[Episode 265280] [Episode 265280]Sakura went in, closing the door behind her, and regarding the boy in the bed. Unconscious and wounded, he looked vulnerable and smaller than he did when he was awake and running around.
Sakura crept into the room and looked at her team-mate.
He'd been unconscious for two days but his wounds had healed as if it had been more like two weeks. She'd remarked on it to Tsunade. Tsunade had been reluctant to say anything, but Shizune had been less reticient.
Sakura had also been aware that she'd disappointed Tsunade with her performance following Naruto to Sasuke. She'd also been aware that when Shizune had spoken up - that they'd been watching her for reactions.
The last of his clan within Konoha, possible scattered others. Of the main branch of the Uzumaki, whose bloodline conferred high stamina and long life, an aptitude for fuuinjutsu, and (though she wondered if this was just an editorial comment from Tsunade) hard-headed stubborness.
The healing process aided by something sealed within him. Something terrible.
Jinchuriki.
Tsunade had pointed out that Naruto had been alone much of his life, hated by all but a few for no fault of his own. That this was something that happened to most of the jinchuriki. That they grew up feared and hated for the monster within them and was it any wonder that they clung to the few who looked past that and saw THEM instead of a monster?
Part of her punishment was having to take care directly of Naruto since she'd collapsed instead of doing her duty as a medic-nin.
Which brought her to now. He was still unconscious, so she had to tend to the patient. Patients who broke out into sweats the way Naruto did while his healing factor was running overtime - had to be sponged off.
She had to give Naruto a sponge bath.
Sakura swallowed nervously. Doing this to an unknown patient, someone who hadn't been near-killed trying to honor a promise to her, would have been far easier. Doing this to a pale and so vulnerable-looking Naruto who had a chest tube draining away and an IV in one vein and fuuinjutsu drawn around his body? Who had gotten very nearly killed fighting Sasuke for HER behalf?
Yeah.
She pulled the sheet back, looking over his thirteen year old form. He was so...
Sakura stared. Okay. She knew technically this happened in male sleep during the REM cycle. She knew that this didn't mean anything hentai or ecchi. But... dang. A glance at Naruto's face and the monitors confirmed it - he was completely out of it.
Swallowing nervously, Sakura began going over the boy's body - skipping entirely the middle portion as THAT was something she hadn't expected. Naruto was apparently at the far end of puberty.
Sakura pressed a bit hard on his arm as the unbidden thought about THAT also being a kekkei genkai. It was certainly not what she'd expected to see.
She had started talking to Naruto despite his being unconscious because she felt less self-conscious doing so.
Sakura looked to the section she'd been avoiding.
"Why do I get the feeling THAT is looking at me?" asked Sakura to no one in particular. She stole a glance towards Naruto's face to make sure he was completely unconscious and then reached towards that area. Once she had a firm grip, she brought the sponge forward.
"Ah Sakura-san, I was just..."
Sakura, without moving anything else, slowly brought her gaze to where Hinata was standing in the doorway. Hinata, on the other hand, was staring at where Sakura currently had a grip.
"You..." began Hinata, looking as if she was going to faint at any second. "He-?"
"It's not what it looks like!" stated Sakura, trying to make a gesture of denial only to realize she was still holding something in one hand. She hastily let go and backed away.
Naruto groaned.
THUMP!
Sakura glanced at the stirring Naruto and the fainted Hinata. "Great. Can this day get any worse?"
Tsunade looked up from her paperwork.
Shizune rushed in. "Milady."
"You felt it too?" asked Tsunade.
Shizune nodded. "Several jonin jumped and began looking around at the same time."
Tsunade nodded. Ninja who'd survived the war typically developed a sense for "when things have gone pear shaped" or the situation had suddenly taken a turn for the worse. It wasn't perfect by any means, plenty of ninja still got taken by surprise, but when it went off - it was unmistakable. "Have the village defenses and sensor system checked. Have the civilian shelters checked."
Jiraiya was abruptly in the window. "You felt that?"
Tsunade nodded. "I need a drink. We're not ready for this on the heels of Sasuke's defection."
"I'll buy," said Jiraiya.
"Now I KNOW something's gone seriously wrong," put in Tsunade with a shudder.
There was an empty bed, the room being a double. She put Hinata in the second bed, considered briefly, then moved the beds together.
Why should SHE be the only one nearly embarassed to death?
Now all she had to do was-
"Sakura, there's been an alert..." Kurenai Yuhi stopped in the doorway, looking at the medic and then the bed where Naruto was still tenting a blanket. "I see."
"She fainted," said Sakura.
"Well, I ship them myself," admitted Kurenai. "As long as it doesn't interfere with their training or duties. Check with the floor supervisor, they'll have details."
With that the jonin was gone and Sakura was left wondering what "ship" meant.
Outside space/time:
"Well, I hadn't planned on doing anything else, but this certainly makes it tempting," said a not-cat.
Sakura took off the one set of gloves as she exited the room, tossing them into the wastebasket with the sort of negligent accuracy that came from practice.
This area had a HUC or Health Unit Coordinator, so that was the individual that Sakura immediately sought. "Situation?"
"Unknown, details pending," said the HUC. "General alert though - so it may just be something disturbed what was left of the sensors. It's not like we've completely rebuilt from the Invasion that happened at the end of the Chunin Exams."
"I thought the outer sensor web was the first priority and HAD been rebuilt and upgraded," mused Sakura out loud. Still, something setting that off would likely have just drawn some ANBU to confront what or who had set it off.
"Whoa, 304's heartrate just shot through the roof," noted the HUC.
Sakura blinked. That was Naruto's room. Oh. Heck.
The HUC blinked as Sakura moved very quickly to the door she'd just left. Well, at least the patient was getting some attention. Sucking chest wound and all.
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(Posted Tue, 02 Jun 2015 16:02)
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