CHAPTER SIXTEEN

"I can see it in your eyes.

You're broken down;

Your hands are tied."

Sasuke Uchiha was never a fan of hospital rooms, not even before that day.

Disgraced as he was, he had no issue letting the world know it.

Uchiha pride was long dead. The Uchiha ego, however, was not.

"Leave me alone!" Sasuke screamed, sick of his hourly disturbances from the tower's nurses.

"I can't do that, Uchiha-san." A nasally voiced male answered, Sasuke's least favorite of all of them.

Some of those nurses would hurry when he yelled, they'd apologize. They might even leave him a few minutes longer than they were supposed to.

He never did that.

"I have to check your vitals." The nurse did not ask, he stated.

Sasuke despised him. If he tried to fight, he knew the ANBU hidden in his room would subdue him.

Deep in his soul, Sasuke felt like running.

It was all too apparent to him that Konoha would never be safe for him.

Kakashi had promised his team that he'd protect them with his life. Sasuke had believed him, until the forest. Sasuke had felt safe, for the first time in years.

Until the forest, until Orochimaru.

Now he just felt violated. By his village, by Orochimaru.

The battle hadn't been a battle at all. It was a joke to him.

Sasuke had never met someone who seemed more invincible than Itachi.

It had begun out of nowhere.

One minute, his team was leaping from the treetops. The next, there was a lone Kusa-nin before him. There had been a silence, a silence so quiet his ears had started ringing. They'd been frozen to the tree, until Sai had leapt down and led the way on the ground. They'd tried to run past the ninja, because none of them said it but something felt so deeply wrong about that person. They hadn't wanted a fight. His team was reasonable. They knew that person wasn't worth the risk. He was sore to admit it, but, amongst them… He was the most hot-headed. Sakura could be provoked easily in interpersonal disputes, but in the field, she was never quick to anger. Sasuke was. So when that ninja taunted him… "Running away, Sasuke? Kukuku.." A chill had run up his spine, but the red-hot rage in his chest was enough to make him turn around. " I thought having your entire clan murdered might grant you some courage." And it had all been downhill from there. It wasn't a fight, it was a fucking embarrassment. His ancestors would've rolled in their graves. They probably were. And then, then.. Then that fucking orange dunderhead, the dead-last… She'd swooped in. Her teammate, clad in a hideous body-suit, had taken the lead. They were ridiculous, and they were braver than hell. And for a second. Sasuke had hope. He believed.

He watched Naruto, that buffoon, break through the killing intent and spin into action. Clones of her filled the area, she watched their backs as she joined their teammates. Sasuke felt a rush, and then he was watching the battle with new eyes. Naruto engaged an Orochimaru clone. He was rushing to help her, never one to be outdone. By the time he was halfway there, Orochimaru had her in a chokehold. They'd all been watching, frozen. But Sasuke had been the closest. And. He couldn't move. Flashes of memories hit him- Bodies on floorboards, a sword stained with over a hundred lives. That man standing over him. Blood-stained wood. Empty houses. Empty home. Empty hospital room. No matter how hard he'd tried. No matter how he forced himself, the killing intent had frozen him. The memories had frozen him. Only that bowl cut bastard was still in motion, defending his own life. Sasuke wanted to save her. Sasuke had never saved anyone. Sasuke didn't want to see more dead bodies. NoMoreBloodAndNoMoreDecompositionAndNoMoreFuneralsAndEmptyHousesAndDinnerAloneAnd- "Someone should've told you stealing is wrong, little girl." The pale man had said, bursting through Sasuke's internal torment. Naruto had gone limp. Her brunette teammate screamed. Distantly, Sasuke registered the sound of the girl falling to her knees.

And Naruto screamed, too. It was a screech, animalistic and horrified, it tore through his skull and made him double over. In all of his years, Sasuke had never, ever heard a sound like it. Orochimaru had watched her, almost curiously.

The girl's mouth was so wide Sasuke thought her face might split in half. He thought he saw the skin cracking at the corners.

