Chapter 6: Decision

I'm back! I think i scared a lot of people with my ending of the last chapter. Let's see what happens! Happy New Year everyone! I don't have a resolution but it would probably be to eat more. :3

Disclaimer: Nope

Recap: I haven't told Hinata this yet... But i believe her career as a shinobi is over.

The room was silent for some time before Neji finally spoke. "What do you mean?" He glowered angrily. Tsunade sighed and held up a hand.
"I ran a few tests and looked at the damage myself. Her muscles have been ripped to shreds along with half of the bone. Her nerves have been burned beyond repair. There is no way to repair her leg."

"But wouldn't her body try to repair the damage itself?" Neji asked.

"Normally, Yes. However, the Jutsu used on her leg was Amaterasu. It burned all her chakra points and important nerve cells. The only way to fix this... Is to cut her leg off and replace it with a prosthetic leg instead."

"May I see her?" The concern in Neji's voice was surprisingly obvious. The stoic shinobi rarely showed emotion in public. Tsunade's eyes softened and a slight smile twitched at her lips. "Of course. The rest of you can see her too but under any circumstances do NOT mention her leg wound, got it?" She sternly looked at every person in the room. They all nodded quickly.

"Alright I'll be going." With that, Tsunade left.

"I need to visit her. What are the rest of you gonna do?" Neji asked. Sakura quickly stood up.

"I'm going to visit... Sasuke-kun." She mumbled, glancing at Naruto. He smiled at her. "Don't worry Sakura-chan! I don't mind." She nodded gratefully and quickly hurried off.

"Huh, that's an obvious lie, Naruto." Neji scoffed.
Naruto stayed quite. "I don't really have a choice." He muttered.

"We will wait here." Shino answered for himself and Kiba.

The door opened quietly and a tall figure stepped into the cold room. Hinata seemed asleep but Neji knew that was just an act. He could almost see the million thought trailing into her mind.

"Hinata-sama," he quietly spoke to announce his presence. Her head quickly snapped up and she smiled.

"Neji-nii-san!" Her pearlescent orbs shined brightly at seeing his face. Neji smiled and pulled a chair beside her bed.

"How are you?" He asked.

"Alright" She answered quietly. Obviously not. Neji chose to ignore her gloomy voice, instead focusing on another topic. "Tsunade-sama told me you will be getting out of the hospital in a week or so. Shall we continue our regular training when you are dismissed?" A gentle smiled escaped Neji's lips and Hinata's heart swelled. Even though here was no possible way for her to be fully active, he was still willing to try. She clutched his hand and smiled softly. "Of course."
For the next few hours, both cousins sat in blissful silence, relishing this rare chance to peacefully be together without anyone interrupting.

Neji looked at the clock and scowled. It was time for him to leave. Reluctantly, he let go of Hinata's hand and stood up. Lavender orbs started at him quizzically. "I need to get going." He sighed. Puzzled, Hinata turned her head to look at the beautiful sunset glowing through the window. Her eyes widened.

"Oh! I kept you for such a long time. Sumimase, Ni-san!"

"Don't be, Hinata-sama. It was my choice to stay this long in the first place." He gave her one of his rare smiled and quietly left. Hinata sighed lightly. Thankfully, she had been able to keep her fear out of their conversation. Truthfully, she was scared. Having been medically trained under Tsunade before, Hinata knew perfectly that her leg had sustained too much damage and there was no way for her to fix it. She had built up courage and prepared for the worst, but Tsunade never mentioned anything about her leg. Too shy to ask, Hinata had remained quite as her courage ebbed away by the minute. She was grateful to Neji. Not once had he mentioned her injury, instead, focusing in cheering her up. A slight knock on the door halted her trailing thoughts. Who could it be? She wondered. When the door slid open at her quite approval, Hinata's eyes widened slightly. Lee quietly took a seat beside Hinata.

"Hello, Lee-san" she smiled at her visitor, wondering why he would visit her.

"Hello, Hinata-san. How are you?" His voice contained none of the usual cheerfulness he carried. Instead, he had lowered it and spoke like a normal person. Hinata nodded.

"I have been better."

"I see. Is it alright if i visit you again tomorrow?" Lee asked a bit nervous.

"Of course!" Hinata beamed, glad that someone would be visiting her. "I look forward to it."
Lee turned his head to look at her and his face brightened immediately.

"Hai! Hinata-san. I shall visit you tomorrow." He stood and saluted to her before leaving. Hinata giggled. It had been quite unexpected that Lee had visited her. She idly traced circles on her blanket, lost in thought once again. I wonder if he would visit me. Hinata quickly shook her head. Why would he? All i had done was cause him trouble by passing out. I doubt he would even want to look at me. Gloomy thoughts filled Hinata's head again but she quickly shook them away. I should not think like this. Suddenly, another knock resounded at the door. Puzzled, Hinata murmured a soft enter. The door opened to reveal the object of her affections.

"N-Naruto-kun!" She spluttered. Surprise filled her mind.

"Hello, Hinata." He spoke softly and sat down beside her. "What'ya doing?" He asked.

"Nothing really." She muttered, a soft smile adorning her lips. Naruto's heart skipped a beat as he looked at her beautiful face. Those lavender orbs of hers really mesmerized him. In a dazed state, his hand moved to her face to caress her cheeks just to find out if they were as soft as they looked. "Naruto-kun?" Hinata's soft voice snapped him out of his daze. He shook his head and focused on her face to see her in cute puzzlement. He laughed at her expression, making her blush a few shades of red.

