"Chidori!"

"Rasengan!"

The two lunged at each other, their respective jutsu in hand. Sasuke's Chidori, chirping and crackling around his hand, overpowered, and fuelled by his new cursed form, the corrupting chakra of the curse mark now in full effect. Naruto's rasengan, swirling in the palm of his now clawed hand, the red chakra of the Kyuubi fully form around him with a single tail trailing behind. The battle had long since transcended that of two genin fighting for a simple outcome. It was now a battle between a boy who would gladly become a monster to get what he desired, and a monster who would rather die than watch someone lose themselves in such a way.

It made Naruto sick to his stomach, this power that he was now relying on, this shroud of blood red that enveloped him. As if the fox's mere existence wasn't a curse enough, now it had to literally cover him with the colour of the blood that stained its hands. But he had no choice. He needed to be stronger, to use its power for good. He needed to bring Sasuke back to the village. It didn't matter what the cost was. All Naruto cared about was getting the pompous Uchiha home, to safety, to his friends. But even he was starting to realise how lost that cause was.

Naruto could barely recognise Sasuke in his current form. There was no telling just how much damage that curse seal had done in the time since the chunin exams, but Naruto was convinced that he wasn't fighting his teammate anymore. This was someone else, something different. This wasn't Sasuke. The Sasuke he knew wouldn't do this. He wouldn't take the easy way out in the pursuit of cheap power. No. This was Orochimaru's doing. Naruto swore that once he had dragged his friend home and gotten that seal off of him, he would hunt down the snake and personally tear his throat out.

'Damn fox!' Naruto thought, gritting his teeth as he fought down the ever-growing rage bubbling up inside him. The fox was trying desperately to infect him with its bloodlust, its desire to kill and destroy anyone in its path. It had taken everything Naruto had to hold back the mental onslaught, all the while trying to fight Sasuke to a standstill without doing too much damage. Granny Tsunade would kill him if he dropped a half dead Uchiha at her feet.

Their jutsu collided, neither one buckling under the weight of the other. The air warped around them and the water beneath them swirled angrily. Naruto knew this was it, the deciding moment. He couldn't maintain the fox form any longer, and once it faded, he wasn't sure he'd be able to stand. At the same time, he could feel Sasuke pouring more and more chakra into his Chidori, the blade of lighting slowly working its way through his rasengan. That's when he felt it, a sudden burst from within himself. He wasn't sure if he had slipped up. Maybe he was too weak to hold it back any longer. The fox's chakra flooded into him, more powerful and enraged than before, the tail of chakra whipping around and wrapping around Sasuke's arm in a crushing grip.

'What the heck!'

"Kill him," the fox growled, its voice invading his mind. "Use my power. Do not let us die to the likes of an Uchiha."

Naruto's eyes widened as he heard Sasuke's arm snap under the tails grip. To the Uchiha's credit, he didn't let up in the slightest, fighting through the pain in a desperate last attempt to cut through Naruto's defence. Naruto's eyes quickly turned to his rasengan. It had changed. The Kyuubi's chakra now taking over it, overpowering the Chidori, condensing and grinding more and more, all the while aimed at Sasuke chest. 'No!' Naruto fought against the chakra, trying to pull his arm back, trying to undo his jutsu. It was too late. The fox had taken hold of it, and with what little time it had left, was trying to kill Sasuke.

Panic took over. Naruto knew he was done for if he killed Sasuke. If he let the Kyuubi control him like this. He would have failed everyone who trusted him, who had faith in him to contain the fox. The fourth Hokage, his parents, the old man, Kakashi, pervy sage, and… Ino. How would he ever be able to look Ino in the eye again if he killed one of their friends. How could he trust himself to not hurt anyone else. Naruto, in his panic, came up with solution. It was stupid, but if there was one thing he was good at, it was stupid. With everything he had left, he took a deep breath and pulsed his chakra outward, the constant dull burn of the Kyuubi's chakra quickly disappearing and being replaced by a hot and wet feeling in his chest. It was almost strange. He knew what had happened. What he had allowed to happen. But somehow it didn't bother him. It didn't even hurt anymore. Maybe this was what giving up felt like. Was he really giving up?

"Naruto…" Sasuke's voice was barely a whisper. His eyes wide, and even as his Chidori laid firmly planted inside Naruto's chest, he couldn't help the tremor in his hand. "What… did you do?"

Naruto chuckled, blood quickly filling his mouth as he coughed. "Heh… you should see your face," he said, wincing as he slumped forward.

Sasuke's Chidori died out as he pulled his hand back, catching Naruto as he fell forward. He could feel the blood pouring from Naruto's chest, soaking his clothes and staining his hands. He wasn't an idiot. His Sharingan had seen everything. That vile red chakra taking control of Naruto, overpowering him. He had seen the fight for control, the fight Naruto had put up to hold back, to avoid killing him. Even after everything, when the opportunity was right there, Naruto wouldn't kill him. Then it had all stopped. In a single burst of chakra, the red was cast aside, the rasengan vanished. Naruto had chosen defeat. He had chosen death.

"What have you done?!" Sasuke yelled. "You idiot, Naruto! Why?" He could feel it. Naruto's heartbeat. With each pulse more blood pumped out onto him, the water below darkening. Almost too quickly Naruto's feet slid into the water, his chakra no longer able to support him, leaving Sasuke to bear both their weight. His curse mark receded, his body returning to normal, but his Sharingan remained. Every moment of their fight was now burnt into his mind, replaying in his mind, over and over, just like the night of the massacre, just like before. Only this time was worse. It was real. Itachi may have forced him to see his parents die, but he had never felt it. He hadn't held them, hadn't felt their breath fade, their heart weaken. What had he done?

"I… couldn't…" Naruto said weakly. "I don't… want to be… a monster. I wanted… to help you."

"I don't need your help," Sasuke said, pulling Naruto to the edge of the water and laying him down. He tried to put pressure on the gaping hole in Naruto's chest, but it didn't seem to do anything other than cover his hands in more blood. "Someone will be here. Just hold on."

