Ao burst into the hospital, Ren's blood still fresh on his hands. "I need a doctor! Now!" His voice echoed in the atrium, authoritative and urgent.
A gray-haired doctor rushed toward them—Dr. Imizu. His eyes narrowed as he quickly assessed the boy's condition. "Emergency room, now!" he ordered as nurses hurried with a stretcher.
Dr. Kaito, passing through the corridor, froze when he noticed the new arrival. He immediately recognized the boy—he often saw him at the hospital with his son, Aoi. The two had become friends while attending the same academy. His heart sank as he hurried to them, where Dr. Imizu briefed him quickly: multiple contusions, possible internal injuries, trauma shock.
"Doctor," a nurse interrupted, "should we contact the family?"
"I'll do it." Ao's voice brooked no argument. He turned to Dr. Kaito. "Take care of him. That family has lost too much... they deserve to hear it from someone who understands."
That evening, Yuki was at home, waiting for Ren—he had never been this late. "Don't worry, Yuki-san, he will be home soon," said Kurara, noticing her anxiety. But Yuki couldn't shake the strange feeling. Suddenly, there was a knock at the door.
"Yuki." It was Ao, his voice controlled but gentle.
She froze. The bowl of miso she held trembled slightly before falling.
"It's Ren, isn't it?" she whispered, her voice threatening to break.
"He's alive," Ao said quickly, seeing the growing terror in her eyes as she finally turned. "But he was in an accident. He's at the hospital."
Kurara, who had been living with them for just over a week but had already adapted to consider the house her own, asked with her usual composure, now slightly wavering: "What happened?"
"We don't know yet," Ao replied, choosing his words carefully. "But Dr. Kaito is treating him personally."
Yuki closed her eyes, painful memories mixing with present fear. "I can't lose him too," she murmured, more to herself than to anyone else. She felt Kurara's hand on her shoulder, a silent gesture of support.
"Let's go," Kurara said, her voice unusually soft.
———
At the hospital entrance, Dr. Kaito was waiting for them. His face betrayed exhaustion, but his eyes showed a glimmer of relief. "He's stable," he said before they could even ask. "He suffered severe impact trauma, but there's no permanent damage to vital organs."
"Can I see him?" Yuki's voice barely trembled.
"In a little while. We're finishing some tests." Dr. Kaito hesitated for a moment. "There's something else you need to know. The residual chakra we detected... it's not normal. It's as if he was exposed to immense energy."
Ao stiffened imperceptibly. He knew what it meant—the chakra of a bijuu always left unmistakable traces. But now wasn't the time to explain what had happened.
The hallway was suddenly filled with the sound of deliberate footsteps. Two ANBU emerged from the shadows, their porcelain masks glowing in the dim light.
"Ao-san," one of them said, his voice neutral. "The Mizukage requires a full report on the incident."
Kurara moved silently, positioning herself between the ANBU and Ren's room door—a subtle yet unequivocal gesture.
"I'll accompany the ANBU to the Mizukage," Ao said with measured calm. "Doctor, please ensure that no one disturbs the boy until I return."
Dr. Kaito nodded, understanding the hidden message in those words. "Of course. The patient needs absolute rest."
As Ao left with the ANBU, Yuki approached the corridor window.
"He'll make it," murmured Kurara beside her. "He's stronger than we think."
The next morning, the first rays of dawn filtered through the hospital window as Ren slowly began to regain consciousness. His eyes opened with difficulty, his vision still blurry as he tried to focus on his surroundings. Where... am I? The thought emerged confused in his mind, followed by a flash of understanding as the memories of the incident hit him: the chakra explosion, Utakata, the Bijuu Dama...
He turned his head slightly, ignoring the dull pain accompanying every movement, and noticed two figures asleep beside his bed. His mother, Yuki, was curled up on a chair, her face marked by exhaustion but finally relaxed in sleep. Next to her, Kurara slept in a more composed position, arms crossed and head slightly tilted.
A slight movement of his hand was enough to wake Yuki, whose eyes opened wide. For a moment, she remained still, as if fearing it was a dream. Then her face lit up upon seeing Ren awake. "Ren!" she whispered, her voice breaking with emotion as she gently held his hand.
Kurara also woke up, and though her face maintained its characteristic composure, her eyes betrayed relief. "Welcome back," she said simply, but the warmth in her voice was evident.
"You scared us," said Yuki, trying to control the tremor in her voice. "Ao brought you here last night..."
"How are you feeling?" Kurara asked, carefully studying his face.
Before Ren could respond, the door opened, and Dr. Imizu entered the room. "I see our patient is awake," he said professionally. "Excuse me, but I'll need to run some checks. Could you step out for a few minutes?"
