Eyes

Aftermath

"God, no." Naruto whispered, tears coming out of his eyes as he looked at Itachi's body. He tried to perform a medicinal ninjutsu but his hands simply shook, he couldn't call forward the energy needed to perform the simple task and he cried out- smashing a fist into the ground. "Itachi, cmon, Itachi wake up."

Gaara watched Naruto cradle the man the swore blindly that he had no feelings for the last time he saw him and shut his eyes tight. The sight was painful, Naruto and Itachi both covered in dirt and blood. One lifeless, the other his dear friend experiencing another heartache. "Wake up!" He heard Naruto cry and shake Itachi.

He looked around, seeing the situation mostly under control and rushed to Naruto's side. "Naruto you need to calm down."

"Don't tell me what to do, Gaara!" Naruto shouted, but his body instantly deflated, i you sly exhausted.

"You need to move over so I can look over him, maybe there's something we can still do." Gaara said softly, rubbing Naruto's bare shoulder. Naruto only needed a moment before moving over and letting go of Itachi's body.

Gaara crouched down and pressed two fingers to Itachi's next, feeling for a pulse. He got one, it was faint and slow but the second he felt it he began to perform the necessary steps needed to save his life. Naruto sat to the side, feeling utterly useless.

"Gaara is he gonna make it?" Naruto asked after a few minutes. Gaara contemplated it all the while still working on reviving Itachi.

"I'm not sure." Gaara looked around once more. "We'll need to get him to a hospital. These wounds are too deep, the damage is severe but he's still there." Gaara then called out for a woman and a man who were clearly medics. "You two, please bring a stretcher for this man, we need to take the wounded for treatment immediately." Gaara let go of Itachi and he and Naruto watched they took him away, his body weak. It was painful and Naruto wanted to follow them but he was too weak himself, his own wounds now making themselves known.

Later...

Naruto had been wrapped in bandages, most of his wounds healing themselves quickly. He currently sat in a large tent with the two ANBU members, Lee and three of Gaara's team. They were all arguing as to what to do with Pein's body, Itachi in his state and Kimimaro.

"Kazikage, while I understand you have a higher status, our mission was to bring Pein back dead or alive. There is no question about where Uchiha goes, he is one of ours." A woman in a panda mask growled out. Everything had started out polite and reasonable now it was escalating with ANBU members still in mask, openly disrespecting Gaara.

"And as I said, they will all come with me and my team. Which is much larger and stronger until Tsunade can send a team-"

"But-!" Gaara gave the woman who interrupted him a deathly glare.

"-but nothing." He said, annoyance visible, although he had been calm a collected until now after repeating himself many times. "Your team is weak, tired and heavily wounded. If you wish, I'll allow two of you to accompany us to ensure Uchiha's safety. Kimimaro is a private matter altogether and he will not be returning to Leaf until I say so." Before he could be interrupted again, seeing ANBU ready to make another argument he stood. "That is final!" Gaara commanded, he gave Naruto a look and they exited together to discuss Kimimaro's future further.

As soon as they left the room he heard it erupt into arguing again.
Then, once they were out of earshot Gaara spoke again. "Naruto, as you know Kimimaro has been under sedation since he was retrieved from the field. Since you're coming to sand with me I need your help with him."

Naruto gave him an unsure look, sure they both understood to some extent what Kimimaro had been through- but Naruto was no doctor. "What can I do?" Naruto's voice was filled with genuine interest.

"He submitted to you." Gaara whispered even lower. "Since Pein is gone, you're the next person he'll be looking to for guidance. After seeing some of the people Pein produces I'm not so sure he will ever be his own person again." Gaara said gravely. After the battle, Gaara and Naruto has found Kimimaro passed out. He was badly wounded, more mentally than physically. As they and the medics had carried him away he had woken up and lashed out, like a wild animal, no talking could have gotten him to stop. Luckily with his injuries and sedatives on hand, it had been easy enough to handle him.

"I'll do whatever we can to help him." Naruto's promise was genuine but his voice lacked the enthusiasm he had set out on this mission with. How naive to think anyone would have gotten out of this all in one piece. Itachi was laying in a hospital bed, terrible injuries, Lee had just about been able to leave his bed and a number of ANBU and Gaara's people had died as a consequence of his brash actions.

And for what? Kimimaro was not the man he remembered.

Perhaps Kimimaro would have been better off dead.

Naruto sucked in a harsh breath at the thought. Closing his eyes he removed it from his mind. He wanted Kimimaro here, he wanted to fix him but it was obviously the suffering and mental torture the man had been through. What if Naruto helping would only make it worse.

"Hey." Gaara said softly, placing a hand on his arm. "Everything will be fine. Uchiha will be conscious in no time, and Kimimaro- with help, will know the freedom he ensured we had all that time ago." Gaara always knew just the right thing to say.

With tears in his eyes, Naruto hugged his friend, his brother. He was so thankful to have him in his life. "Thank you."

The next day everyone set out for Sand, bar most of the ANBU team who headed back to Leaf.

They had taken some carts from the nearby village to carry the injured and made sure they had everything the needed for the journey.

Itachi didn't wake up for the duration of the trip.