ton-Ton.
"Tsunade, is the seal complete?"
"Yes... it is."
Shizune stepped around stacks of medical books covering everything from diseases to the human heart. Tsunade's desk, the one she had sat behind only recently, was barely visible. Only the dim light from her lamp guided the way. Dodging another stack of mostly hardcover books, Shizune could finally look at the seal Tsunade had created.
"Do you think it'll work?" She asked while juggling Ton-Ton in her arms.
"I've put everything into it, of course it'll work." She went silent and stood back up, studying the seal made for Naruto. "But... we won't know that for sure until we try it out"
Shizune nodded. The Hokage left her book-cluttered room with her accomplice and went straight for the floor Naruto was stationed on.
It was time to put a positive turn on things.
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Konohagakure stood out peacefully in the thick forest that surrounded it. Birds chirped happily, the air was warm, not a gust of wind was evident. The walls guarding Konoha stood as strong as ever, all thieves and crooks kept at bay, unable to make it over such high walls.
On a grass covered knoll, over looking all of Konohagakure, three figures stood within dim shadows that thin-branched trees created. Gaara, taking a small step forwards, gave the area around both himself and his sibling one last look before they moved on.
Tree after tree passed. Close to no conversations started among the siblings, they were here on business to help Naruto. They were serious. This time, things would go differently, Naruto had a higher chance of recovering and from Suna they brought only the best healing medicines.
Kankurou, now accompanying his siblings, had just finished a rather low ranked (what he considered 'low rank' anyways) and long mission. A small break was needed and when he found out of Naruto's 'illness', as Baki put it, he jumped at the chance to leave Sunagakure once more.
Having lived alongside Gaara, he witnessed firsthand what it was like to be a vessel for a terrifying creature. It was disturbing, unsafe, and made the person a total psychopath. Kankurou, though never withholding much knowledge of Naruto or being around enough for that matter, could never picture the ambitious blond as a savage creature.
Hopefully we'll get there in time, he thought . Or else, things are going to get ugly...
Ahead of him, the tall, strong gates of Konohagakure came into view, protecting its village from any enemy attacks or intruders. Gaara, leading them onwards, made quick small talk with the sentries at Konoha's main entrance before they went straight for Naruto's hospital room. It wasn't long before the three sand siblings stood before the sturdy building, each mentally preparing for the worst.
Kankurou blanched as the smell that accompanied most, if not all hospitals, choked his lungs and assaulted his nostrils. He felt incredibly dizzy, trying hard to adjust to everything, but to no avail.
"Oh come on, don't be such a baby," Temari said, giving Kankurou a hard shove that sent him flying down the main hallway. She smirked and passed him as he stumbled to gain balance.
"You'll regret that!"
Gaara, who was far from his siblings, turned down the right corridors as they went the opposite way. He went for the only stairwell and after a short walk, Gaara found himself on the floor Naruto was being stationed on. Keeping him somewhere for 'special cases' didn't lighten the view people had of Naruto, if anything else it only made things worse.
Room 502 stood before the young Kazekage. He glanced down the hallway, left, right, and it was completely empty. Nobody was up here, the only thing that remained from before was dead silence. Quietly, as to not disrupt the silence, Gaara opened the door to Naruto's room and stepped inside.
Absolutely nothing changed since he had left. Gaara noticed that Naruto looked like he was unable to move, as if he was frozen in time, his face still twisted in the same way like it had been before. A few 'Get Well Soon' cards decorated the small night stand by the blond's bed and several small gift packages as well.
Gaara relocated the faded hospital chair, which had been pushed closely into a corner and, without even breathing a word, he summoned sand to push it towards him. But, unexpectedly, nothing happen. True, his sand was much weaker now, and it disobeyed him many times in the past, but something just didn't feel right this time.
The door Gaara left open made a soft creak. The Kazekage spun around on the balls of his feet, his footwear making no sound at all.
"H-hello, Gaara."
Sakura stepped into the hospital room cautiously, not out of fear, but because she didn't want to disturb Naruto's sleep. Clasped between her hands was a small, finely packaged gift and it appeared as if someone put a tremendous amount of care into wrapping it. The kunoichi walked up to the blond's bed, succeeding in breaking down the fidgeting that arose from being under Gaara's emotionless gaze.
"You know," she said quietly, yet her words still echoed throughout the room. "Naruto has shown improvement since he became like this..." She unwrapped the small package delicately, careful not to rip anything, and gently pulled out a glistening yellow tulip. "This is my fault... that he ended up like this..." She placed the flower in a vase that had been placed on the night stand.
The silence that grew between them was unnerving. Sakura felt as if Gaara would kill her, now that she mentioned Naruto's conditioned was linked to her own mistakes. Gaara himself never moved, nor spoke. Had he been like before, with Shukaku overruling his thoughts, feelings, everything –he would've been angry and somewhat jealous of the attention Naruto was receiving. But now, things were different.
