LUCID – CHRISTENED
The Cave
Naruto sat, knelt, looking over Hinata silently. It had been many years since he encountered a threat he couldn't overcome with power alone, the last was Kaguya herself. Then this moment came, the moment where he found out that Hinata was on her own, that he couldn't help her to escape from the genjutsu. He struggled to cope with that idea, he had encountered dangers he couldn't fight conventionally before but never one like this. He had no idea what to do, what to think.
The sole sound of the water dripping down from the ceiling soon changed, when a whispered name filled the air. A name whispered from Naruto's own lips. "Hinata…".
Kurama could watch this no longer. He had to say something, he knew that, for he was the one who really knew Naruto better than anybody. United since Naruto's infancy, Kurama had seen every struggle his Jinchuriki had encountered, every decision he had made. They were closer in that regard than any two humans could ever hope to be.
"Naruto, now isn't the time to be sentimental" the nine-tails said in an unusually subdued tone. He had to be the calm one, he had to control Naruto for a few moments at least, that was the only way to save Hinata. "We have to think of how we can solve this problem. You have to do something".
Naruto groaned to himself. He didn't feel like moving. Helplessness did that to him, made him paralysed, forced him into inaction. He had worked hard all his life to earn the respect of those around him, to become the Hokage, to protect everyone in the village. Yet, despite all that, he couldn't overcome such a simple obstacle, a genjutsu.
The blonde shinobi forced himself to take a deep breath. Kurama was right. No puzzle is impossible, no matter how difficult it is, there must be a way to undo all of this. "They may be nearby…" Naruto postulated, "If I can find them, I may be able to release the jutsu".
Naruto crossed his fingers, clouds of smoke surrounding him as he sent out an army of hundreds to scour the nearby landscape. Of course, he had done this previously and found nothing, Hinata too but he had to do something. When looking for a solution to a problem, grasping at straws is better than grasping nothing at all.
"I'm afraid you won't find us nearby" the voice of Tetsuya once more arrived in Naruto's head, taunting him over the state of his fallen partner. "You will not be so lucky".
The Leaf shinobi was no fool, he wasn't simply going to take Tetsuya's word for it. Such a despicable human being, such a vengeful shinobi, his words couldn't be taken at face value. He may well have been saying that just to throw him off the scent.
A few minutes passed while Naruto scoured the landscape. In an instant of shock, both he and Kurama started at what they were seeing. Their shared vision hadn't failed them, it truly was happening.
Naruto found something.
"Kurama, I've found one of them" he yelled in surprise.
"Yeah".
In amongst the leaves, a shinobi was disguised in green, blending almost perfectly into the background. Only a shinobi with enhanced senses would have been able to spot him, or a shinobi with a hundred eyes pointing in the same direction at once. Only one person would have been able to make this discovery with clones, that was Uzumaki Naruto.
"Oh, so you found him. I admit I, I lied before to see what you would do" Tetsuya's confession reeked with insincerity, not that Naruto cared. All he wanted to do was chase down this shinobi, this new lead that he had discovered. It was a chance, a golden chance. Tetsuya continued, "I never thought you would find Maro, you're just as impressive as they say, Uzumaki Naruto".
Naruto was in no mood to take the praise. "Don't act so complacent, you're next".
As he retorted, he began to manoeuvre his clones. There were no flashy attacks or powerful jutsu involved in his pursuit, Naruto had no use of them. Instead he was directing his adversary, bringing him closer to the cave, trapping him. Even a rasengan could put a normal opponent out of action for hours, he couldn't risk waiting so long. He was going to bring this Maro right to him and ask him some questions.
"So, allow me to guess what you're going to do next" Tetsuya confidently began, "You will try to reel Maro in, you will try to work out what he is doing. You will attempt to interrogate him or use him as a bargaining chip".
"Kurama, it looks like he knows what we are doing" Naruto reluctantly admitted. When a shinobi had the ability to get inside his head like this, that shinobi would know everything that Naruto and Kurama were saying to one another. He was in a near omniscient position.
"Don't let him distract you Naruto" Kurama loudly ordered this, offering encouragement to his host, "He is only saying that because he wants us to think he is in control. He is trying to make us let this rogue move as he pleases, that way he can complete his plans".
"You are wrong nine-tails. I am boasting about knowing what you will do because it will make no difference" Tetsuya replied matter-of-factly. "Whether you reel in Maro or not, I am in control here. And even if you capture him, it will not be enough to save you. Not from the suffering you are destined to feel".