Naruto reached out to grab Sasuke's arm. "Don't go," he said. "I made a… promise. I have to bring you back."

"Shut up!" Sasuke growled. "Why couldn't you just let me go! I didn't want this to happen. None of this had to happen. This is all your fault!" Despite his harsh words, there was no hiding the tears in his eyes. Sasuke may have been cold, and he was committed to leaving Konoha, but he never wanted anyone to get hurt. Not like this. Naruto was infuriating at the best of times, but he didn't deserve to die. Only Itachi deserved that. "Why, dammit! Bringing me back isn't worth your life."

"It is… to me," Naruto said, a smile still on his face even as the colour slowly left it. "The village needs you. We need you… I won't give up on you, Sasuke. You don't need to be alone. We can still… be friends."

"How are we supposed to be friends if you die?!"

Naruto coughed, blood trickling from his lips. "Heh, I didn't think this through huh," he said with a pained chuckle.

Sasuke glared at him. "Stop joking around," he said. "Save your strength. Someone will be here soon. Just stay alive, idiot."

"I knew you cared," Naruto said, a shit eating grin plastered on his face.

"Stop talking!"

"Do you think I'll see them?"

"What?" Sasuke asked. Naruto's heartbeat was so weak now. So much blood had poured out. How was he still awake?

"My parents," Naruto said, tears forming in his eyes as he looked up to the sky hopefully. "I… I don't know who they were. I want to see them. If I could. Do you think… they are waiting?"

Sasuke winced as he kept pressure, his broken arm screaming at him to let go. "You're not seeing anyone but a doctor."

Naruto smiled. It was hard to breath now. At least the fox wasn't yelling in his mind anymore. He supposed it was too much to expect the Kyuubi's chakra to help him heal from anything. He took the time to think, about his life, of those in it who he held dear. Maybe he shouldn't have been so annoying all these years. If this was really where things were going to end, then he regretted that more people didn't have better memories of him. Granny Tsunade was going to lose her mind. He hoped she didn't kill anyone, or worse, knock down Konoha in her grief. That would be bad. Everyone else would be okay he figured. He was sure Ino would be mad at him for dying like… oh right. Ino. Naruto wished she was here now. Not to see him like this, but just so he could see her once more. Of all his mistakes and regrets, not telling Ino how he felt about her would be top of his list.

It had been something that had taken him too long to realise. Maybe dying was putting things into perspective for him. Perspective. Another word he would never have used had she not spent so many late nights helping him with his book smarts. She would never know how much those headache inducing nights meant to him. How her belief in him drove him to improve in ways he never thought he could. Ino had become his best friend. Naruto's decision to trust her with his secret that one night had changed his life. He only wished he could tell her that. Tell her how much she meant. How much he liked her… and not just as a friend. He didn't know what it felt like to have family, or someone to love. But he knew it must have felt like he did whenever Ino was with him. Wherever she was, whenever they were together, it always felt like that was exactly where he was meant to be. He would give anything to feel that feeling once more. To hold her hand. To see her smile.

"You are a fool, boy," the Kyuubi grumbled, his words falling on a mind already too far gone to hear them.

"Hey, Sasuke…" Naruto said, the smile on his face slowly falling as the colour of his eyes began to dull.

"I said shut up!"

"Tell Ino… I'm sorry."

Sasuke froze as Naruto went limp. His hands moved ever so slightly with each feeble beating of his heart, until, with one final breath, it stopped. Everything stopped. The world around them was silent, and the image of Naruto's lifeless body was already burnt into his mind, into his cursed eyes. Why wouldn't his damn Sharingan deactivate? He waited for what felt like forever. Time didn't seem to move properly anymore. He knew he couldn't stay. There was too much blood on his hands now. Literally and figuratively. There was no way he could return to Konoha now. Not after this. For what it was worth, the curse mark no longer burned. The slimy words of the snake Sannin were for once quiet. Sasuke wasn't sure if that was a good thing. He wasn't sure of anything anymore. Was his mission really worth all of this? Did Itachi's death require more people to die? Had he gone too far?

He steeled his nerves. None of that mattered now. What was done was done. No matter how much he might have regretted it, there was no going back. "Forgive me, Naruto," he said softly, leaving the boy to be found by the inevitable search party. He had to keep going. Even if he knew it was stomping on Naruto's sacrifice to not return to the village, he had to leave. He needed to get stronger. He had to kill Itachi. He couldn't let all of this be for nothing. Naruto's death had to be for something more than just bringing him back. It had to mean more than that. It needed to. He needed it to.

As he made his way towards Otogakure, Sasuke mistook the pain in his eyes to be from both the tears he couldn't hold back, and the overuse of his Dōjutsu. He failed to notice how the world now looked to him as his Sharingan began to twist and reshape.

The hospital was chaos. By the time Ino had arrived some of the members of the retrieval team were starting to be brought back. She had almost had a heart attack when she saw how skinny and frail Chouji was when he was brought in. She knew his family's secret recipe pills were dangerous, but she never imagined it would leave him in such a state. Tsunade assured her that her teammate would survive, but that did little to ease Ino's nerves as more of her friends were brought in. Neji was in better condition, exhausted and cut up, with a couple of deep puncture wounds, but at least he was well enough to show more concern for everyone else than his own condition. Shikamaru was brought back by Temari of the sand, a fact Ino took particular notice of with the way her teammate's eyes lingered on the Suna kunoichi. She would take delight in grilling him for information about that when things weren't so dire.

