Love never dies

Chapter 21

Naruto pulled her hood on properly and exited the door quietly this time, not like the usual dramatic exit where she would slam the door open. She didn't have the energy to do anything, she felt so tired and so dizzy. She clutched a scroll in her hand as she walked towards Sasuke. "I did it." Naruto whispered, leaning close as she palmed the scroll to him. "I told you I could do it."
"I never doubted you." Sasuke murmured as he took the scroll from her and tucked it into his pouch. "Are you okay?" Sasuke asked when he caught a glimpse of her face as she started to move away. Everyone was watching the interaction, unsure what was going on. "I'm fine." Naruto grounded out. Itachi was about to go pick her up when the door opened and the daimyo rushed out. "Uzukage-dono! Wait! Before you leave!" The daimyo exclaimed, rushing towards Naruto. "*huff* exercise! Argh. *huff* this is for you." The daimyo said, holding out a small box. "That is your family heirloom, your parents entrusted it to me and should I ever encounter you that I give it to you. Although, I don't think they would have expected us to meet this way. Now, will I see you again? That hour was the most fun I had." The young daimyo asked, looking hesitant.
"I will visit."
"Yay. Now go along! I'm sure your village is waiting for you." The daimyo said cheerfully and skipped away. Naruto waited for the daimyo to be far enough before turning to the Konoha Shinobis. "You guys should head back, I am sure your kage is waiting. I will be waiting for a reply from her but remember my conditions, Uchiha remains liaison and I will not tolerate anyone else. Well, if he chooses to bring dear Hinata-chan along, be my guest." Naruto added as an after thought, making the two blush furiously.
"Let's go." Naruto said, tossing another scroll towards Sasuke's direction and disappeared in a flicker, followed by the rest of the Uzu shinobis.
"What does that scroll say?" Kakashi asked as Sasuke eyed the nameless scroll. It looked like a normal scroll for writing. Sasuke carefully peeled it open and unrolled it. Neat uniformed handwriting lined the page - it was instructions on how to undo the jutsu used to seal the two girls' voice. "I think... It would come in handy if they got too noisy. Maybe I'll ask the Uzukage to teach me how to perform the jutsu the next time I go to Uzushiogakure." Sasuke said, rolling the scroll back quickly and tucking it into his jounin vest.

"What did the daimyo give you?" Konan asked as they watched Naruto carefully. They were worried but wouldn't know what was wrong unless she told them. Naruto fished out the box and opened it. "The Namikaze-Uzumaki rings that signified the alliance of the two clans." Naruto breathed out, gingerly caressing the golden bands.
"Would you like a custom made ring to signify the joining of the Uchiha clan with the Namikaze clan?" Itachi murmured into her ear, making her smile.
"Alright that's it! You guys are not telling us something!" Kisame exclaimed, glaring at the couple. Itachi and Naruto looked at each other, Naruto shifted in her chair to get comfortable. She then slammed her left hand down on the table, making them flinch in surprise. "We are getting married." Naruto said, wiggling her ring finger. They all gasped simultaneously. How did they not notice? The ring were so shiny and obvious.
"Awww! When's the weddings? You should have told us! I always wanted to plan a wedding! This is big! Oh my kami! BIG NEWS." Konan exclaimed, her motor-mouth going at a high speed than normal. If she wanted to talk she can talk for hours. Then Konan pulled Nagato and Pein out of the room, still going on about what should be bought. Itachi went after her to make sure she doesn't do anything too extreme.
"Are you sure you're alright?" Hidan asked, his cursing has lessen significantly and he rarely curses when speaking to Naruto. Naruto sighed and closed her eyes. "The sword... It was dipped in poison, I am really tired..."
"What?" The rest remaining exclaimed in shock.
"It's alright. I just... I just need some rest as my body tries to get rid of it." Naruto said, rubbing her face to try rid herself of fatigue. Kisame walked around the table and gathered her in his arms. They frowned. She must be really exhausted... She doesn't like it when we carry her, but she isn't protesting now. Naruto's head laid limp against Kisame's chest. Kakuzu nodded to tell the rest that he would stay in the office while Naruto was put to bed.
"There." Kisame whispered as he gently laid her onto the bed. No matter how gentle he was, the child still groaned and spasmed slightly as if in pain. "Bring me a basin with water and a clean towel." Kisame ordered the rest standing around. Naruto was having a high fever now and looks to be suffering. The few moved to comply and some moving to bring drinking water and some medication to the blond. Kisame felt the air shift as someone shunshined into the room. "Who's bleeding?"
"Ah. Kurama, no one is bleeding but Naruto is hurt." Red eyes immediately flickered down to the child who's face is scrunching up slightly. Her eyebrows furrowed as she reached out to the mental connection to see what exactly was happening. "She will be alright. The fever will break down the poison but someone has to watch her to make sure the fever doesn't go too high up. Don't worry. I'll watch. Just... Make sure to break it to Uchiha gently and that he doesn't burst into the room." Kurama joked.