A loud, exasperated huff.
Kakashi, Minato and the medic looked down.
The girl was glaring at them, her patience completely worn out. Her fingers drummed against the bed in an exaggerated manner and started making noises as if talking to herself, muttering half-formed sounds in frustration. Every once in a while, a word she had learned slipped through—"Eat," "Chakra", as if she were trying to piece together some understanding of the conversation happening over her head. But whatever conclusion she came to, she clearly wasn't happy about it.
She huffed loudly and flopped back onto the exam bed like the entire world had betrayed her.
The medic blinked, looking vaguely concerned. "Uh… is she alright?"
Minato chuckled, crossing his arms. "She's fine." His voice was warm with amusement. She has no idea what we're talking about and is absolutely fed up with it.
Kakashi, however, was less amused. "Dramatic," he muttered under his breath. "That's what she is."
At that, the girl suddenly inhaled a deep, exaggerated breath and shot up onto her feet on the exam bed. "Drama? Me?" she gasped, eyes wide with feigned innocence.
Before anyone could stop her, she hunched her shoulders, shoved her hands into the imaginary pockets of her dress, and gave a long, suffering sigh—the exact same way Kakashi had done earlier.
Kakashi's eye twitched. "What?! That's not—" He exhaled sharply, pressing a hand to his face. "Unbelievable."
The girl mimicked the movement perfectly, slapping her tiny hand over her face at the exact same time as Kakashi, mirroring his exasperation down to the tiniest detail.
Minato snorted. Do NOT laugh Namikaze. Do. Not. Laugh.
Kakashi, still with his hand on his face, peeked through his fingers at Minato's reaction, then shot the girl a glare.
The girl lowered her hand just enough to peek back at him through narrowed eyes. Then, in the most deadpan, Kakashi-like delivery possible, she muttered, "Unbelievable."
Minato wheezed.
The medic, still completely out of the loop, stared at them like they had all lost their minds. Still there was a small smile on her lips. She cleared her throat. "Right. Well. There's one more thing." She glanced at Minato, her tone shifting into something more serious. "Her body accepts external chakra extremely well."
Minato stilled and turned to look at her. "Define 'accepts.'"
The medic's brow furrowed deeply. "...She's not rejecting it."
Kakashi frowned. "Meaning?"
The medic leaned back slightly, thinking. "Most people, even trained shinobi, have some natural resistance to foreign chakra. It's why medical ninjutsu takes training and control. The body isn't used to foreign chakra, so there's some pushback. Even people with chakra exhaustion show minor fluctuations when they get healed. But her?"
Minato waited.
"She's taking it. Perfectly."
Kakashi's breath stilled.
Minato's mind whirred. Of course she is. Of course her body doesn't reject external chakra.
Kakashi ran a hand through his hair, his fingers raking through the mess of silver strands. "So what? She just… absorbs it?"
The medic pursed her lips. "Not exactly. She's not actively pulling it in, but when I push my chakra through her network, it flows too easily. It's like…" She paused, frowning in thought. "Like her body doesn't recognize it as foreign at all."
Minato's jaw tightened. The implications of that single fact stacked up quickly in his mind. That explains why she taps into nature energy so easily. If her body has no natural defense against foreign chakra, she can absorb anything. He inhaled slowly. If she isn't careful, that could be a disaster.
Kakashi exhaled. "That's… not normal, is it?" That seems wildly unsafe.
The medic shook her head. "Not at all."
Minato's fingers tapped against his arm. "Could someone like that learn to use chakra normally?"
The medic nodded. "Yes, but it'd be a struggle. She would have to train a muscle she doesn't even know exists." She exhaled, rubbing her temple. "And if she keeps pushing without control, it will become a problem."
Minato turned his gaze to the girl—who had flopped face-first onto the pillow and was now making a long, drawn-out groaning sound into the fabric, as if hoping to drown out the entire conversation through sheer willpower.
Kakashi gave her a dry look. "If you're trying to summon sympathy, it's not working."
The girl turned her face just enough to squint at him, eyes half-lidded with clear, unimpressed exhaustion. Then, just as dramatically, flopped back down.
"Alright. I'll need a blood test and then you are all free to go." The medic stated and turned around to one of the drawers. "Shouldn't take long."
Minato gave a small nod.
Kakashi, leaning against the wall, barely reacted. The girl, still half-listening, didn't react at first. But then Kakashi remembered last night and his body went stiff.
