Darkness That Binds Him (ItaNaru) |Under Editing|

Chapter~ 7

"How is he?"

Inoichi looked up from his spot next to the bed and shook his head at the Godaime. Ino was on the other side of the bed, her eyes closed in concentration. Turning to observe the scene before her, Tsunade sighed.

She had called in Inoichi and Ino to try and bring Naruto out of his current state. It had been the only thing Tsunade could think of to help Naruto. She thought that the Yamanaka family, with their mind walking abilities, might be able to draw the blonde out of his unresponsive state. However, not even that seemed to be working.

It seemed that Naruto's physical body had healed greatly over the past three weeks, all without the help of the Kyūbi. However, his mind had shown no progress. Of course, Tsunade hadn't expected otherwise. The mind was a tricky organ and damage done to it, both physical and emotional, was problematic to put it simply. She could only take comfort in the fact that most of the broken bones and factures had healed completely and the bruises were gone. She still worried about the damage that the concussions and internal bleeding had caused but that could only be dealt with once Naruto awoke from his catatonia. Right now, she had to focus on the stability of his mind before she could heal it.

"There still isn't a change in his psyche," Inoichi reported to the Hokage. Tsunade nodded absently and waited for him to continue. "It's...strange. Usually I am able to locate a person's consciousness, even one that's regressed due to severe trauma. This...I can't seem to get through into his consciousness at all. It's almost as if he wasn't in there at all."

Tsunade's eyebrows knitted together. "What do you mean?"

Inoichi leaned back against the wall and focused his eyes on the blonde Hokage. "Someone who has gone through any kind of trauma can block out the world around them and draw into themselves. If that trauma is too much for that person, they can, in a sense, put up a mental barrier to protect themselves from the outside world. You mostly find it in those subjected to torture on a massive and prolonged scale. Their consciousness, no matter how deeply buried, still leaves traces that it had once been there. Sometimes the consciousness takes the shape of whatever is the cause of its current withdrawn state. With Naruto," Inoichi's somber eyes found Naruto's blank ones. "There isn't a single trace of him whatsoever. A body without a soul is the first thing that comes to mind."

Tsunade's eyes widened at this alarming news. "Do you think the Kyūbi is the cause of it?"

Inoichi ran a hand through his bangs and sighed. "I don't know. I have no experience with the minds of those who contain a Bijuu, so I cannot say for sure. So, there is a possibility that the Kyūbi is responsible."

Tsunade nodded and turned her attention to the blonde patient. She vaguely wondered how Jiraiya would have acted if he was still alive. Tsunade smiled sadly. He would have been furious if he had known what had become of his godson after he left. He definitely would have been disappointed in her for her actions.

A small grunt pulled her from her thoughts. Looking up, Ino collapsed in the chair behind her, a tired expression on her face. One look at the young Yamanaka's face gave Tsunade as answer to her question before she even asked it.

"I take it you didn't have any luck either."

Ino shook her head, never looking up at Tsunade. "No. Whatever is keeping us out isn't wavering at all."

Tsunade sighed and looked out one of the windows. "Both of you have done enough for today. You can go home." She turned to leave when Ino stopped her.

"If I could, Lady Tsunade, I would like to stay. Maybe there is something I can figure out," Ino stated, determination showing clearly in her voice.