Naruto: A New Perspective

Chapter 28

"What do you mean he's not here anymore?" Aiko demanded the matron at the front desk, she had gone out to get something to eat and was gone for a few hours, but when she came back to Naruto's room it was empty. "He was badly injured fighting Gaara, where else could he be?"

"I'm sorry, Aiko." The woman replied apologetically, "He was discharged, by order of the Council."

"Why?" Aiko asked in frustration, "Where is he?" How could Naruto be discharged if he wasn't even awake?

"I don't know." The matron was getting impatient, "I must ask you to get out of line, miss. We are very busy today."

Aiko frowned; her head was starting to hurt again. The medics had healed her as best as they could, but they warned her to rest, she had suffered a severe concussion and apparently was lucky not to suffer brain damage. The only reason she wasn't confined to a bed was because there were none to spare.

She exited the hospital and took the street, heading towards the Uchiha compound. Aiko was feeling more than a little confused, was Naruto awake now? If so, then where was he?

...Did he remember what happened with Gaara?

Aiko repressed a shudder, 'Don't think about it... don't think about how it's all my fault he got hurt...' If Naruto was awake, she had to find him and apologize and keep apologizing until maybe he could forgive her for nearly getting him killed. Aiko had worried about her team getting hurt or killed on multiple occasions, but she never imagined that it would be because of her.

"You're supposed to be resting." Aiko pushed away her troubled thoughts to scold her brother, who was exactly where she thought he would be. Punching the log in their private training area.

Sasuke scowled, but didn't say anything, turning back to the log and continuing his workout.

"Why don't you want to talk to me anymore, Sasuke?" Aiko sighed; her brother had been avoiding her since the invasion ended, at first she didn't really feel like talking either, so she didn't mind. But now the silence was making her uneasy, even Sasuke spoke up sometimes.

Sasuke stopped punching; he turned and glared at her, so furiously that she stepped back in surprise.

"You know, I always thought there was one girl in this village that wasn't useless." Sasuke sneered, "But I didn't realize until now that it was Sakura."

"What?" Aiko replied angrily, "I'm not useless!"

Sasuke's glare actually intensified, "Naruto told you to get to safety, he told you to get the fuck away from Gaara. So what do you do? You run back and get in his fucking way, and Naruto nearly died protecting you."

Aiko was speechless as her brother continued his rant, "Naruto got caught in Gaara's sand attack because you ran back to help, then Gaara started fucking killing him, and suddenly you couldn't even move anymore. Why did you even bother to go back?"

Sasuke shook his head in disgust; he had been holding this in for awhile, trying to control his temper and frustrations with his sister... Who didn't even seem to realize what she had done. If she had, she definitely didn't acknowledge it aloud, or feel the guilt that Sasuke thought she should be feeling after nearly getting their teammate killed.

"Naruto," Sasuke mocked, "I'll save you!"

"I..."

"Don't bother," Sasuke scoffed, "I'm still trying to figure out whose worse, you or Hinata. You're both useless."

"Sasuke..." Aiko pleaded, "Naruto's okay, he's not even at the hospital anymore-"

"What?" Sasuke hissed, "Where the hell is he? How is he not in the hospital? He's basically a vegetable!"