Hello everyone! I'm back as promised with the final installment of the Kazekage Rescue Arc for this story! Thank you to everyone for your favorites and reviewing. It means a lot to me. ^_^ And now, before I go on, I just want to thank my good buddy, fireaangel for her wonderful suggestions and opinions, and Kagome429 for her medical insight. I could not have finished this chapter without either of you! *hug*

Darkness was the first thing Nozomi noted when she finally regained consciousness, and her eyes narrowed in confusion. Turning her head to the side, she was surprised when the blackness slid out of her vision; a cool sensation glided across her skin as the cause of her "blindness", a wet cloth, slipped off her face to land in her hair, dampening it.

No longer a prisoner of the dark, Nozomi glanced around. It quickly became apparent that she was no longer in the forest, leaning against the beaten-up old tree she'd been so ruthlessly plowed into. Instead, she was firmly wrapped in multiple layers of sheets and sprawled out on a mattress in a room that seemed oddly familiar. Though why that was, her foggy brain couldn't seem to recall.

At first she thought she was alone, but a glance to her right proved otherwise as she spotted Sakura. The pinkette sat hunched over her; her palms glowed green, her pale pink brows wrinkled in concentration.

Golden eyes slipped shut again, and a soft, blissful sigh left Nozomi's lips as healing chakra wound its way through her rib cage, binding bone and tissue back together at a slow, steady rate.

Hearing her, green eyes shifted onto the brunette as Sakura paused in her work. "It's about time you woke up! Do you have any idea how worried we've been?!"

Nozomi's ears pressed back in protest at the outburst, and she met the pinkette's stare, her mouth curving into a frown. "Wha...was I really out that long?" The only response she got was a slight glare from the girl, and she quickly looked away, sweat dropping. 'Guess I'll take that as a yes..' Frowning, she glanced at her surroundings, surprised as she realized why the room had seemed familiar before. It was the same room she'd shared with Sakura right before they left on their mission. Wait a minute.

The brunette's eyes widened as she remembered the last thing she'd seen. Naruto had confirmed that Gaara was dead and gone into a rampage that Deidara had managed to escape by use of a substitution; as unchecked rage began to transform her fellow jinchuuriki, she'd thrown herself into his path, trying to help him -which had resulted in her being hurt badly. Apparently badly enough to leave her unconscious for the remainder of the mission.

So what, then had become of the Kazekage? What of Naruto? Just before she'd blacked out Kakashi had assured her that the blond was okay, but was he really? Her head was swimming with questions she needed answered, and she sat up quickly. She had barely processed the discomfort this caused in her chest when she was forced back onto the bed, and she peered up into annoyed, jade eyes.

"Don't even think about moving! Your fever only just started to go down, and I'm not done healing you yet." She paused, seeing the protests build on Nozomi's lips and sighed. "Look, three of your ribs are fractured. If I don't treat them now, there's a chance one could puncture a lung -I'm honestly surprised it hasn't happened already, looking at the damage! So either calm down until I say you can move again, or I'll have to punch you and heal everything while you're out cold!"

A drop of sweat rolled down Nozomi's head at her friend's aggressiveness, and she held her hands up in surrender. "N-no, that's okay. I'll just stay put…" She gave a heavy sigh and closed her eyes as Sakura resumed her work, hands alight with green chakra once more.

"...Sakura-chan? What exactly happened while I was out?" There was a brief pause as Nozomi gazed up at the woman, careful not to make any sudden movement that might interfere with her healing. "The last thing I remember is finding out that we'd been too late to save the Kazekage...so...did we just bring him back to the village? I need answers..."

Sakura's hands stilled for a moment as she processed the brunette's question, finally responding in a soft voice. "Well, he was dead. You're right about that...But we didn't just go back to the village. You see, Lady Chiyo used a powerful forbidden jutsu to resurrect the Kazekage...but it came at the cost of her own life."

"That's amazing…! But at the same time...I'm sorry she had to die for him to live again." Nozomi's breath hitched as Sakura merely nodded, her posture suddenly appearing more tense, and she lowered her gaze to the mattress, uncomfortable by the sudden heaviness that permeated the room's atmosphere.

A few minutes went by where neither girl spoke, until finally the pinkette went back to healing her friend, a somewhat forced grin appearing on her face. "Anyway, that's what happened. Now, let's get you healed up before Naruto runs out of patience and decides to break down the door!"

This elicited a soft chuckle from Nozomi, and she grinned weakly. "He's really that worried?"

"Everyone was worried, Nozomi-chan, but especially Naruto. He insisted on having his clone carry you back here." Sakura replied after a pause, her eyes softening along with her tone.

