Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

It was the rustle of leaves that woke him. Blue eyes fluttered open as the wind picked up its pace. Behind the tents curtains was the setting sun. Its fiery fingers woven into the sky until all that was left was darkness. It had been two days since Pein abolished Konoha. Two days of listening to people shout and construct. More than once, he'd awoken with a start as something thudded against the ground nearby. He would usually go out and help, but even after two days his energy was still zapped. And if Tsunade caught one of his clones, she'd vanquish it and head right on over for a lecture.

Fatigue had hit him like a hammer. Rather than having enough energy to summon an army of clones, Naruto found himself woozy while awake, and asleep more than he'd preferred. It could be from a whacky schedule. But Tsunade's constant check-ups signified that something was actually wrong with him.

The tent unzipped with a reverberating sound. Tsunade popped her head in before bringing the rest of herself within the tent. A medic kit sat idly between her fingers. "Back again?" He said. Shizune was somewhere outside his tent, most likely guarding the pig more than Tsunade. There wasn't much to worry about when it came to ambushes. While their defenses had been taken down, the shinobi were more alert than ever. When Naruto dared to poke his head outside, he saw lines of ninja blocking every possible weakness Konoha now held.

That doesn't mean no one can break through, though.

"What's it this time? Questions or blood?" As protocol, he held out his arm. Every few hours she came to take his blood. Sometimes there were questions, other times not. A medical diagnosis hadn't been made official, but she had to have some suspicions by now. Maybe she was simply trying to confirm what she knew to be true? Why else would she need this much blood? Though he wasn't sure what she was looking for, there was definitely something. Otherwise she'd never steal his blood so much or even come see him when Sakura could do this.

Still, hadn't she gotten enough from him? She'd taken his blood, saw his symptoms, and moved on. Never did she ask what he felt. Never did she explain why she needed his blood, only that she did. It was his health she kept from him, and however much he trusted her, there was only so much he could keep giving before he lost it and demanded to know what was wrong.

The only reason she'd lie to him was if Kyuubi threatened Konoha.

"You know I'm fine, right? I feel fine. And I'm pretty sick of needles. How 'bout we both head out and help construct the village? You know my clones will help."

He gave her the smile that melted her every time. Sending clones from within the tent was possible. But she'd gone into hard lecture mode when the topic was first broached, and he hadn't brought it up since.

"For god's sake, Naruto. We don't want any problems. Let me do my job and you'll be out of here in no time."

"Right." He said, "but you haven't told me what you're looking for."

The check-ups were too frequent. The stolen blood was too much, and all those needles were sending him over the edge. I'm allowed to know what's wrong. She obviously thought him ill, yet refused to explain the problem. Why not tell him why he stayed isolated? Why were the check-ups so constant? How much blood did she need from him? He could help her find the solution, give her a list of symptoms, of possibilities. He knew his body more than anyone else, after all. But she never asked, never did anything except puncture holes in his veins.

"Seriously, granny, what are you looking for?"

Another needle was ready for his arm. The smart move would be to question her, to demand answers. But this was his doctor. She knew better than him in all aspects of his health. If there was something wrong, she'd tell him. If not, she'd quit stealing blood. A band was wrapped around his arm to better find a vein, and more blood was taken. Too much to be normal. As a ninja, hospitals were common visits. Injuries that required blood transfusions happened often. Sometimes the doctors even extracted blood in search of an underlying disease. Never did they take so much over only a few hours. Did that mean there was something seriously wrong? Or was Tsunade being foolish?

What if he was sick?

What if he was dying?

What if Kyuubi was killing him?

"Please tell me, Tsunade. What have you found that worries you so much? Why do you need to do all this?"

It was her turn to speak the truth, and she wasn't leaving until she gave it. Everything about kyuubi's possession to his father strengthening the seal she knew. He'd told her. Yet she gave him nothing. And it wasn't fair. This was his body, his blood, and keeping him ignorant was by far the most foolish decision she'd made.

