Naruto Wants to Get Stronger!

Half an hour later, in the somewhat plain Japanese-style room at Tazuna's house.

Jiraiya carefully laid Menma down on the futon spread over the tatami, and a lingering heaviness filled the air inside the room.

His eyes were tightly shut, his face pale, and the black hair on his forehead was damp with sweat. Even unconscious, his brows were locked together, as if he were trapped in some terrible nightmare.

Naruto knelt beside the futon, his hands on his knees, but they were clenched into tight fists.

His eyes stayed fixed on Menma's pale face without blinking, filled with worry, self-reproach, and a trace of fear that had yet to fade.

Big Brother Menma was his best friend. He always wore a gentle smile and patiently guided him in training, but today he had almost died right in front of him...

The impact of that golden figure overlapped with the sight of the fragile, unconscious Menma before him, leaving his mind in utter chaos.

"If I'd been a little stronger and hadn't gotten caught by that fishhook... maybe Big Brother Menma wouldn't have..."

Hinata knelt quietly on the other side. Her head was lowered slightly, making her expression impossible to see. Only her small hands, tightly holding Menma's cold left hand, trembled faintly.

Soft, stifled sobs came from her. Her shoulders shook gently, and large tears rolled down, wetting the back of Menma's hand and the sheet beneath him.

She had never hated her own powerlessness and timidity so much. When she saw the unconscious Menma being carried back, her heart had almost stopped beating.

Kakashi crouched beside the futon and carefully checked Menma's pulse and breathing. After confirming that it was only a deep coma caused by excessive chakra consumption and that there were no obvious fatal injuries on