Chapter 4
Problem Found, Solution Decided
"Commencing chakra infusion." Tsunade raised her hands and performed some hand signs to focus her chakra. Her right hand began to glow a faint green. She lowered it to Naruto's chest, above his heart. Her chakra began pouring into his body. The room was silent except for a small humming noise coming from Tsunade's hand.
After a minute had passed Tsunade turned to Neji, "Has there been any change?"
"No. The chakra you are injecting is disappearing too rapidly for it to have an effect."
Tsunade would not give up. She increased the chakra flow by a factor of ten. This was their last resort. If it didn't work, Naruto would die. Or perhaps even worse.
"I can't keep this up for very long. We need..." Tsunade stopped talking when she felt Naruto's body move slightly. It was working, but would it be enough?
Two more minutes had passed. Naruto seemed to be waking up but just wasn't there yet. "Tsunade-sama, move your hand two centimeters to the right. It will allow the chakra to enter his system more efficiently." She followed Neji's directions. Naruto's eyes began to open a few seconds later.
"..." Naruto looked up and saw the Hokage standing over him. "What are you doing old hag?"
"It is good to see you awake Naruto. You overslept again." Tsunade tried to keep a light tone but there was really no time to waste. "I'm sorry but I can only keep this up for a couple minutes at most. Do you remember what happened yesterday?"
"I-I think I do. Man that was some great ramen." Everyone in the room except Tsunade fell over.
"No Naruto! At the hospital, when Sakura was examining you. You attacked her." Tsunade motioned to Sakura who was standing on the other side of the bed.
"I don't remember that. What are you doing to me, why are so many people here?" Naruto noticed there was an unusual amount of people in the room to see him.
"There is no time to explain all the details. You need to tell us what you think is wrong with you before I run out of chakra and you fall asleep again. You could die." Tsunade didn't think she could keep going for more than another minute.
"Ok I guess. I...uh...think I am running out of catra. I mean chakra. When I wake up each day it does not come back to me anymore. So I avoid using it. I was going to take up fuzzy brows style of fighting to make up for it." Naruto was beginning to feel a little dizzy.
"That isn't the same Naruto." Sakura spoke up "Even Lee has chakra. He just has no talent for using it. No one can live without chakra and you have a dangerous low supply."
"I didn't know that. I just know that for the past year my chakra has been getting lower and lower. I haven't been able to build up enough to use the Rasengan for months."
"Naruto," Jiraiya began speaking "do you use chakra in order to maintain control of the Kyuubi?" No one was startled by the unmentionable fox, everyone present had learned about the secret one way or another over the years.
"Um...I guess so. I don't know. Maybe. Inside I can feel some chakra. Even when I am completely drained it is there. I can't use it for anything. Hmm. I don't feel it right now. Oh..." Naruto's eyes became heavy. Tsunade was almost out of chakra and the flow was beginning to slow down. "...I'm gonna take...sleep now..." His eyes closed.
"Naruto! Here let me..." Sakura began to reach for Tsunade's hand. Jiraiya moved in and stopped her.
"Don't. We got all the information we can. Tsunade you should stop or you risk passing out." Jiraiya lifted one hand and placed it on his chin. He appeared to be thinking. Tsunade lifted her hand off of Naruto and sat down in a chair next to the bed.
Tsunade wiped her forehead with her arm. "Now what? We still don't know exactly what is going on. Even if we did, what can we do about it. I dumped all my chakra into Naruto and it was like trying to fill a barrel with no bottom."
"I have a theory. From everything we have gathered it appears Naruto uses his chakra to keep control over the Kyuubi. If his chakra reaches zero, he will no longer have control. The Kyuubi will most likely take control of his body." The toad sage lowered his hand. "Naruto has had to expend chakra every second of every day of every year of his life. That has slowly whittled down his maximum chakra supply to what we see now."
"That analysis of the facts sounds plausible. But there is still the problem of doing something about it." Kakashi has been in a lot of hopeless situations but he didn't see a way out of this one.
"There may be one." Jiraiya looked towards Tsunade. "By using a seal transfer technique."
"Seal transfer technique? What is that?" Sakura had never heard of such a thing..
"I've heard rumors about it. Someone from the Land of Earth had developed a technique which allows a seal to be transfer from one object to another. Or in this case, a person. But I have never heard of anyone knowing it." Tsunade shook her head. "Even if someone here did know how to perform the technique, it is far too dangerous."
"It is far more dangerous if we do nothing. When Naruto's chakra reaches zero his body may fall under complete control of the Kyuubi. I've witnessed a seal transfer once. I am confident with my knowledge of seals that I can do it here. But..." the Sannin paused for a moment to think. "There would have to be certain criteria for the new host to meet."
"I will volunteer Jiraiya-sama." Kakashi stepped forward.
"I'm afraid you would not be a possible candidate." Jiraiya sighed. "The jutsu relies on the new container to be roughly the same size as the original. In this case, age would be the factor. How many are in Naruto's age group?"
"Eight." Tsunade answered. "However, there are only four in the village at this moment. They are Shikamaru Nara, Hinata Hyuga, Ino Yamanaka, and Sakura Haruno. A few more could be recalled from missions if we had a few days."