She took the needle out of his arm, grabbing the vial of blood and hoarding it into the kit. He could've messed up in the fight with Pein. If it was Kyuubi, then the fourth had to have screwed up on strengthening the seal. But if it was as simple as his health, she had no right to keep it from him. Was there a permanent injury he was unaware of? Some internal damage? Had that fight hurt him so bad he was forever sick?

"You're my doctor, Tsunade. And that's my blood in your hands." He pointed to the kit she hid his blood in. "This is my body." He waved his hands around his stomach, his legs, hoping to god she got the message, "if there is something wrong with me, I deserve to know what it is."

If Kyuubi now made him a danger to Konoha, he needed to know. If his body betrayed him, there were steps to take for better health. Either way, so long as his body remained his, he deserved to know everything that went on within him. If Tsunade refused to give him that, he needed to find a better doctor.

She looked at him then, not with the eyes of the Grandma he'd grown fond of, but with the eyes of the Hokage. Whatever was wrong, it was deeper than she let on, deeper than she wanted him to know. But it was his body, his health, his seal. Why was he kept ignorant on his own body? Why did she think she could keep his health to herself? She said not a word, merely looked at him with light brown eyes, hands picking at the supplies in her kit. "I'll tell you when I know more. No reason to worry over some suspicion."

"Suspicion?" He said, not believing the words spoken. Was it all a hoax? She claimed something was wrong, yet called it suspicion. She continuously stole his blood, pushing needles into him, never telling him why, never trusting him with his own body. Was there truly something wrong? Or had she done this with a mere suspicion that something could be wrong? "Is there something wrong with me or not? Do you even know—"

"I know that Kyuubi possessed you. I know that it can happen again. And I know—"

"And I know that this is my body. I deserve to know whatever suspicion is eating at you."

Tsunade would lie to him to protect the village, but she'd never lie about his health. She'd never lie about the state of the seal. She knew how important it was that he knew how his body worked, what his body was doing. She knew he deserved to know, yet here she was, lying to him, claiming to believe something was wrong when she saw no proof of it, stealing his blood for no reason than to ensure her false beliefs were true.

He never should have given her his blood.

"Get out." He was no longer under the blankets she gave him, but was standing alongside her, pointing to the zip of the tent. He wanted her gone, for how long he didn't know. But he didn't want to see her face anymore, didn't want her near him. His blood was his alone, and unless she gave him valid reason to hand it over, it stayed in his body. "Don't come back until you have a reason for this."

He might have laughed at himself had he not been so serious. Bossing the Hokage around was no joke. He could get into heaps of trouble for it—nothing that would kill him— and would probably receive temporary probation.

And yet, he was bossing her around, telling her to leave, not to return for an indefinite amount of time. He didn't want her gone forever, far from that. He simply wanted to be alone for a while, to try to understand what she wasn't telling him. There had to be a reason she took his blood. she claimed it was because of Kyuubi, and Tsunade didn't act without reason, so there must have been something driving her to lie.

Was he a danger to Konoha?

He felt his heart sink. Him, a danger to Konoha? He'd known it was possible. Kyuubi talked of bloodshed and freedom more than anything else. It was more dangerous than anything Naruto had faced before, and all it took was one mistake on his part and he'd kill everyone he loved.

He hurt Sakura once while fighting Orochimaru. She tried to protect him from the truth, but it was too obvious.

He hurt Sasuke because of Kyuubi. Granted, Sasuke was trying to kill him, but Naruto had let Kyuubi possess him then too.

He'd been a danger while fighting Pein. So easily he could have killed everyone. So easily he could have rampaged. But that didn't happen. A sense of control in this possession had remained his, and he'd used it to defeat Pein. Kyuubi didn't kill anyone, and Pein had resurrected everyone. No one got hurt.

Except Hinata.

He shook his head, getting her out of his mind. She'd said she loved him, and he knew it was a love he couldn't return. Still, he didn't know what to say to her, if he could even face her. She'd been so strong fighting Pein, so brave. How could he face her after that? How could he look her in her eye and say he didn't love her that way?

