Ok, this is the 'continuation' to Blood Brothers. I got a few reviews wondering why Hinata, since she likes Naruto so much, wasn't there. To simply put it, she didn't really fit into the scene that I had, so I just had to cut her out (not to mention that I don't like her one bit). She was in there originally, though! Anyway, thanks so much for reviewing Blood Brothers! Over twenty reviews! I'm still in shock about it, you know. I'd like to thank you all personally, but I don't think I can do that...

Oh, and I'm sorry if the other shinobis seem little more than flat characters, but this story is focusing mainly on Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura. Oh, and let's just say that the jounins are having a day off, ok?

Btw, this story doesn't contain any yaoi of any kind, or any other pairings of any sort! (well, maybe...wink wink nudge nudge)

Read! And review!

It was a sunny day in Konoha village. For the past few days, it had been raining heavily, but overnight it had suddenly cleared, and the village of the Leaf was, while still wet, a very bright place.

The three members of group 7 were lounging against the railing of the bridge where they usually met up with Kakashi.

"Eh, where is he?" Naruto muttered, looking around. The streets around them looked depressingly empty, and he sighed, turning back to his team-mates.

"What's the bet he'll be late?" he muttered. Sasuke shook his head.

"He's always late, you know that," he said. Sakura nodded. All three of them were looking a little worse for wear. The night before, they, along with most of the other young shinobis of Konoha, had stayed at Naruto's, and he, in true Naruto fashion, had jumped on them in the middle of the night. They hadn't been able to get to sleep after that.

"Hey, where the hell is he?!" Naruto asked, jumping up and spinning around.

"He isn't coming."

All three of them whirled around. A man was standing at the base of the bridge. He was young, but had a wince permantently etched onto his face. He had very fair hair, and scars over his cheeks. He couldn't have been more than six years older than them.

"Who're you?" Sakura asked, slipping off the railing and landing softly on her feet.

"Me? I'm you're substitute," he said crisply.

"And?" Naruto said loudly. Sasuke shot him a look.

"Are you trying to say something to me?" the jounin asked.

"Yeah. What's your name?"

"My name is Takasagi," he said, turning around. "Follow me."

Naruto stood up, and stepped in beside Sasuke and Sakura.

"I don't like him," he muttered.

"Nah, me neither," Sakura said.

"Just deal with it, you guys," Sasuke said, following Takasagi as he led them away. The forest loomed up in front of them, and Sakura frowned.

"Where're we going?" she asked, jogging to catch up with the substitute.

"We're going on a field trip," was all that he said.

Sakura dropped back.

"What's wrong?" Sasuke asked softly.

"There's an area of the forest that's forbidden," she whispered. "We're headed towards it."

Naruto looked at them, and then looked at his surroundings. The trees were now towering high above them, filtering in small amounts of light. In front of them they could see a clearing.

"Hey! Naruto!"

Kiba was sitting in the middle of the clearing, along with Shino.

"Hey, Kiba! How's it going?" Naruto asked. Kiba grinned.

"I'm shit-tired," he called out. "Last night was a blast, though!"

"Great!" he called, speeding up to a run. Beside Kiba, Shino was sitting, examining an insect that was sitting on a leaf.

"Hey, Shino!" Naruto said, slapping the boy's shoulder. Sakura breathed in, expecting him to beat Naruto up, but instead he just looked up, and smiled.

"Good morning," he said softly as the insect flew away. Naruto looked around.

"Where's Kurenai?" he asked.

"She's not here today – something about a mission, I heard," he said.

"What about Hinata?"

"She's not here either. She didn't take well to the cold, so she's sick."

"Well, well, look who's here."

They all looked at the edge of the clearing. Neji was standing there, his arms folded. Rock Lee, Tenten, Gaara, Kankuro, Temari and an unknown jounin were standing beside him.

"Hey, Sasuke," Neji said, waving at the black-haired boy. He nodded his head, smiling, and moved aside to make room for them as they trooped into the clearing.

"Who's the jounin?" Sakura muttered to Temari. Temari looked over her shoulder.

"I have no idea," she murmured back. "Where's Kakashi?"

"He's not here. We have a replacement called Takasagi."

The jounin who had escorted them nodded at Takasagi, who was perched in the lower branches of one of the trees, before he turned on his heel and left.

"Now we're just waiting for one more team," he said. Naruto rolled his eyes.

"Yah, he thinks he's Kakashi," he muttered. He turned to Gaara. "Hey, Gaara," he said, waving and moving across to him.

"Hello," he said, bowing his head.

"Hey, you don't have to bow or anything," Naruto said, blushing.

"What do you think is happening today?" he said, eyeing Takasagi.

"I don't know. He said something about a field trip," he said, shrugging.

"Where is there to go that we haven't gone before?" he asked.

"Don't ask me."

