An Sleepless Night

"You know perfectly well what I'm saying. Don't forget whose disciple you are, and don't forget that the Fourth Hokage saved your life, and even more so, the lives of the entire village."

"Your mentor was the Fourth Hokage, and you owe him a debt of gratitude for saving your life. But after his death, Naruto was all alone and helpless. Why didn't you help Naruto? He didn't even know you before you became Teacher Naruto."

"No need to refute. I've looked at all the information. In the 12 years since Naruto was born, how many times have you seen him? Hyuga Clan has sent him gifts. What have you sent him?"

The Fake Danzo spoke loudly, tearing open his wounds without hesitation. Every word pierced Kakashi's heart like a needle. Though no blood was drawn, his words were more ruthless than a real knife.

Kakashi was struck dumb by these words and stood there speechless.

Because he didn't know how to answer, he thought about his identity, that he was a disciple of the Fourth Hokage, and the love and care the Fourth Hokage had shown him in the past.

How ironic that Kakashi Hatake and disciple of Minato Namikaze, was unknown to Naruto before becoming his Teacher Naruto.

Throughout Naruto's 12-year career, everything he experienced from childhood to adulthood, Kakashi was not involved in a single thing.

He could say he had missions to carry out, was busy, and had to watch "Make-Out Paradise"—he had so many things to do.

He could also say that he didn't intentionally neglect Naruto; he genuinely had to go on missions frequently and was genuinely busy, so it was understandable that Naruto didn't recognize him for 12 years.

But why did Kakashi suddenly feel so uneasy after hearing Danzo's words?

Kakashi asked himself honestly, is the mission really an excuse? Is being busy really an excuse? Can these really excuse everything?

Kakashi fell silent, unsure how to defend himself, and inwardly asked himself, "Was I really wrong?"

"Cough cough."

The Third Hokage coughed twice, echoing Kakashi's words.

"Kakashi has his reasons; after all, he's not very good at teaching Naruto, but he's more suited to teaching Sasuke."

"Bullshit! Combat skills, swordsmanship, Rasengan, Eight Gates —which one can't be taught? Naruto has the Multi-Shadow Clone Technique; what can't he learn quickly?"

"And don't forget, how fast does Naruto heal after being injured? The Eight Gates suits him perfectly, can't you imagine? Kakashi, can't you imagine?"

The Fake Danzo questioned, gripping his cane and pointing it at Kakashi, his voice full of accusation.

Kakashi fell silent upon hearing his words, and even the Third Hokage and the others were silent, because they couldn't find any words to refute him.

"Furthermore, Naruto sealed away the Nine-Tails and protected Konoha, yet he received only endless cold stares in return. What an irony and injustice! We are not the Naruto the most in this world..."

"It's you, Kakashi, who is ungrateful. You should have given Naruto warmth like family since he was little, even just a word would have been enough, but you didn't. You're not even as good as Iruka."

"Since you don't want to teach Naruto, I'll find Might Guy to teach him. Let's see what kind of disciple you've trained with such favoritism will become."

Danzo finished speaking, he walked straight outside. When he reached the door, the Fake Danzo again in a cold voice.

"I have done many bad things in the past, but I have never regretted them. The only thing I regret is that I owe Naruto. I will do my best to make up for it in the future, because without the Fourth Hokage, where would Konoha be?"

After Danzo finished speaking, he leaned on his cane and left, leaving everyone in silence for a long, long time.

But they didn't know.

The Fake Danzo, back at his base, visibly relaxed, even secretly wiping the cold sweat from his brow when no one was looking, inwardly cursing.

"Do you know how hard it was for Konoha? I risked having my identity exposed."

"But after this incident, it shouldn't cause Naruto any resentment anymore. Konoha is finally saved, and the lives of the Yamanaka Clan and mine are saved too. Whew!"

The Fake Danzo breathed a sigh of relief, even feeling somewhat fortunate that he knew enough.

Otherwise, who knows when a powerful attack might strike Konoha in the future, and they wouldn't even know how they died, which would be the greatest tragedy.

Now, being able to protect Konoha and his clan in his own way, the Fake Danzo experienced for the first time what responsibility meant and his own importance.

"In the past, my people always said I was ungrateful, but now, I protect them, and I am content."

On the other side.

Naruto's house, on the sofa in the living room.

