Adult-FanFiction.org : Naruto

People who are Important: Book Two	By : Morales89 Category: Naruto > General Views: 1262 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: Naruto is the property of Masashi Kishimoto and Tv tokyo. This is a purely fanwritten work, with which I make no money, and write only for the pleasure of myself and my readers.

Chapter List
- 16
- 17
- 18
Chapter 15
'Ohayo Gozaimasu, Tou-sama…Kaa-sama…Baa-sama. I'm sorry it's been so long since I last came here to talk to you. I've been so busy in Sunagakure. Gaara's been busy, and I'm trying to help him as best as I can. Between that, the Hospital, and Senji-chan it's been tough getting back here. We're all well though. I'm pregnant with twins Kaa-sama…did I tell you? Gaara-kun's excited and so am I! I've been stuck in Konoha for a while on a mission. The Uchiha came back…but he's really sick. I don't know if he'll make it.
We're going to put him through a lot today. With his body as prepared as we could get it, and the skill level of the group his chances of living would be decent. However…the group hasn't been able to practice as much as they needed to. I fear that I might actually lose this patient. Oh, Kaa-sama…what will I do? I can't…I can't fail. If I do so many people will be hurt. Naruto-kun…Senji-chan…. Oh Kami and Sakura-chan. She'll break…I'm so scared. Please . Help me through this…'
"Shia…it's just about time," her husband's voice called. The Akito Head broke out of her daze and rose to stand with him. Senji reached out for his mother, who ruffled his red hair affectionately and smiled at him.
"Momma's okay Senji-chan. It's okay," she said softly as they made their way towards the hospital.
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Hokage Tower
"Alright I've called you here for an important A-rank mission," Tsunade said. Naruto's big blue eyes widened into giant saucers.
"B…but Baa-chan…didn't you just tell me I was grounded to the village?" he asked in confusion. Hinata stayed silent, wondering what was going on.
"You're not leaving the village," the Hokage answered.
"Then… wha.."
"Shut up and listen gaki! We're doing an important procedure down at the hospital today and I need to have two guards standing at the doors to make sure no one who doesn't have clearance gets in," Tsunade explained. Hinata stepped forward.
"What kind of procedure?" she asked.
"That's unnecessary for you to know. All you have to do is make sure no one whose name isn't on this list gets in," the blond woman explained as she handed a list of ninja to the Hyuuga Heiress. Those white eyes roamed over the list, becoming more and more confused as they did so. What was going on in that room that all these elite ninja were going to be part of this "procedure"?
"Okay, you're both dismissed to your posts. They should start arriving soon. Get to the hospital A.S.A.P," Tsunade ordered.
"Hai!" both ninja answered simultaneously before walking out of the room.
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Konohagakure Hospital
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"You've got to calm down Forehead. If you're not completely on your game in there, he could die," Yamanaka Ino said as she rubbed a soothing hand over her slowly breaking friend's back.
"I know….I know…but I just can't imagine what I'll do if he dies Ino. I….I love him….I've always loved him…you know that," Sakura said through her tears. The blond knelt down to her friend's level.
"Listen…you're stronger than this Sakura," she started, "don't forget the promise you made to yourself when you started your apprenticeship under Tsunade-sama."
Sakura thought for a second. How could she ever forget that? That was back when she was the weakest one of the bunch. That was back when she had watched her two team mates grow together, get stronger, and protect her together. Back when Sasuke had left and all she could do was cry, and beg Naruto to bring the Uchiha back to her. She'd been so weak. And what was she doing now? Now that Sasuke actually needed her. She was crying again. She was sobbing when she should be getting ready; meditating so she could be mentally prepared for her part in the Removal. Abruptly she sat up, causing Ino to jump back a little.
"This time I'll help… This time they'll be counting on me," she said in a soft, but determined tone. Ino smiled at her friend.
"They are counting on you. We're all counting on you Forehead," Ino said softly. Sakura chuckled a little as she wiped her tears away.
"Way to ruin the moment Ino-pig," the pinkette murmured. Ino huffed playfully.
"Who else would be better to keep your pathetic behind from breaking down all the time!" she said haughtily. Sakura's strong arms wrapped around her in a friendly hug.
"Thanks Piggy…I promise Sasuke-kun will wake up so we can argue over him again," she said in a jesting tone. Ino snorted.
"Pssh….I've been over Sasuke for a long time Forehead…Sai's my man now," the blond said. Sakura pulled back and laughed.
"Does he know that?" She asked.
"No, but he'll figure it out eventually. He's already got a cute nickname for me. Miss Lovely," the Yamanaka singsonged happily. Sakura didn't have the heart to say he just called her that so he wouldn't get punched in the face.
"Well good luck with him…you'll need it. Clueless doesn't even begin to describe Sai," Sakura said. Ino just huffed again.
"He just needs a little Yamanaka in his life," she said standing.
"I'm sure," the pinkette answered as she watched her friend walk to the door.
"Well, you get ready. I'll be planning the celebration party!" the blond said waving as she exited.
Sakura smiled as her friend left the room. Ino always knew what to say to make her focus on what she needed to do. Their years of training together had made them close, despite their being rivals in everything. Sakura glanced behind her, letting her green eyes rest on the fretful form of her friend and long time love. She had to save him. She didn't care how low his chances for survival were according to the statistics. Sasuke was going to live. There wasn't another option on this one. If he didn't live, she didn't know how she could after he died.