Naruto's lips lifted slightly, almost into a smile. "Hinata isn't how you have imagined her. You should take your focus away from me and put it back on her because if there is a way to escape this jutsu, she will find it".
Elsewhere, Tetsuya lowered his head, depressed with what he has hearing. He had never imagined fighting Naruto would be like this. "Your faith in your friends, your power, your charisma, your tactics, everything about who you are is incredible Uzumaki Naruto". It was something he should have understood previously. No matter who you ask, if they have met Naruto on the field of battle, they will speak highly of him. They will explain just how powerful he is, not just in body but in mind. "It isn't who you are that matters though, it is where you come from".
Naruto frowned upon hearing this argument. Isn't that sort of quote usually said the other way around. Is it not who you are that matters rather than your background. "What do you mean by that?".
"I mean that while you can't help Hinata escape the genjutsu, you are her anchor to reality".
Naruto was confused. Her anchor to reality?
"While you shine brilliantly as a beacon of hope to raise people up, as an anchor to bring people down, you are useless".
"Anchoring her to reality is impossible for someone like you".
Naruto had switched from confused to lost. He could hardly understand the point of what Tetsuya was saying. Why would he need to bring Hinata down, he would never try to do that would he?
Kurama was sombre. Very sombre. "Don't listen to him Naruto, just keep doing what you are doing and everything will be fine".
"Yes".
Naruto was finding this situation more terrifying by the second. He closed his eyes and called out to her in his thoughts. 'Hinata, you have to be alright… you have to…'.
The Dream World, The Lake
Hinata woke up to bright sunlight. It was blinding, so bright that she was forced to raise a hand before her face, shielding her eyes from the sun. As she put one hand down and began to lean forward, she realised where she was. It was still the lakeside.
Her hand came down in some dry grass, she had slept outside all through the night. That realisation didn't occupy her mind for more than an instant though. She realised that something far more important was taking place here, this was still the other world. The world that stalker from the previous night had referred to as the dream world. How could it be a dream world though, it was a world without Naruto.
As the sun started to flicker through Hinata's hands, she moved them once again to block out the sun. Then a much larger obstruction to the light came, someone leaned over Hinata, blocking out the rays of the sun. "Hello dear, I heard that you went a bit mad last night".
Hinata was shocked, did this person know her, she didn't recall having ever seen him before. She lowered her now free hand to her face, rubbing her eyes clear of the dust that had accumulated the night before. What was going on, it all seemed so real to her this place, all the things she was feeling. It was so unlike a dream.
Then she finally realised what had been said to her. "A bit mad… dear…".
This man was named Nikko. He was indeed someone familiar with Hinata.
Nikko had a naturally kind appearance about his face and deep blue eyes that always appeared wide and welcoming. He seemed like one of those naïve people, whose naivety is not something to be resolved but something to be protected. He had cheerful smile on his face at most times, with a mole just under the left side of his mouth. What drew Hinata's eye though was his hair. A plum shade of red, dazzling like the falling leaves in the autumn. How could she not remember someone who looked like that?
"It's been a long time since you slept outdoors" Nikko said with a smile, rubbing the back of his head, "This is a bit less romantic than the other times".
Hinata's questions all stuck in her throat after she heard that. Less romantic. Just who was this person supposed to be to her, some kind of lover. Is that why he called her dear? That couldn't possibly be right though, she had never seen him before, never this face. Although other parts of him seemed familiar, warm, like they were from an old dream.
"A bit mad…" she repeated, dumbstruck.
"The guard commander told me that you were talking about some strange people last night" Nikko explained, adopting a more straight-faced expression as he placed his hand on Hinata's forehead, "Are you OK?".
The Hyuuga frowned slightly, reaching her hand up and removing Nikko's from her head. She worked up the resolve to ask a question of him. "Who are you?".
Nikko's face once more dropped, no longer straight-faced, his expression was instead quite depressed. "You don't even remember me, huh? There must be something seriously wrong with you".
Hinata shook her head again, something wrong with her, she had never seen this man before. She had never encountered anyone who looked like him. He seemed more like a product of the imagination than a real person.
Nikko stretched out his hand, smiling once more as he offered it to the floored shinobi. Hinata wasn't convinced that she could trust him at all but she didn't believe he was a bad person. There was something in his features, something intrinsic that she couldn't place her finger on that made her want to believe him. She reached out herself and with his help, got onto her feet.
