Naruto: The Seraph Project

Chapter 74: Doomed

TW: Self-Harm

Naruto finally agreed to rest ... sort of. He never fell into a deep sleep, with which his body recovered the best. The only place he felt safe was the nest or Kakashi's arms. As a result, Naruto remained alert. When Sakura examined Kakashi at night, he was sleeping with one eye open; he stared at her during her visit. His vigilance did not weaken like his desire to protect Kakashi.

The room was starting to stink. Despite the blond's growing pestilential odour, another one just as strong had stung Sakura's nostrils. With disgust, she had discovered Naruto's taint in the corner of the room. Unfortunately, because of her comrade's very unstable psyche, she had to clean everything up. She could not argue with him; only Kakashi could do it anyway. Given the circumstances, she was patient so as not to end up on Naruto's blacklist. The next morning, Sakura tried to show him the bathroom ... but Naruto ignored her, acting as if she did not exist. It frustrated the kunoichi sentenced to unpleasant chores.

Faithful to his post, Naruto remained at Kakashi's bedside, his gaze fixed eternally on him. He was content with numerous short daytime and nighttime naps. When he accepted to rest, no one came in to let him recover his strength; his venom was essential for Kakashi's survival. Slowly, dark circles began to appear under his eyes; fatigue was accumulating. All in all, he was asleep; that was all that mattered.

Despite her obligations as Hokage, Tsunade visited the Konoha Hospital once or twice a day. She hoped to come across a Kakashi who had regained consciousness... Unfortunately, it never happened. He was poisoned before anyone could speak to him. She wanted to unravel the mysteries of the mark on his neck as soon as possible; at that, she wanted to obtain his testimony regarding the attempted kidnapping. Kakashi had probably collected valuable data that could discover the identity or origin of this group. However, she had to be patient. Until his life was out of danger, his report would wait.

Kakashi was getting better every day. He was no longer on life support. The disconnection had plunged the blond into panic, although an immense joy quickly took all place. He waited for the IVs and electrodes to be removed in turn; his eyes plastered on them, and his wagging tail betrayed his hopes. He was disappointed to see the IVs and all the wires still linked to Kakashi.

Even if Kakashi's care was a priority, Naruto was not forgotten. Sakura brought him glasses of water or tea, which he gulped down before asking for another. She inspected and treated his wounds once a day. Fortunately, Naruto was much more docile since Kakashi had been disconnected from life support. As he let Sakura work, complying with her every request, he held Kakashi's wrist with his tail.

Scratches gradually appeared on his body, especially on his arms. These wounds which increased in number were a bad omen; Naruto mutilated himself several times a day. Furthermore, he refused to let Sakura treat the scratches, as if the blond was holding on to the pain, with which he was protecting himself from a much more serious one. He was in pain, and no one could help him.

The more days passed, the more feral scratches marked the room. Obviously, Naruto was clawing and attacking walls, furniture, and even tiles. The quantity was worrying; it was beyond comprehension. They wondered if stress and anxiety were to blame. This was another way Naruto was holding on. Otherwise, it would have been a long time that Kakashi would have found himself on the street due to the devastation caused by the sapphire-eyed boy.

To add to the growing concern, after three days, Sakura had noticed that the burns on Naruto's skin were healing agonizingly slowly, if at all. The scratches he inflicted on himself suffered the same phenomenon. Hungry and exhausted, Naruto was reaching his limits much sooner than expected. The bite marks on Kakashi's arms were numerous; he was bitten several times a day. He could not feed Naruto. Even if his condition had stabilized and no longer threatened his life, having the precious reserves he had recovered siphoned off would gamble his life on a fatal dice throw. The risks of losing him for good were too great to give a single drop of chakra.