"I came to see if you were doing well." He said, still smiling.

"I'm alright." Hinata muttered. A permanent blush graced her cheeks.

"That's good to know" Naruto muttered. His previous laugh had left him and only empty silence remained. Blond locks covered his eyes. "I'm sorry... It's my entire fault." He murmured.

"Eh?" Hinata was puzzled. Why would Naruto blame himself for something he never was responsible for?

"If i had noticed sooner, i could have saved you. You had to protect me instead. If only-" Hinata quickly silenced him.

"Naruto-kun, please don't blame yourself. It was my decision to protect you."

"But why did you! If you hadn't done that... You would have never lost your leg." His fists tightened and he lowered his head.

"I did it because you are...precious to me, Naruto-kun. Also, what kind of friend would i be if i couldn't even protect you?" Naruto's eyes widened at her statement. She considered him a friend!

"Arigato, Hinata" Naruto smiled.

"Of course, Naruto-kun." Hinata beamed. An idea formed into Naruto's mind. "Ne Hinata, do you like ramen?" He asked her.

"Yes, i do." Hinata responded softly. Naruto's smile turned into a grin. He made a few hand seals and 2 clones poofed into the room, startling Hinata.
He handed them a hastily scribbled note and shooed them off. They saluted to Hinata and jumped out of the window.
In a matter of minutes, both clones returned with steaming bowls of ramen. One of them handed a bowl to Hinata while the other gave a huge tray to Naruto. He released them both and grinned. "Instant Ramen! Enjoy, Hinata."
A giggle escaped the young woman's mouth as she gladly accepted the dish. Both of them ate in peace, Naruto slurping away loudly and Hinata delicately taking a few bites at a time.

A slight yawn escaped Hinata's lips as she set her bowl down.

"Thank you so much, Naruto-kun!" She smiled.

Naruto's cheeks tinted red and he looked away, muttering something silently.

"Well! You must be tired, Hinata. I'll come by and visit again." Naruto stood up and stretched. Hinata nodded and burrowed under her covers. The blond shinobi looked at Hinata's sleeping form and smiled. I'll definitely come and visit again. He walked across the room, turned off the lights and led himself out, closing the door behind him. Immediately, he was bombarded with complains and questions.

"Why did it take you so long? We need to visit her now." Kiba whined. Naruto scratched his cheek and laughed nervously. "Well, we talked and talked until it was quite late and Hinata was tired. Ahaha..." Shino stepped forward and spoke slowly. "Tomorrow, we visit her first. Got it?" For an emphasis, a few of his bugs crawled out of his body and on Naruto, who shrieked and shook them away. "Got it!" He stepped away slowly and ran for his life.

Hinata's eyes were wide open. She hadn't slept a wink since Naruto left. All she could think about was their conversation. Naruto-kun gave me courage. Just because I have a broken leg, it does not mean the rest of my body is dead. I will definitely work hard to compensate for that leg! With those thought of determination in her mind, Hinata closed her eyes and went into a deep slumber.

Sakura quickly walked down the endless hallways of the Konoha hospital, eventually arriving in one of the more secluded ones. Turning down another hallway she walked straight and stood in front of s door guarded by two Anbu. She stated her name and showed them her ID. They nodded once to her and let the pink haired kunouchi in. Only a few members of Konoha were allowed to visit Uchiha Sasuke. Sakura was fortunately one of them. She slowly walked inside the dark room. Sakura flipped the switch on the wall next to her and a dull light filled the room. There, at the far corner of the room, she saw her beloved on the hospital bed, blind folded and chained. Sakura walked towards him in a dazed like state. She stopped about an arms width away and studied his handsome face. It had been years; years since she last touched him. She slowly traced the outline of his face with her finger, assuming he was asleep. She flinched when a hand suddenly grabbed hers. "S-Sasuke-kun, please let go." She whispered, afraid he might break her hand. Surprisingly, he obliged and released his steel grip. Sakura reached into her pack and pulled out a small bentou. She put it next to his table and took a deep breath. "Sasuke-kun, please eat this bentou. You haven't eaten anything for a long time."

"I don't want to eat anything. Leave me alone." His cold voice pierced Sakura's heart and she winced, silent tears forming her eyes. She obeyed his wish and stood up. Striding towards the door, she flicked of the light and closed the door, glancing at his face just once more. After exiting, Sakura walked dejectedly towards the exit. If only he would acknowledge me a bit more... She almost bumped onto her teammate as she turned left into a hallway.

"Ah! Sakura-chan. Watch where you go." He grinned at her but she only gave him a quite apology. Naruto's face turned serious. "What's wrong? Did Sasuke do something to you?" Sakura quickly shook her head. "No, no. Everything is fine! I was just on my way to eat. Do you want to come?" She asked, hoping to divert his attention. "Well, alright!" Sakura smiled and continued walking forward. He might not have acknowledged me today, but I'm sure with time, he will!

Alright! This was a crappy chapter. This one was just a little thingy to get my story going. My next chapter will be published when I'm motivated. To motivate me, you need to review. Tell what you think of my story and what i could do better. Me like reviews. :D

~Thejollyhyuga