ANNOUNCEMENT!
This story and many others are a part of a mass update I myself am doing for Christmas this year.
This includes Oneshots with Gorgon/Medusa (from Fate), Penny Polendina (RWBY), Nightingale (Fate), Supergirl (Dc) and more...
Additionally some of my other stories have been updated, including: Phantom of the Underworld, Heart Under a Blade, Hail to the King!, Mockingbird, Wrecked, and a few new stories as well...
Right now FFN's stats aren't working, so only way I can tell a story is doing well. So only way I can tell you like a story is through Reviews, Follows, and Favorites.
So please leave some if you want these stories to be updated, it really helps out alot. And please check out some of my other stories.
And Merry Christmas
:)
~ RWV3N
Please leave me lots and lots of NICE reviews.
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, Fate, or any other anime I use in this story. They belong to their respective owners…
12/25/23
Lifeline
"I must apologize, we did all we could, but the treatment was unsuccessful." A woman spoke, and her words seemed to cause his entire world to collapse.
"I… I see," he told her, his words almost seeming foreign to his lips. As the world seemed to go cold, lacking any color all around him.
In the many years of his service, his appearance changed drastically. His golden hair had grown longer, as he hadn't had the time to cut it amid all the chaos. As he almost resembled his father with how it framed his face. With his cerulean blue orbs that once sparkled with life having grown cold over the years, distant, and darkened with the times. And even his clothing changed; gone were the once bright and exuberant, nearly blinding orange jumpsuits he wore. As he's changed his attire to that of the more standard green Konoha flak jacket, with the standard black shinobi pants and sandals. And to top it all off, he had his usual red short-sleeved haori with black flames lining the bottom, denoting him as a perfect sage of Mount Myoboku, the same as his father before him.
Naruto rested his chin on his fingers, a cold expression forming on his face. Which became the standard during his reign as Hokage. "Very well, this will be a heavy loss for our medical department," he surmised stoically, not showing any of the intense emotions he felt at the moment. "You may return to your station within the hospital, be sure to treat as many patients as you can handle given our limited stored medical supplies," he told the woman.
She was now the lead doctor within the Konoha hospital, and she had the appearance to show for it. With her long silvery pink hair with bangs along her forehead, a few strands framed her face as it was tied in a long braid that looped at her back. With red, crimson orbs that pierced into him as they bore into his soul, observing him in his entirety. Her skin was pale, almost like porcelain, and smooth to boot, and it made her even more beautiful.
In addition to that, she wore a strikingly red button-up coat that did nothing to hide her figure and generous bust. But it appeared to be a modified version of the standard flak jacket from her home village, the former Iwagakure. With a white belt that both went around her waist and one of her shoulders. As she wore a black skirt with red lining the bottom. And shockingly white stockings, boots, and gloves, the existence of which surprised him given her line of work and how often they ended up stained. But he supposed, given how overwhelmingly crazy she was with keeping everything sanitized.
But she didn't move, her figure still remained stalked, like a statue. She was left staring toward him with those ruby orbs that seemed to analyze his every movement, everything that was inside of him in its entirety. It was almost unnerving.
Naruto only raised an eyebrow, questioning. "Nightingale, what are you still doing here?" He asked, but her face still remained emotionless.
She turned away, and the slight contorting of her face almost made her seem downtrodden. "Oh, it's nothing," she said, bowing to him. "I must return to the hospital, farewell, Hokage-sama," she told him, and with that she left the room. Naruto trailed his eyes behind her retreating figure.
The color within the room had faded completely, becoming dull, gray, his light had left him completely.
XXX
Later.
Since then, time within Konoha seemed to move on, passing by like a long trudge through a weary storm.
His time as Hokage was rough—harder than he'd ever imagined—and part of the reason was the circumstances surrounding his inauguration. But he was trying his best to make his home village run smoothly, which meant working the hardest of the entire village. And he didn't have much time to visit the ones he loved.
"Hey, Kakashi-sensei, it's been a while. And I know I haven't visited much, I'm sorry for that," Naruto greeted, but he was met with no response. "Things have been hard, harder than I could have ever imagined. Running a village isn't easy, especially with..." he stopped himself, his breath hitching within his throat.
But as he took a deep breath, he continued, "It's much harder without you, all of you, and it feels like the weight of the world is upon my shoulders." Naruto spoke, looking at the object at which his voice was directed.
It was a tall, black, pointed stone structure that haunted his dreams. And it was the same stone that had been shown to him the first day Team 7 had been formed. The same stone that held the names of all the Konoha shinobi that had fallen in battle.
All of his friends' and family's names were etched on this stone.
As he focused his attention on the one name that had haunted him recently. "And it's been even harder since Sakura-Chan died." That's what Nightingale had told him, that's what she had informed him of in his office.