It was subtle, barely a twitch, but she caught it—just like always. Her sharp gaze flicked to him, then followed his line of sight.
Then she saw it.
The reaction was instant. She flinched, scrambling half a step back on the exam bed, her whole frame coiled tight. Wide eyes locked onto the syringe with unmistakable fear. Her fingers clenched the fabric beneath her like she expected the whole world to tilt beneath her feet.
Kakashi swore under his breath. Shit.
The medic, sensing the shift in the room, hesitated. "I promise, it's just a quick—"
The girl didn't hear her.
Her breathing had picked up, chest rising and falling just a little too fast, her muscles so tense it was like she was preparing to fight or flee. Her wide eyes were locked onto it, her fingers curled into the fabric beneath her like she was bracing for impact.
Minato's fingers curled into a fist at his side.
Kakashi stepped forward first. "It's like a bite," he muttered, voice deliberately casual, as if he didn't feel the same rising anger in his gut. "Not worse than that squirrel."
The random word of squirrel got her attention. Just like kakashi wanted. She hesitated, blinking rapidly, as if trying to shove aside whatever memory had frozen her in place.
To prove his point, Kakashi reached out and pinched her arm—just lightly. "That's it," he said simply. "That's how much it'll hurt."
The girl froze, staring at him.
Then, her gaze flicked back to the needle, as if considering.
Minato exhaled through his nose, forcing down the simmering anger burning in his chest. He softened his voice, stepping closer. "See? Just like that. Quick, then it's done." He rested a hand gently on her head, steady and warm.
The girl swallowed. Her fingers twitched against the fabric of Minato's cloak, gripping it tight.
But—slowly, reluctantly—she nodded.
She turned her head away, bracing herself, her whole body tense.
The medic worked quickly.
The needle went in.
She flinched, holding her breath.
And then… nothing.
She stayed still, waiting.
Any second now. The creeping weakness. The dizzy, empty, hollow feeling that had left her barely able to move last time. The slow, sinking exhaustion, pulling her down, making her limbs feel like they weren't hers. The way her head had swayed, the way her vision had blurred at the edges until she couldn't even lift her arms.
Kakashi watched as she clenched her fists and shut her eyes, shoulders wound so tight it looked painful. His stomach twisted and Minato's jaw tightened.
She clenched her jaw, gripping the fabric beneath her fingers even tighter.
But it didn't come.
The needle was gone.
She blinked, her grip loosening slightly.
That's… all?
Minato let out a slow breath, forcing his anger back down before it could slip through. He patted her shoulder, his hand steady. "All done."
The girl didn't move for a second.
Her brows furrowed. Slowly, hesitantly, she rubbed at her arm, waiting—half expecting—something to happen.
Nothing did.
Her gaze flicked to Kakashi, then to Minato, uncertainty creeping into her expression. Why didn't it take anything this time?
Minato forced himself to keep his voice light, his expression calm. "See? Just like that."
The girl rubbed her arm again, slower this time, as if testing it. She flexed her fingers, waiting for the weakness, the dizziness. Her gaze darted back to the medic, cautious, searching.
Minato kept his hand on her shoulder, steady and grounding, but his mind was elsewhere. She's waiting for something…that means last time, something happened. His jaw tightened.
The medic noticed the girl's lingering tension, her hesitant, puzzled expression. "That wasn't so bad, was it?" she asked gently, giving an encouraging smile.
The girl didn't answer.
Kakashi forced himself to stay still, to keep his voice light. "Told you. Not worse than a squirrel."
Minato shot him a sharp look.
Kakashi blinked, surprised at the intensity behind it, even if it was not actually directed at him.
Minato wasn't smiling. His blue eyes were hard. Angry.
"Concerned, are we, Kakashi?" he asked, voice deceptively light.
Kakashi shrugged, but the casual act was half-hearted. "Yeah, well… someone's got to keep her calm, right?"
The medic, sensing the tension in the room, cleared her throat. "She gets a band-aid."
The medic pulled out a small box, flipping it open to reveal a selection of band-aids—each one a different color and pattern. "She can pick one."
The girl hesitated, eyes narrowing in deep suspicion. Pick?
Minato nodded toward the selection. "Go ahead. Choose."
She leaned forward, studying the band-aids with the intensity of someone making a life-altering decision. Her fingers hovered over red, then blue, then a bright yellow one covered in little flowers—before suddenly stopping.