"Maybe we should go to the hospital so that you can see Sakura" Nikko suggested with a hand on his hip.
Hinata started, smiling widely as she heard the familiar name. Sakura, Sakura is still here in this world, she hadn't disappeared along with Naruto. Perhaps she could help. "Sakura, that sounds like a good idea, take me to see Sakura". Hinata took her first step back towards the village but then remembered her previous problem. Everything in this world was backwards, it was mirrored. "I uh… could you show me the way to the hospital".
"Of course, I'll take you there myself" the plum-haired gentleman resolved, approaching Hinata and placing a comforting hand on her shoulder, "I wouldn't want to leave you alone in this fragile mental state".
"Ri… Right".
The Dream World, The Hospital
Sakura entered the room with a few notes on a clipboard. She looked slightly distressed by the situation if anything, this reunion hadn't been as helpful as Hinata hoped it would be. Whatever the medical shinobi was about to say it was going to be serious.
"So, you really don't remember Nikko?" Sakura asked as she looked up from the clipboard.
Hinata looked sideways at her 'dear'. Her empty gaze was a knife thrust into his very heart. He had clearly been shaken. She shook her head with an apologetic look. "No, I don't remember you, I'm really sorry".
"Don't apologise" Nikko said as waved his hand in front of his face. He clearly didn't want Hinata to feel any mental anguish about this situation. "You're not to blame for… whatever this is… right Sakura?".
"Of course not" Sakura assured the duo as she shook her head slightly, looking at the test results before her. She had seen this before and it had never ended well. "Hinata, you have a condition called Somnium".
"Somnium…" Hinata repeated the word, trying to draw it from somewhere in her subconscious. Had she ever heard that word before, Somnium. Not that she could recall. "What is Somnium?".
"It's a disease that affects the brain. It can make you feel disoriented, lead to fainting and or cause you to forget things or people" the medical shinobi explained as she placed her clipboard down on her desk. "It seems you have forgotten all about Nikko. It's strange that you forgot him and remember me though".
"I'm sorry".
Sakura leaned forward, looking sideways at one of the photos on her desk. "Ah, do you remember team 7 from back at the academy".
Hinata perked up, smiling for a moment. How could she not remember team 7? Naruto was part of that team, a team with three freakishly powerful shinobi and a sensei who went on to become the Hokage. With Sakura's next sentence, Hinata's heart was crushed.
"Sasuke, Nikko and I made up that team".
Hinata looked down into her hands, seeing them tremble before her very eyes. "You three were in team 7?".
"That's right" Nikko answered cheerfully, clearly the team had given him many happy memories. It was a happiness that Hinata had seen before when Naruto talked about the team. "It's back in the academy where we all first met".
As Nikko and Sakura continued to reminisce, Hinata phased out, thinking to herself instead of listening. 'That can't be right… am I really going mad.'.
'Naruto… Naruto should be on team 7… how could it not be Naruto…?'.
'What's happening to me?'.
Outside the Cave
Maro was clearly demonstrating to Naruto his extraordinary skills as a shinobi. Of course, Naruto was one of the most skilled shinobi to ever put on a head protector but in this situation, he was simply executing a low-level pursuit. Maro was able to avoid the grasp of the majority of the clones, evidently, he had trained to obtain this elusive capability for some time.
Still, the rogue shinobi's skills did not perturb the team 7 member. Naruto simply kept closing in, patiently taking one step after another in a deliberate and patient effort to reel him in. Maro was a fish on the end of a hook and he stood no chance of escaping for long. It is his destination had worried Naruto, each step he took, while it appeared to be an attempt to avoid the clones, it also drew him closer towards the cave. As he got closer and closer, the blonde shinobi had to wonder if he was doing this to evade capture, or to draw closer to the cave.
"Kurama, he's running towards the cave on purpose!". Naruto didn't have any proof that this was the case, it was just his instinct. Letting this person get too close would be bad news.
"Don't let him in Naruto. They must have known we were here since they set the trap" Kurama agreed with his host. Nothing good could happen if they let their adversaries get too close to this situation. Interrogating Maro outside the cave was a viable option. "He must be heading towards you and Hinata for a reason, don't let him get too close".
Of course he didn't. This wasn't your run-of-the-mill shinobi. As talented as Maro's evasions were, they were nothing compared to the sheer number of clones that Naruto could create. They trapped him outside the cave, encircling him so that he had nowhere left to run.
