The underground cavern of Mountain Prison.
Black Zetsu emerged from the ground and reported to Madara.
"Lord Madara, the plan has succeeded."
"Uchiha Naraku successfully awakened his Mangekyo Sharingan under the stimulus of his close friend's betrayal."
This was all within Madara's expectations.
The Uchiha clan is a people of intense emotion; no one could withstand such a devastating psychological blow.
However, Naraku's bloodline limit sickness had also worsened.
He needed to be brought to the cavern quickly, otherwise, it would be a waste if he died from the illness.
With Madara's research on the Sharingan and Hashirama's cells, curing Naraku's condition in time would not be difficult.
"Very good, Black Zetsu. Keep a close eye on him and bring him here when the opportunity arises."
Black Zetsu nodded in agreement.
Konoha Hospital.
The heavy rain continued, pouring relentlessly against the glass window.
Streams of water snaked downward, the ripples blurring the world into a misty haze.
Tsunade was in her office drinking tea, enjoying a rare moment of tranquility.
Shizune was busy helping her organize documents when, suddenly, a knock sounded at the door.
She ran to open it and saw a soaking wet young man standing outside.
His clothes were still dripping, and a large puddle had already accumulated at his feet.
"Naraku! What happened to you?"
Shizune quickly ushered the drenched boy into the room and ran to the cabinet for a dry towel to dry his hair.
Naraku's face was deathly pale, and his entire body trembled from hypothermia.
Tsunade clicked her tongue in annoyance and slammed her hand on the table.
"Stupid brat! Do you have a death wish?!"
Quietly thanking Shizune, Naraku took the towel, indicating he could manage.
He walked past her to stand before Tsunade, his tone respectful yet hollow.
"Lady Tsunade, please tell me... is Master never going to wake up?"
Tsunade frowned.
"You ran out into the rain because of this? Does doing this make you feel any better?"
She was genuinely angry now.
As Sakumo's disciple, whose life had been saved by his master, this brat was being far too impulsive.
He wasn't cherishing his own body in the slightest.
Naraku shook his head, managing a bitter smile that looked more painful than crying.
"Actually, I always knew Master might never wake up again."
His hands, hanging at his sides, were tightly clenched.
Raindrops dripped from his hair and chin, splashing into tiny patterns on the floor.
"It's just that I didn't dare to confirm it with you... But now, there's no time left for confusion."
Naraku blinked, revealing the scarlet Mangekyo Sharingan in his eye sockets.
"I... won't live much longer."
For a moment, only the dull drumming of the rain echoed in the room.
Tsunade stood up and walked over, cupping his face and looking at the eyes that symbolized a death sentence for him.
A look of unbearable sorrow crossed her face.
Just before the second sealing jutsu could be applied, he had been given a few short days to recover.
Yet, for some reason, he had still forced the evolution of his visual prowess.
Did the heavens truly want this child to die so badly?
"What exactly happened?"
"It doesn't matter anymore, Lady Tsunade."
Naraku's voice was ethereal.
The red in his eyes gradually faded, replaced by black, yet his gaze remained dim even under the bright lights.
"Can you teach me medical ninjutsu and sealing techniques?"
"You want to learn? That isn't something that can be mastered in a short time—"
Tsunade swallowed the rest of her sentence.
She realized she had just implicitly acknowledged that the child would die very soon.
To refuse his request for that reason would be too cruel.
"I want to save Master. Even if the hope is faint, I want to do everything I can."
"Perhaps I'll die before I even learn anything..."
"But I still don't want to waste the time I have left."
Naraku slowly bowed deeply.
"Please, teach me."
Tsunade felt as if she were back on that night when this young man had first knelt before her, begging her to save Sakumo.
If she had asked him to take his own life then, he would have done it without hesitation.
That blood-soaked figure gradually merged with the young man before her.
Even though they were the same person, Tsunade couldn't help but be filled with mixed emotions.
"Let me make this clear: I don't have time to hold your hand. You have to rely on yourself, understand?"
"Yes. I understand."
The next day, Tsunade applied another seal to Naraku.
This time, the seal's only purpose was to stabilize his ocular power; there was no longer a need to prevent its evolution.
He was required to stay in the hospital for several more days.
Naraku spent his time visiting Sakumo in the mornings to talk to him and diligently studying the basic medical ninjutsu texts Tsunade had provided.
Tsunade, fearing he might rush and only grasp things superficially, came to test his understanding.
She found that he comprehended everything thoroughly and that his chakra control was astonishingly precise.
She could foresee that, given time, Naraku would surely become one of the top medical ninja in the world.
But unfortunately, time was exactly what he lacked.
The day before his discharge, Naraku was sitting on his bed reading.
He unconsciously rubbed the corner of a page between his fingertips, contemplating Tsunade's handwritten notes.
"Naraku, I'm here."
Sister Kana, carrying a bento box, opened the door and walked in.
She frowned slightly after looking around the room.
"Is Kakashi not coming today either?"
"Mm."
Naraku replied softly.
He folded the corner of the page, closed the book, and placed it beside his pillow.
He took the bento box Kana offered him.
Opening it, he saw it was filled with fresh fruit slices.
"Thank you, Sister Kana."
Naraku smiled as usual.
"Don't thank me. Actually, Sister Kushina prepared it all for you."
Seeing no particular reaction from him, Kana hesitated.
She weighed her thoughts for a long time before finally asking, "Did you two have a fight?"
A few days ago, she had tried to get Kakashi to come to the hospital with her, but he had refused.
At the time, she hadn't thought much of it.
But after so many days, even the Uchiha Clan Head and his wife had visited twice.
Yet Kakashi hadn't come once.
Naraku, who usually couldn't go three sentences without mentioning Kakashi, now rarely brought him up.
His eyes were always on those books whenever she visited.
"No," Naraku smiled, denying it naturally.
"Kakashi is probably just busy. I'm already very happy that you came."
He tried very hard to maintain his expression, but the smile was superficial; it no longer reached his eyes.
Kana lowered her head and pursed her lips, not pressing further.
She quietly began peeling roasted chestnuts for him.
After Kana left, Naraku sat holding the box with a few pieces of fruit left, lost in thought for a long time.
Then he quietly got off the bed and left the hospital.
He went down to the river.
Disregarding his unrecovered body, he took off his shoes and socks and stepped barefoot into the water.
The river water at night was bone-chilling.
Soon his hands and feet lost all sensation, but he tirelessly pushed aside the stones at the riverbed.
He was searching for the lost pottery shard.
He had been searching for several nights, starting from where it fell and gradually moving downstream.
He examined almost every stone, afraid of accidentally missing it.
Today, he still hadn't found it.
Naraku sighed, his movements stiff as he walked out of the river.
He squatted by the bank, staring blankly at the endlessly flowing water.
About twenty to thirty meters behind him, a very familiar chakra lingered.
It still showed no intention of approaching.