The medic placed a small, soothing hand on his head and combed it through his thick, ebony hair. He seemed to calm just a little, and relaxed enough for her to turn him onto his belly without damaging any of his muscles. When that was done, Sakura filtered her healing energy into the horribly black and blued flesh over the left side of his torso. The tissue was so damaged it nearly degenerated as soon as she healed it. She kept trying, however, because she wanted to make sure he was in as good shape as he could be by the time the removal began.
'You're going to live Sasuke-kun…you can count on me…' she thought as she silently combed her fingers through his hair. Sasuke shifted a little, seemingly leaning into the touch. Sakura leaned down to kiss his forehead.
"It's going to be alright Sasuke-kun…I promise," she said quietly.
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Naruto and Hinata
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People started to arrive in front of the large room in the hospital. Naruto stared at the group of elite ninja. What in the world was going on at the hospital that a group of five Jounin were needed? He looked from Kakashi over to Temari. The Hokage had even gone international? He shot a look towards his girlfriend who was smiling and talking to Izumo about something Naruto couldn't quite hear.
"Yo!" A voice said from next to him. Naruto turned to see his Team leader, Kakashi, smiling at him warmly.
"Hi Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto chirped back with his usual smile.
"Ne…Kakashi-sensei….do you know what's going on?" the blond asked with wide, confused blue eyes. The Copy-nin's eye curved amiably.
"Hai…I do Naruto-kun," he answered. Naruto pouted.
"Well... aren't you going to tell me?" he asked. Kakashi's eyes opened with a feigned chastising look.
"You know I am not at liberty to divulge that kind of information, Naruto-kun. This is an S-class mission after all," the silver haired man answered. This served only to deepen Naruto's pout.
"But Kakashi-sensei...!" Naruto whined loudly, tugging at the Copy-nin's sleeve childishly.
"Naruto-kun!" Hinata's voice exclaimed. Naruto turned to his girlfriend with a sheepish smile, but before he could say anything…
"Alright, everyone shut up and get inside the room. Naruto, Hinata…make sure no one without clearance makes it through this door, understood?" Tsunade ordered in a sharp tone.
Naruto snapped his mouth shut and nodded, straightening out his posture and trying to look alert. Hinata giggled, but activated her Byakugan to look out for unauthorized visitors. Sakura looked at the two briefly before locking eyes with her best friend and team mate. They shared a significant exchange that neither could really translate before the sound of a stretcher being rolled down the hall interrupted them. Tsunade, Sakura, Shizune, and the two guards snapped their gazes in the direction of the sound.
"Sasuke…" Naruto gasped, immediately recognizing the person lying in the bed.
'How is that possible?' he thought silently.
A day ago the Uchiha had been walking around the village. He'd watched with a bouncing one year old child in his arms, as Sakura and Hinata sparred for a good hour and a half. He'd argued with Naruto over a steaming bowl of ramen afterwards. They'd thought he was healed…so why did he look like that now? The sheet on the stretcher had slid down, exposing the Uchiha's bare, bruised shoulder, or more entire left side, to the world. Where there had once been white, nearly flawless skin, it was now turned purple and near black with the damage. Sasuke's breathing was shallow and short. His face paler than even his should be, brow scrunched in pain. Naruto cringed. Someone as powerful as Sasuke…as strong, and skilled as he was, should never look like that.
"Sakura-chan…" Naruto said. He locked eyes with his friend who nodded at him.
"I will save him Naruto…" Sakura said with determination in her voice.
"We're counting on you Sakura-chan," Hinata said when Naruto seemed to have forgotten his voice. The pinkette nodded and walked into the room without another word.
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Inside the Room
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"Before we start this procedure I have a few things to say," Tsunade said, glancing over all the ninja in the room. They all seemed to be entranced by the comatose, slowly dying Uchiha in the middle of the room.
"I know you haven't been able to practice as a group as much as you probably needed to, but time is up! This is Uchiha's last chance of survival. You all know your individual parts; just do your best to work as a group. You're some of the best ninja I have. I trust you," the Hokage said encouragingly.
"Take a look at the floor of this room," Tsunade started, gesturing a manicured hand to the ground.
In the center of the room was the Leaf Village symbol outlined with a triangle. Then through both was a large, five tipped star with a different colored crystal at each point. Shizune and Sakura guided everyone to their elementally specific place on the star. Next to each person was a ritual knife and a paintbrush with fine, black hair for the tip. After the five ninja were seated, the three medic-nin took their own places. Tsunade at the top point of the triangle, with her two subordinates at the base points. She soon spoke again.
"Alright, I need the five of you to lift your knives and draw blood from your palm," the Hokage instructed.
The five ninja sitting around the star lifted their respective knives and sliced into their own palms at the same time. They held their palms horizontally, not facing the floor, as they bled. Tsunade then instructed them to take up the brushes and dip them into the blood. As synchronized as possible, all five ninja dipped their soft brushes into their own blood, and coated the soft, jet black hair with crimson.
"These brushes were crafted with the patient's own hair in order to connect you all more to his biological form. We will now begin the removal process. If there are any questions pertaining to anything, now would be the time to ask," Tsunade said as she darted her golden brown eyes around the room.
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Silence…
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"Alright then, hold your brushes still. After the three controllers have finished connecting our chakra with his major biological systems, you may begin your parts," she said after the long pause.
