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chapter two

"Anyone can give up. It's the easiest thing in the world to do. But to hold it together when everyone would expect you to fall apart, that is true strength."

- Chris Bradford

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The first thing Kushina heard when she woke up was the sound of nurses bustling by in the hallway. The casual swish-swish of their hospital uniforms and shoes invaded her senses. She stood up on weak legs, staggered to the bathroom, and heaved up the entire contents of her stomach, which amounted to an outstanding... nothing. She hadn't eaten anything in awhile, so there was nothing to throw up but water. The scratching in her throat was terrible. She washed it out with water before looking up in the mirror. She looked horrible. Pale, sickly, and still very drowsy.

She stumbled out of the bathroom and sat on the hospital bed, trying to make sense of what was going on. The last thing she remembered was passing out, tired, and only feeling the intense strain that came from completely depleting her chakra, losing something as massive as the Nine Tails, and giving birth in one night.

In fact, she was absolutely certain she would be dead right now if it weren't for the talented doctors and the fight within her.

She had never felt as empty as she did now, without the Nine Tails. Her chakra was still... nothing, and she knew it would take a while to get up to full capacity again. She might also be forever crippled by the immense chakra depletion and the physical strain put on her that night.

Actually, what day was it? She had no idea. Kushina had to get back to Minato! That man simply could not function without someone helping him. If he had it his way, he wouldn't eat or sleep, simply doing his paperwork.

Then, the door opened, breaking Kushina out of her thoughts.

"K-Kushina-sama!" A nurse exclaimed, walking in. She nearly dropped her clipboard. The badge on her hospital garb said her name was Sayuri. Her eyes were wide behind her brown bangs. "You aren't supposed to be awake this early!"

"Ah, sorry." Kushina sighed. "Could you fetch a doctor?" She asked, suddenly feeling very lightheaded. She put a hand on the back of a chair, swaying a little bit.

The nurse left, mumbling, "Yes, certainly, my lady! I will go right away!"

Kushina felt her head clear a little. The woman hadn't come back with a doctor yet. She then remembered that she had left Minato alone with their newborn son, and multiple reasons to panic ran through her mind. She spun around, eyes widened. I can't stay here... She slipped on her shoes, and ran to the window, figuring she'd be caught if she ran through the hospital. She spotted some pain medication on the desk, probably for Minato while he was here, and popped two of the pills into her mouth, plus a soldier pill right after them, and slid the window open.

She sat on the ledge and moved her legs over the sill, staring at the roof below it in defiance. She inhaled, then exhaled, then inhaled again, willing the pounding headache behind her temples to go away. Willing the medication to work quickly. She thought about Naruto.

Then, she jumped off.

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Obito had been having an good day. He helped another old lady on his way to the police station, saw his cousin Shisui, learned a new katon jutsu, and he had gotten to eat dango with his friends. He found Kakashi at the shop already. Surprisingly, Kakashi smiled and waved at him. Obito stopped dead in his tracks, staring at Kakashi in awe for a few seconds. He was still smiling at Obito.