He couldn't reciprocate her feelings, yet he couldn't reject her either.

Was there a way to reject her without hurting her? Or was he bound to leave her heartbroken?

"Don't throw a fit at my help. I'm doing this for you, not to you."

Naruto snapped his head to the side. Tsunade was sitting beside him, no longer standing, yet still had her things packed. She patted the spot next to her, as if telling him to sit.

Slowly, he sat down. He'd forgotten about her for a moment, thoughts too far gone on Hinata. He needed to pay more attention. No ninja should space out like that if they wanted to live. If Tsunade had been an enemy ninja, he'd be dead by now.

"What are you doing?" He asked. "I've already told you about the seal. If you have doubts, we can have someone take a look. Ero-sennin couldn't have been the only person in the world that knew fuinjutsu. I'm sure there's someone. And Jiraiya taught me a bit. I understand the seal enough." He put a hand on his stomach, feeling queasy. What if his father made a mistake while strengthening the seal? What if Tsunade saw something abnormal these two days? "I just want to know what's wrong with me."

Tsunade put a hand on his back, rubbing circles with her thumb. He relaxed into her touch. They should have started the conversation this way. There would have been no anger, no confusion. Was she going to tell him now that she understood why he was angry? She had no reason not to—not unless he truly did endanger Konoha— if it was the seal, they could work together to fix it. And if it were his health, then he'd do everything she told him to. She was his doctor, after all, and knew everything about his medical history. He trusted her with his life, and would do anything she said if it kept him healthy.

Even give her his blood.

"The chakra you used to defeat Pein has yet to replenish, which is why you've been sleeping so much. I don't know why it hasn't returned, or why this is a problem at all. I've been taking your blood to see if there was a physical problem."

"Is there?"

Tsunade pursed her lips, turning her gaze behind him rather than at him. Naruto's blood ran cold. There was a physical problem. But why did she use Kyuubi as an excuse earlier? Why not tell him from the start?

"I have noticed slight changes in certain nutrients, which is why I've been extracting blood periodically. I want to see how fast these changes happen, and hopefully find a cause. Nothing yet, I'm afraid. My guess is that Kyuubi is taking something from you, weakening you so as to possess you easier."

"That's impossible. The seal—"

"Will do its job. But Kyuubi is inside of you. Seal or not, it has access to your body, to your mind. The eight trigrams seal is a rather unknown technique. We don't know exactly what the limits are, or what Kyuubi can do to you."

Naruto scrunched his brows. Kyuubi had never done such a thing before, whether it be because it didn't have the means to, or because there was no reason. He did wonder if Kyuubi was truly the problem, or if it was something else. Surely his father wouldn't have screwed up the seal? It seemed incredibly unlikely that he would have, as his father had made the seal in the first place. But Tsunade was the doctor. She knew better than him. He didn't know why she felt she had to lie before, but none of that mattered anymore. She told him, and that was what counted. Now, perhaps he could help her find the problem. Maybe she'd find it easier now that he was aware. He could look for signs of something wrong, and could even ask the fox what it was doing.

"Anyway, you need more rest. I'll be back in a few hours."

"Are you sure? I can help, you know. Kyuubi does talk to me. And it'll tell me if it's doing this or not. Kyuubi doesn't want me unhealthy. It just wants the seal weakened. If Kyuubi is doing this, it won't talk to me. I can tell you if—"

"Maybe later. Get some rest."

"But—"

"Later, Naruto. I have a village to run."

Naruto watched her leave. He'd still ask Kyuubi what it was doing, and then tell her the first chance he got. This was important, after all. And maybe he would need time to get the answer out of the fox. It was better that she left, then. Now, he had a chance to get some real answers for when she came back.

He laid on his back, flipping the blanket over himself once more. He truly hated visiting Kyuubi, but this was necessity. They needed answers, and if one visit gave them that, he'd take it.

Kyuubi told him nothing.

That was a dead giveaway that it was doing something to him, and now he merely had to wait until Tsunade came back to inform her. He supposed he should be worried, as the fox was messing with him again. But it'd been messing with him since the beginning of its sealing, and would continue to mess with him until they were both dead.

