Island of Storms [Sakura]

Chapter 23 | Anger

Knowing that Neji had to die to be rid of the seal was not something that helped quell Sakura's anger. But seeing as how she had already found a way she might be able to get around him dying, she was set on it. She used chakra to slow his heart and lungs. She could see Tenten's panic, but she had no time to explain anything to her.

Finally, his breathing stopped along with his heart, making the medic's anxiety even worse. Tenten let out a wail, thinking he was gone forever.

"Shh..." Sakura hushed, focusing on the seal. She watched it for what felt like an eternity before it began to fade. "Kakashi!"

The man turned all of his focus to the authoritative woman. "Put four hundred volts in your hands, right now!"

He was startled for a split second before nodding his head and frantically thinking back to how he was able to gauge such a thing. Another moment and blue licks of lightning crackled around his hands, though they were nowhere near the power of chidori. Sakura kept her eyes glued to the seal.

"Clear the area," she ordered, people instantly beginning to give her space. "Grandmother, please take Tenten inside."

The elderly woman complied and began walking the young woman toward the door with the help of another woman. "Kakashi, move to the other side of him. I'm going to try and revive him using normal means, but be ready to do as I say."

Kakashi gave a nod of confirmation and moved.

She returned all of her focus to the seal, removing her hands from the young man's chest and coating them in chakra. Kakashi ignored the fact that his skin was beginning to burn from prolonged exposure to the electricity, keeping quiet as burns could be healed.

The moment the seal's presence was erased from Neji's body, she quickly dropped her hands onto his chest, sending her chakra to his heart. She attempted for a few moments to restart his heart, but found that it was not enough.

"Kakashi, with the electricity in your hands we're going to jump-start his heart," she spoke quickly. "What I need you to do is place your hands above either side of his chest and, when I tell you to, bring them down on his chest and remove them as fast as you can, got it?"

He gave a nod and positioned his hands above Neji's chest.

"Now." He dropped and retracted them immediately, causing Neji's body to convulse. Sakura placed her hand on his chest to check for a pulse before pulling away again. Nothing. "Again."

He repeated his previous motion. Again, nothing. "Crank it to five hundred."

He concentrated and repeated before she checked again.

Kakashi and those watching grew worried as she kept her hand on his chest for a few moments longer than she had before. Though it washed away when the woman gave a relieved sigh, a smile on her face.

"We have a pulse." Those around them cheered, and Sakura pulled a scroll from her kunai pouch. "I'm so relieved that worked."

She breathed a breath of fresh air as she released a stretcher and a small collection of medical devices from the scroll.

╌❀✿╌╌💮╌╌✿❀╌

Kosai, Inari, and Shino had been at the rear of the back boat talking about the lessons the two boys would start on after the establishment of the village. Kurama had gladly passed the role of their teacher to the chakra beetle user after he had shown an interest in them.

Shino had been getting a basic idea about their ability levels in the different areas to see what needed to be worked on when they had heard Tenten yelling. Shino had ordered them to stay where they were as he jumped to the roof and over to the other boat. He dropped down from the cabin's roof to find Sakura and Kakashi over Neji. When his eyes landed on where the seal mark should have been, he crouched down and removed his glasses, placing a hand over his eyes.

"Neji?" Kosai murmured as he and Inari broke through the crowd. Shino gave a sigh as he heard the two asking people in the crowd what had happened.

"He just jumped off the roof holding his head..." a man said.

"Tenten jumped down after him and called his name, then he started yelling. She took off his headband and there was this green pattern on his forehead," a woman next to him continued.

"Then, Princess came and made him stop yelling, but then Tenten cried harder..." a little girl who helped clean the restaurant said, not understanding what was going on. Kosai looked at Neji and Inari looked down.

"Tenten said something about... Hiashi killing him..." the woman finished, holding the girl close to her. Kosai's eyes filled with anger and he clenched his fists. He had learned about the seal used in the Hyuga clan a few years prior when one of his classmates had received it. The thought caused his anger to grow as a short time before everything had happened he had learned that the Hyuga clan had announced they would stop using the seal.

He wondered how people could practically mark their family members for death. How they could see family members as less than themselves. It disgusted him, and he couldn't imagine how his classmate had to go through such a thing.

"Save your anger," Shino muttered, placing his glasses back over his eyes before anyone saw. "I understand how you feel, but this isn't the time or place..."

Kosai took a deep breath and nodded.