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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
- 16
- 17
- 18
Chapter
Fourteen: Generous

The
doctor was quite surprised when not one but three persons entered his
office. He looked from one to the other, then his eyes came to rest
on Karin, who had managed to secure for herself the one chair on the
patients' side of the doctor's desk, while the boys were standing.

“What
can I do for you?” he asked.

“His
eyesight has got worse lately”, she answered, turning her head
to Sasuke. “We think that he might need glasses.”

“I
see”, the doctor replied irritatedly and turned to Sasuke. “And
what do you think?”

Sasuke
was grateful that the doctor talked to him and did not keep talking
to Karin. For a moment he thought of saying “no, everything is
fine”, and then leaving, but he was rational enough to know
that this would only postpone the problem, all the more as both Karin
and Naruto knew by now that his vision was not what it should be.
Curse Itachi and the Mangekyou Sharingan he had given to him.

“I
don't see clearly”, he answered finally. “But I don't
think that glasses will help.”

“Well,
we'll check this”, the doctor replied. “If you will
follow me...”

The
examination room was long, dark, narrow and full of medical
equipment. It looked all sterile and shiny, made of metal and
plastic, not of wood, not even the tables, unlike those in Kabuto's
laboratories – and still he was scared. At Orochimaru's place
he had mostly been able to avoid being subjected to any medical
procedures, and if he had, it had been from his own decision, as
getting new tattoos for invocations, and he had always seen that he
had remained in control of the situation, not like the poor victims
of Kabuto's and Orochimaru's medical experiments.

Here,
however – he was definitely not in control, with Karin and
Naruto pushing him from behind, without knowing what the doctor was
going to do to him, and with the examination chair where he would be
trapped. He had to put his chin on some some plastic plate, and press
his forehead against another tablet of plastic, so that he was
virtually fixated, and he had to forcefully restrain himself from
just getting up and running away. He would not embarrass himself, he
thought, yet when the doctor's hands approached his eyes, everything
went black. When he regained consciousness he was lying on the floor,
covered by a blanket, with Naruto, Karin and the doctor kneeling at
his side.

“Are
you all right?” the doctor asked.

“Yeah”,
Sasuke answered. “What happened?”

“You
passed out. Just for some seconds.”

Sasuke
sat up. “Well, then let's continue. I want to get over with
it.”

The
doctor shook his head. “Not now. Take some break and relax. In
room three you can lie down for some minutes.”

Sasuke
wanted to protest and tell him that this was not necessary but when
he got up and his legs felt all wobbly he knew that this was
ridiculous. He even accepted the arm Naruto offered to support him,
and allowed him to guide him to room three where he sat down on the
couch – he refused to lie down, though he felt a bit dizzy, but
he closed his eyes.

“He's
always been like this”, Karin explained to Naruto. “Always
acting the tough guy and trying to appear strong, even when he was on
the brink of death.”

Naruto
remembered too: How Sasuke would go to his limits and even beyond
them, how he would overstrain himself and be ready to sacrifice
himself in order to protect his friends, and how he had to be
hospitalized for this on more than one occasion. Again he felt pity
for Sasuke, and he longed to touch him to comfort him. He remembered
how the nurse had encouraged him to hold Kakashi's hands when Kakashi
was still too weak to talk at all, yet he did not have the heart to
do it for Sasuke, knowing how he preferred to remain for himself.

“We
had to force him to take some rest after he fought that explosion guy
from Akatsuki”, Karin continued. “And after his fight
against his brother he was on the verge of death too.”

Sasuke
opened his eyes, searching for some words to prevent Karin from
telling about their fight against the Hachibi's jinchuuriki but
luckily she stopped by herself when she saw that he was looking
sternly at her.

“That
was ridiculous”, she said. “He just wanted to check your
cornea for some scars or injuries. There was no reason to pass out.”

Naruto
was shocked at the way she talked to Sasuke – Sasuke himself
just stared at her. He clearly remembered the scene that had made him
pass out, the doctor's hands reaching out for his eyes.

“You've
never had anyone attempt to pluck out your eyes”, he said.

“Who
attempted to pluck out your eyes?”

“Itachi.
During our fight.”