Then something had happened, SomethingShifted- and Naruto's arms had moved. They were no longer limp at her sides. Her head was tilted, nearly her entire body boneless as it emitted that horrible, disgusting sound. And then, there was this incandescent, scarlet red glow to her all fingers, and Orochimaru didn't have the time to process before that monstrous hand had grabbed his throat. Sasuke only had the time to see it because of his sharingan. Orochimaru didn't have such a blessing. Sasuke thought he heard something to the tune of, "Eye for an eye." But maybe it was his own thoughts. Maybe he'd imagined it. Naruto screamed still. He thought she must be suffering. He almost wished Orochimaru had finished her. Even with his sharingan eyes seeing everything, the boy couldn't make heads or tails of any of it. He didn't know why her hand glowed, or why Orochimaru had joined her in screaming. For just a moment, it seemed they were conjoined in agony. In mere seconds, he'd thrown the seemingly lifeless girl far into the forest with all the force it seemed he could muster. Sasuke wondered how many bones she'd shatter when she met either tree, rock, or ground. The brunette girl on Naruto's team had sprinted after her. Sasuke was still frozen. There were still Naruto clones on the field. At least the screaming had stopped. He didn't know what that meant. There were ink beasts rushing past him, but Sasuke was glued in golden eyes. He had hardly looked at anything except Orochimaru. No one else on the field commanded such attention. "Sasuke!" Sakura had screamed, and god; he couldn't handle all the screaming. She'd ran to him. Sakura had moved before him. He had enough sense to feel pathetic. She'd tackled him to the ground, the boy narrowly avoiding a sword. Sakura's hair had suffered the loss of a few inches as a result.

She landed atop him, mint eyes brimming with tears and nose dripping snot. Sasuke thought she looked disgusting. His mother would hate how vain he'd become. Sakura grabbed him by his shoulders, yanking him up and running for it. He came to his senses when he realized she, of all people, was dragging him around like dead-weight.

Naruto clones fluttered around the field, and even if he couldn't understand it, he knew they were helping. "What the hell do you want from him!?" One had asked. From him? It- That man, wanted him? That man had laughed. Orochimaru laughed at them. Sakura, between heaving breaths, had asked a question he'd already thought of. "Shadow clones can't function when someone is unconscious.." The pink-haired girl told him. "No clone can." Sasuke righted himself, running through hand-signs. "GRAND FIREBALL JUTSU!" Sasuke had pushed out a plume of flames larger than ever, aiming to roast the man alive. If it cost the lives of a few desperately fighting blonde clones, that was that. He was utilitarian in that aspect. A few had moved. A few had popped. Orochimaru was gone. Sakura pressed herself against his back, trying her best to be vigilant. She wanted to protect him, and that made Sasuke feel sick. He was nothing worth protecting. Orochimaru had risen from the mud like some occult god, and three hawks soared overhead like vultures. Another flew past them, two passengers atop it. "How… Interesting.. A jinchuriki, a summoner, and an Uchiha in one place." The man's face stretched into a morbid grin. His eyes were more wild than before, his neck seared by some strange, peeling injury. A burn, maybe. "Aren't they lucky I'm only here for you, Sasuke-chan ?" The man asked, a sinisterly sweet tone to his voice. "Fuck you! Leave him alone!" A broken voice answered, falling from above with a morning star in hand. It was that brunette girl, the one with the hawks. Sasuke's heart dropped. Another person was fighting for him. He'd been sure she was running away with her teammate. He wouldn't have blamed her. He would've done exactly that. The weapon was a burnt-orange, a nearly copper color, and the girl wielded it like a master. She swung it around at Orochimaru, getting nothing more than amusement as a result. The girl persisted. By the look on her face, Sakura must have admired her. Minutes passed before the brunette seemed to realize that weapon was not going to save her. Or him, rather. She swapped weapons easily, sealing that one away and withdrawing a sword. A ninjato. Common weapon. "My! Aren't you a special girl," The man moved like a water-snake, evading every swipe, pierce, and swing. "Weapon mistress, what a rare profession nowadays." Orochimaru mused, "Ninjutsu is just so much more glamorous. It's more than a sword could ever be."

The girl grit her teeth. "Who the hell asked you?" The man actually giggled. Giggled . "I'm just saying to broaden your horizons. Advice from superiors is so important." The girl's eyes flashed with rage, and she flew through hand signals.