"This was inevitable, it's noone's fault but the demon sealed inside of him..."
Sakura nearly froze. She fully expected to be lashed out at. Then, before either ninja harboring great power could blink twice, a cloud of smoke appeared to reveal no other than Kakashi, the copy ninja.
Kakashi blinked, clearly not predicting that anyone could be in Naruto's room. He scratched the back of his head sheepishly, greeting both ninja and briefly explaining himself, though he got the feeling that Gaara really didn't care what his excuses were. Moving slowly, Kakashi watched Naruto remain in his unconscious state, completely unaware of what was going on in the world around him.
"Gaara," Kakashi finally said, in a calm tone that he used often. "The seal that was placed on Naruto by the Fourth Hokage has weakened greatly. Now, as I'm sure you know already, Naruto doesn't give up that easily, but there are chances that.."
"Stop that nonsense, Kakashi!"
Everyone stopped and turned to see Tsunade and Shizune standing the doorway. Had it been anyone annoying and brash, Gaara would have sent them out immediately. There were too many people crowding him now.
"Alright, step aside," the Hokage commanded as both her and Shizune marched towards Naruto. "We've got something that'll work. Now, everyone please leave." Tsunade turned to the stoic Kazekage. "Welcome back, Gaara."
Gaara nodded but, unlike Kakashi and Sakura, he didn't budge. He was going to stay in the hospital room no matter what, not even the Hokage herself could force him to leave.
"Kazekage-sama, if you would please.."
"I'm sure he'd like to stay here, Shizune," Tsunade interjected.
Gaara made no comment, simply watching silently as Tsunade pulled out a thin slip of paper from a medical book Shizune handed her. He could tell that it was seal and strode over, interested in how things would turn out.
Tsunade nodded towards Shizune, who leaned over Naruto's bed and pulled down the thin layer of sheets, revealing tight bandaging around his stomach. She expertly and carefully unwound the thin strips of material, tossing each onto the floor where they would be picked up later. Underneath, from what Gaara could see, lay a fading seal circled by small burn marks.
"What are those from?" He asked, unable to help himself.
"When Shikamaru and Sakura placed special seals on Naruto to prevent his chakra from evolving, they burned his flesh underneath his clothing. He reacted negatively, that's what happened."
Gaara hardened his gaze, eyes narrowing considerably. He crossed his arms, staring at the burn marks on Naruto's stomach and then to the seal Tsunade held between her fingers delicately, as to prevent any damage.
"Will that do the same?"
"No, this seal is to put a barrier over the Kyuubi, it won't hurt him at all, but there is a chance that he might react in a way I haven't anticipated already."
"Everything is ready," Shizune informed both Tsunade and Gaara, still weary of the red head's presence.
Tsunade concentrated her chakra on the seal trapped between her fingers. It began to emit a green glow, drowning out the dim light pooling into the room from curtain covered windows. She went to place it on Naruto's stomach, but a pale hand snaked out and prevented her from moving.
"Kazekage-sama!" Shizune gasped. "What are you doing?"
"Let me do it."
Tsunade stopped the visible flow of chakra and smirked. "You have to be a trained medical ninja to do this." Gaara released his hold on her wrist and glared daggers at the seal.
"I'll do it."
Wearily, Tsunade handed over the seal. All hard work and time put into that single piece of material could possibly go to waste, but she knew Gaara had enough chakra control and enough knowledge to handle it properly.
"You need to concentrate all your chakra into the seal," Shizune instructed. Gaara quickly had a green glow dancing around the seal. "Now, you need to carefully place it inside the seal that's already on his stomach."
Gaara lowered the seal. As soon as it touched the blond's flesh, the young Kazekage could feel his fingertips burning. He closed his eyes, focusing all his chakra to create a strong force, and pressed down harder onto the seal. Naruto began to move slowly and stiffly, then, with absolutely no warning, he sprang upwards as soon as Gaara finished successfully placing the seal inside the original one.
Sharp nails suddenly pierced through the clothing over Gaara's arms, ripping the pale flesh underneath. His sand never once acted up and warm droplets of blood seeped down his arm. It felt foreign, something he rarely experienced.
"I am not a monster!" Naruto growled ferally, causing Gaara to draw back, but Naruto's grip on him was too strong.
"Naruto-kun!" Shizune yelled. "Stop it! Please!"
"Shizune, he can't hear you." Tsunade frowned and went to break Naruto away from Gaara, becoming slightly nervous from the sight of the blood that began to drip off of the Kazekage's hands. She stopped when Naruto's eyes opened up and crimson coloured pupils settled on her.
Naruto turned his head, as if it had been mechanically attached to his neck, and let go of Gaara. His hands fell down and only seconds later he collapsed entirely, unconscious yet again.
Gaara, his arms shaking slightly, stood up straight and glanced back at Naruto.
"It's alright now," Tsunade's voice filled the room. "Naruto is going to be just fine."
Continued in chapter 15!