Hi, I know it's been so long that I haven't updated but it's going to be difficult to update quickly. School has started for me and I'm going to have to balance my time and that would be very difficult indeed. I'm in 4th year and I have to study so I can graduate... and I promise that I will try and update every week.
I always have school homeworks now and it's annoying! I hate every bit of it, If only I can bring a laptop to school or automatically think about the next chapter... *sigh* Life is a box of chocolates!
I'm sure everyone would agree to a weekly update, omg, that sounded harsh. Dad has taken my privilege of the computer for a while so I sneak in and update every week for my lovely readers and reviewers. Thank you very much for supporting this story up til now!
Here's the chapter!
Disclaimer: Wait a sec, Why do we put up disclaimers when we already know who Naruto originally belongs to! What is wrong with you people? Masashi Kishimoto made Naruto~
Recap:
Naruto felt the strong wind from his back, he knew he was falling but his body won't respond to him. He was too tired, he was exhausted. He saw someone in front of him trying to grab him but he kept falling and the person couldn't reach, then it was all darkness.
"Damn it... not now." Naruto tried feeling something but it all felt numb.
Silence.
Dripping water.
Gate opened.
Bars rung as they hit.
Giant puddles were disrupted.
"Snap out of it Kit!" The Kyuubi's voice ran through his head. "Wake up kit!"
(Inside Naruto's mind)
It was dark and cold, it felt like water surrounding him. There was a sound that Naruto was trying to register to, it was a voice that he couldn't make out. The first sounds he could register was dripping water and the muffled voice just started growing louder and louder.
"ki... ak... p... "
"What do you want?" Naruto thought. "I'm... I'm tired. Please... leave me alone. Just don't wake me up, I don't want to get up yet... "
"... it... wa... up... "
"Damn it... what is it?" He grumbled through his thoughts.
Naruto started shifting his movements, at first he felt like he was being restrained and his body had gone numbed and everything was dark. He couldn't open his eyes yet, it all felt heavy, his entire body wasn't in his control, he seemed paralyzed.
"Kit... up... "
"Who are you?" Naruto could only hear and wait for the voice to respond, but sadly his voice wasn't actually being broadcast as he expected it to be so nevertheless, he awaited the response from his non response. Silence reached his ears. (A/N: confusing? Well I find it weird.)
"Annoying peace of... Wake up... Kit." He heard the voice growl a few times and then snarled at him before speaking the same words, wake up.
"That sounds familiar. I know that voice, it's... Kyu... He's..."
Naruto thought, his mind felt like it was going blank but after hearing that voice a few more times his senses started kicking in again making him available to hear, move, speak and do whatever he wants. He listened again, waiting for the loud voice to come shouting at him again.
"Kit wake up! I'm sick of this, I will rip of your HEAD if you don't want to WAKE UP!"
"Great, I'm being woken up by Fluffy the Fox." Naruto mentally face palmed just by the thought of the concerned or rather pissed off Kyuubi wanting to rip him limb from limb.
It was the Kyuubi's voice that rung through Naruto's ears, Naruto's body felt jolting upward with the angry concerned voice. It was loud, powerful and also very demanding, Naruto didn't follow the Kyuubi's command as of yet and waited for another sentences to leave the Kyuubi's mouth.
"Wake up or I swear when you do, I will personally kill you! Now wake up Kit! I am getting tired of constantly waiting here like a broken record, now get UP!"
Naruto felt the need it was time to snap out of his moment and started moving his fingers and then his hands, his eyes were moving inside still getting the feel in his body. At first it was as if he wasn't in his own body but as he continued to move it slowly returned to him.
"uhh... fine... " Naruto moaned as he tried to get a feel on his body.
Naruto opened his eyes only to find himself lying in a giant puddle of dark water, an open cage behind him and the Kyuubi resting right in front of him with it's nose close to his face.
"Finally heard me?" The Kyuubi smirked at him, teeth like razor sharp blades hanging there, ready to use if you ever piss him off. Naruto tried moving his body and he managed the walk right next to the Kyuubi, wobbling a bit but managed to stay on his feet.
