Sai and Hinata get lost in between the dust and the people and the debris around them. She calls for him, pushing and kicking Sai like Naruto had never seen before.

He guesses the situation looks and feels as urgent as he has understood it is.

He expects a tingle, a flinch. Anything to signal him that he's losing control, but nothing happens. He stares at his hand in disbelief. The Beasts thrash behind him and they only reassure him that he made the right decision. If his Beast got out with Hinata around...

He starts to think about the people lost today, about Gaara, who hopefully will get out of this unscathed. His father is the best sealing expert currently living, and Gaara is only the One-Tail. The sealing will put him out, but not for long…

Hopefully.

Hinata's voice has long drowned out, though he can't wash away the way she reached for him. He doesn't know if he'll make it out of here. The more tails a Beast has the more taxing the process of sealing becomes. Breaking the seal…

His feet move around without direction. His confusion is evident. The Five-Tails and Six-Tails are being restrained in front of him. The people scamper out of the way and now mainly soldiers and guards remain. They are helping, though they will need more backup sooner than later. Naruto surmises they are buying time. It's what he would do.

He wonders whether he should go help, but he fears using too much of the Nine-Tail will trigger whatever happened to them.

Although it doesn't make sense. As he knows Gaara would never try to use his Beast in here. Was he being attacked?

Were they all being attacked?

Or was it just a malfunction with their seals?

The thought leaves quickly though, as Gaara shares his sealing expert with him and he knows his dad's seal would never fail out of the blue. He frowns and stands there. Waiting. He feels fine, and there is the slight hope inside of him that maybe he will be spared this. That whatever happened won't happen to him.

That like never before, he will be exempted from this curse.

His feet turn around, feeling the need to check on Hinata eating at him, until someone bumps into him and he's brought to reality.

When has he ever been spared of anything? A hunch is not proof enough.

Will he…

Will he ever see her again?

His father?

Grandma Mito?

His friends?

What about his responsibilities and duties?

The clan…

He doesn't know what to do. And he stands there, unmoving, with people around him coming and going in a whirlwind of colors and sounds he fails to grasp.

He doesn't want to go this way. At least… at least surrounded by his loved ones.

Did his mother feel this way when she died too?

This hopeless, scary and muted feeling that surrounds him?

He doesn't… he doesn't want to be here.

He raises his head, stares at the monsters fighting for freedom on the stands. The people are coming down in waves now, more and more each time. They move him and drag him with them, but Naruto breaks free each time and goes back to his spot. The stares of disbelief are clear in the people who see him moving towards the Beasts instead of away from them.

The people bumping into him become less and less in number. Until one person bumps into him and grabs his arm.

Naruto thinks they must have fallen, maybe were going to ask for help he can't provide. He looks down and locks eyes with a pale young man, black hair parted in the middle that frames his face, his short hair wild at his back. But he barely catches any more details, as his eyes are what's more striking. Red. Red and black intertwined around the pupil that stares back at him, deep into his eyes, as if reaching inside.

The man let's go immediately after and Naruto can feel his whole body growing hotter. He wants to grab them and call them back. But there is a burning inside of him that spreads like wildfire. He looks for the man, but he has disappeared as if he was never there in the first place.

Naruto falls to his knees with a groan nestled in his chest.

Oh.

Oh, so they were indeed under attack.

He presses his forehead to the ground, where the dirt bites at his skin, and he breathes out a shaky breath that raises the dirt around his mouth.

The pain starts to spread and Naruto grabs at his stomach. Where is his father?

"Dad," he groans, knowing full well that he's away from him.

He feels the chakra of the Beast surrounding him, feels the few people still around making way for him. They are afraid.

As they should be.

He tries his damnedest to control whatever is going haywire inside of him. Knows his best shot is suppressing it as best he can until his father gets to him.

It doesn't get lost to him that maybe if he had run away in the first place…

His chakra seeps out of him in waves, making his head beat at its rhythm. His fingers drag through the ground and his legs kick beneath him, but he knows it's a matter of time before he can't control the output of power anymore.

He hangs in there, groaning and whining against the ground. Slamming his head down when the pain overcomes him. He allows himself one second of relief as he realizes that the seal is still doing its job.

The Beast will have to fight for its freedom.

