Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Broken ❯ Hospital ( Chapter 2 )
[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]
By: blackarora 
hope from an odd source in an ackward situation
Anime/Manga: Naruto Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Psychological / Hentai / Action | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 12.10.2004 | Updated On: 09.24.2005 | Pages: 5 | Words: 6.1K | Visits: 4.3K | Status: Completed
hope from an odd source in an ackward situation
Anime/Manga: Naruto Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Psychological / Hentai / Action | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 12.10.2004 | Updated On: 09.24.2005 | Pages: 5 | Words: 6.1K | Visits: 4.3K | Status: Completed
Chapter 2 Hospital
I do not own Naruto.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
‘Where is that idiot?’
Sakura was here on time rambling on about some thing. Hell Kakashi was here. A hour late as expected. But Naruto was late. Unusual for him, the dobe was normally here as soon as the sun was up. The morron was predictable in his unpredictably but he was never, NEVER late for training. Maybe he was to rough with him yesterday.
No. Naurto could heal faster than him.
‘Why was that anyway?’
“Where is Naruto”
Sakura asked for about the tenth time. Her hands on her hips and her face in a pout. She was so transparent in the fact that if Naruto never showed she would happily spend the day training alone with him. The pout was for the answer he had given her when she had proposed that. “I have no reason to be here with out the dobe to spar with and would leave if he did not show.” After that she was a little more eager to know the whereabouts of the hyperactive blond.
“Maybe we should go find Naruto.”
Kakashi said as he turned towards the road leading to Naruto’s house. The irritation showed in his one visible eye as he tucked the latest volume of icha icha paradise in to his pocket. It was common knowledge that under no circumstances were any of them to be later than him.
Heaven help you if Kakashi had to go find you in the morning. It had only happened once before and the whole team was worked to exhaustion for a week thanks to Sakura wanting to look good for him and having lost track of the time.
“Fine” Sasuke replied emotionlessly.
‘If he’s still asleep I’ll kill him.’
Oh yes, if he had to drain another swamp or anything equally stupid and tiring because of Naruto they would never find the blonds body. The blond had better have a damn good reason for not being here. Both he and Sakura silently turned and followed Kakashi as he led the way to Naruto’s house.
As they approached Naruto’s door a rather fowl smell came wafting out to them.
“Damn, it smells like he forgot to take out he trash” Sakura covered her nose with her hand.
Kakashi looked impassive under his mask and reached for the door handle. Opening the door the smell got worse. Stepping in, Sasuke saw the familiar jacket by the door. Covered by crud and blood, flies were buzzing around it. Quickly he stepped passed the rank garment.
“Eew” Sakura said as she passed. Grossed out by the bugs that crawled on the orange and blue coat.
Kakashi looked at it and for some reason looked a little worried.
‘Why the hell would he be worried. Naruto can heal fast.’
But he felt it to. Some thing was wrong. Sasuke walked toward the bed room noticing drops of blood leading to the bathroom. Their sparring yesterday did not leave the blond with any wound big enough to cause this much blood. The over active boy probably did something stupid like cut his hand with his own kunai showing off.
‘At least he cleaned him self up. A small consolation for the grunt work we’re going to have to do.’
But that did not account for the bad feeling he had in his gut or the worry Kakashi had shown. In a rare moment the dark haired boy let his stoic features slip and showed a little bit of the worry he was starting to feel. It was like at the movies when you knew the killer was behind the door the innocent yet buxom girl was about to open. Not that he Uchiha Sasuke was tantalized by scary movies. He only watched them when he could not sleep. Or there was a twilight zone marathon.
‘This is stupid Naruto can take care of himself.’
Walking in to the bed room he saw Naruto laying on the bed with the covers pulled over his head. The bad feeling was still here a long with the metallic smell of blood, the raven haired teen could not see any at the moment but if he could smell it then there must be a lot of it. The Uchiha walked up to the bed as Sakura came in. Kakashi had turned and followed the trail of blood to the bathroom.
“Wake up you piece of crap”
Sakura was pissed, she hated the heavy kind of work that Naruto was condemning them to. She got even more pissed when she got no response. Sasuke was mildly surprised that Sakura could not feel the icy trickle of impending doom that had been dancing along his spine. Sometimes she could be a heartless bitch, this was defiantly one of those times. Looking close at the lump of bedding that was Naruto, it was barely moving and had a few dark smears that could of been blood. Stepping forward the stoic teen grabbed the blanket and in one quick motion pulled it off.
Sakura gasped. He stood frozen for a moment at the site in front of him. Naruto laying on his side, was covered in cuts and bruises. A large painful looking bruise took up most of his back. Black eyes, split lip. The thing that stopped him dead was the bloody towel around his arm. At one time it was white but it was soaked in blood. The bed sheet beneath it was covered in blood as well. He could hear Naruto’s raspy shallow breathing as the blond shivered, curling up. When his legs were 90 degrees from his body, he whimpered in pain, as the action pulled on the swollen muscles of his back. The pained sound snapped them out of the shock.
“KAKASHI” Sakura screamed.
She turned to run out of the room but was met with a face full of their teacher. Who she had run into and fell back to the floor onto her butt.
“Shit” Kakashi whispered looking over the wounded blond and ignoring the pink haired girl at his feet.
Going over to Naruto, Kakashi put his hand to his throat. Feeling his pulse. It was weak. So very weak. Feeling the unsteady rise and fall of the tan chest. The silver haired Jounin then removed the towel to uncover the wounds to get a good look at what he was dealing with. Cris-crossed red slashes that sank deep in to the muscle, some that were still bleeding decorated his students arm. Coating the tan flesh in a sadistic red layer. The silver haired jounin’s uncovered eye, widened when he saw the blood flow out in time with Naruto’s weak pulse.
“Fuck”
“Sasuke get another towel. NOW.”
Turning the Uchiha sprinted to the bathroom, if Kakashi was swearing, it was bad. The nasty smell from the door was here as well. Going in, he saw the counter covered in dried blood. The glass on it as well as the broken forehead protector were all covered in dried blood. Flies were crawling around everywhere lapping up the abundant food source.
The blood on the floor led pooled at the sink and led to the shower. There was more blood and a pile of nasty clothes next to the small tiled shower. The flies were swarming the rank clothes. Sasuke could see some blood stains on the shower knobs.
‘He lost a lot of blood. To much blood.’
Grabbing a clean towel, Sasuke ran back to Naruto. The whole trip only took about 2 seconds if that. Kakashi was sitting on the bed, had one hand pressing the pressure point on Naruto’s elbow. Trying to slow the flow of blood to the wounds on his arm. The other was at the blonds throat, feeling his pulse.
