When Naruto came to, no longer was he at the Valley of the End. He was being carried on someone's back through the trees, and the silvery hair he saw out of the corner of his eye must have meant Kakashi. He heard another set of footsteps though, and managed to turn his head and see another Kakashi. A clone, he guessed. But the second one carried Sasuke.
Relief flooded through Naruto's body upon seeing his friend. He had succeeded in enough time to stop him, or at least slowed him down enough for their sensei to arrive.
"Naruto… you're awake?" The Kakashi that carried him asked, and Naruto assumed him to be the real one. His body hurt too much to answer, and instead he 'mm-ed' into Kakashi's back.
"I'm so proud of you Naruto… you deserve a rest. I'll take care of everything else." He had never heard his sensei so sincere. His eyes drooped involuntarily, knowing that even if he wanted to stay awake it wasn't happening. Letting Kakashi bring them back to the village, Naruto allowed himself to slip back out of consciousness.
-0-
The second time he awoke, Naruto found himself in the hospital. His first emotion was immediate distaste towards the sterile smell and white ceiling. And then everything came flooding back: Sasuke leaving, the fight, being found by Kakashi. Instinctively he reached a hand towards his chest, hands meeting clean bandages. He actually brought Sasuke back. He finished his mission.
And then it hit him; it was like the surges he had experienced before, a rush of pain spreading through his chakra passages like a wave. He grit his teeth as it flooded his body and attempted to choke back a scream.
"Naruto, shit hang on…" Naruto felt a pair of hands grip his shoulders and push his writhing body onto the bed. It didn't feel like it helped any, but it was comforting to have someone with him until it subsided. When it finally did and air came back into his lungs, he coughed harshly and managed to open his eyes as the stranger drew away, allowing Naruto to push himself up.
"J-Jiraiya...?" Naruto managed to cough out weakly, and the sannin visibly sighed at Naruto's ability to answer him.
"Tsunade had a feeling you would get another one of those attacks, especially since you used the fox in that fight. She made me wait here just in case." Jiraiya joked, but in all honestly he had willingly offered to keep guard over him.
"I had to… there was no way I was taking down Sasuke and that seal-thingy of his." Naruto let himself fall back against the bed frame, sure that the major pain was over. The room was dimly lit, and the window outside was nothing but blackness. "How long have I been out? Wait, everyone else, are they okay, are-"
"Slow down kid, one question at a time." Jiraiya sat on the end of his bed, trying not to look too amused at Naruto's almost instant recovery. "Kakashi brought you and the other brat back in last night. So, waking up a day later isn't that bad considering the injuries you endured. As for all of your friends, well, they're alive at least."
"But are they okay…?" Naruto asked almost hesitantly, causing Jiraiya to sigh.
"That Hyuuga boy and the Akimichi boy were in bad shape, but Tsunade and the other docs got them out of critical condition. The Guy clone and the Inuzuka were healed pretty quickly, and that Nara boy walked away with only a broken finger. Though, had your new Sand friends not stepped in, this mission could have ended in a bad string of casualties. The Uchiha though… well, he's another story."
"What, no! Is Sasuke okay?"
"A story for another time, I think. You should really be getting some more rest Naruto; I know you're still in a lot of pain." Jiraiya didn't want to rile him up any more than he already was while he was still healing, gaining a groan from the boy.
It was true that his body still hurt, even more so after that last wave. The pain was becoming more constant, Naruto thought. "Fine, promise to tell me tomorrow?"
"Even better; as soon as you wake up, I'll let you see them." Jiraiya assured, causing Naruto to brighten significantly.
"Alright…but first thing." Naruto trailed off with a yawn, allowing his already drooping eyes to close and slip back into unconsciousness.
Jiraiya stayed for a couple more minutes watching the boy sleep, before lazily trailing out of the room. He closed the door quietly and turned to the man that had been waiting outside. "You know… I'm sure he would have liked to talk to you too, Kakashi."
