In Plain Sight

The corridor of the Kirigakure hospital was sterile, its air sharp with the scent of antiseptic, stinging a little in his nose. Naruto tapped his sandals against the smooth floor, fingers fidgeting with the hem of his shirt as he sat on the edge of a bench, waiting for his name to be called. He'd been here a few times before, but hospitals always had a way of making his stomach do these weird flips inside.

Place's always smelling so… clean, like everything's made of glass or something. Routine check-ups were never Naruto's favourite, having strangers poke and prod at him, even if they were doctors. Unfortunately, it came with being a shinobi, so he had to keep up. He could almost hear Haru's voice in his head, telling him that check-ups were important for keeping their bodies ready for missions, but it didn't help that his last couple visits were handled by some stern, stiff-sounding doctors with thick glasses, the kind who squinted a little too hard at his records or muttered under their breath about "rowdy young shinobi."

Naruto watched as a boy probably half his age shuffled by, a couple band-aids slapped over his nose and cheeks, with a look that screamed he'd rather be anywhere else. The blond held back a snicker. Probably a nasty hit in sparring or something. The kid's guardian — or probably his instructor — kept a firm hand on his shoulder, steering him along despite the boy's obvious grumbling. For a moment, Naruto saw a much younger version of himself, trudging to this very place with a swollen black eye and split lip after one academy sparring session. Yeah, I know that feeling. Been there.

"Kaimori Naruto?"

The voice made Naruto looked up. Blond eyebrows then rose. Eh? The guy poking out at the doorway wasn't a familiar face to him, but the white medical robe and Kirigakure armband marked him as a hospital staff. He looked, well, young—maybe a little in his late teens, with silver hair the shade of ash pulled back in a neat ponytail. The round glasses perched on his nose seemed to magnify his easygoing smile — a far cry from the usual stern faces here.

"Uh, that's me," Naruto said after a moment. He figured he probably looked a bit thrown off.

"Please, come on in," the man opened the door wider, unhurried, and motioned toward the examination room. Naruto didn't know this doctor, but the air around him seemed different, friendlier maybe. The blond's shoulders relaxed a little as he followed him in, his eyes flicking around. As usual, lining the walls were medical charts and anatomy models of the human body, bones, organs, muscles — everything labeled and staring back at him. Some shapes he could recognize, but didn't quite understand the finer details. Yeah, these are more like Haru's thing.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Nizumi Kabuto," the man introduced himself, smile still on. He glanced at a clipboard and adjusted his glasses with a casual flick of his hand. "So, Kaimori-kun… first time for a routine check-up like this?"

Naruto shook his head, his hand slipping up to scratch the back of his neck. "Ah, no, I've done this a couple times already. It's just, ah… you're a lot younger than the other doctors I usually get," he admitted with a small smile. A part of him tried to sound comfortable even though the hospital scent made him a bit uneasy.

Kabuto chuckled with a nod. "I get that a lot. Must be strange seeing someone like me in this white coat, huh?" He gestured Naruto to step on the weight scale, his voice light. "But don't worry, you're in good hands."

Naruto slipped off his sandals and stepped onto the device. It creaked a bit under his weight as Kabuto fiddled with the little metal slider. "That's one done," Kabuto said, jotting down some notes. Naruto was then gestured to the next station — a padded stool which he hopped on. "Now, let's check your pulse and blood pressure," Kabuto continued, his tone easygoing. Rolling up one sleeve, Naruto felt his arm tingled as the pressure cuff squeezed around it, tighter than he remembered, but he kept still until there was a faint hiss of air escaping as Kabuto focused on the gauge.

"Looks good," he heard Kabuto say, followed by the noise of pen across paper. Naruto watched as he reached into a small kit and pulled out a tiny penlight. "Okay, this next part might sting a little, but hold still, and try not to blink," he warned, holding it up to Naruto's face. The bright beam made Naruto squint, a sharp flash of white against his vision. It was over just as quick, though, but he had to blink away the little spots after that. Guess it's not so bad.

