Chapter XXXV

Precious Venom

I cradled the upset teenager in my embrace until he calmed down, losing all notions of time in the process. The desire to see Naruto smile again drove away any meaning of time that had become abstract and that I stopped caring about. When he dried his tears, he smiled back at me when I inquired about his condition. Aware that Sakura is trying to talk to me before I leave the hospital, I settled on the edge of the bed to read my book.

As for Naruto, he hurried to give me back my shinobi headband which he pulled out from under the pillow. Then, he lay down on his stomach, clinging to me in unhealthy closeness. With his meltdown on waking up, my mind numb, I hadn't noticed the absence of my forehead protector that my student had taken off during the night; since he knew full well where it was, the question doesn't need to be asked. In addition, I tried to chase away the static electricity in my hair with a little of my drool. Using the reflection of my headband, I still look horrible, but that's not catastrophic either; I will have to live with it, sadly.

The sapphire-eyed boy closes his eyelids to find some semblance of sleep. If Naruto hasn't slept all night, he must be exhausted even though he doesn't show it. However, despite his insomnia, he doesn't seem that tired to me. Apart from this feeling of exhaustion after crying, he shows no other symptoms; I wonder if I could try to keep him in a normal rhythm to mine by keeping him awake until nightfall. His photosensitive eyes may prefer darkness, but I know they can tolerate the glare of the sun despite some degree of blindness it causes.

After only a few pages, I notice the familiar figure returning, causing Naruto to open his eyelids; he's suspicious and nervous. Sakura peers out the small window for a moment, then cautiously opens the door. She walks in with a report in her hands. Despite her good mood, I manage to detect a concern in her emerald irises. As for Naruto, besides a few useless reels with his black tail, he hardly reacts. He just stares at her with big eyes, displaying a sulky pout.

"Yo!" I greet her with a wave of my hand while putting my book back in my pocket.

"You seem to be doing much better, Kakashi-sensei," she replies with a smile.

I nod.

"Indeed. I slept like a baby and am fully rested. Nevertheless, I hardly remember my discussion with Godaime. I guess you're here to explain everything back to me?"

The girl nods.

"Can you tell me what you can remember?"

"Let's see," I sigh, crossing my arms, my gaze upward.

I search in my memory the events of the day before. I guess she wants to know what happened when they came back to share their findings with me. No matter how much I work my brain in all directions to the point of overheating it, nothing comes back to me.

"Except that Naruto is indeed responsible for my condition. Nothing else."

Sakura frowns grimly. I notice at the same time that the feral boy avoids any retinal contact; obviously, he still feels guilty about it. I hope it will be soon forgotten so that he stops fretting.

"Based on our analysis, Naruto's venom has beneficial properties for sleep and chakra recovery by plunging the victim's body into what comes close to lethargy or a form of hibernation. It slows your heartbeat and lowers your blood pressure. We believe that it could be able to partially or completely stop a hemorrhage. That's why it was difficult for me to sting you the second time."

I listen in silence to what she tells me, make sure nothing escapes me or slips through the meshes of this anguished labyrinth that is my overloaded head. Nevertheless, the fact that his toxin can stop bleeding, even hemorrhages, arouses my interest. By comparing the two blood tests of the day before, this is understood. However, something else seems to be bothering Sakura.

"But we fear your body may become addicted to it," she continues darkly. "Not only that, but periods of prolonged rest can cause long-term consequences…"

"Become addicted?" I repeat mechanically, frowning.

"There are potent benzodiazepines in its composition which act as particularly effective and immediate sleeping pills… There's a risk that your body will no longer be able to fall asleep on its own should it become addicted to the substance."

A cold sweat breaks out on my temple. Although it allows me to sleep better, quickly regain strength, it could also bind me indefinitely to Naruto in a certain sense, especially if he persists in claiming only my chakra. I don't know if the blond can devour my lightning essence without injecting his toxin into my body, but at the same time, in small doses, it helps me a lot…

That last thought sends a shiver of dread down my spine.

I notice that I have already taken a liking to it and that I will end up becoming a slave to it.

"Besides, Naruto is increasing his dosages more and more. This allows you to recover more chakra, but he also takes more from you. If he continues at a similar dosage or continues to increase them, there could be great consequences for your body. We were very concerned when we saw the amount in your blood. You have to make him stop to…"

"You don't have to worry about it," I cut her off, casting my dark eye on the teenager. "Naruto is already aware. We discussed it when we woke up … well, sort of given his silence."

Sakura stays silent, as if a lump in her throat was a ban on speaking. Something is bothering her.

"Naruto values you a lot, doesn't he?" she decides to ask me after the time of a breath.

Her voice betrays an ache in her heart. Could she be jealous of this closeness I have with Naruto? Knowing my student, she must want to retrieve this bond she had with her friend of yesteryear and the fact that he doesn't give a flip about her must hurt her. I can understand her; I too would be upset if I were to lose such a close comrade who looks at you as if you were a complete stranger. As long as his amnesia lasts, Naruto will only have eyes for me.

