Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

A/N:

Dear Readers,

The moment is here and I hope it was worth the wait. I kind of rushed the editing for this one to keep the ball rolling so please excuse any mistakes. If there are glaring ones let me know, I'll fix them when I can. Anyways. As always, thank you for your support! Hope you like!

~L.H.

Chapter 14: A Collision of Cobalt and Jade

His boots came to a stop just outside the gate. He turned around, his hands still on the reins. His dark eyes regarded his silent companion who was there to see him off in theory. It was still too dark to see much of anything. The sun would not be up for a couple of more hours. The rooster had already spoken its welcome of a new day, loudly and thoroughly.

Kakashi patted down the plates of his armor. It felt heavy and cumbersome. Just going a couple of days without it made the suit seem foreign. He had worn it every day for the past six months. He turned his neck slowly. A long journey awaited him. It would be shorter than the first. He could move with more speed now.

"Be safe." Minato's eyes were nearly as dark as the night. "Don't be reckless out there."

"When am I ever?" Kakashi flashed him a grin under his mask. It did not take him long to somber into the same expression as Minato. "Keep your head up. Things will work out." He said gruffly to cover for his growing discomfort. Separation from the frontlines gave him more perspective and he did not quite like what he was seeing. "Be on the lookout for updates. I'll send them weekly."

Minato nodded his head curtly. He watched Kakashi mount his horse. He kicked the gray horse with white-speckled hair. They were both off. Within ten seconds Minato could no longer see them. It took several more seconds for him to not be able to hear them. He turned on his heel and walked back towards the gate.

The guards closed it behind him. He looked down at his simple tunic and pants. His hand pressed instinctively to his side. There was a mild throbbing. His skin still felt too warm. He attributed it to the change in altitude and weather. Konoha was drier than where he had been stationed for the past five years. He moved his tired frame. The lack of sleep fell heavily on his person.

His eyes focused on the stable. He moved in that direction. He lit a lantern and brought it to rest on a hook. His expression softened as he came to the only occupied stall in the entirety of the stable. Kaminari turned his head to look at him.

"Hey, there." He placed his hand against the horse's forehead. "You're all by yourself now." He sighed deeply. "Just like me, huh?"

Kaminari shook his head and blew air through his nose. He nudged Minato's shoulder. He grimaced.

"Easy," he breathed through the pain. Kaminari blinked slowly at him.

"I didn't bring anything with me," Minato told him apologetically. "Later," he promised as he patted the horse's neck. Kaminari nickered. He almost got his disappointment across. "Don't be like that." Minato ran his fingers through his mane. "We both should be a little more patient."

He clocked movement in the periphery of his eye. He turned his head. He kept his expression blank as he saw someone standing by a large hay bale with very clear intentions of transporting it the rest of the distance to the stables. He frowned. He witnessed a woman grab the strings holding it together. It was easily more than half her body weight. His eyes narrowed slightly in recognition when she turned her head.

'That's the woman from yesterday. The one who's been teaching Naruto.'

The very one that had considerable influence over the boy. The gears of his mind worked. He saw an opportunity too good to pass up. Minato absentmindedly patted the side of Kaminari's head once before moving away from the stall. He approached the woman with sure, silent footfalls.

"Excuse me," he called out.

She jumped. She dropped the hale bale on the ground. It landed with a muted thud. Some of the pieces of hay spilled out to the bottom and from the sides. Her wide jade eyes looked back at him almost owlishly.

"Sorry," he put an easy smile on his face. "I didn't mean to scare you."

The woman said nothing. Instead, she began to reach for the fallen bale. Minato curled his fingers around one of the strings before she could, thanks to his longer reach. He pulled it towards himself. It stood almost as tall as his hip. She wore a look of silent confusion on her face. Her eyes were downcast. Her gaze remained firmly on the hay that was now out of reach of her arm.

"I can help," he said in a tone that was light but it also did not leave much room for argument. Not that there was much she could do with it in his possession.

"It's alright," she spoke softly. "It's my job to mind the horses and stables." Her hands came to be clasped in front of her. His eyes caught her picking at a hangnail.

His blond brows knitted together. "It's your job?" He failed to keep the disbelief from his voice. The woman was small. She was practically swimming in her clothes. She could not have been more than 100 pounds soaking wet. The cluster of hay was easily more than 55 pounds, probably closer to 60.

'What is Ambe-san playing at?'

"Yes, sir." Her shoulders hunched inward as she tried to take up even less space.

"I'm not a sir." He lied through his teeth. "I work here."

The look of disbelief that crossed her face told him everything he needed to know.