Rock flew from the ground, mending itself around her fists like gauntlets. "Here's a jutsu for you, freak!" She charged him, and Sasuke saw an opportunity. He ran towards the battle, and Sakura screamed for him not to go. The Earth shook as the brunette struck the ground, Orochimaru evading all her blows. His sharingan copied her jutsu. Useless now, useful later. If he survived. DidHeWantTo? It was three of them, then. Because wherever he went, the pinkette followed. Sasuke wondered where Sai or that bowl-cut boy was. Either of them would be a better ally to him than Sakura. She knew it as well as he did. Little did Sasuke know then, both boys were long unconscious. They weren't interesting enough for Orochimaru to keep fighting. Sakura was only on her feet because of her cowardice, but loyalty to Sasuke had outweighed that and now she was in the mix. It wouldn't take long before she was out of it.

Orochimaru attacked weak links first, the moment they'd all three engaged him, he'd went for Sakura. The girl had a weakness in her left leg, Sasuke had noted it with his sharingan. When did it happen? When had she been injured? It was then that Sasuke realized she hadn't been by his side the whole fight. Maybe she wasn't the coward he thought her to be. Where had Sai been, he'd wondered? Orochimaru had kicked Sakura square in the stomach, and she went flying backwards into a thick elm tree. Sasuke tried to ignore the sounds of the girl gagging in the distance.

It was just him in the brunette, working as well as they could together. Their moves were clunky, ill-matched for each-other. They both knew that this wasn't a fight. The girl was beyond exhausted, her moves were getting weaker and it was clear she was being pushed beyond her limit. Sasuke, too, was exhausted. His memory had begun to fail regarding those end bits of the fight. Had it ever been good at all, in that fight? In that beat-down?

He couldn't even remember when it had happened, but he remembered the way his body had hit the hard ground after. The way every layer of his flesh had burned after, how his eyes had slowly blurred to black. Tears had stained his cheeks.

And then, he'd woken up here.

Here, where he was always watched, always guarded, and ate some of the worst food he thought could ever be created.

The boy rolled over in his bed, stiff and uncomfortable. He just needed to get through tonight.

There were footsteps, and then the nurse was gone.

He wondered if he'd told the man that story again. Or if he'd just thought about it.

Naruto was woken up harshly on her last day in the tower. Someone was pounding on every door, going back and forth from every single one. Up and down the hallways, they hollered.

"Wake up, losers! You've got an exam!"

Rubbing her crusty eyes with a groan, Naruto sat up.

Lee was already on his feet, stretching. He was the early bird amongst them.

"That can't be right.." Tenten said, sitting straight up. "Neji had to wait a month before he took the final exam.

The three exchanged wary glances, unsure what the deal was.

"Thirty minutes!" The voice screamed, and Tenten cursed.

Naruto stood up, still in her pajama pants.

"Let's go. 'M not waiting around." She yawned, rolling her shoulders.

"Get your weapons and stuff, at least!" Tenten took her clothes to change in the bathroom, readying herself for whatever was to come.

Lee, however, slept in full ninja attire.

He was ready as ready could ever be. "Yes, Naruto! You cannot be unprepared!" He urged, nodding his head. No one was used to his hair moving with his head.

Naruto looked at him, blinking tired eyes.

"Tuck your hair. 'S in your eyes." Naruto told him, pulling her own hair up into a high ponytail.

He listened.

She strapped her weapons pouches and scrolls on, arming herself to the teeth.

"Lee! Turn around."

He again listened, covering his eyes as Naruto put her fishnet guard under her tank top.

He chatted as she did, facing the wall with his eyes covered. "Do you think this is exactly the final exam? Or did they add another? Would it be possible for this to be some minor test?"

Naruto rubbed her eyes. "Dunno." She answered plainly, and Lee kept talking. She sat on the edge of her bed,barely listening, and wondered how long he'd stay glued to the wall.

She was already dressed, after all.

Tenten came out of the bathroom, cleaned up and ready for battle. She raised her brow at Naruto's fuzzy ramen pants.

She then turned to look at Lee, who was still rambling on, with his head pressed to the wall.

Tenten nodded her head, proud. Her teammates were the best.

Lee was a good listener and Naruto was funny for leaving him there. The perfect trio, they were.

"Are we ready yet? Can we go? Is it time for us to face this next challenge head on?" Lee asked, one question following after the other, after the other.

Naruto stood again, cracking her neck.

"Yeah, let's move."

Tenten peeked her head out, looking to see if people were packing or just heading out.

"Leave your stuff. I guess we're coming back after this." Tenten told them, slipping her sandals on and leaving first.

Lee followed eagerly behind, Naruto exiting last. Outside their room there was lots of noise, people chatting and Jounin attempting to give directions.

"Let's get this over with," Naruto decided, heading down the stairs behind her teammates.

