Shattered Innosence: Chapter 2

Shattered Innocence

 

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, nor am I affiliated in any way with Naruto. I just like the show and mangas so I wrote this fanfic.

 

Beta reader: Kiiroi Senko! XD

 

AN: Chapter two has finally arrived!

 

Anyway, here it is, hope you enjoy.

 

—

 

Chapter Two – The Nightmare Begins

 

The sharp whistle of howling wind swept past the now darkened walls of the aged Hokage tower, howling and shrieking in their torment while the ominous call of their anguish crept into the tired mind of a very exhausted soul. Shizune slowly made her way down the dimly lit hallways with weary feet, ready to make her way home for the night after what could be considered a very long and trying day.

 

Of course, that wouldn’t be hard for anyone to believe when you considered the fact that this certain Kunoichi was the direct assistant and right hand to none other than the Godaime Hokage herself… and that was a struggle in a league all its own.

 

The young woman took a brief moment to pause at a passing window, looking outside the small view into the darkened world outside only to frown at the sight of the cold wind and now cloud covered sky. The mere sight of it sent chills to her bones, knowing that she would soon have to traverse through such a chilling wind on her way home.

 

‘I haven’t seen such cold weather like this in a while.’ She mused to herself as clouds slowly began to cover the night sky.

 

‘Maybe I should have put some warmer clothes on before heading out.’ Shizune just shook her head dismally, before continuing down the hallway to the entrance of the tower.

 

Tsunade was still in her office, working through the long list of growing paperwork that she had neglected during the course of the day. Of course, Shizune new that as soon as she had left her mentor to her own devices, there would no doubt be a bottle of sake adorning the Hokage’s desk soon afterwards.

 

It was probably the only reason the slug princess let her go off so early in the first place, no doubt an effort to shirk her duties and drink unhindered by the younger woman’s scorn. Shizune merely shook off her thoughts on the matter as the entrance to the tower came into view.

 

She didn’t really care at this point, because she was too tired to even be bothered. The young woman placed her hand on the icy door handles to open them as soon as she arrived at the entrance, but quickly retreaded them a moment later.

 

“Shit, I forgot, I still need to wait for the next shift of ANBU guards to arrive before I can go…” Shizune grumbled bitterly to herself.

 

The previous shift had left only a few minutes earlier and the next one would be there shortly, so she would just have to wait a few moments for them to arrive.

 

“Oh well, I might as well make myself comfortable.”

 

With that Shizune walked over to the nearby seat and plopped down into a relaxed position. She allowed her eyes to rest in the time she was waiting, knowing that a little shut-eye couldn’t do any harm.

 

‘Just for a little while…’ She mused quietly to herself, as her thoughts began to mold into dreams. She was just about to dose off altogether, when a sudden banging sound startled her to attention.

 

Shizune almost jumped out of her seat in surprise as the nearby door shook with increasingly violent knocks, but she quickly recovered from her unexpected startle. The young woman then rubbed her tired eyes from their exhaustion, before standing to her feet once more.

 

“That must be the next shift already, it’s about time they got here. At least I can finally go home now.”

 

Little did Shizune know just how long this night would be, but the desperate words that reached her ears from the opposite end of the door soon afterwards gave immediate warning to the trial that was to come.

 

“Please open up… I need help!” The young woman flinched in surprise at the sudden call for help.

 

‘That definitely wasn’t an ANBU guard. That sounded like Sakura-chan.’

 

The jounin quickly raced over to the door and unbolted it, opening it urgently to see what the problem was, but the sight that met her eyes shocked her to the core and her heart immediately sank at the image of what she saw. Before her, kneeling on the floor in exhaustion, was a very distraught, teary-eyed Sakura, holding a battered body in her arms that Shizune could barely recognize in the failing light.

 

The bloodied figure limped motionlessly in the young girl’s firm, tight hold and it was difficult to see past the blood and dirt that covered the small body from top to toe. The only sign that gave away the identity of the battered figure was the small trace of orange showing through the otherwise unrecognizable heap of blood and dirt.

 

Shizune’s eyes widened as she suddenly realized just whom it was that Sakura was carrying and she couldn’t help the lump that had suddenly formed in her throat.