"Can you please let go?" She paused. "I need to finish my morning tasks."

"I don't mind, really." He held firm. He thought quickly on his feet. "It's technically my job. I'm the horse's manager."

Sakura's brows raised up despite her reservations about minimizing engagement.

"I go where the Master's horse goes," Minato elaborated in a calm manner unfazed by the disbelief that settled in her hunched-over frame. "That's probably why you haven't seen me around. I've been out at war."

'Rich people, I don't understand them.' Her inner voice rang out dryly.

Minato looked between the hay bale in his hand and her. "And, I would feel bad as a man if I sat back and let you carry this." He racked his unoccupied hand through his hair satisfied with his presented justifications.

Sakura bit the inside of her cheek to keep from rolling her eyes. "If you insist." She looked over her shoulder in the direction from which she came. A direction in which she did not have to deal with a strange man saying even stranger things. She turned around and took a step.

"Where are you going?" He surprised himself by asking.

Her sandals crunched in the gravel as she turned back around to face him. "To get water for Uma-san," her voice had an annoyed edge to it. It was barely detectable.

"Uma-san?" His brows shot up.

'It slipped out.'

Sakura bit her lip. She stood there awkwardly as if waiting for dismissal.

Minato cleared his throat. "Don't let me keep you."

Sakura dipped her head. She turned on her heel and walked back in the direction of the well.

Minato watched her leave. It was only when he could not see her back anymore that he bent his knees and hauled the hay bale on his shoulder. His side protested but he paid it no mind.

'The war has taken most of the men out of their homes but I didn't think Ambe-san would task something like this to someone like her.'

He frowned. He all but threw the bundle of hay into Kaminari's stall. The horse was not pleased in the slightest at the commotion and he let it be known. Minato moved out of the stall. He grabbed a pitchfork from the wall with the neatly lined tools. He walked back to the enclosure and began to break up the tightly packed together hay.

'This could be a good thing.'

He felt sweat move down his temple. It did not take long for it to break out across his back. He pressed his teeth together as he foisted a fork full of hay into the feeder. He was on his third transfer when he heard her footsteps. She stood by the door.

"I can come back," she sounded like she was thinking out loud.

"No, there's room in here for the both of us." He turned back to his work. He was drenched in sweat. He could feel his shirt clinging to him.

There was a moment of silence before the door opened. She came to stand about a foot away from him. He turned his head to see her unload the bucket of water into the trough. She managed to do so without getting any splashes of water on herself.

"How long have you been working here?" He asked her casually, conversationally as if this was the most natural thing in the world.

Sakura pretended to not hear the question. She lowered the bucket. Her eyes landed on the hay. He still had a ways to go. She pursed her lips together at his inefficiency. Judging from his labored breathing and the passage of time, he was expending too much energy and effort for very little progress.

"I can take over." She held out her hand for the pitchfork.

Minato rested his hands on the end of the tool. "I asked you a question." He said with detectable strain. He breathed through it.

Sakura lifted her eyes from the end of the fork to his person. "You're bleeding." She said with a blank face.

Minato furrowed his brow. He looked down at his brown tunic. He saw a red splotch. It was growing.

'Shit.' He inwardly cursed.

"You should have that looked at." She said without blinking. "I can finish up here."

Minato tucked his hand under the hem of his tunic. He prodded the injury with his fingers. Some of the stitches had opened. Most of them.

Sakura saw the color draining from his face rather rapidly. She moved closer. The concern he would fall was growing with each passing second. Her hands darted out of their own volition when he staggered. He steadied himself. Sakura's arms lowered to her side. She brought her foot half a step back to join the other.

"You should sit down," she stated with firmness. "I'll go get Ambe-san. You need a sensei." she made to turn around.

"No," Minato shook his head. His voice stopped her movements. He leaned heavily against the feed tray. "Don't get her."

Sakura stared at him with a slack jaw. "You're not serious."

Minato panted, his whole face was coated with sweat. "I don't need a sensei. I'm fine."

"You're bleeding onto the ground right now." She pointed to the crimson droplets that landed on the brown earth and the yellow straw that randomly littered the floor. He applied more pressure to the wound, this time with both hands. He could feel the warm rivulets of blood move through his fingers.

"I'll lose my job," he said through clenched teeth. He slid down to the floor with a soft grunt. Minato blinked back at the dark spots in his vision. He stubbornly held on to his consciousness.

Her face came into his line of view again. She was kneeling down in front of him. Her eyes flashed. "You'll lose a lot more than your job if you keep being stubborn." She breathed hotly on his sweaty face. Her warm fingers pressed against the side of his neck to his slight surprise. The hand was gone as quickly as it had come.

