Lively Hospital Room

The matter concerning Tsunade came to a close. Subsequently, the Daimyo of the Land of Fire and the Daimyo of the Land of Water entered negotiations, ultimately resulting in the Land of Water compensating the Land of Fire with twenty million ryo.

A Google search for TWKAN.

As for the Hero Water, no leads were found in the end.

The matter concluded.

#

A week later, Winter gradually set in. The plane trees in Konoha stood solitary, with a few leaves stubbornly clinging to their branches, seemingly ready to fall with a single gust of wind.

Early one morning, a room in the Konoha Hospital was filled with a boy's cheerful shouts.

"Brother! Brother, I've come to see you."

Before he even arrived, his voice preceded him. Then, with a resounding thud, Shisui, with his explosive hair, burst into the sickroom.

His eyes immediately fell upon the melancholic youth lying on the hospital bed, gazing out the window. Well, truth be told, one couldn't discern his gender from his appearance at all, as the person on the bed was completely wrapped in bandages, revealing only a pair of sorrowful eyes.

"Brother, why are you up so early today?" Shisui asked with a hint of pleasant surprise.

A week ago, when he learned that his beloved brother was gravely injured and his life was uncertain, Shisui felt as though the sky had fallen. Especially when he saw him bleeding profusely, his face unrecognizable, he had wailed uncontrollably.

Then, a day later, Sora Uchiha became like this. It took him a full three days to wake up, and even now, he could barely sit up.

Hearing Shisui's voice, Sora Uchiha turned his head stiffly.

"Shisui, you're here."

As for why he was up so early, it was because he spent all his time in bed, unable to do anything, completely disrupting his sleep schedule.

As for why his eyes held such sadness, it was because the doctor said he would have to lie in bed for at least another month.

Besides that...

Sora Uchiha looked at Shisui before him. In his eyes, Shisui's delicate face appeared somewhat blurry, occasionally flickering with phantom images.

He knew very well the cause of this condition: the sequelae of overusing his Mangekyo Sharingan, resulting in a significant decline in his vision.

He was practically going blind. How could he not be depressed? He was experiencing the suffering of "Sasuke during the early days of Team Hawk" before he had even awakened his Sharingan.

"Brother, drink your porridge," Shisui said, shaking the porridge in his hand.

"Oh, alright."

Before long, Sora Uchiha, using a straw, drank the porridge from the cup. Ever since he woke up, this was the only way he could eat. At first, he found it embarrassing, but after a few days...

Heh heh, guess what?

It felt pretty good.

"Brother, how much longer until you can take off the bandages?" Shisui asked, troubled. He felt so sorry for his brother.

"According to the doctor, about another week?" Sora Uchiha wasn't entirely sure either. His injuries were indeed quite severe. The doctor had said his bones were shattered and his blood vessels had burst; it was a miracle he was even alive.

However, this mission wasn't without its rewards. At least the system's quests were all completed.

The reward this time was a summoning contract: Shukaku, the One-Tailed Beast.

He had originally thought this technique would directly summon Shukaku from Sunagakure. However, after understanding it from the system, he realized it wasn't quite like that.

The Shukaku rewarded by the system was a smaller, fake Shukaku that couldn't act freely. It couldn't perform abilities like a Tailed Beast Bomb, which all Tailed Beasts possessed. It could only create a giant sandstorm to trap enemies.

Even so, Sora Uchiha felt satisfied.

"Knock, knock, knock—"

A knock came from the door. Shisui ran over and called out, "Ah, it's Kazuki-bro!" Shisui exclaimed in surprise.

Kazuki Utsuki had come to visit Sora Uchiha. As for how Shisui knew him, it was because Kazuki Utsuki had been visiting frequently these past few days, and they had gotten acquainted.

Moreover, since he was always visiting his brother, Shisui considered him a friend and welcomed him warmly.

"Hello, Shisui," Kazuki Utsuki said with a kind smile, ruffling Shisui's curly hair. His gaze then fell upon the mummy-like figure on the hospital bed.

"Sora, are you feeling any better?" he asked, placing a bouquet of flowers by the bedside. He had intended to bring fruit, but considering Sora Uchiha couldn't eat fruit in his current condition, he brought flowers instead.

"Not bad," Sora Uchiha nodded, lifting a leg to indicate he could move.

He felt rather complex about Kazuki Utsuki. These past few days, Kazuki Utsuki had been visiting him constantly, and he was also a member of the Anbu.

So, Momosuke had investigated him and discovered that Kazuki Utsuki once had a twelve-year-old brother who unfortunately passed away.

Sora Uchiha then understood why Kazuki Utsuki was showing him such concern; it turned out he reminded Kazuki Utsuki of his younger brother.

"Haven't you had any missions these past few days?" Sora Uchiha asked.

"Mm, you could say that. And with winter arriving, even the frontline operations have taken a breather. This period is a rare moment of leisure," Kazuki Utsuki explained.

Hearing this, Sora Uchiha's heart stirred. If that was the case, Kurenai Yuhi and the others should be back too. It had been over a month since he had last seen his peers.

However... if Obito knew he was like this now, he'd probably laugh himself to death.

He chuckled, and his mood inexplicably brightened.

Hiss--

So painful, it pulled at my wound.

Sob sob (T＿T).

"Your body is in this state, you need to rest well." Kazuki Utsuki saw his grimacing appearance, finding it somewhat amusing and somewhat distressing. He immediately used Mystical Palm Technique to ease his pain.

Hearing his gentle tone, Sora Uchiha felt a bit unaccustomed. He was still used to the cold, aloof monkey he was when on missions.

But then, he couldn't bring himself to say any mushy words, so he could only remain silent.

Fortunately, this strange atmosphere didn't last long, as a grating voice echoed from the doorway, "Hey, kid, you look like you're doing alright."

Sora Uchiha looked over and saw Tsunade, with her prominent curves, smiling at him. The corner of his mouth twitched.

Why is this person here? he thought.

Compared to a week ago, Tsunade looked like a completely different person, not at all like someone who had been injured. But then again, Tsunade was from the Senju clan and excelled at medical Ninjutsu, so it was normal for her to recover quickly.

"Do you think I look like I'm doing alright?" Sora Uchiha retorted.

As he spoke, his gaze shifted, and a "caterpillar" flew onto his face. It was a Slug, which immediately emitted a faint green light, healing Sora Uchiha's injuries.

"Heh heh, no need to thank me," Tsunade said preemptively, then sat directly on the hospital bed. She squinted at the mummy-like figure, then after a moment, curiously poked him with her finger.

"Hiss--!" Sora Uchiha gasped, glaring resentfully at Tsunade. He hated people with no boundaries.

"Tsk tsk, you look so ugly right now," Tsunade chuckled. Sora Uchiha now lacked the arrogance he had in the cave back then.

"Heh heh, and who do you think I became like this because of?" Sora Uchiha said softly.

Tsunade paused at his resentful gaze, then widened her beautiful eyes.

"Who told you not to listen to me and insist on going alone?"

"And I'm an Anbu member, only taking orders from the Hokage and my captain. Big sister Tsunade, you have no right to order me around~" Tsunade mimicked Sora Uchiha's words from back then, in a very annoying manner.

"I surrender, I surrender, I give up," Sora Uchiha said helplessly.

Kazuki Utsuki, who had been standing by, remained silent. Listening to Tsunade and Sora Uchiha's conversation, his heart churned.

Were the terrifying battle scars left behind truly caused by Sora Uchiha?

"Bang--!" The door was kicked open.

"Sora! I've come to see you!"

Sora Uchiha's mouth twitched. What kind of day is it today? Did everyone decide to visit me this morning?