Or until Naruto was dead.

He accepted this long ago. And although he knew the fox was killing him once again, Naruto knew he'd find a solution. Tsunade would help him, along with Sakura and everyone else. He had complete faith in everyone, and had no doubt that Kyuubi would be back to murmuring nonsense rather than screwing up Naruto's body soon enough.

He sat up slowly, noting that the sun was once again rising. Had he been asleep all night? Surely Tsunade would have come back to check on him before then. She had been coming in while the world slept, and this was the first time she didn't wake him.

He laid back down on the pillow he'd grown so familiar with. He supposed he should go out there and help, make a few clones. The village had been turned to ash, after all. And they needed as much help as possible for rebuilding. Chakra or not, he had a responsibility to the village and had no intention of breaking it.

"Naruto?"

He blinked, a smile spreading across his face. That was not Tsunade's voice, but someone he'd longed to see since before Pein even attacked. None of his friends had come to visit him, and he suspected it was because Tsunade ordered them not to. Still, he'd expected someone to break the rules.

"You asleep?"

He spread his arms wide. Sakura must have been busy with the village and the injured for her not to have come earlier. Being a doctor and Tsunade's disciple should have given her more leeway to visit him than anyone else.

"Nope." He said, "I was wondering when someone would defy Tsunade and come see me. Sure took you long enough."

Sakura pursed her lips, brows furrowing. She ignored his outstretched arms—much to his disappointment. He honestly wouldn't mind a hug—and sat down beside him. He watched her pick at the fabric of the tent, wondering, exactly why she had gone so quiet so suddenly.

It wasn't that her being quiet was unusual. Sakura did run into bouts of silence when she thought about things or tried to solve a puzzle. But he'd thought a small good job was in order after saving the village and accomplishing his goal of acknowledgement. He at least expected more than silence, even if it wasn't a good job. Petty small talk would have been better than what she gave him now.

"Tsunade's in a coma, Naruto. Hasn't anyone told you?"

"Coma?" He said. That made no sense. It was Tsunade that had taken his blood. She had told him what was wrong. It was Tsunade who had sat beside him and sat him down to talk. She had come in to help him, to visit him. He wasn't wrong, either. He knew the Hokage. He helped Jiraiya bring her to Konoha. He knew her voice, her personality, her face. He knew she was the one that had been in his tent.

But she couldn't have been here if she were in a coma.

"So, who's been coming into my tent?"

Who's been taking my blood?

He felt chills wash over him. Who had he spoken to yesterday, if not Tsunade? Who had his blood? What were they doing with his blood? Who had rubbed circles on his back to soothe him? Who had he confessed to speaking with Kyuubi? "This… has to be henge, right? Someone henged as Tsunade? To trick me?"

And he'd been foolish enough to fall into their trap.

Or Sakura was tricking him. A prank, maybe? To get back at him for all his childhood pranks. What a cruel prank that would be. Sweet Sakura, who sometimes got cruel, would never trick him like that, would she?

He'd prefer this to be a prank than the truth.

Sakura's mouth hung open, with eyes as wide as a dog's. She heaved a breath, face going pallor. She was as horrified as him. And she was not lying. He could wish this to be some screwed up prank, but it never would be, because Sakura would never do that to him. She would never hurt him as Sasuke did.

"What has she been doing?" Sakura said, sitting up straighter, "has she said anything weird? Acted strange?"

His stomach twisted in knots as he attempted to compose himself as she had done so herself. He took a deep breath, inhaling, exhaling, calming himself. He was ninja, and he had failed in identifying an enemy. It couldn't be remedied, but it could be solved.

"I can identify an alien chakra signature in sage mode. I can find her."

"Among everyone in Konoha? You barely learned sage mode. All of it would be alien, save for the one's you do know."

He closed his eyes, recounting the words spoken between them. She seemed so normal, so Tsunade. But it was a lie. Tsunade was in a coma. She had never been in the tent. A stranger had come and taken his blood. She had never been concerned over his health.