"Hey, guys," Sakura hissed. The pair of them looked around. She motioned frantically at them. They were all huddled in one area of the clearing, and the two of them sidled over. Shikamaru, Ino and Chouji had already arrived, and they were all looking at Naruto expectantly.

"What's up?" he asked, keeping his voice down. Gaara cocked his head, watching the group.

"Sakura knows where we're going," Shikamaru muttered back. Sakura nodded.

"When I was younger, I ran away from home," she said. "I came to this clearing, and was about to continue north when a jounin came and stopped me. He said that the forest north of here was forbidden, and then he took me home."

Naruto looked to where Takasagi was sitting, watching them. The forest behind him looked darker, and there were spider webs handing from the topmost branches.

"They say it's haunted in there," Shino muttered. They didn't have to ask who 'they' were – it was clear he meant the insect that was sitting on his outstretched hand.

"By what?"

"By the spirits of old," he said. Chouji opened his mouth to say something, when Takasagi stood up.

"Right, class," he barked. "We're going on a field trip. I know some of you are aware of where we are, and some of you aren't. That doesn't matter. All you need to know is that we're heading north into the forest, and that's it," he finished. "Now follow me!"

Kakashi stooped as he entered the Hokage's office. Tsunade was sitting at her desk, shuffling through papers idly.

"Kakashi, what do you want?" she asked, not looking up at him. Kakashi bowed slightly.

"It's about Naruto," he said. Tsunade looked up sharply.

"What about him?" she said.

"It was reported earlier this morning that the night before last, Naruto received a death threat," he said. Tsunade sat forward in her chair.

"What?"

"The death threat was written on a scrap of paper, tied to a rock, and thrown at his window."

"Who reported it?"

"...Uchiha Sasuke."

Tsunade raised her eyebrows, and then smiled.

"He's a good friend," she said softly. Kakashi nodded.

"Yes."

Tsunade raised her eyes to look at Kakashi again.

"Aren't you supposed to be with your team?" she asked.

"I sent a replacement to take over their training today," he said. "In fact, all of the jounins did."

"Who did you send?" she asked.

"Ayoma Takasagi," he said. Tsunade jumped up.

"What?!" she shouted. "Where is he taking them?"

Kakashi backed off.

"He said he'd be taking them on a field trip!" he said, his back now against the wall. Tsunade stormed past him, and flung open the door.

"Get the other jounins immediately! We need to find him!" she shouted as she broke into a run. Kakashi sped after her.

"Why?" he shouted. She stopped dead in her tracks, spun around, and grabbed him by the cuff of his jacket.

"Ayoma Takasagi is not old enough to know," she said, talking fast and very low. "He likes to take his charges to the forbidden forest."

Kakashi went white, and staggered backwards.

"Oh my god..."

Naruto trudged along at the very back of the group, strangely out of breath. In front of him, the rest of the group was chatting away, following Takasagi, but he had begun to drop behind, finding that, in the last half hour or so, he'd been unable to walk as fast.

"Hey, baka, what's up with you?"

Sasuke had stopped for him, and was waiting patiently. Naruto forced himself to even his breath out, and then grinned at his friend.

"Nothing. I'm just admiring the scenery," he lied. Sasuke cocked an eyebrow at him, shrugged, and then dropped in beside him, adjusting his pace to suit Naruto's.

"Yeah. It's very pretty," he said. Naruto snorted.

"You liar. It's as ugly as a hat full of asses," he said. Sasuke grinned.

"Yeah, you're right," he said. "Hey, look, they've stopped."

The main group was standing still in front of them, all of them silent.

"Hey, guys, what's up?" Naruto said loudly, pushing his way to the front. He stopped too.

The clearing in front of them was dark, and it smelled of smoke. Trees lay in total carnage around them, and there was an odd rocky outcrop in the middle. Everything seemed to have been affected by the outcrop – damage was radiating from the centre like ripples in a pond; the damage was greatest nearest it – the soil was black, and there were long scratch marks etched into the stone. The next ripple was burned badly – everything was dead – and the last ripple (the one closest to them) had entire trees with branches hanging off them, as if an explosion had taken place.

The smell of smoke filled Naruto's nose as his classmates filed silently ahead of him into the clearing. He felt oddly sick in his stomach, but he pushed the feeling down, and walked forward. Takasagi was standing by the outcrop.

"Uzumaki," he said, pointing at him. His voice rung out through the clearing, cutting the silence like a knife. "Come here."

Naruto made his way to Takasagi. At least, he tried to. As soon as he reached the first ripple, his knees gave way, causing him to stagger into a nearby tree. He looked up – had anyone else been affected? Everyone else was fine; they were all standing up. They were also all silent. None of them were paying attention to him. Pushing himself up, he staggered towards Takasagi again. By the second ripple, there was a strange ringing in his ears – he shook his head repeatedly to clear it, but it wouldn't go. And by the last ripple, his eyesight had started to fade. He staggered towards Takasagi.

