Chapter 05: Medical Maleficence
Naruto's eyes fluttered open as he heard the door click shut.
He was slipping in and out of consciousness ever since that time in the alley with that crazy shinobi, yelling something about him killing his parents. He never killed a single person in his entire life! How the hell did that crazy guy make the assumption that he killed his parents!? Then again, he was accused so many times in the past he was beginning to think he was crazy himself. There was that kindly old lady who told him he could eat with her. Once he had the soup down his throat, the woman cackled and blamed him for killing her husband and children. That little episode was one of the most painful since he had trusted the old woman and she had betrayed that trust. Then, there was the time where those villagers cornered him on his birthday. If it wasn't for that ANBU he would have died. So many times, so many years, yet he still had no answer for the accusations of murder and mayhem that seemed to follow him wherever he went.
After about the third time it happened, he started to wonder if he really did do those things. Maybe he was doing it in his sleep or something he was doing unconciously!? But then he stayed awake for two whole days, trying to figure out if he was hurting people in his sleep, but the entire time he never hurt a single thing. When he found out, he told the next person who blamed him for their family's death. Had it not been for yet another ANBU he wouldn't have survived that encounter either.
So many attempts on his life, the time he got stabbed in the leg, the time he was poisoned, the time he was choked nearly to death, the time he spent a week unconscious, yet this last one was the worst. He never felt so sore before. It seared his lungs every time he breathed and when he coughed, it felt like his insides were going to burst open.
Normally, at least from what he heard the nurses telling other patients in the hospital from his many times here, he should have asked for some pain killers. He knew better though. The last time he was here, was when his leg had been stabbed by a crazy shop keeper. He asked the nurse for something to ease the pain, the nurse gave him a sneer and injected something into him that made his other leg swell up five times its' normal size and hurt even more than his other wound.
She just laughed at him and asked if his other leg still hurt. He never asked again.
But this pain was much worse than before. Every other time, he could visualize the pain away, ignoring it, but now, even when he breathed it was painful. He knew no one would help him, no one cared enough about him to do anything. From the bandages on his wounds and the amount of draining soaking the them, he could tell he'd been out for almost half a day. He could always tell by the smell. Since no one changed the dressings, he knew how long he'd been out. He had to get out of here, and maybe he could steal a few bandages so it wouldn't get too infected.
Stealing himself, he rolled to the side, making sure not to roll over any of the numerous wounds on his chest, and used his legs to angle himself up. Half way there, he took a breath, and screamed out in pain. He flopped unceremoniously onto the floor, sweating, sitting there for a few second to regain his strength. Noticing he still had the IV in his arm, he gingerly pealed back the tape and pulled it out of his arm, putting pressure on the blood that seeped out. He escaped from the hospital many times in the past, so pulling out a few tubes and IVs were no big deal for him.
Looking around the room, he saw his clothes piled on the chair and his small handsewn hip bag on top. He hoped they didn't steal the money he had in his secret compartment, or else he would have to wait much longer for his ramen.
At the thought, his stomach growled, reminding him that the only thing he had in the past three days was a few handfuls of the slop at the restaurant. He knew they served food in the hospital, he used to see other people getting some, but they never gave him any before and he was always too scared to tell anyone that he wasn't eating, so he would have to find some.
Standing, he dropped the hospital gown he was wearing, and gingerly stepped over to his clothes. Rummaging through them, he sighed in frustration. They did steal his money. There was only a few copper mon in there, not even enough to buy a sack of rice from the store, at least on regular prices and not the over charged stuff he had to buy on the occasion they would let him in the store, and yet they took it from him. he was looking forward to eating ramen again with Ayame neesan and Teuchi jiisan again, but that wouldn't happen any time soon. Maybe next month, when he got enough money again.
Gingerly putting on his pants and tightening up his rope belt around his growling stomach, he pulled on his shirt gingerly and tucked the bottom into his pants after tying on his hip pouch. Thankfully, they didn't touch his book. Rummaging through the cabinets in his room, he found several sterile bandages and wraps that he shoved down the front of his shirt. Moving towards the sink, he turned on the faucet and drank heavily, allowing the water to slake his hunger for him and slowly made his way to the door.