Tsunade was not Tsunade, but a stranger, an enemy.

An enemy with his blood.

A jinjuuriki's blood.

Were Jinjuuriki's blood different from everyone else?

"She took my blood. Lots of it. Periodically. Said my chakra hasn't replenished itself. Told me Kyuubi could be messing with me."

He took his hand in hers, clasping gently. Her palms were sweaty, probably from working on constructing the village. He felt a calm reassurance as she squeezed back, as if urging him to say more. So what if some stranger had been coming in here? His blood was nothing special, and he could always get it back. Sakura would help him figure out who it was, and they'd have the guy put in the T and I department before long.

"Okay. What else, Naruto? Was there anything about her that seemed off? A physical trait? Did she act strange? Even the smallest detail could help us identify this person."

He thought back to the past few days, how she never told him what was wrong until he'd yelled at her, and she did not yell back. She'd comforted him instead, helped calm him from frantic anger. She'd taken his blood—possibly too much blood—and left him with a dizzying fatigue.

His drowsiness could be from blood loss, not Kyuubi or chakra.

"She didn't yell at me. Even after I yelled at her."

That was odd. Tsunade had the temper of a wild buffalo, and when someone yelled at her, she yelled back. Yet, rather than screaming at him, she calmly told him to sit. She had explained what was wrong, and had listened to him, considered his words, even though she never listened when it came to the seal, always doing her own thing, ensuring the village was protected from Kyuubi no matter the cost.

He should have noticed something was off the moment she asked him to sit.

He should have known it wasn't her the moment she brought him to the tent.

"So, they don't have a temper. We're looking for a calmer person, then. What else?"

"I don't know."

She had spoken like Tsunade, but without the temper. She acted like Tsunade, and even had the same medical kit as her. She knew basic medical procedure, as she'd taken his blood properly and—

"A medic-nin. Either professional or in training. I don't know which. They had the same medical kit as her."

"That narrows it down considerably. Let's get you somewhere else, alright? Think of everything you can on the way."

She helped him stand, even when his legs wobbled. How had he let this happen? He was ninja. He was trained to spot an enemy. And yet, an enemy had weaved into his life, taken his blood, spewed lies at him, pretended to be the woman who ruled the village, the woman who he loved as a grandmother. How could he not know she was fake? How could he have given blood to an enemy?

Someone had his blood.

Someone wanted his blood.

He kneeled over, heaving the dinner not-Tsunade gave him the night before. Sakura held him steady, keeping him from losing balance, and waited until he was ready to walk again. They moved through rubble, and only now did Naruto realize how isolated his tent had been from the villagers.

Not-Tsunade didn't want anyone to find him.

"Where are we going?" He asked. They could be meeting up with everyone else. He wouldn't mind that, might even prefer it. He could use the company after all the solitude. He could talk to Hinata about her feelings, or his feelings, or perhaps he should simply avoid her until he can sort out what to say. Kiba would probably find some good in the situation, something Naruto would do had this been someone else.

"Kakashi-sensei. I want his input before anyone else. Did you know they might make him Hokage if Tsunade doesn't wake soon?"

"They're already picking another Hokage?"

"Hmm-mm. They were electing Danzo, but he disappeared."

"Disappeared? That's good. Never liked the guy."

They came across an assortment of tents. People scurried across Konoha with wood and steel. They built buildings that had been there before and made new ones. Sakura stopped them in front of a tent and helped settle him inside. It was a small tent, about the size not-Tsunade gave him, with the same blanket and pillow he'd been using.

She settled inside with him. "Kakashi-sensei comes by everyday at 3. We just have to wait a few minutes." He nodded, picking at the pillow. He saw her mouth moving, but heard nothing, and understood less. His world was a motion of blurs. Not-Tsunade had taken his blood, a jinjuuriki's blood. Was there a difference between Jinjuuriki's and normal people? Or were their blood the same?

Not-Tsunade would have no reason to take his blood if it had nothing she wanted.

There had to have been something about him she needed.