His last longtime friend had fallen in battle. She was out on a necessary mission to help gather the much-needed herbs for the medical division. And given the fact that their shinobi forces were spread too thin, Sakura had taken it upon herself to gather the supplies herself, and of course he allowed her.
… she died because of his decision. As she ended up being recovered three days later, half of her limbs were torn off. Her rib cage shattered, and her spine was nearly broken. They had tried to do all they could, and even her Byakugou seal has not helped her in that regard. It's having been overexhausted too much to heal her wounds any longer, all of its stored chakra has been depleted by whoever battled her.
And he knew who battled her, and what he meant by sending her body back in such a broken state.
It was a warning—a warning that she was another person who died because of this war to capture him.
And she was just the most recent among them to fall, as his blue eyes trailed around to see even more names he recognized.
'Tsunade Senju'
'Kakashi Hatake'
'Maito Gai'
'Sasuke Uchiha'
'Hinata Hyuga'
'Neji Hyuga'
'Kiba Inuzuka'
'Choji Akamichi'
And now 'Sakura Haruno'
Along with another long list of people who had fallen in this awful war.
Honestly, he didn't know how much more of this he could take. But he knew he couldn't just give up now, not when he was still out there.
Konoha was the world's last line of defense, the last of the five great shinobi villages. All the other villages have been destroyed one after the other during Obito's continuous attacks with his white zetsu army. And now his village was the only one left.
It all began when the Fourth Great Shinobi War started, when Obito, who was then suspected to be Madara Uchiha, attacked the first five-kage summit. And none of them expected him to do so…
He killed them all, assassinating all the Kage like they were nothing more than children compared to his level of power.
Gaara the Kazekage, Onoki the Tsuchikage, Mei the Mizukage, A the Raikage, and even his late grandmother figure, Lady Tsunade, the Fifth Hokage.
They were the first to die in this war, the first casualties, and the martyrs the shinobi world needed to unite all the villages into forming the first ever Grand Shinobi Alliance. Uniting a force of 50,000 to battle Obito's much more numerous white zetsu Army.
Everyone stepped up to face those odds, and as such, the leaders of the shinobi alliance were selected to face Obito's army. Baki, the sand trio's old sensei, was for the sand. Kitsuchi, the former Tsuchikage and Onoki's son from the Stone. Ao, Mei's former bodyguard and an ANBU elite from the Mist. Darui, wielder of the Third Raikage's black lightning technique, came from the village hidden in the clouds. And then there was his former sensei, the only one capable of the job, Kakashi Hatake who was selected from Konoha. These were the New Shinobi Alliance's generals, and the new Kage's of each of the villages.
And while at first he was hesitant, in the end Kakashi was selected to be the alliance's leader… but he was also the first kage to be targeted. And when he was on route to lightning country to gather more information and rally the troops, he was ambushed, killed in action. The shinobi alliance, especially Konoha, hadn't taken it well, but they moved onward.
But all hope was lost when the village hidden within the clouds was later leveled to the ground a few months later. And with the Eight tails being captured, everyone was adamant about his protection. And as such, they had elected him as the Seventh Hokage. It was the only option, as he was the only one suited in terms of power who would be able to take up the mantle. Especially given the fact that Gai had fallen with Kakashi, his either fate having been opened, but even then that wasn't enough to counter Obito's infamous Kamui technique. That, coupled with Danzo's mysterious disappearance, made him the only S-Rank shinobi left within Konoha's forces.
And with that, he had completed his lifelong dream at the young age of seventeen. But he didn't have time to revel in it, as the many months that followed were hectic and quiet at the same time.
Obito's zetsu and edo-tensei army seemed to have disappeared, preparing for some sort of big attack they were trying to prevent.
They failed; as a result of a joint attack on both the Village Hidden in the San and the Village Hidden in the Mist, both fell. And now it was only Konoha and Iwagakure that remained, as well as the scattered shinobi forces that were left within the army.
But not for long, as Iwa too had been attacked. Eventually, it was decided that Iwa would be given up in the name of rallying their troops in one joint area. And as such, Konoha was the last stand against humanity and Obito's forces.
And things were only getting tougher by the second; the battles had been hard, the casualties immense, and he still didn't feel like they had accomplished anything.
He remembered being on the front lines in the effort to save Iwa from destruction, just as Obito had wanted. He remembered the joy he felt when Sasuke showed up to help him. And with the combined might of both the kyuubi and Sasuke's Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan they were sure they would overpower the rogue Uchiha. But that's when Obito released a trump card of his own…
The real Madara Uchiha, or at least his edo-tensei, had shown up on the battlefield, decimating all within his path. And even he hadn't been able to stand up against him. He would have died—or should have died—had it not been Sasuke who had saved him.
