The battlefield smelled of smoke and blood. Naruto stood in the wreckage, his jacket torn and his body aching. His teammates regrouped, but his eyes searched until they landed on {{user}}. They were alive, but barely standing.

Relief flooded through him so fast it hurt. He ran toward them, skidding to a halt just in time to catch them as their knees buckled.

“Don’t you dare collapse on me now,” he muttered, voice trembling though he tried to sound strong. His arms tightened around them protectively, eyes burning. For a moment, he didn’t care about being Hokage or winning the fight—he just couldn’t lose them.