Yuki hesitated momentarily but nodded. "Of course, doctor. We'll be right outside."
As Dr. Imizu completed his final checks, the door opened silently, and Ao entered the room. Their eyes met briefly.
"His parameters are stable," said Dr. Imizu, noting something on the chart. "Rest is working. I'll return later for another check." With a nod toward Ao, the doctor left the room.
Ao approached the bed with measured steps. "It's good to see you awake," he said, his voice professional yet not devoid of warmth. "You gave us a scare."
"What... what exactly happened?" Ren asked, still confused about some details.
"I found you at the forest's edge after the explosion," Ao explained. "Utakata temporarily lost control of the bijuu, but Harusame managed to stabilize the situation. You were lucky—the Bijuu Dama was deflected at the last moment." He paused briefly. "What were you doing in that area?"
"I was practicing Fuinjutsu," Ren replied, keeping his voice as steady as possible.
"I see." Ao remained silent for a moment before continuing: "It's a relief you're better. You got lucky this time, Ren, but avoid wandering outside the village, especially at night."
"Understood."
Ao glanced briefly around, then lowered his voice slightly. "There's another matter. Regarding what happened, the official story will be that, while you were training, you got caught in crossfire between Kirigakure ninjas and bandits, and luckily, no serious damage occurred. The Mizukage doesn't want to spread unnecessary fear in the village. I hope you understand."
Ao's gaze was serious but understanding, conveying the importance of sticking to this version of events.
"How long will I have to stay here?" Ren asked after Ao left.
"A few days, as a precaution," replied Dr. Imizu as he re-entered the room. "We want to ensure there are no lingering effects from the chakra exposure."
The days in the hospital passed slowly, but at least Ren wasn't alone. Besides the constant presence of his mother and Kurara, on the second day, he received an unexpected visit.
"REN!" Jun'ko's voice echoed down the hallway before she even entered the room, startling a passing nurse. Aoi followed her at a more cautious pace, shaking his head with a resigned smile.
"Could you not yell? This is a hospital," Aoi chided her as he approached the bed. His eyes betrayed concern as he studied his friend's condition. "How are you feeling?"
"I've been better," Ren admitted with a half-smile. "But I'll survive."
"Of course you'll survive!" Jun'ko exclaimed, plopping into the chair beside the bed. "You can't get KO'd this easily—who else would put up with my jokes during boring lessons?"
"Jun'ko…" Aoi sighed.
"What? I'm trying to cheer him up!" she protested, then turned back to Ren. "Did you know Fujimoto asked about you? He said you're the only one who doesn't fall asleep during his lectures on the First Ninja War."
"Probably because he's the only one who actually takes notes instead of drawing..." Aoi quipped, throwing a pointed look at Jun'ko.
"Hey! My drawings are art! And besides, I've seen your doodles of medical formulas."
Ren couldn't suppress a laugh, which quickly turned into a grimace of pain. "Don't make me laugh—it hurts."
"Sorry!" Jun'ko looked genuinely apologetic. "But at least we made you smile. You've been way too serious lately."
"Speaking of serious," Aoi interjected, "my father told me you need to rest for a while."
"I know," Ren murmured, reflecting on the events that had brought him there. "I'll keep it in mind."
"Good!" Jun'ko sprang to her feet. "Then it's settled—when you're out of here, we're doing something fun. No training, no techniques, just... I don't know, whatever normal kids do?"
"Jun'ko, we're ninjas," Aoi reminded her.
"Exactly! We're the most boring ninjas of our generation. Well, maybe you and Ren—I'm clearly the most fun."
Ren stayed silent, listening to their banter, grateful for the temporary distraction.
- - - - - - - - -
In the Mizukage's tower, Yagura sat at his desk. Before him, the report on the incident lay open, its pages dense with details demanding his attention.
"So, this is what happened," he murmured, his eyes scanning the final lines. Despite his young age, he exuded an aura of natural authority as he stood to gaze at the village through the window. The mist had cleared, revealing the lights of Kirigakure beginning to flicker on in the twilight.
"Harusame, this isn't like him…" he said. "A jinchūriki's training cannot endanger civilians."
He turned toward the ANBU who waited silently. "Increase patrols on the village's outer borders. Civilians shouldn't venture that far, especially at night."
As the ANBU disappeared to carry out his orders, Yagura returned his gaze to the village. His usually impassive expression betrayed a hint of concern. I must protect this village, he thought. At any cost.
[ Hi there! Ito-kun here ^.^ Happy New Year!!!
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