Everyone else came back in a group, accompanied by the other two of the sand siblings, and Rock Lee who was still supposed to be recovering. Kiba was in the worst way of them all, but he seemed too arrogant to acknowledge it. His bravado would be the death of him. That only left…

'Naruto…'

Ino paced impatiently back and forth at the entrance to the hospital. Waiting for that knuckle-headed blond to waltz in, dragging Sasuke kicking and screaming behind him, that same stupid grin on his face that he always had when he got what he wanted. She wasn't even sure how long she had been pacing, but if the idiot didn't show up soon there was going to be holes in the floor. What was he thinking? Making her worry like this. Taking his sweet time to get back. Oh, he would come to learn the error of his way, that much she could promise. Never again would he keep a lady waiting. When she finally heard the door barge open, she was all too quick to spin around, reprimanding ready.

"Do you have any idea how long I've been waiting for…" Ino's words died in her throat, he eyes went wide, and her pale complexion suddenly went ghostly white. "…you."

There was blood. So much blood. It was everywhere. Soaking Kakashi's clothes, dripping through his fingers onto the floor. The masked man was breathing heavily, no doubt having just broken a speed record getting back to the village. Ino could see the panic in his one visible eye, the pain. In his arms, hanging limp and broken, was Naruto. He wasn't conscious. He didn't even look alive. You wouldn't even have known his clothes had been orange with how much blood now covered him. Even his hair, his brilliant bright hair, hung heavy and red against his paled face.

"Tsunade!" Kakashi yelled, marching straight past Ino as he raced Naruto to the nearest bed.

"What now?" Tsunade grumbled as she rounded the corner before she adopted a look not too dissimilar to Ino. "Naruto!" she yelled in shock, rushing to the boy with her hands already glowing green. "What the hell happened?"

Kakashi stepped back and looked down in shame. "I found him like this," he said.

"And Sasuke?" Tsunade asked.

The man shook his head. "Gone."

Tsunade growled as she pushed her hands into the hole that was once Naruto's chest. She had already used so much chakra keeping the others alive, what she had left was being pushed to its limits trying to perform a miracle. "What the hell did this to him?" she demanded.

"The chidori," Kakashi said shamefully. "Sasuke must have…"

"Fuck! I can't feel a pulse," Tsunade exclaimed. "Call anyone who is free. I need everyone now." Pulling her hands back for a second, she blitzed through some hand seals and bit her blood covered thumb. Her fear of blood could wait until Naruto wasn't dead. In a puff of smoke, a large white slug appeared on her shoulder. "Katsuya. Chakra. Now," she ordered, plunging her hand back into Naruto's chest and began hand pumping his heart. There was still time. There had to be. With her spare hand she ripped the boy's shirt off and wiped the glowing appendage over his stomach, letting out a sigh of relief as the seal appeared on his skin.

Ino stood there, dead to the world, her eyes fixating on Naruto. He looked so peaceful, so soft, so innocent. How could this have happened? Why him? After everything. Tears filled her eyes as she watched Tsunade wheel the bed into an operating room, followed quickly by everyone else who could spare their efforts. She followed, slowly like a ghost, silently keeping her distance as she watched the chaos unfold. No one even noticed her in the room. They were all too focused on Naruto. It almost made Ino happy to see so many people so focused on his wellbeing.

"Something's wrong," Tsunade said, placing a hand on the seal. "Why isn't the Kyuubi healing him? God dammit, I can't heal him if that stupid things chakra is going to fight me every step of the way. Someone, find Jiraiya. Shizune, help me."

Shizune rushed to her sensei's side and got to work, only to stop suddenly. "…Tsunade." Her voice was barely a whisper as her own tears began to form. It only took her a few seconds to realise how serious this was. It was a miracle Naruto's body was holding on at all. But she knew a lost cause when she felt one. Such a wound would be near impossible to repair normally, but now, with the Kyuubi's chakra lingering in Naruto's body, it was simply unimaginable.

"Don't you dare!" Tsunade barked. "I will not lose him. Not like this. We can still save him." She reached towards the seal. She knew little about seals outside of her own, let alone one made by the fourth Hokage, but she knew enough about disrupting them. If she could just mess with it enough to flood Naruto with the Bijuu's chakra then maybe that would be enough to kickstart his heart. He was still there, just waiting to be pulled back. He wasn't gone yet.

"Tsunade!" Shizune yelled, grabbing the woman's arm.

Tsunade glared at her apprentice. "Let me go, Shizune," she said. "I don't care if that fox raises this village to the ground. I'm not losing Naruto."

As the two medics had their little standoff, Ino watched on in horror. Her mind halted and time itself seemed to stretch on forever as she took in the sight before her. There was no way this could be real. Naruto was the strongest of them all. He had proved that. How could Sasuke have done this to him? A part of her was glad that Tsunade's lack of care with words right now wasn't going to lead to any more drama. She already knew of the Kyuubi, and no one else was in the room yet. But that also raised questions. From what Ino understood, the fox's chakra was meant to heal Naruto, not fight against him. What was even happening? Did the Kyuubi truly want Naruto dead that bad?

Ino didn't know what to think. She didn't know what to do. But she did know one thing. If this was her last chance to talk to Naruto, then she would be damned if she didn't get to hear his voice once more. And so, in possibly the stupidest move ever made by someone of her clan, she formed a hand seal, and pointed it straight at Naruto's body.

"Mind transfer jutsu."

Neither Tsunade or Shizune processed those words quick enough, both so transfixed on their current dilemma, to notice what was happening before it was too late. Tsunade looked at the now unconscious body of Ino laying on the floor before turning her attention to Naruto on the table. Realising what had just happened, she jerked her hand out of Shizune's grip and doubled her efforts to keep the boys blood pumping.

"Get Inoichi here," she yelled.

Naruto's life was now no longer the only one in the balance.

It was darker than the last time she had been inside Naruto's mind. Admittedly, that had been some time ago now, but the memory of that night had faded very little. Immediately after arriving, Ino found herself fighting with everything she had to not get thrown away. Her body screamed as the pain in Naruto's body was mirrored into her own. This was the danger of her families jutsu. Ino knew that if she stayed here for too long, her soul would tangle too much with Naruto's, and they would be bound in their fate together. With that in mind, she took off down the flooded corridor, making her way through the small maze as if this place was her own mind. One would think she knew his mind like the back of her hand, but in truth she was just following a sensation. As if something was guiding her through.

