Adult-FanFiction.org : Naruto

The Blessed Realm	By : susanna Category: Naruto > Yaoi - Male/Male > Naruto/Sasuke Views: 1746 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 3
Disclaimer: Disclaimer: Naruto, his friends and the world he lives in don't belong to me but to Masashi Kishimoto. I write this story only for my pleasure and I don't make any money with it.

Chapter List
- 9
- 10
- 11
A/N
at the end of the chapter

Chapter
Seven: News of Konoha

When
Sasuke and Naruto returned to Naruto's place Karin and Juugo were
already up, but Suigetsu was still asleep. They did not wake him up
but prepared breakfast, and only when it was ready Juugo went to
fetch him.

Suigetsu
flatly refused to get up: “What's the matter? Let me sleep! My
head is aching!”

Juugo,
rather confused, looked at Sasuke, who, in his turn, was annoyed. He
went over to Suigetsu and shook him by the shoulder, causing his
teammate to wince in pain.

“What's
wrong?” he asked. “Why can't you get up?”

He
could be a bit gentler towards a person who is obviously in pain,
Naruto thought.

“Oh,
Sasuke, leave me alone, my head feels like a giant bucket full of
wasps.”

“Maybe
it is a hangover”, Naruto suggested. He had had a smaller one
after his first night of drinking beer in this town – after
that he had become more careful.

“What
did you do? Drink! You knew we were going to leave this morning as
early as possible!”

He
was almost shouting now, and Naruto suffered as if it was him who had
the hangover.

“A
glass of water usually helps”, he suggested. “Or an
aspirin. You may ask for it in downstairs in the restaurant: They
should be there by now, cleaning the place before they open.”

“Go
and get some!” Sasuke told Karin. Naruto filled a glass of
water and gave it to Suigetsu, who drank it eagerly.

“How
much did you drink yesterday?” Sasuke went on questioning his
teammate.

“Don't
know – don't remember. Just give me some water! I need more
water!”

Sasuke
sat down, angry and frustrated. “What now?” he asked.
“Naruto, what do you know about hangovers? Are they dangerous?”

“Normally
not. He'll have a headache today, but tomorrow he will be fine
again.”

“Will
he be able to get up and walk?”

“Depends
on how bad it is.” Naruto hesitated for a second, then he
decided for honesty. “Normally he should be able to get up in
the afternoon, which would allow you to do your grocery shopping and
then come back here and fetch him before you leave. Moving around and
getting some fresh air usually helps. Just don't overdo.”

Sasuke
wondered where Naruto had gained that knowledge, but he was
distracted when Karin returned with some aspirin and with the
patron's daughter. They filled a glass of water to dissolve the
aspirin in it and passed it to Suigetsu, and then a second glass of
clear water when he had emptied it. If he had drunk beer as he was
drinking water now it was no wonder he had a bad hangover, Naruto
thought.

“Are
you feeling better? Can you get up?” Sasuke asked.

But
Suigetsu, after drinking his second glass of water, had curled up
again. “Leave me alone”, he murmured. “You don't
know what I am suffering. No one who has never been through this
himself can understand me, or has the right to judge me.”

Sasuke
didn't look annoyed any more, rather confused and worried.

“Are
you sure it is a simple hangover?” he asked Naruto.

Naruto
shrugged. “I am not a med nin.”

“It's
no hangover”, Suigetsu replied. “They must have put
something into the beer.”

Karin
knelt down at Suigetsu's side. “Take some more water”,
she said.

He
drank, and she used the opportunity to check his chakra flow. “It's
chaotic”, she said. “And he's badly dehydrated.”

The
patron's daughter filled another glass with water, but Suigetsu could
not drink it – he had passed out.

“Maybe
you should get him to a doctor”, she suggested.

“We
don't need any”, Sasuke replied. “Karin's a med nin
herself. What do you advise?”

“I
can try and stabilize his chakra. But without any equipment I cannot
give him the infusions he needs to make up for his loss of liquid.”

Sasuke
sighed and gave in. “Where's the nearest doctor?” he
asked the patron's daughter.

“It's
Sunday, and they are all closed. But you may take him to the
hospital. They have an emergency room there.”