“Here’s the towel”
The raven haired teen was trying to keep his voice even, cold. But he was sure that a little emotion had seeped in to the sentence.
“Wrap it around his arm. Put pressure on the deep cut.”
Unfolding the towel and moving up to the side of the bed he got a good look at the cuts. Some still had glass in them. Some left the muscle exposed, one he could clearly see the sliced vein. It was still bleeding evan with Kakashi holding the pressure point. Wrapping the towel around the ripped up arm he put pressure on the sliced vein. The feeling of warm blood reached his fingers as it flowed on to the towel.
‘What happened to him healing fast. What the hell happened to him.’
Sasuke felt worry and anger swell in him. Worry for Naruto and anger directed at the assholes that did this to him. The curse seal on his shoulder activated for a second sending a stab of fierce pain coursing through his pale flesh. Sasuke clamped down on the hate and anger he was feeling and snorted.
The blond was the only one who could evoke open emotions from him. Normally the only emotions he felt were hate and anger directed at the bleeding boy on the bed who seemed to know all of and enjoyed pressing Sasuke’s buttons. Naruto was the only one who could work him up in to a blithering rage and some how he still felt a little less lonely in his company.
It was stupid, Naruto was stupid, and why the hell did he even consider the annoying blond to be his friend in the first place. He did not know, but it still bothered him to see Naruto like this.
Kakashi heard the snort and looked up, seeing Sasuke holding Naruto’s arm let go of the pressure point.
“He has to go to the hospital. Sakura hand me that blanket.”
Kakashi reached out behind Sasuke and motioned for her to hand it to him.
Sakura, looking pale, was shaking but she still managed to walk over and pick up the blanket Sasuke had dropped when he first saw Naruto. Picking it up and handing it to Kakashi, Sasuke could see the almost green tint to Sakura.
“Don’t go in the bathroom”
“I’m fine”
She had whispered it and he grunted at her in irritation. If she wanted to be a good medic, she should be prepared to see friends bleeding.
Kakashi maneuvered Naruto so he could wrap him in the blanket. As he did his hand brushed up against the large puffy bruise on Naruto’s back. An agonized scream rushed out of the blond and Naruto opened his eyes half way. They were dull, almost gray. His left hand had a death grip on the sheets. As Kakashi held him propped up on the bed. Moments passed, no one moved, not wanting to make Naruto scream again.
He had not breathed in since he screamed and Narutos lips were turning blue. Sasuke smirked, Naruto was as stupid as he was stubborn. The smirk left the dark haired boys face when he realized that he was holding his breath as well. Taking a deep breath he decided to remind Naruto of his bodies oxygen needs.
“Breath dobe”
A small gasp for air followed by a pained whimper. Kakashi, like Sasuke, had frozen when Naruto screamed. Now he was looking at the bruise on Naruto’s back. Their sensei’s hand ghosted the wound causing the blond to yelp in pain. Looking at the massive purple and blue wound on Narutos back, Sasuke could practically see the broken ribs rubbing together with each breath.
‘Breathing must agony. That scream must of hurt like hell.’
Slowly Naruto unclenched his fist, closed his eyes and resumed his shallow strained breathing. Kakashi moved faster this time. Wrapping up Naruto in the blanket from his bed and making sure not to touch the bruises on his back.
“Let go of his arm Sasuke”
Sasuke laid the arm on the bed and stepped back. Kakashi moved both of Naruto’s arms across his chest and scooped him up in to his arms. Holding the bleeding teen bride style, one arm under his knees the other behind the shoulders.
“No training today”
With that Kakashi jumped out the window. Jumping from building to building as fast as he could toward the hospital.
~~~~~~~~))))~~~~~~~~
Naruto was aware that he was moving. That he was being carried by a rather fuzzy version of Kakashi. Who looked worried, that alone was odd because Kakashi did not show worry that often. Every thing seamed to swim together. One thing flowing in to another. Everything was blurry like he was under water.
‘Is that why I cant breathe. I’m under water?’
Nothing made sense. He remembered the searing pain in his back. Making him scream but that only made the pain worse. He had held his breath waiting for the pain to stop. It had lessened only a little when he heard Sasuke? Telling him to breathe? No, that bastard would not do that.
Breathing in had hurt so much. Then the pain in his back again. Then he was moving.
‘Am I still asleep? No. You don’t hurt in dreams. Shit I’m cold.’
He had been shivering the whole trip so far. The blanket was not keeping him warm. Naruto could feel the warm arms holding him to a even warmer chest. Trying to get closer to the warm body Naruto pressed his face and body against fuzzy Kakashi-sensei.
Naruto glanced up at Kakashi’s one visible eye. There was a weird look their a mix of worry and some thing else that he hoped was not pity. Naruto wanted to explain that he was not snuggling. He was freezing and Kakashi was the only warm thing around. All that came out though was a slurred“cold.”
Kakashi understood and held Naruto closer. He had lost a lot of blood and could not maintain body heat.
A minute later they arrived at the hospital. Kakashi started to yell at some medical nin’s. Then he was set down on a cold table. Making him shiver worse. Someone started to remove the blanket making him colder still. As the blanket came off someone touched the bruise on his back. Not lightly either.
When he screamed the medical nin had let go of him letting his bare back hit the cold metal table.
Gasping for air sent a shudder through him. The pain was not going away. Each breath hurt worse if that was possible. He tried to turn on his side, get his weight off his back, to get the pain to stop enough for him to get one good, deep breath of air. His right hand was numb and his left was tangled in the blanket. In his pain wracked mind the blond heard Kakashi yelling some more and the blanket came off. Some one helped him turn to his left side making the pain ebb. Then there was a pinch in his left hand. Naruto looked down and saw the IV then it blurred and faded out as the blond drifted in to unconsciousness.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
The darkness swirled around him. The cage in front of him looked more like a brick wall with some bricks missing. The red eyes where hovering mid air looking as horrible as always.
Kyuubi.
Naruto had spent the night here. Sleeping against the wall. It was warm and he was cold, so cold. Naruto hated this place. It’s what made everybody hate him. Normally it was a cage with bars and Kyuubi would be moving about. Always looking for the smallest imperfection to exploit and escape. Yet when he was laying against he wall shivering he could feel Kyuubi lay down on the other side.
Through one of the holes he could almost feel fur. Kyuubi had stayed the whole night keeping him warm. Looking at the area again Naruto saw the walls thick and impenetrable. Kyuubi’s immense chakra could not even get out to heal him.
