Colors of Life and Death
by Songbird21
Chapter 4
No matter what he tried, he couldn't open his
eyes. "Why?" he thought. "Why can't I wake up?" He turned to Kyuubi.
"You said I was gonna make it!" he said in anguish. Then he stopped, and stared
at the giant Kitsune. "Is he...becoming transparent?" "Hey, stupid fox?
You okay?"
Kyuubi was indeed less opaque than he'd been
a moment ago and he knew it. "Damn you...brat," he said through gritted
teeth.
"What did I do?" Naruto said to counter the
insult that had been tossed his way.
Kyuubi's breath became ragged. "You let yourself
become a science experiment...that's what."
Naruto was angry now. "I didn't let myself
become anything! They drugged me! And why the hell does it matter to you anyway?!"
Kyuubi growled. It sounded...strained. "Because
I'm almost dead!" he snapped.
Naruto's eyes went wide. "What?" he said in
disbelief.
"There was too much damage. I didn't realize
it. My soul is too weak to stay now...damn you," Kyuubi said with a small
cough, which was a strange sound coming from such a large animal.
Naruto became oddly quiet. "Why do I feel
like part of me is dying?" he thought. "Maybe cause, he's always been
with me." "Thanks," was the only thing he could think of to say.
"Hmmm. Maybe part of me can stay..."
He rolled one large eye toward Naruto. "Hey, brat."
"What?" Naruto said in irritation.
"I'm gonna give you a going away present."
"Present?" Naruto said suspiciously as he stood
up and walked over to the Nine Tails.
"Come closer."
Naruto instantly stopped. "How stupid do you
think I am?! I'm not gonna let you take me with you!"
"HA! Why would I want to listen to your nonsense
for all eternity?" Kyuubi answered in mild amusement. "Now come here!
I don't have much time left."
Naruto took a deep breath and moved closer to
the seal cage. The instant he got next to the bars Kyuubi whipped out one of
his claws and stuck it right through him. "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!" Naruto screamed,
the pain so intense he nearly blacked out.
Sakura was the first to notice it. "He...he's
breathing!" she said excitedly.
Sasuke actually smiled a little more than his
usual smirk. "Nice work, dobe."
Hinata lowered her head. "Thank God...Thank
God." she said as she shed tears of relief.
A moment later the pain subsided. Naruto collapsed
to the floor. "I'd rather get cut a hundred more times than go through that
again," he thought. He looked at the cell. "WHAT THE HELL DID...you do?"
His words reached nothing but dead air. Kyuubi...had vanished.
"Why isn't he waking up?" Hinata asked with
concern clouding her delicate features.
"He went through a lot," Sakura replied. "It
might be a few days," she said as she wiped some of the blood and sweat off
of Naruto's forehead with a small towel from her side pouch.
Sasuke was about to suggest they get out of
there when a clear ripple of energy blasted outwards from Naruto's body, knocking
them all away from the table with great force. Sasuke skidded to a stop roughly
six feet away from where he had started. He looked back at the table. Everything
seemed quiet again.
Sakura came walking back to the table. She was
holding her head. "What do you think that was Sasuke-kun?" she asked. "Dammit!
What the hell was that?!" Inner Sakura raged.
Sasuke squinted in confusion. "I don't know,"
he said quietly. "Let's get him out of here." He pushed Naruto up to a sitting
position. "Sakura, you get the other side," he said as he put one of Naruto's
arms around his shoulders.
"Yeah," Sakura replied as she moved into position.
As they came out of the front entrance a very
loud signal flare shot into the sky. It looked like it was only two-hundred
meters away. "Shit. That's the warning signal," Sasuke remarked. "Hinata, you
move ahead. We need your eyes."
"Nm," Hinata replied as she shot forward in
the direction of Konoha.
Sasuke and Sakura hurried as quickly as they
could considering the circumstances. "I hope Kakashi sensei is alright," Sakura
said in a worried voice.
"Ahn," was Sasuke's only reply.
"Hokage-sama!" said a Leaf Jounin.
Tsunade picked up her head from where she'd
had it lying on the desk. "What?" she asked sleepily.
The jounin's eye twitched. "I can't believe
she was sleeping," he thought. "They're coming back!" he said.
Tsunade was instantly more alert. "Bring me
to them!" she said, leaping over the desk, scattering papers everywhere.
Tsunade's heart was thundering in her chest
as she leapt from rooftop to rooftop, following her subordinate. "Please
be alive. Please be alive," she thought, tension tight in her stomach.
Suddenly the Jounin pointed to their left. "There,
Hokage Sama!"
Tsunade squinted. She could barely see them.
They were just outside the gates, moving fast. Sasuke and Sakura were in front
with Hinata bringing up the rear, making sure they hadn't been followed. She
set her face in determination as she picked up speed, leaving her subordinate
in the proverbial dust.
Sakura smiled. "There're the gates, Sasuke-kun!"
she said...just before someone landed right in front of them, causing them to
literally have to dig their heals into the ground in order to stop in time.
"Tsunade-Sama?" she exclaimed in surprise.
Tsunade was breathing hard. "Is he? Alright?"
she said with worry
Sasuke spoke up. "We think so," he replied as
Hinata came to a gentle stop behind Sakura.
Tsunade nodded. "Give him to me. I'll take him
to the hospital. You three, follow. I'll want your reports."
Sasuke and Sakura nodded and handed over the
unconscious Naruto. Tsunade took off in the direction of the hospital.
As they went on, Sakura began to get a knot
in her stomach. "How are we going to explain what we saw. I don't even want
to think about it...much less say it out loud."
When they reached the hospital a doctor was
already waiting outside the entrance. "Follow me, Godaime-Sama," he said as
he made a small bow out of respect. Tsunade nodded and together they disappeared
through the glass doors. .
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