Disclaimer Naruto & Bleach is not mine.
Chapter 13 is done.
The cover picture, not mine.
Habu2010 good too see you again
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Thanks for reading.
Chapter 13
Naruto Uzumaki
At Night
In the real world. He was lying on the forest floor; slowly, the dreamlike landscape where Miku had warned him of Kakashi's injuries faded, replaced by the cool embrace of night air and the faint rustle of leaves.
The stars glittering above him and the soft rustle of leaves filled the air.
His eyelids fluttered open, but for a moment, he stayed on the ground, staring lazily at the star-speckled sky. The disorientation was palpable, and his mind reeled as he tried to piece together what was real and what had been part of the strange interaction in his subconscious.
His heart raced as he remembered Miku's words, her warning about Kakashi.
"Why can't this ever be easy?" He complained aloud.
"Alright," he muttered, his voice steadying. "If what you said is true, I'll find him."
He sat up slowly, wincing as a sharp pang shot through his abdomen. "Ow!" he exclaimed, clutching his stomach. The dull ache lingered, a strange sensation that wasn't quite pain but wasn't comfortable either.
*His body felt heavier than usual, sluggish, like he'd been running non-stop for hours.*
"What's going on with me?" He muttered, his brows furrowed. He shook his head, trying to push the thoughts aside. "No time to figure that out now. I've gotta find Kakashi-sensei before it's too late!"
Naruto raced through the forest, his feet barely touching the ground as he leapt from branch to branch. His heart pounded in his chest, and Miku's words echoed in his mind like a drumbeat.
He jumped to his feet, determination blazing in his eyes. He quickly formed the familiar hand signs.
"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" he called out, his voice ringing through the forest. He expected to see dozens of clones materialize around him, ready to scour the area in search of his injured sensei.
Instead, a meager ten clones appeared, their forms flickering weakly before solidifying. Naruto stared in disbelief.
"What—ten?" he shouted, his voice filled with frustration. "I can usually make way more than that! What's going on?"
The clones exchanged confused glances, mirroring Naruto's disbelief. One of them stepped forward, scratching the back of his head. "Hey, boss," it said, its voice tinged with concern. "You don't look so good. Are you sure you're okay?"
Naruto frowned, ignoring the question. "This isn't the time to worry about me," he snapped, more at himself than the clone. "We've gotta find Kakashi-sensei! Spread out and search!"
The clones nodded, their expressions determined as they leapt into action, disappearing into the surrounding forest.
He stayed behind, leaning against a tree as he tried to catch his breath. His chest felt tight, his limbs heavy, and that strange ache in his stomach refused to subside.
"What's happening to me?" he muttered. His chakra felt… off. Like it was there but just out of reach, as though something was blocking it. The familiar surge of energy that usually flowed through him felt sluggish, restrained.
Minutes passed, and one by one, the clones dispelled because low of chakra, their collective knowledge rushing back to him in bursts. Most of them had found nothing, only empty clearings and untouched trails. But one clone had caught a faint chakra signature in the distance—a flicker that could only belong to Kakashi.
His eyes snapped open, and he pushed off the tree, gritting his teeth against the fatigue. "Got it,"
"Hang on, Sensei. I'm coming!"
He forced himself into motion, his body protesting with every step. His usual energy and speed felt muted, his movements slower and less precise. The ache in his stomach flared up again, and he clutched it briefly, his thoughts racing.
"Why does it feel like this?" Naruto muttered as he ran.
*Is it because of Miku? Haku?*
*Did something happen to me when I was talking to them?*
"Doesn't matter," Naruto said aloud, shaking his head. "Kakashi-sensei needs me. I'll figure the rest out later."
After several minutes of running, Naruto finally reached a clearing. His heart raced as he scanned the area, his eyes locking onto a figure lying motionless in the grass, illuminated by the pale glow of the moon. It was Kakashi.
"Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto shouted, his voice filled with panic as he rushed to his teacher's side.
He dropped to his knees beside Kakashi, his hands trembling as he reached out to shake his teacher's shoulder.
"Sensei, Oi sensei, wake up! It's me, Naruto! What happened to you?"
