Chapter 16
A Healer's Touch
Iruka still couldn't believe he was alive. He'd seen the cold stare from Wolf – felt the heat of the blue-white energy that was the man's Chidori. He'd watched it head straight for him. And then...it stopped – and he'd felt the waves of killing intent aimed for him shift to the left – and settle on Shikamaru. He'd watched the struggle for control between Wolf and the shadow jutsu, and registered it when Wolf was able to shift within the shadow's grip. Then he saw the silver-haired man's face twist into something beyond hatred, and gasped when Wolf collapsed toward the floor – only to be caught in Crow's arms just before he hit – his Chidori dying as he fell.
Iruka continued to stare – wide-eyed – at Wolf, as though expecting the man to snap his eye open and lunge for him again. The katana was still held in Iruka's grip in a defensive position. His own heartbeat was loud in his ears. Crow's voice eventually pierced through the shock-induced fog of his mind.
"Iruka – you can lower the blade now."
Still, Iruka couldn't bring himself to relax quite yet. A hand on his shoulder caused him to flinch.
"Iruka-sensei, it's okay now." Shikamaru's gentle words finally broke through to him, and he lowered the blade.
Iruka began shaking as the adrenaline rush that allowed him to face off with Wolf left his body. He looked up into Shikamaru's worried face and tried to put a smile on his face. "Thank...thank you Shika...Shikamaru. I...I...don't think he would have stopped this time."
His attempt at a joke fell flat, and Iruka saw a darkness creep into the young man's eyes when Shikamaru glanced toward where Crow was tending to Wolf. His whispered words sent another shiver through Iruka's body.
"I've never had someone fight my technique like that before. He would have broken loose in just a few more seconds."
Iruka heard a large sigh from Crow and watched the man start to remove Wolf's weapons. "Iruka-sensei, we'll need to sedate him until I can figure out what to do with him. My strike won't last more than an hour or two."
A shrill female voice from behind him caused Iruka's muscles to tense once again. "Sedate him? He tried to kill us! You shouldn't let him wake up at all!"
Iruka spun on the woman and he knew his face was tinged red with his growing anger. "You don't have a say in this. None at all!"
The shocked expression on her face made her look even younger then she likely was. "But...but...he tried to kill me!"
Iruka leveled a gaze at her that he only used on the worst of students. She frowned in confusion as he snarled at her. "If you weren't still carrying that child...I would have let him kill you."
Her eyes went wide again. "But...but...Lord Kurogane forced me to do that!"
Iruka's eyes shifted to a deadly glare and the woman fell silent. His words were clipped and tight with disgust. "I read the files, Youki." He saw her blue eyes widen in recognition of her name. "Every one of you were eager and willing participants. In fact you begged to be a part of it to your father."
She blushed and glanced nervously around. Iruka snorted in disgust. "Don't fool yourself into thinking I care one iota for your feelings in this matter. If there was a way to take you out of this equation...I would. My concern lies only with the child you are carrying – nothing more. Is that clear?"
Youki had the sense to step back and nod in response. Iruka shifted his gaze to the Lightning medic. "Give her an exam while I tend to Wolf. I need to know her status."
The man swallowed deeply – obviously not wanting to incur Iruka's wrath. "Yes sir."
Iruka turned his attention back toward the others and tried to stand. He was halfway up when his legs threatened to collapse under him. Shikamaru's hand on his arm stopped it from happening and Iruka softened his face when he met the young man's concerned gaze – although he couldn't quite smile.
"Thank you again, Shikamaru."
A small nod and the chunin guided him to standing. Iruka took a few shaky steps until he was next to Wolf and Crow. He reached into his pouch and pulled out the syringe he'd prepared earlier in the mission. He held it out to Crow with a shaking hand – frowning at himself for being so affected by Wolf's attack. The ANBU captain took it and promptly injected the unconscious Wolf. Only after he verified the jonin was thoroughly knocked out did Crow stand up and look into Iruka's eyes.
"I'm sorry, Iruka. If I'd thought he'd go that far I would have had you sedate him sooner."
