Takomoto Kenichi walked out of the room after discussing Hotaru's condition with Mikoto.
Closing the door behind him, he looked at his clipboard once again.
'I felt like Hotaru-kun has a low blood level than normal for a kid his age. It could be due to being sedentary for so many years, but it should return to normal.'
He nodded to himself and continued down the corridor. When he reached his room and opened the door, he found a person already waiting for him inside.
The person's facial featues were obscured by a porcelain mask that resembled a cat's face. The mask was styled with green and red colored patterns. The mask had slits for the eyes, allowing the person to see. Based on the body proportions and short brown hair, it was evident that it was a man.
He was wearing a form-fitting black sleeveless shirt that covered him up to his chin, along with matching black pants and elbow-length black gloves. Over the shirt, he wore a gray flak jacket, metal armguards over the gloves, and ninja sandals with spikes. Three ninja pouches were attached to his back-waist, and a red spiral tattoo adorned his shoulder. Additionally, a sword was strapped to his back.
Kenichi recognized him as an ANBU ninja—the same one who had been visiting periodically for updates on a patient admitted to the hospital. The very same patient he had just checked up on.
"Kenichi-san, I heard that Uzumaki Hotaru is out of his coma? Is that true?" asked the masked man after Kenichi closed the door.
Kenichi made his way toward his desk. "It is true. Hotaru-kun is indeed out of his coma now. He woke up in the morning when Uchiha Mikoto-sama was here to visit him."
"Why did he suddenly wake up after all these years? Did any medical-nin cure him?" asked the masked man.
Kenichi reached his desk and put his clipboard down. "Sometimes, patients in a coma wake up on their own without any apparent reason. Also, medical ninjutsu has not yet advanced enough to deal with issues related to the mind," explained Kenichi.
"How is the kid? What did he talk about? Did Uchiha Mikoto ask you to hide his current status?"
Kenichi frowned at the question. "Mikoto-sama did not request anything like that. Why would she want to hide it? After all, Hotaru-kun was attacked by ninja from other villages."
Kenichi sat down at his desk and gestured for the masked man to take a seat in one of the empty chairs on the other side. "As for Hotaru-kun… he is fine—at least as good as anyone who has been bedridden for years can be. He is able to speak normally, but he does not have any memories of that traumatic incident, as is expected from a child his age. However, he also does not have any other memories and cannot remember anyone. Fortunately, he is still a kid, and in a year, he will be as good as any other child."
Kenichi took out a blank sheet of paper and began to write down the information from the clipboard.
The man took a seat in the chair opposite Kenichi. He hesitated for a moment before asking, "Is there any chance Uzumaki Hotaru... recalls the details of the incident?"
Kenichi frowned and stopped writing. Something felt off about how the masked man asked that question. Did he not want Hotaru to remember it?
The masked man noticed Kenichi's expression and added, "The only one who got close enough to the enemy was the child, and he's our only lead in getting to them. After all, they have the audacity to kidnap the son of our Fourth Hokage. We can't let them get away with it."
Kenichi let out a sigh. "That's right. This is a great offense against our village. We can't let this go unpunished. But sadly, I don't think Hotaru-kun will ever remember details about that incident—or any other memories he has lost. To think that Hotaru-kun will never be able to remember Minato-sama, the hero who gave his life for our village" he said in a sad voice before resuming his work.
Soon, he handed the filled-in paper to the masked man and said, "This contains all the information about Hotaru-kun's current condition."
The masked man took the paper and put it in one of his pockets. "Alright, Kenichi-san, I will now report everthing to Hokage-sama."
As soon as he said that, he body-flickered away and disappeared from the room.
He looked at the window through which the masked man had exited for a moment.
"All of us thought Hotaru-kun would soon pass away while in a coma and Kushina-sama would lose her son just one year after losing Minato-sama. Now that he has woken up, maybe Kushina-sama will cheer up a bit," he muttered to himself.
***
"Burp!"
Hotaru let out a burp after Mikoto fed him seasoned soft rice and boiled potatoes. She then cleaned up the food that had fallen while he was eating and put the bento box back into the small brown bag she had brought with her.
It was evening now, and as the sun began to set, the room gradually darkened.
Hotaru had been contemplating the System ever since the medical-nin left. He could wait until he went home, learn to mold chakra, and then safely undergo the System Initiation.
However, he realized that he was not in a good situation. It seemed he had been involved in some kind of incident that had left him in a coma.
What if someone made another attempt on his life before he went home? What if it took a long time for him to learn how to mold chakra? Worse, what if he couldn't mold enough chakra to sustain the five minutes it took for the System Initiation?
Furthermore, from what he understood, he was now six years old. If he remembered correctly, that was about the age when children typically started at the ninja academy. Children raised in clans and those whose parents are ninja are both trained from a young age to become ninja. He didn't want to fall behind them. Perhaps having a System would compensate for all the time he lost while being in a coma.
While there was no guarantee that having a System would improve his situation, it certainly couldn't get any worse. For some reason, the word 'System' felt so familiar to him, as if it was something he had possessed for many years. He had a strong feeling that it would likely be useful, so he didn't even consider rejecting it.
With all these uncertainties and reasons, it was a no-brainer for him to Initiate the System as soon as possible, preferably now. The only question was how?
"Did you like the food, Hotaru?" asked Mikoto in a gentle voice.
Hotaru looked at her and smiled. "It was very delicious, Aunt Mikoto. I want to eat more, but I am full… burp!"