 

“N-N… Naruto-kun! Sakura… what happened?” The young woman then slapped herself on the forehead, berating herself for her own stupidity. “Ugh! Never mind that right now, lets quickly get him to a medical room, you can explain on the way.”

 

Shizune then took the battered body out of girl’s shaking hands, despite the young kunoichi’s reluctance to let him go, and raced quickly down the hallway, with Sakura trailing not too far behind. Despite her obvious exhaustion, the young girl still managed to keep up to her older counterpart, no doubt a result of the adrenaline now pumping through her veins.

 

The dark-haired jounin looked down to the battered body that lay in her arms as she continued on her way, noting how cold it was to the touch, probably from exposure to the current weather they were experiencing. She also noted the numerous injuries she could already see just from that position and she could tell they were severe. She didn’t need a diagnostics jutsu to determine that much.

 

“What happened Sakura-chan?!” It was all that she could think of asking, but the pink-haired kunoichi had no real answer that could meet the question addressed to her.

 

“I… I don’t know, I found him just outside the village.” Sakura responded, closing her eyes with pain at the mere thought of what she had seen.

 

“I notice something in the trees when I was on my way home and I decided to investigate, but when I went into the woods, I found him there. He was…”

 

There was a brief pause, followed by a heavy sob, easily betraying the pain that now festered in the girl’s heart. “He was tied up and hanging by his neck from a tree and he was unconscious when I found him. I thought… I thought he was dead…”

 

Shizune nodded her head in understanding. She was surprised that Sakura was able to relate such difficult information at such a trying time, but she was grateful for the girl’s strength. She then examined the area around Naruto’s neck, noticing the evidence to support Sakura’s claims easily despite the poor light provided by the lamps dotting the hallway.

 

He had severe bruising around his throat and some grazes indicating a noose made from rope was used. Judging by the severity of the wounds and the coloration of the bruises, which had already begun turning a dark shade of blue. He had obviously been tied up there for quite some time.

 

‘How could he even still be alive after being suffocated for so long?’

 

Shizune shook of her thoughts as the two entered a medical room located inside the Hokage tower. It had always been there in case of emergencies and the hospital was out of the question, especially regarding the importance of treating Konoha’s most powerful figureheads in the likelihood of an attack.

 

After they were safely inside, the young woman then carefully placed Naruto down on a nearby bed, before removing his torn jacket and shirt so that she could better examine his wounds. A brief diagnostics jutsu later and the kunoichi quickly raised her head and turned to look back at the youngster standing beside her.

 

“We need Tsunade-sama right away!” She shouted firmly.

 

Sakura knew right away after hearing that, that Naruto’s condition was extremely serious, especially if the slug princess herself was needed for his treatment. Not even a moment later, as if to answer her call, two figures appeared in the doorway. Both were wearing masks and dark uniforms, betraying their identity immediately It was the next ANBU guard shift.

 

“Good you’re here.” Shizune sighed, turning to face them. “You two quickly go to Tsunade-sama and tell her to get down to the emergency medical ward right away! Tell her it’s urgent!”

 

“What’s going on?” One of the guards asked calmly. He was answered only with a sharp glare and an equally dangerous temperament.

 

“GET HER NOW OR I’LL KILL YOU BOTH RIGHT WHERE YOU STAND!!!”

 

The ANBU guard simply jumped back nervously, an effort to avoid the sudden wave of killing intent that suddenly washed over him. Not daring to test her threat, he complied with a “Yes mistress Shizune” and then disappeared in a flash of smoke. Shizune then looked back down to see Sakura with her hands on Naruto’s arms, head down crying, causing her to frown at the mere sight that greeted her.

 

“Please… don’t die. I don’t want you to die…” The young girl simply continued to weep hopelessly, as her tears ran down onto the motionless body of her teammate… her friend.

 

‘I don’t have time to waste, I need to start working on him immediately.’ Shizune thought to herself, placing her hands on one of the wounds.

 

A warm, soft blue glow started to form around the area that her hands were now placed and soon the wounds around it slowly began to close. After healing the first one, she quickly moved on to the next, only she couldn’t help the thoughts that permeated her mind as she continued her work.

 

‘Why wasn’t the fox’s chakra healing him this time? Even the more minor injuries haven’t begun to close yet. This isn’t natural…’

 

After closing the second wound she then moved to examine the neck area but was immediately interrupted when Tsunade suddenly came bursting into the room.

