The mad prisoner didn't mutter a word and directly launched a frontal assault towards Naruto.
Naruto's mind shook, his body barely move sideways out of instinct to dodge the incoming fist. But before Naruto could be mentally prepare himself the man already swing a kick to his side.
Naruto instinctively put up his hand to guard against them. The kick landed on his arms, Naruto felt pain like never before spreading through his forelimbs, as if the force are tearing his bones apart.
Crack
The remaining force sent Naruto flying backward, causing him to be slammed against the wall of the room. A mouthful of saliva spat out from his mouth. His entire arms are trembling and felt numb, his back is in so much pain, his muscles ache.
His breathing become rapid, his eyes regained it's focus and clarity- but just as he did his pupil contracted in desperation seeing another fist coming right at his skull to take his life.
Naruto managed to barely force himself to dodge it to the side.
BAM! The entire room vibrated due to the sheer force, cracks like webs spread on the wall with a meter radius at where the fist had landed.
Seeing the scene, Naruto's heart thumped wildly again, fear began to creep up into chest. He could have died if that fist landed.
Naruto's first instinct is to look at Tsuyu, as if trying to find an anchor and support from his only little sister. But Tsuyu only look coldly, not giving a damn.
Tsuyu look at how stupid his brother is to turn his eyes away from the enemy. Even if it's only for a second...
"Idiot...", Tsuyu muttered in a low chilling voice, but it's audible in Naruto's ears.
Before Naruto could process the words and Tsuyu's indifferent eyes, he felt a powerful blow landed on his side.
Pain spread from his side throughout his entire body. He's kicked several meters away and rolled on the floor like trash.
"Nhh...", Naruto gritted his teeth from pain. He held onto his side where his ribs were fractured, tears uncontrollably flow from his eyes. His hands and body couldn't stop shaking.
It hurts, it hurts so much.
Naruto tried to raise his head, also raising his arms to block the incoming foot. But he couldn't make it. A huge force come down onto his skull from being a stepped on, slamming his face into the floor. Blood trickled from the back of his head, forming small parch of blood on the floor.
The man's feet kept pressing onto Naruto's face, making Naruto unable to lift his head.
Naruto's hand shakily tried to push the foot away. But his already broken arms are weak. Or the man is too strong. Or perhaps it's Naruto's already broken spirit.
"Tsu-chan...", Naruto pleaded for help, even if he couldn't see her. But Tsuyu didn't respond.
The man raised his feet, and stomped on Naruto's face, body and kicked at him in anger and murderous intent over and over again.
Thud. Thud. Whack.
Pain, and more pain. "Tsu-chan...", Naruto's voice pleaded weakly, as if asking for help...
Blood, tears and snot mixed on his face as he was beaten one sided-ly, laying helplessly on the floor. Bruises and fractures spread all over Naruto's body. His resistance become weaker and weaker.
Tsuyu's eyes had a trace of disappointment in them. She didn't know what happened to all those hard trainings. The ninja tool bag strapped on his leg is a mere decoration. As for Jutsu? It's all thrown out the window. Even if the man is physically stronger from the drug; Naruto should have dealt with him easily from the very beginning. The most annoying thing was Naruto dare to look away in the middle of a battle just to look at her face; and for what? She wanted to curse seeing how such a fatal mistake happen that led to this one sided beating but had to hold her tongue.
As the fierce man about to stomp right on Naruto's face again; all of a sudden a shadow flashed by.
With a blow of her fist filled with chakra, it crushed the man's chest - his heart, lungs, bones and flesh were all destroyed leaving a mangled fleshy hole before he's blasted a meter away leaving a patch of blood onto the floor and the wall - killing him in an instant without any scruples.
Tsuyu casually take out a handkerchief from her pocket, wiping her dirtied hand.
She looked down on Naruto that's still lying on the floor. She didn't know what to say at the moment. She just felt, so much disappointment. Was it difficult? She don't think so. As for lecturing Naruto right now?
The problem was obvious from the start. Naruto should realized it himself. Saying the obvious only would make her felt angry.
Naruto's blurry eyes can only look up at Tsuyu. His body hurts all over. He never had felt so much pain before. His arms, body, feet, his head... its all over. But what pains him most is not his body. It's his heart. Looking at the indifferent eyes looking down on him, he felt his heart breaking for... for many reasons.
He couldn't mutter a sentence. It's all too much to bear.
Sigh.
Tsuyu sighed in frustration.
"Can you stand up?".
The silence from Naruto cause Tsuyu to click her tongue in annoyance.
"You didn't bite your tongue. Answer me". Tsuyu said coldly.
"No...", Naruto weakly said a word.
Tsuyu made a few hand seals and summoned a shadow clone.
"Bring him home and treat him".
The shadow clone saluted in respond and take Naruto away from the dark room. Tsuyu cleaned up the messes; leaving no trace of those prisoners behind as if what happened in that room never happened.
