An hour and a half later, Naraku, who had been engrossed in his studies, was called by the system's alarm clock, returning from his mental world to reality.
The moment he opened his eyes, Naraku didn't see Kakashi; instead, Mikoto was sitting by his bed, still knitting a sweater. Judging by its size, it was for the baby and almost finished.
He watched her for a while before speaking: "Aunt Mikoto..."
Mikoto immediately turned to look at him, casually placing her knitting on the bedside table and reaching out to touch his face. She noticed he wasn't as feverish as before.
"Naraku, do you feel uncomfortable anywhere?"
"No..." Naraku tried to smile at her, but his current persona prevented him from showing a smile, so he merely twitched the corners of his mouth. "I... I came back late... I'm sorry..."
"No need to apologize, Naraku. I know you didn't want this to happen, right?"
Tears welled in Mikoto's eyes as she gently smoothed Naraku's hair.
"But once you're better this time, you're not allowed to run out of the Village again. Stay home and help me take care of the baby, okay?"
"Okay..." Naraku nodded in agreement, then asked, "Are Shisui, Obito, and the others... still safe?"
"Don't worry, the children are all safe and sound. Naraku, you protected your younger siblings. Everyone says you're a hero of our Uchiha Clan."
Mikoto praised him, suppressing her heartache, and quickly turned her head to wipe the corner of her eye.
Naraku himself was just a child, yet he had suffered more hardships since childhood than Shisui and the others combined, and he always thought of protecting others.
After a while, Mikoto noticed Naraku's hesitant expression. She knew what he wanted to ask, but she was afraid that if she truthfully explained that Kakashi had gone upstairs to look after his father, it would only upset Naraku even more.
After all, Sakumo's unconsciousness was a pain Naraku could never face directly.
So, she only vaguely said, "Kakashi should have gone home to pack his things. He'll be back soon."
"Aunt Mikoto, you should... go back too... I'll be fine alone..." Naraku glanced at Mikoto's swollen abdomen, his eyes full of guilt. "You and my brother... both need to rest..."
"It's alright, I don't have anything else to do anyway."
Mikoto picked up the small sweater and shook it. Seeing that Naraku was still worried about her getting tired, his brows furrowed, she had no choice but to smile and agree.
"Alright, I understand. Fugaku is discussing something with Lady Tsunade. Once he's done, we'll go home together."
She knew that for Naraku, who was too sensible, ignoring his wishes and giving him excessive care would be counterproductive.
Only then did Naraku show a relieved expression, staring blankly at the IV drip by the bed... In Tsunade's office.
"That's the situation. While Medical Ninjutsu and Sealing Jutsu can slow down the progression of the bloodline limit sickness, we need to think of other ways to cure it completely."
Tsunade was flipping through a thick inspection report, with many other documents on the table. Fugaku sat opposite her, and both their faces were etched with worry.
Ultimately, Tsunade made the decision: "Orochimaru hasn't been idle these past few years. Some of his research findings might be applicable to Naraku. I'll talk to him about it, but—"
—But I don't have money for Orochimaru's experiments.
Tsunade rubbed her forehead, a headache brewing.
She hadn't even finished paying off her own gambling debts; she had no spare money to burn.
Fugaku wouldn't let go of this hope and immediately promised, "You don't have to worry, the Uchiha will cover all of Lord Orochimaru's financial needs."
"Then there shouldn't be any problems."
...Leaving the office, Fugaku returned to the ward to pick up Mikoto and take her home. Upon entering, he found Naraku awake, quickly cast aside his bad mood, and sat down in another chair beside Mikoto.
"Naraku, you're awake."
"Lord Clan Head, thank you for coming to save me... I've caused you trouble..."
Naraku pretended not to understand Konoha's current situation and proactively asked, "Did something... happen to the Uchiha?"
Mikoto's knitting paused for a moment, then she continued to fiddle with the yarn as if nothing had happened.
"It's not good, but it's not bad either."
Seeing how worried he was, Fugaku briefly recounted the events of the night of the Uchiha uprising.
However, he didn't mention anything that happened before that night, especially the various targeted actions the Uchiha faced whenever they argued for justice for Naraku during their meetings.
Towards the end, feeling his wife subtly elbow him, Fugaku could only give a helpless wry smile.
He was always unable to treat Naraku like an ordinary child and deceive him.
From the first time Naraku attended a clan meeting, he confirmed that the boy possessed intelligence beyond his years, and his way of thinking was sometimes more mature than his own.
Moreover, the Uchiha had caused such a big stir this time; even if he wanted to hide it, he couldn't.
Naraku listened silently, and after Fugaku finished speaking, he slowly said, "It's good that everyone is fine... There will always be a way in the future..."
Although the Uchiha had survived this crisis, it didn't mean they could rest easy from now on.
To shake off the Uchiha's long-standing predicament and ensure the Uchiha could continue to survive and thrive in the Village, the current near-isolationist model still needed to change.
He would talk about it once he felt better. He had to be a Mangekyo who could fight, so his words would carry more weight.
Seeing Naraku finally relieved, Fugaku and Mikoto urged him to rest more, then left hand in hand, looking back three times.
Naraku gazed out the window at the fading sunset. In the dimming light, a few sparrows flew from afar and perched on the windowsill, chirping.
There were so many things to do next.
Methodically and flawlessly awaken Sakumo, help the Uchiha improve their situation to avoid future clan extermination crises, check if Shisui and Obito had the bloodline limit sickness, and find an excuse to extend his own life for a few years... Besides that, he occasionally had to use Kutsu's account to stir up trouble, adding bricks and mortar to the Infinite Tsukuyomi Plan... When the Third Great Ninja War broke out, there would be even more things to do.
As Naraku was thinking, a hand unexpectedly touched his forehead, and a familiar voice sounded in his ear.
"When did you wake up? Are you still uncomfortable?"
"Kakashi...?" After recognizing whose hand it was, Naraku instinctively replied, "Just now, when Aunt Mikoto was here... I'm not uncomfortable..."
--You lied to me again.
Kakashi lowered his gaze, thinking there was no way he wasn't uncomfortable. Even Lady Tsunade said Naraku's body was almost riddled with holes, and if it had been anyone else that night, they wouldn't have been able to endure it.
It seemed it had always been this way; no matter how much others asked, Naraku never admitted to feeling pain or fatigue. The more severe his injuries, the more taciturn he became.
Seeing Kakashi's expression look a little off, Naraku had the system randomly generate some inner thoughts for him according to the plan, while he reached out and grasped the other's fingertips.
"Don't worry... Kakashi... I'll be fine soon..."