Can't Help Myself 2.0

.3

With heavy breaths and ringing ears, he quickly reached the hospital with the blond in his arms. He glanced down at Naruto but immediately looked away. Though he knew his job was going to see something like this often, he's just can't handle it yet. Especially if it's someone he's closed to.

Seeing Naruto's paled face made his chest tightened.

Speed walking down the hall, he tried to search for any doctors or nurses around to aid him. It was then, what felt like a blessing, Tsunade coming into sight. She had left a room with another nurse beside her, quietly discussing amongst themselves as the door shut behind them.

Doesn't matter what they're talking about, without hesitation, Shikamaru sprinted up towards her direction.

"Hokage-sama!" he shouted.

Tsunade perked up and turned her head to Shikamaru's direction. Noticing s limp body in his arms, she quickly met him halfway through the hall. When she paid attention to the features of the body, she gasped out loudly.

"Naruto?!"

She raised a hand up, a green glow covering her palms as she hurriedly scanned Naruto's body. Lips pressing together, she yelled for a medical team to take Naruto away for an emergency patient.

"Explain to me what happened"

Shikamaru didn't answer immediately, watching as a medical staff took Naruto out of his arms and onto a transfer bed before rushing down the hall of the hospital. He stared at the empty space of his arms, blank expression replacing his earlier panicked one. Traces of his friend's blood was on his bare hands.

For some reason, it felt harder to breathe properly. It was as if something was blocking his airway, even worse he was finding it hard to also clear his sight as everything seemed to blend together.

All he could really think about was Naruto.

Naruto was bleeding in his arms.

Naruto could've died in his arms.

Taking quicker breaths, Shikamaru felt himself growing light headed.

Tsunade observed Shikamaru's behavior, recognizing such reaction and grabbed onto the boy's shoulder. She bent down slightly, reaching eye level to the panicked Nara.

"Shikamaru, you need to slow down your breathing. Here, follow along with me okay? Deep breath in- one, two three- and then out- one, two three-"

Tsunade repeats that a few more times as Shikamaru follows along with her instruction, feeling the heaviness on his chest lightening up as his thoughts were now getting clearer.

Seeing Shikamaru now slightly less panicked, Tsunade questioned him again in a more softer tone. "Can you tell me what happened?"

"I don't actually- I was-" Shikamaru shook his head out of frustration before starting his sentence over.

"I was just paying Naruto a visit at his apartment since I saw he had been injured earlier when I encountered him. However when I entered inside, I just saw him laying there... barley giving any reaction and in his own blood. There was a kunai beside him but I don't know how it escalated, I couldn't sense anyone else in there so-?"

Shikamaru sighed out loudly, using his upper arm to wipe his face and left it there. He was getting a headache from all of this, too many things were happening right now. Tsunade took in the small information, nodding to herself once she understood the situation.

"He's going to be okay, don't worry yourself Shikamaru. He'll be fine... once this is over, I can see his carefree smile again" he mumbled softly, trying his best to reassure himself and ease his mind.

Tsunade was about to reach out and confort the boy some more but heard hurried footsteps coming behind her. She turned around and saw a frantic looking nurse.

"Tsunade-sama, you're assistance is needed in the operating room"

"Understood"

Tsunade followed behind the nurse, glancing back one last time at the Nara before entering inside the room where Naruto was.

"Everyone in positions! We have to work fast!"

With steady hands, Tsunade released her chakra and got to work on Naruto. Hands and eyes scanning every part of his injuries, pushing more chakra out on areas that are more severe than the others.

This exact moment felt familiar, a sense of deja vu. It reminded of her the time when Naruto laid unconscious in front of her while fighting Orochimaru and his henchman. She vividly remembers that day, watching Naruto being on the verge of death and how powerless she felt.

"Hokage-sama! His heart beat is losing rhythm!" one of the nurses announced, trying their best to bandage up his body.

Tsunade hummed, releasing more of her chakra onto the boy as sweat began to roll down her forehead.

Today was going to be different from back then. She isn't going to stop until Naruto was all better, she will do everything in order to hear that bright voice of his that she grew to find comfort in.

Based on how much blood has been lost and the size of the cut on his stomach, he'd been bleeding out for a dangerously long time. She'll need to focus more of her energy onto the boy, it was doable. Alongside with that, it looked like he was starting to heal a lot faster too. Could it be from his own?

"Hang in there!"

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Outside of the room, Shikamaru had stayed inside the hospital. A couple of staffs had tried to tell him that his friend was in good hands and that he can go home, however he refuses them each time. At one point, they had stopped bothering him.

Sitting on one of the chairs as he patiently waited for the good news to arrive. His legs bounced softly against the ground, hands now cleaned up from washing in the bathroom sink, and waited.

He tries his best to ignore the obvious shouts coming from the room beside him, not wanting throw himself into another panic state as he could only hope at this point.

He continues to sit in silence, wishing to see the boy soon.

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