Then Naruto noticed the light. Almost like a stained glass window. The light shining down in different colors and casting odd shadows. Looking for the source of the odd light he looked up. The light was from a flesh colored ceiling. Looking closer he saw that the ceiling was the inside of his stomach, veins ran in a spidery web formation around his belly button and on that was the seal. He could see the seal holding strong. But what it was drawn on was thinning letting the light through.
‘Weird’
Naruto was to sleepy and cold to think to much about it. He went to the wall and laid down against it. Almost immediately Kyuubi laid down on the other side. The warmth spread through the wall and Naruto snuggled closer. Trying to get warm.
“Hay Kyuubi.”
There was no way for him to tell if the fox was listening. So he just continued.
“If the ceiling thins too much can you get out? Passed the seal and all. Its no good if there’s nothing for it to hold together.”
Kyuubi shifted. Naruto could feel the warmth move.
“Don’t go. Please don’t go, I don’t want to be alone”
Kyuubi settled down and pressed against the wall. Naruto felt the warmth steady and calmed. Slowly drifting off in to sleep.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sounds woke him. Some one talking. No two people. He could just make out some of it.
“There’s still a lot of the demon’s chakra in his abdomen. He can’t use it though. It’s almost
completely blocked.”
The voice was familiar.
“What about his own chakra?”
That voice he could recognize. Tsunade
“Gone. There is none.”
“The seal”
“Is holding.”
At first the voices were distant fading in and out. But Naruto heard the last part. He recognized the voice now as well. Neji.
Opening his eyes and blinked in the bright light. Looking over so he was not staring in to the ceiling lights, he looked right in to Neji’s eyes. Who was staring intently at him with byakugan. The milky white pupil less eye’s with veins popping out around them, were a rather startling thing to wake up to. Shifting slightly because looking deeply in to the Hyuugas eye’s made him uncomfortable, sent pain up Naruto’s back The blue eyed teen turned his head over to the other side mostly to not look at Neji and his creepy eyes.
“Tsunade”
Naruto sounded weak, he had tried to talk normally but he could only manage a whisper. His voice broke halfway through the one word and a groggy feeling clouded the blonds mind.
“Naruto, you’re awake. How do you feel? Are you in pain?”
Naruto remembered his right arm and back through the haze in his head. Looking down, his arm was wrapped in bandages and there was an IV in his left hand. At least he was not on the cold table anymore. He was on an almost comfortable bed. He was still cold though, the blankets were pulled down to the top of his shorts.
“I don’t feel any thing” he rasped. It was true. Besides the chilled feeling. There was no sensation in his body.
“Good, the pain killers are working. You were stitched up but we have to give you four pints of blood before we can set your ribs. You’re still working on the fourth one. They require surgery. And Naruto.”
“What” he wheezed
“What happened to you. Your chakra is gone. Neji can not see any and your body is not allowing any chakra in. That’s why we have to do this the old fashion way”
“I’m cold”
Tsunade always got mad when he got the shit knocked out of him. Even if he was on a legitimate shinobi mission and if it was because of the villagers she got twice as mad. She was going to lectured him to no end about being aware of his surroundings and bla, bla bla.
In the end he thought it was better not to come to the hokage every time some one tried to hurt him. Besides the blond found it embarrassing to tell anyone that he had his ass handed to him on a silver platter. And it made him feel like a cry baby, which he did not want anybody to ever think about him. Besides it had been almost a year sense he had something serious happend and it was the reason she had made that little snake in the box comment
Tsunade pulled the blanket up to his chest, glaring at the stubborn teen, knowing full well that he was avoiding her question.
“Naruto what happened. Who did this to you?”
The blond on the bed did not want to answer, it would just be better if it just went quietly away and not get dragged in to the open. It would raise to many question from his friends. Naruto did not want to have to answer the “why do they hate you.” question. Because then they would hate him as well.
Growing up with out anybody had been horribly lonely, and he was in no hurry to go back to it. Iruka knew about the fox and Kakashi did to, so if it got out that he had the Kyuubi inside him he would not be totally alone. Still if Sakura looked at him with the look of disgust he got from her parents when they saw him with her, he did not think he could take it.
Tsunade put her hands on her hips and scowled at the evasive teen.
“Naruto I know you don’t want to be considered weak. But if you don’t tell me who did this, then I can not send someone to kick there ass. Then they are just going to come back and hurt you again.”
Neji was still standing quietly at the foot of the bed, half listening to the exchange between the hokage and the short blond teen he had just confirmed that the Kyuubi was still inside of. His emotions were a muddled mix of shock and rage tempered down with the fact that Naruto was still oddly Naruto. The blond idiot always had the demon inside of him, it was just hard to grasp the fact he had been lied to his entire life about something as important as this. As much as he hated to admit it the silent Hyuuga could see why it was done, but it did not make him feel any better knowing that it did not work. Obviously because Naruto was now in the hospital having lost almost all of his blood and had two broken ribs.
Despite his stoic attitude the way he felt about the situation showed on his pale face.
Naruto was looking around avoiding the hokages gaze mostly to avoid the question she was repeatedly asking him. Focusing on the only none standard hospital room item, he saw the scowl that Neji wore.
Slowly the pale gaze drifted up to meet his then jerked away.
Neji knew that he had the demon in him. Neji knew and now hated him. The way Neji refused to look at him, refused to acknowledge his presence.
Just like the villagers.
The blond did not care anymore if Tsunade lectured him he just wanted the glare’s to stop. In his book a blow to the pride was far less painful than the smoldering hatred that burned in Neji’s eye’s.
“Two jounin’s from here jumped me in the ally on my way home.”
“Did you see them?”
“Not really.”
Just then a nurse came in to the room. Looked nervously at Naruto then turned to Tsunade.
“Hokage-sama your needed in surgery to prep”
Standing up and putting a hand on Naruto’s shoulder. She had not missed the look to Neji and the abject defeat that showed on his face when the Hyuuga prodigy jerked away.
“I’ll be back soon to get you ready to fix those ribs. Neji stay with him.”
Tsunade followed the nurse out and Naruto watched her leave. As the curtain covering the door swayed with their passing, Naruto could see the ANBU just out side the door.
‘They don’t trust me at all.’
Minutes passed, neither spoke to the other. The blond not wanting the hateful words of demon and monster to come from Neji so he ignored him. Naruto was looking at the door, he could see the feet of the people that passed by. Two pairs stopped and from the look of the shoes they were female. They started to talk loudly enough for him the hear them.
“Is it in there? The boy with the Kyuubi.”