He winced as the pain in his chest started up once again, but he ignored it. He had to get out of here before they could hurt him again. He peaked out of the small window in the middle of the door and took notice of his surroundings. There was the Inu masked ANBU, he was seated at the nurse's station. Apparently he was sleeping, because his mask was partially off and he was facing the complete other way, and pretty much everyone else was out of his line of sight. It would be the perfect time to make his escape.
Naruto made his way out of the door and kept his head down, running along the low wall of the nurse station. He already knew where the exit was, so he made a bee line there, ignoring the looks of surprise and the glowers he got from the patients who saw him. when he rounded the corner, he saw the lunch cart, and his empthy stomach rumbled once again.
He had to yank the rope a little tighter and make his way around the nurse, handing out the lunches. He would have loved to snag a sandwitch that he saw there, it looked so good, and he hadn't eaten much in three days, but he knew he would get caught if he tried it. Since he didn't want to hurt, he had to go hungry instead.
Making sure to stay out sight, he slipped around the cart and through the exit and into the hospital grounds. From there, it was a simple matter to make it past the guards, who were pretty much asleep as usual, and then, into a manhole where he could walk around without hiding.
It had been difficult to do, but he was able to get by without too much pain. Sighing, he walked through the dark underbelly of the city.
"I wonder if there's anything left in that trash can…?" he thought aloud to himself.
Kurenai made her way down the stairs to the first floor of Konoha General.
The floors were usually busy with medical personnel hurrying around the floor, or doctors yelling at nurses at their precieved inadequacy, only to have the same inadequacy shoved in front of their face from one of their superiors. Support staff milled around, talking in low voices and gossiping, whilling away the hours of their shift, barely attempting to keep out of sight. Here and there, a few people were doing their jobs correctly, but for the most part, they continued as they had before, uncaring that someone knew they were wasting time.
Her arms were laden with bandages and all sorts of antiseptic creams as she gingerly made her way from patient room to patient room. Unlike Ebisu and Aoba, who were assigned to help with the older patients, Kurenai was scooped up by several of the wound care nurses to assist in changing dressings. Of course, when they discovered that she was adept at such things from the academy, the nurse dumped her entire work load on her and retired to the sleep room, leaving her with numerous patients to care for and a twitch in her forehead after being chewed out by arrogant doctors who couldn't distinguish between a bandage and a casting.
She was already finished with thirty of the assigned rooms, changing the disgusting dressings that looked like they hadn't been changed for days, having met the nurse who was supposed to do the dressing changes that estimate was probably close. Finally, she had narrowed the list down to one last patient, patient number 224. She thought she recognized the number from something she heard that morning, but she was really much too worked to remember, so she dutifully continued on.
It was strange that someone with such serious wounds would be treated last. She asked the nurse when she reviewed the patient list and the woman simply shrugged her off without answering. The room she was supposed to go to was relatively normal, no warning signs or anything and the only shinobi she saw on the floor was the Inu masked ANBU sitting at the nurse station and reading an orange book. She shivered as the man let out a girlish giggle every once in a while.
Shrugging, she pushed the door open, only to find it empty. She put down her supplied and checked the room. The only thing she saw was several blood stained sheets, a bloody hospital gown, and a few binders that fell out of one of the cabinets. Examining the rest of the room, she noted that the supplies that were usually kept in the bottom cabinet were missing.
"That's strange…" she said to herself, and walked out of the room, "Maybe the nurse took the patient for some X-rays or something?"
Making her way to the nurse station, she checked the patient numbers and found the nurse that was assigned to the patient and went in search for her. Five minutes later, she found her and several other nurses in the break room. Not wishing to disturb, she simply waited outside for an opportunity to interrupt.
"…-and then he fell on his ass and slid down the roof top into the trash!" she laughed.
The other women laughed uproariously, chiding their co-worker.
"So," asked one of the women, "I heard you got the demon kid this rotation. How did it go?"
224's nurse cackled in a near baffoonish charicature of evil, "Well, I was just going to throw the little monster out of here, like the last time he came around looking to bother us with a cold, but that Inu masked ANBU was stationed there, so I couldn't do anything openly. So, just like every other time he's ended up here, I informed dietary and the other departments that he was here, and they took care of it like they always do."
One of the others laughed, "So, starved him out and had Yuki switch the acuity of his wounds, eh? That's so delicious! I hope the little monster starves or goes septic or something and dies in a gutter."
