"He's the only one who might know what could've happened in that fight that caused Naruto-boy's current condition." Fukusaku pointed out. "It's imperative that we get some answers out of him sooner or later."
Just as Jiraiya was going to say something else, the door burst open, revealing a panting Shizune.
"Outside!" Shizune gasped, trying to take in some air. "Something large! Come quick!"
"What? Another invasion?!" Jiraiya asked, but Shizune just ran back outside. Taking out a kunai, he followed the young woman outside, hoping for an answer.
...
[Konoha Shopping District ; A Few Minutes Earlier]
Life in the Konoha Shopping District was never a dull one, with civilians and shinobi alike always crowding the district, looking to buy or sell something of value.
Amongst the crowds stood the members of Team 8, Team 10, Team Gai, and Sakura Haruno. With everyone now discharged from the hospital, everyone agreed to visit Naruto at least once a day.
One of them was carrying a get-well basket, which was stuffed with cards and letters and an unopened cup of beef ramen, which was cleverly hidden underneath some delicious looking fruits.
"Hiding that cup of ramen underneath the fruits." Ino smiled at her friend Hinata. "Good thinking. I'm pretty sure Naruto will appreciate it when he wakes up."
Hinata did her best to hide the growing blush on her face with the basket.
"I just thought that when he wakes up, he might want to eat something else than what the hospital offers." She tried not to stutter with some success, which she felt was a victory on her part.
Everyone else couldn't help but smile at Hinata's good nature, as well as her obvious crush on the blond goofball, and for the fact that out of every one of them, she visited his room everyday almost religiously.
"CRUNCH!"
The moment was ruined by the sound of someone chewing on something rather loudly. They all turned to the source of the noise, and deadpanned at the sight of Choji eating his bag of barbecue potato chips.
"Hmm, so tasty…" He moaned in delight.
Ino turned back to her teammate with a tick mark on her forehead.
"Damn it, Choji! The Hokage told you to not eat that crap for another week!"
Chouji pouted at his blonde teammate. "Oh come on, Ino."
"Chouji…"
"Man, what a drag. Let it go, Ino." This time it was Shikamaru spoke, the only member of the group who's a full fledged Chunin, as evident by his jacket. "It's not like we're trying to stop Naruto from eating healthy."
"I do have to agree with the Yamanaka for once." Neji joined the conversation. "I also agree that it might not be the best idea to bring unhealthy food to someone who hasn't even woken up from his coma yet."
"Come on Neji, give them a break." Tenten, the weapon specialist of Team Gai, waved her hands. "You know what Lady Tsunade has told us: He'll wake up the next week or so, so that's no problem. Besides, there's a mini fridge in there so we can just put the ramen cup in there for the time being."
Tenten was one of the many people who didn't pay much attention to the spirited blond, seeing him as just another arrogant teen who had big dreams, but with no skill to back it up. After seeing him beat Neji - NEJI, of all people - in the Chunin Exams, she finally saw the boy for all of his potential, and ever since then, especially after the Retrieval Mission, she had finally decided to stop taking him so lightly, and to start paying more attention to him.
"YOSH!" Lee cried out (which at this point, failed to surprise them anymore). "I have faith that Naruto's Flames of Youth will help him awaken him from his coma sooner or later! If not, I shall run around the village 500 times on my hands!"
This actually got some of them to burst into laughter, with even Neji smirking at his teammate's antics. After the Retrieval Mission, it would seem that they needed this usual dynamic to help keep their spirits up.
Sakura giggled at Lee's declaration.
"You do you, Lee."
This got everyone to laugh and grin even harder at Lee's positivity, with even Lee himself smiling at their reaction.
Well, all except for Kiba, who was unusually silent in his thoughts, which was not unnoticed by his teammate, Shino Aburame.
"You've been awfully quiet, Kiba." Shino mentioned, which shut up the group effectively. "Just speak out your mind if you need to."
"... I still can't believe that bastard Sasuke tried to turn traitor." Kiba finally blurted it out, causing the others to stop and turn around after hearing this. Kiba sucked in some air between his teeth, and seeing as how he finally said what needed to be said, he decided to continue.
"Look, I've been pissed off about some crap some of the civilians are saying." Kiba growled. "They've been spreading some nasty rumors, you know?"