A faint tint of pink colored the brunette's pale cheeks at this information. Now that she was thinking clearly, there had been a time before now that she had woken up to find herself in Naruto's arms. 'But I thought it was just a dream…' she fretted to herself, biting her lip.

Unaware of her friend's inner thoughts, the kunoichi went on talking. "To think that you were reckless enough to take on a sneak attack from that Akatsuki member to protect Naruto...I understand your mission was to look out for him, but-"

The pinkette broke off abruptly, clenching her teeth as her patient shot up again. "Nozomi- what do you think you're doing?" She asked in a strained voice, trying not to lose her temper and hit the girl. "I didn't say it was time to move!"

A sheepish look etched itself into Nozomi's features as she realized that she'd unintentionally disobeyed her fellow kunoichi's orders, and she laid back again quickly, gulping. "Sorry, I didn't mean it- I was just surprised, that's all! That's not-I mean- who told you it was the Akatsuki that did this?"

"Naruto said that was what Kakashi-sensei told him."

'That must mean Naruto-kun doesn't remember anything from before!' Nozomi frowned pensively, falling silent for a moment. "Well what did Kakashi-sensei tell him, exactly?"

"Exactly what I said! You stopped Naruto from being sneak attacked by the Akatsuki member with the clay by pushing him out of the way and got hurt yourself instead!"

"What the?!- That's ridiculous! How could he-I mean-just- Naruto-kun believed that?!" Sakura's eyebrows lifted at the outburst, and Nozomi resisted the urge to facepalm as she realized that she'd spoken her thoughts out loud.

"Um...I mean...that's a crazy way to describe what all happened out there, you know! I swear, Kakashi-sensei exaggerates sometimes, hahaha…!" She forced a weak laugh, sweat dropping as the room suddenly felt smaller under her pink haired friend's curious gaze.

"That's not what really happened though, is it?" Sakura pressed, watching the girl's face carefully. "I'm right, aren't I? Don't think you can hide it after that reaction!"

"I-but that's not…" Nozomi faltered as she failed to come up with an excuse for her outburst and averted her gaze to the ceiling.

The pinkette smirked as the brunette's expression changed from protesting to defeated, and she leaned in, eyes twinkling with curiosity. "So, if that's not how you got so banged up, then what's the real story?"

Grimacing at her friend's perceptiveness, Nozomi gave a defeated huff before delving into the story, from Naruto's failed assault on Deidara to her foolishly confronting him in his jinchuuriki mode.

"I see...that makes a lot more sense." Sakura mused. "I'm still standing by what I said earlier though- you're too reckless when it comes to Naruto!" She paused as another thought came to her. "So...he doesn't remember any of this?"

"I don't think so," Nozomi replied thoughtfully, "and it's probably best that he doesn't. I don't think he'd take too kindly to learning that he'd attacked a teammate, do you?"

"No...Especially since it was you he turned on…Ugh, he'd have a fit." Sakura agreed, frowning at the mental image of a sulking blue eyed blond.

"Then it's settled. We can never let him know what really happened." The brunette broke off abruptly as a new thought occurred. "Also, we can't let Saera-sensei find out either. If I know her, she'd think he needed to know the truth in order to forcibly mature him as a person...So...Deal?"

Sakura nodded, and the two slipped into a comfortable silence that was only broken a while later when the pinkette ordered her cat eared friend to sit up so she could bandage her rib cage.

"It's just an extra measure to keep you safe while you finish healing," Sakura explained in response to the brunette's questioning glance at the gauze.

Nozomi regarded the pinkette curiously for a moment before her eyes dropped back down to the bindings around her chest and she shrugged lightly. "Whatever you say. You're the medic, after all."

…..

Nozomi quickly discovered that Sakura hadn't been exaggerating about how concerned their blond friend was. She had barely opened the door and stepped out of the room when she heard her name, and Naruto, having insisted on waiting outside the room lunged forth, sweeping her up in a tight hug that knocked the wind clean out of her.

"I'm so glad you're okay!" He paused, grin fading slightly at the brunette's silence. "Hey, you are okay, right? Then talk to me, -ttebayo! I was really worried!"

"...She'd probably be more talkative if you weren't squeezing her half to death." Sakura chimed in, looking amused from where she stood watching in the doorway. "Seriously, Naruto. I just finished healing her. Try not to break her again so soon!"

Giving the pinkette a confused look, Naruto shifted his gaze to the girl in his arms and, seeing her pained expression, he quickly let go, sweat dropping. "Whoops! Sorry, Nozomi-chan!"

Nozomi lurched forward, leaning against him unintentionally as she struggled to fill her lungs with oxygen. Finally, she stepped back and gave him a shaky smile. "...That's okay...I should've expected it, as upset as Sakura-chan said you were. Sorry you had to spend so much time worrying about me.."