Iruka frowned deeper and reached up to touch his wounded neck. "I would have thought this was a pretty good hint, Crow."
Crow scratched at the back of his neck. "Yeah – well – he'd gone that far before...this is the first time he tried to Chidori a teammate."
Iruka sighed and glanced down at the man they'd tried so hard to rescue. "Crow – what do we do now?"
"We finish the mission, Iruka. We need to get Wolf back to Konoha."
Iruka bit his bottom lip. "It may not be that easy, Crow."
"Why not?"
Iruka opened his pouch and pulled out a small vial of clear liquid. "This is all the sedative we have left. It's enough to keep a normal man out for about five days – but something tells me it won't keep Wolf down that long."
"Shit!" Crow took a moment to look through his own pouch. "We can supplement it with the use of my laced senbon...but my method can cause permanent damage if it's used too much."
Iruka turned toward where the medic was examining the woman. He sighed and walked over to their side. He noticed they both tensed at his approach, and he ran a hand across the back of his neck in frustration.
"What sedatives do you have in you pack?"
The Lightning medic frowned. "I don't have any sedatives. Just vitamins and protein boosters to help keep the fetus' nutrient levels even."
Iruka sighed again and looked at the young woman lying back on the sorry excuse for a bed within the shack. She watched him with tear-filled eyes, but made no attempts to speak to him again. He shifted his gaze back to the medic.
"How is the child?"
A faint smile crossed the man's face. "I'm not quite sure how – but all the signs point to the fetus still being viable." He furrowed his brow. "As well as I can tell without being in a hospital, that is."
Iruka felt himself relax slightly at the news. He didn't want to think about the implications if they'd knocked Wolf out and the child hadn't survived. He placed a trace of a smile on his face.
"I'm glad to hear that."
The medic frowned at him. "Sir...what are you going to do with us?"
Iruka looked toward the others, then back at the medic. "I don't know...but you'll be treated fairly – I promise." He frowned. "So long as you behave, that is."
The medic glanced at the young woman. "What if we lose the fetus?"
Iruka shook his head. "Let's just hope you don't."
He saw the woman pale at his words and Iruka moved back to where the others were standing. He stood next to Neji and placed a hand on the young Hyuga's wrist to get his attention.
"Neji – I need you to scan the woman from time to time."
The young man tipped his head to the side. "What am I looking for Iruka-sensei?"
Iruka sighed – feeling more tired than he had in years. "You need to verify that the child inside is still alive."
Neji nodded and activated his Byakugan. A moment later a frown settled over his lips. Iruka's heart raced. "Neji, don't tell me it's already gone."
"No, Iruka-sensei."
"Then why the frown?"
Neji turned to meet his eyes. "Do you want to know only if all the children stop living?"
Iruka blinked. "I'm sorry Neji...I don't understand."
Neji folded his arms and glanced back to where the medic was sharing a ration bar with the young woman. "Iruka-sensei, she is carrying three children within her womb. All of them have strong heartbeats for now."
Iruka felt his eyes go wide and knew his mouth had dropped open in surprise. "Three?"
"Yes, Iruka-sensei. Three."
"Shit." He rubbed at the scar across his nose. "Let's keep this quiet for now, Neji. But let me know if anything changes with any of the children, okay?"
Neji nodded in silent agreement. Iruka shook his head. Why was it that nothing about this mission could be normal?
-- --
Chuutetsu's view of his own physical fitness dropped drastically after running for hours each day without stopping for more than a few minutes. And watching the others during those stops made it crystal clear that the only reason they stopped at all was because of him. When at last a small shack came into view, Chuutetsu thanked his lucky stars and prayed this was their final destination.
When another ANBU masked ninja stepped out to meet them, he smiled. It was Crow. That meant Iruka and Kakashi had to be nearby!
He waited, trying to keep his breath from rasping in his chest, until – at last – Crow motioned him over. Chuutetsu could see the tension in Crow's body when he moved to his side. His mind went wild possibilities.
"Are we too late, Crow? Where are Iruka and Kakashi?"