"I think it's a matter of comfort more than esteem, Sakura," I correct to calm her pain. "Like it or not, Naruto isn't tame enough to trust anyone other than me. Already happy that he has at least one person to turn to…"

"You're right, sensei."

The kunoichi smiles, but her smile is fake.

"Before you left, there would be other things to do."

"I'm listening."

Sakura reaches into one of her pockets to pull out an object. It's a transparent plastic container on which a wrap of yellow and semitransparent rubber was placed on top. Since this sort of thing is used to harvest venom from snakes, I'm guessing she wants to take a sample from Naruto.

"We'd like to research his toxin further. By having a raw sample, we'd be able to dissect its composition with precision and see if there is a way to synthesize it or to counter the harmful effects," she confirms to me, approaching me in order to give said object in question.

When she approaches, the blond arches his back before sitting down. His deep blue irises frown upon the container. If we can make some sort of medicine out of it, his venom would be able to help a lot of people … if Naruto agrees to share it, that said. I fear he will refuse and it's very likely. When I look at him, he jumps.

He knows what I'm going to ask him; if I translate the features of his face, I already know that he won't agree.

"Naruto, I'd like you to inject your venom into this container," I ask, holding the container out to him.

The blond emits a complaint of displeasure while gritting his teeth. In response, he arches his back, suddenly turning his head; at that, his ebony tail slams against the bed. I let out a short sigh and insist more, bringing the container closer.

"Please, Naruto. A tiny small amount…"

Naruto stubbornly refuses as he backs away from me, ruffling his black fur and golden hair more and more. He hisses and growls loudly while his face sports feral features that make him unrecognizable. I frown and I continue with as much relentlessness as him so that he deigns to give in; knowing my pupil, he won't raise his hand against me, that is understood. This situation puts us both in an uncomfortable position. A few cold sweats bead on my temples.

"Come on, Naruto. Just once. Afterwards, I'll stop bothering you with that," I curse, at the end of my patience.

His aggressive behaviour puts Sakura on edge. However, determined to give her the sample she asks for, I show myself tenacious towards Naruto who ends up lying on his stomach in bed. The teenager pushed to his limits, his black tail grabs my wrist with a quick gesture that takes me by surprise. The embrace is strong; it wraps more around my forearm. Enough that I can't free myself. Aside from a few painless tingles from his awakening veil of electricity, he doesn't hurt me. Staring at me, he forces my arm back. Mechanically, I resist him … but I struggle to do so and his tail quickly takes over me.

"Naruto..."

Seeing me insist, he begins to slowly twist my arm. He doesn't want to hurt me, but he's as determined as me, if not more; he categorically refuses to comply with my request, hence the slowness of his gesture acting as a warning. I can feel the beating of his frantic heart pulsing in his prehensile limb. I realize that this fight is lost in advance and I reluctantly give up.

"I get it, Naruto. I won't insist further."

Immediately, Naruto releases my arm … but he stays on his guard and stares at me with anguish. I don't know why he refuses so much to provide us with his venom… Nevertheless, a hypothesis germinates in my mind. Maybe its quantity is limited and he wants to keep it for me? Possible although without proof, I could easily be wrong.

Dejected, I let out a sigh before returning the container to Sakura, also visibly disappointed. As soon as it's no longer in my hands, Naruto calms down and slowly returns to his original position to stick to me reluctantly.

"I'm terribly sorry," I say, running a hand through my silver mane.

Sakura sighs and observes her comrade with an annoyed look, placing a palm on her hip.

"There's no point in insisting," she says aloud before handing me the daily medication. "Be careful on the way back…"

I nod before greeting her with a wave of my hand. I wait for my student to leave the room to swallow the bitter-tasting medicine. I linger on Naruto who gives me a look; his expression is softer, but he still has our meagre dispute on his heart.

"Get dressed, Naruto," I order him.

Naruto complies and puts on his cape and his sandals which he had removed during the night. I get up, stretching my legs which have remained immobile for too long. However, a touch of anxiety grips my organ in its mischievous vice. I'm afraid that Naruto won't be able to get out of here on his own considering what happened yesterday … although he might be able to if it's in the idea to leave instead of coming here.

"Come, Naruto," I whisper, putting an arm around his shoulders, urging him to follow me…

My fears were proven true when the sapphire-eyed boy stiffens as his breath hitches while never leaving the doorway with his panicked irises. His reaction makes me sigh in spite of myself; his fears are horribly tenacious. I resolve to repeat the same process as the day before. I stand in front of him before bringing my hands to his temples, his forehead within reach of my fingers, smiling.

"We're going to do like yesterday, okay? I'll get us out of here and this place will be a thing of the past."

My good mood draws a sincere smile from my student while chasing the cockroaches away. I slide the forehead protector over his eyes before hoisting him up onto my back, letting him wrap his limbs around me. Unlike yesterday, Naruto is much more serene and less shaky although the anxiety doesn't deign to leave him.

Carrying the blond, we leave the place to reach my home.

Hellow there! Some few words from the author.

Firstly, Thank you very much for reading my story, this means a lot to me! Please, take note that if you are a guest and leaving reviews on my story, I cannot answer you if you have questions. You must have an account in order for me to answer!