October 12th, Konohagakure, Land of Fire.
Two days after the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox Attack.
Konohagakure Hospital, Ward 27A.
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Injury Report 10.12
Namikaze Minato. Suffered massive puncture wounds from claw of the Demon Fox. Severe organ damage and internal bleeding. Fractured all ribs. Near total lung collapse from pneumothorax. High septic risk. Recovering well after thirteen surgeries.
Uzumaki Kushina. Total cell apoptosis from withdrawal of Tailed Beast. Temporarily stabilized. Remains unconscious. Prognosis unknown.
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Akai was finishing writing when he heard Kurama grumble on his shoulder.
"What're you doing, wasting your time in this blasted place, writing all that garbage down? I want to take a bath in the Land of Waves... the Grand Rapids... you Humans wouldn't have destroyed that waterfall, would you?"
Yurime had slept on his lap all the while he filled the injury report. He set the pen down on the nightstand with as minimal movement as possible.
Finally, his hands were free. They drifted to her bun-like cheeks, brushing along it with his first joints. She snuggled closer to his hand with every touch.
Satisfaction took root in his heart. He didn't smile, but the stiffness in his shoulders that he didn't even know was there eased.
It was convenient knowing every thought of hers through the Mangekyo of his right eye.
It eliminated all the stress of parenting.
He knew where every itch was, when her bladder wanted to leak, or how she'd want to be soothed. There was no need for guesswork around her unpredictable cries; he was in perfect harmony with her.
Akai even theorized that this was the reason behind the awakening of his Mangekyo.
If his Sharingan had awoken from the desire of power to protect Yumeka, then his Mangkeyo had evolved from the desire to spend every minute he could with Yurime, as perfectly as possible.
"You said there were dozens of malice-filled gazes around," he said.
"So? That's not my fault, Uchiha scum," Kurama grumbled. "You promised freedom. I want a bath."
Akai continued gently poking and prodding little Yurime. He was in the best mood since the incident.
Normally, he'd ignore the ramblings of the talkative, oversized fox. But the Fox had been pretty obedient, barring its chatter. It had condensed itself into a smaller form about the size of a plush toy—the perfect size for Yurime to drag around—after a little threatening.
He gave it a few words.
"You're being difficult," Akai said, now stroking the back of Yurime's neck.
"A bath is not hard to fulfill."
"I'll wash you with the water from the Senior's pool at the hot springs."
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Kurama shudder.
Then he felt two presences suddenly appear outside their hospital room.
"M-maybe not-"
"Besides, they want to prepare an assassination for the succession of the Fifth Hokage."
His eyes narrowed, a flicker of restrained fury passing beneath his dark pupils.
"And brainwash the Jinchuuriki under their complete control."
Akai's voice was soft, but he didn't hide the venom laced in it.
If the Fox heard, then so be it. If the eavesdroppers who were outside the window heard and wanted to charge him with treason, then so be it.
Perhaps he'd been disillusioned by the Great Ninja Wars, but the village of Konohagakure was not so glamorous and honorable as it tried to portray.
Power struggles and corruption were commonplace during the successions of clan leaders.
The position of Hokage couldn't avoid it.
The Uchiha clan themselves were so desperate to consolidate the power of the Sharingan, they prevented outsiders from marrying in. So how could the village tolerate a new Jinchuuriki host who was outside of their control?
He'd only said those words aloud because of Namikaze Minato. He wasn't sure if the Fourth Hokage was asleep or not. If he was awake, he wanted to see his reaction.
Would you still have no regrets if Naruto was the Jinchuuriki whom the village wanted to brainwash?
Akai was watching the Fourth Hokage, but the Fox was watching him. It peeked at his eyes carefully before it held a claw to its chin. It spoke, not in reality, but in their minds.
Your right eye can hear more than just my thoughts.
"... so you're not a stupid Fox."
What other abilities does it have?
Akai paused. Kurama was more astute than he'd thought.
He picked up the Fox from his shoulder by the scruff of its neck and dangled it in front of him.
It didn't seem to bother it. His words hadn't drawn a stubborn retort, either.