"...Yeah, I hear you." Shikamaru began to unleash his inner thoughts as well. "Pretty messed up how people turn on you…"
While trying to lose himself in his own thoughts, he couldn't help but overhear some very foolish statements coming from some of the villagers, who obviously held unwarranted animosity towards the blond.
Don't get him wrong, he knew exactly why they hated the blond from birth. Shikamaru, who held a very high IQ level, was one of the few people who quickly deduced just why Naruto was so hated. He was also wise and smart enough to not talk about it, else he would be punished under the law of the late Third Hokage. His suspicions were only confirmed after the Chuunin Exam, when Naruto used that chakra in his match against Neji.
Admittedly, it did frighten Shikamaru quite a bit, but if Hinata could still love him, especially for who he was, then he trusted her judgement.
"Some of them," Kiba continued, his teeth grinding from frustration, "have the balls to deny that the bastard was going to defect to the Third Hokage's killer, while Naruto's still breathing through a tube because his lungs were destroyed from that same bastard."
This got many nods of agreement, especially from Neji and Choji, who weren't very happy at the way their critically injured comrade was treated.
The whole story hadn't come out yet, but the people were already beginning to cook up lies and theories, which quickly evolved into spread rumors. The most popular one happened to be where Sasuke was a victim of some sorts, with Naruto somehow being responsible for the "kidnapping."
"I must say, Kiba," Shino began to throw his word in, "this is the first time you've been very outspoken for Naruto, given how you both weren't very good acquaintances."
"Hey, I'll admit that Naruto and I might not be on good terms, but you know what? He convinced me otherwise."
Seeing the stunned reactions from the others, Kiba decided to elaborate.
"Sure, he beat me in the Chunin Exams, sure, he's still a goofball and a loud mouth, but he's someone you can at least trust when shit goes down."
Everyone who was a part of the Retrieval Mission wholeheartedly agreed. When it came down to it, he was capable of being serious, and he was capable of holding his own and helping out out his comrades. Arguably, this was what really earned him their respect, and this is why they finally accepted him as a valuable comrade of Konoha.
Sakura bit her lip. She couldn't bring herself to mention the conversation she remembered having with Sasuke before, on how he talked about why Naruto wasn't truly moping about having no parents, and why he was still being positive after she made a rather insensitive comment about wishing to not have parents. From what she knew, Naruto was the only one who was orphaned at a very young age without even knowing who his parents were.
Similarly, both Tenten and Lee lost their parents on the day of the Kyuubi attack, but Lee was taken under Gai's wing as his mentor - and later on, a father-like figure, - while Tenten was adopted by her godparents.
Then there was Sasuke, who lost his entire family right in front of him by his own brother while they were just in their Academy days. He never did accept anyone's offer to adopt him, choosing to remain alone in the Uchiha Compound, perhaps as a way to remember and honor them while he trained and lived there.
While he never did have another parent-like figure ever again, he was adored by the village, with everyone always smiling at him, trying to cheer him up, and thanking him (and thus, his late-family) for their services as Konoha's ex-police force. Hell, he was also often given special treatment in the Academy, offering special tutoring and such, to which he happily accepted, hoping to quickly grow stronger to avenge his family.
When you looked at the facts, Naruto's life was the polar opposite of Sasuke's, which was funny in a way, considering how both of them turned out.
Shikamaru, out of everyone in the group, knew these facts, and the more he thought about it, the more he was surprised that Naruto didn't just up and leave the village a long time ago. Getting the piss-poor treatment he did up to this day, any sane man or woman would've just given up on the village and would've left in the middle of the night in a very Sasuke-like style.
But Naruto didn't. Instead of leaving much like how Sasuke had done, he had chosen to stay, for one reason or another. Looking back, perhaps the small interactions he and Choji had with the blond helped him stay rooted here. The fact that the Third Hokage and Iruka themselves paid some attention to him, even giving him a home, probably helped him keep treason out of his mind.
Shikamaru then imaged an alternate universe, where much like Gaara, he was treated much worse, with even the Hokage shunning his own citizen. He imaged an alternate universe where even he and Choji bullied him and shunned him from the group. He shuddered when he thought about the Kyuubi attack that happened when he was very young, and wondered if a repeat of that might've happened had Naruto reached his breaking point all those years ago.
His thoughts were interrupted when a large shadow passed over them. Noting how dark it suddenly became, he knew that this was no mere cloud.
"Huh?" Shikamaru and the others looked up, and what they saw caused their eyes to widen and their jaw to drop.