"Hokage-sama's requesting your presence." Kakashi acted like he didn't hear that statement. He sounded aloof as always, but Jiraiya didn't buy it.
"You feel like you failed him. Well, both of them I suppose? All three even." Jiraiya guessed, though it was painfully obvious. "Kakashi, you still have them. So, it looks to me like you didn't fail after all. At the end of the day they're still your students and always will be. Not every ninja gets that privilege, don't take it for granted while you still have it." Jiraiya rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Gah, I don't like being sappy. Anyway, better see what Tsunade wants..."
Kakashi stood silently for a moment. Jiraiya knew better than anyone what it was like to come home with a team destroyed.
"Thank you for the advice, Jiraiya-san. I'll keep that in mind."
-0-
Jiraiya kept his word, and first thing the next morning Naruto was up and hobbling down the hospital hallways as quickly as his body would allow. Both Kiba and Chouji had been placed in the same room once under stable condition, and he as eager to see for himself that his friends were actually okay.
But when Naruto found himself outside of the door, he froze. He had no idea what to say to them, or how to explain how he brought Sasuke back. That wasn't a talk Naruto was ready for today.
"So… you going in or should I tuck you back into bed?" Jiraiya asked amusedly, standing behind Naruto and watching to make sure he didn't fall over on the way there.
"I'm going, just gimme a sec…" Naruto grumbled back. His hand was raised over the door, ready to knock. But then the door opened, and he found himself in front of Ino.
She looked momentarily shocked to see him, but as her eyes traveled over his bandaged body, her look turned more sad than anything. Naruto supposed he wasn't the best view right now. Bandages were wrapped around almost everything, his head, his hands, and he was supporting himself with a crutch in his right hand.
"Uh, heheh, hey Ino! Um, I can come back later if it's not a good time, or, uh…" Naruto managed to stutter out, dropping his hand back to his side. That seemed to break the girl out of her momentary trance. Jiraiya laughed and waved the kid goodbye, taking his leave.
"No, you're fine Naruto. I'm just going on a lunch run for Chouji. But with you here too, ugh I may as well just get enough for everybody." Her face turned sour as she thought about how much money she would be spending.
"Everybody?"
"Yeah, come in here Naruto!" Kiba yelled from inside the room, and Ino stepped aside to let him walk in. Kiba sat in the first bed, a patient Akamaru in his lap. Hinata sat in a chair near his bed, face immediately reddening as Naruto walked in. Shino was slumped against the wall, but nodded at the blond as he hobbled in. Chouji waved at Naruto from the other bed, and Shikamaru was sitting on the edge, attempting to look laid back. But, everyone looked okay. Naruto had never been more relieved in his life.
"Man Naruto, are you okay?" Chouji asked, mirroring Ino's surprise at his apparent injuries. Shino pulled over another chair for him to sit where he could see both Kiba and Chouji.
"Of course I'm okay! I can't be Hokage one day if I let one fight bring me down!" Relief seemed to spread through the room at Naruto's usual cheeriness, but Naruto himself wasn't feeling it. He wouldn't be Hokage one day.
"By that logic, Naruto, anyone could be Hokage." Shikamaru added dryly, watching the blond with a careful eye. Something was off with him, but the Nara couldn't place what. It could just have been the injuries, but his insight felt it was something more.
"Yeah, at this rate I could be the Hokage one day!" Kiba yelled, startling Akamaru in his lap.
"Last I checked they don't let dogs rule countries, Kiba." Naruto retorted. "How…how did your fights go? Jiraiya told me a little bit, but no details or anything."
He sat quietly as Kiba launched into his story first, becoming muted a he had to admit being saved by the Sand Siblings. Shikamaru succeeded due to them as well, walking away with only a broken finger. Chouji took down Jirobo himself, but at great physical cost.
"Lee-san and Neji were successful as well…" Hinata added, looking away from Naruto shyly.
"Next time I do hope to be available for a mission of this caliber." Shino added stiffly, pushing his glasses up with one finger.