Crow stepped to the side and revealed a very tired Iruka limping toward him. A smile stretched across Chuutetsu's face at the sight of the young man, but it quickly turned into a frown of concern when he saw the bloody bandages on the man's leg. He lifted his eyes to look into Iruka's face, but his gaze froze at the tan-man's neck.
"What the hell happened?" He pushed past Crow and rushed to Iruka's side. The Academy Teacher's smile wasn't at all what Chuutetsu was used to, but it seemed genuine all the same.
"Chuutetsu – you are a sight for sore eyes." The man's voice sounded gravelly – but considering the wound across his throat, he was lucky to have a voice at all.
"Sit down Iruka. Let me take a look at those wounds."
Iruka chuckled and waved him off. "Mine can wait a bit longer. I have a couple of other people I'd like you to check first, please."
Chuutetsu's eyes went wide. "Kakashi's worse off than this?"
He saw a strange look cross Iruka's face. "Wolf's arm was injured beyond my skills to fix. And the help he received before we found him didn't seem to know what they were doing. He's unconscious right now – so this would be the best time to work on him."
Chuutetsu frowned. "Unconscious? Why?"
This time he saw the man cringe and had a feeling he didn't want to know the answer. "We gave Wolf a rather healthy dose of sedatives."
"Show me." He let Iruka lead him into the small shack.
Inside he saw Locust and a handful of others wearing headbands that matched those worn by Ten-ten and Kotetsu. They bore that symbol that reminded him so much of the tattoo on Kakashi's left arm. They glanced toward them when they entered and then, at a nod from Iruka, they moved aside to allow him a clear view of the unconscious man lying on the bed. He felt a lump form in his throat. Kakashi lay unmoving. It was only after staring for a bit that Chuutetsu saw his chest rising and falling, pushing aside his fear that the man was dead. His skin was so pale it almost looked translucent – except for the areas covered with bandages, cuts and bruises.
He moved to Kakashi's side and placed his pack on the floor – unsure where to even start. His eyes kept being drawn up to the angry bruising on the man's neck, and he brushed his fingertips over the marks. He turned his head toward Iruka.
"Did the same person who cut you do this to Kakashi?"
He watched Iruka's hands clench into fists. "No."
Chuutetsu knew enough about body language to realize there was a story behind Iruka's injury – but he knew better than to press the issue right now. "Right. So how long ago did you splint his arm?"
Iruka looked confused by the question – as though he really wasn't sure how to answer. "A few days...I think."
Chuutetsu moved to the bound arm and inspected Kakashi's fingers. The man's nails were pink and healthy – once he cleaned away the layer of grime on them – and he sighed in relief that at least the man's circulation wasn't in jeopardy.
He worked quickly to remove the splint and take his first good look at the arm. It was swollen and wickedly bruised, and he could tell just by looking at it that the setting of the bones was very poor indeed. This was not good.
"Iruka – where's the closest hospital?"
"Probably in the Village Hidden in the Clouds...why?"
Chuutetsu blinked at the answer and stared up into Iruka's face. "The Village Hidden in the what? Just how far away from here is that?"
Iruka flushed in embarrassment. "Sorry – I forget you aren't one of us. The closest formal Hospital is a good week away."
Chuutetsu shook his head. "That's too long. I'm afraid there's nothing I can do for him."
Iruka's face changed to one of shock. "What are you talking about? Just reset his arm and it'll be fine."
"Iruka – how can I possibly reset his arm? I'd need x-ray equipment to even see the bones current alignment – and the only place with that would be a hospital."
Iruka frowned at him. "What if you tried it without the x-ray?"
Chuutetsu leaned back and placed his hands on his legs. "Iruka – that's what I'm trying to get through to you. We need an x-ray to stand a chance at realigning the bones without causing permanent damage."
Iruka chewed on one of his fingernails while it was obvious he was thinking through the problem. Chuutetsu added what he hoped would convince the young man that it was hopeless.
