Naruto: Faint Smile - CH 86

[Arata Takeshi - POV.]

I felt like I was floating, drifting in a haze, like I was suspended in water. There was no ground beneath me, no weight to my body, just this strange, empty sensation. My head was foggy, the world around felt… distant, blurred. Everything felt… wrong.

I tried to move, but it was like my body wasn’t responding. I couldn’t tell if I was awake or dreaming. Was I dead? No, that didn’t feel right. I was here… somewhere, but everything was so hazy, so… disconnected. It was like my mind hadn’t caught up with reality yet.

My thoughts were jumbled, flashing in and out of focus. I remembered… bits and pieces. There was something important, something I needed to grasp. My hands twitched, and slowly, ever so slowly, the fog began to clear.

Then, it hit me.

I remembered the mission, the battle. The masked man, the chaos, the pain… his blade cutting through my throat, the feeling of blood pouring down my skin, the fear of dying. My heart raced, the memory vivid now, sharp. I had fallen. I had died, hadn’t I? No… that didn’t feel right.

I hadn’t died, I had changed.

The anger, the hate, the hunger… it all came rushing back. I had transformed. My body, my mind—it had twisted into something else. Something dark. A beast. The memories of that time washed over me like a tidal wave. I could feel it… the raw hatred, the all-consuming hunger. I wasn’t myself. I was… something else.

I could feel my claws tearing into flesh, the blood, the power, the thrill of it all. My body had craved it—destruction, violence. I wanted to kill, to rip apart anyone in my way. And at the center of it all was him. The Masked Man. I hated him. I hated him with everything I had. My entire being had been focused on him, on tearing him to pieces, devouring him, making him feel pain and fear, and nothing else mattered.

I wanted to feel his blood running down my throat. And I almost had accomplished just that, I had almost devoured him.

But then… Shisui, intervened.

His face flickered in my mind, clear for just a moment. He had stopped me. I had no idea how, but he had pulled me back from the edge. I had nearly descended, but he was the one who forced me back into myself.

It was a haze, a blur. I couldn’t remember everything clearly, but I remembered enough to know what had happened. His presence had reached me somehow. That burning hunger, that desire to kill, it had all been ripped away when he used whatever power he had. And in that brief moment, I had started to regain control.

But there was something else. Someone else. As my mind returned back to its original state, a familiar voice had managed to reach me.

Teresa.

Even when I had lost control, even when I had turned into that beast, she had been there. Waiting to put me back together. At the time, her voice had felt like a lifeline, a safe haven for my confused mind.

I still remembered her words. Telling me that despite everything, the deepest parts of my soul had fought against the change, clinging, hoping someone would stop me. It was here that I learned I hadn’t fully awakened, that my transformation had been… incomplete, that because I still had remnants of my human mind pushing against the beast, I hadn’t killed anyone, and had focused my entire being into the enemy.

But those remnants wouldn’t last forever. They would crumble, one by one, until there was nothing left but the twisted representation of what I used to be. If it hadn’t been for Shisui, the person that I am, would’ve died.

I shuddered at the thought of what would’ve happened if he hand’t stopped me. I’d been close… so close to losing myself forever. I could feel it now, that edge I had been teetering on.

What was inside of me? What was this power, this curse? I didn’t understand it fully, and before that day, I never really thought much about it. I hadn’t had the problems Teresa or other Claymores had, my power wasn’t trying to consume even when I wasn’t using it, so I never worried about it… perhaps I had been too arrogant to consider the possibility.

I wouldn’t make that mistake again…

I felt my body begin to stir, my limbs heavy and stiff. The haze was lifting, the weight in my chest loosening. I tried to open my eyes, but the light was too bright. I blinked, slowly adjusting to my surroundings.

I was lying in a hospital bed. The familiar smell of antiseptic and sick people filled the air, and the steady beep of machines monitoring my vitals echoed faintly in the background. My body felt sore, but not in the way it had after a fight, or training. This was different. My muscles ached, but there was a deeper exhaustion, a new kind of fatigue that weighed down on me like a heavy blanket.

I could move, but it felt sluggish, like I hadn’t used my body in days— weeks, maybe. I glanced around the room, trying to gather my bearings, but my mind was still foggy. My throat was dry, and when I tried to speak, only a hoarse whisper came out. I didn’t need to say anything anyway. I needed to figure out what had happened—how much time had passed. And more importantly, I needed to know if Itachi and Shisui were okay.

The sound of footsteps pulled me from my haze. I blinked, trying to focus as a pair of nurses walked by my room. They seemed like a blur at first, but then one of them stopped, her eyes widening slightly when she noticed me.

“Oh, he’s awake!” she whispered, turning to the other nurse beside her.

Before I could fully register what was happening, they were at my bedside, their hands already moving to check the machines, adjusting the drip, and making sure everything was in order.

“Don’t try to talk or move too much,” one of them said, her voice soft but firm. “You’ve been out for a while, so take it easy.”

I wanted to respond, to ask what had happened, but my throat felt raw, dry like sandpaper. I raised my hand, trying to gesture toward my mouth, and the nurse seemed to understand immediately.

“I’ll get him some water,” the first nurse said, motioning to the other. “Go inform the doctor. He’ll want to know right away.”

The second nurse nodded and hurried out of the room, leaving me with the one who remained by my bedside. She was quick, pouring a small cup of water and bringing it to my lips. I drank slowly, savoring the cool relief as it soothed my dry throat.

"Thanks," I managed to rasp, my voice barely a whisper. My throat felt much better.

She gave a small smile but kept her focus on adjusting the equipment. “You’ve been through a lot. Just take it slow.”

I wanted to ask more, but everything still felt like a blur. My mind raced with questions, but I focused on the one that had been gnawing at me since I’d opened my eyes. “How long… how long have I been out?”

