Naruto: The Uchiha Chronicles Re-Version:

Welcome to the latest chapter in the story, hope everyone had a Happy Halloween. Not much else to say, on with the chapter!

Arc VI: Chunin Exams:

Chapter 38: Fight and Flight

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Naruto Uchiha. Two little words, yet they carried so much weight. He felt them lifted from his chest in an instant. An invisible burden that had plagued him for years and he finally felt free. He should have revealed it a long time ago. But what was done was done, there was no changing the past. He had to look towards the future.

The crackle of smoldering wood was deafening in the suddenly silent forest. A heavy suffocating smell of smoke hung in the air. Nobody had moved since Naruto's revelation. This was his chance to ensure his teammates escape. Naruto seized the advantage.

"Scatter, Senbonzakura: Full Dispersal!" He roared. Senbonzakura dispersed into thousands of gleaming metal shards. They glinted pink in the orange-tinged light that filtered through the smokey haze. With a swipe of the remaining hilt, Naruto sent the cloud of shards at Orochimaru "Cherry Blossom Tornado!"

The cloud of blade fragments swirled about Orochimaru like a tornado of razor-sharp cherry blossoms. They ripped apart the scorched earth and burrowed underground, preventing the snake from digging his way out. There would only be so long for his teammates to escape. Naruto balanced his concentration on a razors edge. Even now he could feel something pushing against his barrier. He glanced at his teammates urgently. While visibly shaken, Sakura's eyes were still sharp, locked on the tornado of blades. His best friend was another matter. Sasuki was frozen in place, her mind far away from anything around her. She wouldn't be going anywhere on her own in that condition. Naruto looked to their other teammate for help. It would be up to her to get Sasuki to safety.

"Sakura, get Sasuki out of here. She's the one he's after. Any questions can wait for later, just run! I'll join you as quickly as possible." He ordered. There was no time for manners. Any second Orochimaru could escape the trap.

Sakura hesitated. "Are you going to try and beat him?" She asked incredulously.

"No." Naruto answered, feeling a bead of sweat trickle down his forehead. He didn't want to run away. This newfound strength and freedom was intoxicating, he felt he could do anything! But his grandfather had taught him when to realize he was outmatched. "I'm just stalling for time and trying to get attention, now go!"

The pink-haired girls lips trembled. For a moment he thought she'd refuse. Then Sakura steeled her resolve and gave him a sharp nod. She turned on her heel and seized Sasuki around the waist, darting towards the trees. The rush of wind jarred Sasuki from her shock.

"Wait, Naruto, NARUTO!" She screamed. The blood had drained from her face, and panic and anger filled her eyes. Sweat-drenched hair clung to her face as she screamed at him. Seconds later his teammates had disappeared into the canopy, and Sasuki's protests were swallowed by the forest. He felt a stab of pain in his chest. He hadn't seen her like that since … since after the massacre. Guilt gnawed at his stomach.

Naruto shoved it down. He grit his teeth as he felt the force pushing back against his jutsu increase exponentially. Seconds later, a vortex of wind ripped the barrier apart. Orochimaru grinned at him. His snake-like eyes regarded Naruto with newfound curiosity.

"I must say, this is a surprise. Who would have thought you of all people would have the blood of the Uchiha running through your veins. As much as I'd love to stay and see it in action, you're still not the one I want!"

His pupils twitched back and forth like a pin ball, perceiving the man's move before he made it. Orochimaru darted across the ground like a snake. A swipe of his swords hilt saw the scattered blades reform into saber-sized silver kunai. They whistled through the air, piercing the ground and halting the Sannin's retreat unless he wished to be cut to ribbons. Naruto used his off hand to form a half-tiger seal. 'Fire Style: Fire Ball Jutsu'

A baleful ball of orange flames erupted from his mouth and enveloped Orochimaru. Black smoke rose above the forest in a haze. Sensing that familiar tainted chakra trying to slip away. As if it would be that easy! Activating his Teleportation Jutsu, Naruto rocketed up a tree where the snake was trying to slip away. With a mere thought he recalled some of Senbonzakura's scattered petals and reformed the blade. With a flash of steel, he sliced through Orochimaru's arm. Flesh and bone parted easily. In the same motion, Naruto formed a crackling rope of yellow chakra in his hand that wound around the Sannin, squeezing tightly. 'Orochimaru' burst into a pile of mud.

