drinkin' problem ➥ naruto

30: faith, trust, and popsicle sticks

"Uurgg! The more chackra I pour in, the more it hurts!"

"Think of a solution, I know you have it in you."

"Y/n! Pervy Sage is being old again!"

Y/n's head was in another place, back at the market.

Flashback

"Naruto, do you want some of these-"

She turned to see a little boy asking his dad for a popsicle, the one that cracks.

"Aww, why can't I eat the whole thing?"

"Because, when you get home, your mother will have dinner ready."

The young boy smiled. "Ok!"

The two held hands and walked off.

Naruto looked so empty, Y/n could hardly believe it. He just had a blank stare.

She gently took his hand while taking the bag of food from him.

"Come, let's go back, ok?"

~

He was well over it now, but the way Jiriya kept denying him help tugged at her heart strings.

It was for his own good, she knew that, but it hurt nonetheless.

She watched his strength seep away, and his will to keep going.

At night, she watched over him. He seemed so distressed in his sleep, and his hands and arms trembled with fatigue.

All Y/n could do was watch.

□■□

Chakra rolled of his shoulders and roiled at his feet, an image of stern and solid concentration was displayed on his face.

He suddenly tensed, and the young girl trembled with anticipation.

Whizzzzz

Air rushed from a small hole in the ball, leaving it flat in his hands.

"You did it!"

Despite this, he was left feeling unsatisfied.

"But it didn't explode!"

She just shook her head, a curl of a smile on her lips.

"Baby steps, you can't be an expert right of the bat. This is the first step, ok?" Still feeling glum, he nodded.

The next week, he tried and tried to explode the rubber ball, but all he could do was pop a hole in it.

It frustrated him, and every time he'd lay down to sleep, he'd feel terribly drained.

"I think you're doing great, but you need to let your body fully rest!" Y/n scolded, bringing him some cold water.

He unscrewed the cap and downed the whole bottle. Still, he got up and tried to make another ball explode.

"Naruto Uzumaki. I will rain hellfire down on your ass if you don't sit down and eat something!"

She gave him a sandwich and he ate it, grumbling about how he could have been training instead.

Sighing, she ruffled his hair. "You're such a stubborn idiot, did you know that?"

And despite being tired, he grinned as bright as day.

□■□

During that week, Y/n had visited Sasuke twice in the hospital.

She had thought she'd bump into Sakura or Ino, but the nurses said they hadn't come in once.

It struck her as odd.

Coming in through the window, she changed the water in the vase of flowers and brought him an origami animal.

It was a crane.

Just when she was about to leave, he stirred.

She had left her favourite stuffed animal on the bed with him, and he rolled onto it, nuzzling his face into the soft fabric.

Cracking a small smile, she slipped out through the window.

Edited 12/3/23