He had no idea that his casual arrangement had caused so many incidents. Of course, even if he did know, Naruto wouldn't care, because the lottery was more important right now.

He's strong enough now, so improving his strength isn't so urgent, but Hinata's strength is too weak, and he must improve her.

Otherwise, seeing her in a bad mood would make Naruto unhappy too.

Turn your head.

Naruto glanced gently at the kitchen, listened to the sounds of cooking inside, and smelled the aroma of fish-flavored eggplant wafting through the air. He smiled.

Naruto doesn't actually have any particular favorite foods. He treats things like chicken, duck, fish, seafood, and abalone as just ordinary food.

However, stir-fried eggplant, fish-flavored eggplant, and stir-fried potatoes, Di San Xian, and eggplant with potatoes are his favorite dishes. This is mainly because his family used to make these dishes often in his previous life, and eating them always brings back a sense of nostalgia.

Hinata, knowing that Naruto liked these three dishes, worked hard to learn how to cook them and always prepared them for Naruto, which touched Naruto deeply.

Because he felt so warm and happy about being valued, he didn't want to see Hinata unhappy, so the lottery became inevitable.

[Ding! Successfully won a prize! You have received 10 cubic meters of Personal Space!]

[Ding! Successful lottery draw! You have obtained a research knowledge orb that surpasses Orochimaru's level. It has no side effects and can be absorbed.]

[Ding! Successful lottery draw! Yuno Gasai's Future Diary.]

The mechanical sounds continued to ring out as Naruto frantically drew lots. After exhausting all his Experience Points, he began to check his winnings.

Soon.

A blue sphere appeared in his palm. This was the Knowledge Sphere, a sphere containing a vast amount of research knowledge. By absorbing it, one could gain countless pieces of knowledge.

"This is really good stuff."

Naruto studied the Knowledge Orb for a while, preparing to absorb it. Considering the large amount of knowledge it contained, it might take half an hour or even an hour, so he turned and shouted towards the kitchen.

"Hinata, I've been working on something and might not wake up for another hour. Don't worry, I'm just asleep."

"Okay, let's go inside, it's chilly outside."

"It's alright, I'm in great physical condition."

After Naruto finished speaking, he closed his eyes and placed the blue knowledge ball on his head. Soon, the Experience Orb merged into his mind, and in the next second, a massive amount of knowledge was absorbed by him in a turbulent process.

However, the amount of knowledge contained in this knowledge is quite astonishing, after all, it surpasses Orochimaru's level. The amount of knowledge it contains is definitely not something to be taken lightly, and even without the side effects, it would still take a very long time to fully grasp.

So Naruto didn't wake up for a full hour and a half after closing his eyes, which made Hinata she finished cooking.

She held Naruto's hands tightly, quietly protecting him. Even when night fell and it was time to go home, she didn't leave, but silently watched over him.

On the other side.

Kakashi sat atop the Hokage Rock, silently observing the entire Danzo Konoha, his mind replaying Danzo's words, words that lingered in his mind for a long time.

This night was destined to be a sleepless one for Konoha.

The next morning, the sun shone brightly, and birds sang sweetly amidst the fragrant flowers.

Naruto woke up groggily, and the first thing he saw when he opened his eyes was a white roof.

"Isn't this my bedroom? I remember it being in the living room."

As Naruto spoke, he looked down and realized he was lying in his bedroom covered with blankets.

Turning my head, I saw Hinata sitting on a stool, her little head resting on the bed, but her fair little hand was always holding her left hand.

Those fair and soft little hands were exceptionally smooth and tender. Naruto couldn't help but squeeze them, then smiled slightly, went to the bedside, picked Hinata up, and gently covered her with the blankets.

Seeing Hinata's sleepy, pouting face, and remembering how she had protected him all night, Naruto felt a pang of tenderness in his heart, a feeling he cherished.

He sat on the stool, resting his chin on his hand and looking at her tenderly, holding her small hand in his left hand and rubbing his cheek against hers.

But.

Naruto quickly realized something and felt somewhat embarrassed, because he was clearly in the living room last night, but woke up in the bedroom, obviously Hinata had carried him there.

This situation was frustrating for a chauvinistic man like him, yet it also felt incredibly heartwarming, so he looked at Hinata and said...

"Hinata, you're putting me in a difficult position, so I've decided, from now on you're mine, yes, forever."