"Ooh!" shouted one, "I've got to tell you what happened last year when he was here. You remember when he came in with that thigh wound? You know, the one Shotaro was bragging about? Anyway, the little bastard was complaining that it was sore and wanted something for the pain. Guess what I did? I filled a syringe with ten CCs of ethyl alcohol laced with bleach, and I shoved it into the little bastard's other leg!"
The women laughed, and she continued, "That's not all! When he was crying after his leg swelled up, I told him, 'Your other leg dosen't hurt that much now does it?'"
They laughed again, cheering the other woman and praising her skill at torturing the boy. As they were laughing, Kurenai was spotted by Naruto's nurse and her evil smirk switched immediately to a kind look.
"Hello sweetie," she said, smiling at Kurenai, "How can I help you?"
Kurenai couldn't believe it. That woman, who had just been bragging about how she tortured one of her patients, did a complete one eighty and was now acting like nothing happened. How could they do that to a hurt little boy? She saw the breakdown of his chart, she knew what the boy had been through, and she knew who the kid was. No one called any other boy the demon child, so it had to be Naruto. Didn't these women have anything but stone in their hearts?
The burgening genjutsu mistress frowned inwardly but didn't let on that she heard.
"I'm sorry to interrupt, but I was wondering if you could tell me where the patient in room," she pretended to look at her list, "Room 224 was. The Wound Care Nurse told me to change his dressings and he's not there."
The woman hid it well, but Kurenai could tell she was grinning like a loon on the inside, "Don't worry about that patient child," she said with a sweet smile, "He was checked out several hours ago and I suppose that Yuki forgot to tell you he wasn't here anymore. Why don't you take a break?"
Kurenai bowed to the woman after begging off and made her way down back to Naruto's room. When she entered, she came face to face with a frowning Kanga Shoto.
She was shocked, "Shoto-san?" came her quivering voice.
The man truned and frowned at her, "Hello Yuuhi-san. Did you see where Uzumaki Naruto was? I wanted to check up on him, but he's not here. Did they take him for a test or something?"
Kurenai bit her lip and looked over her shoulder, turning to close the door, "Shoto-san. I just heard something that I think you should hear."
Shoto frowned once again and nodded, "Alright. What is it?"
She told him what she was doing, from getting the patient assignment, to reading the charts, finding the room empty, and overhearing the women talking about torturing the boy out of the hospital.
"And you say that this has been going on for a long time?" Shoto asked, tightly controlled anger lacing his voice.
Kurenai nodded, "From what I overheard, it was at least a year ago that they started this. She also said that someone named Shotaro was the one that attacked him and wounded his leg," she frowned, "Why would they be doing that to him? What did he do that was so bad?"
Shoto ground his teeth together and mumbled, "Damn you Kakashi…you were supposed to be watching…" turning to Kurenai, he said, "continue on as before, but I'm altering your mission specs for a bit. See if you can get any other dirt on the hospital staff, but don't engage anything. Just listen, I don't want you to be too involved. Can you do that for me, Yuuhi-san?"
She nodded and the man quickly left the room.
Shoto was angry.
He stopped off at a few places to reinstate his identification and spoke with a few of his old shinobi and civilian friends, then came to the hospital to check on Naruto, only to find Kakashi reclining in a chair at the nurse's station and the boy's room completely empty. Then, the girl comes in and tells him what happened to the boy, and he discovers that the hospital staff, even after the incident last night, continued their delinquency in their duties, even going so far as to with hold medication, treatments, and food. FOOD for sweet Kami's sake! What the hell was going on in this damn village!?
His mind was a storm of anger and frustration as he walked out of the room. Several nurses saw him and scampered out of the way, spreading the word that the Red Beast of Konoha was in a dark mood. Walking over, he approached the Inu masked shinobi who he knew as one of the ANBU Captains Hatake Kakashi.
Despite the fact that he knew the man was a powerful shinobi as well as one of the students of the Fourth, Shoto never liked him. He first met Kakashi during their youth. The young man was an arrogant show off, aloof and cold to everyone, even to his poor mother, who passed away only a few years after his father killed himself. Though he changed somewhat after his team mate's deaths, the acquisition of the Sharingan eye seemed to carry with it the inherent arrogance and perceived superiority of the Uchiha. The man acted more the Uchiha than most Uchiha did, focusing his skills and power around the eye, though the one redeeming factor for the Copy-nin was that he never turned the eye on his fellow Konoha-nin, something everyone was grateful for. Shoto just hoped that Kakashi would never be taken down from the ANBU roster and given a team. He dreaded and wept for anyone under placed under the man.
