Naruto: The Seraph Project

Chapter 90: Wind of Freedom

TW: Eating Disorder, Mention of Suicide

Lady Tsunade is examining me and looking at the back of my neck. I hold my breath, waiting for her verdict. After another long week in this room, imagining the walls getting smaller little by little, I'm dying to get out. I'm definitely going to end up losing my mind if I stay here one more day...

"It's good. You can leave today, Kakashi," she tells me, to my great relief.

"I'm glad to hear that," I exclaim, smiling. "I was starting to get depressed after more than a month here..."

"I would have kept you a little longer, but..." Godaime looks at my unrecognizable and destroyed room. My apartment is unscathed in comparison... The state of my apartment I fear to discover if I rely on the incident report. Naruto dealt with his stress by clawing more than necessary. There are also teeth marks on some furniture, including the bars of my bed. The floor and walls are massacred with tail slams and punches. Apparently, he got angry more than once, and the staff refuses to tell me why. I guess they don't want me to worry...

"... let's just say that I'd prefer if the room can still be repaired. There's also this smell of death that's starting to spread into the neighbouring rooms... I'm surprised that you didn't die of asphyxiation or air poisoning."

I let out a nervous laugh. "My nose is constantly exposed to it. I guess I don't smell it anymore..."

Yes and no. I regained my sense of smell a long time ago. I feel like my nose is filtering my scent and that of Naruto, which no longer bothers me, even after many baths and keeping the windows open to ventilate the room. By amplifying my sense of smell with chakra, I easily detect and differentiate all aromas, including those of my student. I remember how vile and horrible his body scent was to my sensitive nostrils. I wasn't the only one; it is for absolutely everyone. Since I'm part chakra devourer now, it must have become ... normal to me, like a smell is normal and pleasant among the same species.

"Maybe," she sighs before finally removing the venous catheter housed in the crook of my arm. "Although there's no development, we'll continue blood sampling on a weekly basis to be sure."

I nod. This reassures me that my blood is still human, irrefutable proof that I haven't lost my humanity.

"I'm gonna give you a few more days to recover at home," she adds. "Next, we'll probe Naruto's mind."

My blood freezes in my veins. I sincerely fear the consequences this will have on his psyche, given that he will have to confront his traumas. Unfortunately, I can't refuse for him, negotiate and say no. This is necessary. The threat to us and Konohagakure is too great to wait until Naruto is ready to remember anything.

"Indeed," I reluctantly agree, letting out a sigh. "That said, I plan to train him as soon as I recover. Chakra Devourers are endowed with great power and very useful powers. Naruto could become a valuable asset to the village, especially if he relearns how to use his ninjutsu techniques."

"You want to train him to get rid of his fear, don't you?"

I nod. "If he could've fought alongside me, I wouldn't have ended up in this state. Feeding him with my chakra limits my field of action a lot. I'm a sad excuse as a ninja."

"I agree with you. Naruto is strong and unpredictable. He mustn't fall back into the hands of the enemy. They will use him as a weapon against us. He's still mentally unstable, but the hold you have on him is enough to start training."

In addition to training Naruto, I plan to train with him. My useless body is rusty. I lost some muscles, and I need to get back on track. I've done some exercises over the last few days, and it's far from enough. I need to move, get punched and work my cardio. I'm pitiful to see, and I weigh my words.