Two Tails: Rose does not own Naruto, Hinata would hate her if she did.
Rose: Why would Hinata hate me if I owned her character? You make no sense Gaki. Go back to sleep! (Bashes Two-Tails on the head)This chapter will mark the beginning of a change in Sakura's behavior. Bear with me as I slowly begin changing an abusive spoilt little girl into something that somewhat resembles a normal human woman who isn't on a bad PMS trip 24/7.
Chapter Fourteen: Meeting with a Demon
Morning light streamed through the windows of the hospital room waking Kakashi from his light doze. He sat up running a weary hand over his face and made sure his mask was still in place. Then he looked towards the bed and saw that Naruto was just as still as he had been all night long. He gazed at each of the machines that were measuring the boys lifesigns and perused each one careful for any signs of a change. Nothing they all looked the same to him as they had last night. Across from him Tsunade was sleeping in her chair. Someone had come in and tossed a blanket over her lap while they slept. Probably Shizune since Sakura . . .Oh Crap! Sakura! He'd left her tied to the stump at the training field. Well hopefully someone had found her and released her so she hadn't had to spend the whole night there. But she was still going to want to beat him to a pulp. He was just getting to his feet when a very angry pink-hair harrigan came storming into the room bellowing at the top of her lungs. A quick glance at Naruto showed him the blond jinchuuriki hadn't heard anything.
"How dare you," Sakura screamed.
Tsunade came awake with a well thrown punch and Sakura found herself on the floor gasping for breath. Tsunade blinked once as she stood up and turned to face her student. In a low voice she ground out, "How . . . dare . . . you! This . . . is a . . . HOSPITAL." She advanced on Sakura's position while Sakura did her best to scoot to safety. "You know better than to come into a patients room bellowing like a stuck pig." Tsunade's hands clenched and Sakura kept her eyes on them warily.
She gulped and stammered, "I'm sorry Tsunade-shishui. I was just so angry at Kakashi-sensei I didn't realize where I was. He left me tied to a post after that Naruto lost control again." She pleaded for understanding with tears rolling down her cheeks. She knew Tsunade didn't like to see her people cry but she also didn't like them mistreated so she hoped to sway her anger over to Kakashi with the tears. It didn't work.
However it didn't work. It just reminded Tsunade of her other recent bad behavior. "Ah yes. Your punishment for trashing Naruto's home. You deserve much more than simply being tied up for a couple of hours. It cost me a lot of money to replace all those doors and have his cabinets replaced not to mention having to do without Shizune's help all day since all of his linens had to be replaced as well as his bed and coffee table and other furnishings. But you didn't think about that did you when you wrecked the place?"
Sakura gulped. "I didn't do all that."
"No you just made it possible for others to finish what you started by leaving them a way in. I was told to get you under control and teach you some manners but I honestly didn't think you were that petty of a girl. I'm sorry I was wrong. You disappoint me and you will remove yourself from this room and this hospital now or I will throw you out. Oh and you will be paying for all the cost of repairs to Naruto's home yourself and never again will you go there unaccompanied by a superior. His home is off-limits to you as of right now. Now GET OUT OF MY SIGHT."
Sakura stood up and fled. She didn't stop running until she got home where her mother was waiting. Seeing the mess her daughters clothes were in she said, "And just where were you that you're still wearing the same clothes you left the house in yesterday morning?"
"I was tied to a post at the training field. And by the way thanks for caring enough about me to come looking for me."
"You were gone all night without a word to me about where you were or when you were coming home and now you seek to place the blame on me?"
"I always come home at night when the team isn't on a mission out of town. The least you could have done was come looking for me when I didn't show up," Sakura growled back.
"And where would I have looked? Maybe I should have gone to that boys house your always going on about. Oh yeah, that's right. He doesn't let you in there does he. So maybe the other boy on your team knew where you were. Oh that's right," She snapped her fingers in the air. "He's in the hospital in some kind of comatose state and has been since yesterday afternoon. So just who should I have asked in order to find you?"
"How about either one of my sensei's Mother? It seems they both knew where I was and maybe if you had I could have come home last night. Instead I had to spend the entire night tied to a stupid stump that I only got untied from because Guy-sensei and his student came by on their early morning run hoping to coerce my sensei into running with them."
