Konoha : Naruto's playground

"Kametsuchi! Did you find them?"

Maito Gai landed to the side of a large elm tree, his summons standing off to the side. As he had approached the area he had seen a strange circular mark around the bark; it looked like someone had taken a thick razor wire and wrapped it around the stem and then pulled really hard. The brown bark had been ripped from the surface all the way around in a neat circle and he had no idea what could have caused it.

Kametsuchi remained silent for a while.

"Gai. Look."

The green-clad Jounin stood up and peered over the turtle's shell. A form lay hunched to the side in front of him, long hair cascading down a pale white face. The ANBU agent was unconscious, a large crack running down the surface of the daunting mask.

"She's injured."

He scrutinised her. Half of the mask was smashed off and strewn on the leafy floor next to her head. The white pieces shone eerily in the ensuing moonlight, blood was speckled over its surface.

"Knocked out?"

The turtle grunted.

The eccentric Taijutsu Master bent down and gently picked up the unconscious ANBU operative, holding her bridal style to his chest.

"And the other?"

Kametsuchi jerked his head sideways.

"Looks like she's up."

A figure landed silently next to Gai all grace absent from her movements. When she spoke, Anko's voice came low and filled with pain.

"Gai, what the hell happened here?"

She teetered sideways and he managed to stabilise her with his arm just before she fell.

"I should ask you that question Anko-san."

She grunted harshly.

"Got beat up by Uchiha-flippin'-Itachi..."

She heard him gasp and she couldn't blame him. Itachi was possibly the strongest ANBU Captain to ever grace the ranks of the elite. If he had stayed on for longer he most probably would have surpassed Kakashi even and that was no small praise.

"Shadow clones?"

Anko nodded stiffly.

"Where's Shisui and the brat?"

Gai winced and didn't answer. Anko's gaze seemed to sharpen and her face flushed slightly.

"Where the hell are they Gai?"

She didn't shout, she didn't scream. She said it quietly, so low that he might not have even heard it unless he was standing right beside her. It was a tone he'd never heard from the crazy Tokubetsu Jounin before; it was sharp and filled with warning. He shivered unconsciously at the danger that her question held.

"Shisui-san was injured in the battle. Naruto-san has taken him to Wave for medical attention."

She gasped.

"What?!"

Her body was suddenly wracked by a wheezing cough. Gai looked on sympathetically until it had passed. Anko uncoiled from her slouching posture and spat a glob of blood and phlegm to her right. She gripped her injured shoulder tightly, cursing at her weakness when her friends were in danger. He'd taken her out so easily and with a Kage Bunshin no less. If he had aimed to kill, she had no doubt that she would be dead right now.

"What did he want?"

Anko looked up, her purple eyes locking with Gai's serious visage.

"Tch, beats me...he knew about our mission beforehand, he didn't think that I was gonna be here."

Gai nodded solemnly. This was grave news; ANBU mission reports were the highest tier portfolios in the Village. For someone to have known the details and set up an ambush was unthinkable. It looked like there was a mole in Konoha.

"Yosh! Kametsuchi, you can leave now, we'll take care of everything from here."

The turtle snorted lightly, tipping his head in the affirmative before disappearing in a cloud of smoke.

"Anko-san, let's get back to-"

She was already gone, jumping through the trees as fast as she could in her dishevelled state. The Taijutsu master smiled softly. They cared so much about each other that they were practically siblings. The look Naruto had had in his eyes when he had seen Shisui was identical to the one Anko had taken with him. He smile dropped slightly as he took off behind her.

How would they react if Shisui died?

XXXXXXX

The sliding doors to the main surgery room in the A&E department slid open with a distinct hiss. A doctor and nurse exited, the tall, sombre-faced doctor pulling gloves covered in blood from his hands.

"...on the IV, we don't know how long it will take but make sure-"

"Hey, Ji-san!"

The two males paused in their conversation and turned to face the five individuals waiting outside the operating room. The foremost was a young blond haired boy, his expression anxious as he stared with dread at their faces.

"You are family?"

The tall, green-clad man with a bowl-cut hairstyle shook his head in the negative.

"Just friends..."

Gai glanced sideways at the Jinchuuriki; his head was lowered and his fringe covered the top half of his face in shadows. He couldn't even begin to understand how the boy felt right now.

