NOVEL NEXT Chapter 21: Death?
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"Disappeared!?"
Minato stood at the edge of the dense forest created by the Wood Release jutsu, his senses fully alert. The chakra presence of the masked man had completely vanished.
"Damn it," Minato muttered under his breath, his usual calm demeanor shaken by the masked man's sudden escape.
The retreat left an unsettling feeling in Minato. Despite his efforts, he couldn't shake the sense of dread. The masked man's survival meant he would remain a hidden threat, waiting for the right moment to strike again.
"There's more to this than I anticipated," Minato muttered. He hadn't detected any chakra signatures before the Wood Release erupted from the ground, nor had he sensed anyone approaching. It felt as if the earth itself had been manipulated, leaving Minato with more questions than answers.
"Another user of Wood Release... besides him?" Minato's mind raced. He knew how rare the jutsu was since Hashirama Senju, the First Hokage. But now wasn't the time to dwell on it.
With a grim expression, Minato turned his attention back to the village. There was still much to do.
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In the village...
The ground shook as the Wood Golem, deprived of chakra, began to crumble. The enormous structure splintered, crashing down like a mountain splitting apart.
"Boom!"
Minato appeared beside Kushina just as the Third Hokage, Jiraiya, and other shinobi watched the spectacle unfold, stunned by the sudden collapse.
Minato's blue eyes narrowed. Something was off. He expanded his sensory perception, but Itachi's chakra was nowhere to be found.
Itachi… where are you?
Minato knew of the Mangekyō Sharingan—a power hidden within Itachi's bloodline. He had sensed that Itachi had broken the masked man's jutsu, but he was worried. Itachi was just a child, and using such power could have devastating consequences on his body.
Without hesitation, Minato dashed toward the disintegrating wood golem, searching for the boy.
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Shisui Uchiha, known as the Body Flicker, was faster than anyone in his clan. He had sensed Itachi's collapse and rushed to his side just as the massive wooden fragments began to rain down.
"Itachi!" Shisui shouted, leaping through the falling debris.
His eyes widened as he saw Itachi's motionless form lying beneath the crumbling wooden giant. Without hesitation, Shisui flicked a kunai to clear the path and swooped down to grab Itachi before the falling wreckage could crush him.
"Got you!" Shisui muttered, clutching Itachi tightly as he escaped the destruction zone just in time.
Minato appeared beside him, using the Flying Thunder God Technique to travel instantly.
"Shisui," Minato said as they landed on safer ground, "Itachi… is he...?"
Shisui looked down at Itachi, blood dripping from the boy's eyes. His chakra system was utterly drained—so much so that even Shisui's Sharingan couldn't detect any flow of life energy.
"He's not breathing," Shisui said, panic rising in his voice. "Hokage-sama, what do we do?"
Minato had already sensed Tsunade's chakra nearby. Without wasting a moment, he placed a hand on Shisui's shoulder, and in a flash of golden light, they appeared next to Tsunade.
"Tsunade-sama! Please, help him!" Minato called, handing Itachi's limp body to the medical ninja.
Tsunade's eyes widened when she saw Itachi's pale face and the blood on his cheeks. Memories of other —young lives cut short—rushed back, and for a brief moment, she froze.
"Tsunade!" Minato's sharp tone snapped her back to reality.
Tsunade activated her healing jutsu, her hands glowing green as she poured chakra into Itachi's body, desperately searching for any sign of life.
A heavy silence fell over the group as Tsunade worked, her expression darkening.
After a tense moment, she looked up, her voice heavy with regret. "It's too late…"
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"Why?"
Shisui's voice trembled as he looked at Itachi's lifeless form. There were no external injuries, yet no chakra flowed through his body.
Minato clenched his fists. "It's happened again..." he muttered, frustration and regret washing over him. Itachi had trusted him, and despite stopping the masked man, he had failed to protect the boy.
Shisui, his voice raw, asked, "What happened?" His Sharingan flared, the veins around his eyes darkening from the strain. Though they hadn't known each other long, he and Itachi had become close friends.
"I can't save him," Tsunade's voice was low, carrying the weight of countless losses. She, the greatest medical ninja, couldn't save everyone.
Her fingers brushed Itachi's chest. "Not again..." she whispered, haunted by memories of her brother and Dan.
Suddenly, a soft thump broke the silence.
Tsunade froze, her eyes widening. "Wait..."
Her heart raced as she placed her hand back on Itachi's chest, chakra flaring to life once more.
"Tsunade-sama?" Minato asked, bewildered.
Ignoring him, Tsunade focused on the faint pulse beneath her fingers. "This... is impossible," she whispered in disbelief.
Minato and Shisui exchanged hopeful glances. "Is there a chance?" Minato asked.
Tsunade met their eyes. "There's still chakra in his body."
"What!?" Shisui and Minato exclaimed together. Both had sensed nothing earlier, and even Shisui's Sharingan confirmed the absence of chakra.
Now, under Shisui's watchful gaze, faint traces of chakra flowed through Itachi's meridians, like tiny streams barely keeping him alive. Minato, using his own sensory abilities, also detected the weak, yet steady chakra.
Tsunade straightened, her face more composed. "Minato, we need to get him to Konoha Hospital immediately. His condition is critical, and even with my medical ninjutsu, he won't survive without more advanced treatment."
Without hesitation, Minato nodded. Placing a hand on Tsunade's shoulder, he teleported them both to the hospital, with Itachi in tow.
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At Konoha Hospital...
Minato and Tsunade appeared near the medical storage room. Without using the doors, they leapt through the window, landing inside. Tsunade scanned the shelves, grabbing medications and tools swiftly.
"Place his arm here," Tsunade instructed, mixing the medicine. Minato gently extended Itachi's arm in front of her.
Tsunade made a small incision along Itachi's wrist, pouring a concoction of healing elixirs into the wound. The green light of her chakra enveloped the mixture, guiding it through his body.
Minato watched as Itachi's pale skin slowly regained color. Under his sensory perception, he felt Itachi's chakra stabilizing and strengthening, though still faint.
Moments later, Shisui appeared through the broken window, relief washing over him when he sensed Itachi's recovering chakra.
Tsunade's expression softened. The worst had passed. She turned to Minato, who was still watching Itachi.
"How did this happen, Tsunade-sama?" Minato asked, puzzled. "Earlier, we both sensed nothing. He was... gone."
Tsunade sighed. "It's rare, but sometimes the body protects itself. When a shinobi pushes beyond their limits, the body may instinctively reserve a small amount of chakra to avoid complete exhaustion."
Minato and Shisui looked confused, so Tsunade elaborated. "The body has a survival instinct. When someone overuses their chakra like Itachi did, it can seal away a small reserve to prevent death. It doesn't happen often, but…" she trailed off, glancing at Itachi, "...it seems that's what saved him."
"So he didn't die because his body... hid his chakra?" Shisui murmured.
Tsunade nodded, though her expression remained serious. "Yes, but if we hadn't acted quickly, that reserve wouldn't have lasted much longer. He's still in critical condition."
Minato exhaled deeply. "Then... there's hope."**
Tsunade gave a small, encouraging smile. **"Yes, but he'll need time. I'll stay with him and continue treatment. For now, that's all we can do."**
Minato and Shisui exchanged a look, grateful for the small miracle that kept Itachi alive. There was still much to be done, but for now, one victory was enough.
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