"Naruto," she cried out, entering the main chamber.

What she found only made her stomach sink. Naruto was there, slumped up against the bars of the Kyuubi's cage, the same injuries from his physical body now present on his own consciousness. That was never a good sign. Ino ran up to him, ignoring the bright red eyes that peered down at her from the shadows.

"Naruto, I'm here," she said, falling to her knees and pulling him to her. "Come on, idiot. Wake up. You're going to make it through this." She shook him gently, but he didn't stir. "Please… Naruto. Get up…"

"You are too late," the Kyuubi said in a bored tone.

Ino glared at the beast. "Shut up!"

The fox chuckled. "Your scent is familiar," it said curiously. "How foolish to return here again at such a time as this."

"I said shut up!" Ino screamed. "This is all your fault. Why aren't you healing him? Why didn't you help him beat Sasuke?"

The Kyuubi slammed its hand against the cage, surprisingly earning little more than a flinch from the girl. "The runt chose this!" the beast yelled. "He would rather let us die than use my power to kill that worthless Uchiha. And now that he has cast aside my strength so arrogantly, die is what he will do. Unless…"

Ino narrowed her eyes. "Unless what?"

The Kyuubi's eyes flickered with a cunningness that wasn't lost on Ino. "Unless… you weaken the seal."

"And let you free?" Ino said sceptically. "Do you honestly think I am that stupid?"

"I am bound to his soul, as you too soon will be," the fox said knowingly. "When he dies, so shall I. You would be wise to leave before you share in our fate."

Ino would have liked to say she thought about things a bit more in depth than she actually did. Shikamaru would give her such a lecture on reading the fine print before agreeing to a deal, but there just wasn't time. "What do I have to do?" she asked desperately.

The Kyuubi's eyes turned to the piece of paper stuck to the outside of the bars, the word "Seal" printed plainly to see. "Tear the seal," it said.

Ino looked at the paper unsurely for a moment before turning back to Naruto's lifeless form. "It'll be okay," she whispered, gently laying him down. She tried to walk to the middle of the cage, only to stumble and fall to her hands and knees, the air seemingly knocked from her lungs. With a glance, she saw the blood now slowly leaking from her chest. 'Oh no.' The wounds were transferring so much faster than she expected. She was running out of time. With a pained grunt she got back to her feet. She wasn't sure if this would work. Taking the word of a monster was definitely high up on her list of dumb ideas. But she didn't have a choice. If there was even a small chance, she had to take it, and she had to hurry. Each step felt heavier, and every breath weaker. The taste of blood filled her mouth and her vision blurred.

Ino knew she was now beyond the point of no return. Her physical body would have started succumbing to the injuries as well. Somehow, this didn't bother her as much as she thought it would. Dying was always a possibility as a shinobi. It was something she had come to terms with a long time ago. But this, right here, right now, didn't feel like dying… at least not in the way one would assume. No, this was repayment. Naruto had already sacrificed so much for the village, for the people. He had lost more than anyone she knew. He didn't deserve to lose his life as well. Not like this. Not yet. It was time that someone made a sacrifice for him instead. Ino only regretted not being able to tell him how she felt about him before she did this. 'And I was supposed to be the smart one out of us…' she thought amusedly. She had barely noticed the water rising beneath her feet until she was standing right before the seal itself. Her hand trembled as she reached for it, her fingers weakly grasping the paper. It was a weird feeling, to hold such a thing in her hand, knowing what power it held at bay. Such a simple feeble thing. Ino gripped the paper with both hands, took a deep breath, and…

"Wait," the Kyuubi said suddenly, stopping the girl in her tracks. Its eyes watched her carefully as it quickly considered its thoughts. The fox wanted out, there was no denying that. But this girl, this child, was willing to die on the mere hope of savings its jinchuuriki. Hell, she would likely already die from trying in the first place. Was his freedom worth such a cost. The lives of children. The innocent. So much blood already stained his claws. He had been used as a weapon of destruction and death against his will too much already. Was he prepared to truly let himself become the monster the world now saw him as? What would his father think of him if he knew such hatred had poisoned him so. He raised himself to Ino's level. "This… saving him. Saving us. It could kill you. You understand, don't you?" he asked, Ino giving a stern look of resolve to answer. "Only a small piece," he said.

Ino, wasting none of the near non-existant time she had left, grabbed the corner of the paper, and pulled. The paper tearing far easier than she expected. She didn't have to wait to see the results. As soon as the torn piece of the seal fell from her hands into the water, the room lit up, red chakra gushing in through the bars and flooding down the corridors. She expected it to burn, to drown her out and cast her from this plane, but it didn't. It felt warm. The water in the room began to rise, lifting Naruto's body to the same level. Stumbling over to him, Ino collapsed beside him, watching in relief as the Kyuubi's chakra enveloped him, the wounds already starting to heal and fade.

"Thank you."

Ino jumped at the words, her head shooting up only to see a man, smiling at her. He looked just like Naruto, only older, and eerily familiar. For the life of her Ino could swear she knew who she was looking at, it was on the tip of her tongue and yet… "Lord fourth?"

The fourth Hokage continued to smile, gently placing his hand on the girl's shoulder, chakra flowing into her and numbing her pain, the wounds that had begun forming on her stopping suddenly. "Please, look after my son," he said. "He cares deeply for you."

Ino's eyes widened. "Your son?!"

"Farewell."

"No, wait…" Her words disappeared as she was suddenly enveloped in red chakra, her spirit forcefully ejected from Naruto's body.

