Naruto: The Seraph Project

Chapter 72: Bound to Each Other

Sakura held back tears as the morbid tale of that nightmarish night was revealed to her. She had barely gotten out of bed when she was urgently summoned to the Konoha Hospital. It was only once there that Shikamaru explained the situation to her under the supervision of the Hokage. This organization had tried to kidnap her comrade again, and her sensei was still between life and death. The dark news twisted her heart.

However, the strange mark on Kakashi's body had not been disclosed; it was confidential information now, even to one of Tsunade's trustworthy student, although she would be made aware in due time.

Sakura looked out the small glass window. She saw Kakashi connected to the machines and Naruto who was at his bedside, plunged into a disturbing stillness.

"Naruto worries me," Shikamaru said darkly. "He hasn't moved from this posture for three hours even though he's supposed to be sleeping..."

The kunoichi turned her attention to the teenager.

"It's not just that. Because of him, no nurse can enter," he added.

"What do you mean?" Sakura asked.

"Naruto doesn't allow any stranger near Kakashi," Tsunade dryly explained. "One of them was seriously injured. Naruto broke her arm and electrocuted her."

Hearing these words, Sakura's heart skipped a beat.

"Shizune and I are the only ones who could administer care and check on him," she continued. "Naruto glares at us, raising all his hair like a true wild beast and uttering hisses that send shivers down the spines... I've never felt waves as murderous as his. Obviously, seeing Kakashi in this state awakened something terribly dark within him." Tsunade looked inside the room. "If we could provide care to Kakashi, you can too. Naruto shouldn't be too aggressive with you, since he's not with Shikamaru."

"I see," replied Sakura in a trembling voice. "And Kakashi-Sensei. How is he?"

"Thanks to the venom, he's already started to feel better. As long as Naruto can poison him, he should be fine... However, I'm worried. Since Kakashi's body relies on the poison, and Naruto refuses to rest or eat, I fear he'll stop producing it. Without it, Kakashi won't survive."

"What do you mean?"

"He's not at all interested in any chakra," Shikamaru explained with a sigh, slipping a hand behind his head. "I tried to offer him mine. He ignores me as if I wasn't there... Even Shizune offered him hers, and I'll tell you that she got a nasty tail slap..."

Sakura understood that the situation was serious, precarious, and that was only an understatement. For the moment, things were stable, although they were hanging by a thread, like a tightrope walker capsizing on the rope, at the bottom of which there was only death.

Naruto and Kakashi were now dangerously bound to each other. The blond suffered from an attachment disorder towards Kakashi, in addition to feeding on his chakra. The Copy Ninja was dependent on the venom that his body needed in order to sleep. It was a vicious circle. If Naruto could no longer inject his poison, Kakashi would no longer be able to sleep and therefore, provide his chakra to the latter. As a result, both would end up slowly dying from this toxic codependency they were unwillingly maintaining.

Although he was feeling a bit better, Kakashi was not out of the woods yet. His future remained uncertain...

"Sakura, your task is to take care of Kakashi," Tsunade ordered. "I can't spend all my days here, neither can Shizune. Given the situation, you'll have no choice. We'll keep our fingers crossed that Kakashi recovers before Naruto runs out. Otherwise, we'll lose them both."