 

“What’s wrong, who’s hurt!?” The sannin growled, quickly moving to approach her apprentice’s side.

 

She knew full well that Shizune wouldn’t call her for an injury she couldn’t handle herself and if she couldn’t handle it, then it was definitely severe. The Hokage’s eyes, however, widened in horror as she answered by the sight that lay before her, stretched out on the medical bed covered in his own blood and numerous injuries.

 

“Naruto?”

 

Tsunade quickly rushed to the side of the bed, her mind immediately snapping into medical procedure without a moment’s notice.

 

“Report Shizune!” Shizune paused and glanced at Tsunade before nudging her head in Sakura’s direction. The sannin immediately knew what she was trying to accomplish. She didn’t want Sakura to hear what she had to say.

 

“Sakura…” She started, with an unusually soft voice, before turning to the girl in question. “Please can you wait outside for…”

 

“No.. I won’t leave him!”

 

“but I..”

 

“NO!” Sakura looked up with hopeless, defiant eyes. She didn’t want to leave her teammate in his time of need. He had never abandoned her before, so how could she leave him now when he needed her the most?

 

“I… I can’t abandon him… I won’t abandon him! He’s never done that to me so how can I just leave him alone when he needs me?”

 

Tsunade’s eyes welled up as she looked at the girl crying before her, but this was not a time for tears. She had work to do and she couldn’t let anything get in the way of that now.

 

“I understand how you feel, I’ve also been in the same situation many times before, but I need all the room I can get while treating Naruto. Please, you have to understand, this is for the best.”

 

Sakura sank her head in defeat, before nodding solemnly. She knew the woman was right, but it didn’t make it any easier.

 

“I… I understand…” She then turned to leave the room, stopping only briefly to glance back at the boy lying not to far from where she stood. A single tear rushed down the side of her face despite her effort to hold it back and she quickly turned away again.

 

“Please… you have to save him…” And with that she walked out the door closing it behind her.

 

Once she was gone from view, Tsunade turned to Shizune once more, waiting for the woman’s report.

 

“Well…” She murmured.

 

“Sakura-chan has explained to me that she found Naruto hanging from a tree by a noose. He was unconscious at the time when she brought him down, but luckily he was still breathing. Judging by their severity of his wounds and the sheer number that run across his body, it is obvious that he was tortured and beaten for quite some time, before being hung up and left to die.”

 

The young woman then took a deep breath, giving her master some time to digest the information she had given so far. It was painfully easy to see the torment in Tsunade’s eyes following her description, but she continued regardless.

 

“He also has multiple burn marks and other lacerations covering his body including severe bruising and grazes. As for internal injuries, Naruto has also sustained countless fractures and even some broken bones, as well as damage to most of his organs and muscles. I’m… I’m surprised he’s even alive at all with so many injuries, not to mention the suffocation he was subjected to.”

 

Tears started to form in Tsunade’s eyes soon after Shizune had finished her diagnostics, but these tears only served to hide a furious wrath that raged inside of her heart. As she looked down at the small, broken figure below her, thoughts long buried began rushing through her mind once more.

 

The images of her younger brother’s lifeless figure lying dead in front of her many years before haunted the sannin as she looked down at Naruto’s own battered form and the starling resemblance in both their appearance and their condition shook her to the very core of her being.

 

Her thoughts then wondered to the time they encountered Orochimaru only a few weeks before, to the first time she thought Naruto was going to die and the first time in many years that she had finally found the strength to live again. It was a strength that he had given her, a strength that only his smile granted.

 

“Not again… not again!” She cursed silently.

 

How could she allow this to happen again? How could she allow someone close to her die again? Was she really that weak? Was she really that incapable of protecting those who were most precious to her?

 

“No!” She snapped at herself. “Now is not the time to be weak, nor is it a time for crying! I have to be strong! I have to save him, no matter what it takes!” Tsunade quickly placed her emotions under firm control, pushing away her life long phobia that had threatened to resurface and steeling her resolve. She then turned to Shizune again, who was still waiting for her response.

 

“How are his life signs?”