Had Kyuubi's chakra seeped into his veins somehow?

A hand on his shoulder snapped him back to attention. Kakashi was sitting beside him, with Sakura in front. He blinked, giving Kakashi a waning smile. What could he say to them? He'd been fooled by a woman he knew by heart? He was so weak that he couldn't spot an enemy right in front of him? It was no wonder Sakura hadn't wanted to leave him by himself. If he couldn't even spot one imposter, how was he expected to do anything worthwhile.

"How do I know you're you?" He asked, pulling the pillow against his chest. He hadn't thought of it before, but now that the words were out, he did wonder if Sakura was Sakura or if Kakashi was Kakashi. If someone had posed as the Hokage so easily, then henging as a chuunin or Jounin would be like putting icing on a cake. Simple and efficient, with nothing to hold them back.

He bit his lip, easing to the back of the tent, rocking back and forth. His eyes darted from Kakashi to Sakura. He released a heavy breath, willing himself into the calm he'd found before. Sakura could be a not-Sakura, and he'd never know it. Kakashi too, could be a fake. If none of them were real, if he could trust no one, then what was he to do? Go back to that isolated tent and wait for not-Tsunade to return? Hope for the best and believe this was truly Sakura and Kakashi?

No. He'd already believed Tsunade was Tsunade. He couldn't risk believing anyone was truly themselves now.

Sakura looked at Kakashi, then back to Naruto. "Excellent question." She said, "What's something I would only know?" She looked to the sky, a finger trailing across her chin, "something I would only know." She said, "damn, I can't think of anything."

Naruto bit his lip, digging his fingers into the pillow. She looked like Sakura, acted like Sakura. But so did Tsunade. And Kakashi was oddly quiet. Was he a fake? Should Naruto run? Find someone trustworthy?

Find someone he knew wasn't fake.

How could he know who was real and who was fake?

"Oh, wait. You know our chakra signatures, right?"

He'd known their chakra signatures long before he'd learned sage mode.

"It'll take five minutes for me to get into sage mode." Naruto said.

"Someone's posing as Tsunade." Sakura said, turning her gaze to Kakashi-sensei. Had she noticed his deadly silence too? Even for him, it was odd. There was no book in his hand, no eye-smile to give. He could be having an off day, or he could be another not-Tsunade. "We're trying to figure out who. We know they're a medic-nin with the same kit as Tsunade, and they took some of Naruto's blood. What we don't know is why."

"And not-Tsunade could pose as anyone. Even learn our schedules." Naruto said. Sage mode required him to be still, calm, relaxed, and he was none of those things. He hugged the pillow tighter to his chest, feeling a wetness in his eyes that shouldn't be there. Kakashi was too quiet. And Sakura too calm.

She'd only ever been a calm person while performing surgery. Kakashi never went anywhere without that book, yet here he was, mingling without it.

He shook his head. The chances of three people he knew being imposters was too slim. Sakura and Kakashi were having an off day. The village had been destroyed, and unlike him, they didn't sleep for two days. This was his imagination running wild. He was dreaming up possibilities that were impossible. Maybe they were wrong and Tsunade had been awake this whole time.

Maybe he was transforming from demon to lunatic.

Maybe they wanted to scare him.

Maybe no one was real.

"I can't go sage mode right now." He was too restless, too anxious. He needed to calm down, check to see if they were imposters, and run if need be. "Is there any other way to know if you're real?"

Sakura cocked her head, fiddling with a ring he'd never seen before. She looked to innocent to be a fake, too Sakura-like, too everything. Her eyes were the same green, and her hair the same pink. She was Sakura, even when she wasn't raging.

Not-Tsunade acted the same way. "Don't you trust us?" She said.

"Not right now, no."

She pursed her lips, gaze traveling back to Kakashi. Why were they so silent? Shouldn't there be questions? Shouldn't Kakashi be worried? Someone had posed as the Hokage. The Hokage! And neither Sakura nor Kakashi were doing anything.

He wasn't doing anything either.

