Naruto and Sasuke found an inn in the village to rest for the time being. Sasuke laid the unconscious little girl on a tatami mat, and the two stayed by her side, waiting for her to wake up.
Several hours passed. It was not until the sky had begun to darken that the little girl slowly woke up. The moment she opened her eyes, she saw Sasuke Uchiha sitting beside her. Before Sasuke could say anything, her lips turned downward and tears spilled straight from her eyes.
The child's crying woke Naruto, who had been resting with his eyes closed. Hearing her sobs, he came out from the other room and walked over to Sasuke.
"Are you awake? Why are you crying?" Naruto scratched his head, looked at the little girl crying nonstop, and patted Sasuke on the shoulder as he asked. Sasuke was also at a loss when faced with a crying child. Hearing Naruto's question, he helplessly spread his hands.
"I don't know either. She started crying as soon as she woke up. Maybe she was too badly frightened."
Naruto stroked his chin as he looked at the little girl. "Don't be afraid. We're good people. I want to ask you something—where is your family? We can take you back."
The moment the little girl heard that, she seemed to remember something sad and cried even harder. But because she had been crying so loudly, her voice was already becoming hoarse.
"This..."
Naruto looked speechlessly at the little girl, having no idea how he had upset her. For a moment, he was completely baffled.
"She has no family anymore. They're all dead."
"Otherwise, she wouldn't have come out to beg and been taken advantage of."
Sasuke lowered his gaze slightly as he spoke. He felt some sympathy for