Her and her two apprentices moved from the points of the triangle to inside of it. The Hokage remained at the head of the triangle, while the two younger medic-nin settled on either side of the Uchiha. Tsunade's hands flitted through a few signs briefly. She held one out on either side of the Uchiha's head; glowing thumbs resting over his closed eyelids. Two chakra infused finger tips touched each of his temples while her pinkie and ring finger rested at the base of his skull.
"Neural regulation jutsu," she whispered.
The young man's face tensed briefly before falling completely slack. Tsunade then nodded towards Sakura. The pinkette nodded, and all eyes turned to watch her. Well, except for Tsunade's because she'd closed hers in order to focus her energies solely on managing Sasuke's Central Nervous System. Sakura's hands moved through a different pattern, before they stopped, glowing green over the Uchiha's left breast. Sasuke jerked up slightly, back arching towards the hand as Sakura's chakra connected and flowed through his Circulatory System.
"Circulatory regulation jutsu," she whispered, closing her eyes and letting her chakra see for her.
She could feel every blood vessel, every beat and stutter Sasuke's heart made as it fought to keep beating. Tsunade worked quickly, dulling the part of the brain that regulated the heartbeat just enough to give Sakura more control over the system. The younger ninja smoothly took control without a hiccup of a mistake. Sakura nodded again to signal Shizune, before tuning out the world and tuning in to only the beating of Sasuke's heart. The outside world seemingly faded away as she focused on helping Sasuke's heart continue its rhythmic beats. It was a little weak, she noted, so she set her chakra to the task of helping his heart beat stronger.
It wasn't long before she felt Shizune's chakra moving in. The two of them would be working as a close-knit team throughout the procedure, with Tsunade as their ringleader. The Circulatory System and Respiratory System were very closely entwined with one another, so Shizune made sure to gently mold her chakra along side Sakura's as she took control of the Uchiha's shallowly expanding lungs. As her younger counterpart had done with his heart, Shizune's chakra boosted Sasuke's lungs to stronger and smoother actions. She too slid her eyes closed and let the world outside of Uchiha Sasuke's respiratory functions slip away.
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Outside the Room
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Naruto was pacing in front of the door in his obvious panic. Right now in that room, his best friend was going through a possibly fatal procedure, and there was nothing he could do to help other than stand outside the door. He wanted to be in there. He wanted to be a part of the process too. If he was there then maybe he could help if something went wrong. How was it going in there? It'd been awfully quiet for the last few minutes. Did something go wrong? Or…is it going smoothly? Surely they would have heard something if it wasn't going as planned in there….right?
A warm pair of arms wove around his center, as a head of long, silken hair nuzzled into his chest. Naruto's thoughts immediately halted. He glanced down at his girlfriend, who was trying to comfort him. He gently secured his arms around her shoulders and leaned his head atop hers. Hinata kissed his neck softly, trailing upwards until she reached his lips. Naruto tilted his head back so that they could kiss more comfortably. It was not chaste, but not hungry either. He allowed his tongue to sweep through her mouth before breaking apart.
"It's going to be okay Naruto-kun…" he heard her say. He squeezed her tighter.
"It has to be," he said, staring at the door to the room intently. 'You'd better live Teme! I didn't track your ass down for four years to have you die on us now!' the blond thought.
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Inside the Room
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A few moments after Shizune had uttered her "Respiratory regulation jutsu!", Kakashi deemed it safe for them to start their parts. Tsunade couldn't coach them through this first part. She was leading the team of medics for now, and wouldn't be able to contribute anything to their parts of the Removal until later. They would be looking to him for leadership at this point because the Hokage had to focus her energies elsewhere. Since Sasuke's strongest elemental affinity was also towards lightning, Kakashi would be leading the group of elemental ninja as they each did their part. He would begin with the opposite of his student's elemental chakra…wind. He nodded towards Temari, who dragged the brush over her arm in the sweeping patterns of the ancient symbols for air.
"I call the spirit of the eastern crystal," the young blond began softly. She brushed similar patterns over her clear crystal before she held it in the center of her two upturned, bleeding palms.
"Ancient one of air, I call you to attend this jutsu," she finished.
A strong gust of wind swept over the room ruffling everyone's clothing and hair. The old Konoha runes, painted in blood upon her body and wind crystal, glowed a brilliant white as she took control over the wind chakra. The wind in the room soon calmed, and Kakashi cued the next person to start their part. Izumo, Sasuke's other opposite since the Uchiha also had an affinity towards fire, dipped his paintbrush into his blood. The newly appointed Jounin took a calming breath before brushing the symbols for water over his body, and onto his own clear, blue stone.
"I call the spirit of the western crystal. Ancient one of water, I call you to attend this jutsu." Izumo said in a soft, calm voice.
The moisture in the room intensified, water formed around the western ninja as he took control of the chakra. The ancient symbols written over his body and crystal lit with a deep blue glow, signifying that the element of water was lending its power to their cause. Sasuke choked a little at the sudden change in the atmosphere, but Shizune quickly helped his lungs get used to the moist air. Temari and Izumo seemed a little nervous after the patient's small outburst.
Kakashi wanted to say something to encourage them; they were doing a great job. However, Tsunade had made it clear that during the calling of the elemental entities, nothing other than the necessary summoning phrases were to be uttered. As they'd been told from the beginning, this jutsu was from a time in their history where techniques had a more ritual design. Everything had a specific order that had to be followed flawlessly. The next person started their part; Yamato…the earth ninja.
