Melody (Konoha School Of Arts)

37. The bizzaire calmness of Naruto Uzumaki

"He's found me. He's found me. He's found me. He's found me. He's found me."

Those were the only thoughts Naruto could process at the ominous message that glared at him through his phone's screen. He tried looking around for any spot of silvery blue hair but found nothing. His tormentor was nowhere and everywhere at once.

A voice vaguely registered in his head, overriding the dark thoughts and voices that plagued him, telling him to breathe. He couldn't. He wasn't even sure he knew what breathing meant.

Things were spiralling downwards both figuratively and literally for him. His head was spinning. He was nauseous. He was hyperventilating. Clawing at the area above his chest in a desperate attempt to relieve his pain did nothing.

It hurt.

It hurt so much!

"Naruto!"

What was that? Naruto? His name. That was his name. That was his name.

"Breathe!"

Breathe?

"Take a breath in Naruto. You can do it, just breathe in."

Breathe in. Could he manage that? Yes he could. He did. The voice told him to breathe out. He did. Breathe in. Breathe out. In and out. He did it all over again till he got calmer. He was okay. He was surrounded by his friends who were worriedly calling his name. He was okay.

"Iruka-sensei..." The blond teen mumbled faintly. "I want... Iruka-sensei." And he fell asleep.

When Naruto finally lied still in Kankuro's arms, everyone let out a breath they didn't know they were holding. Moonbuck's manager and a few onlookers expressed their worries for the boy.

"Is he okay?" The manager asked and Kankuro nodded.

"Yes. He's just asleep." The senior replied.

"Phew! That was intense." Kiba breathed in relief. He had honestly thought his friend was going to have a heart attack.

"Wah! I thought he was going to keep clawing at his chest until he dug his heart out! I was so scared!" Omoi, who was in tears from his own ghastly thought progression, wiped his face off his sleeves.

Their fun was over. The boys packed up their food and stuff and made their way back to the dorms. Gaara and Sasuke rode with Kankuro and Naruto back home because the senior wanted to ask them a few questions, they being Naruto's closest friends.

"Has this happened before?" Kankuro questioned during the ride. He received a negative shake of the head from Gaara and a small 'no' from Sasuke. If it had happened, neither of the boys were aware of it. "I see. Do you have any idea what the message that set him off means?"

"A threat." Gaara said the obvious which earned him a glare from his older brother. Kankuro knew it was a threat, anybody with half a brain knew. He just had trouble filling in the blanks in some places, like who it came from and why exactly it was sent to Naruto.

"We suspect it's from his parent's murderer." Sasuke spoke up beside Gaara. "The Dobe's press conference must've triggered a reaction from them."

It all made sense to Kankuro then. The possibility of that theory wasn't far fetched at all. However, this wasn't his case, or Gaara and Sasuke's for that matter, to settle. "It's best we leave this to Naruto's guardians but it wouldn't hurt to be vigilant around him too."

Gaara, who was about to retort at the first part of the sentence, kept his silence in favour of an agreeing nod. Kankuro was right. He would do anything just to make sure his first friend was alright but this case was best left for Tsunade. He would do whatever to back the blond up.