"Thank goodness, you managed to wake up Kit!" His voice died down to a sigh of relief. "You had me worried there for a second. I thought you died inside your head!"
"Kyuubi, I don't have time for games or any teasing you always seem to give me. I just want to know what the hell happened that I passed out?" He asked while he rubbed the back of his head. "Also, Why I'm here with you. No offense though."
"Non-taken Kit, You exhausted too much of your energy the last few days, because of that over exhaustion you lost a lot of chakra as well, you passed out when you were at the Hokage monument just after the elder hags left. And where they annoyed when you outsmarted them, I like you the way you are... Wise and respectful!"
"Oh no!" Naruto's head snapped to face the Kyuubi.
"What's wrong Kit? You realized something didn't you?" The Kyuubi lowered his head to Naruto to face him, sharp piercing eyes with plain blue strong willed ones.
"I fell from the Hokage monument, I passed out." Naruto bit his lips. "No! That can't happen, I can't be dead. I'm still here talking to you! So that's not possible, right? I mean, someone must have saved me? Could there be?"
Naruto looked at the Kyuubi with worried eyes and seemed dazed with pity at the moment.
The Kyuubi had began a friendly relationship with Naruto just after the war and the Kyuubi being grateful, always lend a hand to the boy whenever he needed some help.
The Kyuubi felt a wave of pity run through him time and time again when Naruto got involved into something troublesome.
"Beats me kit." The Kyuubi looked away as Naruto bowed his head.
"I knew you might say that... " Naruto looked away and began pacing, moving on top of the puddle surrounding them. The Kyuubi sighed.
"What is it that you last saw? I couldn't see what you saw because you had unconsciously blocked me and I blacked out first from the images you sent me, that's why I won't be of any help to you whatsoever... You're on your own with this one."
"Yeah I get it... so my last memories of that event... " Naruto bit his lips and tried thinking, the numbness in his body before had managed to make even his memories go blank for a moment but it wasn't permanent.
"I'm waiting..." The Kyuubi tapped his claws on the puddle making loud splashing noises and almost human sized waves. This made Naruto wobble a little with the motion and he had to send a glare at the Kyuubi for a little amount of maturity.
"Baa-chan jumped after me to grab my hand but she didn't catch me." Naruto's eyes twitched.
"The old hag isn't as reliable as she used to be..."
" At that statement, I'd rather not comment, Hina-chan was there too because I heard her shout my name. It's just bad, I mean if I died... she'd be so sad."
"Love can be taken and endured in many ways kit, forget about it. Is there anything relevant to what you saw next?"
"Yes, there was something else that caught my attention and I'm sure that the person I'm referring to managed to help me. it was blurry though so I couldn't make out the face. I just saw a flash of light hit my eyes and a person right above me, hands stretched... but that's it."
"So he was the one that caught you, then you're perfectly fine, there's no need to worry about. You should worry about me being let out when your dead! How's that?"
Naruto pouted.
"Not the word caught exactly but that person could have saved my life but other than that I don't know anymore, I'm blanked. I did see him again and he was telling me something and I could feel his hand on mine, I'm not sure anymore. "
"Like I said, forget it kit. Nothing will happen if we keep talking about this over and over, besides you're going to be here for a while so shut up and rest."
Naruto paced impatiently inside the Kyuubi's opened jail place. The Kyuubi lay down on it's back like a normal Fox would and he tried thinking of something that could help them both get information that's outside their line of knowledge.
"Is there anyone that could have saved you?" The Kyuubi still upside down, shifted his head to face Naruto. Naruto had his hands on his chin thinking hard. "Besides the person with outstretched arms, holding on your hand! Come Kit!"
"Anyone could have saved me, if not, the other shinobi's will try to save me." Naruto tilted his head. "Look, stop telling me what I should do. I don't know what else happened. If I die then so be it, I just hope that everyone will be alright without me."
"Death do us part... not a nice way to say it. People will miss you. " Kyuubi thought and told Naruto out loud, he was thinking of other things to annoy Naruto. "Heh, come to think of it Kit, it's true that til death do us part, you die, I leave.. simple."
"I hope I'm not dead and it's not just because of you!" Naruto pointed at Kyuubi.