 

“I’m afraid they aren’t very good.” The jounin answered disdainfully. “He was barely alive when Sakura brought him here and his condition hasn’t improved, but what I don’t understand is why the Kyuubi’s chakra isn’t healing him the way it usually would.”

 

Tsunade pondered at the thought for a moment, before coming up with the only logical answer that she could think of at the time.

 

“It would normally but…” Shizune looked confusingly at her master as she tapped her chin in thought, before continuing her explanation.

 

“But the Kyuubi’s life is tied to that of Naruto’s, so…”

 

“So the closer he came to death…” Shizune continued in her wake. “The less effective the Kyuubi’s healing powers were.”

 

“Yes, that is correct…” Tsunade answered firmly, nodding her head in agreement.

 

“As Naruto got closer to death the Kyuubi’s power weakened as well. I’m assuming that the only reason he survived from being suffocated at all was because the Kyuubi redirected all of its remaining power just to prevent him from dying.”

 

Tsunade then made her way over to a nearby shelf to collect some of the equipment she would need for the trial they had ahead of them.

 

“Alright, enough talk, lets do this Shizune! We have a long night ahead of us and there is someone important who needs us to save him. I hope you are ready!”

 

“Hai!”

 

They two medical nins got to work soon afterwards, beginning their long struggle to save the life that now clung desperately to the hope they offered it with their own hands. It would be a long night and they had a lot of work to do if there was to be any chance of success.

 

—

 

Dawn came after what felt like an eternity of night and darkness and the fist rays of light finally began to flicker over the horizon, dancing atop the trees and through the windows of the village below as the sun made its glorious introduction over Konoha. The warm rays of golden hope that followed in its wake burned away the remaining cold of the previous night before and the clouds that had lingered in the air parted away once more, almost as if to offer a small promise of hope in trying times.

 

Back in the Hokage tower, outside the medical ward that Naruto had been taken into the night before, Sakura had long since fallen asleep on one of the waiting benches, having no longer been able to fight her own exhaustion in light of the events she had just partaken in. As the warm rays of light finally touched against her face, caressing it in a gentle, comforting embrace, her body began to stir in the brief moments that followed.

 

Soon, two weary, turquoise eyes pried open and revealed themselves to the world, dazed and tired in their still lingering exhaustion as she glanced around the hallway. It took a while for the young kunoichi to register where she was in her current fatigue, but soon all of the memories of the previous night rushed back into her like a flood of endless emotions.

 

Memories of the ordeal she had just been through and of the horrific visage of her blond teammate. The pink-haired kunoichi immediately jumped up to her feet, before her body began to shake nervously in her own anxiety.

 

‘Is he still alive?’ She thought quietly to herself, taking a firm but shaky step towards the door that now separated her from her friend.

 

Sakura couldn’t help but fear for the worst, especially knowing just how bad things were if Tsunade’s worried expression was anything to go by. But even still, despite all of that, she willed herself onwards. She had to know what had happened… she had to know if Naruto was still alive.

 

Before she could go any further the door suddenly burst open in a single, swift motion, before knocking against the wall opposite its hinges. Sakura jumped in fright at the mere commotion caused and couldn’t help the tears that suddenly leaped from her eyes. Whether from shock or exhaustion, or simply the mere thought of what news awaited her, she herself didn’t even know.

 

Soon afterwards, an exhausted Tsunade walked out into the hallway, moving past the startled kunoichi before settling down on one of the benches near the one Sakura had been sleeping on. The young girl look earnestly at the Hokage as she leaned back into the seat in her exhaustion, before sitting down herself again, focusing her wavering eyes down towards her shaking hands that lay upon her lap.

 

Both of them just sat there, quietly, waiting for what seemed like an eternity, and Sakura dared not speak lest her voice betray her. The silence was almost to much for for the kunoichi to bear, but was finally broke as the sannin across from her opened her mouth to speak, following an exhausted sigh.

 

“We’ve… managed to stabilize him…”

 

Sakura’s heart almost exploded at the sound of those words she just heard. It was almost as though the world itself had disappeared altogether, leaving only the two of them and her feelings behind. Tears that had only fallen softly before were now in full flood as the hopeful words sank even deeper into her heart, bringing with hem an endless amount of relief and joy.

 

‘He’s … he’s still… alive!’

