(Four days later)
Toph POV:
Waking up, I groggily asked.
'Where the hell am I now,' I thought feeling
horrible like I'd had been stomped on by hundreds of Komodo Rhinoceros.
I could hear a steady beeping that quickly started
to get on my nerves. I felt something covering my mouth and nose. Attempting to
reach up and remove it I realized I couldn't move either of my arms. I
attempted to move my arms again so I could get a better feel of what was stopping
me and keeping my arms stuck. Well, a better word would be restricted instead
of being stuck. I quickly realized my arms were incased in some hard material.
Only my fingers would barely move. From what I could smell with this thing
covering my face, it smelled like medicine. I finally realized where I was.
"So, I'm in a hospital. *sigh* I just can't get a
break, can I?" I said to myself.
"I need to touch something." Moving my legs and
feet, I realized it was in the same material as my arm. The only thing I could move
was my big toe on my right foot. Moving my toe around, I managed to touch some
metal and that was enough. The vibrations were back. I could see again.
Along with being encased in some material, my right
arm was strapped down with what appeared to be tubs running from it to something
that wasn't made of earth or metal. I then saw the rest of myself. Just like I thought,
most of my body was covered in the same hard material. Only my left arm,
abdomen, and toe I was using to touch the metal were visible.
The room I'm in is mostly empty. On the right side of
me was what seemed to be a window. In between myself and what was probably a window
were several strange machines that I'm 90% sure was the source of the irritating
beeping noise. To her right was a large open window that seemed to lint to the inside
of the building. In between the window and I were a small table and a chair.
Memories of the fight she had with the weird animals
came back to me at this point. Oh that's right that woman and the other people
she whispered to herself. She tried to free her left arm from the strap, with
little success. Finally, after exhausting herself, she gave up and laid her
head back.
"I guess I wait for someone to come and check
on me," I thought
3rd POV
It didn't take long before Toph heard a door open
and close accompanied by the sound of footsteps. An average size woman appeared.
She had long black hair, pale wheat color skin and dark hazel nut eyes. She was
wearing a long white coat with dark gray robes underneath. She was busy looking
at a clip board with some sheets of paper on it. Toph coughed slightly to get
the woman's attention. She turned her attention from the clipboard to Toph when
she heard the noise. The woman smiled, seeing that Toph was awake.
"Good, you're finally awake. We were beginning
to think that you would never wake up," the woman said, walking over to Toph.
She continued.
"Do you remember what happened that could
give you any ideas about how you ended up in the hospital." Toph smirked at the
woman and responded in a voice laced with sarcasm.
"Oh, yea I do. I
fought and won against a god damn sand monster. I think that big ass frog
called it Shukaku. A Bijuu. Sand shit thought it was funny to do a sneak attack
after it lost. Sore loser much."
"Ah, yes, I was informed you have a
colorful vocabulary."
"Alright enough about me. Tell me where am
I and who are you. I know I'm in a hospital so you don't have to mention that
part."
I am Otsu," she placed her hand on her chest
and gave a bow of her head. "And you're in Konohagakure's hospital in the
land of fire,"
Toph tried to move around to make herself more
comfortable. When
"Yo is there any way to make how I'm laying any
more computable. I didn't feel it when I was asleep but damn the shit is
uncomfortable." The
woman nodded and walked over to the wall and bushed a button. The bed started
to move lifting her upper body up it to a lean back sitting up position.
"Better" the woman asked getting a nodded from
the earth bender.
"Would you mind if I asked a few questions."
"Sure, shoot your shot."
"Name"
"Uzumaki Toph"
"Uzumaki?" The woman asked scrutinizingly. A tic
mark appeared on Toph's face.
"Yes, is there a problem" The woman responded.
"No. That would actually explain some things."
The woman started to write more on the clipboard. Toph stored what she said in
the back of her head for later.
"Family." I remembered Kushina saying not to
mention Minato as my father.