"It is not my responsibility to find you. It's your responsibility to let me know what your plans are and if you are going to be out past your curfew you know you are supposed to get permission first. Consider yourself grounded young lady. You are not to leave this house unless you are picked up by one of your senseis in person." Sakura's mom turned and left the room. "Oh and stay off the phone too." She had the grocery shopping to do and she was furious with Sakura for causing her to spend the night worrying about her.
Sakura stood where she was in shock. Could her day get any worse? It was just starting and already she'd been subjected to a lecture on youthfulness by the two weirdest guys in the village, yelled at by her sensei and Hokage when she had been rightfully angry at her other sensei, told she was going to pay for damages to the Baka's place she hadn't caused and now she was grounded as if she were still a ten-year old kid. What else could go wrong? She fled to her room, crying.
Sasuke headed for the hospital hoping to find Naruto awake and recovering so he could tell him his stuff was safe. Halfway there Jiraiya stepped into his path. He stopped and stared at the Sannin waiting for him to say what was n his mind.
"What did you do with Naruto's things? I know that you took them from the cave so hand them over and I'll keep them safe for him until he can retrieve them himself."
"No." Sasuke stepped around Jiraiya and proceeded down the street towards the hospital. Jiraiya followed talking about how he was the only person to be trusted with Naruto's treasures all the way there and up to the reception desk where Sasuke just talked over him asking for Naruto's room number. He headed down the corridor to Naruto's room and Jiraiya followed. Sasuke continued to ignore him and passing nurses tried to shush him but Jiraiya kept getting louder and louder. Sasuke pushed the door open and went to step into the room. As Jiraiya went to follow him Sasuke put one hand out. "Stop," he said. "You will not disturb my visit with my teammate with your inane dribble when we both know all you really want to do is pry into his business and read his private journal. It's called a PRIVATE journal for a reason and I will not turn it over to you. If he wants you to see it then he can put it in your hands himself when he is able to do so. Now go away." He stepped into the room and let the door shut in Jiraiya's face. He turned and saw both Kakashi and Tsunade looking at him in shock.
"What?" he asked as he stepped over to the bed and looked down on the peaceful-looking Naruto.
"You really can talk,"sputtered Kakashi.
"You just told off a guy who could tie you up in so many knots it'd take years to get them all undone," said Tsunade.
"Hn," was Sasuke's reply.
"Wait. Did you say Naruto keeps a journal," asked Tsunade.
Sasuke looked at her and muttered, "Don't." The look was full of intent and somehow she knew he'd do his level best to back it up. She backed over to where Kakashi stood propped up against the wall.
"He won't give it to anyone but Naruto himself. Sasuke and Naruto are very close. It was Naruto that brought Sasuke back here when Orochimaru tried to turn him against us. It is Naruto who is always helping him get stronger and it is Naruto who has promised to help him get his brother to explain why he killed the family. He will never let anyone know what Naruto doesn't want them to."
Tsunade looked at Sasuke with new eyes. She had known the boys had a bond but she didn't realize it was that deep. The only other bond she knew of that could possibly rival it was the bond between Gaara of the Sand and Naruto. But she knew that if she asked Gaara to try and get the journal for her he'd refuse on the same grounds Sasuke had just given them. The journal was Naruto's private thoughts and until he released it or died it was no one else's business.
Next to come into the room was Ino with Watarimono. Both mind readers looked to the patient and then at his visitors.
"I figured Pinky would at least come see how he's doing since she is his teammate," said Watarimono.
"Oh she came by but it was only to yell at Kakashi for leaving her tied to the stump yesterday when the pulse wave went out," laughed Tsunade. "She got reminded very forcefully it is never a good idea to wake me up by yelling and that it is definitely not a good idea to do it in a hospital room where a patient is sleeping."
"Tsu, you didn't hurt her too badly did you?" laughed Watarimono.
Tsunade shook her head but her grin said she had enjoyed herself. "I gave her one solid punch to the gut when she woke me up but that was just because she happened to be standing too close when I did. However, I did give her a lecture over her recent bad behavior. She really isn't a happy girl right now." Tsunade didn't notice Sasuke's pleased expression but Watarimono did and so did Ino.
"Watari, do you think you could go into Naruto's mind and see why he isn't waking up? If we knew the cause we might be able to find a treatment to bring him out of it,"explained Kakashi.