"I call the spirit of the northern crystal," the young ANBU Captain began, painting over his body and green crystal with his blood.
"Ancient one of earth, I call you to attend this jutsu," Yamato finished quietly.
The symbols scattered over him and his crystal glowed bright green as the earth entity joined their cause. The ground beneath them rumbled and shook a little bit, jostling their patient just slightly, and causing him to let out a pained groan. Of course the medic-nin poised around him were ready to take action. Immediately their chakra soothed and calmed him back into his unmoving state. Shia began her part…she was the fire ninja…one who shared an elemental affinity with her patient. Carefully, she called forth her chakra and began heating it. She brushed the ancient symbols of fire over her body and red crystal as she began her chant.
"I call the spirit of the southern stone. Ancient one of fire, I call you to attend this jutsu," the Akito head summoned.
As soon as her chakra reached its hottest point, flames burst around her in a brilliant flurry. Instantaneously Shia took the reigns of the chakra and controlled it with the precision only a medical ninja could possess. The runes written over her body and crystal lit up with an orange/red light as the fire entity was summoned to their jutsu. The sudden change of temperature caused Sasuke's breathing to falter once again, but Shizune was once again ready to help his lungs adjust.
Finally it was Kakashi's turn. He'd be going last, as he shared Sasuke's most prominent affinity…lightning chakra. The silver haired Jounin took his brush and dipped it into the blood of the palm he'd sliced open, offering his blood to his elemental spirit just as the four before him had with theirs. He painted the ancient, elegant calligraphy of lightning over his pale forearms and ice blue crystal. He called forth his lightning chakra, feeling it crackle and spark within him as he began his chant.
"I call the spirit of the leading crystal," he began, electric sparks flying around him as he did. Lightning chakra was the hardest to control, right up there with fire and wind. They were wild, unpredictable forces while water and earth were calmer…less erratic chakra affinities.
"Ancient one of lightning, I call you to attend and lead this jutsu," Kakashi finished….a crack of lightning shot behind him loudly before he took control of the chakra.
The room shook with the strength of the bolt as the symbols on Kakashi's arms and crystal glowed electric blue. The lightning entity had arrived. Now the jutsu could officially begin. Tsunade opened her eyes, not stopping her constant flow of chakra into the patient's Central Nervous System as she did. She smiled at her elemental ninja before opening her mouth to speak.
"Alright….you've all done well. The elements are present to help us purify Sasuke of his curse. Now comes the hard part. You must all, as unanimously as possible, start easing your chakra into his body. You must maintain complete control, because if you put too much in too fast…he will die. You will ease the chakra into him, towards the Seal, until all of your elements meet at its core," Tsunade explained. The ninja around the room listened intently as she spoke.
"At that time, you must all work together…forcing your chakra together in order to purify the Curse Mark and remove it from his body. His body will react badly to your foreign presences; do not pay attention to that. Even if you hear the machines monitoring him going wild, you are not to take your mind off of your part in this jutsu. You must trust that the three of us will keep him alive as you purify him," the Hokage finished with a stern look in her golden brown eyes. The room was silent.
"Am I understood?" she asked. There was a communal nod. Tsunade smiled.
"This is his last hope. Everyone is counting on us," she said. Five identical determined looks were her answer.
"Begin!" she ordered.
And they did. Kakashi signalled everyone to call forth their chakra…his eyes glanced around the room; all the elements stared to him for leadership. With a nod, they all simultaneously started easing their energy into the Uchiha's body. The machines in the room immediately went haywire…the heart monitor beeping so fast it almost sounded like it was flat-lining. Sasuke arched wildly and let out a strangled cry as his body tried to refuse the foreign chakra…as the curse tried to fight it off.
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Outside the Room
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"Shit! Did you hear that Hina-chan?" Naruto cried out. His big, worried blue eyes turned on her. She just squeezed him in her arms and kissed his face tenderly.
"It's going to be okay Naruto-kun. They're going to save him. You have to believe," she murmured against his skin. Naruto cupped her face in his hands and kissed her hard. He felt better almost immediately.
"I do….I believe," he said, trying desperately to ignore the sound of a million vital machines going crazy and the loud cries of pain from his best friend.
Naruto was worried for the Uchiha. He could feel the massive a mount of chakra radiating from that room, and, though it was all controlled for the moment, he knew that it would be difficult for them all to control it once they got it into Sasuke's body. See, not only would Sasuke's own chakra system attempt to fight the foreign energy, but the Seal would try to fight the source of purification as hard as it could. It would be painful and possibly fatal for Sasuke. The tiniest mistake could kill him, and though Naruto had faith in the talented group of ninja that were in there right now…even the best ninja make mistakes.
"Naruto-kun….try to calm down. I know you're worried, but we have a mission. We have to protect Sasuke-san while he's in there, so we have to be vigilant," he heard his girlfriend say. He turned to the Hyuuga Heiress, who was smiling at him kindly.
"You're right Hina-chan," Naruto said, kissing her again. She nestled her head back against his chest and he held her. The contact was soothing to him…Hinata was soothing for him.
'Kyuubi….Will it be okay?' Naruto asked in his mind. He heard the fox sigh…well, it sounded more like a growl to him.
Even I can't tell the future Kit. We'll just have to wait and see. The fox demon answered.
