When Naruto pushed open the ward door, he saw Kakashi and Sasuke lying on two hospital beds.
Kakashi's eyes were tightly shut, his face pale.
Sasuke's condition was worse. His whole face was pale, his brows tightly furrowed, as if he were being repeatedly tormented by some terrible nightmare even in his coma.
Naruto stood between the two hospital beds, then held his forehead.
It's one thing for Kakashi to be hit by Tsukuyomi, but why is Sasuke lying here too?
'You're really ruthless, Itachi. To be so merciless even when dealing with your own younger brother.'
But on second thought, given Itachi's educational philosophy, he was probably bleeding inside while using Tsukuyomi to torture Sasuke.
Fortunately, Tsunade was here. With the best medical ninja in charge, the consciousness trauma caused by Tsukuyomi shouldn't be a big problem.
Just then, the ward door was pushed open.
Sakura walked in carrying a basin filled with towels. The moment she saw Naruto, she was stunned for a moment, and then a look of surprise appeared on her face.
"Naruto, you're back."
"Yeah, I just got back a little while ago. I already know about what happened to Kakashi-sensei and Sasuke. I didn't expect so many things to have happened in Konoha while I was away."
As Naruto spoke, he cast his gaze back onto Sasuke and Kakashi.
Sakura walked to Sasuke's bedside and placed the basin on the nightstand. Then she wrung out a wet towel, and placed it on Sasuke's forehead.
"Don't worry, Granny Tsunade has already been brought back to the village by Pervy Sage and me. She is the best medical ninja in the entire Ninja World, their injuries shouldn't be a big problem for her."
When Sakura heard the name Tsunade, a glimmer of hope appeared in her eyes.
She had also heard the news that Tsunade, one of the legendary Sannin, had returned to the village.
Then, she thought of the Pervy Sage that Naruto mentioned and couldn't help but ask,
"Who is Pervy Sage?"
"One of the Sannin, Jiraiya." Naruto explained simply.
"So it's, Jiraiya-sama..." Sakura's eyes widened.
Afterwards, the two chatted briefly and then, Naruto left.
Sakura sat by Sasuke's bedside, her expression a bit more relaxed than before.
Naruto was back, and Tsunade-sama was back too. The panic that had been weighing on her heart for several days finally eased.
Just then, the ward door was pushed open, and Ino rushed in, clutching a bouquet of freshly wrapped flowers.
She placed the flowers into the vase on the nightstand, then said to Sakura excitedly, "Sakura, have you heard? Tsunade-sama has returned to the village, and I heard she's coming back to take over as the Fifth Hokage."
She clasped her hands in front of her chest, her eyes full of sparkles. "Tsunade-sama is the idol I've admired most since I was little. The strongest medical ninja, and she's also a super beauty."
Sakura waited until Ino was done being excited before interjecting. "Naruto was just here. According to him, it seems he and Jiraiya-sama were the ones who brought Tsunade-sama back."
"Huh? Naruto is back? He came here?"
"He already left."
Ino turned her head to look around the ward. Hearing that Naruto had left, a trace of disappointment flashed across her face.
But the next second, she shoved the flowers she hadn't finished arranging into Sakura's arms and said, "Sakura, I suddenly remembered I have something to help with at the flower shop at home, I'm leaving first."
Then, she slipped out of the ward in a flash.
Sakura sat there holding the half-arranged flowers, feeling bewildered.
...
After leaving the hospital, Ino headed straight in the direction of the apartment where Naruto lived, calculating in her mind what to say when she saw Naruto in a moment.
"Long time no see, Naruto, how come you didn't say hello when you got back?" or "I heard you brought Tsunade-sama back, well done."
But when she turned the street corner and arrived downstairs at Naruto's apartment building, the scene before her made her freeze.
She saw Naruto walking out of the apartment, followed by a red-haired girl. The red-haired girl's face was full of innocent curiosity, tilting her head and saying something to Naruto.
The two walked side by side along the street towards the commercial district.
Ino's mind went blank. Instinctively, she stepped back and hid behind a large tree nearby.
By the time she came to her senses, Naruto and that red-haired girl had already walked far away.
She poked half her head out from behind the tree, and then, as if possessed, followed them.
She couldn't even explain to herself why she was following. Perhaps she just wanted to confirm who that red-haired girl was and what her relationship with Naruto was.
Right, just confirming, that's all.
Afterwards, she saw Naruto taking that red-haired girl into a daily necessities store in the commercial district to carefully pick out daily supplies.
Seeing this scene, a thought exploded in Ino's mind.
Naruto was living with this red-haired girl!
She not only lived in the same apartment as Naruto, but Naruto also personally brought her out to buy daily necessities and smiled at her.
Ino felt as if something had shattered. She turned and walked in the direction she came from.
She didn't want to watch anymore, and she didn't want Naruto to discover her. It's just that her footsteps were a bit unsteady.
As she walked, Ino said to herself in her heart: It's okay, Ino, you and Naruto didn't have any special relationship to begin with, you were just classmates before. He's become handsome and strong now and has his own life, none of this has anything to do with you.
But the way that red-haired girl smiled kept appearing before her eyes, and she couldn't shake it off no matter what.