"Do you know what happened here?" Takasagi asked. Naruto looked at him through blurry eyes – he was looking up at the small bit of sky that they could see.

"No..." he said, shaking his head again.

"There was a great battle here, 14 years ago," he said softly. "A giant demon fox arrived at the village, and began to kill everyone. I was six years old. The Fourth distracted the demon, and led him here. He destroyed the demon, and then died. I can remember his funeral...it was a grand affair."

Naruto's stomach lurched – this is where...it had happened.

"He killed the demon on this stone right here," Takasagi continued, patting the stone. Naruto felt bile rising to his throat – he tried to turn away, tried to get out of there...

"Naruto, touch the stone...you can feel its power when you touch it..."

Naruto heard Takasagi's voice dimly, and he shook his head. The ringing in his ears had increased...he couldn't see...where had he come from?...he had to get away...

A strong hand grabbed his wrist, and twisted it. Naruto could feel the heat radiating from the stone as his fingers neared it...no...he had to get away....he had to get away...

And then his head almost split from the most searing pain. He was sure he screamed out...he could feel himself coughing up a liquid....what was it?...blood...that was it...blood...

"Naruto!"

The Sealing mark on his stomach started to burn, and he tried to cry out again...a scream filled the distance...was that his?...

Pain...that was all he could feel right now...the pain was almost unbearable...what was going on?...

...help me...

Sasuke heard it before he saw it. It was a violent coughing behind him. He blinked, and then turned...

Naruto's eyes were wide open. His hand was on the stone, and his fingertips were bleeding...Sasuke shouted out his name, and then started forward. Sakura screamed beside him, also jerking forward...it felt as if time itself had stopped...

There was a shouted jutsu, and then the trees in the south end of the clearing exploded...and through the smoke came Kakashi, running as if his life depended on it...his eyes were locked on the form of Naruto. As Sasuke turned his eyes on to the other boy, he saw him close his eyes, a trickle of blood running from his mouth, and then begin to fall. Gaara shouted out something, and suddenly sand was there, breaking his fall.

"Takasagi, get the others out of here!" Kakashi shouted, waving at the fair-haired man as he stooped down beside Naruto.

"Get out of my way!"

Sasuke turned to look at Tsunade. She skidded to a halt in front of Naruto, and then felt his pulse. Sasuke felt Sakura hold his arm. He looked at her. She was crying. It didn't feel like he was in his own body...there was nothing going on inside him. Takasagi suddenly loomed up in front of him, pushing him roughly. He couldn't tear his eyes off Naruto.

"He's not breathing!" Tsunade shouted. She looked up at Gaara, who was standing, rooted to the spot, and then shouted something else...Sasuke couldn't hear her properly now...he was being led away by Takasagi...now he could see Neji...his eyes were open and staring...what was he staring at? Sasuke couldn't tell...all he knew was that Sakura was still holding onto his arm...her eyes were like Neji's...everyone's eyes were like Neji's now...

And then Kakashi and Tsunade rushed past. Kakashi was holding Naruto in his arms, and Tsunade was running beside them both, her hand fixed over Naruto's heart. And then they were gone.

It was raining...trees crashing down...fire...too much fire...smoke filling the sky...

A house...in the distance already...it was burning...

A woman...she had him in her arms...she was running...there was a blanket covering her face and her hair...he tried to look at her, tried to see her...a wisp of blonde hair escaped the blanket...

Suddenly she was screaming...she fell to the floor...what was happening now?...there were wolves all around them now...no...not quite wolves...no...

Foxes.

Rock Lee drummed his fingers against his temple repeatedly. He was in a state of shock. They were all in a state of shock.

They sat in a room outside Tsunade's office. The windows had been flung open, and the sun was shining brightly. Rock Lee hated that sun right now. It was shining too brightly. If it weren't for the sun, it would still be raining. If it weren't for the sun, Naruto would still be inside, alive and unharmed. Neji stood near the window, his face blank, staring at the floor. Suddenly his hand shot out, and he yanked the curtain shut forcefully. Everyone looked up at him.

"It was annoying me," he said softly. Rock Lee looked back down at the floor. Takasagi had disappeared after escorting them home – there were Anbu out looking for him at the moment. He would be found in a relatively short amount of time.

Rock Lee sighed heavily. It had been four hours since that incident. They hadn't seen or heard anything about Naruto. Sakura and Sasuke were coping the worst. They were just staring blankly at the ground, sitting close to each other. If anyone tried to talk to them, they'd raise their head, stare at the person as if they'd never seen them before, and then go back to staring at the ground. Gaara and Neji weren't far off. Everyone else spent their time swapping glances with each other, unable to bring themselves to break that awful silence that filled the room. Even Akamaru was silent, sitting in a corner, a mournful expression in his eyes.