***
Naruto lie motionlessly on the floor of his room; his body bandaged with gauze all over, permeating strong medicinal scent. His eyes dull, almost losing most of it's brilliance. He can only look up at the ceiling. In a blink of an eye, he found himself inside his mindscape suddenly, being pulled inside from Kyubi taking the chance at Naruto's mental weakness.
"Nnnhahaha... I had never seen someone can be so cruel to their own flesh".
A voice of a devil fox rattled from the tall cage. Naruto only take a glance at the red sinister eyes visible from the gaps before ignoring them.
"Hnhnhn... you have seen it. That's her true self. A cold, heartless, little sister of yours".
9 tails intentionally provoke Naruto again.
"Shut up...".
Naruto didn't bother to argue. He find himself in his room again, still lying in bed staring at the ceiling.
Unknown amount of time passes slowly. Naruto only felt; heavy and perhaps empty at the moment. Looking out the window, orange hue fell onto his face. His stomach suddenly gurgled, and only now Naruto realized he skipped lunch, and as for dinner...
Hungry...
Naruto sat up weakly. He had enough strength to get up and walk around, he thinks - only if he gritted his teeth and forced through the pain. But before he could, the door was pushed open suddenly.
Naruto turned his head towards the door, expecting Tsuyu coming to check up on him. Instead, its the Uchiha boy. Disappointment flickered in Naruto's eyes, as if, expecting that someone to care.
Sasuke look at Naruto in shock, and even a hint of worry.
"What happened to you??", he asked while walking close to him.
"Nothing... just... training..." Naruto gave an excuse. It was, a training, in a way.
Sasuke furrowed his eyebrows. He could see the injuries weren't superficial; and it wasn't just bruises, but worse given how bad Naruto look with all those bandages.
"You mean she...?".
Naruto turned his eyes away. In a way, it's her. Even if its the man who break his arms and legs, but she instigating it, and not doing anything and only watch like it's a show meant it is her in Naruto's perception. Naruto's feelings and emotions are hard to describe; to a point that he couldn't bring himself to feel. He felt lonelier than ever...
Or rather, perhaps his feelings are closer to that of abandonment.
Sasuke's eyebrows frowned deeper. Even if Tsuyu is tough in her methods, he doesn't believe she would be so cruel to even break his bones.
"Can you even walk? Tch. I guess I had to bring dinner to you". Sasuke said in fake annoyance, turning to leave.
Naruto didn't have much energy to reply and just watch him leave. Maybe he prefer to eat in his room for awhile...
Sasuke saw Tsuyu already sat at the dining table, casually dining already as if it was any other day. Sasuke eyebrows frowned deeper. He couldn't help but ask.
"Why did you beat him that badly?".
Tsuyu didn't stop the chopsticks movements in her hands; as if the question didn't arouse any sense of guilt at all.
"He was not ready to become a shinobi. It was for his own good". Tsuyu replied in between pieces of food going into her mouth. She's too lazy to elaborate the whole context of the training, thinking it didn't matter.
Seeing Tsuyu's indifferent eyes, Sasuke suddenly felt like a layer of fog about Naruto lifted. Something about Tsuyu that only now he realized the depth.
Sasuke take two plates and stuffed them with rice and side dishes, not commenting further on Tsuyu's remarks.
Tsuyu glanced at it, and continued her dining. She planned to bring Naruto his dinner afterward but since Sasuke is going to she won't have to.
Sasuke left swiftly bringing them to Naruto's room after giving Naruto his own plate.
He glanced at Naruto, seeing his shaky hands holding the chopsticks, as if it's a struggle to even use his arms. But Naruto still could use them, and ate silently.
...
Naruto's silence made Sasuke feel restless. Naruto had always been annoyingly chatty with him ever since he roomed with him the past few days. Sasuke had thought if he could shut up he would feel at peace.
Contrary, he felt uneasy instead.
"Oi, dobe. It's just training what are you sulking about. It's not like you aren't used to getting beaten by her". Sasuke said in mock mockery, his eyes glancing sideways at Naruto's expression.
Naruto didn't know what to respond, or rather he don't want to. It's not about the beatings, or that his body is in pain...
"Great. Did you turn into a mute? Heh, at least I won't have to hear your annoying voice". Sasuke tried to poke at Naruto again, expecting Naruto to make an usual comeback.
But Naruto's further silence and robot-like movement eating his dinner made Sasuke felt even more restless.
...
"Hey... what's wrong really? What happened?". Sasuke no longer tried to mock him and ask in genuine concern unmasked in his voice.
Naruto parted his lips to answer but the only thing that escaped from his mouth were that;
"It's nothing".
Sasuke decide to not push it further, only hoping or expecting Naruto would return to his usual self in a day or two.
***