"We don't have days. One of the four should be suitable." Jiraiya raised a hand to his chin again. "Due to the Kyuubi, the new host will require a personality that closely matches the kid's."
"I can't think of any that match him perfectly. Kiba might be a perfect match, but he won't be returning to the village for two weeks. If we need someone with strong will and drive, that eliminates both Shikamaru and Hinata." Tsunade turned to face Sakura. "That leaves Ino and you."
"Me?" Sakura did not like where this was headed.
"Yes. Sakura's spirit is extremely resilient. In a contest of will, she managed to defeat Ino's Mind Transfer Jutsu during her first chunin exam after being invaded." Kakashi could never forget that moment, it proved to him Sakura would become a capable ninja.
"N-No way." Sakura folded her arms and closed her eyes, turning her head to one side. "I won't do it."
"Well I guess the only other option is to kill Naruto now before the beast takes over." Jiraiya held out his hand. "Someone hand me a kunai."
"This is a S-Rank mission. I expect to be paid." Sakura rolled her head over to look at her master. They had all moved to one of the large operation rooms which had be modified slightly for the seal transfer. Two operating tables were place in an upside-down V shape. It allowed for both patients to be close enough for hand holding while the operator could stand between them.
"Isn't saving the life of your friend and former team member more important?" Tsunade hoped she was joking, there was no room in the budget for such an expense.
"I'm also protecting the village, this is a mission."
"If you two are finished bickering. Sakura, are you ready?" Jiraiya looked down at the girl. He began to sweat a little bit. It is true that he had seen the jutsu done before but he didn't have a photographic memory. The process didn't look to be too complicated. Both containers must be in contact, while the other person physical moves the seal. He only wished he had seen it done on a person and not a pair of scrolls.
"I-I guess." Sakura turned her head and faced the ceiling again. 'Why did she ever agree to this. Oh right, they were going to kill Naruto. This transfer thing can't be that bad. It is only supposed to last a couple days or a week. Just until Naruto regenerates his chakra. I can do this', she thought.
"Lets begin then." Jiraiya raised his hands and put them together.. Horse. Tiger. Rat. Horse. Dog. Horse. Dragon. "Ninja Art, Seal Translocation Jutsu!" The toad sage moved his left hand over Naruto's stomach, where the seal is located. He mirrored the movement on Sakura with his right. A faint blue glow could be seen emanating from his hands.
Everyone in the room stared intensely at the operation. Would it work? Tsunade was hopeful but even she could not begin to understand the principles on what the technique could be based on. She is a medical specialist, not a seal maker. Jiraiya was always the expert in that area. Perhaps it it would not work. The old man has just standing there unmoving for the past 2 minutes. Nothing was happening.
"Uh...is it over yet?" Sakura had no idea what was going on. She didn't feel any different. Suddenly she felt pressure against her hand. The one she held against Naruto's. It felt like he was awake now, gripping back. Actually it was a bit too..."Ow."
"What is the matter Sakura?" Tsunade noticed her student seemed to be in some sort of distress.
"Naruto is crushing my h..." Something began to happen. The seal had appeared on Naruto's chest below Jiraiya's hand.. It began to rotate. Faster and faster. Not only that, but it moved. First a little. Then a couple centimeters. It picked up speed and was headed towards his right shoulder. Then down his arm and over their hands. Now up Sakura's arm. Down her side. Slowing as it reach the area under Jiraiya's other hand. The seal stopped spinning. It vanished a few seconds later.
The glow on the sannin's hands dissipated. The operation was over. Jiraiya took a step back, wiping his forehead. Tsunade shouted, "Now Jiraiya!" The toad sage seemed to regained his composure immediately. Black and blue flames began to appear on the fingertips of one hand. He jabbed his hand towards the seal area on Sakura's stomach while shouting, "Ninja Art, Five Element..."
Sakura's free hand reached up to grab his. Sakura tried to roll off the table but couldn't. Shikamaru's shadow possession prevented it.
A few minutes ago...
"Hold a moment." Tsunade stepped in front of Jiraiya, preventing him from leaving the room. The doctors had just left with Naruto's bed. "There is something else we can do."
"What do you have in mind?"
"I made it a sort of hobby to review all reports made on Naruto over the years. He does hold the Kyuubi after all. In one made by your own hand it mentioned that Naruto had an extra seal placed on him during the chunin exams."
"Yes. I discovered it on one of our very first training sessions. It was the work of Orochimaru. The seal was easy to..." Jiraiya was cut off.
"Yes, you removed it. I am more interested in how you saw the seal disrupting Naruto's chakra. I believe we can use that to our advantage here. Do you get what I'm saying?" Tsunade smiled.
He nodded. "Completely."
Back in the operating room...
Shikamaru being there was not a coincidence. "She is under my shadow possession. You can do it now." Shikamaru opened his hand and lowered it to his side. Sakura mimicked the movement. Tsunade anticipated something like this might occur, so precautions were taken.
"Let's try this again. Ninja Art, Five Element Seal!" Nothing could prevent the toad hermit's hand from reaching its mark now. As he pressed down around the seal, Sakura let out half shriek, half growl noise. Many present in the room raised their hands to their ears for protection. Her eyes, now red, rolled back and her body went limp.
Jiraiya let out a sigh. "That went as well as could be expected."