Seeing that it was serious for once, Akai didn't hide it. His pupils spun into Sharingan and he entered the space where it resided in Yurime.
"Omniscience. Omnipresence. Omnipotence—"
"—what?" Kurama interrupted.
"All to a certain extent and a certain radius around my daughter. I can understand all thoughts and intentions of individuals inside that radius, instantly teleport to anywhere in that radius, manipulate any objects to disappear within that radius—"
"Ridiculous."
"—passively... I don't need the dojutsu of Mangekyo for the most part."
Kurama remained adamant about it being ridiculous. It crossed its front paws in denial.
"Your awakened dojutsu of the Mangekyo Sharingan seems to be space-time related. But dojutsu at that level, not to mention being permanent—it can't be sustained. Not with your reserve of Chakra."
Akai raised an eyebrow as it continued.
"You must be withdrawing some sort of energy to sustain it. I've heard the Uchiha go blind after overuse of their Sharigan—no, this doesn't seem like overuse... are you perhaps withdrawing your vitality?
Then Kurama's eyes widened with realization.
"Ah—no wonder you're lounging around here. You're not here for the Uzumaki brat or the Fourth Hokage's treatment, you're here for your own—"
"Behave around her," Akai interrupted.
There was a loud commotion and stomping outside. His Mangekyo's right eye ability or not, he knew it was Tsunade.
The door slammed open and familiar blonde hair fluttered into his view.
"Damn Third, shouldn't you ask the nurses to deliver baby formula to a patient? I don't have the time for this. I need to find whoever was there that day and how did they treat Kushina and—"
The Third Hokage? Trying to find my intentions through Tsunade?
"—i-it's you."
Tsunade's voice shrank and softened. Her breath hitched, her fingers trembled, and her legs stiffened. She staggered backwards, clutching her chest, behind her assistant.
Akai recalled that Shizune was her name.
"Tsunade-sama!" she cried out, grabbing her shoulders..
He saw Kurama's grin grow wide from eye to eye. The Fox seemed to enjoy how Tsunade hadn't snapped out of it.
"Isn't this that bastard Senju Hashirama's beloved grand-daughter? Kekeke, he'd be rolling in his grave if he saw her so frightened of a member of the Uchiha clan. Hey, Uchiha scum, what bad things did you do to her to make her so scared of you, huh?"
Akai ignored Kurama's gloating.
He'd long noticed that the Fox was fond of gossip. After being sealed for so long, the only pastime it could do was perk its ears and eavesdrop.
Two days had passed since he first met Tsunade, but he really didn't do anything bad to her.
After all, he'd long respected her medical jutsu attainments and studied her notes frequently. He'd pinned his hopes for her to save Minato and Kushina when she arrived that day.
However, she'd been more than useless. She'd froze at first sight of their injuries, turned pale as a sheet, and restrained herself from throwing up.
It turned out that the renowned medical saintess of the Ninja World had acted like she'd seen a corpse for the first time because of hemophobia. Naturally, he'd taken it upon himself to treat her via desensitization.
Using his Sharingan's illusions, he'd repeatedly expose her to blood. It seemed to have worked, but then Tsunade had fainted and the matter was that.
This was the reason why he was stuck writing injury reports for Minato and Kushina. He'd had to copy Tsuande's ninjutsu and treat them himself, to the best of his abilities.
"Drowned her in a sea of blood within an illusion," he explained, voice flat, then pointed to the bottle that was about to slip from Tsunade's hands. "Threw her back whenever she came up for air."
Akai watched Tsunade shiver all over like a hairless animal in the cold. Kurama fell speechless, too. He saw its hair prickle upwards.
The ward suddenly fell silent, save for Tsunade's heavy breaths.
"Milk," he repeated, gesturing to the bottle again. She was now shaking so much that the bottle was about to fall.
Shizune quickly snapped out of her fright. She squeezed the pet pig she carried and hurriedly passed the bottle over to him.
Yes, the other reason he willingly stayed in the Konoha Hospital, under surveillance, was for milk.
Akai held the bottle up to Kurama's nose, who gave it two reluctant sniffs.
"No poison, no harmful substances, nothing like that," the Fox grumbled.
And only then did he let Yurime drink.