The nurse hesitated, her eyes flickering to the doorway as if waiting for the doctor to handle this question. “It’s best if the doctor answers that,” she said carefully, her tone cautious.

I could understand her hesitation. But I needed to know. “Please,” I croaked, my voice gaining a bit more strength. “How long?”

She looked at me for a moment, her expression softening, before finally sighing. “You’ve been in a coma for four months.”

Four months.

The words hit me like a punch to the gut. Four months? I stared at her, trying to process what that meant. Four months of being completely out of it… Ok, I can deal with that later. First, I needed to know about my team, about Shisui and Itachi.

“What about Shisui?” I asked, my voice shaking slightly. “And… Itachi?”

The nurse hesitated again, but this time her answer came quicker. “They left the hospital months ago. They’ve recovered. They come to visit you almost every day,” she added softly.

I lay back against the pillows of the hospital bed, closing my eyes for a moment. “What about my sensei?”

"Your sensei...Tanaka Yamato, suffered heavy injuries during the mission," she said, her voice betraying a hint of relief that was quickly replaced by a note of somberness. "He survived, but due to the extend of his injuries, he won't be able to be on active duty. Ever again."

That felt both good and bad, a bittersweet result…

———————————————————————

[Susaki Fuyasu - The Doctor’s POV.]

When I entered the room, I was greeted by the sight of my patient, Takeshi sitting up in his bed. Conscious. Awake. Talking with one of my nurses, that fact alone was remarkable. I had checked on him, daily, twice a day, for the past four months—, and the sight was always the same, motionless, unconscious, locked inside a body that refused to respond. But now, without a medical explanation, he was finally awake.

I didn’t show it on my face, but inwardly, I was more than amazed. This kid was a medical enigma, which was probably attributed to his kekkei genkai, one, we didn’t know anything but the bare edges about.

“Good to see you with us, Mr. Arata,” I said, stepping up to the bedside. “How are you feeling?”

He looked up at me, his eyes still somewhat glazed, his body visibly worn but not weakened. That was the most astounding part about this condition. Four months in a coma, and yet, he showed no real signs of muscle atrophy or physical decline whatsoever. Every day I had come in, expecting the same outcome you would see in any long-term coma patient: muscle loss, deterioration of strength, all the usual complications. And yet, none of it had affected him. He was perfectly fine physically. Beyond that, actually.

Takeshi took a moment before responding, his voice hoarse but steady. “Tired... but I’m okay, I think.”

I nodded, making quick work of checking the machines before moving closer to perform my own examination. “That’s to be expected. You’ve been through a lot.”

I reached for his wrist to check his pulse. Strong and steady. Just like it had been the entire time. I had watched him for weeks, expecting something—anything—to change. But his body had been in perfect stasis. It was baffling.

“Can you try moving your fingers for me?” I asked, keeping my voice neutral.

Takeshi nodded and raised his hand, flexing his fingers. He moved without hesitation, without stiffness. He seemed a bit… groggy, but that was to be expected, but other than that, it was as if he hadn’t spent four months lying in a hospital bed at all, but instead had just woken up from a long nap.

I kept my expression calm, but internally, I marveled at it. Every day, I had prepared myself to face some sort of complication with his case, a weakened heart, cognitive delays, anything. But nothing ever came.

If only we knew more about his kekkei genkai, of how it… helped his body, the medical applications alone would change the medical world forever.

“How’s the movement? Any pain or stiffness?” I asked, though I already knew the answer.

Takeshi shook his head. “No. It feels... normal. I feel tired though, but… other than that, I feel ok.”

Normal. I repeated in my head, suppressing a grin of disbelief. "Good," I said, outwardly calm. “I’m going to check a few more things.” I grabbed my stethoscope, listening to his breathing, his heart rate. Everything sounded stable, perfect even.

“Do you remember anything from the mission?” I asked, probing cautiously. He needed to be aware of the situation, but I didn’t want to overwhelm him just yet. Not while he was still adjusting to being awake.

Takeshi’s face clouded slightly. “Bits and pieces,” he rasped. “I feel the entire thing will come back to me in a few days.”

I nodded, keeping my tone gentle but firm. “Well, Mr. Arata, you suffered significant brain trauma during your mission, which is why you were in a coma for so long. Physically wise, you had no injuries, but mentally, your mind was broken. Normally, we would’ve had a Yamanaka help your mind with the process of healing. Unfortunately, your condition... was, well, it was different from any case we’ve seen. That coupled with the fact your mind seems to instinctually resist any probing, we had no other option but to let your body heal itself.” I paused, choosing my words carefully. “As far as the state of your body, Mr. Arata, I am happy to inform you that your body hasn’t deteriorated in the way we would expect after such a long period of inactivity. In fact, you are perfectly fine.”

He looked at me, his brows furrowing in confusion. “I am? But I feel… so weak…”

I leaned back slightly, observing his reaction. “That’s most likely a side effect of the state of your mind, like how depression makes some patients feel physically weak, when they aren’t. Medically speaking, your body shows no signs of atrophy. So, whatever you are feeling should go away within a few days or so.”

Takeshi blinked, processing what I’d said. “So... I’m fine?”

I nodded, but cautiously. “Physically, yes. But we’re not out of the woods just yet, Mr. Arata. Like I said, you’ve suffered from significant brain activity anomalies that we don’t fully understand. And because of your natural immunity to most treatments, your mind was… very difficult to monitor.” I folded my arms, giving him a serious look. “So, now that you are awake, I would like keep you for monitoring, if anything to ensure that your mental state continues to improve.”

He was quiet for a moment, absorbing the information. “How long?”

“A week or two, it entirely depends of the results, maybe even less,” I replied.