Maro frowned slightly, Naruto had seen through his plan. He considered re-evaluating, taking a few steps backwards before he realised that he was surrounded on all sides. Naturally he would be, how could he not be, his opponent is Uzumaki Naruto after all, this is the 'end boss' of their campaign.
The rogue shinobi smiled, shrugging his shoulders as if to say 'typical' and curse the world around him. He said with a sigh, "I've been waiting to come face to face with you for a long time now. It really is you, the Uzumaki Naruto, I'm almost giddy with excitement".
"Stop talking nonsense" the first clone calmly ordered, kunai ready should the rogue attempt another escape, "Tell me how I free Hinata".
Maro lowered his eyes to the ground for a moment, lamenting how boring the world had become. This world was no longer his, it was too well structured, there were too many people like this man, like Naruto. Sure, maintaining law and order made the world a better place for the weak but after a while it had started to make the whole world seem devoid of colour. What was once a vibrant landscape for him had become a black and white photo, it had become boring.
"If I do so hunting the prey that is Uzumaki Naruto, I am content with dying" he admitted, raising his head with a smile, "I will warn you now, hero of order, 5 more days is all you have left. Then you will either die or live an eternity of suffering".
Naruto's patience had long since passed its limit. "I said stop talking non…".
He was stopped mid-sentence by the actions of the rogue. Maro's face had started to contort in pain. Not only that but his entire body started to glow furiously like the sun. As the glow got brighter and the temperature grew warmer, sweat started to pour down Maro's face and in absolute agony he spoke some final words to Naruto.
"All you need to do is anchor her to this world, Uzumaki" he shouted through his pain, "When you can't even do that for her you will realise your greatest failure. You will burn to the ground and we shall rise from the ashes of order".
As the clones surrounded Maro in his new heating state, one of them, who seemed to have adopted the mantle of leader, called out, "Don't take your eyes off him, god knows what he is going to do".
He watched for a few seconds longer. Slowly, starting to realise the change in the air. A physical change accompanied by a metaphorical one, it seems that with Maro's words fate had started to act against Naruto. "Stop" he murmured before raising his voice to a yell, "Stop, stop the technique now!".
Maro didn't comply. Naruto was unsure of whether the rogue shinobi could even hear him at this point.
If Naruto's gut instinct was right, he had no time to mess around. Holding back at this point was putting Hinata in danger. The lead clone pulled out the chakra of the nine-tails and created a violently spinning rasengan, thrusting it towards the burning Maro. The rasengan didn't connect though, as it was pushed through the barrier of heat, it slowly disappeared inch by inch. Just as his hand was about to move into the barrier of heat, Naruto pulled it away.
"Naruto, what is wrong with you?" Kurama asked. He was seeing the same things as Naruto but couldn't understand his sense of urgency or his panic. Naruto should have been slightly flustered given Hinata's condition but his host had never usually been so quick to resort to an all-out attack.
"He is beginning to realise nine-tails" Tetsuya said through his still-present communication link. "His senses mean he has realised something that you cannot".
"The temperature…" Naruto whispered under his voice, gulping before explaining the situation to Kurama, "The temperature is rising".
'What'.
Naruto immediately dissipated all of his clones outside, they wouldn't be of any use to him right now. He instead focused his chakra on his real body and using Kurama's chakra, created a barrier around himself and Hinata.
"What are you doing" the nine-tails asked.
"I have to keep a barrier up" Naruto said in a panic, doing everything he can to conserve chakra while doing it, "If the temperature continues to rise at this rate, Hinata won't last long in her current state".
"Naruto, my chakra can't keep up that barrier forever" Kurama explained, "Not even you and I could keep this up for too long".
"Five days by my calculation" Tetsuya said, finally making Naruto understand Maro's former remarks.
"Five days for Hinata to escape the genjutsu, to escape this heat".
"If she doesn't escape in time she will burn to death".
"Of course, so will you unless you leave her".
"Do you have that in you, Uzumaki Naruto".
The Dream World, Outside the Hospital
Nikko looked around, stretching as he commented on the beautiful weather. Thinking about it, Hinata couldn't recall there being any bad weather since she arrived in this world. It had been wonderfully sunny with a cool breeze with not a drop of rain. The Hyuuga clanswoman had to wonder if the weather here was always like this, if the plants were able to survive without any water at all in this place.
"Perhaps we can take a look at some of the places you would often go" Nikko suggested with a smile, "That might help to jog your memory".