"Excuse me?" The Kyuubi glared at him.
"I mean if that happened, I'd be an embarrassment. I survived from war and died due to a black out and fell off the Hokage monument. That's a sick joke that I'd not want to live by."
The Kyuubi is known to be aggressive, well not anymore. Naruto managed to tame him years ago and with that on going friendly relationship, the Kyuubi is acting based on maturity to Naruto's point.
"What do you say we just let this conversation go?" Naruto yawned. "I have nothing else I want to talk to you about and I think you don't have a great answer either."
"True."
"All I say is, let's just wait."
"Agreed, now all we can do is wait." The Kyuubi stared at the ceiling.
"Uhuh..." Naruto boredily spoke.
They waited a few minutes until the boredom had risen to an extent where someone had to break the silence, it was always Naruto but now, it was Kyuubi that broke the silence. He turned his head to Naruto who was sitting thinking of the fall.
"If you're wondering why you can't feel your body before, when you had woken up here, it's because of your exhaustion, you're brain has managed to transfer the feel of your body to your head, rendering you sensation-less."
The Kyuubi laughed so hard it's teeth had managed to show up to the very top.
"You must have knocked your nerves out cold as well."
"Don't make fun." Naruto pouted as the Kyuubi laughed. "Anything else you may have noticed that I had skipped through to. "
"Well that could be all I have noticed, and the fact that you're still here because every jinchuriki in the time of danger ends up here, you must have concentrated last on the thought of me that's why you are here. And be glad Kit... since your here it means you are still alive."
"Yeah that means a lot to me... thanks." He sarcastically spoke.
Naruto walked to the wall and stared knocking on it thinking if he could break inside the cage of the whole place and wake up for good, but Kyuubi knew Naruto ever since childhood, the kid would break things if that was the only alternative left.
"Kit, breaking isn't the only answer, besides, Let's both wish you don't end up in a Coma or be bedridden all your life. If you are then you'll spend a whole lot of time with me and I would definitely have more enjoyment to come by too..." The Kyuubi laughed hysterically.
"Could have fooled me." Naruto grimaced at the sight of the Fox having fun.
"Great I have a laughing Fox Hyena inside me. Oh, the Joys this brings me." Naruto thought sarcastically. "I wonder what's really happening in the real world."
(on top of the Hokage monument)
Naruto grabbed his head, wobbled a bit and went off the edges of the Hokage monument. Tsunade had registered this and through instincts she catapulted herself to Naruto and tried grabbing him but the fall was too fast and there was now way an unconscious person could grab something to prevent the fall.
"Naruto-kun!"
Hinata shouted as she gripped her chest tightly bracing herself for what could mean death on the man she loves with all her heart. She couldn't move, her body had stiffened due to the shock and the anxiety mostly overwhelming her.
"Please be alright, Naruto-kun!"
Tsunade had just dived on the floor trying to catch Naruto but the fall was too fast and Naruto was unconscious and couldn't grab her hand. Sasuke was standing there next to Hinata, just standing and simply in shock.
He could see his best friend falling miles and miles down nearing his death and he had managed to register this in his head and being hit like a dagger, he saw Naruto fall, he managed to openly use his Sharingan under his hood.
Hinata was about to charge but she was stopped when Sasuke blocked her path, she turned to him with a face full of worry. He didn't turn to look at her as he prepared himself for what he was about to do.
"Sasuke-kun?" Hinata muttered.
Sasuke wasted no time as he dashed right pass Hinata and kicked the ground using the chakra on his feet. He jumped up, turned his body and dived in. He didn't care about his hood falling down the back of his neck due to the strong wind hitting his face.
He was close to reaching Naruto.
"Dobe wake up and grab my hand..." He shouted as he stretched his hands. "NARUTO!"
Naruto, unconscious as he is. He had managed to respond to the Uchiha's voice by slightly opening his eyes but weak as he is at the moment, he barely awoke and continued to fall.
"Damn it, he's falling too fast!"
Sasuke fixed the way he had fallen, just a few more seconds would mean death not just for Naruto but for the both of them, so he hurriedly did what he had to do.
