Chapter 43 – Not alive, not dead

That was too close.I was nearly dead for good. The last of my chakra holding onto my soul for dear life.

The only reason I managed to live was by entering a hibernation mode and making use of all the physical energy that had been left in my chakra network trying to reach my heart.

It was only those last drops and Anko’s yelling jolting my barely functioning brain that allowed me to answer.

I feel chakra being transferred to me.I greedily take it and transfer it throughout my body, I break it down into energy for most of my cells and, for the first time in a week I feel… aliver

“Ahhhhh”

I breathe deeply. An instinctive yet useless gesture. I can't get the oxygen into my cells without a blood flow, but the air in my lungs feels fresh and the warmth of my body is slowly returning as I keep my cells active using the foreign chakra.

“How is this possible???”“What?”“Impossible?”“!!!”

I look around and see several ninjas surrounding me.

I don’t recognize any of them, except for Anko’s crying face right in front of me.

“You idiot, did you have to make us all worry so much?”“Sorry Anko, from now on, no more hesitations”

I push my head forward and lock my lips with Anko. She’s surprised but returns the kiss.

It was a horrible kiss. My lips are dry, cracked and cold. Anko’s are wet from the tears streaming down her face.

We let go shortly after to address all the extras in the room-forest.

“How are you alive?” The Inuzuka member asks

Before I can answer the medical ninja replies.“He’s still dead. He has no heart and no blood flowing through his veins either.”

“That’s about it, yes. For now, so long as I don’t run out of chakra I’ll stay alive.”

“That is not a permanent solution…” The medical-nin warns.“I know…”

We get up and make our way back. I’m carried in Anko’s back. Even if for now I can use the medical-nin as a chakra battery I can’t seem to coordinate the use of body-flicker in my current state.It’s too antithetical to what I’m doing.

A few days later we make our way back to Konoha.

Having arrived in the middle of the day we we were sent directly to the Hokage after I declined being sent to the hospital and treated as an experiment..

Me and Anko are received by Hiruzen who looks surprised to see me alive, but glad I made it back.“Yami-kun, it is good to see you.”

“I’m glad to be able to say the same Hokage-same, I wouldn’t have made it without the rescue. I owe you my life”

"Think nothing of it Yami. It is the Hokage's job to care for the lives of all of Konoha's villagers and ninjas.“Before getting to the obvious topic, is there any else about the enemy you can tell us about?”

“Only a couple of things they didn’t mind talking about in front of a dead person. They belonged to a mercenary organization called Akatsuki and had been hired by Iwagakure to assassinate the merchant.”

“And still Orochimaru got to him first. *Sigh* the merchant’s true purpose was the delivery of intelligence gathered in Iwagakure. We might have to assume the loss of his entire cell.”

"I also brought a gift"

I retrieve from my pocked Hidan's finger.

"This is a finger from Hidan, being kept alive by his forbidden jutsu. I wager you have about a few weeks to a month before the finger dies, but until then it can be studied"

I'm not too worried they will find anything from just that. But I'm obviously not going to share any clue on how Hidan accomplished his immortality, or how others might get similar results.

"That is a very valuable sample Yami, I will ensure you are adequately rewarded."

"But about that immortal-"

Before we could continue the door opened.

“YAMI~”“Yami”“Yami!”

I was tackled by a triple flash of blue pink and yellow.I hold them tight as they sob into my chest.“We thought… we thought-” Sakura tries to say.“It’s okay. I’m back, sorry I had you worrying”“Yami, your heart”

Hinata must have noticed with her Byakugan by now."It's okay, I'm not safe yet but we will fix it soon"

I turn back towards the Hokage and address his interrupted question.

"In my nick of time, I found a similar way to Hidan to cling onto my body. So long as I have chakra, I keep my body working and stay in this world"

Hiruzen narrows his eyes.

“Do you think that technique could be shared…”

“Not at all, it requires an extremely fierce will to live, uncanny mental fortitude, chakra control and knowledge of the human body.Even then only in one's final moments can it even be attempted.”

I feel Ino's grip on me tighten in worry.

Hiruzen sighs..."It would of course never be something simple."

"I do not wish to share more details but know that any attempt at studying it will undoubtedly result in sacrifices to study or death to attempt.I’m sure of it… I understand what it takes… I don’t know if I would have been able to do it again myself...”

"I see... truly a forbidden Jutsu. I will order the team to remain silent about your condition. I ask that you do the same for your safety.

"Thank you, Hokage-same. I will remain silent about this Jutsu".

“Still, it is only temporary… do you understand what condition you are in Yami.”

“I do… I’m not out of the woods yet. I have no heart and thus can produce no chakra. I can only rely on other people's chakra for so long before my body starts rejecting it.”

"Exactly. Do you know how long you can last?"

“Maybe if I had kept a full chakra pool I could have lived for a few years in this condition. Now… a couple of months at most.”

“You must either replace your heart or fix the gaping hole in yours. Either is beyond our current study of medicine and has never been successfully performed.”

“I had heard as much from the rescue team's medical-nin.”

“But.. there might be someone who can help you… find my disciple Tsunade. She has… ‘retired’ from the ninja life but her medical ninjutsu remains the best in the world”

There it is, the answer to my problems.

Even without Hiruzen’s mission, I would have searched for her. If there is anyone who can fix me, it's her.

“Thank you Hokage-same, for not abandoning me.”

“That will be your team's mission for now. Find Tsunade and get her assistance.Also... if possible… convince her to come take the mantle of Hokage… I’m getting too old for this hat.”

“Yes, Hokage-sama”

“Thank you, Hokage-sama” The girls reply as well.