"Everyone, please follow me."

All of them jumped at the sound of Kakashi's voice. He looked tired and worn out. Slowly they all got to their feet, and followed him through a doorway. It led to a much larger room. Tsunade stood at the very far end of the room. She was rubbing her forehead, and leaning against a table. She looked up at the sound of the door opening, and greeted them with nothing more than a grim look. They trooped towards her, and then stood silently in front of her. She opened her mouth to speak.

"Hokage-sama, we found him."

Her eyes snapped up back to the door. A masked Anbu member was standing there. Takasagi was standing behind him, flanked on all sides by Anbu. He was pushed into the room.

The look on Tsunade's face was terrifying. She fixed him with a basilisk's glare, and then she dropped her hand from her temple.

"How dare you," she whispered. Her voice echoed sinisterly in the absolute silence of the room. Takasagi was silent. "How dare you run off."

"Please forgive me, Hokage-sama, I –"

"Don't even try speaking to me!" she shouted, making everyone flinch. "Right now, you are here to listen! Do you have no shame in what you did to the boy?" she screamed. "Do you have no shame?"

"Hokage, I didn't know –"

"And yet you knew that the northern forest was forbidden! But you still defied my orders, and not only my orders, but also the Third's orders, and went there!" Tsunade shrieked. Takasagi looked at her.

"I didn't know!" he shouted back. "I didn't know that the boy would be slightly wounded!"

Tsunade froze. Her jaw tightened.

"'Slightly wounded'?" she said. Her voice had shrunk back down to the deadly whisper. "That is the greatest underestimate of the year."

Takasagi went white.

"...Kakashi, I think Takasagi wants to know Naruto's condition," she said icily. She seemed to have forgotten all about the younger shinobis that were still in the room. They were all staring at her. Kakashi nodded and stepped forward. His eyes were cold and his hands were shaking.

"Thanks to you, Naruto can't eat on his own," he whispered. His voice was trembling. "Thanks to you, Naruto can't breathe on his own. Thanks to you, Naruto's heart can't beat on its own!" he hissed. Rock Lee's mouth dropped open. Naruto's heart wasn't beating? There was a curse behind him, and Rock Lee managed to glimpse a flash of black and pink, before the door was thrown open, and Sasuke and Sakura disappeared around the corner. Tsunade swore.

"Shit," she whispered, rubbing her temple again. "Kakashi –"

She didn't have to finish. Kakashi was already halfway to the door. But before leaving, he paused, and turned to look at her.

"I'm going to tell them both," he said. "You had better tell them, too."

Tsunade eyed him, and then nodded her head.

"Go. Your team needs you right now."

Sakura was running blindly. She knew where she was going, knew where she wanted to go, but she wasn't seeing it. Everything had been stripped from her mind besides Naruto. She didn't know how far or how long she'd been running – that didn't matter anymore. As long as she got there...as long as she saw him...

"Sakura, this way," Sasuke said sharply, grabbing her arm and dragging her up a flight of stairs. It was a second before she realised that they were already in the hospital.

"Hey! Tell me where Uzumaki Naruto is!" he shouted at a nearby nurse. She froze, before rummaging through some papers.

"Top floor, room 601, but you can't –" she started, but Sasuke and Sakura where already on the move.

"Hey! You can't go up there! No one is allowed to see him!" the nurse shouted behind them. Sakura heard her dimly, but all she could see were the stairs, looming up in front of them. They tackled the stairs two at a time...they were on the third floor...now the fourth...the fifth...finally, the sixth. They skidded to a halt, heaving, at the top of the stairs, and then looked around wildly.

"There!"

Sakura could see the room...someone was standing outside it...she didn't care...she took Sasuke by the arm, and began to run...they were almost there...she reached out her hand, and...

"Hey. You aren't allowed to go in there."

Sakura looked up at the owner of the voice. It was an Anbu member.

"Stand aside!" Sasuke said, snarling.

"You aren't allowed to see him," the Anbu repeated evenly. Sakura rushed forward.

"Get out of my way!" she shrieked, trying to push herself past him towards the door. He was holding her away with one arm.

"You aren't allowed to –"

"Ichigo. Let them pass."

The Anbu's head jerked up, and he immediately let them go. They turned. Kakashi was walking down the corridor towards them. The Anbu bowed.

"Yes, Kakashi," he murmured, opening the door to let them in. Sasuke gripped Sakura's hand firmly, before he led the way.

The room smelled of disinfectant and medicine. In all corners of the room there were beeping machines. And, on the other side of the room, near the window, was a bed. A curtain had been drawn around the bed. Inside, Sakura could barely see the outline of a figure. She stepped tentatively towards it, but Kakashi held her back.