Naruto began to protest in response, but before a word could leave his lips, Kakashi's voice entered the fray, and the group looked up to see their team leader, accompanied by Gai, whom he was leaning on for support.

"I see you're back on your feet, Nozomi," He spoke softly, careful not to let his teammates see just how exhausted he really was, "It's about time to head out, but there's something that Ebizo wants us to see first...especially you, Sakura." One obsidian eye landed on the pinkette, and he gave her a knowing look as she seemed to deflate. "Let's go check it out and get ready to go...I need to get back and give the Hokage a full report."

With that, all previous discussion was forgotten as the trio of teenagers followed the two jonins outside to meet up with the Sand Village's remaining elder.

The man was waiting calmly when they finally arrived, asking what he'd called upon them for. In response, his bushy, white eyebrows lifted slightly, as did his lips into the faintest of smiles, and he urged the group of ninja to follow him.

…..

'This must be where they honor their fallen comrades.' Nozomi thought, gazing at the symmetrical rows of headstones; each one bore a name, along with the village's symbol.

Ebizo stopped at the end of one row, where a much newer looking memorial had been placed. Like the others, it was fashioned in the shape of the Sand's insignia, and it bore the katakana for "Chiyo" in the center.

As Team Kakashi, Team Gai and the Kazekage, as well as his siblings gathered around the grave, the elderly man spoke.

"She didn't want a headstone grave," He stepped forward to stroke the stone lovingly, "But despite her wishes, I thought it was better to have one. I felt sure that people would want to have a place to come to remember her."

Kakashi instructed everyone to say their farewells, and Nozomi lowered her head, eyes closed as she thought back to the spunky old lady she'd known for such a short time. 'Thank you, Lady Chiyo. If it weren't for you this would be a much sadder time for everyone here...I can't thank you enough for returning the smile to Naruto-kun's face. I hope you rest in peace.'

"Let's go." At Gai's words, Nozomi's eyes opened and she turned to follow Neji, Lee and Ten Ten, who were already following the team captains out of the memorial site. After a few seconds, the group of ninja ceased all movement, glancing back and Lee called out.

"Sakura, Naruto. We really should be going."

Having not realized that her teammates had stayed behind, Nozomi glanced back, surprised. At that moment, Naruto turned around, a small smile on his lips as he answered. "Right! C'mon Sakura, it's time to go."

Without another glance back, the blond hurried to join the group, pausing when he spotted the brunette watching him and flashing her a smile that she returned absently before glancing back at their remaining team member.

Instead of following the boy, the pinkette stepped closer to lay a hand on the headstone. She then moved to join them, pausing briefly to glance back at the grave once more, and the sad shimmer in her eyes made Nozomi frown.

This was the same tenseness she'd felt earlier when Sakura had been filling her in on what happened. Her pink-haired friend must've formed some sort of bond with the fallen Sand elder during their battle with Sasori. Team Kakashi had been split up for so long, there was definitely time for Sakura to have come to admire the elderly woman, at the very least. Deciding to ask the pinkette about it another time, the cat girl turned to resume walking and bumped into a firm chest.

Naruto smiled apologetically as she fell back and grabbed her arm to help her regain her balance, letting go once she was steady. "You ok, Nozomi-chan? You've got a pretty serious look on your face right now."

"What? Oh, I'm fine." Nozomi gave a sheepish grin and glanced back at the pink-haired kunoichi. "It's just...Sakura-chan…"

"...Yeah, I know." The blond followed her line of sight with dimmed blue eyes, nodding slightly. "I think she got pretty close to Granny on that mission, so she's taking it harder than the rest of us."

Frowning thoughtfully, Nozomi looked away from the girl, wanting to give her some privacy as she turned back to the spiky haired boy. "That makes sense…" She paused, shoulders heaving as she sighed softly.

'I wish I hadn't been knocked out...it doesn't feel like I was much help on this mission. In the end, all I did was get trapped in genjutsu and fail to stop Deidara, then get myself pummeled by Naruto and his demon chakra!'

The more she thought about it, the worse she felt; naturally, the shadow cat in her head didn't help, offering her own scathing review of the girl's performance. Soon Nozomi had become so lost in thought, she'd lost track of her whiskered friend, who was still trying to engage her in conversation. As she picked up her pace, she unknowingly left him behind.

"Nozomi-chan? Hey!" Naruto's brows knit together in confusion as he watched the brunette walk away. "Was it something I said?" Realizing that he wasn't going to get an answer, he vowed to keep an eye on the girl, who was acting stranger than usual, and hurried after her.