"Yes, a mother"
"Name"
"Kushina Uzumaki." The dropped the clipboard
when hearing that nurse, too shocked to respond. She quickly picked it up and
slowly backed away from Toph.
"I-I-I need to go. It's an emergency. A nurse will
come and get you anything you need if you ask. Also don't touch anything and
stay in bed as you're still not fully healed. You're healing is incredibly fast,
to the point where you should be discharged in about five days. I will be back
later to check on you." The woman then turned to leave. While she was
walking out of the room she mumbled to herself.
"I must report this to the council. I can't
delay this information. I don't know who got a hold of Kushina-sama's
blood or who they mixed her blood with. But due to her high affinity with earth,
it's likely that the suspect's in Iwa." She then opened and closed the door
behind her. That irritating beeping was the only sound that filled the room
again. Toph smiled.
'Well I've found my cover along with a way to
explain my existence. But first I need a believable backstory.' Toph thought.
'An successful lab experiment using Kushina
Uzumaki's along with a few more mentionable individuals blood. The only side
effects were permanent blindness. Later down the line I learned of my brother
Uzumaki Naruto and have now grown protective of him. Yes, that sounds good
enough. The first time we met I decided to beat the Tailed Beast he was
fighting.' She nodded at herself.
"Yes. This story will be rough around the
edges but believable. And I still have a lot of time to work on it since I'm
hospitalized." Toph then
"*sigh* I'm trying to enjoy some peace and quiet,
but this damn beeping is getting on my nerves. I can't even cover my ears." She
let out a tired sigh. Toph was then left to her own devices. She couldn't do anything
since her whole body was basically bandaged. She just lay there, bored, until she
felt another person had arrived in front of her door.
'I guess it's time for her to check on me
again. Hold up, from what I'm feeling, it seems it's a boy.'
"You can come in." Said Toph. She could feel
the boy's heart skip a beat indicating he was surprised that she knew he was
there. When the boy walked in Toph could get a better feel of the boy. She realized
it was the same person standing on Gamabunta.
'It's the boy on the huge frog.' She decided
to voice her thoughts.
"Hey, you're the kid that was on that huge
frog when we were fighting that Tailed Beast thing right?" The boy nodded
although she couldn't see it.
"Yea, that's me, uh, um, I-I just wanted to
say th-thanks for saving me b-back there." The boy said, stuttering over a few
of his words. He continues talking, still just as nervous.
"I-I was really in a pickle and s-sorry I was
too tired to help. You got hurt because of that. Because of me. I-I'm-" Toph
"It's alright kid. Calm down. You're a
nervous stuttering wreck right now." Top then smirked.
"And besides. It's not every day you get to
fight a giant talking beast made completely out of sand." Naruto seemed to
relax a little bit after hearing this.
"So kid, what's your name." Naruto grinned brightly
at her.
"Me, I'm Naruto. Naruto Uzumaki, future
Hokage of the Konoha." He said excitedly. Toph was a little confused and
frowned at the excitement in his voice because she could tell it wasn't genuine
and that it seemed to be somewhat of an emotional mask. This is because of her seismic
sense, and his inward emotions were completely at odds with his outward.
Sadness, grief, loss, inner turmoil, a small
tint of depression along with a few other emotions filled the boy. Toph sighed
at this and thought.
'Damn, I don't know what the hell happened to
the boy while I was out, but whatever it was caused his emotions to do a complete
1 80. If I had to guess from the range of his emotions and how he's spiraling. Someone
or something must have died. I would put my bet on a person and someone he's
close to as well.' She then spoke to Naruto.
"Cut the shit Uzumaki." Toph said in a
demeaning voice. She didn't raise her voice because of how much I would
probably hurt. It had its intended effect. Naruto instantly shuts up. His happy
go lucky expression turning into a face of neutrality.
