The shadows

ch48

Naruto was restless. It's been 2 weeks, and there wasn't much progress. So far, it was discovered that currently, the virus was in the Incubating phase in their bodies, so they weren't able to spread it to others. They also found that the rate of growth was directly related to their metabolism and chakra level.

Naruto's crazy metabolism and chakra rate have caused him to be furthest in the illness. The symptoms were already beginning to show. His lungs itched, and he wasn't able to exercise long without coughing. Shisui and Itachi were a lot slower in progress, and if nothing went wrong, they would show the first signs after a year.

Orochimaru and Tsunade were frantic. Working day and night testing different theories. Others wanted to help, but there wasn't much to do without getting in their way. As a last-ditch resort, there were stasis seals prepared to freeze their body in time so they could be kept safe until there was a solution.

Naruto couldn't contact Kurama or his sage powers at the moment, and he exhausted all other options, so he was waiting. There was only so much to do when you were limited to the lab. He spent a lot of time working on seals and meditation. But he was bored, so he decided to do some light Kenjutsu katas to pass the time.

He picked a tanto from near the wall of the room they emptied out for training and started. He let his body relax and flow through the motions. Orochimaru put some seals on him to completely stop the usage of his chakra in hopes of buying him more time.

Naruto couldn't sense anything around him and was taking it as a challenge. When he first started training his senses, one of the things he always worked on was things that could affect his chakra sensing.

There could always be things that can escape his detection, so it is necessary to work on being flawless. Naruto focused on his breathing and heartbeat. Moving in a way to keep his heart rate low yet having fast movement.

He also had to focus on the power behind each blow; if he used too much force in each blow, he could tire quickly, and his breathing could directly influence the strength of each blow. He didn't know how long he was at it, but when he finally felt the aching of his muscles and his lungs were starting to burn, he stopped.

He saw Itachi sitting nearby with two bottles of water, looking at him. Naruto approached him and sat beside him, taking the water gratefully. Finally, Itachi decided to talk. "Naruto-kun. I wanted to ask you this for a long time, and I need you to answer me truthfully." Itachi said hesitantly.

"Sure, Itachi. What is this about?" Naruto asked. He could feel the urgency in Itachi's voice, so it had to be important.

"You were using a tanto," Itachi said matter-of-factly.

"Yes?" Naruto said, voice between confirming and questioning.

"You always preferred your spear but haven't used it in a long time. You were also using your left hand, but we both know you are right-handed." Itachi said.

"I mean, I can use both my hands equally well. I don't know what you are getting at." Naruto said in denial.

"Naruto. Please. You don't have to hide it. Shisui and I have been noticing it for a while. How you've been using a lot more one-handed signs and how you use your left hand to throw or use weapons. You also use your left hand for all delicate tasks like seal making. Tell me did it happen that day?" Itachi asked. He looked so desperate as he looked into Naruto's eyes.

Naruto knew that he couldn't lie or pretend that both his friends deserved the truth. "It was not your fault," Naruto said, taking a deep breath.

"But it was if I..." Itachi started.

Naruto held his hand up to stop him. "No, it was not. When I healed you in Kiri, I knew I was already at my limit and that using chakra in my arm would damage the nerves. It was my choice, and I would do it over and over again in a heartbeat." Naruto said with a smile.