 

Her body felt weak again, almost as though she would just collapse any moment, so Sakura quickly rested back into the chair once more, allowing her tears to fall down the side of her face while her heart continued to race in her chest. Relief, exhaustion, concern, it was all to much to bear at once and only her gentle sobs could ease her tension now.

 

Tsunade simply looked on at the girl set before her gaze, before finally allowing a small, tired smile to finally whisper onto her own features despite her exhaustion. It was the first sign of her own relief since the night before, but it was only reluctantly spared.

 

“His vitals are picking up, and we’ve managed to control the most sever wounds.” She finally continued, speaking to no one in particular. “His breathing is also returning to normal, but…”

 

Sakura’s head quickly snapped back up again, noting the hesitation in the sannin’s voice.

 

“But what?” She asked nervously, her voice shaking at the mere thought of what could possibly be very bad news.

 

“But he is still in a critical condition at this point in time…” Tsunade continued with a heavy sigh. “I don’t know if his condition will remain this stable so we’ll have to be careful. The damage to his body is still extensive and we can’t trust…”

 

The older woman paused in her explanation, realizing that Sakura did not yet know about the Kyuubi sealed within Naruto’s body or the healing powers it granted him.

 

“What?” Sakura nagged again.

 

“… We… we can’t trust the equipment currently at our disposal to ensure his condition remains favorable. We’ll need to transfer him to the hospital as soon as possible if we want to keep his condition under proper surveillance.”

 

Sakura looked back down at her hands again. Her body had calmed down, even if only a little. At least Naruto was still alive and that was all that mattered to her right know.

 

“Shizune, contact the Konoha hospital immediately! Tell them to send a medical team over to the Tower to transfer a patient!” Tsunade shouted through the door.

 

“Make sure they know that its a critical situation!!!”

 

Both of the ANBU guards standing further down the hallway were immediately stirred by the commotion. Both had been on high alert throughout the entire evening and were now tiredly waiting for their relief to arrive.

 

“I still don’t know what the hell is actually going on.” One of the guards whispered to the other. The other guard shifted his gaze over to his curious teammate, although the mask he wore managed to hide his obvious frustration.

 

“Dare to ask?” Was the man’s only tired response.

 

“No… I guess not.”

 

—

 

The gentle sway of flowing water slowly glistened and shimmered in the early morning sunshine, as the warm rays of heaven danced atop its surface in a dramatic display of colour and light. A burst of ripples formed rings of gold and ceruluan as a pebble dropped down and broke onto the otherwise still surface, disturbing the tranquility of the stream and warping a lone reflection that stared back down into it.

 

Two shadowed eyes, framed by equally dark hair, continued to travel over the surface of the water as their owner looked down from his position on the bridge that ran over it, almost as if searching for something lost but never finding it in their endless wanderings.

 

“I wonder where everyone is this morning?” Sasuke mumbled to himself as he waited, less than patiently, for the rest of his team.

 

“Kakashi told us to be here early today for an important briefing, but I’m the only one here…”

 

Sasuke then tore his gaze away from the river, instead turning it to look down the dusty path hat led up to the wooden bridge he now stood on, searching for the distant figures of his teammates.

 

“It’s a given that our lazy sensei would be late, but that doesn’t explain where the hell Naruto and Sakura are.” The young Uchiha whined sourly to himself, now growing anxious and irritated at the same time.

 

“Good morning Sasuke-kun!”

 

Sasuke almost jumped off the bridge in surprise as Kakashi made his final and rather abrupt appearance in a burst of white smoke, but quickly re-composed himself only to glare harshly at the source of his embarrassment.

 

“You should know better than to sneak up on someone like that!!!” The boy spat angrily, turning his attention towards the new arrival. “You almost gave me a heart attack!”

 

Kakashi merely responded with his usual, exasperated sigh, before raising his hand up in an apologetic wave.

 

“Gomen. I didn’t realize you were so easy to startle, Sasuke.” The jounin then shifted his attention to the immediate vicinity, ignoring the now aggravated Uchiha’s death glare in favor of searching for his other two students.

 

“So, where are Naruto and Sakura? It’s not like them to be this late.” He finally queried, after finding no trace of the two youngsters. Sasuke simply shrugged in response, acting as though he couldn’t care less about the whereabouts of the energetic blond and his other pink haired teammate.