Her eyes widened slightly. She pointed at the purple band aid immediately, almost slapping the poor medic's hand in her eagerness.
The medic, slightly startled, peeled it open and carefully pressed it over the tiny mark on her arm.
The girl gasped. Not a normal gasp. A soft, dramatic, breathy gasp of pure wonder. Her mouth parted slightly as she stared at the band-aid in complete, unfiltered awe.
Minato's eyes soften significantly. Alright. That's adorable.
Her fingers lightly poked at it—once, twice—then pressed down firmly like she was making sure it was really stuck. It stays? It actually stays?
She turned to Minato, eyes shining. Then she turned to Kakashi. Then back to the band-aid.
"You like it?" Minato questioned slowly a small smile forming on his face.
The girl nodded slowly. Then, with the utmost seriousness, she beamed—a wide, bright, full-faced grin—before dramatically holding out her arm as if presenting the most valuable treasure in the world.
Kakashi slowly raised an eyebrow. It's just a band-aid.
The girl, completely oblivious to his confusion, kept admiring it, turning her arm this way and that as if she had just been gifted the rarest artefact known to mankind.
The medic, still slightly amused, reached into the box and pulled out a few more purple band-aids, pressing them into the girl's hand.
She gasped again.
Minato grinned as her smile somehow got even bigger, her entire body practically vibrating with excitement. Well, if that doesn't make up for the needle, nothing will.
Kakashi just watched, utterly baffled. It's. Just. A. Band-aid…a few of them.
The medic turned back to Minato, smoothing out her robes. "Hokage-sama, I'll bring the blood test results to you as soon as I have them. It shouldn't take too long."
Minato nodded. "Thank you." He glanced at the girl, who was still admiring her band-aid, before placing a light hand on her shoulder. "Alright, let's go."
Kakashi was already by the door, arms tucked into his pockets. "Finally," he muttered, stepping out first. Minato followed, gently steering the girl along.
They made it a few steps down the hall before the girl suddenly stopped.
Minato felt the small tug on his sleeve before he even realized she had turned back.
Without hesitation, she spun around and bolted back toward the medic, her bare feet barely making a sound on the cold hospital floor.
Kakashi blinked. What now?
The medic, mid-way through writing a note on the clipboard, barely had time to react before the girl appeared at her side, tugging insistently on her robe.
Surprised, the medic looked down. "Oh? Something wrong?"
The girl furrowed her brows, clearly thinking. Then, with purpose, she pointed at herself.
"You… chakra me."
Her voice was steady but hesitant, like she was carefully piecing together her words. She pointed to her stomach, small fingers pressing into the spot where the medic had placed her hand earlier.
The medic blinked. "My chakra?"
The girl's brows furrowed, her body practically vibrating with determination. Me. Inside. She tapped her chest next, looking up at the medic with clear expectation.
The medic blinked. "You mean—you want me to put my chakra in you again?"
The girl just tilted her heard, not understanding. So the medic gathered some chakra in her hands, the green glow. The girl seriously nodded.
The medic hesitated, glancing at Minato. "That's… not really how this works."
Minato crouched down beside her, his voice calm. "You felt it, didn't you? Chakra. Inside."
The girl gave a sharp nod.
"You want to feel it again," he said, more of a statement than a question.
Another nod.
The medic sighed, rubbing the back of her neck. "Hokage-sama, I don't—"
Minato held up a hand. "Just a little," he said. "Let her feel it again."
The medic hesitated, then let out a soft breath. "Alright. Just for a second."
She knelt down, carefully placing her glowing hand back over the girl's stomach, sending the faintest trickle of chakra into her system.
The girl inhaled sharply and closed her eyes.
Her small hands shot up, pressing over the medic's as if trying to trap the feeling there. Her brows knitted together in deep concentration, mouth slightly parted.
Minato watched her intently. She's trying to follow it.
The medic withdrew her hand slowly. But the girl let her hands where they were, concentrating.
Minato patted her head lightly, smiling. "It's already inside you. You just have to find it on your own."
The girl blinked, clearly not entirely satisfied with that answer, but she let out a small hum in response.
With one last glance at the girl—who was still pressing a hand to her stomach, trying to make sense of the sensation—the medic picked up her clipboard. "Well then, good day Hokage-same, Hatake-san. Please do find out her name."