"It...would be best if I did it," he said, his voice low and gentle. She looked up at him, then at Sasuke, who was staring at the bed with fear in his eyes. Kakashi walked towards the bed, and very softly took the edge of the curtain. He cast one last look at them, before he drew it open slowly.

Sakura screamed, and then began to look for something...anything...

She threw herself over an empty tray that was lying on a table in the corner of the room, and threw up. Sasuke rushed over to her, gripping the edge of the table so hard that his knuckles were turning white. His breathing was very fast. Holding the black-haired boy's hand, and turning around very slowly, Sakura faced it. Her hand dug deep into the material on Sasuke's shoulder, and they both walked forward.

She didn't believe that it was Naruto. He was pale, as white as a ghost. There was an oxygen mask over his face, two breathing tubes attached to his nose, and a machine over his chest that forced it to rise and fall. His chest was bare, and so were his arms – he was still wearing that stupid yellow jumpsuit of his – there was a drip of clear liquid entering into his left arm, and another one with dark red blood entering the other. His forehead was sweaty and his blonde hair hung around his face in dark, damp tendrils. She dug her fingernails into Sasuke's arm. He didn't react. He too was staring at Naruto.

"He looks...so...dead..." she whispered, unable to tear her eyes away from him.

The pain didn't register in Sasuke's head as Sakura's grip on his shoulder tightened. All he could do was stare at Naruto.

"He looks...so...dead..." Sakura whispered. She was staring at him. Sasuke wrenched his gaze from his best friend, and then forcefully pulled her towards him. She buried her face in the material of his shirt, and began to cry, her entire body shaking. He wrapped his arms tightly around her, feeling that he needed something to hold, too. He couldn't look at Naruto...it just wasn't Naruto...it couldn't be Naruto...

"Do you want to go outside?" Kakashi whispered. Sasuke stared fixedly at the wall, and then nodded, leading Sakura outside. Kakashi closed the door behind him, and sighed heavily.

"Please come with me," he said, his voice sad. Sasuke followed him numbly. Sakura's arms were linked with his.

"Why?" she whispered. Kakashi turned to look at her, and then ushered them both into an empty room.

"...There is...a lot about Naruto that you don't know," he said slowly. Sasuke sat down on one of the beds, taking Sakura's hand as she sat next to him.

"Fourteen years ago, there was a great battle," Kakashi said. "The demon fox Kyuubi arrived at Konoha village, and began to attack it. Hundreds of people were slaughtered. Thousands lost their homes, their belongings. The carnage would have continued, had it not been for the Fourth. One night, the Fourth distracted the fox until he lead it far enough away into the northern end of the forest, far enough so that Konoha could be evacuated. It was in the north forest where it happened."

"He destroyed it," Sakura said blankly. Kakashi shook his head.

"A demon cannot be destroyed. It is part of the balance of life: good and bad, light and dark, warm and cold. To destroy a demon would be to throw the entire equilibrium of life into disarray. Kyuubi was not destroyed. Kyuubi was contained.

"To contain Kyuubi, the Fourth needed a vessel. Any man or woman would not do – they would instantly die. No, the Fourth needed a child, a newborn child. And he found one. It was a small baby. Its mother had been massacred by the demon, and it had no father. It was immediately taken to the Fourth, who placed it on a rocky outcrop in the middle of the northern forest, and Sealed Kyuubi within the child. That child...was Naruto."

Sakura and Sasuke stared blankly at Kakashi.

"...Wha...what?" she whispered. "That's not possible...it isn't possible..."

"It is. The evidence is there to prove it. Anyone who has ever had a Seal of incredible strength placed upon them cannot return to the site of Sealing," Kakashi said.

"...And Naruto did..." Sakura murmured. Her eyes were blank. "A demon...a demon...that's all he is...that's all he ever was..." she began to mutter. Sasuke sprang up. He couldn't stay here...he needed to go and collect his thoughts...storming past Kakashi, he threw open the door.

The foxes...what were the foxes doing now?...the woman lay dead beside him...she had died...died to save him...

A bright light shone in throughout the darkness...who was it?...he couldn't see...A tall figure stooped down to pick him up...he looked up into to the face...he looked up to see his own face...

Tsunade watched the silent shinobis in the room. She had told them, just like she's said. They were not taking the news well. Already Neji and Gaara had left. Temari was muttering to herself, and so was Ino...the others were silent, staring...she sighed sadly. They didn't need to know...but she had told them anyway. The truth, as they said, could set you free.

Gaara was running. He didn't care where he was running to, or how fast he was running, but he had to get out of the prisons that were buildings in Konoha. He had to get to a field, somewhere where he could see the sky...somewhere where he could sort out his thoughts. Turning a corner, he spotted it – the training grounds, with the memorial behind it. He was not alone in coming there.

Sasuke was already sitting on one of the logs that had been placed in the ground – the middle one. And Neji was with his face to the sky. A bird was circling high above him. They didn't turn to look at him.

