A hospital visit

Three days later, the hospital door was flung open with tremendous force. Itō Yuying opened his eyes, which had been beaten into slits, and dimly made out a green-clad creature with a bowl cut running toward him. "Duy, you're here," he said casually, though his words were somewhat muffled, as if someone had stuffed two pounds of tofu into his mouth.

Might Duy ran excitedly to Itō Yuying's bedside and shouted, "Yuying, who beat you up like this? My youth will not allow my dear friend to suffer such pain! Tell me, Yuying! Tell me who it was! I'll use my youth and hot blood to fight him to my heart's content! That damn bastard actually dared to bully the great Duy's dear friend!"

Watching Might Duy's blood boil as he eagerly readied himself for a fight, Itō Yuying considered whether to tell him that the Second Hokage had beaten him up.

Before Itō Yuying could speak, two more elderly people arrived at the door. They were none other than his grandparents, Yiteng Yue and Grandma Aoi. The two hurried to his bedside.

The instant they saw Itō Yuying's condition, they clung to each other and burst into tears. "My precious grandson, who beat you up like this?" Yiteng Yue asked tearfully. "Grandpa will go settle the score!" Itō Yuying said, "He's a ninja. You can't beat him."

"Then... then I'll lie down outside his house and fake an injury to get compensation!" "Yes, yes! Grandma will call up my sisters and sing dirges outside his house too! We'll disgust them to death!" The two elderly people played off each other, looking ready to act at once. Itō Yuying hurriedly stopped them. "Grandpa, Grandma, there's no need. I'm fine. I'll be better in a few days."

"That won't do! My grandson has been wronged. We must get justice!" Yiteng Yue declared solemnly.

"Yes, yes!" Might Duy chimed in. "My youth is already urging me on!"

"Yes, yes... tell Grandma who it was. I'll go home right now, get my gear, and call my sisters over to sing dirges outside his house!"

Itō Yuying was speechless. Finally, he said, "It was Lord Second Hokage. Be careful when you go, and get him to pay my medical bills and compensation for emotional distress while you're at it."

The ward fell silent the instant Itō Yuying finished speaking. He watched the shifting expressions on their three faces and Might Duy's feet inching toward the door.

Itō Yuying cried, "Duy!! You must avenge me!! Defend our friendship with your youth!"

Might Duy stopped edging toward the door, turned around, and said solemnly to Itō Yuying, "Yuying, my youth just told me it's on its period and needs a few days' rest. Goodbye." Then he turned and left, vanishing from Itō Yuying's sight in an instant.

"Ah... ah... I chose my friends poorly!" Itō Yuying bit his lip and put on an utterly heartbroken expression!

Then Itō Yuying turned his gaze on the two elderly people. They exchanged a glance. "Old man, I think we forgot to turn off the stove at home. Let's go home and turn it off." Yiteng Yue took his beloved old wife by the hand and hurried home, leaving without a trace.

Itō Yuying lay in bed, a faint glimmer of moisture flashing in the eyes that had been beaten into slits.

"You hurt me, then laughed it off. Sob, sob..."

The ward instantly fell silent...

Maybe I should turn evil! While I still don't have many bonds! Itō Yuying thought maliciously!

A while later, three more people entered the room. They were none other than the future Sannin. Itō Yuying was puzzled too, since he wasn't particularly close to the three of them.

Jiraiya spoke first. "Itō Yuying, how are you? Feeling any better?" After all, the two had fought before, so they had that little bit of a connection. Then Tsunade said, "My second grandpa asked me to check on your condition for him," she explained.

Then Itō Yuying fixed his gaze on Orochimaru. "I'm just here to tag along," Orochimaru said. Itō Yuying's face instantly darkened. "Come... come... come over here. Let's talk about life." Orochimaru immediately became interested when he heard that. The interest on Orochimaru's face instantly reminded Itō Yuying of Orochimaru's search for the meaning of life and pursuit of immortality in the manga from his previous life.

Holy crap, seriously?! He's already started studying the meaning of life at this age...? Itō Yuying thought.

While Itō Yuying's thoughts ran wild, Jiraiya asked, "What happened to you? How did you end up getting beaten this badly by Lord Hokage?"

"Sigh... sigh... better not to mention it. It's nothing but tears," Itō Yuying said sadly. Seeing his utterly hopeless expression, Tsunade thought, There's definitely a story here! She couldn't help growing even more curious.

"Why not tell us and give everyone something to laugh about?" Orochimaru joined in the fun.

Itō Yuying's mood instantly soured. "What's this, Big Meatball?! I hear you're pretty bold."

"B-B-Big Meatball?" Hearing Itō Yuying call him that instantly soured Orochimaru's mood too. Tsunade and Jiraiya froze for a moment, then practically collapsed with laughter beside Itō Yuying's bed. Jiraiya wiped away tears of laughter with one hand and pointed at Orochimaru with the other, roaring with laughter as the words "Big Meatball" escaped him every so often. Tsunade was hardly any better, crouching on the floor with both hands clutching her stomach as she laughed.

Itō Yuying looked utterly baffled. Was it really that funny? Were people in the Hokage world really that sheltered? Could I actually be a hidden master of comedy?

Orochimaru stood to the side with a dark, angry expression and said nothing. After all, he had teased Itō Yuying first, only to get teased in return. There was nothing he could do about it.

Once the two had laughed their fill, they chatted about this and that before the three left. As they walked out of the ward, Jiraiya could still be heard teasing Orochimaru.

The days passed. During that time, Jiraiya and the other two visited a few more times, and the three gradually grew closer to Itō Yuying. They had a great time chatting!

A month passed, and Itō Yuying's injuries had healed. As he prepared to leave the hospital, Jiraiya, Orochimaru, Tsunade, Might Duy, and his grandparents all came. Back at home, they held a small gathering. Hosts and guests alike enjoyed themselves in a warm, cheerful atmosphere.

Early the next morning, Itō Yuying went to his training ground and began training. "Sigh, my body's gotten a little stiff after a month without training. If I'd known, I would've eaten a Senzu Bean. Sigh..."

At that moment, the system, which hadn't appeared in a long time, spoke mockingly. "If you wanted to slack off, just say so. Why make excuses? While you were in the hospital, I reminded you more than once to eat a Senzu Bean, but you wouldn't listen. You said eating one would heal your injuries instantly and arouse suspicion, and then it would be hard to explain the Senzu Bean and all that. You're a Super Saiyan now. What are you afraid of?" Itō Yuying shot back, "What damn good does being a Super Saiyan do me now? Before I've grown stronger, it's all bullshit. Someone could just kill me whenever they wanted. Even someone as proud as Vegeta spent all those years enduring life under Frieza, didn't he? And didn't he still get killed in the end? You need to know your own limits. Don't think having a little power makes you invincible. Have you forgotten how I ended up in the hospital? And here you are, yapping away and lecturing me."

The system said angrily, "Fine, fine, fine! You're always right. I'm not talking to you anymore. Hmph... hmph..."

"Tch... you little punk. As if I couldn't handle you," Itō Yuying said haughtily.

After warming up for a while, he began training. Before long, his clothes were soaked through, and sweat dripped down drop by drop. Just then, Itō Yuying glanced over his shoulder to one side, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly. Then he resumed his training.