Undeterred, Naruto sensed for the man's chakra 'There!' He whipped his free hand around to point at a seemingly harmless tree. "Pale Lightning!"

A beam of white lightning pierced the tree, tearing a scream of rage and pain from Orochimaru as it pierced his shoulder. The enraged man twisted around the tree and blitzed Naruto. An almighty blow slammed into his stomach. His breath left in a gasp of pain. Naruto was hurled backwards and through one of the trees. He heard a sickening CRACK. White hot, throbbing pain radiated through his right arm. Naruto shuddered at the disturbing sight of his forearm hanging at an impossible angle.

There was no time to waste. He activated the Teleportation Jutsu and bit back a scream. The strain on his broken arm was insane. With shear will, Naruto grit his teeth against the pain. He shot through the forest and back into the battle zone in a shower of leaves. As soon as he appeared, he was greeted by the gaping maw of a summoned snake. Saliva dripped from curved white fangs the size of his arm. A quick swipe of Senbonzakura saw the snake beheaded by a blade of wind.

Naruto sensed Orochimaru approaching. The Sannin burst through the shower of gore from his summon, face twisted in rage and arm extended. Several snakes burst from his sleeve and tried to ensnare Naruto. He sliced them to ribbons. For a single instant, the Sannin hung in the air. Their eyes met. With a pulse of chakra, Naruto's Sharingan spun hypnotically. The Sannin was snared in a genjutsu of endless chains coiling around his body, squeezing until it burst.

Sakura and Sasuki should've been far away by now. This was his chance. There wouldn't be another instant where he had his enemy pinned down so well. He had to use a jutsu so intense it would both damage Orochimaru and draw the attention to the exam. A jutsu so powerful no genin could produce it. All this passed through his mind in an instant. Naruto formed a half Tiger seal around Senbonzakura's hilt. His chest bulged. Heat pooled in his lungs. Then he let the jutsu loose. 'Fire Style: Majestic Flame Destroyer!"

A sea of white-hot flames devoured Orochimaru. Fire exploded into existence all around them. The damp earth hissed and seen as a towering inferno erupted in a half-mile radius. The flames devoured everything they touched, leaving naught but ashes and the charred husks of trees. Naruto knew his attack hadn't finished the bastard. He'd sensed something massive being summoned. A meat shield most likely. Orochimaru had already proven he had no issue sacrificing his summons in battle. But for now, he was trapped. In an instant, Naruto created twenty clones. They appeared in clouds of technique smoke. Without a second glance he dashed into the forest canopy and away from the battle. By the time Orochimaru could safely emerge Naruto would be long gone, only a group of shadow clones left to hold the Sannin off.

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Naruto raced through a vast tangled web of tree branches. Thundering explosions and the ringing of steel followed him as his clones struggled to hold off Orochimaru. Occasionally, one would dispel, and he would be forced to stop and brace against a tree as the memories assimilated. His mind had already gone through a lot of stress. Each set of memories compounded the issue. He could feel their chakra signatures moving rapidly to the East.

A kilometer from the tower, he finally caught a glimpse of Sakura's bright pink hair. It stood out amidst the dim forest. Through the trees, he could already see it. An impressive structure painted in faded red paint that stood well above the forest canopy. Rounded stories stacked one on top of another like the tiers of a cake. At over thirty meters high, it was one of the tallest buildings in the village. Long, wide, sturdy planks made up the shingling. Most likely harvested from the forest itself. Thick ventilation tubes wound around the tower, circulating air throughout the building. Perched on the second to last story was a large platform that overlooked the forest. From up there you could probably see all the way to the Hisui mountain range.

Naruto redoubled his pace. He hissed as his broken arm jostled from the movement. Just as his teammates had begun to walk towards the building, he alighted softly on the ground. The girls were sweaty and out of breath, but unharmed. Sakura spun around, palming a kunai defensively. When she realized it was him, she relaxed, but only slightly. Her eyes darted to his crooked forearm.

"Naruto, you're injured!" She exclaimed. It was easy to tell that her instincts screamed at her to try and help, but Sakura stayed in place. She squared her jaw and looked at him carefully. "Sorry, but I need you to show me your proof."

