Chapter LV

A Catastrophic Incident

Silence is king of the place.

The tension is palpable.

The calm before the storm.

As soon as we arrived, we explained the whole situation to Godaime in the presence of her faithful assistant, Shizune; Naruto's fleeing, the pursuit, the cursed doll… Unable to face her, I shamefacedly kept my head down, avoiding her stern gaze. I had the important task of ensuring that Naruto's chakra devourer nature remained a secret while taming him… Needless to say, I failed my mission miserably.

As for the sapphire-eyed boy, he hid behind me, holding my hips, motionless; his black tail is around our legs to impose this invisible barrier to the world. He's aware that we're in trouble through his fault, although it's partly beyond his control. At the very least, I remain convinced that he didn't do it on purpose. Devoid of speech, he couldn't warn me of the dangers of the full moon… Perhaps he didn't know it himself?

Possible.

"This unfortunate event was inevitable," I darkly continue. "Naruto only pulled himself together when he was out of the moonbeams reach. It seems that the full moon awakens the predatory instincts of the chakra devourers. As the clouds parted, his mind and body were spellbound by the moon. The marks on his back, like the one on his chest, glowed a blue like his eyes and all his hairs stood on end. I don't think anyone would've been able to predict and prevent this incident…"

"By predatory instincts, what do you mean by that?" asks Lady Tsunade.

Subconsciously, I hold my breath and a silence settle. I absolutely refrain from sharing any element, however insignificant, of Naruto's assault on me. I'm incapable to forget all these feelings of a sexual nature… Sometimes they come back to haunt me, living it a second time. Yet, I have to speak, explain myself…

In order not to divulge this information which I intend to take to my grave, I carefully think and choose my words which will fit my plausible lie.

"I still don't know why he was so desperate to get his hands on that plush in my likeness. But one thing's certain, when I found myself alone with him, hunger deprived him of all reason. In this state, he didn't react when I hit him in the hope of bringing him to his senses. Naruto completely incapacitated me with a petrification spell and I couldn't defend myself while he was … slowly devouring my chakra."

Saying so, I remove the scarf, with which I hide the said bites and my reddish skin, to unveil its mystery. The wounds speak for themselves; they snatch from them gasps of surprise, and their horrified eyes can no longer depart from my tortured neck. Then I stretch my arms forward.

"I have scratches and bruises all over my body, and my arms have suffered serious injuries… To be honest, I don't know what would've happened if his technique hadn't stopped. Naruto probably came to his senses because I had plunged the room into darkness, thus preventing the moonbeams from reaching him and therefore bewitching him."

A cold sweat breaks out on my temple.

"In my entire life, I've never seen a spell as powerful and devastating as his."

"How so?" Shikamaru worries.

"He petrified me down to my chakra."

A leaden silence heightens the tension that's far too unbearable. I take this opportunity to put my scarf back on and camouflage the marks on my skin. Although I'm the only one aware of the nature of these holes in my flesh, I can't help feeling uneasy; it bothers me that they are seen and that's a euphemism.

I'm convinced that I was a hair's breadth from being molested by my student…

"If he's capable of such feats with just one look, I better understand the strange muzzle we found there," Shikamaru mutters. "They probably used it to cover his eyes and neutralize his hypnotic powers."

"Indeed. With his illusions, his eyes are fearsome and pose a real threat," I nod.

I glance briefly at the blond clinging to me.

"All in all, I discovered another ability that Naruto possesses that will require analysis if he's cooperative, though. His saliva has unique properties that act as a fairly powerful analgesic, since he bit me without pain…"

"Are you sure it was caused by the full moon, Kakashi?" Lady Tsunade asks me.

I nod. "I'm one hundred percent sure. Naruto confirmed it to me in his own way."

"If all of that is true, we were very lucky," she grimly says, biting her thumb. "The situation would have been out of control if Naruto had gone all the way…"

"Perhaps it's time you realized that his place is in a cage, Princess Tsunade."

That voice, that sinister, bloodcurdling tone…

When we turn around, I recognize Shiruma Danzō, this old man, this one-eyed man with his vile eye and his venomous tongue like a viper. With him are the elders, Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu.

Their gaze, their expression…

None of this bodes well; from then on, anxiety devours me entirely.

Naruto immediately rushes to hide behind me as Shikamaru and I move aside to concede our places. However, the blond started shaking. His hands clenched and his claws dug into my skin, into my flesh; at that, he whimpers silently while wrapping his tail more tightly around my legs. His irises veiled with nameless fear stare at Danzō and the shaking increases. This unprecedented state of fear in which he sinks doesn't go unnoticed and it forces me to take him in my arms and try in vain to console him…

Shikamaru and Shizune are as alarmed as me at his sudden reaction.

"Danzō," Godaime whispers, looking at them.