"Man… we've come a long way from the academy…" Naruto finally commented.
"Even you, Naruto?" Kiba chided.
"Honestly, Naruto has grown the most out of all of us, I would think." Shikamaru interjected before the smaller boy could retort back. "He took Sasuke down single handedly, has gone up against the missing nin Orochimaru multiple times now, and has attracted the attention of both of the other Sannin. That's impressive for anyone."
Naruto felt his stomach drop. Normally he would be bragging at this point, but Shikamaru's knowing eyes were looking for a confession. "I-I mean, I'm just that great I guess… hey anyway, where is Sasuke?"
The quick subject change was enough to get the others to drop it, but the Nara wouldn't be giving up on his pursuit of knowledge that easily. He would find Naruto later.
"Why would you wanna find that guy?" Kiba asked, obviously disgusted.
"He may be your teammate Naruto, but he is responsible for the conditions of everyone here currently." Shino added, attempting to back up his friend's brash statement.
"Hey, it wasn't all his fault!" Naruto answered back hotly. "Orochimaru bastard has been controlling him!" Flashbacks of the valley, of the spreading cursemark were still fresh in his mind. But, so was the raw hate in Sasuke's eyes. Never had the Uchiha been that cold, that heartless. It stung far more than Naruto would ever admit.
"I dunno, Naruto…" Chouji added gently. "I know he's your friend, and technically isn't himself, but these actions, they were still his own…"
"We-we don't want to see you hurt more, Naruto." Hinata added as well. Naruto was shocked to hear them standing up for him, a sensation that was still largely new to him. He wasn't used to so many people caring about him. But that didn't change how he felt about Sasuke.
"I appreciate you caring, but can you tell me where he is at least? I wanna make sure he's okay. I did sorta shove a Rasengan into his shoulder."
"Better than a Chidori through the chest…" He heard Kiba mutter but paid no mind.
"I'll walk you down there, Naruto." Shikamaru stood and helped the blond up while Naruto muted a groan. "Tell me when Ino gets back with food. It'll be troublesome if she finds me before someone else does."
-0-
The walk through the hospital was relatively quiet. The floor their rooms had been located on were bright and welcoming by a hospital's standards, but the floor where Sasuke resided was different. Shikamaru had assisted him with the stairs, Naruto being too stubborn to use the elevator.
There were very few windows or doors, and it was quite obvious that this floor was meant for criminals, or at least those who were not granted access to the outside world. There were less nurses, little noise, and little natural light. Naruto decided he could live with his hospital room.
Shikamaru stopped near the end of one of the hallways at a closed door. It was impossible to see inside any of the rooms, and each door was only adorned with a small nameplate and number.
"Before you go in…" Shikamaru stopped him, leaning against the wall. "I'm kinda curious. You defeated Sasuke by himself? I heard the report you gave to Jiraiya-san, under the effects of the curse seal Sasuke was monstrous."
Naruto only nodded, not liking where this was going.
"And you were born on October 10th?" Another nod, this time with obvious distaste on Naruto's face.
"You know, you could just say you know and stop being an ass about this." The blond growled.
"Sorry, that's fair." The Nara sighed. "I don't hate you for it, Naruto. You're a good guy, troublesome, but a good guy. I always wondered if Konoha had a jinchuriki or not, it seems all major countries do. Though, if it was deliberately held from us, it may eventually prove safer for the country as less and less people know… Ah well, anyway."
"Naruto?" Both boys turned to a new voice, belonging to Sakura. In one hand she clutched a vase of flowers, and the other had been instinctively clutched over her chest. "Oh thank god, I went by you room but you weren't there, and the others said you were looking for Sasuke and…" She caught herself, watery eyes locked onto her smaller teammate. "Did…did Sasuke do this to you?"
The words were spoken at almost a whisper, and Naruto couldn't find himself to meet her eyes.
"I can't believe he would…well…honestly I can. Naruto… thank you. It was so unfair of me to ask you to do this when I wasn't strong enough myself." Tears were running down Sakura's face now.
