Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Colors of Life and Death ❯ No Time to Breath ( Chapter 26 )

Please read and review. I love reviews! Thanks!

(Pokes head out of reader proof room) Eh heh heh hem. Well, this chapter is out at a much better time frame than the last one.

I know that some of you don’t like extreme cliff hangers, but I would really appreciate it if I didn’t get any more reviews that say things like “F-ck you to Hell!” or “You mother F-ER!”. Playful death threats are fine, saying things like “Daaaaaamn you (shakes fist. Lol)” is fine; but I don’t like being sworn at in this manner. Please refrain from it in the future. Reviews like that upset me greatly and an upset Songbird does not feel like writing. Thank you.

GORE WARNING! Someone commits seppuku in this chapter. For those of you who know how that is done, you also know it’s very gory. I apologize, but I like it for the plot.

Special thanks to my beta readers: CrakBaby, Soryuji and UHR.

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“NO! No PLEASE!” Hinata begged Naruto’s lifeless form.

Minako’s mouth fell open in disbelief. After a few seconds she brought both of her palms up in front of her eyes. “Again...I failed to protect the clan...again.” Her gaze shifted down to the hilt of a short sword strapped around her waist. After a moment she removed it from its sheath and spoke softly. “Takeshi...”

“Hai?”

“I want you to be my kaishakunin (A/N-person who helps with the ritual suicide of a friend)...”

Takeshi’s eyes widened in shock and horror. “Please, Minako-sama. That’s not necessary!”

“I killed my brother’s only child, Takeshi. Please...help me die respectably,” Minako answered as she stared at the blade.

“I...”

“You’re the only one skilled enough with a sword...please.”

Takeshi’s hands balled into shaking fists. He squeezed his eyes shut. “I will do as you ask.” He pulled out his sword and held it level with the back of Minako’s neck. “I love you.”

“I know.” Minako grabbed her short sword with both hands and aimed it at her stomach. “Forgive me, Arashi.” She squeezed her eyes shut and drove the blade into the left side of her stomach up to the hilt. She then pulled the sword to the right and back to the middle. As she pulled the blade upwards, spilling her intestines onto her lap (It was at this moment that TenTen vomited), Takeshi cleanly cut through her neck so that it was connected only by a small strip of skin at the front.

Hands shaking, Takeshi dropped the sword. As it clattered to the floor he turned to face Kakashi. “Will you...allow us to leave with her body?”

Kakashi nodded in agreement.

Takeshi removed his knee length coat and wrapped Minako’s body in it before taking her into his arms. “Kakashi, you should know, she only thought she was doing what was best for her clan.” he turned to the other two remaining members of his group. “Let’s go.”

Kakashi watched as Takashi and the others walked away. “It’s been a long time since I have seen someone commit seppuku. Perhaps she will have honor in her next life.” He looked over at Naruto. “Arashi-sensei...it’s like you’ve died a second time,” he said as his visible eye misted over.

Sakura and Hinata were both crying loudly. Nearby, TenTen sank to the floor. “It’s like a bad dream,” she said softly as she stared at Naruto’s face. She was sad, but for some reason, she just didn’t cry.

“Naruto-kun...I will never let anyone forget your courage,” Lee said as tears soaked his cheeks.

Sasuke broke everyone out of their grieving trance with an angry, animalistic scream. He quickly closed the short distance between Naruto and himself and dropped to the floor next to Naruto’s head. “Wake up, damn you! You’ve never given up on anything in your life! FIGHT!” he screamed and punched the floor.

“That’s right. Naruto-kun would never give up.” Hinata raised her head and sniffed back her tears. “I won’t give up either.” She put both her hands over the area of Naruto’s heart. “Tsunade-sama, forgive me. I must break my promise.”

Sakura saw what Hinata was doing and recognized it immediately. She grabbed Hinata’s hands. “No, Hinata-chan!”

“I’m going to save him.”