The genin were led off, through corridors and thick, steel double doors.

Naruto spotted a head of red hair in the distance, and took her two teammates by the wrists.

A funny image it would've been, two taller genin being dragged around by an ankle-biter in pajamas.

Walking up behind Karin Uzumaki, the girl whirled around to face them. Naruto grinned wildly, being immediately embraced in a tight hug.

"Naruto! I made it!" The redhead declared, hugging her only relative.

Naruto patted her back, "Obviously!" She replied easily, holding up the line of shinobi. Tenten was glaring at anyone who seemed annoyed.

Let them try to tear her teammate down. She'd show them.

Lee was in similar straights, defensive over a genuinely happy Naruto.

That was all her teammates wanted to see after their dance with Orochimaru.

Karin leaned closer to Naruto, whispering in her ear. "The Hokage told me I have a home here. He wanted me to see someone called Inoichi with you?" The last bit was more of a question, and Naruto hated that it seemed like Hiruzen hadn't been straight with Karin.

He wanted her mind searched.

Naruto held her tighter. "I'll take you to see him. I'll introduce you to his daughter, too, she's a friend of mine."

Karin's teammates noticed then that she was mingling, and turned to walk back to them.

"What the hell!" One boy asked, looking disgusted. Naruto stared at him blankly, posture straightening.

"God, Karin, what are you? A lesbian?" Another boy asked, lip curled in a snarl. Her other teammate laughed so fake it gave Tenten secondhand embarrassment.

"She- She's my cousin, Shigeri!" Karin countered, feeling brave for once.

Naruto stared him down, ready to beat his ass in front of everyone. Cousin wasn't certain, but sure, they could settle on that.

The one named Shigeri scoffed, "That explains it. You've got tree-hugger in you. That's why you're so pathetic." He tried to insult, words acidic.

Naruto didn't blink. "Your mom has tree-huggers in her every night. That's why she doesn't know who your dad really is."

The boys gawked at her, and Tenten facepalmed. A couple passing genin laughed at the joke.

"Ha-Ha! I do know my dad is!" The boy tried to counter, getting nothing but a raised brow from the blonde.

"You sure?"

He huffed, "Yeah, dumbass! But sure! Keep believing you owned me!"

Naruto's brow raised higher. "Keep believing he's really your father."

A few more random laughs, and the boy's face was red.

"Paternity tests are free in Konoha! Feel free to visit the hospital and get one anytime." A pink-haired girl stepped up beside them, getting a snort from Naruto.

"I'm sure anyone here, myself included, would be happy to help you find which one of our tree-huggers fathered you!" She offered in a sweet, high-pitched voice.

Man, if Sakura was trying to redeem herself, Naruto thought she was already halfway there with that one.

Naruto gave her a grin, making Sakura fluster just slightly. Sasuke exchanged a glance with the blonde, their team stopped alongside hers.

"Keep talking bitches, you'll see where it gets you!"

Sai, someone Naruto hardly knew, was quick to make a better first impression.

"May I come along, Sakura?" He asked innocently, before continuing. Sai faced the young boy, dark eyes locked on him.

"I'd like to know which Konoha shinobi had a son as dickless as you. He should be removed from the force and prevented from procreating."

Tenten snorted, even getting Sasuke to chuckle. Well, before he stopped himself.

Naruto felt his ANBU guards behind them. None with a signature she recognized.

"Yeah," Naruto added, "I agree, Sai. The world needs less of him."

At this point, the boy's face looked so red he might explode. His teammates were silent. Karin had stars in her eyes and her other teammate seemed to be at a loss.

"Psh! Whatever!" He spat, turning around. "I'm out! I look bad surrounded by children."

The two Konoha teams exchanged glances.

And suddenly, there was laughter.

Uchiha Sasuke felt too good for laughter, so he settled on a proud smile. "Hn."

Karin was practically hysteric.

"It's! Funny, because! His dad is never around!" She managed, giggling wildly.

Naruto blinked. Was she becoming psychic?

"Move along!" Someone finally demanded, and the two teams continued on.

They stepped into an arena, one that Naruto had never seen anything like.

Tile covered the floor and ceiling, a giant statue erected from the ground at the northwest end of the room. Above them, a mezzanine with iron bar railing, clearly meant for spectators.

Stairways on each side lead up to it, and large fluorescent lights buzzed overhead.