…..

'That's just wrong…'

Naruto gawked as he saw his teacher being hoisted upon Gai's back in what could only be described as the weirdest looking piggy back ride ever. Was that guy actually serious?! Apparently so, because the bowl haired man took off cackling wildly, calling out over his shoulder. "What's wrong, slowpokes? Can't keep up with me? Let's go!"

As if one piggy back ride wasn't bad enough, Lee decided to treat the whole thing as a training exercise and crouched in front of Neji, urging him onto his back.

Naturally, the Hyuuga refused, looking beyond annoyed, and the group of teenagers continued on, following the direction the overly enthused Gai had run off in.

"Poor Kakashi-sensei." Sakura remarked under her breath.

"Yeah...that whole idea is just creepy." Naruto agreed with a shrug. "Well, at least he'll get back to Konoha and into a hospital quicker.." He paused as an idea came to him and glanced over to his left, where Nozomi stood, staring into space. "Oh, but if you get tired, I don't mind carrying you the rest of the way!"

"Really, Naruto?!"

The blond sweat dropped, hearing Sakura's incredulous tone and glanced back at her nervously. "W-what's wrong, Sakura? Is it because I said I'd carry Nozomi-chan instead of you?"

"That's not it at all!" Clenching a fist tightly, the pinkette resisted the urge to punch the boy for his denseness, gritting her teeth in annoyance. "I just can't believe you...we just got done agreeing that the whole piggyback thing was creepy and not even a minute later you're offering one to Nozomi!"

Naruto threw his hands out in protest, sputtering awkwardly as he tried to explain that it was okay since she wasn't also a guy, and Sakura rolled her eyes in disgust.

"You pervert! The fact that she's a girl would just make it more awkward!"

Noticing the way her hand kept clenching and unclenching at her side, Naruto took a step away to put some distance between them, not wanting to be hit. "It's not like that, Sakura-chan! I was just thinking about how she got hurt -I know you healed her up, but she's probably tired so I just offered in case she wanted to get home and rest sooner. That's all I was thinking about, I swear -ttebayo!"

There was a brief pause as Sakura gave him an unconvinced look and he sweat dropped, looking away. "It doesn't matter if you believe me or not anyway...cause Nozomi-chan knows me better than to think something like that...right, Nozomi-chan?"

Nozomi didn't answer, and he frowned, glancing over to find she was no longer beside him; the brunette had stopped walking without either of them noticing and was several paces behind, staring down at the sand distractedly.

"Oi! Nozomi-chan!" The blond waved his arms, trying to get her attention but to no avail, and his frown deepened. "What's going on with her?"

"Maybe Nozomi-chan thinks you're a pervert after all." Sakura chimed teasingly. This earned her a narrow eyed scowl from the boy next to her.

"Sakura-chan, this is serious! She's been acting like this ever since earlier, when we were at granny's grave!" As the teasing expression left the pinkette's face, he fixed her with a determined look. "You were alone with her for hours in that room! She must've told you something. I'll bet you know what's bothering her right now, don't you?!"

'She's not still worrying about him finding out he hurt her, is she? If so, ignoring him is not the way to keep him from finding her out- it's just going to make him worry and question more!' Sakura glanced back at the cat eared girl who was now separated from them by a hill of sand, green eyes narrowing slightly before her gaze slid back to her impatient looking teammate.

"Even if I did know, what makes you think I'd tell you? Girls don't tell each other's secrets- if she had said anything in there it would be considered strictly between her and I." She paused, feeling a twinge of guilt as the blond's face fell, and sighed.

"Although I say that, I'm just as in the dark about this as you are right now...Why don't you go and talk to her, if it's got you so bothered?"

Naruto gave her an unsure look and she frowned, confused. "What? You're her best friend, right? If anybody can get her to open up it's you. Or am I wrong?"

"No, you're right...I am her best friend. It's just..." Lips that had quirked into a small smile curved back into a frown. "Every time I tried talking to her today, she's kinda brushed me off. What if she's mad at me again?"

"I don't think it's anything like that." Sakura replied, thinking back to her conversation with the brunette. "I can't tell you exactly what was said in that room, but I will say this: when Nozomi woke up she was more concerned about you than she was about her own pain." She gave a careless shrug of her shoulders, adding, "That doesn't seem like the way she'd act if she was upset with you, don't you think?"

"No, it doesn't….but still…if she's not mad, why's she ignoring me…?" Naruto trailed off.

Having run out of patience for the discussion, Sakura groaned. "Naruto, the only way you're gonna find out is if you talk to her so just get to it already!" She spun the blond around and gave him a shove, sweat dropping as she watched him lose his footing and stumble awkwardly down the hill toward their unsuspecting friend.