“Yes why else would their be so much security”
“Hokage-sama should let it die. Then we would all be a lot safer.”
Naruto turned his face away from the door to look out the window. As the two woman continued, agreeing that the hokage was nuts for allowing him to live.
‘I don’t want to hear this. They never stop. Can’t they leave me alone. I feel like shit already and now Neji hates me.’
The tan hand that had the IV in it grabbed on to the bed sheets. No matter what he was not going to cry. Crying did nothing but make your eyes sore. No matter how hard you cried nothing would change. The nurse’s might be even more amused if they found out that they had made him cry and Neji would think evan worse of him then he did now.
Neji heard the nurses talking. Saw the pained look on Naruto’s face. Saw him try to roll over to put his back to them. Grimacing in determination to move his drug influenced body, it was a small act of defiance from the wounded blond. When he finely got on to his side Naruto’s breathing deepened automatically as the pressure came off his back. Neji could see the horrendous bruise that covered his back. The lumps that could only be the broken pieces of his ribs that stood raised on the sea of purple and blue flesh.
The nurse at the door said something particularly nasty. A tear fell down Naruto cheek and he quickly brushed it away. Almost like he was ashamed to cry. Neji could not stand it any more demon or not Naruto was still his friend. He went to the door and explained that they would leave now or die a very horrible death. Not from Kyuubi but from him snapping there spines and watching them slowly wither and die. The two nurse’s looked blankly at him but they left. Returning to Naruto, Neji could see some more tears fall.
‘He didn’t have to do that. The fucker feels sorry for me that’s all. I prefer hatred over pity.’
Naruto managed a week sounding “Thanks”. Despite his internal rants
“Those bitches needed to be told off.”
“You hate me too. I can see it in your face.”
Neji was cornered, did he hate Naruto now that he knew? No, he still thought of Naruto as the loud, annoying blond that showed him the way out of his darkness. Neji smiled when he remembered the look of understanding that Naruto gave him when he told him about his seal. Now he knew why the blond looked at him like that. No, he did not hate the blond for something he had no control over. In fact he sympathized with him.
“No I don’t hate you. I’m pissed that anybody would do this to you and for being lied to.”
Naruto looked at Neji. Looked him strait in the milky white eye.
“Your lying. You are hear to watch me. To see if Kyuubi is still here.”
Naruto had been hurt before by someone who knew what was in him and from the common reaction he got from the villagers that knew, there was no way Neji could not hate him. He was so sure that if they ever found out about the demon in him, he would lose all of his hard won friends. There was no way Neji could still like him or respect him after he found out, there was just no way.
“No I don’t hate you. If any thing I understand. But I also have to try and find out why you can’t heal yourself. I really don’t hate you. I just don’t know how to deal with the demon.”
Naruto stared at the Hyuuga who had taken the seat next to his bed. There was no way Neji could not hate him. But Hyuuga Neji was not someone who would lie to make him feel better. It did make him feel better. But he had been lied to by people he had trusted so what if Neji was lying?
Neji watched as emotions flashed across the blonds face. When the emotions stopped changing suddenly and Naruto was looking out the small window with a sad hurt look on his face the Hyuuga prodigy tried to talk to the blond.
“What happened to your chakra? I’ve never seen any one with no chakra. Your’s is gone and the red one from your stomach is providing enough for you to live and that’s it.”
Neji might be lying to him about still being his friend but he did not mask the concern for him in his voice. Or the fact that by talking to him he was acknowledging his existence.
“They, they injected me with some thing. In my shoulder. They beat the shit out of me after it drained me of my chakra.”
Naruto did not look at Neji he just kept staring out the window.
“Your arm, back?”
“I landed on a glass bottle. They were kicking me back and forth. Finally they slammed me in to the ground. One stomped on my back the other stood on my arm pushing the glass in deeper. Then I passed out.”
“How often douse this sort of thing happen.”
“On and off. It’s worse when its fellow shinobi and around the anniversary of the 4ths death.”
“How can you still smile like you do and run around all happy go lucky when the people treat you like shit.”
Naurto looked back up at the white eyed teen sitting next to the bed. He had not expected to have a conversation like this with Neji. In fact this was one of his worst nightmares. But it seemed that Neji really did not care that he had a demon inside of him
Tsunade walked in then, looked at Naruto then at Neji. She had picked Neji out of all the Hyuuga’s because he was Naruto’s friend and was the most likely to understand that it’s not Naruto’s fault. He knew that fate was a fickle bitch that dealt some bad hands in the game of life. It seem’s she had picked wisely.
“Naruto we have to set your ribs now.”
She walked over to Naruto’s IV and injected a syringe in to it and pushed the plunger home. Naruto was smiling as he drifted off in to the drug induced sleep.
“Do all the adults hate him?”
Neji asked. It had been bothering him ever since he was briefed on Naruto and Kyuubi and how he had ended up in the hospital.
“No, only the stupid ones that don’t even realize that he’s not Kyuubi, just the vessel.”
Some medical nins came in and put Naruto on a stretcher.
“Hokage sama.”
“Yes, I’m coming. Neji return to Gai, don’t say anything about Kyuubi.”
Tsunade fallowed the medical nins out and Neji followed her. Turning their separate ways down the halls.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Naruto woke as something moved beside him. The room was dimly lit and there was a hazy glow to it. Some thing was in his nose but he did not mind. He could hear faint beeping to the side of him and he felt sore. There was a just little pain in his back and right arm. It was easier to breath now, it must be the thing in his nose. Opening his eyes fully, he saw the room as it slowly came in to focus. There were cords and machines near to the bed he lay on. Passed that it looked like a regular bedroom. Not a hospital room.
“Naruto?”
Someone came it to his line of sight.
“Naruto. How do you feel.”
“Iruka sensi? Where am I?”
“Your at my house. Hokage sama is letting me to take care of you. She’ll be here soon to check and see how your doing.”
“Why am I not at the hospital.”
“Neji told her about the nurses. She did not what you to be around people that did not appreciate your worth. Most of the hospital staff were terrified that Kyuubi did this to you. They scared the elders in to making a Hyuuga check to make sure the demon was not getting out. I know you, and I know that Kyuubi can’t get out. So I volunteered to have you stay with me.”
“Thanks.”
The blond was relieved that Tsunade had not insisted that he stay in the hospital and that Iruka was as always, a mother hen.
“Get some rest Naruto. I’ll be here.”
As if suddenly compelled Naruto fell in to a light sleep.
Iruka sat down in the chair that he had sat in for the last 6 hours. If he ever found out who did this....
