My Hidden Tears (A Naruto Fanfic)

Ch. 9

"Alright. Here's the game plan." Lady Tsunade stated after the others had left, leaving all eyes on her.

"As you all know, Naruto is going through a rough patch right now, and it's taken a very high toll on him, and everyone who cares for him." 

Wow. I totally had no idea.

"As soon as he wakes up he will begin counseling with the very best that this village has to offer. For this to work, I need all 4 of you to keep a close eye on Naruto and his behavior when you visit."

She paused briefly, gathering the rest of her thoughts.

"If any of you prove to be having a negative effect of Naruto's recovery, physically or mentally, I will under no circumstance allow you to see him. Positive reinforcement only. Have I made myself clear?"

She glared at us all like we were going to betray her or something. As if, she's terrifying. Tsunade took their silence as a yes.

"Good. Now get out!" She demanded harshly. 

All of us left immediately without hesitation.

Geez, she's kinda scary, and I have loads more Chakra than that legendary sucker.

Sasuke chuckled at the nine tails comment.

"Is something funny?" Tsunade demanded, her strict eyes narrowing directly at Sasuke.

Thinking quickly, Sasuke said,"No ma'am." And walked out cooly.

'What a strange boy.' Tsunade thought, wondering if she had ever heard the uchiha chuckle before.

Naruto's pov.

It was dark when I woke up. I reached my hands up to rub my eyes, and that's when I noticed the chains on my wrists. I glanced around.

'Where am I? Is this the hospital?'

Something moved in the corner. A small light flicked, a few feet away from my face, enchanting the tiny room with a warm, flickering glow. That was the only source of light other than the moon, shining down gracefully through the windows, landing gently on the white bedsheets.

"You really had us for a scare kid." A familiar voice said. The wavering light of the lighter softly lit up Jiriya sensei's face. He looked sympathetic, and tired even. Not his usual dumb smile.

"How long?" I asked, afraid of the answer.

Jiriya sighed, closing his eyes briefly before looking me straight in the eyes.

"It was about 3 days just to find you, and when I did, you were just barely alive." He told me gravely, a solemn look on his face.

"Dangit. If only I had found a better hiding place, then this would all be over with." I mumbled, barely audible, but Jiriya heard me.

3rd person view.

That nearly broke his heart to hear. Jiriya came closer to Naruto, nearly touching him.

"Naruto," my voice cracked, "Do you have any idea how much it hurts me to hear that?
Any idea how much I love you like my own grandson?" Jiriya asked quietly.

Naruto sniffed, and tears pricked the corners of his big blue eyes.

"I'm sorry." Naruto mumbled, tears now flowing rapidly, choking him up as his breathing became more harsh.

"I'm s-sorry." He repeated, choking on his sobs.

Jiriya hugged him, placing his large hands on Naruto's rather small back. Naruto fell into the hug, soaking up the attention.

"I know kid, I know." Jiriya said soothingly, rubbing his hand back and forth across Naruto's bony back.

"This is going to be a rough couple weeks, but you're strong, so I know you'll do just fine."

"How can you say that so confidently?" Naruto asked.

"Because, I believe in you kid. How could I not? You're gonna be hokage one day after all."

Naruto smiled for the first time in quite a while, not just any smile, a true smile.

"You'd better believe it, cause I'm Naruto Uzumaki, Shinobi of the hidden leaf!"

"That's more like it." Jiriya said, looking down at the boy, smiling.