"...Oops.."

…..

Nozomi took a step forward and watched as her foot sank into the sand, making a footprint; eventually the hole filled back in, causing the surface to appear whole- as if her footprint had never been there to begin with. In a way, it reminded her of herself. She'd certainly tried her hardest to make a difference on this mission, but like her footprint, which had quickly been covered by the endless grains of sand, any impact she'd made had been so minimal it wasn't even noticeable.

"No matter what I try, everything I do ends up failing," She murmured softly, frowning. 'Was I really the right person to assign to look after Naruto? I know I'm a fellow jinchuuriki, but…'

"Waaahhh-I can't stoooppp!"

Black ears perked up at the voice, and Nozomi's eyes lifted, brows arching in surprise as she saw Naruto half running, half tripping down a hill of sand towards her. "...Naruto-kun…?"

"Gah! Nozomi, watch out!"

Unfortunately, the blond jinchuuriki's warning had come too late, and he plowed right into the brunette. Nozomi grimaced as they both fell, and she landed flat on her back. Thank goodness her landing had been cushioned by the sand, she thought, only to make a face as some of the small particles slipped into her ears. Then again…

A heavy weight on her chest brought her back to attention, reminding her that Naruto had fallen on her, and she was suddenly grateful that Sakura had insisted on binding her recovering ribs.

"Naruto-kun...are you okay?" She frowned at the boy's muffled reply and lifted her head up, propping herself on her elbows to try and see better; her face turned red as she realized he'd landed face first in her chest!

Too stunned to speak, she gawked, mortified as the blond's head shifted back and forth, unintentionally nuzzling the soft skin with his nose. Finally, he was able to prop himself on his chin, and a faint blush colored his cheeks as he realized where he'd landed, a sheepish look covering his features.

"Sorry. Sakura-chan pushed me and I couldn't stop...you're not hurt, are you…?"

Realizing how close their faces were in this position seemed to snap Nozomi out of her stunned stupor, and she shrieked. "G-get off of me!" Not waiting for him to act on his own, she gripped both of his shoulders and gave a firm push, knocking him onto his back in the sand next to her.

She wasted no time sitting up and shaking the sand out of her ears. As she got to her feet, adjusting her top that had gotten rumpled in the fall, she heard muffled laughter, and her gaze traveled up the hill, landing on Sakura.

One gloved hand was clamped firmly over her mouth, but it was easy to tell that she was laughing; even if it was muffled, her eyes shone with undisguised amusement.

Following the brunette's line of sight, Naruto scrambled to his feet and pouted, pointing toward the snickering pinkette. "Hey, that wasn't very nice, Sakura-chan!"

The kunoichi wiped tiny specks of tears from the corner of her eyes that had resulted from her giggle fit as she shot the blond an apologetic look. "I'm sorry, okay?! I just wanted you to stop second guessing yourself and go talk to her!"

There was a short pause as Naruto deliberated over his response, but finally his lips twitched into a small grin, and he folded his arms behind his head casually. "Well, I guess it's okay….I mean, at least I had a soft landing!" His cheeks warmed at the memory, but the small smirk on his face was wiped away by a sharp jolt to his ankle and he glanced down just in time to see Nozomi's foot retract. "Hey! What was that for?"

Gold eyes narrowed as the brunette's head turned to look at him, exposing flushed cheeks. "What do you think?! For being a pervert!"

This caused Naruto to pout again, his eyebrows furrowing as he tried to defend himself. "But Nozomi-chan! It's not like I said anything bad, -ttebayo! All I said was that I had a soft landing, and it's true! Your chest is sof-oww!" The blond touched the fresh hand print on his cheek gingerly and winced. 'I was just telling the truth...but maybe I went too far.' Deciding it was probably best to keep his compliments to himself for now, the blond fell silent.

Seeing his pouty face, Nozomi looked away quickly, arms wrapped tightly around herself as she bit her lip, the red in her cheeks darker than it had been before. "Look, I'm sorry but….Stop! You're not helping matters at all right now!"

"It really wasn't his fault, Nozomi-chan...I pushed him too hard." Rolling her eyes at the exchange, Sakura gazed at the brunette, flinching with surprise at the steely eyed glare she received from the girl. "Um...sorry about that! You're not hurt, right?"

"Nope. The sand broke my fall." Nozomi said dryly, and she laughed weakly.

"Right, that's good…" The pinkette looked at Naruto again, grinning weakly. "Well, it's not what I expected, but you definitely got her attention now, so I'll leave you two to talk!"