They looked at each other for a moment, and then both of them burst into laughter.
Looking at Mikoto, a plan began to form in his mind. Since he couldn't mold chakra yet and didn't want to wait until he learned, there was only one choice: to take someone's chakra.
That someone could be Mikoto, and he could ask for her help. But there was one teeny-weeny problem with that: only a r*tard wouldn't question why he needs their chakra. It was the same with asking the medical-nin to use Mystical Palm Jutsu for an extended period.
So, he needs to get creative and get the job done without arousing any suspicion.
Hotaru took a deep breath, his mind finally made up. Just then, Mikoto, who had been sitting in the chair next to his bed, glanced out the window and noticed the light fading outside.
"It's getting late already," she said, a hint of surprise in her voice.
She stood up and walked over to the light switch. With a soft click, the warm lights flickered on, illuminating the room in a comforting glow once again. Mikoto then made her way back to the bed, settling down beside Hotaru.
He took a deep breath, letting the cool air fill his lungs, and exhaled slowly, allowing himself to settle into a calm state.
'Well, here goes nothing.'
Hotaru did his best to put on a look of wide-eyed, child-like curiosity—a lot harder than it sounds when you already know the answer. It was hard to look innocent without risking a hint of sarcasm, and he couldn't shake the feeling that this little act would be required of him more often than he'd like in the future.
He turned toward Mikoto and asked, "Aunt Mikoto, what was that green thingy on the medical-nin's hand?"
Mikoto smiled and said, "That green thingy on the man's hand is a jutsu commonly used by medical-nin to examine wounds and heal injuries. He was using it to assess the condition of your body."
Hotaru nodded theatrically as if he understood everything, which elicited a peal of laughter from Mikoto.
Still giggling, Mikoto asked, "Did you really grasp what I just said, Hotaru?"
Hotaru looked embarrassed and put on a sheepish smile. "Of course, I did."
Hotaru waited for her to continue with her explanation, but she didn't. Noticing her eyes twinkling with mischief, he puffed up his cheeks and looked away, making her burst into another peal of laughter.
Mikoto laughed softly, placing her hand on Hotaru's head and ruffling his hair. "Oh, come on now, Hotaru. I'm sorry! I just can't help it when you puff up your cheeks like that. You look like a little angry squirrel! Pfft… Haha…"
Hotaru crossed his arms, trying to maintain his stern expression. "I'm serious, Aunt Mikoto. Stop!"
Mikoto grinned mischievously and extended her pinky finger towards him. "Pinky promise I won't laugh," she said, her eyes sparkling with an unmistakable gleam of mischief once again.
Hotaru raised an eyebrow, skepticism etched on his face. "Really? You expect me to believe that?"
"Of course. This is serious business—no laughing!" Mikoto replied, intertwining her pinky with his. Yet even as she spoke, the corners of her mouth twitched as she fought to suppress another laugh.
"You are going to break your promise by tomorrow, aren't you?" Hotaru teased, unable to suppress a smile himself.
Mikoto composed herself and replied, "Alright, alright! A jutsu is…"
At this point, Hotaru sensed an opportunity—an easier path compared to his original plan to get what he wanted from her.
So, Hotaru interrupted with a mischievous grin, "Aunt Mikoto, I haven't forgiven you yet. If you want to be forgiven, you have to…"
"Oh. What do you want me to do?" Mikoto asked with an amused expression, tilting her head slightly. A playful glimmer danced in her eyes as if she was expecting the most outlandish request.
Hotaru began, "You have to use that green thingy on me again—"
Mikoto paused and was about to agree to his demand. Sensing this, Hotaru decided to strike while the iron was hot, and put forth the unusual part of his demand.
"—until I ask you to stop. Otherwise, you can forget about me forgiving you. Hmph, " he concluded, turning his head away from her once again.
That was a simple enough 'demand' for her. However, she pretended to ponder it for a long time, then gave an exaggerated nod. "Alright. If that can make you forgive me, then I will do it."
Hotaru gave a satisfied nod.
"That jutsu indeed provides a refreshingly addictive feeling. When I first learned this jutsu, I was looking for the slightest excuse to use it," she confessed.
She adjusted her position on the bed so that she was sitting with her back against the headboard. Then, she pulled Hotaru closer and had him lie on the bed with his head on her lap.
"Shall I use it on your eyes since you said your vision was still blurry." Mikoto asked.
Hotaru nodded and closed his eyes. "Okay. I will tell you when to stop, Aunt Mikoto. So, you have keep doing it even if I fall asleep."
'That went much better than what I had in mind. I wanted to ask what a jutsu is and how to perform that particular one. And once she tells me I can't do it, I was going to make an excuse about having a headache and ask her to use it on me.'
"Haha. Alright, let's get started," she said.
Mikoto molded her chakra and wove the hand seals for the Mystical Palm Jutsu. Soon, both of her hands began to glow with a pale-green hue. She placed one hand on his forehead and the other on his closed eyelids.
As if on cue, the crystalline screen with a light blue hue appeared out of thin air once again.
It displayed the expected message—
[Do you wish to Initiate System?]
[It may take up to 5 minutes to Initiate the System.]
[Proceed with the Initiation?]
[Accept | Reject]
[Auto-accept in 5 seconds.]
—asking if wanted to go ahead with it.
And then he let timer tick—
[5… 4… 3… 2… 1… 0]
—down to 0.
"Alright. Let's get this over with."
[System is about to be Initiated.]