Chapter 4 – Old Wounds
The office they stood in had a clean refreshing feel to it, though there wasn't much around. Several beds were lined down the room, parallel to the back windows and across from each other with curtains able to separate each of the beds when pulled around the rail. In the front of the room two screens were setup on each side of the closest beds. Across from the door alongside the wall, a single desk and bookshelf took up the rest of the space along with a few chairs near the door, setup for waiting patients. Most of the books on the shelf were records of the students at the Academy, but some were medical texts which described how to perform various medical jutsu procedures.
"I want you to use your Byakugan to see if you can detect any chakra flow within Naruko", the Hokage said as he stared at Hinata, who was still holding Naruko's hand.
Hinata was a bit confused at the request and glanced at Kurenai uneasily.
"That is why we were looking for you Hinata, you're the only one here aside from your cousin Neji-kun, who can do it", Kurenai replied.
Hinata looked back at the Hokage and he nodded in response, then she stared at Naruko who glanced at her in return. At this she became a bit self-conscious, realizing she was still holding Naruko's hand, Hinata released it quickly then blushed. Her eyes hovered around their feet and she replied in a meek voice, "O-ok…"
The Hokage moved over to a bed and sat down as he crossed his arms into the folds of his robes.
Kurenai simply moved over to the side a bit to the left of Naruko and stood watching the two girls curiously.
Hinata shyly moved to stand in front of Naruko, her face flushed from all the attention. Putting her hands together in a seal she said, "Byakugan!" Her lavender pupils suddenly became more focused and the veins around them became more pronounced distorting her face slightly.
Naruko remained silent as if pondering the whole situation, while faintly remembering the warmth in her hand from the girl now in front of her. What was that strange sensation she felt when they held hands? It wasn't anything like with Ojii-sama. He had a strong firm grip and his hands were calloused, rough, and a bit cool to the touch. She was always used to being abused and made fun of by others. So she couldn't understand why this girl had held her hand so delicately and even spoken to her.
As Hinata's eyes hovered over Naruko's figure, she was unable to see any trace of charka flow. Straining her eyes a bit, she still couldn't see anything and instead focused on the other details of the chakra pathways. As she stared into Naruko's face she noticed two black dots where her eye tenketsu's were located. It seems like they are closed, she thought. Looking over the rest of Naruko's body she noticed similar dots at her wrists as well which cut the flow from her hands.
A few minutes passed as Hinata thoroughly checked over Naruko's body before speaking up. "Umm… there is… no chakra flowing at all and uhh… and several tenketsu around her body are closed… I think", Hinata replied a bit unsure of herself.
"Closed?" the Hokage replied clearly perturbed, his expression grave.
Kurenai was very disturbed at the prospect as well and shifted uncomfortably.
She's probably never seen closed tenketsu before, he thought, but there is no doubt that she can tell the difference being a Hyuga. More importantly though, who would have closed them and why? It's not like a child would pose anyone a threat especially at such a young age and without training. Living without any chakra flow makes life significantly more difficult in so many ways, particularly in regards to physical exertion and conditioning.
People are more susceptible to pain, illness, and injury in addition to being very weak, if not unable to move entirely, after exhausting their chakra. How long has she been in this state? Dark thoughts flitted through his mind as he weighed the matter. Thoughts which his own mind felt were far behind him, thoughts which he felt he had forsaken long ago. Sighing deeply, he ran a hand across his face in resignation. He didn't even know where to start, but it was clear someone had done this to Naruko to further torment her. There could be no other explanation. He truly wanted to believe and trust in his own people, but these issues around Naruko just kept appearing continuously.
Taking a deep breath he made up mind, this was the last test he needed to do to affirm her ability to become a ninja, "Hinata, are you capable of opening the tenketsu?"
Shifting her gaze towards the Hokage she nodded, but added in a voice filled with embarrassment, "But umm… I can't do it very well… with—", blushing furiously she stopped speaking to gather the courage to finish, "—clothes on…" Her face was red all the way up to her ears as she spoke the last couple of words.
He arched an eyebrow at her when she said that.
Kurenai picked up on it and followed up, "I think she means it's difficult for her to open them on others with their clothes on, Hokage-sama."