"Iruka – by the time we get to the hospital, the breaks will have fused themselves incorrectly. Even a surgeon wouldn't be able to fix this mess."
A look of determination crept over Iruka's face. "Then we can't wait. Do you trust me?"
Chuutetsu narrowed his gaze at the Academy Teacher, trying to figure out where he was going with this. "Yes...I think so."
Iruka turned toward where the others were still standing. "Neji – we need your help."
A tall, dark-haired boy stepped forward. His eyes were so pale it looked like he had no irises at all. Chuutetsu tried not to stare at him while he listened intently as Iruka went over everything they'd just discussed, and then asked the boy if he could help. Neji nodded and focused those pale eyes on Kakashi's injured arm.
"Byakugan!"
That single word seemed to trigger some kind of reaction in the boy – and Chuutetsu gasped when he saw the veins all around his eyes bulge and pulse. "What the...what's happening to him, Iruka?"
The teacher smiled. "Consider Neji your x-ray machine."
The young man scanned Kakashi's arm for quite some time before his eyes returned to normal – well, as normal as they could. He pulled out a blank scroll and proceeded to use a pen to draw a very detailed sketch of the current placement of the arm bones in Kakashi's right arm.
Chuutetsu studied Neji's drawing and marveled at the detail. There was no doubting that the boy was somehow looking inside Kakashi's arm. The bone structures were just too exact to allow for any other explanations. What concerned the medic right now was how the ill-set bones were already fusing incorrectly based on the sketch. Those spots would need to be re-broken before he could start to align anything properly.
He frowned. It was too bad he couldn't see into his patient like Neji – it would have made this much easier. Iruka leaned in to look at the drawing.
"Chuutetsu, are these thick areas where the problem lies?"
"Yeah – I need to somehow pull those spots apart before we can move forward. But I'm afraid I may not be able to break the right spot." He scratched his head. "We normally do this after a series of precise measurements from the x-rays and even then, we usually need to cut the arm open to perform the task when the breaks present themselves in such a twisted format."
Iruka smiled at him. "I think Neji and I can help you with that."
Neji caused his eyes to transform once more and focused the gaze on Kakashi's arm after having Chuutetsu show him the spots that needed to be separated based on the drawing. He watched in awed amazement when Iruka's hands began to glow with what he assumed was chakra – although unlike the blue glow of Kakashi's chakra, Iruka's was a brilliant green. That green glow sank below Kakashi's skin and Iruka slowly dragged his hand up and down the arm until Neji signaled him to stop.
"Iruka-sensei, narrow the field until it's two fingers width. That's perfect. Now lower it...stop!"
Chuutetsu watched while Iruka positioned his second hand the same way over another part of the arm. Neji narrowed his eyes. "You'll need to thrust down precisely three centimeters while the medic pulls his arm forward – that should be enough to separate the sections."
Chuutetsu positioned himself at Kakashi's wrist and looked up to find the two ninjas waiting for his cue. He took a deep breath.
"Iruka – on three, please. One...two...three!"
Chuutetsu pulled – Iruka pushed his chakra through the bones – Neji monitored it all. The arm moved loosely in Chuutetsu's hands – signifying their success even before Neji's words left his lips.
"The bones have been separated."
Iruka grinned and pulled his hands away – the green light fading as he went. "Okay, Neji...now tell Chuutetsu how to manipulate the arm to line things up again."
Chuutetsu watched Neji narrow his eyes and study the arm closely before he spoke. "Twist it two centimeters to your left."
He did as instructed.
"Good – now push down one centimeter – and now toward me...stop!"
Chuutetsu frowned. The angle of the arm was still off. "There's no way that's it, Neji. I can tell without your vision that the bones aren't sitting right."
The young man sighed. "You are correct...that's not it. But we need to fuse one of the bones here to keep it from becoming misaligned again with the next steps."
Iruka's hands glowed. "Where do you need it Neji?"
The boy led Iruka's hand to the correct spot and once again Chuutetsu watched the chakra sink under the skin. "You can use that energy to do more than cut through bones?"
