Back to the Beginning (Naruto Fanfic)

Chapter 46

Naruto was staring intently at Itachi, who's eyes were focused on the ground. The silence stretched on and the darkness seemed to mold itself around the two boys. Naruto wanted to speak up, but nothing he thought of seemed right at the moment, so he waited patiently until Itachi was ready to speak up.

"It..." After just starting to speak, Itachi's voice froze once more in his throat and he forced himself to look at Naruto in the eyes before he continued, spilling out the words so fast Naruto could barely keep up. "It was very lucky that Obito was there because he was able to figure out what Rin was doing because of his Sharingan. But even with his fast reaction he was only able to divert the blow a little bit and she still ended up getting seriously injured. Kakashi's blow went right through her..."

"You can skip to the end. I can tell this is hard for you to talk about." Naruto was trying to be considerate of how Itachi was feeling. He could see him shaking but trying to look brave.

"Yeah, okay. Um...Rin fell unconscious and had lost a lot of blood. I heard Kakashi and Obito went somewhat crazy when they saw her fall, and then they sort of killed all of the Mist shinobi, but then they fell unconscious too. When they woke up they were back here and so was Rin. I guess the blow just missed her heart, so with immediate treatment from the medics that were there, they were able to save her life. But she is still different, and she can't move her arm very well because of nerve damage and she also can't fight anymore."

After hearing this Naruto fell to his knees, his face in his hands as he started crying from pure relief. "I'm so glad she's still alive."

"Big brother Naruto? Are you okay?" This was the first time Itachi had ever seen Naruto anything but happy and it made him worry.

"Yeah, I'm okay. I have lost a lot of people that were dear to me in my life, and I thought I lost her too. But I am so glad that she's alive." Naruto looked up in surprise when he felt small arms hugging him. "Itachi?"

"S-sorry! You just seemed sad so I thought a hug would make you feel better!" Itachi nearly jumped away from Naruto, clearly embarrassed.

"Nah, don't worry about it. Thanks, though! I feel much better already." Naruto already had a smile back on his face as he spoke to Itachi. "Now, how about we get you home before it gets any later than it already is."

It didn't take long for them to reach the Uchiha house and Naruto said goodbye as he watched Itachi walk inside, his smile disappearing at the same time. Well, now I know why the Mist Village was acting strange the whole time I was there. I'll have to see those three tomorrow. I have a feeling I know exactly what is going on and why he said she's different...

* * * * * *

As the sun started to rise over the Leaf Village, Naruto once again found himself walking through the Uchiha estates. He was determined to see Obito as soon as possible.

"Do you think they will be okay, Kit?" Kurama's voice was filled with worry. Even he had grown to have sympathy for what Obito and Kakashi had to go through. "There is still the possibility that this makes Obito go crazy again."

"They'll be okay. I know they will."

"How can you be so sure? You know how quickly things can change." He wasn't trying to be mean, but Kurama knew that he still had to warn Naruto what could happen.

"Yeah, I know that. But I'm sure, because this time they aren't alone. They have me, my dad, and they still have Rin." Their conversation was cut short as Naruto found himself standing in front of Obito's home. "Alright, let's get this started."

Naruto was led to Obito's room and stood outside the door for a couple of minutes before knocking. "Obito, it's Naruto. Can I come in?" He waited for another couple of minutes, but was met with more silence. "Obito, I'm coming in, okay?" Instead of waiting for a reply he knew he wasn't going to get, Naruto slowly opened the door and stepped inside the room.