Darkness.
That was the first thing. A deep void that wasn't like sleep, but like a total absence.
Then, very slowly, sound.
The rustle of sheets moving. A soft, rhythmic breath right beside him. And another, a little farther away, almost inaudible.
Finally, sensations.
Pain. A dull, widespread ache nested in every muscle fiber, as if Gaara's summon had torn him apart from the inside. And an exhaustion so deep he felt his bones were heavy. He tried to move a finger and the simple effort felt like an impossible task.
Naruto opened his eyes.
It took him a moment. He could barely open his eyelids. The afternoon light filtering through the blinds was a painful shock, and he had to squint. He blinked once, twice, three times, until the world stopped being a blur of light and shadow.
His vision focused on the first thing in front of him.
A mess of pink hair.
Sakura was fast asleep in a chair, her head resting on her crossed arms on the edge of the bed, just inches from his hand. Her breathing was soft, almost inaudible. Her face, usually so energetic, was pale and marked by a fatigue that went beyond simple tiredness. There was a small smudge of dirt on her cheek she had forgotten to wipe off.
Naruto's gaze slowly scanned the hospital room. It was small, clean.
In another chair, on the other side of the bed, curled up under a thin blanket, Hinata slept. Her expression, even in sleep, was serene, the tension of the battle finally gone from her features.
Near the window, facing away from the room, was Karin. She was standing perfectly still, silently watching the village being rebuilt in the distance. The setting sun stained the cranes and makeshift scaffolding orange. Her posture was rigid, arms crossed tightly over her chest.
Wow...
The thought was simple, almost foolish.
How long was I asleep.
He remembered the flash of white light as he hit Gaara. The dark void. Shukaku's voice. The tearful face of a boy identical to him. And then, nothing. Total exhaustion.
His mind drew a direct line from that moment of collapse to this one. And the realization hit him sharply.
He woke up. And he wasn't alone.
He remembered countless mornings in his empty apartment. The oppressive silence. The expired milk carton in the fridge. The silence. Always the silence.
Now, the only sound in the room was the quiet breathing of his friends. The soft murmur of the village coming back to life outside.
Naruto felt a warmth in his chest that had nothing to do with the blankets.
He moved his right hand, barely a centimeter on the sheet. The movement was minuscule, but it was enough.
Sakura woke up with a start that almost made her fall out of the chair. Her head snapped up, her green eyes unfocused and full of panic.
"No! Get back! I...!"
She blinked, disoriented, sleep fighting adrenaline. It took her a second to process where she was. The hospital room. The uncomfortable chair. The bed.
Then her eyes fixed on his. She saw that he was looking at her. That he was awake.
A wave of pure, absolute relief washed over her face, so intense it was almost painful. The tension left her shoulders. She let out a breath she hadn't known she was holding.
And then, as if remembering who she was, her usual facade slipped back into place, though a bit misaligned. She rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand, her voice hoarse from sleep.
"Ugh, finally. It's about time."
She tried to sound annoyed, but her voice cracked. She cleared her throat and slugged him softly on the shoulder.
"Ouch! Hey..." Naruto complained.
"Don't 'hey' me," she retorted, though a small smile trembled on her lips. "You're an idiot, Naruto. A complete idiot."
"I... I feel like an idiot," he admitted. He tried to smile. The result was more of a grimace, but it was genuine. "Tired. Everything hurts. Like... I got beaten to a pulp."
"Almost," Sakura said, her tone turning serious instantly. "Do you know how long you've been out?"
Naruto shook his head, a movement he immediately regretted. "Hours... I guess."
"Two days. You've been asleep for two whole days."
Naruto's eyes went wide. "Two... days?"
"Yeah. Two. Hinata and I have been taking turns, but... dammit, Naruto." She leaned a little closer, her voice dropping. "Lady Tsunade and Shizune-san came to see you."
"Grandma Tsunade?"
"Yeah. She was furious." A small, genuine smile appeared on Sakura's face. "She said only an Uzumaki or a complete moron could survive what you did. Or probably both. Then she yelled at me for letting you do it."
"Hey, it wasn't your fault..."
"I know," she cut him off. "But it wasn't the time to argue. She was... scared, Naruto."
"What... what happened?"
"Your chakra network," Sakura said. Her face went pale remembering it. "You were burning your own life force to use that red chakra."
Naruto looked at his hands, bandaged at the palms. "But... I feel... fine. Just tired."
"You feel 'now'," she corrected. "Because Lady Tsunade spent six straight hours in here repairing you. Six hours. She didn't move. She said if you had maintained that thing... that power... for one more minute, there would have been nothing to repair. You would have been... dead. For real."
The word hung in the air, heavy and cold.
"When we brought you in," Sakura continued, her voice barely a whisper, "you were ice cold. You weren't breathing. I thought... I thought we'd lost you."
Naruto looked at her, seeing the dark shadows under her eyes. Seeing the tension that still hadn't left her.
"And... Gaara?" he asked.
"His brother took him," she said, regaining her professional tone. "Obviously unconscious. The Suna folks are... well, several fled. It's a diplomatic mess."
"And the others? Shikamaru? Kiba?"
"All fine," she said, gesturing to the chair nearby. "Tired. Some broken bones. Kiba's complaining that Akamaru needs a bath and that the hospital stinks. The usual. Shikamaru is already playing shogi with Asuma-sensei. You're the only one dumb enough to almost die."
"Ah. Good," he murmured.
There was a silence, more comfortable this time.
"Sakura-chan..." he started.
"Yeah?"
"Thanks. For... you know. Pulling me out. I remember... seeing you."
Sakura looked at him, and for a moment, her entire facade vanished. "You were incredibly heavy. But always, Naruto. I'll always pull you out."
