Coldness, Persuasion, and a Cow [2]

The Next Day

Following Sakura's advice, Naruto didn't go to the hospital at night. Instead, he forced himself to wait until morning. As soon as the sun was up, he grabbed a fruit basket and dashed to the hospital.

After asking the nurse at the front desk which room Sasuke was in, the blond-haired boy hurried off in a rush.

By the time Naruto arrived, panting heavily at Sasuke's hospital room, Sasuke was already awake. Dressed in a hospital gown, he sat on the bed, staring absentmindedly out the window.

"Sasuke!"

BANG!

The hospital room door was flung open with a loud crash, and Naruto's booming voice startled Sasuke so much that he visibly tensed.

"Naruto!"

"You idiot!"

"Who are you trying to scare this early in the morning?!"

"And this is a hospital, damn it!"

Seeing Naruto barge in so suddenly, Sasuke's expression darkened with irritation.

"Uh…"

"Hehe, my bad, my bad. I wasn't thinking."

"Next time, I'll be more careful."

Only after hearing Sasuke's complaints did Naruto realize where they were. He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, grinning.

Sasuke's black eyes flickered with amusement as he glanced at Naruto's foolish grin, though he quickly schooled his expression and said with a straight face:

"Good thing it's me. Otherwise, you'd have been kicked out by now."

Naruto plopped down beside Sasuke's bed, still grinning as he placed the fruit basket on the bedside table.

"Come on, it's not that bad."

Sasuke scoffed, pretending to be unimpressed.

"So? I've been back for two days, and you're only coming to see me now?"

Naruto immediately cried out in protest.

"Hey! I just got back to the village yesterday!"

"It was Sakura who told me you were in the hospital."

Hearing this, Sasuke's irritation faded slightly. He reached into the fruit basket Naruto had brought, grabbed an apple, and asked casually:

"I see. So, you were at the Suna battlefield?"

"I didn't see you at the Kumo front."

"But if you were in Suna all by yourself, you'd better be careful. After all, neither Sakura, Kakashi, nor I were there."

Sasuke's words made Naruto freeze.

Battlefield?

What battlefield?

What the hell is Sasuke talking about?

Naruto's strange reaction caught Sasuke's attention, but he didn't think much of it. He took a crisp bite of the apple and spoke through a full mouth:

"Didn't you just return yesterday?"

"Weren't you at the Suna battlefield?"

Naruto stared at him blankly, confusion written all over his face.

"Battlefield?"

"What do you mean?"

Now it was Sasuke's turn to look puzzled.

"The battlefield. The war."

"The war's been going on for a while now."

"We're fighting both Suna and Kumo. You seriously didn't know?"

--

Tsunade stood outside the hospital room with her arms crossed, listening to the two boys chatter. Her face showed clear impatience.

If it weren't for the old man specifically instructing her to give them some space to talk, she would've barged in already.

Standing here, waiting? What a waste of time.

After all, wasn't Naruto just the brat with the Nine-Tails?

Even when Kushina's seal was unstable back in the day, no one went out of their way to coddle her. They simply threw her into the village and let things be.

She had no idea what kind of spell this kid had cast on the Third Hokage to make him so protective.

--

"So…"

"That big sister was from Kumo?"

Naruto's voice was tinged with melancholy.

So that's how it is…

Suddenly, everything made sense.

Naruto's emotions became complicated.

Sakura and Asuma-sensei had hidden the war from him.

Because of the Nine-Tails inside him, his very existence was too important.

So, everyone kept him in the dark, not wanting him to set foot on the battlefield.

But…

But could he really just stand by and watch as his comrades fought, bled, and sacrificed their lives?

Naruto couldn't accept that.

He had to go to the battlefield too.

He had to protect his comrades!

His stubborn, impulsive nature prevented him from realizing the real reason why everyone had hidden the war from him.

No one doubted Naruto's strength. But in the grand scheme of things, his power didn't mean much.

Sending Naruto to the front lines was equivalent to handing the Nine-Tails over to the enemy.