“Is
it close?”

“In
lilac lane.”

Sasuke
looked questioningly at Naruto.

“Ten
minutes”, Naruto answered.

“Juugo,
you take him!”

Naruto
watched in astonishment how the little boy threw the grown-up man
over his shoulder. I should have guessed that Sasuke would not choose
a normal kid for his team, he thought. The patron's daughter was even
more impressed, and Naruto knew he had to act quickly.

“You
are certainly strong”, he told Juugo. “But you won't be
able to carry him the whole way to the hospital. Sasuke and I will do
this.”

He
turned to the patron's daughter: “Do you have any blankets we
can wrap him in, for the way to the hospital?”

“Sure
we have”, the young woman answered and went downstairs. Naruto
now warned Sasuke: “I don't know which kind of superpower your
little friend has, but you should be a bit more careful with showing
them to other people. They are not used to ninjas here.”

Sasuke
nodded. He was annoyed that Naruto was taking charge, undermining his
authority, but his words made sense. So Juugo put Suigetsu down on
the floor again, and when the patron's daughter arrived they put the
blankets around him – for a second Suigetsu's legs were visible
which had become horrifyingly short – then both Sasuke and
Naruto put their arms under Suigetsu's shoulders and carried him
downstairs.

The
streets were emptier now than the day before, and still Sasuke felt
insecure in this strange world where houses crouched against each
other for protection, and some lanes were so narrow that they were
hardly wide enough for two people. The hospital was situated in an
old building, but inside it was all modern, with glass doors and
everything in white, and the waiting-room, with dark yellow chairs,
was separated from the entrance-hall by glass walls.

Karin
was fastest to talk to the receptionist: “Our companion suffers
from alcohol intoxication. His vital systems are instable and in
danger of breaking down.”

“How
do you do this?” the receptionist asked. “Are you a
doctor?”

“A
med nin”, Karin replied as haughtily as the receptionist had
voiced her question.

“Well,
just give me your name, then you can get to the waiting-room and wait
till it's your turn.”

Karin
told her name, explaining that they were tourists who had come to
visit the festival. Meanwhile, Suigetsu was getting heavier and
heavier in Sasuke's arms: he was awake again, and whining and
silently pleading to be put down.

A
doctor arrived, looked at Suigetsu for one moment and then ordered
him to be taken to Room Nine. When Sasuke and Naruto moved to carry
him there, she told them to stop, and ordered some nurses to put him
on a light cot on rolls.

“It's
alcohol intoxication”, Karin explained to the doctor. “His
chakra system is in chaos, his circulatory system is on the point of
breakdown. He needs some infusion.”

“Are
you a doctor yourself?” the hospital doctor asked, not in a
haughty, but in a friendly and astonished tone.

“A
med nin”, Karin answered. “But without proper equipment I
cannot do anything.”

The
two nurses had begun pushing the cot with Suigetsu to that room
number nine, with the rest of the group following, but the doctor
made them stop again. “We can handle this without you”,
she said. “It's better if you stay in the waiting-room.”

“We
won't leave our companion alone”, Sasuke replied.

“One
person”, the doctor offered a compromise, looking at Karin who
nodded.

Sasuke
was fuming with anger, as again his authority had been disregarded,
but as he could not do anything he tried not to show it. Women, he
thought, always ganging up against men. Suigetsu will hate me if he
finds out that I left him in the charge of Karin and that stranger.

He
followed Juugo and Naruto to the waiting-room. It was almost noon by
now, and with some regret Sasuke remembered that according to their
original plan they would already have left behind the town by some
kilometers. Now they were stuck in this place for another night –
why had Suigetsu not been able to look after himself? (Now that he
knew that his companion's life was no longer in danger Sasuke's
concern had turned into anger again.)

“I
have brought something for you, to distract and entertain you”,
Naruto said, and Sasuke wondered what it might be, surprised that
Naruto cared enough for him to get him something he thought he'd
like. He was even more surprised when Naruto produced the newspaper
he had bought the day before from his backpack. For himself, Naruto
had brought today's Morning Messenger, with pictures of yesterday's
festival, and together with Juugo he set out to look at them and
discuss them.

