Team Seven.

14.

Kakashi sat up with a groan. He held his head and looked to his left as he seen a bowl of soup steaming and Sasuke sitting next to him, Kakashi looked to his right to Shikamaru writing seals. The door opened and Naruto came in with fresh clothes and a towel.

"How are you feeling Sensei?" Naruto asked setting the clothes on a dresser.

"Like I got ran over by a train." Sasuke chuckled.

"Chakra exhaustion would do that to you." Kakashi nodded and opened his mouth as Sasuke gave him some soup. Once Kakashi finished he sighed and Shikamaru helped him to the bathroom to shower, Naruto yawned and Shikamaru frowned.

"You haven't been sleeping." Naruto shrugged and tired his hair in a bun, his eyes looked heavier and his eyes a little dull.

"You shouldn't worry about that." Shikamaru frowned and picked Naruto up. Shikamaru looked to Sasuke and he nodded, they knew one another so well, that they didn't need to speak, Shikamaru took him to the room they never slept in, and laid him on the bed.

"I'm not sleepy." Naruto said but Shikamaru got in the bed and Naruto immediately closed his eyes and snuggled into him, giving a deep exhaled before and actually falling asleep. Shikamaru exhaled, and looked at the sky setting, it's close to dinner but they are skipping it, Naruto is actually getting some sleep and he didn't want anything to interrupt that.

~

Five days later, Naruto was helping Tazuna with the bridge, his clones helping while he was guarding the man. Kakashi was reading and Shikamaru was sleeping. Sasuke was helping but complaining that he had to help the entire time.

Naruto ignored him and noticed the tree's around the bridge, the water flowing as if in no immediate danger, and the wind blowing lowly through everybody's hair.

It didn't take long for the mist to appear and Naruto was standing there with a sword to his throat when the mist cleared, clones surrounding Tazuna, Sasuke standing back almost bored.

Shikamaru and Kakashi stood up, Shikamaru sleepily wiping his eyes and Naruto brought the sword to his throat, pressing against it, a little trickle of blood falling.

"Are you going to kill me?" Naruto asked and Zabuza watched the teen.

"You have to press harder, come on you're right there." Naruto said and Shikamaru walked over. He could see the sadisticness getting to its boiling point and he needed to be on standby.

"Pussy." Naruto pushed the taller male, his red diamond turning scarlet and covering his face in an intricate line design.

"You want to go toe to toe with me?" Naruto asked and Zabuza only chuckled.

"Haku, handle him." The hunter nin nodded, he did a specific set of hand signs that Shikamaru caught, he immediately walked to Naruto at the last second to be encased in ice, Naruto touched the ice, he could feel that this wasn't a normal ice. This was somebodies bloodline limit.

"You all are trapped, I won't allow you both to leave alive." Naruto dropped his healing marks, that wouldn't work.

"Why are you following him? He's going to lead you on a path a hate and death." Naruto asked as senbons in the hand of the boy as he appeared in all the mirrors, Naruto cursed, this would be something Sasuke could handle.

"I love him, and I will follow whatever path he needs me too." The boy replied and senbons were thrown and it nicked them all, it was hard to discern which one was the real and who was the fake one.

"He's going to get you killed." Shikamaru said holding his arm.

"I would welcome that death with open arms." More senbons rained down and Naruto knew that he had to use it, Shikamaru was getting hurt and while he could heal himself, Shikamaru was laying on the floor breathless, holding his arm.

Naruto looked up and saw more Senbons and the person was aiming right at Shikamaru.

"Do you love him?" Naruto looked at Shikamaru and then the masked man.

"Have you experienced the pain of a loved one dying?" He said, senbons glinting.

"Do you love him? Do you mind if I kill him?" Naruto was on the verge of tears.

"Naruto calm down, use your brain. Don't let those words get to you." Shikamaru panted breathlessly

"I'll kill him, you can't stop me." Haku said.

"Naruto, stop crying." Shikamaru chuckled a little, and Naruto didn't even realize he was crying. He looked down at Shikamaru, he loves him he can't lose him.

"Too late." In slow motion Naruto seen the senbons move and a bloodcurdling scream was heard.

"SHIKAMARU." Naruto slammed a palm on the bridge, the tree's near the bridge came through the ice shattering it to cover Shikamaru, the senbons lodging in the wood in-front of Shikamaru. The ice fell and eyes widened as Naruto had tears streaming from his face.

He wasn't thinking rationally, his mind on how he almost lost Shikamaru, how the boy threatened to kill his husband. He looked up and he started glowing red, his chakra exploded and he could feel the third level of fox sage activate. This was the closest stage to fox like he could get. Speed, canines and nails, nothing but death on his mind as he ran to the boy falling from the ice.

Naruto kicked the boy into the wood wall, his own senbons impaled his body, the boy coughed up blood and Naruto walked over to the boy, reasoning and rationality out the window.

Death is the only thing on his mind.

"You've tried to kill the one person that I love most in this world. The one I want to grow old with, the one I want to give children too, remember this Haku." Naruto whispered lowly.

"You chose this life, you chose the wrong person to try and kill." Naruto didn't hear anything else and snapped the young boys neck. Naruto watched and then went around to Shikamaru. Shikamaru looking at Naruto.

"Naruto." Naruto took his healing hand to Shikamaru, tears falling.

"I'm sorry." Naruto whispered through the tears, Shikamaru lifted his hand to wipe the tears.

"Don't apologize for loving me, I love you too." Naruto fell on the chest of Shikamaru and he groaned.

"Now about you knowing Mokuton." Naruto looked at him and bit his lip, Shikamaru running a hand through that red hair, those blue eyes holding nothing but sadness and those tears stains in his cheek.

"What is going on? Useless, I'm glad I wasn't going to pay them." A man said and Naruto and Shikamaru didn't care, a wood wall covering them and Sasuke scoffed.

"Amaterasu." Sasuke said and the bandits burned and Kakashi chuckled, such sadistic Chunin I have." Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"We aren't taking the promotion unless it's from the exams." Sasuke then turned his attention to Naruto and that woodwall.

"NARUTO, YOU BETTER EXPLAIN RIGHT NOW." Shikamaru was walking towards the with Naruto hiding in his back.

"I'm taking him back, he isn't feeling up to questions." Kakashi nodded and Sasuke sighed.

"Tell us when you're ready. Don't push yourself." Sasuke said and Naruto nodded and Shikamaru left in a cloud of smoke, and Tazuna exhaled.

"Is it over now?" Kakashi smiled and nodded.

"Let's get this bridge built." Naruto and Shikmaru laid in the bed, Naruto still crying slightly and Shikamaru rubbed his back.

"Do you hate me, I've hid this secret for a year. I didn't want the council another excuse not to let us be together. I'm an Uzumaki, I've mastered Medical Ninjutsu, I'm a Namikaze I've mastered an elite sage, I'm a Senju I have Mokuton. That's too much power in one body, they would find something to say and I can't even think go lose you." Naruto whispered and Shikamaru shook his head.

"I don't hate you, I love you, and I'll fight for this. I'll fight for you, you should sleep." Naruto chuckled.

"I love you, thank you." Naruto whispered and drifted to sleep.

~