Kayomi's eyes shot open, the world spinning in disorienting fragments. His body felt strangely light, but a dull ache gnawed at his muscles an unwelcome reminder of everything that had happened. His breath came in shallow, labored gasps, barely enough to steady him as he tried to piece together where he was.
White sheets. Bandages. The sharp, sterile scent of antiseptic. A hospital.
His heart raced as the memories came flooding back smoke, fire, the suffocating heat searing his skin, and the enemy closing in.
His hand shot to his face, fingers trembling as they brushed over his skin. He was alive? But something didn't feel right.
The sudden clatter of metal on the floor jolted him from his thoughts. A nurse stood frozen in the doorway, the tray she had been holding now scattered across the ground. Her eyes widened, staring at him with disbelief.
"You.. You're awake!" she stammered, her voice thick with panic. She quickly called for a doctor, but then her gaze shifted to him, narrowing in confusion. "Wait... are you using your Sharingan?"
Kayomi blinked, his voice barely more than a rasp. "What?"
The nurse's hands shook as she pushed a small mirror into his palms. Kayomi hesitated, his fingers numbly reaching for the mirror, and then, he looked.
His breath hitched in his chest.
His eyes once red and eerie now burned with an unnatural brilliance, a gemstone-like glow that felt both beautiful and terrifying. It wasn't just the color; it was the sheer intensity of it. It was as though his very chakra had become entangled in something far deeper.
A pull a constant tugging at his chakra rippled beneath his skin, drawing him in. It was relentless.
"I feel… different," he murmured, his voice shaky. "Like something's pulling at me. Draining me."
As if on cue, his Sharingan flared back to life, the two tomoe spinning lazily but with a sense of weight to them. A depth that was never there before.
[System Notification]
- Congratulations, sir, for surviving the ambush. Pending reward...
- Reward: D-rank Earth Jutsu Scroll added to inventory.
- Trait: Six Eyes have gained a level.
- Trait: Beast Magic has gained a level.
- 200 system coins added.
Kayomi barely noticed the system's message, the words drowned in the haze of his thoughts. He couldn't focus on that. He was too... unsettled.
Before he could process the chaos swirling in his mind, the door swung open once more. This time, with force.
A tall figure stepped into the room Akari Uchiha. His usually calm demeanor held something else now: concern, yes, but also an undeniable weariness that Kayomi hadn't noticed before.
Behind him, a team of medical-nin followed, but their eyes kept flicking between the chart in their hands and Kayomi, the tension clear on their faces.
"Kayomi," Akari's voice cut through the noise, steady but laced with something raw. "How are you feeling?"
Kayomi didn't answer right away. His gaze remained locked on the mirror in his hand, still processing what he saw. His fingers clenched, the unease spreading through him. "Like I shouldn't be," he muttered, his voice barely a whisper.
Akari nodded, stepping closer, but there was something new in his eyes now a flicker of understanding. "You were unconscious for four days," he said, his tone shifting. "Your team made it back safely. We found you... just barely alive. You're lucky to be here."
Kayomi's chest tightened at the mention of his teammates. "How?" His brow furrowed. "The last thing I remember... I was trapped. The fire was everywhere, and then I used a smoke jutsu to get away. But after that... nothing."
Akari's eyes darkened slightly, his jaw tightening. "We found you surrounded by enemy forces, nearly out of chakra," he explained softly. "You were barely breathing when we reached you. But you weren't the only one we were rescuing." His gaze softened. "We were the ones who got you out. Your Sharingan... We saw it flare up as we approached. It's like it sensed us, like it was pulling on your chakra in ways we didn't understand."
Kayomi's fists clenched involuntarily, the sensation of the drain worsening. "It feels like my chakra's being siphoned away," he admitted, his voice strained. "I feel like I'm losing control over it."
Akari paused, a flicker of recognition in his eyes. He stepped forward and placed a hand on Kayomi's shoulder, his grip firm yet surprisingly gentle. "Ever since you were born, Kayomi, I've known you had something... incredible inside you. I won't pretend to understand all of it, but whatever's happening now? It's just the beginning of something far bigger than any of us can anticipate." He exhaled slowly, and then, with a soft but earnest smile, he added, "But I don't care about that. I'm just glad you're alive."
Kayomi stared up at Akari, emotions swirling in his chest. He hadn't expected this. He hadn't expected the warmth in Akari's words, the weight of the man's concern. This wasn't the cold, stoic Uchiha he had anticipated. This was something real, something he hadn't known he needed.
Before Kayomi could respond, Akari pulled him into a hug, his arms strong but surprisingly comforting. It wasn't just a gesture of relief; it was a sign of something more a bond, unspoken but undeniably there.
Kayomi froze for a second, not sure how to react. He hadn't expected this level of care, especially from Akari. But then, slowly, he wrapped his arms around the older man, feeling a surge of emotions he hadn't been prepared for.
It wasn't until Akari pulled away that Kayomi realized his eyes were wet tears, something he hadn't expected to fall.