"That's fine, I'm the one that made the rule anyway. Besides, I can live with it for now." Naruto said. Without much choice he gripped the edges of the medical tape, stained yellow and brown from sweat and dirt. Taking a deep, steadying breath, he unwound it. The sting of the tape ripping up his arm hair was drowned out by the throbbing pain of his forearm. Through the slowly purpling skin, a symbol for "seven" still stood out for all to see. Sakura sagged in relief.

There wasn't any chance for Naruto to relax. The second Sasuki saw the mark on his arm, her expression grew stormy. Naruto's stomach clenched painfully.

He stepped forward, an explanation on the tip of his tongue. In the blink of an eye, Sasuki crossed the distance between them. Pain exploded in his jaw and stars danced before his eyes as she slammed her fist into the side of his face. Naruto shook his head in a daze.

Sasuki stood in front of him, chest heaving with rage. Her Sharingan eyes pierced through him. "Don't. I don't want to hear anything from you right now." She hissed. Turning on her heel, she looked at Sakura heatedly. "Come on. Let's get this test over with. The sooner I can get away from him the better." She didn't look back once, stalking towards the tower like an angry tiger.

Sakura followed hesitantly, casting a worried glance back at Naruto. He waved her on, rubbing his jaw slowly as he followed them. Sasuki's reaction was expected. She hid it well, but Sasuki was hurting. The fact it was entirely his fault was a knife to the heart. Naruto followed his teammates slowly. His mind latched onto the task at hand, far easier to deal with than all those messy emotions. They had to inform someone about Orochimaru. Until the Hokage was in the tower he couldn't be sure they were out of the snake's reach.

The double doors to the tower were already perched open. Naruto passed through them and found himself in an entrance hall of sorts.

Two balconies on either side overlooked the hall. Across from the doors was a large, framed piece of paper. There was a poem written on it. Sakura read the poem aloud curiously."If qualities of heaven are your desire, acquire wisdom to take your mind higher. If earthly qualities are what you lack, then train your body and prepare to attack. When heaven and earth are opened together, the perilous path will become righteous forever. This … is the secret way that guides us from this place today." She recited.

Part of the poem was missing in the last line. Where the word should be was simply a blank space. Naruto looked at the wall closely. This had to be part of the test. Otherwise, someone would have been here to greet them.

"Heaven … and Earth. Just like the scrolls." He mused. 'When heaven and earth are opened together … do they want us to open them?' Come to think of it, the proctor hadtold them not to open them until they reached the tower.

"I think … it wants us to open them." Sakura suggested, unknowingly agreeing with Naruto's thoughts.

"You two will need to open them." He replied. Pressing a pair of fingers to his right arm guard, the blue and white scrolls emerged in a puff of smoke. He caught them with his good arm. Tossing the blue earth scroll to Sakura, he turned to Sasuki and did the same with the Heaven scroll. She caught it with a bitter scowl.

Sakura and Sasuki gripped the edges of the scrolls as if they were a live paper bomb about to go off. For all they knew they were. There was no telling what kind of traps were guarding them. He held his breath as they yanked the scrolls open. His eyes widened with surprise as a pair of seals was revealed. Two circles of symbols, with six lines of text spreading from the inner circle. At the center lay the kanji for "human". A summoning seal.

"Quick, toss them down, it's a summoning jutsu!" He shouted.

In the heat of the moment, the girls did as he said without even thinking. The scrolls were tossed into the center of the room haphazardly. They rolled across the ground, unfurling as they did. Eventually the heaven and earth scroll came to rest on top of each other. Smoke hissed from the seals. They waited with bated breath. Any second the summoning would be complete. There was no telling whether this was another aspect of the test. Would they have to fight whoever emerged? A plume of smoke erupted, obscuring their sight. Amidst the cloud he sensed a powerful signature appear, loaded with static. As the smoke cleared, he was glad to see the gravity defying silver hair of their sensei.

"Well, that didn't take you very long." Kakashi stepped forward. His eye swept over them quickly, taking in taking in Naruto's broken arm and their ragged appearances. "You've had a rough time of it, I guess."

"Did we pass?" Sasuki asked sharply.

