Sasuke Awakens!

Five days later, Konoha Hospital.

In the quiet ward, Sasuke lay on the bed with his eyes tightly shut, his breathing faint and infrequent.

"Sasuke still hasn't woken up!"

Glancing at Sasuke's still-pale face, Haruno Sakura frowned with visible annoyance.

"Yeah, it's already been five days!"

Nodding, Naruto, who was standing to the side, felt that Sasuke's injuries were quite severe.

It was worth noting that Naruto and Haruno Sakura had also been seriously injured this time, but after receiving medical treatment and spending two days in the hospital, they had been successfully discharged.

"Forget it, let's head out first and not disturb Sasuke's rest."

Shaking his head helplessly, Kakashi spoke softly before leading Haruno Sakura and Naruto away.

Not long after the sound of the door closing, Sasuke's fingers suddenly trembled slightly, showing signs of waking up.

Along with the twitching of his fingers, Sasuke's shallow breathing grew stronger. After a while, his eyelids struggled to flutter, and finally, his eyes slowly opened.

"Where is this?"

Stung by the bright light, Sasuke squinted in pain. After scanning the room, he asked himself in a daze.

Taking a few light breaths, he waited for his mind to clear before waves of memories surged from the depths of his consciousness, allowing Sasuke to recall what had happened.

"I wonder how Kakashi-sensei, Naruto, and Sakura are doing..."

Recalling the battle against Iwayano, Sasuke muttered to himself.

"Sasuke, you're finally awake?"

Just as Sasuke was speaking to himself, the door opened. A familiar voice rang out, and Haruno Sakura quickly walked to Sasuke's side, her face full of joy.

"Sakura, I'm glad you're okay!"

Smiling at Haruno Sakura, Sasuke said happily.

As long as Haruno Sakura was fine, it meant their entire team was safe. The worry Sasuke had felt just moments ago finally faded.

"Haha, Sasuke, you're too weak. You've been sleeping in the hospital for five whole days!"

"If it were me, I would have been out of bed and moving around the same day!"

At that moment, Kakashi and Naruto walked in, and Naruto teased Sasuke.

"Heh, I admit my recovery isn't as good as yours!"

Sasuke replied with a smile.

Sasuke wasn't just saying that; Naruto had the Nine-Tails sealed within him, which gave him a constitution like an undying monster, so his recovery speed was naturally absurd.

"By the way, what happened in the end? How did we escape?"

Looking at Kakashi, Sasuke suddenly remembered this important matter and asked hurriedly.

"Thanks to your signal flare, an Anbu squad from Konoha was nearby and came to reinforce us. One of the members knew medical ninjutsu, which is how you managed to keep your life." Kakashi smiled, watching Sasuke's expression instantly relax, and then added, "Itachi was also in that Anbu squad."

Stunned, Sasuke asked in disbelief, "It was really my brother?"

Sasuke still had a vague impression of the moment he collapsed; he remembered seeing Itachi in a daze, but he had assumed it was a hallucination at the time. He hadn't expected it to actually be Itachi—it was an incredible coincidence.

Kakashi nodded slightly and said with a smile, "You owe your life to Itachi for pulling you back from the gates of hell! If he hadn't carried you back to Konoha without stopping, the consequences would have been unthinkable."

Kakashi wasn't exaggerating. At the time, Sasuke had reached the point of total exhaustion. Although the Anbu member had used medical ninjutsu to treat him, it had only temporarily stabilized his condition. It wasn't until Sasuke was rushed to the ninja hospital and underwent several hours of emergency surgery that he was finally out of danger.

"Brother..."

Thinking of Itachi carrying him all the way back, Sasuke's eyes instantly turned red.

In truth, Sasuke didn't need Kakashi to explain much; he knew the hardship of Itachi carrying him all the way back to Konoha!

One had to realize that even if an ordinary person carried something light for a few hours, they would feel exhausted—let alone Itachi, who had carried Sasuke without rest while maintaining a high speed for an entire day. Anyone else would have found it impossible.

"Sasuke, let's spar once you're better! I've been learning a new ninjutsu from Kakashi-sensei lately!"

"With this new technique, I'll definitely be able to beat you!"

Just as Sasuke was silently thinking about Itachi, Naruto suddenly clenched his fist and shouted excitedly.

"Heh, what new ninjutsu are you learning?"

Sasuke stared at Naruto, asking with interest.

"Kakashi-sensei calls it the Rasengan. It seems it was developed by the Fourth Hokage over three years, and it's an A-rank ninjutsu."

Shrugging, Naruto explained.

"The Rasengan, huh! I look forward to you mastering it soon!"

Slightly startled, Sasuke then smiled. He wasn't particularly surprised by this answer.

Because Naruto was the type of ninja who hated performing hand seals, the clever Kakashi would naturally have him practice a technique like the Rasengan, which relied solely on chakra manipulation. This was also the reason why Jiraiya would eventually teach Naruto the Rasengan in the anime.

"Yeah!"

Naruto nodded, feeling very confident that he would master the Rasengan soon.

After chatting for a while longer, Kakashi saw that Sasuke was getting tired, so he took Naruto and Haruno Sakura and left.

Sasuke's body had not fully recovered; just a short conversation left him feeling exhausted. Once Kakashi and the others had gone, he narrowed his eyes and drifted straight to sleep.

It wasn't until noon, when Uchiha Fugaku and Uchiha Mikoto arrived, that Sasuke finally woke up.

Just like Kakashi and the others, Uchiha Fugaku and Uchiha Mikoto had come to see Sasuke every day. However, with Sasuke showing no signs of waking for three or four days, they had been quite worried. Fortunately, now that Sasuke was awake, they could finally breathe a sigh of relief.

Having learned of Sasuke's ordeal from Itachi, Uchiha Fugaku felt immense pride that Sasuke had managed to defeat a rogue ninja with the strength of a jonin. Throughout his conversation with Sasuke, he wore a smile from beginning to end.

Uchiha Mikoto did not talk as much as Uchiha Fugaku; she had prepared many delicious and nutritious meals for Sasuke, hoping only that he would eat more to help his body recover as quickly as possible.

Sasuke was naturally very happy about his parents' visit, though the only downside was that Itachi had not come along due to being away on a mission. Still, as a ninja himself, Sasuke understood.

Perhaps fearing that Sasuke would be bored, Uchiha Fugaku waited for nearly two hours in the hospital room before taking Uchiha Mikoto and leaving.

Watching his parents depart, Sasuke immediately felt bored again. Just as he was planning to go back to sleep to recover his strength, he saw a figure instantly appear by his side.

"The reputation of Body Flicker Shisui is truly well-deserved. If you had intended to assassinate me, you would have already succeeded!"

Staring at the figure before him, Sasuke joked.

"Heh, Sasuke, you were in a coma for five days. It seems just as Itachi said—to protect your companions, you didn't even care about your own life!"

Ignoring Sasuke's jest, Shisui chuckled lightly.