"I don't know if you act like this towards
everyone or just to me because I'm a patient in this hospital, but I can sense
emotions and that fake shit you're spewing in front of me needs to stop. So, don't
lie in front of me or pretend you're fine. You're a train wreck. I can tell
from the way grief's in one of your emotions something or someone close to you
died but I'm not going to open those can of worms." Naruto froze at that, then sighed
and whispered a small, "thank you," before stopping his act and switching into
a calmer version of himself. This was the actual him. The real and genuine
personality of Naruto Uzumaki. The only people who knows of this him are Teuchi
and Ayame. The Ichiraku ramen's owner and his daughter.
Naruto and Toph then got into multiple
conversations. He was in her room talking with her for hours. He was talking
about his friends, sensei and people he considered family. They stayed talking
until the visiting hours were over. A nurse opened the door and notified them that
visitors have an hour before they have to leave for the day. Naruto, hearing
this, got out of the chair he was sitting in.
"Well, I've been here longer than I expected.
I only planned to visit for about an hour or two but it ended up being about seven
or eight hours. I enjoyed talking to you. I'm pretty sure I've never talked to
someone for this long in my life. I talk to Teuchi and Ayame for at most two
hours when I visit their restaurant. But yeah I really have enjoyed talking to
you." Naruto said with a small smile. As Naruto was about to leave the room, Toph
spoke.
"It's Toph." Naruto looked back and tilted
his head to the side. Toph could feel his confusion. She decided to elaborate.
"My name. It's Toph. I'll tell you my last
name when I feel we're both ready. And before you leave, I'll say it again, if
you didn't understand me the first time. I can and will kick your ass if you
ever start acting fake in front of me again. And trust me, I'll know. You can
keep acting like that to your other friends because I'm pretty sure that's what
they're used to from you. I'm just saying that if we're going to be friends, I
want to be friends with Naruto Uzumaki and not his façade. And besides, I like
the person I've been talking to for these past hours more than the overly
optimistic, excited façade he puts on. Now, are we clear about that." Toph said,
smirking and the end.
Naruto nodded at what she said then smiled. This
smile isn't one of his usual enthusiastic, bright upbeat smiles or grins that
everyone's accustomed to. No, this is a smile filled with the sadness of what's
happened the past few days along with the happiness of meeting a new possible
friend, one who can see through his shell and accepts him for who he is rather
than his masked self.
Toph, sadly, couldn't see his smile because
of her blindness, but she felt the emotions behind it. She could feel the
happiness he felt towards her, the deep amount of sadness still within him, as
well as the small amount of anxiety he has for the unknown future.
"Well, Toph, it's been fun getting to know you,
but I better go. Let you have your rest and other stuff. I also gatta visit
bushy brows before visiting hours are up. I'll tell you about him later ok."
Naruto waved his hand her way.
"Bye Uzumaki." Toph waved back. He closed the
door and left. After he closed the door, she laid down. She was tired.
"Phew I guess that's for me today. Who knew
talking could make you so exhausted, especially when you're talking for hours
on end." She closed her eyes. Slowly falling asleep, she had one final thought.
'Hm, so, that was Kushina's son and my
brother? He's way more interesting compared to how I thought he was gonna be.'
After that thought, exhaustion overtook her. She fell in blissful unconsciousness.
The next few days Naruto visited her every
day and stayed for hours on end every time. It seems they both clicked and
became best friends in such a short time.
(Timeskip 1 week)
The medics cleared Toph for some physical exercise
but nothing strenuous, so Naruto suggested walking her around the village. Toph
wanted Naruto to show her around so she could get familiarized with the layout
of the village. So, when she was let out of the hospital for the limited time
she had, they toured as much of the village as they could.
Currently, they're walking back to the
hospital. They were going through the main street of Konoha since it was the
quickest way back. Naruto decided to ask her something he's been wondering
about.
"Hey, Toph." Naruto said, looking at her
before turning his attention to the street again.
"Mn"
"I've been wondering about something ever
since I started showing you around the place."
"And what would that be squirt." Naruto's eye
twitched a little after hearing that. She strted calling him that a few days
ago saying that was his nickname.