The murmur of their voices was enough to wake the third occupant. Hinata's eyes snapped open, pearly and unfocused for a second. She saw Sakura talking, and then she saw that Naruto was awake, looking at her.
She shot to her feet, the blanket falling to the floor.
"Naruto-kun!"
Her voice was soft, but clear, without the usual stutter. She approached the bed, her face lighting up with a quiet, radiant relief that made her look like a different person.
"We... we were so worried," she said, clasping her hands in front of her. "Sakura-chan has barely slept..."
"Hey!" Sakura protested, blushing. "You neither. I had to force you to take that blanket."
Naruto barely heard the exchange. He was staring at Hinata, the memories of the battle returning to him in blurry flashes. Sand. Claws. And a clear voice cutting through the chaos.
"Hinata..." Naruto said, and his own voice turned serious, filled with an awe he hadn't had time to process. "What you did. In the battle."
Hinata blushed, but she didn't look away. "I... I just..."
"I heard you," Naruto said, his voice full of genuine astonishment. "God, I heard you. You saved me."
"You... you did the hard part, Naruto-kun. I just told you where to hit."
"We were losing," Naruto said, with absolute certainty. "We were all on the defensive. And then you started talking. And we stopped losing. I couldn't have finished him without you." He looked at her intently. "You're incredibly strong, Hinata."
A deep blush rose up Hinata's cheeks.
"We were all fighting," she said, her voice gaining firmness. "Sakura-chan was healing the wounded in the middle of the battle, all while dodging attacks. Karin-san... she protected you when you couldn't move. I just... did my part."
Naruto noticed the "we." He noticed the confidence. He saw the girl who had fought Neji and the kunoichi who had saved his life. And he smiled.
"You did more than your part. Well done, Hinata."
Sakura nodded, smiling genuinely. "He's right. Well done, Hinata."
The conversation, the soft murmur of relief and camaraderie, seemed to finally break through the barrier Karin had built around herself. She had been silently watching her reflection in the windowpane, listening to every word.
Friends. Team. They protect each other. They talk so easily. I... I don't belong here. I'm just a wildcard they found. A monster. What am I doing here?
Sakura was the first to realize she was still there. Guilt hit her; they had been ignoring her.
"Karin," Sakura said softly. "Are you okay? You haven't said anything."
Karin startled, as if she'd been caught spying. She turned, guard up.
"I'm fine." Her voice was sharp. "I was just... watching."
"Karin."
Naruto's voice pulled her from her thoughts. He was looking at her. All three of them were looking at her. She felt cornered, exposed under their kind attention.
"Come here," Naruto said.
She didn't move. "I'm fine here."
"Please."
With a hesitation she hadn't shown on the battlefield, she approached, one step at a time, wavering with each movement. She stopped six feet from the bed, her hands fidgeting with the hem of her shirt.
"What?" she asked, defensively.
"How's your arm?" Naruto asked, pointing to the bandage on her forearm.
Karin looked at her own arm, surprised. "It hurts."
"Thanks," Naruto repeated, with total sincerity. "For protecting me. Back there. And for... the chains. You're the first person I've met... who's like me. An Uzumaki. That makes you family. And I protect my family."
"You..." Karin brought a hand to her mouth, a dry sob escaping. "You're... you're an idiot. A stupid... optimist..."
"Probably," he smiled, a small, tired smile. "But... welcome home, Karin."
That was the word that broke her.
Karin stood there, trembling, tears streaming down her face. She hated crying. She hated feeling weak. But the word "home" had completely disarmed her. No one had ever called her by her name without wanting something in return. And now, this boy, this complete stranger who bled the same chakra as her, was offering her the one thing she never knew she wanted.
She clenched her jaw so hard it hurt, and simply nodded, just once, unable to speak, a knot forming in her throat.
Hinata, in a gesture of unexpected bravery, quietly approached and offered Karin a tissue from a box by the bed.
Karin looked at Hinata, then at the tissue, and snatched it. "Thanks," she muttered, angrily wiping her face.
Sakura watched the interaction with a mix of amazement and understanding.
In that precise instant of quiet, broken connection, the door to the room opened.
The air turned tense instantly.
Sasuke was standing in the doorway. He simply leaned against the doorframe, barely able to stand completely upright. His right arm was in a black sling, immobilized against his chest. He wore a dark, clean shirt, but like Sakura, his face was pale with exhaustion. His expression was an impenetrable mask of neutrality.
His dark eyes swept the scene.
His gaze landed on Sakura. One second. Indifferent.
It landed on Hinata. Less than a second. Dismissed.
It landed on Karin. It stopped there. His eyes narrowed. He saw the red hair, the tear-streaked eyes, and the defensive posture.
Karin stared back. Her red eyes flashed, the trace of tears forgotten.
Sasuke raised an eyebrow, his attention now fixed on the unknown red-haired girl.
"Sasuke-kun," Sakura interrupted, her voice sharp, trying to defuse the situation. "Are you okay? Your arm... does it hurt?"
Sasuke ignored her completely. His eyes didn't even move toward her.
Sasuke's eyes finally moved from Karin to the figure in the bed. To Naruto.
"I see you've been busy," Sasuke said, his voice a soft murmur.
Naruto, who had been watching all of this, sat up straighter. All the pain and exhaustion vanished from his face.
"What do you want, Sasuke?"
"Just came to see if the great hero was still snoring." The mockery was subtle, but sharp.
Sasuke focused all his attention on the boy in the bed, dismissing the others. His voice was quiet, cutting.
"So you finally woke up, Dobe."
Naruto stared at him, the exhaustion replaced by the familiar fire of their rivalry. His own voice was just as quiet, but loaded with a silent challenge.
"I was waiting for you, Teme."
****
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