"Good, eyes are fine." Kabuto murmured, making more notes. They moved on to a hearing check next, Kabuto pulling out a small tuning fork, which he struck gently before holding it close to Naruto's ear. Naruto heard the faint hum and nodded when it stopped. He followed the doctor's instructions as they continued, letting slip a small chuckle — more from surprise than anything else — when Kabuto tapped his knee with a rubber mallet for the reflex test, his leg jerking up on its own. Kabuto's own chuckle joined in as he leaned back, giving a nod. "Everything's good so far."

Through each test, Kabuto kept a steady stream of chatter, asking Naruto questions in between, like he was trying to help easing the stiff atmosphere in his own way. "From the record, you've been a Genin for about four months now, huh?" Kabuto tilted his head a little as he reviewed his notes. "How's it going for you?"

Naruto sucked in a slow breath. How.. do I even answer that? He felt a pang in his chest, memories tugging back to that moment a little more than a week ago—the bandits he'd faced, the first life he'd taken. After a few days of grappling with himself and talking it out with Haru, he'd more or less come to terms with it, or so he hoped. A part of Naruto wanted to shrug it off, to keep things light, but he found himself being honest instead. "It's been… tough, I guess. There's a lot to learn, but I think I'll manage. Missions are…" he trailed off and wetted his lips, searching for the right words, "...they're what they are, y'know?"

Naruto felt a little odd opening up to a complete stranger like that, but Kabuto nodded, his expression thoughtful. It was like the latter had heard something similar before. "I'd imagine so. Missions can be unpredictable, can't they?" There was a pause, as if Kabuto was letting his words settle before continuing, "Alright, you know what comes next," he patted the examination table. "Go ahead, make yourself comfortable and lie down here."

Here goes nothing. Naruto took a breath and tugged his shirt up over his head, draping it over the nearest chair. He then positioned himself flat on the examination table in just his pants, the legs of which he rolled up to his knees. Naruto shivered a little — the surface was cold against his back, like he was a fish on a slab of ice, and he could feel the slight goosebumps that prickled across his skin. It was a different kind of chill, unlike the one from the sea's embrace. Beside him, Kabuto paused for a moment, glancing at him. "So, Kaimori-kun. Ready for me to begin?"

Naruto gave a quick nod, then shifted ever slightly to get comfortable. He watched as Kabuto's hands hovered over his now bare chest, a gentle green glow radiating from his palms as he began his work. "Let me know if anything feels uncomfortable," Kabuto murmured.

"Mm-hm," Naruto mumbled back. Every now and then, he could feel Kabuto prod or poke over his torso, at times pressing down or pausing to scribble something down on his clipboard, before turning his attention back to him a second later. Gotta hold still. Naruto couldn't help but squirm a little, a ticklish reflex he couldn't quite suppress, when Kabuto's fingers prodded carefully across his midsection.

"Ah, sorry about that!" Kabuto laughed and backed off just a bit. "The stomach's a bit sensitive, yes?" Naruto nodded, trying to hold in a snicker as Kabuto went on with the checkup. "That's a good thing, though, just means you're sensitive to touch. Alright, take a few deep breaths for me."

The warmth from Kabuto's glowing hands reminded Naruto of a cozy fire on a cold day. It pulsed like a heartbeat as he focused on his breathing, letting his chest rise and fall in slow, steady waves. Kabuto hummed ever so slightly. "Strong lungs. Capacity is solid. That's good." Naruto felt him gently tap along his ribs. "Ribs are sturdy. Alignment normal. Heart's in top shape. All vital signs are looking good." More medical terms floated through the air, most of which went right over Naruto's head. Words like "intercostal muscles", "costal cartilage" and "thoracic cavity" sounded like things only Haru would probably understand, but for Naruto, it was just a bunch of gibberish he couldn't make heads or tails of. Though, from Kabuto's tone, he figured everything was alright.

Naruto let his eyes wander as Kabuto worked. He idly studied the charts of muscles and bones plastered around the room, when his eyes caught sight of a familiar skeleton model in the corner. Kabuto noticed his gaze and chuckled. "Yeah, that thing's a bit creepy if you ask me."

