Freedom at Last

Yu had no idea what was going on as he lay in the hospital bed. He was sleeping soundly, and in the middle of the night, he even started his usual habit of wrapping himself up in the blankets.

He bundled the cups and pillow together, wedged them between his legs, and buried his head under the pillow. It was a habit Yu had had for as long as he could remember.

But Yu wasn't wearing any clothes now, and his little fish was exposed to the air. Nurses had come by to straighten his blankets several times, but before long, he would mess them up again.

The weather was still beautiful today. Everyone in the village knew what had happened last night, but most people had only heard the official announcement released by Konoha.

"Uchiha Itachi colluded with outside forces and launched a rebellion..."

An announcement that had been fabricated long ago was issued from the Hokage Building and spread to every corner of the village.

In the end, the village's response was to label Uchiha Itachi an S-rank missing-nin from Konoha and keep his name posted at Konoha's mission office.

The only concrete action Konoha took was to send out a few teams of ninja to put on a show of pursuing him. After that, Konoha began issuing a series of statements, aiming to steer public opinion and make the Uchiha incident fade from memory.

The Uchiha clan's compound was on the outskirts of Konoha, and most clan members were rather aloof. Ordinary ninja and civilians rarely had a chance to talk to them. Combined with the Konoha High Command's efforts to steer public opinion, this meant the massacre of the Uchiha clan caused no great upheaval in the village.

"Ahh..."

Yu woke up with his eyes closed and stretched, kicking all the cups beside him onto the floor.

Still bleary-eyed, Yu half opened his eyes and sat up. His mind was foggy from sleep, and for a moment, he forgot where he was.

He reached out and fumbled around on the bed.

"Where'd my phone go?"

For most young people in his previous world, the first thing they did in the morning was look for their phone. Yu was no exception.

As he searched, Yu suddenly stopped. His mind gradually cleared.

Looking at his surroundings, Yu was confused.

"Why am I in a hospital room? Did I get transported to another world again?" His head was full of question marks. He clearly remembered what had happened last night: he'd fallen into the hands of Danzo's Root, and they'd even planned to dissect him.

But it was obvious he wasn't in Danzo's hands now. In the anime, Danzo's territory always had a gloomy atmosphere, whereas this hospital room had no trace of gloom. It was clean everywhere, and he could even see the Hokage Building in the distance through the window.

Yu remembered the Hokage Building very clearly. It was one of Konoha's most recognizable landmarks.

"Then I must be in a hospital in Konoha," Yu thought.

But that raised another question: why was he in a hospital in Konoha?

He couldn't figure out how he'd ended up here.

Just then, the door to the room opened, and a pretty young nurse walked in. They stared at each other, wide-eyed.

The awkward moment lasted about five or six seconds, then ended when the nurse blushed and lowered her head in "defeat."

"Why's she blushing?"

Yu wondered, then looked down. His face instantly turned crimson, even redder than the nurse's.

He was completely naked, staring at a girl. Yu felt mortified. It was beyond embarrassing.

He moved with unprecedented speed, snatching up the blanket from the floor and wrapping himself in it.

Seeing Yu flail about in a panic, the nurse giggled behind her hand. But she soon remembered something and quickly stopped, her gaze turning sympathetic.

"These are the clothes I brought for you, along with some medicine. Remember to take one dose a day." The nurse carried a set of clothes and some medicine over to Yu, then placed them on the cabinet beside his bed.

"Thank you!"

Yu blushed as he thanked her.

"You're welcome."

The nurse smiled at him.

"Could you tell me who brought me here?" Though he felt a little awkward, he was more eager to find out how he'd ended up here.

The nurse didn't think much of Yu's question and answered directly, "Lord Hokage brought you here himself last night. There was another child about your age with you, too."

"Lord Hokage—that's Hiruzen Sarutobi! But why would he save me?" Even after hearing that, Yu still couldn't make sense of it. Hiruzen had no reason to save him!

"Did he have a change of heart?"

That seemed like the most plausible explanation.

"Forget it. I'll stop thinking about it. From the looks of things, I should be safe for now!"

He didn't know why Hiruzen Sarutobi had saved him, but one thing was clear: his life wasn't in danger at the moment.

Hiruzen Sarutobi wasn't exactly a good person in the anime, but one thing was certain: he was completely loyal to Konoha. As long as Yu didn't show hatred toward Konoha, Hiruzen shouldn't hurt him.

Yu was lost in thought. Seeing him bow his head like that, the nurse assumed he was dwelling on the terrible events of the previous night.

The nurse had naturally heard about the Uchiha massacre, too. She couldn't think of anything to say to comfort him. After all, most people couldn't bear something like that.

And a careless attempt at consolation might only make things worse. So after setting everything down, the nurse quietly left and gently closed the door without disturbing Yu.

Once Yu finished thinking, he wanted to ask whether Lord Hokage had said what would happen to him.

But when he looked up, the nurse was gone.

There was no way to ask her now, so he got dressed first. There was also a plate of fruit on the cabinet beside him. He picked one up, gave it a quick wipe, and took a bite.

After his first bite, Yu couldn't stop. Before long, the plate was nothing but peels and cores.

After eating all that fruit, Yu only felt hungrier, as if it had whetted his appetite. His stomach protested, demanding more food.

"Can I go out now?"

Yu looked at the hospital room door. He didn't know what his situation was—whether he was being watched or had been left alone.

"I'll try."

After hesitating for a few minutes, Yu decided to give it a try.

He went up to the door and slowly reached out to open it. The whole process took about a minute. Once the door had opened a crack, he cautiously peeked outside.

Beyond the door was an ordinary hospital corridor. There were no guards like he'd imagined.

After making sure there was no danger, Yu opened the door and stepped out.

Two ninja came from the other end of the corridor. When they saw Yu, they smiled and greeted him warmly. Yu smiled and nodded back. Their friendly exchange was a perfect reflection of Konoha's peaceful atmosphere.

Yu wasn't wearing Uchiha clothes, so ordinary ninja had no idea who he really was. They just took him for an ordinary kid.

"I'm free."

Yu ran straight out of the hospital and didn't stop until he reached a lakeside.

Since being transported to the world of Naruto, this was the most relaxed he'd felt. He didn't know what difficulties lay ahead, but he'd escaped certain death. That was what "freedom" meant.