Saints and Suffering: A Naruto Fanfiction

Chapter 40- Moving Onward

Minato Namikaze struggled to open his eyes. He felt the weight of the earth suffusing throughout his body.

This eyelids refused to move at first, and his struggle soon ended.

Minato, still caught in the haze of semi-conciousness, fell back to the exercises that had been drilled into him since he was a young lad in the academy.

He focused on his body, noting each and every stimuli. He was a little cold, and he felt restrained, as if heavy chains were upon his wrists and ankles.

Minato started at his toes, and tried to wiggle them. After a few seconds of effort, they slowly responded to his thoughts.. Moving up his body, he tensed his calves, his legs, his abs, his back, his chest, then diverted from his shoulders down his arms, stretching and exerting each muscle along the path.

Finally, he craned his neck the slightest amount, tugged at his lips, and tried once more to open his eyes.

They finally creaked open, and Minato could feel the slight pull and stick on gunk and crust that had glued his eyes shut.

There was a person leaning over him, but his eyesight was blurry. As he reached for his chakra in an attempt to sense who the individual was, a sharp pain wracked his abdomen, and he coughed in a sputter.

The figure above him brought a glowing green hand to his stomach, and he felt the immediate relief from his paroxysm of pain.

The figure spoke, and in a distinct and familiar voice she cautioned him.

    "Don't reach for your chakra, you've got extensive damage to your coils, and we would rather not have to put you in chakra restraints, they would severely hamper your recovery.

    Just relax, and let me explain."

Minato released his hold on his chakra and tried to stare through the blur in an effort to identify his caretaker. As he tried to even himself out with a deep breath, a shudder caught him in the middle and started a small coughing fit.

The figure spoke again, and Minato noticed that the voice was feminine in character.

    "They really made a kid like you Hokage, didn't they?

    You got a whole life to live kid, no need to waste it this early."

Minato blinked a few more times, and slowly the Figure of Tsunade Senju revealed itself.

He opened his mouth to speak, but his jaw was locked shut.

Tsunade recognized the struggle in his eyes and put a warm hand on his shoulder as she comforted him.

    "You've been in a coma or a long time. Your recovery will take a while. For now, you need to rest and regain your strength. Just close your eyes and sleep."

Minato felt the fatigue wash over him and he felt that a quick jaunt to dreamland wouldn't hurt anything.

As his eyes drifted closed and his breathing eased, he heard Tsunade whisper.

    "Happy New Year, by the way Yondaime-sama."

When Yama and Shijin sent off the final wave of genin of the Operations Division, the two had decided to follow them into the field. The duo were operating completely within a drought of information, and communications between the nations were still in tatters.

Yama and Shjin had argued about it for a short while, but eventually the two came to an agreement that their best option was to head out towards the border between the land of Fire and Kusagakure. Kusa had been the hotbed of the Third Shinobi War, and if any conflicts stemming from the war to break out, this would be the place where the flames were reignited.