"You're going to pass out. We can keep arguing until that happens and you likely bleed out before the Sensei can see you, or you let me go get the Sensei now so that you can live to see another day. What's it going to be?" She asked with little emotion beyond grimness.

He gazed slightly unfocused into the fire of her emerald orbs, it was consuming. The conviction which with it burned was too much to overcome for him.

"Fine," he relented. His head was starting to spin. The pressure being applied to his wound was considerably less as he felt his strength leaving his body. He inhaled shakily.

Sakura noticed. "I'll be right back." She pushed onto her feet and ran off, not wasting another second.

Her heart was pounding in her chest. She had searched the kitchens, she had knocked on Ambe's quarters. She was not allowed into the main house unless invited and escorted by a guard.

"Damn it," she cursed as she ran back toward the stables, abandoning her search for the possible when a very real certainty awaited her. They were rapidly reaching the point of no return. Even a Sensei would not be able to save him if he lost too much of his blood. She saw a familiar head of hair.

"Rin-chan!" She all but screamed in an adrenaline-powered relief.

"Oneechan?" The girl looked up from hanging the laundry.

"I need you to go tell the guards that there is an emergency. You need to go get the Sensei. Yakushi-sensei," Sakura barked out the orders. "Tell him that someone needs stitches."

Rin's whole face went slack. The girl looked at Sakura with impossibly wide eyes.

"Rin-chan, can you do that?" Sakura asked fiercely with a near frantic urgency.

"Yes, I can." The girl's eyes focused with clarity. She nodded her head.

"Good girl. Go. Don't make a scene." Sakura added, ignoring the voice that scoffed in her head. She did not have time to worry about being hypocritical right now.

"Right." Rin nodded. Sakura watched her leave with hurried movements.

Sakura moved briskly to the stables. She found him with his head bowed and in his own pool of blood.

'Shit. Shit. Shit.'

"Hey," she tapped his shoulder. The gravity of the situation blanketed everything else in her mind. "Sir?" She tapped harder. He was still out cold. "Damn it!" Sakura wrapped her arms around his torso. She closed her eyes and in one breath she pulled him up to his feet, straining her muscles as she did so. She ducked her head under his arm. She grabbed hold of his waist on the opposite side from which he bled. Her face was pulled into a grim determination as she essentially dragged him out of the stall.

"Why are you so tall?!" She asked his unconscious form irritably, not caring that she was wasting precious energy. She reached back to close the door behind them. If the Master's horse got out she could kiss her job goodbye.

"Let's go."

'You've officially lost it.'

She pulled him away from the stable. He left a trail of blood in their wake. He groaned as he was jostled roughly.

"Sorry." It came out almost automatically. "Can you stand?" She panted through her question. She felt his skin twitch under her palms. She rested a hand on his chest to keep him from toppling over.

"I think so," Minato grunted as he put weight on his feet. He was still leaning heavily into her. Relying on her to keep him upright but him being conscious made the whole thing easier. He was heavy when he went deadweight.

"Where are your quarters?" She asked him while her eyes searched the courtyard.

"Too far," he let out a pained breath. "I won't make it." His clothes were stiff with his spilled blood. He would lose consciousness before they were halfway there and there were no guarantees he could ever regain it.

Sakura narrowed her eyes. Her mind raced. "I can't believe I'm saying this," she murmured, "but my room isn't far. Just don't pass out again."

Minato grunted. "I'll try." He placed one foot in front of the other no matter how unsteadily it was. His vision was starting to blur again.

Sakura adjusted her hold on him. "Stay awake!" She commanded.

His head snapped up at the firmness of her voice. He worked hard to comply. They staggered just as they stepped onto the wooden floors of the corridor.

"Almost there," she encouraged. "Just a little more." She pushed through her aching muscles. She let out a relieved sigh as they approached the door. She yanked it open with a bloody hand. "Okay," they both stepped inside without taking off their shoes. She helped him down onto the cot. Apologizing for each groan that left his throat.

Minato blinked at the ceiling slowly. Sakura hovered over him. His blue eyes were unsteady and unfocused. He was sweating profusely. Her mind struggled to triage the severity of it all.

"W-water," he said barely above a whisper.

She crawled on her hands and knees. Painting the ground in his blood one handprint at a time. She found the small pot. Her hands shook as she grabbed the glass. She filled it. Sakura shuffled back over to him. She held out the cup. He blinked lethargically.

