Chapter 5
They waited in complete silence outside the operating room. After several hours, a bed was wheeled out, carrying Kakashi’s utterly motionless body. His nose and mouth were covered by a transparent mask, on which a faint mist formed—the only visible proof that he was alive and still breathing on his own. His chest rose and fell irregularly and shallowly, barely noticeable. His entire head and face were wrapped in bandages. Strands of his silver hair, stained with blood, peeked out from underneath. His torso was also tightly bandaged, with a thick dressing covering his entire left side, already beginning to soak through with blood. The poison had circulated in Kakashi’s body for so long that it was impossible to determine when the antidote would take effect. Until then, his wounds wouldn’t heal, and his blood loss would continue.
The Hokage walked alongside him with several medics. A single fleeting glance, still filled with fear, at Gai and Tenzou was enough—both understood that there wasn’t much that could be done.
“Tsunade-sama…” Sakura dared to speak.
“He will be asleep for a very long time,” the Fifth replied, stopping as Shizune and the other medics took Kakashi’s bed to the room prepared for him. Naruto hesitantly stepped closer to Sakura. Sai stayed slightly behind, next to Gai-sensei and Yamato-taichou.
“His eyes… will he…? Gai-sensei said that they… that sensei…,” Uzumaki couldn’t finish his sentence. How could he put into words the horror his sensei had suffered—because of him? Tsunade looked down at him and answered the questions he couldn’t even articulate.
“No, Naruto. Kakashi will never see, hear, or speak again. These injuries cannot be healed. The only thing we were definitely able to fix was his broken bones. His chakra will never return to its former level. He will likely never leave this bed.”
Gai turned his back to everyone. He never shared his tears of despair as openly as his tears of joy. Tenzou was holding himself together somehow, but he stubbornly stared at the wall. The wave of fury he had unleashed earlier had left him feeling empty. Now, he was completely powerless. Naruto, Sakura, and Sai stood with wide eyes—only Sai didn’t look like he was about to cry. Tsunade had no words of comfort for them—no one did. Perhaps she had been too blunt with Naruto, but that was the truth: brutal and cruel. That was the world of shinobi. The sooner she shattered their illusions, the better. She was exhausted. During the long surgery, she had used a massive amount of her chakra, desperately trying to save Kakashi. Despite her best efforts, she already knew that he had no chance of coming out of this unscathed.
When she spotted Inoichi Yamanaka and Ibiki Morino at the end of the corridor, she gestured to them and firmly addressed Tenzou and Gai:
“Let’s go.”
They entered the room where Kakashi was now being hooked up to monitors and IVs by Shizune and the nurses. Another bag of blood was being hung for transfusion—without three transfusions, he wouldn’t have survived the surgery. The students wanted to follow, but Ibiki blocked their way.
“You’re not allowed in,” he said, shutting the door in their faces without further explanation. They stepped back, confused. After a few minutes, Shizune came out to them.
“Go back to your room.”
“What’s happening in there, Shizune-sama? Why is the head of the Konoha Torture and Interrogation Force here…?!” Naruto was panicking. “What are you going to do to Kakashi-sensei?!”
Shizune placed her hands on his shoulders.
“Calm down, Naruto. No one is going to hurt him. Hokage-sama needs to find out what those shinobi wanted from him. Ibiki and Inoichi are only going to examine his memories—nothing more. It’s best to do it while he’s unconscious and under strong painkillers.” She tried to speak gently, wrapping an arm around Naruto and adding, “Kakashi is safe here. Come on, let’s finish your check-up.”
The woman realized it would be best to personally escort them. “Then I need to prepare for the return of the other shinobi. Some of them were injured.” She offered a small smile to the girl. “Will you help me, Sakura?”
The young kunoichi nodded. She knew that Shizune wasn’t good at lying. That’s why she hadn’t reassured them that everything would be okay. Kakashi-sensei might be safe here, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t in danger. Tsunade-sama had said he would sleep for a long time, but she had sounded as if she wasn’t sure he would ever wake up at all. The girl lowered her head and, resigned, let herself be led away with the boys to their room. Naruto still didn’t seem convinced that Kakashi-sensei wouldn’t be tortured, but he didn’t resist any further. Sai still showed no emotions. Not because he didn’t have any—he was simply afraid that if he allowed himself even a moment of weakness, he would lose control.
When they returned to their room, they noticed that the bloodstains on the floor had been cleaned up.