Naruto: The White Spider of the Leaf

I soon left the tent and went to go look for Minato. Honestly, I wasn't too thrilled about needing to stick by Orochimaru's side. The less I had to do with him, the better. I certainly didn't want to end up as one of his stinky experiments after all, but I digress. The situation was far from ideal, but we had no choice but to move forward. The war wasn't waiting for us to catch up—it was happening now, and we had to be ready.

Then there was also the situation with Nawaki. Who was actually following me and pointing out at all the things in the camp. Orochimaru told him to show me around, so I asked him to bring me to the medic tent where we could see Minato.

"Hey, look over there, Shirokumo! That's the weapon storage. And that over there is where they keep all the food!" Nawaki's voice rang excitedly beside me.

It's exactly this type of nonchalant attitude of his that gets him killed not long from now.

"You're awfully carefree, aren't you, Nawaki?" I said in a quizzical tone. "You do realize we're out in front of enemy lines, right? We'll need to start worrying about how we'll survive soon."

"Survive?" He sounded confused for a second before his grin returned, brighter than ever. "I'm gonna be fine, Shirokumo! Besides, I'm strong, right? I've got the blood of the Senju in me. I'm gonna make my mark! One day, everyone will know my name!"

"Yeah, yeah," I muttered, half-smiling despite myself. "Just don't throw yourself into danger without thinking. It won't be all sunshine and rainbows out there."

It'll be a bomb.

Before Nawaki could say anything else, I turned my attention back to the medic tent in front of us. I pulled the canvas flaps back slightly, and inside, I could already hear the faint sound of medical jutsu being performed. The atmosphere was tense, almost as if the camp itself was holding its breath. Minato was inside, and I needed to see how he was doing. He'd been poisoned by Hiroto from the Sand, one of Lady Chiyo's students. It still pissed me off to think about how that poison had almost gotten him killed—it's cheap! That bastard Hiroto was on death's door and only got the upper hand in the end because of poison!

As we approached the bed where Minato lay, I couldn't help but feel a wave of concern wash over me again. His normally bright face was pale, his breathing slow but steady, and there were dark bruises under his eyes from the effects of the poison. The worst part was the stillness.

Nawaki didn't seem to know what to do with himself, standing awkwardly at the foot of the bed, looking between Minato and me. "That's… The friend you mentioned, right? The one who got hurt."

"Yeah."

"Do you think... you think he'll be alright?"

Nawaki looked a little shaken up seeing another peer in that situation. What's more, it was Minato. He'd no doubt heard about him too if he knew about me.

I hesitated before answering. "He's tough. He'll pull through. Let's trust the medics here."

"I guess we'll just have to wait then, huh?" Nawaki said, his voice still edged with that strange optimism of his. It was odd, how quickly he could shift from playful to serious.

I let the silence stretch for a moment as Nawaki and I stood there, watching Minato's still form. The medics had finished their work for now, their hands clean of the poison. His breathing had already steadied, and the harsh color of the poison had started to fade from his face. Though poison had a nasty way of lingering, and there was no guarantee that Minato's recovery would be quick. But he was tough, no doubt about it. Minato wasn't the kind of guy to just stay down for long.

"Looks like he's coming around," Nawaki said, voice lighter, now that the tension in the room had dissipated a little.

I shot him a look. "Told you, didn't I?"

As I said that, Minato's eyes fluttered open, and he blinked up at us, his usual sharp focus slowly returning. There was a grogginess to him, but the familiar calm confidence quickly replaced the weariness on his face.

"Shirokumo, you're–you're here?" Minato's voice was hoarse, but it still carried that easygoing tone, like he hadn't just been poisoned by a Sand shinobi.

"Of course I'm here," I answered, sitting on the edge of the bed with a small smile. "I can't let you lay here alone after what we went through. What kind of friend would I be?"

Minato chuckled weakly, clearly trying to put on a brave face despite the situation. "Yeah, I owe you one, Shiro."

Nawaki, standing at the foot of the bed and unsure of what to do, finally spoke up. "So… uh… you're Minato, right? I've heard a lot about you."

Minato turned his head slightly to Nawaki, giving him a curious look. "I think we've never met. I'm Namikaze Minato, and you?"

Nawaki grinned, nodding enthusiastically. "Yeah! Senju Nawaki, here! I've heard you're considered to be a genius. Pretty cool to meet you, even if the circumstances suck."

Minato chuckled and smiled wryly. "Genius is a little over the top… If I was one, would I really be in this bed here suffering from poison?"

"Hahaha!" Nawaki laughed. "That's a good point, but I trust my sister and big bro Jiraiya's judgement! Even Orochimaru-sensei praises you, you know?"

"Oh, sorry my head is still a little foggy. You're Lady Tsunade's younger brother then?"

Nawaki, not missing a beat, puffed out his chest. "You bet I am! But I don't like when people refer to me like that! I'm gonna make a name for myself one day. You'll see. Senju Nawaki, future Hokage!"

"Future Hokage, huh?" Minato sat up in his bed. "Well, I guess that means we'll be competing."

"You too, huh?" Nawaki grinned. He looked excited. "You're on, then! Starting now, we're rivals! I'll show you up by getting the most achievements in these coming months!"

I stood up from the edge of the bed, stretching my arms. "Alright, enough with the chatting. Minato needs some rest, and we should let him have it."

Minato waved his hand weakly. "Yeah, I'll be fine. Just get out there and do your thing, both of you."

Nawaki gave a firm nod. "Yeah, get better soon, Minato! I look forward to competing together!"

With one last chuckle from Minato, we left the medic tent, stepping back into the cool air of the camp. Nawaki seemed pretty hyped up after meeting him. Minato was always good with people, and I could tell Nawaki was going to be just as annoying to him as he was to me in no time.

Time passed at the camp and Orochimaru, as expected, was a whirlwind of focus. With his usual eerie calm, he organized the camp, getting everyone into top form. The tension in the air was thick—there was no doubt that the Rain shinobi were gearing up for a big confrontation. We had to be ready for whatever they had planned.