Sasuke
felt oddly touched by Naruto's considerateness, not only giving him
the newspaper but also taking it on him to entertain Juugo, as this
was obviously how Naruto perceived the situation, not knowing that
Juugo was not twelve but eighteen. At the same time Sasuke felt some
remorse that he accepted this information Naruto gave to him so
willingly and innocently, not knowing that he, Sasuke, would use it
for his plans to take revenge on Konoha.

He
shoved this thoughts away and picked up the paper. First he looked at
the picture on the title page that showed the Hokage tower: There was
something strange and unfamiliar about it, but he attributed it to
the fact that he had not seen it for a long time and that his memory
was deceiving him. The background, however, with the Hokage's
portraits cut into the wall of rock: This was definitely not as it
had been. The portraits he had grown up with were gone, and instead
they were cutting new ones into the stone. Five heads were covered
with scaffolding – Sasuke dimly remembered the woman who had
become Hokage after the Sandaime's death - and a sixth one was
already finished, picturing an old man, one eye covered by bandages.
He read the caption below the photo: “After the destruction of
Konoha, the Hokage tower was one of the first buildings to be
rebuilt. Also, the portraits of the Hokages are being renewed,
allegedly to restore the villagers' faith in their government's
ability to protect them.”

It
was the first news of the destruction of Konoha that reached Sasuke,
and he was barely able to believe it, as in spite of all his own
plans of destroying it, it had always seemed too powerful and strong
to him for anything serious happening to it. He turned to the
article, half expecting to learn that the word had only been used in
a metaphorical meaning.

With
a lot of villagers still living in tents, waiting for the
reconstruction of their homes, the village walls, the Hokage tower
and the head quarters of ANBU have already been replaced.

“Protecting
our compatriots' lives has now to be our first priority”,
Danzou, the new Hokage, says. “We cannot afford to remain
vulnerable as another attack is bound to happen soon, considering
that the aggressor's aim, the capture of the jinchuuriki, has not
been achieved.”

Many
shinobi who have already retired from active service have been
ordered to take up duty at their old posts again, a measure that has
even further slowed down the rebuilding of the village, as they are
now missed in their civilian jobs. Also, the number of payed missions
has been reduced so that more ninjas are available for the village's
defense, with the consequence that for the first time in its
existence the Hidden Village of the Leaf has now to ask the Daimyou
for support instead of contributing to the country's income.

“Konoha
has been a pillar in the military organization of the Fire country
for years”, Danzou says. “It is time that we are being
paid for our contribution to its defense, instead of having to pay
taxes for the income we make through protecting its citizens.”

The
Daimyou naturally disagrees with this, blaming Konoha of having
brought the disaster on itself by being careless with the information
on the kyuubi's continued existence, and by not giving enough
attention to Akatsuki, even though since the abduction of the
Kazekage it has been well known that they are hunting down the
jinchuurikis and extracting the bijuu.

The
whereabouts of the jinchuuriki are still a mystery. Danzou claims
that he is now safe, being kept at one of the safest and best guarded
places of Konoha, protected not only against any future attempts of
capturing him but also against losing control over the kyuubi again.
And indeed, no one has seen him for some weeks now, suggesting that
he really might have been sent to a safe place. Rumour however says
that he has already left the village and that his current abode is
unknown to everyone.

Read
more:

Konoha
after the destruction (page 3)

Interview
with Danzou in full length (page 4 and 5)

Comment
(page 10)

Interview
with Professor I., expert on international relationships (page 14).

Sasuke
put down the paper. He intended to read the other articles as well,
but first he had to digest what he had already learnt.

A/N:

Sneakyfox:
Thanks again for your compliments!

My
interpretation of the Fight in the Valley of the End was that Sasuke
won because Naruto let him win. I hope that this makes sense.

The
reason why Sasuke did not kill him – well, there is the one we
are given in the manga, but I guess that there is a bunch of other
reasons – honour may be one, or friendship. (And with the
newest chapter of the canon, Sasuke's decision even gains in
poignancy.)

I
will read your story when you have written it!
- 9
- 10
- 11
You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.
Report Story

The Blessed Realm