Shikamaru began to back away, not wanting to get involved before this situation became too troublesome.
"Don't say that, Sakura!" Naruto answered back angrily. "He's my teammate too, I would have gone no matter what anyone said!"
"Guys, how about we don't yell in the hospital." Both genin jumped at the sound of their sensei's voice. Kakashi was good at sneaking up on them, and he took pride in their constant shock. "We've been at hospitals a lot lately, hm…"
"Are you here to see Sasuke too?" Sakura asked, wiping the tears away from her eyes.
"Well yes. And we should probably stop standing out in front of this door, we're starting to look suspicious."
Sakura and Naruto steeled themselves, and as did Kakashi. Everyone knew their reunion with the Uchiha wasn't going to be pretty, but it needed to be done, for their sakes and his. He opened the door and walked inside, surprised to find all lights in the room were off. His hands found the light switch, and his voice caught in his throat upon seeing his student.
Kakashi had found himself on the 7th floor of the hospital many times in his ninja career. Prisoners of war, criminals, and ninja under suspicion were found on this floor, in rooms of solitude and surrounded by hiding guards. And while his time as an ANBU operative had led him to put individuals here, and on the off occasion even himself, it was not a view he ever dreamed of finding his student in.
The Uchiha was sitting up, eyes cast away from the door. His wrists had been restrained to the bed, and his arms still bore the ink from the chakra binds that had been placed throughout his body. Bandages were wrapped around his torso, slightly visible under the hospital gown. Seeing Sasuke in this position was haunting.
"S-Sasuke?" Sakura asked shakily as she walked inside, followed by Naruto who shut the door behind him. Kakashi gave his students the two chairs in the room which they moved carefully towards the bed, unsure of a safe distance.
"Hey…Sasuke…" Naruto attempted, still gaining no response. They sat in silence for a few more moments, but the blond was getting uneasy and impatient. "You can hear me, just answer me already would ya-"
"Shut up." Sasuke whipped his head towards Naruto, pure hatred burning in his eyes. "What do you want from me? You took my freedom, my hope for revenge, what do you want?!" His voice became gradually louder with every word, arms attempting to pull away from the bed restraints.
"That's enough, Sasuke." Kakashi spoke harshly, causing the Uchiha to return to his stiff position. "Your actions alone led you to this point, but it's not too late to fix that." He gazed at his other students, both bearing looks of shock and fear.
"There's no point. I wish they would just kill me at this point."
"Sasuke, no…" Sakura whispered, vase of flowers held tightly in her lap.
Kakashi sighed, finally seating himself carefully at the foot of the hospital bed. "Let's not talk like that. We need to talk about where we're moving forward from here, and what will happen with our team." Kakashi looked more tired than any of his genin had ever seen him, but he continued.
"As of now, Team Seven is disbanded. But think of it as more of hiatus, I suppose." Their sensei mused. "The Hokage believes I am more valuable elsewhere for the time being, and will be reassigning you to new mentors. Sakura!" He looked at the girl gently, giving her one of his signature eye smiles. "From now on, you will be added as an additional member of Team 9 under the tutelage of Might Guy. With them you will attend the next Chuunin exam, so they'll be working to get you into shape."
Sakura had never been more horrified than in that moment. Guy and his team were a strange bunch, with strenuous regimens and disturbing fashion choices. But they were strong, and she needed to catch up to the other genin more than ever now. She nodded back at her sensei, accepting what would be a terrifying next few months.
"Sasuke. For the time being, you will be removed from active duty. The Hokage has decided to grant you a pass, despite your actions the past few days. A vote will be held for show, but the real decisions had been made the moment your return had been secured."
"So what, they take my headband and leave me to die?" Sasuke asked harshly, spitting out his words.
"Not quite. You will be put into a temporary home with a medical professional where you will be under constant watch. They will be in charge of monitoring your mental health and stability until you are in a sound state of mind. In all honestly, this should have been done after Itachi's actions years ago. You owe much to the village now, but The Hokage believes it owes you as well."