“While
you were still alive?” Naruto asked, genuinely shocked. “Why
would he do this? If he intended to kill you anyway, why would he not
first do this?”

“Maybe
he thought he was being generous”, Sasuke suggested, mainly for
the fun of watching Naruto's expression of horror. “Plucking
out my eyes, but allowing me to live.”

He
knew of course now that Itachi had never truly intended to kill him,
or take his eyes. Sometimes however he still wondered whether Madara
had been correct in this point: whether Itachi's intention had not
been that one of them, no matter who, killed the other and obtained
his eyes. He had been far too serious during the fight – it
might easily have gone wrong.

“Yeah,
that has always been his idea of generosity”, Naruto said and
his voice was harsh and deep. “Not killing you. Just making you
live miserably. That was how he loved you.”

Timidly
he reached out to touch Sasuke's shoulder – he could no longer
resist the wish to comfort him. “I would have cared differently
for you.”

Sasuke's
reaction was odd: He caught Naruto's hand, preventing him from
touching his shoulder, but he kept Naruto's hand in his own. Naruto
did not know whether to feel rejected or accepted – anyway, it
was strange to have his hand in Sasuke's who held it firmly.

Sasuke
was confused by Naruto's behaviour – by his concern for him, by
his horror at Itachi's deeds, by his contempt for Itachi's love
(which made him, Sasuke, a bit angry, as he knew now how much his
brother had loved him). He was touched my the warmth in Naruto's
voice, and irritated by his use of the word love. He was insecure how
he should understand it, and he preferred to hold Naruto's hand
instead of having it on his shoulder.

He
pondered Naruto's words, which had reminded him of what Itachi had
said after killing the clan: Cling to life, live miserably, hate
people. As a child he had believed blindly in them - that he had to
remain lonely and miserable, because this was the only way to become
strong. Itachi would not, wouldn't he, as he was the strongest of
all. Later, when he had been living with Orochimaru and had been as
lonely and miserable as he could wish for, and hated everyone around
him, he had sometimes wondered about these words, and whether it had
been wise to believe in them, but he had not given much thought to
them, and later, when he had defeated Orochimaru and was busy with
his search for Itachi, and even more after Madara's tale, he had
completely forgotten about them. Only now, Naruto had brought them
back to his mind: Live miserably. Was that really what Itachi had
intended for him, even though allegedly he had loved him more than
even the village, for which he had sacrificed the clan? Better not
think about it, and go on trusting that Itachi was not a monster but
had loved him to the end.

Naruto
was thinking about Itachi too – about his own last encounter
with Sasuke's older brother. How Itachi had asked him what he would
do if Sasuke attacked Konoha, and how he had answered that he would
protect both Sasuke and Konoha. Itachi had smiled at him, he
remembered, as if he still cared for his brother in his own, rather
twisted way. Also, Itachi had hinted at the possibility that Sasuke
might not return to Konoha, at least not with peaceful intentions,
destroying Naruto's hope that after defeating Itachi, Sasuke and
himself would be friends and companions again, comrades of the Leaf,
as they had been when they were children.

It
came to his mind that he still did not know about Sasuke's plans –
he was glad that Sasuke was staying with him, and he did not want to
drive him away with questions about what he planned to do after
having found healing in that legendary Blessed Realm. He could not go
on like that, he realized. No matter how much he liked Sasuke and
wanted him to stay, no matter how much he hated Danzou, he could not
naively give shelter to Sasuke and his team when they were plotting
to fight against Konoha, using his place as a base.

But
why should Sasuke fight against Konoha? Why should he believe Itachi,
and trust him more than his friend – wasn't Itachi a member of
Akatsuki, a criminal who had murdered his own family? Why should he
take his words seriously? - Damn, he had already managed to confuse
him, and to make him distrust Sasuke.

For
some minutes they were thus absorbed each in his own thoughts,
Naruto's hand still in Sasuke's.

“But
he didn't succeed, did he?” Karin finally interrupted their
silence. “You still have your eyes.”

“It
was only a Tsukuyomi anyway”, Sasuke answered. “Nothing
real.”

“Only
an illusion? Then why do you complain?”