Hinata considered this idea, the places where she would often go. Would these be places where she went in the other world, would these be places with people she was familiar with, would these be places with people who remembered Naruto. It seemed unlikely, if Sakura couldn't remember him then it was unlikely that any of the others would be able to do so.
Still, despite all that, she had to do something while she was there, it might have been a good idea. "Yes, that sounds like a good idea" she agreed. There was nothing to be lost from having a look around after all.
"OK" Nikko said, stretching his open hand down to Hinata's side.
Hinata looked at the hand, shaking her head and pulling her own hand away from it. "Sorry" she said, looking away from him, "I don't…". Hinata didn't want to see him like this, if anything she believed that he was being honest with her. If the things he was saying to her were untrue it was against his knowledge. His face, straightforward and kind, it was not a face she wanted to see disappointed.
"No it's OK" Nikko waved off the apology. "I'm sure that it's only a matter of time before you remember and we can go back to normal".
As the couple walked away from the hospital, Hinata blindly followed him around to the places where she would go on a normal day. 'Normal' she said the word in her mind, 'This isn't normal is it, I don't know this man'. It was all beginning to become a bit hazy to her, it was like the other world wasn't real while she was here. It was like her memories of it were sipping through a sieve. 'Naruto, I normally hold hands with Naruto… I'm normally with Naruto, aren't I…'?
The Dream World, A Shinobi Building
Hinata could tell from the moment she entered the building it housed shinobi. The weapon racks, the maps, the reading material littered about the room. This place was ideal for training, resting and planning. People looked at her in an unusual way, did these people know her, was it because she was acting unusually.
"This is where you normally work" Nikko explained, leaning over and pointing to a desk at the end of a long room, "You lead the Sensing and Tracking group of the Hidden Leaf".
Hinata shook her head, "There is a Sensing and Tracking group" she asked in surprise. It was only at that point that Nikko's last words struck her and she looked at the name on the desk at the end of the hall. It read 'Hyuuga Hinata'. "And I lead them…".
"Ah, Hinata" a familiar voice called. A man and a dog approached her. A very familiar face, Kiba. "I heard that you had lost some of your memories, do you remember me?".
"Kiba… of course I know you, we have been on a team for years" Hinata said matter-of-factly. Nikko was slightly stunned, another one just like Sakura. Hinata seemed to remember most of the shinobi that she had worked with. Every one of them but him.
"Oh good, I'm glad you remember" Kiba said with a huge grin on his face. "I take it you're here to try and remind yourself of things you have forgotten".
"Yes". Hinata knew that this may confuse people but she had to try. She had to try desperately to find a solution to this issue she had, this genjutsu, this disease, this memory loss. "Kiba" she began, "Do you remember someone named Naruto".
"Naruto…" Kiba said while scratching his chin. He and Naruto had been good friends in the other world, would he be able to remember him. Unfortunately for Hinata, the answer isn't what she had hoped for, "I don't think I know anybody called Naruto, why?".
"Sorry" Hinata apologised, bowing to Kiba in an over-the-top apology, "It's just, I thought I remembered someone I worked with called Naruto".
Nikko racked his brains. He had known Hinata for a very long time, just like Kiba. He scratched his plum-red hair and considered all the missions they had been on together. To all the corners of the world, with people like Shino, Shikamaru, Sasuke and Kiba. Nobody came to mind, not one shinobi named Naruto.
"Ah, here's another familiar face" Kiba said while gesturing to the door.
A familiar figure came through the door. A figure that would impact Hinata greatly.
A tear came to Hinata's eye as she watched him approach. "Neji… Neji you're alive…".
Neji looked at Kiba confused about this emotional reaction. He had heard that his cousin had memory loss but he hadn't expected her to react like this upon seeing him. "I am the last time I checked, though I'm sorry I was a bit late to work today".
Hinata hugged Neji tightly, something she had always wanted to do one last time. "I'm so glad you're OK".
Neji started before hugging Hinata in return. "Alright, alright, you can relax now Hinata, I'm fine". He looked over his cousin's shoulder at her partner Nikko. The two shared a glance and Nikko shrugged his shoulders. For them, what was going on in Hinata's mind was impossible to decipher.
"But during the war" Hinata began, "Didn't you… you know…".
"During the war?" Neji replied, "Which war?".
"The 4th great shinobi war".
Hinata was terrified as once more shared glances spread through the room like a plague. She hated this feeling, the feeling that everyone knew more than she did, that she was eternally left out of the loop.
Nikko coughed before whispering something in her ear. "Hinata, there hasn't been a 4th great shinobi war".