"Welcome to the preliminary exam."

Before them, was the Hokage himself.

Behind Hiruzen Sarutobi, a line of Jounin instructors stood.

Naruto didn't see Anko, and she felt nervous. Guy was there, though, so maybe one team couldn't have more than one.

Breathing deep, the blonde calmed herself. That was probably it. When had she become so easily upset?

He gave her a brilliant smile, looking surprised at the sight of Lee.

A pleasant sort of surprise, Naruto thought. She bumped Lee lightly, giving the taller boy a smile.

Naruto took a chance to eye the other Jounin, spotting Kurenai, who seemed to feel her gaze.

She gave Naruto a wink, and focused her ruby eyes on her students.

Naruto kept looking, eager to see anyone except the wrinkled Hokage.

Her eyes landed on a silver haired shinobi, and awkwardly enough, their eyes met.

Naruto swallowed, not backing down.

He looked strangely morose at the sight of her, she thought.

Naruto trembled with a rough inhale, and Tenten stepped closer to her. Lee put a hand on her shoulder.

She loved her team.

And.. And if her dad's student wanted to feel bad about her, he could go to hell. She wouldn't let herself feel bad about him right now. She couldn't, there was enough on her plate

She steadied, looking up and staring at him again.

She smiled.

His single eye widened impossibly.

She mouthed the words, 'Hey Kakashi. '

Not like he could mouth anything back, she thought with a snicker. Consequences of wearing a mask.

"Good morning, young ones."

Naruto chewed her lip, not wanting to hear a word of whatever was coming. She tried to focus on anything else.

Sasuke Uchiha wasn't the only person in Konoha who'd been in a guarded hospital room.

Unfortunately for one person, she'd be there a lot longer.

A monitor gave steady beeps, dim lighting illuminating the unconscious face of a woman. Ragged breathing helped to break the silence.

Her bedside tables were decorated with flowers and cards, even a gift box. People had been in and out of the room. Helium filled balloons were tied to the end of the bed.

As a Konoha Jounin, her room was well-guarded by her very own peers. Still, her condition was labeled an A-Class secret and no one was to speak word of it.

People found out anyway. Her friends at her department had decorated the room to the nines, out of genuine care and humor. Were she awake, the woman would have hated all the mushiness.

Or at least she would've pretended to.

Hair stuck to her forehead, sweat glistening on sallow skin.

A team of medics walked into the room, quick to take her vitals. One nurse hurried to close the curtains properly, it was in the patient's record that she hated waking up with sun in her eyes.

It was a hopeful gesture.

Few of her nurses thought she would wake.

By the time Naruto had stopped tuning out the Hokage's Will of Fire speech, they were heading up the stairs to the mezzanine. She didn't care to hear him anymore. Not after he'd lied to her and kept her from the truth for years.

A truth that would've made her life so much easier.

But that didn't matter, because she had a far more pressing issue, at the moment.

Preliminary. Exams.

She couldn't fucking believe it.

It had to be an image issue, since they just wanted the best of the best on Konoha's stage. One person had already forfeit.

It made her furious.

Everyone here had fought tooth and nail for their chance to be on that grand stage next month. Her team and Team Seven could've died trying to get into this exam.

She shuddered to think of how many people did die in that forest. From over the years, she figured the number would be ghastly.

Only very few of them deserved to get cut now, one of which named Shigeri.

The first match was soon to be announced, but Naruto could hardly wait. She and her team had to make it through this.

They deserved to.

Her team took an empty spot by the rails, Naruto leaning forward to look down below them. The jounin were slowly dispersing, heading up the stairs after their respective teams.

She waved at Team 8, who were opposite to her team on the mezzanine.

"Alright! First up," Hayate, she recognized, coughed loudly. He hacked a few times before he could continue.

Clicking a button, a tile slowly slid back and a screen was revealed on the wall. Doing a quick count of the room, Naruto grimaced.

There were twenty genin competitors in this room. They were going to be halved. Only ten genin would be moving on to the finals.. Ten at most, Naruto thought. The chance of double-knockouts was still there.

One, familiar name appeared on the screen first, randomly selected. Much like everyone else present, Naruto turned to look at him with wide eyes.

Uchiha Sasuke.

Vs.

Anticipation churned in Naruto's stomach, all the way up until the second name appeared. She didn't recognize it, even after she saw it was one of Kabuto's teammates.

Misumi Tsurugi.