He tries to concentrate on anything but the pain he feels. He can feel his eyes go unfocused and he knows he's breathing too hard, as the thick drool that falls from his mouth is filled with pebbles from the ground. He tries to focus on himself, on any particular place on his body. Tries to compartmentalize what he's feeling and fails miserably.

He howls and drags his hands at his stomach and arms, the Beast's chakra makes his nails grow sharp and the blood from his scratches sizzle as it comes into contact with the red chakra surrounding him. The chakra envelops him and the tingling that comes along with it somehow makes Naruto regain some sort of composure.

He remembers this feeling. He can feel his own bones hurting as the Nine-Tails skeleton starts forming around him, with painstaking delay. The pain keeps on growing but he knows the Beast is still at its third or fourth tail.

After the fourth things get a little more complicated.

The power surges and although Naruto is incapable of controlling its output, he directs it. Tries his best to at least destroy as little as possible. He roars to the air and throws his chakra limbs towards empty places that only rise more dust to the air.

He blacks out for a second and bites down on his cheeks. The yell that escapes him is half his voice and half a roar he recognizes. A skeleton claw comes down next to him and Naruto brings his head to the ground with force in an attempt to.

remain.

here.

How long till his father feels his chakra? How long till his father sees the Nine-Tails skeleton? His father is the fastest man alive, so if Naruto can only wait a little bit more…

His drool drips down from his chin, his eyes are barely open and the chakra fusing with his own body is effectively burning his skin off, sizzling along as they move between the red. And then his father appears, his hand forming seals with a speed Naruto wishes was faster.

The chakra burns and hurts and envelops him so completely that his father will have to drag him out. He hangs by a threat, the urge to remain awake and control the destruction he could unleash against the knowledge that all he's feeling can disappear if only he. let. go.

He doesn't.

He remembers the hours upon hours he has spent meditating, the hours upon hours he has trained for this very situation.

The more controlled he is the less damage his body suffers. The less damage his body suffers the longer it will last.

If his body lasts he can stay here longer and… fuck, he wants to stay.

His godfather is a mirage in front of him, shouting at him to remain in command of his body, of his energy. To let his mind reinforce the seal while doing his best to force Naruto's chakra out of control.

He prepared for this. He trained and trained and he can last more seconds. One more and then another. There is a tremor in the ground and Sakura runs to him, and although Naruto knows she's trying to place him under an illusion, he falls to it anyway. Her hands overflow with chakra and she throws a punch.

Naruto barely flinches, his chakra moves before he can even think about it. He falls into the fight with a familiarity that makes him forget where he is and what's going on around him. It's just Sakura and him sparring, like so many times before. There is nothing out of the ordinary.

Minato finishes the seals and waits for his chakra to move to his fingers, his concentration faltering as he watches Sakura take hit after hit. Her skin burns at the touch of Naruto's chakra, and the smell and sound of what's around him make Minato remember things he had long buried inside of him. He concentrates on his body. On the flow inside himself.

There is a roar and Minato can see the fifth tail being formed out of the bubbling red chakra surrounding his son. They can make it, they can make it.

"Sakura!" he yells, throwing a marked kunai towards his son. Sakura punches the ground once, injecting her chakra and then directing it with pinpoint precision to make the earth tremble and break, making Naruto and his chakra-formed Beast stumble.

Minato is far away one moment and then in front of his son the next. Sakura is concentrating all of her energy on her illusion, trying to make it so Naruto remains as calm as possible. Her own chakra depletes quickly, as she not only has to reign over Naruto's own chakra, but the Beast's too, an energy that moves without rhythm, that spikes and hides with a speed that requires her whole concentration.

Neither Minato nor her care now for the burns that hurt them. Sakura forces the pain out of her mind and Minato is desperate enough to delegate it for later. They need to control Naruto now, now and not a second later.

Minato's hand digs into the chakra that surrounds Naruto completely, a miniature Nine-Tails that howls in pain. Naruto is right there where his hand touches and Minato has to bring him closer to him, his arm burns and stings and Minato grits his teeth. Naruto's half body is out and Minato hurries to press his fingers on his stomach, immediately after the red chakra starts moving out of control, the miniature Beast losing its shape by the second.

The sealing is forced. Naruto breaks free from Sakura's illusion and Minato rushes his chakra around, the Beast lashes at him with his claw, but Sakura is there the next second, grabbing the claw with her gloved hands. Minato has no time to be careful and his chakra seals whatever he can as fast as he can. The Beast's chakra must be contained.