They enter the room and it agitates Naruto; his breathing is now wheezing. Danzōs cold gaze locked on us sends a shiver of dread down my spine.

I have a terrible feeling…

"Did you honestly think you could hide his existence as a chakra devourer from us?" asks the one-eyed man in his poised and provocative voice.

"You've all known all along, I see," Lady Tsunade notes, clicking her tongue in her mouth.

They silently nod.

"We left this situation in your hands, Tsunade," Koharu says. "What negligence on your part to let him free! Don't you know the reason why these creatures are extinct?"

A silence.

"If it wasn't for him harbouring the Nine-Tails, I would've put an end to his ordeal," Danzō shouts coldly, staring at Naruto.

His venomous words plunge Naruto into panic, gradually engulfed in an unfathomable sea of misfortune and impossible to conceive. Naruto hides his face in my chest and clings tightly to me; he starts whining and he becomes so fragile, so fragile that he will break forever if I let him go. This is the first time that I've seen him so paralyzed with fear.

"That's enough!" the Hokage shouts in turn while suddenly slamming her hands on her desk. "You're ignorant about this whole story! Naruto's very different from what we imagine them to be! He's far from just a simple beast and he's only interested in Kakashi's chakra!"

"Chakra devourers are just mere animals who blindly obey their instincts and live only to satisfy their appetites. And you gonna make me believe that you can tame him and keep him under control? Look at him! He's no longer a man! The poor fools who have tried their luck at this same little game have all perished under their violence. It's only a matter of time before the monster in him wakes up and sets the village on fire. His place is in a double-locked cage until a new receptacle is found for the Nine-Tails!"

Naruto grabs his hair before his legs can't hold him anymore. It forces me to my knees while holding him. Clear rivers flow abundantly on his cheeks while his breath is too fast and unstable; at that, he sweats profusely and shivers as he curls up on himself.

"Naruto, calm down," I tell him, hugging him.

His empty eyes dissociated from the universe. He no longer reacts to anything. He's having a panic attack and muffled whimpers escape his quivering lips.

"That's out of the question," Lady Tsunade snarls. "It's precisely by putting him back in a cage that he will go back into his feral state and become the uncontrollable monster that you describe. Kakashi's the most effective prison for him. He keeps Naruto in check by snapping him out of his feral temper."

"Really? If that were the case, the village wouldn't have seen the beast which caused general panics that we're struggling to appease the flames," he retorts calmly. "Do you see the dire state of this living prison, Princess Tsunade? Or are you fooling yourself, so blinded by the affection you have for this young shinobi who is now just a brainless animal?"

Saying so, he stares at me, his dark and contemptuous eye with which he pierces me shamelessly.

"Are you really going to make me believe that in his deplorable state, this shinobi is able to control this demon? Certainly, Kakashi is an exceptional ninja, but drained of his chakra, he is only a man. Isn't this night the proof that he's incapable of it?"

"I agree with Danzō," Homura dryly says. "That he's free puts the village in danger, but also the lives of all its inhabitants, especially our shinobis. According to Hatake Kakashi's condition, he will soon succumb to the claws of the boy you are stubbornly protecting."

"You're being reckless, Tsunade," Koharu chimes in. "You're delaying the inevitable. You have to realize that Naruto is no more now. He's a chakra devourer devoid of humanity. One of those demons that once were our predators and against whom we were powerless."

A silence…

And this silence is quickly broken by the sound of the one-eyed cane with which he strikes the ground.

"I demand that you return Naruto to me immediately so I can eradicate the threat once and for all! Since you're stubbornly not doing it, Princess Tsunade, that responsibility is rightfully mine!"

Subconsciously, I hug Naruto tighter than ever, determined not to let go. Cold sweats bead on my forehead and my temples; my heart follows the unstoppable pace of that of my pupil. I feel as if that time has been suspended and continues in the eternity from which I can't escape.

I refuse to hand over Naruto to them, especially to this treacherous man who seeks to get rid of him, to remove the tailed beast from his body, which will inevitably cause his untimely death. No. It's out of the question. I've already lost him once. Losing him a second time is a prohibition that I won't allow anyone to flout, even if it means becoming the enemy of my own village. I'm ready to fight for him, without hesitation.

Fortunately, Lady Tsunade doesn't share their opinion at all.

"I won't give you Naruto!" coldly answers Godaime in a categorical tone. "You can say what you want, yet you're the ones who have it all wrong! The shinobi that he is still persists, like his humanity which rises to the surface day after day. He suffers from amnesia, sure, but he's able to remember, to remember who he really is. This incident is an unfortunate accident that won't happen again. Do I need to reiterate that there were no fatalities? If Naruto truly were a beast incapable of reason as you say, it's not just Kakashi and Shikamaru who would be hurt. The list would be much longer, that I can tell you!"

Lady Tsunade stands up to face them face to face. Her stern expression puts the ancestors on the edge, though Danzō remains calm and confronts her with a stare.

