"See that? That's the gap in strength between us. And before long, I'll go even further, until you can't even see my back anymore... This is your last warning. Don't come looking for me again!"
"Sasuke, I'm bringing you back, no matter what!"
"Then die!"
"Ah! Sasuke..."
Naruto abruptly woke from a dream in which Sasuke had pierced him with a Chidori, gasping for breath.
Only after taking in his surroundings did his expression relax.
But his heart immediately tightened again. "Sasuke..."
He had just tried to jump out of the hospital bed when a large hand pressed him back down.
"Pervy Sage? Did you bring me back? Where's Sasuke? Did he come back too? The others..."
"All right, all right, could you ask one question at a time? With so many questions at once, which one do you want me to answer first?"
Jiraiya pulled up a chair beside the hospital bed and began answering Naruto's questions one by one.
"...By the time I arrived, the Nine-Tails' power inside you had already gone berserk. I had no choice but to seal the Nine-Tails first, then bring you all back."
"Don't worry. Your companions are all fine. They only suffered some superficial injuries, and they've all gone home after receiving treatment."
"As for Sasuke, I really couldn't bring him back too under those circumstances. This involves a lot of people. It isn't as simple as what you saw."
"Besides, Sasuke left the village willingly, giving training away from the village as his reason. As for where he trains during that time and who he trains under, that's his choice."
"As long as Sasuke hasn't explicitly defected from Konoha, we can't use force against him. Besides, I don't think you want things to get that far either."
"So the fact remains