Neji answered, as Iruka's concentration was on the task. "Healing chakra can be used for any number of applications. What we are doing here is nowheres near the level of a true medical ninja. Iruka-sensei...that's enough. It should hold now."
Iruka sighed and pulled his energy free again. "That's a good thing. I'm almost out of chakra."
Chuutetsu looked into Iruka's face and saw exhaustion in his eyes and sweat across his brows. So, there was a limit to what this chakra could do. But at least the rest of the bones should align now that the first one was pinned down. He'd need to find out later just how Kakashi had managed to acquire spiral breaks.
The three worked together to finish the task, and soon all that was left was to reapply the splint. Chuutetsu marveled at how vastly different this land was to where he'd lived the majority of his life. He wondered if they would have a place for someone who didn't sport this miraculous chakra. He watched Neji's eyes return to normal and then saw Iruka sag to the floor with a tired sigh.
Chuutetsu smiled at the man and crossed to his side. He may not have chakra – but he could at least clean out and stitch shut Iruka's injuries until they could get to someone who did have chakra.
"Your turn Iruka-sensei."
Iruka frowned. "Chuutetsu...these can wait. I think that..."
He shook his head and cut the young man off. "No, Iruka...these can't wait. Not unless you want another scar like the one across your face, that is."
Iruka flinched at his words and his face flushed. "I'm sorry, Chuutetsu. Of course – you're right. Please...go ahead."
Chuutetsu couldn't believe how stubborn these men could be. He'd thought Kakashi was the only pig-headed one in the bunch – but it was quite obvious Iruka was just as bad. He looked between the thigh wound and the neck wound to determine where to start. The thigh wound was seeping through the bandages, but the neck wound was threatening to pull loose of the butterfly closures and the skin around it held the angry red color that was the precursor to an infection. That settled it – the neck wound was first!
Chuutetsu reached into his pack and pulled out a suture kit. He lay it on the edge of the bed and pulled out what he needed to clean and prep the wounds. While he went to work wiping away dried blood and removing the current closures he assessed the wound. The cut was deeper than he liked to see on the neck, but the edges were smooth and even...likely the results of a thin-edged, sharp blade. Although he didn't like the thought that someone had tried to slit Iruka's throat, he was glad the injury would be simple to stitch shut. If he did a careful job of it, the resulting scar should be barely noticeable – unlike the thick line of scar tissue marring the man's face.
Throughout all of his ministrations, Iruka remained still and silent. It was a bit unnerving to Chuutetsu...being used to patients who would scream and thrash about for something as trivial as a splinter, let alone a wound of this magnitude. He needed something to break that eerie silence or he'd go mad.
"Iruka, do you mind if I ask a few questions while I work?"
"Won't my talking make it harder to stitch my neck shut?"
Chuutetsu chuckled. "Lucky for you I'm a Senior Medic. Besides – compared to some of the kids I've stitched up over the years, I don't think it'll be a problem. Just try not to pull away or twist and we'll be fine."
He saw Iruka smile – and for the first time since he'd arrived, that smile reached his dark brown eyes, "I'll do my best, Chuutetsu."
He wiped a topical anesthetic over the wound and waited a moment for it to become effective before stringing a needle with suture thread and meeting Iruka's gaze. "You're liable to feel a tug here or there, but the area should be numb to anything else."
Iruka smiled wider. "I'm sure it will be fine."
Once Chuutetsu pierced Iruka's flesh, he quickly fell into the familiar rhythm of stitching the wound...one hand holding the next piece of skin closed, while the other pushes the needle through – the first hand shifting to loop the suture thread to ensure a tight, even closure before moving to pull the next section together. All while he spoke with Iruka about all manner of topics – from favorite foods, to hobbies. When he moved the conversation to Kakashi, Chuutetsu nearly missed a stitch when Iruka shifted under his hands. He glanced up and saw the smile had left the Academy Teacher's face, and his eyes held a deep sorrow.
Chuutetsu frowned. "Hold still Iruka. We're almost done here."
The young man closed his eyes, a faint blush coloring his cheeks. "Sorry."
