The Youngest Uchiha (Naruto fanfic)

Rehearsal

Our mission was to stay and protect Tazuna until he finished the bridge, so that’s what most of my team did.  The morning after our huge fight with Zabuza, I was weak and sick.  My whole body was heavy with a feeling of lead. 

Lifting my eye lids was a task that not even God himself could’ve preformed.  Even if I did manage to open them, the light made them burn and my headache got worse.  The slightest noise sent up a whole new pounding in my temples.  My body was sticky with sweat and burning with fever yet shivers possessed me.  A nice steady 103 temperature hung on to me.  I was so exhausted, but too miserable to fall asleep for long.

The night before, I went to bed feeling just fine, if a little sniffle-y.  Everyone was super happy and excited that we defeated Zabuza and that the villagers could take back control of their village.  Our team and everyone else celebrated outside in the open air of the town.  Not even the cold night air could defuse our mood.

Once my team and Tazuna’s family returned, everyone was drop dead tired; yet none of us could sleep yet.  All of us gathered around to talk of the events of the day.  Naruto bragged and described how he took out that Haku kid.  With a smug look, Sasuke informed me that he had now acquired the sharingan, which acquired my fist to meet his shoulder.

For hours we sat around and just talked and celebrated.  The warm feeling in my chest grew and despite the small sniffles that I was dealing with, I was the closest to happy as I’d been in awhile.  Finally, hardly anyone could keep their eyes open; we all went and settled into bed.  Sakura smiled at me and bared me goodnight before both of us settled down.

In the morning though, I attempted to sit up.  Just the very movement sent pain through my head.  A groan slipped past my lips and my head hit the pillow.  Closing my eyes and taking a few shot breathes, I managed to lift my head up.  Next came standing which I preformed.  On my unsteady feet, I took a step towards the door.  The pounding in my head got more and more painful until I couldn’t take it.  Knees buckling under me, I heaved whatever was in my stomach onto the floor. 

For hours or minutes, I didn’t know, I laid there.  Every cell in my body was too exhausted and pained to move, so with my eyes closed; I lay on the cold floor shivering.  I determined that Sakura was not in the room, since no one came to my rescue.  I drifted in and out of consciousness until footsteps could be heard on the wooden floors.

With painful loudness, the heavy door swung open.  “Eiko-Eiko!” Sasuke shouted.  Suddenly hands were on me, moving me.  My head speared in pain and I couldn’t hold out the whimper that consumed me.  Eventually the pain was too much and I blacked out.

Unbearable consciousness came back to me a few minutes later, I assumed, and I was surrounded by my team.   “Eiko are you okay?” Kakashi Sensei asked me.

Half lidded eyes met Kakashi Sensei’s, and I went to meekly reply with, “Yeah.” But my voice didn’t work.  I just settled for a slow, curt nod.  Kakashi Sensei didn’t seem convinced and stepped away from me.  “I’ll be back in a minute.” He informed me, “Sakura, Sasuke, Naruto come on.”  Each of them followed Kakashi Sensei and I was left alone.

Only minutes had passed and Kakashi Sensei came back with a thermometer.  He sighed when the thing beeped and he read my temperature.  “Try to get some rest today.  We’ll be done today and head back to the village tomorrow morning.  Hopefully you’ll be better tomorrow, but we’ll see.”  I didn’t even have to energy to nod in reply.

Tsunami ventured in a few times a day, I couldn’t greet her like I would’ve liked, but I vaguely remember her giving me water and soup, my stomach couldn’t take much more.  That whole day passed in a haze almost as a dream.  It didn’t even really feel like I was in my body, I more just hovered in-between.