Sasuke braced himself as he shifted his body, turning it upside down so that his feet were facing the ground. He used chakra through his hands and grabbed the ledge but couldn't get a grip on it.
After grabbing another ledge he managed to attach his hands there, then he attached the soles of his feet and kicked hard, he had done this several times, zig-zagged but consecutively so he can reach the bottom at high speed.
He had reached his destination just bellow Naruto, he was using his feet as a suction cup to the wall and had his right hand holding the ledge for safety.
He stretched his left hand waiting for the right moment for Naruto to reach him. When Naruto did, Sasuke wasted no time in grabbing his hand. He gripped tightly and tried pulling him up and supporting both of their weights.
Naruto was heavy and Sasuke had to endure this, he winced a little, he couldn't carry himself and Naruto back to the top of the tower, he could not just let go, if he did then it would be a complete waste in saving him. He had to think of another alternative to get back to higher or rather a much safer ground.
He doesn't know why he had saved Naruto, and he still tries to deny his feelings most of the time but the feeling his getting isn't just about denying anymore.
All he thought about was the safety of his best friend, he hated to admit it but that was the reason he saved him, at least he knew that.
Sasuke was still attached to the wall, facing the ground a few hundred feet bellow and right hand outstretched holding the hand of the unconscious Naruto, fast asleep... or out cold, passed out... (A/N: too much?") Then he had begun to slip.
"Naruto, wake up!" Sasuke gritted his teeth in pain. "I can't keep holding you like this, both of us are going to die if you don't wake up."
He began to slip again but all of a sudden the weight Sasuke was carrying had lightened...
Just in time someone had grabbed tightly on Naruto's other hand and another one had gone under Naruto and carried him. Sasuke's eyes widened to see Kakashi right next to him holding Naruto's hand and Iruka trying to carry Naruto from bellow.
"It's fine Sasuke we can take it from here..." Kakashi spoke as Sasuke nodded.
Sasuke let go of Naruto's hand and the weight was pushed to Kakashi and Iruka. Sasuke went back up to the top of the Hokage monument where Naruto had fallen just a few seconds ago and Kakashi and Iruka followed with Naruto with them.
"Thank Goodness..." Hinata openly cried.
"They saved him..." Tsunade sighed in relief and placed her hand on Hinata's shoulder. "It's going to be fine dear. He'll be okay..."
Sasuke jumped up from where Tsunade and Hinata were and deactivated his Sharingan when he looked at the two of them. He didn't notice the hood was still at the back of his neck and had his face and hair completely exposed.
He leaned against the wall and slumped down, breathing heavily. It could have been bloody if Naruto died, probably a new war would have started. He looked at Tsunade's face, full of terror although he did not know why or realized why.
Then it hit him, he grabbed his hood and placed it firmly on his head and lowered it. He heard a hissing sound and small curses coming from Tsunade, but that stopped when Kakashi, Iruka and Naruto arrived.
"He's gotten heavy..." Kakashi muttered.
"Gently now." Iruka said.
Kakashi and Iruka placed Naruto down and made him sit right next to Sasuke. Hinata was crying, the tears were falling to her cheeks as she ran to Naruto, knelt down and hugged him tightly.
"Naruto-kun!" Hinata spoke. "You're burning up!"
She cried on his Shoulders and then checked for any wounds, but she found none and she gently stroked Naruto's hair. Happy that he had gotten out of the danger he was in.
"Thank you Sasuke-kun..." She cried and smiled at Sasuke, who only nodded back.
Sasuke looked at the two, bowed his head and then turned to Kakashi, Iruka, and Tsunade. Kakashi was somewhat happy with Sasuke's progress in being good again but Iruka and Tsunade's expressions were way of the charts.
They feel grateful for saving Naruto but was in shock about why he had done it. They were surprised he was in the village and managed to avoid getting caught by the ANBU and the part that he wasn't plotting anything. They stared for a few minutes.
"Tsunade-sama, I'll explain everything." Kakashi said. "But first, we need to get Naruto to a hospital. His breathing is erratic and he needs medical attention, word about Sasuke shouldn't get out as of yet."
"Fine." Tsunade crossed his arms.
"Tsunade-sama... I.. " Kakashi was interrupted by Tsunade's loud voice.