Panic surged in her. She grabbed his head. She lifted it. She supported him as she brought the cup to his parted lips. He took two small sips. Before he could take the third, his eyes rolled in the back of his head.

"No!" She exclaimed in shock. She lowered his head down onto her pillow gently. Her eyes landed on the almost black stain on his shirt. Her eyes darted to her desk. "Damn it!" She said in a growl. She pushed up to her feet using her hands. She ran to the desk. She ripped open the drawer. She groped around with her hands as she searched with her eyes. She grabbed the sewing kit from the drawer in a frenzy, not bothering to close it.

She nearly tore the zipper completely off the small bag in her desperation. She pulled the needle from the spool of thread.

"Thank you, Kami." It was still threaded. They had wasted enough time as it was.

Sakura grabbed some clean, sanitized, scraps of fabric from her drawer - the ones she had brought to use for her monthly blood but that stopped coming shortly after her diet was essentially cut in half. She looked over her shoulder feeling slightly guilty.

'He can't be offended or grossed out if he's dead.'

She ran back to him. Chiding herself in a reminder that now was not the time for duality. She fell painfully onto her knees. Sakura set the materials down next to her, within hand's reach. She gulped as she pulled up the hem of his shirt past his navel.

'You can do this. It's just like clothes.'

She used the scraps of fabric to clean away as much of the blood as she could. It oozed out of the jagged hole sluggishly. Her hands were painted in it as if she had been careless and dropped a crimson ink vat. Sakura fumbled around for the needle. She held it out. She lit a match. She ran the needle through the flame. She shook her wrist. The fire dissolved into smoke. It tickled her nose. Sakura waited for the needle to cool down. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

'You are fine. Don't throw up.'

She blinked a couple of times and drank air greedily as she brought the needle to his skin. She exhaled sharply the moment it made contact and poked through. Sakura held her bottom lip in between her teeth. She took deep breaths through her mouth as she moved the needle through his broken skin, closing the distance.

Naruto blew a raspberry. He looked at the empty placemat to his left. "Where is Otosama?" He asked Tomoha for the fifth time in as many minutes.

"I don't know, Naruto-sama." She finally admitted.

Naruto looked down at the mostly cold food. "Can I eat already? I'm hungry."

Tomoha sighed. They had waited long enough. Nearly thirty minutes. "Yes, Naruto-sama. Eat."

Naruto did not need to be told twice. He tucked into his meal. Tomoha's eyes never left Minato's empty place setting.

She brought a scrap of fabric to the pot. She dipped it in the cool water. She squeezed it. The once-white cloth was temporarily dyed pink from the blood on her hands contaminating it. She continued to breathe through her mouth as she cleaned the site of the sutures. Her jade eyes inspected them critically. She could see the difference. The first stitch was her most clumsy. She probably should have done two in its place. But the further she moved to the right, the cleaner and closer together they became. The last ten were almost completely uniform.

Her fingers moved across the red and purple skin gently, cleaning away the blood. She grabbed a dry cloth. She blotted at the sutures, picking up any and all extra moisture left behind by the water. Sakura slowly got onto her feet. She inhaled sharply. The sensation of pins and needles ran all the way down from her hips to her toes. She did not move for fear of toppling over. She waited a minute before she turned around slowly. She looked at the rows and rows of jars. She began to pull ingredients out of them. She moved to her desk. She laid out the herbs and plants. She pulled out her two rocks. She began to press the different things together until they were completely indistinguishable. She moved the bigger rock carefully. She sat back on her ankles. Her whole body seemed to creak. It was much too quiet. She brought the index and middle fingers of her right hand to the dark green, almost grainy mixture. She coated them. With small circles, she began to work the mixture into the threaded area.

She grabbed a clean bandana. She folded it twice. She pressed it against his skin. The tackiness of the balm kept it attached to his skin. She inched backward until she could not do so anymore. Sakura sat with her back pressed firmly against the wall. Her knees were pulled up. She looked blankly at his face. He looked so peaceful. She kept her eyes trained to the rise and fall of his chest.

She brought her shaking blood-covered hands to her knees. She stared at him, completely detaching from the situation, despondent. Her pink eyelashes fluttered somewhere between open and closed.

She looked up mutely when she felt someone tapping her shoulder. She saw Tomoha come into her line of sight. She gestured to the metal glass in her hand.

"When was he last awake?" Tomoha asked her in a low voice.

"Five minutes ago?" Sakura offered her best guess as she scratched her scalp through her bandana. His blood was under her fingernails. Her skin was tight.