Kakashi's shrugged. "Yes, why?"

Sasuki whipped around and stalked out of the room the second Kakashi confirmed they passed. Kakashi turned to Naruto and Sakura with a look of curiosity. "What was that?"

Naruto shifted uncomfortably. "Something … something happened in the forest. I had to reveal the truth."

"What exactly happened?" He asked.

As one of the few people that knew Naruto's reluctance to share his heritage with Sasuki, Kakashi surely knew that only overwhelming danger would force Naruto to reveal it.

Naruto licked his lips. "One of the genin was an imposter. It was Orochimaru, in disguise. He was after Sasuki for some reason." Kakashi straightened up. Any trace of his lazy demeanor was gone. He looked at Naruto with panic in his eye for the first time since the Wave Mission.

"Did he bite either of you?" Kakashi's voice was urgent. Naruto felt his stomach clench in fear. He remembered Orochimaru trying to bite Sasuki. At the time he simply thought it was an attack, but from his sensei's reaction it was something much worse.

"He tried to bite Sasuki, but I managed to stop him. Why?" Naruto asked. Kakashi took a calming breath.

"I need to send a message to the Hokage. You two stay put." Said Kakashi.

He turned on his heel and started to walk away at a rapid pace. Naruto exchanged a worried look with Sakura. Something had Kakashi spooked. Neither of them had seen him that stressed. The fact that he was contacting the Hokage was the most concerning. Orochimaru wasn't just after Sasuki. Whatever his goal was, it was a big enough threat to scare even Kakashi.

As they waited for Kakashi to return, Sakura insisted on seeing to his arm. "I can't really heal it, but we can get it set." She'd insisted. That's how he found himself with a wooden stick clenched between his teeth as Sakura prepared to set his bone. She grasped his wrist with one hand, gripping his elbow above the break with the other.

"I'll set it on three." She said. Naruto nodded his understanding. "One … two …"

Naruto's eyes stretched wide in shock as Sakura started to pull on the count of two. He let out a muffled shout of discomfort. It was the most uncomfortable experience of his life. The broken area throbbed constantly as Sakura slowly pulled downwards on his forearm, loosening the tightened muscles around the break. With careful movements, she managed to get his forearm straightened. Using a pair of wooden rods and bandages she unsealed from her supply scroll, Sakura quickly bound his arm in a makeshift splint.

"Is this what other people have to go through?" Naruto wondered aloud as he carefully shifted his arm around. The splint limited his range of motion and kept the break in place. It was the first time he ever had to go through an uncomfortable process like traction. Usually the Nine-Tails would've started healing it already.

Sakura rolled her eyes and punched his left shoulder lightly. "Yes, this is what us regular people have to go through."

The sound of footsteps on the concrete floor rapidly approaching drew their attention. Kakashi reappeared through the entryway seconds later. He glanced at Naruto's arm and gave a nod of approval. "Good, that will save us some time." Creating a shadow clone, he motioned for Sakura to follow it. "My clone will take you to Team 7's assigned room. Find Sasuki first if you can."

"Understood Sensei. I'll uh, I'll see you later Naruto." Sakura replied. She waved goodbye, following Kakashi's clone as he led her through the same door Sasuki had left through.

"Come with me, the Hokage should be arriving any minute." Kakashi ordered Naruto.

Naruto nodded, following as Kakashi led the way through the tower. The corridors were rather odd. Around the edge of the building, curved hallways circled the building. There were also hallways that went straight, leading to various rooms. Natural light from the numerous windows was augmented by square overhead lights that chased away the gloom from the surrounding forest. Naruto caught a glimpse of a large, open room that looked like an arena of some kind, before Kakashi quickly led him past it to a set of curved stairs.

With no elevators, they had to walk their way up the tower. As they walked it was readily apparent that something was wrong. Kakashi did his best to hide it, but there was a tenseness about him. Finally, on the sixth floor, the silence became too much to bear.

"Kakashi-sensei, what did Orochimaru try to do?" He asked. Ever since he'd asked if Orochimaru bit them, the man had been acting strangely.

Stopping before a green steel door, Kakashi turned and regarded Naruto carefully. "That's … not really my place to explain. If my suspicions are correct, though, it's a good thing you prevented Sasuki from being bitten. Now, I'll leave you to it. This is Lord Hokage's office in the tower." He said.

