Hardened Heart |Sequel to The Strength of the Weak|

|6|

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Satomi tries her best to hide her tears, but they just kept flowing like a raging river. She couldn't believe that someone actually came to save her. The thought of being alone until Orochimaru finally lost his interest in her had been tugging at her thoughts invariably, a deep sense of desolation gripping her into submission.

But he was here, and he was saving her.

Satomi stared up at Naruto, his strong jawline tight with concentration, his cerulean eyes strangely disciplined and on guard. It seemed he had matured into a much more competent shinobi in the four years they were apart.

Satomi tried her best to adjust herself so that Naruto was most comfortable, since he was the one currently running with her in his eyes. It was the least she could do for her best friend, especially since he had just saved her. Naruto glances down at Satomi as she squirms, soft pants emitting from her lips from the rush of escaping in such a poor condition.

"I've got you, Satomi, you have nothing to worry about. Just relax until we get to Sakura, she'll heal you right up," Naruto assures, glancing down at Satomi's sorry state with unease. She was blinking slowly and didn't seem to be able to comprehend her surroundings, much to Naruto's dismay. Naruto was smart enough to know that he should keep Satomi awake.

"Satomi? Satomi, you need to keep your eyes open, okay? Don't fall asleep," Naruto pries, gritting his teeth when Satomi merely stared at him with glazed over eyes. He grunts with frustration as he turns the last corner, coming up to the final stretch before he reached Yamato, Sakura, and Sai once again.

Satomi couldn't tear her eyes away from Naruto's face, completely and utterly exhausted physically, mentally, and emotionally. Now that she was in the safety in Naruto's arms, she could finally relax. She could have a meal, some water, a proper bed.

She could go back to Konoha and see all of her friends, show Tsunade and Kakashi how much she had grown, maybe even go out with a certain Hyuga for some lunch.

Satomi's eyes droop closed with every thought, even Naruto's pleading for her to keep her eyes open unable to pull her from the warm embrace of peace. Naruto's eyes widen in horror once he realizes Satomi wasn't responding to him at all, forcing himself to run faster.

He finally rounds the last corner, spotting Yamato, Sakura, Sai, and Ryouichi just a few paces away. Ryouichi's eyes harden in rage when he spots Satomi, the young girl dangling from Naruto's arms like a ragdoll.

It was worse than he thought. Ryouichi was sure Orochimaru would go easier because he would want to steal Satomi's body for her sharingan, but he had been completely merciless to the girl. Anger seeped in his bones as Naruto inched closer and closer, Sakura gasping at the sight of Satomi and leaving his side to tend to her.

"She hasn't been responding to me for about a minute," Naruto explains urgently, laying the sickly Uchiha girl on the ground for his pink haired teammate to examine. She lays her hand atop Satomi's forehead, shaking her head and pulling it away after only a moment.

"She's burning up. We need to get her back to Konoha for further treatment, I don't have all of the tools I need to heal her completely," Sakura says, moving her hands to Satomi's left arm where she was burned by Sasuke during their fight. Sweat beads Sakura's forehead, the medic's eyebrows scrunched in concentration as the scalded skin slowly but surely pieces itself back together.

With Sakura doing emergency treatment on Satomi, Naruto kneels down to Ryouichi's side with a rueful smile. The yonnin watches Naruto carefully, taking note of the forlorn look in his usually cheerful eyes. Silence falls upon the group of Konoha shinobi, the flickering flames of the torches casting an eerie glow on the walls.