He would have to wait for Tsunade and Kakashi to get through with them. Both of them where so pissed off that just being around them was hazardous to your life span. They would find the two men responsible. He had no doubt about that. Until then he would protect Naruto. There will be ANBU stationed around his house at all times. But he felt responsible for Naruto. He would make sure that no one would hurt him in this house.
I do not own Naruto.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
‘Where is that idiot?’
Sakura was here on time rambling on about some thing. Hell Kakashi was here. A hour late as expected. But Naruto was late. Unusual for him, the dobe was normally here as soon as the sun was up. The morron was predictable in his unpredictably but he was never, NEVER late for training. Maybe he was to rough with him yesterday.
No. Naurto could heal faster than him.
‘Why was that anyway?’
“Where is Naruto”
Sakura asked for about the tenth time. Her hands on her hips and her face in a pout. She was so transparent in the fact that if Naruto never showed she would happily spend the day training alone with him. The pout was for the answer he had given her when she had proposed that. “I have no reason to be here with out the dobe to spar with and would leave if he did not show.” After that she was a little more eager to know the whereabouts of the hyperactive blond.
“Maybe we should go find Naruto.”
Kakashi said as he turned towards the road leading to Naruto’s house. The irritation showed in his one visible eye as he tucked the latest volume of icha icha paradise in to his pocket. It was common knowledge that under no circumstances were any of them to be later than him.
Heaven help you if Kakashi had to go find you in the morning. It had only happened once before and the whole team was worked to exhaustion for a week thanks to Sakura wanting to look good for him and having lost track of the time.
“Fine” Sasuke replied emotionlessly.
‘If he’s still asleep I’ll kill him.’
Oh yes, if he had to drain another swamp or anything equally stupid and tiring because of Naruto they would never find the blonds body. The blond had better have a damn good reason for not being here. Both he and Sakura silently turned and followed Kakashi as he led the way to Naruto’s house.
As they approached Naruto’s door a rather fowl smell came wafting out to them.
“Damn, it smells like he forgot to take out he trash” Sakura covered her nose with her hand.
Kakashi looked impassive under his mask and reached for the door handle. Opening the door the smell got worse. Stepping in, Sasuke saw the familiar jacket by the door. Covered by crud and blood, flies were buzzing around it. Quickly he stepped passed the rank garment.
“Eew” Sakura said as she passed. Grossed out by the bugs that crawled on the orange and blue coat.
Kakashi looked at it and for some reason looked a little worried.
‘Why the hell would he be worried. Naruto can heal fast.’
But he felt it to. Some thing was wrong. Sasuke walked toward the bed room noticing drops of blood leading to the bathroom. Their sparring yesterday did not leave the blond with any wound big enough to cause this much blood. The over active boy probably did something stupid like cut his hand with his own kunai showing off.
‘At least he cleaned him self up. A small consolation for the grunt work we’re going to have to do.’
But that did not account for the bad feeling he had in his gut or the worry Kakashi had shown. In a rare moment the dark haired boy let his stoic features slip and showed a little bit of the worry he was starting to feel. It was like at the movies when you knew the killer was behind the door the innocent yet buxom girl was about to open. Not that he Uchiha Sasuke was tantalized by scary movies. He only watched them when he could not sleep. Or there was a twilight zone marathon.
‘This is stupid Naruto can take care of himself.’
Walking in to the bed room he saw Naruto laying on the bed with the covers pulled over his head. The bad feeling was still here a long with the metallic smell of blood, the raven haired teen could not see any at the moment but if he could smell it then there must be a lot of it. The Uchiha walked up to the bed as Sakura came in. Kakashi had turned and followed the trail of blood to the bathroom.
“Wake up you piece of crap”
Sakura was pissed, she hated the heavy kind of work that Naruto was condemning them to. She got even more pissed when she got no response. Sasuke was mildly surprised that Sakura could not feel the icy trickle of impending doom that had been dancing along his spine. Sometimes she could be a heartless bitch, this was defiantly one of those times. Looking close at the lump of bedding that was Naruto, it was barely moving and had a few dark smears that could of been blood. Stepping forward the stoic teen grabbed the blanket and in one quick motion pulled it off.
Sakura gasped. He stood frozen for a moment at the site in front of him. Naruto laying on his side, was covered in cuts and bruises. A large painful looking bruise took up most of his back. Black eyes, split lip. The thing that stopped him dead was the bloody towel around his arm. At one time it was white but it was soaked in blood. The bed sheet beneath it was covered in blood as well. He could hear Naruto’s raspy shallow breathing as the blond shivered, curling up. When his legs were 90 degrees from his body, he whimpered in pain, as the action pulled on the swollen muscles of his back. The pained sound snapped them out of the shock.
“KAKASHI” Sakura screamed.
She turned to run out of the room but was met with a face full of their teacher. Who she had run into and fell back to the floor onto her butt.
“Shit” Kakashi whispered looking over the wounded blond and ignoring the pink haired girl at his feet.
Going over to Naruto, Kakashi put his hand to his throat. Feeling his pulse. It was weak. So very weak. Feeling the unsteady rise and fall of the tan chest. The silver haired Jounin then removed the towel to uncover the wounds to get a good look at what he was dealing with. Cris-crossed red slashes that sank deep in to the muscle, some that were still bleeding decorated his students arm. Coating the tan flesh in a sadistic red layer. The silver haired jounin’s uncovered eye, widened when he saw the blood flow out in time with Naruto’s weak pulse.
“Fuck”
“Sasuke get another towel. NOW.”
Turning the Uchiha sprinted to the bathroom, if Kakashi was swearing, it was bad. The nasty smell from the door was here as well. Going in, he saw the counter covered in dried blood. The glass on it as well as the broken forehead protector were all covered in dried blood. Flies were crawling around everywhere lapping up the abundant food source.
The blood on the floor led pooled at the sink and led to the shower. There was more blood and a pile of nasty clothes next to the small tiled shower. The flies were swarming the rank clothes. Sasuke could see some blood stains on the shower knobs.
‘He lost a lot of blood. To much blood.’
Grabbing a clean towel, Sasuke ran back to Naruto. The whole trip only took about 2 seconds if that. Kakashi was sitting on the bed, had one hand pressing the pressure point on Naruto’s elbow. Trying to slow the flow of blood to the wounds on his arm. The other was at the blonds throat, feeling his pulse.
“Here’s the towel”
The raven haired teen was trying to keep his voice even, cold. But he was sure that a little emotion had seeped in to the sentence.
“Wrap it around his arm. Put pressure on the deep cut.”