Minato's eyes lingered on Naruto for a short while. Taking his time to cherish this moment with his son. It was so much earlier than he had planned. Naruto was so young still. "Oh, Kushina. I wish you could see our boy," he said softly, stroking Naruto's hair. "I'm so sorry Naruto. I had hoped to take this chance to talk to you, just once. I love you… so much." He stood, cradling Naruto in his arms, turning his attention to the cage from which a tidal wave of chakra was now freely flowing from. Behind the bars, two large red eyes stared at him, a deep and shameful sorrow held in them.

"We need to talk…"

Outside, in the real world, mere minutes had passed. Ino's body was now laid in a bed beside Naruto. Several doctors and medic nin now filled the room, frantically working alongside Tsunade to try and stabilise Naruto while also desperately trying to halt the injuries now forming on the young Yamanaka. Tsunade had no idea what Ino was thinking, but if the girl survived, she was going to find out, painfully. Despite everyone's best efforts, none of them were actual miracle workers. Naruto's condition wasn't improving in the slightest, and Ino was quickly following the same path. Who even makes a jutsu with that disastrous of a flaw, honestly. The best they could do was keep the two of them alive and hope for… well, Tsunade wasn't sure what to hope for. It was a struggle to maintain her medical jutsu for so long, let alone think straight.

That was when it happened. If the level of chaos was sitting at a maxed out ten, then it officially broke the limit by several more scales. Tsunade sensed the chakra before she felt it, the red boiling ooze pouring out of Naruto with next to no warning, burning her hands before she could pull them back. "Everyone out!" she yelled in a panic as the Kyuubi's chakra fully enshrouded Naruto's body, the wound on his chest bubbling and sizzling as it was forcefully closed. Had her worst fears been realised? She tried to rush to Ino, intending to get the girl out of the room to what little safety there might have been, only to be stopped by a giant clawed hand of chakra slamming into the ground in front of her. Those who hadn't headed her warning to get out quickly fled the room at the sight of the glowing red appendage.

Tsunade looked at Naruto, and felt her heart nearly stop in her chest. '…no.' Sitting upright, coated head to toe in red chakra that took the form of a fox, was Naruto. Only it was not Naruto. Tsunade could see that much. His once bright blue eyes were now a dark red, pupils slitted, and they stared at her with such disgust, such a disregard for her existence that it couldn't possibly be human. She backed away slowly, preparing herself for what was to come. Only it didn't. The Kyuubi didn't attack. It just sat there, staring at her. Even as it withdrew the hand, its eyes didn't leave her. Then, using Naruto's body as a puppet for its own sick joke, the beast pointed to Ino's body.

"Heal her," it demanded, a tail of chakra moving behind her and shoving her towards Ino's bed.

Tsunade shakily raised her hands to the girl's chest, noticing that her injuries had stopped forming any further. Was the jutsu interrupted? It must have been. Why on earth would the Kyuubi want her to heal Ino? It didn't matter. She tried, with what chakra she had left, to close the wounds, but it was hopeless. She had already nearly exhausted herself healing the others beforehand, and combined with her now burnt hands, still throbbing with the Kyuubi's foul chakra, there was no way she could mould the necessary medical jutsu to be of any use. Even with Katsuya's chakra it would take too long to both heal herself and Ino.

'Guess I'll have to use it,' she thought to herself, carefully directing her chakra around the gem on her forehead, but before she could do anything she stopped, the pain in her hands replaced with a warm sensation as Katsuya was dispelled from her shoulder. Tsunade felt her chakra surge, and she felt stronger than she ever had before. Tsunade watched in shock and confusion as Naruto's clawed hand rested atop her own, the Kyuubi's chakra shroud now flowing harmlessly over and into her and Ino.

"Use it," the fox growled. "Heal her, while I permit it."

"Why are you doing this?" Tsunade asked.

The Kyuubi grinned. It was an unnerving and twisted expression to see on the sweet boy's face. "You're wasting time."

It was easier than she expected, moulding the unnatural chakra how she needed to. Tsunade could feel the Kyuubi's chakra cooperating with her, learning as she went and taking over where it needed. It was remarkable. On the one hand, Tsunade could only begin to imagine the potential such chakra could provide to the medical field, how someone like herself could use it; and to think the bijuu were traded around to be used as nothing more than weapons. Her disappointment in the existence of jinchuuriki only grew with this discovery. On the other hand, however, were now far too many questions with no time to ask them. The Kyuubi helping someone, or just the beast showing any sign of humanity, was unbelievable. Tsunade knew that once this was over, if she was still alive, she would be looking into it extensively.

With the newfound chakra at her disposal, it didn't take long for Tsunade to heal Ino back to perfect health. Her hands had healed as she worked, and even her chakra reserves had rapidly returned. She knew the regenerative powers of a jinchuuriki were legendary, but to feel it herself was a humbling experience. The effortlessness of it all, the seemingly endless supply of power, it was all so much to take in at once. But it wasn't to last. As suddenly as the power had been extended to her, was it pulled away. With her part to play finished, it made sense.

The Kyuubi swatted the woman's hands away as soon as its power had withdrawn from her, a tail quickly pushing her back to a distance. Placing a hand on the seal on Naruto's stomach, it pulled a small orb of blue chakra from the boy's body, holding it almost carefully as he brought it down to Ino and watched as it slowly faded into her chest. As soon as the orb fully disappeared, Ino's eyes shot open.

"Naruto," she yelled, quickly finding herself looking at the boy in question. A combination of fear and discomfort filled her as the red eyes of the Kyuubi looked back at her, a grin of teeth too sharp sending a chill down her spine. "…Kyuubi?"

"You owe me," the fox said ominously, its chakra quickly drawing back into Naruto's body and its voice fading. Eventually only the red eyes were left to show its control until those too faded back to their original blue. Naruto blinked as he came to, looking back and forth between Ino and Tsunade like a lost puppy. "Ino? Granny? What the hell… is… goi…" his world went black as he passed out, falling forward into Ino's arms.

"Tsunade, hel-what the hell!" Ino winced as she received a firm slap to the side of the head. "What was that for?"