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Inside the Room
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"Ahhgggg!" Sasuke cried out as five different types of foreign chakra pierced through the first level of the Seal.
The ninja around the room squirmed uncomfortably. That had sounded rather painful. Should they stop? Were they killing him? Honestly they should have a little more faith with the four best medics in the village present for this process. It was Kakashi who spoke up to encourage them. He sent a meaningful look around the circle of elemental ninja before smiling amiably.
"Don't worry. Just focus on what you're doing. Remember what Tsunade-sama said…no matter what happens, keep going. Tsunade-sama, Shizune-san, and Sakura-chan here will make sure he stays stable. You're all doing great," the Copy-nin said quietly.
Sasuke, in the meanwhile, was arching and lurching….curling into himself and writhing where he lay. He wasn't conscious…he had no idea of what was going on around him. All he knew was the terrible pain coursing from his shoulder, and spreading over his entire body. The tissue underneath the Cursed Seal burned so badly it was almost numb. He couldn't form a coherent thought, but he could feel the pain full force. Slowly the chakra of the five other ninja in the room crept through the first layer of chakra in the Seal. It gave rather quickly since the first layer was not very dense. The Seal as a whole, however, was reacting violently to the way that the Removal Process was purifying and disposing of the chakra in the first level.
"Gaaahhh!" Sasuke cried out loudly, lurching forward and gasping violently for air.
The machine monitoring his breathing went off in alarm. His lungs were not expanding as much as they should be. Kakashi once again tried to soothe the ninja around the circle. Sasuke's painful sounding gasps were quite distracting, but he knew they had to continue. The Uchiha rolled over on his stomach suddenly, coughing blood onto the floor. Shizune was already at work trying to calm him and get his lungs functioning the right way again. A flare of chakra caught Kakashi's eye, and he snapped his gaze over to Izumo who had a really worried/horrified expression gracing his young face.
"Steady Kamizuki….get that chakra back under control," the more experienced ninja ordered sternly. Izumo's nervous, deep brown eyes locked with his as the young man shook slightly.
"We're gonna kill him! We should stop!" he said eying the puddle of blood the Uchiha had just coughed up. Kakashi glared and opened his mouth to scold the other man.
"You'd better not stop Kamizuki Izumo or I'll burn your face so bad your mother won't even recognize you!" Akito Shia snapped hotly.
"Bu…"
"You stop now and he will die," she said with a fierce look in her eyes.
Izumo snapped his mouth shut and turned his eyes onto the writhing ninja on the floor. The dark haired young man looked like he was in so much pain. That pale skin was marred by the damage of the Seal, and his body was slowly shutting down because of it. Sasuke was so young…too young to die because of something like this. Even if he did betray the village, if Tsunade was so keen on saving him….then maybe he wasn't so bad. Izumo refocused his energies and took control over the water entity once again. As soon as he'd inched his way back against the Seal with his chakra, Sasuke let out a loud wail.
"We've just broken the first level…be prepared…the second level is much more dense than the first. Strengthen and sharpen your charka as best as you can," Shia instructed quietly. The ninja sitting at the five points of the elemental star nodded their heads and did as they were told.
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Akito House
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"Gaara you have to calm down," Shikamaru tried to reason, but his soon-to-be brother-in-law was having none of it.
"I just don't like the idea of her being involved in this in her condition. It could be dangerous in there," the Kazekage said, bouncing his son on his hip slightly. Senji-chan, in the meanwhile, was trying to grasp at his father's distracting looking hair.
"It'll be fine. You know she has to be there. Uchiha will have a much higher chance of living if she is," the Nara explained. Gaara sighed, plopping down on the couch with a small huff.
"I know. I'm just worried," he said quietly. Shikamaru sat beside the other man and clapped a hand on his shoulder in comfort.
"It's only natural for you to be worried. If Temari were pregnant, I'd be worried for her too," he said. Green eyes rose to lock with dark brown; they narrowed.
"She's not though…hehe…I was just trying to make a point," the Nara added nervously. Gaara relaxed. It was quiet for some time. Both men sat thinking about the Removal process and wondering if everything would be okay.
"You're right…she'll be fine," Gaara said.
Shikamaru smiled slightly and nodded. He knew that Shia would be fine. The Akito Head was a strong girl, even in her current condition. He was more worried for Sakura than anyone. He supposed everyone was. Naruto…well, Naruto would be devastated if Sasuke died. He would probably be depressed for a while, but Naruto always recovered quickly.
Naruto would come back and live his life fighting in Sasuke's name, or something like that. Sakura….she would break. She was a strong girl; there was no doubt about it. However…losing Sasuke now after she'd worked so hard to save his life would be the end for her. Shikamaru hoped, just like the rest of the rookie nine, that this Removal Process would work. Team Seven had been through enough these last four years.
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Konohagakure Hospital: Removal Room
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Sakura felt wearier and wearier as the process went on. The Elemental ninja had broken through the first two layers of the Seal and were currently well on their way to moving through the third. Sasuke's heartbeat was as steady as she could keep it, though still a little fast for her taste. He was in so much pain. She wished she could do something to make it stop, but there was no avoiding it. Things seemed to be going well, but it wasn't really the outer layers of the Curse that had her worried. They weren't what was poisoning his body. They were just protecting the part that was. The Core of the curse would be the hardest, and try as she might, she just couldn't figure out what to expect when they got down to it. How would the Curse react? How would Sasuke react?