Unfolding the towel and moving up to the side of the bed he got a good look at the cuts. Some still had glass in them. Some left the muscle exposed, one he could clearly see the sliced vein. It was still bleeding evan with Kakashi holding the pressure point. Wrapping the towel around the ripped up arm he put pressure on the sliced vein. The feeling of warm blood reached his fingers as it flowed on to the towel.
‘What happened to him healing fast. What the hell happened to him.’
Sasuke felt worry and anger swell in him. Worry for Naruto and anger directed at the assholes that did this to him. The curse seal on his shoulder activated for a second sending a stab of fierce pain coursing through his pale flesh. Sasuke clamped down on the hate and anger he was feeling and snorted.
The blond was the only one who could evoke open emotions from him. Normally the only emotions he felt were hate and anger directed at the bleeding boy on the bed who seemed to know all of and enjoyed pressing Sasuke’s buttons. Naruto was the only one who could work him up in to a blithering rage and some how he still felt a little less lonely in his company.
It was stupid, Naruto was stupid, and why the hell did he even consider the annoying blond to be his friend in the first place. He did not know, but it still bothered him to see Naruto like this.
Kakashi heard the snort and looked up, seeing Sasuke holding Naruto’s arm let go of the pressure point.
“He has to go to the hospital. Sakura hand me that blanket.”
Kakashi reached out behind Sasuke and motioned for her to hand it to him.
Sakura, looking pale, was shaking but she still managed to walk over and pick up the blanket Sasuke had dropped when he first saw Naruto. Picking it up and handing it to Kakashi, Sasuke could see the almost green tint to Sakura.
“Don’t go in the bathroom”
“I’m fine”
She had whispered it and he grunted at her in irritation. If she wanted to be a good medic, she should be prepared to see friends bleeding.
Kakashi maneuvered Naruto so he could wrap him in the blanket. As he did his hand brushed up against the large puffy bruise on Naruto’s back. An agonized scream rushed out of the blond and Naruto opened his eyes half way. They were dull, almost gray. His left hand had a death grip on the sheets. As Kakashi held him propped up on the bed. Moments passed, no one moved, not wanting to make Naruto scream again.
He had not breathed in since he screamed and Narutos lips were turning blue. Sasuke smirked, Naruto was as stupid as he was stubborn. The smirk left the dark haired boys face when he realized that he was holding his breath as well. Taking a deep breath he decided to remind Naruto of his bodies oxygen needs.
“Breath dobe”
A small gasp for air followed by a pained whimper. Kakashi, like Sasuke, had frozen when Naruto screamed. Now he was looking at the bruise on Naruto’s back. Their sensei’s hand ghosted the wound causing the blond to yelp in pain. Looking at the massive purple and blue wound on Narutos back, Sasuke could practically see the broken ribs rubbing together with each breath.
‘Breathing must agony. That scream must of hurt like hell.’
Slowly Naruto unclenched his fist, closed his eyes and resumed his shallow strained breathing. Kakashi moved faster this time. Wrapping up Naruto in the blanket from his bed and making sure not to touch the bruises on his back.
“Let go of his arm Sasuke”
Sasuke laid the arm on the bed and stepped back. Kakashi moved both of Naruto’s arms across his chest and scooped him up in to his arms. Holding the bleeding teen bride style, one arm under his knees the other behind the shoulders.
“No training today”
With that Kakashi jumped out the window. Jumping from building to building as fast as he could toward the hospital.
~~~~~~~~))))~~~~~~~~
Naruto was aware that he was moving. That he was being carried by a rather fuzzy version of Kakashi. Who looked worried, that alone was odd because Kakashi did not show worry that often. Every thing seamed to swim together. One thing flowing in to another. Everything was blurry like he was under water.
‘Is that why I cant breathe. I’m under water?’
Nothing made sense. He remembered the searing pain in his back. Making him scream but that only made the pain worse. He had held his breath waiting for the pain to stop. It had lessened only a little when he heard Sasuke? Telling him to breathe? No, that bastard would not do that.
Breathing in had hurt so much. Then the pain in his back again. Then he was moving.
‘Am I still asleep? No. You don’t hurt in dreams. Shit I’m cold.’
He had been shivering the whole trip so far. The blanket was not keeping him warm. Naruto could feel the warm arms holding him to a even warmer chest. Trying to get closer to the warm body Naruto pressed his face and body against fuzzy Kakashi-sensei.
Naruto glanced up at Kakashi’s one visible eye. There was a weird look their a mix of worry and some thing else that he hoped was not pity. Naruto wanted to explain that he was not snuggling. He was freezing and Kakashi was the only warm thing around. All that came out though was a slurred“cold.”
Kakashi understood and held Naruto closer. He had lost a lot of blood and could not maintain body heat.
A minute later they arrived at the hospital. Kakashi started to yell at some medical nin’s. Then he was set down on a cold table. Making him shiver worse. Someone started to remove the blanket making him colder still. As the blanket came off someone touched the bruise on his back. Not lightly either.
When he screamed the medical nin had let go of him letting his bare back hit the cold metal table.
Gasping for air sent a shudder through him. The pain was not going away. Each breath hurt worse if that was possible. He tried to turn on his side, get his weight off his back, to get the pain to stop enough for him to get one good, deep breath of air. His right hand was numb and his left was tangled in the blanket. In his pain wracked mind the blond heard Kakashi yelling some more and the blanket came off. Some one helped him turn to his left side making the pain ebb. Then there was a pinch in his left hand. Naruto looked down and saw the IV then it blurred and faded out as the blond drifted in to unconsciousness.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
The darkness swirled around him. The cage in front of him looked more like a brick wall with some bricks missing. The red eyes where hovering mid air looking as horrible as always.
Kyuubi.
Naruto had spent the night here. Sleeping against the wall. It was warm and he was cold, so cold. Naruto hated this place. It’s what made everybody hate him. Normally it was a cage with bars and Kyuubi would be moving about. Always looking for the smallest imperfection to exploit and escape. Yet when he was laying against he wall shivering he could feel Kyuubi lay down on the other side.
Through one of the holes he could almost feel fur. Kyuubi had stayed the whole night keeping him warm. Looking at the area again Naruto saw the walls thick and impenetrable. Kyuubi’s immense chakra could not even get out to heal him.
Then Naruto noticed the light. Almost like a stained glass window. The light shining down in different colors and casting odd shadows. Looking for the source of the odd light he looked up. The light was from a flesh colored ceiling. Looking closer he saw that the ceiling was the inside of his stomach, veins ran in a spidery web formation around his belly button and on that was the seal. He could see the seal holding strong. But what it was drawn on was thinning letting the light through.
