Chapter 246: Chapter 246 The Whole Summer
Ino turned her head away, choosing not to continue the conversation, and Naruto didn't have much of a reaction either.
The events at the Fire Temple were unexpected, but he knew he had to be involved. Asuma and Team 10 are definitely not enough to handle the Immortal Duo.
Would his involvement change things? Naruto couldn't be entirely sure. If it were any other opponents, it would be manageable, but this was the Immortal Duo… They're more troublesome than powerful, just plain tricky.
When Naruto came to his senses, the two were still walking side by side down the street.
Ino had a worried look on her face. After hesitating for a long time, she turned to Naruto and asked, "Is your plan feasible?"
Naruto didn't answer immediately. After a moment of silence, he said, "To be honest, I don't know. Maybe it'll work. I don't want to deal with all these messy things. My life is a mess after all."
Ino was taken aback, and her eyes dimmed for a moment.
"Alright, don't think too much about it."
She forced a smile and said, "It's the Konoha higher-ups we're talking about. Even if it doesn't work out, it's no big deal. But if it does, then you've hit the jackpot."
Ino was also affected, and her attempt to comfort Naruto seemed a little pale and powerless. But Naruto didn't need comfort, and he was just venting about his chaotic life. A messy village, a messed-up life.
"Yeah, quite the jackpot." Naruto said lazily, obviously not meaning what he said.
Ino sighed and glanced at the boy beside her. Then, she took the initiative to reach out and grab his hand. Naruto felt his hand being grabbed, and turned his head to look at her in surprise.
"What are you looking at!" Ino's face turned slightly red and she looked annoyed, but she didn't let go of his hand. She just turned her head away.
It was still broad daylight, and there were quite a few people on the street. Naruto was a little surprised, and seeing that Ino was already embarrassed, he leaned over to ask in a low voice, "Aren't you worried of running into someone we know?"
"…"
At that moment, Ino threw Naruto's hand away with a swift motion. Her face turned even redder, like a ripe apple. She glared at him and said, "You'd better not ask that again."
"Oh." Naruto nodded, then gently squeezed Ino's palm.
The latter's body jolted violently, and she reflexively turned her head, "What's wrong with you! If you squeeze again, I will…"
Ino gritted her teeth and raised her fist.
"I won't squeeze again." Naruto leaned over and said in a low voice, knowing when to stop.
Holding hands and whispering on the street in broad daylight was bound to attract attention. Ino could no longer handle it. She pulled Naruto into an alley, where they stayed for a while until her flushed face gradually returned to normal.
The two stood at the mouth of the alley. Ino, dressed in light clothing, fanned herself with her hand as the warm breeze gently blew. Overhead, large patches of white clouds floated by, with green trees providing shade in the distance.
Naruto squatted down, squinting as he watched Ino from the alley entrance. He noticed beads of sweat gathering on her forehead. The street outside was noisy, and the sounds seeped through.
It felt faint, like being separated by a thin sheet of paper, with Naruto and Ino standing on the other side. Naruto stared at the girl, who kept fanning herself and looking around.
Ino turned her head and noticed his gaze. She was stunned for a moment, looking a little embarrassed.
"What are you looking at?"
Naruto hesitated for a moment before saying, "I'm looking at summer."
"Are you an idiot? How can you look at summer?" Ino brushed her loose blonde hair behind her ear, and said with a laugh, "Summer is everywhere, there's no need to go out of your way to see it."
"But the way you said that sounds so cheesy."
After saying that, she herself couldn't help but laughed again. It seemed she found it amusing to liken Naruto to something sappy.
Naruto didn't get angry at Ino's teasing. He just stood up, smiled at her, and said, "Ino you're so cute."
"Ah? Why are you saying something like that all of a sudden!" Ino's face flushed instantly, "You can't beat me, so you're being shameless again!"
'Summer is hot and annoying, and makes me feel sticky all over, but I also like it.'
"I didn't say anything, you said it yourself." Naruto said as he walked to the alley entrance. He then paused, with Ino hesitantly looking outside.
Naruto gave her some time to think, then grabbed her hand.
"Let's go."
Ino's pupils dilated instantly, but Naruto didn't react as if he was unaware. He simply held her hand and walked forward, showing no sign of embarrassment.
He glanced back at her, noticing Ino's deep blue eyes shifting uneasily. She touched her face, trying to hide her nervousness.
"Let go." Ino said, but her voice was very soft.
Naruto pretended not to hear anything, continuing to hold her hand as they walked under the sunlight, openly and without hiding.
"You are now one of Konoha's higher-ups." Tsunade said, her voice sounded slightly fatigued as she glanced at him, "Now that you've finally gotten what you wanted, get out of here if there's nothing else."
Naruto was naturally not so ungrateful. He took the initiative to come forward and poured Tsunade some tea.
To his surprise, the pure liquid pouring into the cup emitted a whiff of alcohol. The scene became slightly awkward, then Tsunade picked up the cup and said as if nothing had happened, "Don't put sake in my teapot without permission in the future. If Shizune finds out, you'll suffer a terrible fate."
