Walking into the apartment, it dawned on you just how exhausted you were. You longed for sleep, but you couldn't bare to relive those horrific memories. So when Naruto went to sleep. You prepared for another sleepless night.

The night proceeded like the previous ones, except this night you didn't attempt to sleep and you began to feel more and more sick as time went on. You cleared your throat as you gazed out the window, trying to rid yourself of the scratchiness that clung to your throat.

When morning finally came, saying you felt unwell would've been an understatement. Hopefully Naruto wouldn't notice. Speaking of the blonde, he entered, rubbing his eyes wearily.

"G'morning (Y/n)..." he looked over at you, "you feeling okay? You look tired."

You nodded, forcing a smile.

"If you say so. Did you wanna practice some more?"

Despite feeling feverish, you nodded vigorously, eager to improve your skills. He smiled at that and said, "Okay. Why don't we go out after breakfast?"

You nodded. Watching the blonde go about the kitchen, a spring in his step and a smile on his face.

~Time-Skip~

Back on the training grounds, you noticed that the fresh air did little for your scratchy throat. You walked till you were a little ways away from a wooden target, kicking dust as you went. Naruto had begun to incorporate shuriken into your training; they were a smidge harder to throw than the kunai, you noted. However, you learned it quite quickly.

"Not bad," Naruto smiled when you hit the target.

"Th-Thank you."

"Think you're ready to move on?"

You nodded.

"Before we try ninjutsu, I think we should work on your taijustsu and overall physical strength. You know?"

You nodded.

"So a few of the basi-" the blonde was cut off by the familiar voice of Lee.

"Naruto! (Y/n)!" He sounded really exciting, "are you doing taijustu?"

You nodded, shrinking away at his loud volume. Another person appeared in similar attire to Lee, someone you'd recognized hanging around the masked man.

"Great observation, Lee! But should she really be doing all of this with those wounds?" He gestures to your bandages. You pulled up your hood, frowning at his words.

Naruto shrugged, "She seemed pretty excited for it, though."

Lee and his sensei seemed very moved by this, which you didn't really understand. "So youthful!!"

Naruto smiled, chuckling at their excitement and you tried to give a small smile, knowing it'd make Naruto happy. You resisted the urge to cough while doing so.

The man clad in green smiled, "If you're so eager, you should do some physical training before any combat, I promise the results won't disappoint!" He said, sparkling.

You nodded.

"Well, we must go forth and train! For youth!!"

"Goodbye Naruto," Lee added.

"Yeah, seeya' Bushy Brows!"

You turned to Naruto awkwardly whilst silently asking what is was he wanted you to do.

Smiling, he told you that the two of you should run a few laps around the training grounds to warm up.

You nodded.

"Okay, ready, set, go!"

You began to sprint, all of the sleep deprivation, pain, and sickness seemed to hit you at once. You swayed a little on your feet as your head pounded and your heart sounded in your ears.

Your throat burned with every shallow breath and your legs felt weak. Black spots danced across your vision. Naruto called to you but his voice sounded far and muffled. You felt a tug on your foot and the ground seemed to come hurdling towards you. But everything seemed to go dark even though you thought your eyes were open.

With Naruto

The blonde's cerulean gaze watched you start to run. However, he quickly perceived something was unordinary. You swayed weakly and looked dizzy. He began to head towards you, calling out for you to stop and talk to him, "(Y/n)! Everything okay? You look a little pale," thud. "(Y/n)!!!"

Naruto darted towards you, concerned. He furrowed his brow as he tried to shake you conscious while placing the back of his hand against your sweaty forehead. He quickly retracted it, "you're burning up," he said, despite no one hearing.

With You

You looked around, shivering against the dirty floor. Moans and perhaps distant screams filled your ears and the damp, stale air made you gag. You felt overwhelmed by panic. You were here. You were back. Was it a dream?