Naruto gave a half-smile. Yeah, spooky stuff. That, he could definitely agree—those hollow eyes still gave him a little chill. He stifled a grin as he recalled having fallen victim to a prank during his academy days, one that had left him with a very special impression of skeletons. Back then, he'd yelped loud enough to echo through the whole building, and for weeks, his classmates were relentless with the teasing. Stupid skeleton. As they continued their chat, somewhere in the midst of it, Naruto brought up Haru — his teammate had mentioned something about a Nizumi-senpai in the hospital once. Naruto hadn't thought much of it until now. Maybe this is the same guy?

"Haru?" Kabuto raised a brow, then his ink-dark eyes lit up with recognition. "Oh, you mean Kusuki-kun? Kusuki Haru, yes? He's been around here on a few missions before. Quite the promising medic, that one. Got a real knack for healing for his age."

Naruto nodded. A small smile tugged at his lips, "Yeah, he's pretty cool. Knows all these crazy medical stuff." His chest felt a twinge of pride for his friend — it looked like Haru's efforts were noticed by other medics too. He could just picture Haru with that focused, determined expression he always had when he was burying his nose deep in some medical book or fussing over bruises after training. Haru had even once said he'd memorize every medical term if it meant helping others faster.

Kabuto chuckled. Then, a playful glint entered his eye. "He's also mentioned he's got a friend who trains like, uh, in his words, not mine, a 'maniac'." He gave Naruto a look that was both amused and a tad sympathetic. "That would be you, wouldn't it?"

There was a pause, then Naruto gaped, open-mouthed, feeling his face heating up like a boiled crab. "H-Haru said that?" Even so, he couldn't help the smile stretching at his lips as he looked away. "Well, yeah… maybe a little." Naruto remembered the his friend's sigh, the way he would mutter under his breath every time he came out of the practice dojo with new batches of scrapes and bruises. Guess I can't deny it, huh? It must have shown on his face, as Kabuto laughed along, shaking his head.

All of a sudden, there was a knock on the door, and a Kirigakure Chunin — or maybe Jounin? — poked his head in, his headband gleaming under the bright lights. Naruto glanced over, feeling his brows knit together. The man peered around, nodded then quickly apologized, saying, "Sorry for the intrusion—just checking. Please, continue." The door clicked shut again as he left, leaving the two alone once more.

Naruto blinked. Huh, wonder what's that all about. Turning back to Kabuto, he found the doctor gave him an sheepish look.

"Sorry about that. There was a break-in in the medical archives a few days ago," Kabuto leaned in, a hint of nerves in his voice as it dropped to a whisper, as if he was sharing a little secret. "Someone got away with some really old medical records… Scary, huh? But, uh… you didn't hear it from me," he added with a wink, as if catching himself, waving it off as if it wasn't something Naruto needed to worry about.

Old medical records? Naruto raised an eyebrow but didn't press as Kabuto resumed the examination on his legs. Why anyone would want those, though? It wasn't exactly unusual for strange things to happen in the village, though he couldn't shake the weird feeling it left him with. Maybe there was more to it, but he'd leave the nosing around to the chuunin. Kabuto didn't linger on the subject, too.

"Alright, let's test your range of motion next." Kabuto stepped back and gestured for Naruto to hop off the table. The doctor ran him through a series of stretches, twists, bending each limb this way and that and checking the flexibility of his joints, all while keeping a close eye on his every move, jotting down observations like a painter studying his subject. Naruto did as told, stretching out and reaching around. His body felt fine as usual, and this wasn't much different from some of his warm-up exercises, something he'd done a hundred times in the morning.

"Kusuke-kun's right, you know — you really should take breaks. Overtraining isn't good." Kabuto turned to look at his back, and Naruto felt some proddings along his shoulder blades. "At your age, it's easy to overdo things. Eating well, staying hydrated, and giving yourself a good rest are just as important as pushing yourself. All this'll make a big difference."