"Push harder; I can feel the wall of the third layer cracking. All of us at the same time. Deep breath," Kakashi said, breaking Sakura out of her thoughts.
Her green eyes fluttered open in time to see the surrounding five ninja take a deep breath in. She watched Kakashi pull his head back and then cue them to release it with an exaggerated nod. The five foreign chakras immediately got stronger, pushing together against the last wall of the third layer. Sasuke's heartbeat went wild as he cried out in pain. His breathing became erratic and his vitals went haywire. Immediately the medic-nin around him jumped to action. Shizune pumped soothing chakra into his lungs, trying to get them working at a normal pace as Sakura tried calming his heart. The third layer of the Seal cracked further and then Sasuke's heart beat suddenly plummeted.
"Kuso!" she exclaimed quietly, taking control and trying to get his heart stable. It wouldn't respond to her chakra. It just continued slowing down rapidly. 'Fuck fuck fuck! Come on!' Sakura thought frantically.
"Sakura, his heartbeat is slowing at an alarming rate. You need to stabilize him now!" Tsunade informed her.
She nodded, focusing her chakra and sending little jolts of boosting energy into Sasuke's slowing muscle. She tried again and again, as the ninja around her continued pushing at the last barrier before the main core of the curse. 'Come on Sasuke…please,' Sakura thought. She managed to stop his heart from slowing any further, but it remained at the pace it stopped slowing at. Suddenly the third layer of the Seal shattered, the dark and malevolent chakra was purified and disposed of by the elemental entities…they had made it.
"We got it! Alright Kakashi-san you're on!" Shia said.
They almost had it. They had made it to the core of the curse. 'We might save you yet Sasuke-san!' Shia thought happily. She looked over at her friend Sakura, wondering why the pinkette did not look happy. She figured the other girl was just too concentrated to show anything at the moment. Kakashi began the final chant as the three medic-nin surrounding the Uchiha dipped their fingers into the blood he'd coughed up earlier. They painted the ancient symbols of the elements over his body in the corresponding directions.
"We call upon the power of the elements to take this offering of blood in exchange for the purification of this child. Fire, Water, Air, Earth, and Lightning….use your energies to rid this child of his curse," Kakashi said, electrical chakra crackling behind him.
The symbols on Sasuke's body glowed their respective colors as his body arched upwards towards the heavens. The five chakras molded together into one purifying power-house of energy, and pressed with unimaginable strength against the main core of the curse. The Seal resisted…Sasuke's own chakra system tried to push them all out as his body writhed and thrashed against the hard floor of the room. The core of the Curse was giving way slowly….everyone in the room could feel it imploding into itself with the weight of the Elemental energies combined.
'Here it comes….we're gonna do it!' Temari thought.
'Kaasan…Tousan…Baasan…please let this work!' Shia thought as she too felt the core of the Curse losing its battle against their powers combined.
'Sasuke-kun! We're doing it…we're going to save you! We're…no wait!'
!
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Sakura screamed desperately.
...
...
In the Hall
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... ... ... ...
"Sakura-chan!" Naruto cried, rushing at the door in blind worry.
"Naruto-kun, no!" Hinata cried out, shooting her hand out to grab him.
She missed by a fraction of an inch. It happened quickly. A black blur shot across her vision and suddenly Naruto was out cold, hanging off a pale arm. The Heiress shot her gaze up to the man who'd just joined them. There stood Sai with a fake smile on his face, holding the unconscious Naruto in his arms. The artist sighed and slumped his teammate against the wall.
"Sai-san…what are you doing here?" Hinata asked. The artist looked up and smiled at her again.
"Tsunade-sama told me to stop by to make sure Dickless didn't do anything stupid," he answered. Hinata sighed.
"Thank goodness… he was about to run in there. I don't know what happened, but Sakura-chan screamed," she said. Sai tilted his head to the side and frowned.
"That doesn't sound good. I sure hope Hag is alright," he said. Hinata resisted the urge to smack him for his rude nicknames. He apparently didn't know better. She looked back at the door. 'Oh Kami I hope everything's okay in there,' she thought.
...
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Inside
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"Sakura! Get his heart beating now!" Tsunade ordered sternly. Sakura turned her wild, tear filled eyes onto her master, desperately trying to hold herself back from sobbing.
"It won't respond to my chakra! Oh my god! Fuck!…Sasuke-kun!" the pink haired girl cried out. She flitted through the hand signs for the defibrillation jutsu. There were a few disturbances in the unified chakra and Tsunade turned an intense look onto the group of elemental ninja.
"Don't any of you five dare stop what you're doing! If we stop the justu now, Sasuke will die!" the Hokage shouted.
The five ninja in the room automatically re-harnessed their respective energies and continued to unanimously press against the Core. The Curse erupted in malevolent energies, sparks of dark chakra exploded around the room as the heart monitor wailed loudly in alarm. Sakura gathered her chakra into her two palms as the other two medic-nin backed off enough to give her some working room. She took a deep breath and poised her hands over his chest.
"CLEAR!" she shouted, pressing her palms firmly against his chest and sending her chakra abruptly into his body. He jolted upwards into her hands, but his heartbeat did not stabilize.
"Shit! His breathing is slowing as well!" Tsunade cried out as she watched her other subordinate fighting to get the boy's lungs working.