He died for his efforts, and he remembered leaving Sasuke behind, even when he didn't want to. But Sasuke had been adamant he would survive— adamant that he would make it back to Konoha to show him just how powerful he was. He told him that he'd show him just how wrong he was… both knew it was just wishful thinking, and Sasuke died because of it. Redeeming himself in the eyes of everyone and earning his spot on the Konoha memorial stone.
But he wasn't the first of their generation or the Konoha 13 to fall either, nor was he the last. Neji and Hinata died in the skirmishes to protect Kumo. Kiba and Choji died in the battles to protect Mizu and Suna. And now Sakura had fallen as well, making him the last member of Team Seven.
Team 8 had nearly fallen as well, with Shino being the last remaining member. Last he'd heard, the Abarame heir was serving on the border of Fire Country, becoming the first line of defense for Obito's eventual attack.
Ino and Shikamaru were working just as hard, working in both the information and intelligence departments, respectively, to try and locate Obito and figure out what he was planning.
But as for Team 9, after Maito Gai's death, Lee pushed himself even further into his training, especially given the fact that Tenten had been gravely injured from a mission she had been sent on a few months ago. Losing her leg in the process, as she had been forced into retirement.
Yes, truly, their generation hadn't turned out like any of them expected, and it was rather somber. He idly wondered which one would be the next to fall and who would be the next one to die because of him, all to stop Obito from taking the Kyuubi that was held within him.
His hand shook at his side, courtesy of the anger he felt at the given moment. But as the sound of brushed leaves reached his ears, his head snapped in their direction. As he instantly fingered for the sharp kunai within his pouch.
But all his worries about an attack were put to rest as his eyes rested on a familiar face. As the woman bowed towards him, she spoke, "I must apologize, Hokage-sama, I did not intend to startle you." And how she managed to sound both emotionless and apologetic at the same time, he didn't know, but he supposed it was just like her.
He gave her a false smile, one that was oddly reminiscent of his former self. "Oh, come now, Nigh-Chan, I thought I told you that you don't have to call me something so formal," he teased, although they both knew that there was no humor within his voice.
But Nightingale only shook her head, stoic as ever. "If it seems I must apologize once again, as that is a request I can not follow," she told him, and they both knew there would be no fighting it given how often it was that they played this little game of theirs.
It was at that moment that Naruto's false smile dropped, looking back towards the memorial stone, as he got straight to the point on the matter. "So, how much of that did you hear?" He asked, his head low.
Silence was the only answer, but he did hear the light shuffling of the woman's feet. Such an action was only done out of courtesy, as both knew she was skilled enough to move without making a sound. "I heard enough," was her only reply.
As he felt her soft gloved hands touch his cheek, the sensation— or practically any sensation—almost felt numb at this point.
But even still, Naruto turned away. "I see…" he said, not being able to meet the woman in the eyes.
"You look unwell," Nightingale noticed. And indeed, she was true, as within the past few days he hasn't gotten much sleep after all. And his usual meals had tasted particularly bitter and tasteless, so he had practically gone without them entirely. His skin was paler, his eyes darkened, and heavy bags were draped under his eyes. "Do not move, I will treat you," she said stoically.
But Naruto only waved her off, moving her hand that was still resting upon his face with his own."It's nothing, Nigh-chan. Just casualties of the job, I suppose," he told her as he moved to leave, his back showing towards the pink-haired woman. "I think it's time for me to get back to the office, Madara doesn't sleep after all. Sorry for worrying you, but I have to get the village ready for the next attack—" He walked away. Or he would have, had it not been for the voice that interrupted him.
"I said, don't move!" Nightingale shouted, with a fiery emotion in her voice that he honestly hadn't felt before. And as such, Naruto turned back to her in shock, seeing the older woman bite her lip. Her bangs shadowed her ruby-red eyes, obviously indicating that she was in pain.
But that's when something unexpected happened, as the woman effortlessly took out a scalpel within her pouch. Holding it to his neck as if she were about to slit his throat right then and there. And sure, the sight of her doing so surprised him, but he didn't move to stop her at all. As he only just stared at the nurse with a raised eyebrow upon his face, standing as unmoving as he did before. The sight only seemed to unnerve her even more.
His voice was cold, calculating: "Nightingale, are you sure you want to continue with your course of action? Murdering the Hokage and Leader of the Shinobi Alliance constitutes treason after all," he warned, warning her of her current course of action. And if anyone were to see them at the moment, she would surely be put down with extreme prejudice. No trial would be held, especially during a time of war like this, she would just be killed as a traitor, and that would be that.
But the nurse wasn't having any of it. "Shut up!" She yelled, a far cry from her usual stoic and composed self. "How can you honestly say you aren't unwell? I'm holding a knife to your neck, and you aren't even reacting. You're only 18, still so young; you shouldn't have that look in your eyes; you should be happy, enjoying yourself. Not having to look as if you're a corpse walking from the dead!" She roared.