“Did Tsunade-sama have time to teach you the proper way to do it?”

Hinata frowned. “No.”

“Then you’ll die!”

“It’s worth it.”

“Wait...I know the basic way it works. Maybe...maybe we can figure it out on our own,” Sakura pleaded.

Hinata looked skeptical but she agreed. “Alright, what do we do?”

Sakura scooted over next to Hinata. “We have to change our chakra into electricity and shock the entire nervous system.”

“Okay.”

Hinata and Sakura put their hands over Naruto’s heart. As their hands began to glow green all movement in the room stopped.

Sasuke’s tears slowed as he held his breath in hope. “Come on, Ototo (A/N- Younger brother).”

Hinata suddenly felt a change in her chakra. “That’s it!” she thought. She pushed as much chakra into the jutsu as possible. She knew that if they didn’t hurry, not only were their chances of reviving him going down, but the chance of brain damage was going up. Both girls were beginning to sweat profusely and could barely keep going. “Come on, come on, come on...” she chanted in her mind.

Naruto opened his eyes to find himself in the seal chamber. He stared at the now empty cage and let out a long sigh. “For the first time in my life, I wish you were here. I don’t know how to heal myself.” As he sat down in the shallow water and folded his arms over his knees a loud ‘thump’ resonated through the chamber. “What the hell was that?” His eyes widened. “Am I...?”

Hinata felt as though she could easily fly. “HIS HEART IS BEATING!” she squealed in pure joy.

“I know,” Sakura said, fighting to keep down her own excitement. “Keep working.”

Hinata immediately went back to concentrating, angry at herself for letting her emotions distract her form her work. Very slowly, the last remnants of the burns vanished, save for some slight scarring. Dizzy from both exhaustion and happiness, she collapsed onto Naruto’s back.

“Hinata-chan...you’re heavy,” Naruto’s voice croaked out.

Hinata squeaked and quickly sat up. “G...gomen!” When she didn’t get a response she felt her earlier panic returning. “Naruto-kun!” She checked his pulse and closed her eyes in relief. “He’s...just sleeping,” she informed the others as she wiped away the tears of joy that had begun to remoisten her already saturated cheeks.

Lee and TenTen jumped into the air and let out a whoop of joy, while Kakashi shook his head and smiled. “He’s got more lives than a cat.”

Sasuke slid his right hand upwards over his face and let out a relieved sigh. “You’re gonna make me old before my time, Dobe,” he said affectionately to his brother’s sleeping form.

Kakashi coughed. “Well, now that he’s alright...” he changed the channel on his headset and put it on. “Mayor Kurata.”

After a moment, Kurata’s voice crackled over the receiver. “Yes?”
“The Youkai gang is no longer a problem. Please send officers to pick up their members. We are at the condemned apartment building on Ayu Street.”

“Arigato, Kakashi. I will be in debt to you for a long time to come.”

Kakashi smiled. “You are very welcome. We’ll stay here until the police arrive. Kakashi, out.” he turned back to his teenaged companions. “Wait here for a few minutes,” he ordered before disappearing up the stairs. He returned a few moments later with Naruto’s cousin in his arms. “TenTen and Sasuke will wait here for the police. The rest of us will to return to the hotel. Hinata, Lee...you two will carry Naruto. I’ll take care of her,” he said, looking down at the woman in his arms so that they would know who he was talking about. “Understood?”
“Hai,” replied the group.

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Jiraiya watched as all but Sasuke and TenTen left the building. He sighed, his earlier thoughts of checking out the local female population forgotten, when he realized that even if Itachi was nowhere in sight, he was probably not out of the equation yet, and therefore he could not leave TenTen and Sasuke without a guard. He sulkily rested his cheek on his fist and waited for the police to arrive.

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Kakashi hadn’t seen anything, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that they were being followed. “It’s probably Itachi,” he thought with a sigh. “I can’t track him. I’ll have to wait till he makes a move.” He knew this was the truth, but it was a truth he did not like at all.

