Kokichi Muta's body suddenly went rigid.
In truth, he had already sensed it without opening his eyes.
The changes in his body were far too obvious.
That lightness, as though a thousand-pound burden had been lifted from him.
It was no longer the buoyancy of the Life-Sustaining Fluid, but a genuine lightness that seeped from deep within his bones.
The pain that had tormented him for over a decade was gone.
Not eased, but completely gone.
As though it had never existed.
Breathing... had become incredibly easy.
His lungs expanded and contracted freely, cool air flowing in. Although the basement air was not fresh, it carried an unfamiliar, intoxicating sense of truly being alive.
His fingers... could bend and straighten easily.
His arms... could lift a little.
His legs... seemed to have regained sensation too, sending back the faint feeling of his toes curling.
All of it was so wonderful... it felt like a dream.
A cruel and beautiful dream he had dreamed countless times, only to wake each time to nothing but cold reality.
He was afraid.
Afraid that when he opened his eyes, he would still see his broken body, swathed in bandages.
But he was even more afraid.
Afraid that if this really was only a dream, and cowardice kept him from even daring to open his eyes and check, he would miss it just like that...
Miss what might be his only chance in this life to touch hope.
Finally, trembling, Kokichi Muta slowly opened his eyes.
The first thing he saw was Madara Uchiha's calm face.
The man's eyes were on him.
"How is it?" Madara asked, his voice as calm as ever.
Kokichi Muta did not answer immediately.
He lowered his head and looked at his hand.
It was no longer an emaciated, misshapen