Upon hearing those final words, Hinata fainted once again.
The Cave
The day was almost over. The second day of Hinata's enduring this genjutsu. Naruto was trying with everything he had to keep the shield up around the two of them. Outside it was getting hotter and hotter. The situation was getting worse by the second.
"Hey kid, are you OK?" Kurama asked with heavy eyes. He was surprised that the need for sleep wasn't getting to Naruto, this was tiring for him just from the physical strain, the added mental strain his jinchuriki had to endure must have been enormous.
"Kurama, look at what has happened to her, do you think I'm OK?".
"You need to look at the positives" the nine-tails insisted. What was important to him at this moment was getting Naruto's morale up in any way possible. "You need to think about getting through this, both of you".
"Do you know what I am thinking Kurama" he asked with a quiet sombre voice, "I'm thinking about how I lost my mom, how I lost my dad, how I lost pervy sage".
That hit where it hurt, Kurama was responsible for two of those three deaths. "I'm sorry…"
"I don't hold a grudge against you for the past but… I can't just loser her as well… I couldn't cope… I can't just keep going if I…".
The sound of a loud gasp filled the cave as Hinata woke from the dream world, interrupting Naruto's conversation with his partner.
"Hinata!".
"Naruto" she called out weakly, reaching her hand out behind her, hoping to feel something, "Naruto is that you".
"I'm here Hinata" Naruto said as he took Hinata's hand.
A wave of relief washed over her, Naruto was there. This hand that she could feel was undoubtedly his. In spite of all the confusion, in this moment she truly believed that everything was going to be fine, that he would find a solution to her problem.
"Everything is so… confusing" she said as her eyes grew accustomed to the dark, "Where are we?".
"We're in the cave" Naruto explained, "How are you feeling?".
'The cave' Hinata repeated it in her head, trying to make sense of it. The floor felt a bit damp and it was certainly dark and stony in here. It certainly felt like a cave. She started to remember the events from before, they had gone into a cave together.
"It feels so… blurry" Hinata explained, answering Naruto's personal enquiry. "It sounds like your voice is just an echo, like a dream…".
Naruto nodded, looking around. Truthfully, there was a slight echo in this cave and that could be what was confusing Hinata. As for the blurriness, the dream-like presence of reality, he couldn't explain it. "Hinata, these must be the after-effects of the genjutsu".
More confusion. Hinata was only getting back into this world's way of thinking very slowly. A genjutsu, was that what the other place was, a genjutsu.
"Don't you remember, you were trapped by a genjutsu".
Yes. She understood. She thought she understood. She could believe it. A genjutsu. A place like that could surely only be a genjutsu. "I… it was another world Naruto, a world where you didn't exist" she explained, "I don't know what changed but you weren't there, your dad wasn't on the Hokage monument".
"Hinata…".
"I remember now, there was a woman, a hooded woman there" Hinata explained, the fuzzy details of the previous night slowly returning to her, "She said it was a world made from my happiest dreams. She said that was my reality now".
"Hinata, it's over now, you can rest easy, you're awake".
The Hyuuga shook her head, this didn't feel like she was awake. The blur, the imperfection, the lack of clarity in the world. This still felt like a dream to her. She remembered that this had happened to her once before. "But I woke up before didn't I…".
"Yes but…".
"Naruto, I keep going back there again".
These two were not thinking rationally, judgement impaired by their dream-states and emotions but Kurama was much more experienced. He was able to view the situation objectively, to calmly consider what was happening. "Naruto, this has become her dream, she will go back in a few seconds".
The jinchuriki realises his tailed-beast is right as Hinata's eyelids start to flicker slightly, slowly coming to a close. "No Hinata, you need to stay awake" he shouted.
It was no good, she fell asleep.
"HINATA!".
With the exception of the water dripping down from the ceiling, the cave had fallen silent.
Kurama waited for a few seconds before calling out. "Naruto…".
"WHAT!".
"It's beginning to make sense, a genjutsu constructing her dream world, a world she doesn't want to leave" the fox began, "The only difference is that you are hear, that is the only reason she may come back to this world".
"Now do you see, Uzumaki Naruto" Tetsuya called across the established link.
"It's as he said" Kurama continued, "You have to be her anchor, otherwise she may never come back".
Naruto's fist tightened, and he reached into Hinata's bag, pulling out a radio and doing something he should have done before. He uses the radio to call out for help. "Hello, can anybody here me…".
"We need help… please… we need help…".