When he approached, he asked the still unmoving ANBU, "Kakashi, I need to ask you a question in private."
The man turned up his one lazy eye and nodded. He recognized the Red Beast from his days as a genin. Shoto grinned discretely as the Copy-nin flexed the fingers of his left hand reflexively. Kakashi could count on a single hand, the number of people who defeated him in an all out battle, and Kanga Shoto, the Vengeful Red Beast of the Leaf, was the only one alive who could claim that kind of victory.
"Shoto-san…" came the lazy voice of the Copy-nin, "I see that you are back. Welcome home…" The copy of Icha Icha was put back into his hip pouch as he stood up, "What is it that I can do for you?"
He followed him into Naruto's room and Shoto asked, "I wish to know why you didn't see fit to stop the boy from leaving, nor did you watch for his wellbeing."
Kakashi gave him the same lazy look, "I do not know what you are talking about Shoto-san. I did my job, and it was to safeguard the boy while in the hospital."
Shoto frowned, "So you let the kid stay in here, while you knew it was the prerogative of the hospital staff to starve him, refuse him medication, and actively push him to leaving?"
Kakashi just shrugged.
"Are you aware that on a previous visit, the boy had a syringe full of bleach injected into his leg just for complaining about pain?" he asked.
The other man shrugged again, "But nothing of the sort happened this time around did it? And as for the hospital staff, it is not my duty to see that they are doing their job. I am only here to prevent assassination by outside forces and to prevent him from getting hurt, not to see that they baby the boy. You of all people should know that."
Shoto shook his head and pushed by him, "I'm disappointed to see that the only surviving student of the Yondaime is such an apathetic incompetent. Your sensei would be rolling in his grave after the way you treat his legacy," Kakashi's one eye narrowed in anger, "The only thing Namikaze Minato asked on his death bed was that the boy be treated as a hero for protecting the village from the demon. Yet the civilians and the fools on the Village council treat him like filth. You, the student of the Fourth, know that he is not what they claim him to be, yet you still treat him as dirt, disrespectful of your sensei's final wish. You disgust me."
By this time, the usually lazy man was steamed, "How dare you lecture me about honor and duty. You, who ran away after his sensei was killed!" Shoto narrowed his eyes, "You have no right to lecture me about legacies, Kanga, no right at all. I was doing my job, protecting the kid from harm, and that was all I was required to do. Do not bring my sensei into this again."
The taijutsu expert scoffed, "A disgrace is all you are. Thank kami your old team mates the Uchiha and the Inuzuka aren't here to see you fuck up so badly. I'd spit on you, but you're not worth the effort to hack one up," he said, and brushed past the man, knocking his shoulder before walking out.
Exiting the hospital, he quickly made his way over to the Hokage's office, interrupting a meeting with a few chuunin to make his report. After they were dismissed, Sarutobi frowned.
"This is not the first time he has left early…" he said to himself, "But now we now know why he did…"
Shoto nodded, "I've read the reports, Hokage-sama. The others wounds I'm sure he could live with, but this one will be hard to keep clean as well as prevent further damage to his lungs. I suggest that we fan out and find the boy, bring him back to a private room and have the shinobi healers administer his care this time. It's the only way we can ensure his cooperation."
Sarutobi began to nod his assent, but stopped midway. Shaking his head, he sighed heavily, "You know I can't do that Shoto. The boy is not a shinobi, thus, he must be treated by civilians. Any shinobi healer I utilize will report back to the council on my actions. It's out of my hands at the moment Shoto. The only thing we can do is hope Naruto will pull through this."
The younger man didn't like that idea at all. Just sitting round and hoping everything would be alright!? Divine providence was not what he wanted to put his trust into, but how could he help the boy without the council knowing? He knew he already had tails on him, especially after he killed that civie doctor, and he couldn't get rid of him until he was a full shinobi, or he would be executed for murdering Konoha military personnel.