Gaining a bitter smile from Naruto himself. "Come now, Nigh-chan, you know I'm a shinobi, such a life isn't becoming of my profession. Especially when you are what I am..." he trailed off, moving a hand towards his stomach. Right over the Shiki-Fuin seal that had been placed on his stomach.
"That is no excuse! You should be even happier, surrounded by love. You are this village's hero, the world's hero, and the last remaining light in the darkness." The nurse disagreed, raising her head to look at him. "Yet you continue to have such an ailment. And if I were to kill you right now, I know that the look in your eyes will be cured, consequences be damned," Nightingale said fervently, and the look in her eyes held no hesitation, showing she was fully willing to do what she told him she would.
And as such, Naruto only stared at her, his eyes slightly widened at the woman's conviction. She was willing to let herself die in order to 'save him.' Such a crazy thought is absurd, yet exactly like her, willing to do whatever it takes for her patients.
But then he thought upon her words, being surrounded by love? Happiness? Things like that were foreign to him from the moment he was born. And the notion of him being a hero to anyone was simply preposterous. Yet it echoed his mother's own words, when he met the woman training in Kurama's own power. As such, the only thing he could do was laugh. And he did, he laughed hard, harder than he had in a while. And it wasn't a small chuckle in slight humor, nor was it something that faded in just a few seconds. It was something that emanated from his very core, from his very soul. Hardy and humor filled with the mere absurdity of the statement.
And perhaps it was cruel, but he couldn't help but laugh at that thought. "Hahaha, you really think that's possible for me?" He asked, still laughing. Before he suddenly stopped, all humor was lost within a second. "I can assure you such a life isn't for me, not now, not anymore…" the blonde Hokage told her bitterly. He looked at the woman, who was still holding the pointed object straight to his throat, his cold blue eyes shadowing his bangs. Meeting the woman's harsh crimson glare as she tightened her grip on her scalpel, it moving even closer to his windpipe. Yet he didn't flinch for a second, it was as if he was welcoming her in her efforts. That thought angered her even more.
"You don't know, that, you don't—" she tried to reason, but she was interrupted.
"Look at me, Nightingale!" Naruto shouted, holding a hand to his hallowed chest. "There is nothing in my heart anymore," he told her, turning his gaze towards the memorial stone, trailing the various names across the monument.
As he was left, not meeting the woman in the eyes once again. "Y'know, I used to dream of becoming the Hokage, right?" He asked aloud as the woman nodded. His dream was practically common knowledge at this point, but even still he continued. "I used to train until my body was broken, and shout to the entire village how my face would be on the same monument as all those great people," he told her, keeping his eyes on the etching of his former sensei 'Kakashi Hatake' he read. The name became a bitter haunting to his sleepless nights.
As he clutched onto his shirt, right over his heart. "I wanted to become the Hokage so bad; it was all I thought about, all I strived for. I wanted the whole village's respect, I wanted them to acknowledge me. But..." he took a deep breath, admitting. "What I really wanted was for them to 'see' me, to notice me, to stop pretending that I didn't exist. Eventually I found that in the people around me, Kakashi, Sasuke, Sakura, Pervy-sage, Granny Tsunade." All those people were now gone, lying in the ground. Dead, their names etched on the stone that commemorated the fallen shinobi of the leaf.
He gave a bitter smile to the woman in front of him, which was oddly reminiscent of his old, more exuberant appearance. Although they both knew there was no joy in his expression, not even the false kind he used to put up as a front. Yes, truly, there was nothing in his look. Like an endless void that encapsulated everything around it, not even light being able to escape its grasp.
"I guess all I really wanted was a family, huh…" Naruto spoke bitterly, shocking Nightingale with his words. As her crimson eyes widened, she unintentionally dropped her scalpel to the ground.
Naruto took this opportunity as an escape, sending her an apologetic look. Rubbing the back of his head as he gave her a fake eye smile. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to burden you with my words," he apologized, realizing he had been rambling. "I truly am deplorable…" the blonde mused to himself, but the nurse heard it.
He looked so somber, so helpless by the weight upon his shoulders. And the look within his eyes held no life within them, as if he were already dead. And something told her he wouldn't be unwelcome to the idea.
But as he tried to walk away again, it seemed all the fire within the woman's eyes was gone… But she knew if she didn't speak now, she wouldn't know what would happen to the blonde Hokage. Even still, she was nervous, biting her lip, as she played with the hem of her dark skirt.
She opened her mouth, taking a deep breath. "Naruto I—" but she was interrupted.
An alarm reached their ears, and they both knew what it meant, as both of their eyes widened for one simple reason.
They were under attack.
The land of fire was beginning to be under siege. Madara Uchiha had begun his attack. As they saw that, a falcon flew right over their heads towards the information department. But as Nightingale's gaze returned back to Naruto, she realized the look in his eyes.