"I could try but not without back-up. Ino I know I'm training you but this boy isn't a normal child. Do you think you could go and get your Dad to come? I'll be the one to go in but I'd like to have you and your Dad stand by to pull me out in case the Demon tries to trap me there." Ino nodded and took off to go find her dad, thinking all the way how annoying it was that she kept calling Naruto a child or a boy. He was eighteen years old and that made him a young man.
She knew her dad would most likely be with Shika and Choji's fathers at the Shogi parlor so that's the first place she looked. They weren't there so she checked the Bar-b-que joint Choji's family liked but they weren't there either. That left her dad's favorite hang-out so she headed for the local nin bar which was still closed. Where could they be? She headed for the street they all lived on and stopped at Choji's house but his Mom said they weren't there. She started to go past the flower shop but decided to pop in just to see if her mom knew what her dad's plans for the day had been. She found her mom in the backroom dealing with a delivery and asked, "Mom, do you know where Dad was planning to be this morning? Watarimono-sensei has need of his help in figuring out what's wrong with Naruto."
"Yes, Dear. He was planning to help count the herd on the Nara Estate."
"Ok thank-you Mom. You're the best."
"Wait a minute Honey. What do you mean what's wrong with Naruto?"
Ino called an answer over her shoulder as she headed for the front door. "We don't know Mom. He's sleeping but it's not a natural sleep and we can't figure out why. Don't worry though. The seal is still intact."
She never heard her mother say, "I wasn't worried about that. That's obvious since the village is still standing and nothings on fire or destroyed. I was worried about him. Maybe I'll put a bouquet of nice smelling flowers together for him. I know which ones he really likes since he comes to me for seedlings so often." She began to hum as she arranged the flowers in the shop, pulling some of them out and testing them against each other to see what worked best with what.
Ino had hurried to the Nara Estate and was led by Shikamaru's Mom to where her dad was posted. "Dad," she said. "Watarimono-sensei sent me to find you She is asking if you would help her. Tsunade-sama doesn't know what's wrong with Naruto and Kakashi thought maybe with our mind jutsu Watarimono-sensei could discover why he is so deeply sleeping but unnaturally so. Watarimono-sensei is asking if you will act as her back-up since Naruto does house a demon who might try to trap her in his mind?"
"Of course I will come help her. It is a great honor for either of us to help Rakki Otome No Jiko in whatever she needs assistance on. She is the highest ranked person in our whole clan. I hope you are treating her with full respect." The last of his statement was actually a question and Ino bobbed her head in answer as Chouza and Shikato laughed. Her dad wasn't one to stand on formality all that much and it was strange to hear his speech pattern change over her new sensei but Ino was getting used to it.
"I must go to my kinswoman's aid now. I'll come back as soon as I know that she is safe."
"It's ok," said Shikato. "Family first."
"Thank you," Inoichi said as he took off with Ino for the hospital where Naruto lay.
From the Nara estate they went straight to the hospital and arrived in short order in Naruto's room where Inoichi bowed low to Watarimono and greeted her.
"Rakki Otome No Jiko, my daughter has said that you request me to assist in a mind transfer? How may I assist you?"
Ino rolled her eyes while everyone face faulted. Everyone except Watarimono. She just blew out the air in her lungs and said, "First off my name is Watarimono. I earned it and that is what I wish to be called although you can shorten it to either Wata, as Tsu calls me or to Watari as Kashi calls me. You may not call me by that other name anymore. Is that clear?" Inoichi paled and nodded his head vigorously. "Secondly, I am going to try to enter Naruto's mind and see if I can figure out why he's in this coma. But since he houses a demon in there it may be necessary for you to pull me out. Therefore you will need to send a tendril of your mind along with me but make sure you stay tethered to your own mind. I will guide us both into Naruto's and hopefully the Demon will not realize you are even there. Do you think you can do this?"
"Yes I have done similar things when I was teaching Ino how to mind-walk."
"Good then let's get comfortable. Tsu, hook up your monitoring machines just in case this doesn't work and one or both of us get trapped."
Tsunade hooked up her machines to both Inoichi and Watarimono and nodded when they were in working order. Everything went quiet in the room as Inoichi sent a tendril of his mind into Watarimono's and she sent both of them into Naruto's mind.
