...
Shikaku sat with his teammates, Inoichi and Choza, inside their favorite barbecue shop. The smell of sizzling meat filled the air, smoke rising from the grill between them. This was their usual spot—a place where missions, politics, and personal troubles could be discussed without the burden of formalities.
Inoichi turned the meat carefully, his sharp eyes narrowing. "Shikaku, it's been almost six months since that incident… and the boy still hasn't woken up." His voice carried both worry and frustration.
"That's right," Choza said, finally pausing his eating. He put down his chopsticks and looked at Shikaku, waiting for an explanation that never seemed to come.
Shikaku didn't answer immediately. He poured himself a cup of tea, watching the steam rise. Megumi's condition weighed heavily on him. The boy had been in a coma for months, trapped between life and death.
"His mother is still with him," Shikaku finally muttered.
Inoichi and Choza exchanged a glance. They knew what he meant—Kaede hadn't left her son's side since the attack.
Shikaku's shoulders sagged slightly. He regretted his decision back then. Naosuke had been pardoned, allowed to walk free, while Kenji's son—the innocent boy who got caught in the middle—remained unconscious.
Inoichi broke the silence again. "I heard your brother's wife has been taking missions lately."
Shikaku nodded. He already knew. Kaede had been throwing herself into mission after mission, not only to distract herself from despair but also to earn enough money to buy a bigger house in the center of the village. A safer place for her son—if he ever woke up.
But Megumi still hadn't opened his eyes.
Shikaku clenched his jaw. If not for the decree of the Fourth Hokage, Naosuke would have been executed months ago. That thought haunted him.
"Okay, I think it's time for me to head home," Inoichi said after a while. He pushed back his chair and stood. "My wife just gave birth, and I can't stay away from her and my daughter for too long."
"That's true," Shikaku agreed, standing as well. "I'll walk with you."
"Goodbye, guys!" Choza called, still holding a skewer of grilled meat as he waved.
"Take care," Inoichi said with a small smile.
The two men left together, their footsteps fading into the night.
---
Inside the village hospital, midnight silence hung heavy. The halls were dimly lit, the only sound the soft ticking of a clock at the nurse's station.
"Ahhh…"
Megumi's eyes fluttered open. For the first time in half a year, his mind surfaced from the endless void. The sudden return of consciousness was overwhelming. His muscles screamed in protest, his broken arm throbbed sharply, and a piercing ache shot through his brain.
The sterile lights above him made his vision spin. He blinked several times, trying to adjust.
But even through the pain, one instinct ruled—he couldn't let his guard down. He didn't know where he was.
"Hey, System," he whispered inwardly.
[Host, welcome back from the other side.]
The sarcastic tone was familiar by now. He wasn't surprised anymore.
"Where am I?" he asked, struggling to sit up on the bed.
[Well, after you were beaten black and blue by that guy…]
[You've been in the hospital.]
Memory returned in fragments—the ambush, Naosuke's merciless attack, the sensation of death breathing down his neck.
"What a drag…" Megumi muttered, exhaling.
The door creaked open. A nurse entered, carrying a clipboard as she went from bed to bed, checking on the patients. She approached Megumi's bed, expecting to see him still unconscious. Instead, she froze.
The boy was awake, his black hair falling across his face, a faint smile tugging at his lips.
"Ahhh!!!"
Her scream pierced the silence like a kunai through glass. Patients stirred awake, guards outside stiffened, and the entire ward erupted in confusion.
Megumi winced, covering his ears. "Why the hell is she screaming just from looking at me?"
[Maybe she really did see a ghost,] the system teased.
Within moments, ANBU personnel rushed into the room, their masks gleaming in the dim light. Shinobi guards followed, weapons drawn, prepared to strike.
"What's wrong?" one ANBU asked the nurse, who had collapsed to her knees.
Realizing her mistake, the nurse's face turned red with shame. She raised a trembling hand and pointed at the boy.
The ANBU captain narrowed his eyes. A black-haired child sat on the bed, his face hidden behind unkempt bangs. His presence was unsettling.
"Report to the Fourth Hokage," the captain ordered one of his men. "Tell him the boy has awakened."
Whispers spread quickly among the staff and patients. They had all heard the rumors—about the chakra-less child from the Nara clan.
All thanks to Danzo's loose tongue.
The ANBU captain dismissed the crowd, restoring order to the ward.
Megumi frowned. "Why was that nurse pointing at me?"
[Maybe she's never seen such a cute face before, Host.]
"Shut up," Megumi snapped aloud, forgetting himself. His voice carried an edge of madness, and those who remained in the room exchanged wary glances.
He clenched his fists. All he wanted was to crush the system mocking him inside his head.
"How long have I been here?" he demanded.
[I don't know.]
[After all, I'm not like those ordinary systems.]
Megumi ignored the reply, flexing his fingers, examining his body. He needed to know how much strength he had left.
Then, suddenly—
The air shifted. A crushing pressure filled the ward, pressing down on his chest until he could barely breathe.
The door opened, and several figures entered. He recognized the faces instantly: the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, his uncle Shikaku, and several stern-faced Nara elders.
Among them, he caught a familiar scent.
"Mom—I can't breathe!" he gasped.
Kaede rushed forward, pulling him into her arms. Her grip was fierce, trembling with relief. She had waited six long months for this moment.
Megumi cried out, enduring the suffocating embrace. When she finally released him, he looked at her properly for the first time.
He barely recognized her. Her once-radiant face was pale, her beauty dulled by exhaustion. She had lost so much weight, her body worn thin from endless missions and sleepless nights.
"What happened to you, Mom?" Megumi asked, his voice breaking.
"Don't worry, Mommy's fine," Kaede said, forcing a smile. She couldn't let him see her weakness.
Megumi glanced warily at the men standing behind her. "Who are these people? Why are they with Uncle Shikaku?"
The Fourth Hokage stepped forward, his expression calm but firm. "I am Minato Namikaze, the Fourth Hokage. We came to check on you, Megumi."
His words were gentle, but the weight in his gaze made Megumi feel like he was being measured.
"Just rest for now," Minato added. "You'll come to my office in a week."
The group turned to leave, but Kaede quickly spoke up. "Please… can I stay with my son until then?"
The Third Hokage's eyes narrowed. "It would be better if you waited until he's fully recovered. And… it's already past visiting hours."
The Nara elders nodded in agreement, but Shikaku frowned, sensing something unspoken in Hiruzen's words.
Kaede lowered her head. She knew exactly why the Third Hokage didn't want her near her son, but she couldn't abandon him now.
"Very well," Minato said after a pause. "She can stay. But she will not make decisions for him."
Kaede bowed deeply, gratitude in her eyes.
Minutes later, the Hokage and elders left, leaving the room quieter than before.
Megumi turned to his mother, worry etched on his face. "What happened? Why were the Hokage here?"
His voice trembled. A part of him feared he might have already revealed too much—something that would put him in greater danger than ever before.
---