Sasuke had no idea how to feel. He had been alone for so long, dedicated all of his time to becoming stronger. And now he had neither.
"And, Naruto. For the next three years, you will be leaving Konoha under the tutelage of Jiraiya."
Naruto was stunned. "Wait, but I just got Sasuke back! He can't take me, its…it's not fair! That's three whole years!"
"And when those three years are up, Team 7 will be a team again. Jiraiya is incredibly strong Naruto, this will be a running start towards becoming Hokage. You're very lucky, many ninja would pay to receive the training you are."
Naruto's stomach dropped. Kakashi didn't know. He knew he had to tell Sakura and Sasuke, but had been hoping Tsunade let Kakashi know. He attempted to steel himself for the hardest conversation in his life.
"Kakashi-sense…" He finally managed to speak again, blue eyes cast away from his team. "I, um, I need to tell everyone something."
"If this is about the fox I think that's already fucking obvious." Sasuke spat, obviously done with Naruto. The blond flinched.
"The-the fox?" Sakura asked hesitantly, gaining a sigh from Kakashi.
"Um, Sakura, you remember Gaara? And the Ichibii, and how he was a jin…jinch…um."
"Jinchuriki." Kakashi said patiently.
"Yeah, that. Well, I sorta kinda have the 9 tailed fox inside of me? Like Gaara, but like not like Gaara because the seal is safe and um…"
Sakura's eyes had gone wide, gears spinning inside of her head. The girl wasn't stupid by any means, and almost immediately pieced together small details about Naruto that she had overlooked. The stares, the general negativity, the strength when he needed it most. October 10th.
"Naruto is not the fox, Sakura. His seal was done by The 4th Hokage himself, and Naruto has worked hard to keep it at bay since his birth."
"I…" She turned to Naruto, who looked like a puppy bracing itself to be kicked. "O-okay. You're still Naruto. You're still our idiot, I don't want that to change…not now."
Naruto's expression turned grateful for a moment, but returned to it's downtrodden expression. "Thank you…but that isn't everything. When we brought Granny back to the village, she gave me a bunch of stuff about the Uzumaki clan. Both of the Kyuubi's hosts before me have been Uzumaki clan members, which is pretty neat. But really, they did it because the Kyuubi would kill anyone else."
Kakashi was now listening carefully. Kushina had been the wife of his sensei and an important figure in his life. Losing her that night was a tragedy.
"Does the Kyuubi hate everyone but the Uzumaki clan?" Sakura asked, unsure of where this was going.
"Well, not really. He sorta hates everyone." Naruto continued. "But the Kyuubi's chakra is toxic, and the Uzumaki clan has a bloodline that keeps the chakra from effecting them."
"If I remember the reports correctly, you were chosen by chance Naruto, and not because of the bloodline." Kakashi questioned, not wanting to reveal what his student may not know.
"Yeah…so I, I don't have the bloodline. That protects me from the chakra. Its…Its killing me. Granny says I've probably got another six or seven years… four or five if I'm unlucky, or if I'm lucky maybe ten. But I…yeah…"
Naruto didn't hide the tears running down his face at this point. Sakura had raised a hand to her mouth in horror, and Kakashi had become rigid. Sasuke said nothing.
"I'm sorry. Granny says it has to stay a secret, since it makes me an easy target. So, it can't leave this room."
Kakashi stood, straight as a board with none of his usual leisure. He excused himself and exited the room almost immediately, hands shaking slightly and pain in his visible eye. Naruto stood as well, wiping the tears from his eyes. "I guess this is goodbye then…for now. But I'll write, and when I get back we can be a team again…okay?"
It was silent for a moment, and Naruto saw this as his cue to leave. He turned for the door, but not before hearing Sasuke's final statement.
"Never thought I would admit to being jealous of you, idiot."
-0-
thanks everybody! hope to be back soon with chapter three.