Sasuke lay motionless on the hospital bed, tubes and monitors surrounded him, connecting him to the machinery that monitored his fragile state.
Hinata swung open the door to the hospital room with such force that it slammed against the wall, echoing through the corridor.
"He's not doing well, Hinata," Sakura sighed, her eyes reflecting the weight of the situation. "His heart rate is erratic, and there's something wrong with his chakra. We can't seem to get it under control."
Hinata, her Byakugan activated, nodded solemnly. "I'll see what I can find. Let me examine his chakra network."
As Hinata focused her Byakugan on Sasuke's body, her normally pale purple eyes transformed into translucent, milky white orbs, glowing with a haunting and ethereal quality. The Byakugan's ability, passed down the Hyuga clan, allowed her to see the chakra network within a person's body with clarity that was unparalleled to any other Dōjutsu.
His chakra is in turmoil," Hinata murmured, her voice a whisper. "It's as if there's a disturbance with the flow. Looking at his heart rate, Sasuke's body is in a state of extreme stress, with far too much adrenaline pushing through his veins. His heart rate and chakra flow mimic the intensity of a life-or-death battle.
In normal battle conditions, he would exert chakra to fend off enemies, releasing the excess energy. However, in his unconscious state, the chakra has nowhere to go, and it's eroding his internal organs, especially his heart.
Sakura's eyes widened in alarm. "Can you do something, Hinata? Is there a way to stabilize his chakra?"
Hinata, her Byakugan still active, continued monitoring Sasuke's chakra system. "If this continues much longer, Sasuke could be in grave danger. I'll block off his chakra points using my gentle fist technique. This won't solve the root cause but it will buy us time"
Her fingers moved with precision as she struck Sasuke's body, targeting specific chakra points to disrupt the erratic flow. The gentle but calculated strikes aimed to block the chakra channels, but would only work temporarily.
Sakura declared urgently, "We need to calm him down. I wasn't able to bring down his heart rate with medications. That means he must be going through something so unbearable that none of the medications work." She knew he was reliving his nightmare, the haunting scene of his parents' murder playing on an agonizing loop in his mind. "If we can't bring his heart rate down with medications, we'll have to target his mind. Go get Ino," she ordered Hinata.
Within the half-hour, Ino rushed to the hospital, accompanied by her son Inojin and Sasuke's daughter, Sarada. Ino gathered everyone in the hospital room and huddle over the foot of Sasuke's bed.
"I've devised a plan," Ino explained, her brow furrowed with determination. "I'm going to use a variation of my Mind Body Transfer Technique, but I'll need Sakura to come with me."
Sarada asked, "Can I come too? I want to see papa"
Sakura, gently placing a hand on Sarada's shoulder, responded, "It's too dangerous, Sarada. Ino doesn't have enough chakra to sustain bringing two people into someone's mind."
Ino nodded in agreement. "She's right, Sarada. We need to be cautious. I promise we'll do everything we can to bring Sasuke back."
"Inojin," Sarada turned to Ino's son, "you know the Mind Body Transfer Technique too, right? I want to see Papa. Please, Inojin..."
Inojin hesitated; he had never brought another person into a mind before, and uncertainty clouded his expression. Witnessing the tears forming in the corner of Sarada's eyes, he relented. Taking a deep breath, he weaved the signs, and their bodies slumped over, joining Ino and Sakura into Sasuke's mind.