"Well, you always look ahead. Your eyes never
move or focus on anything when you're walking. You don't even look at where I'm
pointing, when I do point at something. You don't even look down when something's
in your way. But somehow, it's like you know where everything is. You also
never blink, which is honestly kind of creepy." He looked at her expecting an
answer. Toph shrugged her shoulders.
"Oh, that's because I'm blind."
"Oh, that make sense…" Naruto nodded at her
response then looked forward. There was silence for a few seconds until he did
a double take on what he heard.
"Wait! What!" he yelled.
"Yea, I'm blind so I don't-" Waving his hands
in the air, Naruto interrupted.
"No, you don't need to explain. I heard you loud
and clear. I just wanna, um, know. How did it happen. You don't have to talk
about it if you don't want to." Toph shrugged.
"It's nothing interesting. I was just born this
way." Naruto sighed apologetically.
"And here I thought your eyes were like that
because you're a Hyuga." That name caught Toph's attention.
"Hue ga." Toph asked, butchering the name.
"Hyuga. They're a clan here; their eyes are exactly like yours, just a
little more pale lavender." Toph had no comment on that because she never
had an idea of color because of her blindness. There is something she wants to
ask though.
"Are they
blind too?" Toph asked.
"No, they can
see through everything with their eyes, it's their specialty, and only the
Hyuga clan's able to do it. It's because of their bloodline, the Byakugan." A tinge of jealousy popped
in Toph after hearing that.
'What kind of
family has the same eyes as me, but could see through everything? See better
that the average person.' Toph thought. Yes, even though it seems like her blindness
doesn't affect her. It will always be a sore spot for her.
"Puft, must be
pretty nice living in that clan." She snidely remarked
"Yea,
I'd have to say no to that. They're a bunch of stuck-up bastards. They believe that
their clan is above everyone else. And because of their eyes, they've separated
their clan into two groups. The main house and branch house. The people in the main
house are royalty, and the branch are nothing but servants to the main house.
They even put a seal on every branch member's forehead so the main family can
control them." Toph snorted after hearing that.
"So basically, the Hyuga's are a clan
proclaiming themselves to be the strongest while putting the other half of
their clan into slavery. Typical rich noble pricks." Naruto looked at Toph. He
blinked twice, then let out a chuckle. That chuckle soon turned into full blown
laughter.
"Hehehe, Yea. Yea. You're right. Hehe. that's
pretty much it." Naruto could see the hospital in view.
(Next day. Hospital. Toph's room.)
Toph is sitting up in her hospital bed at the
moment. The bed sheets are covering her legs. Naruto's sitting in a chair next
to her. They've been talking for at least an hour or two. After a little more
talking Naruto finally decided to bring up the main reason of his visit.
"Hey Toph, me and pervy sage are about to
start looking for the new Hokage. Her name's Tsunade Senju. She's the
granddaughter of the First Hokage. She's also a medic. She'll be able to heal
bushy brows and a lot of other shinobi if we can bring her back to the village.
If you come with us, I'm sure she'll be able to heal your eyes." Toph sighed at
this.
"Naruto, we've already talked about this and
also had this conversation multiple times. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate that
you're trying to help me, but my eyes, they can't be healed. A lot of doctors
have already tried and failed. I doubt this one would be any different." Naruto
perked up at her last comment. Smirking, he said.
"Oh, but that's where you're wrong Toph-chan.
Tsunade isn't an ordinary medic. Pervy sage said that she's the best medic in
the world. So, if there's anyone that would be able to help you. It'd be her.
So, what do you think. Wanna come with us and help find her."
Toph appreciates what Naruto's attempting to
do for her. She really does. Its just that she doesn't really feel like going
anywhere right now. She decided the best way to escape this conversation was to
make an excuse as to why she wouldn't be able to go. He'd surely drop the
subject then, right?
"Sorry Naruto, but even if I wanted to go
with you, I couldn't. I won't be let out of the hospital for a while. And if I
was let out, I wouldn't be in the condition for travel."
