Kakashi watched Naruto and Sasuke. They were both in hospital beds. Had been for awhile now. They had been out for about two weeks now. Sakura visited often, bringing flowers for the raven that almost left. But none for Naruto.

He sighed and got out of his chair, stretching loudly. He heard his joints crack where they were the stiffest. He smiled beneath his mask as he watched Naruto starting to stir. He strode over to the door and rapped it three times.

Seconds later four people came bustling in, fussing over the two beds like they were their parents. Kakashi blinked for a second, not expecting this. He shook his silver haired head and walked back over to the two team mates.

"Leave, now" he threatened, sending out only a hint of his killer intent. He wasn't sure if they were supposed to respond to two knocks or one, and they were disturbing the patients more than help them.

They all scurried away, one glancing back at Naruto before leaving. He hoped they were off to find Tsunade-sama. She would solve things.

He shuffled slowly over to Naruto's bed. He was so tired. He was the only one they trusted to be able to keep watch over the two genin without trying to kill them. He was their jonin-sensei, so he would be able to contain them if they broke free.

He ran a hand through his hair and wondered where he went wrong. Sasuke had tried to run away. Because he thought he had to go alone. And that conquest for power…..He shook his head to himself again. No. Power was friendship, teamwork, love. Not being alone.

Kakashi suspected that was how Naruto beat Sasuke. He found Naruto pulsing with white light, the substance dimming quickly after a large burst. He thought it might have been his soul, seeping out and smothering the Uchiha in his heart. He did care for the boy, he knew Naruto cared. He just didn't know this much.

He briefly wondered if Naruto had stronger feelings for the last Uchiha, but dismissed it quickly. He had brought Sasuke back for the purpose of gaining Sakura's heart, that was all. He fawned over the pink-haired girl, and Kakashi could always tell if the heart lied. He had known enough lies to be able to pick them out now.

He was brought back to the present when Naruto groaned. He was holding his head between his hands, covering his eyes and nose. He rolled over onto his side and nearly yelled out in surprise. The IV in his arm was yanked out roughly, and Kakashi dove to grab it. He poked it back in quickly, not wanting the effects of no drugs in his body to take effect quite yet.

Naruto muttered his thanks and uncovered his nose. He wrinkled it in disgust. "It smells in here." It took him a few tries to get that thought out. His throat hurt, his stomach hurt…hell, just about everything hurt. He was thirsty, too. "Can I have some water?" he asked slowly, trying not to wince in pain.

Kakashi nodded shortly and got a glass of water that was on the bedside next to the beds. He brought it to Naruto's lips after he sat up against the pillows and tipped it slowly. Naruto swallowed hard and eventually finished the glass. "More" he gasped, trying to get at the cup.

Kakashi backed away, nodding. He didn't know if he should let him have more…

Suddenly Tsunade busted into the room, looking professional. Her deep frown lifted once she saw which child was awake.

"Thank Kami" she breathed, bustling over to him. He grinned at her and tried to tell her what happened. Instead, he asked, "Water?"

She glanced at Kakashi, but he could only shrug. She sighed and nodded, snapping her fingers. "Bring us some water! And lots of it!"

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Naruto, finally quenching his thirst, sat back against his pillows. Tsunade was waiting for him to explain. She was resting her chin in her hands, blocking her chest with her arms. Kakashi was looking at his orange book, but most of his attention was on the blond.

He eventually found a place to start.

"I battled him. We did a bunch of stuff against each other. Then I let the fox loose a bit, a bunch of his chakra mixing with mine. I think it was just one tail. Maybe two. I don't remember. Anyways, a little bit after that he used his seal."

Naruto took a deep breath and continued on. "Some ramen would be nice. As I was saying, he went into level two, as I thought of it. He looked like a girl, and I laughed at him. I severed off one of his wings, and we focused on one attack each. I used chidori."

Naruto peered over at Kakashi to see if he was listening. His eye was dead serious and focused on the boy. He didn't care if Naruto copied his jutsu, all that mattered now was that they were okay. At least, mostly.

Tsunade took the ramen from the nurse that brought it in. "Tell me what happened after that, Naruto." She held up a pair of chopsticks. His eyes lit up and he nodded.

"After the two touched, there was an explosion. I got sent one way and Sasuke the other. I think I blacked out, but I was still in my mind. I couldn't control what I was doing, even though I could still see and think."

Naruto took a big gulp of the ramen the Hokage offered him and he continued. "I got up and when Sasuke came after me I dodged. I didn't even know how. I still don't know how. It looked like he was moving like two inches every ten minutes. I ran circles around him."

He took another gulp. "He tried to use the same attack again, but I caught his wrist. He flinched when I cracked his arm in two." Naruto flinched at the memory but continued. "I threw him down and he looked up at me. His.."

He stopped there. He gulped down some air, taking deep breaths. Tsunade got up and rubbed his back a bit. "It's okay, shh….what happened, Naruto? I promise you that if you tell us what happened it'll all be okay."

Naruto seemed to trust her, because he finally swallowed and nodded. "Okay. If you say so. His eyes reflected mine. I could tell because he was scared. I could smell it. Feel it. Sense it. My eyes were black. Not red, not blue. Just…black."

Naruto shifted his soup around. Untouched ramen was odd for him. It was practiacally all he ate! Tsunade looked at Kakashi and noted he had put his book away. She tried to think this over. She had no idea yet what happened and who did this.

As they were all silent, there was a loud and sudden noise coming from across the room. Sasuke Uchiha was snoring.