At first when they entered his mind everything was dark. Pitch black night had more light than Naruto's mind did but then they could see a golden-red glow coming from a far off point. Inoichi just allowed the part of his mind that was monitoring Watarimono's progress to drift along as she strode on with purpose in her step. Soon she could make out the passage she was in. There were many doors leading off and intersections showed other passages with more doors. But she kept moving toward the light that grew brighter with every step. Finally she made a final turn and found herself standing in a watery depth that resembled a sewage drain pipe more than anything else. Water dripped from the ceiling and puddled on the floor. It ran down the walls and streamed along towards the cage at the end of the passage. Inside the cage was the most fearsome demon of them all. His golden-red fur and tails were the source of the light she had followed and he was staring at her with fire red hungry eyes that told her louder than words ever could that if she got close enough to that cage she was dead. Kyuubi No Kitsune did not like her being here one little bit. She gulped back her fear and bowed low to the Demon King waiting until he spoke to rise from her bow. This was his home and damned if she was gonna show him the slightest little bit of disrespect while she was here!
"Bout time someone came. What took you so long?"
"We didn't understand the message until now. We are limited in our knowledge of how to interpret your wishes, Kyuubi No Kitsune."
"Well, are you gonna help my vessel or just stay bent over like that all day?"
"The doctor, who is not me, has asked me to come and see if I can find out why he is sleeping so deeply. She says he is in a comatose state but until she can understand the cause she can not awaken him."
"Well. . .don't that just figure." Kyuubi lashed himself again with his tails. He didn't want to tell her what he'd done to the Kit. It was bad enough having to admit it to himself but she was a human. But then again. She didn't know how his kind usually treated their own. Maybe she wouldn't think worse of him for it than she already did. "I did it to him. He was having a particularly gruesome nightmare and couldn't let it go so when sending him into a lighter dream state didn't work as he kept laying images from the nightmare over the pleasant ones I was conjuring I sent him deeper. When I went to get him out of it he refused to leave it. He conjured plants that forced me to stay away from him. I can't get near him so long as the plants guard the entrance."
"What do you mean he kept laying images from the nightmare over the pleasant dreamscape you were trying to give him? Maybe what's pleasant for you isn't for him? I do not mean to offend but I must know what these images were in order to understand whether or not he was running away from the dreams he'd had or the ones you were trying to give him."
Kyuubi growled and paced, with his tails lashing here, there, and everywhere. Everywhere they hit a small fire burned. When they hit the wall, rocks and rubble fell to the ground. When they hit the bars, there was a sizzling until the fires burnt themselves out without damaging the bars. When they hit the Kyuubi, his pseudo-flesh opened in great gashes that trailed fire as if it was blood. Finally he answered.
"Both images were actually my doing. When Kit was younger, I was very angry. I sought to punish him for imprisoning me. I didn't know much about human minds so I didn't know I could irrevocably damage his through his dreams. I found I could control what he saw there and I found that he was very afraid of bad things that came in the night. I used it against him and since I was also very angry at this village I used the image of people I saw abusing him as the means to give him nightmares. By the time I figured out what I was doing his minds pattern was set. Now anytime someone in this stupid village does something that hurts him he has nightmares where he sees that person destroyed and trying to destroy him. It repeats itself until I break him free of it and it doesn't matter how he actually feels about the person either. The night Kit went to sleep I was actually working on another problem, namely what to do about you and your insatiable need to pry into things that are none of your business, and didn't see the nightmare until Kit was deeply into it. It had already repeated several times by the time I realized what was happening and broke him free but there was one image he couldn't let go of. One person he couldn't stop seeing try to kill him. So in order for him to forget I sent him deeper. The plants I had used as an image to try and calm his mind became the plants that keep me from reaching him now."
"A few more questions if I may be so bold, Mr. Kyuubi?"
Kyuubi just looked at her.
"Who was the image of? And why are you so set against me helping him take off his mask? There are people in this village who would very much like to get to know the real boy he is. And finally where are these plants that won't let you through?"