The man was adamant not to give anything away. Naruto could tell Kakashi wouldn't budge. His only source of answers would be Gramps. Before he left, Kakashi handed Naruto a key. A tag attached with a ring read '33'. "You three are in room thirty-three on the third floor, for when you're finished."

Shaking his head in bemusement, Naruto grasped the cool metal handle of the door and twisted. The heavy piece of solid steel swung open, the hinges letting off a loud squeak. The room wasn't all that impressive compared to the Hokage's Office. A simple room with a medium sized desk and chairs to sit in. In one corner sat a TV, displaying a live rotating feed from around the tower. Hiruzen stood behind the desk with a worried expression. He surveyed Naruto with a critical eye, lingering on his splinted arm.

"Are you alright, Naruto?" He asked.

"The arm hurts like hell, but it'll get better. I'm more worried about the Five-Elements Seal Orochimaru used. It's cut off my access to the Nine-Tail's chakra." Naruto replied.

The Hokage's gaze sharpened. "Show me." He said quickly.

Naruto loosened the sash keeping his shirt closed and pulled the garment aside to reveal his toned stomach. With some effort, he channeled his chakra. It was sluggish. 'The effects of the Soul Limiting Seal have already begun.' While releasing the seal ruined his control, it wasn't an instant process. Initially he could control his chakra just fine and even use his finetuned sensing. It was when the rush of chakra died down that the problem began. By tomorrow his body would be terribly sore from the rapid expansion of his chakra pathways, and his control would be ruined. Eventually, he brought his chakra to heel like a disobedient dog.

The Eight Trigram seal holding the Nine-Tails was quick to appear. Eight spikes of scripture surrounding a central swirl, the signature of the Uzumaki style sealing used to hold his tenant. Seconds later, a second seal appeared. Five swirling marks interspersed between the jutting spikes of the Eight Trigram Seal. Hiruzen's face hardened as he scrutinized the design of the seal.

While many viewed it as a science, sealing was more like an art form. Most people assumed all seals looked exactly alike and uniform. That wasn't true. The only place you saw uniformity was in the mass-produced explosive and flash seals used by common shinobi, printed on paper with chakra conductive metal stamps.

For seal experts, every sealer had their own style. It was like a fingerprint, unique to every user. While a student and master's style might resemble each other, there were always differences. You could see it in the flourishes and spacing of the various systems of symbols they used. To anyone that knew seals the differences in the two seals were plainly obvious. The Five-Elements different from the first seal. Rougher, more chaotic spacing. Whereas the Eight Trigram was intricate and precise, made by the hand of a surgeon, the design of the Five-Elements Seal was more akin to the work of a butcher.

"Indeed … that's Orochimaru's work. I'd wanted to believe it was an imposter, maybe a disciple, but it was in vain." The Hokage sat down heavily in his high-backed leather desk chair. Steepling his fingers together, he looked at Naruto with utter seriousness. "Tell me everything."

There was a gravity to the words that underlined the enormity of the situation. An S-ranked Missing Ninja had infiltrated one of the biggest events of the year. One that had some of the tightest security imaginable. Such a thing was of the utmost importance. Naruto explained how his team had planned, even sheepishly admitting to using the clone to spy. It drew a chuckle, but no admonishment. Then they'd made their way to the tower at a leisurely pace, and how they'd been set upon. Finally, he explained the escape.

"…that's when we got to the tower, I told Kakashi what happened, and it spooked him. Then he summoned you." He finished.

Over the course of the explanation, Hiruzen had grown ever more serious. By the end there was a disturbed look in his eyes. More than that, there had been a flash of recognition when Naruto had explained how Orochimaru tried to bite Sasuki. Just like Kakashi. They knew something about what he'd attempted.

"This is grave news. To think, he would go that far to try and mark Sasuki. Is it possible he perfected that abominable jutsu?" Hiruzen muttered. The last part was so quiet it was clearly not meant to be heard, but in the silent room it was easily picked up by Naruto.

"Mark her? What was Orochimaru trying to do. Both you and Kakashi reacted when I said he tried to bite her, but when I asked, he said it wasn't his place. What aren't you saying?" Naruto asked, his frustration bleeding out. Ever since he stepped foot in the tower, he'd been given the runaround on this. 'What has Kakashi and Gramps so shaken?' He wondered.