 

“I don’t know, I haven’t seen them all morning.”

 

“Then perhaps we should go looking for them. I’m sure they would shy away from their responsibilities unless there is a very good reason for their absence.”

 

Kakashi looked up to the rising sun as it continued to make its way up away from the edge of the horizon, his only visible eye betraying the hardly recognizable and very scant evidence of worry. He knew that Naruto would never be this late for duty unless something was wrong and even Sakura had always made sure to be there before Sasuke arrived. Something was up, he knew that much was certain and the masked jounin couldn’t help the uneasy knot that suddenly formed in his stomach.

 

—

 

A frantic scene had quickly formed outside the entrance to the Hokage tower as medical personal rushed in response to the Godaime’s orders, while a select few of her choosing busied themselves securing Naruto to a stretcher. He had to be transferred quickly and with as little chance for problems as possible, lest anything happened to make his condition fall, and it was the best time to do so, especially considering it was still early in the morning and there were very few villagers wondering around at the time.

 

Sakura simply stood next the motionless figure beside her as the final straps fastened the boy’s body down firmly, preventing him from shifting unnecessarily as they transported him to their destination. She couldn’t help but cringe at how still his face was, how silent he remained despite the commotion surrounding him.

 

It was unnatural to see him that way, in fact it was terrifying in its own right. The once usual bright and sunny disposition that greeted her every day was now nothing more than a lifeless, emotionless statue, covered in the same dirt and marks that had covered it the night before.

 

The pink-haired kunoichi was so used to seeing that face filled with so much life, so much laughter and happy smiles. His sparkling blue eyes would tell her everything would be fine whenever something went wrong and his broad smile would always lift her spirits no matter how irritating he seemed to be when he grinned stupidly at her with a red tinge brightly lighting his whiskered cheeks.

 

“It wasn’t stupid… it was never stupid…” She whispered quietly to herself.

 

The young girl once again struggled to fight back her tears as she watched Naruto being lifted into the air, his body still unmoving and his smile still missing from his otherwise mottled and tattered face.

 

She quickly stepped forward to approach him and placed a hand on his bruised cheeks, stroking it gently in an effort to comfort him, even though she knew he probably could not feel it. It was at that very moment that Sakura realized that he didn’t have his headband on anymore, leaving his dirty blond hair to fall over his forehead.

 

‘It must still be in the forest.’ She thought to herself as the med nins made their final checks to ensure their passengers safety. ‘I should look for it later. I’m sure he’ll want it back when he wakes up…’

 

The sudden, gentle touch of a hand landing on her shoulder shook Sakura from her thoughts, bringing her attention around to its owner who was staring back down at her with a reassuring smile. It was Tsunade.

 

“He’ll be alright.” She spoke softly, giving a gentle comforting squeeze. “He’s always pulled through for us before and I’m sure he’ll do it again.” Sakura simply turned her head back again, before speaking softly in return.

 

“I.. I want to go with them. I need to stay with him for as long as I can.” Tsunade just nodded her head in understanding.

 

“Hai! But don’t slow them down or get in the way. If something happens, I need to trust that you will stay back and let them treat Naruto without having to worry about you as well. I’ll be at the hospital shortly after you, but I just need to collect some notes from my office first. Shizune will accompany you in the meantime.”

 

Tsunade then turned her attention back to the rest of the group that had gathered, some of the very few med nins she trusted to look after Naruto and to not harm him in any way.

 

“Alright!” The sannin shouted, gaining the attention gaining their attention once more.

 

“You are to move to the hospital as quickly as possible, but try not to create too much commotion or attract unwanted attention. If anything happens to Naruto while he is under your care, there will be consequences! Am I clear?!?!?”

 

A unanimous ‘HAI!’ resounded amongst the ninja before they took of in a flash, jumping across the rooftops as quickly as possible in the direction of the Hospital. Sakura was trailing not to far behind them, but she made sure to keep up with their pace, and soon they were gone from view.

 

Once they had disappeared from her gaze. Tsunade turned and disappeared back into the Hokage tower. She would have to inform a select few others of Naruto’s predicament, especially in his current and highly vulnerable state. There was still a lot of work that needed to be done and she needed all the help she could get.

