As The Kyuubi no Yoko in Naruto

The hospital room was dark when Naruto finally opened his eyes. The warmth in his mind stirred gently, approving of his slow, confused movements as he took in his surroundings.

"Well played, kit," the voice murmured. "They've been watching your 'restless sleep' for hours."

Naruto blinked groggily, letting his eyes adjust to the darkness. He could sense ANBU presences outside his door, and the imprints... the imprints were everywhere in the hospital, more than he'd ever seen gathered in one place.

"Why are there so many?" he asked internally.

"Hospitals hold more death than most places," the warmth explained. "More last moments, more lingering regrets. But don't acknowledge them right now. Let your eyes wander, unfocused. Like you're seeing things you don't quite understand."

Following his tenant's guidance, Naruto let his gaze drift aimlessly around the room. A medical ninja noticed his awakening and quickly approached, her movements cautious.

"Naruto? How are you feeling?"

"I..." he let his voice crack slightly, the Nine Tails still guiding his emotions and words. "The memories... they're all mixed up. What's real? What's..."

The medic's face showed exactly what they wanted - concern mixed with professional interest. Behind her, the imprints gathered closer, their presence making the room feel heavier, colder.

Perfect for their performance.

"Can you tell me what you remember?" the medic asked gently, making notes on her clipboard. Her careful tone suggested she was evaluating every response.

"Pieces," Naruto whispered, "Fragments. There was... golden hair. A ghost with a knife. And then..." He clutched his head, genuine confusion mixing with their act as Kurama fed him more fragments of that night.

"Take your time," the medic soothed, but her hand was writing rapidly now.

The imprints pressed closer, making the monitoring equipment flicker slightly. The medic glanced at the machines with concern.

"They're watching," Naruto mumbled, letting his eyes track the movement of the imprints without quite focusing on them. "They're always watching now."

"Who's watching, Naruto?"

"The dead ones," he whispered, then immediately clutched his head as if the words had slipped out unwanted. "No, that's... that's not right. That can't be right..."

The medic was signaling someone outside now, her professional calm slipping slightly.

"I'll get Doctor Yamanaka," she said carefully. "Just rest for now, Naruto. Try not to... try to stay calm."

As she left, the warmth in Naruto's mind curled closer. "A Yamanaka? Interesting. This might be useful, kit."

"What do you mean?" Naruto asked internally, watching the medic hurry out.

"They won't dare enter your mind directly," the warmth explained, a hint of satisfaction in its voice. "The Yamanaka know better than to risk their souls against something like me. They'll use indirect methods, watching your responses, your behavior."

The imprints shifted restlessly around the room, their movements making the shadows dance on the walls. Naruto let his eyes track them vaguely, maintaining their carefully crafted image of a boy lost between realities.

Footsteps approached - multiple sets. The door opened to reveal the medic returning with an older Yamanaka and, surprisingly, the Third Hokage himself.

"Naruto," the Third's voice was gentle, careful. "How are you feeling?"

"Old man?" Naruto blinked, then let his eyes drift past the Hokage to the particularly dense gathering of imprints behind him. "There are... so many around you. Why are there so many?"

The Yamanaka kept his distance, his trained eyes studying Naruto with a mixture of professional interest and carefully concealed fear.

No one in his clan would risk direct mind contact with a potentially unstable jinchūriki - not when ancient scrolls spoke of the Nine-Tails devouring souls that dared to enter its domain.

Instead, he began his external evaluation, watching for signs that would confirm their growing fears about the boy's mental state.

"Naruto," the Yamanaka spoke, maintaining a careful distance. "Can you tell us what you see?"

"Different things," Naruto mumbled, following the warmth's guidance. "Sometimes memories that feel too old. Sometimes..." He let his eyes track the imprints. "Sometimes shapes. People. But they're not really there, are they? Or maybe they are, and everything else isn't..."

The Yamanaka made notes without looking down at his paper, his eyes never leaving Naruto. His stance remained deliberately non-threatening, but also ready to retreat if necessary.

"And these memories," the Third prompted gently. "Can you tell us more about them?"

"They're mixed up," Naruto clutched his head, genuine confusion mixing with their act as Kurama fed him another fragment of that night.

"Sometimes I'm me, but sometimes I'm... vast. Powerful. And then there's the sealing and the darkness and..." He trailed off, letting his voice shake.

"Interesting response pattern," the Yamanaka murmured to the Third. "Classic identity dissolution, but with concerning... specific elements."

The imprints pressed closer, making the room's temperature drop slightly. The medical equipment flickered again.

"The machines," the medic whispered. "They keep malfunctioning around him."

"Chakra interference," the Yamanaka noted, but his expression suggested he was considering other, more disturbing possibilities.

The Third's aged face showed exactly what they wanted - growing concern about what their decisions might have done to the child they'd tried to protect.