Hiruzen froze in his seat. He looked at Naruto carefully, weighing whether to answer. Naruto stared back defiantly, refusing to back down. Finally, the old man relented. "Back before Orochimaru's experiments were discovered, and he fled the Leaf, he was working on a sealing jutsu. A truly cruel technique that only had a one in ten chance of survival. For those who survive, they receive a powerful reserve of chakra that gives them strength beyond that of normal shinobi. Almost comparable to the chakra of the Nine-Tails. But it has a corruptive influence, bending you to depend on it, and Orochimaru. It's administered through a bite."

Naruto's felt fear grip him. His breath caught in his throat. Orochimaru had been just seconds away from applying that seal. In the moment, he thought the man was trying to kill Sasuki. Now he understood why Kakashi and the Hokage were so fearful. The truth was far worse. That snake wanted to mark Sasuki, to poison her mind and sway her to his side.

"Of the initial test subjects, only one person survived. Orochimaru's own student whom he betrayed and left for dead. With the help of Jiraiya, we used managed to suppress it, but all attempts to remove it have failed." Hiruzen explained.

Many thoughts swirled through Naruto's mind. Relief that he'd stopped Sasuki from being marked. Fear at what would have happened if he didn't. But most prevalent was a trepidatious curiosity, based on that slip that the old man hadn't meant him to hear. Orochimaru wanted something besides swaying a Sharingan user to his side. And the Hokage knew, or suspected he knew, what it was.

"You mentioned a jutsu earlier. There's something more, isn't there? Something besides trying to mark Sasuki that has you worried, what is it?" Naruto asked insistently.

Hiruzen's expression became stony. He had a cold look in his eyes that made Naruto afraid. "That is classified. I'll only say this once Naruto, I'm ordering you not to push this further. Based on what you've said, my former student is the one behind the Hidden Sound Village. Somehow, he's infiltrated these exams and our village. So yes, I have my suspicions, but from this point forward the investigation into the Hidden Sound will be solely under the purview of myself and our highest ranked shinobi. Am I understood?"

A pit formed in Naruto's stomach. Gramps knew what was going on. Yet he could tell there was no way of prying the information loose. The man was utterly serious. No connection to the Hokage would save him from punishment if he pressed this. It was a bitter pill to swallow, to know Orochimaru had some sort of plan for his friend, and he was being ordered to drop it. Whatever secret Hiruzen knew would remain so. No matter how he tried to rationalize it logically, part of him ached at the fact Gramps didn't trust him with the information. Even if he knew it was more to do with rank than personal feelings, it still hurt. Being on the opposite side of such a secret made him feel more terrible, because now he was getting just a taste of what Sasuki must have felt.

"I … I understand." Naruto said. His voice cracked and strained around the lump in his throat.

The Hokage's face softened, smiling gently at Naruto. "Good. I want you to know, I'm proud of you. You did good today. Don't worry, my advisors and I will deal with Orochimaru. For now, I want you to have your arm seen to by a medic. Tomorrow I'll send Kakashi by to take care of that seal. It's best you're rested for that."

Naruto nodded tiredly. Even with the remaining dregs of chakra returning from his dispersed clones, he still felt the exhaustion setting in. It had been a long day. As much as he'd love to get answers, his exhaustion was creeping up on him. His eyelids were heavy, and there was a tremendous yet invisible weight across his limbs. Like a blanket of led. He was vaguely aware of a medic coming in and guiding him to the infirmary. Outside, the sun hung low above the trees. Soon enough it would dip below, and the electric lighting would be the only thing keeping the corridors bright.

In the infirmary the medic, a tall woman with straight brown hair tied in a bun, sat him down on an overly hard hospital cot. She loosened the temporary splint Sakura had made. The throbbing of his arm chased away his exhaustion. With somewhat clearer eyes, he watched the woman cut a piece of stockinette off a roll. To the side, a roll of plaster wrap soaked in a bowl of hot water.