"I'm gonna go tell someone about not-Tsunade. Be right back." He said, moving over to the front of the tent.

He wasn't given the chance, however, as Sakura grabbed his wrist. "It's too dangerous." She said, "let's go together."

"I'd rather go by myself."

"After what happened? I don't think so. Come on Kakashi-sensei."

He licked his lips, hand trembling in her grip. When was she letting go? They were both acting odd, and he was almost certain they were both fake. Why not let him go then? Why not act as if they were Sakura and Kakashi?

Why have not-Tsunade trick him only to reveal themselves hours later?

"Really, Sakura." He yanked his arm back. How easy could it be to take her down? And Kakashi too. Both were pretending to trust him. Both were leading themselves into a trap if he chose to strike.

What if he was wrong? What if he attacked only to learn they were real?

"Konoha's busy right now. I'll be fine."

Better find someone. Sai, Kiba, Ino, anyone. He needed someone trustworthy, someone he knew was real.

How could he tell the difference between fake and real?

I need to calm down. I need to go sage mode.

"We can't let you go alone. Who knows who fake-Tsunade is pretending to be right now?"

He snapped his gaze to her, eyes narrowing. How strange that she said that. Not-Tsunade could be anyone. She could be standing before his eyes, or she could be miles from the village. "Yes, Sakura. Who knows?" He tilted his head, turning to Kakashi-sensei, "you're awfully quiet. Anything you want to tell me?"

They said nothing, just looked at each other, as they'd been doing from the start. Who were these people if not his team? Was Sai with them on this? Was this a trick to test his ninja ability? Were they truly imposters within his village?

He knew nothing, but they knew everything.

"You're acting strange." Sakura said, "is something wrong?"

"Is something wrong?" He said. What a ludicrous question. An enemy came into his tent and stole his blood. And now his closest friend and teacher were acting like strangers. He couldn't protect himself from his own people. He couldn't identify his own friends. "Everything's wrong. Who the hell are you people?"

He needed answers. He needed trust. He needed someone with him, someone to lean on. But he was alone with these imposters. He was isolated from Konoha, just as he'd been with not-Tsunade. He's been taken from one enemy and placed with another.

Enemy ninja had invaded Konoha. He needed to defend everyone.

He lunged at Sakura, eyes wild, screaming. And suddenly reality hit. Sakura was his closest friend, and unprovoked, Naruto had attacked her. She didn't move, didn't defend herself. The Sakura he knew would fight back. She always, always fought back against any assailant.

He never hit her, however, as Kakashi grabbed him by the waist, pushed him into the ground and held him down.

What if he were wrong?

"What is wrong with you?" Kakashi said, "did Pein do some brain damage?"

What if they were real?

"You're just two more not-Tsunade's." He was breathless, gasping. This was the Kakashi he knew. And what of Sakura? He couldn't see her from the ground, not with Kakashi-sensei's hand pinning his head. "If I'm wrong, I'm sorry, okay?" He felt his eyes burn, and wanted to go back to hugging the pillow, anything to distract him from what he'd done.

He'd attacked Sakura unprovoked. He'd almost hurt her.

"I'm sorry."

He was seeing things that weren't there. Yes, Kakashi had been quiet, but he wasn't a chatterbox like Naruto. And Sakura had acted calm, so this must be like one of her surgeries and gave it her full attention. They were simply worried about him, just as Naruto had been worried about himself. There was an imposter Hokage in their village. Anyone would act differently after learning that kind of information.

Why had he been so paranoid?

"I was scared after learning about not-Tsunade. I didn't know who was real. I'm sorry."

He ignored the prick in his arm, and instead turned his head to Sakura. Kakashi had let him go at some point. Thank God for that. He sat up, blinked owlishly. He put a hand to his head. How hard had Kakashi hit him? "Got any ice packs?" He said, "my head feels weird."

Sakura held a needle in her hand.

"Don't apologize for being right."

Authors Note: This story is nine chapters long, and I have five chapter's already written. I've put more work into this story than any other and I'm super nervous about publishing it.

I hope you enjoyed and please review.