Tomoha looked at the sleeping face of Minato. She had been frantic when Rin had found her nearly hysterical, crying about how the doctor was not in today. They had followed the trail of blood and she nearly had a heart attack seeing the Master unconscious with Sakura watching him in a state of shock hours ago. She was thankful, in hindsight, that she had enough presence of mind to turn the brunette girl away before she opened the door to Sakura's quarters.

Tomoha looked at the ragged state of the woman. Her dark kimono was covered in blood but she supposed it was a good thing she was wearing gray instead of blue. The dark stains could be anything. Tomoha's expression softened slightly.

"Go bathe," the woman said almost gently. She held out the key.

Sakura blinked. She slowly wrapped her fingers around it.

Tomoha held out the glass of warm milk. "This should hold you over until dinner."

Sakura took the glass. "But what about…" she looked at the man.

"I'll stay with him," Tomoha said. "Drink the milk and then go get yourself cleaned up. No one is in the courtyard. No one will notice you."

"Okay," Sakura did not have it in her to argue. She drank the lukewarm liquid without tasting it and pushed up to her feet. She gathered her things and padded out of the room. Barely sparing either of them a second glance.

Her movements felt mechanical. Her brain was at times moving so slowly that she could barely string together a thought and other, so quickly that everything was a jumbled mess. It was restless and it was sluggish. It was a contradiction in and of itself. She emptied the last metal tin. The pot was full to the brim. She lifted it to her hip. She moved to the fire pit. She set the pot on the cooling embers. She kept her eye trained for any traces of steam.

The man, the horse attendant, was someone she had not seen around. And she was sure she would not have missed someone like him. Neither would have any of the other staff. He was handsome. Incredibly so. Easily the most handsome man she had seen in her adulthood. Due to the war, she realized that was not saying much as nearly all the men were out on the frontlines. The ones that remained were either too sickly, weak, old, or had circumstances that prevented them from serving their nation. It left a much smaller pool.

This man, the man on her futon, was well-fed. He was in peak health if the whole hole in his side thing was removed from the equation. He has clear eyes and skin, and good teeth. He was tall. He had all of his hair, there was no sign of it thinning. His hair, skin tone, and eye color were just like Naruto's. He carried himself with a certain air. There was a manner of confidence to him. Even in his vulnerability, she could see that.

"I wonder if he's related to Naruto-kun".

'What if he's the Master?'

Sakura snorted at the ridiculousness of the thought from the voice in her head. The Master had people. There was no scenario in the world that she could think of that the Master crossed paths with her. They came from different worlds. And it should stay that way.

Sakura reached for the pot. She let out a hiss. "Baka," she chided herself. She blew on her fingers. They were red. She was going to blister. She grabbed the clothing guards that were there for this very reason. She wrapped them around the top and pulled the pot off the raised bed of embers. She doused them with some of the water in the pot. The hiss that reached her ears and the steam that coated her face were soothing in their familiarity. She needed some routine after the day she had. She turned and carried the hot pot into the bath.

His throat was dry. Minato blinked open his eyes. He let out a soft groan. He covered his eyes with his arm. He exhaled all the air in his lungs slowly.

"How are you feeling?" Her churlish voice was like sandpaper to his ears.

"Can't complain." He answered breezily.

"Wish I could say the same," Tomoha said with a scoff. "Just what are you doing?"

"Trying to rest," he quipped.

Tomoha narrowed her eyes, an action that was wasted on him. "What were you thinking?! What are you thinking?"

Minato lowered his arm. He turned his head to his left to look at her. Obsidian bore holes into his head. "Did you tell her who I am?"

Tomoha's anger gave way to confusion. It was only temporary. "No," she said with a severe disapproving frown.

He let out a slow, collected breath. "Good. My cover is still intact then." His eyes flickered to her weathered face once again. He noticed for the first time just how much older she looked. It was mildly startling. "Do the staff know the real reason I am here?"

"Your cover?" Her brows knitted together. "No, as you requested, the only people at the compound who know about your injury are myself and Shimura-sama." She answered his question despite having so many of her own.

Minato sighed. He brushed the hair from his forehead. "Good."

"Explain." She said sharply.

"The only way I can find out her true intentions is if I get to know her as someone other than myself. She might let down her guard. In addition, maybe I can learn about Naruto as well."

Tomoha scoffed. She bit her tongue despite the damage being done.

"Do I want to know what you're thinking?" He asked her blandly.

"Not even a little." She replied tersely. Her silence and body language said enough. She thought he was crazy. Maybe he was.

