Grievously Wounded

"Don't cry!" He raised a bloodied hand and touched Ino's cheek, speaking with some difficulty.

"Do you have any last wishes? I swear on my status as the future heir of the Nara Clan that I'll definitely fulfill them for you!" Shikamaru clenched his teeth as he looked at Samu Kokaze, whose heart had been pierced, and asked while gripping his hands tightly.

"Nonsense! You're talking nonsense! How could Kaze die?! Our promise hasn't been fulfilled yet! I haven't become Hokage yet! Kaze hasn't carved my Hokage face yet! How could he just die like this?!" Hearing Shikamaru's words, Naruto, who had been stunned by the sudden turn of events, abruptly rushed over, grabbed Shikamaru by the collar, and shouted emotionally.

"Then what do you expect me to do?! Kaze's heart has been pierced! If a highly skilled medical ninja showed up right now, there might still be a sliver of hope to save him, but where do you expect me to find one here?!" After Naruto shouted at him, Shikamaru became emotional as well. He broke free from Naruto's grip on his collar and roared back.

"Cough..."

"Kaze! How are you?!" Ino, crying so hard she was nearly heartbroken, heard Samu Kokaze make a sound as she supported him. A faint glimmer of hope appeared on her face as she hurriedly asked.

He barely raised his head and looked at Shikamaru and Naruto, who had turned their gazes toward him. In a faint voice, he said, "My heart is on the right side. I think I can still be saved. Can you stop arguing and leave first?"

"Kaze!"

Upon hearing that, everyone surrounding him instantly showed delight. Looking at Samu Kokaze, who had closed his eyes again, Shikamaru ordered, "Choji, carry Kaze. Everyone head to Konoha Hospital as fast as possible. And on the way, shout that enemy ninja have broken into the village!"

"Okay!" A flash of joy crossed Choji's eyes as he looked at the speaking Samu Kokaze. After gently carrying him onto his back, he sprinted toward Konoha Hospital.

"You have to hold on! Didn't you say you wanted to eat my family's food? As long as you get better, I'll bring you as much as you want!" Choji felt the wetness of blood soaking through his back. His face, dripping sweat from his frantic sprint, was full of anxiety.

"Cough..." After coughing dryly, Samu Kokaze listened to the shouts ringing in his ears and smiled. "Don't worry. My dream hasn't been fulfilled yet. The Grim Reaper can't take me away!"

"Damn it! Damn it!"

At the place where Samu Kokaze and the others had been playing, the middle-aged ninja who had suddenly received his clone's memories cursed furiously. He looked unwillingly at the Anbu opposite him, who was covered in wounds and could have been killed after only a few more exchanges.

"Consider yourself lucky!" The middle-aged ninja formed hand seals, and a thick fog suddenly appeared where he stood. Seeing the sudden fog, the Anbu forced himself to stay alert and carefully guarded against an attack.

After a while, the fog dissipated, yet the Anbu had not been attacked. His expression abruptly changed. "He escaped?"

"This is bad! I have to inform Lord Hokage immediately!" Dragging his heavily injured body along, he sped toward the Hokage Building.

"Enemy ninja have broken into Konoha!"

"Enemy ninja have broken into Konoha!"

On the way to Konoha Hospital, Choji and the others kept shouting at the top of their lungs. Lights gradually came on in the dark houses on either side. Before long, quite a few ninja in pajamas stopped them. When they saw the badly injured child on the back of the chubby boy, their expressions instantly changed.

"Oki! Take this injured child to the hospital."

Among the ninja blocking their path, one who appeared to command considerable trust from the others gave the order.

The ninja called Oki first stopped Samu Kokaze's bleeding. Then he took Samu Kokaze from Choji's back, nodded, and rushed toward Konoha Hospital.

"What exactly happened?!" Looking at Oki, who had already headed toward the hospital, the ninja who had just given the orders asked Shikamaru and the others who had been shouting.

"It happened like this..." Shikamaru stepped forward to explain.

Only after Samu Kokaze was taken toward the ninja hospital by the ninja named Oki did he finally let out the breath he had been holding.

He closed his eyes and silently thought.

Looks like this matter has been temporarily handled! But who wanted to kill me? Root? No... that's not right. With Danzo's personality, if he wanted to kill me, he definitely wouldn't use such methods, especially when I was with Naruto.

Then it seems someone outside Konoha wants my life. Ever since I became conscious, the only connection I've had with the outside world has been the Tanaka Clan. Could it be related to the Tanaka Clan?

A trace of killing intent appeared in his tightly shut eyes. Feeling the injuries in his body, he frowned slightly.

In truth, his heart was not on the right side as he had claimed. That middle-aged ninja had successfully burst Samu Kokaze's heart. If not for the Nano Core in his body temporarily taking over the task of circulating his blood, Samu Kokaze would have died long ago!

However, this had also been within Samu Kokaze's expectations. After activating the Combat Assistance System, his personal emotions would be suppressed to the extreme. Instead, every possible method of increasing his chances of victory would surface in his mind, while his ability to act would greatly increase. He would not be intimidated by killing intent or any other behavior.

But because his emotions were suppressed, once the Combat Assistance System was activated, he might do things for the sake of victory that he normally would not be willing to do.

He would never have chosen an almost life-for-injury exchange like today's while in his normal state, even though he had been quite certain that the ninja blocking his path was merely a clone.

All in all, it was a technique that had not yet been fully completed.

But he had had no choice but to use it. Samu Kokaze had never fought before, and he had suddenly needed to fight a ninja with extremely rich combat experience. Without using this technique, he could never have defeated him.

And even though this assassination attempt had been temporarily resolved, he was not completely safe. Although the ninja who had tried to assassinate him this time had seemingly been dealt with by him, how had that man entered Konoha?

There was a barrier surrounding Konoha. No other ninja could enter the village without drawing Konoha's attention, at least not with the strength he had displayed.

Unless he had entered Konoha openly and was considered a trustworthy person by the village.

But those were minor matters for now. No matter how he had entered, after this incident had provoked the Third Hokage's bottom line, the Third Hokage would never let him off. The real trouble was the question of the strength Samu Kokaze had suddenly displayed.

As he thought through the headache-inducing problem, Samu Kokaze felt waves of intense pain constantly coming from his wounds. His heart hardened, and he gritted his teeth. Through the Nanobugs, he devoured the heart that had been mangled by the stab, then rebuilt a heart in the right side of his chest. At the same time, he adjusted the blood vessels in his body so they were exactly the same as those of a normal person whose heart grew on the right side.

At the same time, he used the Nanobugs to damage his already badly injured body a second time. It could be said that Samu Kokaze still being alive was nothing short of a miracle.

This should eliminate the Third Hokage's suspicions. And as long as the Third Hokage still trusts me and believes I can give Naruto bonds, nothing will happen to me!

After ordering the Nanobugs in his body to hide themselves, Samu Kokaze, weakened by excessive blood loss, felt a wave of drowsiness wash over him. This will do for now... I'm so tired...