Chuutetsu placed the last twelve stitches in silence, tying off the end and cutting the needle free before he looked into Iruka's face again. All signs of the smile were gone – replaced by a haunted look.
"Are you okay Iruka? You look troubled."
Iruka placed a smile on his lips...although it was obvious to Chuutetsu that it was forced. Sensing that something more was going on, but also that this wasn't the time or place to delve into something the man obviously wasn't ready to share, he shifted his attention to Iruka's next wound.
If the bandage tied around his thigh was anything to go by, this wound was more then two hand's width in length, and still bleeding quite a bit. He started unwinding the field dressing and found the angle a bit difficult to work with.
"Iruka – sit on the edge of the bed so I can get a better view of what I'm trying to do."
Iruka paled and Chuutetsu watched his gaze shift to the unconscious form of Kakashi. Chuutetsu chuckled.
"Come on Iruka, Kakashi won't mind sharing a bed with you...in fact, he won't even notice you're there."
Iruka's brow furrowed and his eyes held something unreadable in them, but he did as he was instructed. Chuutetsu frowned. He'd need to get the young man to tell him what was going on once he finished patching him up. He leaned over Iruka's thigh and focused on the wound.
This one looked to be another blade cut – although it was longer and deeper than the neck wound. It was going to require some internal stitches as well as the ones used on the surface if there was going to be a chance for the tissue to mend properly. He sighed to himself and retrieved what he needed before bending back over the wound to start cleaning the site. This took a bit longer than the neck wound – partially because of the size of the wound – and partially because it was caked in dirt in places. It looked as though he'd been to the mud baths.
"Iruka – how long ago did this wound happen?" He was seeing signs of infection in the tissue around the cut that gave him an idea, but he wanted to get Iruka communicating with him again.
Iruka scratched at the back of his neck. "Umm – three, maybe four days ago?"
"You aren't sure?"
Iruka shrugged. "The days have sort of blurred together since we broke Wolf out."
They both fell silent again as Chuutetsu started the task of closing up the leg wound while contemplating what Iruka said. Something hadn't sat right with this whole situation since his arrival – and he was only just starting to put the pieces together. No one – not Crow, not Iruka, not even Badger back when they picked him up – had used Kakashi's name...not even the young lad, Neji. Every single one of them kept calling him Wolf.
Chuutetsu glanced over to where Kakashi was lying. The man's face was covered in a half mask of black fabric. It made him look somehow older then he knew he was. It also made him look more deadly. That, added to how Iruka was acting, was starting to make him wonder just what the hell happened during the rescue.
The final stitches were pulled tight and Chuutetsu turned his attention back to Iruka's face. His eyes were closed once more, and his breathing was even. He almost felt guilty interrupting what appeared to be some sort of meditation.
"We're all finished here, Iruka. Just take it easy with the leg. You don't want to rip the stitches out by mistake."
Iruka gave him a tired smile and looked like he was about to say something, when Kakashi moaned and rolled toward them. Iruka's eyes became impossibly wide – and his entire body tensed as he shot to his feet. Crow was at their side immediately, sliding a long, thin bone needle into the side of Kakashi's neck. A moment later, and Kakashi was resting peacefully again.
Chuutetsu glared at Crow. "Why the hell did you do that? I would think you'd want Kakashi awake at this point."
Crow shook his head. "You're right – but I'd prefer not to have Wolf awake right now."
Chuutetsu glanced back down at the sleeping man and the last piece fell into place in his mind. He turned his attention back to Iruka. "Did Kakashi slice your throat, Iruka?"
The Academy Teacher took a slow breath before he answered. "Wolf did."
Chuutetsu's time spent in the City Hospital exposed him to all manor of ailments – include a stint in the psych ward. He'd seen more than a few men with split personalities – and he knew of varying levels of success in treating such ailments. But there were also some who shifted in personality never to return to who they once were. By the way all these people were acting around Kakashi – even though he was unconscious – Chuutetsu wondered if perhaps they'd already given up on his return. He hoped that wasn't the case.