"It is a unique opportunity. She managed to gain Naruto's favor in the short time she had been here. Maybe I can learn how to do the same. She is a stranger. A stranger who forged a relationship with my son. I need to know what kind of person she is if I am going to allow this to continue." He pushed up to his elbows. He looked down at the white fabric on his side. He lifted it. He saw a green, sappy substance glistening over the dark stitches. "Did the Sensei say anything?"

"The Sensei is out for the day. He is in a neighboring town. The girl did that." Tomoha answered flatly. She studied Minato closely. "It is not like you to be deceptive and cunning like this." Her lips tugged into a frown.

Minato hid his surprise well. "Naruto is all I have left." He looked at Tomoha. "You said the boy is attached. It would be cruel to keep them apart if her intentions were pure. This way I can learn about her and Naruto can keep seeing her until I determine what she's after. It's efficient. I can potentially solve two problems at once."

Tomoha exhaled sharply through her nose.

"I'll need your help," Minato lowered back down to the futon. "Naruto can't see me with her. She can't see me with Naruto. Keeping my identity a secret from her is important. I told her I was Kaminari's attendant. It was the only lie that I could come up with that would explain my absence around the compound and sudden presence."

"She saw your face. Mainly your eyes and your hair. She's not dumb." Tomoha pointed out.

"I have an answer for that." He grinned at her.

Tomoha sighed. "What do you need from me?"

"I need you to run interference on Naruto. I need his schedule so I can figure out when to approach her and when not to." He looked up at the plain ceiling.

"I hope your war strategies are better thought out than this plan." She said in a withering tone.

Minato chuckled. "You worry too much. I'm alive, aren't I?"

"That remains to be seen." She crossed her arms. "Be careful, Minato-kun."

"You don't have to worry about me, Tomoha-san," he assured her.

Tomoha rolled her eyes. Another action that was missed by him. "You'll be moved at night when the others have gone to bed. There will be fewer eyes this way. I'll bring you something to eat, you must be starving."

Minato shook his head. "No. She might get suspicious if she sees me eating outside of the regular meal times. I'll wait for dinner."

Tomoha sighed. "Very well. I'll tell the girl to keep an eye on you. I need to go. The longer I stay the more questions there will be. I will fetch for the Sensei tomorrow when you're back in your own quarters."

Minato nodded his head. "Thank you, Tomoha-san."

The woman shook her head. She closed the doors. She glared into the sky.

"Let's hope he knows what he is doing, Kushina-chan." She said with ample exasperation. "Because I certainly don't."

Sakura moved the warm metal glass to be pressed against her chest as she slid the door closed in front of her. She could hear his breathing. It was not shallow anymore. She closed her eyes and counted to three, allowing herself some time before she had to address the situation. She turned around slowly. He was staring up at the ceiling. Blinking slowly.

Sakura made her way over to him with near-silent footfalls. She slowly lowered herself onto her ankles. She set the bowl and the glass aside next to her.

"How are you feeling?" She asked him in a low volume. Her jade eyes were looking at his chin. She was not ready to look into his eyes and she certainly was not going to be looking at his chest.

"I'm feeling alright." He said in his smooth voice. His eyes flickered to her face. Her avoidance was clear. He did not mind. He used the time to read her. Lying with verbal communication was much easier than the alternative.

"I brought dinner. Do you think you're up for it?" She reached for the bowl before he could answer.

"Sure," Minato sat up with a grunt. His face pulled into a grimace. He held out his hand, she passed him the wooden bowl. He looked up at her face with a frown, underwhelmed. "This is it?"

Sakura looked down directly in front of her. Her fingers played with a loose thread of her kimono somewhere by her knees.

'Stop pulling!'

She clasped her hands together. "That's all we could scrape together." She answered his disappointment in a small voice as if the serving sizes were something even remotely in her control. It was a full helping and half of hers, the half she had not given to Rin.

Minato peered down at the congee. He brought a spoonful to his mouth. The moment he swallowed, his stomach seemed to remember just how hungry he was. Within five spoonfuls he was done. It barely put a dent in his hunger but it was enough to prevent the empty churning of his stomach. He lowered the bowl down to the floor.

Sakura was on her feet once again. She pulled a jar that contained a greenish substance - the leftover salve from earlier. She also rounded to the desk to grab a roll of bandages. Rin had picked it up from the medical shop from Kabuto's assistant. She came back to sit down right at the edge of the futon mattress. Her hand shook slightly as she began to unravel some of it.

'Focus, he's just a man.'

"I need to dress and cover your wound. Before the doctor can see it tomorrow." She dipped her head to keep the heat from her cheeks. She was very much aware that this was the first man - that she was not related to - she had seen without a shirt on in perhaps all of her adult life.