Unless he could master the Nine-Tails Chakra Mode, he had no business being on the battlefield.

But he was only twelve. Without the waterfall training or Killer Bee's guidance, how could he possibly achieve that?

"I see…"

Hearing Naruto's words, Sasuke seemed deep in thought.

So Kumo's Two-Tails Jinchūriki had already been brought to Konoha…

"I don't know why they kept you off the battlefield."

"But since this was Sakura's decision, and the decision of everyone else…"

"There must be a reason for it."

"Maybe not stepping onto the battlefield is a kind of luck for you, Naruto."

Sasuke looked at the frustrated Naruto before him and, in a rare moment, offered words of consolation.

From Naruto's own words, he had already learned that it was Sakura who sent him here to find Sasuke.

Clearly, Sakura had failed to convince Naruto herself—or perhaps she had anticipated this reaction and simply decided to let him handle it instead.

Sasuke found it a little ridiculous. Did Sakura really see him as the kind of person who was good at comforting others? A wise and patient mentor?

But since she had sent Naruto his way, he might as well give it a try.

"Luck? What luck?"

"Sakura and the others went too far!"

"They didn't even consider my feelings at all!"

Naruto spoke irritably.

"Naruto."

Sasuke's gaze suddenly became calm.

Looking into those bright blue eyes, the dark-haired boy spoke in a low voice:

"Naruto, Sakura is right."

"The reason they did this was precisely because they considered your feelings."

"Though I don't fully understand why you were the only one deliberately left out, or why Asuma-sensei and the new generation of the Ino-Shika-Cho trio were assigned to stay with you…"

"But—"

"Isn't this a sign of how much they value you?"

Even though the Uchiha clan had been reduced to just him, Sasuke still understood what Asuma and the Ino-Shika-Cho formation represented.

Asuma was the only son of the Third Hokage.

And Ino, Shikamaru, and Choji—this generation's Ino-Shika-Cho—were a force to be reckoned with in Konoha.

For such a powerful lineup to be assigned to Naruto… it was obvious that his importance surpassed theirs.

Naruto pressed his lips together, silent.

He knew Sasuke was right.

But…

He couldn't accept it. No matter what, he just couldn't accept it.

Seeing Naruto's internal struggle, Sasuke's expression softened slightly. He glanced out the window at a sparrow perched on a tree branch, his voice carrying a hint of barely perceptible envy.

"Naruto, haven't you noticed?"

"There was a time when no one paid any attention to you."

"But as the years have passed, the people around you have only grown."

"Sakura, me, Ino, Choji, Kiba, Kakashi, Jiraiya…"

Sasuke couldn't help but think of himself.

Naruto had already gained so many comrades.

But what about him?

Who could truly understand him?

He still carried a deep, unrelenting hatred.

If—if he managed to survive after killing Uchiha Itachi…

Would he finally be able to let go of everything? Would he be able to say a real farewell to the past?

"…Sasuke."

Naruto stared at him, speechless.

Suddenly, a wave of guilt surged in his heart.

Sasuke's burdens were no lighter than his—if anything, they were even heavier.

And yet, Sasuke was the one comforting him.

Was he… being too selfish?

For the first time—without needing anyone to point it out—Naruto realized his own mistake.

"Are you two done talking?"

"If you're done, then shut up."

"You, blondie, get out of the way!"

"Don't get in the way of my work."

Tsunade finally lost her patience and strode into the room, grabbing Naruto by the collar and dragging him aside before turning to face Sasuke to begin his rehabilitation treatment.

"What the hell?!"

"You big-breasted cow, where the heck did you come from?!"

Stumbling from the push, Naruto froze for a moment, then immediately exploded.

"Naruto—!"

Sasuke's face stiffened as he tried to stop him, but it was already too late.

"You little brat, say that again!"

Tsunade's knuckles cracked ominously, her expression dark as she glared at the clueless Naruto.

Damn.

Would it still be possible to call Sakura in time to collect Naruto's remains?

Cold sweat trickled down Sasuke's back as he watched the scene unfold.

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