Aha! No more school for about two months. That means more updates. I'm busy doing all the stuff I couldn't do during school at the moment, but if you bother me enough, I will probably want to write more. Enjoy the chapter.
Chapter 26- Diagnosis
I woke when I sensed someone approaching. My immediate thoughts involved why Kisame had not alerted me earlier, which inevitably led to the thought of ANBU or Hunter Nin. Their arm appeared to be encased in chakra as though they had an attack ready. But my instincts soon slowed down and made room for rational thought processes. This chakra was familiar… I opened my eyes to see Sasuke crouching nearby.
"Sorry Niisan, I didn't mean to wake you up." He said, sounding a little nervous.
My Sharingan was enough to prove that this really was Sasuke, and not a very good actor. However, that did not explain why he was so nervous. "What were you doing?" I asked.
"I…" I noticed he broke eye contact before opening his mouth to continue.
"Don't bother lying." I spoke over him.
Sasuke sighed and approached me, sitting next to me. "Well, I was trying to give you a proper diagnosis, actually… Now the disease is more developed, it might be easier to identify."
I sighed in return; "You've seen Tsunade recently, haven't you?" I kept my questions about how he could have possibly gone about a diagnosis that involved chakra, without waking me up in the process.
"Maybe…?" He replied unconvincingly. I removed my heavy Akatsuki coat, knowing the diagnosis would be easier with less material in the way.
"Go on then, I do want to get some rest tonight." I replied, as I lay spread-eagled on the ground to allow for easy inspection of all of my organs.
Looking surprised by my consent, Sasuke placed his hands a few centimeters above my lower abdomen. His chakra-encased hands systematically searched my torso for defects. He paused after going over my lungs for the third time, frowning. His hand then proceeded to follow my trachea, eventually reaching my mouth. Here he pulled upwards, revealing a ball of green chakra.
My brother activated the Sharingan and began inspecting whatever he'd pulled out of my airways. "I think it's a fungus. It would explain why your condition is chronic, anyway." He commented, referring to the slow development of the disease. "Also why you've been losing weight and getting more easily fatigued. I think it's Histoplasmosis, but it seems kind of weird, like a mutated strain." He continued as he pulled out a container, which had an airtight seal, and trapped the microscopic specimen inside.
"I may or may not have to see Tsunade again…" He smiled weakly.
It was so early that the sun hadn't risen yet. Niisan had let me go see Tsunade again while he and Kisame did some more surveillance. Luckily for me, Tsunade was staying in a room on the floor above the pub she was drinking at last night, so it was quite easy for me to find her.
I knocked on her window with a purposeful rhythm, letting my presence be known. "Yes?" Shizune questioned from behind me as Tsunade sat up on her futon, rubbing her head.
"I have a specimen from my brother that needs identifying." I replied, holding up the container, which encased the few spores I'd gathered from my brother. She nodded in acceptance, before opening the window and entering the room.
A previously bleary Tsunade was suddenly sharp and attentive. She appeared to be waiting for my explanation. "Can you identify this?" I asked, proffering the container. "I think it's some strain of Histoplasmosis…
"You got this out of Itachi, right?" She asked, unfurling a scroll, which she used to gain access to a high powered microscope.
"Yeah, it wasn't that easy, I think he almost killed me in his sleep." I admitted sheepishly. "Without the Sharingan I probably wouldn't even have noticed the pathogen." I reflected.
Tsunade nodded as she very carefully created a slide to view the organism. Five minutes of tense silence later, she gave her verdict. "You're right, it is some form of Histoplasmosis, but not one I've ever seen. I wonder where it originated…" She pondered aloud, returning the spores to their container with her own chakra.
"I'll check to see if it has infected his eyes. Maybe… that's why the mangekyo degenerates the user's eyesight." I voiced the beginnings of my hypothesis.
"You know, to cure this he'll have to be hooked up to an IV for at least six months. The drug we'll have to use is usually called Amphitericin B, but it has a lot of side effects. Hypertension, generalised weakness and possible anorexia, to name a few." Tsunade warned, sounding a bit like an encyclopaedia.
"It 's never easy, is it?" I muttered, feeling as though I had gone backwards again. "There are way too many spores to remove them all manually. Not sure how I'm going to convince my brother to stay still for six months."
"In a few years he'll be too weak to do much else. I'll start working on the eye transplant theory, update me on any information you get." She stated in clear dismissal.
I nodded in understanding before climbing out of the window and returning to my brother.
As Sasuke crouched next to me in the tree I was observing Jiraiya training Naruto from, I raised an eyebrow at him in askance. At the moment we found ourselves in a stalemate position; neither of our groups could do anything to the other. But I knew they would have to be the first to move.
As specks in the distance, Naruto and Jiraiya could not hear my brother reply, "We have to stick you to an IV for six months, but the drug sounds pretty… dangerous… I need to check your eyes for the fungus, too."
"Why, what's your theory?" I asked, curious.
"Well, I think that when the mangekyo is activated for the first time, so are a heap of specifically mutated Histoplasmosis spores. Then over time, they start eating away at your body and eyesight. If the eyes are replaced, some sort of hormone is probably released, which kills off the pathogen. I don't know; I'm still working on that last part." My brother explained, seeming to look a little put out by his lack of complete knowledge.
"There must be more to it." I replied. Personally I thought his theory had some potential, but it also raised questions about how we were born with an inactive pathogen in our body. Perhaps a jutsu had been used to ensure it was passed down along with the Sharingan… "There are no accounts of anyone simply swapping eyes. Then again, 'geniuses' aren't exactly commended for their practicality…" I continued.
Sasuke just smiled before becoming serious again and asking, "What made you change your mind Niisan?"
I knew he was referring to the fact that I had suddenly begun supporting his want to heal me, rather than scolding him for it. "If having me live is that important to you, why should I then just give up and die? I'm sure I can put up with being useless if it will make you happy. I wanted you to return to Konoha, but whilst I'm alive and dependent on you, that's practically impossible. Do as you will." I said with finality as I exited the current vicinity to get any reports from Kisame.
Anonymous Reviewers
HinaWeasel: I was trying not to use too much medical jargon, but after studying Human Biology when they expect it... Well I found it hard to put less in. Still, as long as the general gist is understandable, it won't make the story any harder to keep up with. Thanks for reviewing as usual, I'll try to update more often.
helen marciz: I'm glad you enjoyed it. Thank you for telling me what you thought of it.