Hospital

Konoha.

Hokage Building.

A bright moon hung high in the sky, while endless starlight blossomed across the night.

The Hokage Building, which should have been shrouded in darkness, was brightly lit. The neatly dressed Third Hokage stared solemnly at the figure kneeling on one knee below him.

"Speak! What exactly happened? Who was that ninja after?"

His imposing voice rang through the room. Enduring the pain from his injuries, the Anbu kneeling on the ground recounted everything that had happened in the battle without holding anything back.

"Samu Kokaze?" The Third Hokage murmured doubtfully before looking at the Anbu again. "Are you certain he was not after Naruto?"

"That appears to be the case from all indications, but I cannot say for certain."

The injured Anbu lowered his head and hurriedly responded to the Hokage's question.

Listening to the Anbu's report, the Third Hokage frowned deeply. After a moment of thought, he waved his hand and dismissed the injured Anbu to receive treatment.

"Naruto... Samu Kokaze..." The Third Hokage murmured softly as he walked to the window. Looking down at the streets beneath the Hokage Building, now swallowed by darkness, he let out a sigh.

Meanwhile...

Within Konoha's Root Base, Shimura Danzō, who had been sorting through documents, heard his subordinate's report. He set down the papers in his hand, frowned, and snorted heavily.

"What is Sarutobi doing, letting an enemy enter Konoha and cause trouble? What did the Barrier Team say?"

After his usual expression of dissatisfaction toward Sarutobi, Danzo questioned the Root ninja kneeling before him.

"The Barrier Team reported that aside from a brief fluctuation in the barrier just now, there were no abnormalities. Furthermore, that fluctuation was likely caused when the ninja fled Konoha."

The Root ninja kneeling on the ground answered in a deep voice.

"Heh." Danzo sneered at the answer. "There was no fluctuation when he entered, yet there was one when he left. It seems he entered the village normally. Investigate it. See whether any merchant caravan or other people temporarily staying in Konoha have disappeared."

"Yes!"

The kneeling Root ninja flashed away and vanished from the spot.

Watching the figure disappear, Danzo sneered beneath the dim light. "It seems Konoha's years of recuperation have made people think we are easy to bully. Anyone dares make a move against Konoha now? Seeking death!"

The next morning.

Konoha Hospital's inpatient ward.

After being rescued throughout the night, Samu Kokaze opened his eyes. Looking at the glaring sunlight beyond the window, he narrowed them slightly.

He moved his aching body a little and felt how weak and limp he was all over. Looking at Ino sleeping with her head beside his bed, a gentle smile appeared on his face.

He reached out and draped the blanket covering him over Ino, then braced himself against the bed as he struggled to sit up.

Sensing the movement, Ino opened her eyes. Seeing that Samu Kokaze was awake, she abruptly stood up.

"Feng!" Ino cried out. Seeing Samu Kokaze trying to sit up, she hurried over to help him.

Looking at Samu Kokaze, wrapped in bandages and smiling at her, Ino suddenly lowered her head. Large tears slid down her face.

"I'm sorry! It was all because of my stubbornness. Otherwise, I wouldn't have put everyone in danger, and you wouldn't have gotten hurt."

Seeing Ino silently crying and drowning in self-reproach, Samu Kokaze smiled gently. He lightly patted her head. "You're overthinking it. Even if you hadn't suggested going out, that person following us in secret might have attacked at some other time. If no one had held him back, I might already be dead. By that logic, you saved my life!"

"Really?" Ino asked, lifting her tear-filled eyes.

"Yeah, of course." Samu Kokaze nodded very seriously.

Seeing the earnest look on his face, Ino threw herself forward and hugged him tightly in lingering fear. "You are not allowed to scare me like that again! You have no idea, when that person stabbed you in the chest with a kunai, I was almost scared to death."

"Hiss..." Held in her embrace, Samu Kokaze sucked in a breath and said with a pained expression, "Before you get scared to death, could you let go of me first? If you don't, I won't be killed by the enemy—I'll die from the pain first!"

"Ah! Sorry!" Ino abruptly released him, her tired little face turning bright red.

Tap, tap, tap...

Just as Samu Kokaze was about to tease her a little more, a burst of chaotic footsteps came from outside. The moment he looked toward the door, it opened with a click. Naruto, carrying several things, saw that Samu Kokaze was awake and ran over in delight.

"Stop!"

Seeing Naruto charging toward him, Samu Kokaze shouted. When Naruto stopped, he let out a breath of relief.

"Feng! What's wrong?" Naruto asked in confusion, standing in the middle of the room.

"I'd like to live a few more days!"

Samu Kokaze shot Naruto an irritated glance.

Sakura, Shikamaru, and Choji, who entered behind him, could not help laughing when they heard that.

"I'm relieved to see you can still talk." Shikamaru walked in, looked at Samu Kokaze sitting up, and let out a breath.

"Maybe the Reaper thought I was too handsome and couldn't bear to drag me down there," Samu Kokaze said with a smile.

"You..." Shikamaru chuckled twice, then suddenly said heavily, "Thank you for this. If it hadn't been for us, you would have escaped long ago, right?"

Seeing how troubled they looked and how much they cared about this matter, Samu Kokaze chuckled. "What nonsense are you saying? How could I possibly abandon you? I believe that if you had possessed that kind of strength at the time, you would have made the same choice. It was nothing unusual! Or are you saying that if it had been you, you would have abandoned us and run away?"

"Of course not!" Shikamaru suddenly raised his head and shouted in rebuttal.

"Then there you go!" Samu Kokaze waved his hand. Seeing that Shikamaru still looked somewhat bothered, he propped up his chin and teased, "If you really feel bad about it, then find me the things on that list I gave you!"

"Don't worry." Shikamaru nodded very seriously.

"Ah, enough! Feng himself doesn't even care, so why are you overthinking it, Shikamaru? Feng, what do you want to eat? I'll get it for you!"

Naruto, standing in the middle of the room, curled his lips at Shikamaru's expression. Carrying the bag, he ran toward Samu Kokaze lying on the bed and asked.

"Hiss..." Samu Kokaze sucked in a breath, his expression pained as he lowered his head with difficulty. "Before you get me anything, could you get off me first?"

"You idiot, go die!" Sakura, watching Naruto sprawled on top of Samu Kokaze, had veins bulging on her forehead. She rushed over, yanked Naruto up, and viciously swung a fist at his head.

"Hey! Don't hit my face!" Naruto shouted as he watched the fist descend.

Watching Naruto get beaten, Samu Kokaze smiled and asked Shikamaru beside him, "Right, who wanted to kill me? Did you catch him?"

Shikamaru hesitated slightly before nodding. "After an investigation, we found that the ninja entered with a merchant caravan from the Tanaka Clan, a Land of Fire noble family, two days ago. After questioning the caravan, its leader said he had no idea why that ninja attacked you in Konoha."

"Land of Fire nobility? The Tanaka Clan?" Samu Kokaze sneered twice. "Had that ninja always belonged to the Tanaka Clan?"

"At least he did before. Whenever the Tanaka Clan's caravan came to Konoha in the past, that ninja was always with it, so he was not monitored too closely. But it is still unclear who he was working for now. He committed suicide before he could be captured."

"I see." Listening to the intelligence Shikamaru had brought, Samu Kokaze closed his eyes.