Never Speaking of It Doesn’t Mean Forgetting

In the mirrored world, Naruto took advantage of his Shadow Clone Technique to launch a direct assault. His real body broke through to Shikamaru, and in the next moment, he accurately stabbed a kunai into Shikamaru's heart.

"Congratulations, you have gained experience in training the Shadow Imitation Technique..."

As the system notification appeared, the scene shifted, and both he and Shikamaru's data puppets were removed from the battlefield.

"It's been a whole week, and the rewards are still the same kind of stuff?"

Naruto muttered to himself. He had been pretending to be in a coma at the hospital for a week, using that time to challenge data puppets in the mirrored world in hopes of obtaining chakra of other natures.

But so far, he had cycled through all the available opponents, and the only time he had received a chakra nature reward was from fighting the Uchiha Itachi puppet. Since then, nothing valuable had come his way.

Hoping for a lucky break, Naruto had spent extra time battling the Uchiha Itachi puppet, but all he got was a bunch of miscellaneous techniques like the Body Flicker and Substitution Jutsu—nothing truly useful.

Just now, he had gone through the Shikamaru data puppet again, but the result was the same: disappointment.

"How does this reward system even work?" Naruto wondered, while once again examining the data puppet before him.

"Naruto, that old man came by again. And those four medical-nin who examined you seem to be reaching their limits under the pressure."

It was Kurama's voice. Naruto immediately shifted his consciousness to the sealed space.

"Reaching their limits? What kind of pressure?"

Sensing his surroundings, Naruto noticed that there was no one else in the room besides his unconscious self on the hospital bed. Everyone else was outside the door.

"Because you refuse to wake up," Minato Namikaze approached with a serious expression. "Those four medical-nin proposed a new suggestion to the Third Hokage."

Noticing the anger in his father's eyes, Naruto followed up, "What suggestion?"

"A very outrageous one!" Minato said anxiously. "They suggested calling in Morino Ibiki, captain of the ANBU Torture and Interrogation Unit, and Yamanaka Inoichi from the Yamanaka Clan to examine your condition. Both of them are elite ninjas skilled in mental techniques."

"Especially Yamanaka Inoichi. In addition to his expertise in mind-control jutsu, he can probe others' thoughts to gather intelligence."

Naruto's eyes turned cold. They're treating me like a criminal now.

Just to wake up their Jinchūriki, they came up with such a ridiculous idea? Even if those doctors failed, wouldn't the Third Hokage consider calling in Tsunade, his prized student?

"Did the Third Hokage agree to this?"

Minato shook his head. "The medical-nin said that the reason you haven't woken up is due to mental trauma, and that they need to understand what's happening inside your mind to treat you properly. The Third didn't immediately agree to their suggestion, but... I could tell he was seriously considering it."

"Seriously considering it?" Naruto sneered.

If they dared to invade his mental space, they would pay with their lives. The mirrored world could forcibly capture any consciousness that intruded into his mind.

But that would cause a huge mess. Given his current strength, he would definitely be detained for research—maybe even dissected like a specimen.

Looks like it's time to go home. After a brief moment of thought, Naruto opened his eyes...

Meanwhile, Outside the Hospital Room

"Hokage-sama, here's a week's worth of data on the Jinchūriki. As you can see, his physical condition is abnormally healthy."

In the corridor outside Naruto's hospital room, a medical-nin solemnly reported to the Third Hokage while holding a thick stack of documents.

"There are only two possibilities for his prolonged unconsciousness."

"The first is that the Jinchūriki has suffered severe mental trauma, causing his consciousness to become trapped in the depths of his own mind. This has been observed before in surviving battlefield veterans. If that's the case, those two specialists could guide his consciousness back."

"As for the second possibility..."

The medical-nin hesitated.

"Hmm? What is the second possibility?"

The Third Hokage's expression turned cold as he stared intently at the medic.

The medical-nin gulped and was about to answer when—

Creak—

Everyone turned toward Naruto's hospital room.

The door opened, and Naruto stepped out, still dressed in his pajamas, looking dazed.

"Hokage-sama?"

The Third Hokage's tense expression immediately softened into a warm smile. "Naruto, you're finally awake."

"Is this the hospital?" Naruto steadied himself, then asked, "Hokage-sama, I'm a bit thirsty. Do you have any water?"

Hokage's Office

"You're saying I've been asleep for a whole week?"

Naruto sat in a chair, looking puzzled. He had already changed into a set of clothes that the Third Hokage had someone retrieve from his apartment.

"Heh, that's right." The Third Hokage, seated across from him, smiled kindly. "Do you remember anything from that night? How are you feeling now? Any discomfort?"

"I don't remember... and I feel fine." Naruto shook his head, then suddenly frowned as if recalling something. "Hokage-sama, that night… what was that thing that appeared around me?"

"People always call me a demon fox... is it related to what happened that night?"

"Am I really a monster?"

Naruto fired off three questions in succession, but the Third Hokage maintained his smile.

"Heh, Naruto, how could you be a monster? Don't let your imagination run wild. Just go home and rest for a few days. I've already had the village carpenters repair your wall."

"Also, take this."

As he spoke, the Hokage handed Naruto a scroll.

"What is this?" Naruto took the scroll.

"Last time, I gave you a scroll on the basics of Taijutsu. This one contains training methods for the Substitution and Clone Jutsu."

Naruto's eyes lit up with excitement. "Thank you, Hokage-sama! I'll train hard!"

"Good kid." The Third Hokage was pleased with Naruto's attitude. Then, he added, "Oh, and Naruto, don't just stay at home all the time. You mentioned making friends, right?"

"Go out more often. I'm sure you can make even more friends."

Naruto paused. Does this mean Shikamaru didn't report our conversation to the Hokage?

Then he recalled the data he had collected from his father, Itachi, and Shikamaru in the mirrored world. If he got to know more people…

"Alright! I'll go find Shikamaru tomorrow!"

Hearing this, the Third Hokage's smile widened. He personally escorted Naruto to the entrance of the Hokage building.

Naruto's Apartment

As Naruto walked home, he carried a faint smile, but it disappeared the moment he entered his house. His expression darkened.

"Naruto, that hidden guy just moved to the rooftop."

The moment he shut the door, Kurama's voice rang out.

"I know. He's been tailing me since I entered the Hokage's office."

Naruto sat down in a chair, closed his eyes, and shifted his consciousness into the sealed space.

"The Third Hokage still doesn't trust me. He sent him to confirm something."

Minato's face grew serious. "He wants to know if you were faking it."

Naruto exhaled slowly. "The Third Hokage refuses to acknowledge what he did to me, pretending it never happened."

"But I won't speak of it—not because I'll forget, but because I will never forgive."

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