Kakashi fell silent as he listened to Sasuke's murmured words.
"Ah..."
The scene stirred something in Kakashi's distant memories.
But just as he was about to say something...
The ANBU member from the Hyuga Clan suddenly said, "It's stopped. The cells in his body aren't consuming chakra anymore."
At the same time...
Naruto's chilling screams stopped, too. He was so weak he could barely open his eyes.
"Really?"
Although Kakashi wore an ANBU mask, the obvious relief in his voice was unmistakable.
"Yes, Captain. It seems this strange condition comes in episodes. That should give us enough time to run tests and find the cause."
"Right."
The medical ninja quickly drew a tube of blood from Naruto's arm and stored it in a case.
"Time is short. Take it back for testing immediately."
"Hey!"
Seeing the three ANBU members about to leave without apparently caring what happened to Naruto afterward, Sasuke shouted angrily, "If you won't take him to the hospital, I will!"
By then, Kakashi and his team had already reached the balcony.
Hearing Sasuke, he replied, "His condition isn't an illness. All his chakra has been consumed, and his body is very weak. It's best not to move him or jostle him around. Otherwise..."
With that, Kakashi and the other two vanished with a whoosh.
Sasuke froze at those words, clearly unable to process them.
But when he tried to ask another question, he realized the three ANBU members were already gone.
"Naruto... Naruto, how are you feeling?"
[Ding. Notice to host: the view from the Telescope Technique has disappeared.]
Only then did Naruto dare deactivate Method: The Actor Takes Over.
Of course, the backlash really had been agonizing. He had simply exaggerated that pain to its fullest while under surveillance by the Third Hokage's ninjutsu.