Very slowly he walked to them, and then felt for the sand. It was beneath him, he knew that...he wanted to dig his hands into it, like he'd done when he was a child...

"He's...like me," he whispered, holding sand in his hands. Naruto was the container for a demon...and he'd always thought he was the only one...he raised his head to look at Neji.

Neji stood there, his eyes facing the sky. The bird gracefully swooped down to a branch. He raised his hand to his forehead, and pulled of his headband, revealing his curse seal.

"You don't know what it's like to have a mark that you can never be rid of!"

He heard his own words in his head, and then looked down, scrunching up his eyes to try and stop himself from crying.

"...Yeah, I do. What about it?"

He had a mark on his forehead, a mark used to protect the main family, but it hadn't made him hated. But Naruto...Naruto had a mark on his very soul. He was, as Gaara had said a very long time ago, nothing more than a bad memory from the past, a bad memory that the villagers wanted to forget. He threw a glance in Sasuke's direction.

Sasuke was staring at his thumb. There was a tiny scar there now. Had he been prepared for this when he'd made them blood brothers? ...Of course he had. No matter the news, he'd said, he wouldn't disown Naruto. He was going to stand by his words. No...he was going to die by them. Looking up, he found both of them looking at him. He blinked slowly, and then slid off down the pole, remembering when Naruto, on their first training session, had been tied there because he'd been unable to get a bell. Oh, how he'd hated him back then...hated him for being so carefree and stupid, for laughing too much...it was a wonder, now that he looked back on it, that he hadn't turned out like Gaara...

"...What do you guys think?" he said softly, walking up to them. Gaara was still holding a clump of sand in his hand.

"...He helped me. I don't care what any of you do, but I will help him back," he said, letting the sand trickled out of his fingers.

"Me too," Neji said, tightening his jaw, looking back up at the sky, and then tying his headband back on. Sasuke looked at the scar on his thumb.

"...Good. I was going to beat you to a pulp if you didn't help him," he said, looking up and making his way back to Konoha. He could hear Neji and Gaara walking behind him.

Hold on for a little bit longer, Naruto, he thought. Help is coming your way.

Rock Lee was staring out of the window. He was still shocked by the news. Sakura had come back to the room a little while ago. She had been white and shaking, and everyone knew that she had been told. After she had arrived, Takasagi had left. Rock Lee didn't care much anymore. Takasagi was not important.

Now that he looked at Sakura again, he felt sorry for her. He did not resent Naruto – he was not the type of person who could resent someone who had won his respect and friendship. But the others were different. They were all privileged, they all had good amounts of Chakra and they had never in their lives been labelled 'dead-last' or losers. They didn't appreciate the true meaning of strength. But he did, and he knew that Naruto was one of the strongest people he knew, always willing to put his own life aside to protect the people precious to him. But...a demon...he would have never guessed...never in his life...

Beside him, Shikamaru, Chouji and Kankuro were all staring at the same point on the floor. Shikamaru was rocking gently back and forth, trying to get his head around it. For the first time in his life, he didn't feel like he was smart enough to comprehend it. Naruto...was a demon. No, he told himself firmly. Naruto isn't the demon. Naruto is the sacrifice for the demon. He didn't understand why they had never been told...Tsunade had said that it was because they didn't want panic in their midst...but...the Fourth had wanted for Naruto to be a hero...not a dead-last...not a loser...but a hero. He turned his head to look at Chouji. Chouji was looking at him, and then smiled. He was looking at everyone else, and very slowly they all raised their heads once they'd come to their own conclusion. Chouji could read their eyes, and he smiled at all of them, even at Tsunade and at Kakashi, who were still in the room.

"I'm glad you're all going to accept him," he said. Ino's head shot in his direction.

"Accept him? Accept him?" she hissed. "He's a demon!"

Chouji just looked at her, and then sighed. His gaze was filled with disappointment.

"If you changed the name of a rose, it would still be the same, wouldn't it?" he asked, his voice soft. Rock Lee smiled, and nodded.

"When...you build a sandcastle on the beach," Temari said softly, frowning, "and then look at it from a different side, it's still the same sandcastle, isn't it?"

Kankuro nodded.

"If you make a friend, and there is a side to him that you didn't know about, it won't change your friendship," he said. "The only way it would change is if you, as his friend, are too much of a coward to accept him as he is."

Sakura smiled.

"And the coward...the coward would be like a man who had turned his back on the world, even though it is still the same beautiful place," she whispered. "...Let's go see him..."

Akamaru barked out his approval, and Kiba nodded slowly. Rock Lee stood up, and held out his hand to Sakura. She looked at it, then up at him, and then she smiled brilliantly, and accepted it.

As they walked out, Kakashi and Tsunade exchanged glances, both of them smiling.

The forest was looming up all round them...the man kissed his forehead...

