Hospitalized (Please Recommend)

With a light tap of his foot on a branch, he used the momentum to fly forward.

Naruto looked at the unconscious Sasuke in his arms and did not dare run too fast. He feared the bumps along the way would worsen Sasuke's injuries.

When they arrived at the hospital, Sasuke was immediately sent in for treatment.

Naruto stood outside and waited quietly.

An hour later, the treatment room door opened. A doctor in a white coat walked out, gave Naruto a slight nod, and explained Sasuke's condition.

After hearing it, Naruto let out a breath of relief. Fortunately, it was not serious. Sasuke had suffered some internal injuries, along with minor fractures in his right arm and left leg. With a month or so of recovery, he would probably be discharged.

Naruto approached the hospital bed quietly. Sasuke had already been treated and bandaged. One hand and one foot were in casts, suspended in the air.

There were a few minor scrapes on his face, as well as a shallow cut on his left cheek—the wound left by Itachi's shuriken.

Only when Naruto saw Sasuke sleeping soundly did his tightly wound heart finally relax.

The moment he relaxed, Naruto felt numbness and soreness in his back. During his fight with Itachi, he had overused two muscles in his back, causing anaerobic glycolysis to produce lactic acid, which had accumulated in the muscles and caused the soreness.

It seems my control over my muscles is still far from sufficient, Naruto thought.

If his control over his muscles and tendons were high enough—enough to reshape his muscles at will—then when he had fallen into Itachi's arms, he could have made the two muscles in his back bulge high and turn into spikes. Given the strength of his body, comparable to metal and iron, that strike would definitely have left Itachi in a bind.

He still needed to properly study the book Body is Weapon. It was a powerful tool for close combat.

The doctor said that Sasuke had suffered a tremendous mental shock and severe physical trauma. He likely would not wake up for three or four days.

That was still a conservative estimate.

"Sasuke, you have to wake up. Don't forget, you have to rely on yourself for revenge." Naruto glanced at Sasuke, then decided to return to the Breeding Farm first. There were still some matters left unresolved.

When he returned to the Breeding Farm, he saw the Nine-Tails standing on a rock in front of the wooden cabin, waiting for him with a wicked grin.

"Naruto, you're finally back. How did it go?" The Nine-Tails had already sensed that hateful presence moving away, but it did not know the specifics.

"The one who exterminated the Uchiha clan was Itachi Uchiha, the eldest son of clan leader Uchiha Fugaku. Sasuke's older brother," Naruto said.

"So it was an internal conflict," the Nine-Tails said in realization.

Naruto shook his head. "It's definitely not as simple as an internal conflict. I can sense that there are many people pulling strings behind it."

Naruto began thinking over everything that had happened that day. It felt like a tangled mess, but that mess might have been made from a single thread. It was simply that, with his wisdom and the incident having happened only recently, he could not yet fully unravel it.

Still, this counted as Naruto being precocious. After all, the system had trained him for two years. In those unknown hours, the system had taught him to read and study medical books—not merely medical books, but also many principles of conduct, as well as an understanding of the world and morality.

Never judge people by the surface alone. That was what the system had taught him. Did he really think that just because everyone in television dramas and novels never changed clothes or used the toilet, they truly never bathed or relieved themselves?

He had let a single leaf block his view.

Thus, Naruto thought of a real example. Grandpa Third usually smiled kindly at him, but had he not still sent Anbu Ninja to watch him?

Protection?

Heh!

"By the way, Nine-Tails, have you dealt with those two guys?" Naruto asked.

The Nine-Tails immediately thumped its chest and promised, "They've been dealt with. I used the same brick as last time, and this time I even gave them a few extra hits. I guarantee that when they wake up, they won't remember a thing."

"Mm, good." Naruto nodded.

Without saying more, Naruto began training.

Because he could feel the urgency of time.

If his fleshly body had become divine today and his fist could shatter the void, then any schemes, demons, and monsters would be crushed with a single punch. Why would he need to brood over everything and waste brain cells like this?

The next morning, Naruto got up early and cooked some millet porridge, planning to visit Sasuke at the hospital.

If Sasuke woke up, he could have some millet porridge. It was light and nourishing for the stomach. Given his current condition, it was not the right time for rich food.

When Naruto arrived at the hospital, Sasuke was still unconscious.

Naruto sighed and could only set the millet porridge aside, planning to heat it up once Sasuke woke.

"Knock, knock, knock..."

Not long afterward, a string of rapid, light footsteps sounded outside. Naruto stepped out of the ward and saw that Iruka-sensei had brought their classmates to visit Sasuke.

Every one of them carried fruit, flowers, and some snacks.

"So Naruto is here. I've been looking for you." Iruka walked over and asked softly, "How is it? Has Sasuke woken up?"

Iruka's expression was grave. He felt that Sasuke was truly pitiful. He was so young, yet his entire clan had... As he thought about it, his own past came to mind, and his mood grew even heavier.

"No, but he's not in any danger. I'll keep watching over him," Naruto said. Then he looked at the class and said to Iruka, "Sasuke needs a quiet space right now. How about we let the students go in to see him one at a time?"

"Mm, that was my thought as well." Iruka agreed strongly with Naruto's suggestion, then went to speak with the students.

Iruka was the first to enter and visit Sasuke. Seeing how badly injured he was, Iruka let out a long sigh, set his gift aside, and left.

"Naruto, thank you for bringing Sasuke to the hospital," Sakura Haruno said as she passed Naruto.

Naruto nodded lightly. It was what he should do as a friend.

"Naruto, thank you," Ino Yamanaka said.

When the two girls came out, tears glimmered in their eyes.

"Naruto."

"Naruto."

It was Shikamaru and Choji. As Naruto's friends, and since Sasuke was Naruto's friend, Sasuke was their friend too.

"Sasuke, wake up soon. This world isn't beautiful enough to begin with. Without you, it'll only become... even worse."

"Sasuke, wake up, and I'll give you all my food..."

"Naruto-kun, Sasuke-kun will be all right, won't he?" Hinata asked softly.

"He'll be fine."

"Then... I heard yesterday was very dangerous. Naruto-kun, are you all right too? I was really worried about you..." Hinata looked at Naruto with a face full of concern. She truly feared something might have happened to him.

Naruto shook his head.

After everyone had visited Sasuke, Iruka took the students back to class.

Naturally, Naruto stayed behind to care for Sasuke. In case he suddenly woke up and needed to use the bathroom, eat some fruit, or something else, someone had to be there to help him.

"Naruto..."

Near midday, a familiar voice rang out from the ward entrance.

(Nearly 3,000 recommendation votes already, so I can add another update! It's only been one day and you're already running out of steam? If you keep up yesterday's recommendation count, tomorrow I can add another update for 4,000 recommendation votes. Come on, let's go!)

Thanks to Comical Mask and Book Friend 20200315124213590 for their 100 Qidian Coin tips.