"Sakura Haruno, don't worry. No one's going to say anything bad about you." Hanabi began comforting Sakura, too.
She even pulled her small white leather wallet from her pocket. Though it was tiny, it was stuffed with thick stacks of large bills. She carefully counted out a few and handed them to Sakura.
"Hanabi..." Sakura Haruno looked at the money in front of her, so touched she could have cried. Life without pocket money was truly miserable.
Still, she leaned back slightly and gave a small wave of her hand.
"I can't take it," she said.
Hanabi's little hand pushed the money firmly into Sakura's, then she shook out her clothes to reveal the small ninja sword hidden beneath them. "It's okay! Didn't you give Sister Yue a little ninja sword last time? She let me have it."
Ino, standing closest, took a good look. The craftsmanship was excellent, and the material of the scabbard alone made it clear that this ninja sword had to be worth a fortune. There was no way it was the one Sakura had bought.
Hanabi winked at Ino, as if telling her not to let on.
"All right, Sakura, just take it," Ino said, understanding what Hanabi meant.
"Go on, take it. Once you graduate and become a ninja, you'll be able to earn your own money. Then you can buy Hanabi more presents," she said.
"Yeah! I can't wait to see what you pick out for me, Sakura. Sister often tells me you have great taste."
"Mm!" Sakura nodded firmly and tucked the money into her pocket. "Hanabi, when you become a ninja, I'll give you an absolutely amazing present!"
The three of them all smiled happily.
Their after-class shopping trip went off without a hitch. Sakura first took Ino home with her to explain the situation, and then they set off on their treasure hunt once more.
"Ah, you came at just the right time. The patient can be discharged tomorrow."
The doctors and nurses usually hated having noisy children around, but today they were especially happy. Tomorrow, Sasuke Uchiha would finally be out of the hospital.
They stepped aside to let the children into Sasuke Uchiha's hospital room.
It was a large room. Kakashi had already recovered and been discharged before Sasuke woke up, so Sasuke Uchiha was the only one left inside.
He was awake, but still felt as though he were dreaming. A pile of presents sat at the foot of his bed. Some had the giver's name written on them and bright red hearts drawn beside it; others were left there alone, without even any wrapping.
Doctors and nurses moved around him, examining his body. Each of them wore a look of pity, and some of the young nurses looked as though they might burst into tears just from looking at him.
Everything around him told him he was in the real world, that it hadn't been a dream. But even after the Third Hokage stood beside his bed and quietly told him what had happened, he still couldn't believe it.
He sat on the bed, staring at the presents that offended his eyes. He was just about to get up and clear them away when he heard a commotion of footsteps outside.
The door opened soon after, and a tiny figure led the way. She was noticeably smaller than the others. Her pure white eyes told him she was from the Hyuga Clan—and not the nearly invisible Hyuga Hinata from his class.
"You..." His voice was especially hoarse.
"Everyone in our class heard you'd woken up from your coma, so they all wanted to come see you," Hanabi replied with a smile. "The last few times we visited, you were still unconscious."
"Oh, right. I'm Hyuga Hanabi, Hinata's younger sister." She stepped forward and introduced herself to Sasuke Uchiha, then set down her present: a small scroll about Taijutsu training. The Hyuga Clan was a powerful family, so naturally their gifts were out of the ordinary.
Hanabi didn't say much else to Sasuke. After setting down her present, she readily stepped outside, leaving the other girls in the class to share their feelings with Sasuke Uchiha.
But looking at so many of his female classmates only made Sasuke feel more and more annoyed. He thought of Hyuga Hanabi just now, then of his own clan, and his anger grew.
He couldn't show it. He had to be strong. He was now the only one left in the Uchiha Clan, the sole survivor. Everything that belonged to the clan—and that man—
For some reason, though, the sight of him frowning and refusing each girl's present only made them more excited.
"Big forehead, I think I'm in love." Ino covered her face and leaned against Sakura's shoulder, her cheeks flushed as she gazed at the handsome boy sitting on the hospital bed.
Sakura was no less affected. Resting her chin in her hands, she was already imagining the wonderful life she and Sasuke would have together.
Then the two of them suddenly lifted their heads and exchanged strange looks. The sisters who had only just made up seemed to be heading for a more complicated relationship again.
For Sasuke Uchiha, time crawled by like a snail. He didn't say a word, only quietly watched the girls in his class say all sorts of things to him.
There was affection, comfort, and, mixed in between, a trace of pity that was hard to detect.
But for the girls, time flew by far too quickly. They had barely said a couple of things when the doctor quietly appeared in the doorway and loudly shooed them out.
"All right, all right, you've been here long enough. He's awake, not recovered!" he said loudly. "Besides, he hasn't even had dinner. You probably haven't either, and your parents must be getting worried. Hurry home!"
The nagging doctor had to shout several times before he finally drove the girls out of the room. Then he brought Sasuke a meal.
Only after his patient finished eating did the doctor come back with a notebook and pen and stand beside Sasuke's bed.
"Does your head still hurt...?"
After asking about each symptom, he nodded and gave his conclusion:
"You can be discharged tomorrow, but be careful: no strenuous activity for two weeks. After that, you'll need to come back for a follow-up."
"Can I leave today?" Sasuke Uchiha was silent for a moment before asking quietly.
He wasn't looking at the doctor, but at the pile of presents. A red picture frame among them stood out painfully, reminding him of his family.
"Hmm, it's about to get dark. I can arrange your discharge right now, but..."
"Then discharge me," Sasuke Uchiha said, frowning as he cut the doctor off.
"All right, if you're in such a hurry."
Sasuke Uchiha didn't have any luggage. He didn't even take all the presents with him. The only things in his small pouch were the red picture frame and the scroll from the little girl of the Hyuga Clan. He walked alone through the alley.
"Heh heh, kid, it's so late. Why aren't you home? What are you wandering around out here for?"
Two people suddenly appeared atop the alley wall. Grinning maliciously, they blocked the path of Sasuke Uchiha, all alone.