Naruto: The Seraph Project

Chapter 35: 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.