"Naruto," the Third began gently after a long pause. "There's something we need to explain to you. About what Mizuki said..."

"Guide their assumptions," the warmth whispered. "Let them think their worst fears are realized."

"I know what I am," Naruto interrupted, his voice small but carrying an edge of something ancient. "I remember now. Being sealed. Being caged."

"No, Naruto," the Third's voice grew firmer. "You're not the Nine-Tails. You're its container - a jinchūriki. The Fourth Hokage sealed the fox inside you to protect the village."

"Then why do I remember?" Naruto asked, genuine confusion mixing with their calculated response. "Why do I feel so old inside? Why does everything feel like... like I'm remembering instead of learning?"

The Yamanaka's face tightened at these words. The exact response they wanted.

"Those aren't your memories," the Third insisted. "They're leaking through the seal, but they're not yours."

"But they feel real," Naruto clutched his head. "More real than... than this. Than being small and young and..." Red chakra seeped into his eyes. "How do I know which memories are mine? Which life is real?"

The adults exchanged alarmed looks. Their worst fear playing out before them - a jinchūriki who couldn't separate himself from his tenant.

"Perfect," the warmth approved. "Let them think you're lost between identities."

As the red chakra began seeping out more visibly, making the hospital equipment spark and flutter, the Third moved with surprising speed for his age. His hands pulled out a seal tag - clearly prepared for this possibility.

"Now, kit," the warmth guided. "Let it flare, then let the seal seem to subdue you."

"No!" Naruto's voice cracked with genuine panic as the chakra swirled more violently. "I don't want to forget again! I don't want to go back to the darkness!"

The Third slapped the seal onto Naruto's forehead. The effect was immediate - the red chakra receded, and Naruto's body went limp against the hospital bed.

"Jiraiya's suppression seals," the Third explained to the others, his voice heavy. "He prepared them when I sent word about... about the situation."

But even as Naruto appeared to calm under the seal's influence, his mumbling continued. "Can't forget... won't go back... real... I'm real..."

"Lord Third," the Yamanaka spoke quietly, "this isn't just chakra leakage. The boy genuinely believes..."

"I know," the Third's voice carried centuries of regret. "Our attempts to protect him may have done more damage than we imagined."

The warmth in Naruto's mind curled with satisfaction. The seal was little more than an inconvenience - designed to suppress chakra, not the subtle influence they were really using. But its application gave perfect cover for their performance.

"Rest now," the Third said softly to Naruto's seemingly sedated form. "We'll figure this out. Somehow."

As they left the room, Naruto kept his eyes closed, feeling the warmth's approval. They had played their parts magnificiently.

-----------------------------------

Sasuke sat in the hospital room's visitor chair, watching his friend's seemingly sedated form. The ANBU had finally allowed him in, after hours of deliberation and the Third's direct approval.

"He appears stable now," the medic had explained, gesturing to the seal still visible on Naruto's forehead. "But be careful not to... agitate him."

Sasuke had merely nodded, noting how the medical staff hurried in and out, never staying longer than necessary. Their fear was obvious, though not for the reasons they thought.

Once they were alone - or as alone as one could be with ANBU outside - Naruto remained still, his breathing steady and controlled. His eyes opened slightly, scanning the room in that unfocused way Sasuke had learned meant he was seeing things others couldn't.

After a moment, Naruto's eyes closed again. Waiting. Patient.

Sasuke understood. They couldn't talk freely, not here. Not yet. Not until certain... precautions were in place.

Eventually the afternoon light filtered through the hospital windows, casting long shadows across the room.

Sasuke maintained his vigil, occasionally shifting in the uncomfortable chair, playing the part of the concerned friend perfectly - which to an extent he was, concerned that is.

Interested in what game Naruto and the Nine-Tails are playing.

Medical staff continued their rounds, each visit briefer than the last. Their discomfort was palpable - heightened whenever Naruto would stir slightly in his "sedated" state, or when the monitoring equipment would inexplicably flicker.

"Uchiha-san," a nurse spoke from the doorway, her voice carefully controlled. "Visiting hours will be ending soon."

Sasuke nodded but didn't move. They'd have to physically remove him to make him leave - and everyone knew it. After a moment, the nurse retreated, leaving them alone again.

The shadows in the room grew longer as sunset approached. Naruto remained still, his breathing steady, occasionally mumbling incomprehensible words that made the ANBU outside shift uneasily.

To anyone watching, it was exactly what they expected to see - the last loyal Uchiha watching over his unstable friend, and a jinchūriki lost in sedated dreams.

Only Sasuke noticed how Naruto's fingers would occasionally twitch in specific patterns - the beginnings of hand signs, perhaps, or something else entirely. But he kept his face carefully neutral, showing nothing but patient concern.

They could wait. They had time.