Then, it clicked, "What if we don't use a medic-nin, Hokage-sama. There are others who specialize in healing that do not belong to those ranks," he said.
Sarutobi frowned, then smiled as the realization hit him, "I see where you're going. I shall visit them tonight…but the problem will be tracking him. Naruto is adept at staying hidden. We really don't know how he does it, but he had vanished during several chases, even against the occasional jonin, and we have no idea where he goes. Only rarely is he caught, and he is smart enough to know not to expose himself where someone might be able to attack him."
Shoto frowned, "Then how is it that he was caught?"
The old man seemed reticent when Shoto asked the question. He spent a few long seconds sucking morosely on the extinguished pipe between his lips before answering, "No one will sell Naruto anything, and that includes food. He doesn't trust anyone who offers him food thanks to a woman who tried to poison him about two years ago, and the only people who are kind to him, who actually would help him, are too poor to do so. Naruto is a considerate boy and he understand their situation, so he only eats there when he can pay, thus, there is nowhere he can get food…You can put the rest together from there, Shoto."
Shoto's eyes narrowed angrily, "Do you mean, Naruto was in that alley…trying to get something to eat…from a trash bin?"
The Sandaime refused to answer and simply said, "I will take care of it this evening Shoto."
Grinding his teeth, the younger man bowed, "Don't bother Hokage-sama, it seems that the boy, like all the other trash on the streets, is beyond your care," that made the old man flinch, "I will take care of it. Yohei still owes me a favor."
Half an hour later, he found himself outside of the large Inuzuka compound. The Inuzukas were a clan known widely for their tracking skills and their coordinated attacks with their Ninken, those giant dogs and wolves that the Inuzuka could communicate with. He thought that strange bond had something to do with a jutsu, but as of yet, that was an Inuzuka secret that was yet to be cracked.
Walking through the wide gates, he was stopped by a huge black wolf, its eye missing and covered by a patch. Strangely enough, it actually talked to him.
"So…You have returned Kanga Shoto…" said the beast in a gravelly voice, "To what does the Inuzuka clan owe for a visit from the Vengeful Beast of Konoha?"
Shoto smiled, "Hello again, Kuromaru…" he said, bowing to the old wolf, "How is Tsume doing? Still popping out the pups? Or is she done being mounted by Keigo…"
The old wolf growled in irritation, "You speak of old relations, Beast," he said, "Keigo passed on last year."
That surprised the Taijutsu master. Inuzuka Keigo was a powerful shinobi of the clan, and someone not taken lightly. They'd also been friends from before, at least until he discovered Shoto was sleeping with Tsume behind his back. That quickly ended that relationship, but still, to know that he was dead still made his regret the hurtful things he had said to the man in his youth.
"How did it happen?" he asked.
Kuromaru replied, "Kumo-nin. During an A-class along the border. He was careless and was caught in the back by a jutsu."
Shoto nodded, "How's Tsume taking it?"
The old wolf shrugged, "Well. Keigo was not her first choice, Beast. It was an arranged marriage, you know this, though he left behind a daughter and a son."
"I see," Shoto said.
Kuromaru turned around, "Come. We will speak of this when Tsume has cleared your presence here."
The two walked through the halls of the Inuzuka compound. They passed several homes, each with a large kennel in the back that housed the ninken of the clan. Several people recognized him and waved, mostly the younger generations that were his friends, but many of the older scowled at him as his reputation with the clan was not very positive after the events that led to his estrangement from Keigo. Through the main thoroughfare they made their way, stopping once in a while to greet people, but finally they made their way to the main branch's homes.
The home of the clan leader was large, sprawling at about a quarter of the compound. Training grounds of plain and forest could be seen at the back of the property with the large complex that made up the living quarters as well as the council chambers of the clan. Attached, was a large kennel as well as a veterinary clinic.
Kuromaru took them through the main doors, guarded by several large dogs and led him to a sitting room, while he got Tsume.
Several minutes later, he heard the shoji slam open and she walked in.
Shoto turned and grinned. Inuzuka Tsume was a unique woman, though not your typical beauty, what attracted Shoto to her was rather her spirit. Taller than normal kunoichi and with a build more like a young man than a fully developed woman, she was considered the premier of the family. Her skills in the arts of Taijutsu and her synchronization with her Ninken Kuromaru were the standard that all other Inuzuka were held to. She was vicious in battle, savoring the blood of her enemies, yet she was a stalwart protector and a good friend. Shoto always treasured his friendship with Tsume, and when they became something more, he never forgot her moments of insecurity and openness, so alien in her vicious features.
