Desert Flower

Allies of the Leaf

Yuri went to the hospital to visit Lee. When she arrived at his room, she saw Gai sensei was there along with Tsunade as well. Lee quietly left the room before Yuri could say anything to him.

"Lee, where are you going?" She turned back to Gai and Tsunade. "What happened?"

"I gave Lee a diagnostic on his condition." Tsunade started out.

"Lady Tsunade will be able to heal him but there's-" Gai spoke before he stopped and gritted his teeth.

"Can someone tell me what's going on?" Yuri asked and looked at Tsunade. "If you can heal him then do it!"

"If I do the procedure, Lee might not make it. It's a 50-50 chance that it will be successful. His injuries are too severe. He will die if it fails. I advised him to give up being a ninja." Tsunade explained. Yuri's eyes widened.

"Poor Lee." She murmured.

A few days later, Lee had decided to take the operation. Yuri, Ten Ten, and Neji were outside the operating room, anxiously waiting for the news. Gai couldn't make it because he was on a mission. Yuri stared at the red light as it remained on.

"He will pull through. I know he will. He's a tough guy." Yuri reassured them.

"Yes, he is." Ten Ten nodded, still silently praying to herself. The light suddenly turned off and everyone immediately looked up, seeing Tsunade come out of the operating room.

"How's Lee!? Is he-" Ten Ten asked, concerned. Tsunade lips turned upward as she smiled.

"The operation was a success. Lee will pull through. Although, I do recommend a few weeks of bed rest before any physical activities." She told everyone. Yuri and Ten Ten both sighed in relief. Gai sensei started to cry. Neji smiled.

"Yes!" Yuri cried out happily.

A few weeks had gone by, Tsunade gave Squad 7 an assignment to the land of Tea. Her old gambling friend was in trouble with another gang rival. They ran into a man named Idate Marino, who was also Ibiki's little brother. They helped him win the race, settling the feud between the two gangs. However, Sasuke got injured during the rival gang's ninja bodyguard. Naruto managed to take him out using his rasengan knocking him out in a single hit. As they headed back to the Leaf, Yuri noticed a strange look in Sasuke's eyes the way he looked at Naruto.

At the hospital, Sasuke challenged Naruto to a duel. On the rooftop, Yuri and Sakura watched, uneasily as the two began. Naruto and Sasuke landed blow after blow on each other, getting even more intense.

"Naruto! Sasuke! Stop! This is getting too much! Are you trying to kill each other!?" Yuri shouted, pleading for them to stop. But Naruto and Sasuke, both ignored her and Sakura who were telling them to stop as well.

Naruto and Sasuke both unleashed their special techniques, the Ransengan and Chidori. They lunged at each other as they jumped into the air. Sakura charged at the two, trying to stop them.

"Stop!" Sakura cried out.

"Sakura! No! It's too dangerous!" Yuri quickly chased after her, trying to grab Sakura before she got caught in the middle. Suddenly, Kakashi appeared and quickly grabbed Sasuke and Naruto's wrists diverting them away from each other. Naruto and Sasuke both crashed into two water towers. Naruto made a small dent while Sasuke pulled his arm out. Water spilled out from the tower, falling onto the roof.

"Just what were you two planning to do just now!?" Kakashi demanded. "That was a little too much for a friendly sparring match."

Naruto said nothing, looking at Sasuke, angrily.