The stubborn smell of disinfectant drilled into his nostrils, bringing with it an undeniable sense of cleanliness and cold.
Uchiha Ling's eyelids fluttered a few times before he slowly opened them.
The familiar yet strange wooden ceiling came into view, along with bright sunlight slanting in through the window and casting long patches of light across the floor.
Sensation returned little by little, like seawater surging back in after the tide had gone out. A clear, dull ache throbbed in his left shoulder and right side, both tightly wrapped in thick bandages.
The hospital... Uchiha Ling murmured to himself, his consciousness fully clearing.
Fragments of memory quickly pieced themselves together: the pitch-dark woods, the cold flash of a blade, the Cloud Village ninja's twisted face, and Kushina's red hair burning like flames.
And in the final moment, he had shielded her with his body, taking that heavy blow squarely on his not-so-broad back...
"You're awake?"
A gentle voice sounded beside him. Uchiha Ling turned his head slightly and saw a smiling kunoichi from the Medical Corps standing by the bed in a white nurse's uniform, a clipboard in her hands.
"Mm..." His voice came out hoarse.
"How are you feeling? Do your wounds still hurt badly?" The nurse stepped closer and skillfully checked the chart and IV bottle hanging beside the bed.
"I'm all right. I can bear it." Ling tried moving his fingers, making sure he had regained control of his body.
"You lost a lot of blood, and your internal organs were shaken up a bit. You'll need to rest for a while. But young people recover quickly. The Lord Third personally ordered us to use the best medicine, so you won't have any lasting effects."
The nurse recorded his readings, her tone light. "You've become a little hero, Uchiha Clan's young fellow. Everyone at the hospital knows about you now. No, probably the whole village does."
Just then, the hospital room door was yanked open with a loud clatter.
"Ling—!!!"
A red figure swept into the room like a whirlwind, nearly throwing herself against the bed. The gust she brought with her stirred the curtains.
Uzumaki Kushina's eyes were still a little swollen and red, but now they shone brighter than ever, filled with unconcealed worry, joy, and an indescribable excitement.
"You're finally awake! Thank goodness! You scared me to death, do you know that?" Her voice was loud, nasal from crying, yet brimming with energy. "The doctor said you're all right. Is that true? Does it still hurt? Do you want some water?"
[Received +80 intense joy from Uzumaki Kushina!]
[Received +80 deep concern from Uzumaki Kushina!]
[Received +80 excitement from Uzumaki Kushina!]
[Received +80 gratitude from Uzumaki Kushina!]
[Received +80 guilt from Uzumaki Kushina!]
A string of system notifications rang in his mind, and Emotion Points poured in like floodwaters bursting through a dam.
Uchiha Ling looked at her face, brimming with concern. His heart stirred, and he forced a weak smile. "You're so noisy, Kushina... I'm fine now."
Kushina carefully helped him sit up. The moment she saw the gruesome wound on his left side, her tears spilled over.
"I'm sorry... I'm so sorry. It's all my fault! If I hadn't sneaked out, you wouldn't have been hurt..." Her voice choked up. Her hands trembled as she tried to cover Ling's wound, but she was afraid of hurting him.
Ling smiled weakly and wiped the tears from Kushina's face. "Why are you crying... I'm fine, aren't I?"
He paused, his tone teasing. "Besides, I got to play the hero and save a beauty. What's a little injury?"
But his teasing didn't cheer Kushina up. Instead, she cried even harder. "How can you joke at a time like this? I saw how much blood you lost last night... What would I have done if something had happened to you?" She held Uchiha Ling tightly, afraid he would disappear if she let go.
Uchiha Ling could feel Kushina's body trembling, and sense the deep guilt in her heart.
He gently patted her back to comfort her. "Don't worry. I'm not that easy to kill. Don't forget, I'm Uchiha Ling, the man who's going to become Hokage one day."
In the story, Minato seemed to take care of those Cloud Village ninja in no time at all. At my current level, I could beat Minato with one hand tied behind my back, so how did I end up fighting those Cloud Village ninja to a mutual defeat? Was this the butterfly effect?
As he was thinking, a sound came from the hospital room doorway.
Namikaze Minato appeared there, still wearing his usual sunny, gentle expression, though a hint of fatigue and concern showed between his brows.
He was carrying a bag of fruit.
"Ling, I heard you woke up. That's great." Minato came in, set the fruit on the bedside table, and gave him a sincere smile. A trace of sadness lingered in his eyes. "Thank you for the other night."
Minato knew full well that without Uchiha Ling, things could have ended disastrously.
"The Lord Third told me you killed three Jonin and two Chunin last night, fighting for your life. Ling, you're already this strong? I'll have to work hard to catch up!" Minato continued.
"I just got lucky. They probably underestimated me because I'm young. Besides, I'm from the Uchiha Clan!" As he spoke, Uchiha Ling revealed his pair of Two-Tomoe Sharingan again.
After all, Uchiha Ling was only in his fourth year at the Ninja Academy. At his age, having awakened the Two-Tomoe Sharingan was so rare in the Uchiha Clan that he was one in ten thousand.
[Received +40 sincere gratitude from Namikaze Minato!]
[Received +20 admiration from Namikaze Minato!]
Another knock sounded shortly afterward. It turned out his classmates had come together to visit Uchiha Ling. They all asked after his injuries and what had happened the previous night.
[Received +40 admiration from Classmate A!]
[Received +35 surprise from Classmate B!]
[Received +55 approval from Uchiha Clan member C!]
[Received...]
The system notifications in his mind became almost continuous, and all kinds of Emotion Points kept accumulating. Joy, surprise, admiration, gratitude, curiosity... These emotions flowed into him like waves of warmth, not only filling his "account" but seeming to nourish him as well, easing the weakness from his injuries.
Uchiha Ling maintained a suitably tired and bashful smile, responding to everyone's concern one by one while his thoughts raced.
High risk, high reward. This rescue mission nearly cost me my life, but it brought me tremendous renown and Emotion Points.
He reflected to himself, Especially within the Uchiha Clan. An Uchiha who believes in the Will of Fire and risks his life to save a comrade—that image is incredibly valuable.
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