In the Hospital Ward
The door slid open with a soft creak. A male doctor stepped inside, the nurse from earlier trailing closely behind with a clipboard in hand.
"Good morning, Megumi," the doctor greeted warmly, flipping through the medical records the nurse handed him.
Megumi, still simmering from the System's endless sarcasm, slowly opened his eyes and glared at the man.
"You're still not… I mean, you're not careful with the injuries you've suffered," the doctor muttered while inspecting Megumi's arms and stomach.
"Don't worry about me. I'll be fine," Megumi replied flatly. More than anything, he wanted to get out of this place.
The doctor let out a thoughtful hum, then straightened. "You'll be discharged once your mother arrives during visiting hours."
"Fine," Megumi muttered, already understanding the doctor's game. He rolled back onto the bed, closed his eyes, and ignored the man completely.
---
[Hey, host.]
"What?" Megumi snapped in his mind.
[What technique are you planning to develop?]
"Black Bird Manipulation," Megumi said, bracing himself for the devilish System's ridicule.
[That's an innate technique. You're greedy, host.]
"What's greedy about chasing what you want—no, what you need?" Megumi shot back defensively.
[You're shameless. You know that, right?]
Megumi narrowed his eyes. Every single word the System threw at him struck a chord, like an echo of truth he didn't want to admit.
"Shut up!" he shouted suddenly, startling everyone in the room. The nurse and doctor exchanged nervous glances. They could hear Megumi's outburst but not the System's voice, leaving them to wonder if the boy had lost his mind.
[I can't help you with that, host.]
Megumi stiffened. "Why not?"
[Because I don't want to.]
"What?"
[You already have the brain with the greatest refining mastery of cursed energy—greater than Kenjaku, the so-called God of Curses, and Sukuna, the King of Curses. Even they couldn't glimpse what you're capable of.]
[So try doing something yourself.]
Megumi's mouth twitched. "Are you suggesting I become a cursed spirit like those two monsters?" The thought alone nearly made him gag.
[Relax. I never told you to follow their path. I'm telling you to refine your own shadow technique, not beg me for shortcuts.]
"Don't worry," Megumi muttered with a crooked smile. "I never asked you to develop it for me. I just want to know how to push it further."
[Shameless. Truly shameless.]
---
A Few Hours Later
The door opened again. This time, Kaede walked in, her eyes softening at the sight of her son. But her heart sank when she saw him muttering to himself, lips moving with no one else in the room answering.
She clenched her fists but forced a smile. She wouldn't let him suffer—not again.
Megumi, still arguing with the System, barely noticed her until—
[I think you should pay attention to the person in front of you.]
"Huh?" Megumi sat up quickly. His eyes widened when he saw her. For a brief second, he feared it was an assassin in disguise. His concentration had slipped so much that if it were an enemy, he'd already be dead.
"Mom… when did you get here?" His voice cracked with relief.
Kaede's expression softened. She stepped forward and pulled him into a hug. "Happy birthday, my son."
Megumi froze, then blinked. "…Wait. That's right. I turned five today."
[Tsk tsk. You can't even remember your own birthday. How will a brain like that refine techniques?]
Megumi ground his teeth. "Why don't you give me something as a gift then?" His lips twitched, already bracing for more sarcasm.
[Congratulations. You've officially earned the title of the most shameless sorcerer in the world.]
"Shut up," he hissed inwardly. He couldn't risk speaking aloud again, not with his mother watching.
"Thanks, Mom," he said instead, holding her tighter.
Kaede broke the hug and studied him carefully. "Why are you so eager to leave the hospital? I think you should stay until you're fully healed."
Her words were laced with worry. The doctor had summoned her earlier, explaining Megumi's desire to leave, his incomplete recovery, and his strange behavior.
"I don't want to stay here anymore," Megumi admitted. His eyes darted toward the door before lowering his voice. "I was waiting to tell you myself, but that four-eyed doctor ruined it." He made sure his voice carried, loud enough that the passing nurses outside could hear.
Then, leaning closer, he whispered into Kaede's ear. "Someone is watching me. Believe me, Mom."
Her body stiffened.
"That nurse from yesterday—she's gone. I asked everyone. No one's seen her since last night."
Kaede's red button was pressed. Without another word, she marched out of the ward and went straight to the counter.
"The nurse who attended my son yesterday—where is she?" she demanded.
The receptionist flinched under her glare. "I-I'm sorry, ma'am, but you'll have to ask the doctor for approval."
Kaede's eyes narrowed. Ordinary nurses couldn't stand against a shinobi's presence, and this one was clearly rattled.
She stormed into the doctor's office. "Doctor. Do you know the name of the nurse who was with my son last night?"
The doctor looked up, surprised. "Why do you ask? Ah—were you hoping to thank her? That would make sense, but…" His tone faltered. "She hasn't been seen since morning. It's strange. That's not like her at all."
Kaede's chest tightened. Either the nurse was dead or quietly transferred to another village to cover tracks. The former was far more likely. After all, Kaede herself had once been ANBU—she knew the patterns of silent erasure.
"I see. Thank you, doctor. Please arrange my son's files. We'll be leaving today," she said with a polite smile before exiting the office.
Back in the ward, she placed a hand on Megumi's shoulder. "We'll be leaving soon, okay?"
Megumi blinked. He hadn't expected her to agree so easily. His words had only been an excuse to escape, yet now… it seemed he had spoken a truth neither of them could ignore.
Somewhere in the shadows, eyes were already watching.