Tsunade glared at the girl with tears in her eyes. "I should kill you for the stunt you just pulled," she yelled before quickly wrapping her arms around both blondes in a bone crushing hug. "Thank you. I don't know what you did. But thank you."

Ino gasped for air. "Tsunade… can't breathe… let go."

Tsunade released her grip, taking a few deep breaths of her own as her nerves finally calmed. She had earnt herself a strong drink after today, and anyone who argued otherwise was a walking corpse. "Don't think for a second you're off the hook for this, Ino," she said sternly. "You could have died, or worse…"

"I know," Ino said, hanging her head in shame. She couldn't imagine what the punishment this time would be, but she knew that the lecture she was going to get from her father would go down in Konoha's history. "I'm sorry, but I had to. I… I couldn't let him go. Not yet."

Tsunade sighed deeply. "What happened in there?"

Ino hugged Naruto to her tightly and shook her head. "I… I don't know. Not really. I'm sorry."

"We can discuss this later," Tsunade said. "For now, get some rest. The two of you are to be confined to this room until I figure out what just happened. Am I understood?" Ino nodded. "Good. Oh, and Ino… don't ever do that again."

Ino was worried. Actually, that wasn't quite right. She was terrified. It had been almost three whole days since the incident at the hospital, and nothing had happened. Most people would have considered that a blessing, but not Ino. She knew something terrible was brewing, and it would come crashing down on her head at any moment. She had thankfully been given permission to leave the hospital rather quickly. Tsunade had given her a full and very extensive medical, while her father conducted the most intense mind assessment she had ever felt. The fact that neither of them took the time to yell at her or chastise her for her actions so far was only the start of why she was as worried as she was right now.

The real cause for her concern was also the same reason she had spent the last few days in the hospital room she had been discharged from. Naruto was still unconscious. He was alive, that much was obvious. Ino was over the moon about that. But he hadn't so much as stirred in his sleep this whole time. It left her wondering if she had messed up. Had she accidentally broken his mind? Did her actions release the Kyuubi into Naruto's body and the fox was now just biding its time to attack? No, that would be ridiculous. For obvious reasons, Ino was now forbidden from using her clans jutsu for the foreseeable future, and even if she wasn't, there was no telling what another delve into Naruto's mind might do. Her father had attempted to check in on Naruto's mind, but he was forcefully removed every time. The Kyuubi had Naruto's mind locked down tight. No one had any idea if that was a bad thing or not. Jiraiya had thoroughly investigated the seal, finding that, although damaged and weaker than before, it still contained the Kyuubi in the way it was supposed to.

Tsunade had been suspiciously tight lipped about her findings from the medical examinations. Outside of giving Ino a clean bill of health and discharging her, nothing else was said. It had made things… interesting to say the least. Ino didn't have any answers to give when her teammates and the rest of the rookies had come to check in on her and Naruto. She couldn't just tell them what had happened. Not that she thought they would believe her anyway. The truth seemed almost too ridiculous to be real. But she also lacked a convincing lie to tell everyone. Everyone knew she hadn't gone on the retrieval mission. As far as anyone else was concerned, Ino was just hell bent on being by Naruto's side during his recovery. While not exactly wrong, it did make Ino worry about the ideas people were getting in their head about the two of them. She hadn't even had the chance to tell the idiot she liked him. She didn't need people thinking they were an item before she could confess.

Ino took a breath to calm herself down. She knew worrying was pointless, she just couldn't help it. Glancing at the clock on the wall she groaned. It was almost time for her to head home. She hated leaving Naruto here, alone. What if he woke up to an empty room? The thought had crossed her mind to simply kidnap him. Tsunade would murder her for that.

'Speak of the devil,' Ino thought, the woman in question casually walking in and locking the door behind her. "Lady Tsunade," Ino greeted, bowing. "Don't worry, I was just about to leave."

"Stay," Tsunade said, grabbing a nearby chair and sitting herself across from the girl. "We need to talk."

Ino gulped and sat up straight. She had been expecting this moment. Tsunade had been far too busy lately, what with Rock Lee's surgery and the recovery of the retrieval team. She thought she would have more time. "Of course."

"I read your report," Tsunade said. "You aren't a very good liar. At least on paper."

"Oh…"

"Don't worry. I don't blame you for trying," she said. "But I do need to know what happened. You did something to the seal, didn't you?"

Ino nodded, averting her eyes in shame. "I… I removed a piece of it," she said. "It was the only way to get enough of the Kyuubi's chakra through to heal him."

"And how did you know that would work?"

"The Kyuubi… it told me." Ino knew the moment those words left her mouth just how stupid it sounded. How could anyone trust the beast that attacked their village. She didn't fully understand what came over her to trust the fox in the first place. Maybe it had been the panic, or the near-death circumstances. Either way, Ino knew that in that moment she felt she could trust the Kyuubi. It didn't make sense, but it didn't need to. It had worked out after all… she hoped.

Tsunade rested her chin on her interlocked hands, furrowing her brow in thought. "So, the fox was trying to help," she mused. "Any idea why?"

"It said if Naruto died, it would die too."

"Self-preservation then. That makes much more sense than a benevolent bijuu." Tsunade felt a sense of relief as another puzzle piece fell into place. She didn't need to add feeling guilty for having a kind creature imprisoned to the list of her concerns. "That still doesn't explain why it helped save you. Any thoughts?"

Ino shook her head. "No. But…" she paused, thinking carefully on whether to say what she wanted to say.

Tsunade smiled reassuringly. "It's okay," she said. "You've been through a lot. You don't have to tell me anything. I'm honestly just glad the two of you are safe. But I want you to know that you can trust me with anything. If there's something I should know about, please tell me."

"The fourth Hokage," Ino said, looking at Naruto. "Naruto's father… is the fourth Hokage."

"How do you know that?" Tsunade asked carefully. Such knowledge was beyond confidential. She could name those that knew the truth with her fingers, and Naruto wasn't one of them. Unless Ino had been diving into some very specific minds, with a level of skill she ought not have, then there was no way she could have known. Maybe she figured it out on her own? The resemblance was there, so it wasn't out of the question.

