"Alright, alright, move aside."
Tsunade walked into the room, grabbed Kakashi by the back of his collar, and shoved him away. She bent down to examine Naraku, and only after confirming his condition was stable did she sternly scold the three of them.
"Kana, you're a grown woman, don't you have any sense? How can he do all that crazy stuff in his condition?"
"And Kakashi, stop standing there with that gloomy face. Naraku can have soft food tomorrow, so go prepare it now!"
"Naraku, you little brat, I haven't said anything to you, have I? Get back to bed and sleep!"
"Teacher, please…" Naraku tugged on Tsunade's sleeve, wanting her to check Kakashi's body. "Kakashi, he might…"
"I know, I already checked him. There are no after-effects."
Seeing that he still wanted to speak, Tsunade directly interrupted him: "If you dare apologize, I'll break Kakashi's legs! Sleep!"
So Naraku obediently closed his eyes and lay down, even pursing his lips and making a zipping motion over his mouth, indicating that he would absolutely not say another word.
Kakashi felt as if he was seeing the old Naraku; even injured, he was still restless, always doing silly little things that either made him laugh or amused him.
So he, too, slightly curved the corners of his mouth, letting out a brief puff of air, just like before.
Hearing the sound, Naraku relaxed slightly, thinking that Kakashi finally looked a bit like he was smiling.
He actually didn't want to see the other person so distraught and heartbroken; he always felt a pang in his heart.
--While Uchiha Naraku could still exist, he wanted Kakashi to be happy.
--If he needed to feign injury, he would just do it behind Kakashi's back… Naraku thought, letting himself slowly drift into sleep… A few days later, Naraku's body improved day by day, and he was moved to a regular private room in the Hospital.
Although he wasn't exactly healthy yet, he could at least stay awake for long periods. The pain from his bloodline limit sickness had significantly lessened, and his fevers weren't as frequent.
During this time, Shisui, Obito, and the other children Naraku had rescued came to visit, bringing gifts and tonics prepared by their families, which piled up into a small mountain at the foot of his bed.
Unfortunately, Naraku still hadn't received permission to eat solid food, so these items were gradually consumed by Obito and Shisui, who frequently visited him, dragging Kakashi or Kana along.
Even Fūyō, who was already an adult, contributed a bit to the elimination of these edibles.
Naraku could only watch them feast enviously while swallowing tasteless porridge with a look of utter despair.
Fortunately, these hard times didn't last too long. Soon, Naraku was able to eat some easily digestible fruits, vegetables, and occasionally a little meat.
"Delicious."
Naraku swallowed the fish paste in his mouth, deeply moved that he could finally eat some meat.
"Look at you, so unrefined," Tsunade said, sitting beside the bed and flipping through documents. "Why didn't you think of the consequences when you were courting death?"
"Hmm…" Naraku decisively pretended not to understand, buried his head, and took another bite, trying to change the subject. "Teacher, how is Aunt Mikoto doing?"
"It'll probably be tonight. She has a strong physique, so it will go smoothly."
"Then I'll have a little brother."
Naraku's tone was clearly happy, but he didn't show much expression.
Tsunade glanced at him, put down her documents, walked over, and touched his face, attempting to stimulate several important acupoints. She found that his reflexes were still present, so it wasn't a problem with his facial nerves.
Because his face was being pinched, Naraku couldn't open his mouth to speak, and his pronunciation was muffled: "Teacher, what's wrong?"
"What's wrong, you ask?" Tsunade flicked his forehead. "You can't even smile at Kakashi. Do you think you're normal?"
"Do you really think everyone is blind and can't see there's a problem like this?"
"It's just that those brats don't dare to ask you."
A few days ago, when Naraku had recovered enough for long conversations, Tsunade and Fugaku had come to ask him about what happened after he fell into the cliff.
He said he couldn't remember, not even how he had obtained the information about Shisui's confinement location.
Tsunade examined Naraku and found an abnormality in his brain, likely a bruise or lesion, and there was no way to cure it quickly. So, they had to temporarily put aside the matter of uncovering the truth.
Now it seemed that the abnormality not only caused Naraku to lose part of his memory but also left him with the after-effect of being unable to smile.
Never mind, Tsunade released her little apprentice's pathetic face, thinking that she didn't particularly like seeing him force himself to smile anyway.
"Maybe, maybe I hit my head then, so… perhaps it will get better when the bruise clears up, the books all say so."
Naraku rubbed his head with his right hand, which held a spoon, and looked at a thick medical book, "Brain Neurocognition and Medical Treatment," placed on his bedside table. The bookmark was clipped in the last few pages, clearly indicating he was almost finished reading it.
Tsunade's gaze shifted away with a complex expression, looking at the bright sunlight outside.
Before this book, Naraku had also finished reading "Principles of Sealing Jutsu Energy Operation" and "Analysis of Natural Energy," which Kushina had sent, from his Hospital bed. Clearly, he wasn't reading them for himself.
--That brat never gave up on trying to wake Sakumo.
Naraku had always kept the promise he made that night.
"I don't want to waste the time I have alive."
"Even if hope is faint, I will do everything I can to save him."
"I'm back, Naraku."
Kakashi walked in carrying some things. Naraku noticed his expression was a bit off, with a hint of awkwardness amidst his helplessness.
Immediately after, he saw two green-clad oddities following behind him, both entering the Hospital room doing handstands.
"Yo! Naraku! Today is truly a good day to embrace youth—"
Might Duy was about to deliver an inspiring, passionate greeting when he saw Tsunade was also present, and he quickly swallowed the remaining words.
The Mighty Punch he received that day still throbbed faintly in his memory.
He immediately flipped over to stand up, greeting seriously with a solemn face: "Lady Tsunade! Good afternoon!"
Might Guy also stood at attention, mimicking his father, a spitting image of a smaller Might Duy: "Good afternoon!"
"Hmm, good."
Tsunade couldn't bear to look at the fashion sense of the Might Guy and his father. She covered her forehead and waved her documents, considering that her response.
As she left, she told Naraku: "Remember not to always read. Go to bed early."
"Okay, Teacher."
Naraku obediently agreed, then greeted Might Guy and his father: "Senior Dai, Might Guy, good afternoon."
In the blink of an eye, a neatly folded green jumpsuit appeared in his hand, next to Might Guy and his father's sunny, confident thumbs-up and their dazzling white teeth.
"Naraku, you, who resurrected from despair, have undoubtedly embodied the essence of the Youthful Ninja Way!"
"Every time I think of this, I can't help but be moved to tears!"
"Come on! Let's train together to build strong bodies and pour our passion into youth!"
Listening to Might Duy's overbearing speech and seeing the two wide tears streaming down his face, Naraku's poker face was almost cured.
He trembled as he turned to look at Kakashi, his face full of: Save me, save me, save me… Kakashi, however, enjoyed the spectacle, raising an eyebrow at him, clearly interested in seeing him put on that outfit.
--No, Kakashi, you big-eyed fellow, do you really have the heart to watch me become a comedic character?
Naraku's mouth drooped, feeling his image as a handsome Uchiha was about to be shattered.
"Let's wait until I'm discharged, Senior Dai."
Ultimately, Kakashi couldn't bear it and chose to mercifully rescue Naraku from his predicament: "The Hospital only allows patients to wear patient gowns. See, Naraku can't even wear the clothes Aunt Mikoto sent."
"Ah, alright then."
Might Duy took the clothes and placed them next to the outfit embroidered with the Uchiha clan crest.