Naruto : The System Files

Chapter no.159 Talks

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The return to Konoha was a confused blur and Naruto could not say he remembered it, except for the fact he had been carried a part of the way after having collapsed from nervous exhaustion.

Guess, he hadn't fully healed even with Yang style: Healing Whispers.

When the boy awoke, the first thing he knew for a fact was that he was not in Rice Country anymore.

The blond could not tell if the exhaustion he was feeling was still a reminiscence of combat or due to the fact he had excessively slept. He did know he was beyond happy to be anywhere else than Rice Country though.

His keen ears picked the songs of various birds and his good nose smelled the unmistakable odor of medication and disinfectant that typically reigned supreme in a hospital.

"Where... Am I?" The boy asked aloud.

"In the reserved section of Konoha military hospital. Today is the second of July and it is nine in the morning." A voice, deep and soothing, slightly raspy too, answered.

"Slept... too late," groaned Naruto.

Tiger was going to kill him.

"No worries, you are currently on rest."

"Is that so?"

"Yes."

The boy nodded, still too sleepy to bother identifying the voice. Doing his best to fully awaken himself, Naruto reflexively made his chakra surge once, before molding it in the specific fashion that served to open his tenketsu. His chakra surged a second time and the boy smiled contentedly as the inner energy started to flow everywhere, warming him up. It took a minute to chase the last cobwebs of sleep away and another to open his eyes.

"I'm so thirsty." He croaked, realizing his throat was as dry as Wind Country.

Immediately, he felt a straw being pushed against his lips. Without asking himself too many questions -if whoever was here wanted him dead, there was no need to poison his drink- the boy drank avidly. Fresh, pure, delicious water flowed in his mouth and down his throat. Eventually satisfied, he pushed away the glass that was presented to him and turned his head toward whoever was by his side.

"Jijie?" The blond exclaimed in surprise before coughing violently, his throat protesting the sudden effort.

"Yes, my boy. How are you feeling?"

Naruto did not answer immediately and mentally took stock of what he was feeling. The memories piled suddenly upon him.

Excitement and relief welled and surged forth. He was alive and back in Konoha. It was too much and his chest was too small to contain everything. He felt tears of joy slowly drip down his eyes and a mix between a sob and a laugh shook his body. He felt strong arms circling around him and engulfing him inside a hug.

Having to wait nearly two weeks in that hole in Rice Country without being able to do anything had taken a heavier toll than he had thought. He hadn't realized how much he had been afraid.

Terrified, even, of not seeing Konoha again, of never being embraced by his grandfather, of missing on Ayame's ramen. It was something to know life was fleeting when one was a ninja; it was something else entirely to live through it. The truth was that he had very nearly died and it was crashing down on him now, when he was finally safe.

The blond took a few minutes to collect himself, still securely held in the arms of his grandfatherly figure, who kept whispering soothingly in his ear.

"You are back and safe Naruto, back and safe."

Suddenly, Naruto felt an unexpected wave of calm wash over him. This tranquility didn't come from Hiruzen; it was due to the 'Mind of Nirvana' skill. All of his pent-up emotions, traumas, and anxieties seemed to just melt away, replaced by a sense of peace so profound it almost frightened him. In response, he instinctively moved his arms to return his grandfather's hug. He held on for a long minute, driven by fear. Naruto was scared of this new passive skill because it made him feel almost inhuman, stripping away what made him feel human.

"How are you Naruto?"

The boy hesitated for a second. "I'm fine." He mumbled in the robes. Slowly he disentangled himself from his grandfather and looked at the older man in the eyes. "I'm fine." He repeated in his new drawl, swallowing thickly.

Hiruzen's heart ached as he witnessed the struggle in Naruto's eyes. One moment, there was fear and a flicker of courage; the next, a sudden calmness took over, as if all of Naruto's problems and emotions had been resolved in an instant. Hiruzen felt a deep concern for Naruto. He knew from his own long experience that issues, fears, and emotions couldn't just be resolved so quickly. Decades of his own unresolved feelings still weighed heavily on him. This time, Hiruzen firmly believed that Naruto needed psychological help, because such an abrupt change was not normal or healthy.

The Hokage cupped the Naruto's cheek with his hand and sighed when the blond leaned in the contact.

"You are not but I know you'll surmount it." The old Sarutobi said, locking gaze with the blue-eyed boy. "Just… Do not try to win this fight alone, Naruto. Can you promise me that?"

The boy nodded, contentedly rubbing the old, callused hand with his cheek, relishing the affection. Closing his eyes for a few seconds, Naruto inhaled deeply before he returned the Hokage's gaze. "I promise Jijie."

The Sarutobi nodded and hugged his surrogate grandson once again. "Good. Coming this close to both side of death is a harrowing experience."

Naruto returned the embrace and marveled at the strength his grandfather's old arms still possessed, at the warmth he exuded, at the beat of his heart still powerful.

"You've ever been… This close Jijie?"

"Yes. During the first Great War before I became Hokage. During the second as well."

Naruto modestly decided to not pry any further. He sure as Flame did not want to recount his death-yet-not and he would not make his grandfather relive his own experiences for his curiosity. He did not even want to know anyway.

"I…" The boy began only to close his mouth, unsure of what he even wanted to say in the first place. He had refused to see it sooner, refused to acknowledge it, because he knew that, had he done that, he would have gone off the far end in Rice Country.

"How am I going to go back?" He eventually asked in a whisper, his eyes glazed and his voice shuddering, the question thrown as much to the Hokage as to himself.

"This is a question only you hold the answer to, Naruto." Hiruzen answered tiredly. "But I'm certain it is here," he said, trying to be as reassuring as he could.

"Here?" The blue-eyed blond asked weakly.

The old Kage tapped his finger against the boy's chest, just above the heart. "Why did you become a ninja, Naruto?"

The blond looked down, lost in his whirling thoughts. He had an easy answer to that question. Was it worth giving up his life for it? Was it egotistical to not want to? Was it cowardly to be afraid? He was shaken out of his thoughts by his grandfather. The boy locked gaze with the older man, cerulean blue meeting dark brown.

"It is alright to not answer it now. It might help if you talk. This hospital has an entire section of specialist but you also have people who hold you dear, Naruto. Never forget that and help yourself."

"Hai."

Silence fell and blanketed the room for a minute.

Hiruzen, looking concerned, turned to Naruto and asked him gently, "Naruto, can you tell me how you are able to perform various Jutsus? How are you able to use chakra chains? How did you learn these skills?"