Raising his head slightly in understanding, "Oh, I see." He stood up and looked at the blond girl as he spoke, "Naruko, Hinata is going to open your tenketsu so your chakra can flow freely. It will probably feel a bit strange, but please bear with it, as it will allow your body to function much better. You'll understand how important it is if you decide to go to school here… I need to be off now to take care of some things but let Kurenai know what your decision is."
Naruko stared over at him and nodded then bowed to him before replying in monotone, "Goodbye, Ojii-sama."
"I'll leave her in your hands then Kurenai", the Hokage said as he turned towards her. His gaze lingered on her for a bit as if wanting to say something more and his eyes shifted over to Naruko. A pained expression fell across his face, as he closed his eyes in thought. When he turned back to Kurenai his face was gravely serious, but he remained silent.
As if on cue, Kurenai bowed to him. Though it was clear she was confused, having watched the play of emotions on his face. What could make an elder ninja such as him react like that?
He tipped his hat to her and walked out of the room.
Hinata finally turned around as the Hokage walked out and turned to Kurenai, "Sensei?"
"Let's move over to one of the bed partitions you two, so Naruko can take her clothes off in private", the woman replied. She moved over to the bed on the left near the window and pulled the curtain all the way around it, holding it up at the end so the two girls could pass. As they did so, she thought about closing the blinds as well. But after a scan of the area, she decided it would be fine since she didn't sense anyone outside and the fact classes were still in session. The wall the window was situated on, was also high enough to where Naruko would be mostly behind cover as well should anyone suddenly appear nearby outside. The Hokage's earlier reaction prompted this caution in her, and though she wasn't exactly sure why, she had a feeling it was important. After the two had entered Kurenai stayed on guard, as she watched Naruko start to undress next to the bed. An inexplicable sensation of unease, she couldn't shake, crept up on her as she watched the girl.
Hinata stood near Kurenai, next to the window and fidgeted with her hands shyly looking down, while occasionally sneaking peeks at Naruko.
As Naruko removed the various pieces of her kimono, she folded and arranged them neatly on the bed. It was a strange sight since the style of dress is rarely worn by anyone in the village and usually only on very special occasions. The way she carefully took off each piece exuded an aura of experience and dignity that was peculiar for such a young girl. Her outfit, not to mention her long golden hair, made her very easy to identify though, because it stood out so much.
Kurenai made note of this fact and wondered why she wore it at all, but was highly impressed by the fact that Naruko appeared to know how to properly dress in it. Initially she believed someone had helped her, but when she remembered that the Hokage said Naruko was an orphan living alone, she realized it was a foolish thought. She herself had only worn one on a couple of occasions and both times she was dressed by someone very experienced in doing so. In comparison, Hinata was wearing ninja mesh, similar to her own, with a dark blue single piece shirt and pants. When Naruko finally removed the last piece of her kimono, Kurenai gasped and her eyes opened wide in astonishment.
Dark bruises and welts of all shapes and sizes covered Naruko's body, along with numerous scars. Her peach colored skin was literally stained with all these marks of abuse and they stood out clearly. Several burns could also be seen on her legs and arms. Kurenai was aghast and felt goose bumps crawl across her skin, as she took in all of this. Her heart wrenched and was suddenly filled with sorrow towards this poor girl's utterly inhumane treatment. Though she had harbored some ill feelings towards the demon fox child, her caring nature wiped these away almost immediately upon seeing Naruko's condition. She had noticed the light bruises on the girls face earlier, but this was completely outside the scope of her imagination.
Naruko's face was passive as she turned around, like nothing was out of the ordinary.
With this, the normally calm and composed woman, was finally overcome with emotion as she stepped forward, knelt down, and embraced Naruko gently. Tears welled up in Kurenai's eyes and streamed down her face unchecked, as a lump formed in her throat. She had never had a child, but was now feeling a tremendous desire to take care of and protect this girl, who was the unjust focus of so much hatred. Was this what they called 'maternal instinct'?
Hinata was utterly confused by her sensei's reaction, as she hadn't see Naruko's naked body yet, and brought her hands up together to her chest in a panic.
Naruko felt a strange burning sensation in her chest when this happened and became confused. The mild pain of the embrace brought her thoughts back to the other children who mistreated her and she wondered if she had done something wrong. But the sensation in her chest caused her mind to wander—and she knew this was different somehow. Would she ever come to understand this feeling? Perhaps this woman in front of her could provide the answer…
