We continued training every day without issue.
For a while, things almost felt... normal.
Almost.
The day before the finals, I stopped by Naruto's hospital room. I was in the middle of losing another game of shogi to Shikamaru when Naruto suddenly launched himself upright in bed.
Shikamaru and I both jumped.
"WOAH—"
"YOU'RE AWAKE?!" I yelled.
Naruto blinked at us.
"Why are you both yelling?!"
Shikamaru groaned.
"You almost gave me a heart attack..."
Once we recovered, we caught Naruto up on everything he had missed.
Including the fact that Chōji had somehow landed himself in the hospital from overeating.
Again.
Honestly, nobody was surprised.
Since Chōji had apparently been banned from eating snacks, we decided to torment him by carrying a massive fruit basket straight past his room.
We were halfway down the hallway when I suddenly froze.
A suffocating killing intent flooded the corridor.
Not directed at me.
At someone else.
My eyes widened.
"Wait—"
We rushed toward Rock Lee's room just in time to see Gaara standing over Lee's hospital bed.
Sand hovered around him violently.
His hand was raised.
Ready to kill.
I reacted instantly.
Snakes shot from my sleeves and wrapped around Gaara's arms and torso while Shikamaru trapped him with Shadow Possession.
Naruto stepped back nervously.
"What the heck are you doing?!" I demanded.
Gaara didn't even struggle.
"I was going to kill him."
The emotionless way he said it made my stomach twist.
"But why?" I whispered.
Gaara slowly looked toward me.
"If you interfere... I'll kill you too."
Naruto immediately moved forward.
"(Y/N), move!"
Shikamaru sounded tense too.
"This guy's serious."
But I stepped in front of them anyway.
"If you want to hurt anyone in this room," I said quietly, "you'll have to get through me first."
Gaara stared at me silently.
Then—
Slowly—
He began talking.
About the hatred.
The isolation.
The assassinations.
His father.
His uncle.
The constant fear.
The constant loneliness.
YOU ARE READING
An Itachi Fanfiction [EDITING]
FanfictionLife has never been easy for the daughter of Orochimaru, and neither has being in an arranged marriage with the very man that murdered her clan. Life wasn't so bad though. After all, she had her best friend and the only other clan survivor to suppor...
![An Itachi Fanfiction [EDITING]](https://img.wattpad.com/cover/229441250-64-k241192.jpg)