Minato nodded his head. He watched her closely as she set down the bandages. She opened up the jar. She dipped two fingers into it. She scooped some out.

"Um," her eyes rose to his with ample hesitation. He could not help but notice how they seemed to say so much more than the rest of her. "It will be cold and sting a little." She said in a voice so small that he had to strain his ears to hear.

"Okay," he partially lifted up his left arm giving her more room to work with.

Sakura ducked her head. With a shaky hand, she reached out to his side, where the stitches were. She avoided his eyes. She held her breath as she worked. Her skin pricked at the scrutiny of his gaze. She felt her upper lip begin to perspire slightly.

"What's your name?" He asked the top of her head.

Sakura's hand twitched against his skin. "Servant girl should be good enough."

Minato frowned. He tilted his head back to try to get a better glimpse of her face. "Is that what your parents named you?"

'They didn't name me anything.'

Sakura ignored the way her stomach flipped. His voice was so calm and smooth. It threatened to lead her down a path she wanted no business in going. She continued to apply the ointment-like mixture to his injury, painfully mindful of not touching him more than necessary. He was just so close. There was nowhere she could turn or look that he was not right there.

"My name is Uzumaki Minori," he said easily as if she did not ignore his question.

Sakura furrowed her brows. "Are you related to Naruto-sama?" She tilted her head back just enough so that she could look him in the eyes. Her curiosity got the better of her for a fraction of a second. It was all it took. Her eyes locked with his. She inhaled sharply.

"He's my nephew," Minato said without missing a beat. His sapphire eyes peered into hers with an edge of scrutiny. It was barely discernible.

Sakura frowned. "You're working as a servant in your brother-in-law's home?"

'The more I learn about Master Namikaze the worse he looks.'

"Distant cousin," he explained. "I'm a distant cousin of Uzumaki-san. Naruto is like a nephew."

'The Master has hair as yellow as the sun.'

She shook her head to push away the thoughts. She turned her attention back to his brown sutures. The same color as the kimono she had last repaired.

"You look like him." She mused.

"Strong genes." He answered just as smoothly and without concern.

"I thought Uzumaki's were known for their red hair." She shot back. She was committed to seeing this line of questioning through. She ran her finger along the row of stitches one last time satisfied with her application.

"Blond hair skips a generation." He watched as she put the lid back on the jar. Her movements were steadier now. There was more confidence about her in this situation than there was in the stables. "Where did you get this stuff?" He gestured vaguely in the direction of the container that was in her hands.

"I made it," she set the jar down. Something about him kept drawing words out of her. Maybe it was the soft manner in which he spoke. She did not dwell on it too long. "Now I'm going to wrap the bandages around you." Somehow she managed to say that without her voice breaking. She bit the inside of the cheek.

"Okay," he nodded his head, giving her permission to proceed.

'Kami, what did I do to deserve this?'

She breathed through her nose. She moved closer to his bare chest. A chest that was decidedly very, very well defined. He looked like the diagrams of the anatomy textbook. She could label the muscles as a very educational exercise. She clenched her treacherous hands around the bandage to discourage them from moving along the taunt skin of his torso.

'Focus! Don't be such a creep.'

She cleared her throat. She kept her eyes on her hands. She did not remotely trust them.

"Hold this," she gave him an end of the bandage. He held it in place. She moved her face closer to the center of his chest. She prayed that he would not notice the heat emanating off her face. It was definitely more than what was considered normal. Not that normal was a concept she recognized anymore.

"Where did you learn how to do this?" Minato looked up at the plants hanging from the walls and ceiling on twine. "Where did you get all this?" His gaze eventually settled on her again.

"My aunt was one of the best doctors around. Picked up some things from her." She answered. Talking helped. Focusing on his questions kept her brain preoccupied from thinking the less-than-decent thoughts. "The rest I picked up here and there from either books or just trial and error. Konoha has a lot of native plants and herbs."

"Is right now one of your trial and error situations?" He asked her warily.

Sakura actively chose not to dignify his question with a response. She finished wrapping the bandage. She put distance between them. Her hands shook slightly as she brought them back to her lap. Sakura picked up the glass. She held it out.

"It's milk with turmeric. It will help with inflammation and help fight off infection." Tomoha had spared her some from the main kitchen. "Careful, it's still hot." She warned. He took it from her hands. He noticed for the first time, blisters at the tip of her index finger and thumb. Up close, he could now see that her hands were rough like she had been using them for hard work for years.

Minato blew on the liquid. He took a sip. His face pulled into a mask of slight disgust. "It's bitter." He declared to her complete unsurprise. He took a deep breath and downed the glass in two big gulps. Metal clicked against wood as he set it down.

