Forged Beyond

Naruto...

Hours had passed like fleeting moments. Sakura's eyes fluttered open. It was raining. She couldn't see it, but the cool droplets against her skin told her. Her hearing was muffled, her head pounding with a dull ache. The sting on the nape of her neck was sharp enough to remind her of the battle they'd just endured. Her pink hair clung to her face, and her clothes were soaked through, heavy with mud.

The hazy confusion in her mind cleared in an instant as a single thought tore through her: Naruto.

Her eyes shot wide open, adrenaline coursing through her veins as she scrambled to push herself off the ground. Her arms trembled, her legs threatened to give way, but she forced herself upright. Half stumbling, half dragging her aching body, she moved toward the sound of rushing water-toward the river almost a hundred meters away.

"Did I... run that fast.. How long has it been..?" she muttered, her heart pounding. "Was it adrenaline? Was I carrying Sasuke...?"

The questions didn't matter. What mattered was Naruto.

When she reached the riverbank, her breath hitched. The once-calm river had transformed into a raging torrent, its surface swelling and foaming angrily as rain pelted it relentlessly. The water had risen at least a meter, the current so strong it looked impossible to cross. Her heart dropped into her stomach as she scanned the other side-and then she saw him.

"Naruto!" Her voice broke, but she screamed louder. "NARUTO!"

There he was, sprawled on the wet ground across the river. His skin was burned, his clothes tattered, and his chest barely rose and fell.

Her breathing quickened as fear gripped her. She clenched her fists, digging her nails into her palms to keep from breaking down. "The river is too fierce... I won't be able to balance my chakra on the water," she whispered, shaking her head. Her eyes darted back to Naruto's unconscious form, and her resolve hardened.

"There's no time for excuses."

She inhaled sharply, then sprinted toward the river, her body screaming in protest with every step. She focused all her remaining chakra into her feet, launching herself onto the raging waters. The current fought her, threatening to drag her under, but she didn't falter.

"Just hold on, Naruto," she whispered under her breath, teeth gritted as she pushed herself harder.

When she finally reached the other side, her knees buckled, and she collapsed next to him. Her hands trembled as she reached out, brushing his charred skin. "Naruto... Oh god, no." Her voice cracked as tears welled in her eyes and spilled onto her cheeks. She bit her lip, trying to hold them back, but the sight of him broke her completely.

"Naruto!" she cried, shaking his shoulder. His body didn't respond. The burns from the Kyuubi's chakra were deep, the searing marks glowing faintly in the rain. "Why... Why do you always have to push yourself so far?!"

Tears streamed down her face as she pressed her palms together, channeling her chakra. Her hands glowed faint green as she placed them over his burns, the healing process beginning immediately. The rain didn't make it easy; the water dripped from her fingers, mixing with the blood and grime on his skin. But she didn't stop. She couldn't stop.

"Please, Naruto, wake up..," she whispered, her voice shaking.."

Her focus shifted to his chakra. It was faint-almost nonexistent. She clenched her jaw, pushing more of her own into him. "Come on... Wake up! you promised, didn't you? You always keep your promises."

Minutes felt like hours as she worked tirelessly, her hands moving from one burn to the next. Her chakra reserves were depleting fast, her vision blurring, but she refused to stop. Not until he opened his eyes.