He smiled and stood as Tsume greeted him with a hug.
"It's good to see you again Shoto," she said with a smile, "You have been away from the village for way too long," giving him a feral grin, "I hope you're still in shape, or else I'll have to get my claws in you and beat you till you can keep up with us."
Shoto laughed as they sat down, "Still the same old Tsume. How are you? I heard you had another kid?"
Tsume grinned, "Yeah. Hana was more than a handful for me and I was satisfied, but Keigo wanted a son to succeed him, so we had Kiba. The kid's strong though, he'll be a good heir, though if he inherited his father's temperament, I think we might be looking for another heir sooner than I'd like…" she grimaced.
Shoto nodded, knowing how much of a hot head his former friend used to be, "I'm sure he'll be fine Tsume. How's little Hana? She was only one the last time I saw her."
"She's growing like a weed. That child took after her father in looks, but her personality is more like mine than I'd like. She's apprenticed to Yohei. I think she's going to be a vet rather than a shinobi like the rest of the family, though that could go either way," Tsume replied.
Shoto nodded, "How is Yohei anyway?"
Tsume gave him a critical eye, "Yohei huh? You haven't been picking up any Ninken that I wasn't aware of have you?"
Shoto chuckled, "I could never get past anything by you could I Tsume?"
She laughed, "Never could, never will. So what do you need a vet for?"
He started, "You know about the attack last night right?"
"Tch," she scoffed, "Who wouldn't. That place was so filled with blood, that every ninken we had was going nuts. The kid's blood has traces of the fox's charka, and it agitates them. Caught your scent there as well. Was wondering when you would find your way over."
He shrugged, "Yeah. I found the kid myself. Some chunin went nuts and tried to rip his lung out with a kunai. When I went to the hospital to check on him this morning, I found the kid missing. One of the genin working there for a D-rank overheard what they did to him in the past. Pretty much starving him, refusing meds and medical treatment, and falling to physical torture. Even injected his thigh with bleach once."
Tsume scowled, "Fucking Civies. Don't know what the fuck they're bitching about, yet they go and do something like that."
Shoto shook his head, "Nah, it was a Chunin. Name was Daichi…something or other."
Tsume frowned, "I think I know the kid. Lost parents to the Kyuubi right? The boy was mentally unstable…teammate got killed on a solo mission a week before…not the sharpest kunai in the pack though. I assume Ibiki had his claws in him?"
The Taijutsu master nodded, "Spilled his guts. Haven't heard back, but the ANBU are dealing with the plot. Don't know how high it goes since it seemed like they were able to divert surveillance from a heavy commercial district, but we'll see. So when did you start caring for the kid?"
She scoffed, "Me? Care for the Kyuubi gaki!? Get real, Shoto. Remember, I was one of the council who pushed for executing the kid. I've since rescinded my argument after the…incident…" she shook at the thought of having all her chakra coils sealed, "But I still don't give a lick about the gaki."
Shoto rolled his eyes, "So what. Doing this as a favor?"
She laughed and licked her lips, "Nah, for payment," she stood and reached over, running a finger up his chin, and over his lips, "I expect to enjoy my payment…in full Shoto. My bank has not had any deposits for quite some time…and I will be needing it filled."
The Red Beast grinned, knowing that he would have a good time tonight.
"I'll be over later, Tsume," he said over his shoulder as he left the room.
His breathing came in short pants, each shooting pain through his chest like a thousand red hot knives.
It was Naruto's routine that he would come to one of the practice fields to work on his shinobi skills. Of course it was tough after he got out of the hospital. After finding his way around the sewers, he went back to the restaurant in hopes that his meal would still be there. Of course it wasn't, someone had emptied the cans and his meal was gone, so he had to find another source to eat. He'd learned early on that wounds healed quicker when you had food, so he had to find somewhere he could get some. He ended up finding a treasure-trove of edibles when he stumbled across a drunken stand owner, who just so happened to have a bin full of rice that was positioned right next to a one of the hidden old manholes he used directly in a shadowed corner of the near empty store.