Itachi knew there was no way Kakashi hadn’t sensed him. Due to his superior genjutsu skills, however, he was not worried. It only meant that Kakashi would be on guard. Suddenly, a cruel idea crept into his mind, bringing cold smirk to his face. “Tonight, I will capture Naruto-kun...”

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Hinata pulled the covers up to Naruto’s chin and sat down next to him. After stroking his forehead a bit she turned her gaze toward the blonde woman lying a few feet away. “Are we handing her over to the anbu?”

Kakashi shook his head. “No. We’re taking her to Tsunade-sama. I knew this woman very well, and I have a feeling she was only in the gang to act as Minako’s conscience. I want to give her a chance to explain herself.”

“Kakashi-kun?” said the woman’s weak voice. Kakashi moved next to her.

“Hai. How are you feeling, Tomoyo-chan?”

Tomoyo squeezed her eyes shut. “My head hurts.” After thirty seconds or so of silence, her eyes snapped open. “Arashi-kun! I saw Arashi-kun!”

Kakashi smiled sadly. “I know.”

Tomoyo didn’t hide her surprise. “You know?”

“It may have looked like Arashi-sensei, but the boy you saw...was his son.”

“N...Naruto?!”

Kakashi nodded.

“B...but you told us he was dead!”

“I was...misinformed. Sandaime-sama and Arashi-sensei agreed to keep his identity a secret to protect him. Arashi-sensei had many enemies.”

Tomoyo looked upset but sighed heavily in understanding. “I see. Where is...he...?” she began to ask before noticing Naruto was in the same room. She put her fingers over her lips as she let out a small gasp. “Except for those odd birthmarks on his cheeks, he looks...exactly like Arashi-kun did when we were kids.” Tears filled her eyes as she smiled. “Has Minako-chan seen him?” she asked with a happy sniff.

Kakashi winced and looked down.

“Kakashi-kun?”

“Naruto jumped in front of one of her fire jutsus to protect this girl,” Kakashi said, gesturing at Hinata. “He nearly died from the burns, and Minako thought he was dead. She believed she had killed her brother’s son. She...committed seppuku,” he finished quietly.

Both of Tomoyo’s hands flew to her face, and she began to cry loudly. “Minako-chan!” she said in between cries of anguish, her voice muffled by her hands. After a few seconds she fell to her side on the bed, her hands still to her face.

Kakashi sat down on the bed. “I’m so sorry, Tomoyo-chan.” He looked up at Hinata, Sakura, and Lee. “I’m sorry, but could everyone leave us alone for a moment?”

“Sure, Kakashi-sensei,” Sakura replied. And with that, the three teens got up and left the room.

As soon as the door slid shut, Kakashi laid down behind Tomoyo and wrapped his arms around her. She tensed for a moment in shock, but was quickly grateful for the gesture and squeezed his arms tightly.

Kakashi closed his eyes, trying his best to ignore how warm she felt. “Now is not the time for old feelings.” And so her simply held her and let her cry.

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“They’ll probably be a while,” Sakura said. “Why don’t we go to the rec room?”

Lee and Hinata nodded. They were about to leave, when they heard footsteps approaching them. “Sasuke,” Lee called out as he waved.

“That was fast,” Sakura commented as Sasuke and TenTen came to a stop near them.

“They’re a well organized force,” Sasuke replied with a shrug as he made a motion to open the door to their room. He stopped when he felt Sakura’s hand on his wrist.

“Kakashi-sensei is talking to Naruto’s cousin. He told us to stay out for now,” she explained.

“We were going to the rec room. You two want to join us?” Lee asked.

“Sure!” TenTen said. Sasuke gave only an indifferent shrug.

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Hinata’s small finger flicked the light switch to the ‘on’ position. The room had a tatami mat floor and contained a tennis table, pool table, a TV, multiple arm chairs and couches, and a shelf with several board games and many rows of books. She smiled. “It’s nice.”

