BORN ANEW

Or maybe not. Something stops her.

"One move and I'll slit you," she says. The scalpel's edge sinks deep enough for a drop of blood to bead from Naruto's skin, "And if you dare call for help, I'll slit you anyway. Hell, I'll shove this down your throat, you hear me?"

The rage in her voice barely conceals her nervousness. It's not just those eyes anymore. When you've been on enough missions, strange things stop bothering you as much. The problem is, she knows perfectly well what this means. Because if the eyes of the Nine-Tailed Fox jinchuriki look like that, what else could it possibly mean?

What else could explain the dreadful chakra she feels right now? Absolutely nothing. Her whole being tells her, warns her, of the same thing. "You're not facing a human being," her senses tell her. "It only looks like one."

It's like her heart is about to leap out of her chest. The anticipation of something terrible, of pain, or perhaps something worse, makes her skin crawl and breaks her out in a cold sweat. But nothing happens. Naruto doesn't do anything at all. He just stares into her eyes for a long moment, in silence. And then, very slowly, he tilts his head with curiosity and half-smiles.

"No need to be so afraid of me," he says calmly, "we've just met."

She tightens the scalpel's edge against the boy's neck even more, but... nothing happens. No matter how much force she exerts, she can't pierce his skin any further. It's as if beyond the surface layer, his flesh is made of steel.

"You, damn..." A myriad of thoughts race through Tayuya's dizzy mind. She considers mustering all her strength and stabbing him in some weak spot, like an eye. Then she considers storming out and praying they wouldn't catch her too soon. But none of that would get her anywhere: just threatening Naruto at knifepoint is already too much for her injured body to handle. Breathing is becoming increasingly difficult. The air feels like it's burning down her throat...

Naruto's smile widens. Amused, he first looks into her eyes, then he pauses at the bandages around the girl's neck, raising his eyebrows.

"Seriously, you're going to hurt yourself if you keep this up," he says, "you're a mess. We'd better start fresh. Hand it over." With a swift motion, he grabs the scalpel's edge between his index finger and thumb, snapping it in two.

Tayuya jumps back, startled, and almost topples over backwards off the bed. But she manages to keep her composure, barely.

"I need to get out of here. Now." Immediately, she starts looking for an exit, her pupils darting frantically from side to side...

"Hey, don't go doing anything stupid," Naruto sits up on his elbows, looking at her from his bed, "in case you haven't noticed, this place is packed. How far do you think you'd get in that state? Yeah. That's what I thought."

Tayuya's breathing slowly returns to normal. "He's not hostile, why?", she thinks. "And how can he be talking to me so calmly? Could it be that he's in his right mind?"

"Are you... Naruto Uzumaki?" The possibility of a negative response sends a shiver down her spine.

He blinks.

"What a strange question," he says, "though I gather if you're asking, you at least know who I am. And if you know me and still attack me..." here a glint passes through his eyes, "could it be that we're enemies?"

"You haven't answered me."

"Truth is, I was hoping you'd give me the answers."

"Why in the bloody world would I give them to you?"

He chuckles.

"What's the point of asking me questions if you won't answer mine? It's quite an arrogant attitude, especially in the situation you're in." There's a pause, as if he expected her to ask, "And what situation am I in?" But since Tayuya doesn't respond, he does it for her: "Cornered, I'd say. You've got nowhere to go."

"You're a pompous idiot, you know that?" "But he's still not attacking me. I won't take any risks with him, I'll just... get out of here." So she heads for the door (there are surely ninjas on the rooftops and near the window) and places her hand on the handle...

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," the boy warns her, "there are three people on the other side. One of them is stronger than you. And the other two," he chuckles again, "let's just say you don't want to mess with them. Can't you feel them? Are you that dense?"

"Screw you, you piece of... ugh!"

"What an ungrateful woman you are. You better get back to the bed before they see you outside. And then I can ask you the questions I want to ask."

The worst part of some situations is having to agree with someone you'd love to punch in the face. Tayuya might not have the friendliest attitude in the world, and if it were up to her, everyone in that hospital would have a knife to their necks in just a second, but she's not stupid. Trying to escape without knowing anything about her situation would be a terrible idea. Especially considering those two slit pupils never leave her for a second. "His attitude might seem friendly, but his chakra sends shivers down my spine. He's like a wild animal: at any moment he could..."

"Hey, we don't have all day."

"Can't you just shut up?" And much to her dismay, Tayuya returns to her bed.

"Are you always so bitter? Anyway, putting you aside, I'll ask you the first question. I've been wondering since I woke up. And since it's clear you know me, tell me: who am I? Who is Naruto Uzumaki?"

EMERGENCY ROOM ADMISSION REPORT

Name, Naruto Uzumaki. Age, 13 years old. Affiliation and rank: Konoha genin. Clan: Uzumaki, extinct (...) Classified information of SSS rank, dissemination or copying of these files will be punished with the maximum penalty (...) Host of the Nine-Tailed Fox, daily surveillance required. Status: alive. Criminal record: none. Active bounties: 6, all in enemy villages (...) Reason for admission: hemorrhagic shock due to blood loss, multiple burns, partial loss of right side. Internal organs damaged. Reason: possible impact from the Chidori technique. Patient's condition: critical, immediate admission to the emergency room. Surgeon in charge of the operation: Tsunade Senju. Time of admission...

On the back of the report, something is handwritten:

"I don't care what Danzo says, bring the girl to me now, or you'll have to answer to me." — Signed, Tsunade.