Bombs Away (Naruto Fanfiction)

Chapter 20

Kinda a filler chapter, here's a pic to make up for the lack of story progression
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The wound had sealed but Hiiro remained unconscious. Naruto forced the soldier pills from his weapons pouch down the throat of the boy in his arms, his other hand glowing green. The basic medical ninjutsu was not nearly enough to stabilise Hiiro or heal Naruto's burnt hands but it managed to alleviate some of the pain making it bearable for the blonde to think.

"O-oh my Kami," Tsunami let out a breath as the adrenaline began to leave her. She held tightly to Inari, forcing his face into her clothes to stop him from seeing the sigh before them.

The walls, floor, ceiling, countertops- everything. It was all just a blur of red. Mangled pieces of men were strewn about. Tsunami shakily stood up, lifting Inari in her arms. Naruto payed her no mind, his focus completely drawn to keeping the healing jutsu active despite is diminishing chakra reserves. He only gave her a glance as she appeared not a few minutes later, hugging the limp but breathing Hiiro closer to his body as she reached her arms out.

"L-let's get you t-two out of the mess," Her voice was shaky and she stumbled over her words yet she did her best to not make eye contact with the severed head by her foot. Naruto nodded weakly and barely managed to push himself and Hiiro off the ground, Tsunami catching some of their weight as he stumbled over the thick and slippery mess.

They didn't say anything to each other, Naruto taking a moment to eat the rest of the soldier pills in his bag in order to keep the jutsu going still. The four sat in the small space of Inari's room. A wooden wall all that seperated them from the kitchen. Inari hadn't seen the state of the next room but the utterly soaked state of the shirtless blonde and the other boy in his arms was enough to convince him to stay put.

"Is he-"

"Breathing." Naruto replied. His voice was hoarse but Tsunami still let her shoulders relax a bit. The boy wasn't quite okay yet but breathing was a good sign. The blonde rested his head on Hiiro's chest, careful not to put too much pressure on the teen. A steady heart beat graced his ears. A few more tears escaped, following the path of the tears from earlier that had just begun to dry.

Naruto let himself think about his team. He could only hope that they were okay against Zabuza and the fake hunter-nin who was undoubtedly on his side. He winced as his chakra finally hit the point that he couldn't sustain the green glow that had been keeping his pain at bay. The dull burning of his wounds wasn't nearly as bad as it had been but it was still strong enough that he couldn't place his hands down.

There was a muffled sliding sound to his right as Tsunami pulled a first aid kid off the shelf. She kneeled down beside the blonde and squeezed cream out of a bottle and onto her hands. Naruto winced as she gently held his hands in hers, letting the cream sooth his skin. The numbing agent kicked in quickly. He let out a sigh as the pain became manageable again.

Turning back to Hiiro he watched the slow and weak but steady rise and fall of his chest. Tsunami left the room, returning with a bottle of water and the blonde's travel pack that had been left in his room. She held the bottle up, helping Naruto to drink the liquid considering he was in no condition to hold anything.

"Third pocket in the front," he told her. His voice much less hoarse now. Tsunami pulled a bag from the pocket and let another soldier pill and some candy roll out onto her hand. She placed them both in Naruto's mouth. The woman took a moment to finally look at Hiiro. She hadn't dared until now. The guilt felt like a punch to her gut the moment her eyes landed on the remained of the boy's right arm. He had pushed her out of the way of the attack, narrowly saving her. Tsunami would forever be in Hiiro's debt.

Naruto was tired but he could feel the boost of energy the pill and sugar filled candy provided. He still couldn't bring himself to let go of Hiiro, fearing that if he let him go he'd lose him. What would he do without his best friend. What would he tell the twins. He popped another pill reaching the limit of three for now and diluted the last one in the bottle of water Tsunami had provided.

She understood his glance and carefully raised the bottle to Hiiro's lips letting the liquid pour in small sips. Naruto slipped another piece of candy into his mouth as he and Tsunami went back to sitting in silence. Hiiro's condition remained stable as the time passed.

From his spot on the floor he could see the front door. A shadow passed under it and reflexively he pushed his chakra out to sense who was there while being mindful of how small his chakra pool was right then. All three signatures were familiar.

The door flew open, "Naruto! Where the hell were you!? Sasuke-kun almost di-" The kunoichi faltered. She and the two behind her first noticed the kitchen. Kakashi then locked eyes with Naruto. It was a sight the jounin doubted he would ever forget. The blonde he'd come to love as his little brother, the son of his beloved teacher looked like death himself. Covered completely in crimson and hunched over the body of a boy similarly bloodied.

"Sakura, start a checkup on Hiiro-kun and Naruto immediately," Kakashi commanded without a second though while rushing over himself. His chakra was low after the battle as well but he forced his hands to glow a similar green to his students. Naruto let Sakura assess Hiiro's condition as Kakashi begun to heal his hands.

Sasuke merely watched from the doorway. He didn't know what to do or say. He'd never seen his friend in this state before. The blonde looked so tired and weak, so scared. The genin looked over Hiiro next before his eyes froze on the poorly burnt stump, all that was left of the arm.

"Debrief me," Kakashi instructed his blonde student.