Nozomi frowned as the kunoichi turned and all but ran out of her sight. Willing the remainder of her blush to go away, she turned to the blue eyed blond beside her. "You were trying to get my attention…? Well, okay. You got it...what's up?"

"Yeah, actually that's what I wanted to ask you." Naruto replied seriously, relieved for the chance to change subject. "You've been acting strange today, Nozomi-chan. What's wrong?"

The brunette's response was a slight tilt of her head as her brows rose curiously. "Me? Strange? How so…?"

Blue eyes rolled upwards at her evasive reply as Naruto shrugged his shoulders. "C'mon, Nozomi-chan. Don't play around. You've been staring into space since before we left the Sand Village, and for the last hour you've let yourself fall further and further behind everyone else." He paused, unable to stop the amused smirk that spread on his lips as the color drained from the brunette's face. "Hehe! You really didn't think I'd notice, Neko-chan?"

Nozomi's eyes darted down to the sand as he snickered, and she bit her lip lightly, sweat dropping. "No- it's not that...I just...well, look. Nothing's wrong, okay? I guess I'm just a little….tired. From the mission." It wasn't exactly a lie -she did feel a little out of it, probably from all the chakra she'd taken from Kumoraku before- but it wasn't really the truth, either. She knew her distant behavior had nothing to do with her energy levels and everything to do with how insignificant and small she'd begun to feel as a kunoichi. Still, she could only explain so much of that to her friend without giving away things she'd promised Tsunade that she'd keep quiet.

Gathering all her courage, the brunette raised her eyes to meet his once again, giving the best smile she could muster.

Naruto fixed her with a skeptical look, not looking at all convinced, but shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly nonetheless. "Are you still hurting? Sakura-chan and Kakashi-sensei tried to tell me it wasn't that bad, but...I know better." He broke off, lowering his voice as he gave her a serious look. "My clone could tell you were having a hard time breathing...your injuries were more serious than I was told, weren't they?"

At the wide eyed expression he received, his teeth ground together and he clenched his fist, frustration flitting across his features. "I'm sorry. I swore to myself when we first met that I'd look out for you, but you still got hurt, and it sounds like it was on my watch!"

A slightly guilty looking smile appeared on Nozomi's face as she watched the boy's shoulders go tense with frustration. 'And this is why he can never know what really happened.' She took a deep breath to keep her voice calm, lest she should sound shaky and rouse his suspicion.

"What happened wasn't your fault at all." She reached out to lay a hand on his shoulder and offered a small smile as his eyes met hers. She may not be able to tell him what had really caused her injuries, but that didn't mean she couldn't try to cheer him up. "I chose to take that hit, knowing the risks. So don't blame yourself. What happened to me was my fault entirely."

Naruto mulled over her words, looking conflicted for a moment before seeming to settle on accepting them, and a soft sigh left his lips. "Well, anyways it doesn't really matter as long as you're okay now, does it?" He grinned as the brunette shook her head. "But still, if you're tired you should rest. Let me carry you back to the village, that should help!"

A drop of sweat trickled down Nozomi's head as the blond knelt with his back to her, and she shook her head at his urging. "I...thanks, but I'm not that tired." She chuckled awkwardly, taking a step around him as she began to walk again, deciding that they'd fallen far enough behind their friends.

Frowning, the spiky haired boy straightened up and fell back in step beside the brunette. "If you're not tired, then something else is going on...cause it's not like you to just ignore us all the way you have been!"

She was forced to stop and meet his stare once again as he set a hand firmly on her shoulder, and a soft whimper escaped her that he just barely heard. "Naruto-kun...we're getting further and further behind...shouldn't we be doing more walking and less talking?"

"There you go again, trying to avoid the conversation!" Naruto tightened his hold on her shoulder, frowning deeply at her. "Just tell me what's wrong. You know I'm not gonna stop bugging you until you do, so just...stop trying to give me the silent treatment and tell me what the heck's going on with you!"

Nozomi stopped walking and sighed softly. There really was no way out of the blond's interrogation, it seemed. Her hands balled into fists that squeezed just enough to create claw shaped indentations on her palms as she fell silent, trying to figure out how to put her frustration into words he'd understand. Finally, she nodded tensely, gazing idly at the sand.

"I worked so hard while you were away with Master Jiraiya, hoping that when you returned I'd be strong enough to aid you on missions… But I was useless..." She ducked her head as unwanted tears sprang to her eyes, clenching her fists tighter until her sensitive nose picked up on the coppery smell of blood, drawn by her claws. Wincing, she unballed her fists, flexing her fingers as she continued. "All I did was lose my temper and get trapped in a genjutsu trying to defend you, then I couldn't even get my own jutsu to work properly and you had to rescue me! As if that wasn't pathetic enough I got knocked unconscious for the rest of the mission!" The brunette stopped speaking, her ears lowering dejectedly as she exhaled heavily.

