Hello! I'm really sorry for making you all wait. Hope you enjoy this chapter and the more that will come! ^^

Naruto wakes up groggily, unable to properly focus his vision for a full minute. Once he finally is able to properly take in his surroundings, he sees his pink-haired teammate looking at him coolly.

"S-sakura-chan?"

"You're a monster."

Naruto immediately felt a chill go up his spine and prayed he was hallucinating the scary look on Sakura's face.

"I TOLD YOU TO BRING BACK SASUKE-KUN NOT BRING HIM BACK WITH AN INCH OF LIFE LEFT! WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?!"

Sasuke?

Now Naruto was really confused. He remembered the battle he had with the troubled teen but he definitely was sure he lost to the guy as much as he hated to admit it. What was Sakura talking about?

Naruto instinctively ducked, feeling his danger senses kicking in and true enough, a glass vase smashed against his window right behind him. If Naruto hadn't ducked...

"How could you?! You're jealous of Sasuke that is why you did that to him! It's true what my parents said! You are scum!"

Naruto's heart tightened in his chest seeing the look on his teammate's face as she continued screaming at him.

"I hate you Naruto!"

"What in the hell is going on here?"

Naruto looks up and sees Ino standing at the doorway with Shikamaru at her side, looking just as furious.

"Forehead! What the hell is your problem?"

"My problem is with Naruto Ino-pig! It is not your damn problem!

"It is too my problem when you're yelling at a comrade worthy of respect! He fought to bring back Sasuke! A guy who wanted to run away and betray this village all for power!"

"Sasuke-kun has his reasons! He just-"

"-only care about himself! When are you going to realize that Sakura?"

The pinkette glares intensely at Ino but she stands there unwavering even when Shikamaru mutters a "Mendoksu"

Naruto coughs violently suddenly breaking the tense atmosphere and causing Shikamaru to rush to him.

"You okay?"

"W-water"

The shadow user nods and pours Naruto a glass after putting down the fruit basket Ino made him carry as his teammate comes up toward them, ignoring Sakura as she carefully puts away the flowers she brought in a spare vase she finds in the bottom drawer of the dresser. She uses her canteen water to pour it into the vase for good measure.

"T-thanks for the sunflowers."

Naruto's voice was soft and it was clearly heard that his throat was sore. She casts him a small smile until she hears running footsteps and sees that Sakura had the nerve to steal her fruit basket!

"Sakura you bitch! Get the fuck back here!"

Ino runs after her without a second thought causing Shikamaru to sigh watching her.

Troublesome...

"Sasuke-kun!"

The lone Uchiha groans in despair as Sakura rushes into his hospital room with a very nice looking fruit basket in hand.

"I picked these fruits out myself! All for you Sasuke-kun!"

Before Sasuke could even debate in his head whether or not he should thank her, Ino appears in a flash and punches the back of Sakura's head hard to grab the basket from her.

"How dare you take my basket you witch!"

"Who you calling a witch?! I'm the one who picked out the basket and all of the fruits all by myself Ino-pig!" Sakura grabs at the handle making it llok the two girls were engaged in a tug of war.

"Are you mental? Shika and I are the ones who brought into Naruto's room! You fucking stole my basket the moment my back was turned you wench!"

"Don't spout lies about me in front of Sasuke-kun!"

Ino was sure now Sakura had lost it, "Are the screws in your head loose or what?"

Sakura opens her mouth to scream yet again but stops when she sees a familiar hand taking out the card from the basket.

"Dear Naruto, we hope when you finally wake up you will enjoy this fruit basket. Shika picked out the basket and I picked out all the fruits. Eat up all the fruits so you can get well soon, the neighborhood is too quiet without hearing that obnoxious laughter of yours. We will visit again! - Ino & Shika"

Sasuke snorts after hearing Kakashi read the card out loud.

Sakura's face flamed with embarrassment so Ino takes the chance to swipe the basket from her. Kakashi passes her the card back and Ino takes it gratefully before turning on her heel and stomping off irritably.

Idiot

"I been out if it for 10 days?"

Shikamaru nods from his perch on the windowsill.

"Everyone has already been discharged...well except you and Sasuke-douche. He is getting out today."

"Is he really okay? Sakura said-"

"He was but he didn't need to go through an operation or anything like the others and you."

"I had an operation?" Naruto asks, bewildered. "For what?"

Shikamaru turns to him, eyebrow raised, "You don't remember a chidori through the lung?"

Naruto stiffens, understanding and remembering now why the right side of his chest hurt so much.

"But I'm okay now?"

"You had a 6 hour long surgery. You were close but made it back just barely."

Naruto was shocked, he was this close to actually dying?

That's what you get brat for being so damn morally good and righteous. Gets you into shit loads of trouble.

Shut up Kyuubi

At that moment Ino storms in, putting the basket down again and sits in the bedside chair with a huff.