"As to the first question, the answer is the woman he respects above all others. There's only one woman he has any respect for at all so it shouldn't take you long to figure that one out. Your second question is equally simple. Kit and I created his mask to keep him safe from the ignorance of this stupid village. You propose to tell them we have been making fools of them for years. Just how do you think they are gonna react when they find out the village idiot is actually every bit as smart as that lazy Nara kid and every bit as talented as the Uchiha spawn and as highborn as they're precious Hyuuga family? This vessel of mine outranks everyone in this town except the woman he respects. And finally just walk towards the darkest area. You'll come to a bluish green door and that door will take you straight to the passage blocked by the plants."
"What do you mean he's highborn? I thought no one knows who his parents are?"
"I do. I smelled his father on the night I attacked this worthless place trying to get my betrayer and I smelled his mother on him when his father held him before me and made his deal with the devil. I got sealed but I knew who my jailor was from day one and although this village forgot pretty damned fast I never did. Now go. Rescue my Kit."
"I'll do my best Kyuubi No Kitsune." She watched as the Fox turned his back on her and began pacing his cage again, his tails waving with less agitation than before. He obviously felt better but she wasn't sure that was a good sign. She thought about it and decided she really had no choice but to follow his instructions. She turned back the way she had come and headed for the darkest spot she could see. The dark became absolute and she put her hand out to her side so she could feel the wall and let her hand be her eyes. The only problem she had was how was she going to recognize the door when she couldn't see colors in this darkness?
"Conjure a light," came Inoichi's voice. She had forgotten all about him being with her and she laughed ruefully at herself as she followed his bidding. With the light held on her palm she could now see where she was going. She saw that there were several doors here but two of them interested her very much. One was golden and sparkling, beckoning to her and though she was tempted to open it she passed it by. Kyuubi might get very angry if she went snooping here now. She had a job to do and that was wake Kit, as he called the boy, up. The second door was such a deep black it almost wasn't a door at all. Whatever was behind that door had to be very, very bad.
From a distance she heard the Kyuubi say, "It is. That is where I store every nightmare image Kit has ever had. Every one including this last one. You don't want to go there. No one makes nightmares as well as a Demon, Mortal. Remember that."
"And the golden door, Master Kyuubi?" she thought.
"His special persons including the most special but they don't concern you either right now. Go get my Kit."
"I am. I am still moving, looking for the door." She found it finally and pulled it open to see a massive amount of vines and ivy all waving around as if they were alive and determined to grab whoever came too close. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Then another and another. Her pulse rate dropped as her thoughts slowed down. The plants settled to hang limply from the walls and ceiling of the new passage and she could see Naruto laying down curled into a fetal position. One hand was curled into his hair while the thumb of the other was in his mouth. His eyes were closed and she knew he was deeply sleeping but as she put her hand on his shoulder his eyes popped open and he stared at her with curiosity.
"Why are you here? And how did you find me? No one finds me when Kyuubi helps me hide?" He was still too tired to guard his thoughts but since she was in his mind it probably wouldn't have done any good to try.
"Come on Naruto. It's time you woke up. Kyuubi is worried about you as are all of the villagers who care about you."
He snorted and said, "Well that isn't very many then. I can count those on one hand. I'll go see Ky. . .Hey wait a minute. How would you know Kyuubi is worried about me and if you know Kyu how come you are freaking out like any other stupid civilian?" He finished with a yell.
"Umm because Kyuubi isn't so bad to talk to if he is treated with the respect he deserves. He is a king. But maybe it was his worry for you and the pain he's caused you that made him seem to be not so bad."
Naruto, as he saw himself, wasn't much different from the way he was in the real world. The kid didn't build himself as more than he really was. He even copied those whiskers on his face that marked him for all to see as a Human Sacrifice and the orange colored clothing. "So you're in my mind right now?" he asked her staring around and starting to panic.
"Yes but now that you're awake as soon as I know you can get out of here I will leave."
"Too late for that isn't it? You already done all your snooping." He made a face of disgust but stomped past her and up the hall without paying the slightest bit of attention to the receding plants.
Watarimono tried to tell him she didn't pry but the words wouldn't leave her mouth because she knew it wasn't strictly true. She had asked the Fox questions and he had given her the answers. Answers that she only partially needed in order to awaken him. So she simply followed him down the hallway and back to the room she had found herself in when she had entered his mind.
"Leave. Now." He pointed to the exit before he turned and walked toward the Kyuubi's cage. He walked right up to the bars and she watched amazed as the Kyuubi wrapped the kid in his tails and pulled him into the cage so he could rest his head on Naruto's bright yellow one. She couldn't deny the feeling the image gave her and it wasn't hate.
