The voice was all too familiar.
Even without turning around, Naruto knew who stood at the ward door. His expression shifted, then brightened deliberately. He turned with a smile plastered on his face. "Grandpa Third."
Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi stood in the doorway. Seeing the apparent admiration on Naruto's face, a kind and gentle smile crossed his aged features. He took a puff from his pipe. "Naruto."
"Did you come to see Sasuke, Grandpa Third?" Naruto asked.
"Yes." Hiruzen nodded. He glanced at the no-smoking sign on the corridor wall, then extinguished his pipe. He entered the ward and looked at the unconscious Sasuke, face unreadable.
"Naruto, how is Sasuke's current condition?" Hiruzen asked with apparent concern.
"The doctor said he has some internal injuries, nothing too serious. Hairline fractures in his right arm and left foot. The rest are surface wounds. After a month's rest in the hospital, he can be discharged. Now we just wait for Sasuke to wake up." Naruto answered honestly.
"Good. That's good. Poor child." Hiruzen walked toward the door as he spoke. Naruto followed him.
"I came to see if Sasuke had woken. If he had, I needed to tell him something. Since he's still unconscious, we'll talk after he wakes." Hiruzen paused at the doorway. "Naruto, stay here and take good care of Sasuke."
"Don't worry. Sasuke's my friend. I'll definitely take good care of him." Naruto's promise came out earnest and sincere.
Naruto watched Hiruzen Sarutobi slowly disappear down the hospital corridor. Then he turned and went back into the ward. The smile vanished from his face instantly.
It was worth noting: Hiruzen never mentioned why Naruto had appeared at the Uchiha compound that night.
And Naruto never asked about it.
As if the question didn't exist at all.
Three days later, Sasuke woke up.
The moment consciousness returned, he found himself in a hospital ward. Beside him, Naruto leaned against the edge of the bed, asleep.
Sasuke didn't wake him.
He stared quietly at the ceiling. Tears welled up in his eyes.
Sasuke would never forget the scene of Itachi killing their parents. Whenever he thought about it, endless pain consumed him.
Why?
That question haunted him constantly.
It had seemed like such a harmonious family. Parents who loved their children. Children who respected their parents. Brothers who cared for each other. How could such a family produce this kind of patricide, matricide, genocide?
There had been no warning signs.
Even now, Sasuke couldn't believe his brother was capable of this.
But the facts sat before him. He had no choice but to accept them.
"Mm..." Naruto shifted. He slowly woke. Yesterday he'd guarded Sasuke all night, finally falling asleep sometime after midnight without realizing it.
When he opened his eyes, he saw Sasuke staring blankly at the ceiling. Tears flowed quietly from his eyes, down his cheeks, eventually soaking the pillow.
Naruto sighed internally. He understood Sasuke's pain. He'd often wondered himself, when alone—if he weren't an orphan, if his parents were alive, what would his life look like?
"Sasuke." Naruto called his friend's name softly.
Hearing Naruto's voice, Sasuke's breath caught. He raised his left hand, wiped the tears from his face, and made a small sound of acknowledgment.
"How long was I asleep?" Sasuke looked at his friend.
"Three days." Naruto paused. "Oh, you must be hungry. I made millet porridge yesterday. Let me heat it up."
He grabbed the thermos and headed out.
Within five minutes, Naruto returned. He set the thermos on the bedside table, poured the porridge into a bowl, took a spoon, and helped Sasuke eat.
Sasuke ate quietly.
When he finished, he looked at Naruto. "Thank you, Naruto."
Naruto scratched his head at the thanks, waving his hand dismissively. "Don't mention it, Sasuke. We're friends. If I were injured, you'd take care of me the same way, right?"
"Yes. I would." Sasuke nodded earnestly. After going through this ordeal, he truly felt the warmth of friendship from Naruto. Especially in that situation, facing death, Naruto had still been willing to stand in front of him and block all danger.
Thank you, my friend. Sasuke said the words silently in his heart.
"By the way, Sasuke, look—these flowers are from Iruka-sensei. He hopes you recover soon. That day, he brought the whole class to visit you..."
"These are from Sakura..."
"These are from Ino..."
"This is from Choji. I think you can guess what he sent—yep, food. He said that once you're better, he'll share his favorite snacks with you..."
"This is from Shikamaru. The guy's kind of boring, sending this kind of thing..."
Naruto kept a smile on his face as he talked about the gifts from their classmates. He hoped his positive attitude would help pull Sasuke out of the darkness quickly.
He didn't say a single word about what had happened three days ago.
That afternoon, Hiruzen Sarutobi came again.
At that moment, Naruto was telling Sasuke about happy memories, trying to dispel the shadow hanging over him as soon as possible.
After all, if this went wrong, Sasuke might fall into an abyss for the rest of his life.
"Grandpa Third, you're here." Naruto went up to greet him, taking the snacks from Hiruzen's hands—a gift for Sasuke.
"Lord Third." Sasuke couldn't get up, so he could only call out from the bed.
"Mm, Sasuke. Are you feeling better?" Hiruzen sat on the stool Naruto brought for him and looked at Sasuke.
"Much better, thanks to Lord Third's care," Sasuke said.
"Ah." Hiruzen waved his hand, regret crossing his face. "You're a member of Konoha, and I'm Konoha's Third Hokage. My duty is to protect this village and everyone in it."
"What happened... no one wanted to see it happen."
"Sasuke, don't worry. I assure you, we will catch the murderer eventually. Itachi Uchiha has become a rogue ninja. I've already sent special teams to hunt him down."
Hearing the name Itachi Uchiha, Sasuke's pupils shrank visibly. A flash of hatred appeared in his eyes.
Hiruzen continued, "Sasuke, we've already held a funeral for your clan members. When you've recovered from your injuries, you can go pay your respects to them. As for the Uchiha compound—your family home—I've sent people to repair it. You can return to live there whenever you're ready."
"Also, the Uchiha clan's assets have been catalogued and counted. Since you're still young, Konoha will keep them in trust. They'll be returned to you when you reach adulthood. As for living expenses and tuition for the Ninja Academy, you'll receive a monthly stipend."