"This should only take a couple minutes." The medic said with a smile. She grasped his arm firmly, keeping it straightened as she rolled the fabric onto his forearm. It tickled, letting a bit of air through. Next she wrapped cotton gauze over the fabric. Finally, with a pair of rubber gloves she removed the plaster from the water. Starting from the hand, she wrapped his arm in the plaster. Her gloves squeaked as she worked with the sticky plaster, molding it tightly to his limb until the roll was entirely used, along with a second. Naruto's felt hot from the still warm wrap.

After several minutes, his forearm was encased in a heavy cast. It had already hardened and held his limb perfectly still. "There, you're free to go. Just try not to hit it against anything."

Naruto nodded, wiggling his fingers experimentally and feeling the crusted edges of the plaster. With a last thank you to the medic, he stood and left the infirmary. He was glad to be rid of the subtle antiseptic smell of the place. Wandering the hall, he began to search for the staircase. The infirmary was on the first floor, and Team 7 was on the third floor.

He walked the halls for a quarter hour before he finally found their room. It was part of set of dorms. A placard with the room number jutted from the frame of the heavy wooden door. Made of some sort of oak, it was sturdy enough that trying to break it down would be difficult. Using the key, he unlocked the door and cracked it open gently. He didn't want to make any noise in case the girls were sleeping.

Soft yellow light poured into the darkened room. It wasn't much, simple vinyl floors with three small beds. The first thing he noticed was the sound of a running shower. Steam escaped from beneath the crack of a door on the far left of the room, light spilling underneath the opening. Clearly the bathroom, and someone was taking a shower. Directly across from the door was the middle bed. Judging by the red dress draped across it, Sakura had claimed that one. His breath caught in his throat as he saw that the bed nearest to the bathroom was occupied. Long, dark hair spilled across the pillow. Sasuki. Her shoulders moved up and down gently.

Naruto padded across the room quietly towards the only remaining bed. As he sunk down on the firm mattress, he couldn't take his eyes off the form of his sleeping friend. All his guilt came welling up. The look of loathing she'd given him when he arrived at the tower was seared into his mind. A painful lump in his throat made it hard to swallow. Tears stung at his eyes.

"I really messed things up. All because I was a coward. I just hope … I hope eventually you'll forgive me." He whispered.

Maybe, somehow the words would reach Sasuki in her sleep. Naruto slowly took off his clothes. They stank of sweat and blood. He left them on the floor to be taken care of tomorrow. As he crawled under the covers and drifted to sleep, he had now way of knowing that Sasuki had heard everything. She'd only pretended to be asleep. Laying under her thin blanket, she silently cried herself to sleep, her heart torn between anger and guilt.

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Well, what did everyone think? Naruto and the team have successfully escaped Orochimaru, but now there are problems between Naruto and Sasuki.

Hope you enjoyed that. As always, constructive criticism and advice is always welcome, so feel free to share your thoughts in your review. If you're interested in supporting my work and reading ahead, Chapter 42 just went up on Pa treon, as well as a (for now) Pa treon exclusive story teaser/plot bunny that is a crossover between Naruto and Highschool of the Dead in celebration of Halloween. You can find me by going to my AO3 profile of the same name and using the copiable link, or by going to P atreon and adding /rinnetaicho onto the web address. Tiers start as low as $1

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Odin Darkfeather, OHanley7123, Chillz90, Kit Arashi, CrusaderMoya, MK3Kratos, MASTERCHEIF1229, SvWJan, Cody Lyle, Cory Toler, Carbonkenny, Tyler J Renshaw, Aneeq Moodaley, Kyle Alexandr, hunter jensen, Austin Pierce, Morgan C Williams, SIRDBZ, Calvonta Ard, James lars, Supersonics365, Jabes Affonso, Bepo2332, Sankha123, Glizzy, Echoes at Dawn, Kirk O'Dell, Thorston Lich, firedemon12, Henry Mercado, Rúben Pais, Robert McCoard, Bobby, Lil Mickey D, Ty'Ree Gary, guncannon93, Ash Cascagnette, Horacio, Pope Gregory Trivium III, Damon Frey, John Brown, Matt Walther, Christopher Thomas, BigBadDetonation, Tyler Swigerr, anime gaming, Yuto, Arnzok, Ty Collins, Diego Silva, Natsubi123.

Until Next Time,

RinneTaicho, Signing Off!