‘Weird’
Naruto was to sleepy and cold to think to much about it. He went to the wall and laid down against it. Almost immediately Kyuubi laid down on the other side. The warmth spread through the wall and Naruto snuggled closer. Trying to get warm.
“Hay Kyuubi.”
There was no way for him to tell if the fox was listening. So he just continued.
“If the ceiling thins too much can you get out? Passed the seal and all. Its no good if there’s nothing for it to hold together.”
Kyuubi shifted. Naruto could feel the warmth move.
“Don’t go. Please don’t go, I don’t want to be alone”
Kyuubi settled down and pressed against the wall. Naruto felt the warmth steady and calmed. Slowly drifting off in to sleep.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sounds woke him. Some one talking. No two people. He could just make out some of it.
“There’s still a lot of the demon’s chakra in his abdomen. He can’t use it though. It’s almost
completely blocked.”
The voice was familiar.
“What about his own chakra?”
That voice he could recognize. Tsunade
“Gone. There is none.”
“The seal”
“Is holding.”
At first the voices were distant fading in and out. But Naruto heard the last part. He recognized the voice now as well. Neji.
Opening his eyes and blinked in the bright light. Looking over so he was not staring in to the ceiling lights, he looked right in to Neji’s eyes. Who was staring intently at him with byakugan. The milky white pupil less eye’s with veins popping out around them, were a rather startling thing to wake up to. Shifting slightly because looking deeply in to the Hyuugas eye’s made him uncomfortable, sent pain up Naruto’s back The blue eyed teen turned his head over to the other side mostly to not look at Neji and his creepy eyes.
“Tsunade”
Naruto sounded weak, he had tried to talk normally but he could only manage a whisper. His voice broke halfway through the one word and a groggy feeling clouded the blonds mind.
“Naruto, you’re awake. How do you feel? Are you in pain?”
Naruto remembered his right arm and back through the haze in his head. Looking down, his arm was wrapped in bandages and there was an IV in his left hand. At least he was not on the cold table anymore. He was on an almost comfortable bed. He was still cold though, the blankets were pulled down to the top of his shorts.
“I don’t feel any thing” he rasped. It was true. Besides the chilled feeling. There was no sensation in his body.
“Good, the pain killers are working. You were stitched up but we have to give you four pints of blood before we can set your ribs. You’re still working on the fourth one. They require surgery. And Naruto.”
“What” he wheezed
“What happened to you. Your chakra is gone. Neji can not see any and your body is not allowing any chakra in. That’s why we have to do this the old fashion way”
“I’m cold”
Tsunade always got mad when he got the shit knocked out of him. Even if he was on a legitimate shinobi mission and if it was because of the villagers she got twice as mad. She was going to lectured him to no end about being aware of his surroundings and bla, bla bla.
In the end he thought it was better not to come to the hokage every time some one tried to hurt him. Besides the blond found it embarrassing to tell anyone that he had his ass handed to him on a silver platter. And it made him feel like a cry baby, which he did not want anybody to ever think about him. Besides it had been almost a year sense he had something serious happend and it was the reason she had made that little snake in the box comment
Tsunade pulled the blanket up to his chest, glaring at the stubborn teen, knowing full well that he was avoiding her question.
“Naruto what happened. Who did this to you?”
The blond on the bed did not want to answer, it would just be better if it just went quietly away and not get dragged in to the open. It would raise to many question from his friends. Naruto did not want to have to answer the “why do they hate you.” question. Because then they would hate him as well.
Growing up with out anybody had been horribly lonely, and he was in no hurry to go back to it. Iruka knew about the fox and Kakashi did to, so if it got out that he had the Kyuubi inside him he would not be totally alone. Still if Sakura looked at him with the look of disgust he got from her parents when they saw him with her, he did not think he could take it.
Tsunade put her hands on her hips and scowled at the evasive teen.
“Naruto I know you don’t want to be considered weak. But if you don’t tell me who did this, then I can not send someone to kick there ass. Then they are just going to come back and hurt you again.”
Neji was still standing quietly at the foot of the bed, half listening to the exchange between the hokage and the short blond teen he had just confirmed that the Kyuubi was still inside of. His emotions were a muddled mix of shock and rage tempered down with the fact that Naruto was still oddly Naruto. The blond idiot always had the demon inside of him, it was just hard to grasp the fact he had been lied to his entire life about something as important as this. As much as he hated to admit it the silent Hyuuga could see why it was done, but it did not make him feel any better knowing that it did not work. Obviously because Naruto was now in the hospital having lost almost all of his blood and had two broken ribs.
Despite his stoic attitude the way he felt about the situation showed on his pale face.
Naruto was looking around avoiding the hokages gaze mostly to avoid the question she was repeatedly asking him. Focusing on the only none standard hospital room item, he saw the scowl that Neji wore.
Slowly the pale gaze drifted up to meet his then jerked away.
Neji knew that he had the demon in him. Neji knew and now hated him. The way Neji refused to look at him, refused to acknowledge his presence.
Just like the villagers.
The blond did not care anymore if Tsunade lectured him he just wanted the glare’s to stop. In his book a blow to the pride was far less painful than the smoldering hatred that burned in Neji’s eye’s.
“Two jounin’s from here jumped me in the ally on my way home.”
“Did you see them?”
“Not really.”
Just then a nurse came in to the room. Looked nervously at Naruto then turned to Tsunade.
“Hokage-sama your needed in surgery to prep”
Standing up and putting a hand on Naruto’s shoulder. She had not missed the look to Neji and the abject defeat that showed on his face when the Hyuuga prodigy jerked away.
“I’ll be back soon to get you ready to fix those ribs. Neji stay with him.”
Tsunade followed the nurse out and Naruto watched her leave. As the curtain covering the door swayed with their passing, Naruto could see the ANBU just out side the door.
‘They don’t trust me at all.’
Minutes passed, neither spoke to the other. The blond not wanting the hateful words of demon and monster to come from Neji so he ignored him. Naruto was looking at the door, he could see the feet of the people that passed by. Two pairs stopped and from the look of the shoes they were female. They started to talk loudly enough for him the hear them.
“Is it in there? The boy with the Kyuubi.”
“Yes why else would their be so much security”
“Hokage-sama should let it die. Then we would all be a lot safer.”
Naruto turned his face away from the door to look out the window. As the two woman continued, agreeing that the hokage was nuts for allowing him to live.
‘I don’t want to hear this. They never stop. Can’t they leave me alone. I feel like shit already and now Neji hates me.’
