The air in the underground tunnel was turbid, smelling of old rust and mold.
Sasuke put away the scroll and turned to look at Naruto. The blackened palm was still twitching slightly, and the burns on the surface of the skin were shocking.
"Let's go." Sasuke didn't show any extra concern, but just slowed down, "The blockade above hasn't been withdrawn yet, Shikamaru is probably waiting impatiently."
Naruto followed behind with a grin on his face. Every step he took, his lungs hurt like a bellows. Chakra Cloak, who had lost Kurama, this level of head-on contact was an astonishing load on his current body. He stared at Sasuke's back, and suddenly felt that this scene was somewhat familiar.
Many years ago, in Valley of the End, they lay injured together like this. At that time, they had the power to destroy the world, but they could not even communicate each other's feelings. Now, they have become weaker and become ordinary people who will get hurt, bleed, and grow old, but they understand each other better than ever.
Pushing open the heavy iron door, Naruto squinted his eyes under the long-lost sunlight.
"Hey, your date is over?"
Sai was leaning against the ruins of the exit, holding Drawing Board in his hand, with that iconic fake smile on his face. Behind him, there was a team of fully armed Anbu, cleaning up the scene.
"Sai." Naruto hid his injured hand behind his back, "Why are you here?"
"The base's defense system has been activated. If Anbu doesn't respond to this kind of movement, then I, the captain, can take the blame and resign." Sai looked at Naruto's charred hands. He glanced over and his smile faded a bit, "Medical Team is on standby. Shikamaru said that if you come out alive, you will be sent to the hospital immediately; if you die, you will be sent directly to Memorial Stone."
"That guy has nothing nice to say." Naruto muttered.
"Have you got the data?" Sai looked at Sasuke.
Sasuke patted the ninja bag on his waist. "The encryption level is very high. It is Cursed Mark of the Ōtsutsuki Clan, mixed with some kind of biological code of Danzo. I need to borrow your equipment over there, as well as the information left by Orochimaru."
"No problem." Sai closed Drawing Board, "However, Lord Hokage, your current image is really not suitable for appearing on the street. Just now, a few tabloid reporters tried to break through the blockade, but I used Super Beast Scroll to scare them away."
Naruto looked down at himself. His sportswear was in tatters and covered in dust and blood. If he hadn't been told that he was Hokage, he would probably have been regarded as a refugee who escaped from some construction site.
"I will go home through the back door." Naruto sighed, "Don't tell Hinata that I was injured."
Sasuke and Sai looked at each other.
"I wish you good luck." Sasuke added coldly, "Your lying level is still at the level of a twelve-year-old."
When I got home, it was already dark.
Naruto Like a thief, he opened the entrance door lightly. The room was quiet, with only a warm yellow light coming from the kitchen. He breathed a sigh of relief, and was about to sneak into the bathroom to wash away his embarrassment, when a short figure blocked the stairs.
Himawari hugged the old panda doll and looked at him with big eyes blinking.
"Dad?"
Naruto froze. He subconsciously retracted the blackened hand behind his back and forced out a stiff smile, "Ah, it's Xiaokui. Aren't you asleep yet?"
"Mom is heating the food." Himawari sniffed and frowned, "Dad, you smell of rust. And... a burnt smell."
This kid's sensory abilities are just foul.
"Shh--" Naruto raised his index finger, "Dad went to catch a bad guy and stained his clothes a little. Don't tell mom, this is our little secret."
"What secret?"
The gentle voice came from behind, but the hair on Naruto's back instantly stood up.
Hinata stood at the door of the kitchen, holding a plate of steaming hamburger meat in her hand. She was wearing an apron, with her long hair tied behind her head, and she looked gentle and virtuous. But the blue veins popping up around her pair of Byakugan clearly showed her current mood.
"Hina, Hinata..." Naruto smiled dryly and took a step back, "Well, I'm back."
Hinata didn't speak, just put the plate on the dining table. She walked over and gently pulled Naruto's right hand hidden behind her back. When she saw the burnt black skin, her fingers trembled.
"This is what is called "processing files"?" Hinata's voice was very soft.
"That... file was too difficult to handle, so I went out for a while to take a breath." Naruto sweated on his forehead, "It was really just an accident. I didn't like the machine, so I took a photo. Who knew it was leaking electricity..."
"Sit down."
"Yes!"
Naruto obediently sat down at the dining table. Himawari ran to get the medical kit. Boruto's door was opened a crack, and the awkward boy stuck half of his head out and looked at this scene. Instead of being sarcastic as usual, he stared silently at Naruto's injured hand.
Hinata skillfully cleaned the wound, applied medicine, and bandaged it. Her movements were very gentle, for fear of hurting him.
"There is no more Kurama, right?" Hinata suddenly asked.
Naruto was stunned for a moment and looked at his wife's lowered eyes.
"Hmm."
"The wound won't heal in a few minutes like before." Hinata wrapped the last bandage around and tied a knot. "It will hurt, bleed, and leave scars."
"Yes." Naruto scratched his head, "Now, I have become quite troublesome."
"Then you have to learn to hide." Hinata raised his head, his lavender eyes full of seriousness, "You are not a Jinchuriki now, you are the father of two children and my husband. If you fall, I will not forgive you."
Naruto felt warm in his heart and held Hinata's hand with his backhand.
"I know. I promise you, I will run away first from a fight."
"Liar." Boruto walked out of the room, holding a bottle of iced drink in his hand, and slammed it in front of Naruto, "When were you not at the front?"
"Boruto..."
"That monster." Boruto turned away and looked out the window, "The one in the square yesterday. If you hadn't kicked it to pieces, it would have hurt a lot of people."
Naruto blinked, is this guy praising him?
"Although the posture is extremely ugly, I still need help from Uncle Sasuke." Boruto grabbed the hamburger meat on the table and stuffed it into his mouth, saying vaguely, "But it's still... a little handsome."
Naruto smiled. He picked up the chopsticks and picked up a piece of meat.
"I'm starting!"
Although his body was in pain, Chakra was exhausted, and he had to face Shikamaru's anger and mountains of documents tomorrow, but at this moment, in this small space filled with the aroma of food, Uzumaki Naruto felt that this was probably what he was trying to protect.
At the same time, in the basement of Leaf Intelligence Department.
Sasuke stood in front of a huge display screen, with dense garbled codes scrolling on the screen. Orochimaru's data decoder was running at high speed, making a low hum.