i'd still choose you. naruto uzumaki x reader

✤ Contrite

TW:
[MENTIONS OF PAST TRAUMA AND PTSD/PANIC ATTACKS]

Chapter 26

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Lee gently smiled at bypassers as he pushed (Y/N) along some of the less busy streets of the village. He figured she could use some more time out of her room–especially after hearing Naruto was going to face the Akatsuki as well. He smiled at (Y/N), "Are you feeling better? Any stronger?"

(Y/N) shrugged, "I guess.. Naruto hasn't really given me a chance to find out."

"You wanna try right now?" Lee smiled brightly, running to be standing in front of her.

"Really? You're gonna let me?"

"Yes!" Lee nodded. "It is the only way you will return to your natural state! I will be here if you need help, too!" He stood in front of (Y/N), his arms outstretched and prepared.

(Y/N) smiled, pushing herself out of her chair and easily standing. Her eyes stayed fixated on Lee as she walked at a regular pace, Lee walking in front of her with a continuous smile. He watched her legs as she walked, "Do you feel okay?"

(Y/N) nodded, smiling at her improvement. She'd tried walking around the room while Naruto was asleep, but she had to always lean against something. Now, she didn't need anything at all. Her legs felt slightly weak, but certainly not to a point of collapsing. It was an improvement.

The smile on Lee's face turned softer as he watched (Y/N) walk with an eager smile on her own face. He hadn't ever seen her as weak as she was when she returned from her mission. It was overwhelming to even think that she was worse before he was able to see her.

He couldn't have been happier that he didn't have to see her with that gaping hole in her torso. It made him sick to his stomach–he wondered how Naruto and Kakashi handled it considering they knew her practically her whole life.

(Y/N) stumbled, her knees buckling. Lee shot forward, catching her arms and holding her up. A look of concern was spread upon his face, "What's wrong?"

"Just strained, I think," (Y/N) smiled at him, proud of how far she'd come. "Thank you, Lee. I needed this."

"You know what else you need?" Lee asked, tilting his head slightly. He grinned, leaning closer to her, "Don't tell Lady Tsunade I'm letting you do this, but Ichiraku Ramen is having a discount today..~."

"That's not funny," (Y/N) scoffed, her smile dropping.

"I'm not joking!" Lee defended himself.

(Y/N) rolled her eyes, "You, the most loyal to Konoha, are going to break direct rules from the Hokage? Right."

Lee shamefully looked away, "I am going to. Only because you're in need of something other than hospital dinner."

(Y/N) shook her head and crossed her arms once sitting in her wheelchair again, "Look at you~." She grinned as Lee began to push her again, "I feel like Naruto is rubbing off on you."

"Okay, miss, I ran off to meet with Kabuto without telling anybody–not even my father." Lee mocked.

"You've been awfully blunt lately," (Y/N) snickered.

=

"If you believed in Jashin, you might have a way out of this pinch! If you start to believe in Jashin now, based on your information, there's no reason he would forgive you, stupid!!!" Hidan projected, a look beyond furious glaring at him. Blood covered his chin–having spilt from his mouth.