"I saw him… in the seal," Ino said. "He seemed… kind."

Tsunade smirked. 'Minato, you insufferable fool' It was just like him to put fail-safes into an already overkill seal. "Ino, I want you to listen to me very carefully. What you saw, what you know, is all to remain a secret. Only you and I can know. Okay?"

Ino's eyes widened. "But Naruto…"

"Will find out when the time is right," Tsunade interrupted. "This is no insignificant bit of knowledge. I know you were entrusted with the secret of Naruto's jinchuuriki status, but this is much more than that. I am willing to trust you, as I know Naruto does, but make no mistake, if you jeopardise his safety…"

"I won't," Ino said quickly. "I won't. I promise. I just… doesn't he deserve to know? Hasn't he dealt with enough?"

"He has," Tsunade said sadly. "But some things have to wait, even if they hurt. Now, while I have you. I think we should talk about how you were affected by all of this. Do you feel anything strange?"

Ino tilted her head curiously. "Uhh, I don't know. Should I?" She hadn't felt any different than usual, but she also wasn't exactly paying attention to her body since waking up. If anything, she felt… better?

"You were healed by the Kyuubi's chakra. Some of that chakra has remained in your system," Tsunade said. "It appears dormant. In all likeliness it will work its way out naturally, but it is something we should keep an eye on just in case. If you notice anything out of the ordinary, or have any concerns, do not hesitate to come to me. We have no idea how such chakra will act within someone who doesn't also contain the beast it belongs to. For now, there is only one notable side effect you will have to deal with."

"Oh?"

"Your chakra pathways have expanded to compensate for the Kyuubi's residual chakra," Tsunade explained. "Now, while the chakra may dissipate, your pathways will likely not return to their natural state. Right now, I would say that you have more than triple the amount of chakra you had before."

"Hell yeah," Ino exclaimed. 'Take that billboard-brow!'

"That also means you will have to learn how to control that new amount of chakra."

"Hah. Piece of cake. I have great chakra control," Ino said.

"You did," Tsunade corrected.

"Huh?"

Tsunade smirked. "You'll figure it out," she said, getting up to leave. "Don't waste too much time in here. Naruto isn't going anywhere. Once he wakes up, I'm sure you'll be one of the first to know."

Ino watched her go for the door, only to call out at the last moment. "Lady Tsunade… am I in trouble? For damaging the seal, I mean?"

"Oh… yes. Absolutely," Tsunade said. "… as soon as I figure out how to punish you that is." It was a tricky situation. If she overdid the punishment, it might draw attention. No one needed to know what happened, so it would be best to play it quiet and safe. But how to go about it. 'Oh… oh I couldn't,' Tsunade thought, a wicked smile tugging at her lips. 'Oh, but I can.'

"Ino… do you know Anko Mitirashi?" Tsunade asked. Had someone not known otherwise, they would have thought Tsunade was the snake of the Sannin with how she was now looking at Ino. The poor girl may as well have been a helpless little rabbit ready for slaughter.

"Mitirashi? You mean that creepy snake lady from the chunin exams?" Ino asked, already feeling uneasy.

Tsunade smiled. "Oh good, you've already been introduced," she said innocently. "It appears that Anko has put in a request for some assistance in some menial tasks. Nothing dangerous, mostly D-rank nonsense. No one has been willing to take it up yet and Anko has been nagging me. I would consider it a very big step in the right direction if you were to… volunteer, so to speak."

Ino pursed her lips. It was clear by Tsunade's tone that there was no room to argue. "A mission? So, does that mean I get to keep being a kunoichi?" she asked hopefully.

"For now, yes," Tsunade said. "We can't afford to be turning down capable hands at the moment. You will start by helping Anko. After that, you will continue to be on a probationary period. You have a bad habit of doing very stupid things. We will have to try and correct that."

"That's… fair," Ino said. Truth be told, it was a million times better than what she had been expecting. At least this way she wouldn't spend the rest of her life working at the flower shop.

"Report to me tomorrow morning. We will work out the details then," Tsunade said, closing the door behind her as she left.

Ino sighed deeply and turned an amused smile to Naruto. "Well, good to know I didn't just ruin my career trying to save you," she said cheekily. "Now you just have to wake up." Her smile turned as she gently held his hand. "Please wake up," she whispered, leaning down to give a quick kiss to his forehead. "I'll be back tomorrow, okay."

With a blush that could put Hinata to shame, Ino quickly grabbed her things and headed home. She wasn't sure what was in store for her tomorrow but something told her she would need to be well rested for it. Anko couldn't be that bad, right?

Naruto knew where he was the moment his consciousness began to drip back into his body. He would never forget the feeling of the hospital beds, or the cheap sheets they used for them. The smell was different this time, pleasant even, like flowers. He was surprised to find his body didn't hurt this time. Not so much as an ache or pain that normally accompanied his recoveries.

'Am I dead?'

He didn't put that out of the realm of possibility. The last thing Naruto remembered was his fight with Sasuke and… the smell of burning flesh. His flesh. Damn he was stupid. Letting Sasuke get away like that. How could he face Sakura? What was he supposed to tell her? What would Kakashi think of him? Maybe being dead wouldn't be so bad. Living with the shame of failure seemed unpleasant at best. Of course, if this was what death felt like, Naruto had to admit it wasn't too bad. No pain, peace and quiet, a suspicious warm sensation on his arm and… wait, what?

Naruto opened his eyes, taking the time to adjust to the dull light of the room. The sun was just starting to disappear over the horizon, which meant it was the perfect time to break out and get home. There was just one problem. Ino. She was there, asleep, in his hospital room. Her fingers interlocked with his and her face resting on his forearm. She looked so peaceful, so pretty, propped up on the side of his bed. Naruto didn't notice he was staring so intensely until he had to fight back a blush. What was she even doing here at this time? Taking a closer look, he noticed her clothes were ragged, and she was covered in dirt. Even her hair was a mess. Naruto had never known Ino to let her appearance falter so much, even when they trained. Something must have been up.