Naruto
well remembered Itachi's Mangekyou Sharingan that had brought down
both Kakashi and Sasuke when he had visited Konoha after the
Sandaime's death. Kakashi had explained to him how one second had
been stretched to three days, and how, even though it had only been
an illusion, the pain had been real.

“Have
you ever had a nightmare?” Sasuke asked. “Did you manage
to dissolve it by yourself, or did you wake up screaming?”

Naruto
wondered how often this had happened to Sasuke when he was still a
child, even without succumbing to a Tsukuyomi.

“In
his Tsukuyomi, Itachi managed to pluck out one of my eyes. I was
lucky that I broke the illusion before he got the other one too –
otherwise the illusion might have become true.” Maybe he had
not been lucky, he thought. Itachi holding his one eye in his hand
and letting it slide into a jar had seemed a bit surreal, making him
realize that he was caught in an illusion. Still breaking it had
taken all his strength.

“If
you were able to break that Tsukuyomi, you will also be able to
realize that the doctor truly wants to help you, and that he does not
want to pluck out your eyes”, Karin said.

“I
have learnt how to break genjutsus”, Naruto said. “Someone
has to touch you, disrupting the flow of chakra, Once I was brought
back from one of Itachi's genjutsus like this myself.”

Sasuke
wondered by whom, though he somehow knew that he would be happier if
he did not imagine this too vividly.

“I
could do it for you if you want to.”

Sasuke
finally dissolved the physical contact to rearrange his hair, making
Naruto hold his breath, but he was relieved immediately when Sasuke
answered: “It's okay.”

It's
ridiculous, Sasuke thought, the doctor was not going to put him under
a Tsukuyomi, not even under a conventional genjutsu, and even if he
did, he would be able to break it by himself. Yet he would not turn
down Naruto's well-meant offer.

“Let's
go and start again”, he said.

They
had to wait for some minutes, as the doctor had begun to treat
another patient in the meantime.

“Do
you feel better now?” The doctor asked when he had time to
receive them.

Sasuke
nodded.

“Someone
once tried to pluck out his eyes”, Karin explained.

The
doctor's expression, unlike Naruto's, was rather one of disbelief
than of horror. “Why was that?”

“It
was during a fight”, Sasuke answered, not wanting to tell any
details.

“But
who fights like that? When I was a boy we used to say that only girls
would bite or attempt to scratch out your eyes. You didn't fight
against girls, did you?”

“No,
definitely not”, Sasuke answered, bewildered.

“Then
let's start. We'll take it more slowly now, and I will take care to
explain to you everything I do.”

So
a second time they headed for the examination room, and Naruto
followed. He felt insecure whether he was really needed –
Sasuke seemed much more confident, much more resolved now. Still when
Sasuke had climbed into the examination chair, Naruto reached out for
his hand, and again, Sasuke kept it in his own.

“That's
a good idea”, the doctor commented. “You may help your
friend to reorient himself in the present when he is reminded of that
incident in his past. - I should apologize”, he added. “I
took it for granted that you knew what was awaiting you. I should
have asked.”

It
was all easier now, and not that much slower. The doctor kept his
promise and explained everything, and he refrained from approaching
Sasuke's eyes with his hands or with some eye drops. Instead he
lowered a heavy black shield, so that it came to rest on Sasuke's
nose (no, a millimetre above it, Naruto convinced himself), and
Sasuke had to look through or into it; Naruto did not know. He had
pressed Naruto's hand when this black thing had gone down, but soon
he relaxed, and after some time, he let go completely. Naruto had no
idea what was happening, but Sasuke seemed perfectly calm, saying
some letters, declaring that he could not read the lower line, then
the doctor would manipulate the device which went click click click,
and Sasuke would say some more letters.

“Don't
strain yourself”, the doctor said. “We are going to find
the optimum, so that you can see clearly without any effort.”

Naruto
resigned, It was not necessary that he understood, it was enough that
Sasuke did.

Finally
they seemed content, and the black device was lifted. “Now I
still have to check your cornea”, the doctor said. “For
scars, or for some astigmatism.”