"Ahh..."

The doctor turned to his assistant and whispered something too low for the others to hear. The nurse nodded sadly and tuned to leave to another destination.

"My name is Doctor Nishimura Kensei and I have been treating your friend since he arrived here."

Naruto stepped forward, a snarl stretched across his face only to be stopped by the Sensei of Team 9. The green-clad man shook his head sympathetically before turning back to the man.

"How is he?"

Kensei reached up and pushed the bridge of his glasses to secure them to his nose once again. It was a habit he had fallen into to decrease the stress from his work. Every time he had to deal with a similar situation to what he was facing now, the bridge of his nose would become slick with sweat and his glasses would begin to slip. It was the only way to tell that the normally calm and collected surgeon was feeling pressured.

"When Uchiha-san was admitted late last night, we rushed him to the A&E unit to attempt a stabilisation. His spine had been almost severed between the 7th and 8th Vertebrae and the same weapon that had made the injury had exited out the front of his torso. It was only a miracle that his heart had been missed, although the edge of his right Pulmonary Organ had been punctured too. Am I correct in assuming that he is a Shinobi?"

Gai nodded sombrely. He could feel the tension rising around him, probably because the younger ninja in attendance had no idea what the professional was talking about. TenTen and Taka were both admitted alongside Shisui but their treatment had been minimal at best; the hospital knew how to deal with ninja and they were respecting the right to privacy especially since Taka was an ANBU agent. Anko had downright refused to be treated, stating that if she could walk then she was fine.

"Ah...I presumed as much. He had lost a lot of blood but we managed to avoid the worst of it and by mid-morning we had him stabilised."

Gai glanced sideways to check on the rest of the group. Only Anko and Neji seemed to have an inkling behind what the doctor was attempting to convey.

"Naruto-san, why don't you go and take a rest? You're worn out and you did enough yesterday."

Naruto turned his furious gaze on the Jounin. Madness seemed to suffuse from his body, saturating the air with a heavy feeling that made it harder to breath than normal. Gai frowned at this new development; red lines spider-webbed around the edges of his eyes, his whole body shaking in fury. His voice came out low and guttural, a fear inducing sound that shook the group to the core.

"Shut up. Tell me what the hell is going on."

Anko started and glanced from the corner of her eye at the blond. This was a dangerous situation; she didn't even know what kind of condition Shisui was in and it could be enough to destroy them. How Kakashi was going to react when he heard...

"TELL ME WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH HIM!"

Kensei winced. This would not go over easily. It was possibly the worst part of his job. He turned to the weird bowl-cut man with a questioning glance. Gai sighed but nodded. He deserved to know, there was no point in hiding the truth from him when he'd find out eventually.

"I'm afraid...Uchiha-san is paralysed from the chest down. Due to the almost complete disconnection of his Central Nervous System between the Vertebrae, his motor functions are restricted to his arms and neck upwards. He is currently in a coma."

A deathly silence descended on the group. Neji and Lee knew next to nothing about the friendly Uchiha but he was a Konoha Shinobi. They could feel the weight pressing down on them, an oppressive atmosphere that could only mean something bad.

"G-Gai-Sensei...W-We'll be down the hall if you n-need us!"

Lee turned and hauled his teammate with him, leaving the other three standing in disquiet.

"I'm sorry...if we had some Iryounin maybe it would have been different..."

Anko felt like she would shatter inside. Their team...their family...it was like anything she struggled to gain would be ripped from her. She had put up a front attempting to ward off any sort of companionship by creating a personality so brash and forward that nobody would want to befriend her anyway. And yet they had done so, completely disregarding her insecurities; the three of them. For now she had to be strong, if only for Naruto's sake.

"'Ruto..."

He shoved her hand away from him, his eyes still shadowed by his hair. He turned, a jerking movement so out of place that Anko almost felt her heart rip. There was no doubt that he would feel it the strongest. He was closer to Shisui than she and Kakashi were. They were practically brothers and the pair had been like night and day to each other, laughing and joking, a sun for the otherwise dreary environment in Konoha. His footsteps echoed ominously as he walked towards the exit. Anko could only gaze at his back as he left, a small breeze blowing down the corridor from an open window somewhere down the hallway.

