[Kana's POV]
By the time I woke up, it was well past midnight. I turned to see Kenshin lying beside me, lost in thought, his small form tense but trying to stay calm. My heart ached for him. "My poor boy... he must be so worried," I thought as I reached out and pulled him into a tight embrace.
"I'm sorry, Ken-chan," I whispered, my voice cracking. "I just... I couldn't handle the pain of losing your father and sister. I—" My throat closed up, and tears started to fall before I could stop them.
"Mom," Kenshin interrupted softly, wiping my tears with his small hand. His eyes met mine, steady and far too mature for a seven-year-old. "It's okay. You knew Dad better than me, and he wouldn't want you to cry like this. He'd want you to remember him and keep moving forward. You're all I have left, Mom, and you're all I need. But right now... it's okay to cry."
His words broke the dam I had been holding back. Tears streamed down my face as I hugged him tighter, sobbing into his tiny shoulder. "I miss them so much!" I cried. "I didn't even get to say goodbye, Ken-chan! I didn't even get to bury them. It's so wrong... Why did Itachi have to kill them?! Why? What did they do to deserve this?"
Kenshin just held me through it all, quiet but present, his grip on me never loosening. We stayed like that for the rest of the night, my tears eventually slowing until I drifted off into a fitful sleep.
---
The months that followed were difficult, but somehow I managed to find my way back to some semblance of normalcy. I hid my grief behind a cheerful facade for Kenshin's sake. It hurt him to see me cry, and I couldn't put him through that anymore.
I noticed that Kenshin's Sharingan had awakened during the ordeal, so I began teaching him more advanced jutsu, things beyond what academy students learned. We practiced chakra control techniques like tree climbing and walking on water, and for a time, things felt almost normal again.
But soon, I began to notice changes in my own body. My chakra flow was becoming weaker, more erratic. One day, while I was showing Kenshin the adamantine sealing chains, a sudden wave of exhaustion hit me. My legs buckled, and I fell to the ground, coughing up blood before everything went black.
---
[Kenshin's POV]
"Mom!" I rushed to her side, panic swelling in my chest as she collapsed, blood staining her lips. Without hesitation, I ran to fetch Pain. I knew one of his paths had healing abilities, and I prayed that he could do something—anything—to help her.
Pain arrived quickly, though he looked at me with suspicion when I told him how I knew of his healing powers. I just shrugged, giving him a vague answer about overhearing rumors. He didn't press the issue.
Pain tried to heal her, but after a moment, his expression darkened. "Your mother has a chakra-related disease," he said, his voice low. "Her body can no longer generate chakra properly, similar to how thalassemia affects blood. It's rejecting any outside chakra I try to give her. The reaction is... violent."
I watched in horror as Mom's body convulsed when Pain attempted to transfer his chakra. It was clear it was doing more harm than good. "What should I do?" I asked desperately.
"You should try," Pain said after a pause. "Since you share blood with her, your chakra is similar to hers. Her body might accept it."
I didn't hesitate. I placed my hands on her and focused, letting my chakra flow into her body. To my immense relief, her body accepted it, relaxing as the chakra seemed to ease her suffering.
Pain watched silently. "This disease can't be cured," he said after a long moment. "It will worsen over time. The only way for it to stop is if her heart stops. Until then, all you can do is ease her pain and give her chakra when she needs it. Take care of her, Kenshin. Make sure she has a peaceful death."
He left without another word, leaving me alone with Mom's unconscious form. I stayed by her side, feeding her more chakra, hoping it was enough to keep her comfortable.
When she finally woke, she blinked up at me, confusion written all over her face. "Ken-chan? What happened?"
"You're okay now, Mom," I said, forcing a smile as I hugged her, fighting back the tears that threatened to spill. "Just rest."
But I couldn't hold back for long. "Mom... you have a chakra disease. It's incurable. Your body can't generate chakra anymore, and I'm the only one who can help you... I—" My voice broke, and I couldn't finish. I couldn't bear to tell her that she was going to die.
Mom placed a hand on my cheek, her eyes soft and full of love. "It's okay, Ken-chan. I understand. I'll be here as long as I can. I won't leave you. I love you."
---
Over the next three years, Mom's condition worsened. She lost the ability to walk first, then gradually, her arms weakened until she could barely lift them. I took care of her as best as I could, feeding her, bathing her, even carrying her to the bathroom. I did everything I could to ease her suffering, but the helplessness gnawed at me every day.
I threw myself into studying medical ninjutsu after I graduated from the academy, desperate to find a way to slow the progression of the disease. It worked for a while, but it wasn't enough. Four years later, when I tried to give her chakra one night, her body rejected it.
My heart sank. I knew what this meant. I activated my Sharingan to see how much chakra she had left. Not much. Maybe a week at most.
I made a decision then. I would take her to the Leaf Village. Maybe Tsunade could do something, anything to extend her life... even if it was just by one more day.
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