A heavy silence fell over the two jinchuuriki as she turned away, hiding her tears. After a moment, she felt a hand on her shoulder again, and, swiping a hand across her face to dry any tears, she reluctantly glanced back at its owner.

"...Do you even hear yourself right now?" Naruto's voice came out lower than she'd ever heard it, making her think he must be struggling with his own emotions at the moment. Frowning at his question, she rose a brow silently, beckoning him to continue, and he did, once he realized she wasn't going to answer. "You're talking to that stupid cat again, aren't you? That's gotta be it, cause the things you just stood here and said don't sound anything like the Nozomi I know!"

"What?! No, I'm not!" Nozomi shook her head vigorously. "I just never realized how poor my skills are...I guess it took a real mission outside of the village for me to find out the truth."

Naruto's frown deepened, his eyes hardening as he stared at her. "That doesn't make any sense, though! I know you, Nozomi-chan -this isn't the kind of thing you'd just suddenly notice out of thin air...not without being told something like that to begin with! So if it wasn't Kumoraku, who was it?!"

As the brunette continued to avoid his stare, he grit his teeth in annoyance. Fine, if she wanted to play that way he'd give her no choice, he decided, stepping close enough that their noses would touch if either of them made any sudden movement. His plan worked, as their close proximity definitely caught her attention, and she stumbled backward, locking eyes with him nervously. Satisfied that he now had her undivided attention, Naruto mirrored her steps, not allowing her to put any distance between them.

"Who was it, Nozomi-chan?"

Grimacing as he seemed unlikely to let the matter drop (or stop mimicking her movements, it seemed) Nozomi's ears flattened in defeat. "...It was Itachi." She finally said in such a low voice that had Naruto been any further away he might not have heard.

"Itachi?! What the-How? When?!" The blond demanded as he stepped back to give her some space now that she had finally answered.

The brunette was reluctant, but she knew he'd only continue to pester her, so she quickly summarized what had gone down, from her finding herself under the Uchiha's genjutsu to the moment he'd casually name-dropped her clan and pointed out her failures before putting her to sleep.

"So that's what happened." She finished, giving a half shrug as she noticed the startled look on her friend's face, "I didn't want to believe him, especially since he wouldn't tell me how he knew about my clan...but through the course of this mission I saw it for myself." She broke off, giving the Uzumaki time to let her story fully sink in before speaking again. "I always thought you and I were the same, but the truth is we couldn't be more different. I just didn't realize it until now."

A sad smile appeared on her face as she spoke, a faraway look in her eyes as she thought back to what the fake Itachi had put her through to make her understand. "You're the Nine-Tails' vessel, and me? I'm just...a failed jinchuuriki who can't begin to understand the kind of pain people like you and Gaara-san have to go through. No matter how much I may want to, I can't begin to understand what you deal with."

"But…Why does that matter?" Naruto asked, brow furrowing.

"Because," Nozomi replied after a moment, "how can we understand each other if we haven't suffered to the same extent?"

The blond's mouth pulled down into a frown as he considered her words. "Our stories and backgrounds may be different, but we've both got some form of demon inside us. So what if yours isn't a tailed beast? I still say that's more than enough for us to be able to understand and empathize with each other!" He paused thoughtfully.

"And just for the record, you did help on this mission!" He offered a sheepish grin in response to Nozomi's surprised expression. "I was amazed at how you managed to regain control of yourself in the ravine! How'd you do that?"

"Oh...that? Hehe…" Now it was Nozomi's turn to look bashful as she dropped her gaze to the ground, kicking the sand with the toe of her sandal. "I guess that's a result of Saera-sensei's training. She's always been focused on making sure I could control Kumoraku's power...though I'm still not that great at it."

"Are you kidding me?! You were able to reverse that transformation, didn't you? That's awesome!"

The brunette blushed sheepishly and looked away again, murmuring that it had been more luck than anything. "There are times that I can stop her from taking control and causing chaos but for the most part I'm really just so-so when it comes to actually controlling her chakra."

"But still...that's great! You've gotta teach me sometime -ttebayo!" Naruto gushed, grinning widely as he noticed the pink hue beginning to color the girl's cheeks. After a minute, he inhaled deeply, coming out of his excited frenzy. "Itachi can shove it if you ask me, cause that doesn't sound like a failed jinchuuriki to me! I wish I could do that!"

Still unable to speak, Nozomi offered a sheepish grin, truly touched by the blond's effort to make her feel better.