"Please forgive me, Naruto," he whispered...he was being placed on a rock...candles were all around him...suddenly there was a roar above him...Kyuubi's mouth was rushing towards him...and then suddenly it was gone. The man looked at him...his eyes were glazing over...there was a smile on his face...and then he fell over...he was dead...the pain in his stomach worsened...

...and suddenly he was in a playground...he was sitting on a swing...there were looks...so many looks...what were they for?...looks of hate...a crowd gathered around him...they were keeping their distance...sneering...

And then faces began to make their way through the crowd...he could see Sasuke and Sakura...the silvery hair of Kakashi...Gaara's 'love' tattoo...Neji's penetrating white eyes...the blushing cheeks of Hinata...Akamaru and Kiba...Temari holding Shikamaru's hand...Chouji eating, beaming...Ino, holding flowers from her flower store...Rock Lee, standing near Sakura...Shino, a butterfly resting on his shoulder...Kankuro making fun of people with his puppet...Jiraiya, distracted by a woman...Tsunade, the necklace she'd given him in her hand...

He raised his head, and got off the swing...someone else was standing in front of him, too...it was the man...the one who'd picked him up...he looked up to stare into his own eyes, into his own face...and he smiled. Everyone was smiling, fighting away the dark looks...the pain in his stomach wasn't there anymore, he couldn't feel it...

All he could feel was the happiness of not being alone.

Sakura led the way to Naruto's room. Rock Lee was still holding her hand, and she didn't want to let go. She stopped in front of his door. The first Anbu, Ichigo, had been replaced by another one. The Anbu bowed at her, and put its hand on the door handle, and gently pushed.

Sasuke looked up from his seat at the foot of Naruto's hospital bed. Gaara was sitting on the window sill, and Neji was standing near the door. Sakura went over to the bed, Rock Lee behind her. Chouji followed, and so did Temari and Kankuro. Ino, Shikamaru and Kiba were standing near the door awkwardly.

"What do we do now?" Sakura whispered. Neji made his way to the head of the bed. He looked down sadly at Naruto's closed eyes.

"We can do nothing but wait," he said. Suddenly the machine on the other side of the bed began to beep. Everyone started, and the door burst open. A nurse and a doctor rushed in.

"I...I don't believe it," the nurse said, staring at the machine.

"Why? What's wrong?" Shikamaru asked quickly. The doctor stared at him.

"His heart...it's beating again!"

Naruto's head was throbbing. He didn't feel like himself...he didn't seem to be breathing on his own...air was being forced down his airways, and then being sucked back up again. He began to cough...he didn't need the stupid machine anyway, he could breathe fine on his own!

A pair of hands tore off the oxygen mask, and then something was pulled out of his nose...and he could breathe again. He sucked in a lungful of air. There were voices all around him...the smell of the hospital filled his nose...and he felt like yelling at whoever was making the noise to shut up, but he couldn't...his voice felt like it had completely evaporated...

He groaned, and tried to open his eyes. Light seemed to be radiating from every corner...he shut them again...and then opened them. A face...no, two faces...had blocked out the light now, and he could see again. He frowned.

"Baka, why are you in my face?" he asked. His voice was hoarse, as if he hadn't used it in a long time. The closer face grinned – it had black hair and black eyes.

"Dobe, what are you doing, falling around dead all the time?" it chuckled. It wasn't an arrogant chuckle; rather, it sounded relieved.

"How long have I been out?" he muttered. The other face pushed Sasuke's out of the way. He recognised the long pink locks.

"About 7 hours," Sakura said, grinning. Naruto closed his eyes again – he felt like a piece of shit right now. When he opened them again, Ino was leaning in over him.

"Hey, baka, you ok?" she said gently. He squinted at her.

"Wha...how many people are here?" he whispered, trying to turn his head. He couldn't, his neck hurt too bad, but everyone gathered around the bed. It was like in a dream he'd had...or was it a memory? He couldn't remember...

Everyone was smiling at him, and he managed a small smile back.

"You guys didn't all have to come," he muttered. Sasuke sat down at the foot of his bed.

"Of course we did, you idiot," he said. Gaara made his way over to where Naruto could see him clearly.

"...Tsunade-sama...told us," he said hesitantly. Naruto frowned.

"What?"

Gaara exchanged looks with Neji. The Hyuga locked eyes with Naruto.

"Tsunade told us about...about Kyuubi," he said. Naruto's eyes opened wider, and then he suddenly felt like he had to get out of there...they knew? His breathing peaked again, but Sakura grabbed his hand.

"Naruto...Naruto! It's ok! It doesn't matter!" she said. He stared at her.

"...what?"

"I said it doesn't matter," she said quietly.

"Yeah. I mean, you're still Naruto, aren't you?" Kiba asked. Naruto raised his eyebrows, and then he smiled.

"I...I didn't think you'd react like this," he muttered.