Gone was the lifeless, corpse-like gaze in those cerulean gems, as they were filled with emotion. Filled with resolve, as Naruto had decided what exactly he was going to do. It was so simple, so obvious, like a sign from the divine guiding him to what he knew he needed to do.
The nurse and medical shinobi had seen this look many times—the look of resolve to die for the ones they cared about. But right as she was about to stop him, Naruto's form was glazed with fire, evident of his use Kurama's chakra.
As he looked towards her apologetically, "Sorry, Nigh-Chan, but I have to do this, for them…" he told her.
As the woman's eyes widened in fear. "Naruto don't—"
But it was too late… as he disappeared in a bright flash, leaping into the air.
And something inside of her, something in her very core, didn't think she would see him again.
XXX
'Are you sure about this, Naruto?' a deep voice asked within his mind. And now, normally, hearing a strange voice within one's head would be slightly unnerving, a sure sign that one was losing their mental faculties. But in many ways, he wasn't normal, and he never had been.
He was a jinchuriki, one with a tailed beast sealed within them. He held the mighty Kurama, the nine-tailed fox, and the strongest of the mighty Bijuu. And now he was talking to his longtime friend, one of the few people he had left in this kami-forsaken war.
'Kurama, you know I have to do this... for them,' he answered, the response seeming like the most obvious thing in the world. Rushing towards the front lines, he was careful not to allow his comrades to be caught in the crossfire. And after this, he would find peace, and he would get to see them again.
'Hmmm…' the fox grumbled, not liking this idea one bit. 'And what would they think when you see them? That you've rushed on towards your own death in some last attempt to take down madara?' He asked.
But that only seemed to harden Naruto's resolve even more. What would they think? Well, he hoped they'd see him in the same light as themselves—that he was also one of the many shinobi who sacrificed themselves for the sake of their village. And maybe that was wishful thinking, maybe they would be disappointed that he was going to die at such a young age. But in the end, he wouldn't care what they thought, as the deed would already have been done.
Kurama knew this, and so he changed his tactics. 'And what about those you still have left? What will they think when they see you are no longer among them?' He prodded.
And at that, Naruto's thoughts almost came to a halt as he thought about the subject. The few people he had left were few in number, but he believed they would be fine without him.
Shikamaru and Ino seemed to be getting closer and closer, bonding over their teammate's unfortunate demise. Honestly, seeing the two, he wouldn't have been surprised to see a few blonde little Nara's running along by the time this war ended—if he survived, that is. And the rest of what remained of the former Konoha 13, his friends and even some of his former sensei's would be much the same. Time would heal their wounds, they would be alive for long enough after all. Yes, Ino, Shino, Shikamaru, Teuchi, Ayame, Iruka, all of them would be alright, he would be sure of it.
'You say that, but what about that red-eyed nurse you've been so fond of?' his bijuu inquired, nearly stopping Naruto in his tracks.
Of course, Naruto knew who he was talking about, and what he was referring to. The silver-haired nurse that had been thrust into his life was slowly worming her way into his heart.
They had met by pure happenstance, at a moment when he was at his absolute lowest. Right when it all began, when Obito attacked the five Kage submit. He had been there, one of Tsunade's own bodyguards set to protect her, but he failed. They all fail, as all of their Kage had been killed.
He had almost been the same, had it not been for the village leaders who had fought on his behalf in order to protect him and his fellow jinchuriki. But even with all their efforts, that didn't stop him from becoming gravely injured, to the point where it would even take Kurama a few weeks to heal his injuries with his passive healing factor.
After falling into a coma for weeks, he woke up within the Iwagakure medical center. Having been found on the borders of Stone Country, he was left with a strange silvery-pink-haired girl as his caretaker. And at first, he had suspected her to be Sakura, who usually did his medical examinations. But he was pleasantly surprised when he got to know the strange, pink-haired silverette even more.
That's when reality hit him, as he had been informed of Kakashi's death as well, finding out about Tsunade's sacrifice not long after— he had been particularly angry when he had heard that had been kept from him.
Honestly, it had been about as hard on him as when his former sensei Jiraiya had died, worse even—and he didn't know if he would have anyone to help him out like Iruka had done. He was in Iwagakure, with Kakashi having left him there, being confident that they would be able to protect him.
But Nightingale's small worries and stoic comments had helped him through. Providing a stern, yet somehow comforting touch that had been like a lifeline through a dark time.
Like she was a guardian angel sent from the heavens.
And then he had been shipped off to Kumo's turtle island, and with the other craziness of the war he had been too caught up in, he wasn't able to keep contact with the woman. Not that he expected her to, she had only been completing her job, after all.