"If you know about it, you must also know that this organization poses a real danger to all the hidden villages, right?" she continues, shouting. "That they were capable of transcending Naruto demonstrates that they will be able to succeed again, creating a veritable army of these creatures. Besides rumours, we know nothing about the chakra devourers and to understand them in order to eradicate the threat they pose, Naruto is a valuable data bank. Remember, Konohagakure isn't giving up on theirs! Chakra devourer or not, Naruto remains a shinobi of the Hidden Leaf Village and he will be no exception!"

A few murmurs, then a silence.

They exchange a brief look.

The Hokage's words make sense and are logical; we didn't know many things about these creatures whose existence was limited to implausible legends. We continue to learn every day… Maa, I learn a lot since I have custody of the teenager with whom I have a somewhat "intimate" relationship. By eliminating Naruto, we will lose a lot of valuable Intel, in addition to those that he insists on forgetting to repel these tenacious demons, which torment him and manifest themselves during his nightmares.

I promised to protect him and I will put my life on the line if necessary; I refuse to lose another comrade, especially one of my precious students whom I intend to extricate from the abyss of despair in which he has fallen so low, so low that he can't get out of it alone now.

"Very well," Homura slices to my relief.

"We warn you, Tsunade," Koharu declares. "At the slightest slip, you will have to entrust this responsibility to Danzō."

"Get out!" sharply orders Godaime.

They nod before they turn on their heels to leave… I glimpse the unhealthy smile on the one-eyed man's face that sends shivers down my spine. He has an idea in mind, and I'm bitten with anxiety. Knowing the character, he will simmer a plan in the shadows. I'm ready to put my hand in the fire that this is going to be about Naruto…

It's only once the door is closed that we can breathe again; the toxic air in which we were suffocating with excruciating slowness has evaporated. However, with dismay, I notice that Naruto has stopped shaking and his body has relaxed. He got so heavy all of a sudden…

"Naruto?" I call out to him, turning him around to see his face.

His eyelids are closed and he's as pale as a ghost; at this, numerous drops of sweat break out on his forehead flooded with his own bodily fluids. Naruto lost consciousness and putting a careful hand on his forehead, he has a fever. After the time of a breath, he painfully opens his eyes, making sick mumbles. His mind is in a daze and his skin tone is increasingly white, to believe that he's translucent.

A few nauseated gasps plus throaty noises are heard when he puts a hand to his mouth, now green. I hurry to roll him over and Naruto nearly collapses. His small arms barely support him and on all fours, he begins to throw up. Since his stomach is eternally empty, except for bile, he vomits almost nothing. The tremors start again like tears. The unnecessary and painful vomiting continues with as much ardour. Mechanically, I caress his back while the crisis passes.

"To have a panic attack of this magnitude, he's under too much anxiety," Lady Tsunade notes darkly.

"Is he so afraid of being locked up again?" indirectly questions Shizune.

"His meltdown started long before we mentioned the topic," Shikamaru retorts, crouching down in turn, worried about Naruto too.

"Naruto is able to perceive certain things invisible to our eyes," I add. "His gaze immediately fell on Danzō, ignoring the others. Let's just say the topic in question didn't help either…"

The feral boy, still shivering, struggles to his knees and almost falls backwards. I catch him and he leans on me to keep himself seated. Bile mixed with an alarming amount of his saliva leaks from his lips, though the viscous liquid quickly turns clear again.

It's only now that I see him clench his thighs and hide his crotch with his hands shamefully, though his dull eyes stare at only emptiness and darkness before him. Naruto urinated on himself and accidentally stained my thigh as I was hugging him. His face is the same that occurs after an emotional crisis of great intensity; he's in shock, that's understood.

I suppress a grimace of disgust at the hot, foul liquid on my wet thigh before embracing him, sliding a hand through his hair.

"It's all right, Naruto. It's okay," I whisper with infinite kindness.

However, as I run my hand through his golden mane, I sense that something is wrong. I frown as I inspect my hand. I hold my breath when I see an alarming amount of blond hair stuck to my palm. When I pull on one of his hair still hanging on his head, it dislodges without the slightest resistance and, moreover, Naruto doesn't react. His hair is very sensitive and elicits reactions from him, even during his sleep; I've already tested it out of curiosity and boredom.

"It's not good. Naruto is under too much stress," I darkly say, dying with worry. "I have to get him out of here immediately."

Lady Tsunade nods. Without further ado, aided by this rush of adrenaline pouring through my veins, I lift Naruto like a princess. Meanwhile, Shikamaru picks up the tail lying on the ground and then lays it on my student, making sure it doesn't fall out of the way. Like the blond hairs, black hairs remain clinging to his hand, indicating that the dark fur is also affected.

"Thank you," I say before rushing out of the Hokage's office to get Naruto home as soon as possible.