Shizune reached for an oxygen mask as Sasuke continued to have trouble breathing. The dark chakra exploding from his body was making it difficult to be near him. She felt the elemental energy press hard again, the Seal reacting with another flurry of dark energy waves. She pulled her hands away from him abruptly, hissing as one of the sparks hit her. Tsunade worked next to her, taking full control over the boy's Central Nervous System in order to prevent the Seal from shutting it down as well. Sakura was still trying to jumpstart his heart into action, but was not fairing any better than she had been moments before.
"Clear!" the youngest medic cried again, jolting her friend's chest once again…and once again failing to start up his heart.
"Get the oxygen mask on him now Shizune!" Tsunade ordered sharply.
The younger woman nodded, fitting the mask over the boy's mouth. Oxygen flowed into Sasuke's lungs, Shizune's chakra stimulating them into simulated action as the Seal continued to try and shut down his body. Sakura shocked the boy's chest again, tears cascading over her cheeks as it failed to help him in any way possible. 'Please! Please….you can't die now! Don't die Sasuke-kun!' Sakura thought frantically.
"Clear!" she shouted again, but to no avail, his heart refused to react.
"We've almost won! Hold steady everyone, the Core is about to implode," Kakashi's voice rang out over the wailing sound of the heart monitor.
"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura yelled out, shocking his heart again.
"Sakura-chan…it's not worki…"
Shizune was cut off by a loud, thundering explosion of purifying light that moved from the five ninja around the star, into Sasuke, and pushed a stream of black…evil energy out of his body. The stream of evil was surrounded by the unified energies of the elemental entities, and slowly purified as it came out. Sakura looked down at her motionless friend and watched as the dark energy leaked from his damaged shoulder. His heart wasn't beating…she had to get it beating now. She had no choice…to save Sasuke…she had to risk her own life. She rushed through the necessary seals for the technique faster than her Shishou or Senpai could try and stop her.
"Heart chakra-string link jutsu!" Sakura cried out, placing one hand on her heart and dragging a string of chakra from it.
"Sakura, no!" Tsunade cried out, but couldn't move from her spot…the only thing keeping him alive was her control over his brain, and Shizune's control over his system. He wouldn't last much longer with his heartbeat stopped, and though Tsunade feared for Sakura's safety, she knew she would have made the same call if it were her.
Sakura connected the chakra string from her heart to his, feeling a jolt in her chest as her own slowed down. His heart reacted slightly…matching the slow pace of hers weakly. Their heartbeats molded together, his taking on the actual beating of hers, while hers weakened and matched his. If this jutsu worked, her heart would coax his back to life by slowly increasing its own beats and allowing his to mimic. If it failed…they would both be lost to the afterlife. Sakura could feel the burning sensation of the evil presence in Sasuke's body. Her vision became blurry…she vaguely heard muffled voices as her heart continued to slow. Darkness teased the edges of her vision as what seemed like a black hole of numbness sucked her in.
"Sakura!" she heard…her eyes rolling in her head as the world flickered in and out of her sight. Sasuke's heartbeat was not strengthening…in fact it seemed they were both weakening together.
"Shit…Sakura, no…" a vaguely familiar voice called to her.
The young medic felt her breathing slowing down as well. Her heartbeat was barely present…she could hear each slowing beat echoing in her mind. 'Sasuke-kun…' she called in her mind. She looked down at his peaceful face. He was going to die...
"Get back! Give her some air!"
'Sasuke-kun…' Sakura called again in her thoughts.
She didn't feel the tears as they slid over her cheeks. She didn't hear herself sobbing as she died slowly with the boy she loved. The slow thudding soon became the only noise in her head. Sasuke's face became the only thing her dulling green eyes could see. She moved her hand almost unconsciously to thread with his cold one. A sad smile came to her face as her pale lids slid over her eyes. 'I love you…Sasuke-kun,' she thought and then the whole world went black.
...
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...TBC…...
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(I'm kidding of course! Do you really think I'd do that to you!)
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There were some muffled voices coming from somewhere that seemed both far away and extremely close. The person lying in the bed breathed shallowly in, taking in the scent of illness and sanitizer as she did so. A hospital…she was in a hospital… Consciousness was playing coy with its victim as it barely eluded the patient. The voices were getting louder…the patient's nerves started to tingle as they slowly came back to life. Soon, words were recognizable in what was only a moment ago just mumbled nothingness.
"Sh…I think she's waking up," a familiar voice said.
The darkness was dissipating as vague thoughts began to surface in her mind. She reached for consciousness desperately, wondering where she was. 'Where am I? What happened to me?' she wondered hopelessly. She couldn't really formulate any other thoughts than those. Suddenly she was aware that her lungs burned a little. She gasped in a deep breath as her eyes blinked open to dart around the room. At first her vision was completely white. It was far too bright for her to make anything out. She blinked a few more times…her eyes blurrily making out some figures standing around her quietly. Her fist tightened in the sheets as she tried to identify them.
"Shh…it's okay Sakura-chan it's just us," she heard a male voice say from next to her.
A warm hand patted her back softly, and her nerves seemed to regain awareness in an earth shatteringly brief moment at the contact. Sakura flinched away from the person touching her, who immediately retracted their hand, as she clamped her eyes shut once again. She lay back down against her bed, which she had only just realized was warmer than any bed should be.
"It's okay Naruto-kun, I'm sure she's just disoriented," a quiet, melodious voice said from somewhere nearby. 'I know who that is,' Sakura thought, once again trying to open her eyes.