They had only met up after Suna and Mizu had been destroyed, and by then they were both different people. Although, really, Nightingale acted much the same. In the formation of the Grand Shinobi Alliance, the villages forgoing many of their secrets that they once held within the past. For example, this included many of Tsunade's medical discoveries. Many of which lead many of the already up-and-coming medical practitioners to grow even more in their ever-increasing knowledge. Such as Florence Nightingale herself, once a nurse and medical shinobi within Iwagakure; and now one of the most well-equipped and experienced medical personnel within the shinobi nations. And with the amount of discoveries within her field she had made, she was a rival for the late tsunade in her youth and even his teammate Sakura herself.
Yes, the woman, Florence Nightingale, whom he found out was only four years his senior, was truly amazing.
'Nightingale is… someone who deserves better than being around someone like me,' Naruto admitted.
'How can you say that?!' Kurama nearly roared. 'How can you say that? Don't you know how bad you will make them feel when you're gone— how everyone will feel?' He questioned.
But Naruto wasn't having any of it, 'I don't care, at least they'll be alive!' He roared, his anger spiking.
'You're being selfish,' Kurama argued.
'Don't I deserve to be selfish? Why do I always have to be the one to think about others?! Don't I get my happy ending, don't I get an end to all this!' The jinchuriki inwardly yelled, letting it all out.
And it was at this moment that he looked towards the two men in front of him. The two people that had caused all the misery within his short seventeen years on this planet. As two Uchiha powerhouses stared back at him, riding upon the skeletal humanoid structure of the Gedo-Mazo, the husk of the Juubi itself.
"It seems that the Kyuubi-jinchuriki has given up," Madara noticed. His long, dark, spiked hair billowed in the wind, his sharingan eyes staring out at him.
But Obito only shook his head and said, "No, the boy is far too much like his father to give up now, he must have something up his sleeve if he's come out to face us."
Madara only raised an eyebrow. "A last-ditch effort?" He mused that this was sure to pose at least some kind of challenge.
Naruto's inner voice spoke up once again, chuckling. 'Honestly, you really are infuriating, Naruto.'
As the blonde inwardly smiled, 'Right back at you, fuzz-butt,' he said, causing his demon to grin. 'Are you ready, Kurama!' He inwardly roared, clasping his palms together.
As Kurama did the same, his long, sharp teeth curled up into a smile. 'Let do this!' He roared.
As they both shouted, getting ready for the technique they had been preparing for so long.
'Baryon-mode!/Baryon Mode!' They both yelled, as nuclear fire lit up their forms.
Although within Kurama's mindscape his smile grew even more. When he said Naruto was infuriating, he wasn't wrong, the boy was always infuriatingly selfless, just like Hagaromo himself. It's why he was friends with him, after all, he was the only person in the world like this. One with the ability to connect with others in a way that would make Ninshu powerless. He was even willing to use this sure-fire, one-time use suicide technique that would surely spell one of their deaths.
Although, he almost felt bad lying to Naruto about which of them was going to die… almost.
An explosion lit up the world, and soon the Fourth Great Shinobi War was no more.
XXX
Later.
(Konoha Gate)
Standard Konoha protocol dictated that all the Genin and Chunin help with the relocation of all the citizens inside the Hokage Monument. It was the safest place in the whole village. And that left all the Jonin and special ANBU forces to help battle the invaders and ward them off from within the village.
The only problem was… within the village, there were no invaders to be found. The massive number of Madara's white Zetsu army that had been spotted on the edge of fire country had been stopped in their tracks. Hundreds of Naruto's clones, having halted them within an instant.
The only problem was the fact that Naruto was out there, all alone. Facing Madara was the outcome nobody wanted to happen, especially given the fact that Naruto was a jinchuriki, the man's target. And if Naruto fell right now, then all hope would be lost.
"What the hell are we doing just standing out here!" A tall, burly man shouted to the crowd of shinobi around them, each one of them having a look of fear and weariness on their faces. The thought of facing the ghost of the Uchiha clan, terrified them to their very core.
Even Nightingale, who was among them, was slightly nervous at the thought. Although only the most perceptive shinobi and the ones who had gotten to know her the most could tell. As she was meticulously fixing the linings upon her pure white gloves, trying to occupy her thoughts from the current given moment. But what was unnerving her even more was the thought of Naruto facing such a monster alone. The sheer volume of thunderclaps sounding off in the distance was so vast that it shook every corner of the village itself. A battle of giants was being held on the corner of fire country… until it stopped, and things went silent.
The red-coated nurse took the opportunity to walk towards her village leader, stealing her resolve. "Tsuchikage-sama, we need to go help him, who knows what will happen if we don't?" she told him fervently.
Kitsuchi nodded, getting ready to rally his troops. "She's right! Naruto is out there fighting for our very lives right now, bleeding for us, dying for us! And all we can do is just stand here like cowards, hoping this will end." He shouted. "I say no more, I say this is the perfect opportunity to get justice for all of our fallen villages. To fight for our fallen people, to fight for those who died to give us the chance to fight another day!" With each word, the shinobi's resolve grew even more.