It was always a taboo for him. Never did he try to break the laws that people accused him of breaking. He thought that even if they accused him of it, at least he would know that he was innocent in the end and that they were wrong. But then again, since only he was there and no one else even realized that he wasn't taking anything, maybe that taboo wasn't such a good idea after all.
Naruto ended up relieving the man of a bushel of rice and a large portion of salt cured pork. He wouldn't have to worry about finding food for several months with the amount he'd been able to 'find'. Naruto ended up taking the ill begotten goods to his secret village hide out.
He figured it was some kind of maintenance room for these tunnels, since the only access to the strange hide out he could see was from the pipe system underneath their feet. The room was small, only a few paces on each side, but more than enough for him. It was his super secret hideout, the most secured area he could find, and that was the reason why he never used it all that much. Because it was so protected, he didn't want people finding him there, just to throw him out or destroy his home, so he stayed away as much as possible, only entering when he was in dire need of shelter. Which, having bleeding gashes in his chest and arms could be considered a dire need.
He ate well for the first time in a very long while. With his stomach full, and for once not full of bacteria and filth, he decided to visit the training grounds to see if he could reacquire some old rusted kunai. Of course they were usually damaged somehow, either bent, snapped, or rusted till they were crumbly, but that didn't matter. Without the training weapons the old man had given him, he needed to find something to practice with, and those would do until he discovered a way to get descent ones.
He started off as he always did, doing some exercises that the old man told him to do. Just a few things to help with his strength, but he found that when he actually did them this time, his wounds would open up again, and he would have to wait. He tried running, but that made him even worse. He tried to do his taijutsu, but that was nearly impossible to do since, one, he had no idea how to do the forms he saw the ninja doing, and two, he couldn't even move his arms too much.
Lastly, he tried to do some target practicing with the rusted kunai he found. Sadly, he wasn't able to replace everything, he only found a very badly rusted kunai, and one very bent iron piece that looked like it used to be a kunai. He picked it up anyway, thinking that maybe he could learn how to fix it or something. He had watched the blacksmiths in the past, well, before they discovered him watching and tried to smash his head with a hammer, and he saw them repair their tools. He was certain that he could probably figure it out himself through his usual method of try until I get it right.
Normally that wouldn't have caused him pain, but he wanted to try out a new way of throwing them he overheard one of the gennin teams being taught by their sensei with. When the old man taught him, he had told him to "gauge the distance, hold it between your palm and your thumb, and just push it forward, releasing it as it flew out." Naruto knew this method, one usually suited to using bo-shuriken, and he could hit the bull's eye with this method, but he was unable to penetrate the wood for some reason. He had no idea why since he saw other kids able to do it, even those his age he occasionally saw could drive it in that way, but he was unable to. So he tried to find yet another way of doing it, and the Jonin sensei's way seemed to be the right one.
In this new method, one gauged the distance and used an over hand throw to spin the Kunai, as if throwing a normal shuriken. The difference in this one was that you put more strength into it, but you also had to stretch more and snap your wrist better. And that was his big mistake. So focused was he at trying to make the kunai stick into the wood, that he didn't pay attention to the amount of stress he was putting on his chest and half an hour into the exercises, he could feel something tear inside and he nearly fainted from the pain.
That as how he found himself, leaning against a tree, panting and wincing in pain, but a self satisfied smile on his face. The Kunai. It was directly in the center of the bull's eye, driven an inch into the wood. He was satisfied.
But still, he felt he was going to die with the amount of pain he had.
Suddenly, in the fog of pain, his vision blurry and his conscious flaring in and out of existence, he heard a voice.
"Sweet Kami, what have you done to this child…" came a gentle masculine voice. He felt hands on him and he panicked, trying to push the hands away.
They were large and rough, gripping his wrists as the strong, gentle voice said, "Don't worry child, I'm not here to hurt you. I need to look at your wound to see if you're alright."
He still fought the man. Naruto learned that people often tried to trick you, being kind to you in order to gain trust, and then they turned around and tried to hurt you. He wasn't about to let this man hurt him like they did at the orphanage.
"N-No…" he struggled, "Le-cough-cough-Leave me…alone…" he wheezed out. The taste of blood filed his mouth and nostrils as he coughed.