Any normal person would have dropped the
subject then and there or waited another time to bring it up again. What Toph,
at this time, didn't quite understand was the stubborn nature of one Uzumaki
Naruto and how Uzumaki Naruto never backs down or takes no for an answer. Naruto
pretended to be confused and looked at her curiously. He smirked internally,
realizing what she was trying to do. He wouldn't let her off the hook that
easily though.
"But I gave you a tour of the village
yesterday. You also said you were going to be discharged tomorrow. That means
you're leaving the hospital today." Toph sighed, cursing Naruto's stubbornness.
"Yeah yeah, you're right about all that stuff,
but I kind of have a huge hole in my right shoulder. Albeit it's smaller than
before but it's still there." Naruto
waved off her concern.
"Don't worry, It'll be fine, we're just going
to search for her. It'll be like a big round of shinobi finders." Toph's face gained
a confused look.
"Ok, I don't know what that is but…" she
sighed in defeat.
"Alright… I guess… I'll go." Naruto started
cheering. He was interrupted when Toph raised her voice.
"But!" His cheers died and she gained his
attention.
"That's only if you can promise me something."
Naruto looked at her with a more serious expression. Promises are very
important to Naruto. When Naruto makes a promise he does his absolute best to
fulfill it.
"What is it." He asked, listening intently.
"I can't believe I'm going to say this. I'll go
if you promise me that you'll avoid getting into any trouble. I won't be able
to do much if I get into a fight right now." Naruto nodded.
"I promise. I won't start anything while
we're looking for Tsunade. But if there's a fight, I also promise I'll do
everything to keep you safe. I mean, I couldn't call myself your best friend if
I didn't do this. I'll protect you with my life, dattebayo!" Toph smiled warmly
at hearing how protective he was of her. It's even more surprising because they've
only known each other for about two weeks. The words unexpectedly flowed out of
her mouth.
"Thanks, onii-chan." Toph mumbled. Her face switched
from smiling to a surprised expression upon realizing what she said. She
started thinking.
'Why did I call him that. I know he's my
brother now, but onii-chan.' She couldn't believe such a childish term would
come out of her mouth. She started sensing Naruto's emotions, feeling for a
sudden change.
'His emotions aren't fluctuating. Phew, I guess
he didn't hear me.'
"What was that. I couldn't hear you." Naruto
asked. Toph blushed and quickly blurted out.
"N-Nothing."
"Ok, if you say so." Deciding to escape the awkwardness, Toph
changed the subject.
"So, where should I be tomorrow." Naruto's brightened
up.
"We're meeting at the front gate. I'll come
back here tomorrow morning to get you." Toph nodded at him.
"Well see you tomorrow Toph-chan." Naruto said,
leaving.
"Yeah, same to you, squirt." Hearing the door
closes. Toph layed down and fell asleep soon after.
'Ha, I almost let it slip, but I do wonder.
What'll be his reaction be when I tell him he's my brother.' was her last
thought before sleeping.
(Next Morning)
"Toph-chan, Toph-chan, wake up, it's almost
time to go." Her eyes slowly fluttered open. Naruto blushed, looking at her.
'Now that I got a better look at her. She's the
prettiest girl I've seen. Sakura's pretty but not like this, her long silky
black hair, her pale smooth skin, even her white clouded eyes. No, no, Naruto,
you aren't supposed to be thinking of her like that. She's your friend. And you
like Sakura-chan remember.' Naruto frantically shook his head, ridding him of
his current thoughts. Just as he was finished her heard her.
"Why are you shaking your head like that.
Your heartbeat's also beating faster than it should, are you alright." Toph
asked in a questioning then slightly worried tone.
'Why is he getting so nervous, and damn, why
am I acting so soft towards him?' She mentally asked herself. Realizing she
wasn't going to get an answer, she dropped the subject. Sitting up and getting
out of her bed talked again.