Sasuke
reached out for Naruto's hand again, he braced himself; Naruto felt
his hand pressed when the doctor introduced some fluid into Sasuke's
eyes “just for the contrast, so that I can better see” –
this time Sasuke did not pass out, but he went pale, and when he
climbed out of that chair, Naruto had to support him. Naruto's heart
hurt with pity for his friend, who suffered so much during a simple
examination, and with anger at the one who was responsible for
Sasuke's suffering.

“Itachi
is dead, is he?” he asked.

“Yes”,
Sasuke answered. He was busy coping with the situation at hand, he
could not think of his brother now.

“He
should consider himself lucky that he's dead”, Naruto
continued. “If he were still alive, I'd make him pay so dearly
for everything he's done to you. He'd wish he'd never have been
born.”

Maybe
Itachi had had this wish more than once during his short, joyless
life, Sasuke thought. One day he'd have to tell the truth to Naruto,
but this was definitely the wrong moment. They were back in the
doctor's office.

“So
that's it”, the doctor said. “You do need glasses, but
apart from that, there's nothing to worry about.”

“Yeah”,
Sasuke murmured. He swallowed – he felt dumbfounded.

“I
mean, looking good is great, but seeing well should be more
important. And in bed you take them off anyway.”

Sasuke
was confused.

“It's
not about this”, he answered. “I am a fighter.”

“Yes,
I forgot. But, honestly, aren't you a bit too old for this? I fought
a lot myself when I was a child, always somewhere in the streets,
organizing fights against the boys from the next street. My glasses
got broken more than once, and my parents made me pay for them with
my pocket-money, which I found unfair, as the other boys who didn't
have glasses did not have to take care. But you don't fight in the
streets any more, do you?”

“It's
for sports”, Naruto intervened, trying to spare Sasuke from
having to explain that he was a ninja. Sasuke, meanwhile, was
wondering about this place where fighting was considered an
appropriate occupation for boys, but not for grown-up men.

“I
see”, the doctor replied. “Boxing or martial arts?”

“Martial
arts”, Naruto answered again. Sasuke knew neither of these
words.

“Ah,
interesting. I've always found them fascinating, but I just don't
have the time to learn them myself. Well, there's of course the
possibility of contacts, but you should have a pair of glasses in
addition, in case anything happens.”

“What
are contacts?” Sasuke asked, and the doctor explained.

“Are
you sure you want them?” Karin asked. “Something in your
eyes? And it would delay our departure even further. - We are not
from here”, she explained, “just passing through this
town.”

“Then
you will also have to consider whether you want to get your glasses
here, or wait till you are back home. Your vision is not that bad,
you should be able to make it without running into a tree.”

The
words cut into Sasuke's heart. He had difficulties concentrating and
focussing on the important questions.

“Where
do I get these contacts? And how much do they cost?”

“You
can have them fitted here, or at an optician's. The price depends on
the kind you choose. We'll talk about it when you have made up your
mind whether you want them, and whether you want to get them here, or
wait until you are back home. Though as far as I have heard they are
still more expensive in the ninja countries, as they are less common
there.”

So
he had figured it out after all, Naruto thought.

The
doctor looked at Sasuke, testing him, but Sasuke returned the stare.

“I
will think about it”, he answered.

A/N:

kinai26:
I am not mean; I allow him to find a solution to his problems with
his eyesight at a comparatively low price (except when in terms of
money, but I guess that even then, getting glasses or contacts is far
cheaper than having Itachi's eyes transplanted.) Naruto will continue
to be cute for at least one more chapter, and for the rest –
well, I don't want to give spoilers for my own story.

Sneakyfox:
Happy to see you back! You made me think a bit – I had fun
letting them receive news of Shikamaru's and Temari's wedding via a
tabloid, and in a waiting-room, which is the only place where
intelligent people read tabloids (me too, if it is not a routine
illness that does not make me nervous.) I tried to contain as many
political information as these tabloids usually contain (“poor
Shikamaru has to take leave from his parents!”) but I did not
wonder about the Hidden Villages... But now I think that these
villages are not that hidden, as they are the main source of armed
forces of their countries – the Narutoverse has ninjas, but no
samurai.
- 16
- 17
- 18
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The Blessed Realm