Team Harmony

SR53: Fight!

Tsunade held up a large needle and showed it to Hinata. "This is going to sting but it's going to numb the area up to the bone. Your pain medication should have kicked in by now. Ready?"

Hinata, wearing a mask over her nose and mouth, nodded and watched with curious eyes as Tsunade inserted the needle deep multiple times all around her forearm. She winced but held in any sounds of pain as it didn't hurt too much. They had to wait a few minutes, with the medic occasionally touching the area with a scalpel to see if she could feel it, to make sure it was completely numb.

"Okay, this is it." Tsunade looked down at Hinata, a mask covering everything but from the bridge of her nose up. "You good to go?"

Hinata's breathing slightly increased, the monitor attached to her vitals picking it up, but she nodded with wide eyes. She was terrified but she wouldn't back out. The only way out was through, she had to remember that. "Y—Yes, Tsunade-sama. Do it."

"Very well." Tsunade looked at the three other nurses present in the room. "Hold her down." Hinata began shaking as one nurse held her legs and the remaining two held her arm and shoulders. She could sense the chakra they were putting into their grip in order to keep her steady. Tsunade held her injured arm steady. The pace of her breathing increased and she felt tears prickling in her eyes, but she bit her lip and watched as her mistress began cutting into her forearm.

The numbing shots had helped, but when it reached closer to her bone, she began tensing as the pain began to shoot up her arm. She could barely hold back whimpers and she shut her eyes tightly as the tears fell.

"You're doing great, Hinata," Tsunade assured her. "Just a bit longer and I can put the plate in." Hinata nodded but kept her eyes tightly closed as she felt Tsunade's fingers uncovering her bone. "There are many nerves here, so be prepared." Just as she finished warning her, Hinata's body began struggling. She was fighting to move away from the thrums of lightning pain shooting through her arm and up her neck, into her teeth, and behind her eyes. The nurses held her still and tightly.

Tsunade held the plate up for Hinata to see. It was very thin and long with rounded edges. "This is what will be going in. We're halfway there." To Hinata, it felt like it had been days since they started this procedure. "After this, you should be good to go in at least an hour."

"Th—thank you," she said shakily. Tsunade dabbed the sweat off of the girl's forehead.

"If that Uchiha doesn't see how much you love him after this, then I'm sorry to say he's an idiot," the Sannin said, hoping to get a laugh.

Hinata could only smile and let out an exhale. "It is for all my comrades," she said.

"You don't love him?"

"I do."

Tsunade smiled, but only the crinkles on the side of her eyes gave it away. "You're a great shinobi, Hinata. Never doubt that." Then, she slipped the metal plate under her bone and began wrapping it. Hinata couldn't stop the screams from leaving her mouth. Her whole body shook as she fought its instinct to move away from whatever was causing her pain. The grip the nurses had on her began hurting but she pushed through, thinking of the faces of her precious comrades and the person she loved. Slowly, the edges of her sight began closing in and her face was growing numb as she struggled to breathe.

The pain would be over soon, however, and she could assist in bringing Sasuke home.

*

Naruto, Shikamaru, Kiba, and Akamaru flew through the trees. "I hate that we have to keep leaving people behind," Naruto growled. "First Choji and now Neji." They had just escaped from the spider-like enemy with the help of Neji and could still hear the battle ongoing as it faded the further they went.