She turned her head up, and when her vision finally cleared she saw the faces of her team mates and master staring back at her in relief. Naruto's eyes were red and puffy; his cheeks stained with a trail of tears. Hinata stood next to him, not looking much better. Kakashi looked haggard, like he'd been worrying for days, but relief was washing over his face quickly as she stared at him. Tsunade was smiling at her, a few tears sliding over her smooth cheeks. Sakura just stared dumbly at them all for a moment. What was going on? Why was she in the hospital?
"Oi, Hag, you had us worried there!" a familiarly annoying voice said. Sakura, as tired as she felt, had the energy to snap a glare in the direction of her team mate, Sai.
"Fuck off Sai, you asshole! You're lucky I can barely move!" she snapped. He just smiled infuriatingly at her.
"He's just happy you're okay Sakura-chan…you really scared us in there," Kakashi said quietly.
"Don't you ever do something stupid like that again! Do you hear me?" Tsunade's voice snapped from next to her. 'Something stupi…' her thoughts stopped abruptly.
Memories seemed to flood into her mind like a montage. She grasped her head slightly, feeling a headache coming on as she remembered everything that had happened way too quickly. The room…with everyone…the elemental ninja. She screwed her eyes shut as her head throbbed slightly. She remembered now. The Removal…the Curse…the Jutsu…
"Sasuke-kun!" she gasped out, snapping her head around in all directions of the room wildly.
"Calm down Sakura-chan. You're going to hurt yourself," Hinata said quietly. Tsunade stepped forward, combing a hand through her pupil's pink hair to relax her. Sakura took a few deep breaths, willing herself to calm down.
"Are you okay now?" the Hokage asked after a few moments. Sakura nodded slowly, and then turned her eyes up to meet her master's honey brown gaze.
"Shishou…what happened to Sasuke-kun? Is he…?"
"Sakura-chan you're really out of it, aren't you?" Naruto interrupted with a small chuckle.
The pinkette threw him a confused glance. She tried to sit up only to find herself unable to do so. Something warm and strong contracted around her waist, pulling her back down against what she had thought was the bed. Sakura heard her master laugh a little bit as she let her green eyes fall to the thing holding her down. She froze…her face heating up to a brilliant shade of red as she finally understood. There, underneath her, lay Sasuke.
His black hair was spread over the stark, white pillow haphazardly, some of it falling into his closed eyes, and fluttering over his slightly parted, full mouth. His dark lashes caressed the angles of his high set, pale cheeks as little snores sounded from his sleeping person. His arm was fastened securely around her waist. He was warm against her…his bare chest rose and fell with his even breathing and his heart beat steadily from within. He was alive...
'Sasuke-kun…' she thought as tears sprung from her eyes. Her hand fisted in the sheet that fell over them both as she cried. Tsunade's hand combed through her hair again.
"It's alright Sakura. He'll be fine now…because of you," the Hokage said. Sakura moved her gaze up over his still bruised flesh to see that the Cursed Seal was no longer present.
"It worked?" She asked before she could stop the question from coming out.
"It did…we purified him…but he is alive right now because of you Sakura. If you hadn't done what you did…he would have died," Tsunade explained.
"And the others?" Sakura asked.
"All fine…exhausted, but fine," her master answered.
Sakura just smiled. Sasuke was alive. He was alive and free from the Curse Orochimaru had left him with for good. It would all be okay now. He would be able to return to them now. They would be together again. Maybe not exactly as they had been, but they would be able to move on now that the last remnant of his old master was gone. Whatever happened next…they would face it together.
"Alright, everyone out! Sakura needs to rest," Tsunade ordered as she shooed her pupil's visitors out of the room. She turned to the young girl in the bed, who was staring down at the Uchiha with that dark flush still on her cheeks.
"Shishou…how long have I been out?" Sakura asked.
"You've been unconscious for about a week Sakura," the Hokage informed her. Her pretty green eyes widened.
"That long? Why weren't we moved to separate beds?" The pinkette asked with a small frown of confusion. Tsunade chuckled.
"He was surprised too…but I'll tell you like I told him…we couldn't move you from each other while that jutsu was still in place. Your hearts were linked together and would remain that way until his no longer needed the support of yours. The jutsu only faded yesterday," she explained.
"He already woke up?" Sakura asked in wonderment. Tsunade nodded.
"Yeah…funny…he didn't want us to move you from the bed. He refused to let go of you actually," she mused out loud. Sakura's eyes went back to the boy in the bed as Tsunade headed for the door.
"Well, anyways…you should sleep Sakura. I'll send Shia up with dinner for you two later on," the Hokage said before she closed the door.
Sakura mumbled a goodbye just before her master left as she continued to stare down at the Uchiha underneath her. Alive…he was alive! The thrill she felt knowing that just wouldn't leave her. She smiled down at him lovingly. 'This time I saved you, Sasuke-kun,' she thought happily. Suddenly his arm clenched around her waist again and she found herself falling face first back into his bare chest. She blushed hotly at the feel of his warm skin against her cheek. The scent of him flooded her senses as she felt her eyelids droop slightly. Snuggling her head into the crook of his neck, Sakura let her exhaustion get the best of her. Just before sleep claimed her, she heard Sasuke groan softly.
"Mmnn..mumble…Sakura…snore…" he muttered in his sleep. Sakura fell asleep with a smile on her face.
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People who are Important: Book Two