The tan hand that had the IV in it grabbed on to the bed sheets. No matter what he was not going to cry. Crying did nothing but make your eyes sore. No matter how hard you cried nothing would change. The nurse’s might be even more amused if they found out that they had made him cry and Neji would think evan worse of him then he did now.
Neji heard the nurses talking. Saw the pained look on Naruto’s face. Saw him try to roll over to put his back to them. Grimacing in determination to move his drug influenced body, it was a small act of defiance from the wounded blond. When he finely got on to his side Naruto’s breathing deepened automatically as the pressure came off his back. Neji could see the horrendous bruise that covered his back. The lumps that could only be the broken pieces of his ribs that stood raised on the sea of purple and blue flesh.
The nurse at the door said something particularly nasty. A tear fell down Naruto cheek and he quickly brushed it away. Almost like he was ashamed to cry. Neji could not stand it any more demon or not Naruto was still his friend. He went to the door and explained that they would leave now or die a very horrible death. Not from Kyuubi but from him snapping there spines and watching them slowly wither and die. The two nurse’s looked blankly at him but they left. Returning to Naruto, Neji could see some more tears fall.
‘He didn’t have to do that. The fucker feels sorry for me that’s all. I prefer hatred over pity.’
Naruto managed a week sounding “Thanks”. Despite his internal rants
“Those bitches needed to be told off.”
“You hate me too. I can see it in your face.”
Neji was cornered, did he hate Naruto now that he knew? No, he still thought of Naruto as the loud, annoying blond that showed him the way out of his darkness. Neji smiled when he remembered the look of understanding that Naruto gave him when he told him about his seal. Now he knew why the blond looked at him like that. No, he did not hate the blond for something he had no control over. In fact he sympathized with him.
“No I don’t hate you. I’m pissed that anybody would do this to you and for being lied to.”
Naruto looked at Neji. Looked him strait in the milky white eye.
“Your lying. You are hear to watch me. To see if Kyuubi is still here.”
Naruto had been hurt before by someone who knew what was in him and from the common reaction he got from the villagers that knew, there was no way Neji could not hate him. He was so sure that if they ever found out about the demon in him, he would lose all of his hard won friends. There was no way Neji could still like him or respect him after he found out, there was just no way.
“No I don’t hate you. If any thing I understand. But I also have to try and find out why you can’t heal yourself. I really don’t hate you. I just don’t know how to deal with the demon.”
Naruto stared at the Hyuuga who had taken the seat next to his bed. There was no way Neji could not hate him. But Hyuuga Neji was not someone who would lie to make him feel better. It did make him feel better. But he had been lied to by people he had trusted so what if Neji was lying?
Neji watched as emotions flashed across the blonds face. When the emotions stopped changing suddenly and Naruto was looking out the small window with a sad hurt look on his face the Hyuuga prodigy tried to talk to the blond.
“What happened to your chakra? I’ve never seen any one with no chakra. Your’s is gone and the red one from your stomach is providing enough for you to live and that’s it.”
Neji might be lying to him about still being his friend but he did not mask the concern for him in his voice. Or the fact that by talking to him he was acknowledging his existence.
“They, they injected me with some thing. In my shoulder. They beat the shit out of me after it drained me of my chakra.”
Naruto did not look at Neji he just kept staring out the window.
“Your arm, back?”
“I landed on a glass bottle. They were kicking me back and forth. Finally they slammed me in to the ground. One stomped on my back the other stood on my arm pushing the glass in deeper. Then I passed out.”
“How often douse this sort of thing happen.”
“On and off. It’s worse when its fellow shinobi and around the anniversary of the 4ths death.”
“How can you still smile like you do and run around all happy go lucky when the people treat you like shit.”
Naurto looked back up at the white eyed teen sitting next to the bed. He had not expected to have a conversation like this with Neji. In fact this was one of his worst nightmares. But it seemed that Neji really did not care that he had a demon inside of him
Tsunade walked in then, looked at Naruto then at Neji. She had picked Neji out of all the Hyuuga’s because he was Naruto’s friend and was the most likely to understand that it’s not Naruto’s fault. He knew that fate was a fickle bitch that dealt some bad hands in the game of life. It seem’s she had picked wisely.
“Naruto we have to set your ribs now.”
She walked over to Naruto’s IV and injected a syringe in to it and pushed the plunger home. Naruto was smiling as he drifted off in to the drug induced sleep.
“Do all the adults hate him?”
Neji asked. It had been bothering him ever since he was briefed on Naruto and Kyuubi and how he had ended up in the hospital.
“No, only the stupid ones that don’t even realize that he’s not Kyuubi, just the vessel.”
Some medical nins came in and put Naruto on a stretcher.
“Hokage sama.”
“Yes, I’m coming. Neji return to Gai, don’t say anything about Kyuubi.”
Tsunade fallowed the medical nins out and Neji followed her. Turning their separate ways down the halls.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Naruto woke as something moved beside him. The room was dimly lit and there was a hazy glow to it. Some thing was in his nose but he did not mind. He could hear faint beeping to the side of him and he felt sore. There was a just little pain in his back and right arm. It was easier to breath now, it must be the thing in his nose. Opening his eyes fully, he saw the room as it slowly came in to focus. There were cords and machines near to the bed he lay on. Passed that it looked like a regular bedroom. Not a hospital room.
“Naruto?”
Someone came it to his line of sight.
“Naruto. How do you feel.”
“Iruka sensi? Where am I?”
“Your at my house. Hokage sama is letting me to take care of you. She’ll be here soon to check and see how your doing.”
“Why am I not at the hospital.”
“Neji told her about the nurses. She did not what you to be around people that did not appreciate your worth. Most of the hospital staff were terrified that Kyuubi did this to you. They scared the elders in to making a Hyuuga check to make sure the demon was not getting out. I know you, and I know that Kyuubi can’t get out. So I volunteered to have you stay with me.”
“Thanks.”
The blond was relieved that Tsunade had not insisted that he stay in the hospital and that Iruka was as always, a mother hen.
“Get some rest Naruto. I’ll be here.”
As if suddenly compelled Naruto fell in to a light sleep.
Iruka sat down in the chair that he had sat in for the last 6 hours. If he ever found out who did this....
He would have to wait for Tsunade and Kakashi to get through with them. Both of them where so pissed off that just being around them was hazardous to your life span. They would find the two men responsible. He had no doubt about that. Until then he would protect Naruto. There will be ANBU stationed around his house at all times. But he felt responsible for Naruto. He would make sure that no one would hurt him in this house.