Naruto's mouth twitched, but given the celebratory occasion, he held back his retort.
"Alright, alright, next time for sure."
Tsunade, known for her straightforward nature, noticed Naruto, usually sharp-tongued, behaving so obediently today, and understood that he was someone who appreciated kindness. She felt comforted, realizing her efforts hadn't been in vain.
Tsunade took a sip of her drink, and Naruto, sensing the moment, moved behind her to massage her shoulders, playing the role of a diligent bootlicker.
After all, Tsunade had indeed been kind to him. Though he didn't say much, he was well aware of all the things she had done for him lately.
If he lacked even a little tact, that would be truly unfortunate.
In this world, there's no such thing as unearned kindness, nor baseless hatred. Tsunade's goodwill towards Naruto stemmed from the time he blocked a sword for her, and from a certain move that had since been censored.
But this wasn't enough for Tsunade to continually look out for him. Some things are about reciprocation. Since Tsunade had been kind to him, he also tries his best to cooperate with Tsunade fully.
Even with his laid-back nature, Naruto never refused any task Tsunade assigned him. Although he made it clear he didn't want to be groomed as the next Hokage, he wasn't entirely tactless.
"Not bad, your shoulder massage technique has improved." Tsunade moaned, took another sip of sake, feeling thoroughly relaxed, "At least you still have some conscience."
"It is my duty to share Tsunade-sama's worries." Naruto said flatteringly, then cautiously asked, "Tsunade-sama, why did the higher-ups give in so easily?"
"Easily?" Tsunade raised her eyebrows, her voluptuous figure shifting slightly as she turned to give Naruto a stern look, "Who told you this was easy? The higher-ups were originally entirely against it."
She paused midway through her sentence. Naruto asked while trying his best to contribute his value, "Then how did they agree in the end?"
"You don't need to know that," Tsunade replied. "Just know that Kakashi spoke on your behalf. You should go and see your teacher when you have time." Tsunade reminded.
"If there are no surprises, the position of the Rokudaime Hokage will be Kakashi's. Among the younger generation, there's no one more suitable than Kakashi to take over."
"Okay." Naruto didn't quite understand how Kakashi managed to be part of the Konoha's high-level meeting. After all, logically speaking, Kakashi was just an Elite Jonin.
Konoha's core higher-ups were only a few, even counting those who were just figureheads. Unless Kakashi was the Anbu Commander, it would be unusual for him to attend such high-level meetings.
Being merely the former Jonin Instructor of Team 7 and an active Jonin probably wouldn't carry that much weight.
"Tsunade-sama, have you been busy lately?"
"Well, not too…"
Tsunade enjoyed her drink while Naruto continued to massage her shoulders. Occasionally, they'd chat casually, the wide sleeves of her robe rustling. The little bit of alcohol wasn't enough to affect Tsunade, and it only served to warm her up slightly.
"I heard that you want to take part in the Chunin Exams?" Tsunade asked offhandedly.
"Um, I was just considering it, haven't decided yet." Naruto replied, "Recently, I've had some free time, so..."
He stopped mid-speech, because he could sense Tsunade's strong dissatisfaction, and quickly corrected himself, "I just want the title of Chunin. I can't stay a Genin forever, right?"
"Do whatever you want." Tsunade said, "If you want to participate, then participate. It's not a big deal. Just remember, your position among the higher-ups is merely honorary, you don't have any actual power."
"Just having a title is enough," he said. "I don't want to actually get too busy."
Tsunade: "…"
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Chapter 247: Chapter 247 The Tone Is So Familiar
"In a few days, I'll take you to one of the high-level meetings, to let you see what it's like. Before the Chunin Exams, you should make an appearance. Then you can be officially known in Konoha."
"So…is this…an official debut?"
"What is that?" Tsunade asked with a frown, 'This kid always had strange words coming out of his mouth.'
"Nothing, nothing."
"Tsunade-sama, is Sakura's condition serious?" Naruto continued massaging her shoulders while subtly shifting the topic to Sakura.
"She seems to have been hospitalized. I've visited the Konoha Hospital a few times, and there's no sign of her waking up."
"It shouldn't be too serious." Tsunade sighed, "All her physical indicators are normal, but she just won't wake up."
Being Hokage was a busy job, and even though Sakura was Tsunade's apprentice, she couldn't just abandon all her duties to stay by Sakura's side all day. Moreover, there was nothing wrong with Sakura's body, it was just that she hadn't woken up yet.
Faced with such a complicated condition, even Tsunade didn't have any good solution in the short term and could only observe for a while.
"So, all we can do is wait?" Naruto was a bit surprised. He didn't have any good solution either, especially without knowing the exact cause.
"There's nothing else we can do for now. We'll have to wait and see when she wakes up." Tsunade said, "It shouldn't take too long."
"Alright."
Naruto continued to massage Tsunade's shoulders diligently until Tsunade no longer needed him, and then he slowly left the Hokage's Office.
Outside the Hokage Tower, Naruto squinted his eyes as he looked at the bright and intense sunlight flooding the street.