"You know," The boy began after a pause, "Back there in the forest, when I couldn't get you to wake up, I...I was really upset." He bit his lip as his voice wavered slightly, forcing a grin despite the seriousness his tone had taken. "I kept assuming the worst had happened to you, ya know? I had a fit when Sakura-chan wouldn't let me watch over you while she healed your injuries.."

Gold eyes widened a fraction at the confession, and Nozomi gave a soft laugh. "Well, you said it yourself, didn't you? Tailed beast or not, I'm a jinchuuriki like you, so...you know you don't have to worry that much.." Seeing the small grin on his face, she looked away, feeling a warmth creep into her cheeks. "I may not be as strong as you but it still takes a lot to take me down, you know."

Naruto's grin widened as he noted the faint color in her cheeks, and he stepped closer, letting his hand brush against hers gently. "I can't help it, Nozomi-chan. You're special to me, so like it or not I'm always gonna worry about you."

A shiver raced up the brunette's spine as she processed his words, and she jumped slightly at the unexpected touch. "Uh...me? But I.…" Feeling flustered, she glanced around, swallowing hard as it dawned on her just how completely alone they were. "So! How about we catch up to the others now? I don't want to get lost out here!"

Naruto's brows arched as he gave her a look that plainly said he knew she was trying to change the subject, and she sweat dropped, laughing nervously. "W-well...do you?"

The pause that followed her words seemed to go on forever before the boy finally smiled and shook his head. "No, you're right. Let's get moving." He threaded his fingers together with hers and started walking. Startled, the brunette glanced down timidly at their joined hands and bit her lip, letting her eyes slide back to the blond who noticed and gave her a sly grin.

Sighing inwardly, she decided to just let it be this time and allowed herself to be led by the boy. "Let's hurry and find the others before they notice us missing and get the wrong idea."

"The wrong idea?" Naruto echoed, glancing at her curiously as they walked. "You mean like...they think we ditched them to go on a date?" His innocently worded suggestion caused the brunette's face to resemble a tomato, and he snickered as she turned away, muttering incoherently under her breath. For her to have such a reaction, he must be right, he thought.

"Well, if that's what they wanna think, then let 'em!" He dropped her hand in favor of snaking an arm around her shoulder, pulling her closer. "It's not like it's far from the truth, y'know." His voice lowered as he leaned in close, his breath tickling her sensitive ear. "I'd rather walk home alone with my Neko-chan." He chuckled as the furry triangle pressed back, and unable to resist, he stroked the soft appendage, smirking when his actions were rewarded with a groan as the brunette tried -and failed- to break his hold on her, pouting.

"Naruto-kun! Let go!"

He tightened his grip as she continued to squirm, giving a mock pout. "Aww c'mon! It won't kill you to spend a little time with me, will it? We barely got to talk on this mission…"

To his surprise, Nozomi stopped fighting him, a small smirk playing on her lips as her head turned to face him. "...And that's my fault?" She responded.

The teasing lilt in her voice reminded him just who had ignored who for so much of the trip, and he winced. "Hey...I already said I was sorry for that -ttebayo!" He groaned, lip puckering in a real pout. "Please, Nozomi-chan?"

Nozomi had to resist the urge to scream in frustration as she found herself staring into big, pouty blue eyes. Didn't he know what it did to her, seeing him so sad? He must know it was near impossible to refuse him when he was like that!

With a soft sigh, she tore her gaze away and slumped her shoulders. "Oh, alright...just stop giving me those eyes!"

"What eyes?" The blond blinked, genuinely confused, proving that he hadn't, in fact, known what he was doing to her when he turned his pout on her. As her words registered, he gave a cheer and continued walking, beaming as he released his hold on her to hold her hand instead. From that point on, the two walked while Naruto struck up a conversation on any and everything he could possibly think of, trying to make up for lost time.

The whole thing was slightly exhausting to Nozomi, but she kept talking anyways, secretly just happy to see the boy smiling again after the drama they'd endured on the mission to save Gaara. If walking hand in hand and talking a mile a minute was all it took for his smile to rival that of the sun, then she supposed it wasn't so bad.

On the other hand, she hoped he'd relinquish his hold on her soon. There was no telling what kind of teasing she'd have to endure if they caught up to their squad and Sakura saw them together like this...

And that's it! I have to say, this arc was a pain to write but it was also a good challenge. I hope you will look forward to the next part, which diverges from the canon's plot for a bit. ^^

This chapter marks the beginning of my writing hiatus. I have no idea as of now when I will be back, but I've been working on the next arc's outline and am excited to share what comes next! Who knows? Maybe with enough reviews I will feel motivated to work on it sooner than later~ ;)

Until next time, my lovely readers!

~NinjaKitty91