At dawn, a ray of sunlight slipped through the window and into a room at Konoha Hospital.
"Mm."
A soft murmur escaped Uchiha Fugaku as he slowly opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was the stark white ceiling of the hospital room. His chest felt heavy. When he looked down, he saw his wife, Mikoto Uchiha, resting against him.
"Fugaku? You're awake!"
"I'll go get Kushina."
Mikoto heard Fugaku stir and glanced up, then saw that her husband had opened his eyes. Overjoyed, she immediately stood and left the room to find Kushina.
Before long, Mikoto Uchiha returned with Kushina Uzumaki. Kushina was a lovely young woman, her long white coat wrapped around her. She had brought a notebook with her, apparently to record the patients' conditions during her rounds.
Ever since she was a Genin, Kushina had been assigned to Konoha Hospital to assist the medical staff in caring for patients. Then war broke out, and Konoha urgently needed medical ninjas. Under Tsunade's guidance, Kushina Uzumaki quickly displayed a talent for Chakra control and learned many advanced Medical Ninjutsu techniques.
Afterward, the Third Hokage officially assigned her to the Medical Corps. She was now one of the hospital's leading doctors. Uchiha Fugaku was the future clan head of the Uchiha Clan, so Kushina Uzumaki had personally arranged his hospitalization.
"You're awake now, Fugaku? Are you feeling any discomfort?"
"Although you were hospitalized because you overused your Chakra, you need to be especially careful in cases like this. Some internal injuries don't show up right away."
Kushina Uzumaki glanced through her notes as she asked. Mikoto had already gone to Fugaku's side and helped him sit up.
"Discomfort? I just feel a little weak. Otherwise, I'm fine."
Uchiha Fugaku looked down at his hands and shook his head.