บท 77: Chapter 77 The Long Summer

Naruto did not expect this and stared at Sasuke's uneven Naruto was caught off guard by Sasuke's response, staring at his uneven face for a while before bursting into laughter, "Hahahahahaha!!!"

"Idiot." Sasuke shot him a cold glance.

"Hahahaha!!!" Naruto pointed at Sasuke's face, clutching his stomach as he laughed so hard that tears welled up in his eyes.

Sasuke ignored Naruto and turned his head to look out the window with an indifferent look.

Sasuke's pale skin, black hair and eyebrows seemed particularly suitable for the dull and white atmosphere of the hospital. His calm eyes held a trace of coldness.

"He came for you?" Sasuke's voice was emotionless.

This 'he' naturally refers to Itachi.

"I guess so." Naruto flopped back onto the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling, "It was probably for the Kyubi, to capture the Jinchuriki or something like that."

Naruto then thought of Ino. Before losing consciousness, he had vaguely seen Kakashi. 'Kakashi was still as reliable as ever, and with him stepping in, Ino would probably be fine.'

'Kisame and Itachi are too powerful. Someone like me who doesn't have much combat experience cannot deal with both of them at the same time.'

'Kyubi's power has not been fully unlocked, my mastery of Flying Thunder God is still at a beginner's level, and Lava Release is insufficient against experienced opponents like Itachi and Kisame.'

People like Itachi and Kisame, who had survived countless battles, weren't the type to just engage in a straightforward fight. As soon as he made a move, Kisame aimed directly at Ino.

If Naruto hadn't forcibly opened the seal to let Kyubi fight in his place, Ino might have been dead by now.

An enemy isn't terrifying, what's terrifying is a smart enemy.

Fortunately, Sasuke had drawn some of Itachi's attention, which allowed Naruto to survive what could have been a deadly encounter.

"Sasuke, thank you."

"What are you thanking me for?" Sasuke glanced at him coldly.

"Thank you for taking the beating."

Sasuke really wanted to punch Naruto, if only his hands could move.

"It looks like you guys have almost recovered."

The door creaked open as Kakashi and Sakura walked in. Sakura placed a basket of fruit on the table in the corner of the room, sliced some apples, and then walked to the middle to feed both of them.

Naruto was still lying on the bed, while his injuries have already completely healed.

However, when he saw Sakura feeding him, he simply pretended to be weak.

"Ah."

"Idiot." Sasuke glanced at Naruto, but not interested in exposing him.

"Sasuke." Sakura called as she handed a slice of apple to Sasuke's mouth.

"No need."

"If he doesn't eat, I will." Naruto said.

Sasuke immediately took a bite of the apple slice and glared at Naruto.

Sakura smiled, and her eyes narrowed into crescents. She sat in the middle, carefully slicing apples and feeding them one by one to both Naruto and Sasuke.

Her smooth, pale legs were neatly folded on the chair, her posture straight, and her chest slightly rising with each breath.

Kakashi leaned against the window, holding a copy of Icha Icha Paradise in his hand. His gaze occasionally drifting from the pages to the three of them, and there's a smile in his eye.

At that moment, the summer day felt longer than ever, with the cicadas buzzing loudly, the sunlight shining brightly, and the greenery growing wildly.

The entire Team 7 gathered in one hospital room, relaxing and enjoying the happiness of surviving the disaster.

Sakura was gentler than ever, Sasuke didn't refuse the apples, and Naruto was still his usual carefree self.

Kakashi flipped through the pages of his freshly folded Icha Icha Paradise, but didn't read a single line of words.

The wind rustled through the treetops.

Naruto's injuries weren't severe, and he was discharged the same day.

Kakashi informed the team that Team 7 wouldn't be taking on any missions for the time being. With both a Jinchuriki and Uchiha Clan's survivor on the team, the higher-ups needed time to deliberate.

"Naruto, here."

In the hallway, Sakura handed Naruto his clothes. The seams had been mended with fine stitches that were almost unnoticeable unless one looked closely.

"Thanks." Naruto said as he accepted the clothes, his gaze lingering on the stitching.

"I noticed they were torn, so I just stitched them up a bit." Sakura said, blushing slightly, "I just learned it not long ago, so..."

"It's well done."

"Is Ino also in the hospital?" Naruto asked.

"She woke up earlier than you and was discharged from the hospital yesterday." Sakura replied seriously. She then patted Naruto's shoulder and asked suspiciously, "But how did Ino get hurt?"

"She was on her way to the Inuzuka Clan's compound when it started raining heavily, so she stopped by my place to wait out the rain and got caught up in everything." Naruto explained as the sunlight streaming through the corridor stretched his shadow.

"Don't worry, she's fine, she just fainted at the time." Sakura said, holding a medical chart with a cross symbol on her armband, indicating her affiliation with the medical department.

"But when she woke up yesterday, she seemed pretty anxious about you. Since when did you two get so close?"

"Huh?" Naruto blinked.

'Yeah, when did that happen? Was it during that training session with Guy's team, or back when we were on the Hokage Rock?

"Make sure you go visit Ino, stupid Naruto." Sakura said, lightly tapping Naruto on the head with the clipboard before walking away.

…

After returning home, Naruto was greeted by the sight of shattered glass all over the living room. The curtains were soaked and draped over the balcony railing, which were twisted and deformed. He stood there, dumbfounded, realizing he had completely forgotten about the mess.

The living room was in complete disarray, and with the balcony door wide open, the floor was damp. The entire house smelled musty and felt unusually cold.

"Forget it, I'll just move somewhere else." Naruto sighed and dragged himself into the house to pack his things.

He was discharged from the hospital in the morning and moved to a new place by the afternoon.

Naruto found a place that was better than the old apartment and moved in right away.

The higher-ups were still undecided on what to do about Naruto. Essentially, they were waiting for the next Hokage to take office before making any decisions.

The two Advisors have always had different opinions from Danzo, and when it comes to matters as important as the Jinchuriki, which concerns the safety of the village, a new voice was needed to break the deadlock.

After quickly tidying up, when it was getting dark, Naruto went out and bought a plush toy as a gift.

The streets of Konoha are bustling with people, the lights casting a mix of shadows and bright spots. The main street ran through the entire village, lit from end to end for the past seventy years.

The Yamanaka Flower Shop was some distance away from Naruto's new place. After a long walk, he finally stood under the big tree outside.

Looking through the window, he saw the bright lights inside the shop.

Ino was standing in front of the counter, chatting and laughing with a familiar female customer. The warm light shone on her gentle face, which was full of smiles.

Until the female customer noticed someone outside, paused and pointed toward the window. Ino turned around and saw Naruto standing under the big tree, and she couldn't help but froze for a moment.

Naruto watched as Ino waved at him through the window, smiling brightly.

He also waved and gestured the gift in his hand.

In the shop, Ino said a few words to the female customer, then blushed when the female customer covered her mouth and teased her, and ran out of the store as quickly as if escaping.

"Why are you here?"