Naruto : Uchiha : Chapter 62

Several dark thoughts ran through his mind, the mindless bloodshed he had witnessed a few days being one of them.

How fragile the human life really was? How much did it's sudden disappearance affect several others who were connected to them…

But most of all, why did they have to hurt her…?

...

A soft hand cupped his cheek, making his eyes snap up upon realizing the touch he had felt a thousand times now, only to meet the bloodshot violet orbs of his grandmother in all but blood.

She smiled sadly, seeing his eyes almost completely red. His Sharingan making his Iris scarlet while his sclera was matching it quite intently from the silent streams of tears he was unknowingly letting free out of his control.

She was still holding Nawaki in her arms while his cheek rested upon her shoulder. The little boy, who had fallen unconscious from all his crying made the young Uchiha realize it must have been at least two hours since he had been standing there, completely zoned out of his wits.

Small memories of his friends leaving him to go with their families, while he had nodded lifelessly only now registering in his mind.

Mito knew he was quite close to her deceased children, not quite as close as he was to her or Tobirama but close enough. It came as no shock to her that he was hurting too, but she knew he could handle it for now.

It was Tsunade who had her truly scared out of her wits.

The girl was silent as a mute ever since this morning, and was only nodding with no signs of crying anywhere near in sights and was staring lifelessly at the graves with no emotions whatsoever.

And she knew the only person who could get her to let it all out right now was standing right in front of her very eyes.

She wrapped her free arm around Naruto and pulled him in a warm comforting hug, running her fingers in his silky hair and kissed his head softly.

He hesitantly wrapped his arms around her waist and hugged back the woman he trusted with all his heart, feeling her pain and misery just through the small contact they had.

"Naruto, will you do something for me?" her voice was rasped, she sounded so tired. He nodded, not even needing to think twice about agreeing to whatever it was that she wanted.

"I'm going to go and take Nawaki home, then head on home after I've done some work back at the hospital…" he wanted to argue, tell her to go home and rest but digressed for now and stayed silent in her gentle embrace.

"Take care of Tsunade for me, will you? Can you do that for me?" her voice so gentle, like always she could make him do anything she pleased with just a few words in her ever melodic and elegant voice.

Only one person other than her had such a tight hold over him…

"I will, trust me." he whispered unconsciously, relishing in her embrace for a moment before letting the woman go while passing her a little reassuring smile that didn't fool her in the slightest after all the years she had spent with the boy.

Once more she cupped his cheek, looking at the boy longingly for a moment before placing her lips on his forehead and nodding with a genuine smile.

He had grown so much right before her eyes…

"I trust you." was all she said before walking by his side and going off straight to the Senju clan compounds with Hiruzen shadowing behind her like a hawk from afar, to keep an eye out for the distraught woman's health and safety.

Naruto just walked in front up to the two graves, looking up at the darkening sky for a moment to gaze at the sun, almost completely dipping into the horizon.

Only he and the girl sitting in front of the graves were left there all alone. Tsunade sat there silently with her knees pulled up to her chest while she sat like a ball in the presence of her parents.

Everyone else, already having left after the completion of the funeral to move on with their lives now that their formalities had been done and over with…

He stood behind her, tucking his hands in his pockets and just standing there silently like a soul reaper eyeing his ripe soul lifelessly.

Shadowing above her to make sure she was alright…

Tsunade just stared on at the names engraved upon the headstones lifelessly, brushing her fingers over the names every now and then before wrapping her arms around her legs and continuing on to stare blankly at the graves.

She knew someone was behind her, she could feel it even though not having her senses expanding she knew who it was. But it calmed her down knowing who it really was.

Only one idiot was foolish enough to keep an eye over her while letting her do as she pleased, just like always. Both just stayed in silent, neither having anything to say to the other.

"I'm going to stay here for a bit, you can go home…" she whispered after half an hour of silence had stretched on between them.

She got no answer…just like she had expected. Not even a small edge of movement came from the shadow that loomed over her from behind.

She fell silent once more and looked on at the grave-site as dully as before.

A soft yet ice-cold breeze whizzed over the whole village, making Naruto brush the golden locks that flailed over his eyes and looked on at the girl who was rubbing her arms together to protect herself from the cold with narrowed eyes, now shimmering with a hint concern in their deep recesses.

His eyes hadn't reverted back to their blue counterparts ever since they had first turned crimson today and didn't look like they would anytime soon…

"Naruto…" her soft whisper made the tomoes circle in his eyes a bit right before he stepped a bit closer to her, to let her know he was there for her like always.

"I'm cold." her words were simple, and he knew what she wanted in a split second.

Ever since they were kids, he would lend her his jacket to wear whenever it was cold and they were out and about. Never caring how he felt himself, masking his own frigid state to show her he could make do so as to not make her feel bad about taking advantage of him.

He personally could take care of himself as long as she was alright.

Misa had always teased him as being her personal walking, talking ball of blanket after all…

He shook those depressing thoughts off and just stood there for a moment, yet after a deep thought he found there was nothing he could do. He was wearing a black kimono shirt as was the custom for funerals, so he didn't have his jacket on him.

He would have to leave her alone to go get it for her.

Tsunade herself knew he wasn't wearing one, she just wanted to be alone for a little longer with her parents. But he didn't have to stay here for her and torture himself just for her sake, he could go home and get himself a jacket and something to eat while he was at it…

Her thoughts trailed off when a pair of arms snaked around her stomach from behind, pulling her back between a pair of legs and a firm chest supported her back in a snugly embrace.

The young Uchiha's chin rested upon her shoulder while he held her protectively in his arms, away from the cold breeze blowing around them.

He couldn't leave her alone now…

He just couldn't leave her when she needed him the most…

Tsunade actually let her lips curl upwards and smiled softly, all the while hiding the lower half of her face in her thighs. He wasn't the warmest person to hug in the world, actually he wasn't as warm as she was. That much she knew from the years she had spent hugging him to death on countless occasions up till now.

But he was always there for her, just like this moment…whenever she needed him.

And he would always be the warmest person for her in those times.

She could always fall back on him and rely on him to make her feel like this…

To make her feel safe.

Her body started quivering in his arms, not from the cold but from the way he was breaching her barriers and poking into her inner turmoil with his calming presence that was now wrapping all over her heart.

The moonlight shone over the two, their shadows stretching on in the memorial grounds while darkness started taking over the night completely in it's wake.

...

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