She could hold it no longer and she wasn't ashamed when it happened. All the frustration from her defeat, from her failure to protect her friends and her skills that hadn't done any good came rushing to the surface. The rage and sadness she had bottled up since Orochimaru had betrayed her, the fleeting feelings of rejection, scorn and distrust she had been forced to endure for so very long burst forth from the casket they had been locked within.

She fell to her knees and wept, for that was her only escape.

XXXXXX

"AHAHAHAHA!...done in by a stone! And by Uzumaki no less! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

He looked up at the sky, the once beautiful blue covered by the greyest of clouds he had ever seen.

"No-one's going to hurt you kid...Frankly, it was worth it for the laugh!"

That smiling face, the one where his black eyes shone with such warmth that anyone who would see it would have no choice but to grin as well. The face that creased with joy, his expression glowing with the secrets to happiness he could only hope to obtain.

"Naruto-kun?! What has he got to do with all this? Why is he here?"

The concern he had shown for his friends, his body language, his emotions, all were focused on the things he held dear, striving to protect and love for the rest of his life.

"That was one hell of a throw by the way! It took me 2 minutes to pull the damn thing out of the wall!"

The shock and awe that flitted over his face, fleeting feelings of happiness only to be replaced by the hollow void that seemed to follow him wherever he went. They had done so much together, fought alongside each other, laughed and ate like the best of friends.

'My friend...my best friend...'

It felt entirely foreign to him, something he had never considered before because he had been so caught up in just trying to hold on to the bond that he shared with the three Jounin. It was his bastion, his final fortress that he had built as soon as he had realised that the world was truly against him. It was like building a sandcastle and every time he almost managed to complete a strong foundation with his bucket and scoop, someone came and kicked it down. It was frustrating, like a hope he could only dream about achieving because there was something there, something blocking his path and stopping him from going any further in the direction he was moving. He'd take a step forward and then a battering ram would slam into him and push him all the way back to where he'd started.

He vaguely remembered his early days in Konoha, it wasn't something he could entirely forget even though he had been so young. The ostracism he had faced had led him down a path he thought gave him a chance to prove himself and make a place in the world...

He didn't even glance sideways as he felt Anko approaching the building whose roof he was currently situated on. He couldn't bring himself to look at her lest he see the look of disappointment and shame on her face.

"You gonna sit up there all day?"

He didn't answer. She jumped up to the roof, her sandals clacking as she landed heavily next to him.

"Ya' know...he'd never want us to do this if this ever happened to him."

Still no response. She was beginning to lose her patience. He was being stupidly selfish, trying to lump the blame on himself for some idiotic reason or another. She probably knew him the best and yet he wouldn't even look her in the eye.

"Look brat! You're not the only flippin' person in the world! You gotta accept it and do somethin' to help him!"

Naruto flinched heavily and her eyes widened at the movement.

'Please God...Don't let him crack...please...'

"You're right" he whispered, "I'm not the only person in the world...I'm-I'm nothing...so small, so useless..."

SMACK!

"STOP BLAMIN' YOURSELF! WHAT ABOUT ME AN' KAKASHI?! HOW DO YOU THINK WE FEEL ABOUT ALL THIS?!"

He stared up at her in shock, a red stinging palm-shaped mark colouring the right side of his face. Why...why had she hit him? What had made him deserve that?

He stood suddenly, the purple-haired Kunoichi cradling her hand to her body as if she was shocked by her own actions.

"I'm taking him to Konoha. The medic-nin should be able to fix him, right?"

She didn't respond.

He bit his lip as he turned, jumping swiftly back towards the hospital.

XXXXXXX

Uchiha Sasuke leaned against the post of the small bridge that had become Team 7's unofficial meeting place. He had been placidly waiting for close to an hour now and he knew that he might have to wait quite a while longer. He was content to simply watch the drifting surface of the water below him as he waited for his Sensei to show up. Sakura was already there, standing primly with her hands demurely tucked behind her back and sneaking a glance at him every few seconds. He would have snorted out loud if it wouldn't be rude; Shisui had warned him over the terrible threat of a fangirl.

His other teammate, the enigmatic Sai, stood calmly at the centre of the bridge, his posture rigid and his face devoid of any emotion. He could have been a statue for all intents and purposes because that was the thing he resembled so closely. His skin colour was so pale it could be mistaken for plaster any day of the week.