"Yeah!" "He's right!" "Let's do this!" All the ninja shouted. And soon they were all ready to storm out of the village gate, but another noise stopped them.
Boom!
A powerful shockwave erupted right outside the village in front of them. A large stream of light washed over them, nearly blinding them all, as they were forced to use their hands to cover their eyes in order to shield themselves. Using chakra to study themselves to the ground, lest they be knocked down by the sudden impact.
But as the light died down, all of them got a good look at just what had struck at them. Fearing the worst, as they had thought, Madara had launched some sort of new attack.
All were left dumbstruck as they saw the fiery form, that of their savior. "Is that…" Nightingale said in shock, unable to comprehend what she was seeing.
"That's Naruto," Kitsuchi said, equally in shock.
And indeed it was, as his form was lit ablaze in flames. His hair was golden, glowing brightly like the sun. Black markings covered his face and eyes, stemming up, resembling that of fox ears. With nine, red tendrils of energy along his back, forming a cloak along his back. And the sheer power this form exuded was overwhelming.
"It's over…" he told them all. But the moment he took a single step, his form dissipated. "Madara… Obito they're dead," Naruto concluded, as he collapsed to the ground.
Nurse Nightingale was the first to react, as she immediately closed the distance. Holding Naruto up as she began to check his vitals.
But that's when she heard it—Naruto's voice. "I guess Kurama was lying… damn furball," he told her, his voice sorrowful and almost lifeless.
"You mustn't speak, Naruto, save your strength," she told him, lighting her palms a bright green glow.
But Naruto continued speaking. "I thought... I thought I would get to see them again," he sighed, even as blood started to run down his throat. Being more injured than he had first initially expected.
"… I guess I was wrong." He sighed, even as darkness overtook him.
Nightingale's bangs shadowed her eyes, but her medical training kicked in as she shouted to her fellow shinobi. "His internal injuries are far too severe for me to treat out here. Get me a gurney, we need to take him to the hospital, stat!"
Shinobi rushed to meet her demands.
XXX
Three Days Later.
(Konoha Hospital)
Clack. Clack. Clack.
Heavy footsteps walked the ghostly white halls of the Konoha medical department. They were in the emergency ward, specifically, the most secure portion of the whole hospital. Making sure that nobody would enter without authorization, given the importance of the patient within. Not that they expected anyone to come after them, there were no shinobi villages anymore. The biggest of the five had been disbanded during their destruction. And true to Naruto's words, Madara and Obito had not followed up their assault either, leading many to suspect their sudden deaths. And given that Naruto's status as the one who stopped them was now widely known widespread, the possibility that one of their own would turn against him would be practically nonexistent. Which left the medical personnel within the hospital to focus on fully healing their hero.
One such medical practitioner was Nurse Florence Nightingale herself, now the newly appointed head of the hospital. Now, normally, one would expect someone with such a prestigious title and responsibility to still hold the title of a simple nurse. However, given the woman's adamancy of keeping such a position and the fact that none of the other doctors were willing to question her on it, they were inclined to let her keep her position.
She only had one destination—the only place the doctors knew she would visit. And the place that seemed to stem her troubles.
Expecting to see the same sad sight as the one she had tragically become accustomed to. Naruto lying on the medical bed helplessly. As he was plugged into the various machines around him for life support. He had required several emergency surgeries, all performed by her hands, in order to stabilize him. Seeing his lifeless form still on the gurney had become an all too real reality for her, and it had been one she had begun to expect these past few days.
But as she walked through the door to Naruto's hospital room, her eyes widened in surprise. Seeing Naruto's once-still form sitting upright, his feet hanging along the edge of his bedside. As his back was turned to her, eyeing out the glass window and observing the scenery outside.
Nightingale froze at the door, accidentally dropping the clipboard she had been holding. Alerting Naruto of her presence, as he turned to her, flashing a bitter smile her way.
"Hey there… Nigh-Chan," he greeted, although it was evident that the joy didn't reach his eyes.
But the words that Nightingale tried to speak left her scrambling for words. "I-I… Naruto?— Y-You…" she tried to say, as she walked closer to his bedside, unable to grasp the fact that Naruto was awake and moving so quickly. By her estimation, he would still be asleep for about another week.
In the suspense of Naruto's answer, she was left scrambling for questions. But in hindsight, she supposed she had underestimated Naruto's own natural healing factor, given to him by his Uzumaki heritage without the Kyuubi's influence. And he was left not answering any of them, as he only turned around to face her. He reached a hand up to cup her cheek, observing her figure in a way that was oddly reminiscent of what she had done previously.
"You look unwell," he said, mirroring her words too.
And indeed she did, as her appearance had taken a turn from the stern, well-kempt nurse she made herself out to be. Although one would need a keen eye to notice her hair slightly out of place within its braids, her clothing was slightly creased. And large, heavy bags hung below her eyes, emphasizing how little sleep she had received recently.