"Oh, trust me, it took some time," Shikamaru said. "I mean, a demon? But it doesn't matter – you're still you, and we're still going to treat you the same, no matter what."

Naruto looked at Sasuke. He was smiling.

"I told you I wasn't going to disown you," he said, holding out the scarred thumb. "I'm going to die by that promise."

Naruto grinned. Suddenly he felt very much alive. His stomach rumbled.

"I'm hungry," he muttered. Ino rolled her eyes.

"Me too," said Chouji thoughtfully.

"I want miso ramen!" Naruto said, this time louder.

"I want a Korean barbecue!" Chouji said.

"Me too!"

"Then go order some, you baka," Shikamaru said, hitting Chouji over the head lightly. He grinned, and then held out his hand.

"Ah, no, sorry," said the doctor. Chouji looked at him. He'd completely forgotten he was there. "Naruto won't be leaving this hospital for at least another week and a half."

They stared at him, then at the nurse, and then at Naruto. Sasuke sighed.

"Well, we don't need to go outside," he said, shrugging. "I mean, he's allowed to eat, isn't he?"

The nurse looked at the doctor. The doctor shrugged, and then looked at his watch.

"I have another patient to go see," he said. "Can I trust them with you, Ayumi?"

The nurse nodded, and watched as he left the room. She turned back to Sasuke with a new-found authority.

"Outside food isn't allowed in the hospital," she said. Neji looked her up – she looked as though she was an apprentice nurse, perhaps the same age as them. He walked up to her, staring at her, and then very softly he tilted her chin up. She looked shocked, and started to blush.

"Is that your name? Ayumi?" he asked. Her eyes widened, and then she nodded quickly.

"Would it really matter if you let us eat in here, just this once?" he murmured, bringing his face close to hers. "No one needs to know..." he breathed. He was very close to her now. She turned scarlet within a matter of seconds.

"...O...ok," she whispered. He smiled.

"We left after the doctor left," he said.

"You left after the doctor left," she repeated. Neji turned her around, and very gently pushed her towards the door. Her face was bright red, and she walked away, as if in a trance.

"Neji..." Sasuke said, shaking his head. "You've probably scarred her for life now."

Neji turned around, and smirked at him.

"Just because you're too noble to take advantage of your looks, pretty boy," he muttered. Naruto had his face stuffed into his pillow, trying not to laugh, and Ino was staring at Sasuke, as if wishing he would do the same to her.

"Baka," he muttered back, grinning. "Go get some food, will you?"

"..." Neji paused. "Fine. Come on guys, let's give these three some space for a while."

He waited until everyone was out in front of him, and then he raised his hand, and left. Sasuke's eyes followed his back, and then he snorted.

"Crazy idiot," he muttered, turning back to Naruto and Sakura. Naruto was looking down.

"...Thanks, you guys," he said after a while. Sakura shook her head.

"It's no problem – you know that," she said.

"No...I mean about, you know, Kyuubi," he said. "I always thought that there'd be a huge reaction, but..."

"Is that why someone threw a stone at your window?"

Naruto sighed.

"Yeah. It's been happening about once every month," he sighed. "I guess some parent knew, and couldn't resist telling their child."

"...Does that mean that my parents know?" Sakura asked.

"Probably. Everyone who was eight years or older at the time knows."

"...Oh."

The three of them sat in silence for a while, before Sakura sat next to Naruto on his bed. She wrapped her arms around him, and hugged him.

"We're part of a greater family," she whispered. Sasuke watched her. She was crying. "No matter who you are, where you're from, or where you go, you'll always be part of that family. The family of Konoha. My family."

Letting go, she brushed his hair away from his forehead, and kissed it.

"Sakura, what are you –"

"You are now my brother, too," she said, pulling away. Sasuke held out his hand to Naruto, who took it slowly, and then he too pulled the blonde boy into an embrace. Naruto took in a deep breath, and then beamed up at both of them.

"No matter what, you guys are my family," he said, holding out his scarred thumb. And then he squinted, and wrinkled up his nose.

"I can smell something," he said. Sakura, wiping her eyes, tried to laugh her I'm-smarter-than-you laugh.

"What now, baka?" she asked. Naruto held out his hand to her, and she took it.

"I can smell something very familiar," he said again. Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"Baka, I don't have all day," he said. Naruto grinned.

"I smell...RAMEN!"

Sakura and Sasuke both groaned.

"Baka!"

Ok, so that was it! I hope you guys liked it...I'm sorry about not following up on Takasagi or Naruto's visions...I just thought it would be nice if you got a little insight into what actually happened on that night. Maybe I'll even get around to naming the man in the vision (although I'm assuming you all know who he is?) I might write another continuation if you guys like this story enough...

Anyway! Read! (you've already read it – that was a pointless thing to say...) Review! And be nice! It's my second fic!

xx Scythe