She turned and left his mind. A few seconds later she opened her eyes and released her hold on Inoichi so he could reenter his own mind. As soon as both their eyes opened Tsunade began checking her machines and running medical scans on them to be sure they were alright and asking questions at the same time.
"Well, did you find him? How do we wake him up? What caused him to lapse into this state anyway?" She shot her questions rapid fire at Watarimono.
"He should be waking up any time now. He's safe and Kyuubi did it accidently. Who is the woman he respects most in this town? The only woman he respects?"
Kakashi stood up straight. This was interesting. What was she implying?
Tsunade looked at her an shrugged. "I don't know," she replied. "I guess he respects me but he never shows respect to anyone so it's hard to say."
From his position next to Kakashi, Iruka laughed and said, "You sure are blind sometimes Hokage-sama. You are very special to him. He has never respected any other woman enough to give her a steady nickname. Naruto may not show his respect in the normal fashion but he does show it in his own unique way. You are his Oba-chan. No one else."
"So Tsu, it seems you're the reason he was in that coma."
"WHAT!!!!!!!!!!!!" To say Tsunade was pole-axed was to say the sky was blue on a sunny day or that the world was round. Her shout could be heard all the way to Ichiraku Ramen Shop. Nurses came running to find their boss staring at Watarimono in full blown shock.
Behind her on the bed a boyish laughter rang out startling everyone.
"I did not cause this, Wata. You will explain that statement later," she promised. Then she turned her attention to Naruto engulfing him in a warm hug and threatening to beat him into a soupy pulp if he ever did that again.
"Oba-chan," he gasped, arms and legs flailing. "Can't breathe. . .Need air."
"Tsunade-hime, you're choking him." Jiraiya pulled on her arms and pushed on Naruto trying to gain him some air. "He's turning blue Tsunade-hime," he warned her.
She let go and Naruto sat gasping and holding his arms in a warding motion to prevent anyone else from getting too close until he could breathe again. When he had his breath back she asked how he felt.
"I'm fine as always. When can I get out of here?" He asked already looking forward to getting away from the antiseptic smell overlaying the odor of sick people and rampant infections that invaded the hospital. For most people the smell of the room deodorizers covered the massive amount of other smells but for one with his sense of smell it only added to the nauseating mix.
Sasuke stepped forward and put a hand on his shoulder and every adult in the room was surprised by the silent communication between the two with that simple touch and the nod that Naruto gave him. Everyone wondered just what had been said without words and if it was possible for them to learn this language. Sasuke left the room as one by one his other visitors stepped forward to let him know they were glad he was back with them.
Only Jiraiya had an actual question. "Gaki, when we found you, you had some interesting things in that cave. You don't mind if I read some of those scrolls you had in there do you?"
"Actually, you keep your nosy appendage out of my scrolls Ero-Sannin. If I find any of them missing I'll rip a hole in your hide not even Oba-chan will be able to sew back together." Naruto gave him a narrow-eyed gaze that just dared him to press the issue. "Stay out of my business, Ero-Sannin. I know what kind of information you look for and what you do with it. I'll be damned if I show up in one of your perverted books."
"Ok, ok." Jiraiya waved his hands in front of his body and backed away from his part-time student. Then when he judged he was far enough away he turned and fled the room. Oh well, he thought. Sasuke doesn't know he said no. I'll just tell him Naruto said to give me whichever scrolls I wanted. He grinned and rubbed his hands together gleefully.
Slowly the room emptied until only Iruka was left at his bedside. Once they were alone he looked ruefully at his pseudo-brother and said, "So I guess now I have to find a new bolt hole huh?"
Iruka nodded and said, "I think it'll be pretty hard to get any privacy for awhile though. Everyone got a good scare when Kyuubi flared his chakra and we all realized no one knew where you were. Hadn't known since the day you and I had gone for ramen together. Are you really ok Naruto? Don't lie to me either."
"I'll be fine." He grinned. "Well, as fine as I ever am anyway."
"When's the last time you ate? I found a half-burned ramen cup in the ashes of your fire but there wasn't any other sign of you having eaten anything else."
"I had that ramen right before I went to sleep but I really don't know how long ago that was."