The man swore, "Damnit! Something must have opened up. Shoto didn't say how thorough it was…" he could tell the man was getting irritated. Finally, he seemed fed up, "I'm sorry child, but I'm going to have to restrain you." The hands left him and he heard the man whisper, "Doton: Tsuchi no te!"
Immediately, something hard and cold restrained him, making him unable to move.
Naruto whimpered, "Please…Ple-cough-cough-please don't…don't hurt me…"
The man patted his head, "Don't worry child I won't hurt you. I'm trying to fix your lungs, so stay put and be a good boy for a little bit."
Naruto knew that he was at the man's mercy and he was going to hurt, so he resigned himself to it. And let himself drift. The man poked and prodded him, yet he was surprised that he wasn't hurting him yet. About five minutes later, Naruto heard gravel crunching.
"Yohei-Niisan!" came a high pitched female voice, "Nee, Yohei-Niisan! Where are you!"
The man, Yohei, Naruto figured, called out, "I'm here Hana!" When the girl came closer, Yohei said, "And keep it down. You don't want to bring shinobi here do you?"
He couldn't make out the girl, only a blur.
"Eeeww," the girl said, "What happened to him? His clothes are so ugly, they look like scraps sewn together! And he smells like Kiba when he had an accident! What's wrong with that boy, Yohei-Niisan?"
Naruto was too tired to care about what the girl was saying about him. His body was becoming colder by the second and it was getting harder to breath.
"Shhh," said Yohei, "Don't judge him, child, you have no right."
The girl complained, "But he's all stinky and everything! Doesn't his mom and dad clean his clothes or something? Or force him to take a bath?"
Yohei sighed, "He doesn't have parents, Hana, not like you do. He doesn't have people to tell him to take a bath, to help him change his clothes, to see that he has meals, or teaches him how to read and write, like your mom does."
Hana asked, "Why doesn't he get a mom then?"
The man sighed again, "It's not that simple Hana. No one cared enough about the boy to adopt him, so he doesn't have a mom or a dad."
She asked again, "Why doesn't anyone want him? Is he a bad boy or something?"
Naruto could see Yohei shaking his head, "No, Hana. He's not a bad boy, he's a good child, whose just misunderstood by a vast many people and mistreated because of that misunderstanding."
"What do you mean?" Hana asked.
Yohei replied, "Do you remember when you thought Kuromaru took your doll, and you started yelling at him, even though he didn't take it?"
She replied, "Yeah…mom really yelled at me for that…"
"It's the same thing. People think Naruto is something he's not and blame him for something he didn't do, even though it's plain to see that he's not what they accuse him of being. And because of that misunderstanding, he suffers for their stupidity."
Hana commented, "That's stupid…why doesn't he just tell them that he's not whatever they call him?"
Yohei replied, "Did you believe Kuromaru when he said he didn't take your doll?"
The girl was silent, understanding the concept.
A few minutes later, Yohei said, "Alright Naruto, I'm going to heal you. It might feel a little tight in your chest for a while, but you need to hang tight, alright?"
Naruto didn't respond, just lolled his head, slipping into a state of semi-consciousness. Then there was a tightening sensation over the place that was hurting when he breathed. It spread over the area along with warmth and a numbing sensation, soothing the pain that knifed through him with every breath. Five minutes later, the sensation slowly moved back and left his body, allowing him to breathe normally. He was still very weak and he was slipping into unconsciousness as the man released the thing holding him.
"Alright Naruto, I've healed you, but you need to take it easy. You've received nearly ten times the amount of chakra healing that normal people receive and you need to eat something when you wake up. Here," he said, tucking something into his pouch, "Eat that when you wake up. It has a lot of calories and it should hold you over for a while. I'll be back once in a while to check on you so keep safe and don't overtax yourself."
Yohei stood, "Come Hana," he said as they turned.
"What about him, Yohei-Niisan?" she asked, "Isn't he going home?"
The man replied, "He doesn't have a home like you do Hana."
"But where does he sleep?" she asked in a shocked voice.
Yohei sighed heavily, but said nothing, just shrugged, "Let's go."
Before they could take off, Naruto opened his eyes a crack and addressed the taller blur, "Th-thank-thank you…Yohei-san…"
The man nodded and they disappeared just as Naruto slipped into blissful unconsciousness.