"So, I'm guessing it's time to search for
this Tsunade lady." She asked while stripping out of her hospital gown.
The only thing he could say was.
"Yea but we're actually running late."
"Then lead the way." Naruto opened the window
and jumped out, running on top of the buildings. Toph stood there with a surprised
look on her face.
"Ok, Shinobi world, not mine, I guess that's...
normal." She stomped the ground, wide searching for Naruto. She sensed him
standing with a taller person beside him. She also jumped out of the window and
ran in the direction she sensed him. In about a minute or two, Naruto could see
her running towards him. He yelled at Toph.
"Hey! Toph-chan! Over here!" When she got in
front of Naruto, she spoke in a dangerous tone.
"Do not disappear from my senses like that
again." Realizing his mistake, Naruto sheepishly
spoke.
"Oh yeah, Sorry,
"Your damn right your sorry. Disappearing in one
seconded and then ending up on the other side of the village in the next." She
fumed.
"Yeah, I was jumping on the buildings. It's
the best way for a Shinobi to travel in their village. But if we go on a mission,
I'll have to jump on trees." Toph just crossed her arms and pouted.
"Well, none of that when you're with me." Naruto
blushed a little at how she looked when she was pouting. He then started to
picture her again, getting naked and changing into her clothes in front of him
again. His blush deepened.
'Stop thinking of her like that. She's your friend,
remember. And you like Sakura-chan.' He reminded himself. Jiraiya, seeing
Naruto's reaction to Toph, smirked.
'It seems gaki has a little crush on this
girl. Found some new blackmail material to use on him.' He then turned to
Naruto and asked the two question that's been filling his head.
"Gaki. Who's the girl and why's she here. I
hope you're not planning on bringing her with us."
"This." Naruto grabbed Toph's hand and
dragged her towards Jiraiya.
"Is Toph. She took down Shukaku and we became
friends when I was visiting her in the hospital." Toph seemed to look directly
at Jiraiya and spoke.
"Yo, the name's Toph. Ya know, you look
pretty good for an old timer. Not better than me though. So, even though I
already probably know I'll ask anyway. Who're you." She smirked at her own
joke. Naruto almost choked, not expecting her to make a blind joke. Jiraiya
smiled at her unaware of her blindness and started to get in his pose.
"Oh, hell, not this again." Naruto muttered
face palming. This caused Toph to raise an eyebrow. She soon heard yelling from
Jiraiya.
"I AM THE ONE AND ONLY! HAILED AS THE SAGE
FROM MOUNT MYOBOKU. ALL MEN HATE ME AND ALL WOMEN WANT ME. I AM THE STRONG, THE
FAST, THE SMART, THE ONE AND ONLY TOAD SAGE, GAMMA SENNIN, THE GALLANT.
JIRAIYA!!!" Toph looked at him blankly and spoke.
"If you love to introduce yourself like that
to any woman i can tell why women hate you." Naruto got close and whispered in her
ear.
"No Toph-chan, this is just a small annoying
part of him. The main reason is his tendency to peak on naked women, mainly when they're in the hot spring because as he put it." Jiraiya's hearing heard this spoke.
"It's the fasted and most thorough way I can have inspiration for my literature." A face of realization appeared on Toph.
"Ah. I get it now, so. To put it simply, You're a pervert." Jiraiya yelled at her indignantly
after hearing that.
"Hey! I am not a pervert!" He then smirked
after the outburst.
"I'm a super pervert!! HAHAHAHAHA" He busted out laughing. Toph just shook her head and sighed.
"Like that's any better." She muttered. Naruto coughed, getting Toph's and Jiraiya's attention.
"Can we go. We got a hokage to find. You can do this while we're searching for Lady Tsunade." Toph shrugged her shoulders.
"He's got a point. We can do this shit later. We need to find the new leader of this village." Jiraiya nodded.
"Yes. Due to the way Tsunade travels I don't know how
long she'll be at her current location. We must hurry." The three of them then
walked out of the village in search of Tsunade.