As his hands made contact. His teacher's body wasn't cold or stiff—in fact, it was warm, and his chest rose and fell in a steady rhythm. He was breathing. Relief washed over Naruto like a wave, but it was quickly replaced by confusion.
He looked… fine. There were no visible injuries, no blood, just torn clothing. His mask and headband were in place, and his body showed no signs of trauma. It was as if he had simply laid down for a nap.
Naruto frowned, leaning closer to examine Kakashi more carefully. "What the heck is going on?" he muttered, his brow furrowing.
*Miku said you were hurt, like, life-threatening hurt. But you don't have a single scratch on you.*
He forcefully shook Kakashi's shoulder again and again, his voice harderning.
"Come on, Sensei. Wake up. You're really freaking me out here."
But Kakashi didn't respond. His head lolled hardly to the side, back and forth, and his breathing remained steady, almost unnervingly calm. Naruto's unease deepened, and he sat back on his heels, running a hand through his spiky blond hair.
"This doesn't make any sense," he muttered, his frustration mounting. "If you're not injured, why won't you wake up?"
He then inspected his teacher's body more thoroughly, searching for hidden injuries or signs of poisoning, but there was nothing out of the ordinary.
"It's like you're just... sleeping," Naruto said aloud, his voice tinged with confusion. "But not even I can sleep through someone yelling in my ear."
"Miku," he muttered, her name rolling off his tongue like a plea. "What's going on here? Why would you tell me he's hurt if he's not?"
Nothing answered him, only the silence of the wind.
With no other options, Naruto carefully lifted Kakashi onto his back. His teacher was heavier than he looked, and Naruto's legs wobbled slightly as he adjusted the weight. The ache in his stomach flared up again, but he gritted his teeth, forcing himself to push through it.
"Alright, Sensei," he said, his voice strained but determined. "We're getting you back to Tazuna's house. Someone there might know what to do."
*The journey back was slow and grueling. Naruto's body felt heavier with each step; his chakra reserves oddly depleted, making the trek even harder. The night seemed to stretch on forever, the quiet forest surrounding him like a suffocating blanket.*
By the time Naruto reached Tazuna's house, his legs felt like jelly, and sweat dripped down his face. He shifted Kakashi's weight as he approached the front door, kicking it lightly to announce his presence.
"Tazuna! Tsunami!" He called out, his voice hoarse. "It's me, Naruto! Open up!"
The door creaked open a moment later, revealing Tsunami's concerned face. Her eyes widened as she took in the sight of Naruto, disheveled and exhausted, with Kakashi slung over his back.
"Naruto-kun, what happened?" She asked, stepping aside to let him in. "Is Kakashi alright?"
Naruto staggered inside, carefully laying Kakashi down on a nearby couch. He collapsed onto the floor beside his teacher, catching his breath as Tsunami and Tazuna hovered over them, their expressions filled with worry.
"I... I don't know," Naruto admitted, his voice trembling. "After I woke up, I found him like this in the forest. He's breathing but he won't wake up. And... and he doesn't have any injuries. It doesn't make sense."
Tazuna scratched his head, his brow furrowed. "You're saying he's not hurt, but he won't wake up? That's… strange. Could it be some kind of jutsu?"
Naruto shrugged helplessly, his exhaustion and confusion written all over his face. "Maybe? I don't know. I don't even know if what happened to me earlier was real or not…"
The older woman knelt beside him, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Naruto-kun, you look exhausted. You've done everything you can for now. Rest, and we'll figure this out together."
Naruto nodded reluctantly, though his mind remained restless. He couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to this than met the eye—that Miku and Haku soul inside him is it real?
As the night wore on, Naruto sat beside Kakashi, watching his teacher's peaceful face and trying to make sense of it all. Was it a dream? A trick? Or was it something far more complicated? The questions swirled in his mind, unanswered and unrelenting.
"Miku, Haku" he whispered softly, his voice barely audible. "If you can hear me… please. Tell me what's going on."
But the only response was the whisper of the wind outside, leaving Naruto alone with his thoughts and the unsettling mystery of his teacher's condition.
To be continued