His mind turned to go over the events of the previous week. The seal that his blond enemy had placed on his person had faded and along with it, the effects of the transformation. He felt slightly proud of himself that he was able to endure such a situation for so long; surely most Shinobi would fall into hysteria if the same thing happened to them...

'It's because you're so much like a girl already that it doesn't really affect you!"

"SHUT UP!"

He clapped a hand to his mouth as his two teammates glanced at him in shock. He quickly shook his head and returned to staring at the river. If he ignored them, they would eventually leave him alone; at least, that's what he thought. That thrice-voice had become more and clearer since he had been turned into a girl. He thought it would leave after he changed back but that didn't seem to be the case. He'd just have to throttle the blond when he found him and demand that he fix his brain back to how it was.

'Hehehehe...fix your brain?! How do you know you weren't already like this Sasuke-chan?'

He punched his head and his cranium erupted in pain to block out the voice. Needless to say, his teammates were getting the entirely wrong idea from his actions.

'Maybe he's a masochist..' Sakura pondered.

'I'll have to tell Danzou-Sama that the Uchiha likes hitting himself.'

Sai obviously didn't consider that to be strange. Sasuke was saved any further degradation when a small 'POP!' heralded the arrival of their perpetually lethargic teacher.

"Ohayou minna-san!"

"YOU'RE LATE! And errr...Sensei...Sasuke is umm...punching himself..."

Kakashi raised a silver eyebrow and turned to find his prodigial student slamming his fist into his head repeatedly.

He sweat-dropped. Hard.

'Between my team and Naruto...I'm going to die of dehydration one of these days...'

"Err...Sasuke?"

"Damn, flip, shut, the, hell, up, you, freakin', moronic, imbecilic, voice..."

He accentuated each word with another punch and blood began to drip from his temple.

"SASUKE!"

He froze and turned wide eyes on his teacher.

"Ah, Sensei. Nice day today isn't it? I was just...just massaging my head because I have a headache you see..."

He finished lamely. Kakashi stared at him blankly.

"If you punch yourself any further you're going to end up in the hospital with a concussion."

The Uchiha jumped and hid his fist behind his back.

"Ah...right...I see."

The Jounin's sole visible eye turned up in his trademark smile.

"Great!" He chirped.

Turning, he jumped onto the railing of the bridge so he could see all three of his students at the same time. He studied them quietly for a few seconds. He had no doubt that they were ready, even Sakura had been forced to progress after the shame she had witnessed in their Genin exam.

"Right then. You three have the day off today to do whatever you want!"

The pink-haired banshee gasped.

"What?!"

Kakashi stared at them critically.

"What?" He said innocently.

"Why do we have the day off?"

Kakashi focused on Sai and the other two turned to regard their teammate thinking he had something to do with it.

"Why, you ask?"

There was silence.

"Hmm, I wonder..."

Sasuke's eye twitched.

"S-so can you tell us then?"

'OH MY GOD! NARUTO IS A TRUE GENIUS! No wonder he loves doing this to people!'

Yes, Kakashi's daily resolution had turned to his absent friend's behaviour and he had decided that it would be interesting to see how people would react to taking on some of the blonde's personality quirks.

"I suppose I can..."

They stood waiting expectantly, slowly inching their way closer to his crouched form as their interest only grew.

"The question is...should I?"

He ducked a swipe aimed at his head by Sasuke.

"Maa maa, calm down!"

He pulled out three sheets of paper from within his utility pouch and offered them to his Genin.

"These are permission slips for entrance to the Chuunin exams. If you want to join, you have my permission to sign them and hand them in to the office by 3PM at Room 301 of the Academy in three days."

They stared at him in shock, unable to comprehend what he had said. As soon as he realised the significance of his Sensei's words, Sasuke snatched one form that had been proffered. Sai calmly reached out and snagged the end of another whilst Sakura hesitantly collected her own.

"Well, that's that. You're dismissed. Oh, except Sasuke, I have something to tell you."

Sakura sent a hesitant glance at the raven-haired Uchiha as she left the area, Sai choosing to disappear onto one of his airborne Chouju Giga.

"What did you want to speak to me about?"

Kakashi sighed wearily. Sasuke couldn't help thinking that the legendary Shinobi looked a lot older than he usually let on.

"Shisui got back from his mission today."

"He's in a coma."

ZZZZZZZZ