"You okay?" Shikamaru asks, wary of his teammate's mood.

Ino snorts, unwilling to bother and instead turns to Naruto, studying him.

The usual hyperactive genin had bags under his eyes and an unhealthy complexion that made Ino cringe at the very sight of it.

"How did you know I like sunflowers Ino-chan?"

"You mentioned it in class once" she replies plainly, jogging a long forgotten memory in Uzumaki's head.

Naruto's homeroom teacher in his 4th year in the Academy was out sick one day so the flower arranging teacher volunteered to supervise and to focus on their attention on something she could use. She asked everyone what their favourite flower was.

"Sunflowers! Because they can grow really big and tall! It has a really nice yellow too!"

Sasuke snorts next to Naruto, unimpressed, "Keep talking like that dobe and you're goimg to sound like a girl."

"Shut it teme!"

Naruto shakes his head, breaking out of the memory.

"I thought it was strange but then again, looking back at it now I guess it shouldn't have been considering how stupidly cheery you are all the damn time."

Ino smirks causing Naruto to smile.

Ino was the only other girl that did not ignore him or run away from him. If he greeted her, she would greet back. Ino was a nice person no matter what things he heard from Sakura.

"You know I was surprised too, I thought you were gonna say some orange flower or something. You always liked bright colors." Shikamaru admitted, causing the two blondes to laugh.

"If you wanted to get me a fruit basket, why steal one?"

Sakura stutters out something about she had no money amd Kakashi just shakes his head.

"Sakura, please leave the room. I need to talk with Sasuke."

"B-but-"

"Out"

There was no room for discussion and Sakura sullenly leaves the room while Sasuke watches on, feeling bittersweet because on one hand Kakashi got rid of Sakura but on the other hand, he had a feeling he was in for it with Kakashi.

"Do you know why I thought you that S-class jutsu Sasuke?"

"Because you have no kids to pass it on to?"

"Do not get cheeky with me brat."

Sasuke scowls, realizing this was it.

"I wasn't. It was just a fact."

Kakashi scowls underneath his mask, "I thought you understood clearly that I taught you the technique in case Gaara would go in for the kill like how he tried to do with Rock Lee at the Chuunin Prelim exams however you instead used it on your TEAMATE!"

For once Kakashi visbly losses his cool and pulls Sasuke by the collar to meet him eye to eye.

"The technique was meant to kill yes but to kill your enemies! Not your friends. Any inch higher and the chidori would have punctured his heart! Do you not understand this?"

"At that moment, it just made sense to eliminate anybody obstructing my path and the dobe was-"

"You finish that sentence and I will file with the Hokage a murder charge against you for admitting actual intention to kill against a fellow Leaf-nin. Knowing Tsunade-sama and her relationship with Naruto, I doubt you would have any leniency of any sort."

Sasuke visibly gulped, seeing the look in his sensei's eye. Kakashi dropped his hold and the teen flopped back onto the bed.

"The council believes that you were controlled by your curse mark which is why the only punishment we got was D rank missions for two months."

"We? You mean Team 7? Why all of us?"

"Because Sakura failed to stop you, Naruto's team succeded in bringing you back but at the expense of heavy injuries on the strongest male genin we have and of course me because I did not predict you would pull anything like this."

Sasuke scowled, unhappy but Kakashi could care less.

"Looks like you're awake traitor."

The males turn to see Tsunade and Shizune at the doorway, entering the room.

"Is he aware of the punishment?"

"I haven't mention to him the new seal yet."

"What new seal?" Sasuke asks before Tsunade could say anything else.

Tsunade crosses her arms, looking at the genin firmly, "Jiraiya has helped me to put on a special kind of seal around your ankle. You are not allowed to leave the village for the next three years. Step just one foot out of Konoha territory and you die in an instant."

"W-what?"

This time, seeing the horrified look on boy's face made Tsunade smirk in triumph, "The council refuses to kill you because of the bloodline you carry hence I pushed for this instead because you're still a security risk."

"You cannot do this! I will appeal!"

"Calm down brat. If Kakashi says you've been a good boy in a year's time, we will remove the seal."

"But that means I would be stuck on D rank missions for the year while the rest of my team only got two months!"

"Only? They are suffering because of you brat. You need to take responsibility for what you did."

Shizune meets eyes with Sasuke coolly, holding on to Tonton as she speaks to him, "You will be discharged in an hour's time. A doctor will come in to check you then you can leave after he clears you."

Sasuke groans, feeling a mirgraine coming on.

"This sucks."

At that moment, a loud explosion sounded off and Kakashi rushed to the window and his eye widened seeing what was burning. Without another word, he jumps out of the window. Alarmed, Tsunade and Shizune went to the window as well and realized what made Kakashi leave like that.

Naruto's apartment building was on fire.

Hope you liked the chapter! Please rate and review! Thanks! ^^