Chapter VIII
An Ephemeral Hope
As comes the calm after the storm, silence is king … at least it does not persist. Like me, Lady Tsunade notices that Naruto's most serious wound has reopened and that the loss of hemoglobin only makes the whiteness of his usually tanned skin paler, not to mention the beads of sweat on his forehead which indicates a high fever. Mechanically, I put him gently on his back as if he was a cracked vase. I leave room for the Hokage who takes care of stopping the bleeding with the help of compresses… Nevertheless, seeing her do, something bothers me.
"Why don't you use your medical ninjutsu?" I inquire.
A silence before she deigns to answer me without even looking away.
"It doesn't work on him … we still don't know why."
I can understand that it can be difficult—if not impossible—to heal all wounds depending on the severity of the situation, but to say that even the medical talents of the legendary Sannin cannot treat the simplest wounds, I remain speechless.
"Call the medical team to take care of the injured!" orders Godaime. "The others make themselves useful!"
As my comrades-in-arm nod and get to work, I too seek to help them… However, when I get up, I almost lose my balance. A particularly violent tinnitus forces me to bring my hands to my ears which only hear this shrill buzzing. While the whole thing is accompanied by an excruciating headache, my vision blurs to the point of seeing only dancing silhouettes turning into a mirage. Before I can understand what is happening to me, I fall backwards. The shock further disorients my senses; my body, which has become heavy, is shaking.
These abstract shapes above me, I don't recognize them, neither does the echo of their voices seeming to say my name. I feel terribly bad, but this discomfort does not last since my skin goes numb. The last thing I remember is those black stars in front of my eye before the darkness took me unconscious.
In a jump, I open my eye. It takes me a moment to analyze the place in which I am. I soon find out since I am lying in a hospital bed and these walls are far too familiar to me; I see myself during those times when I overused my Sharingan. Beyond the window to my right, the sun has already begun to set. Only then do I feel the pain throbbing in my sweaty body and my aching chakra meridians making me wince.
"You're finally awake, Kakashi-sensei?"
This voice is that of Sakura at my bedside that I notice when I turn my head to my left. Her face wears a stern expression—something that does not bode well from her; I expect a sermon of some sort.
"Sa-Sakura…"
"I don't think it's necessary to mention that you've overworked yourself yet again," she tells me curtly, her eyes glued to her report.
Indeed, I am fully aware of this given the state in which I find myself.
"Sorry," I whisper, knowing full well my apologies are pointless. "How long was I unconscious?"
"Almost two days."
"I see…"
I hoped to have woke up only a few hours after my faintness, but I was wrong. The intensive training that I had imposed on my own individual—worthy of rivalry with those wacky of Guy—, I am hardly surprised to find myself in such a state… However, while the suffering throws me a second time, I see in mind what happened with Naruto. Those flames, that wild beast-like temper, that tail… I almost forgot he had come back after a month since his kidnapping—something that haunted my thoughts to the point of making me sick. I should be happy, relieved… Yet, this is hardly the case; I'm more worried about him. What torments me the most in this tumult of questions is his sudden use of the fire release; since his affinity is wind and he has only recently mastered it, it surprises me that he can use this other nature of Chakra with such finesse. Of course, these are far from the only questions that overload my brain.
I guess my student must know what's going on with him since she's here and knowing her, she wouldn't sit with her arms folded and wait; that Sakura from when the trio was complete is a thing of the past, after all.
"And Naruto? How is he?"
A silence, a retinal avoidance and a weight on the heart.
I frown. The concern returns to me when she does not answer me. As I am about to ask again, she decides to speak.
"He's fine… I mean, that's what Lady Tsunade told me."
"What do you mean?"
Sakura finally deigns to look at me.
"With what happened, Naruto was put in solitary confinement. In addition, she severely limited contact with him. In the sense that I don't have the right to enter the department where he is…"
She sighs, and from her face, it's obvious that Sakura is upset that she's not one of the people responsible for his case, especially since she's officially a member of Team 7. Although I don't really enjoy the idea that he was placed where criminals are treated, I know that the situation requires it; the violence he showed when he woke up largely explains it.
A silence.
"Do we have any news about him?" I ask.
She negatively nods.
"No, not yet," she replies, her emerald eyes gazing on the report again. "We did find something, but we can't identify what it is… We would need more blood samples, but…"
"But..?"
"We can't do them."
I understand from these words that Naruto is conscious, so why can't the medical team manage to draw simple samples? Is placing him under sedation impossible if he continues to lose his temper like last time? I'm starting to suspect that the teenager might have amnesia…
"Could it be that he doesn't remember absolutely anything or anyone?"
Her visage speaks for itself when she lowers her head. So my fears were well founded…
"I see."
Despite the sharp pain that refuses to leave my whole being, I use the few strength I still have to get up. My shaking arms struggle to support half my weight. Seeing me do, Sakura stands up and gets closer, ready to catch me if necessary.
"Kakashi-sensei, you must keep lying down," she says sternly. "Your state does not allow it."
By putting her hands on my shoulders to force me to lie down again, I gently push her away; if I can sit up, I know I can stand on my feet. This situation bothers me too much for me to rest or find the land of dreams that my body cries heavily to have. It's my turn to look at her to imply that my decision is irrevocable. I cannot remain in the dark, and this determination allows me to ignore the pain and go beyond the limits imposed by my own self.
"I'm going there whether you like it or not, Sakura," I say curtly.
Only a whisper reaches my ears as I put on my sandals. I feel her persistent and worried gaze on me about my condition; I understand it, but I am enslaved to these anxieties. Since I'll probably come back to sleep here willy-nilly, I'm not trying to wear my forehead protector or my accomplished ninja jacket.
I take a deep breath, then push myself to my feet. My legs wobble for a moment before finding some stability. Once again, I indicate to Sakura not to intervene when she is about to do so. By the force of my will, I manage to silence the suffering that shelters me as I know how to do when the situation requires it—making the shaking vanishes.
"You must probably know it, but I was the one who stopped Naruto in his fury. I refuse to sit there idly waiting any longer than necessary when he's the one who needs the most help. My case will wait."
She too shares the same sentiment as me, but her logic tells her that I should rest. Nevertheless, her emotions take precedence and are stronger than reason.
"Okay. I'll come with you," she says.
I nod before she leads the way. I feel as if I'm stepping on glass. However, I walk without the slightest tremor.