Naruto didn't bother to hide his grin. "You sound just like Haru," he teased, though he nodded and took the advice seriously. Part of him knew Kabuto and Haru were both right, but another part of him just.. just found it hard to stop. It wasn't that he didn't know about the need to rest, but he couldn't help but push himself harder than most. He rolled his shoulders and stretched his neck. "It's just.. gotta be ready for whatever comes, y'know? I gotta keep getting stronger."

That got a chuckle out of Kabuto, the man pushing his glasses up. "I know, but I mean it. You look plenty strong already. A lot stronger than me, that's for sure—I don't think I'd last three seconds in a fight with you," he lifted his hands in a mock surrender, a self-deprecating tilt to his words. "And unlike Kusuki-kun, I'm no field medic."

For a second, Naruto actually felt a little bad for the guy. The blond wasn't sure if Kabuto was just being modest or if he meant it, but either way, the thought of this friendly doctor in the outdoors, swiping about with a rolled-up medical chart was oddly funny, and Naruto chuckled along — he found himself liking the guy more and more, almost forgetting he was in a hospital at all. The room, with its faint blue, almost white walls and sterile smell, didn't feel as intimidating with Kabuto's relaxed demeanor.

Finally, Kabuto's reached for a small kit and set it beside him on the table, then took out a small needle and prepped a syringe. "Alright, the last part — just need a blood sample. It'll just be a quick pinch."

Naruto took a deep breath as he sat down and held out his arm, tensing for a bit as Kabuto swabbed the inside of his elbow. Just a needle, it's no big deal. Just… don't look at it, yeah, don't look. His let his gaze wander to the shelves again, noticing how organized everything was: rows of medical instruments, books stacked perfectly, and a couple of plants on the window ledge. The scent of clean linens mixed with a faint medicinal smell circled his lungs, reminding him of days spent patching up wounds at home after some rougher training sessions.

"So, got any plans after this?" Kabuto asked, his tone light despite the firmness of his fingers on Naruto's wrist.

"Well, I gotta hit the grocery place first, and after that, maybe a bit of training," Naruto winced, clenching his fist when a prick registered in his skin. "Guess I'm pretty predictable, huh?"

"Determined, I'd say." Kabuto's tone held a touch of approval, his hands steady with practiced precision as he withdrew the blood sample. Naruto felt a light sting when the needle slipped out — the whole thing ended before he even noticed, the doctor pressing a small bandage over the spot and tapping it gently. Kabuto then filled the sample with utmost care into a vial, sealing it with a practiced twist. "But like I said… don't overdo it, alright? Strength isn't just about what you can do — it's about knowing when to give yourself a break, too."

Naruto felt a warm rush at the wisdom behind Kabuto's words — simple but striking a chord, with an odd sense of acknowledgment. It wasn't often he heard things like that, especially from someone who didn't know him well. That, and he hadn't expected the appointment to feel so… casual. Most doctors poked and prodded him like a practice dummy, but Kabuto made it feel more like a conversation between friends at a teahouse.

"Thanks, Nizumi-san. Guess I'll just… try my best," he grinned, rubbing the back of his head, unsure of what else to say. A small part of his mind wanted to ask Kabuto's view on his mission, about the things like that first kill. But the words didn't come. Mission details could be kind of confidential, after all. That, and the doctor did mention he wasn't a field person anyway.

After Kabuto finished tidying up and jotting down the last few notes, he set the clipboard down. "Alright, you're good to go. Take care of yourself out there, and thanks for putting up with the poking and prodding. Your blood report'll be ready in three days."

Nodding, Naruto sat up, rubbing his arm where the needle had been, the dull ache fading away already. He reached for his shirt from where he'd left it, and pulled it back on, along with his sandals. Kabuto gathered up his papers and looked at him with that same easy smile. "Oh, and tell Kusuki-kun I said hi," he added, waving Naruto off.

As Naruto headed toward the exit, he felt better... lighter somewhat. Well, that wasn't so bad, I guess. He didn't know exactly why, but somehow, he felt a little more prepared to face whatever lay ahead. The check-up itself had felt almost like a casual back-and-forth with a friend, and he wondered if he'd see Kabuto again sometime. But even as he left, the thought of the stolen medical records lingered at the back of his mind, a strange shadow over an otherwise good day.