"Well we found you yesterday about midmorning. I do know from Kakashi that you have missed two days of practices, something about which Sakura can't make up her mind whether she is happy or ticked over. Expect her to react as usual though I think this time she won't be getting away with it. That woman that went into your mind is not happy about how everyone just lets that girl do whatever she wants to you. And I have to say I never did understand why you let her get away with it in the first place."
"It fit the image I was building. There were several times it was really hard to hold back from beating her back but how would it look to the villagers if she came home covered in the bruises she deserves? The villagers would have lynched me on the spot just on the strength of her pointy sharp nose. She wouldn't have needed to even say a word. So I let her get away with it and Fox helped to control my temper. He's been helping me with my image for years, you know."
Iruka shook his head and glanced down. He then looked at the young man he'd come to think of as a younger brother. "You know I know you don't think that highly of either one of your senseis but Kakashi never left here. He was out in the hall when Tsunade was examining you trying to figure out why you were in the coma and then as soon as her team left he came in and spent the night sitting in that chair." He indicated the chair on the other side of the bed. "Maybe you should reconsider?"
"Depends."
"On what?" asked Kakashi from the doorway.
"On you, I guess." Naruto shrugged looking around Iruka-sensei towards Kakashi-sensei.
"Nani?"
"You've made it pretty clear over the years that you really don't think you have any need to teach me anything. I put up with you choosing to train Sasuke in your best techniques because you were right. He needed to learn them right then and there but other than how to climb a tree with chakra what exactly have you taught me, Kakashi-sensei? Teamwork? I don't think so. Kyuubi and I have been practicing teamwork all my life. I'd be dead if I hadn't have learned that lesson long before I even met you. Stealth work? Again I don't think so. Haven't you noticed I can disappear better than anyone even though I am the only ninja you have ever seen who wears the brightest damn orange money can buy? You don't really think you taught me that do you?"
Iruka laughed and interrupted him. "Naruto don't burst all his ego. Leave him something."
"Well, eh. . ." he sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck. "He did teach me how to use my chakra to climb trees which was the first step in controlling this massive beast most call a chakra pool."
Kakashi walked around the bed and sat on the chair he'd occupied last night. He thought about what Naruto had said and realized he was right. He really hadn't taught him anything. Truly the only thing he'd taught him was how to play favorites and pass your responsibilities off to other people and that last was a lesson he knew Naruto would never learn. Finally, looking Naruto straight in the eye, he said, "Gomen-nasai, Naruto. I promise not to be so blind to your need to learn anymore. Sasuke has also pointed out my near-sightedness though not for the same thing. He was more upset because we both allow Sakura to act like such a shrew around you. She will not be allowed to do that anymore and her lessons began yesterday. I promise they will continue until she finally gets the message that we do not beat on our allies and friends. We only beat on our enemies."
Naruto laughed and said, "Then she'll never understand. As far as she's concerned I am the enemy. The enemy between her and Sasuke."
"Does Sasuke really like you in that way, Naruto?" asked Iruka. He was relieved when Naruto shook his head in the negative.
"We're just good friends, brothers the same as you and I are, joined by a common bond. It's the same bond you and I have Iruka-sensei. We are all orphans. Each of us lost our parents and family as children. The same rock guided each of us. We all had the wisdom of the Old-man to hold us on the right course." He smiled and rubbed his neck again. "So I guess you could say if we are all like brothers it's because we were all brought up by the wisdom and love of the same man. Sandaime Hokage truly was the greatest Hokage ever but when it is my turn I will do my level best to outshine him. I owe him that." His gaze was locked on the monument outside his window so he didn't notice he had gathered a crowd again until someone started clapping.
He blinked and looked to the doorway. There stood all his friends plus the present Hokage, Shizune, Watarimono, Jiraiya (who was sporting a very fresh swollen jaw and a black eye) Kurenai, Asuma, (who felt honored that Naruto had remembered his father that way) and Guy.
He laughed and shouted out, "HI GUYS! Come on in!"
Two Tails: Ta da another chapter for you all to enjoy!
Rose: I wrote these last three chapters all in the same day and now my hands really hurt so it might be a few more days before I can type anymore. Please be patient with me. Hope you enjoy the story and don't forget to send me your reviews. Til next time.