The shadows

ch28

The first thing Naruto noticed was how tired and worried Itachi looked. Many people liked to believe that Itachi was a master at hiding his emotions, but he was barely a teenager, and his minuscule facial expressions were enough for Naruto to understand his emotions.

Itachi blinked a few times to wake himself up. "Naruto-kun. You are finally awake. How do you feel?" Itachi said as he pressed the nurse button and grabbed Naruto a glass of water.

He gently helped Naruto sit up, mindful of his injuries. He helped Naruto drink slowly as the nurse came in. Naruto was able to answer some questions, but he was too tired to stay awake.

After some instructions, the nurse left the room, and Itachi ordered Naruto to rest. It wasn't that hard since as soon as Naruto closed his eyes, he fell into a dreamless sleep.

Naruto woke up to the sound of chatter around him. A skill he learned during the war was pretending to be asleep. It was handy to bring unsuspecting enemies close enough to kill with one strike.

Naruto kept his breathing and heartbeat slow and chakra stable. It was Itachi and Shisui who were having a hushed conversation. "I'm telling you, Itachi. There is something more to it. His unhealthy weight can be explained by his eating habits. We both know how he only plays with his food around the plate and hardly eats a few bites."

"For a person who cooks so many dishes, you think he would eat more. Thankfully, the doctors said his growth is normal, but he needs dietary changes. Do you remember the scars?" Shisui asked.

"You mean the time we convinced him to come to the onsen. I noticed it too. His body is covered in scars. No matter the training, it is not acceptable." Itachi said.

"Definitely. He might be a jinchuriki, but is it really necessary to train him to this extent? He is only seven, but he is Jonin level already, if only with some physical limitations. What is Sandaime-sama thinking." Shisui said, irritation obvious in his voice.

"We can't question the Hokage Shisui. You know that." Itachi said with a sad voice.

"I just wish he could rely on us more, you know. He has done so much for us. I want to help him." Shisui said.

Naruto didn't know what to do. He fully trusted his friends, but he couldn't put them in danger. He would always protect them. He knew that soon enough, he would have to put those bonds to the test, but now was not the time.

A few days later, Naruto was finally discharged. He had the order to meet Danzo at night, but he got to spend the afternoon with Itachi and Shisui. Shisui was more clingy than usual, and even Itachi wouldn't let Naruto do anything by himself.

Naruto tried beating it into both boys that he was fine, but it was no use. Naruto was supposed to take a week of light activity before returning to training, so he decided to make the most of his time.

They went to their usual dango shop and spent the afternoon with idle talk. Soon enough, it was time for Naruto to go back. He was reluctant. Danzo wouldn't be pleased that he got hurt.

Naruto was standing in Danzo's office. Thankfully Danzo was merciful enough not to physically punish him yet. His body was fragile from the poison, and it would take a while for him to safely use his Bijuu chakra to heal his wounds.

It would be useless to Danzo to put Naruto back in bed as soon as he was released from the hospital, so instead, he was getting a lecture now. Thankfully the rest of the mission went well.

After Fuu and Torune planted some evidence, they had a whole setup. The story was that the family of the girls Machi took formed a rebel group and attacked the mansion when Machi was out with his bodyguards to set the girls free. Naruto was sent by those rebels to free the girls from the inside.