There is a slow growl that loses strength by the second and the Beast loses all its vigor, his tails falling heavy to the ground and his limbs falling without force at its side.

Naruto falls to him, limp and unconscious. Minato doesn't even have the time to hug his son and check on him before Sakura rushes to Naruto and grabs their lord from under his arm. Minato hurries to support his other side.

Naruto is dead weight and their wounds don't help at all, but they take one step and then another. Away from the stands, away from the arena, away from the Beasts that shriek behind them.

⁂⁂⁂

Sai takes Hinata with him. He struggles with his words as Hinata pleads with him to go back and help Naruto.

Sai can not understand how she can even think about doing that while they can still see the Beasts wreaking havoc at the arena. But she's crying, so he knows it's emotion talking rather than reason.

She stops fighting him the moment they see red chakra rising far away. She looks at him once, her eyes filled with worry,the hand that wanted to get away from him now falls limp beside her.

Sai moves them far away from everyone running around in panic. He goes deep into a nearby forest, making sure that no one is following them and brings his scroll out. His hand moves over the paper with expertise and he draws a bird on it, thick lines mixed with thin lines that give his drawing a traditional look. He infuses his chakra and waits for his creation to form in front of them.

There are a few things that come to mind the second before he places Lady Hinata on top of the bird. All of them concerning his lord and how he could help him.

And everything comes down to making sure Lady Hinata arrives safely at the compound.

They rise over the arena and the countless people that keep on running away. Naruto's chakra is visible from here, and Lady Hinata strains her neck to keep her eyes on him. Sai keeps his chakra in check, aware that the danger is still out there, making sure that whatever happened down there doesn't follow. Lady Hinata grabs hold of his arms, trying to keep herself from falling off, and Sai can feel her hands trembling.

He knows very little about comforting another person, so he remains quiet. He's sure nothing he can say could make this better. He focuses and although there is the slight feeling of worry at the back of his head, he doesn't look back.

Sai has to help Lady Hinata most of the way back. His birds are not comfortable for long travels and less so for two people. His arms work as rails and he tries his best to keep the cold air from hitting her directly, but she is exhausted and he is worried whether they will make it without taking a rest or not.

Lady Hinata doesn't mutter one complaint, though, so he pushes through. He doesn't bother sending a smaller bird with a message, as both the Inuzuka with their noses or the Aburame with their bugs will be able to catch on to his presence with ease.

The moment he hears Akamaru's howl, Sai drops in height and falls down to the forest under them. Kiba looks desperate, his eyes are wide open and he runs to Sai.

"What the fuck happened?" He starts, his eyes opening even bigger as he places his eyes on Lady Hinata. "Shikamaru is having a fucking stroke right now, the Beasts-?"

"We were unable to gather any information, but all the Beast Tamers lost control of their Beasts," Sai helps Lady Hinata get off his technique and places his arm around her back, offering his hand for support. Her legs tremble. "First Lord Gaara, then the Five-Tails, then the Six-Tails and then…"

"The lord?"

"He asked me to leave with the lady, I-"

"Fuck, yes, fuck," Kiba ruffles his hair in frustration, "we gotta go back, let's bring the lady back to the main compound. You gotta talk with Shikamaru."

Sai agrees and tries to move forward, but Hinata is stuck where she is. Now that they have arrived she feels the fear and desperation come back with a vengeance.

"I-I-I'm s-sorry…"

"No. My lady," Kiba walks to her, places his hand on her shoulder. "Fuck," her whole body is freezing and her eyes fill immediately with tears. "Don't worry, my lady, we'll- we'll keep you safe."

Hinata sniffles, and now her tears fall and fall, with her face blank as a statue. She doesn't want to feel safe.

"Let's- let's go back, all right?" Kiba takes his jacket off, covers Lady Hinata with it. He tries to push her forward, where Akamaru is waiting, but her lower lip starts to tremble.

"Naruto…"

Kiba presses his lips together. "You go on ahead," he says to Sai, "I'll bring Lady Hinata to the main compound, go tell Shikamaru."

"But-"

"We've reinforced the patrols, don't worry, go."

As if to support his words, Akamaru howls to the sky, and a chorus of howls surround them. Sai turns and leaves without looking back.