"But I want explanations, no lies and i want you to tell me everything that you know! I will not tolerate rebelious acts against Konoha, and I have you know that I don't have any desire in taking that murderer and criminal in!"
She pointed at Sasuke who simply looked away.
"Hn..." was Sasuke's reply.
"Kakashi, we better get Naruto to the hospital." Iruka spoke softly within the reach of only Kakashi and Tsunade. "We might have to hurry. He has a fever..."
"The sooner the better." Kakashi whispered. "Shall we? What do we do when we get there?"
"That's the time when we can decide if Sasuke is still a threat to the village. I'm not taking sides, Tsunade-sama but if it wasn't for Sasuke delaying the fall then we wouldn't have made it on time."
"I'm just as shocked as you are." Tsunade scowled. "You better have a good explanation as to why is he here. If not, I'm going to call the Kage's and have them arrest Sasuke for his treachery. Is that understood?"
"Yes Tsunade-sama."
The three of them turned to get Naruto when they saw Sasuke kneeling down and had his back turned to Naruto and Hinata, Hinata was supporting Naruto and placed him on Sasuke's back. Sasuke stood up carrying Naruto behind him.
He starred at the three for a moment and jumped away to the building a few feet down followed by Hinata who was just behind him. They both ran to the hospital in a hurry.
Kakashi sighed and saw Iruka wanting to take after them but he blocked Iruka's way shaking his head trying to convince the guy not to follow.
"Kakashi!" Tsunade shouted. "You're letting Sasuke take Naruto to the Hospital, ARE YOU INSANE?"
"For once I completely agree!" Iruka crossed his arms. "He's done a lot to hurt Naruto, why let him go?"
"Leave them, they'll be headed to the hospital. Sasuke won't kill Naruto there, besides what's the use in saving him if he could take pleasure in seeing him take a dive and hit the ground. I have a lot of things to tell you. If you please, I'd like to discuss this in private without any interruptions and any mishaps coming our way, it's still a secret so we better keep it that way."
The three of them Sunshin'ed away to the Hokage's office! (A/N: I know that was wrong but it sounded fun when I pronounced it, so let it be... )
(Inside the Hospital)
Naruto was placed in room 427 and was connected to an IV, and had monitors surrounding him and had a wet towel on his head. He was taken in as dehydrated, fever, slightly malnourished only for the couple of days but it wasn't serious. They can feed him later when he wakes up.
He was also called in for over exhaustion and lack of chakra in his chakra reserves. Weird for that to happen but it did, a cause of a minor damage in his physiological matters but it wasn't grave... It was probably the reason why Naruto is with the Kyuubi when he had passed out.
Hinata sat on a chair to Naruto's left holding his hand. She was staring at him, waiting for him to wake up while Sasuke was at the other side of Naruto sitting on the chair, scowling and mostly irritated. He was slouched on the chair and had crossed arms.
Naruto began to stir, his eyelids were slowly opening. He moaned and called out Hinata's name and then Sasuke's name. His hand trailed up to his head and gripped it tightly.
He was pale, had dark circles in his eyes, he was weak and could collapse again at any given moment. He was sick and burning up.
"Naruto-kun!" Hinata spoke in joy as Naruto stood up straight holding his head.
"Hina-chan, what... happened?" Naruto coughed a little and turned to Hinata who hugged him and smiled and she pointed right to Naruto's side. Naruto turned his head to see an angry but worried looking Uchiha.
"You idiot!" Sasuke shouted...
CLIFFHANGER! AGAIN!
I will update soon, I'm just so tired... School has taken it's toll on me and I've been jam packed for days! I'm planning on updating again so be on the look out, you never know when I'm gonna hit you with the next chapter... and sorry I had to cut this chapter, I was suppose to make it longer but seeing to it as I was pressured into doing it...
I had to do it. Simply, I want to make it longer but I have no time left. So I'm gonna place the continuation of this to the next one making it the next chapter.. just so you know... I hope it's still okay... I don't want to make you wait any longer so, I gave you this chapter to read to while you wait for the next one..
Stay tuned...
Tell me what you think, Please review and thanks for reading.