"The wound was probably already in the early stages of infection." She stated almost blandly. "It explains why you were warm even considering the rise in heart rate given the blood loss."

Minato grimaced. "Hard to keep things clean out in the field."

'Believe me, she knows, Pretty Boy.'

Sakura ignored the voice in her head. "The Sensei will probably give you something stronger to push it all from your body." She tugged at her bandana. "I don't have the expertise or resources."

He nodded his head in understanding. "I feel less feverish now."

'She knows that too.' His fever had been dropping for the last few hours. He slept the worst of it off.

Sakura ignored both the voice in her head and his comment. She focused on her mental checklist.

'He's conscious. He's eating. He's able to keep food and drink down. He's talking. He's alert. He's not confused or disoriented. He's fine.'

He was fine. The danger of him dropping dead was behind them. And with confirmation of that development, her priorities shifted. The events of today played in her mind on a loop. Her eyes were hard enough to bend steel when she looked up at him.

"Uzumaki-san, what you did today was completely reckless. And completely unnecessary."

Minato's lips pulled into a frown. He heard the very real anger seep through her tone.

"I never would have let you help if I knew you were injured." She stared at him unwaveringly. The intensity in her eyes caught him off guard.

"It's fine. I'm fine." He met her heated gaze with his calm oceans, trying to smother the fire.

"In your recklessness, you prevented me from doing my chores. Because of a choice you made to insert yourself into my morning, I could not uphold my responsibilities and commitments. Others had to pick up my slack because of you." Sakura continued on as if he had never spoken. "You impacted at least three people's lives negatively today."

Minato swallowed dryly despite just finishing a whole glass of milk.

"Putting the threat you put to your own life aside, you could have cost me my job today." Her lips curled upward for a fraction of a second in the beginnings of what could only be a snarl. "I will not tolerate being put in that situation again. I ask you, with the utmost respect, not to get in my way."

He blinked slowly. His lips parted slightly in surprise. He watched her leave without a word or a glance back. He could almost hear sizzling in his ears as she turned his wave of calm into steam, leaving him in her quarters unable to string together a fully coherent thought.

"After that day, the three of them became very close," she closed the latest story with a smile on her face. "How was that?" She asked the boy who was wide awake.

Naruto grinned. "I liked it! Kaka-Ojichan was in the story this time too! He was the boy with the silver hair right?"

Sakura nodded her head. She put the story in the top drawer of the nightstand. She had gone back against her word. But she needed a distraction. A new story provided just that.

"He was. He was your Otosama's first friend."

"Shikamaru was my first friend." Naruto followed her movements as she stood up to pull the covers to his chin.

"Was he now?" Sakura smoothed out the top sheet. Her hands moved to the pillows behind his head. "Are you comfortable?"

"Uh-huh," Naruto nodded his head. "Where were you all day? Ambe-san said you were busy."

Sakura took a minute to think about the answer. "I had a surprise job today. It shouldn't happen again."

"So I'll see you tomorrow?" He asked with hope clearly evident on his face.

"Yes," she could not help but smile. "Naruto-kun, you remember what we discussed right? Now that your Otosama is home?"

Naruto pinched his face together in thought. "Not to use your name around Otosama," his statement sounded more like a question.

"Yes," she smiled at him.

"Why?" His cobalt eyes peered at her with innocence and trust.

"Because I'm no different than anyone else that works here. Do you know their names?" Naruto shook his head. "I'm just like everyone else. No special attention. I'm just your friend okay?"

"Okay," he nodded his head. "You're just my friend."

"Thank you," she tapped his nose with her index finger. "Now, time for bed. We'll pick up on our lessons tomorrow. I want to see how much progress you've made with the first book."

"Good night, Sakura." Naruto smiled up at her.

"Good night, Naruto-kun." She bent down to blow out the lantern. She moved to the door where just on the other side a guard waited for her. She entered her room, too tired to remember that she did not have her thin three-inch mattress between her and the cold floor, and fell asleep the second her head hit her pillow. It smelled faintly like him.

Minato looked up at the wooden canopy of the poster bed. Another restless night waited for him. He could already tell. His back was not used to such a soft bed. There was too much give. It did not help matters at all that he had spent most of the day sleeping. He got up with a sigh.

He grabbed his pillow and a blanket. He lowered both to the floor. He got on top of the blanket. He rested his folded hands across his stomach. He stared up at the slotted ceiling of the guest room. His mind worked trying to make sense of a place that had become completely foreign to him.

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