It doesn't take Kiba much to make Lady Hinata move. Her tears never stop falling, but she doesn't wail nor cling to him. As her limbs start to warm up she walks to Akamaru and with Kiba's help she sits atop the dog, Kiba sits behind her and then, with a set pace they start the way back to the compound.

Kiba guides her to her room and stays with her. They don't talk, although Kiba makes sure she eats and drinks something warm first. He offers to call for some maids to attend to her but Hinata refuses. The clan is in uproar. Kiba made sure to walk her from the less crowded path, but even then she could see the lights moving around, the sound of people shouting and talking and whispering, and their steps. So many steps moving everywhere around her.

Ino comes to see her and Kiba leaves after. They will take turns, she shares, they will not let the lady be alone.

Hinata smiles at her, thanks her, but Ino's face is enough to tell her that she doesn't look good at all. Sai arrives after a while, takes over Ino.

"You must rest," he says. And Hinata's face must be telling, because he adds immediately after, "at least you must try to." Hinata stares back, and Sai comes closer, "if anything happens, anything at all, I will tell you."

Hinata wishes she could protest, wishes she could tell him she can do something, anything at all. But she nods and refuses Sai's attempt at calling servants. It's his back to her and a folding screen all Hinata accepts.

"T-tell me… what you know."

It's very little, actually, what Sai knows. Only the consequences of what she already saw at the arena. It seems the Five-Tails has remained free where the arena once stood and the losses are catastrophic. The nearby villages have issued evacuation notes and the major clans are doing their best to help.

The Six-Tails was last seen being sealed in its Beast Tamer and then being taken away. The One-Tail and the Nine-Tails remain missing.

Everyone hopes this means they are on their way to the compound.

Shikamaru has closed off every and any type of entrance the clan has. The patrols have been constant and tighter than ever and he has decided to wait.

In the same way that the other clans have decided to do, too. The exchange of information has been fluid and honest, but Shikamaru can feel the worry underneath the messages, the anxiousness. Every person is sleeping with their loved ones close and a bag filled with necessities at hand.

Hinata can't fall asleep, although she lays on her futon and turns around in an attempt to find a comfortable position. Sai remains kneeling close to her, with his eyes fixed in front of him, his senses sharp.

She can't tell nor know how many hours have passed, but now everyone talks in hushed tones, so she guesses it's deep into the night. She turns and sighs deeply, almost angry at herself for being unable to lay still. Sai stands before she can even hear the growing murmur accompanied by the hurried steps of a group.

She is standing before Sai can even look back from the sliding door, and Hinata is moving with Sai at her back before he can even finish his sentence. She follows the sound, her heart is at her throat and she feels like she wants to throw up.

Shino is right at the door, his jacket smeared with blood and his bugs buzzing and moving hurriedly everywhere. Hinata enters right behind Ino, who looks at her and thins her lips immediately. Hinata shudders. The room is still filled with movement, but she catches Lord Gaara's hair immediately after, his siblings next to him. His hair is plastered to his face and a groan leaves his mouth every second.

He looks awful, but he twists and turns and Hinata can't help but remember Naruto's bedridden ordeal when the Beast's seal was reinforced. And somehow, with a conviction she doesn't know where it comes from, she knows he will be fine. He will hurt and suffer, but he will be all right.

It's Lord Minato's voice that makes her look away, still entranced at seeing Gaara still alive even after all that happened and believing that the same could be for Naurto. She doesn't get what Lord Minato said. Her feet are moving before she even orders herself to do so.

Naruto is there. Laying in a futon, with Sakura beside him. Hinata walks to him, kneels beside him and looks at Sakura, as if asking for an explanation.

The woman remains silent and Hinata drags her eyes across her haggard appearance, around the burnt marks that marr her skin. The blood that dried in several places.

Hinata looks at Naruto again. Stares. And he lays there, unmoving. No ragged breath, no groans nor moans of pain. No sweat she can wash away or fever she can tend to.

She doubles over his body, rests her head at his chest. His heartbeat slow but steady.

"Naruto?"

There is no answer, and even the sounds around her seem to have died out. She stays there, brings her hand to his cheek, to drag her fingers over his whisker marks.

"My lady," someone starts, but she hears someone else coming between them.

"Let her," the man says. There is a bout of silence and then Lord Minato speaks again, "just let her."

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