 

—

 

As soon as the front entrance to the hospital came into view, Sakura could already see a small medical team waiting for their arrival, holding an assortment of medical equipment as well as a mobile bed to carry Naruto inside. It was a small relief, knowing that they would be prepared and able to keep a proper eye on him, but the whole situation still made her stomach churn.

 

The small group landed in front of the doors only a few moments later just as medical staff rushed over to take their waiting patient inside while Sakura stood and watched as they headed towards the door. She was eager to follow them inside, but instead opted to wait patiently to the side of the commotion. After all, she didn’t want to get in the way.

 

Not too far away, a weary Kakashi and an equally frustrated Sasuke were both continuing their search for their two missing teammates, oblivious to the events taking place only a small distance away. Their search had found them wandering even further into the village than either had expected, especially after having already exhausted all other possibilities associated with the missing youngsters, including Ichiraku’s ramen stand and even Ino’s flower shop.

 

Both were now exhausted and frustrated with their lack of results and were now simply wandering aimlessly in a futile attempt to gain any clues as to the whereabouts of their missing companions.

 

Kakashi was even tempted to summon his ninkens to trace their scent, but eventually decided that the urgency of the matter had not yet called for such an action. After all, the chances were that both had simply been caught up in something unexpected, or were simply exhausted from the previous day’s strenuous labor.

 

‘That excuse would explain Sakura’s absence, but with Naruto’s stamina, he’s never shown any long-term signs of fatigue before…’ Kakashi thought quietly to himself, although he made sure his ponderings were well hidden from his younger counterpart.

 

“I wonder what’s going on down there?” Kakashi looked up towards Sasuke as the young Uchiha spoke up in a monotonous monotone, easily betraying both his ire and his exhaustion at the same time.

 

Following the direction of the boy’s gaze, the masked jounin only visible eye quickly moved to a small crowd gathering just outside the hospital doors. Judging by the med nins waiting outside, it was obvious that something must have gone wrong, an accident of some sort perhaps.

 

‘Something must have happened…’

 

Both shinobi soon found themselves approaching the scene, both curious as to what exactly was going on. It also helped that there wasn’t anything better to do considering the ill luck of their search. However, as they drew closer to the commotion, Kakashi noticed a single hospital bed being carted in through the doors, atop it small figure that lay bloodied on its surface.

 

His eye narrowed almost instantly at the sight, but before he could even think, sharp voice broke his concentration as Sasuke suddenly called out.

 

“Sakura! What are you doing here?”

 

The masked jounin quickly turned his attention towards the crowd again and immediately noticed the pink hair and bright clothes standing out amongst the white uniforms of the nearby med nins, their owner staring blankly at the doorway that the unknown patient had just been taken through.

 

The young girl quickly turned around to see her companions making there way towards her in a silent rush, her attention having been drawn by the call of her dark-haired teammate. She couldn’t help the tears that began to rush down the side of her face as she saw them approach, nor could she help it as her body collapsed to the floor in her exhaustion, brining her to her knees just as a by now panicked Sasuke landed right in front of her.

 

The young Uchiha quickly placed his hand on her shoulder, an unusual action by any stretch of the imagination, before shaking her gently to gain her attention.

 

“Sakura, what’s wrong? What is going on here?”

 

Soon, the boy’s panicked gaze was met with two tear filled eyes, overflowing with both sadness and distress. It was made obvious, just by looking into them, that something grave had happened. The young girl opened her mouth to speak, to answer the question addressed to her, but her words were barely more than an incoherent whisper as they fell through her sobs and she could not bring herself to complete the sentence that fell from her quivering lips.

 

“It’s … it’s…”

 

But despite her anguished sobs or incoherent attempts at speaking, Kakashi had already put things together in his frantically working mind and realized with a sinking expression just who it was that had been taken inside the hospital. He couldn’t help the sudden drop of his heart or the widening of his eye as he turned to look back at the now vacant entrance way.

 

Only one word left his lips thereafter, one word that held within it all the thoughts and fears that ran through his heart as startling realization hit him square in the chest.

 

“N… Naruto…”

 

—

 

I hope it was good! ^ ^

 

Credits:

 

Writer – Me of course!!! XD

Beta – Kiiroi Senko.

~ by Tenrai Senshi on August 28, 2009.