"Ino?" he said softly, gently moving his arm beneath her.

"Five more minutes, dad," Ino mumbled, wrapping her arms tighter around Naruto's arm and nuzzling her face into his hand.

Naruto held back a laugh. He would make sure Ino never lived this down for as long as he lived. If only he had a camera. "Uhh, Ino. Wake up." He gave his arm a slightly firmer shake this time, earning a groan from the girl.

"Ugh, what?" Ino asked tiredly, lifting her head and slowly blinking. She yawned and stretched, finally letting go of Naruto's hand as she rubbed her eyes awake.

"Sleep well?" Naruto asked.

"Huh? Oh, hey Naruto," Ino said, slumping back into her chair. "Man, Anko is a slave driver. That woman needs a boyfriend or something."

Naruto was having a great time. Ino had no idea what was going on. He would have to remember to take advantage of her sleepiness in the future. "The snake lady?"

"Feh, more like snake bitch," Ino scoffed. "Did you know she has a jutsu that…" she stopped, eyes widening as her head turned slowly to a now grinning Naruto. "…Naruto?"

"Yeah?" Naruto said sheepishly, scratching the back of his head like he always did.

"Naruto…"

"You okay, Ino?"

Naruto yelped in surprise as the air was suddenly knocked out of him, Ino crashing into him and wrapping her arms around him in the tightest hug he had ever felt. Since when had Ino been this strong? "Gah, Ino, what the hell?"

"You're back," Ino said happily, as if that explained everything.

"Did I go somewhere?"

"Shut up and hug me."

Naruto didn't hesitate, quickly wrapping his arms around her. He knew from prior experience that she wouldn't stop until he returned the gesture. This time felt different though. The way Ino relaxed into his arms was something new, as if all her worries were melting away. It was nice. He liked the idea of being able to provide that kind of comfort for a friend. "How long was I out?" he asked as Ino pulled away slowly.

"Almost a week."

"A week?!"

"Oi, you don't get to be freaked out. That's my job. Do you have any idea how worried I've been? I've been coming here morning and night to check on you. You could have at least woken up a little earlier and saved me the worry," Ino said.

"Yeah, right. Because I totally have control of that, don't I," Naruto said. "Not my fault you wasted time checking on me."

"You are not a waste of time!" Ino blushed furiously as the words left her mouth a fair bit louder than she intended, but she didn't back down. No matter how embarrassing it was to say, she wouldn't take it back. Naruto wasn't a waste of time. Not to her.

Naruto grinned. "Careful, Ino," he teased. "Someone might hear you caring about me." He laughed as Ino's blush only got worse.

"And what if they do," Ino said with a huff. "Am I not allowed to show that I care?" It really didn't matter anymore. If anyone hadn't figured it out before, they certainly would have by now. It wasn't like the whole village wasn't astutely aware of her intense visiting schedule.

"Huh?" Naruto stopped laughing. "Oh… uh, sorry. I… thank you, Ino. I didn't… it means a lot. You being here and… I just… thank you…"

Ino smiled. She found it cute when he was lost for words. In a way it showed how much he cared. He may not find all the words he needed, but he took the time to make sure he didn't just blurt out the wrong words. It was a lot from him when considering how little he cared about saying the wrong thing any other time. Reaching out, she gave a light-hearted knock on his head. "It's okay," she said. "Just don't do it again."

Naruto's expression fell as his hand rubbed his chest warily. "It was bad, wasn't it?"

"Don't worry about that," Ino said. "All that matters is that you're okay now. We can worry about everything else later."

"But Sasuke…"

"Is gone," Ino said sharply.

"But…"

"No," she continued. "We aren't talking about him."

Naruto opened his mouth to argue but snapped it shut when Ino glared at him. She could be scary sometimes. "Is everyone okay?"

"Mostly. You're the last one left in hospital. I think Chouji was the worst off aside from you," Ino said.

"Oh, well at least everyone is alright," Naruto said, giving Ino a cheeky grin and patting his stomach. "I guess this stupid fox is good for something after all."

Ino forced a smile. She wanted to tell him everything. To hell with the Hokage's orders. She wanted Naruto to know everything, for there to be no secrets between them. He trusted her. How could she keep things from him? It didn't feel right. "Yeah, I guess so," she said. Now wasn't the time to unload all of that onto him. She would tell him, in time. For now, she just wanted to make the most of him while she could.

"Hey, Ino. You hungry?" Naruto asked.

As if on que her stomach growled loudly for the world to hear. "Starving," she said. "Ramen?" Ino would never get tired of how Naruto's face lit up at the mere mention of ramen. Like a kid in a candy shop.

"Yes please."

"I'll go make us some," Ino said. "You stay put. No running amuck until Tsunade makes sure you're okay."

"Ugh, fine, fine."

Ino chuckled at his antics as she left. With Naruto awake, Ino felt a great weight lift from her shoulders. He was okay. Everything was going to be okay…

…as soon as she figured out how to tell him she liked him.

A/N:

Well, this chapter kind of got away from me. Hope it wasn't too ridiculous for you all. I like the idea of playing around with the Kyuubi's morality and him actually being nice deep down. I also enjoy the idea that the Yamanaka clan jutsu is far riskier to use on jinchuuriki, so that was fun to play with.

I'm sorry if the pacing of this chapter was off. Still getting back into the flow of writing again properly and these were the scenes I just couldn't get out of my head for the life of me.

Next chapter I will try and focus on the fluff side of things which is really the whole reason I started this. Something about Naruto and Ino liking each other just screams adorable awkward dorks to me.

I will admit, the attention for this fic has been amazing so far. All reviews are highly appreciated. Thank you to all that have already left one, and to those who leave any in for this chapter.

Until next time.