“Lee, wanna play table tennis?” TenTen asked.

“Hai!” Lee replied.

Hinata walked over to the shelves and picked out a book. She snuggled into one of the huge armchairs and began to read.

Sakura sighed and looked at Sasuke. “Sasuke-kun?” she said after a moment.

“Yeah?”

“Can I...talk to you for a minute...alone?”

Sasuke frowned in curiosity. “Okay.” He looked around, his gaze finally settling on a sliding glass door. “There. We can go to the terrace.”

Sakura nodded and the two headed in that direction.

Lee noticed Sasuke and Sakura disappear through the terrace door and sighed. “I should’ve known better than to get my hopes up.” He was broken from his thoughts when the ping pong ball hit him in the head.

“Oi, Lee-kun. Pay attention,” TenTen said with her arms folded.

Lee blinked. “H-hai. Gomen.”

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Sasuke was getting impatient. For the last five minutes all Sakura had done was stare outwards toward the city. “If you’re not going to say anything, then I’m going inside.”

“Gomen. I was just trying to think of how I want to say this.” She boosted herself up onto the wide, wooden railing that surrounded the terrace. “You know I’ve loved you for a long time...”

Sasuke sighed. “Not this again.” He ran his fingers backward through his hair. “Yeah, I know.”

“Well, I...I know you don’t care, but...I just wanted to tell you...that I don’t love you anymore...” Sakura said as her eyes misted over.

Sasuke blinked his eyes rapidly in shock. “Seriously?”

Sakura nodded. “I realized it a after I woke up from that coma.”

“I’m glad. I didn’t want you chasing me your whole life. You would’ve wound up alone,” Sasuke replied seriously.

“Nhm. I know that now.” After wiping her eyes she smiled. “I also wanted to tell you that I forgive you...for what happened at the Valley of End.”

Sasuke smiled in relief. “Thank you. I didn’t want to lose one of the few friends I have.”

“I’m happy you said that. Sometimes I wasn’t sure you even thought that much of me.”

“I didn’t want you to think we had anything more than friendship. I’m sorry.”

“I understand,” Sakura replied with a nod.

“Well, I’m going back inside. You coming?”

Sakura sniffed. “No. I think I’m gonna stay out here for a while.”

“Okay,” Sasuke said with a small smile.

Sakura stared after him as Sasuke left, feeling a little sad that her first love no longer had her affections; even if he didn’t.

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As Kakashi held Tomoyo, he suddenly realized that she had stopped crying and her breathing had slowed. She was asleep. He smiled and stroked her forehead. “Sleep well, Tomoyo-chan.”

He got up from the bed and pulled the covers over her. “I suppose it’s time to retrieve the troops,” he said as he began to head for the door.

Suddenly, the room was dark and so was the hall beyond it. “What the hell?” He grabbed a kunai and a lantern and opened the door. In the hallway, the sound of light sobbing reached his ears. He looked to his right and saw a small girl huddled on the floor. He approached her cautiously. “Are you okay?”

In an instant, the small girl’s hand had an iron grip on his wrist. She turned her head and looked at Kakashi. He was not surprised to see the mangekyou sharingan staring back at him. “Itachi...”

“Very good, Kakashi,” the little girl said with a horrible sneer. “Now...play dead.” The mangekyou spun and Kakashi fell to the floor, lost in his own nightmare world.

Itachi dispelled the genjutsu, then walked into the room and picked up Naruto. “Well, Naruto-kun. It appears you will finally fulfill your destiny.” With that, he opened the window and disappeared into the night.

...TO BE CONTINUED

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Thank you very much to CrakBaby for the specifics on how seppuku is done and for keeping me from making major mistakes about human physiology. And thank you to UHR for the idea of having Tomoyo be a romantic interest for Kakashi.

(Installs an electric fence around reader proof room and locks her self inside.)