He looked down, eyeing the bandages lining across his wrists. "Please don't tell me you're so exhausted because of me. I..." he stopped himself, not being able to grasp that he was burdening Nightingale so much.
Nightingale too looked down, her hair shadowing her eyes. As Naruto once again continued to speak, "I'm sorry for putting you through so much. I didn't mean to, I—"
Crack.
The sound of a loud crack broke him out of his thoughts, and he instantly turned to face just what exactly had happened.
Nightingale's fist had embedded itself within a wall, pulverizing it completely in a way that would make Tsunade proud. As her teeth were being gritted so hard that they nearly broke within her mouth. So much so that it was surprising that words were able to reach her lips. "How can you say such a thing…" she said, Naruto being turned aghast by the coldness of her words.
He blinked. "Nigh-Chan, what do you—?" He tried to ask, before he was interrupted.
As she quickly grabbed at the hem of his hospital gown. "The thought that you can be so concerned about me when you have been unconscious for so long is unsettling. And it is becoming abundantly clear just how unwell you are!" The woman's head was forced to meet his gaze, her ruby-red eyes glaring at him with a burning intensity.
As Naruto's own cerulean eyes widened, she continued, a trace of uncertainty reaching her mind. "How can I, as a nurse, say that I am doing my job if I leave you in such a broken state? How can I say my accomplishments amount to anything if I can't heal you?" She questioned, her voice so vulnerable that it was a far cry from her usual stoic self. "Please, tell me... Is there any way I can cure such an affliction?" The nurse asked bitterly.
But as Naruto tried to speak, his voice was far from him, he was utterly speechless. Such a response only added salt to the nurse's already strained wounds, her head was held low. "I see..." The thought that she wouldn't be able to cure Naruto's illness didn't sit right with her. "Then there is only one thing I must do…" she told him, her words confusing him.
She thought back to what they had talked about within the training ground. And what she had been so hesitant to tell him. But the thought of losing Naruto again weighed on her mind, she didn't want him to go through that again. How could she, as a nurse, allow it?
As Nightingale's grip lessened on his collar. She forcibly grasped at his hands within her palms. Her beautiful face was filled with a firm resolve that he was left unable to handle.
Her words shocked him even more…
"Please, marry me!" She said fervently, in such a way that it would not leave any room for discussion.
And to say that Naruto was stunned was an understatement, and the fact that he was unmoving was only increasing Nightingale's worries. But the words that left his mouth were almost automatic. "What?!" He was in shock.
But she continued. "As a doctor and nurse, it's my job to save as many lives as possible. If I'm not willing to do anything to save you, then I have failed on my mission to do so. You said it yourself, you desire a family, and that will make you happy," Nightingale explained. "Please… as a Nurse, let me save you, let me be your wife," she requested. And the way she spoke almost made him believe that she truly could cure him… almost.
He looked down. "Nightingale—no, Florence— you know I can't let you do that, not for me…" he told her unsurely.
"That's exactly why I need to do this; your selflessness is clearly an ailment that needs to be alleviated," the nurse said fervently. Before another thought entered her mind, she cupped a hand to her bountiful breast, right over her heart. "Unless... perhaps it is that you do not see me desirable as a woman?" She concluded unconsciously.
"No, it's not that!" Naruto said adamantly, the concept that he didn't see her as a woman not even entering his mind."You're beautiful, it's just—" he tried to correct, before he was interrupted.
"Then there is no question, then, make me your bride. Build a family with me," Nightingale concluded, the conviction in her eyes almost overwhelming.
As Naruto began thinking about the concept, he began thinking about the future. Madara and Obito were dead, slain by his hands. So, the Fourth Great Shinobi War was over; the very reason for his past year's existence was over.
He has never thought about what lay after that much, as he was too engrossed in looking at the past. He supposed being too busy attending funerals did that to you.
But now he was Hokage, his life's dream had been accomplished. What other point did he have in living? What other point did he have in being alive? He didn't know, and he had been so sure he would pass away at the end of this war that everything else had seemed so trivial. But what else did he have left? Why was he still around?
For some reason, looking at the conviction and resolve in the nurse's red eyes, all his questions began to go away.
Maybe life wouldn't be so bad after all?
Unconsciously, his answer left his lips too fast for his mind to realize…
The End.
An: This is another of those stories i just vastly underestimated how long this was going to be. I thought it was going to be like eternal torment or Hollow Memories in the fact it would've been like 2-4k, not a whopping 8k words. crazy.
I really got inspired to write this because I saw a video about the twitter user HxD, who's kind of known for their... Ahem. Fate drawings. Really put the character into perspective for me.
Not much to say other than nurses are hot.
And I also took inspiration from a Nightingale comic dub i saw on YouTube.
Please leave me lots and lots of NICE reviews.