Sakura's situation did concern him, but as Tsunade said, for now, all they could do was wait for Sakura to wake up on her own.
With a sigh, he walked towards the direction of Konoha Hospital.
The Sunagakure's siblings had been discharged from the hospital long ago, likely after signing some kind of agreement with Konoha. In short, Konoha had acknowledged Gaara's position and treated him seriously as the future Kazekage.
The reason was simple: A Biju's Jinchuriki was irreplaceable.
The accident that happened some time ago was nothing but a conspiracy against Gaara, but conspiracies will always come to an end, and the other Sunagakure's higher-ups are not fools.
As long as they put a little thought into it, they'll realize Gaara's importance to Sunagakure.
Once the storm passes, Sunagakure will instinctively start eliminating those higher-ups that targeted Gaara, a survival instinct like cutting off a limb to save the body.
Right now, their own Biju's Jinchuriki is staying in Konoha's territory. Every day Gaara stays there will be an additional hidden danger to Sunagakure and even the entire Land of Wind.
Konoha Hospital.
Naruto, carrying a bouquet of flowers, made his way upstairs with practiced ease, passing through hallways filled with the scent of disinfectant before stopping in front of a certain room.
He didn't knock right away but peeked inside first. Usually, there would be someone keeping watch at this time, either Sakura's parents or the seniors in the medical department.
Even though Sakura had been transferred from the medical department, the Medical-nin there still had a good impression of the diligent Dark Sakura. Ever since Sakura was hospitalized, they had almost voluntarily taken turns watching over her.
Yuu from the medical department was napping in a chair by the wall, while Sakura lay quietly on the bed, receiving an IV. Her condition seemed to be no different from the previous few days.
When Naruto pushed the door open, the Medical-nin woke up immediately.
"Oh, you're here?" Yuu, who had met Naruto before, yawned and stood up, patting him on the shoulder before leaving, "Keep an eye on things, and call us if anything happens."
"Okay." Naruto agreed.
He didn't have much of a relationship with the medical department, just a familiar face. Most of the time when he woke up in the hospital, it was Sakura he saw.
Naruto replaced the flowers on the table and sat in the chair Yuu had been sitting in.
He yawned and night fell in the blink of an eye.
Watching over a patient is exhausting, and Naruto had learned from Yuu that Sakura's parents had requested the staff here to take care of her for the day, with someone else coming in the morning.
Glancing at the night outside, he decided he might as well stay until morning.
As the night deepened, the surroundings grew quieter.
The hospital room was brightly lit, and as Naruto got up to get some water, he suddenly heard a faint groan from the bed. Startled, he almost dropped the cup.
'She woke up?'
He didn't even bother to get the water. He just put the cup on the table and walked to the bed in two steps.
Sure enough, Sakura was frowning, making faint noises, looking as if she were about to wake up. Naruto felt nervous and turned to call the medical staff on duty.
Just as he turned, he felt a tug on his sleeve.
Sakura, looking a bit dazed, gripped Naruto's sleeve tightly, like clutching a lifeline. Naruto suddenly became less anxious, and he stared into Sakura's eyes.
"Sakura?" He asked.
"… Yeah." Sakura's voice was weak. She stared at Naruto for a long moment before recognizing him, "Naruto, why are you here?"
'The tone is so familiar. It's Pink Sakura.'
Naruto didn't know why, but even though he had told himself it didn't matter who woke up, whether it was Pink Sakura or Dark Sakura, as both had been good to him, when the moment finally arrived, he still felt a pang of emptiness in his heart. It was only when the scales tipped that he realized his preference leaned towards Dark Sakura.
He liked that girl who said she would stand there and actually stood there, motionless, her slender figure like a blade of grass. But she wasn't just a blade of grass, she was a living person.
Having been in this world and seen it all, she understood what was normal, and from that understanding, she realized her own abnormality. Only after witnessing others' happiness did she see herself as a mere substitute.
It wasn't fair. If a person's right to even suffer is stripped away, that's a fate worse than death.
Naruto had hoped Dark Sakura could remain, but it was only at the last moment that he convinced himself. However, whether Dark Sakura truly had the right to choose, he dared not ponder.
Even though they were all Sakura, and on the surface, nothing had changed.
But Naruto knew… and because only he knew that it made his heart ache slightly. When Sakura spoke, Naruto finally understood the meaning behind Dark Sakura's words.
'She was too clever, painfully so.'
Naruto remembered her completely, painfully, and only he would feel that pain. It wasn't the pain of loss, but the sorrow of a person who now exists only as a memory.
Just like Dark Sakura had once told him, if she disappeared, no one would remember. Now, Naruto knew she had really existed, but he couldn't tell anyone.
Only he would remember, forever, until his death.
"Naruto, I want some water." Sakura curled up and murmured weakly.
"Oh, okay!" Naruto snapped back to reality, feeling a small wound tear in his heart. He walked to the corner of the room and picked up the glass of water.
At the moment he handed the glass over, Naruto was momentarily lost in thought. Suddenly, a faint pain came from the tip of his right index finger.
Naruto's pupils widened slightly.
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